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

The deer blood wine is very smooth, with a slightly fishy smell and a sweet aftertaste, because Zhou Ming bought only the best old spirits.

The musk deer meat was very tender and had a delicate fragrance. The family enjoyed the meal immensely, and Zhou Ming ate until he was burping, his face flushed.

The two elderly people ate to their heart's content, after all, it was a very nutritious meal.

The men silently finished the last sip of deer blood wine and went to bed to rest.

Zhou Rui lay on the bed, feeling a little dizzy, because he was not even 20 years old. Next to him was another bed, where Zhou Ming was already fast asleep.

Zhou Rui's mind was wandering, thinking about many things, but he fell asleep while thinking, with a smile on his lips.

......

The next morning, Zhou Rui didn't get up until after eight o'clock; he had drunk too much the night before.

Shaking his dizzy head, Zhou Rui checked the daily intelligence in his mind as usual.

[Intelligence 1: Zhou Shiping, who was away on a business trip, finally returned home and argued with his wife, Zhang Yingzi, after learning that she had made things difficult for his elder brother, Zhou Shiwei.]

[Intelligence 2: Wang Er and his wife are arguing and considering divorce. The reason is that Chen Li has once again gone to Li Dehua's house to have an affair, this time openly. As a result, Li Dehua's wife is indignant, but is beaten by Li Dehua.]

Looking at the two intelligence reports, Zhou Rui finally confirmed one thing: his uncle was indeed away on business a few days ago, which is why his father was unable to borrow money when he went to do so.

In his previous life, Zhou Rui didn't know much about this; he only knew that his uncle wasn't home.

Yes, my uncle has a stable job and sometimes needs to travel for work, while my aunt, Zhang Yingzi, lives in the same village.

She usually looked down on the Zhou family, thinking they were just a burden.

Zhou Rui still remembered that in her previous life, her uncle divorced her aunt not long afterward.

This piece of information wasn't anything strange; what truly made Zhou Rui laugh out loud and feel utterly disgusted was the second piece of information.

It's like a pack of dogs tearing each other apart. Wang Er is a scoundrel, his wife is a slut, and Li Dehua is a rotten person...

Zhou Rui sighed softly, trying to clear her mind of such sordid thoughts, and got up to wash.

My father and the others aren't here; they're probably at work again. The weather outside is quite nice, unlike yesterday when it was cloudy and sunny intermittently.

After washing up, Zhou Rui went inside and tore off a damp sheet of calendar paper. The newest page had a brightly written date.

July 27th is an auspicious day for praying for blessings, traveling, and seeking offspring.

Zhou Rui looked at today's date and was in a good mood. Not only could he go to the market again, but he could also spend a lot of money.

This time, I'm finally not broke and unable to buy anything.

Today is September 1st, Monday, and the start of the new school term is fast approaching.

Zhou Rui went to the backyard and looked at the fields behind it. Some of the rice had already turned from green to yellow. His gaze swept across the fields, which were a mix of green and yellow.

After doing some stretching exercises, Zhou Rui felt much better.

Just then, a conversation came from outside.

"Did your brother drink last night? How is he? Did he drink too much?"

"Your dad went out?"

He sounded quite young, probably in his thirties, even younger than Zhou Shijie.

Then, a younger, more cheerful voice replied:

"Yes, that's right. My brother was still fast asleep when I left. My dad went to the construction team and has been delayed for several days recently."

Zhou Rui recognized the voice as Zhou Ming's, and the first voice he heard was also very familiar.

That was the voice of his uncle, Zhou Shiping.

Zhou Rui was a little surprised and turned to walk back into the house.

Inside the moldy, damp adobe house, two people stood: one was Zhou Ming, who was 172 centimeters tall, with a buzz cut, a slightly youthful face, and a vibrant spirit.

The other one was shorter, about 168 centimeters, slightly chubby, with a round face, wearing glasses and a suit, and with the Zhou family's eyebrows, which were slightly thicker than those of ordinary people.

The slender Zhou Ming standing next to him formed a stark contrast.

This is Zhou Shiping, the third son of the Zhou family and Zhou Rui's uncle.

When Zhou Rui saw the visitors, he greeted them warmly. His uncle had always been good to the family, especially to his second uncle's two children.

The two children were able to go to school because Zhou Shiping facilitated and funded their education.

"Uncle, things aren't busy in the village these days."

By this time, communes had faded from history, and townships and towns had been established throughout the country.

Zhou Rui roughly guessed the situation: his younger brother, Zhou Ming, had taken meat to his uncle's house that morning, and his uncle happened to be returning home from a business trip when he witnessed this scene.

At the same time, Zhou Rui also saw that his uncle Zhou Shiping had returned with the ten catties of venison and a bag of rice.

Zhou Shiping spoke in a calm voice:

"Nephew, keep the meat for your own family, why send it to me? I'm not home often."

"There's been so much going on in the town lately, I just got back."

As Zhou Rui spoke, he pushed the venison back:

"Uncle, have a taste. This is a fresh sambar deer that Dad, my second uncle, my brother and I hunted together. It's very nourishing."

Even if you don't eat, your younger siblings will have to.

When Zhou Rui mentioned his younger cousins, Zhou Shiping was quite surprised:

"A deer that we hunted ourselves?"

"That's really impressive. If that's the case, then I'll accept it."

Zhou Shiping didn't stand on ceremony, setting the venison aside before continuing to ask:

"Where is the old man?"

Zhou Rui was about to pour a glass of water, but his uncle stopped him and he did it himself.

"Grandpa must have gone for a walk. He goes for a walk in the village every morning now."

Zhou Shiping nodded upon hearing this, then sighed, filled with self-reproach, and said:

"It's all my fault. I was gone for so long. My brother went to his house and that woman..."

"well……"

Zhou Shiping originally intended to come and apologize to his elder brother, but unfortunately, his elder brother Zhou Shiwei had already gone to work early.

For now, all I could do was chatter to Zhou Rui for a bit.

After saying that, Zhou Shiping rummaged through his bag and pulled out a small stack of banknotes.

"Take this and give it to the old man for some nourishment. I was so negligent..."

Zhou Shiping was sincere and hardworking. He was very busy in the village and was a particularly ambitious intellectual. He was highly regarded by his superiors and even by the city, which is why he often traveled outside the village.

Logically speaking, the Zhou family's background is not bad, but unfortunately, the old man Zhou Yong'an once said something.

"We must never abuse our power for personal gain. No matter how poor or miserable our family is, we must never forget our roots."

Zhou Rui looked at the money his uncle handed him but didn't take it.

"Uncle, our family has made money now that we've sold venison. Over the years, you've supported your younger cousin while also covering the expenses of his and his sister's families. The expenses have been substantial, so you should keep it."

Although Zhou Shiping earned a considerable salary, his expenses increased significantly after the family separated from him. In addition, he had been providing financial assistance to Zhou Shijie's two children overtly and covertly for the past two years, which had left him somewhat strapped for cash.

Zhou Shiping didn't insist upon hearing this, but he was still somewhat angry. Judging from the looks of it, they would probably have a big argument when they got back.