As they spoke, Aunt Wang had already started working. Lin Wanqiu wanted to help, but Aunt Wang stopped her: "You sit and rest. It's rare for you to come back, so have a good chat. I can do these chores."
Lin Wanqiu had no choice but to sit down and chat with Aunt Wang and Uncle Li about the changes over the years. Aunt Wang told her that life in the brigade had gotten better and better over the years. Many families had built brick houses, the children were able to go to school, and there was electricity and roads, making it much more convenient to buy things.
"Life now is something I never dared to dream of before," Aunt Wang said with emotion. "It's all thanks to the good example you set back then, which showed everyone that besides farming, you could also make money with your skills. Later, the commune set up a food factory, following your method. Many people started working there, and life got better and better."
Lin Wanqiu listened, a warm feeling welling up inside her. When she left the Hongqi Production Brigade years ago, she felt a little reluctant and worried, but now, seeing her fellow villagers living better and better lives, she was genuinely happy for them.
Shen Tingzhou sat quietly to the side, listening attentively, occasionally interjecting a few words. Looking at the familiar furnishings in the room, he recalled the days before he joined the army, and the hardships Lin Wanqiu endured raising their child alone in the village. His heart was filled with guilt and gratitude. Guilt for not being able to be by his wife and child's side, and gratitude for the help his old neighbors had offered in their time of need.
Shen Nian'an chatted with Uncle Li about the food workshop and inquired about the current planting situation in the brigade. When he learned that the brigade mainly grew grain and had very few cash crops, he had an idea. He thought that perhaps he could help the brigade introduce some cash crops suitable for local planting to increase the income of the villagers.
Around noon, the meal was ready. The table was laden with steaming dishes: stewed chicken, scrambled eggs, cold wild vegetable salad, cornbread, and a bowl of fragrant sweet potato porridge. Although it was all simple home-cooked food, it was filled with a strong sense of hometown warmth.
"Come on, Wanqiu, Tingzhou, Nian'an, try the stewed chicken that Auntie makes. It's from our own chicken, and it tastes amazing!" Auntie Wang enthusiastically served them some food. "Back then, Nian'an was little and always wanted to eat chicken, but conditions were tough then, and we could only eat it once a year. Now it's much better; we can eat as much as we want."
Lin Wanqiu picked up a piece of chicken and put it in her mouth. The familiar taste spread across her tongue, carrying the aroma of firewood and the tenderness of the chicken, reminding her of the scene when Aunt Wang secretly gave her chicken years ago. Tears welled up in her eyes again, and she quickly lowered her head to hide her emotions.
"Auntie, your cooking is so delicious, even better than the big hotels in the city," Shen Nian'an said with a smile, eating heartily. "I haven't had such authentic hometown food in a long time."
"Eat more if you like it." Aunt Wang smiled from ear to ear, and kept putting food on Shen Nian'an's plate. "Young people are growing, so eat more."
Lunch ended in a warm atmosphere. After the meal, Lin Wanqiu and Shen Tingzhou spent a long time chatting with Aunt Wang and Uncle Li, inquiring about their health and living conditions, and leaving them some money so they could buy some good food to nourish themselves.
"Auntie, Uncle, we're going to visit some other old neighbors. We'll come see you again next time." Before leaving, Lin Wanqiu said reluctantly, "Please take good care of yourselves. If you encounter any difficulties, please give us a call."
"Okay, okay, you should come back and visit often." Aunt Wang and Uncle Li saw them to the door, their eyes red-rimmed. "Take care on the road."
After leaving Aunt Wang's house, the three of them visited several old neighbors who had helped them in the past, including Uncle Li and Aunt Zhang. At each house, they received a warm welcome. The old neighbors held Lin Wanqiu's hands, asking about her life and recounting the changes over the years, their eyes filled with genuine affection.
When Lin Wanqiu arrived at the site of Old Lady Shen's old house, she stopped. Now, a brand-new brick house has been built there. She heard that Old Lady Shen and Zhang Lan became poorer and poorer because they were lazy and gluttonous. Old Lady Shen could not stand Zhang Lan's laziness and Old Lady Shen's meanness, so he left with the children. Old Lady Shen and Zhang Lan eventually died of illness in the dilapidated house, ending up in a tragic state.
Lin Wanqiu felt no emotion whatsoever. They had tormented her and Nian'an relentlessly back then, and now they had brought this upon themselves; it was all their own fault. She turned to look at Shen Tingzhou and found him also staring at the brick house, his eyes calm and undisturbed.
“It’s all in the past.” Shen Tingzhou held her hand and said softly, “Our well-being now is the best response we can give them.”
Lin Wanqiu nodded, a sense of relief washing over her. Yes, it was all in the past. The hardships and hatred of the past had long been washed away by time, and now all that remained in her heart was gratitude for her old neighbor and appreciation for the good life she had.
Continuing on, they came to the brigade headquarters. Compared to the mud-brick house of yesteryear, the brigade headquarters had now become a two-story building, with a sign hanging at the entrance that read "Red Flag Production Brigade Village Committee," and next to it was a bulletin board displaying the village's various rules and regulations as well as photos of those who had led the way to prosperity.
Brigade Party Secretary Zhao Jianguo happened to be in his office. Seeing Lin Wanqiu and her group, he immediately stood up to greet them, his face beaming with a warm smile: "Wanqiu, Tingzhou, welcome back! What rare guests we have!"
Zhao Jianguo has aged considerably since then, but he remains in good spirits. Although he was somewhat biased towards his son Zhao Jianjun back then, he was fairly impartial on matters of principle. Later, when Zhao Jianjun was sent to a labor camp for provoking trouble, he was implicated and removed from his position as brigade secretary. It wasn't until recent years that he was re-elected as the village committee director.
"Director Zhao, we're sorry to bother you," Lin Wanqiu said with a smile. "We've come back to visit our old neighbors and also to see how the village has changed."
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