“Ma’am, may I ask where your brigade leader is right now?”
The auntie who was stopped looked up and saw two police officers pushing bicycles, smiling politely.
Even though the officers were very friendly, ordinary villagers still naturally feared and respected the police. Seeing them in person made her nervous.
The usually sharp-tongued auntie immediately became timid and stammered, “Th-the brigade leader i-is in the fields.”
As she spoke, she pointed ahead. “J-just go straight that way and you’ll see him.” After speaking, she hurried away.
The two officers looked at each other. Seeing no one else nearby, they could only follow the direction she pointed.
At that moment, Father Su was walking around the fields, checking whether anyone was slacking off.
He glanced over and saw two men pushing bicycles toward him. Looking carefully, he realized they were police officers.
Father Su quickly walked out of the field. He had no idea why the police had suddenly come. This was the first time he had ever seen police officers in the village, and he immediately became tense.
The officer in front stepped forward and asked, “Are you Captain Su?”
Father Su nodded and asked cautiously, “Officer, this is…”
The officer smiled and said, “It’s a good thing. A very good thing.”
Hearing that, Father Su finally relaxed.
“It’s like this. Some time ago, the educated youth from your village, Comrade Liu, found a large sum of money and turned it over to the Public Security Bureau. That money was the owner’s life-saving money. Comrade Liu’s awareness is very high—she returned lost property without keeping any for herself. We’re here on behalf of the Public Security Bureau to commend her. We also want to promote her as a positive example.”
When Father Su heard this, his eyes narrowed with joy.
This was also a good thing for Dahe Village. Maybe this year their village could even become the “Advanced Brigade.”
Father Su happily led the officers toward the threshing ground, listening to them talk about the matter along the way.
As they walked through the village, many people noticed the brigade leader chatting and laughing with two police officers.
Soon, gossip-loving villagers followed behind them. Children also chattered excitedly while tagging along, though they still didn’t dare get too close to the officers.
When they arrived at the threshing ground, Father Su called for Educated Youth Liu.
When Liu Rongrong heard the brigade leader calling her, she turned around and saw a large crowd gathered there. After hesitating for a moment, she still walked over.
Su Wan was also startled by the crowd. When she noticed the two police officers beside Father Su, she immediately understood what was happening.
Since this was such a rare event, Su Wan naturally could not miss it and went over to watch as well.
The officers still remembered Liu Rongrong. When they saw her approach, they took a certificate out of their bag and unfolded it.
Smiling warmly, the officer solemnly said to Liu Rongrong, “Comrade Liu, we specifically came here today to deliver this certificate of commendation to praise your excellent moral character in returning lost money.”
He personally handed the certificate to her.
The moment Liu Rongrong heard the officer mention the money, she thought about the huge amount she had lost—several hundred yuan! Her heart ached faintly.
In her mind, that money should have belonged to her.
Although Liu Rongrong felt miserable inside, she could not show it on her face. She modestly replied, “Not at all. This is simply what I should do.”
Hearing this, the officer’s smile grew even wider. What a good comrade!
The surrounding villagers were in an uproar after hearing the officer’s words. They had never expected the quiet and delicate-looking Liu Rongrong to have done such a good deed.
Now the villagers looked at her with admiration and envy.
The officers continued praising Liu Rongrong. Seeing her increasingly stiff smile, Su Wan could not hold back and laughed.
In the end, the police officers even took a photo together with Liu Rongrong and Father Su before riding away on their bicycles.
After the officers left, the villagers became even bolder and noisily discussed the matter.
Father Su saw everyone still gathered around and loudly said, “You all heard what the officers said. From now on, everyone should learn more from Educated Youth Liu. Alright, get back to work now. Don’t delay the harvest.”
Since there was no more excitement to watch, and Father Su had spoken, the villagers dispersed and returned to work, though they still discussed the matter while working.
Gradually, everyone’s excitement faded, and they put the matter aside, focusing completely on the autumn harvest.
This autumn harvest was the smoothest one Su Wan had experienced in many years. Every single day was sunny and cloudless, without even a hint of overcast weather.
The elderly villagers happily and curiously said that this year was truly a blessed year. Usually around this time there would always be cloudy days, but this year the weather remained perfectly clear.
At moments like this, Su Wan looked at Liu Rongrong with especially gentle eyes.
After the grain was collected, Father Su quickly led people to transport it to the commune. The sooner they handed it in, the more at ease everyone would feel. Once the grain was submitted, the autumn harvest officially ended smoothly.
On grain distribution day, the entire village was filled with joy.
This grain was their food supply for the next half year.
That afternoon, Father Su fulfilled his promise and slaughtered a pig. Other than New Year celebrations, this was the liveliest day in the village. The scent of pork filled the air everywhere.
A few days before school started, Su Wan carried a piece of pork and some egg cakes, informed Mother Su that she was going to visit her grandmother’s house, and rode off on her bicycle.
Su Wan’s maternal grandfather’s surname was Li, and he lived in Li Family Village, several villages away. By bicycle, it took about half an hour to get there.
When Su Wan arrived, her aunt and cousin-in-law were busy preparing food. Her grandparents sat in the courtyard watching their two grandsons run around wildly. Everyone was delighted and surprised to see Su Wan.
Grandmother happily pulled Su Wan inside by the hand, while the two nephews ran over hugging her legs and shouting, “Auntie!”
Meanwhile, her aunt cheerfully took the pork and egg cakes from Su Wan’s hands. She happily thought that since they had not slaughtered a pig this autumn harvest, now they finally had meat to eat.
Grandmother pulled Su Wan to sit down and happily said, “Why did Xiao Wan come today? I haven’t seen you for so long—you’ve become even prettier.”
“Grandma, I missed you, so I came to see whether you’re healthy,” Su Wan said sweetly, as if honey coated her lips.
Grandmother was so delighted she could not stop smiling. Even Grandfather, who was usually stern and serious, showed a smile.
Su Wan grinned and asked her two nephews, “Did you miss your auntie? Look what I have!”
She pulled out a large handful of White Rabbit candies from her pocket.
The boys’ eyes lit up when they saw the candy, and they shouted excitedly, “White Rabbit candy!”
Seeing how happy they were, Su Wan divided the candies between them, giving each about ten pieces.
The two boys immediately unwrapped one and stuffed it into their mouths while happily pocketing the rest before running off.
Grandmother reproached her fondly, “Why did you give them so much candy? You should keep some for yourself!”
Su Wan hugged Grandmother’s arm and acted spoiled. “Grandma, I’m already grown up. Why would I still eat candy? They’re still children. It’s fine for them to have a few pieces!”
By mealtime, her uncle and two older cousins had also returned home. They were all very happy to see Su Wan.