Chapter 45: Renovating the House

How could Huo Xinyuan spit out such a delicious egg pancake?
Even if it burned blisters in his mouth, he still had to swallow it.

“Little sister, I feel like I’ve finally come back to life,” Huo Xinyuan said with teary eyes as he looked at Su Miaomiao.

“Huh?” Su Miaomiao was caught off guard for a moment.

She wondered if her third brother had been burned so badly it messed with his brain.

“You don’t know what kind of torture our taste buds went through while you were gone the past two days,” Huo Xinyuan said, even dramatically wiping away the corners of his eyes.

Cough, cough…

Su Miaomiao suddenly remembered Tang Chunlan’s legendarily awful cooking, and instantly understood Huo Xinyuan’s reaction.

If she had to eat that for two days straight, she’d probably lose the will to live too.

“You little brat! The moment I take my eyes off you, you start bad-mouthing me in front of your sister!”
Tang Chunlan came out just in time to hear his complaint and immediately grabbed his ear.

“Mom! Mom! Let go! My ear’s about to fall off!” Huo Xinyuan cried out, begging for mercy.

“Let it fall then. It’s not like it’s of much use anyway.” Tang Chunlan said and even pulled harder.

Huo Xinyuan howled in pain.

Su Miaomiao and the rest of the Huo family all burst into laughter at the scene.

Huo Zhenbo turned his gaze to Su Miaomiao, his eyes full of affection.

When he first found out that their father had been framed and the whole family was to be sent down to the countryside, it felt like the sky had fallen on them.

During that time, everyone was constantly gloomy. Their grandparents had to go to the hospital several times.

Later, when the shocking truth about Huo Lingxiu came out—that he wasn’t their biological child—and that their real little sister had been swapped at birth…

At that moment, they truly felt their world collapse.

Then Su Miaomiao returned, but the family barely had time to get close before they were sent down together.

They had thought this journey would be nothing but hardship.
All they wanted was to protect Su Miaomiao no matter what.

But to their surprise, the days in the countryside weren’t as hard as they had feared.

In fact… their family seemed even more loving and united than they had ever been in the capital.

“Thank you.”

Su Miaomiao had been enjoying the lively scene when she suddenly heard a deep voice beside her.

Turning her head, she saw Huo Zhenbo had somehow appeared next to her.

Su Miaomiao grinned, “You’re welcome.”

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Su Miaomiao’s return allowed the Huo family to finally eat proper meals again.

That breakfast was devoured in a frenzy.

After the meal, the whole family went to the herb hall—they still needed to go up the mountain to dig for medicinal herbs that day.

But when they arrived, they realized most of the village had already set off—they were actually the last group to arrive.

“Did nobody sleep? Why is everyone up so early?” Tang Chunlan asked, surprised.

Old Zhao walked over cheerfully, “Everyone got quite a bit of supplies yesterday, so now they’re all motivated, trying to gather as much as they can before the snow comes.”

Before, although people went to work on time, they hadn’t really felt the benefit—most just worked like clockwork without much enthusiasm.

But now that they’d actually received supplies, things were different.

The more work you do, the more you get.
Everyone wanted to make this winter just a little better—maybe even more than just a little.

“Then you all better hurry up and head out too!” Tang Chunlan, fired up by those words, couldn’t sit still anymore. She grabbed a basket and shoved it into her eldest son’s arms before rushing everyone out the door.

She had said it herself — from now on, the Huo family would earn work points to support Su Miaomiao.

Huo Zhenbo and the others shared the same thought. Carrying their baskets, they hurried up the mountain.

The more they gathered, the less Su Miaomiao would have to do.

After the Huo family left, Su Miaomiao and Tang Chunlan went straight into processing work.

All morning, they continuously processed herbs, and by the end, both their backs and hands no longer felt like their own.

Around noon, Su Miaomiao planned to go home early to prepare lunch for the Huo family.

But unexpectedly, Wang Hongjie suddenly came to find her.

Su Miaomiao had just tidied up and followed Wang Hongjie out of the herb hall.

“Uncle Wang, is there something you need?” Su Miaomiao asked.

“Miaomiao, here’s the thing,” Wang Hongjie began, “in about another month or so, it’s likely to start snowing. The place your family is living in now really won’t hold up against the wind and snow. I was thinking of gathering a few strong young men from the village in the next couple of days to help fix up your house.”
His tone had become much more familiar and warm, clearly already treating Su Miaomiao as one of their own.

“Really?” Su Miaomiao was overjoyed.

She had actually been planning to find an opportunity to talk to Wang Hongjie about it — she hadn’t expected him to come to her first.

“Of course it’s true. You helped our village find such a good path, we should be the ones giving back to you,” Wang Hongjie said with a smile.

He had been smiling constantly these past two days, to the point where his dark, weathered face actually seemed younger.

“That’s really kind of you, Uncle Wang. Thank you so much!” Su Miaomiao quickly expressed her gratitude, then added,
“Would it be possible to build one more room and a kitchen? We have a lot of people in the house.”

Right now, her father and her three older brothers were all crammed into a single room.

Wang Hongjie thought for a moment, then nodded.
“No problem. I’ll arrange to build you an extra room and a kitchen.”

This kind of request wouldn’t be approved for just anyone.

But Su Miaomiao was their village’s benefactor — how could he not meet such a small request?

“Thank you so much, Uncle Wang. Please let the people who come to help know that I’ll provide meals!” Su Miaomiao said, her eyes crinkling with her bright smile.

“Alright, I’ll let them know,” Wang Hongjie agreed without hesitation.

In the village, helping each other and being treated to a meal in return was common courtesy.

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Wang Hongjie worked quickly. That very afternoon, he brought a few strong young men to Su Miaomiao’s house.

Su Miaomiao had specifically asked Grandpa and Grandma Huo to stay at home. When they saw people coming to help, the two elders quickly brought out the egg pancakes Su Miaomiao had prepared in advance to serve the guests.

“Thank you all for coming to help fix the house. Please have a bite before getting started,” Grandma Huo said as she carried out a plate of golden egg pancakes.

When the young men saw the pancakes, they all gulped visibly.

But remembering everything Su Miaomiao had done for their village, they quickly averted their gazes.

“Grandma Huo, there’s no need to be so polite. We’re here to help voluntarily,” Wang Qingshan was the first to speak up.

Right now, everyone was putting all their effort into digging herbs on the mountain. Suddenly pulling people away for house repairs had stirred some complaints.

As the village chief’s son, Wang Qingshan had to set the example — only then would others be willing to join.

“I know you’re volunteering, but you still need strength to work. These were specially prepared for you. If you don’t eat them, they’ll just go to waste,” Grandma Huo said gently.

Wang Qingshan didn’t know how to refuse after hearing that. He looked toward his father, who stood to the side, silently asking for his opinion.