After getting in the car, Zhao Dashan said, "Hongli, this is your sister-in-law, your Brother Zheng’s wife. You women can talk among yourselves. Brother Zheng, I ran into Zuo Lin. We made plans for him to bring his wife to the restaurant tonight. Will you be late going back? Is everything okay with Jiao Jiao?" Zhou Xiaozheng shook his head and said, "She knows what’s going on. As long as I go back in the evening to let her sleep peacefully, it’s fine. My Jiao Jiao knows that her mom and I are going to tidy up the house." Cheng Hongli grabbed Lin Lishan’s hand, excitedly saying, "Sister-in-law, I finally get to see you in person. You’re the idol of our female soldiers. We all want to see this Rouge Horse — how is the Northeast Tiger treating you? He hasn’t bullied you, right?" Zhou Xiaozheng jokingly scolded, "Red Pepper, you’re something else. Just jumping in and gossiping about me, don’t bully my wife, or I’ll beat up your man." Cheng Hongli rolled her eyes and said to Lin Lishan, "Sister-in-law, how can you not be afraid of this Cold-faced King? Pretending to be sincere, he must have bullied you a lot. You are returning from the provincial city, right? How come you returned this early? It seems impossible. Didn’t you surround Brother Zheng and beat him up?" When Lin Lishan saw her, she saw that she was chatting away nonstop and didn’t need her to answer, "Didn’t meet anyone else, just Zhao Chuan Guang. Do you know Zhao Chuan Guang?" "Who wouldn’t know that guy, I can remember him even if he turns to ashes. Those guys bullied our Old Zhao a lot, unforgettable. Did seeing Brother Zheng scare him this time? Brother Zheng, did he cry a lot?" "Don’t worry, he’ll come over in a few days, you’ll have the chance to get revenge. Dashan, if they come, they’ll look for you first. I’ll be away for the next few days, so entertain them on my behalf." Zhou Xiaozheng was genuinely worried that those guys might hurry over and not find him, and might search Daqing Mountain. Zhao Dashan nodded and said, "Sure, no problem. But Brother Zheng, besides going to Xiao Wujia’s place, where else will you go that I can’t find you?" "I’m going hunting in three villages the day after tomorrow; I’ll stay in the mountains for a few days. I’m afraid these guys might rush over. Keep an eye on them, don’t let them go into the mountains." Content orıginally comes from 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭⟡𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦⟡𝘯𝘦𝘵 Zhao Dashan nodded again, thinking of bringing more tools with him when going up the mountain. Before long, the car arrived at the small courtyard entrance. The neighbors around this courtyard were far away, leaving a large empty space. Close to the Armament Department and the Public Security Bureau, a short distance to the right was a main road, with the county high school, supply and sales cooperative, and restaurant taking less than half an hour back and forth, which made Zhou Xiaozheng the most satisfied. "We’re here. Everyone, get out of the car. Red Pepper, help your sister-in-law. Your man and I will drop off the stuff and leave. Shanshan, remember to reach out to Red Pepper if anything comes up. Don’t stand on ceremony with her; treat her like your own sister." Zhou Xiaozheng and Zhao Dashan made three trips before they finished. After saying goodbye to them, Zhao Dashan drove to the woodworking factory. Driving towards the woodworking factory, Zhao Dashan said, "Brother Zheng, you’ll be up the mountain for a few days the day after tomorrow. Let me take a leave and go with you? Do you need a gun?" "Does your absence from work matter? At most, I’ll be away for two nights and be back soon; we might even return in one night. Once the courtyard is tidied up, I plan to take Jiao Jiao to stay in the county town for a few days." "No worries, it doesn’t matter. Somebody down there manages the big picture. Besides, it’s not busy now. The year-end is approaching." "Okay, do what you see fit. If you’re free, come early; we might need to depart early in the morning. Should I drive over to pick you up? Remember to prepare more anti-freeze materials as it’s likely to snow soon." The county town woodworking factory is located at the edge of the county town. "Whether rich or poor, get a wife and have a good New Year." As the year-end approaches, wedding joy in the city increased. Nowadays, weddings aren’t like a few years ago when two single bed boards were put together, and rolling bedding up was considered a home; now they aspire for enviable thirty-six-legged redwood trunks. Zhao Dashan took Zhou Xiaozheng into the factory, finding employees busy working away inside. Zhao Dashan, being familiar with the place, found the supervisor, and the two explained their purpose. The person led them to the warehouse filled with various large and small pieces of furniture, with simple designs, mostly double beds except for small pieces. Zhou Xiaozheng found a sturdy wood bed and nodded with satisfaction, "Do you have a small cart here? Like the cart used for hauling coal and buying cabbage?" The supervisor laughed, "Yes, we have lots of wood, and we do have small carts. I’ll show you, and you can choose one yourself." Zhou Xiaozheng chose a cart and paid in full, giving the location for delivery when they prepared to bring it to the door. Seeing Zhao Dashan stopping and looking back, Zhou Xiaozheng curiously asked, "Hey, what are you up to? If you need something, handle it quickly; we are off to buy coal." "Haha, wait a moment, Brother Zheng, I need to speak a few words." Zhao Dashan said and ran off. Hurriedly running to the office, he found the master. Without much time to talk, he drew a rough outline based on the cradle he remembered, gesturing to the master and feeling relieved when he nodded, showing a smile. "Just , Master, it’s for a child — a rocking cradle. Raise this spot a bit; prevent the child from falling out. Take a look, it’s for someone else, make it more refined." "Don’t worry, I know this is a cradle. I’ve made them before. You’ll be giving it away, so use a good material. We’re acquainted; don’t worry. Pick it up in a few days, and we’ll settle the cost then." "Alright then, I’ll head out, they’re waiting for me. It’s for a boy, remember to make it delicate." Zhao Dashan ran back, hurriedly jumping into the car, and said to Zhou Xiaozheng with a grin, "Brother Zheng, let me drive; guiding is more trouble than driving. How much will you buy this time? I have coal tickets on hand for you to use." As Zhou Xiaozheng got out, changed positions, he took a stack of coal tickets from his pocket and handed it over. Looking at the tickets, Zhao Dashan was taken aback, "Brother Zheng, did you rob a coal mine or something? How could you have so many? Will you use them all up? Use the ones with the earliest expiration first; how much are you planning to buy initially?" "Let’s start with 300 jin. Once we use it up, let Xiao Wu find someone to haul more. Buying too much at once doesn’t look good. If your family needs some, buy a bit more." "No need for me, my home is prepared. Considering the fire wall, 300 jin isn’t much, just enough to make do. If we took it all, the coal station might not have any left. We’ll get more coal and store it in the kitchen; I’ll ask someone to haul it then." Zhou Xiaozheng nodded, "You arrange things. By year’s end when Xiao Wu goes to work, coal won’t be that much needed. Dashan, while I’m not in the county town, I’ll leave my Jiao Jiao and Xiao Wu to you. We are brothers, no need for thanks. If anything happens and you can’t reach me, contact those guys in the provincial city. Let’s meet up later, and I’ll give them a heads up." Zhao Dashan, being serious, declared, "Brother Zheng, don’t worry. I’ll watch over that couple closely; no one will bully them. I didn’t know Jiao Jiao was your daughter before, but I do now. If I let her suffer, I would be ashamed to see you. Relax while you’re in Beijing." "Can’t relax at all. Just thinking about her being so young, having to raise a child when she’s still a child herself, really unsettles me. Damn, what a situation. Xiao Wu, still too young, smart but inexperienced. Do you know what he suggested to me yesterday?"