When I heard my mom and brother say that, I was even more reluctant to say anything. However, after hearing what they said, I understood. That evening at dinner, I said to my mom, "Mom, my notice to go to the countryside is with me. Shouldn't I get my subsidy money? I still have a lot of things to prepare."

"My mom panicked immediately. When she saw my dad hear about this, she didn't say anything else. When I asked her, my family found out. In the end, my mom had no choice but to give me the money."

She was reluctant to give me the money, and when she handed it over, she glared at me. She was trying to get the money back from my dad while he was away.

I was feeling down at the time, so when I got the money I wanted to go find my good friends and sell them the factory spot. My friends were really loyal to me and helped me prepare a lot of things, which they then mailed to me.

Since I arrived here, I have written home twice, but I have never received a reply. I've come to realize that none of my family members care about me.

When I first arrived, I even mailed some local produce home. Regardless of what they think or whether they still care about me as their son, I've done everything I could. From now on, I won't concern myself with anything anymore.

"So boys can do that too?"

"Yes, I used to be glad that I was a boy because so many families favored boys over girls."

"But now that I think about it, whether my parents care about me or not seems to have nothing to do with gender. When something happens, they will still push me out if they need to."

"It seems like everyone who comes here is the one who isn't valued by their family..."

"It seems like this is common in families with many children; even the five fingers are different, and the middle one is often the one that gets overlooked," Zhang Sanqian said with a self-deprecating laugh.

"Looking at it this way, going to the countryside is actually a good thing for me. If I had stayed at home all the time, I might not be as happy as I am now," Zhang Sanqian continued.

Seeing the atmosphere become dull, Wang Xue quickly spoke up: "From now on, we're all in this together. If there's something to discuss, we'll talk about it; if there's nothing to discuss, we'll chat and watch the fun."

Everyone nodded in agreement. They had all come together from different parts of the country, some for several years, others for several months. They were all people who lived away from home, so they should stick together and get through this difficult time.

"Hey, hey, what are you doing? Wangjia Village is a perfectly good place, okay?"

"Why are you saying such discouraging things?" Wang Chunhua said loudly when she saw that everyone was talking non-stop.

"Okay, okay, I won't say anymore."

"With so much delicious food today, we should be happy," Liu Lele said loudly, speaking not only to others but also to herself.

From the moment Han Qiushi heard Liu Lele's story, he had been observing Lin Xiaoxiao's expression. Seeing that she didn't show any sadness, his heart ached even more.

In terms of parental favoritism and the harm suffered, Lin Xiaoxiao suffered the most among those present.

He really wanted to pat Lin Xiaoxiao's head. Han Qiushi thought so, and that's what he did. He placed his big hand on Lin Xiaoxiao's head and gently rubbed it twice.

Lin Xiaoxiao looked at him in surprise. Why was he patting her head for no reason?

Han Qiushi laughed and said, "When cooking rice, it might have accidentally gotten some on it."

"Oh, is there anything else? You smell like cooking oil all over. I need to wash my hair tonight," Lin Xiaoxiao continued to ask Han Qiushi.

Han Qiushi couldn't let such an opportunity pass by. He bent down and carefully examined Lin Xiaoxiao's hair, taking the chance to get closer to her.

The people eating were speechless. "How come there's still so much food? We're already a little full."

......

The next day, Han Qiushi went to the county town early in the morning.

When Kong Hui's mother opened the door and saw Han Qiushi coming in, she greeted him with a smile: "Qiushi, you're here? Have you had breakfast yet?"

"Auntie, I've already eaten."

"I have something to discuss with Uncle Kong," Han Qiushi said, handing her some vegetables and wild rabbits he had brought from Wangjia Village.

"You keep bringing things over, but you never come to our house for a meal." Seeing that Kong Hui's mother wouldn't take them, Han Qiushi simply put the things in the kitchen cabinet.

“There’s more on the mountain, I can eat it whenever I want, I don’t want you to go through the trouble of getting meat.” After saying that, Han Qiushi walked towards his study at home.

"Okay, it's settled then, we'll have dinner at home today," Kong Hui's mother called out from behind him.

"You've come at just the right time. If you hadn't come today, I was thinking of sending someone to look for you." As soon as Han Qiushi entered the study, Kong Xichang, who was making tea, immediately smiled when he saw Han Qiushi.

Kong Hui was in charge of this purge operation, while Kong Xi was responsible for liaison and cooperation between various departments.

The two talked in the study for more than half an hour, and then went out together and walked towards a secluded place.

Upon arrival, Han Qiushi was called into a small, private room.

"Here, take a look and see if what we wrote is correct. If there are no problems, sign here." Two men in formal military uniforms saluted Han Qiushi and handed him a notebook.

The task was to have Han Qiu sign an interrogation record.

Han Qiushi carefully read through what was written and then readily signed his name.

"Comrade Han Qiushi, that's enough. After you leave, please find Comrade Li Yuanchao."

"yes!"

Han Qiushi walked out of the room without looking to either side, and then smiled at Kong Hui, who was already waiting outside.

"You've got this sorted out?" Kong Hui, who was standing to the side, approached Han Qiushi upon hearing this. Their eyes met, and he let out a long sigh of relief.

"No, progress isn't as smooth as we imagined," Kong Hui said, frowning.

"Hmm?" Han Qiushi asked, puzzled.

Kong Hui immediately gave Han Qiushi a major piece of news: "The one you arrested was actually a spy from the S Bureau, and she's dead."

Han Qiushi looked at Kong Hui in surprise.

He wasn't actually surprised that the spy died, but he was shocked that she had died so young; this was hardly good news.

"It's not just us who know about this; other places also know about the situation here."

Here's what happened: after they caught the person, they wanted to take him directly to this location.

“Before we could ask any more questions, we were in a car accident on the way here. The woman you grabbed died unexpectedly.”

“Two of our soldiers were injured, and the driver ran away at a critical moment.” Kong Hui’s face turned particularly grim as he said this.

Han Qiushi frowned upon hearing this. Now that they had such complete information, they all understood that someone was clearly trying to take advantage of the situation.

This message is being spread through everyone's mouths.

Kong Hui's workload increased, as he needed to conduct thorough investigations in all areas, whether in the county or the town.

The fact that two spies were caught at the border and this incident occurred means that a thorough investigation is the top priority.