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

Hearing the noise, Song Xianglan glanced at the chicken droppings on Youbao's collar and then at his furious expression, and couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"You can't eat this rooster."

Song Xianglan teased him with a laugh, "You're saving it so the hen can lay eggs and hatch chicks. If you really eat it, where will you find chicks to be your friends?"

"Stinky!"

Youbao wouldn't listen at all, covering her nose and stomping her feet as she cried, "I don't want it anymore!"

Da Bao heard the crying and ran over.

She swiftly pulled off Youbao's coat and tossed it aside.

Er Ying used the back of her hand to wipe You Bao's tears.

"Uncle You, don't cry. I'll go get a bamboo pole and help you hit that bad chicken."

Fu Bao sat on the threshold without moving.

He scratched his nose with his index finger and smiled at Youbao.

"Brother, you're so shameful." Fu Bao drawled, "You're crying even though you're the uncle, but look at San Ying, she doesn't cry at all."

San Ying stood to the side, her mouth agape.

"My uncle is so stupid."

Sanying pointed at the rooster, her face full of confusion, "Going to be friends with a chicken? Chickens are for us to eat."

Youbao sniffed and retorted, "They can also be pets."

"What's a pet?" San Ying didn't understand and shook her head. "Anyway, chicken is delicious. No matter what, pets aren't as tasty as braised or stewed meat."

His words made everyone in the courtyard laugh.

The door was pushed open.

Zhao Yuan entered the yard carrying two large plastic bags.

Aunt Song, Zhao Yuan, placed the bag on the stone table and exhaled a puff of white breath.

"Why did you bring so many things?" Song Xianglan put down the basin in her hand and went over to look.

"I just picked some greens from the field, along with some sweet potatoes, taro, and eggplants. I brought them to you on the way. This morning I went to the county and bought a few pounds of pork belly and ribs. I figured your family is large, and you'd definitely be making a lot of fried food at the end of the year, so these would be perfect."

"In this freezing weather, you still made a special trip to the county town." Song Xianglan untied the bag.

"My mom asked me to tell you this while I was at it."

Zhao Yuan continued, "My family made a lot of vegetable cakes and turtle cakes this year. We'll bring them over to you as soon as they're steamed, so you won't have to bother making them. My mom said she's going to make rice cakes this afternoon."

Upon hearing this, Song Xianglan...

His eyebrows immediately relaxed.

"That's great," Song Xianglan said. "I dislike doing those things the most. They're so time-consuming, and my back aches for a long time after just one session."

"My mom made a lot more, there's plenty," Zhao Yuan replied with a smile.

Gao Erying stood on tiptoe and chimed in:

"My grandma and mom are making zongzi at home. They made really big meat zongzi, and they even put oysters and abalone inside."

"Alright." Song Xianglan waved her hand. "You two families can take care of all the vegetable cakes and zongzi. I'll just fry some ribbonfish, meatballs, taro, and sweet potatoes at home to make some fried food. We can share it among our families when it's done."

Shen Huijun heard the noise and came downstairs.

He was holding several vacuum-packed bags of meat.

"Zhao Yuan".

Shen Huijun handed over the bag, "Here are some snacks, and some sausages and cured meats that I brought back from Shenzhen. Take them back and try them."

Zhao Yuan quickly declined:

"Sister Huijun, this is all the good stuff you brought back from so far away. Save it for the kids at home."

"Take it."

Shen Huijun shoved it into her arms, saying, "The sausages made in Shenzhen have a slightly sweet taste, which isn't common here. Take them back, slice them, and steam them, or put them on top of rice and cook them together. The oil from the cured meat seeps into the crispy rice at the bottom, making them extra fragrant."

Zhao Yuan swallowed hard and didn't refuse any longer.

"Thank you, Sister Huijun. I'll head back now."

After Zhao Yuan left the courtyard.

Shen Huijun looked away.

"Mom, Zhao Yuan is a really nice girl, hardworking and kind-hearted," Shen Huijun asked Song Xianglan. "Does she have a boyfriend?"

"Not yet."

Song Xianglan shook her head. "Someone mentioned two to her a while ago. There aren't any suitable ones yet, and she's not in a hurry."

Youbao changed into a clean cotton-padded jacket inside the house.

He grabbed a small wooden stick from the kitchen and ran out excitedly.

"I want to go out and play." Youbao waved the stick in his hand.

Erbao, who was bored out of his mind, immediately chimed in:

"I'll go with you."

He turned and called out to the main room, "Fu Bao, Er Ying, San Ying, want to go out and play?"

"I'm not going out."

Fu Bao put the tin box on the table and called to Er Ying and San Ying, "It's cold outside, let's play jump rope in the yard."

"Yes, we're playing jump rope."

Er Ying took the rubber band out of her pocket and tore it open in the yard.

Seeing that the three little girls refused to leave.

Youbao and Erbao ignored them and ran out of the alley along the main road.

Jumping rope is something little girls love to do, but they don't like it at all.

The two strolled along until they reached the seaside.

It was a chilly afternoon at the end of the year.

The sky was overcast and the beach was deserted; not even the usually bustling shrimp ponds were in sight.

The sea breeze is extremely strong.

The cold wind, carrying moisture, stung my face and seemed to seep into my neck.

They blew the hair off a person's head until each strand stood straight up and bristled.

Youbao poked holes randomly in the sand with a stick.

"I want to go catch fish in the sea," Youbao said, pointing to the rolling seawater.

Erbao, who used to be a wild child in the village, became bolder after hearing this.

He often jumped off the breakwater stones and plunged into the sea to swim.

"What's the point of catching fish?" Erbao patted his chest and assured him, "I know where to find abalone. There are lots of reefs down there, I can dive down and pry abalone off for you to eat."

Youbao swallowed hard as he listened.

"Then let's pry it open."

The two little ones went around the breakwater and found a gentle stretch of mudflat.

Seeing that no one was around, Youbao quickly stripped off his cotton-padded jacket and trousers.

His pale little body was directly exposed to the cold wind.

Erbao also took off his coat.

Now that he's in sixth grade, he's got some sense of pride, so he stubbornly kept his shorts on.

A cold wind passed by.

The two stood on the beach, their teeth chattering from the cold.

Looking at Youbao's lips, which were blue from the cold, Erbao suddenly felt a little uneasy.

"Can you swim?" Erbao asked, shrinking his neck.

Youbao hugged her arms tightly and thought for a moment.

"I can. I learned to swim at the swimming pool and I even went swimming at the beach."

Erbao felt relieved after hearing what he said.

The two held hands, preparing to take a deep breath and jump into the sea.

Youbao suddenly stopped.

His eyes were fixed on the right front.

Behind a nearby embankment, a figure was crouching low, sneaking along the ground towards Grandma Liu's shrimp pond. The person moved extremely fast, glancing left and right, and clutching something in their hand.

Youbao grabbed Erbao's arm.

"Brother, wait a minute."

The second child was shivering from the cold.

"What's wrong?"

Youbao stretched out his frozen fingers and pointed in that direction.

"Look at that person," Youbao said in a low voice, her eyes sharp. "The person who went to Grandma Liu's shrimp pond, doesn't he look like a villain from TV?"

Erbao followed Youbao's finger and looked in that direction, his eyes suddenly narrowing.