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

Sima Bin put down his wine glass, leaned back on the sofa, and tapped his fingers on the armrest. He looked unwell.

Seeing that he remained silent, Ma Wencai moved closer, lowered his voice, and spoke with a hint of ingratiation.

"Brother-in-law, it doesn't matter that I got beaten, but I've always kept the things you told me in mind."

"You said you should be careful around good-looking women, make sure they're obedient, that'll make things easier. Weren't those women in Jinzhou all introduced to you by me?"

"You've never seen Che Xiaorui before. She has an oval face, skin as white as porcelain, and a pleasant voice. She's so much better than the girls in our old workplace."

"I was just thinking of keeping an eye out for you, brother-in-law..."

Sima Bin's expression changed, and his gaze swept across Ma Wencai's face with a hint of warning: "Stop talking nonsense."

Ma Wencai shrank his neck, but he didn't stop talking; his voice became even softer, as if he were whispering.

"Brother-in-law, don't worry, I know what I'm doing. When have I ever told anyone about your affairs? I'm even more tight-lipped about my sister's side."

"You're the section chief at your workplace, so you need to consider the overall situation. It's not convenient for you to handle these things yourself, so I'll take care of it."

"For so many years, haven't I been doing a good job? It's just today... I really can't swallow this insult."

Sima Bin remained silent for a moment, then reached for his wine glass, picked it up, and put it down again.

He took a cigarette out of the pack, lit it, took a puff, and exhaled the smoke from his nose, swirling it under the light.

"Who are those two people?" he asked.

Ma Wencai thought for a moment: "The one surnamed Chang is named Chang Kun. He used to work for Zhang Qingfeng. The one surnamed Hou is his follower. I've inquired about him. He doesn't have any background. He's just an ordinary employee."

Sima Bin nodded, his fingers continuing to tap on the armrest, one tap at a time, as if he were pondering something.

Seeing his brother-in-law's expression, Ma Wencai knew that he already understood, so he stopped nagging and took another sip of his wine.

"Alright." Sima Bin stubbed out his cigarette, stood up, straightened the collar of his loungewear, and spoke in a low voice, but with an air of unquestionable authority.

"I understand. You can go back now. Do your job well at work tomorrow and don't cause me any trouble. I'll handle those two."

Ma Wencai's eyes lit up, and he quickly stood up, repeatedly thanking his brother-in-law, "Thank you, brother-in-law. I knew you wouldn't stand by and watch me be bullied. Brother-in-law, you should get some rest. I'll be going now."

As he spoke, he backed towards the door, then came back to pick up his glasses. Chong Si Ma Bin chuckled, opened the door, and went out.

The sound of footsteps echoed in the hallway for a while, then gradually faded into the distance.

Sima Bin stood by the window, looking at the dark night outside, and drew the curtains.

He remembered what Ma Wencai had said about Che Xiaorui—an oval face, fair skin, and a pleasant voice. His heart fluttered, but he quickly shook his head, suppressing the thought.

He has just taken office and his position is not yet secure; this is not the time to think about such things.

Those two old men left behind by Zhang Qingfeng need to be kept under control.

As for Ma Wencai, he is, after all, his brother-in-law. Even when beating a dog, one must consider its owner; his people cannot suffer losses for nothing.

……

That evening, Cheng Min made the bed early, straightened the pillows, and hung Chang Kun's clothes for the next day on the back of the chair.

After she finished what she was doing, she turned around and glanced at Chang Kun, her eyes carrying a hint of warning.

"You have to go with the car tomorrow, so go to bed early and don't mess around."

After Cheng Min finished speaking, she turned off the light, crawled into bed, turned her back to Chang Kun, and wrapped the blanket tightly around herself, like a silkworm cocoon.

Chang Kun chuckled in the darkness and reached out to hug her, but Cheng Min twisted her arm and pushed his hand away: "I said no, and that's final. Go to sleep."

Chang Kun knew she really didn't want him to, so he didn't force her. He withdrew his hand, put it behind his head, and looked at the ceiling.

Moonlight streamed in through the gaps in the curtains, casting a thin white line on the floor.

Cheng Min's breathing quickly became even and deep; she had fallen asleep.

Chang Kun tossed and turned, unable to sleep, his mind racing with thoughts of tomorrow: going to Tangshan by car, Xiao Shui, his aunt's grain, Grandpa Hong's instructions, and Old Mrs. Zhou and Sister-in-law Li from Zhao Jia Gou.

I don't know how much time passed, but I finally drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, before dawn, Chang Kun was awakened by the noise in the courtyard.

When I opened my eyes, the light coming through the gap in the curtains was still hazy. I looked to the side and saw that Cheng Min had already gotten up, and the bed was already cold.

He sat up, rubbed his face, got dressed, and went out the door.

As soon as I stepped outside, I saw Xiao Shui already waiting in the yard.

Today she was wearing a clean floral dress, her hair was neatly combed and tied into two small braids with red ribbons tied to the ends, and she was wearing a pair of new cloth shoes with two small yellow flowers embroidered on the surface.

On his back was a faded cloth backpack, bulging and full, with something stuffed inside.

The little girl was sitting by the stone table, swinging her legs back and forth, her face full of excitement.

When Xiao Shui saw Chang Kun come out, her eyes lit up. She jumped off the stone bench and ran over.

"Big brother! I've been up for ages! I've been waiting for you for ages!" She looked up, her eyes sparkling, her voice high-pitched and crisp, like an early-rising sparrow.

Chang Kun squatted down, looked at her outfit, and smiled: "You look really good today, new clothes?"

Xiao Shui nodded vigorously, reaching out to touch the red ribbon at the end of her braid: "My mother combed my hair like this. The red ribbon is new, and so are my shoes."

As she spoke, she lifted her foot to show Chang Kun, and the small yellow flowers embroidered on the shoe swayed in the morning light.

Chang Kun rubbed her head and went to wash up.

Xiao Shui followed behind him, going wherever he went, like a little tail.

He kept muttering, "Brother, is there any food on the train? Brother, is Grandma's house far? Brother, when will we get there?"

Chang Kun replied while washing his face, "Don't worry about it, I'll be there this afternoon."

Xiao Shui nodded in satisfaction, then ran back to the stone table, sat down, and continued swinging her legs while waiting.

Before long, more and more people filled the courtyard.

Liu Meifen came out of the kitchen carrying a pot of hot porridge. When she saw Xiaoshui's outfit, she smiled and said, "Oh, Xiaoshui looks so radiant today, like a little bride."

Xiao Shui smiled shyly and lowered her head to touch her braid.

Chang Dashan came out of the house with a cigarette in his hand. He looked at the sky, then at Chang Kun, and said, "It's getting cold. Wear more clothes."

Cheng Min came out of the house carrying a washbasin, draped a towel over a rope, walked over to straighten Chang Kun's collar, and checked his bag to see if he had everything he needed.

Not long after, Aunt Fan Erxiao came in, carrying a cloth bag containing several boiled eggs and two hot pancakes.