"We should bring our children to this black land..."

Zhang Guoqing, who was about to return, looked out the car window for a long time without saying a word. After a long time, he said these words to his wife.

Like him, Zhou Jiao couldn't express the shock she felt. In just three days, after leaving the city, she truly felt what patriotism meant.

She saw with her own eyes the young people's desire to return to their hometown, but she also saw their innocent hearts as they threw themselves into this black land without hesitation.

This spiritual journey left the couple with no time to wander around elsewhere. Any further idle wandering seemed to be condemned by their conscience.

Compared with people of the same generation, they are still too self-righteous.

It wasn't until they returned home that they slowly regained their composure, especially when they saw their three sons working hard in the fields under the scorching sun...

"Mom and Dad, we helped."

"Mom and Dad, we've been doing this for days. Isn't it awesome?"

Zhang Guoqing threw down his luggage, stretched out his arms and hugged his three sons who came running towards him, looking at the three little faces with sunburned skin with heartache.

Everyone has his value in this world, doesn't he?

He has to keep moving forward.

Zhou Jiao gave the children a thumbs up, smiled, and greeted the folks who had come with them.

"You're back? Good, good, good. The three children have been well-educated. They are from our Zhang family and are not spoiled like city people. You and your family should go back first."

The old captain smiled like a flower, and after praising everyone, he urged them to start working quickly.

Seeing his mother nearby, Zhang Guoqing threw his backpack aside, grabbed a towel and left, "Jiaojiao, you and mom go home first. I'll do some work first."

Zhou Jiao knew that he was busy, so she smiled and nodded. Seeing that her sons were still young and kept looking at their father, she didn't stop them and waved her hand to let them go.

After a while, everyone left, and Zhou Jiao complained: "Mom, why do you have to work in the fields? What if you get heatstroke? The children are grown up now, just let them be."

Mother Zhang kept holding her daughter-in-law's hand, looking at her old son and grandchildren who ran away reluctantly. Hearing this, she smiled and said, "It's okay, Mom will be watching from the side."

"Look, Ping'an and the others have blisters on their hands. Why are they so honest with Xiaowu? I told them to just do a little bit, but they have to keep an eye on them."

Zhou Jiao had just been staring at her three sons, so how could she not know? But since the children had already started, she didn't want them to give up halfway, which was why she didn't show any distress in front of others.

Outside, she hopes her sons will learn to see things through to the end, understand what it means to do things within their ability, and understand what real farm work is.

What was the farm work I usually took them to experience outside Beijing? Compared with the endless black soil of the Great Northern Wilderness, it wasn't real farm work.

"Why have you lost so much weight? Are you starving? Mom will make you some cold noodles with some cucumber shreds. You like this. It's up to you on May Day. You can eat a big bowl every time."

"I just like my mother's craftsmanship."

Zhou Jiao didn't realize she had actually gained weight. There's a kind of love where no matter how round you are, in the eyes of someone who loves you, you've just lost weight.

Mother Zhang beamed with joy. "That's what the three Ping'an brothers said. Jiaojiao, you have no idea how fun they are. When they first arrived, they were reciting quotations from the Communist Youth League with those Little Red Guards in the county town. They were amazing. If your father hadn't been worried about the kids running away with those wild boys, we would still be in the city."

"Dad is still far-sighted, so awesome!"

"What's so great about that? My grandson has to work again when he comes here. I think your father just wants to go to the village to help, and he just wants to find an excuse."

"Hahaha, that just goes to show how good my dad is at educating his children. Don't feel bad for Ping An and the others, they're smart and will naturally come back when they get tired."

Mother Zhang rolled her eyes at her, but in her heart she was extremely happy. Her daughter Jiaojiao was different from other young wives. If any mother saw her, she would definitely say that you are wronging your grandchildren.

The courtyard was still exceptionally clean, and the fruit trees in the front and back yards had been really taken care of, which was a pity, but the abundant fruits in the vegetable garden made up for this regret.

There was a faint scent of mugwort in the air in the room, and looking at the kang mat and bedding, one could tell that the children's grandparents must have been here with them during this period.

"Wash yourself first, then go to sleep after eating. Have you been to the city before?"

Zhou Jiao shook her head and took the basin. "No, we just happened to see a bullock cart from a nearby production team when we got to the county town, so we came straight back. My brother said you should be in the village."

"My oldest son is really smart. He has to think carefully before he speaks in the city. It was better during the winter. In the hottest weather, there are many people coming to our door every day to enjoy the cool air. Villagers are really honest."

Judging from the meaning of the words, something unpleasant must have happened before. Zhou Jiao didn't ask in detail. She just wanted to go back and find Ping'an. The little guy should have found out most of the information.

"Mom, we just came back, and everyone seems to be more enthusiastic than in previous years."

Zhang's mother craned her neck to peer outside and whispered, "You probably don't know this. Five people from our village joined the army this year. They don't realize it was chosen because our village has good conditions and the children are strong. They think the higher-ups are doing it for Xiaowu's sake. Your father and I explained everything, but they still don't believe it."

"Oh, is that so? I was wondering."

"Why are you surprised? There are so many things you don't know. Your father couldn't write it in the letter. If the letter didn't reach you, and outsiders saw it, they would definitely say that our family is showing off and would cause trouble later."

"Two years ago, not only the city but also the villagers were terrified. A young man in the Hongxin Production Team, a few hundred miles away, was persecuted for saying something wrong. He later hanged himself.

There was also a family in the next team. After finishing her needlework, the young wife casually stuck the needle into the wall, and it happened to be stuck in the eyes of the people in the painting. The children who came to play with her family reported her. If she hadn't been a poor peasant and later had your father and others help her, I guess she would have been finished. "

Zhou Jiao had never expected so many things to happen in her hometown, but after thinking about it, it wasn't surprising. Nowadays, class struggle was the main focus, and there were also Red Guard organizations in the countryside.

"In our team, everything is peaceful and nothing much has happened. But you know why? Your Third Grandfather is such a shrewd man. As soon as he saw that something was wrong in the city, he hung your silk banner and the photo of you, Xiaowu, and the Chairman in the team office. Even the Little Red Guards had to be polite when they came over."

Zhou Jiao burst out laughing, he was indeed the old captain she knew!