"Aunt Dazhu, how long will Tiedan's family stay this time?" someone asked.

Tie Dan's father's name is Niu Dazhu. Villagers generally don't call Tie Dan's mother by her name directly, and many don't even know her name. The elders call her Dazhu's wife, while the younger generation calls her Auntie. The name of her husband or children and grandchildren is always included as a prefix.

Most of the villagers gathered under the old elm tree at the village entrance. They were mostly the elderly, women, and children. Most of the able-bodied men had gone to work in the city, leaving the elderly and children behind. There weren't many young women either; the hardworking ones had all gone out to earn money. Those who remained were either lazy women or women who couldn't leave because they needed to take care of their elderly parents and children.

The majority of them are lazy women who have nothing to do but gossip from house to house. They spread all the village gossip and are the destroyers of the village's harmony, stability, and unity. They spread rumors about each other's affairs, which may not be a big deal, but they make it sound distorted. At best, it causes couples to quarrel; at worst, it leads to divorce and separation, and in some cases, even death.

The destructive power of a gossip should not be underestimated. In fact, almost every village has one or two gossipy women who seem to thrive on chaos. The woman who is now asking Tie Dan's mother is none other than Ju Ying, the village's notorious gossip.

Sister Juying was lazy, shrewish, and loved to take advantage of others. Her greatest pleasure every day was to wander around the village with a bag of melon seeds in her hand, asking about the latest gossip and spreading some of it, which served as the villagers' daily spiritual nourishment.

Iron Egg's mother smiled and said happily, "I'll be staying for a month."

"No wonder you and Uncle Dazhu made so many sausages, it was more lively than the New Year! Tiedan's wife came too?"

"The whole family is coming! My meat pie must have grown so tall by now, and so is my little meat bun. Oh, I've missed you so much!" Tie Dan's mother looked up at the sky; the sun had already set. She said anxiously, "Why aren't they here yet? Could something have happened? Tie Fu and Tie Gui, go check on them!"

Tie Fu and Tie Gui are Tie Dan's older brothers. They look about 70-80% like Tie Dan, but they look older. Their demeanor is naturally not as good as Tie Dan's. Tie Dan, who has been working on his own for many years, is still simple-minded, but he has seen the world and his demeanor is naturally better than that of ordinary people.

"They're here! Two vehicles are coming. No, wait, these are cargo trucks, aren't they? They're covered with tarpaulins. They don't look like Tie Dan's." A villager standing on the earthen slope saw two vehicles driving in from a distance.

"It must be Tiedan. What kind of truck could our village have? Maybe Tiedan brought back a truckload of treasures to show his respect to Uncle Dazhu and Auntie!" Sister Juying flattered.

Others chimed in, showering him with compliments, making Tie Dan's parents beam with joy.

“My son Tiedan is so filial. He’s always worried that his father and I don’t have enough money, so he sends a lot of money back home every month. There’s no need to spend so much money.” Tiedan’s mother was particularly proud. Her family used to be the poorest because they had many children, but they all had enough to eat. Tiedan, in particular, ate as much as five or six children.

Although her family had many able-bodied men, in those days, strength alone could not guarantee food. Tiedan alone had driven the family into poverty, and the whole family went hungry. Many people told her to get rid of Tiedan, saying that they couldn't let him drag the whole family down with him.

Back then, the family hadn't separated yet, and the whole family ate together. Niu Dazhu's brothers were full of complaints and were the loudest. They even took Tiedan to the mountains while she and Dazhu were working in the fields. Luckily, the child was alive and well. He wandered around in the mountains for most of the day and wasn't carried away by wolves.