This was Chen Jianguo's first time in the village, and he was criticized wherever he went and whomever he met.

"Jianguo, this won't do. Su girl has had it so hard, what are you doing back here?"

"Jianguo, hurry back after you've finished your business!"

"Brother Jianguo, are you at ease with your wife at home?"

Chen Jianguo --

After the village finished talking to Chen Jianguo, Zhao Dalin rolled his eyes.

"Brother Jianguo, you don't need to come back next time. With your uncle and aunt here, what are you worried about?"

"Yeah, you should just stay home and take care of your wife and kids!" Zhao Kunlin retorted.

Chen Jianguo's lips twitched. After that, no one cared about him anymore; they just talked about him and scolded him.

Finally, the Party Secretary came to the rescue, saying, "Alright, Jian Guo also has something to do, please don't talk about him!"

Zhao Dalin was smaller than the others, so he obediently shut up.

Just as Chen Jianguo was about to give the secretary a grateful smile, what he said next made him wish he could find a hole to crawl into.

"Jianguo, Su girl has had a tough time these past years, raising three children on her own and managing the household."

Other....

Chen Jianguo....

What's the meaning?

The secretary looked at him as if he were an idiot and said, "From now on, you don't need to come back for the grain rations. We'll save Su girl's share!"

After saying that, she glared at Chen Jianguo with disdain, as if to say, "It's the same whether you're here or not!"

Chen Jianguo felt a slight pang in his heart; the boomerang had returned to him.

Hahaha....

The villagers, including the village chief and the old house owner, couldn't help but burst into laughter after holding it in for so long.

After returning to the old house, Chen Jiandang and Chen Jianjun ignored their elder brother's threatening gaze.

"Brother, you see, even if you didn't come back, Da and Lao Ge could still bring the grain back!"

Chen Jiandang: "Yeah, brother, you really didn't need to come back this time!"

Mr. Chen didn't even look at him, while Mrs. Chen just snorted.

Chen Jianguo....

What the hell is this? His family doesn't want him to come back.

My dear wife—sob sob. I miss you!

As for the two brats who accompanied him back, they had long since disappeared.

As night deepened, Chen Jianguo shouldered a burlap sack, carried a package on his body, and disappeared into the courtyard.

"Hmph—the eldest must have gone there!" Chen's mother was watching her two grandsons sleep, so of course she heard Chen Jianguo's movements.

Upon hearing this, Mr. Chen advised, "Alright, it's all last year's grain, just take it!"

Chen's mother remained silent. Chen Jianguo quickly arrived at the cowshed, just about to catch up with his old superior.

"You brat, what are you doing back here? What if your wife gives birth?"

Chen Jianguo....

Sighing, she explained again, "Only seven and a half months, how many days until delivery? We'll go back first thing tomorrow morning..."

Old Man Yi then let him go, took the package, found his own alcohol and cigarettes, and added half of his nutritional supplements.

Then he left Chen Jianguo behind, and a short while later, two men appeared in the room.

"Comrade Chen, how is Comrade Su?" Zhao Yazhen asked the other person directly as soon as she saw him.

Chen Jianguo felt helpless, but also gratified, knowing that his wife's consideration for the couple hadn't been in vain.

"It's fine, it's just that my belly is big, so it's inconvenient for me to come back!"

Zhao Yazhen said, "Don't worry, it's good that you're not coming back. There are hospitals in the county town, and it's insurance to be admitted to the hospital beforehand for twins!"

Old Man Yi, Xie Chengbo, who was standing to the side, didn't understand, but seeing Chen Jianguo nod, he was also relieved.

Although they occasionally met, they barely exchanged more than two sentences.

However, this 그 held a more important place in the hearts of the three than Chen Jianguo, who was just a gofer.

"This bag of grain is cornmeal, and the other bag is potatoes and sweet potatoes. You can eat these first, and we'll send more next time!" Chen Jianguo pointed to the bags.

"Thank you, Comrade Chen. If it were corn kernels, we really wouldn't know what to do." Xie Chengbo was glad it was cornmeal. It saved them a lot of trouble.

Chen Jianguo didn't hide anything: "They're all from last year; we'll send the next year's batch!"

"Old Man Yi: Who cares about old or new, as long as I have enough to eat!"

On the other end, Zhao Yazhen took her letter and couldn't help but skim through it. Finally, she felt relieved. Her son and daughter were going to school in an orderly manner, and her son would graduate in a year. When they started working together, she and Chengbo would feel more at ease here.

The girl looked innocent and playful, saying she missed them, as Zhao Yazhen wiped away tears from the corners of her eyes.

He walked over and bowed deeply to Chen Jianguo. "Comrade Chen, thank you! And please thank Comrade Su on my behalf! Without you, I definitely wouldn't be able to survive..."

Chen Jianguo stepped back, embarrassed and unsure of what to do.

Old Man Yi came to the rescue, saying, "Little Zhao, we've tried several times, but Jian Guo doesn't fall for that!"

Xie Chengbo pulled his wife back, "Comrade Chen, don't mind, my wife..."

"It's alright, I understand!" Chen Jianguo interrupted.

Feeling embarrassed, Zhao Yazhen quickly took out a box from the package she had just received, opened it, and found the things she needed inside.

He picked her up and handed her to Chen Jianguo, saying, "These troubles are for Comrade Su!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Jianguo looked at the old leader and, after receiving his approval, accepted the gift.

After he and the old chief were left in the room, Chen Jianguo naturally had a lot to say.

Old Man Yi said disdainfully, "Look at your pathetic self!"

Chen Jianguo.....

Then he threw a wad of money at him, saying, "Take this back, it's for your mother!"

Chen Jianguo accepted it; it was strange anyway. Then Chen's mother saw the money in front of her.

She immediately revealed a rare maternal love, saying to Chen Jianguo, "Boss, you're still the best!"

Chen Jianguo -- Don't laugh, it's terrifying!

Mr. Chen also smiled with relief. A bag of cornmeal weighed 50 jin, and it only cost 4 mao per jin in the county town. The eldest son brought back 30 yuan. Ten yuan more is a huge profit.

After the family finished breakfast, Chen Jianguo chopped firewood around the house again, as he hadn't had time to go to the mountains to chop firewood all year.

Therefore, Su Xia suggested that they directly approach the poor in the village and exchange 2 mao (0.2 yuan) for each bundle, which would amount to 100 bundles, or only 20 yuan, but enough for Chen's parents to burn until the following spring.

Four more buckets of pig feed have been mixed. Yes, because Su Xia is pregnant and has returned, Chen Jianguo mixes a month's worth every time.

Finally, they helped Chen's father move things onto the oxcart: newly bought grain, potatoes, sweet potatoes, cabbage, and radishes.

The last dishes produced in the family's yard—chicken and goose eggs—were all sent to the county town by Chen's mother; she kept none for herself and her husband.

Looking at the car full of things, Xia Laidi and Liu Chunxia couldn't help but feel a strange sense of pride. But then they remembered that their older brother had paid for them all.

Chen's mother: "Two idiots, what's there to be so proud of!"

The villagers were used to Chen Jian's oxcart, except for a few newly married women.

"Is this the eldest son of the Chen family?" a girl with twisted hair asked curiously.

The little girl next to him stared wide-eyed at Chen Jianguo, who was riding his bicycle.

A villager from the neighboring village proudly said, "Yes, Chen Jianguo works at the county train station, and he's the deputy stationmaster!"

Several unfamiliar faces showed shocked expressions.

"So he came back because..."

"Oh, it's because Sister Su is pregnant and can't come back, so naturally Brother Chen comes back. His family buys grain from the village every year!"

The villagers, around the same age as Chen's parents, would all call out, "Jianguo, Su girl!"

Those of the same generation would call them by their first names, while those older than them would be called "Jianguo, Su Meizi!"

The younger ones all called him "Brother Chen" and "Sister Su!"

Su Xia was also curious, but Chen's mother explained, "The village is grateful to you, not only because your well saved everyone's lives back then, but also because you're encouraging everyone to raise pigs and chickens. All of this has filled the village's pockets. They practically want to worship you!"

Su Xia was shocked and finally accepted it speechlessly. Fortunately, there is no crackdown on feudal superstition now, otherwise, as Chen's mother said, many families would really want to worship it.

Su Xia...maybe not!