Courtyard houses: Those who are capable are rewarded, and many children bring many blessings.

Back at Xu Huizhen's house, after Dazhuang left, Xu Huizhen buttoned up her collar, tilted her head, and looked towards the bridal chamber, saying...

"I know you're not drunk, you heard everything, right? Cai Quanwu, you're a good man, I'm the one who's sorry!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than Cai Quanwu, his eyes red and looking like he wanted to devour someone, came out and started yelling at Xu Huizhen:

"Huizhen, how am I inferior to that scoundrel? He has a wife at home, and a sister-in-law who lives there year-round. He also has an affair with Chen Xueru! Are you really willing to stoop so low!"

"You're great in every way, but I just can't forget him. Every time I'm in bed with you at night, I think to myself, 'How wonderful it would be if it were him!'"

I'm just that shameless a woman! Let's part ways amicably!

Cai Quanwu suddenly walked up to Xu Huizhen, grabbed her arms with both hands as if she were grasping at a last straw.

"No, you're not a bad woman, you're a good woman. It's all that scoundrel's fault! I don't care what happened between you two before. From now on, let's live a good life together! I promise to treat Xiao Jingli like my own daughter! I will be good to you and your daughter for the rest of my life." Cai Quanwu made one last attempt to fight back.

Xu Huizhen broke free from his hand and stood up.

"I know you're a good person and a good husband. If he hadn't come along, I would have stayed with you like this. But after seeing what airplanes and cannons are like, I can't go on living with you anymore."

Cai Quanwu understood her implied meaning and plopped down on the ground.

"This... is that matter really that important?!" Cai Quanwu asked, his face ashen.

"Maybe it's not important, but I just can't forget her. What should I do? You don't want to marry a woman who's always thinking about other men, do you?"

"Disgusting, absolutely disgusting! You weren't like this before! How did you become like this?"

"I know I feel disgusted, but that's the truth. That's all I have to say. Let's go get the paperwork done in three days. I won't be sleeping in the same room with you for the next couple of days!"

"Sigh! Since that's the case, why wait three more days? Let's go through the divorce proceedings tomorrow morning. Staying here will only cause us heartache." With that, Cai Quanwu took his original bedding and left.

Cai Quanwu harbored all his hatred for Niu Dazhuang, and who knows how he will scheme against him in the future?

After May Day, Niu Dazhuang's hard times began.

A week later, Niu Dazhuang had to go out again. In those days, trucks didn't even have air conditioning, let alone a fan in the cab.

The steering wheel was still incredibly heavy, and the driver's cabin felt like a sauna under the blazing sun. The sweat wouldn't stop; my clothes were soaked through in no time, you could wring water out of them.

"Dazhuang, you're feeling a bit better now. But wait until the dog days of summer, and you'll see. If you don't get heatstroke, we're lucky we're healthy!" Niu Dazhuang replaced Gao Chunsheng.

"This job is absolutely inhuman. It's scorching hot in the summer and freezing cold in the winter! And the meals are never-ending."

"Hey! Hang in there! Why haven't you been going to Director Bai's office lately?" Men love to gossip too.

"Master, your thinking isn't so simple. I'm going to learn Russian from Director Bai. Once I've learned enough, I'll go and study it!"

Gao Chunsheng curled his lip: "You're kidding me. I don't believe you can learn that gibberish in just over a month!"

"Master, why are you just like them, so gossipy?" Niu Dazhuang shook his head helplessly.

"Director Bai is the most beautiful woman in our unit. Everyone pays attention to her every move. What's wrong with me? I'm just a normal man. Don't you always say that everyone has a love for beauty?"

"Come on, even when I wasn't here, I still got to watch Director Bai sway her little waist!"

"Tsk tsk... You know, cultured people really know how to dress. Look at Director Bai, the same clothes look amazing on him, and a whole bunch of old men just love to look at him. And look at my spendthrift wife, even in a fur coat she still looks like an old woman!"

"Master's wife, I've been through this, it's not as bad as you say!"

"She was alright when she was younger, but now that she's gotten older, it's just not good-looking anymore! Her waist is like a bucket!"

"Isn't that a good thing? It proves our family eats well! With your wife at home bringing good fortune, everything will go smoothly for you!"

"We weren't talking about Director Bai, so why are you bringing up your teacher's wife again?"

Nominally, they were master and apprentice, but they were more like two cronies. The master didn't act like a master, and the apprentice didn't act like an apprentice. However, they both felt that they got along very well!

Chatting about gossip made the journey less boring; it was a way to find joy even in hardship...

The journey was relatively safe, and the truck didn't break down. After three and a half days of bumpy travel, we finally arrived at our destination.

This time, Niu Dazhuang was content with his lot. With food in his space, he felt much more at ease.

If I have nothing to do in the evening, I'll go to the black market and buy some rare wild game if I see it.

I just wanted to buy pork, but it's not available yet. So I'll bring back some deer antlers to earn some extra money.

This is also a way of communicating with superiors. Top-grade deer antlers are not something ordinary workers can enjoy. How can someone who uses Mei Ergang deer antlers to make wine not be a middle-level leader in a unit?

On the way back, they took a detour, visiting an elder to bring back a cartload of live sheep.

This is a problem. The truck has been washed three times, but the smell of sheep manure still lingers...

After resting for two days, I went back to work and helped out in the kitchen.

After kneading the dough in several large vats, Niu Dazhuang squatted down by the back door, just about to smoke a cigarette.

Yu Li came over with a serious expression.

Hands on hips: "Comrade Niu Dazhuang, how dare you ruin my reputation?"

One sentence left Niu Dazhuang completely bewildered.

"Comrade Yu Li, how have I ruined your reputation?"

"Hmph! They clearly never invited me to the movies, so how can they tell me they did?"

"Ah!" Niu Dazhuang scratched his head awkwardly.

"What do you mean, 'what'? If it's true, I'll just accept it, but you've never done it even once, yet you're telling others that you invited me to the movies!"

"What kind of movie did I, a young woman, watch with a married man like you? Aren't you ruining my reputation? How can you do it but not admit it?"

"It's not that I'm afraid to admit it, but whose opinion are you going to listen to?"

"Never mind who told me, just tell me if it happened or not!"

"I was just saying that."

"Hey! You make it sound so easy. Do you know how much of a negative impact your casual remark has had on me? How are you going to make it up to me?"

"Well... how about I treat you to a movie and a hot pot meal?"

Yu Li's lips curled up, but she immediately suppressed it: "Who would eat hot pot on such a hot day? Let's get something else."

Without thinking, Yu Li said, "I heard that Lao Mo Restaurant is good, so let's go with Lao Mo. I haven't been there before."

"You're really picky. The food at the Moscow restaurant is expensive and not filling enough. Let's go somewhere else!" Niu Dazhuang said, pretending to be in pain.