“Since you’re family, I’ll just be honest—I already have someone, so there’s no need for you to trouble yourself, Aunt.” Shen Zhihuan smiled faintly.

“You already have someone?” Old Lady Qian froze, dumbfounded.
Her hopes for a financial windfall… gone.

“Where’s he from? What does his family do? How many siblings does he have? Zhihuan, you’re still young. You must be careful not to let anyone deceive you,” Old Lady Qian said quickly.

“He’s the son of a government official,” Shen Zhihuan replied with a serene smile.

“…”
Old Lady Qian was momentarily stunned.
A government official?

As she thought about her own daughter’s circumstances, Old Lady Qian felt even more despondent.

A sickly girl who relied on medicine managed to find the son of a government official, while her own healthy, strong daughter was about to become the daughter-in-law of a farmer’s wife.
The thought was infuriating.

If not for He Chunsheng’s usefulness, she would’ve forced her daughter to drink a bowl of medicine to get rid of the child long ago.

Old Lady Qian turned to glare fiercely at Qian Zhizhi.

Useless thing!

Qian Zhizhi awkwardly lowered her head.

How could she not know her mother’s thoughts?
She had gone to the educated youth station, visited the village head and the secretary’s house, but to no avail.
What could she do if they weren’t interested?

It’s not like she could force them, and even if she wanted to, she wasn’t strong enough to overpower them.

“Little sister, you’re back,” Shen Zhimei called out as she hurried in, carrying three pounds of pork and a few large bones. Seeing Shen Zhihuan at home, she let out a sigh of relief.

“Big sister, didn’t Daya and Erya come with you?” Shen Zhihuan glanced around the house.

“They’re at home playing with their brother!” Shen Zhimei replied, her gaze flickering slightly.

Shen Zhihuan smiled knowingly but didn’t expose her.

Li Qiuhua took the meat and bones, carried the potatoes to the kitchen, and called out without looking back, “Zhihuan, go to the field and pull up a couple of radishes. Pick some green peppers and cut a handful of chives.”

“Let Little Sister rest. I’ll get them.” Shen Zhimei handed the remaining money to Li Qiuhua, quickly grabbed the basket and sickle hanging outside the kitchen, and ran out the door.

Shen Zhihuan watched Shen Zhimei’s retreating figure and chuckled silently.

You can avoid this for now, but can you avoid it forever?

“Zhihuan, I heard from my second sister-in-law that you’ve been writing articles for some magazine in the capital?” Qian Zhizhi’s eyes lit up with interest.

“Oh, I just write a little to earn some money for food when I have free time.” Shen Zhihuan withdrew her gaze, turned to Qian Zhizhi, and smiled politely.

Before Qian Zhizhi could say more, Shen Zhihuan strode off to the kitchen.

Old Lady Qian gestured to Qian Zhizhi, signaling her to follow, but Qian Zhizhi frowned and hesitated, shaking her head reluctantly.

Old Lady Qian scowled at her daughter before waddling toward the kitchen herself.

Inside the kitchen, Li Qiuhua opened her mouth to speak but quickly closed it when she saw a figure approaching.

She had overheard Qian Zhizhi’s question and was worried her younger daughter might inadvertently reveal too much.

“Zhihuan, is Shen Zhihuan here?” a familiar voice called from the courtyard.

“I’m here!” Shen Zhihuan responded, getting up to go outside.

Li Qiuhua put down the knife she was using and followed her out.

Old Lady Qian hurried after them, afraid to miss anything.

“Zhihuan, here’s your remittance slip, a letter, and the magazine. Please sign here.” The mailman handed Shen Zhihuan the items with a smile.

She took the slip and letter, handing the magazine back to the mailman as usual.

“Thank you!” The mailman beamed with gratitude.

“It’s just a magazine. No need to thank me.” Shen Zhihuan took the pen and deftly signed her name.

“Preparing lunch, old sister?” the mailman asked, noticing Li Qiuhua with an apron tied around her waist.

“We’re about to eat. Why not join us?” Li Qiuhua offered with a smile.

“Thanks, but I need to deliver a remittance slip to Su Changjiang’s family.” The mailman waved politely.

Before leaving, he pulled out a bag of fried dough twists from his satchel and handed it to Shen Zhihuan.

“My daughter made these this morning. They’re crispy.”

“Thank your daughter for me.” Shen Zhihuan smiled as she accepted the gift.

“If you like them, I’ll bring more next time.” The mailman mounted his bicycle.

“This is plenty. We’ll be eating these for days,” Shen Zhihuan said quickly.

The mailman didn’t respond, simply waved goodbye and pedaled away.

“Zhihuan, is that letter and remittance slip from the magazine in the capital?” Qian Zhizhi asked eagerly, inching closer.

After watching for a while but unable to make out the address, Qian Zhizhi reluctantly stepped even closer.

“Yes,” Shen Zhihuan replied casually, tucking the items into her pocket.

Old Lady Qian’s eyes nearly popped out of her head, glued to the envelope and slip disappearing into Shen Zhihuan’s pocket.

“Zhihuan, can you let me take a look at the remittance slip? I’ve never seen one before,” Old Lady Qian said with a shameless grin.

“Auntie, you can’t even read much. How would you understand it?” Shen Zhihuan chuckled, underestimating her aunt’s brazenness.

“Come on, just let me take a quick look!” Old Lady Qian persisted, her smile unwavering.

“Let her see it,” Li Qiuhua said, forcing a smile.

Shen Zhihuan smiled faintly, pulled out the slip, and waved it briefly in front of Old Lady Qian.

Qian Zhizhi craned her neck to see.

128 yuan.

Her eyes widened in shock.

Old Lady Qian reached out, but Shen Zhihuan quickly retracted the slip and tucked it back into her pocket.

“Zhihuan, how much was on that slip?” Old Lady Qian asked greedily.

“A bit of money for food,” Shen Zhihuan said with a sly smile.

“Look at you, child. If a hundred or so yuan a month is just for food, your aunt here would’ve starved to death long ago,” Old lady Qian chuckled, inching closer.

Ten yuan a month was already gone, and there was no way she could let this opportunity slip through her fingers.

After all, this concerned her daughter’s future happiness.

Qian Zhizhi glanced at old lady Qian, who immediately understood. Old lady Qian cleared her throat and smiled.

“Zhihuan, could you tell me the address for that magazine…?”

“Sure!” Shen Zhihuan said brightly, her smile dazzling.

Old lady Qian froze in disbelief.

Standing beside her, Qian Zhizhi also looked stunned, as if she couldn’t believe what she had just heard.

Did she hear that right? Who in their right mind would openly share their own money-making secret?

“You said yes?” Old lady Qian asked again, hesitant and unsure.

“Of course. I’ll give it to you right now,” Shen Zhihuan replied with a smile. She reached into her pocket, pulled out the letter, emptied it of the ration and meat coupons, and slapped the now-empty envelope into Old lady Qian’s hand.

Qian Zhizhi’s face lit up with uncontrollable excitement.

“Mom…” Qian Zhizhi tugged on old lady Qian’s arm, her voice trembling with joy, as if the promise of earning a hundred yuan a month was already within her grasp.

Old lady Qian shot her daughter a warning glare.

Could she really not keep her emotions in check? The goods weren’t even in hand yet, and she was already so thrilled that she’d forgotten her place.