With the additional land, Xu Han now had more space to grow vegetables.

However, the vegetable garden was prone to being invaded by chickens and other animals, so it needed to be fenced.

The bamboo for fencing could be bought, as there was plenty of bamboo in the nearby mountains.

Occasionally, buyers would come to purchase bamboo for making fences for city villas.

Some villagers specialized in cutting and selling bamboo, charging 20 cents per piece.

Xu Han asked Aunt Li, who she was familiar with, to order three large bundles for her.

What made her happiest was that the off-season vegetables she had planted, without the use of greenhouses, were starting to bear fruit.

The delicate and adorable tomatoes, fresh and juicy cucumbers, and tender and fragrant snow peas would be ready for harvesting in just a few days.

Moreover, the vegetables in their garden didn’t have any pests!

It turned out that Kou Kou’s urine not only promoted growth but also repelled pests…

This meant they could skip the pesticide step entirely, resulting in completely green, pollution-free vegetables.

Having just turned down a million yuan in child support and now practically penniless, Xu Han felt like she could see the little money waving at her.

Every day, she eagerly watched her vegetable garden, her eyes shining with excitement.

When it was finally time to harvest, Xu Han first picked a handful of snow peas.

She took a piece of pork belly from the fridge and prepared to make stir-fried pork belly with snow peas.

Pork belly from domestic pigs doesn’t require vegetable oil, as it renders plenty of lard.

Once the pork belly curls up and turns golden brown, the snow peas go into the wok.

Stir-fried over high heat with some salt and a bit of water to dissolve the salt and enhance the flavor, then adding a bit of chicken essence for extra taste, the dish of snow peas with golden brown pork belly was ready.

Xu Han couldn’t wait to use chopsticks and eagerly picked up a piece of snow pea with her hand.

It was a bit hot, so she blew on it before taking a bite.

Even though she was prepared to be amazed, Xu Han still couldn’t help but brighten up when she tasted it.

These snow peas were crisp and refreshing, with a delicate and sweet flavor.

Coated in a rich, meaty sauce, they were savory and tender, with an excellent texture that made Xu Han feel like she could eat her tongue.

For lunch, Xu Han and Grandma Qiao enjoyed a bowl of stir-fried snow peas.

Meals in the village were simple, typically consisting of one or two dishes, and three dishes were considered a “feast.”

Despite the simplicity, this single dish was even more satisfying than the standard three dishes and a soup she had in the city, making the meal much more enjoyable.

After lunch, Xu Han fed Kou Kou, then asked Grandma Qiao to take him for a nap while she grabbed a bag and headed to the field to pick some freshly grown vegetables.

She then went to the village elementary school.

Xu Han and Grandma Qiao took turns delivering vegetables to the school, and the school’s gatekeeper was familiar with her.

They exchanged a few friendly words before he let her in.

Xu Han walked to the school cafeteria, where Aunt Zhu and a few other cafeteria workers were cleaning dishes.

Seeing her, Aunt Zhu dried her hands and came over with a smile. “Why do you have time to come over at this hour?”

Xu Han lifted the bag in her hand. “The vegetables at home are ready to eat, so I brought some for your cafeteria.”

Aunt Zhu saw the bag full of various vegetables and quickly took it from her. “It’s nice of you to think of us. This is a lot, isn’t it heavy?”

“Not at all,” Xu Han smiled at her.

Seeing no one else around, she lowered her voice and said, “Aunt Zhu, is the vegetable supply here managed through someone’s connections?”

Aunt Zhu immediately understood her meaning.

Familiar with Xu Han, she didn’t hide the truth. “Yes, it’s arranged by a grade supervisor here, probably a relative. To be honest, I don’t like their vegetables. They take advantage of the lack of local suppliers and give us the worst ones. They used to deliver twice a week, but now it’s only once every Monday morning. Some vegetables aren’t fresh after a week.”

“Is that so,” Xu Han nodded, having a plan in mind. “I have plenty of vegetables at home, and I can supply them fresh daily. Who should I talk to if I want to become a supplier?”

“The cafeteria is managed by the vice principal,” Aunt Zhu said quietly. “But I think he might be receiving some benefits from the current supplier. If you want to… you might need to be prepared to offer something too.”

With such a small supply of vegetables, Xu Han was impressed that they could still eat so well.

She thought for a moment and said to Auntie Zhu, “Auntie Zhu, could you do me a favor? Like this…”

…

The principal of Dongyang Elementary School surnamed Qiu, not young anymore, had been an educator all his life.

He cared deeply for his students, worked tirelessly, and his influence extended far and wide.

Because of his dedicated service to students over the years, he had even appeared on the provincial television station.

One afternoon after classes, he went to the school cafeteria as usual — their school had a teachers’ cafeteria, which was essentially a round table where everyone gathered for lunch.

There were only ten staff members at their school, so they squeezed around the table.

Today’s lunch included stir-fried pork with green peppers, beef with snap peas, stewed meat, smashed cucumbers, and a soup that hadn’t been served yet.

Principal Qiu wondered if his eyes were playing tricks on him because today’s dishes looked better than usual.

Once the other teachers joined him and they started eating, they couldn’t stop praising the food.

“Wow, did they change the cook today? The food tastes amazing!”

“Let me try… Mmm, it’s true. This smashed cucumber is the best I’ve ever had.”

“I usually don’t like green peppers, but the aroma today tempted me to try it, and it’s like I’ve discovered a whole new world! So delicious.”

Just as they started eating, Principal Qiu heard the teachers at the table chatting excitedly about today’s dishes.

They were all thrilled about how delicious everything was, as if they weren’t eating ordinary home-cooked food but rather rare delicacies.

Principal Qiu picked up his chopsticks and tried a bite himself, discovering that today’s dishes were indeed much tastier than usual!

If we have to describe it, they were used to eating meals prepared by ordinary cafeteria chefs, but suddenly, it was as if a 5 Star-level master had cooked for them—a stark contrast that was immediately apparent.

Principal Qiu swallowed the food and asked, “Did our cafeteria change the cook?”

“No, it’s because of the vegetables,” Auntie Zhu replied with a bowl of tomato and egg drop soup, smiling. “Today’s vegetables were sent by the family who provides greens to our school. They grow a lot and can’t finish them all, so they sent a lot to our cafeteria.”

“I see,” Principal Qiu nodded. “So these vegetables are grown in their own fields, and they’re much tastier than those grown in greenhouses.”

The other teachers agreed.

Auntie Zhu set down the steaming egg soup and said with a smile, “Exactly. The children are saying the food is exceptionally delicious today. Normally, there’s a lot left over, but today, everything was eaten up.”

“Is that so?”

Principal Qiu was intrigued.

Children usually didn’t eat much voluntarily, and with hundreds of them, they couldn’t monitor each one individually.

This often led to a lot of leftover food, which concerned Principal Qiu, who cared deeply about the students and worried they might not be eating enough.

“Yes,” Auntie Zhu wiped her hands on her apron and said, “If you don’t believe me, you can go out and see after lunch.”

Principal Qiu nodded earnestly.

After finishing lunch, Principal Qiu, who usually prioritized health and physical well-being, found himself surprisingly full.

It was mainly because the food was so delicious that he couldn’t resist eating almost half a bowl more rice than usual.

He leisurely strolled into the student cafeteria, where the aunties were cleaning up the trays.

He noticed that usually, there were a lot of leftovers on the trays, but today they were exceptionally clean—students had eaten everything, leaving nothing behind!

Auntie Zhu wasn’t exaggerating after all. He pondered for a moment and went to find Auntie Zhu.

…

Soon after, Xu Han received a call from Auntie Zhu: Principal Qiu wanted her to come over sometime to sign a contract.

From now on, her family would supply vegetables to the school.

That same afternoon, Xu Han went over and signed a one-year contract.

Payment would still be made at the beginning of each month.

Roughly calculating, she would earn about 4000 yuan a month.

For Xu Han, who was so poor she could almost eat dirt, this income was quite substantial.

Moreover, if she went to find work in the city, she would probably start with this salary, and living expenses in the countryside were much lower than in the city.

Xu Han felt that her family’s living standard had instantly shifted from scraping by to a modestly comfortable life.

…

In no time, it was time for Kou Kou to get vaccinated.

They had to go to the hospital in the town to get the vaccine.

Xu Han realized that life in the countryside was really inconvenient without a means of transportation.

Every time she needed to go to town, she had to ask in advance if anyone was going and hitch a ride.

Moreover, delivering vegetables to the school by hand, even though it was only a 10-minute walk, was quite exhausting.

Maybe buying an electric scooter would be a good idea.

Back in college, the campus was so big that she rode a bike to class every day, so learning to ride an electric scooter shouldn’t be hard.

Xu Han made up her mind, but she didn’t know how to ride an electric scooter yet.

She figured she’d have to find someone in the village who could ride one and buy it together.

They could then help her bring it back, and she could practice slowly on the cement road in front of her house.

“Your child is so well-behaved, not even crying during vaccinations.”

The doctor had vaccinated Kou Kou several times and recognized Xu Han, chatting with her while preparing the vaccine.

Kou Kou was especially brave, never crying during all those shots.

“Shouldn’t be a problem, right?” Xu Han asked, feeling the worries of a mother.

“Don’t worry, every child has a different pain threshold. Your child is developing normally, and being so young, there shouldn’t be any big issues,” the doctor reassured her.

Relieved by his words, Xu Han helped Kou Kou take off his coat with one hand and rolled up his sleeve with the other.

Knowing he was getting a shot, she dressed him in easy-to-roll sleeves instead of clothing he couldn’t get out of.

Xu Han: “…………..”

Indeed, you can’t praise kids too much.

After getting the shot, Xu Han decided to go check out electric scooters at the store.

She hadn’t planned on buying one, but the shop owner was so helpful, offering free delivery to her doorstep.

Xu Han decided on a pink two-seater model that looked like a stylish lady’s motorcycle.

The battery pack needed to travel between home and town was more expensive than Xu Han had imagined—2600 yuan.

She gritted her teeth and made the purchase, knowing it was necessary.

The shop owner said it was busy today because of the market day, so they could only deliver it tomorrow.

Xu Han didn’t mind and gave him her address for the delivery the next day.

After buying the scooter and some daily necessities, Xu Han took a ride that dropped her off at the elementary school gate.

She had to walk the 10-minute path back home, carrying a backpack and holding Kou Kou as they slowly made their way.

Halfway there, she was startled by rustling in the roadside bushes.

Xu Han jumped, thinking it might be a snake, but then remembered it wasn’t the season for snakes.

Curiosity got the better of her, and Xu Han couldn’t resist making a noise towards the bushes.

Suddenly, a small animal emerged, proudly holding a half-eaten chicken.

Xu Han: “……”

Do thieves openly steal chickens like this now?

The creature was long-bodied with a long tail, brown fur on its back, and white on its belly.

Its round ears perked up cutely, and it seemed… kind of adorable?

The little creature cautiously glanced at her, then seeing no threat, continued to nibble on its chicken.

Xu Han observed it curiously. What was this, a fox?

But it didn’t quite look like one.

Kou Kou seemed delighted to see it, making excited noises and squirming in Xu Han’s arms, trying to reach out for it.

Xu Han gently held Kou Kou’s hand: “Sweetie, you can’t grab this little thing.”

Kou Kou didn’t understand and continued to reach out eagerly.

Seeing Kou Kou’s interest, Xu Han stood there holding him while they watched for a while.

The little creature sensed their gaze and stopped eating, tilting its head to look at them.

They stared at each other for a moment—two humans and one animal.

Eventually, Kou Kou grew tired of watching.

Xu Han’s arms were getting tired from holding him for so long, so she started walking back home.

The creature continued eating its chicken, seemingly indifferent to their comings and goings.

But when Xu Han got home and was about to close the yard gate, she saw it had quietly taken a seat right by her gate, startling her.

The little creature blinked its shiny black eyes at Xu Han.

In that gaze, Xu Han thought she detected a hint of a plea for shelter.

“……”