I was married off to a disabled hero in lieu of marriage; my in-laws doted on me and I aspired to gr

The women were busy cooking, while the men sat on the kang (a heated brick bed), surrounding Zhou Xiaowei, grinning from ear to ear.

Grandpa just saw his grandson yesterday and adored him, but unfortunately the boy isn't affectionate with him.

Grandpa only met his little grandson today, and they weren't familiar with each other at all. The little boy ignored him completely and kept snuggling into Zhou Wenhui's arms.

Enraged, Zhou Zhonghai swung Zhou Xiaowei up and shouted, "Why are you hiding? I'm not a tiger!"

Zhou Xiaowei wouldn't tolerate his behavior and started crying loudly. Her crying became so irritating that she had to be put back in Zhou Wenhui's arms, whereupon she immediately stopped crying.

Grandpa praised loudly, "My little grandson is extraordinary. He is flexible and adaptable. He will definitely be a great person like his grandfather in the future."

The compliment made Zhou Zhonghai laugh out loud again.

The deceased relative of the Yang family, it is said, has returned alive, and the villagers gathered outside the mud-brick house to watch the spectacle.

"Didn't they say he was dead?"

"Where did he die? He was unconscious, but he's awake now, isn't he?"

"He's incredibly lucky; he was in a coma for a year and he's alive again."

"I heard they were sent abroad for treatment, traveling by plane. I've never even seen a plane."

"The Yang family, our in-laws, are back. Can we raise pigs again?"

"Don't even mention raising pigs, even if you held a gun to my head and forced me to raise them, I wouldn't do it. I'd lose a fortune, and they only give me twenty yuan for feed."

"Didn't we get some pig offal? This year for Chinese New Year, we'll have two more dishes than in previous years."

Qiaoqiao's mother saw the villagers outside the half-wall and called out warmly, "Auntie, come in and sit down."

"I'm not going in. You go about your business. When you're done, come over and chat."

"Alright, I'll go visit my aunt for the New Year in a couple of days."

Qiaoqiao's mother went off to do her work, and a new round of gossip began outside the wall: "Look at Qiaoqiao's mother, she's been in the city for a year and she's become so fair and clean. The water in the city is good for you."

"What kind of water nourishes people? Qiaoqiao's father-in-law is a high-ranking official who eats meat every day. With such a good life, how could he not be nourished? If I ate meat every day, I guarantee I would be even fairer than her."

"You must be incredibly lucky! You must have accumulated a lot of good fortune over eight lifetimes."

"Qiaoqiao is a lucky star; her whole family is living a good life now."

"Who can argue with that? Their commander just happened to favor the Yang family, who had a bad class background. Sigh, what a fate."

"Didn't you make fun of Qiaoqiao for marrying a disabled man? You even said that the Yang family's son-in-law couldn't have children, and that other people had already brought their children home?"

"Don't talk nonsense, where did I make a joke?"

……

When Liu Songming drove to the Yang family's door, the villagers who had been watching quickly made way for him. They saw a dignified soldier and a thin middle-aged man get out of the car.

"who are they?"

"Are you blind? That guy in military uniform, isn't that Fang Guiying's son?"

"My God, Fang Guiying's son has become an official too? I wonder if he's married yet."

"Your daughter has a chance since you're not married yet, why don't you go and try to win her over?"

Amidst the laughter and chatter of the villagers, Liu Songming and the middle-aged man strode into the courtyard with serious expressions.

Commander Zhou, what kind of in-laws did you find? The wall is already collapsed, and you haven't even bothered to repair it.

And what about the mud-brick houses? Won't they collapse under the weight of the heavy snow?

Upon entering the house, Fu Sanjun immediately stepped forward and grasped Zhou Zhonghai's hand: "If you hadn't come back, I, the county magistrate, would have had to retire."

With tears in his eyes and deep emotion, Fu Sanjun spoke the truth: he had been suppressed by the municipal party secretary to the point that he could no longer work normally.

"Oh, Secretary Fu, how come you're like Dou E?"

Upon hearing this, the Yang family members exclaimed, "Deputy Secretary? Which secretary?"

Yang Zheng picked up Zhou Xiaowei and winked at his grandparents and father. The family went to the west room, leaving Commander Zhou here to discuss serious matters.

Liu Songming took his leave. He was twenty-nine years old and had to rush back to reunite with his parents.

"Son, who was that secretary from?" Qiaoqiao's father asked.

The brigade has a secretary, the commune has a secretary, and the secretary is definitely a high-ranking official.

"County Party Secretary!" Yang Zheng said in a low voice.

Qiaoqiao's father's legs went weak. The county party secretary had come to his dilapidated house?

Hurry up and go to the kitchen to add a few more dishes.

Zhao Jintao was also going to the west room when Zhou Zhonghai stopped him.

"Jin Tao, let me introduce you. This is Secretary Fu of the Tonggang County Party Committee. Although his surname is Fu, the title of Secretary is official."

Zhao Jintao quickly greeted him, "Secretary, hello."

Zhou Zhonghai then addressed the three soldiers, saying, "He is Zhao Jintao, the righteous squad leader you dismissed from the Academy of Agricultural Sciences."

"I...Commander Zhou, I have difficulties."

Fu Sanjun looked at Zhou Zhonghai, his smile more like a grimace.

"I know, everyone's saying I'm dead, so they're trying to set things right. I just don't understand. Zhao Jintao graduated from high school, loves agriculture, and sending him to the agricultural research institute to learn technology and benefit the villagers—how does that become 'disorder'? And those pigs, chickens, rabbits—your county must be eating them to excess, right?"

Fu Sanjun waved his hands repeatedly: "Commander Zhou, I swear to God, not a single pig or rabbit handed over by Dashui Village was paid for by our county. They were all allocated to the city. If I had even drunk a drop of soup, I would be letting Commander Zhou down."

"When you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head. Commander, you're back! I, Fu Sanjun, have the guts now. Whatever you tell me to do, I'll do."

"Wow, you're quite well-informed. You knew I went to the provincial agricultural ministry?"

Fu Sanjun smiled and said, "That's what your closed-door disciple said."

Along the way, Fu Sanjun learned all the details about Division Commander Zhou from Liu Songming.

"Alright, get on the kang (heated brick bed), sit down, sit down..."

Yang Zheng brought in fresh tea, and Zhou Zhonghai said, "Yang Zheng, call our in-laws over. We officials and commoners are having a small meeting today."

Yang Zheng laughed heartily: "Okay."

The provincial agricultural minister, the county party secretary, the brigade and squad leaders, and the villagers convened a conference to designate Tonggang County as a pilot area for agricultural reform.

Recorder: Zhou Wenhui.

He works at the newspaper, and although he is the editor-in-chief of the supplement, he can convey the spirit of this conference to the news department.

"My dear in-law, you've worked your whole life in the countryside, from being a helper for a landlord to now eating from the same pot. Which period do you think was the happiest?"

The county party secretary is here, so why is it my turn to speak, an old farmer?

"Speak up, speak boldly, there are no outsiders here. But, my dear in-law, you must tell the truth, the real truth," Zhou Zhonghai encouraged.

"This is the happiest time of the year," Qiaoqiao's father said hesitantly.

Zhou Zhonghai frowned: "My dear in-law, we can't let family celebrations interfere. You're happy to have a grandson, but no one else in the village has one. You represent the entire village, not just yourself."

"No, in-law, I'm just representing all the villagers. This year is the happiest."

"How exactly are you happy?"

Qiaoqiao's father looked at Zhao Jintao, unsure whether he could speak.

Zhao Jintao nodded and said, "Uncle, just tell the truth."

After receiving Zhao Jintao's affirmation, Qiaoqiao's father spoke up: "Last year, Secretary Gao gave us a word and allowed us to contract land. This year, the county issued a document saying that our behavior was speculative and that we could not contract land."

Despite immense pressure, Squad Leader Jin Tao did not reclaim the land that had already been contracted. Everyone continued to manage their own land. However, the entire village signed a pledge that no one was allowed to spread the word.

This year, after deducting the grain quota we handed over to the production brigade, my family still had over a thousand catties of surplus grain. We definitely won't go hungry next year. It's just a pity about those pigs. One big, fat pig could render twenty or thirty catties of oil, enough to eat for a year.

Also, we planted soybeans along the edge of our own field, ground five jin (2.5 kg) of them for the New Year, and made fresh tofu, so we had tofu for lunch.

As Qiaoqiao's father spoke, his eyes lit up.

Fu Sanjun looked at Zhao Jintao with suspicion. "You guys, you have policies from above and countermeasures from below."