The sky collapsed, and in the blink of an eye, I found myself transported to Nanluoguxiang.

After leaving the courtyard, Li Kaixin slowly walked along the dirt road in the village towards his third grandfather's house.

Just as I turned the corner of a courtyard, I heard a commotion.

In the open space ahead, the younger brother, Li Kai, was standing on a mound of earth, gesturing wildly and talking to a group of teenagers, looking every bit the leader of the kids.

The other younger siblings stood aside, watching with great interest.

Just as we were getting into the conversation, I looked up and saw my older brother walking over.

Li Kai, the younger brother, immediately jumped down from the mound of dirt, ran to Li Kaixin, and rubbed his hands together shyly, saying, "Big brother, do you...do you still have any milk candy?"

Li Kaixin raised an eyebrow and said, "Didn't you just give it to me? How come you finished it so quickly?"

Li Kai's eyes darted around, and he stammered, "Um, I distributed them to the new recruits."

"You gave Xiaoxiao and the others away too?" Li Kaixin asked, frowning.

No, no!

Li Kai quickly waved his hand and continued:

"I gave away my share. The teacher said we shouldn't take other people's things to show off; that's banditry! I'm a proletarian fighter!"

Li Kaixin was amused by her younger brother Li Kai's words: "Wow, Kai, you've got a whole set of theories."

As he spoke, he reached into his pocket and grabbed a handful of milk candies from the secret space, about twenty or so.

Upon seeing this, younger brother Li Kai's eyes lit up. He quickly took the candy and immediately said with a beaming smile, "Thank you, big brother!"

Then, he turned around and ran into the group of children.

Seeing this, Li Kaixin called out to her younger brother Li Kai, "Remember to bring your younger siblings back for dinner!"

"Okay!"

Li Kai responded without turning his head and rushed back into the group of children.

Li Kaixin shook her head and continued walking towards her third grandfather's house.

They arrived in no time, and found Third Grandfather sitting on a stool in the yard smoking a pipe, his brows furrowed, unaware that Li Kaixin was approaching.

"Third Grandfather," Li Kaixin called softly.

Grandpa San then came to his senses.

Seeing that it was Li Kaixin, a kind smile appeared on his face: "Oh, it's Kaixin. Is there something you need from your third grandfather?"

Li Kaixin smiled and said, "Third Grandpa, my grandfather invites you all over for lunch, so the family can get together and have a drink."

Third Grandfather nodded, guessing that there was something to discuss, and replied, "Okay, wait here for a while."

As he spoke, he got up and walked towards the kitchen. When he came out, he was carrying a cloth bag filled with food rations.

Li Kaixin saw this and understood that it was the village's rule, so he didn't say anything.

"Where is Third Grandma?" Li Kaixin looked into the house again.

"She has things to do and can't go," Third Grandfather said with a hint of reluctance.

Li Kaixin could tell that this was an excuse her third grandfather had prepared, as he was embarrassed to bring his wife along.

He then deliberately acted like a rogue: "Third Grandpa, if you don't take Third Grandma with you, I'm not leaving here."

Grandpa paused, his eyes welling up, and he choked up as he said, "My dear child, thank you so much."

He longed to take his wife out for a nice meal, but these days no one is well-off.

Then, the third grandfather turned around and called into the house, "Old woman, come out quickly, let's go to my eldest brother's house for dinner!"

Third Grandma poked her head out of the house: "You can go ahead, I'll just eat something at home..."

Li Kaixin quickly stepped forward: "Third Grandma, let's go together, it'll be lively."

Grandpa San also chimed in, "Kaixin came especially to invite you, so don't refuse."

Third Grandma then smiled and nodded.

Third Grandfather went to the kitchen and filled it with more food before going out with Li Kaixin.

When we arrived at my grandfather's house, two tables had already been set up in the yard.

Grandpa, Father, and two uncles were sitting in the yard chatting.

When they saw their third grandfather and his companion enter, all the men except for the grandfather stood up to greet them.

"Third Uncle and Third Aunt are here!" Father Li Mingde greeted them warmly.

Grandpa San smiled and waved his hand, "Sit still, everyone. We're family, no need for formalities."

Third Grandma went straight to the kitchen to help.

Li Kaixin returned to the recliner and unknowingly dozed off.

After an unknown amount of time, Li Kaixin was awakened from his deep sleep by his mother Qin Xiuli's call that dinner was ready.

Everyone took their seats, and Li Kaixin was seated at his grandfather's table.

Today's meal was exceptionally lavish: a large pot of stewed venison, stir-fried wild boar, and a large bowl of stewed cabbage with vermicelli.

Uncle San had his eye on those two bottles of Fenjiu for a long time, and as soon as he sat down, he couldn't wait to open one of them.

"Oh, Fenjiu? This is quite a high-class occasion today!" Third Grandfather exclaimed in surprise.

Grandpa feigned composure and said, "What? This is a gift from my eldest grandson."

Seeing his third grandfather's confusion, his father, Li Mingde, explained, "Kaixin found a job as a driver, and these are all the things he brought back."

Father Li Mingde deliberately omitted the hunting incident to avoid worrying the old man.

Upon hearing this, Third Grandfather raised his wine glass to congratulate Li Kaixin: "Good lad, you've got potential!"

Li Kaixin quickly raised his glass with both hands and returned the toast.

Then, the third grandfather said to the old man, "Eldest brother, you are truly blessed!"

Grandpa smiled broadly and said, "Not at all, not at all, the child has done well on his own."

After a few rounds of drinks, the two bottles of Fenjiu were quickly emptied.

Li Kaixin also drank about three ounces of alcohol. His mother's table had already finished eating and the table was cleaned up.

Seeing that everyone had almost finished eating, Grandpa took out a pack of Daqianmen cigarettes from his pocket and gave one to everyone at the table except Li Kaixin.

Uncle San looked on with regret on his face.

I saw two cartons of Daqianmen cigarettes while moving the table. The moment I touched them, the old man snatched them away. I couldn't even get a pack; he said it was a waste.

After taking the cigarette, Uncle San first smelled it before carefully lighting it.

"This cigarette with the filter is really good!" Uncle San exclaimed, blowing a smoke ring.

At this point, Father Li Mingde finally got to the point: "Third Uncle, this year's harvest in the village is even worse than last year. Is there any policy from above? Can we reduce the amount of grain we have to pay as tax?"

Upon hearing this, Third Grandfather sighed and said:

"Other villages are exaggerating their yields per mu, often claiming tens of thousands of jin of grain."

"But we're all farmers, who doesn't know the actual situation? The commune doesn't care, we're lucky if the grain requisition quota isn't increased."

"Is there really no way to help?" Uncle asked anxiously.

Grandpa San shook his head and said, "Right now, we can only hope that the village has some savings to buy some food for emergencies."

Li Kaixin, who had been listening quietly, suddenly spoke up: "Third Grandfather, there's something I'm not sure if I should say."

Hearing Li Kaixin's words, everyone at the table looked at him.

Seeing that everyone was looking at him, Li Kaixin didn't waste any time and told them everything that had happened in the past few days.

"I went to Northeast China a few days ago, and the grain production there has decreased again."

"Moreover, along the way to Northeast China, I saw many places suffering from severe drought. I reckon that grain prices will likely rise in the future."

Upon hearing this, the third grandfather's expression changed, and he abruptly stood up, saying, "Eldest brother, I must go first; there are urgent matters to attend to in the village."

After saying that, he left in a hurry, not even caring about his wife.

Grandpa watched his third grandfather's departing figure and silently took a puff of his cigarette.

He understood all too well the weight of his responsibilities as both the head of a clan and the village chief.