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

When Zhou Zhonghai returned home, Qiaoqiao's family had finished paying their grain tax. Qiaoqiao's mother and grandmother had made dumplings and were waiting for Zhou Zhonghai to come home to eat.

Qiaoqiao was playing with Zhou Xiaowei and the little yellow dog on the kang (heated brick bed). Seeing Zhou Zhonghai's serious expression, she asked, "Dad, what should we do with those people?"

"Dismissal; embezzlement exceeding one thousand yuan; jail time."

"Go to... jail?"

Perhaps having witnessed so much injustice, I was somewhat taken aback upon hearing the words "jail".

Once, the brigade secretary led a group of people to Qiaoqiao's house. Under the pretext of searching for a chicken thief, they took away all the oil, salt, and other valuables from Qiaoqiao's house. Qiaoqiao's family could only watch in silence.

So, these people who bully ordinary people and wield great power can also go to jail?

"Dad, the world has really changed."

"This is how the world should be. Without laws, wouldn't the world descend into chaos?"

"The world was in chaos, and my family was in turmoil for ten years. We couldn't even keep an egg safe; people were eyeing it."

Qiaoqiao felt a pang of sadness. As a peasant from the lower class, she had no voice and could only endure bullying.

If my father-in-law hadn't been present today, those old farmers would have had to pay money to hand over their grain.

Grain, which is handed over to the state free of charge, is still being oppressed like this. It is even more difficult for ordinary people to get anything done.

"Qiaoqiao, the chaotic days are over. Trust the country; it will never tolerate those lawless people again."

"Having a good leader like Dad is a blessing for us ordinary people."

Qiaoqiao deeply admires her father-in-law. She is the daughter-in-law of a high-ranking official and the daughter of a farmer. This dual identity makes her personally aware of the hardships faced by farmers and also realize how difficult it is to be an honest official.

"As long as Dad is in power, he will uphold principles and stand up for the people. We cannot let those bastards ruin the peaceful and prosperous era we have built," Zhou Zhonghai said angrily.

"Egg? Grandpa, egg, eat egg."

When Zhou Xiaowei heard "egg," he thought it meant chicken egg, and happily dropped the little yellow dog, running straight into Zhou Zhonghai's arms.

"Haha, you little rascal, all you know is eating. How about some dumplings?"

"Eat potatoes, eat pumpkin, eat eggs..."

"Do you want to eat pumpkin?"

"The pumpkin is sweet."

"Hey, why don't you take after Grandpa? Grandpa throws up whenever he sees a pumpkin."

Zhou Zhonghai frowned. In his life, he hated traitors and corrupt officials the most. In fact, there was another food he hated the most: pumpkin.

"Grandpa won't eat it, but Little Huang will."

After saying that, he grabbed Xiao Huang, who was hiding next to Qiao Qiao, and stuffed him into Zhou Zhonghai's hand.

"Okay, give the food we don't like to Xiao Huang, we'll eat dumplings."

Zhou Zhonghai held Xiao Wei and the little yellow dog, smiling. At this moment, he had no worries, only happiness.

Four large bowls of dumplings were served, all filled with cabbage, vermicelli, and eggs. In the countryside, meat is hard to buy, but there are plenty of eggs at home, so eggs are the main meat dish.

Zhou Zhonghai had one large basin, Gu Quan had one large basin, and the remaining two large basins were eaten by Hu Xiaomei and the Yang family.

Zhou Zhonghai has a really big appetite; he ate one bite at a time and quickly finished half a basin.

Qiaoqiao's mother brought over some dumpling soup and said with a smile, "My dear in-law, eat your fill. We don't have to worry about flour anymore."

In the past, when her in-laws came, Qiaoqiao's mother would worry about what to cook. She would borrow from one neighbor to another, and it would take her a lot of effort to gather three or four dishes.

Things are different now. We've cleared the backyard and planted lots of vegetables. We also have over thirty chickens, and we can't even finish all the eggs.

There are two big, fat pigs in the pigsty. We'll slaughter them when the New Year comes. The leftovers will be pickled and smoked into cured meat, so we'll have meat to eat all year round.

There are also ten Angora rabbits. Once they stop producing fur, we can kill them, smoke their meat, and have enough to eat for a while.

Other families raise chickens, ducks, pigs, and rabbits to sell for money, but the Yang family does it so that when their in-laws come to visit, they can have a decent meal.

"The wheat smells so good this year, and the dumplings my in-laws made are delicious too, the filling is so well chosen. Guquan, eat more, you won't find such authentic dumplings when you go back to the provincial capital."

"Yes, Minister, I've already eaten half a bowl, hiccup... hiccup..."

"He can drink dumpling soup and still eat half a bowl of it."

"yes!"

Grandpa Qiaoqiao is old and has few teeth left, so he eats slowly. As he eats, he says, "Zhonghai, if you hadn't come, I don't know when my family would be able to pay our grain tax."

For honest farmers, paying grain taxes was a matter of utmost importance.

Only by paying the grain owed to the country could I finally put an end to a major concern.

"Yang Zheng isn't home, and there's no able-bodied man in the house. I'll come later, just wait for me. By the way, in-laws, are the potatoes ready to be harvested?"

Qiaoqiao's father nodded: "Yes, the big one weighs more than a pound. If we roast one, Xiaowei won't be able to finish it."

How many days does it take to plant soybeans?

"Once the land is prepared, fertilize it, plant the seeds, and it will be ready in a week."

"Okay, then a week from now, our whole commune will dig potatoes and sell the sandy potatoes first."

"My dear in-law, have you found a place to buy them?"

"Send them to Beijing and Shanghai; rich people like to eat yellow potatoes. Xiao Gu, go pick up Gao Bing first thing tomorrow morning, and also the brigade secretary Wang Jiakun. I need to have a short meeting with them."

"yes!"

"Dad, you went to Beijing and then came to Dashui Village right after you came back. Aren't you going back to see Mom? Work is important, but you also need to rest."

Qiaoqiao felt sorry for her father-in-law, who was running back and forth every day. Had he forgotten that he still had a wife and son at home?

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhonghai put down his chopsticks and said seriously, "Qiaoqiao, when it comes to this matter, you have to persuade your mother-in-law and your husband."

"What... happened to them?"

"Your mother-in-law is fifty years old this year. She became the vice president of the hospital and is much more relaxed than before. But she hasn't changed her ways and went to the military region for surgery again. I wanted to go home, but she told me to come to Dashui Village, saying that only Yu Fu is at home and that I can see my grandson if I come to Dashui Village."

And your husband, with his literary poetry and prose competition for young men and women, thousands of manuscripts piled up in the office, trying to select first, second, and third place winners. He never comes home, just lives in that tiny apartment at your newspaper office. Qiaoqiao, your father is getting old, he doesn't have many years left to enjoy family life, and now he can't even come home. You should try to talk to them."

After saying that, Zhou Zhonghai let out a long sigh.

"this……"

Qiaoqiao was speechless. "Birds of a feather flock together! Are you all workaholics?"

How could I persuade her? My mother-in-law said that saving lives is the essence of life, leaving me speechless.

Zhou Wenhui organized the essay contest precisely for her, so there's no point in trying to dissuade her.

"Dad, Dashui Village is pretty good too. We have dumplings to eat, and Xiaowei is here to keep you company. It's nice, and the air is fresh too."

"That's right, your mother-in-law and husband are both workaholics; family always comes second. I had no choice but to come and stay with my in-laws. In-laws, you don't mind, do you?"

"Don't mention it, I wish you could live in Dashui Village."

What Qiaoqiao's father said was true; he really did get along well with Zhou Zhonghai.

"Haha, okay, Xiaowei, you'll sleep with Grandpa tonight, and Grandpa will tell you stories about war."

"Okay, okay, I'll sleep with Grandpa."

Qiaoqiao lowered her head and drank her dumpling soup. She had become the backbone of the family. With her there, her mother-in-law and Zhou Wenhui, no matter how busy they were, had to come home for dinner.

After dinner, Hu Xiaomei helped clean up the dishes and then went to boil water. The whole family needed to take a bath, and a large pot of water wasn't enough.

Qiaoqiao's father rinsed the yard to dissipate the heat from the ground, then brought out a bamboo bed. As darkness fell, the whole family gathered in the yard to cool off and chat.