Upon hearing the familiar voice, Old Man Dong's lips curled into a smile. "Brother Hua, you've arrived. I've been waiting for you here."

"It's been a while since you last visited. I've been thinking about it a lot at home, but unfortunately, there's been a lot going on in the village lately, otherwise I would have had my son come and pay a visit."

"I went on a long trip," Hua Guangzong said, knowing that his eyesight wasn't very good. He went over, grabbed his hand, and led him into the village. "I heard that our village is slaughtering a pig today, so I came to join in the fun."

Liu Tiezhu and his group did not expect that Hua Guangzong had acquaintances here. This old fellow really kept it a secret. They had not heard him mention it on the way.

“This Dong family’s child saved our Xiangyun,” Tian Guihua said, knowing everyone was curious. “It was the last time that He family’s kid shot her with a slingshot. If Dong family’s nephew hadn’t happened to be passing by, we don’t even want to think about what would have happened.”

Everyone understands that there is such a connection between the two sides.

Tian Guihua did indeed take some things from the Zhou and He families, but she must have also repaid her saviors. Given this debt of gratitude, it's understandable that the two families would maintain contact.

The elderly people had an even better impression of Tian Guihua and her family. They were grateful and got along so well with their saviors, which showed that they had been in frequent contact.

It's so much easier to deal with people like this compared to the He and Zhou families.

Since Zhou Xiaolan and He Pingan moved out, they haven't been seen going to the compound.

Parents have tempers and kick their children out of the house, but the children just wash their hands of it and don't care anymore, which makes many people criticize them.

"Brother Hua, would you like to come to my house for a meal today?"

"That won't do, I have things to do at home," Hua Guangzong said, his eyes lighting up as he saw the big, fat pig being herded into a ball in the threshing ground. "This pig is really well raised, it's fat and strong enough!"

"We're all old folks, what could possibly be wrong with us?" Old Dong thought the other party was making excuses, after all, these days no one would easily freeload a meal at someone else's house.

"Our two families are so close, there's no need for formalities. We have to stay today no matter what, so I'll have my son cut a lot of meat off the table."

Today, I'll let you try our village's authentic pork stew; you can't refuse.

Hua Guangzong said with pride, "That won't do. There are several students in my family preparing for the college entrance exam."

My grandson, granddaughter-in-law, granddaughter, and grandson-in-law are all going to college. We're getting old, so we have to take care of them and make sure they don't go hungry.

We came here hoping to exchange some more vegetables to take home, so the kids could have a better meal.

Hua Guangzong didn't forget to speak up for his companions, "We neighbors are all doing this for the children. If anyone in the village is interested, you can discuss it with them. Don't worry, they brought plenty of things this time. If you're not satisfied, you don't have to exchange them."

After all, we can't let our fellow villagers suffer losses, right?

Old Dong immediately understood what he meant. "Don't worry about that. You stay here and watch over things. I'll go and call a few people. If they have any ideas, let them talk it over themselves."

In the village, Old Man Dong still has some influence, and with an acquaintance acting as a go-between, everyone feels more at ease.

Sure enough, not long after, Old Man Dong brought over several old men, all of whom were heads of their households and held authority in the family.

Liu Tiezhu and his group were surprised that things went so smoothly this time, and they were even more grateful to Hua Guangzong.

That old guy really knows what's good for them. He arranged everything for them without them even having to ask. He's a really good neighbor.

Since they had already helped so much, they couldn't be too rude. As long as the conditions were acceptable, they wouldn't argue with the villagers. Soon, both sides were satisfied.

Before the pigs were even slaughtered, the meat had already been arranged, and some people even went to other people's yards to pick some fresh vegetables.

Zhou Xiaolan hid in the corner, watching this scene unfold before her, and could only grit her teeth in silent resentment.

She rushed over as soon as she heard the news, thinking that she had to get some things today no matter what. Fresh meat was a hot commodity in the city, and if she could get some things sold, she would have an easier time this month.

Unexpectedly, she saw several familiar faces shortly after entering the village.

They were all neighbors on the same street, so it was impossible for them not to recognize her. She could only avoid them from a distance.

She knew perfectly well what these people were doing there. Even though she was annoyed, there was nothing she could do about it. After all, they were just exchanging goods for their own use, and there was no speculation involved.

This only makes it clear that her purpose today is not pure. If she really tries to exchange more items, these old guys will definitely guess it.

She had a grudge against the Hua family, and she couldn't guarantee that Hua Guangzong and Tian Guihua wouldn't take revenge. If they reported her, she would be finished.

She felt resentful for having made such a long and fruitless trip, but such an opportunity was too rare to pass up, and it would be a real shame to give it up.

So she mustered her courage and negotiated with several villagers, but she had very few receipts and was prepared to buy them with money.

Many villagers backed down at the mention of exchanging money, fearing that they would be implicated if others found out.

Zhou Xiaolan said, "Fellow villagers, you can also find other people to exchange tickets for, I'll pay you the same."

Besides, the tickets will expire, but the money won't..."

No matter what she said, no one agreed immediately; instead, they wanted to wait and see.

Zhou Xiaolan knew that these people just wanted to gain more benefits. She was anxious but there was nothing she could do. After all, this was her first time in this village, and she didn't dare to be too conspicuous.

She was also curious about how the others exchanged with these villagers.

It's important to know that pork is in short supply in the city, and the price is even higher on the black market.

Even if she bought it at the normal price, or added another 10%, she would still make a profit. Otherwise, she wouldn't risk being discovered by her old neighbors and stay here.

Tian Guihua had actually seen Zhou Xiaolan long ago, but there was no need to bring the feud between the two families into the public eye.

As long as she doesn't bother her, Tian Guihua is prepared to ignore her.

The villagers here are really skilled at slaughtering pigs. Several villagers gathered around and quickly picked out the fattest one, giving those who came to watch a pig feast.

Seeing the large chunks of fatty meat laid out there, everyone's eyes lit up.

The village chief of She'er Village knew their purpose and just wanted to distribute the meat to each household as soon as possible so they could handle it themselves.

Whether they want to keep it or exchange it is up to them.

Hua Guangzong chatted with Old Man Dong, while Tian Guihua had already visited two households and exchanged a lot of things.

When she arrived at Hua Guangzong's side carrying her things, Old Man Dong finally recognized her as Hua's sister-in-law, who had come to their home with Hua's brother before.

"Look at you, coming all this way to our village, and you still need to exchange things with us?" Old Man Dong said, somewhat displeased. "We even left you plenty of vegetables from our own garden."