The good thing Zhao Shi mentioned was the renovation of the ancestral hall the year before last. Logically, every person from the Lin Family Village was supposed to contribute, either with money or by providing grain to the village to make up the difference if they lacked funds.

Strictly calculated, it was only a little over a hundred large coins per household. But when it came to He Shi, she insisted that since she had already moved out and wouldn't be moving back, she absolutely refused to pay for the hall's upkeep.

She had a major falling out with the Clan Elder at that time. Later, the Elder threatened that if they refused to contribute to the renovation, they would no longer be considered part of the village, and they would be expelled. It was Lin Dajiang who secretly took money from Zhao Shi and delivered it to the Elder, finally smoothing things over.

But that incident had already made He Shi offend the Clan Elder. Thinking about the necessity of visiting the Elder's house now, Zhao Shi gritted her teeth with simmering anger towards He Shi. It was only a little over a hundred large coins; what family couldn't afford that small sum?

Furthermore, even if she didn't live in the village now, it was still the root of the entire Lin family. After they passed away, their remains would eventually return here. Yet, this daughter-in-law had caused them to lose face at the Clan Elder's residence.

Recalling this only made her resent her own son—how could he be so useless, listening to his wife about everything, having absolutely no backbone, letting things turn out like this?

But he was her son, after all. What choice did she have? She still had to accompany him to the Clan Elder’s house, even if it meant enduring a thorough dressing-down from the Elder.

Seeing that matters were mostly settled, Huang Shi and Zhou Shi returned home. By the time Huang Shi got back, it was nearly time for lunch. She took stock of what they had left: a few pounds of cured meat, four or five jin of fine white flour, and over ten jin each of dark flour and cornmeal. Their grain stores would last a while longer.

For lunch, Huang Shi made some wowo tou (steamed corn buns) using the dark flour, stir-fried the cured meat with some cabbage, and prepared a plate of wild greens. She left the white flour untouched, intending to save it for an occasional treat every few days.

Recently, things had been better, and they had been eating white flour steamed buns almost daily. Now, they needed to economize again, at least until the grain from their own fields could be harvested next year.

The family ate the wowo tou silently at noon, their spirits low. Not a word was spoken during the meal. In the afternoon, Huang Shi instructed Lin He to take Lin Chen and Xiao Bao out to gather firewood. The weather was growing colder, and they needed wood for cooking and heating the kang (heated brick bed). This prospect delighted Xiao Bao.

Since the house had been under construction, Xiao Bao had spent all his time at Ergouzi’s place because there was no one to play with him outside. In these last few days, the older children were all heading off to school, leaving him alone, which had made him rather bored. Hearing that he could go gather wood today truly excited him.

Lin He had also been staying home constantly. She decided she would take her younger siblings out for a walk that afternoon. Lin He felt a strange contradiction within herself sometimes.

In her previous life, she always felt unhappy because she lacked parents and had a difficult childhood. As she grew older, her studies consumed most of her time. After finishing school and starting work, the pressure of employment became even greater, leaving no time to even catch her breath.

Now, given a second chance to live out her childhood, she found herself so preoccupied with improving her family’s living conditions that she completely forgot she was currently in her childhood. If she wished, she could rectify the regrets of her past life.

But if the family's circumstances didn't improve, how could one truly speak of a happy childhood? It seemed that regardless of the era, the maxim that the economic base determines the superstructure held true.

As Lin He took her younger siblings out that afternoon, Zhao Shi, after eating, told Old Man Lin that they needed Dajiang and He Shi to accompany them to the Clan Elder’s house. He Shi was initially reluctant, suggesting Dajiang could go alone, but Zhao Shi insisted she must go. Since He Shi was the one who had previously offended the Elder, she absolutely needed to apologize to him in person.

When the group arrived at the Elder’s residence, the Clan Elder was sitting in the courtyard smoking his dry pipe. He did not rise when he saw them approach. However, the Elder’s wife brought over a stool for Old Man Lin and Zhao Shi to sit, while Dajiang and He Shi were left standing, ignored by anyone.

Old Man Lin forced a dry chuckle upon seeing the Elder's demeanor and said, "Brother Elder, how have you been recently? Is your health still robust?"

The Elder recognized Old Man Lin and smiled back, saying, "Thanks to fortune, I am still well. There is so much to manage in the village. Brother hasn't come to pay respects since you returned. And look, you even brought those gifts last time—truly, I apologize."

Although the Elder said this, there was no hint of remorse on his face; his expression remained cool.

Meanwhile, Zhao Shi was chatting with the Elder’s wife. Noticing Dajiang and He Shi still lingering awkwardly, she nudged them. Dajiang snapped out of his stupor, stepped forward, and offered the gifts while saying, "Elder, we plan to move back into the village. As soon as we arrived and settled in a bit, we came right away to pay our respects."

The Elder glanced at Dajiang but did not take the gifts. "Isn't this Dajiang? Haven't you made a fortune in the town? Didn't you say you’d never return in this lifetime? What brings you back now?"

The Elder was aware of all the troubles in Lin Dajiang's household but was still angry about the previous incident, so he deliberately spoke this way to undermine Dajiang’s standing.

Dajiang’s face flushed awkwardly, unsure how to respond, and he simply stood there holding the gifts.

Old Man Lin quickly interjected, "Elder, what are you saying? Dajiang and his family only run a small shop in town to make ends meet; where is this great fortune? Trouble struck at home, so they returned. Besides, Lin Family Village is their root; where else would they go but back here? Elder, please don't hold a grudge against the younger ones; they were just too thoughtless, which led to this situation today."

Old Man Lin also shot Dajiang and He Shi a meaningful look. Dajiang placed the gifts near the Elder and added, "Elder, I was indeed thoughtless. I apologize to you here; please do not hold it against me. This is a small token; I beg you to accept it."

Although He Shi felt somewhat indignant, thinking how arrogant a mere Clan Elder could be, she still followed Dajiang’s lead and bowed deeply to the Elder.

Seeing their respectful attitude of repentance, coupled with the gifts at his feet, the Elder’s anger subsided somewhat. After all, no matter how upset he was, anger served no purpose. As the Clan Elder, he couldn't overstep his bounds, lest the villagers claim he was unjust, which would sound unpleasant.

He finally spoke, "Now that you are back in the village, live properly from now on. Do not bring those messy habits from outside back here. Lin Family Village may be poor, but it does not tolerate such bad habits. You must examine yourselves."

Dajiang knew the Elder was referring to his son's gambling. Though it was embarrassing, it was his own son’s fault. As the head of the clan, the Elder’s admonishment was not wrong.

He could only respond with sincere respect. Old Man Lin and the Elder exchanged a few pleasantries, and then the family left. Watching them go, the Clan Elder shook his head before retiring indoors.