Step by step, a gentle breeze leads to a smooth path

It was completely dark when the loaches started to come out and wander around. Zheng Xiangqian busied himself preparing buckets, flashlights, long wires, and other tools for catching loaches.

Zheng Ruidong went into the room and found a set of long-sleeved clothes that he had outgrown, and made Tingnan change into them. Although he was a boy, he was very thoughtful, worried that there would be many mosquitoes at night and that something might scratch Tingnan's hands and feet on the country roads.

Normally, when his older brother Zheng Xiangqian asked Zheng Ruidong to help him get a phone, Zheng Ruidong would get impatient, complaining that it would disturb his reading. Sometimes Song Xiuying would go with him, or Zheng Xiangqian would bring along his cronies.

Today, Zheng Ruidong didn't even need his older brother to call him; he took Tingnan's hand and set off first, teaching foreign languages ​​along the way, without waiting for Zheng Xiangqian, the main force in catching loaches.

Along the way, we encountered many men carrying hoes, "watching the water." After the double harvest, the rice seedlings in the fields need to be carefully monitored for water levels; they can't be allowed to dry out or become flooded. Sometimes, the fields also need to be dried out. After the land was distributed to individual households, everyone's rice seedlings were at roughly the same stage, which could lead to conflicts when it came to releasing water. Therefore, they had to "watch the water" at night to protect their own rice seedlings.

"Dongzi? Whose cute little girl are you leading? She looks unfamiliar."

"Dongzi, is this the little wife your mother found for you?" someone teased.

"Don't talk nonsense, this is my own sister, Ting Nan." Those who knew the Zheng family surrounded Ting Nan and stared at her. "Has the little girl from back then grown up so much?"

See? It's not like she'll lose a piece of her flesh. Ting Nan isn't ashamed at all. She's been surrounded by even more aunties when she's doing business, so she's not afraid of being surrounded by grown men this time.

Most people are just curious and have no malicious intent. But there are always some scoundrels. Just as Ting Nan sensed a hint of malice, a groping hand reached for her butt. Ting Nan was shocked: No way? I'm only eight years old? She forgot to react. Luckily, Rui Dong was watching closely. With a "smack," the hand was slapped away halfway. Zheng Rui Dong's hand was red from the slap, showing how hard he hit.

"Have you no shame? Get out!" Zheng Ruidong glared at him, his fair face flushed with anger.

Everyone around knew perfectly well that it was that same scoundrel again—lazy, irresponsible, and lecherous. But no one dared to say anything; they were afraid to mess with him. Every family has daughters and wives, and getting involved with someone like that was like jumping into the Yellow River—you could never wash yourself clean.

Most of the people here are people who fled during the war; there are fewer original residents like the Zheng family.

People were restless, surnames were diverse, and people lived scattered, with three or five households sharing a plot of land. Like clouds in the sky, they drifted everywhere. Because they lived around water, the village was called "Yunzhou" (Cloud Island).

In such an environment, the weak Song Xiuying was like a lamb to the slaughter after losing the protection of her husband and mother-in-law. Fortunately, she later had a "hooligan" son, which gave her a foothold.

Zheng Ruidong was furious. How could someone be so vulgar? What if Ting Nan were alone outside and ran into him? What disgusting scum!

He completely forgot that not long ago he had been pinned down by his sister and unable to move.

Ting Nan squeezed Zheng Ruidong's hand tightly to comfort him, dispel his worries, and remind him: Your sister has fighting skills!

Zheng Ruidong understood, after all, they had both been in the same mother's womb. After walking for a while, they passed a detached house, and Zheng Ruidong stopped and led Tingnan around.

"What's wrong, bro?" Ting Nan asked, noticing that they had gone around in a big circle before finally reaching the edge of the field.

"Hehehe, that family's daughter is chasing after my older brother. Whenever she sees me, she keeps stuffing food into my mouth and pulling me back, asking about my older brother."

"Oh, how does she look? Pretty, isn't she? Doesn't Big Brother like her?"

"She's not bad looking, but her mother came later, and then her stepsister also..." Zheng Ruidong suddenly stopped talking. "You should ask your older brother."

Zheng Xiangqian, who was walking towards them, looked at his younger brother and sister-in-law with a strange expression: "What's wrong? Is there something on my face?"

Hey, bro, what a mess of romantic entanglements...