"Thank you, Brother Zhou, and please thank Aunt Zhao for me too." Qin Hanshu took the steaming rack and said, "I'll go clear out the steaming rack. Please wait a moment."

Zhou Weiguang nodded.

Qin Hanshu turned around and went back to the cave dwelling. She first put the dumplings down, and then packed some of the rice cakes and four-happiness meatballs she had made yesterday as a return gift.

Both the rice cake and the four-happiness meatballs are cooked; they can be eaten simply by heating them up.

"Here you go, Brother Zhou."

Zhou Weiguang saw him slowly reach out and take the item, but he stood still.

Qin Hanshu looked over in confusion.

Is there anything else?

Zhou Weiguang coughed lightly and said, "Well then, I'll be going now."

"Goodbye, Brother Zhou."

When Zhou Weiguang returned home, he overheard Zhao Chunmiao asking Zhou Ruilan again, "Where's the basket of dumplings I covered? Did you secretly cook and eat them?"

Zhou Ruilan: "...So much, how can I possibly eat it all?"

Zhao Chunmiao muttered, "Did your brother eat it for breakfast?"

Zhou Weiguang has a large appetite; he can eat two pounds of mutton in the morning. It would be reasonable if he ate the dumplings instead.

“Sigh,” Zhao Chunmiao sighed, “I was planning to send it to your sister Xiaoshu.”

Hearing this, Zhou Weiguang came in and said, "I've already sent it."

When Zhao Chunmiao saw Zhou Weiguang come in from outside, she asked in surprise, "You went out so early in the morning?"

Zhou Weiguang said without batting an eye, "You told me last night to deliver the dumplings to Comrade Qin Hanshu first thing this morning."

Zhao Chunmiao was stunned for a moment, then asked uncertainly, "Did I say that?"

That was her thought, but if she were to give any instructions, she would instruct Zhou Ruilan to deliver it, not Zhou Weiguang.

But she had some drinks at dinner yesterday and was a little tipsy, so she really didn't remember saying those words.

Zhou Weiguang nodded firmly and said, "I did."

Then she looked at Zhou Ruilan and said, "Orchid heard it too."

Zhou Ruilan was completely bewildered. She also got dizzy after just a sip of the drink and had no recollection of what Zhao Chunmiao had said.

However, her third brother wouldn't lie, nor would he need to tell such a lie, so she nodded and said firmly, "He did say that."

Zhao Chunmiao was still confused, but since her son and daughter both said so, then it must be true.

Her attention was quickly drawn to what Zhou Weiguang had brought back.

Seeing the rice cakes and four-happiness meatballs, she praised them repeatedly, "Xiao Shu is so skillful, she's almost a master chef... When you come back from your uncle's house tomorrow, you should find a day to invite her over for a meal..."

Zhou Weiguang calmly entered the house.

The door to the east wing creaked open, and a young woman of about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old walked out, wearing a neat woolen coat and with her hair combed meticulously.

The woman had ordinary features, a fair and clean face, and an aura of aloofness and unapproachability.

Zhou Ruilan called out, "Second Sister-in-law."

The woman was Zhou Weili's wife, Zhu Jingsu.

Zhu Jingsu's father had retired from his position as deputy county magistrate, and she herself was considered a well-bred young lady in the county. Marrying into the Zhou family was truly a step down for her.

At first, Zhao Chunmiao and Zhou Ruilan noticed that she was cold and indifferent to the Zhou family, and assumed that since she had married a woman from a high-class family, she looked down on her husband's family.

Later I found out that that's just her personality; she treats everyone the same, and I've never seen her be particularly enthusiastic towards anyone.

However, apart from being a bit aloof, Zhu Jingsu is otherwise quite alright.

Although Zhao Chunmiao prefers beautiful women, Zhu Jingsu and Zhou Weili were in a free-love relationship, so she certainly wouldn't use that standard to judge Zhu Jingsu.

Zhao Chunmiao did not treat her like a daughter-in-law, but as a distinguished guest, always being polite and attentive whenever she came back.

In this way, they got along very peacefully and never had any conflicts with each other.

Zhou Ruilan followed Zhao Chunmiao's attitude and treated Zhu Jingsu the same way.

She respectfully called out "Second Sister-in-law" before turning around.

Unexpectedly, Zhu Jingsu asked again, "Who is Xiao Shu?"

Zhou Ruilan answered in a serious tone, "Sister Xiaoshu is an educated youth who came to our area to work in the countryside. Her brother and Third Brother are comrades-in-arms, so Third Brother asked us to take care of her."

"Oh..." Zhu Jingsu nodded.

Zhou Ruilan left only after seeing that she had no more questions.

Zhu Jingsu, who remained where he was, seemed to be deep in thought.

She overheard the entire conversation outside while inside the house.

She didn't drink last night and was sober the whole time, but she didn't hear her mother-in-law ask Zhou Weiguang to deliver dumplings to anyone.

Zhou Weiguang is acting very strangely.

Zhu Jingsu lowered her eyes slightly.

It seems her younger sister from her maternal family can give up on that idea.

***

During the first month of the lunar calendar, the commune's art troupe would tour various brigades to perform, adding some entertainment for the farmers who had worked hard all year.

As major grain-paying households, Haowan Village is usually among the first to receive such good opportunities.

The art troupe arrived on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year.

The day before, Zhou Ruilan said to Zhou Weiguang, "Third Brother, I want to go see the art troupe's performance tomorrow. Will you come with me?"

The performances were all model operas, the same few plays over and over again, so Zhou Weiguang really had no interest in them.

He shook his head and said, "I went to save you a spot early this morning, but I won't be watching with you."

Although Zhou Ruilan was disappointed, she didn't say anything.

She found someone else to keep her company!

The performance was in the morning, and some people went to reserve seats before dawn.

It's really difficult to get up this early during the off-season for farming.

However, Zhou Weiguang developed a habit in the army that he would get up at five o'clock every day without fail to run with weights.

When he arrived at the drying ground, there were only a few people scattered around.

As dawn broke, more and more people began to appear.

By eight o'clock, the drying ground was bustling with noise.

Zhou Ruilan arrived at this time.

Qin Hanshu was beside her, and the two walked hand in hand.

Zhou Weiguang's heart tightened instantly.

The long bench that Zhou Weiguang used to reserve a spot could only seat two people at most. After giving it to Zhou Ruilan and Qin Hanshu, he had no place to sit.

It stood there, stiff and straight.

Zhou Ruilan asked in surprise, "Aren't you leaving yet?"

Qin Hanshu also looked over, her eyes, which had been filled with tears, staring at him.

Zhou Weiguang suddenly couldn't speak.

My throat was so dry it felt like it was on fire, and my mouth felt like it had been stuffed with sand, so astringent.

"I......"

After a long while, he finally found his voice.

"I suddenly realized that this performance... is actually quite good."