By the end of October, He Lang and He Nan had gone up the mountain several more times, and the firewood pile in the courtyard had grown quite large.
He Ze of the second branch of the family wasn't around. The town was far from the village and they didn't own a bicycle, so he had been living in a dormitory provided by the factory.
Gao Cuiyun, meanwhile, just holed up at home. She didn't go up the mountain to gather firewood. When she saw Xue Yue doing it, she looked down on her, thinking it was a man's job that Xue Yue was trying to steal.
With the man of the second household away, Gao Cuiyun didn't gather any wood herself. She kept using the firewood that had been piled in the courtyard before the family property was divided—firewood that had been left for Mr. and Mrs. He.
Gao Cuiyun kept using it, and Mr. and Mrs. He didn't say a word.
But today, He Ze came home.
