Chapter 28: Meat Delivery.

Tian Bajin patted Zhong Boqiang on the shoulder, comforting him, "Don't overthink it. You have to look forward to life. Your parents in the afterlife would be overjoyed to know you've had so many sons."

Tian Bajin's words weren't without reason. Zhong Boqiang was practically a professional son-producing household in Yuequan Village, having a total of six sons and two daughters. His eldest son was about the same age as Tian Aiguo, and his youngest son was the same age as Tian Shouhua. His youngest son was about the same age as his nephew, and the two looked so alike that people mistook them for twins, causing quite a few laughs.

A hint of pride lingered on Zhong Boqiang's face. He might not be as good as Brother Bajin in other aspects, but when it came to having sons, he was second to none in Yuequan Village. Seeing the expression on Zhong Boqiang's face, Tian Bajin chuckled and scolded him a few times before returning to his work.

Although Tian Xinhua was young, he was already 170 cm tall, so riding Tian Manyin's bicycle was quite easy and stable for him. Tian Sisi sat comfortably on the back seat, her arms around his waist. This time, she had learned her lesson and put a cotton cushion on the back seat, so her bottom didn't hurt at all.

They planned to go to town first to deliver the gifts to Tian Mantong, Tian Manlian, and Tian Manju, and then on their way back, they would deliver the gifts to Tian Manlan, Tian Manju, and Tian Mantao. Although they were going to visit six families, it wouldn't take too much time since they were all along the same route; they could finish in an afternoon.

"Brother Xinhua, whose house should we go to first?" Tian Sisi asked Tian Xinhua, chatting idly with him.

"First, go to Auntie's at the supply and marketing cooperative. If Fourth Aunt's husband (Wang Baishan, Tian Manlian's husband) is there, we can give it to him too. If he's not there, go to the town primary school to find Fourth Aunt, then Fifth Aunt (Tian Manju), then Eldest Aunt (Tian Mantao), then Second Aunt (Tian Manju), and finally Youngest Aunt (Tian Manlan). It's a straight line, so we don't have to take detours."

Tian Xinhua arranged everything meticulously, while Tian Sisi was completely confused. One, two, three, four, five, six—so many aunts! She had to make sure she called the wrong one. Tian Xinhua turned his head and saw Tian Sisi's bewildered expression, and couldn't help but laugh. Ah-Nan must be confused again. She used to call several aunts wrong, causing quite a few laughs. Thinking of this, he instructed, "Ah-Nan, don't call anyone randomly later. Just follow my lead. Whatever I call, you call. Understand?"

"Oh, I understand." Tian Sisi was worried, but upon hearing Tian Xinhua's words, she immediately obediently agreed, causing Tian Xinhua to look back at her suspiciously several times. How had A-Nan's temper changed so much? If it were before, she would definitely have argued with him.

Seeing this, Tian Sisi realized that she must have changed in some way from the original owner again. She was too lazy to correct him; after all, she was still young and could use the excuse of growing up and becoming sensible to cover it up. However, seeing Tian Xinhua look back several times, she couldn't help but yell, "Concentrate! If you drop me, I'll tell Second Grandpa and give you a good spanking!"

Tian Xinhua smiled and began to concentrate on riding his bicycle. It must have been his imagination just now; A-Nan was still the same spoiled and unreasonable A-Nan. Soon they arrived at the supply and marketing cooperative. Aunt and Fourth Uncle were there. Tian Xinhua took two halves of a rabbit out of the bicycle basket and handed them to them. Wang Qiumeng and Wang Baishan looked at the plump rabbit in surprise, asking them with their eyes.

Tian Xinhua didn't say much, vaguely explaining that his great-grandfather had hunted the rabbit in the mountains and asked him to bring it over. Wang Qiumeng and Wang Baishan quickly packed the rabbit into a basket, covered it with dry grass, and placed it in a hidden spot to avoid being questioned. These days, even eating something good has to be kept secret; there are plenty of people who are envious.

Wang Baishan and Wang Qiumeng didn't try to keep the two children any longer, knowing they would definitely have to deliver meat to several other households. Given the old man's personality, he wouldn't show favoritism. Wang Baishan handed a bag of biscuits to Tian Sisi, telling them to take it back and share it with their brothers. Tian Xinhua and Tian Sisi didn't stand on ceremony; their fourth aunt's husband was a purchasing agent at the supply and marketing cooperative, making

a good living, so a bag of biscuits was nothing to them. The two thanked Wang Baishan and rode away, delivering rabbit meat to Tian Manju and her family in turn. When they returned, their baskets were much fuller. There was homemade frozen rice candy (made by boiling rice and sugar together, then cooling and stretching it into strips; sometimes called rice cake) from Tian Manju, vine-like strands (a type of rice flour noodle coiled like vines) from Tian Mantao, and New Year's cake from Tian Manju, filling the baskets to the brim.

Tian Manlan was the worst-married among her sisters. Not only was her husband a good-for-nothing, but she also lived in Huangken Village, the poorest village in the town. The village was located halfway up a mountain; entering the village was all uphill, and leaving was all downhill. The villagers rarely left the village throughout the year, and were basically self-sufficient, except for coming to town to buy necessities like salt, soy sauce, and vinegar.

As a result, there are quite a few bachelors in the village. Any girl in the village who is even slightly outstanding is eager to marry out, and few girls from other villages are willing to marry into the village. Even the daughters of landlords would rather marry older men from other villages than young men from Huangken Village. When Tian Manlan married into this village, it attracted the attention of the entire village. Everyone was puzzled: why would Tian Manlan, a good girl with impeccable family background, beautiful appearance, and good health, choose to marry into this desolate, godforsaken place? Unable to

ride uphill any further, Tian Xinhua had to get off the bike and push it forward. Tian Sisi couldn't bear to see Tian Xinhua pushing alone, so she helped push from behind. Seeing Tian Sisi's flushed face after exerting herself, Tian Xinhua quickly told her to just walk by herself, as she had just recovered from an illness and shouldn't tire herself out.

Tian Sisi took off her ski jacket, hat, and gloves, insisting on pushing the bike. Tian Xinhua, being only 13 years old, had limited strength and couldn't push it alone, so he stopped insisting and tried to exert more effort so that his daughter would have to work less.

Fortunately, not all the roads were uphill; usually, there was a flat section after each uphill section. Tian Xinhua would ride the bike for a while, then get off and push it when they reached the uphill section. The two of them rode and pushed like this for almost an hour before finally arriving at Huangken Village. When they saw the large signboard at the entrance of Huangken Village in the distance, an exhausted Tian Sisi plopped down on the ground, no longer caring about her appearance.

Tian Xinhua was exhausted. Luckily, he had eaten a hearty lunch, otherwise he wouldn't have had the strength to push the bike up. After resting for a while, they got dressed and rode their bikes to Tian Manlan's house. Tian Manlan's husband, Shou Jizu, lived at the very back of the village. The house was quite spacious, with five rooms and a large yard. Shou Jizu had three brothers, and he was the second oldest.

Generally, the second oldest is the least favored, and Shou Jizu was no exception. His parents disliked him from a young age, and since he was a good-for-nothing who brought shame to the family, they disliked him even more. They didn't even want to find him a wife. In the end, Shou Jizu used his good looks to seduce Tian Manlan from another village and marry her into the family.

Actually, Shou Jizu wasn't a bad person. He just didn't want to work himself to the bone, where you could work yourself to death and still not earn much. Shou Jizu was handsome, the kind of pretty boy that was popular at the time, with rosy lips and white teeth, and he was also very eloquent. So he often went to Shanghai to do small business, mostly selling cigarettes on trains.

It has to be said that Shou Jizu was quite business-minded, but he just had bad luck. In this era where private sales were prohibited, although Shou Jizu's business was profitable, he was also at high risk of being arrested and sent for re-education at any time. He lived like a rat, constantly on the run, so his earnings were limited. In addition, he wanted to eat and dress well, so the money he earned wasn't even enough for himself.

Sometimes he could bring back some money, but other times he only brought back food. Not only did he not earn work points, but Tian Manlan also had to support him. As a result, Tian Manlan and her three children lived a miserable life at home, and no one helped them. If it weren't for Old Lady Zhao and Tian Manyin secretly helping them, Tian Manlan and her three children would have starved to death long ago.

Furthermore, Tian Manlan is nothing like the old man and Zhao Laotai. She's too soft-hearted, easily swayed, and lacks any independent judgment. All she knows is to cry. The only time she ever stood up for herself was when she defied the old man for love and insisted on marrying Shou Jizu. I wonder if she regrets it now?