The poor girl from the 1970s was forced to kiss by the damp educated youth.

Many villagers had never seen a truck before, and even in town, trucks weren't something you could just come across whenever you wanted. Now, hearing this sound, everyone rushed out to see what was going on.

"Wow, this is a truck! It can really carry a lot."

"A bit bigger than a tractor."

"Is it carrying bricks? How did it end up here?"

"Maybe I was just passing by."

"....."

The crowd retreated to the side of the road, their eyes wide with curiosity. They didn't mind the dust and the smell of exhaust fumes; instead of leaving, they didn't follow.

Just as they were discussing it, the truck stopped. A man's head popped out of the front window of the foremost truck. He smiled at the villagers and asked, "Excuse me, folks, which way is the educated youth settlement?"

Hey!

Everyone was taken aback; they hadn't expected to come to their village.

Xi Lang stood tall by the roadside. Shi Xin saw him from afar and thought to himself that his younger brother's aura was truly unique and distinctive. Even though he couldn't see his face clearly, he could recognize him at a glance.

Xi Lang also saw Shi Xin in the car. He didn't expect that Shi Xin would personally bring him bricks.

"I only found two cars, so I'll probably have to make several more trips today," Shi Xin said.

Xi Lang nodded, "Okay, thank you for your hard work."

Shi Xin waved his hand dismissively, "We don't talk about this between close brothers."

Xi Lang walked ahead, with two trucks slowly following behind him, stopping only when they reached the flat ground in front of the educated youth settlement.

The people from the educated youth settlement also came out to see what was going on, wondering why the car was parked there. They hadn't bought any bricks. They looked at Xi Lang standing to the side—was it Xi Lang who bought them?

"Brother, you live here?" Shi Xin looked at the house in front of him; it was better than he had expected.

"No." Xi Lang pointed to the small house above the educated youth settlement, "That's where I lived."

Shi Xin looked at the small house and his lips twitched. He couldn't believe his younger brother was so frugal and simple.

"Xi Lang, are these the bricks you bought?" The captain, who had come running after hearing the news, circled the car and came up to Xi Lang.

"Yes," Xi Lang replied, "I plan to build a brick house."

"Brick houses are great!" Chen Renzheng said enviously. This house could be built so easily, and the bricks were even bought from outside. Having money alone wasn't enough; you also needed connections.

"Are these bricks expensive?" someone in the crowd asked.

Xi Lang was stumped; he didn't know either.

"Four cents a piece," Shi Xin replied with a smile. "These bricks were specially bought and delivered to my brother by one of his elders when he heard that my brother was getting married and building a new house. He himself didn't even know the price."

Those who were watching the commotion were extremely surprised. So many bricks plus shipping costs must have cost a lot of money. What kind of elder is so generous?

When the Chen family arrived, Xi Lang had already taken Shi Xin and the others home. Chen Da, Chen Gui, and the others were still unaware of what had happened.

"Why did the educated youth settlement buy bricks?" Chen Da asked.

"These bricks weren't donated by the educated youth; they were a gift from Xi Lang's elders. Xi Lang wanted to build a brick house, and since you are Chen Zhi's maternal family, Chen Zhi should have mentioned it to you, right?"

"Oh my, your Chen Zhi is going to have a good life. Xi Lang is rich and his family is well-off. Now they even live in a brick house."

"Everyone used to say that Chen Zhi had bad luck, that she was a jinx to her family, a jinx, and a jinx. But now, who doesn't envy her?"

The Chen family members looked at each other, their faces grim.

They were the last to know that Chen Zhi was going to build a brick house!

There were two people in one car, and a total of four people came.

Now, including the invited team leader, Secretary Chen Jun who was invited by Xi Lang, plus Xi Lang and Chen Zhi, there are a total of eight people.

Shi Xin's gaze swept over Chen Zhi several times, drawing a warning from Xi Lang.

Shi Xin rolled his eyes. "Not even letting me glance at you? So stingy?"

To be honest, this sister-in-law is really beautiful, like a fairy, and she and her brother are such a perfect match.

Chen Zhi was glad that her family had replaced the pot with a large iron pot; otherwise, with so many people to eat, the old small iron pot would probably have needed to cook five or six meals to be enough.

She served everyone rice and soup before bringing the iron pot of stewed wolf meat to the table.

"We don't have enough plates at home, so please make do with what we have," Chen Zhi said with a shy smile.

"Sister-in-law, don't be so formal. We're all family. Eat whatever is convenient for you. Xi Lang is really something, he didn't even tell me he was short of plates. I'll bring you some later," Shi Xin said.

Chen Zhi: "......."

How should I respond to that?

She looked at Xi Lang.

To his surprise, Xi Lang not only did not refuse, but also made other requests, "Bring two more kitchen knives with you."

"Okay," Shi Xin agreed readily, sniffing the air. "This meat smells delicious."

He didn't ask what kind of meat it was. It didn't look like pork, beef, or mutton; it could only be game from the mountains. The game from the mountains belonged to everyone, and hunting without permission was an encroachment on collective property. The brigade leader and the secretary were both here; he couldn't cause trouble for Xi Lang.

Chen Renzheng and Chen Jun exchanged a glance. What Shi Xin could think of, they could naturally think of as well. If it were anyone else, they would have already pressed for details and followed the rules.

But this person is Xi Lang!

Chen Renzheng and Chen Jun tacitly agreed not to mention anything, intending to turn a blind eye and pretend they knew nothing.

But speaking of which, what kind of meat is this? It smells so good.

Xi Lang was the last to sit down. He carried two plates of freshly cooked vegetables and sat down next to Chen Zhi. "Everyone, please don't be shy, let's eat."

As he spoke, he first put a piece of meat on Chen Zhi's plate.

Seeing this, the others also reached out with their chopsticks to pick up the meat.

The wolf meat was stewed to perfection, tender yet firm, and incredibly flavorful.

With just one bite, everyone present showed amazement; this meat was truly delicious.

It's not fishy or dry, and it doesn't have a gamey smell at all. It smells amazing!

They couldn't even tell what kind of meat it was.

Xi Lang wasn't a talkative person, while Chen Zhi seemed a bit reserved. It was her first time dining at the same table with so many men, and she didn't even dare to reach for the food with her chopsticks.

But there was no shortage of food in her bowl. Xi Lang kept putting pieces of meat into her bowl, and when he saw that she was eating slowly, he put two more pieces of vegetables in her bowl.

The people talking at the table were mainly Shi Xin and Chen Renzheng, with Chen Jun occasionally chiming in.

Shi Xin had met all sorts of people—high-ranking officials, dignitaries, and people from all walks of life; he had seen almost everyone. He wasn't overly enthusiastic, but he also wouldn't let anything slip by. Chen Renzheng and Chen Jun initially tried to get some information out of Shi Xin, but after talking for a while, they didn't even figure out the specifics of Shi Xin's job; instead, Shi Xin managed to extract quite a bit of information from them.

After the meal, everyone was almost stuffed.

Chen Renzheng and Chen Jun let out a burp, their expressions complicated. When was the last time they ate meat so heartily?

They couldn't remember whether it was seven or eight years ago, or more than ten years ago.

These past few years have really been tough.

After the meal, they began unloading the goods.

Seeing Chen Zhi go to carry bricks, Shi Xin quickly stopped her, saying, "Sister-in-law, we can handle this. There's no need for you to do it."

How could such a delicate girl, as tender as tofu, be assigned to such rough work?

"I'll help you carry them, so it'll be faster." Chen Zhi carried ten bricks at a time and put them into her basket.

"Ah Lang, you should try to persuade your wife," Shi Xin said to Xi Lang.

Xi Lang remained calm. "No need, she's capable."

"Is this a question of competence?" Shi Xin glared, his tone full of disappointment. "A woman like your sister-in-law should be pampered, not doing this kind of rough work!"

Xilang glanced at him. "She likes to work."

Eating highly nutritious food without expending energy can actually hinder absorption.

Xi Lang spoke with such seriousness that Shi Xin couldn't immediately discern the truth in his words. Just then, Chen Zhi effortlessly walked past them, carrying a large basket of bricks on her back. The weight of the bricks inside caused it to slightly deform. Yet, Chen Zhi moved with light steps, turning three steps into two, her speed even faster than several men.

Shi Xin: "......"

Xi Lang didn't say anything, and strode after Chen Zhi.

Xi Lang and Chen Zhi carried one of the two truckloads of bricks.

At first, Shi Xin and his three companions didn't want to lose to Chen Zhi, so they gritted their teeth and secretly competed with each other. But after a few rounds, they were dismayed to find that the gap was too big, and they simply couldn't overcome it.

Does a girl really have that much strength?

Are they not even as good as a girl?

The men were truly ashamed.

Shi Xin, however, looked thoughtful, thinking to himself that it was no wonder these two were able to get together; they were no ordinary people.

"It's 2 p.m. now. We can only transport two more truckloads today. We'll come earlier tomorrow and try to get all the goods here by then," Shi Xin said.

Xi Lang: "You can arrange it as you see fit."

"Leave it to me, I'll make sure you and your siblings move into the new house as soon as possible. I noticed you haven't even prepared any stones here. Are you planning to go up the mountain and get them yourself, or should I transport them to you?"

"We can just go up the mountain and get them." Transporting stones from other places would be too much trouble for Shi Xin, and Xi Lang didn't like to bother people.

"Alright. Once you bring the stones back, I'll have the foreman come over and lay the foundation for you." He paused, then added, "Are meals provided here, or will the foreman bring their own?"

"I provide meals here." You need to be well-fed to have the energy to work, and Xi Lang doesn't intend to skimp on this aspect.

"Shall I get you a few more bags of grain?"

"OK."

"What kind of meat did you have for lunch today? Is there any left? I want to eat it again tonight." Shi Xin didn't stand on ceremony with Xi Lang. The meat was really delicious. He not only wanted to eat it himself, but also wanted to take some home for his family to try.

"It's wolf meat," Xi Lang said.

Shi Xin had eaten wolf meat before, "but the meat I'm eating today is quite different from the wolf meat I've had before."

Xi Lang: "It's a giant wolf, weighing two or three hundred pounds."

Shi Xin: "..."

He had never heard of wolves growing to two or three hundred pounds.

Xi Lang was too lazy to explain to him.

"Are there any more? I'll take some back for your sister-in-law, nephew, and niece to try."

"I'll give you ten catties."

"Not enough, I need twenty jin."

"OK."

"Twenty isn't enough, add another ten pounds."

"......"

Xi Lang glanced at Shi Xin indifferently, without saying a word.

Shi Xin smiled obsequiously, "Your nephew and niece are at the age where they are growing and have big appetites."

Xi Lang remained unmoved.

Shi Xin looked at Chen Zhi beside him and said, "Sister-in-law, come over here and reason with this stubborn ox."

Chen Zhi looked at Xi Lang, puzzled, and asked silently.

Before Xi Lang could speak, Shi Xin told him what had happened.

"He said the wolf weighed two or three hundred pounds, but he wouldn't give my brother thirty pounds. My brother has parents to support and several children to care for; twenty pounds isn't enough, don't you think, sister-in-law?"

As Shi Xin spoke, he subtly observed Chen Zhi. Seeing that Chen Zhi did not show any dissatisfaction, he became even more satisfied with her.

"Twenty catties is indeed too little. I'll have Xi Lang cut fifty catties for you, Brother Shi."