Old Mrs. Song is reborn; get out of here, you scumbag husband and illegitimate child!

The village chief didn't accept the cigarette, but looked Nie Xiaochuan up and down.

"Why didn't the martyr's family keep the children? Why did they force a widow to remarry with three children?"

Nie Xiaochuan put the cigarette back in his pocket.

His gaze swept towards Xiu Hong, who was hiding behind Tang Datian.

"You'll have to ask Sister Xiuhong about that." Nie Xiaochuan didn't know the details. "I was young back then, but I clearly remember you, Xiuhong, saying that if the man was gone, the child couldn't be gone too."

You cried and begged us to understand your heart as a mother, insisting on bringing these three children with you. Our Nie family elders are soft-hearted, so they finally agreed.

The surrounding villagers immediately exchanged glances.

Everyone understands this perfectly well: the pension issued by the state, and the monthly subsidies for the children of martyrs, all go with the children.

Without these three "burdens".

Could Tang Datian really marry a widow with a child?

Xiuhong trembled all over from those words.

She sounded as if she had been stripped naked and stared at, her voice barely audible.

"I... well, for the past ten years or so, I've worked tirelessly to raise those three kids. I didn't miss a single penny of that money; it all went into this family. Now that they have a good place to go, I won't stop them, and I don't want the money back."

She wiped away her tears and looked at Xiao Yan with red eyes.

"Xiao Yan, you're going to live a good life. When you older siblings are financially well-off, please take care of your three younger siblings, visit them more often, and occasionally help them out..."

"I don't expect you to be filial to me. But Xiaoyuan and the others are your younger brothers and sisters."

The words hadn't even landed.

Chunxia, ​​who was standing to the side, burst out laughing.

"Oh my, I've really learned something new today. You're really ugly but have all the dreams you want. Like a toad with chicken feathers stuck on its head, it jumps once and thinks it's a great bird. You just want to go up to the sky and stand shoulder to shoulder with the sun."

Xiu's face flushed bright red.

"What kind of philanthropist are you pretending to be?" Chunxia fired off a barrage of questions. "You married Tang Datian and had your fun, but you also gave birth to a litter of three piglets like an old sow."

That's the child you had for your current man. Make sure you understand, you didn't have a younger brother or sister for Wentao and his two siblings.

Why should Wentao and his siblings have to pay for the care of those lazy, good-for-nothing kids in your family? Do you really think you can take advantage of everyone in the world?

The Party Secretary wouldn't listen.

He was a retired soldier, and the moment he heard the word "martyr," his anger flared up.

"Tang Datian, how do you want to settle this? You want child support, don't you?"

Tang Datian, still stubbornly trying to struggle, retorted, "She ate my food for nothing..."

The Party Secretary interrupted him loudly, "You can have child support. First, calculate every penny of the pensions and subsidies the state has given to the children of martyrs over the years."

Return the money in full, and then calculate the wages for the three children who worked like slaves at your house. We'll reconcile the accounts item by item. Go and call the brigade accountant now to calculate it in person. We'll discuss child support after that."

These words completely deflated Tang Datian, leaving him utterly limp like a frostbitten eggplant.

If you really calculate it that way, he'd have to pay out of his own pocket.

He awkwardly pursed his lips:

"Secretary, we're from the same village. Her biological father is dead..."

"Take everyone away directly." The Party Secretary turned to Nie Xiaochuan and nodded. "There's no room for discussion. Our village will never tolerate the oppression of the martyrs' families."

With the Party Secretary's approval.

Tang Datian dared not utter another word.

Everyone knows that the Party Secretary is not a ruthless person.

Nie Xiaochuan was very grateful to the decisive and efficient secretary.

"Uncle, we are so grateful for your fair judgment today." Nie Xiaochuan pointed to the barren hill outside the village. "I think our village has plenty of sunshine and a good climate. It would be a waste to use it all to grow corn."

The Party Secretary sighed, "What else can we grow on these remote, impoverished mountain slopes besides corn and peanuts?"

"Grow pomelos, grow tangerines, or at the very least, pineapples and carrots," Nie Xiaochuan answered quickly. "Qingyang is near the sea and has a large wholesale fruit market, and the shortage is getting worse every year."

I happen to know a few people who run long-haul freight and also do large-scale wholesale. If your village can really develop fruit trees, I'll help you get connections.

The secretary looked up, his eyes lighting up instantly.

"really?"

"really."

The Party Secretary grabbed Nie Xiaochuan's arm: "Where are we going to get these fruit seedlings?"

"Go to the county and check out the market," Nie Xiaochuan said with a smile. "If you're really serious about doing this, then go to your county. If all else fails, go to Qingyang to find out what's going on; there are plenty of good prospects at the Qingyang farmers' market."

"Okay! Okay!" The secretary nodded repeatedly.

At the other end of the courtyard.

The villagers urged Xiaoyan, "Girl, stop dawdling, hurry up and go inside to pack your clothes and go back to your hometown with your uncle."

Xiao Yan nodded and stepped into the house.

Chunxia grabbed her arm.

"Why are you picking up all that junk? Look at all these patches on your clothes, they're not even the same color. Don't bother packing, just leave them all here. When we get home, I'll take you to buy some new clothes."

Xiao Yan stopped in her tracks.

She bit her lip. "Auntie, could you write down my home address and the village phone number for me?"

Chunxia raised an eyebrow, immediately understanding.

The way this girl looked when she was standing next to Tang Yuena just now.

She saw it all.

"Okay." Chunxia took out a pen and paper from her purse, quickly wrote down a string of numbers and an address, tore it off, and handed it over. "This is the phone number for the convenience store. It's run by your grandma."

Xiao Yan clutched the note tightly, not even glancing at Xiu Hong and her three half-siblings.

She walked over to Tang Yuena and quickly stuffed the note into Yuena's hand.

"Sister," Xiao Yan put her arm around Tang Yuena's shoulder, "You must come see me when you have time. If you can't come out, just call me."

Tang Yuena patted Xiao Yan's thin back.

Tears streamed down her face.

"Don't come back after you leave." Tang Yuena sniffed. "Write me a letter when you get there. Just in case... I mean just in case, if you feel that the place is not good to you and you can't stand it anymore, then come back."

Yuena wiped her face hard.

"At worst, I'll work harder at my in-laws' house, and then I'll save some money for you on my own."

Xiao Yan nodded emphatically.

The two sisters looked at each other, laughing through their tears.

Chunxia couldn't stand this scene. She turned to the side and blocked Xiuhong's sneaky gaze from looking this way.

She pulled a handful of colorful fruit candies from her pocket and stuffed them, along with a brand-new five-yuan bill, into Tang Yuena's hand.

"Here you go."

Yuena instinctively pushed it away: "Auntie, I can't take this money..."

"Take it if I tell you to." Chunxia's tone was firm. "Keep this money so you can make a long-distance call to Xiaoyan in town. Hurry up and put it in your pocket, don't dawdle with me."

Tang Yuena's fingers tightened as she gripped the five yuan.

He could no longer utter a single word.

The handover was completed in less than twenty minutes.

Nie Xiaochuan straddled the motorcycle and stepped on the start lever.

The roar of engines echoed throughout the entire courtyard.

Nie Dahua was the first to climb into the back seat, Chunxia pulled Xiaoyan into the car, and squeezed herself into the very back. The car was crammed with four people, and the tires were all flattened.

"Hold on tight."

Xiao Chuan twisted the throttle, and the motorcycle crushed mud and gravel.

As the car sped up, the mountain wind rushed straight up my collar.

Nie Dahua shouted at the top of her lungs in the wind, "This trip was so much more pleasant today. If it weren't for the fact that the village secretary is a reasonable person, that scoundrel Tang Datian would probably still be shamelessly begging for money."

Nie Xiaochuan hunched over, his hands gripping the handlebars tightly.

"Because he was a soldier." Nie Xiaochuan's roar drowned out the engine noise. "A veteran understands better than anyone that the title of 'martyr' is an honor earned with one's life. He would never stand by and watch the bloodline left by my fifth brother remain here."

It's very windy.

Xiao Yan was sandwiched between Da Hua and Chun Xia, and was being tossed around.

The tears in her eyes dried in the wind but welled up again, so she could only press her face against Nie Dahua's back.

She couldn't bear to part with Yuena.

Looking back, the village is far away.

She silently prayed in her heart: Sister Yuena, you must be happy. Live twice the life your mother didn't finish.