Courtyard House: Drunk and tipsy, the whole courtyard exposed at the start.

They thought Zhang Dabiao had come to collect a debt, because Zhang Dabiao had paid for the wild boar, and the price he paid was higher than the supply and marketing cooperative's purchase price.

Now they've "returned" Qin Jingru, neither accepting the wild boar they sent nor keeping Qin Jingru, which clearly indicates their dissatisfaction.

But Qin Dashan and Dahe's branch really doesn't have any eligible young women now, so how can they give him another wife?

Other families would compensate Zhang Dabiao with wives just because of the Da Shan Da He branch? They're out of their minds.

If Zhang Dabiao really wanted to pursue this matter, even selling Qin Dashan's house wouldn't be enough to compensate him.

As for suggesting that Qin Huairu divorce her husband and get back with Zhang Dabiao, nobody's stupid; it's obviously impossible.

She swore she didn't want her anymore, and she's not a virgin; she has two children to support. Who would want her?

So Qin Dashan really had no other choice.

Zhang Dabiao had never seen anything like this before, so he quickly moved aside and helped the person up.

The group found some old benches and sat down in the courtyard, while some people squatted down right against the wall.

Zhang Dabiao was a little dazed and didn't know what to say.

He didn't have much of a concept of poverty before. Even in his hometown in the countryside, no matter how poor people were, they were basically well-fed and clothed, their houses had windows, and they wore nice clothes.

In this village, looking at this group of farmers who were emaciated and couldn't even afford cotton-padded clothes...

The bark on the roadside trees had been stripped off, and the trees near the back hill had been cut down. There were practically no cats, dogs, cows, donkeys, chickens, ducks, pigs, or sheep to be seen.

A dead silence.

Zhang Dabiao felt that it was lifeless and devoid of vitality.

No wonder Qin Huairu and Qin Jingru were so desperate to escape the countryside and move to the city.

To be honest, Zhang Dabiao was a little soft-hearted.

Qin Dashan's family also has a little baby wearing open-crotch pants. It's unclear whether he's Qin Huairu's younger brother or nephew, but he's wearing open-crotch pants in the dead of winter.

Aren't you afraid of freezing Kun'er to death?

Unfortunately, there really isn't much cotton or fabric left...

He shook his head. He couldn't afford to be overly compassionate at a time like this. The system had already run away; he could only take care of himself at best.

In this day and age, would I go and save someone?

How many of them can I possibly save?

I have no farm, and I have no sacred spring.

After thinking for a long time, he finally said, "Everyone, the marriage certificate has already been burned, and I'm not here to collect a debt."

"Let's forget about the past. But Qin Jingru is too young, and I don't want to get married anytime soon, so let's forget about the matter of her giving me a wife."

"I'll bring her back, and that'll be the end of it. What do you all think?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Qin Jingru burst into tears, and her mother hugged her and cried nonstop.

"Hey sis, I've already brought you back and I'm not going to chase you for money, so why are you crying?"

[I'm the one who got the short end of the stick, okay?]

Qin Dahe squatted to the side smoking without saying a word, while the captain tapped his tobacco pouch and said in a deep voice.

"Zhang family child, we, the people of Qinjiatun, are sorry for what happened to you."

"Sending Jingru to you is not only to give you a wife, but also to give her a way to survive."

"You've seen the situation in our village. The Qin brothers, Qin Dashan and Qin Dahe, owe the brigade a lot of famine relief funds. Jingru also has two older brothers and a younger brother."

"There's really no way we can support so many people."

"If she comes back, the Dahe family will have no choice but to marry her off to Huang the Cripple from the next village."

"The gift they had previously agreed upon was 10 yuan plus 20 jin of cornmeal..."

Zhang Dabiao's eyes widened: "Young Master Duo?"

"You can buy... a wife for just 10 yuan and 20 jin of cornmeal?"

The team leader and Qin Dahe nodded, while Director Wang and the street office staff stood silently by, their expressions grave.

Let alone ten yuan, in some places, as long as you give 5 jin of cornmeal, a woman will go with you.

Many leading cadres in the city are now suffering from liver edema due to hunger, let alone those in the countryside.

But in this situation, what can they say? And how will the problem be solved if they do? Even if she is the director of the neighborhood committee, she doesn't have that kind of power.

Moreover, I had only heard about it before, but seeing it in the countryside today was truly shocking...

Of course, they wouldn't try to persuade Zhang Dabiao, because accepting Qin Jingru would mean taking on a burden.

Don't be fooled by the fact that Zhang Dabiao can produce some supplies now; how long can these things last?

He was just a child himself.

Who knows how long these plague-ridden years will last?

"Dad, Captain, I won't marry that cripple Huang!"

"If Zhang Dabiao doesn't want me, I'll go out and beg for food! Don't worry, I won't be a burden on my family!"

Begging?

Zhang Dabiao suddenly remembered that when he returned to his village for the New Year in his later years, there would always be elderly neighbors who would hold his hand and chat, telling him how hard his grandmother had worked back then.

My grandfather was a soldier who went on pilgrimages during those years. He was often away from home for a whole year, and no one knew whether he was alive or dead. Every morning, the first thing my grandmother did was to take Zhang Dabiao's father and a few aunts out to beg for food.

He survived by begging for food until his grandfather finally returned.

After Grandpa returned, he became the brigade secretary because of his "seniority," and their family's life finally improved.

He used to think this was an exaggeration, but now—

It has been made concrete.

Qin Jingru goes out begging for food so that her younger brother can have one more bite to eat and one more chance to survive.

……

孽 孽!

"Returning" Qin Jingru would mean cutting off her path to survival.

Zhang Dabiao threw the cigarette butt on the ground and stomped on it several times.

"Qin Jingru, I'm not backing out."

"what?"

"Qin Jingru will come back to the city with me, but the letter of introduction from the brigade needs to be rephrased."

"What do you mean?"

------------

In the end, Qin Jingru decided to go to the city to seek refuge with "Brother Qian" Zhang Dabiao and follow Zhang Dabiao back to Beijing.

There was no formal ceremony to formally recognize them as godparents; it was just a verbal agreement, witnessed by the brigade leader, Qin Dashan and Qin Dahe, as well as Director Wang and the street office staff.

That's about it.

Let's just leave it like this for now. It'll only be about two years. We'll figure something out when the disaster is over.

Whether Qin Jingru stays in the city or returns to the village will depend on her own fate.

As Zhang Dabiao was leaving, he pointed at the Qin family and said, "I come once a month to buy mountain products."

"Qin Dashan's family, my father saved your child, which is how we got that marriage certificate back then."

"I'm taking care of Qin Jingru for now, so it's not an exaggeration to say that your two families owe my Zhang family two lives. I've gone to this point entirely just to help my father accumulate some good karma."

"I'll take care of all the mountain produce from Qinjiatun. You promised, Captain, but what if the people from Qinjiatun go back on their word and try to cheat me?"

Zhang Dabiao didn't lose out by supporting Qin Jingru for two years in exchange for a fixed supply collection point.

Upon hearing Zhang Dabiao's words, the captain's face immediately darkened. He put away his pipe and slammed his hand on the wooden door beside him.

—Crack—

The wooden door immediately shattered and split open!

"Then we'll deal with them according to clan rules. I'll personally break their legs!"

Zhang Dabiao's eyes widened in disbelief!

Holy crap, you actually have real skills?!

[Hidden strength?]

[I've changed my mind! Can I become your apprentice now?]

[Where does a wife find the time to smell fragrance?]

Qin Dahe's eyelids twitched slightly.

"Chieftain, those ungrateful wretches are my elder brother's family! What do you mean by smashing my door to pieces?"

[I already sacrificed my daughter to clean up my brother's mess, if you want to vent your anger, go and cause trouble at their house, okay?]

I'm innocent!