The person who filed the complaint was Wang Qiulan's father, Wang Changfu. The village tea factory's income was always distributed per household. Many families would quickly separate from the household after their sons got married, so they could receive a larger share of the money. The Wang family was large; including Wang Qiulan, they had six children—more daughters than sons, and their sons were still young enough not to separate from the household. Therefore, they felt they were being cheated when the income was distributed each year. Wang Changfu and his wife, Tang Jiumei, had gone to the village secretary and village head's houses many times to protest, demanding a proportional distribution of income.

However, the allocation of resources was decided in a meeting, so it couldn't be absolutely justified. Based on the principle of majority rule, it couldn't be changed so easily. Therefore, despite their numerous protests, they didn't get what they wanted. Tang Jiumei even went to several village officials and made a huge scene, offending everyone and making the conflict completely irreconcilable. Their family had long since lost all face and reputation, becoming a destitute household, practically like hooligans.

After the crackdown policy was implemented, many local thugs were arrested. Tang Jiumei, who had returned to her parents' home, heard that a village official in a certain village had been arrested for embezzlement. She went back and discussed it with Wang Changfu, and they went to the police station to file a complaint. It's important to know that during the crackdown, each area had a quota for the number of criminals, so if someone reported you, you would basically be arrested and interrogated. The old director was unlucky; he was arrested just like that.

After the former village head was arrested, his family was frantic, and the other village officials were also worried. They wanted to plead for his release, but they were afraid of being implicated. To be honest, no village official can be completely innocent; everyone has to benefit from some connections. Those village officials who are willing to find ways to help the villagers make a living are already quite good.

As soon as Shen Xuyue arrived at Moon Bay, he was bombarded with requests from village officials and the village head's family, all asking him to bail out someone from the police station. They explained that he had previously served as the village party secretary and was now a cadre in Beijing; the tea factory project was his wife Zhao Mingyue's suggestion, and now that the village head was implicated in the matter, they felt obligated to help. Shen Xuyue had no choice; he felt things had reached this point and he had no option but to intervene and bail out the person.

That's just how people are. If you do a hundred good deeds, probably few people will remember your kindness. But if you do something that has a bad influence on others, then the responsibility is entirely yours. So, it's hard to be a good person. This applies to Zhao Mingyue and the village chief as well.

Shen Xuyue took out his work ID from the central government department, which was enough to intimidate people. After the police officers at the police station heard him explain the whole story, they realized that the old director hadn't actually committed any major crimes. There was no concrete evidence, and corruption and bribery weren't the focus of this crackdown. The main focus was on combating criminal activities, so they released the old director who had been detained for a week.

When Shen Xuyue saw the old director, the old man's once gray hair had turned completely white, his body was hunched over, and he looked haggard, as if he had aged ten years in an instant. This blow must have been devastating. Shen Xuyue felt extremely guilty: "Old Director, I've come to take you back."

The old director raised his cloudy eyes, looked at Shen Xuyue, tears streaming down his face. He felt wronged and heartbroken. What was he after? He had eaten all kinds of food in his life, and now he had to go to jail. He had worked so hard to improve everyone's lives, only to be betrayed and have his lifelong reputation ruined. How could he face going back?

Shen Xuyue looked at the old man crying like a child and felt a pang of sadness: "Director, I'm so sorry you had to suffer like this."

The old director grabbed Shen Xuyue's hand, shook his head repeatedly, and wiped away his tears: "Don't mention it, don't mention it."

Upon returning to the village, the old director's first act was to proactively offer his resignation, refusing to serve as director no matter what. The other village officials were unwilling to let him resign; there was a tea factory in the village, a ticking time bomb. If the old director quit, someone else would have to take his place, and everyone was afraid—what if some heartless person went and reported him?

The old director roared, "I'm done! I'm not doing anything anymore! The factory's closed! Let them do whatever they want! Damn it, we run this factory, work hard to earn money, and then we give them money for nothing, only to complain it's not enough and send me to jail! What am I doing this for? The factory's closed, and we're not going to deal with the tea anymore. Let them do whatever they want! I'm so unlucky to have met such ungrateful bastards!"

"Aren't you even buying tea from our own village anymore?" The tea supply is based on the output of each family's own tea garden, so there's no issue of unfair distribution.

The old director waved his hand: "Never mind them. They've gotten so used to being fed that they don't even know how to eat anymore. Let them be. Without the village's tea factory, their tea wouldn't be able to sell."

The village officials remained silent. This incident had truly disheartened everyone. Upon hearing that the village tea factory was closed, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. This was a classic case of the more you do, the more mistakes you make; if you do nothing, you make no mistakes. If the factory closed, you wouldn't have to take responsibility, and everyone would be safe.

The next day, the whole village held a meeting. In front of all the villagers, the village head resigned from his position. The village party secretary announced that starting tomorrow, the tea factory would no longer accept any tea leaves, the tea factory would be shut down, all tea leaves would be disposed of by the villagers themselves, and the village would no longer purchase tea leaves from neighboring villages. The village would no longer receive any tea leaf revenue sharing.

The announcement of this decision caused an uproar throughout the village.

Wang Changfu and Tang Jiumei were dumbfounded. It felt so good to have shot themselves in the foot. They had complained that it was too little, but now it was all gone. Everyone had nothing, and it was completely fair.

So everyone turned their anger towards the Wang family. In an instant, the Wang family became like rats crossing the street, hated by everyone. The entire village wished they could skin them alive, eat their flesh, drink their blood, and gnaw on their bones. Someone, unable to contain their anger, rushed forward to teach him a lesson: "You old beast, you old beast, you don't deserve to be a resident of Moon Bay! You've spoiled the whole village, and today I'm going to get rid of you!"

Of course, once the agitated person was restrained, any injury would become a criminal offense. It's like courting disaster; the consequences outweigh the gains. In any case, the Wang family will now be considered sinners in Moon Bay, and will never be able to hold their heads high again.

During his time at home, Shen Xuyue witnessed these events firsthand, and could only sigh in dismay. When Zhao Mingliang chatted with Shen Xuyue in private, he also sighed, "My sister meant well by coming up with this idea, which would have given each family an extra tens or hundreds of yuan in income. I never expected it to cause such a big problem for the director."

Shen Xuyue said, "Yes, this was originally meant to generate extra income for the village, but over time, they took it for granted. People are never satisfied."

"Sigh, there won't be any more tea deliveries from now on, and the provincial capital won't be able to supply us anymore. I didn't even tell anyone. I don't know if this is a good thing." Not long ago, Zhao Mingliang went to the provincial capital to deliver tea. Currently, the tea factory doesn't have much stock, not enough for another trip. He estimates that the remaining tea will have to be returned to the households. Zhao Mingliang also felt regretful that he wouldn't be able to do the business of delivering things for others anymore.

Shen Xuyue said, "Brother, since you have sales channels, you can buy tea yourself and sell it, but you'll need some capital." Local tea is cheap, while tea in the provincial capital is expensive, so you can make a profit from the price difference.

Zhao Mingliang nodded: "That's right. My sister told me that if the tea factory in the village couldn't keep going, she would let Minghui and me start a factory together. I thought at the time, how could that be possible? It seems that I really have to start a factory on my own now. But at this critical moment, I'd better not do it for now and wait until things calm down."

Shen Xuyue thought to himself, it's amazing that Mingyue actually foresaw that the business would eventually fail: "Since Mingyue said so, you and your second brother can discuss it and see if you can get this business going."

Zhao Mingliang nodded: "Okay, I'll discuss it with Minghui first. We'll start by selling tea to maintain the sales channel in the province. We can talk about opening a factory later."

“Sure, if you don’t have enough capital, Mingyue and I will try to find a way to raise some for you,” Shen Xuyue said.

Zhao Mingliang nodded: "Okay, if it's really not enough, I'll ask you again. You must be short of money lately. I heard from Mom that you spent a lot of money in America, and your sister had a baby and you hired a nanny. You have to spend money on food and water every day, it's not easy for you."

Shen Xuyue smiled and said, "It's not very well-off, but the good thing is that I get a salary every month."

Zhao Mingliang said, "You earn a lot of money, but you also have a lot of expenses. Your sister will be coming back at the end of the year, and that will definitely cost you more money, so it's best to save some money for emergencies."

"Brother is right, I understand." Shen Xuyue was quite touched. He had offered to lend him money, but his brother hadn't accepted it immediately, showing that he was still very considerate of them.

After Hu Nianchun returned, he was busy making furniture for Zhao Minglang's wedding, and also busy taking care of Zhao Minghui's wife who was about to give birth. There was indeed a lot to do. Zhao Shunsheng had been alone at home for the past six months; what could a single old man do? Just as Zhao Mingyue and her daughter had worried, he barely cooked a few grains of rice for each meal, and his life had absolutely no quality. Only after Hu Nianchun returned did they finally feel relieved.

Shen Xuyue stayed at home for a few days, and after seeing that everything was settled, he returned to Beijing. Zhao Mingyue, upon hearing about what had happened back home, sighed and lamented, "I really didn't expect it to end like this. I thought that once some people became familiar with the market, the bolder ones would take the lead in opening private tea factories, but I didn't expect the village's tea factories to be shut down like this. It's such a pity."

Shen Xuyue said, "This also gives my older brother an opportunity. I think they can open their own tea factory next year. After all, everyone is used to having tea delivered by the company, and many people don't like to go out and sell tea."

Zhao Mingyue nodded: "That's true, it should be able to develop. But I have to tell you, brother, that you must be careful to control the degree of this, especially the price. The worst thing is that people will use this to their advantage. Speculation is still a serious crime."

“Yes, it’s okay to take it easy at the beginning and earn less,” Shen Xuyue said.

Zhao Mingyue looked at Shen Xuyue and suddenly laughed. Shen Xuyue was a little confused: "Is there something on my face?"

Zhao Mingyue smiled and shook her head: "I said you really made a splash when you went back this time, you're a central government cadre."

Shen Xuyue laughed heartily: "I was making a big deal out of nothing, I'm ashamed. But you, it seems like you foresaw everything, how are you so amazing, it's like you can guess what will happen in the future."

"No, I didn't know it would turn out like this. I had my own selfish reasons at the time, hoping that my eldest brother would have the opportunity to open his own tea factory. I never thought it would actually come true." Zhao Mingyue thought to herself, it's good to have Shen Xuyue's identity. At least if my eldest and second brothers open a tea factory at home, they will have more confidence. Those who want to cause trouble will probably be more wary.

Fang Zhen received her one-child certificate, which entitles her to five and a half months of maternity leave, allowing her to stay home for almost half a year. Zhao Mingyue only then learned about the preferential maternity leave for only children and discussed with Shen Xuyue whether they should also get a certificate to extend their maternity leave. Actually, without this certificate, they wouldn't be allowed to have a second child. Although Zhao Mingyue really wanted a daughter, Shen Xuyue ultimately decided to get it, so they could rest at home for a longer period.

This meant that both she and Fang Zhen didn't have to go to work for a long time, and the two sisters-in-law often exchanged parenting tips. Fang Zhen felt somewhat apologetic towards Zhao Mingyue; her son was being looked after by her mother-in-law, while Zhao Mingyue had to hire a nanny for her child. Zhao Mingyue herself didn't care; she preferred to hire a nanny rather than have her mother-in-law help with the child. Her mother-in-law's personality was too domineering; she wanted everything done her way, and Zhao Mingyue couldn't stand her temper. On the surface, it seemed like she was at a disadvantage, but in reality, she felt that this disadvantage was a blessing in disguise.

The nanny was very experienced in taking care of children, which saved Zhao Mingyue a lot of trouble. Zhao Mingyue had experience in many other areas, but she had absolutely no experience in taking care of children, so she had to learn everything from scratch. She and Shen Xuyue treated Liangliang like an experimental field, sowing seeds, watering, and fertilizing him every day, wondering what kind of results would emerge.

Zhao Mingyue instinctively felt that educating children should be done by setting a good example. What kind of parents you are will determine what kind of children you raise. So she didn't deliberately pursue any particular effect, because she herself grew up under the education of her parents who set a good example.

Shen Xuyue believes that giving children enough love—of course, love with principles, not spoiling them—will prevent them from going astray. "The two of us play the good cop and the bad cop; this way of educating children is guaranteed to be correct."

Zhao Mingyue looked at him: "Are you playing the good cop or the bad cop?"

Shen Xuyue chuckled: "It's obvious, I have a dark complexion."

Zhao Mingyue said, "Come on, I don't think you can really be ruthless. We're a strict mother and a loving father, that's fine."

Shen Xuyue said, "This brat is luckier than me. My family has a strict father and mother, a typical case of 'spare the rod and spoil the child.'"

“Corporal punishment is no longer popular. We need to persuade people with reason and virtue. As a loving father, you must be prepared with some profound principles.” Zhao Mingyue patted Shen Xuyue on the shoulder.

Shen Xuyue patted his chest and said, "Definitely, definitely."

This young couple, who had just become parents, were figuring out how to raise their child and made quite a few funny mistakes along the way.

Yu Youqing came over for a visit over the weekend. When Zhao Mingyue saw that he came alone, she asked, "Where's Jianlan? Why didn't she come today?"

Yu Youqing said, "She had something to do today and didn't come."

Zhao Mingyue washed the fruit and came over, sitting next to Shen Xuyue. Yu Youqing held Zhuangzhuang and played with him for a while, then handed him back to Zhao Mingyue and said, "Do you still remember Cheng Yongqiang?"

Zhao Mingyue was taken aback: "Isn't he your brother-in-law?"

Yu Youqing said, "He's my sister's ex-husband, so he can't really be considered my sister's husband anymore. He got into trouble."

Zhao Mingyue asked, "What happened?"

"He was arrested for hooliganism and is said to be facing the death penalty," Yu Youqing sighed.

Zhao Mingyue was startled: "Huh? Who reported it? Your sister?"

“How could it be my sister? My sister is in Shenzhen. He divorced my sister and hasn’t remarried yet. That guy brought this on himself by seducing a teenage girl from his village, who wasn’t even an adult yet. Then someone exposed him, and he got arrested. Now there’s a crackdown, and the situation is very serious. They can’t cover it up anymore. His parents are desperate and have come to me for help. They want me to find Old Shen and ask him to plead for leniency.” Yu Youqing shook his head helplessly.

Zhao Mingyue frowned. She guessed that the reason he came to ask Shen Xuyue for help was because of the impact of the incident where he saved the old director last time. She said, "What authority does Xuyue have to deal with this kind of thing?" To be honest, the most serious crimes in this round of crackdown are hooliganism and robbery. As long as you are involved, you will either go to jail or be sentenced to death. If the circumstances are slightly more serious, you will definitely die.

Yu Youqing nodded: "Yes, I told them that too, but they cried on the phone, saying they would kneel down and beg me to help them for the sake of the two children. I think their family is shameless. Have they ever cared for the children? They're using the children as leverage. To be honest, this guy deserved to die. Look at how he harmed my sister. If there had been a crackdown a few years earlier, this guy would have been dead long ago. He ruined my sister's life, and yet he treats my sister and the children like this. He deserves it!"

Shen Xuyue said, "Then what do you want to do? I definitely can't get involved in this kind of thing; I'm just a low-level clerk." If his father were still in that position, he might be able to help, but this is a central government policy, and people are too busy supporting it to go looking for trouble. Cheng Yongqiang, that damned bastard, truly deserved to die.

Yu Youqing said, "I can't do anything about it. I'm just a teacher. This is the national policy. He didn't behave himself, so he has only himself to blame. No one will feel guilty. It's just that my two nieces will have to live with the thought of their father being a death row inmate for the rest of their lives. It's really pitiful."

Zhao Mingyue sighed. She had saved Yu Youfen and Yu Youqing, which led to this chain reaction. It was truly unexpected. Cheng Yongqiang wasn't a heinous person in his past life, yet he ruined two women's lives in this one and ended up like this. Was this retribution for the Cheng family? Why hadn't the retribution fallen on Cheng Yonggang?

Yu Youqing waved his hand: "Forget it, let's not think about it anymore. I'm sorry for causing you trouble."

Zhao Mingyue changed the subject: "How did things go at Jianlan's house? Are you planning to get married at the end of the year?"

Yu Youqing nodded: "Yes, we're planning to get married at the end of the year. Her family is very poor, with many siblings, and their situation is much worse than mine. Her parents asked for a dowry of 1,000 yuan, and I agreed. We won't have the wedding banquet at her house, but at my house, and then we'll have a casual meal with our classmates and colleagues from Beijing."

Zhao Mingyue was taken aback: "Where did you get so much money?" Yu Youqing's salary was the same as hers. In the first year, his salary was 58.5 yuan a month. All he could earn in a year was a little over 700 yuan. After deducting expenses for food, clothing, and other necessities, it was already quite good if he could save two or three hundred yuan.

Yu Youqing sighed and said, "If it's not enough, I'll borrow some. Her family's situation is really too difficult. More than ten people are crammed into two rooms, and her grandmother lives in a thatched hut outside. It's heartbreaking to see. I hope this money can be given to them so they can build two more rooms. Her younger siblings are growing up and can't all be crammed together."

Zhao Mingyue hadn't expected Mao Jianlan's family to be so poor. No wonder she was so frugal. It seemed that Yu Youqing's burden wouldn't be light after marrying Mao Jianlan: "Then your burden will be heavy in the future, and your family's burden won't be light either."

Yu Youqing smiled and said, "It's alright. Things are fine here at home. My sister can earn her own money now, and I don't have to worry about her children. She also has two younger siblings who are in school and are doing very well. I promised to support their education. Fortunately, tuition fees aren't too expensive now, and we should be able to afford it. Let's endure the hardship for a few years. After they finish school, our family's situation will gradually improve."

Zhao Mingyue looked at Yu Youqing with admiration. He had so selflessly taken on all of this. Mao Jianlan had chosen Yu Youqing, who was definitely more suitable than Shen Qixue. At least Shen's mother would never allow her son to unconditionally support his daughter-in-law's family. In Yu Youqing's family, however, Yu Youqing could make all the decisions himself.

Zhao Mingyue sighed: "Youqing, you can actually discuss this with Jianlan. Maybe you can give less dowry. You'll have to pay for it yourself, and it will all be a burden for the two of you in the future."

Yu Youqing lowered his head, his hands clenched into fists and placed on his knees: "It's okay, Mingyue, we've already calculated it. The two of us can save about 100 yuan a month, which is 1,000 yuan a year."

Zhao Mingyue thought Yu Youqing was exaggerating: "You two think a dozen yuan a month is enough for food and drink? Are you kidding me? You should be more careful about your health, at least when it comes to food. And weddings cost money too." She and Shen Xuyue had saved over a thousand yuan together, and that was almost all gone, with nothing left. They even had a startup fund she'd saved. And that didn't even include the money spent on her in-laws. Weddings are expensive.

Yu Youqing nodded: "Apart from the betrothal gifts and wedding banquet, we won't hold anything else. We'll keep everything simple."

Zhao Mingyue truly admired Yu Youqing's courage; he was already burdened with a mountain of debt before even getting married. She said, "We'll see if we have any spare money. If we do, we'll lend you some." As she spoke, she glanced at Shen Xuyue.

Shen Xuyue simply nodded. His wife had agreed, so how could he refuse? Besides, Yu Youqing and Mao Jianlan were people with whom they had quite a history.

Yu Youqing's eyes welled up with tears: "Thank you!"