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

Grandma Zhen lives alone in two mud-brick houses with thatched roofs. In the middle of the yard stands a pear tree. The pear tree was planted by Grandma Zhen's husband and is over twenty years old. Every year at the end of July and the beginning of August, when the fruit ripens, the heavy fruit bends the branches, and wooden stakes are needed to support the branches to keep them from breaking.

Grandma Zhen's husband has been dead for more than ten years. This pear tree is the last memento he left her. Grandma Zhen cherishes this pear tree very much. She catches insects for it and wraps it in straw to keep it warm in winter.

In previous years, when the pears ripened, everyone would bring vegetables or grains they grew at home to Grandma Zhen's house to exchange for pears. Grandma Zhen was old and couldn't earn many work points, so the pears from this tree could bring her a lot of grain to support her life.

Putting everything else aside, the pears at Grandma Zhen's house are incredibly sweet.

Chen Zhi ate a thin slice of pear, which she snatched from Chen Xiaofu's hand, and was even beaten for it. Although she was beaten, she didn't regret it. She remembered the taste of the pear, and at that time she secretly vowed that she would plant a pear tree someday.

When pear trees are mentioned, Chen Zhi feels that she can plant one at home right now.

"Where are the pears on the tree?"

"The little Red Guards took some away, and some fell to the ground. When I came over, everyone was still helping Grandma Zhen pick up the pears."

"How is Grandma Zhen?"

"That was the only thing her husband left behind, the thing that kept her going. Now that it's gone, I don't even need to think about how sad Grandma Zhen must be."

"When we get back, let's take some grain to Grandma Zhen's house and exchange it for pears."

"Yes, take only grain, not vegetables. Every little bit helps."

.....

When Chen Zhi returned home, Chen Peng was still there, and he was helping her clean the house with a broom.

"Thank you!" Chen Zhi said.

"You're welcome." Chen Peng straightened up, pointed to the wall, and said, "They've ruined this beautiful white wall. They're having a competition to see who can leave the tallest footprints on it."

Looking at the dense footprints, Chen Zhi had a momentary urge to kill someone.

Chen Zhi let out a heavy sigh of relief. "It's alright, I'll just wipe it with a cloth in a bit."

"I'm sorry, I didn't protect your home well," Chen Peng said, blaming himself.

Chen Zhi shook her head. "It's just a few footprints, nothing serious. Did you know that Grandma Zhen's pear tree was cut down?"

Chen Peng was taken aback. "Cut it down? Why? Was that tree in their way?"

Chen Zhi: "Who knows? I'm going to Grandma Zhen's house to exchange pears for some. Are you coming? I'll treat you."

Chen Peng: "You don't need to ask me, my family will definitely go and change it."

Chen Zhi: "I'll just treat you to one, so don't be shy with me. Let's go."

Chen Peng agreed only after seeing that she genuinely wanted to invite him.

Chen Zhi filled a bag with a pound of rice and a handful of noodles weighing a pound, and walked with Chen Peng toward Grandma Zhen's house.

Along the way, they encountered many people, all of whom looked angry, but they all gritted their teeth and no one complained.

When Chen Zhi arrived at Grandma Zhen's house, there were already quite a few people there.

The pears on the ground had already been picked up and put into bamboo baskets, filling two large baskets to the brim. Several young men from the village were chopping down the pear trees with axes, piling the chopped branches in a corner of the yard.

Grandma Zhen has no children, and usually the younger members of the clan help her with heavy work.

Chen Zhi saw people exchanging pears and quietly joined the queue. Chen Peng went to help tidy up the branches.

Chen Zhi noticed that Grandma Zhen wasn't using a scale. She just sat on a chair, looking at the things everyone had brought, and casually distributed pears according to their value.

If anyone feels they've been cheated, they can choose not to exchange their items and take them back with them.

"Your potatoes can be traded for six pears, will you trade them?" Grandma Zhen asked.

"Switch, swap, six! I still came out ahead," Aunt Qingfen laughed.

Grandma Zhen smiled too, but her smile seemed a little forced. She gave Aunt Qingfen six pears.

Then it's the next person's turn.

Those who came to exchange for pears all ended up getting pears, with almost no one dissatisfied.

Finally, it was Chen Zhi's turn, and she handed over the bag.

Grandma Zhen glanced at her before looking at the contents of the bag. She weighed it in her hand and said, "I'll trade these things for twelve pears."

The fruit at the supply and marketing cooperative was expensive and not always available. Chen Zhi was very satisfied that he could exchange it for twelve pears.

She nodded. "Okay."

"Grandma Zhen, she only brought this little bit of stuff, why did you exchange it for so much?" someone asked.

"She brought some refined grains." Grandma Zhen took out a handful of noodles, her expression nostalgic. "I haven't eaten noodles in so many years, I've forgotten what they taste like."

Grandma Zhen poured out Chen Zhi's rice and flour, then counted out twelve pears and put them into her bag before returning the bag to her.

The pears at Grandma Zhen's house were fragrant and sweet, and Chen Zhi ate two as soon as she got home. After giving one to Chen Peng, she had nine left. She wondered when Xi Lang would return, and wanted him to try some of the pears too.

The next morning, those same Little Red Guards from the day before returned, looking fierce and menacing. They went straight to Grandma Zhen's house, shouting that Grandma Zhen had poisoned them. They claimed that after eating the pears from Grandma Zhen's house, they all had terrible stomach aches and had spent the night in the hospital. They demanded that Grandma Zhen compensate them for their medical expenses and recovery costs.

When Chen Zhi learned about this, the Little Red Guards were smashing and destroying things at Grandma Zhen's house.

The villagers were furious, but dared not step forward to stop it.

Later, I heard that a young Red Guard pushed Grandma Zhen, causing her to fall and die on the spot.

After hearing this, Chen Zhi was completely stunned.

"Those people were also frightened and ran away."

"Is this all we're going to do?"

"Of course not, the captain and the secretary have already gone to the police."

"Won't they be punished?"

"Probably, after all, a life for a life."

The police came to the village that day, examined Grandma Zhen's body, and then left, telling them to wait for news.

The brigade leader and the secretary went to the town's police station every day, and they always came back looking very grim.

Finally, on the fifth day, the two returned with smiles on their faces.

"Is there good news?"

"Yes, all of them are dead." Chen Renzheng sighed. "Nine people in total, all of them fell and died."

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at each other, their expressions becoming somewhat unnatural. Wasn't this the same way Grandma Zhen died?

After a long pause, someone finally uttered a curse: "Karma!"

Nine people died suddenly, all in such a bizarre way, causing a huge uproar. The parents didn't believe their children's deaths, but that was the police's conclusion. There were eyewitnesses to each of the nine deaths, and more than one. They all suddenly collapsed and died, without even a chance to be resuscitated.

That evening, when Shi Xin brought piglets to Chen Zhi, he mentioned this matter.

Chen Zhi had a gut feeling that the deaths of the nine people were related to Grandma Zhen, so she told Shi Xin about it. After listening, Shi Xin spat and said, "They deserved it."

Chen Zhi remained silent, looking at the three pigs in the cage, and said uncertainly, "These must weigh fifty or sixty pounds, who would sell piglets that big?"

Moreover, she only wanted two heads, but now Shi Xin has sent her three.

"This is a thank-you gift for saving someone last time. You left in such a hurry that no one had a chance to thank you yet. They heard from me that you were going to raise pigs, so they contributed their pigs. Consider this a gift from everyone who pooled their money to buy it for you, so please accept it without worry." He was originally going to go to the county to find piglets, but his business in the county suddenly ran into some problems, and by the time he resolved the issues, it was already several days later.

The children's parents came to Chen Zhi's house every day. His wife was so bothered that she finally told him that Chen Zhi wanted to raise pigs, and that's how these three pigs came about.

Chen Zhi: "Isn't this gift too expensive?"

"No matter how valuable it is, it's not as valuable as human life. You can keep it; there's no need to feel pressured. Besides, these pigs have all been castrated, so you just need to raise them. It's easy for you."

"You don't need to worry about the pig feed. I brought you five bags of rice bran. Just feed them as much as you want, and let me know when you're done."

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

Shi Xin's thinking is too thorough.

"You can sell me the rice bran at market price, but I won't take it if you give it to me for free," Chen Zhi said.

Shi Xin thought for a moment, "Okay, I'll calculate it with you in a bit."

The two of them put the pig into the old house together, and then carried the rice bran off the cart together.

Shi Xin took another basket off the car, the very one Chen Zhi had left at Shi Xin's house, and also brought her the hat.

The basket was full of things: cloth, biscuits and candies, a large piece of pork belly, and a goat leg.

Shi Xin: "You saved your nephew and niece, and your uncle, aunt, and sister-in-law said they wanted to give you money. I told them you couldn't accept it, so they prepared these things for you instead. They're all just cheap things, but you can't refuse them."

Chen Zhi looked troubled. "This is too expensive. We're friends, helping a friend out doesn't require such an expensive gift."

"But you saved my whole family's lives." Shi Xin said solemnly, "If those three children were gone, your family wouldn't have survived."

Chen Zhi pursed her lips, unsure of what to say.

Shi Xin: "It's getting late, I should go back. Things aren't very peaceful outside lately, so you should stay in the village and not go out. It's not too late to go out after the storm has passed."

Chen Zhi nodded, "Brother Shi, please wait a moment."

Chen Zhi went back, took out six talisman papers, folded them into triangles according to Xi Lang's folding method, and handed them to Shi Xin, saying, "Put them in a small cloth bag and carry them with you secretly."

Shi Xin took it. "Oh, I was just about to ask you for this, but I didn't expect you to bring it up yourself. I'll accept it, and I'll thank you on their behalf. With this, my brother can feel much more at ease. Alright, I'm leaving now. Make sure to close the doors and windows when you go to sleep tonight."

Chen Zhi: "Okay. Drive carefully on the road."

After seeing Shi Xin off, Chen Zhi first marinated the pork belly and lamb leg.

It's hot now, so the meat won't last long. She plans to marinate it overnight, smoke it tomorrow, and hang it on the stove. She'll then cut off only the amount she needs each day.

After marinating the meat, Chen Zhi went to cook pig feed.

She had already prepared the feeding trough in advance. It was a round stone that she had hollowed out little by little in the middle, leaving only about five centimeters thick at the bottom.

She traveled across most of the mountain and spent three days carving out this stone.

By the time Chen Zhi fed the pigs, it was already completely dark.

The three pigs hid in the corner and didn't move.

Chen Zhi ignored them, poured the pig feed into the trough, and went out.

Looking at the starry sky, Chen Zhi thought that Xi Lang would be very surprised if he knew that she raised pigs.

I wonder if he'll find the pigsty smelly.