Courtyard houses: Those who are capable are rewarded, and many children bring many blessings.

"Once a month is enough; any more than that, and I can't handle it."

"You'll get used to it eventually. I guarantee you'll want me to go every day then."

"Silly boy, even if I had that idea, could you do it? I know my place; I won't overstep my bounds."

It was almost 2 PM when we finally arrived in Changping County. Since it was already late, we decided to eat some hot soup noodles as soon as we got to town. One reason was to replenish our energy, and another was that humans can go hungry for a meal, but animals can't!

It was past three o'clock when we arrived in Beijing.

Following the address on the letter, Niu Dazhuang drove his donkey cart to the gate of a courtyard house in Dongwang Hutong, Dongcheng District.

Niu Dazhuang helped Ye Chunmei off the donkey cart, and a middle-aged woman in her fifties opened the gate for them.

"Is this Ye Chunlan's home?" Ye Chunmei asked before the other person could even ask.

The middle-aged woman first looked them up and down before speaking, "You must be Chunmei, come in and talk to me."

After seeing Niu Dazhuang help Ye Chunmei into the courtyard, he asked, "Chunmei, are you sick?"

"No, I sprained my ankle on the way. My sister isn't home."

"No, she went to work, but your sister left a message saying you can stay at her room." He then glanced at Niu Dazhuang: "And this is?"

"Oh, my man, but he doesn't live in Beijing right now. Dazhuang, you should go back first, don't stay too late."

The middle-aged woman knew something about their family situation, and although she had her doubts, she couldn't ask any more questions since that was what they had said.

After helping Ye Chunmei move her luggage into the house, Niu Dazhuang drove away in his donkey cart.

Although it was past 7 p.m. when they got back to Niujiazhuang, Niu Dazhuang was still feeling great. It seems there are really big differences between women.

Recalling the two's madness in the cave, Niu Dazhuang felt incredibly happy.

Ye Chunmei's allure is deeply ingrained, especially when she's moved; every smile and gesture is irresistible...

As always, Qin Xueru waited for her man at the village entrance with a lantern in hand.

"Xueru, don't wait for me to come back like an idiot next time. I'd be heartbroken if you got cold." He then put his arm around her shoulder.

"I'm dressed warmly, I'm not cold, let's go home quickly."

Niu Dazhuang turned his head to look at Chen Xia's house with the lights on, and then said, "Xueru, next time you come to the village entrance, go to Sister-in-law Chen Xia's house. She lives alone, so you can keep her company. I'll call you when I get back."

"Is Chen Xia's husband the same family that was conscripted?"

"Hmm. Your family has similar things too, right?"

"Of course there were. Qinjiawa wasn't the only one. My dad told me that the most they ever did was to take fifteen strong laborers from our village. Some of them even managed to sneak back..."

"Your family is very lucky!"

"What's so lucky about my family? My father's older brothers, besides my current eldest and second eldest, were both arrested. Only my eldest eldest brother escaped and came back, while my second eldest brother died outside."

"Oh, your family has this kind of thing?" Even the original owner of this body didn't know, let alone the current Niu Dazhuang.

"That's right, it's just that my family doesn't want to talk about the past, so as not to get hurt."

"Go back and boil water first. I'll return the donkey cart and head back."

"good!"

After a long day, Niu Dazhuang was exhausted and behaved himself that night, washing his feet and going to sleep.

Niu Dazhuang is fast asleep.

Ye Chunmei is being scolded by Ye Chunlan.

"Chunmei, how could you be so foolish? At the very last minute, you left yourself with a loose end in the countryside. If it were a respectable family, it wouldn't be so bad, but you actually..."

"Sis, please don't blame me. I just like him. So what if he's married? You were the same back then..."

"You bastard, I was just like you back then. If my family hadn't been starving, I wouldn't have been willing to be his concubine."

"What's done is done, I won't blame you. When we get to the city, listen to me, while you're still young, find a good family to marry into."

"No, why don't you find a good family to marry into?"

"You think I don't want to? But given my status... sigh. You're still young. If you don't find someone to marry, how can you rely on him for the rest of your life?"

"Once I'm settled, I'll have his kids, and then I can rely on my own children when I'm old!"

Ye Chunlan tapped her forehead with her index finger, exasperated: "Why are you so stubborn? What's so great about him?"

As she spoke, Ye Chunmei smiled happily, "Sister, you don't know, if I hadn't taken the initiative, he wouldn't have fallen for it."

He was the strongest man in our surrounding area, and also the militia captain. He was an excellent marksman, and whether it was hunting in the mountains or doing farm work, he was a master...

Looking at her sister's blissful expression, Ye Chunlan felt her head spinning. She thought to herself, "Oh well, this is hopeless!"

"I think you're really infatuated. Wait until he comes, then I'll see! Is he really as good as you say?"

"I'm not a lovesick fool. You wouldn't believe it, but the young widow next door also has the same idea. She just wasn't as quick as me, haha."

"You're really making me so angry. Fine, I won't say anything more. You came home and immediately went to bed. What happened? Don't try to fool me with that sprained ankle story."

Speaking of this, Ye Chunmei blushed and muttered softly, "Sister, please don't ask anymore. I promise I'll be fine tomorrow."

Ye Chunlan, being an experienced woman herself, understood immediately upon seeing her expression. However, she couldn't quite understand why her younger sister, who had been married before, couldn't get out of bed.

"That's not right. Even if you stopped along the way, you shouldn't have had to rest on the kang (heated brick bed) for half a day after you got home!"

Ye Chunmei said shyly, "I already told you, he's the strongest man in the surrounding area!" Afraid her sister wouldn't understand, Ye Chunmei added, "His nickname is Wild Donkey!"

"Damn! Is it really that exaggerated?" Ye Chunlan cursed.

"Sister, don't you believe me? Why don't you wait until he comes next time and try it yourself to see if what I said is true?" Ye Chunmei was eager to prove that she wasn't lying, so she spoke without thinking.

"What nonsense are you talking about? Can't I try it myself? Let him do whatever he wants!" Ye Chunmei's words made Ye Chunlan feel embarrassed.

"That's not what I meant, it's just..."

"Alright, let's not talk about him anymore. Don't rush to work. Get familiar with the environment first, and then report to your workplace before the New Year."

"Sis, you didn't explain clearly in your letter what this logistics job entails. Am I capable of doing it?"

"Sigh! If only you were more literate, I could have gotten you a better job. Now you're stuck in logistics. Specifically, you'd be a warehouse manager, counting how many bags of wheat went out and how much flour went into storage every day..."

"I can do this job; it sounds pretty easy."

"Hmm, it's not tiring. I'll enroll you in night school so you can study hard and learn how to use an abacus. Then I'll transfer you to the finance department."