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

Lunch was so plentiful! Stir-fried pork belly with chili peppers, stir-fried eggplant skin with salted pork, stir-fried pork offal with white chili peppers, fried eggs, meatball and loach soup, cabbage, pickled cucumbers, and salted eggs.

A large table of dishes, but only one small side dish; it's rare to eat so much meat in a year.

Zhou Wenhui also got onto the kang (a heated brick bed), and amidst the caring words of his relatives, he gradually forgot about his disabled legs.

Qiaoqiao's mother refused to sit at the table, but Luo Meiyun repeatedly invited her, saying that it was a rare opportunity for the whole family to get together, so they had to have a reunion dinner together.

Amidst the lively atmosphere, Zhou Wenhui finished two bowls of rice in one go, and still wanted more, though he felt a little embarrassed.

Without saying a word, Yang Zheng picked up a bowl to serve him rice, saying, "Although there aren't any fancy dishes, this rice cooked over a wood fire is delicious. Have another bowl."

Zhou Wenhui didn't stand on ceremony and ate another bowl.

Grandpa Qiao and Zhou Zhonghai drank some wine, taking small sips as they happily watched the younger generation eat.

The two young soldiers driving the car also had big appetites. They restrained themselves and ate two bowls before reluctantly putting down their bowls. At their rate of eating, the whole pot of rice from the Yang family wouldn't have been enough for the two of them.

Before they finished their meal, a guest arrived at the Yang family's house: Gao Bing, the commune secretary.

He carried a large pig's head into the yard and shouted, "Old Yang, Happy Holiday!"

The relationship progressed from "Comrade Yang Wenjin" to "Old Yang".

Yang Wenjin quickly got off the kang (a heated brick bed). Why was the Party Secretary here on such a holiday?

Gao Bing strode into the room, and upon seeing Zhou Zhonghai, exclaimed in surprise, "You, you are Commander Zhou?"

Zhou Zhonghai had no choice but to put down his chopsticks and said, "Zhou Zhonghai, what's with all this talk about division commander? Have you eaten? Have another bite."

"I've eaten, I've eaten, please have some. I didn't expect to run into you when I came to visit Old Yang."

Having lunch at midday to visit military families? Isn't that absurd? They just received news that Division Commander Zhou has come to Dashui Village.

It's always awkward to have someone sitting next to you watching you eat. Zhou Zhonghai got off the kang (heated brick bed) and went to the main room. Qiaoqiao's mother quickly went to brew a pot of tea.

Yang Wenjin also stopped eating and stayed to drink tea with them.

Everyone had almost finished eating. Qiaoqiao's mother cleared the table, and Qiaoqiao asked Zhou Wenhui in a low voice, "Are you full?"

"You still remember to care about me."

After returning home, Zhou Wenhui was completely ignored by Qiaoqiao.

"Are you jealous of my parents? My brother even served you rice." Qiaoqiao chuckled to herself.

"But when I'm in an unfamiliar environment, all I want is for you to be with me."

"Isn't it enough for Mom to watch over you all the time? You're so greedy."

"I'm not greedy, I just want you to be with me."

As they were talking, Zheng Fenglin's voice came from outside: "Qiaoqiao, Qiaoqiao..."

Upon hearing this, Qiaoqiao disregarded everything else, quickly got off the kang (heated brick bed), and abandoned Zhou Wenhui once again.

Zhao Jintao was among those who came. The men drank tea in the main room, while the women chatted on the kang (a heated brick bed).

"Commander Zhou, you are a man of great insight. Today, I, Gao Bing, would like to ask you for your advice on how to manage rural areas nowadays."

In other communes, some people formed contracted farming groups, while others opened up the livestock industry. As long as you were capable, you could raise as many chickens as you wanted. In our commune, even having enough to eat was a problem.

Gao Bing came prepared.

"The national policy is to improve people's lives. The official documents haven't been issued yet, but the era of contracting land to individual households is just around the corner."

"Really? Then can our team start a small-scale operation first?"

"When others engage in group contracting, there's no clear definition of how small a group is. Does a few brothers constitute a group? If it's small-scale, Fu Sanjun will turn a blind eye."

"And also, Zhao Jintao went to learn how to raise rabbits and sows, right? When he returns after his studies, he'll have to put his skills to use. In a large collective, whoever is motivated will have to raise their own livestock." Commander Zhou said casually, sipping his tea.

"Yes, Commander Zhou is right. How about we start from Dashui Village next year?"

"Sure, let's experiment. It's okay if the experiment goes wrong; how do you gain experience without experimentation?"

"Commander Zhou, I immediately understood everything you said. If the experiment in Dashui Village is successful, our commune can expand the scope of the experiment."

"Yes, don't be afraid of being the first to stick your neck out. The first to stick out might be a role model." Zhou Zhonghai laughed.

"The household contract system in Dashui Village? That's great! My family will finally have enough to eat."

Yang Wenjin was extremely excited. As long as he could have enough to eat, he was willing to guard his few plots of land day and night.

"There are fewer slackers now; if you don't work, you go hungry. Secretary Gao, could we apply for a batch of rabbits? Villagers in Dashui Village who want to raise them can buy them with money, and those who don't have the money can buy them on credit and pay back when they sell the rabbit fur. That way, the women in the village will have something to look forward to," Zhao Jintao suggested.

"I can provide them with free guidance on raising rabbits," Zhao Jintao added.

"Okay, as long as the direction is right, we should start a side business too."

"I can contact a rabbit fur purchasing station. One pound of rabbit fur costs twenty yuan. A rabbit can produce two pounds of fur a year, which is forty yuan. After the rabbit is culled, we can still eat rabbit meat."

"Good, good, with a technician like you, the survival rate of the rabbits is high."

Everyone was excited, except for Zhou Wenhui, who looked coldly at Zhao Jintao.

The more outstanding he was, the more Zhou Wenhui disliked him.

Inside the room, Qiaoqiao took out a red sweater and handed it to Zheng Fenglin: "I bought this for you. You can wear it when it gets cold."

Zheng Fenglin held the sweater, on the verge of tears: "Qiaoqiao, no, no, it's too expensive."

Luo Meiyun was also touched; Qiaoqiao herself didn't even have such a nice sweater, yet she bought one for her friend.

"I'm giving this as a token of my affection. Are you going to refuse it?" Qiaoqiao said coquettishly.

"No, it's for my aunt, it's too expensive."

"I bought one for Mom too, so you can take it. Fenglin, my mom also brought some old military overcoats, take one back for your dad to wear."

"A military overcoat? That won't do, it's such a precious thing."

"There are several, Brother Jintao, give me one too."

Qiaoqiao pulled out two nearly new military overcoats and handed them to Zheng Fenglin, saying, "When you get married, I'll give you a new one as a wedding gift."

"Qiaoqiao, you're making fun of me."

"Brother Jintao went to the Academy of Agricultural Sciences. He'll be a real talent when he comes out. You can enjoy the good life with him."

Zheng Fenglin blushed. She knew Zhao Jintao was a good person, but their relationship was still undecided, leaving her feeling uncertain.

Holding the military overcoat, Zheng Fenglin said to Luo Meiyun, "Thank you, Auntie."

Luo Meiyun smiled and said, "You and Qiaoqiao are like sisters, so there's no need to thank me. It's just that it's old, so I'm glad you don't mind."

Who would dislike such a wonderful treasure?

Qiaoqiao then took out the shirt her brother had bought for Zhao Jintao and said, "Here, Jintao, this is what my brother bought for you."

"Qiaoqiao, how could we possibly accept that?" Zheng Fenglin waved his hand and said.

"In the village, my family suffered all kinds of bullying, only you and Brother Jintao didn't look down on us. Fenglin, you are my best friend, and Brother Jintao is my brother's best friend, so why are you embarrassed?" Qiaoqiao said sincerely.

Luo Meiyun nodded to herself. Qiaoqiao was a loyal and righteous child. If she was like this to her friends, she could definitely be right to Wenhui.

"Then I'll accept it. Jin Tao said that once he's mastered the skills, he'll teach me how to raise rabbits, and I'll make a rabbit fur coat for Qiaoqiao and my aunt."

"Okay, forget about the clothes, but make a pair of rabbit fur gloves instead. Wenhui won't be cold when he's writing."

"Okay, I'll make gloves for you."

Dashui Village is really poor. Zheng Fenglin has nothing good to give Qiaoqiao. He only hopes to raise rabbits as soon as possible to repay Qiaoqiao's kindness.