A stunning beauty arrived on the island; she invented everything from childcare to babysitting.

An Ning didn't know what the old man did after he left, but since he was offering her a gift, she accepted it.

Someone of such high status shouldn't be unable to afford even something as small as this. They shouldn't wait until she uses it before causing her trouble.

After tidying up, she continued preparing the New Year's Eve dinner.

Zhao Xuemei came over again to invite her and Xiao Ni'er to have New Year's Eve dinner at her place that night, and she finally agreed, planning to bring some dishes with her.

She plans to make a dish of braised pork belly with preserved mustard greens, a dish of steamed pork ribs with taro, and a dish of candied sweet potatoes—it will look beautiful and taste delicious.

The little girl watched curiously from the side. Since Anning had nothing else to do, she taught her some basic cooking methods.

She didn't think such a young child could remember anything, but since she was idle anyway, she might learn something from watching more. In any case, she didn't need to do anything right now.

Xu Pengfei, on the other hand, was constantly busy, helping out at home, running around to Anning, and being called back by his mother. He was as busy as a headless fly.

Unlike the bustling activity on the military side, the Song family in Puzhai Brigade of Hongqi Commune was also busy.

They've been to the post office several times in the past few days, but each time they ask, they haven't received any mail.

Because it was the last day before the Lunar New Year, Ma Cuihua and Song Wenying made several trips, and it wasn't until 4 p.m., when the staff left early to close the shop, that they had to go home.

"Wenying, do you think your brother has really been blinded by that vixen and doesn't recognize us anymore?" Ma Cuihua asked with a worried expression.

Over the years, Song Wenyuan has indeed sent a lot of money home. He gave extra money for things like building a new house, Song Wenqiang's wedding, and the birth of a child. Even after spending some of his savings, he still has a considerable amount left.

But starting this month, the money sent by Song Wenyuan stopped. Apart from Song Wenying, everyone in their family is struggling to make a living by farming. Where are they going to save money in the future?

Moreover, they were used to spending lavishly in the past, and this year they spent a lot more to prepare for the New Year, which immediately reduced their savings significantly, and Ma Cuihua began to worry.

How can a daughter who works in town be as reliable as a son who is in the army?

She even used the excuse of giving them money for their retirement to save a large sum of money for herself, only to end up giving it all to that vixen Shen Anning.

Ma Cuihua couldn't count on her at all.

"How could that be? My second brother isn't that kind of person."

Song Wenying was actually anxious. This year, she told her mother-in-law and Hao Ren that she would not be able to go back to her parents' home for the New Year after she gave birth. She wanted to go back to her parents' home for one last New Year, which is how she was able to go home. She wanted to contact her second brother and resolve her marriage problem.

But as the days went by, her belly was getting bigger, and the speed at which she was gaining weight couldn't keep up with the speed at which her pregnant belly was growing. She was about to be unable to hide it any longer, and if she couldn't contact her second brother, wouldn't she be doomed?

Although her mother-in-law couldn't completely control the factory and get rid of her job, it would be very easy for her to make things difficult for her.

After the two returned home, Song Mancang banged his pipe on the table a few times: "It's the New Year, and instead of doing anything at home, what are you two doing running around? Can't you just shut up for a bit?"

He knew they were planning to contact the second son, and he didn't think it would work, but he didn't stop them.

The second son has stopped sending money home, which will affect his life; he might not even be able to afford cigarettes anymore.

But thinking about the possibility of the brigade leader and the village secretary talking to him privately, Song Mancang suppressed his thoughts and decided to let things take their course.

But when he saw the mother and daughter's unpleasant expressions, he couldn't suppress his irritation.

Ma Cuihua felt very wronged: "Who am I doing this for? Aren't I doing it for this family? Look at your good son, he's abandoned his parents for two women. This year may be the last good year we'll have. After this, we'll probably have to eat chaff and wild vegetables with other people."

Song Mancang retorted, "What are you saying? Those are his wife and daughter. What do you mean by 'for two women'? What do you mean by 'eating chaff and wild vegetables'? There are four able-bodied people in our family, and only one of them needs to eat. As long as we work hard to earn work points, are we afraid we won't have a good New Year?"

"How can that be the same? Da Bao saw a toy he liked yesterday, and it cost five yuan! Five yuan! With your meager earnings, you can't even buy a few toys in a whole year!"

"If you can't afford it, don't buy it! When we were kids, we didn't have so many toys. We still got by without toys. Other kids didn't have toys, but they still had a lot of fun."

Song Dabao was eating rice cakes on the side when he heard his grandfather say he wouldn't buy him toys. He immediately threw his things down and started making a fuss.

"I want to buy toys! I really want to buy toys!"

Song Mancang was in a bad mood. He wasn't the type to take care of his grandson before, so he didn't even think about coaxing him. He glared at his eldest daughter-in-law and ordered, "Take him out and coax him back in."

What could Sister-in-law Song say?

She had no choice but to obey and prepare to hug her son.

However, Song Dabao pushed his mother away, saying, "Get away from me! I don't want you to hug me!"

He was fed meat, eggs and milk by Ma Cuihua every day, so he was much taller than other children his age. Although he was strong, he was very agile, and Song Da Sao could easily let him run away.

But the boy wasn't trying to run away. Instead, he rushed to Song Mancang's side and pushed him hard. Song Mancang was sitting on the very edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), and he was caught off guard and fell off the kang.

Ouch! My back!

Song Mancang groaned, clutching his back. After years of farm work, his back had long been damaged, and this fall made it even more painful with the slightest movement.

"I'll smash you to death, you old geezer! That'll teach you a lesson for not buying me toys!"

Song Dabao did something wrong but didn't run away. Instead, he stood there and continued cursing.

The last time he tried to push that good-for-nothing at home, it was the same. Although he failed, he heard his grandmother scolding him, saying, "Why didn't you kill that good-for-nothing?"

So this time he used a lot of force, but he still didn't kill the old man who wouldn't buy him toys.

"Da Bao, what are you doing! How could you push your grandfather?" Ma Cuihua was stunned.

Sister-in-law Song couldn't control her son at all. Even when he was in a good mood, he wouldn't listen to her. She could only go out and call Song Wenqiang, who was chopping wood outside.

"Wenqiang, come quick! Dabao pushed Dad off the bed!"

Upon hearing this, Song Wenqiang put down his axe and rushed into the house, grabbing Song Dabao, who was still laughing, and slapping him on the buttocks several times.

Song Dabao burst into tears, and the cries and groans rose and fell, creating quite a commotion.

"Quick, quick, Dad can't move! Get him to the hospital!"