Returning to the small mountain village of '86, intelligence updated daily.

Zhou Rui naturally saw his grandfather turn around and look at him with envy.

However, he did not make a fuss, but instead helped the old man walk towards his home.

On the way, the sun had already slowly set, with only a little bit of afterglow remaining on the horizon.

Back home, Zeng Jiamei was loosening the rice, adding some hot water, and steaming it again.

A short while later, Zhou Shiwei, Zhou Shijie, and his younger brother Zhou Ming returned.

As soon as Zhou Ming returned, he shouted.

"Grandpa, Grandma, Mom, it's payday!"

"Dad bought some meat; we're having braised pork tonight."

Zhou Ming was very happy as he carried the pork.

Their family has just overcome a difficult period and still cannot afford to eat meat every day, as most families in the village cannot.

However, I still eat it once or twice every three to five days now.

The main purpose is to supplement Grandpa's nutrition, because Zhou Rui had mentioned it to his father.

Grandpa's health is deteriorating, and he needs to supplement his nutrition.

So every day, Grandpa would have two eggs and a big bowl of astragalus soup.

These can gently replenish energy and vitality while ensuring adequate nutrition.

Grandpa's complexion is better than before, but it's still not optimistic.

The deficiency caused by long-term malnutrition cannot be resolved in a day or two.

However, as long as things are looking up, it's not too late.

Zhou Rui went up to him and took the pork from his younger brother; it was a piece of excellent pork belly.

Zhou Rui was also overjoyed.

"Dad, is the food good today? Is there some good news?"

Zhou Rui asked curiously, because the best pork belly is a little more expensive, not only because it's oilier, but also because it tastes better.

Zhou Shiwei smiled, glanced at Zhou Shijie, and then began to explain.

"It was your second uncle who added his salary for today to buy it. I was originally planning to buy some lean meat, but your second uncle said to buy something better."

It turns out that when he was in town, Zhou Shiwei originally wanted to spend money to buy lean meat to improve his daily meals.

However, Zhou Shijie took the initiative to suggest buying better quality pork belly, and then he gave all of his salary that he had just received that day to Zhou Shiwei.

Although Zhou Shijie only went to the construction site for one day, the foreman treated him the same as everyone else and paid him a salary, although it wasn't much.

With this extra money, Zhou Shiwei then switched to buying high-quality pork belly.

Zhou Rui was surprised and glanced at Zhou Shijie with some astonishment.

"Second Uncle, you're amazing!"

Zhou Shijie smiled and simply waved his hand, saying:

"I never knew how hard my older brother worked to take care of the family before, but after visiting the construction site today, I truly understand how difficult it is for him..."

Zhou Yong'an witnessed the whole thing from the side, and there was a faint glimmer in the old man's eyes.

The old man was most worried about his second son, and he knew that among the three brothers, the second son was the most mediocre.

He was bullied by Li Dehua since childhood, which led to his somewhat self-destructive personality and lack of ambition.

But the old man still believed that his son wouldn't be a coward forever.

Now, as he wished, his second son, Zhou Shijie, has truly grown up.

The old man spoke, his voice trembling.

"Okay, that's good..."

Zhou Shiwei picked up the conversation, "My second brother was very energetic today, and many experienced workers praised him."

"Everyone says our second brother doesn't look like a new worker. If you didn't know him, you'd think he was a skilled worker, hahaha."

Zhou Shiwei was right. Zhou Shijie was very observant on the construction site. He would do whatever he could find, and he wouldn't do anything he didn't know how to do.

Before he set off, Zhou Shiwei had warned him that there were some things he shouldn't touch, as it was unsafe.

Therefore, he only did what he could and did not slack off.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Shijie smiled.

What he has always lacked is a sense of belonging, but recently, this feeling seems to be increasing.

Zhou Rui took the meat and went into the stove. He didn't call his younger brother Zhou Ming over because they were tired after a long day and he wanted them to rest.

But the second brother seemed to have inexhaustible energy, following Zhou Rui into the kitchen.

"Brother, let me do the washing. You make braised pork, you're so good at it, hehe. Mom's is a bit bland, I still prefer yours."

Zhou Ming followed behind and took the pork, taking the initiative to do the work, while Zeng Jiamei laughed and scolded him from the side.

"You silly kid, you're complaining that my cooking is bad?"

Zhou Ming hurriedly tried to make amends.

"No, no, Mom's cooking is delicious too, like her potatoes, they're absolutely amazing."

Zhou Ming's flattery was spot on, and Zeng Jiamei stopped arguing, muttering, "Of course..."

……

The sun had completely set, and it was getting late. Inside the Zhou family's house, the light bulb emitted a warm red glow.

Now, they no longer use kerosene lamps; instead, they turn on an electric light in the inner room whenever it gets completely dark.

Eight people were gathered around the Zhou family's dining table.

There were three dishes on the table, including a large bowl of braised pork belly with oil floating on top and a few green scallions as a garnish.

A bowl of "Grandma's Potatoes" and a bowl of boiled cabbage, with dipping sauce on the side.

There are also some fermented bean curd used as a side dish.

The staple food was rice; we didn't eat corn rice anymore.

They haven't eaten cornmeal for several days.

This is what the Zhou family is having for tonight—simple yet incredibly appetizing.

As usual, Zhou Yong'an took the first bite of meat and placed it in Zhou Rui's bowl.

Then, the old man handed them out one by one to Zhou Ming, Zhou Shiwei, and Zhou Shijie.

Zhou Yong'an was not good with words, but he kept talking.

"Children, you need to eat your fill, you're growing so fast!"

Meng Dan was also serving food to the younger generation, and the first person she served was Yang Laidi.

Although Meng Dan liked Zeng Jiamei a little more, she never mistreated her second daughter-in-law.

Zhou Rui and the others did not refuse and accepted the care and love of the elderly.

The family did not wait solemnly for the two elderly people to serve them food before eating.

Instead, they started eating as soon as the food was served, because everyone was hungry.

After dinner, Zeng Jiamei got up to clear the dishes, and Yang Laidi helped her.

Zhou Rui sat comfortably next to the old man after eating and drinking his fill, listening to the old man recount how the game of chess had gone.

Just then, Zhou Shiwei gave Zhou Rui a look.

Like father, like son, Zhou Rui quickly understood his father's meaning.

So, he made an excuse, went to the backyard, and headed towards the barn.

As expected, Zhou Shiwei followed closely behind.

There was no one else following behind.

Because his younger brother Zhou Ming took over to take care of the elderly, as did his second uncle.

Zhou Rui understood and tentatively asked a question.

"Dad, what's wrong? Is there any news about that thing?"

Indeed, Zhou Rui understood that Zhou Shiwei's meaning was very likely that there was finally news about the humanitarian truth—guns.

As expected, a serious expression appeared on Zhou Shiwei's face. He leaned close to Zhou Rui's ear and whispered something.

"That's right, it's a real deal. After making inquiries from various sources, my friend told me that the other party wants us to prepare 260 yuan, which includes a gun and ammunition."