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

"Don't just try to trick me. Tell me about yourself, what kind of man could make you willingly become a mistress?"

"Who else could it be?" Ye Chunmei retorted.

"Actually, I should have realized it sooner. Back when we were working in the fields together, you always wanted to be paired with Dazhuang. Whenever you were paired with him, you were always chatting and laughing."

"You're the same. I don't know who it was, but when you were chopping grass, you deliberately unbuttoned the top of your jacket, making Dazhuang too embarrassed to even look at you."

"How come this person has changed so much? When he was a young man, he was so serious, he wouldn't even look at anything you asked him to look at, but now he's all changed..."

"As long as I come back, my hands are never idle..."

They were of equal status, so neither of them needed to be jealous or envious of the other. Their relationship seemed to have improved even more than before.

"Qin Xueru is back too, did you know?"

"I don't know. Are you afraid she'll come looking for trouble?"

"Let her make a fuss, anyway, Dazhuang has already given birth to the child, can she really kick her out of the village? I don't know what Dazhuang is thinking."

Not only Qin Xueru and her children are living in the old house, but her five sisters have also moved in. This isn't the way to help your family!

Chen Xia felt sorry for Niu Dazhuang and delivered the grain.

Although Ye Chunmei lived in the city, she had never had any contact with Qin Xueru, nor had Niu Dazhuang mentioned it, so naturally she didn't know about the Niu family's situation.

"Is that so?"

Ye Chunlan interjected, "There's definitely something fishy about this. Let's just live our own lives and not worry about him."

"Strange? You mean... no way, this is too much..." Chen Xia thought to herself.

What Ye Chunmei and her sister were thinking was, what's the difference between the two sisters and the six sisters?

Whether you herd two sheep or a flock, it doesn't matter. As long as you break through this barrier, having a few more doesn't really matter.

Thinking back on the unpleasant experience, Qin Xueru must have had no other choice but to do this. Every woman who had been tormented by Niu Dazhuang knew exactly what was going on.

Ye Chunlan then said, "I think we should take the initiative to pay a visit to Qin Xueru."

"We..." Chen Xia noticed Chunlan's choice of words and looked at Ye Chunmei with a questioning gaze.

"We're all on the same side, just like you think."

"This...this is absolutely absurd!"

"Is it ridiculous? You'll get used to it. I'm not as strong as you. If I were alone, I'd be down there with his mother in a few years."

"He's quite the troublemaker, which means we're all in the same boat from now on."

"Yes! It's a good friend. I think it's feasible for me to take the initiative to meet Qin Xueru."

The three chatted as they cleaned the house and yard.

The little ones were much more lively than the girls.

Ye Lin'an and Ye Lin, brother and sister, hadn't run out far when they encountered a herd of cattle. The two brothers were only a year apart in age.

The two little guys started fighting over who would be the leader.

Ye Lin'an was a year younger, and Niu Chengqun had been practicing martial arts with Niu Youliang. In just a few rounds, Ye Lin'an was pinned down.

"Kid, do you submit?"

"No way! I haven't eaten yet since I got back today. I'll wait until I'm full."

"So what if you're full? Let's fight again tomorrow, until you're convinced." With that, Niu Chengqun stood up.

She held her chin up, waiting for her siblings to praise her.

"Big brother is the best!" He Xi flattered him.

Ye Lin patted the dirt off Lin An's clothes and complained, "Weren't you quite capable when you were in the city?"

"You can beat up guys a year ahead of you, so why can't you do it here? Are you too shy to fight back?"

Lin An glanced at the smug Niu Chengqun: "This kid is stronger than me. I won't wrestle or fight him tomorrow. I'll outsmart him."

"With your brain, you're not even as smart as mine. You think you can outsmart them? If you can't beat them, how are we supposed to be the leaders of the kids?"

"You won't betray us, will you?"

"You're so stupid! I'm your own sister. Even if I were to betray you, no one would believe me! I'd just come home and be embarrassed."

"Oh! Why are you back so early today?" Ye Chunmei was a little curious about her early return.

"Mom, my brother really embarrassed himself today. He got beaten up as soon as he went out, and they even broke his nose."

"Mom, I didn't embarrass myself. That kid is taller and stronger than me, it's normal that I couldn't beat him." Lin An said like a little adult.

Ye Chunmei didn't defend him: "Keep being stubborn. Your father was the king of the kids in this village back in the day!"

"That... Chunmei, the one he fought with should be the eldest son of the Niu family. This kid hasn't been back for more than a few days, and he's already beaten up all the boys in the village."

This kid is just like his dad; once you submit to him, he won't bully you. My chubby little guy is now everyone's little shadow.

Why is Ye Chunmei so resentful? It's one thing for me to be outdone by Qin Xueru, but why should my son be outdone by her son too?

These were Ye Chunmei's thoughts, but she couldn't tell her children.

During dinner, she kept putting meat in Lin An's bowl and kept telling him to eat more.

On the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, the Little New Year, Niu Dazhuang arranged for Ding Qiunan to stay in Qin Huairu's small courtyard.

Niu Dazhuang was really worried about leaving Qin Huairu alone, especially since she was pregnant.

The two of them living together would allow them to look after each other.

On the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month, Niu Dazhuang made another trip to Mentougou and bought another ten tons of smokeless coal.

I buy it every year, and the whole process is always very smooth.

After returning, I visited Da Xiong and his two brothers again. Now all three brothers are married, and I told them to visit their grandfather more often.

Niu Dazhuang finally returned to Niujiazhuang on the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month.

Although the first stop was Chen Xia and Ye Chunmei's house at the village entrance, they had to go back for dinner, as a sign of respect for Qin Xueru, the first wife.

Children are innocent, and when Lin An met Niu Dazhuang, his first words were, "Dad, I want to learn martial arts!"

Ye Lin sighed like a little adult, "Sigh! We've already been beaten to a pulp, so this is the only way."

Little chubby Niu Chengdong blinked his big eyes and muttered softly, "This is my dad too!"

"Nobody stole it from you, so be it!" Ye Lin blurted out, not forgetting to add a threat at the end: "You're not allowed to leak our information to your big brother, or you'll be sorry, you hear me?"

The chubby boy nodded.

"Practicing martial arts is tough, are you afraid of hardship?" Niu Dazhuang was happy to watch the children compete with each other. This is one of the benefits of having many children.

With more children, there's bound to be one who excels.

"Come inside and warm up for a while before going upstairs," Ye Chunlan said, standing at the door.

"Oh, you're here too?" This was a question directed at Chen Xia.

"Of course, you've kept your mouth shut. In all these years, you've never told me that Chunmei is also your woman."

"What's the use of telling you this? Child, don't stay cooped up at home all the time. You've really become a little chubby boy." With that, he sat cross-legged on the kang (a heated brick bed).

Ye Chunlan pushed the kang table towards Dazhuang: "Have some hot tea to warm yourself up."

"You're wronging me. Chunmei saw it herself. Little Fatty hasn't been home much these days. He's out for most of the day, and he doesn't come back until he's hungry."