At the beginning, he took his seven younger siblings to join Yi Zhonghai.

Yi Zhongding returned home.

The bicycle hasn't even entered the yard yet.

Hearing the commotion, a large group of little ones rushed over.

"elder brother."

"Brother, you're back."

"Brother, I miss you."

......

It was like stirring up a beehive in an instant, buzzing and humming.

The good thing is that they've all grown up and become much more sensible than before.

It won't be like when I was a child.

He had to agree to each and every one of them before it was considered over.

"Okay, okay, brother, put the bicycle away carefully, don't bump into it."

"What did you do today? Did you cause any trouble?"

Yi Zhongding pushed his bicycle, moving forward with difficulty.

"We can read now, we're so good! Let me show you the words we learned at school."

Yi Zhongxin took out a notebook and said proudly.

These two youngest little ones are six years old this year.

I sent her to first grade in September.

The eldest sister-in-law couldn't take it anymore either.

It's too noisy.

Let's just send him to school and have some fun.

It's funny, actually.

Now, my sister-in-law, Tan Xiulian, says every day: the time when these naughty boys are at school and the house is quiet is the most comfortable time for her.

You know, she was worried they wouldn't make enough of a fuss, and even suggested they make some good noise.

This is really causing a commotion.

You couldn't take it anymore.

"Okay, go home and see what you learned. Did you misspell any words?"

Yi Zhongding patted his little head.

"Long live the people!"

Yi Zhongxin and Yi Zhongyan shouted loudly at the same time.

"That's great."

Yi Zhongding smiled and gave a thumbs up.

The bicycle was parked.

A group of little ones then surrounded him as he went back into the house.

"Zhongding is back. Are you hungry? The food is still warm. I'll go get it for you."

The eldest sister-in-law stood on the threshold, watching him enter before heading to the kitchen.

"Sister-in-law, let me do it."

Yi Zhonghua rushed to the kitchen first.

"You're back. It's a bit late today. Your sister-in-law was still talking about you."

Yi Zhonghai was sitting in the living room reading a newspaper. When he saw him enter, he put down the newspaper and said something.

"You're back. Winter break has started, and Chinese New Year is just around the corner. More than two hundred classmates aren't going home, so we need to make arrangements for them."

Yi Zhongding nodded and went to wash his hands in the basin next to him.

"If you ask me, you might as well quit. I heard you're not some kind of official, and you don't even get a stipend. You're just working for free, and look how tired you are every day."

Tan Xiulian said with heartache.

"Serving the people, that's what Zhongxin Zhongyan just said, 'Long live the people!'"

Yi Zhongding chuckled and comforted her.

"Your sister-in-law is all talk and no action. She's been working for nothing, but the organization has remembered it all. They'll make sure Zhongding suffers a loss."

"He's a Party member, so he should do more. In our factory, there's no hard or tiring work; it's all done by Party members and cadres."

Yi Zhonghai chimed in.

"Yes, you're the only capable director. I feel sorry for our brother, but you're making sarcastic remarks."

Tan Xiulian has become quite assertive these days, and her younger siblings also like her, though her temper has grown considerably.

of course.

It's also possible that he was annoyed by these little guys.

You need to have a temper to keep these increasingly mischievous kids in check.

The saying goes, "If you don't discipline someone for three days, they'll climb onto the roof and tear off the tiles."

This is no joke.

It is a true testament.

"Sister-in-law, let's not hold it against brother, haha, what are we having for dinner today?"

Yi Zhongding couldn't help but laugh as he looked at his elder brother's helpless expression.

"The beef ribs you brought back yesterday, Sha Zhu helped cook them. Today he made a beef rib casserole."

"It smells so good! All the kids are full but they don't want to leave the table."

"We used too much pepper, and we're almost out."

Tan Xiulian watched as the children amused themselves.

"It's okay, I'll find someone else to buy it."

Yi Zhongding said casually.

"Sister-in-law, let's eat this again tomorrow."

Yao Yao didn't mind, stepped forward and put her arm around her, saying in a crisp voice.

"You brat, who eats meat every day? Besides, how could I possibly get my hands on some?"

Tan Xiulian slapped her hand in an annoyed manner.

Yao Yao means to act cute or coquettish.

She wouldn't actually ask for beef ribs again tomorrow.

She and Miaomiao are both ten years old this year and in the fifth grade. They will be eleven years old after the Chinese New Year.

Most girls mature early.

Especially in this era.

Therefore, they all understand that their own family is different from others.

Especially when it comes to food.

That's worlds apart from other people's homes.

My family has never lacked food, and we've never run out of meat.

It happens every day.

Although not many.

But when stir-fried with vegetables, the meat and vegetables both smell delicious.

I overheard someone say that nowadays each person can only buy one pound of meat per month.

But where else will my brother get meat that isn't part of the plan?

On average, each person can get four pounds of meat per month.

Da Da asked his sister-in-law to make some every day.

She didn't quite understand why the others were.

But she knew that her brother must have put in a lot of effort so that they could eat a little meat every day.

Just like when they were little, their older brother would do everything he could to get them toys.

But she didn't know.

If Yi Zhongding wanted, he could eat his fill of meat every day.

But we live in this era.

That's definitely not the right thing to do.

Even the wealthiest landlords of the past couldn't compare to his family's circumstances.

The eldest brother and sister-in-law had a hard time adjusting to this situation for a while.

Or perhaps they were worried that Yi Zhongding might do something bad.

But now we've gotten used to it.

Family members secretly eat it behind closed doors.

If there's anything difficult to do, or when the compound buys meat once a month.

Everyone eats meat.

She would call Sha Zhu over and ask him to cook a meal.

She thought it would taste better than what she made herself.

At this moment, Yi Zhonghua also came in carrying a clay pot: "Brother, the rice is all in here, mixed with the soup, it's delicious."

Yi Zhongding sat down and started eating.

We've eaten.

The younger siblings conscientiously took out their homework and started doing it.

The younger children don't have homework.

Then practice calligraphy.

Yi Zhongding tutored them while chatting with his older brother and sister-in-law.

"Liu Guangqi is getting married next week. A couple of years ago, he was looking for someone with a job."

"But he doesn't have a good reputation, so he couldn't find anyone. He only got anxious this year. They met yesterday and are getting married next week."

Yi Zhonghai peeled sunflower seeds and said with a smile.

"Why so fast all of a sudden?"

Yi Zhongding asked curiously.

It's perfectly normal for someone with a bad reputation to not find a good partner.

This is not the future.

Black and red are also red.

People in this era may never travel more than a hundred miles in their entire lives.

They just stay within a certain social circle.

What is reputation?

That is credit, reputation, and also fate! Fate that determines one's livelihood!

"His family isn't poor. He's currently a level two blacksmith, earning a few yuan more than others. His father is also a team leader and passed the level six blacksmith assessment this year."

"You should get ready too. You're the same age, 20 this year, and 21 after the New Year. It's time to get married."

Tan Xiulian continued, following up on the conversation.

"Marriage is prohibited during university, and the organization advocates for late marriage. Our legal marriage age is a few years higher than the legal age."

Yi Zhongding said with a smile.

This is not something he made up.

Universities today are different from those of later generations; marriage is absolutely prohibited during studies.

He was a member of the organization.

We should respond to the national policy of advocating late marriage and encouraging young people to focus on their studies and development.

In some places, the age for late marriage has been raised to 28 for men and 25 for women.