Father Zhang got up a little after four in the morning. As usual, he went to the backyard. It had snowed the previous night, and the morning was chilly. Father Zhang picked up a shovel and began clearing the snow.

Zhang Guoqing usually got up early to clean up. Zhang's father subconsciously glanced to the side and suddenly realized that his youngest son was not at home. He burst out laughing. It seemed that he was really not used to the child being away from home.

Standing in the front yard, he looked around the east and west wing rooms, where there was no movement at all. He regretted that his eldest son was not at home, otherwise he would have gotten up and accompanied him, nagging him not to do anything.

Suddenly, he remembered that in the winter for many years, his eldest son not only got up at dawn to clean his own yard, but also went to help the lonely elderly people in the village. Thinking of this, Zhang Dad quickened his pace and planned to go to the village to take a look.

As the sky gradually brightened, the two brothers Zhang Guofu got up and came out. Seeing that the yard was clean, they immediately thought of their father. They slapped their foreheads in annoyance and hurried to wash up, anxious to find their father.

Zhang's mother left the main room and went to the kitchen. She heard her two sons mumbling and said with a smile, "It's okay. We're old and haven't slept enough. You still have to work in the yard today, so you should sleep as much as you can."

The second son, Zhang Guoqiang, saw his eldest sister-in-law coming into the kitchen and busying himself with breakfast with his mother. Thinking of his wife who was still soundly asleep, he walked into the house with a gloomy face.

As soon as he pushed the door open, he saw Lin Juhua had already stood up and dressed neatly. When she saw him come in, she smiled brightly, and he finally felt relieved.

"Dad, I'm going to the backyard to cook pig food first. Call me if you need anything. Remember not to get tired." After saying that, Lin Juhua ran out in a hurry.

Shitou stuck his little head out and yelled in a childish voice, "Dad, I want to go to the county town to find my uncle. My eldest brother said we should go there secretly with grandpa and grandma today."

Zhang Guoqiang was startled and quickly coaxed him, "Son, listen to me. After the guests from your uncle's place leave, I'll take you to the county town. You can't sneak out. If you get sold by kidnappers, you won't be able to find your parents."

Little Stone opened his eyes wide and looked at him hesitantly. "Are you really taking us to find my uncle? Adults always like to lie to children. Big brother said lying is wrong."

"Who in our family lied to you? When did Dad ever lie to you? I'll take you there tomorrow." Zhang Guoqiang was worried and decided to talk to Xizi. That little guy was very cunning and might take his brothers to the county town if he wasn't careful.

After coaxing his son, he didn't care about the girl clamoring to follow him, and hurried to find Xizi.

When he pushed the door open and entered his nephew's room, he saw Xizi had already put on his clothes and was helping Xiaozuo and Xiaoyou put on their sweaters. When he saw him come in, he greeted him with a smile.

"Xizi, listen to your uncle and don't go to the county town today, okay? You secretly took your brothers out. What if they ran around and got lost? Listen to your uncle, wait until the guests leave, and your uncle will take you there himself tomorrow."

As soon as Xizi heard it, he realized that Xiao Shitou had leaked the secret, and smiled at him embarrassedly.

Zhang Guoqiang looked at his silly grin, which was similar to Xiaowu's, and his heart began to falter. He thought for a moment and said helplessly, "Forget it. Wait until your grandmother goes to the county town this morning, and you can follow her. Remember to keep an eye on your brothers and don't wander around. Your uncle has guests here, so don't be impolite."

Xizi quickly nodded in response and glared at his two younger brothers who were shouting.

Zhang Guoqiang left the yard and was busy for a long time. Suddenly he remembered that Xizi had to go to school today. Why did he think of taking his younger brothers to the county town? Could he have been fooled by the little brat?

Early in the morning, after cleaning Uncle Zhang Wu's yard with a shovel, Father Zhang went to the yards of two other elderly people. They talked about our oldest son, happily humming operas. As they walked along, they would stop from time to time to clean up.

When the villagers who got up early saw him, they would smile knowingly, greet him and joke with him.

Uncle Zhang didn't sleep well last night, so he got up early in the morning and planned to go check on the team.

When I went out, I saw my second brother carrying a shovel, humming a tune, and looking very happy. I said unhappily, "What's wrong? Are you taking over your eldest son's job?"

Seeing him dressed like he was going out on business, Father Zhang looked at him curiously and said, "Where are you going, big brother?"

Uncle Zhang rolled his eyes at him and said, "You forgot today is the first big meeting. The team leader said yesterday that he would go and see if there is anything that needs to be dealt with. I have to go and take a look. You will be in trouble."

Father Zhang was not surprised at all. He smiled and pulled him aside. The two brothers whispered for a while and then went about their own business.

Uncle Zhang, hands behind his back, walked slowly toward the village and encountered the team leader. The two of them arrived at the team and saw Accountant Zhang and several other village officials. They sat down together and began discussing not only what the team needed to sell but also the year-end distribution of rations and dividends.

Zhangjia Village had paid its grain tax and was about to go into hibernation. The team leader was racking his brains to get more money for everyone to have a good New Year's Eve, just waiting for the market to open.

Now, listening to their conversation, even though he knew what was going on, he still sat there quietly to see if there was anything he had missed.

After a while, everyone stopped looking at him. He finally made a decision. "We won't sell any of our rations. We'll sell all the mountain products from the autumn harvest, as well as the ropes and straw sandals we've saved, all the less important items."

After this winter, we won't have to worry about not having enough food next spring. Let's distribute all the food rations that are enough to fill their stomachs. Several families in the village have borrowed food, and if they don't have enough, they won't make it through next summer."

Uncle Zhang originally wanted to ask his younger brother, the second oldest brother, to buy the mountain products, saving him the hassle of going back and forth. But after some consideration, he decided against it. The target was too big. He knew his second oldest brother's personality; he preferred to operate in secret, afraid to draw attention.

After the captain finished speaking, seeing that they all had no objections, he continued, "We'll make the money from the sales today, and start slaughtering the pigs and distributing the rations tomorrow morning. It's the same as before. The accountant will calculate the accounts first, and you guys will check them. Remember to deduct the expenses the team will need for the beginning of next spring, and then distribute it all."

Uncle Zhang then asked, "Uncle San, how are the hunts being arranged? What are the other two villages saying? Chinese New Year is coming up soon, do you think we can arrange it sooner?"

The captain thought to himself that his village really needed Xiaowu to take care of the younger generation. With the Lunar New Year coming in just two months, he couldn't afford to let anything go wrong. Considering Xiaowu's guests, three days would probably be enough to entertain them.

"When will Zhang Laoer's Xiaowu be free? Those guests from the capital aren't planning to stay for ten days or half a month, are they? I plan to let Xiaowu lead the younger generation in practicing, and you older ones will just watch from the sidelines. After this year, it will be difficult to find him to lead a team up the mountain."

Uncle Zhang understood the meaning and quickly said, "No. That child would help if you just called him. There's nothing we can do this time. It was too sudden. All the relatives have gone home today, including his father-in-law. Xiaowu will be free from now on."

The captain looked at him, smiled and shook his head.

With these people from the capital arriving, everyone in the county town was busy trying to establish connections with him. He still had some free time? That kid was incredibly cunning, so he took the opportunity to get his eldest brother to the county town. He said his second brother was introduced by his sister's father-in-law, but that's a lie. Seeing him constantly requesting leave to go to the county town, it was obvious he was the one pulling strings.

He could already guess that Zhang Laoer's eldest son would likely secure another lucrative position. He wouldn't even have to wait until Chinese New Year; Xiaowu would come to get his stamp. So many people desperately tried to get into the city, spending vast sums of money and still couldn't get in. Zhang Laoer was truly blessed; his youngest son had already provided for the entire family. His family had truly escaped poverty.

Accountant Zhang smiled knowingly and changed the subject, saying, "That's all right, I'll go back and reconcile the accounts. Let's calculate and distribute them quickly so everyone can have a good time."

After everyone dispersed, the captain looked at Uncle Zhang who was still following him and said, "If you see Xiaowu, tell him not to wander around for the next few days. If anything goes wrong, it will be postponed."

Uncle Zhang responded and went to Father Zhang's house.

In the main room, Father Zhang listened to the phonograph and cheerfully instructed his two sons to pack up some local specialties. Seeing his eldest brother come in, he quickly pulled him onto the kang.

"Brother, do you have something to tell me?"

"It's nothing. Xiaowu is in the county town, right? When you see him, tell him that the captain asked him to lead the team up the mountain in the next two days." Uncle Zhang said, leaning against the wall.

Zhang's father was stunned when he heard this, and he was secretly worried. He knew that Xiaowu would be in the county town these days, busy with his eldest brother's work and handling the household registration for his family of three. How could he have the time to go up the mountain, let alone stay there for two nights?

Uncle Zhang looked at him with an embarrassed expression, frowned, and said, "What? You're not happy about him leading the team? Second brother, don't forget that the captain said it himself. You have to let go of anything."

Zhang Guoqiang looked at his father's embarrassment and was really worried about him. He quickly smiled and said, "Uncle, don't worry. My father is definitely not unhappy. He's just worried that Xiaowu won't be able to come back in the next few days after going to the provincial capital today."

Jiaojiao's godfather insisted on taking the couple to the provincial capital for a few days. "Look, the three of them are all in the county town now, and we don't know what their plans are going to be next. My dad is worried that it will affect things in the village, so he's reluctant to agree. Don't worry, when someone from our family goes to the county town and sees Xiaowu, tell him."

"Jiaojiao has a godfather? How come I don't know?"

Zhang Guoqiang secretly complained, "There are so many things you don't know." Seeing his uncle staring at him, he had no choice but to explain the relationship between Zhao Chuangguang and Zhou Xiaozheng.

After hearing this, Uncle Zhang made a decisive decision to let Zhang Guoqing take care of his own business. He also found an excuse to comfort himself: without Xiaowu, would no one in the village go up the mountain?

Zhang Dad, his son and his two children burst into laughter after hearing this.

After Zhang Dad mentioned that his second son Guoqiang would be going to work in a few days, before Uncle Zhang could react, he changed the subject and asked about Zhang Dani's situation.

Of the three Zhang brothers, Zhang Dani and Uncle Zhang were the closest, and she always preferred to consult with the eldest brother. Uncle Zhang was usually the deputy captain, and he often interacted with the captains of the various villages. If he came across a family with relatives there, he would visit them and ask about them. He knew something about Zhang Dani's situation.

Uncle Zhang shook his head. "Last month, I heard that the couple was just like they were in previous years. They were in good health. I didn't ask any further questions. As long as Dani and her husband are doing well, we in the Zhang family have no right to interfere in their affairs. Those nephews have lost their consciences, saying they can't control their wives' disobedience. I think they're just being unfilial."

If a wife doesn't obey, beat her to death. If she still doesn't obey, divorce her. See if she will be filial? I wanted to go over, but your sister-in-law said that those children are holding a grudge against us. As long as Dani is fine, don't go over there, so as not to annoy them. I think this makes sense. What's the matter? Do you want to go over and take a look?"

Father Zhang handed him the pipe and said, "I have this plan. I think Dani's family fortune is gone, so I want to go over and give her some money. None of us brothers would go over, fearing that she would suffer without support and suffer losses."

In the past two years, except for Xiaowu's wedding, she hasn't been back. This time, she asked someone to come for Ping'an's third-day bathing ceremony, so she just happened to go over to visit as a return gift."

"Every family has its own problems. I thought she would marry someone with fewer children and avoid trouble, but who knew she would be defeated by her own child? I only have one sister like her. I just want to drag her home to save her from being a slave to the Liu family."

Uncle Zhang thought that with the Zhou family's situation being such a big deal, Dani should have rushed over long ago after hearing about it. But for some reason, she hadn't come yet. He and Zhang's father decided to wait until the baby was a month old to see how things went. If she hadn't come by then, they would go back.