He Zifeng chased away the chill from his body before entering the house. His son immediately flew over and threw himself into his arms.

He Zifeng picked up his son.

Xiao He Ran hadn't seen He Zifeng for half a month after returning home, and asked Qiu Yu about it every day.

Ever since he started school, Xiao Heran felt he had grown up and wouldn't let anyone hold him. But today his father came home and made an exception: "Daddy." Ranran's voice was crisp and sweet.

He Zifeng laughed and said, "Hey."

Qiu Yu came in with him, and seeing the way the father and son were being so affectionate, a smile played on her lips. She asked, "Are we going back to the county today?"

"Not for now," He Zifeng said.

The weather has been getting colder these days, and business in the shops in the county town has almost stopped, except for the morning porridge distribution. Many people have been introduced by He Zifeng to work, so fewer people come to drink porridge. Two or three pots a day are enough, so Qiu Yu doesn't need to go over.

Qiu Yu had been staying in the village for some time. Come to think of it, it had been over half a month since she last saw He Zifeng. She missed him terribly, but she couldn't very well snuggle into his arms in front of the children.

Qiu Yu had a lot to say, but looking at He Zifeng's slightly thin appearance, she said, "Everything is fine at home."

He Zifeng nodded and said, "Thank you for your hard work." Managing a household is not an easy task, but luckily they had stocked up on a lot of firewood and coal before the cold weather, so the house was quite warm.

This warm place really made He Zifeng want to sleep. But he also felt it was too early to go to sleep now, and he was afraid that if he slept during the day, he wouldn't be able to sleep at night.

Just as she was hesitating, Fang came in from outside. When she saw He Zifeng, a smile appeared on her face: "I thought I misheard when I heard the door open!" Then, looking at He Zifeng, she said after a while, "You've lost weight."

He Zifeng spends all his time in the county government office; there's so much going on there that he can barely get two hours of sleep a day.

"No, it's probably because of the clothes." He Zifeng didn't want them to worry.

Fang smiled and said, "I'll steam some rice for you today. You don't get to eat anything good over there." For the villagers, rice porridge was considered a snack. Rice was an even greater luxury.

Qiu Yu said, "Yes, steam another bowl of steamed egg custard."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Heran's eyes lit up: "Daddy, can I eat it too?"

All the adults in the room laughed.

They only have this one precious child in their family, so how could they not include him in the delicious food?

Qiu Yu said, "Yes!"

He Zifeng originally wanted to say that there was no need to cook something special for him. But seeing his son looking on expectantly, he couldn't bear to disappoint him.

Xiao Heran also loves steamed egg custard. With a little bit of vinegar on top, he can eat half a bowl even on its own.

Normally, only Qiu Yu and Fang Shi are at home, and they just cook whatever they can find. But now that He Zifeng is back, they're all preparing delicious meals for him.

The little one also benefited.

He Zifeng held the child for a while, then put him on the kang (a heated brick bed).

Fang doesn't heat the kang (a heated brick bed) during the day, feeling it's a waste to heat both rooms at the same time. When she feels cold, she comes here to play with her grandson, and only needs to heat a little when she goes back at night.

He Zifeng said, "I heard you can already recite poems?"

Xiao Heran nodded and then recited the poem to He Zifeng in a very generous manner.

The room was filled with the sound of reciting poems. It was quite cozy. After Xiao Heran finished reciting, he looked at He Zifeng, wanting some praise. The little guy's thoughts were written all over his face.

Upon seeing this, He Zifeng exclaimed, "My son is so clever!"

He immediately became happy.

Seeing this, Fang and Qiuyu couldn't help but tell He Zifeng, "This child is closest to you."

Xiao Heran felt a little embarrassed by what his grandmother said and snuggled into her arms.

Mrs. Fang smiled and hugged her little grandson. He was such a clever little devil, so lovable.

He Zifeng was the happiest, with his mother, wife, and son by his side. He was very relaxed. He hoped the snow would stop in a few days.

Just then, hurried footsteps came from outside, and it sounded like there was more than one person coming.

He Zifeng had developed a keen sense of smell from his time at the county government office; he was very sensitive to all kinds of footsteps. His brow furrowed immediately, and he put on his cotton-padded coat, preparing to go out.

He recognized the men who had come; they were the old town head's son and several burly men. The old town head had arranged for him to divide the family property and recommended him for a job as a clerk in the county government. He owed He Zifeng a great debt of gratitude. Seeing his son's serious expression, He Zifeng's heart tightened. "What's wrong?" he asked.

The old town mayor's son said, "Our village is on the verge of collapse. My father asked me to borrow some grain." He seemed distressed as he said this.

He Zifeng said, "How could that be? Didn't each village notify us?" These people in the villages are even more adept at hoarding goods.

Their farming depends on the weather; in good years they're fine, but in years of famine they rely entirely on stored grain to survive.

The old town mayor's son said, "They're all our village chiefs!" He spoke with a hint of resentment. He then briefly explained the situation to He Zifeng. This year, the village chief had gone to the city, and there were other village chiefs as well. After meeting up and discussing matters, they had a few drinks, and once drunk, they forgot about the important business.

Just then, those unscrupulous merchants offered five copper coins per pound for coarse grains. These farmers hadn't seen such a high price in all their years. Having already sold their surplus grain, they were afraid of missing out on this good price, so they sold their own rations.

Five days later, their village chief remembered this important matter. When he told the villagers what had happened, they were all dumbfounded. Just then, the merchant who had bought the grain from them returned, and the villagers discussed with him their desire to redeem the grain.

But the grain merchant wasn't so easy to talk to; he doubled the price to ten coins a pound—take it or leave it.

This was blatant extortion, and the villagers naturally wouldn't stand for it. The grain merchants left. Their grain bins were almost empty. Every household was tightening their belts; it got cold in just a few days this year, it started snowing, and the ground froze. They had absolutely nothing to eat.

The old town head was so angry that he fell ill. He was already old, and this illness was very dangerous. He wanted to borrow grain from the county. The old town head was too ill to go in person, and his son was not of high enough status to see the county magistrate, so he had to ask He Zifeng to pass on a message.

This is because of He Zifeng's personal connections!

He Zifeng naturally couldn't make things difficult for them, so he said, "Alright, I'll go to the county. You tell the old town head that if the county refuses to provide grain, I'll buy a thousand catties myself and send it to you. Make sure you take good care of yourself."

The old town mayor's son was moved to tears, having been worried sick about the food situation these past few days. The village couldn't hold on any longer, and his father was frantic with worry. The village chief had also gone out to borrow grain, but had been turned away several times. He was truly afraid that this time they wouldn't be able to borrow any more grain and half of the villagers would starve to death.

Fortunately, there's still He Zifeng!