Chapter 356 - 237: Home Is the Heart’s Haven

Chapter 356: Chapter 237: Home Is the Heart’s Haven

The moment Zhao Wendong lay down, he felt as if every bone in his body was crying out. Lin Zhiyin gently snuggled closer, resting in his arms.

"You must be exhausted."

"I’m okay. Much better than being in the mountains."

"Well, if you’re that tired, you should get some sleep."

"I’m not sleepy. Let’s go for a round first."

With his wife in his arms, Zhao Wendong couldn’t even be bothered to study the treasure map or anything else. The rest of the world faded away; right now, all he wanted was to explore the depths with Lin Zhiyin.

Lin Zhiyin’s cheeks flushed as she shifted closer to him. Zhao Wendong looked down at the girl in his arms. Her long eyelashes cast faint shadows in the soft moonlight. Gently, he raised a hand to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. When his fingertips brushed her earlobe, her body trembled lightly, and her cheeks grew even redder.

Zhao Wendong lowered his head and kissed the top of Lin Zhiyin’s hair. Then he slowly lifted her chin, his gaze burning as he looked at her. Her eyes sparkled as if they were full of stars, shimmering with a mixture of shyness and anticipation.

He slowly leaned in, his lips gently covering hers. His movements were so tender it was as if he were afraid of breaking her. Lin Zhiyin’s body stiffened for a moment before she gradually relaxed, closing her eyes and raising her hands to clutch the front of his shirt, surrendering to his gentle kiss.

This kiss held no fierce exploration, only immense tenderness and affection, like a spring drizzle nourishing both their hearts.

After a long while, Zhao Wendong slowly released her, resting his forehead against hers. Their breaths mingled, carrying each other’s warmth.

"I’m honored to be with you, wife."

Zhao Wendong’s voice was also soft, but his tone was filled with solemnity.

"Me too, my love."

Lin Zhiyin’s eyes reddened, and happy tears threatened to spill over.

She leaned in on her own and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

When Zhao Wendong woke up the next day, he felt refreshed and comfortable all over. He lay on the kang, not wanting to get up, and listened with his eyes closed to the broadcast from outside. He had been the one to provide the radio to the village. Except for the few days when the generator was broken, the production team headquarters made sure to play the broadcast for all the commune members every day.

He had only been listening for a little while when the outdoor loudspeaker suddenly went silent. Then, he heard Third Master Zhao cut in with an announcement.

"Congratulations to Comrade Zhao Wendong on being named a Model Worker for the county and the region! Everyone should learn from his example. Ahem, and you, from Zhao the Fatty’s household, are you still not done weaving those mats? If you don’t finish your task, I’m docking your work points tomorrow!"

Zhao Wendong smiled to himself upon hearing this. In times like these, work points were more valuable than money. Money couldn’t always be exchanged for food rations, but work points from the production team could. In Dragon King Pond, work points were the hardest currency.

Zhao Wendong didn’t go anywhere that day. The following day was the fifteenth of the first lunar month, and any plans to go up the mountain or travel would have to wait until after the festival.

So Zhao Wendong rested obediently at home. In the morning, Chen Yanmei cooked a large pot of coarse corn porridge and made a batch of cornmeal pancakes on the side of the pot. Served with some pickled vegetables, cabbage, and potatoes, it was a simple breakfast, but the whole family gathered around and ate with great relish.

Little Tuanzi sat next to Zhao Wendong, holding a pancake in her small hands and nibbling on it. Every couple of bites, she would dip it into Zhao Wendong’s bowl of porridge. She wouldn’t dip it in her own bowl; it had to be Brother San’s.

"You have porridge in your own bowl, you know."

"Third Brother’s tastes better."

"It all came from the same pot. How can it be different?"

"It just is!"

Zhao Wendong helplessly pushed his bowl closer to her. The little girl satisfyingly dipped a large piece of the pancake and stuffed it into her mouth, her cheeks puffing out like a little squirrel’s.

Watching the brother and sister from the side, Lin Zhiyin couldn’t help but smile.

After breakfast, Zhao Wendong said he wanted to go see his grandparents. He hadn’t had a chance to visit them before or after his trip to the mountains, and he’d been thinking about them.

When Little Tuanzi heard this, she clamored to go too. The little girl’s nutrition had improved recently, making her increasingly lively and active, and a bit of a chatterbox as well. Zhao Wendong headed out with Lin Zhiyin and Little Tuanzi. Dahuang, Dahei, and Erhei wagged their tails, wanting to follow, but Zhao Wendong made them stay home to recover. The three gouzi had been instrumental in taking down the White Wolf King.

Before they even entered the house, they heard the old man’s coughing from inside.

"What’s wrong, Grandpa?"

Zhao Wendong immediately grew tense and rushed into the house in just a few strides.

His grandmother, Ye Qingmei, had a winnowing basket in front of her. His third aunt, Zhao Tiehua, was also there. When they saw Zhao Wendong, their faces blossomed into smiles.

"Dongzi’s here!"

"Aiyo, my dear grandson is back! Quick, get on the kang."

Little Tuanzi also called out in her high-pitched, childish voice, "Grandma, Grandpa, Third Aunt!"

"Ah, my dear granddaughter is here too!"

Placing Little Tuanzi on the kang, Zhao Wendong nodded to the women, then looked with concern toward Zhao Chuanhe at the head of the kang. "What’s wrong with Grandpa?"

"It’s an old ailment. He always gets a cough when winter comes."

"Alright, I understand."

’I used to be prone to coughing in my previous life, too. I learned that drinking a soup made with rock sugar and pear, or one with white radish and honey, helped a lot. In this era, rock sugar is available, but pears are hard to get. Honey, on the other hand, should be easy to find. I’ll make a mental note to prepare some for Grandpa.’

He looked at the winnowing basket in front of his grandma and third aunt. "Grandma, what are you two doing?"

"Sorting beans."

"Then you should rest. I’ll do it."

Zhao Wendong and Lin Zhiyin also gathered around to help, but after picking out just a few beans, Zhao Wendong was shooed aside in disgust by his grandmother.

"Go, go, go, you wasteful boy! Those beans are just ugly, not spoiled, and you’re throwing them out! Go chat with your grandpa and stop making a mess. Look how well my grandson’s wife is sorting them."