Li Xiu was tanner and thinner after finishing the spring plowing. Zhou Lian had done her best to make sure he ate and drank well, but farm work was exhausting. Even so, Zhou Lian made him stay home and rest for two days.
After two days of rest, Li Xiu was full of energy again. He snuck off to Daqing Mountain behind Zhou Lian's back. It wasn't that he didn't want to tell her; he knew she would worry and forbid him from going. 'There are still two or three years until the land is distributed to individual households, and our son will be here in two years. I don't want to touch our savings. I want to use that money as capital to build a future for our children where they'll never have to worry about money.'
