Dongyang Village, including nearby villages, had only one primary school nearby, where children from neighboring villages also attended, totaling several hundred people when including kindergarten children.

Originally, the school didn’t have a cafeteria.

However, several years ago, during a surprise inspection by provincial leaders that coincided with lunchtime, some children from remote homes, whose parents were busy with farm work and couldn’t prepare lunch for them, brought their meals to school in aluminum lunch boxes.

Despite their unappealing appearance, they ate in the classrooms, which deeply moved the provincial leaders.

In response, the leaders immediately allocated funds to build a cafeteria for the school and provided subsidies for meals—ensuring that all children could have lunch for free.

This was also why many primary schools in the villages struggled to survive, as parents often hoped their children would succeed by sending them to towns or even cities for education.

Dongyang Primary School, however, thrived due to its vibrant community.

The auntie, surnamed Zhu, worked in the school cafeteria.

She had married into the same village as Grandma Qiao and was known to live nearby, which explained their good relationship.

After listening to her explanation, Xu Han was a bit surprised. “Is that so?”

She only knew that the vegetables tasted fresh and delicious but didn’t realize they could make children love vegetables so much.

What kind of amazing child had she given birth to?

“Yeah, I’ve been cooking for them for several years, but this is the first time I’ve seen something like this. However, your vegetables really are tastier than what we buy in the market. Did you grow them yourselves?”

“Yes, we originally grew them for ourselves. Whatever we couldn’t finish, we sold.”

“But I heard you only came back about half a month ago. How did you manage to grow vegetables so quickly?”

Xu Han knew people would be curious about how fast their vegetables grew, so she had her response ready.

“To be honest, Auntie Zhu, I studied agricultural planting in university, specializing in vegetable cultivation. That’s how I know how to grow vegetables quickly and well, making them tender and delicious.”

“Does that mean you use a lot of fertilizer and pesticides? That’s not good for health, even if they grow well.”

“No, I use organic fertilizers from our farm. I don’t use any chemical fertilizers or pesticides,” Xu Han confidently fabricated, “There’s a lot of science behind vegetable cultivation—like the amount of organic fertilizer used, the timing of fertilization, soil moisture, acidity, soil texture, and the selection of vegetable varieties—all of which are crucial for their growth.”

Seeing Auntie Zhu somewhat convinced by her explanation, Xu Han continued, “Otherwise, why would I, a university graduate, come back home to farm? If I were to farm in a greenhouse in the city, not only could I grow more, but I could also sell in more places. Here, even if we grow vegetables, there’s no one buying them.”

Auntie Zhu seemed to be swayed and smiled, saying, “Those who have had an education are indeed different from those of us who only know how to blindly plant.”

Xu Han added, “Exactly! And scientific research proves that the fertilizers bought elsewhere are far inferior to the organic fertilizers we use in the countryside. You can see how fast and delicious our vegetables grow, all thanks to our organic fertilizers.”

“No wonder,” Auntie Zhu nodded in understanding, “I guess the vegetables sold in town are just grown with lots of chemicals, not as tasty as yours. That’s why the children don’t like eating them.”

At this, Auntie Zhu chuckled, “You know, these children are quite clever. Normally, they don’t like eating vegetables, but it was the first time I saw them finish their greens and even ask for more. I thought it was because I cooked them well. The next day, I used the same method to cook vegetables from another supplier, but they didn’t like them again. That’s when I realized yours are especially delicious.”

Proudly hearing this, Xu Han knew it was all thanks to her beloved son.

After a moment of thought, Xu Han suddenly had an idea.

Their village had only one school with a high demand for vegetables.

If she could secure the supply of leafy greens, the profit might not be substantial individually, but it would add up over time.

It would be a decent business, and much more convenient than selling at the market.

Thinking this through, Xu Han said, “Auntie Zhu, we have a lot of leafy greens in our garden that we can’t finish eating. Would the school cafeteria be interested? I can supply them regularly.”

“Sure!” Auntie Zhu slapped her thigh in agreement. “The vegetables we get at the cafeteria are all from the greenhouse in town, delivered weekly. Leafy greens can’t be kept that long, and our principal insists that lunch must include greens for balanced nutrition. Your supply would be perfect.”

Xu Han nodded, smiling. “Is it settled then?”

Auntie Zhu was relieved to solve a pressing issue and replied happily, “Deal! Starting from now, you can deliver every morning. If you can’t deliver or have supply issues, just let me know a day in advance. We’ll settle the payment at the beginning of each month, sound good?”

The school wasn’t far from their home, only a 10-minute walk. Xu Han agreed, “Absolutely.”

Auntie Zhu left, and Xu Han politely sent her off with a big bunch of vegetables.

Auntie Zhu, smiling, didn’t refuse and left cheerfully.

Chickweed was just an experimental field. Xu Han started cultivating spinach, lettuce, and others to supply the school regularly.

This encouraged Xu Han greatly and gave her inspiration.

Perhaps she could grow more vegetables and manage the school’s entire vegetable supply chain?

She wondered if Kou Kou’s “spiritual urine” would be useful for off-season vegetables.

Grandma Qiao hesitated to ask Xu Han about her long-term plans at home only after Auntie Zhu left. “Are you planning to stay here for a long time?” she asked.

Xu Han nodded. “I find it quite nice here. I’ll stay for now.”

The simple folk here, cultivating the land with the troublesome little antagonist, allowed him to focus on being an ordinary person and teach him well.

Unless Kou Kou was truly born wicked, he wouldn’t grow crooked.

Just thinking about his future actions, especially daring to remove his own biological mother’s oxygen tube, made Xu Han shiver.

Moreover, she liked this rural life where she worked from sunrise to sunset.

Grandma Qiao nodded thoughtfully and didn’t ask further.

…

That day, after coaxing Kou Kou to sleep, Xu Han went to the field to pick two lettuces.

She was preparing to make lettuce wraps for lunch.

Just as she opened the yard gate, she noticed someone waiting there.

The chickens and newly bought goslings roaming around the yard quickly ran up when they saw the vegetables in her hands, gathering around her eagerly.

Not just the school kids, but these poultry loved vegetable leaves too.

Every time she brought back vegetables from the garden, these little creatures would excitedly gather around, waiting for her to pick out the leaves for them to eat.

Unfortunately, while these vegetables were delicious, they didn’t have the effect of making “chickens grow faster” or anything similar.

The chicks didn’t grow any faster than those from other families.

“Miss Qiao,” the person in the yard greeted her politely as she entered.

Seeing her surrounded by a group of small animals, he couldn’t help but twitch his eyes, unable to understand why such a beautiful woman would choose to live in the countryside.

And dressed like a peasant woman, no less.

The key was that even without makeup and wearing casual clothes, she was still so attractive and glamorous, not losing at all to those carefully dressed stars on the screen.

He couldn’t understand why someone with Qiao Wanqing’s appearance always seemed to prefer such unconventional extremes.

Xu Han picked off the old leaves around the lettuce and fed them to the chicks and goslings, politely asking, “Mr. Wang, what brings you here?”

When Gu Yanqing came last time, due to the stark difference between Xu Han’s attitude and what he had imagined, they didn’t settle things immediately.

Now, Wang Xiao’s visit was to resolve this matter on behalf of Gu Yanqing.

Since Qiao Wanqing expressed her intention to raise the child herself, Gu Yanqing wasn’t the type to forcefully take over. He could only try to ensure the child had a better life through compensation.

As it was just compensation, he didn’t need to come personally.

So, he sent Wang Xiao to handle it.

“I’m here to discuss matters concerning the child on behalf of Mr. Gu and Miss Qiao. It’ll only take Miss Qiao ten minutes,” Wang Xiao said politely.

Though Wang Xiao spoke politely, there was always a hint of disdain and contempt in his tone, as if talking to her was beneath him and somehow dirtying his mouth, making Xu Han inexplicably uncomfortable.

Xu Han knew this was already polite.

Through Qiao Wanqing’s memories, she was well aware that when Wang Xiao came to talk to her on behalf of Gu Yanqing after he and Qiao Wanqing had slept together, Wang Xiao had come with a check and spoke in a mocking tone.

Given his attitude, Xu Han saw no need to fawn over him.

She continued working calmly and said, “Go ahead, I’m listening.”

“Miss Qiao,” Wang Xiao’s tone turned serious, “not only do I have verbal instructions, but also an agreement that requires your review and signature. Please, Miss Qiao, be prompt.”

“Or…” Wang Xiao’s tone shifted, tinged with sarcasm, “Miss Qiao originally thought that our CEO Gu would personally come to negotiate with you, perhaps even noticing your drastically different attitude. Instead, you get someone like me, who’s not exactly welcomed. Isn’t that… quite unfortunate?”

Wang Xiao’s tone was infuriatingly condescending.

Xu Han tightened her grip on the vegetable leaves in her hand.

While she understood Wang Xiao’s standpoint and that it was normal for him to mock Qiao Wanqing rather than her, being spoken to like this would bother anyone.

“Here’s a check for one million, along with an agreement. Please review it and sign,” Wang Xiao handed over a document folder.

“This is the maximum compensation our CEO will offer. I advise Miss Qiao to put aside any tangled thoughts and use this money to live well with the child. You’ll never earn a million on your own in a lifetime, so don’t think having our CEO’s child secretly will elevate your status. When you end up with nothing, don’t expect a penny.”

Wang Xiao’s high-handed tone, almost as if he was graciously giving her something, finally angered Xu Han.

“Who cares about your measly two bucks,” Xu Han finally exploded, “Get out!”

“I…”

“Get out! Can’t you hear?” Xu Han rudely cut him off, tossing the vegetables at his feet. “Take your noble million and get out of my home, or I’ll sue you for harassment.”

Wang Xiao: “…”

In the end, Wang Xiao was unceremoniously driven out of Xu Han’s home without achieving anything.

Xu Han decided to reinforce the lock on her yard gate so unwanted guests couldn’t easily enter her property.

After Wang Xiao left, Xu Han went inside to check on Kou Kou.

She found him awake, nibbling on his fingers and staring at the ceiling, perhaps thinking about something tasty.

His small hands were absorbed in their activity.

Hearing Xu Han enter, Kou Kou immediately stopped sucking his fingers and curiously searched for the source of the sound.

Upon seeing Xu Han within his line of sight, he seemed to recognize her as his mother, his gaze following her every move.

Xu Han took a deep breath to calm herself.

Actually, she wasn’t that angry, but for some reason, a surge of resentment had risen from within her earlier, making her feel like tearing Wang Xiao apart.

Even Xu Han was startled by her own thoughts.

Now that she was calm, she considered that maybe… this resentment towards Wang Xiao was something Qiao Wanqing had left behind, triggered in this situation?

Shaking her head, Xu Han decided not to dwell on the reasons.

She went over to check Kou Kou’s diaper, feeling that it wasn’t very full, so she decided not to change it for now.

Kou Kou was nursing now, peeing fifteen to twenty times a day, using up seven to eight diapers each day.

Xu Han realized at this rate, she might not afford diapers anymore.

In fact, she didn’t want compensation anymore, because she suddenly considered another issue.

If Gu Yanqing paid child support, it meant the child belonged to both of them, and Kou Kou would have to recognize him as his father.

Gu Yanqing had the right to come and see the child.

If KouKou knew he had such a powerful father, would he be dissatisfied with their simple country life?

Would he develop resentment, blaming Xu Han for preventing him from being recognized by the Gu family?

Would he think he had the right to inherit Gu Yanqing’s wealth and try to contest with the male lead, just as written in books?

“Ah, Kou Kou,” Xu Han sighed as she lifted him up, “What should I do with you?”

Kou Kou looked innocent and clueless, smiling widely as Xu Han held him, drooling down her shirt.