During the new year, most women visited their natal homes around the second day.

Although Gu Qingyao waited until the third day, Younger Aunt did not return.

She remembered that Younger Aunt had not come back last year either.

That day, the Qing River and the Southern Lake Brigades were both busy dredging the river. She heard there was some problem with the Qing River, but Gu Qingyao was not too clear as to what it was. In her previous life, she had always stayed home to do the ch.o.r.es when she was young. Later on, after the incident, she seldom left the house.

So she did not know much about agriculture.

Later on, when she grew up and her father brought up the subject, he said that the people of this era had made the greatest contributions. Many engineering projects to build roads and divert rivers had been performed by human labor in this era.

In later years, people would enjoy the fruit of their forebears' labors.

Gu Qingyao did not need to go to work. Besides her grandmother who was in the cowshed, her grandfather, father and Gu Jinlin all went to help.

Gu Qingyao thought that she might as well visit her younger aunt. She could see how they were faring and give them some things.

Her younger aunt, Gu Yunshuang, had married into a different commune. Although it was not too far from here, it was still a two-hour journey by foot.

Gu Qingyao went to the cowshed to tell her grandma, but did not see her. She left a message for her grandmother with the old people. Then she put her basket on her back and headed for her younger aunt's house.

The weather had been fairly good for the past two days and most of the snow on the road had melted. But it was still early and the sun had just risen. It was still cold and the roads were frosty.

That made walking easier.

When the frost melted, the muddy roads would be difficult to travel.

Younger Aunt had married into the Poplar Brigade, which was part of the Dawn Commune. It got its name from the large stand of poplar trees there.

About ten years ago, the Poplar Brigade was one of the richer areas in the Dawn Commune. Living conditions there were better than the surrounding areas. But for the past few years, things had declined.

It had slowly become the most impoverished brigade in the Dawn Commune.

Gu Qingyao walked for two hours before she reached the Poplar Brigade.

She was unfamiliar with this place. In her previous life, she had only been here a few times, perhaps once or twice after she turned fifteen. She herself could not recall the incidents clearly. Now that she was standing here, she did not even know where her younger aunt's house was.

Fortunately, she still had some vague impressions.

Her younger aunt's in-laws had the surname of Li. Her younger uncle was called Li Dahai. She still remembered that.

After entering the brigade, she asked for directions from an older woman who was sunning herself and st.i.tching soles for her cloth shoes. The woman hospitably led her there.

But before they reached, they could hear the crying and wailing of a woman and child.

Gu Qingyao frowned and the older woman's footsteps paused, before they hastened over.

“Oh no, that old woman is probably beating your younger aunt again!”

Gu Qingyao hurriedly ran over. She saw many people gathered nearby, gesticulating and discussing the matter.

An old woman was shouting. “How dare you steal, you useless sc.u.m. How dare you steal food! I'll beat you to death!”

Gu Qingyao rushed over to look. She saw her thinly clad younger aunt, Gu Yunshuang, lying in the snow. A scrawny little girl lay in her arms and she was trying to s.h.i.+eld the girl. Next to her, an old woman was holding a tree branch, beating and scolding her younger aunt.

The little girl in her arms was wailing non-stop. She huddled in her younger aunt's arms, not daring to move.

“Stop it!”

Gu Qingyao was enraged. She rushed over and s.n.a.t.c.hed the tree branch from the old woman's hand. “What are you doing?”

Gu Qingyao s.h.i.+elded her younger aunt while glaring balefully at the old woman.