Back to 1984: I built a chicken farm on a barren mountain.

"Brother, last time you played cards with Han Laosi and Chen Laosan..."

When Zheng Dali heard his younger brother Zheng Erli ask this question, he quickly winked at him.

Zhang Caifeng actually knew about this, but she didn't blame Zheng Dali. However, Zheng Dali always felt sorry for his wife, as he was almost tricked by Han Laosi and his gang.

When my younger brother brought it up today, he still seemed a little uneasy.

"It's alright, go ahead and tell me. I've heard some things before. Erli's home, let him hear how unreliable his older brother is."

Zhang Caifeng scooped a few more dumplings into Zheng Dali's bowl.

"Brother, your wife knows about this. Just quit next time, don't play it at all."

Seeing that neither his wife nor his brother seemed to be complaining, and appeared to be trying to find some answer, Zheng Dali said:

"The group was set up by Han Laosi and Chen Shouxin, along with two people from other villages, and oh right, Han Laosi's little lackey, Hou Laizi."

"I won some money a few days ago, but then I lost it all in one night. I remember that Chen Shouxin invited me out for drinks on the last day, and we drank until dark."

"When we started playing, Han Laosi said he was busy at his factory and couldn't come out to play every day, so he suggested we go for a big bet. I agreed."

"Later, those two men from the other village went out to get new playing cards and didn't come back inside. Just as Han Laosi was getting anxious, Chen Wenfeng came in with an old man..."

"And then what happened?" Zhang Caifeng urged.

Zheng Dali, still shaken by Old Sun's ferocity that night, said:

"Wenfeng told me to stop playing, but I wouldn't listen, and that old man held me down..."

"Why is this so difficult? Please continue!"

Zhang Caifeng wasn't angry at first, but she got angry when she saw Zheng Dali stammering.

Zheng Dali finally felt embarrassed to tell his wife and brother about his shameful deeds. Seeing that Zhang Caifeng was angry, he stopped hiding it and told her everything that had happened.

Zhang Caifeng: So that's how it is. That Han Laosi is a real scoundrel; he deserved to fall this time. Chen Shouxin isn't a good person either. Of the three Chen brothers, the youngest is the worst...

Zheng Erli: Sure enough, it's Chen Wenfeng again. How come that kid is everywhere...?

Zheng Erli was also an extremely intelligent person. His intelligence was probably second only to Chen Shouren and Chen Youwei in Chenjiazhuang. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to go out to do business so early and make money.

Although he has no evidence now, all these events are related to Chen Wenfeng.

Needless to say, one thing is certain: Chen Wenfeng was behind Qin Xiaofen's departure.

Everyone involved in these events, whether intentionally or unintentionally, became pawns on Chen Wenfeng's chessboard.

Good lad, you've got the flair of your second uncle!

But Zheng Erli could only think these things in his heart; he couldn't say them directly to his older brother and sister-in-law. However, he wanted to verify his judgment again in his heart:

"Sister-in-law, we've been so focused on talking about Han Laosi, but you just mentioned something important. Could you tell us about it in detail?"

"Something important? What did I say?"

Zhang Caifeng was still immersed in her disgust for Han Laosi and Chen Shouxin, and she didn't react for a moment.

"It's about the marriage you and Wang Guizhi agreed upon for your two children."

Zheng Erli reminded him.

"Yes, yes, Guizhi and I both agreed and thought it was a good idea. At the time, your brother had offended me, so we didn't tell him, and then we forgot to tell him later."

Zheng Dali: Very innocent... But Chen Wenfeng would be a good son-in-law.

"Sister-in-law, since you're going to visit Wang Guizhi, I'll go with you!"

"Well, you were there quite a few times when you were little, and so was your brother. He always played with the second son of the Chen family. Back then, the three of them hadn't separated their households yet."

"Well, I haven't been to Brother Shouyi's place since they split up. It would be right for me to pay him a visit when I start a factory with Chen Wenfeng."

Zhang Caifeng suddenly realized that it had been a while since she had seen Wang Guizhi, and she missed her a little, so she said:

"Let's go after we've eaten."

"Sister-in-law, I'm already full."

"Let's go then!"

If you go, you definitely can't go empty-handed, especially Zheng Erli, who is a rare guest.

Zhang Caifeng filled a bag with apples from the basket in the west room and then filled a large bowl with the cooked dumplings.

Zheng Dali helped carry the apples, and Zheng Erli carried the large bowl. The three of them then went out the door.

By this time, the snow had lessened considerably, but the wind was still strong.

The streets of Chenjiazhuang were covered with a thick layer of snow, which reached up to the ankles when stepped on.

They say "a timely snow promises a good harvest." I haven't seen this much snow in many years.

I imagine next year's crop yield will be good.

Although the snow was thick on the road, fortunately the two houses were not far apart, and they arrived at Chen Shouyi's house after walking for a short while.

The gate to Chen Shouyi's house was open, and the entrance was covered with a layer of snow. There were no footprints, indicating that no one had returned after the snowfall.

The three people entered the courtyard, and Zhang Caifeng shouted into the house in her loud voice:

"Wang Guizhi, your period's here!"

......

......

It was already past two o'clock when Chen Wenfeng and Niu Dan and Niu Er transported the firewood back one after another.

Actually, there were still some small branches left. Chen Wenfeng felt that he had enough firewood for now, and he could collect the rest after the weather cleared up.

Niu Da carried the fat pheasant, quite pleased with himself.

Chen Wenfeng smiled and said:

"Big Brother Niu, one pheasant isn't enough for us. Why don't you go get some more?"

Niu Da was immediately deflated, because he was exhausted from morning until now. He thought it would take some effort to catch this pheasant, because his arm was sore and his vision was blurry when he was holding the slingshot. But when he got closer, he saw that the pheasant was lying in the snow, only flapping its wings and unable to fly.

Niu Da got something for free. When he picked up the pheasant, he found blood on its body and a pool of blood beneath it, all frozen together with the snow on the ground.

At this moment, he heard Chen Wenfeng joking and said embarrassedly:

"Brother Feng, I'm really out of energy this time. If I go hunting wild animals again, I'm afraid I'll kill Xue Li."

After saying that, Niu Da laughed embarrassedly, and Chen Wenfeng and Niu Er also laughed heartily.

Old Sun had already prepared the meal: pancakes and stewed potatoes with fatty pork—two simple dishes, but delicious and filling.

Chen Wenfeng told Old Sun to make the fire burn even brighter, and everyone took off their clothes.

Because of the heavy snow, the snow on the outside of the cotton-padded coat melted into water.

And because of the physical labor, the sweat inside the cotton-padded coat soaked the inside.

"Change into dry clothes. It's not cold inside anyway. Let's eat as soon as we're done changing."

Following Chen Wenfeng's instructions, the group quickly changed their clothes, sat cross-legged on the kang (a heated brick bed), and began to wolf down their food.

Chen Wenfeng ate three pancakes in one go. His stomach felt warm and full, and his head felt a little throbbing. He said:

"Everyone, take a nap later. After you wake up, boil some water. We have a big tub, so you can take a bath..."