Reborn in 1977, starting with severing ties with family.

In the detention room of Huangqiao Branch, Jiang Sen sat against the wall with his eyes closed.

He wasn't worried about himself, since he was familiar with the environment.

But he was worried about Yingzi and the old cripple.

Luo Jianshe or Wang Jianguo should have already gone home.

The old cripple is alright, but I'm worried about Yingzi's fiery temper. If she hears that she's been imprisoned and wronged because of Huang Liping, I'm afraid she won't be able to handle it and will come over.

This is Kyoto, not the Great Northern Wilderness. Nobody cares who you are.

Yingzi listened silently as Luo Jianshe talked about Jiang Sen at home.

The old cripple comforted Luo Jianshe, saying, "Don't worry, I know you won't abandon him. Don't worry about the family, Yingzi and I will be fine."

Luo Jianshe sat for a while longer before leaving.

As soon as he left, Yingzi immediately said, "Old cripple, change your clothes. Let's go out for a bit."

"Just come!"

He told Luo Jianshe to rest assured, which was exactly what he meant, but he wouldn't just sit at home and wait.

As soon as Yingzi told him what to do, he immediately knew what he was going to do and changed into the dirty clothes he usually wore for work.

Yingzi did the same, messing up her hair and smearing a layer of ash on her face.

At first glance, the two looked like an ordinary father and daughter looking for work.

After locking the door, they crossed the main street and went through the alleys, and soon arrived near the Huangqiao Police Station.

They weren't going to the police station; instead, they were walking into the residential area.

As he walked, the old cripple shouted, "Time to build a new kang (heated brick bed) and repair the chimney!"

The two disguised themselves as odd jobs and wandered through the streets and alleys, gradually getting closer to the Huang family.

Ever since Jiang Sen was slashed by Huang Dajun and his gang, the old cripple has been going out for walks whenever he has free time, which is actually just him scouting locations.

For a veteran like him, scouting locations was child's play.

What investigative techniques don't you understand?

A few days later, he heard Huang's mother cursing outside the Huang family's gate.

"You're always running around outside, never home. What do I owe you? You're a worry for the whole family! You heartless bastard, go check the chimney, can't you see the smoke constantly billowing from the kang (heated brick bed)? I owe you!"

So when Luo Jianshe came over today and said that Jiang Sen had been locked up again because of the Huang family, he knew that it was time for him to take action.

Yingzi and the old cripple had spent so much time together in the mountains that they knew each other's intentions with just a glance or a gesture.

So, without saying a word, they came over directly.

Is it the Huang family?

You guys keep ripping off Jiang Sen, and you won't even replace him with someone else. You really think we're your cats!

"Time to build the kang (heated brick bed) and repair the chimney!"

"Hey! You who build the kang (heated brick bed), can you fix the smoke that's always choking on it?" Huang's mother asked the old cripple as she opened the door.

The old cripple turned around, slightly hunched over, and smiled ingratiatingly, "I can fix it!"

"how much is it?"

"Five yuan if meals are included, eight yuan if meals are not included!"

"That's so expensive! How about six yuan without meals?"

"We're just earning money through our skills. In the west of the city, a single kang (heated brick bed) costs ten yuan!" the old cripple said pitifully.

Huang's mother knew the market price and just wanted to get a good deal.

When the old cripple said this, some of the neighbors overheard it and began to look down on Huang's mother.

An old woman stepped forward and said, "I'll give you eight yuan, and I'll provide you with a meal. Go to my house and have your kang (heated brick bed) rebuilt."

This is already considered cheap.

The price of a kang (heated brick bed) in the west of the city is ten yuan, including a meal.

Huang's mother objected, "What are you doing? I called them first, what are they doing at your house?" Then she immediately said to the old cripple, "Eight yuan it is, no food included!"

"Okay! Alright!" The old cripple quickly agreed, then turned to the old lady and said, "Please forgive me, I'll go to your house tomorrow after they finish their work!"

The old lady just couldn't stand Huang's mother's attitude; she didn't really want to move the kang (heated brick bed).

In northern China, most kang (heated brick beds) are built after winter, when the weather is warm and it's easier to work. After the kang is built and dried, it is less likely to crack when heated in winter.

"Don't delay, it's already so late, hurry up and get to work, I still have things to do!" Huang's mother urged, and glared at the old lady.

The old cripple and Yingzi entered the gate, looked around briefly, and were then led into the house by Huang's mother.

The kitchen was a bit messy, and there were still unwashed dishes on the stove.

There were children's voices inside the house.

“This is the room!” Huang’s mother pointed to her room.

"Where is the smoke coming from?" the old cripple asked. "You light a fire, and I'll see if it's the kang (heated brick bed) or the chimney."

This time, Huang's mother didn't say anything, but sat down in front of the stove and started a fire.

He lit a tattered newspaper, then stuffed in a few pieces of firewood, without adding any coal.

After a while, smoke began to rise from the stove.

When the old cripple entered the room, he saw a baby lying on the kang (a heated brick bed), playing by itself, and a man in his fifties lying next to him, asleep with his eyes closed.

After Huang's mother came in, she took off her arm sleeves and threw them at him, saying, "Sleep, sleep, all you do is sleep! Get up right now, we're here to get someone to fix the kang! You owe us!"

Yingzi looked at the baby on the kang (a heated brick bed). The baby was about a week old, with a chubby face and a very good appearance.

Is this the child that woman had with Jiang Sen's brother?

However, although he is good-looking, he doesn't resemble Jiang Sen in any way.

You can't pin the blame on Jiang Sen; he's just shameless!

Father Huang opened his eyes, glanced at the old cripple and Yingzi, got up from the kang (a heated brick bed), and was about to walk outside.

"Hold the baby!" Huang's mother shouted again.

Mr. Huang turned around, picked up the child, and said impatiently, "I told you long ago to send the child to the Jiang family, but you wouldn't do it. You make me look after the child all day long. It's so annoying!"

"You don't know anything!" Huang's mother didn't want to talk about these things in front of outsiders and urged Huang's father to take the child out.

The old cripple bent over to check the condition of the kang (a heated brick bed), and picked off a clod of yellow earth.

"Who built this kang (heated brick bed)? It's a shoddy job. Look, it's all crumbling, full of holes, and the chimney is blocked, so smoke is billowing out."

"Ah? What should we do?"

"The chimney needs to be cleared, and the kang (heated brick bed) needs to be rebuilt."

"How long will it take?"

“I need to pry open the kang (heated brick bed) to take a look, and see the chimney. You also need to prepare some soil and bricks. I’m afraid there’s not enough time today. If we’re going to do it, we should start early tomorrow morning. If we start in the morning, we can finish by four or five o’clock in the afternoon, so it won’t interfere with your cooking.”

Upon hearing that it would take so long, Huang's mother hesitated, but given the state of the kang (heated brick bed) at home, she couldn't leave it untouched.

"Alright then! It's eight yuan, as agreed!"

"Then I'll take a look at the kang (heated brick bed) first, and then check the chimney, and tell you how much soil and bricks to prepare. I'll bring the tools over tomorrow and we can get started."

What the old cripple said was pretty much the same as what the other people Huang's mother had brought over had said.

The reason we haven't done it yet is because we haven't agreed on the price; she thinks it's too expensive.

"Alright, you guys get to it!"

Yingzi climbed onto the kang (a heated brick bed), rolled up the quilt and mattress, and said, "Take it to that room so it won't get dirty."

"Is the girl from Northeast China?" Upon hearing Yingzi's accent, Huang's mother immediately became more vigilant.

"My hometown is, but I've never been there. My accent comes from my mother."

"Oh! You guys do it!" Huang's mother took the quilt away, and came back a little while later, taking the kang mat from the kang to that room as well.

Yingzi and the old cripple exchanged a glance and smiled at each other.

"Get to work!" the old cripple said, and with a forceful pull, he broke off a large chunk.

Yingzi stomped her foot, and a large section of the kang (a heated brick bed) collapsed.

Seeing that Huang's mother was about to come in, Yingzi quickly said, "This kang is about to collapse. Luckily we came today. It would have been terrible if it collapsed in the middle of the night."

When Huang's mother entered the house and saw that the kang (a heated brick bed) had collapsed, her face turned very ugly. She muttered curses, saying that the person who had built the kang for her family was heartless.

The old cripple walked outside, saying, "You take a look at the flue, I'll go over to the chimney and take a look at a brick."