Chapter 115

He was already a grown man—how could he possibly cry!

Li Dazhuang looked at his son scratching his head with an innocent face. The words he had prepared to scold him suddenly stuck in his throat. He ended up just glaring at him.

With An An being the little darling spoiled by the whole family, it would be a miracle if he could take even the slightest grievance.

The moment An An heard footsteps approaching, tears began to well up in his eyes. He was determined to cry and make his father pay.

Li Dazhuang heard the footsteps too, of course. He quickly lowered his voice and apologized to An An, promising never to glare at him again.

Only then did An An reluctantly hold back his tears.

Soon, it was the latter part of the twelfth lunar month. The village was filled with the smell of meat, and the festive atmosphere was stronger than ever.

Children could often be seen running around the village paths. Ever since the team leader made that decision, he had been visiting the village frequently.

The villagers, once numb and lifeless, now seemed to brim with energy and spirit.

Even a casual glance was enough to see the difference.

Sister-in-law Li had been busy organizing all the food they could spare, determined to make sure the whole family had a good New Year.

Granny Li spent her days altering clothes that had already been worn by who knows how many people, trying to make sure everyone had something new to wear for the holiday.

Before the New Year, Sister-in-law Li also made a trip back to her parental home.

Her family was large, and she wasn’t the most favored child. She didn’t even get a proper meal while she was there. Worried about Shitou, Xiao Hua, and An An, she came back early.

On the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month, a heavy snowfall blanketed the ground in a thick layer of white.

Grandpa Li held An An in his arms, looking up at the goose-feather snowflakes drifting from the sky. Then he glanced at his grandchildren bouncing around the courtyard in joy. He hugged An An a little tighter, his eyes full of warmth.

Elder Brother Li, with nothing else to do, had brought back a few bamboo sticks and made toys for Shitou and Xiao Hua. A light tap would produce a loud sound.

Everyone in the family wore smiles on their faces. An An didn’t quite understand why, but that didn’t stop him from giggling along with them.

During the New Year, most people didn’t visit others’ homes, so Granny Li went ahead and stewed a chicken.

One drumstick went to Xiao Hua, the other to An An, and both wings were given to Shitou. The rest was divided among the rest of the family.

Even though the chicken had been air-dried and preserved well, and stewed for a long time, it was still a bit tough for little An An, who hadn’t even grown all his teeth yet.

Throughout the entire New Year’s Eve dinner, An An was diligently gnawing at his drumstick.

After dinner, the family gathered around the fire. Grandpa Li noticed An An still clutching the drumstick in his hand and couldn’t help but start telling stories from his youth.

The firelight reflected in An An’s eyes, making them sparkle beautifully.

Grandpa Li’s hands, aged and wrinkled like tree bark, gently held An An’s small, soft hand—an image of striking contrast.

Li Dazhuang stretched his hands toward the fire, thinking about what he should do in the coming year.

Back when everyone ate from the communal pot, life had been easy for someone like him. No matter what, he never had to worry about going hungry.

But things were different now. Every household’s rations were based on work points. If the grain distributed in the fall wasn’t enough, his sister-in-law might start talking about splitting the family again.

In the past, he could shamelessly return home alone to freeload off his parents. But now, with a son of his own, he couldn’t very well bring the boy along and still act like a freeloader.

People had a point—he really was afraid his son would grow up to be like him.

Looking at Xiao An’an, still seriously gnawing at that drumstick, Li Dazhuang would have once scoffed at how easily pleased the kid was. Just a chicken leg and he was over the moon.

If he ever got to eat a whole chicken by himself, wouldn’t he be so happy he’d float away?

But that was his son.

The child his wife had fought so hard to bring into the world.

Li Dazhuang couldn’t bring himself to say anything cruel.

He rubbed his hands, warmed by the fire, and stared into the flames in a daze.

For someone like Li Dazhuang, who tended to overthink, moments like this made him even more conflicted.

Elder Brother Li and Sister-in-law Li, on the other hand, had only one thought in their minds: “New Year is wonderful.”

No work, no rush, the whole family gathered around the fire.

Once spring plowing began, they were determined to work even harder and save up more.

Shitou would be old enough to marry in a few years, and Xiao Hua wasn’t that young anymore either—they’d need to prepare a dowry for her.

Their parents were getting on in years and couldn’t keep working so hard. It was time for them to rest a little. The weight of the household would fall on their shoulders.

Thankfully, An An was still young, and their younger brother wasn’t as lazy as he used to be.

With three able-bodied adults in the house, as long as they were willing to work, life would surely get better.

Because of the political turmoil in recent years, many old customs had been abolished. But Grandpa Li and Granny Li, being older, still insisted on staying up for the New Year.

The team leader could stop people from setting off firecrackers, but he couldn’t control when people chose to sleep.

Xiao An’an didn’t know how long he had been gnawing, but he finally finished the drumstick and fell asleep holding the bone in his hand.

Sister-in-law Li brought over warm water, and Granny Li helped wash An An’s face and hands.

They tried to be as gentle as possible, but still ended up waking the little one. He rubbed his eyes and whimpered softly.

It was about time for bed anyway. Sister-in-law Li brought more warm water and poured it into the wooden basin. Xiao Hua insisted on soaking her feet with her little brother, so Elder Brother Li picked her up and helped her take off her shoes.

Shitou still didn’t like the little brother who had stolen his sister’s attention. He never looked happy when An An was around, let alone when they had to share a foot basin.

An An, still half-asleep, stared blankly at the same spot for a long time.

“Xiao Hua, be good. Wait until next year to play with your brother, okay?”

The moment Xiao Hua heard that, her face changed. She widened her eyes and repeated in disbelief:

“Wait until next year to play with my brother?”

Sister-in-law Li adjusted her clothes and gave her daughter a glare. “It’s New Year’s Eve.”

Xiao Hua still felt wronged. It’s New Year’s, so what? Why the glare?

But her instincts told her now was not the time to push her mother’s buttons. She scooted over to her father and clung to his arm, shaking it.

“Daddy, I don’t want to wait until next year to play with my brother. I want to play with him this year too.”

Her words made everyone in the room burst into laughter. Elder Brother Li rubbed her head and explained:

“Tomorrow is next year.”

“Huh?”

Xiao Hua didn’t quite get it. Thinking it was his moment to shine, Shitou rushed over to explain it to her himself, hoping to outshine the baby brother who only knew how to cry.

The lively New Year’s atmosphere wasn’t something An An could fully enjoy. Bundled up like a ball, he could only watch from his father’s arms.

In the courtyard stood the snowmen built by Xiao Hua and Shitou—two big ones and a small one in the middle.

They weren’t exactly well-crafted, a bit lopsided and even a little ugly, but that was to be expected from children.

Elder Brother Li looked at the two big snowmen and the little one between them and asked curiously:

“Shitou, why didn’t you make one for your sister too?”

Shitou scratched his head innocently and pointed to the slightly shorter snowman.

“That’s her~”

“And what about you?”

He pointed to the slightly taller one, still looking innocent, as if he didn’t understand why his father was asking such a strange question.

Unwilling to give up, Elder Brother Li pointed to the smallest snowman.

Before Shitou could answer, Li Dazhuang shoved his son into his brother’s arms and said cheerfully:

“There he is.”

An An grinned foolishly at his uncle. Realizing his mistake, Elder Brother Li couldn’t stay mad.

The only problem was, while it was easy to hand the child over, getting him back was another story.

Li Dazhuang, chilled by the wind, had been eager to return to the fire. Now that he had finally passed his son off, there was no way he was taking him back.

Although An An couldn’t join in the fun, it was clear from his reaction that he wanted to stay and watch. Elder Brother Li couldn’t go against his little nephew’s wishes, so he stayed out in the cold with him.

A few days later, it was the customary day for married daughters to return home for New Year’s greetings. Xiao Chun arrived early in the morning, carrying gifts.

The first thing she did was pull her mother into a room and ask in a hushed voice if Sister-in-law Li had packed the wrong thing last time.

When she got home and lifted the cloth covering the basket, she found a whole chicken inside—her mother-in-law had been overjoyed.

Because of that chicken, her mother-in-law had let her bring back better things than her sisters-in-law, and Xiao Chun had overheard quite a few jealous complaints.

Granny Li patted her daughter’s hand and smiled.

“No mistake. Don’t worry and enjoy it. As long as you’re doing well over there, we can be at ease, understand?”

“Mom, where did that chicken come from?”

Xiao Chun knew her family’s situation well. There was no way they could afford to send a whole chicken just to please her mother-in-law.

She was most worried that her parents had given up their best food just to save face for her.

“Your brother brought it back. Don’t worry, it’s nothing shady.”

“Really?”

Even though Li Dazhuang was her own brother, Xiao Chun knew what he was like. Before she got married, he’d lie down rather than sit if he could.

How had he changed so much in such a short time?

“Really.”

Granny Li smiled. No one was happier than she was to see her son finally turning over a new leaf.

It was just a shame that aside from her eldest daughter-in-law, no one really wanted to hear her talk about it.

She didn’t dare mention it outside either, afraid others would get jealous and start gossiping.

“Alright, then I’m relieved.”

Xiao Chun had been on edge all New Year, worried that her sister-in-law had packed the wrong thing and her parents wouldn’t have a peaceful holiday because of it.

If it weren’t for the custom that married daughters had to return today, she would’ve rushed back on New Year’s Day to ask.

This time, she also brought a piece of clothing—something her mother-in-law had specially prepared for An An. It looked like it would fit perfectly once the weather warmed up.

After a whole winter of snow, the ice finally began to melt with time.

Water dripped steadily from the eaves. The courtyard and paths outside turned muddy, and everyone who came in brought dirt on their shoes.

An An was almost one year old. The family didn’t have much, but Granny Li secretly traded for some fine grain from the villagers.

Xiao An’an didn’t understand any of it. All he could tell was that everyone except his father seemed happy. Everyone else smiled when they saw him.

Lately, An An had been sleeping with his grandparents. One night, after everyone had gone to bed, Elder Brother Li got up quietly, draping a coat over his shoulders.

The noise woke Sister-in-law Li. She opened her eyes wide and asked instinctively:

“It’s so late—where are you going? Not sleeping?”

“I’m going to check on Dazhuang. Talk to him a bit.”

At that, Sister-in-law Li had nothing more to say. She pulled the blanket up over Xiao Hua and whispered:

“If you come back later, be quiet so you don’t wake her.”

In the next room, Li Dazhuang was still awake. His wife had passed away around this time last year, and just thinking about it made his heart ache.

Elder Brother Li wasn’t good with words and didn’t know how to comfort him. He simply reached out and patted his brother’s shoulder.

“I’m fine, bro.”

“Yeah, I know.”

The two brothers sat close, just like when they were kids. Elder Brother Li slung an arm around his younger brother’s shoulders.

In the quiet of the night, even though he didn’t speak loudly, Li Dazhuang heard every word clearly.

“As long as I’m here, An An will be fine. I’ll help you raise him.”

Elder Brother Li didn’t know what else to say to comfort his brother, so he made a promise—to help raise the child.

He wanted to ease his brother’s worries, to bring him some peace of mind.

This year, since Li Dazhuang had started working too, the family didn’t have to help with clearing the river and irrigation ditches. A few more days passed, and it was time for spring plowing.

Once again, Xiao An’an was left in his sister’s care. Shitou had grown another year older and was now treated like an adult at home.

Xiao Hua had become more sensible too. She often helped pick vegetables before her mother and grandmother returned.

Last autumn, aside from that major event, the team leader had also assigned each household a small plot of private land to grow their own vegetables.

Now, some of those crops were ready to eat.

A few days before spring plowing began, Granny Li used some of their stored grain to trade for a few chicks from another family in the village.

The fluffy yellow chicks ran around the courtyard. Taking care of them was Xiao Hua’s job.

She often dug up worms or picked wild greens to feed them. Watching the plump little chicks scurry about, she couldn’t help but swallow her saliva.

After planting all the rice seedlings, the family finally had a bit of free time. Aside from the paddies, there were still some dry fields in the village that needed to be sown.

At first, it was because An An was bundled up in too many layers—he had ideas of his own, but simply couldn’t move his legs.

Later, all the adults were busy with Spring Plowing, and Xiao Hua, terrified her little brother would fall, kept him firmly seated on a stool.

Now that things had calmed down a bit, they suddenly realized that An An had already reached the age where he should be learning to walk.

That very evening, Elder Brother Li went to visit an elder in the village and borrowed the old baby walker that Xiao Hua had once used.

That elder had been a carpenter and had crafted a rolling walker for his child. The child could push it forward to steady themselves and learn to walk. Every time the wheels turned, two little hammers would strike and make noise, drawing the child’s attention and encouraging them to watch where they were stepping.

To help An An learn to walk properly, Grandpa Li even cleared out the courtyard.

Any protruding stones or debris were cleaned up to prevent the little guy from tripping.

Auntie Li, wanting An An to be more comfortable, sewed a small cover from fabric scraps to wrap around the walker’s handle—just the right size.

The first time little An An grabbed the walker’s handle, his big eyes were filled with wonder.

Especially when the walker made noise every time he pushed it forward—he was utterly amazed.

Xiao Hua could tell that her little brother saw the walker as a toy. With him happily occupied, she had more time each day to forage for wild vegetables or catch bugs to feed the chicks.

As long as she heard the sound of the walker, she knew her brother was fine.

Seasons passed—summer faded into autumn, cold gave way to warmth—and in the blink of an eye, another year had gone by.

On An An’s third birthday, the long-dormant system finally reactivated, uploading the original storyline directly into the little one’s mind.

The system had waited because it knew that An An, at such a young age, wouldn’t remember anything it told him.

Even if it had tried, it would’ve been a waste. Better to wait until he was older—for everyone’s sake.

The system itself was a program that only responded to the host’s needs. But its creator, the Supreme God, was something else entirely. He had captured the souls of many deceased animals and embedded them into the system, granting them eternal life as sentient programs.

Over time, and through countless worlds alongside their hosts, these systems grew smarter and more aware.

In this world, An An’s mission wasn’t about Li Dazhuang. His targets were Granny Li and Grandpa Li.

The original protagonist of the story was the son of the man Li Dazhuang had once tried to save.

Interestingly, the setup of that storyline bore some resemblance to An An’s own situation.

That man had married last year under his parents’ arrangement, and not long ago, they’d had a son—Song Longqi.

In this world, fate was an elusive thing.

Some people were born with immense destiny, fated to rise to power and glory.

Others were born with ordinary luck, destined to live out quiet, unremarkable lives.

The system had encountered this kind of destiny calculation before, but it was still a bit too complex for a mere program. All it remembered was something the Supreme God had once said:

“This world is fair. Whether one is born with great fortune or none at all, it’s all a result of their past actions.”

Of course, some people refused to accept their fate and sought to defy it—like one of the previous hosts, who became a vessel for others’ destiny after his own father was deceived.

Song Longqi in this world had done something similar.

In his past life, he had lived in the cultivation world. No one could guarantee what their next life would be, so he marked his own soul.

If he were reborn with poor fortune, he could then absorb the luck of those around him to boost his own.

After the college entrance exams were reinstated, Song Longqi became part of the first class of university students.

Later, during a major incident, he saved a number of key researchers, who then became his powerful allies.

At the same time, he continuously absorbed their fortune, making his own luck skyrocket—no one could compare.

The Li family and An An had very little presence in the original plot. At most, they provided some luck to Song Longqi in the early stages.

Before Song Longqi even realized something was off, Li Dazhuang, out of loyalty to his old friend, visited a few times.

But his own ordinary luck was drained, and when An An was five, Li Dazhuang died drunk in a drainage ditch.

The main mission targets in this world were Granny Li and Grandpa Li.

But because their son meant everything to them, Li Dazhuang ended up becoming one of An An’s indirect targets as well.

In the original storyline, after Li Dazhuang died, Granny Li and Grandpa Li were devastated. They aged overnight, their hair turning white in a single night.

Once they emerged from their grief, they poured all their love for their son into An An.

Even Auntie Li, usually the voice of reason in the household, didn’t object.

But growing up in such an environment, with his luck being siphoned away, An An began to veer off course.

Especially after the economy opened up—many villagers went out and made their fortunes. Only their family remained poor, barely scraping by on farming.

Shitou was just like his father—honest and hardworking, but not very bright. He could barely keep food on the table.

Xiao Hua, on the other hand, inherited her mother’s cleverness and managed to get into college.

But the original host, hoping to curry favor with Song Longqi, brought her to him under the excuse that they were from the same hometown and she’d be studying nearby.

At the time, Song Longqi’s business was struggling, and he desperately needed more luck. He didn’t hold back.

Xiao Hua fell seriously ill shortly after returning home.

Shitou couldn’t believe that his healthy sister had fallen ill just from meeting Song Longqi once.

He wanted to seek justice for her, but by then, Song Longqi was already a powerful businessman and didn’t even see him as a threat.

After losing their granddaughter and then their grandson, Granny Li and Grandpa Li couldn’t bear the blow. They fell ill and never recovered. Elder Brother Li’s hair turned white overnight from the stress.

Auntie Li had to swallow her grief and continue caring for her in-laws.

If not for Song Longqi’s interference, their family might not have been wealthy, but they could’ve lived a peaceful, ordinary life in the village.

The original host wasn’t the root cause of the family’s tragedy, but he was undoubtedly the final straw.

After receiving all these memories, Xiao An’an finally remembered the system’s mission.

At that moment, he was holding a roasted sweet potato, still warm in his small hands. His father had secretly roasted it, then, too lazy to peel it, shoved it straight into An An’s hands.

Xiao An’an, used to helping his father with chores, had never complained. He would carefully peel the sweet potato and hand it back.

But today, An An stared at his father’s back for a long time, then took a fierce bite out of the tip of the sweet potato.

The plot was too complicated for him to fully grasp, but he understood the basics. He remembered that after his father visited a friend’s child, he came back… different.

Eventually, he left An An with his grandparents and never acted like a real father again.

Death was still an abstract concept to someone An An’s age. He didn’t know where his father had gone—only that he’d stopped taking care of him after he was born.

Li Dazhuang had only stepped out to clean the wild vegetables his sister-in-law had picked. When he came back, he found his son had eaten almost the entire sweet potato.

He crouched down in front of An An and said in a low voice:

“If you wanted it that badly, why didn’t you just say so? I could’ve made you your own! Did you really have to do this?”

He popped the last bite into his mouth. He wasn’t even that hungry—just craving a little snack.

An An stared at his now-empty hands, sniffled, and without hesitation, burst into tears and ran outside.

As he ran, he cried out in his soft baby voice for his grandparents.

Granny Li, who was stoking the fire in the kitchen, heard him and rushed out with the spatula still in her hand. She shielded An An behind her and, seeing her son’s guilty expression, immediately understood what had happened.

Li Dazhuang got a thorough scolding from his mother and even had to apologize to the little rascal.

Once Granny Li went back to cooking, he reached over and gave An An’s nose a playful pinch, grumbling with a smile:

“Next time, don’t even think about me taking you out again!”

An An huffed and stomped off with his chubby little legs to find his sister.

If his dad wouldn’t take him out, he’d go with his sister instead.

At first, Shitou didn’t like this kid who had stolen his sister’s attention. Before An An came along, he was the most important person in her heart.

But An An was just too adorable—sweet-talking and charming. Before long, he had Shitou wrapped around his little finger.

No matter what An An wanted, as long as he called him “gege” in that sweet little voice, Shitou would try to pluck the moon from the sky for him.

Li Dazhuang couldn’t help feeling a little sour seeing how unaffected his son was by his scolding.

It hadn’t even been that long!

During dinner, Li Dazhuang remembered something he’d heard—his old friend’s son was getting older now, and they hadn’t seen each other in a while.

They’d grown up together, after all. He wanted to go visit.

An An, who was eating with a bowl in his hands, immediately turned serious when he heard that.

“No.”

Granny Li hadn’t even responded yet when her precious grandson spoke up. She blinked, then nodded in agreement.

“That’s right. An An said no, so let’s not go.”

It wasn’t just a simple visit. If they were really going, they’d have to prepare gifts.

Though their life had improved in recent years, Granny Li still didn’t feel comfortable giving gifts to a mere friend rather than family.

Li Dazhuang had only been testing the waters, but with such a firm response, he didn’t dare bring it up again.

After dinner, he took An An outside to bask in the sun. He waved a piece of foxtail grass in front of An An like he was teasing a village cat.

An An couldn’t resist reaching out to grab it.

“Waaah~”

Li Dazhuang watched his son’s adorable antics and couldn’t understand how such a tiny little thing had rejected his request so firmly.

If it had been his mother, he could understand—she always thought things through and insisted on bringing gifts when visiting someone.

If they didn’t have anything suitable, she wouldn’t let him go at all.

But even Xiao An’an was against it?

“You little rascal, why won’t you let me go? Don’t you know your grandma listens to you the most?”

An An froze mid-pounce and began thinking of how to argue his case.

“No see. Other people’s kid.”

“Why not? He’s my friend. He even came to see you when you were born. You can’t be so heartless.”

Li Dazhuang might be a bit rough around the edges, but he was loyal to a fault.

No matter what others said, if someone was his brother, he had to check in and make sure they were okay.

An An looked at his stubborn father and suddenly felt an itch in his hand—he wanted to smack him.

After living together for so many years, Li Dazhuang could read his son like a book.

The moment An An lifted his hand, he knew exactly where that little slap was aimed.

“Hey now, let’s talk this out. No need to get all worked up. I just said one thing—why are you so mad?”

Li Dazhuang was honestly a bit frustrated. In their whole family, this little guy was the only one who seemed kind of scary!

In front of others, he was sweet and well-behaved—even Li Dazhuang wanted to spoil him.

But in front of him? The kid was all kicks and bites!

“No see other people’s kid.”

“Why not? You’ve got to give me a reason.”

To Li Dazhuang, visiting his friend’s kid was just a matter of friendship and courtesy.

But to Xiao An’an, it felt like his dad thought someone else’s kid was better than him!

At home, An An was constantly praised—by his grandparents, his uncle and aunt, his siblings, and even occasionally his dad. Naturally, he’d developed a bit of an inflated ego.

He patted his chest, lifted his chin, and looked his father straight in the eye, saying in his sweet little voice:

“Look at An An~ Not other people’s kid~”

If it had been any other excuse, Li Dazhuang might have smacked his son’s butt a couple of times just to vent. But when he saw the sincerity in his son’s eyes as he explained the reason—

Forget hitting him, even the temper he’d worked up vanished without a trace.

Come on, what kind of bad intentions could his son possibly have? He just didn’t want his father going off to look at other people’s kids—he wanted him to spend more time looking at him.

Such a tiny little request—how could a father not grant it? How could he possibly resist?

An An didn’t quite understand why his dad suddenly got so happy over a single sentence, so he simply leaned into his father’s arms and reached out to grab a stalk of foxtail grass.

Li Dazhuang felt the warm weight of An An pressed against his chest—this chubby little guy curled up in his arms was the son he’d raised with his own two hands!

His boy was really growing up. He even knew how to get jealous over his dad now—hehe.

Right now, Li Dazhuang felt like he was walking on clouds, completely wrapped around his son’s little finger.

An An had only said a couple of sentences, but Li Dazhuang had already run wild with his imagination, convinced he’d figured out all the things An An was too shy to say out loud.

Why was An An so well-behaved in front of others, but not with him?

Wasn’t that proof enough that An An truly loved his dad? No one else in the family got this kind of special treatment—only him!

According to the team leader’s earlier arrangement, they were supposed to go check on the crops to see if they needed weeding.

That job was originally meant for Elder Brother Li, but Li Dazhuang had wanted to take his son out for a stroll, so he volunteered to do it himself.

No matter how old a kid gets, going out is always exciting—and An An was no exception.

Held in his father’s arms, he started swaying his head and kicking his feet, using every part of his body to express just how happy he was.

To keep himself from falling, An An wrapped his little arms around his dad’s neck and let out a giggle.

Li Dazhuang gave him a gentle pat on the back, having long since forgotten all about wanting to go look at someone else’s kid.

Look at what other kid?

He had An An—wasn’t this adorable little guy more than enough?

On the way, Li Dazhuang spotted an unfamiliar wildflower blooming by the roadside. He reached out to pick one to tuck behind An An’s ear, only to spot a nest of bird eggs nearby.

Every time he went out with An An, he always seemed to stumble upon good luck like this. By now, Li Dazhuang had gotten used to it.

He even carried a small pouch with him, just in case he found something worth bringing home.

He carefully packed up the bird eggs, already thinking about how his son would get an extra treat tonight. Then he checked the few plots of land halfway up the mountain—no weeding needed—before heading back down.

The mountain paths were rough and uneven. Once before, An An had gotten smacked on the head by a branch along the trail.

Ever since then, whenever they walked this kind of road, he’d be extra careful to shield his head.

On the way home, Li Dazhuang happened to run into another villager who had also come up the mountain to check on the fields. This man was related to the team leader’s family and usually knew things before anyone else.

“Hey, I heard there’s a group of people coming to our village?”

“Hm? What kind of people?”

The moment gossip was mentioned, Li Dazhuang perked right up.

He leaned in closer, trying to hear more clearly.

“I’ll tell you, but you can’t breathe a word of it to anyone else.”

“Come on, don’t you trust me? My integrity is top-notch. In this whole village, you won’t find a tighter lip than mine!”

Truth be told, the villager had brought it up precisely because he wanted someone to gossip with.

Life these days could get a bit dull, and sharing a juicy tidbit now and then helped pass the time.

More than that, he was looking forward to seeing the stunned, slack-jawed expression on Li Dazhuang’s face once he heard the news.

But Li Dazhuang’s response left him momentarily speechless.

Everyone in the village knew about Li Dazhuang’s so-called “integrity”—just not in a good way.

Even little An An, who was being carried, rolled her eyes and gave her father’s shoulder a disdainful shove.

What a terrible way to ask! Now they weren’t going to hear anything!

The path down the mountain was filled with an awkward silence, broken only by the wind and the sound of footsteps.

They were almost at the foot of the mountain, and Li Dazhuang still hadn’t heard the gossip. His heart itched like it was crawling with thousands of ants.

Why on earth had a group of outsiders come to their village? He was sure he wouldn’t be able to sleep a wink tonight!

“We’re all from the same village. I swear I won’t spread it around—just tell me already.”

Seeing Li Dazhuang’s earnest face, the villager finally gave in and continued.

He first glanced around cautiously, making sure no one else was nearby. Only when he was certain did he lower his voice so that only the three of them could hear.

“They’re educated youths. Sent down from the city.”

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Educated youths (知青, zhīqīng) were urban middle and high school graduates in China who, during the Cultural Revolution, were sent from the cities to live and work in rural areas as part of the “Up to the mountains and down to the countryside” movement.