They were not given a friendly reception when they met the farm manager.

The higher-ups called a while ago and arranged for someone to come over. The farm has been busy lately, so having more manpower is a good thing.

"Come with me."

After walking a long way, it became clear that the farm was very large, surrounded by newly reclaimed farmland, covering several hundred hectares as far as the eye could see.

The term "cowshed" is just a euphemism.

It is not a cow's dwelling in the true sense.

The He family was led to an unused warehouse. "It's early October now, and winter is just a month or two away. Figure out how to get through the winter yourselves. As for where you'll live, you can decide for yourselves."

The warehouse was big enough to house people, but there were no partitions in the middle; it was just a vast, empty space. There were no windows; only a few rays of light shone through the broken roof tiles.

"Thank you, boss."

Seeing that their attitude was relatively good, they abandoned their former so-called dignity and status.

Before leaving, Director Niu instructed, "Rest for a day. Starting tomorrow, come to my place in the morning to pick up your farm tools. I will arrange your work. There is a canteen on the farm, with a fixed amount for each person at fixed times. Once it's over, there won't be any more. If you don't have enough to eat, you can buy more with extra money. If you want to cook separately, that's fine too. There are some unused tables, chairs, and benches in the small red room at the very back on the right. You can put them together to eat. There are also bed frames..."

After giving only a brief instruction, Director Niu did not stay any longer.

With hundreds of hectares of work to be done, the farm has few people, and even with the addition of local farmers, they are still too busy to handle it all.

Even if someone has a money-grubbing streak deep down, staying here for a month will eventually wash it all away.

The area is surrounded by no-man's land, and wild animals roam at night. Anyone who tries to escape will not have a good ending. The farm is equipped with homemade guns to deal with emergencies.

These people should think twice before trying to escape, considering how many lives they have.

"Xiaoying, you and Lanlan clean up a bit, let's get the beds ready."

"Okay, An'an, how about you stand and play by yourself for a while? Grandma and Auntie are sweeping the floor, and you just wait at the door."

Ever since her father said that to her, He Ning'an had been sullen and silent, her little mouth pouting.

He nodded listlessly, walked to the door, looked at the unfamiliar surroundings, and felt a deep sense of unease.

Li Ying had never experienced hardship, and she was not as good at housework as her daughter He Xinglan. "Mom, I'll go get a bucket of water to sprinkle before sweeping, there's a lot of dust."

Carrying an iron bucket out of the warehouse, He Xinglan asked several people, but received no answer.

A kind local man pointed it out to her using sign language.

Following the example of the person before her, He Xinglan successfully drew water.

However, she clearly realized how unwelcome they were here because of their background.

She had just passed by and saw the person wearing a red armband, and in fear, she quickened her pace and ran over.

I remember my whole family being interrogated in a dark room.

He Xinglan still can't understand why their family treats their workers well, pays them reasonably, and the workers are happy to work for them.

Why did they end up being reported? The father said it was because someone was jealous of how well their business was doing in Yuncheng.

So they had been living in fear for decades, but in the end they still couldn't escape it.

After fetching the water, He Xinglan returned to the warehouse.

She quickly sprinkled water, took the small broom from her mother's hand, bent down and swept rapidly. Her brother and father had already brought over the broken furniture.

Looking at her daughter who hadn't complained at all, Li Ying burst into tears.

"Mom, take the bucket outside and wipe the chairs and bed frame clean."

"Okay, I'll go right now."

Her child is doing well, and she can't let him down.

In short, everyone had to accept the reality that the He family had fallen from grace, and this was going to be their life, perhaps forever.

He Ning'an stood at the door, watching her busy elders, still feeling angry, especially towards her father.

What right does he have to say he'll throw himself down? Dad hates him, Mom hates him too.

Thinking of his mother, he couldn't help but cry.

From now on, I am a child without a mother, and I will never see my mother again.

He was thinking to himself, and as he cried, he started crying out loud, which attracted the attention of the He family members who were working.

"An'an, why are you crying again? Come here and let Auntie give you a hug."

He Xinglan brushed the dust off her clothes and reached out to hug her little nephew.

The little boy hugged his aunt with a wronged expression, "Auntie, An'an is an unwanted child. My mom doesn't want me anymore, and my dad doesn't want me either."

Li Ying glared at her son, "It's all your fault! The child was already sad, and you're a completely incompetent father!"

He Lin knew he was in the wrong and that he had acted impulsively when he spoke to the child.

"Daddy was wrong, I won't say it again. Can you ask Mommy to find you ten more in the future?"

His words were like adding insult to injury, making He Ning'an cry even harder.

"I'll never see my mom again. I only want my mom, not a new mom, sob sob..."

He Jianguo wasn't angry even when his home was raided. But because of his son's words, he kicked him out without hesitation, yelling, "Is this how a father acts? If you make the child cry again, see how I deal with you!"

The He family was busy cleaning the house and taking care of the baby, and they didn't know the mealtimes.

By the time they realized what was happening, the cafeteria was already closed.

They didn't even have a sip of water.

At night, I sleep on a bed made of wheat straw.

None of the four adults in the He family could fall asleep.

The occasional calls of unknown birds and the howls of wolves echoing from the distant valley sent chills down one's spine.

Li Ying felt so heartbroken seeing her grandson sobbing even in his sleep that she couldn't bear it any longer.

"My eldest grandson is so pitiful, having a mother who only cares about money and not his child..."

"Mom, stop talking. If An'an hears this, she'll make a fuss again. It's all about seeking advantages and avoiding disadvantages. Anyone with common sense understands that. I can only say that my sister-in-law is a bit selfish, but it's okay if she's doing it for her own good."

"You even defended her."

He Xinglan quickly denied it. She couldn't stand her money-loving sister-in-law. Just the fact that she used despicable means made her look down on her.

She's just judging an ordinary person's humanity with a dialectical perspective.

There are plenty of people like that; it's not surprising to have one around.

"That's how it should be. How did she marry into this family? She should have expected this outcome."

"That's true...that's true..."

"Alright, stop talking about someone irrelevant. Go to sleep, we have work to do tomorrow."

Even a grown man like him isn't sure if he can handle the job.

It's best to get some rest and recharge your energy.

The next day.

After a day and a night of hunger, the He family finally had their first meal in two days.

He Jianguo, with a stern face, urged his family to eat quickly.

Even though they had been hungry for a long time, they forced themselves to eat the food.

He Ning'an, who knew nothing, was stared at by others for a long time simply for shaking her head. If the child said something she shouldn't have, the adults would be the ones to suffer.

Originally, such a young child could have been spared from being sent to a labor camp, but none of the relatives or friends around them took care of the child, fearing that the child would be abused, so they brought He Ning'an along.

He Ning'an keenly sensed that something was wrong and picked up the dark steamed bun in front of him, eating it in large bites.

But tears streamed down his face; he missed his mother.

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