Zhang Guoqing walked slowly with his mother toward Zhang Meili's house, occasionally reminding her to remember the road signs. As they walked, Zhang's mother gradually lost her focus.

After a moment, she couldn't help but ask him, "Xiaowu, how much did your father-in-law spend on the yard? I see it's really bright and tidy inside. Your father-in-law is really generous."

Zhang Guoqing smiled and said, "Mom, he only has one daughter, how could he be reluctant to give her up? I heard that he was so happy when Jiaojiao was born. He hasn't seen her for so many years, and now he sees how much she has suffered, he must be heartbroken. He naturally wants to give her the best. He spent 800 yuan on this yard. But I calculated that the things inside probably cost the same amount. Except for the furniture, he replaced everything with new ones."

"The Zhou family must be regretting their decision now. Mother never imagined that marrying Jiaojiao would be such a blessing. Back then, I was attracted by her character, and you grew up with her. Now it seems that she is truly a golden child, more valuable than a golden child. Mother is a little uneasy, afraid that she will be too strong and you will suffer in the future."

Zhang Guoqing hugged her and walked forward slowly, "Mom, you should believe in Jiaojiao's character, and you should also believe in my judgment. What do you think my father-in-law and mother-in-law treat me?

My father-in-law treats me like his own son. These past few days, he's been secretly telling me who to trust and who to trust. He's leaving all the connections to me. He also told them to take good care of the three of us. So don't worry, they're not that kind of people. Jiaojiao takes after her father, and you can tell just by looking at her.

Zhang's mother slowly smiled. "Xiaowu, do you have any cheaper houses in your yard? I see your eldest and second sisters' homes are not far from you. I'll ask your second brother to buy one of these houses later."

"Yeah, I thought so too. Houses in this area are rarely for sale. You can ask the eldest sister about this. She should have a lot of people who know her and are well-informed."

The mother and son stood in front of Zhang Meili's door and knocked. A child ran out and saw them and shouted happily, "Mom, grandma and uncle are here."

Zhang Guoqing stepped forward and picked him up. "Ziwen, why didn't you brothers go back to the village to look for your uncle?"

Zhang Ziwen hugged his neck and said, "We all have to go to school. Uncle, I haven't seen you for a long time and I miss you so much. My mom said that you can only come to our house after you finish your work."

"My uncle is almost done with his work. When you have your day off, come and play at my uncle's house. Did your mom buy you some snacks? What do you eat at home?"

"No snacks. My mom said we have to save money after buying a house. We haven't bought fried dough sticks and buns in the morning for a long time. Yesterday we ate all the seafood you sent. My dad sent some to my grandpa, and there are still a lot at home. Uncle, I'm grown up now, let me come down." After saying that, he slid hard to the ground.

Zhang Guoqing saw his mother had gone to the kitchen to look for his sister. He followed his eldest nephew into the house and saw the three brothers doing their homework. When they saw him come in, they all surrounded him and shouted.

Zhang Guoqing quickly gestured for them to keep their voices down. He touched the mattress on the kang, then the quilt, frowning slightly. Turning around, his expression relaxed, and he said with a smile, "Do you three brothers sleep alone? Are you cold at night?"

The third brother, Zhang Zicong, quickly answered, "Uncle, it's hot down there, but cold up there. My second brother always grabs my quilt."

Zhang Ziwen glared at him and said, "Uncle, you won't be cold. The three of us brothers will be warm sleeping in each other's arms. Come on, sit down and have a rest."

Zhang Guoqing looked at him amusedly and said, "How did you do on the exam? There's a reward for doing well. Tell your uncle about it soon."

"I got all 100s this time, while my second brother only got one 100. My eldest brother hasn't gotten a 100 in a long time, and his scores are always over 90. My dad said that my eldest brother has learned a lot and needs to work harder."

Zhang Guoqing took out a wad of money from his pocket and praised, "Oh, not bad, my nephews are really good. Keep this as a reward from your uncle. If you continue to perform well in school this semester, I will give you more rewards. Not only you, but also Xizi and the others will be rewarded, so Ziwen, don't push your brother."

After that, he stuffed two yuan into each of their pockets. He then took out a pound of sugar coupons and three grain coupons worth a pound each and handed them to Zhang Ziwen. Seeing that he was reluctant, he said, "You are the boss, so you can keep these coupons. Remember to use them, otherwise they will be invalid after the expiration date. Buy some sugar and keep it at home, and eat it whenever you want. These grain coupons can be used to buy buns at the restaurant across the street. If anyone asks you where you got them, just say your uncle is Zhang Guoqing, and they won't give you any trouble. Do you understand?"

Zhang Ziwen touched the bill and saw his two younger brothers looking at him expectantly. After thinking for a moment, he said, "We have to talk to mother first before we can use it. Once mother agrees, I'll take you guys out for buns tomorrow morning."

Zhang Guoqing watched them cheering and dancing. He left the room and slowly walked to the kitchen. He saw the tortillas his sister had prepared and sighed.

Zhang Meili saw her brother and cheerfully walked over to him, pulling him along. "Hurry up and sit down. Mom said Uncle Zhou and the others are leaving tomorrow. You should sit for a while and then go back to see if he needs any help. Mom, stay here with me first, and we can talk."

Zhang Guoqing swallowed the words that came to his lips, and finally remembered the warming room this time, "Sister, how are your warming room preparations going?"

"There's nothing to prepare. Let's wait until next week."

Zhang Guoqing looked around and asked her doubtfully, "Where's your coal stove?"

Zhang Meili glared at him. "We have firewood to burn, why buy coal briquettes? I brought them to the warehouse in the new yard. We couldn't burn firewood in the hallway before because there was no place to store it. Now we can burn it on the first floor. I was stupid to buy coal briquettes."

"What about your supply tickets for the second half of the year? How much did you get?" Zhang Guoqing asked with a frown.

Zhang Meili shook her head and said, "I gave it all to Meihao. There's not much left. Even this little bit isn't enough. Firewood is still better and it's free. Do you need a ticket? I'll ask who has one later and I'll move it over to you first."

Suddenly, Zhang Meili's eyes widened and she shouted, "That's not right. I just saw a lot of coal briquettes piled up in your house. What do you want to do?"

Zhang Guoqing looked at his mother and laughed, "Mom, look at what my eldest sister is like. Don't worry, she didn't do anything wrong, she just asked."

"Don't even think about giving me money. I have money, but I'm afraid of wasting it." Zhang Meili looked at him with suspicion.

Zhang Guoqing was defeated by her. "Okay... I know you're rich. We're siblings, so what can't we talk about? Don't be nervous. Sister, buy the dishes for the wedding banquet later, and I'll prepare a few for you. Oh, don't get angry, I'm going to the mountains to catch pheasants and rabbits."

Zhang Guoqing secretly wondered how many dishes he could prepare, and when he thought it was about enough, he quickly said, "You'll have to prepare the vegetables yourself. I'll take care of the meat and fish, so don't argue with me. I'll go up the mountain and catch them myself, for free. Seriously, ask Mom, Daqing Mountain is our backyard."

Zhang's mother and daughter laughed heartily. "Stinky Xiaowu, all you do is brag. Well, stop worrying. Big sister has arranged everything. Just wait for the day when you come over."

Zhang Ziwen and his brothers hid outside and watched what was happening.

When he heard his mother's laughter, he brought them in, each holding money in his hand and came to her, "Mom, this is a reward from my uncle, praising me for my good study."

Before she could reach out, Zhang Guoqing hurriedly grabbed her and said, "Sister, please don't discourage the children's enthusiasm. This is a matter between me and my nephews. Not only them, but Xizi and the others also did well in the exams and received rewards. I'll save this for buying snacks for the children. When the holidays come, if your uncle sees that you still maintain your good grades, he'll reward you with a trip to the provincial capital."

Zhang Meili watched the children jump for joy, then thought better of it. "Have you thanked your uncle? Keep everything safe and don't lose it."

Zhang Guoqing listened to their numerous thanks with a smile, and signaled them to leave quickly, lest her sister start to lecture him again.

Zhang's mother watched the children leave and comforted her, "Don't feel bad. You don't know Xiaowu's temper. Didn't you often deliver meat to his house before? He knows how to do things. This time, I came here so that you can visit his house more often to see if there is anything I can help with."

"Why would you even come to my house to ask me that? I'm not helping my brother, and I'm just standing by and watching? Mom, is the yard finished? Everything's fine at home, so you can go to the county town and stay there for a few days. With the in-laws gone, the house will be more spacious. And does the second son go back to the village every day for work? Has he made all the plans?"

Zhang's mother pointed at Zhang Guoqing and said, "Everything has been arranged for Xiaowu. There's a room reserved for him at the company, and he usually goes back to the village. Don't tell anyone about it now. In three months, he'll be officially hired."

Mother Zhang thought for a moment and continued, "Xiaowu has always been thinking about you warming the house. If he really prepares anything, just keep it. Our family is doing better now, so don't secretly give money to me in the future.

Of my five children, you're the one who's suffered the most. You had no dowry, and even after you got married, you've been subsidizing my family. Now that your brother wants to help you, just accept it. He wants to support you. You can be even more assured about Jiaojiao. She lets me use whatever I want in her room, and forces me to use the good things. She even tells me where the secret compartment is, so I can use it myself when I need money or tickets. The women in the village used to say I was partial to Xiaowu, but now Xiaowu and his wife are the most caring.

Zhang Meili smiled and nodded when she heard this. "Mom is blessed. My parents-in-law just said yesterday that Dad and Mom are getting more and more happy as they get older. I think our Zhang family has risen, and it's time for you to enjoy the good life."

Zhang Guoqing looked at his watch and saw that it was getting late. "Mom, let's go back first. They're probably waiting for us to go out for dinner together. Sister, don't get ready. Let's go back first."

After saying that, Zhang Guoqing pulled Zhang's mother out.

Zhang's mother turned and shouted to Zhang Meili, "I'll look for you again in a few days. Think carefully about what you need. I'll ask your father to bring it to you. Don't send it off. Prepare dinner for the children early."

After saying goodbye to Zhang Meili, Zhang's mother took him and hurried home.

Zhang Guoqing supported her and said hurriedly, "Mom, don't worry, it's very close. Big sister, please talk to her privately. I really don't need to use the few hundred yuan. It won't make any money if I keep it at home. I see that Ziwen and the others have thin and narrow quilts, and the clothes they wear are all thin. They bought a house, but they haven't even eaten buns. Please ask her to focus on the children first, so as not to let them suffer any loss."

Zhang's mother felt depressed after hearing this. She looked at the passersby, all wearing patched clothes and looking not much better, and then she breathed a sigh of relief. Then she looked at her son in brand new clothes and his rosy face. He really looked more like a city person than the city people. She immediately understood that the child was comparing her family.

"Okay, Mom knows what's going on. Your eldest sister is doing well. She's buying a house and paying off debts, not starving. You better take it easy and don't overdo it. Don't overthink anything unless your eldest sister asks, except for favors. We help in emergencies, not in poverty. If you really want to subsidize your four older brothers and sisters, it's a bottomless pit. I see you only gave a handful of money today. How much will it be after you've been working for a month? You still have to leave a financial balance for us."

Zhang Guoqing nodded; he understood what she meant.