Forced to marry a disabled man in the countryside? I'll repay you tenfold!

Ding Xiaomei plopped down and took a big bite of her steamed bun: "What objections could I possibly have? I just want my dad to be able to walk properly again and live like a normal person. He can give himself to whomever he wants, and even if he wants to find another partner or have a son later, I have no objections. Anyway, I've already received my share when the family property was divided. I certainly won't shirk my filial duties or my responsibility to support my parents in their old age."

Upon hearing this, Ding Yongkang couldn't help but glance at his daughter again. He hadn't expected that his usually unloved daughter would speak so sensibly. A warmth suddenly filled his heart, and he nodded, "It makes me feel good that you think this way."

He then looked at Su Wanqing, "Wanqing, once my legs are better, you'll come back to our hometown with me and take everything that's rightfully yours. Several properties and some other things I've been hiding will all be yours. Don't refuse this."

Lin Tingting's eyes turned red with jealousy—don't let her uncle's current state fool you, her grandparents had kept a lot of good stuff hidden away back then! And now it's all been given away to outsiders for nothing!

Wow, listen to this! Several properties and hidden things? My cousin really knows how to manage things. My wicked mother-in-law hid a lot of gold back then, so I imagine Uncle Ding hid quite a bit too.

To her surprise, Uncle Ding really kept his word and gave all the property to her, an outsider.

She accepted the gold and real estate, but she wouldn't take Uncle Ding's things for nothing. Of course, she would help him make money and do some good deeds to ensure that the old man would have enough to eat and wear for the rest of his life, and that he would have more money than he could spend.

So, Su Wanqing smiled slightly: "Uncle, since you keep your word, I won't be coy. However, I can't just take this inheritance for nothing. I plan to use it to establish a mutual aid reserve fund, specifically to help disabled comrades and families of martyrs who are experiencing financial difficulties. Would you be in charge of this fund?"

Upon hearing Su Wanqing's arrangement, Uncle Ding was immediately gratified: "Now that the things have been given to you, it's entirely up to you. You can arrange them however you like."

He had actually listened to Tingting's instigation and suspected Wanqing of being a greedy swindler... Now it seems he was really foolish. She never intended to benefit herself; instead, she was wholeheartedly helping those in greater need.

He was an old man, and keeping the money was useless to him. Giving it to Wanqing made it useful, and he had no regrets.

Lin Tingting rolled her eyes, thinking that Su Wanqing was really good at putting on an act.

Zhou's mother yawned, stood up and said, "Alright, alright, I'm full. I have to go to work in a bit, so I'll be going now." She waved and walked out—she wasn't in a hurry to go to work, but rather wanted to go to the warehouse early to sit there and read comic books. Now that everyone else was picking cotton, she was quite free.

Lin Tingting bit her lip, glanced at Zhou Yanshen with teary eyes, afraid that her cousin would scold her, and said, "I...I'm going to keep Auntie company too." She fled in panic.

The rest of the group, including Su Wanqing, ate a quick meal. Zhou Yanshen wasn't full, so Su Wanqing went to the kitchen to fry a few more eggs for him. She then noticed that there was not only a smoked chicken by the stove, but also a whole smoked pig leg hanging there, all neatly cleaned.

Ding Xiaomei came in carrying bowls and chopsticks, her face stern: "Make way, I'll wash the pots." With that, she efficiently began clearing away all the dishes for the whole family.

Su Wanqing was somewhat surprised: "Did you get the cured meat and smoked chicken in the kitchen, cousin?"

Ding Xiaomei snorted, "So what? My dad's food rations have all been transferred here, and he'll be staying for a while. He's pitifully poor every day, never even seeing a drop of oil. If I don't find a way to get him some meat to nourish him, how can he recover properly?"

Su Wanqing hadn't realized that Ding Xiaomei was a cold-faced but meticulous and hardworking person. She asked again, "Did you feed the chickens and sheep in the yard? Did you pull the grass in the field these past few days?"

Ding Xiaomei kept working while complaining, "Who else could it be but me? Who else could I rely on but that pampered young lady who never lifts a finger, or my carefree aunt? If I don't do any work or cook, no one in this house will dare touch their chopsticks. What am I supposed to do? Watch my bedridden father starve to death? Seeing this mess in the yard, I can't sleep because I feel so bad!"

Su Wanqing's lips twitched slightly—Ding Xiaomei must have some kind of obsessive-compulsive disorder, right? She has to keep other people's yards spotless too. Where did she learn this trait from?

Soon, Su Wanqing found out who she had learned this habit from.

After finishing their meal and cleaning up, Su Wanqing returned to her room. Zhou Yanshen also brought in water to take a bath—he usually showered by the well in the backyard, but with so many people at home, it wasn't convenient, so he moved inside to do a quick wash.

Su Wanqing leaned against the kang (a heated brick bed), admiring Zhou Yanshen's muscular physique, and asked, "What are the plans for this afternoon? I need to go to the oyster mushroom cultivation site and also see Secretary Liu."

Zhou Yanshen wiped himself down and said, "I'll go too. I'll take a few days off, ask Captain Zhang to bring the materials over, and we'll connect and tidy up the two yards. We also need to build a horse pen and a pigsty. I'll apply to raise two pigs so we can slaughter them for the New Year. We can grow vegetables in the front yard and raise livestock in the back. What do you think of this? Any other ideas?"

Raising pigs was something the two of them had wanted to apply for for a long time, but these days, it's not easy to get a license to raise pigs.

However, Zhou Yanshen only planned to raise two pigs, enough to slaughter and eat during the New Year, so that he wouldn't have trouble buying meat in the countryside. Besides, he didn't want to raise too many, as he had a feeling that his time in the countryside wouldn't last long and he would have to return to the city sooner or later.

Su Wanqing thought for a moment and said, "Let's do it the way we discussed. But you'll have to apply to expand the backyard. There are more and more livestock, and those red-tailed chickens are multiplying too fast."

During the days she was away, the red-tailed chickens drank from the spiritual spring and were in great health. However, she still planned to raise more to produce more red-tailed chicken eggs, which tasted much better than regular eggs.

"Okay. Let's build a woodshed too. I heard it's cold here in winter, so I'll try to get some coal to heat the kang (heated brick bed)."

As the two were discussing how to expand the courtyard, there was a knock at the door. Su Wanqing opened the door and saw that it was Liu Shuqing who had come with Li Aiguo.

Zhou Yanshen had just finished showering and was drying his hair with a towel when he looked at the two of them with some confusion.

Li Aiguo, carrying a cloth bag filled with cantaloupe and grapes, entered the door with a smile: "Dr. Su, you're finally back! If you hadn't come back, my old bones really wouldn't have been able to hold on!"

Zhou Yanshen looked at his wife curiously—what had Wanqing done during his absence that made Li Aiguo so anxious?