The train chugged northwest, carrying a lively family.
The Su family was in high spirits, especially since this trip home was for a joyous occasion.
After a journey filled with good food and conversation, they smoothly arrived at the county train station.
It was already the twenty-third of the twelfth lunar month, and everyone disembarked, carrying their luggage.
Returning to their long-unseen hometown, they found many changes. While not a complete upheaval from when they had left, the transformations were significant.
Li Zhuzi arrived to pick them up in his tractor.
Li Zhuzi's wife, a meticulous and thoughtful woman, had even placed cushions on the tractor, with two quilts laid on top of them.
"Why put the quilts on the tractor? They're such good quilts, it would be a shame if they got dirty!" Grandma Su exclaimed in surprise.
"Auntie, please don't worry. It doesn't matter if they get dirty, we have quilt covers. They can just be washed," Li Zhuzi replied, cheerfully helping everyone load their luggage onto the tractor.
"In this cold weather, if you don't have quilts to cover yourselves, you'll freeze by the time we get back."
"Your wife is truly careful and considerate," Su Taohua said with a smile.
"Sister Taohua, you're absolutely right. My wife is truly wonderful. She can be a bit fiery, but in other aspects, she's perfect."
Hearing Li Zhuzi say this, everyone knew the couple was living a very good life.
It took the tractor over an hour to travel from the county town to Nanling Village.
Upon arriving back in the village, Su Xiaotian hopped off the tractor and patted her backside, saying, "Our road is still not very good. When we have money, we must repair it."
Everyone couldn't help but laugh at Su Xiaotian's remark.
"Xiaotian is right. As the saying goes, 'To get rich, first build roads!' Our road is indeed not good."
As someone who traveled this road frequently, Li Zhuzi felt this deeply. Su Dan Novel Network.
"However, compared to more remote places, our road is even better. So many good things can't be transported out."
He made his living through buying and selling, and the poor roads had hindered his earnings in recent years.
"Fourth Uncle, don't worry. Once our village's factory starts making money, we'll be able to repair the roads!"
Su Xiaotian, bouncing on the ground to ease her stiff muscles, couldn't help but envision the future.
"Xiaotian, you haven't seen how well the pigs are being raised at our village's farm, and those chickens are already laying eggs! Just a few days ago, I delivered a batch of eggs to the county town!"
Even though Li Zhuzi wasn't directly involved in the factory, he was incredibly happy when the topic came up.
His own life had improved over the years, but most people in the village were still struggling.
Because of this, the villagers had harbored some resentment towards him.
Fortunately, now everyone had hope of earning money, and perhaps soon, when everyone was well-off, they wouldn't be focused on him.
It wasn't that he didn't want to help the villagers live better lives, but his business was small-scale. If he did it alone, it was manageable. If everyone did it together, no one would make money.
Li Zhuzi knew his roots were in the village, and maintaining good relations with the villagers was always important.
Therefore, he had been trying his best to help the village recently, doing what he could.
"That's good. If our old farm had continued to operate, our village wouldn't be like this now!"
Wang Xianghua felt quite regretful when this was mentioned.
She had indeed considered taking over the farm back then, but she gave it up due to Tian Xiaohe.
She never expected that the farm she had worked so hard to build would completely collapse in such a short time.
"The assistant manager of our farm now is the eldest daughter of the Chang family. That girl married into our village, and she's known far and wide for her capabilities," Li Zhuzi said casually when Wang Xianghua mentioned the old farm. "I remember that girl used to work with you, eldest sister-in-law."
"Indeed. She was quite diligent back then, working conscientiously every day, taking excellent care of the farm's chickens and pigs."
Wang Xianghua unloaded the luggage from the tractor, piece by piece, while answering.
The people inside the house heard the commotion outside and came out to greet them.
Qi Liangying and Su Lao Er, the couple, had returned two days earlier. They had already lit the stove and warmed the heated brick beds.
Although the Su family residence hadn't been lived in for two years, after Qi Liangying cleaned and tidied it, it no longer felt desolate.
Knowing the Su family's arrival time, quite a few people were already waiting for them in the main hall. These were families with close ties to the Su family and elders with higher seniority in the village.
Everyone pitched in to carry the belongings inside.
Upon arriving home, Grandpa Su greeted everyone warmly.
"After two years, why do you look even more spirited than before?" Little Seventh Uncle remarked with emotion, observing Grandpa Su's robust appearance.
They were of similar age and from the same generation, having grown up together. Yet now, Little Seventh Uncle appeared several years older than Grandpa Su.
Grandpa Su, stroking his goatee, also found it strange. He felt his own spirits had improved significantly over the past two years, perhaps due to everything going smoothly both inside and outside the home.
Su Xiaotian, overhearing this, giggled secretly.
The reason for his improved spirits was none other than the high-quality medicinal herbs from her system that she had used to nourish him!
For the past two years, whenever she was home, she would prepare medicinal diets and the like to supplement her family's health.
While one or two times might not have shown significant results, with repeated efforts, the effects were always noticeable.
"It seems the climate and water of the capital are truly nourishing," Little Seventh Uncle finally attributed the reason to this.
The capital was under the emperor's domain, nourished by dragon energy daily; how could it not be nourishing?
Su Taohua and Shen Zizhen also stepped forward to greet the elders.
Seeing Su Taohua, everyone couldn't help but sigh, commenting that she looked even younger now than when she lived in the village, showing no signs of being a grandmother.
They also praised Shen Zizhen as a pillar of the nation, tirelessly working for the farmers, and so on.
Some also reminded Shen Zizhen to take care of his health.
Shen Zizhen listened to everything and then inquired about the village's crops, asking about yield increases and other matters he cared about.
After much desultory conversation, they moved on to the topic of Su Xiaocao and Su Sangong's wedding.
Everyone agreed that the two children were a perfect match, a union of talent and beauty.
Country folk couldn't articulate overly flowery language, but nothing made Grandpa and Grandma Su happier than such praise.
During the conversation, some also expressed surprise that the grown child wasn't Su Changjiu's biological daughter.
They also remarked that it was truly rare for Su Changjiu to dote on an adopted daughter so much over the years, even sending her to college.
Speaking of Su Xiaocao, it was impossible not to mention Teacher Xie Nan.