Chen Jiangong and Chen Jianmin both left after the autumn harvest. Chen Jiangong temporarily handed over the affairs of the small courtyard to Huzhi. Ji Xingmi visited the small courtyard every few days to leave some things and then gave the key back to Huzhi.
The position of village chief was taken over by the old village chief’s eldest son, and everyone was quite convinced. The old village chief took on the position of commune secretary at the commune. The task of operating the tiller was assigned to the old village chief’s second and third sons. They would take care of and operate the machine, helping out in various brigades. The commune provided a subsidy of 15 yuan per month, so both of them could be considered salaried employees! However, this salary would cease once the machines arrived at the agricultural machinery station.
Ji Xingmi also received the materials sent by Gu Jingyi, along with a letter he wrote. He analyzed the affairs of that family for her and solemnly advised her not to make any moves, stating that now was not the right time. He also said he would help her.
She hadn't expected Gu Jingyi to think she would make a move. She was in the countryside now and had no access to anything, so how could she possibly make a move! She wanted the materials to understand why this family wanted to harm her grandfather, so she could be prepared.
During her grandfather's treatment, she had discovered signs of poisoning. Although she had neutralized the poison, she didn't know who the perpetrator was. It felt like a sword hanging over her head, and she didn't know when it would fall. At that time, she hadn't yet recognized her grandfather, so she hadn't mentioned the poisoning.
Firstly, she feared her grandfather's frail body could not handle it; at that time, he was already showing signs of a mental breakdown and inner turmoil. Secondly, she feared alerting the enemy. If there were spies in the village, why couldn't there be someone who wanted to harm her grandfather!
Why could the Gu and Zhao families escape unscathed, but her grandfather could not!? Her grandfather had told her that he had encountered trouble first. After the Gu and Zhao families intervened to protect him and sent him here, they had also secured their own escape routes.
After the autumn harvest, the weather turned cold very quickly, and people no longer needed to go to work. Ji Xingmi had more time to study the materials, but she didn't glean much from them, except for memorizing the family members.
Since she found nothing significant, she stopped dwelling on it and continued researching medicinal formulas in her space. However, quite a few things happened in the village.
The incidents all occurred at Chen Er Zhu's house, which was Chen Jiangong's paternal uncle's household. First, there was the fattening pig they raised. For some unknown reason, their pigs didn't gain much weight and didn't meet the minimum standard. It was estimated that they wouldn't be able to meet their quota this year.
Initially, she was unaware of this matter. It was Aunt Chen who came to find her, asking if there were any remedies. Ji Xingmi didn't know either, so she shared some methods for feeding pigs, like adding insects and cooking the pig feed, which would make the pigs eat more.
Aunt Chen returned with this information, and it was unclear how the matter was resolved afterward.
Another incident involved Chen Jianye. There had been rumors before that he was involved with his wife's close friend, but both parties denied it, and it was only whispered about by the village elders. However, this time, it was said that they were caught in the act.
After the man on the other side beat Chen Jianye severely, he divorced Jin Xiaohua. This was the first divorce in the village. Jin Xiaohua was divorced for infidelity, and her own family, deeming her a disgrace, did not allow her to return home.
This incident should have ended there. However, unexpectedly, Jin Xiaohua moved into Chen Jianye's house, which angered Huang Huaihua so much that she returned to her maiden home. Huang Huaihua's family also became enraged and went to demand an explanation.
It caused a huge commotion! Aunt Chen Er, due to these domestic issues, became ill. During her illness, her favored daughter-in-law did not care for her. This reminded her of Chen Jianming's family who had moved out. After recovering, she tried to find them but couldn't.