Stepping onto the street and returning to the village, the villagers were all buzzing with talk about the government’s recent operation.
As the rumors spread, they morphed into stories of the government sending troops last night to crack down on the black market, executing quite a few people. Some applauded the move, while others grew fearful. Listening to this, Nan Sheng felt a chill run down her spine.
When she got home, she found the courtyard bustling with activity. Mingli, Xiao Yi, Shitou, Little Qi, and the others had all gathered, and her father-in-law, Lin Guozheng, was chatting with them.
Lin Guozheng had come over after hearing that many people had come to his daughter-in-law’s house, hoping to see what was going on. Mingli’s heart was already half at ease, and Sizhe mentioned that he knew most of the people who had come.
Seeing Nan Sheng return from work, Lin Guozheng didn’t plan to stay long. After a quick greeting, he headed back inside.
Lately, Lin Guozheng looked noticeably older. It was clear that with age came the inability to worry so much.
He had too many troubles on his mind. Third Brother Lin and his wife were constantly fighting and threatening divorce, and Lin Xue kept coming back every few days to borrow grain. Standing in front of Nan Sheng now, Lin Guozheng even felt a bit dwarfed.
Nan Sheng hadn’t shared her connections to the black market with her in-laws, so she didn’t linger with him.
Xiao Yi had brought a group of brothers over. Besides thanking Nan Sheng for saving their lives, they wanted to gather information. Last night’s commotion had been so intense it nearly scared everyone to death. Even Xiao Yi couldn’t stay calm.
Who would have thought that cracking down on the black market would require the military?
They really weren’t afraid to shoot—*bang*—and just like that, heads were blown apart!
Nan Sheng led everyone inside to talk, while Sizhe and Siqi went back to the west room to do their homework, not wanting to disturb the adults.
Nan Sheng glanced around at the things inside the house and sighed, “Xiao Yi, are you trying to send me a New Year’s feast? How are the kids and I supposed to finish all this?”
Mingli defended Xiao Yi fairly, “You can’t blame Xiao Yi for everything. The pork and dried fruit were his, the canned goods were from Little Qi, and the two old hens were brought by Shitou. I came empty-handed.”
Nan Sheng scolded them for being too extravagant, but Xiao Yi and the others insisted it was only right. If they hadn’t gotten the warning in advance, no one would have known what kind of trouble they were about to face. Calling it a life-saving favor wasn’t an exaggeration!
After some polite exchanges, they got down to business.
Shitou, who was the most impatient of the group, wore a worried expression. “Nan Jie, why did things suddenly get so serious? A few of my friends working elsewhere were taken away. Will they get shot?”
Nan Sheng reassured him, “It’s not that bad. This time, the government mainly wants to crack down on those deliberately hiking prices.
Even if your friends got arrested, the worst they’ll get is a sentence of forced labor. If it’s not serious, a little money and some connections will get them out in no time.”
Xiao Yi’s biggest concern was whether business could continue afterward. Upon receiving the news, he had already warned his superiors and subordinates to lay low.
But some didn’t listen, and nearly half of them ended up caught. To get the business back on its feet, they’d have to rebuild their networks from scratch.
“How long will this crackdown last?” someone asked.
Nan Sheng replied, “Once the military finishes their task, they’ll leave. The government still needs the black market to circulate grain around. In a few days, business should be back to normal.”
“I’ll say it again: we have to keep a low profile in everything we do, and don’t expect to make big money off ordinary folks. If we can make a little, that’s enough!”
The group of men immediately nodded obediently. Nan Sheng’s words were law. Xiao Yi decided that until the drought ended, they would keep grain sales at low profit margins—just enough to make some pocket money.
Since Lin Han wasn’t home, and it wasn’t appropriate for the men to linger at the Lin residence, after gathering the information they needed, they all took their leave together.
Nan Sheng called after them, “I still have plenty of meat at home; there’s no way we can finish it all. You’d better take some pork with you and share it.”
Xiao Yi disagreed, and the others weren’t keen either. Who brings something over only to have to take it back?
Then Shitou suddenly recalled a dish his mother used to make. “Nan Sheng, you can cure the meat into preserved bacon. My aunt’s husband lives far away, and that’s how they do it there. My mom tried a few times, and it tastes amazing.”
Before Nan Sheng could respond, he volunteered, “I’ll take the meat home and cure it into bacon. Once it’s ready, I’ll bring some back to you!”
Nan Sheng had no choice but to agree.
After everyone left, Siqi came out from behind the door, patting her chest with relief. “Good thing the chicken wasn’t taken away—I was so worried!”
Mingli chuckled at her words. He pinched Siqi’s chubby little cheeks; the softness was irresistible, and he couldn’t help but pinch them a couple more times.
“You’re so stingy! Aren’t there still canned goods and snacks in the house? Besides, Uncle Shitou wouldn’t be greedy enough to take your meat.”
The Nan family was always worried about Nan Sheng living with two children on her own, so they arranged for Mingli to stay over every few days. He had come today and wasn’t planning to leave.
He was on excellent terms with the two kids, currently directing his nephew to the kitchen to prepare something delicious.
“Cook some pork for me—it’ll calm my nerves!”
Nan Sheng laughed and scolded, “Do you even look like an uncle? All you know is bullying my son!”
With no outsiders at the table, the family spoke freely. Mingli asked,
“Sis, the black market has been around for so long, but the government never cracked down hard on it. Why the sudden big move? Should I still work in the black market?”
Nan Sheng bit into a cucumber. Summer heat always killed her appetite, and she wasn’t eager to discuss this topic—especially since the person who triggered this crackdown was sitting right in front of him!
“Don’t worry. With me around, even if you get caught, I’ll get you out.”
The latest letter from Lin Han said he would graduate by the autumn harvest and come straight back to take the three of them to join the army.
“Mingli, you’ve been hanging around the government offices a lot lately. Get familiar with the faces there. That way, if you ever need help, you’ll know who to turn to.”
Nan Sheng hoped to get her brother a government job, but his education only went as far as junior high, which made things difficult.
When Lin Guozheng came home, he saw his third son bring along his little granddaughter to mooch a meal. His brow furrowed deeply.
“You keep coming over every few days—is the family short on grain?”
Third Brother Lin looked utterly wronged. “Dad, why are you like this? It’s fine for my sister to come home and stay, but why can’t Siyu and I come back too?”
The family was truly out of grain. He had borrowed two sacks of grain from his younger sister and his wife had sent over another two sacks. Now, there was no food left at home, and they could only manage one thin porridge meal a day. He simply couldn’t bear it any longer.
Siyu was still little; she didn’t care what the adults said. Seeing her father talking without feeding her, she grew extremely anxious.
“Daddy!”
“I’m hungry!”
Lin Guozheng and Fan Shuting saw that their granddaughter had lost quite a bit of weight from hunger, and immediately lost their appetite as well.
The grain they had brought back last year had been given mostly to Lin Xue. What was left at home was long gone. They had borrowed money to buy more once, but now even their son had come back to eat from the old couple’s share.
Sigh, from now on, they would have to tighten their belts and live frugally!
What Lin Guozheng hadn’t expected was that, just a few days later, his daughter’s good mother-in-law actually brought over three children to visit relatives.
Every time they ate, it was like they were starving ghosts. They stayed for several days with no sign of leaving. What on earth were they going to do?
