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

Walking along the country road, the sun was blazing overhead, and it felt quite hot.

Zhou Ming walked beside him, looking Zhou Rui up and down with a mocking gaze.

Zhou Rui turned his head slightly and glanced at Zhou Ming.

"What do you know, you little kid? Are you looking for a beating? If you keep talking nonsense, I'll hit you. Also, behave yourself later, don't scare the girl."

Zhou Rui told Zhou Ming seriously that he was afraid the kid would start calling him "sister-in-law" all the time...

Zhou Ming remained noncommittal, picked up a wooden stick, and swiftly chopped down the weeds.

The Zhao family's house was located in the middle of the village, while the Zhou family's house was near the end of the village. The two of them could pass by the Zhao family's house on their way to the town.

Zhou Rui held two "Great Unity" bills and some change in his hand, totaling 28.6 yuan.

He took all the money left over from last time and his other income from the past few days, and then took an extra 10 yuan from the "deposit".

This amount of money is enough to buy rice and noodles, and there will be quite a bit left over.

The remaining 40 yuan "deposit" was kept at home by Zhou Rui for future emergencies or sales.

The journey wasn't long; the two joked and played along the country road until they soon spotted the Zhao family's house in the distance.

The front gate of the Zhao family's house was wide open, and a girl was sitting on a small stool by the door.

The girl wore a light yellow polyester shirt with Li Lan's hand embroidery on the collar, and dark straight-leg pants.

Her hair was tied in a high ponytail.

She didn't wear double braids like other girls her age because she thought they looked bad and were a bit in the way.

The girl was Zhao Qingya. After she finished eating, she sat at the door. No matter how her parents tried to persuade her to go home, she wouldn't come. So they just let her wait.

Zhao Qingya looked towards the end of the village again and again, but still couldn't see anyone. Bored, she picked up a small stone and threw it forward.

"Why isn't Brother Rui here yet...?"

Zhao Qingya muttered to herself. Just then, Aunt Li came out from the inner room and straightened the clothes that were drying in the sun.

"Silly girl, come in and wait. Are you in such a hurry?"

Zhao Qingya snorted softly, ignoring her mother, and looked up again towards the end of the village.

On the country road where I thought I would never see anyone, two figures suddenly appeared. One was taller, standing at 175 cm, and the other was about 170 cm.

The tall one is Zhou Rui, and the slightly shorter one is Zhou Ming.

Zhou Rui is no longer the malnourished, starving man he once was; he is now a handsome young man with well-defined features.

In addition, his height, which ranks first among the villagers, makes him look very reassuring.

Aside from being a bit immature, Zhou Ming was shorter and had more youthful vigor, but he lacked the composure of his older brother, Zhou Rui.

Upon seeing the two, Zhao Qingya immediately straightened up and stood up, waving at them.

"Brother Rui, over here!"

Upon seeing Zhao Qingya, Zhou Rui's previously serious face broke into a smile. He waved back and quickened his pace slightly.

Zhou Ming pursed his lips and muttered something under his breath.

"Brother Rui—"

Zhou Rui heard this, and he stopped smiling, turned around, and looked at Zhou Ming with a dangerous expression.

Zhou Ming raised his hands above his head, signifying "surrender".

Zhou Rui certainly wouldn't really hold a grudge against his younger brother. He turned around, and the two walked to the entrance of the Zhao family's house.

Good afternoon, Aunt Li.

Hello, Auntie.

Zhou Rui and Zhou Ming greeted Li Lan separately, a courtesy passed down from their parents.

Aunt Li responded cheerfully, and then enthusiastically took out two handfuls of melon seeds and distributed them to the two of them.

Zhou Rui and his companion accepted the melon seeds without ceremony, thanked him, and then Zhou Rui said:

"Aunt Li, I need to borrow your tricycle for a bit. I need to go buy rice today."

Zhou Rui's family was extremely poor and still had to borrow a tricycle to use.

Aunt Li was very generous; without even thinking, she pointed to the pedicab next to her.

"It's all prepared, just use it."

At this moment, Zhao Jianjun also came out from inside, and Zhou Rui and the other person greeted him politely.

Zhao Jianjun waved his hand.

"We're all family, no need to be so polite."

Zhao Qingya's gaze was mostly fixed on Zhou Rui, and she didn't pay attention to the others' polite exchanges.

Zhou Rui naturally noticed it as well.

"Xiaoya, let's go, I'll take you for a stroll around town."

Afterwards, the three bid farewell to the Zhao couple. Zhou Ming rode the tricycle in front, while Zhou Rui and Zhao Qingya followed behind, heading towards the town.

On the way, Zhou Ming rode very slowly, deliberately riding his tricycle next to the two of them.

"Hey bro, how about I run a little further away... or you two can sit on top and I'll pull you both along..."

Zhou Ming never dared to actually call her "sister-in-law" in his jest. He was still quite conservative these days, and there were some things he couldn't just say out loud.

However, he couldn't help but tease his older brother.

Zhou Rui said with a half-smile and an extremely unfriendly look.

"If you keep talking nonsense, see if I'll still include you next time."

Zhou Ming reluctantly turned his head back, sped up on his tricycle, and walked ahead, but not too far away; the distance was just right.

Zhao Qingya covered her mouth and chuckled, "Brother Rui, don't scare your little brother."

Zhao Qingya was a few months older than Zhou Ming, so she also called him "little brother".

Zhou Rui gave a helpless smile.

"This kid is too restless, and he can't keep his mouth shut."

The tricycle's cargo compartment wasn't very big, so if two people sat on it, they would obviously touch each other.

Zhao Qingya may not know, but how could Zhou Ming not know? This kid is clearly looking for an opportunity.

The three walked at a leisurely pace, while the two behind them chatted casually, sometimes talking about how cute the child was, and sometimes about wild gastrodia elata.

The two chatted haphazardly, yet it was very relaxed and pleasant.

Today is the 1st day of the 7th lunar month, and it happens to be market day in town.

In the afternoon, when the market is at its busiest, I encountered many fellow villagers walking sparsely toward the town.

This time, Zhou Rui didn't park his tricycle at the entrance to the village market town, but instead stopped it in front of the bamboo craftsman, Old Man Qian, a little further back.

The store is small, with many exquisite and sturdy bamboo products displayed at the entrance.

Zhou Rui stepped forward and walked up to a fifty-year-old man who was weaving a basket.

"Grandpa Qian, how have you been lately?"

Zhou Rui greeted him warmly. Old Master Qian's real name was Qian Sanduo. Although his father, Zhou Shiwei, did not learn his skills from him, they had a very close relationship.

Qian Sanduo had a very strange temper. He didn't like to talk much and was unwilling to teach others. According to him, only Zhou Shiwei was proficient in this craft.

Otherwise, if someone else were to steal his business, the old bamboo craftsman probably wouldn't agree.

Zhou Rui's voice was very loud because the old man was hard of hearing, but Mr. Qian's eyesight was very good.

As soon as he saw Zhou Rui walking over, he suddenly changed his stern expression and smiled.

Seeing Zhou Rui's mouth moving, he leaned closer to listen carefully. After hearing what Zhou Rui said, he hunched over and said:

"I'm doing great, old man. How's the WHO kid doing lately?"

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Zhou Rui brought up the purpose of his visit.

"Grandpa Qian, can I park my tricycle in front of your house? My brother and I are going to buy some grain, the market is too crowded."

"Alright, you two go ahead, I'll keep an eye on things for you."