Reborn in the 60s, I hunt to support my family and even seduce the village beauty.

Sun Xiulan was startled and quickly helped him up.

"Captain, what are you doing...?"

The man in the Zhongshan suit straightened up, looked at her, then at Chang Kun beside him, his voice trembling slightly.

"Sister-in-law Xiulan, you raised a good daughter and found a good son-in-law. This well saved our village."

People nearby gathered around.

"Sister-in-law Xiulan, your son-in-law is amazing!"

"Xiulan, you're so lucky!"

"This son-in-law is absolutely fantastic!"

Sun Xiulan smiled broadly as she listened to these words, but her eyes grew increasingly red.

She looked at her son-in-law standing by the pit, then at her daughter holding her arm, and felt so happy she could fly.

Cheng Min squeezed her arm and whispered, "Mom, are you happy?"

Sun Xiulan nodded, and tears finally fell.

The sun shone on the muddy bay, on the newly dug puddle. Water was still bubbling out, a thin stream, but it never stopped.

A group of people surrounded the pit, laughing, talking, pointing at the water, their eyes shining.

Cheng Xin was surrounded by the group of boys again, who kept asking him questions. Holding up the bamboo rat, he proudly talked about his brother-in-law's hunting trip, his trip to the city, and his eating wonton noodles.

Chang Kun stood to the side, watching all this, a smile curving his lips.

Cheng Min walked over, leaned on his shoulder, and whispered, "Chang Kun."

"Um?"

"Thank you."

Chang Kun lowered his head and gently put his arm around her shoulder.

The goatee stood on the periphery of the crowd, staring at the puddle for a long time, his expression changing repeatedly.

Several people from the neighboring village stood beside him, all silent, looking at each other.

The man in the Zhongshan suit saw it and walked over: "Old Hu, what do you say about this water?"

The goatee raised his head, opened his mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed it back.

The man in the Zhongshan suit sighed and patted him on the shoulder: "Alright, this water is in Lanni Bay, it doesn't belong to any of our villages. We'll discuss how to divide it and how to use it later. Anyway... we don't need to fetch any more."

The goatee paused for a moment, then looked at him.

Zhongshan nodded: "No need to fight."

The goatee was silent for a moment, then suddenly sighed, "Alright, we'll talk about it later."

He turned around and waved to the people in his village: "I'm leaving."

The people from the neighboring village followed him and slowly dispersed. After walking a while, someone looked back at the puddle, then turned back.

The sun shone on the muddy bay, and on the newly dug puddle.

Water is still bubbling out.

……

Sun Xiulan brought her family back to the village.

Along the way, the villagers they met stopped to greet them, glancing at them. Some looked at Cheng Xin's new clothes, some at Chang Kun, and most of them looked at Sun Xiulan with an indescribable look in their eyes.

Sun Xiulan responded to each one with a smile on her face, her steps never faltering.

Back at the dilapidated house, she pushed open the door and dragged out the bags of grain.

Rice, fifty catties.

Fifty catties of cornmeal.

She stood there, looking at these things, and suddenly didn't know where to start.

Cheng Min walked over and took her arm.

"Mother, let me help you."

The mother and daughter began to divide the items.

This place sells two jin of rice, that place sells two jin of noodles.

Cheng Xin helped out from the side, running in and out, calling people from house to house.

Before long, a crowd gathered at the doorway.

"Xiulan, what are you doing?"

"Keep all this food for yourself!"

Sun Xiulan shook her head and stuffed the things into their hands: "Take these! You've helped me a lot over the years. I'm leaving now, so these are just a token of my appreciation."

Some people were stunned.

"Go? Where to?"

Sun Xiulan smiled, her eyes a little red: "Going back to my hometown. My daughter came to pick me up."

The crowd fell silent for a moment, then began to chatter amongst themselves.

"Great news! This is great news!"

"Xiulan, you've finally made it through!"

"Go back and live a good life!"

Sun Xiulan nodded and handed out the bags of grain one by one.

Someone took the item, their eyes also reddening.

"Xiulan, you're too kind..."

Sun Xiulan shook her head and didn't say anything.

The items were all distributed, and the room was empty.

Sun Xiulan stood at the door, looking at her neighbors, and suddenly felt a sense of emptiness in her heart.

Aunt Wang held her hand, chattering away. Uncle Zhao stood beside her, nodding repeatedly. The boys, mostly teenagers, surrounded Cheng Xin, chattering away with questions.

Chang Kun stood not far away, watching all of this.

Cheng Min walked over and leaned against him: "Chang Kun."

"Um."

"My mother is so happy."

Chang Kun nodded without saying anything.

The sun was gradually setting in the west.

Suddenly someone shouted, "Hey, where are the wild animals?"

Cheng Xin slapped his forehead, ran into the house, and brought out the basket of prey.

Pheasants, rabbits, bamboo rats, wild eggs—a whole basket full.

These things are hard to divide; they are intended for the village so that every family can have a bite of meat.

The crowd gathered again.

"So many!"

"Xiulan, this is too precious, you should keep it and take it home to eat!"

Sun Xiulan shook her head and said with a smile, "This was made by my son-in-law. He said he wanted to save it for the villagers to eat, and the whole village stewed it together."

The crowd fell silent for a moment, then someone shouted.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's set up the pot!"

"Yes! Set up the pot! We're having a big pot feast tonight!"

"See Xiulan off!"

"See Xiulan off!"

The shouts grew louder and louder, and the atmosphere became increasingly lively.

Some people went to fetch firewood, some went to carry pots, and some went to find seasonings.

Before long, a large pot was set up under the old locust tree at the village entrance, and the fire crackled and popped.

Chop the pheasant and rabbit into pieces, skin and clean the bamboo rat, and throw them all into the pot. Save the wild eggs, saying they'll add them last.

The water in the pot boiled, bubbling and releasing the aroma of meat that filled the entire village.

The children circled the pot, drooling, while the adults stood by talking.

Sun Xiulan was surrounded by people, one family holding her hand and saying a few words, another tugging at her sleeve and saying a few words. She responded with a smile, her eyes sometimes red and sometimes clear.

I'm afraid I'll never see these neighbors again.

Cheng Xin mingled with the group of teenagers, boasting about his experiences in the city and his brother-in-law's hunting skills, spitting as he talked.

The meat was stewed until tender, the soup turned milky white, and the aroma filled the entire village.

Men, women, and children gathered in a large circle, each holding a bowl, steaming hot. The children couldn't wait, blowing on the food and stuffing it into their mouths, grimacing from the heat but refusing to stop.

He stood up, holding a bowl, and cleared his throat.

"Quiet down, everyone. I have something to say."

The crowd gradually quieted down and turned to look at him.

Zhongshan Suit looked at the meat in the bowl, then at Sun Xiulan sitting in the middle of the crowd, and suddenly didn't know where to begin.

He paused for a moment, then spoke.

"Sister-in-law Xiulan has lived in this village for more than ten years. She is an outsider, but we have never treated her as an outsider."

Sun Xiulan's eyes welled up with tears.

The man in the Zhongshan suit continued, "In those years, she raised Chengxin all by herself, enduring countless hardships and exhaustion. All we could do was lend a hand, but she persevered and managed to raise her child to adulthood."

Some nodded, while others echoed in hushed tones.

The man in the Zhongshan suit looked at Chang Kun.

"Sister-in-law Xiulan found a good son-in-law. This young man has only been here for two days, but he went up the mountain to hunt wild game for us to eat and dug a well for us to use. I, Old Xu, have lived to such an old age and have never seen such a capable young man."

The man in the Zhongshan suit looked at Cheng Min again.

"It's good that your daughter came all this way to find her mother. Let's take her back and enjoy a good life together. This is filial piety, a blessing from God."

Cheng Min felt a lump in her throat and tightened her grip on her mother's arm.

The man in the Zhongshan suit picked up the bowl and raised it high.

"Sister-in-law Xiulan, this bowl of wine—instead of wine, I toast you on behalf of our village."