Chapter 3

“Sister, what are we eating today?” Chuchu’s admiring gaze had already shifted from Qin Qingman to the nearby storage room. As Wen Nuan got up inside the room, Chuchu quickly trotted over with his short legs and peered inside the storage room.

Originally, the storage room had been completely empty, but with Zheng Anguo’s help, Qin Qingman had managed to gather a lot of food from several relatives.

There was flour, millet, and even soybeans and dried mushrooms…

These items were crucial for their survival through the winter.

Chuchu’s voice snapped Qin Qingman back to reality. After wringing out a towel and hanging it on the wall, she poured out the water she’d used to wash her face, replaced it with fresh warm water, and then spoke to the excited child, “I’ll make dumpling soup later, you hurry up and wash your face.”

Qin Qingman was used to cleanliness and would never prepare food without washing up first.

“I’m coming.”

Chuchu happily ran to the washbasin to tidy himself up.

The room had warmed up quite a bit due to the burning stove, and Qin Qingman didn’t wear too many clothes. Instead, she wore a sweater and rolled up her sleeves, preparing to make dumpling soup.

Before she had studied, she had lived in a 500-square-meter villa, but she was a true rural person at heart. It was only through education that she had changed her fate and managed to own her own business in the first-tier city.

Now that she had studied, rural life was no longer unfamiliar or difficult for her.

The stove was made of steel, and the furnace filled with firewood had long turned bright red. The kettle on the tray kept emitting white steam under the heat, bringing plenty of moisture into Wen Nuan’s room.

Qin Qingman knew their household was lacking in many things, so when it was time to settle debts, she had requested a lot of practical items.

For example, oil, salt, vinegar, and even over a hundred eggs.

From four relatives, it was possible to gather about a hundred eggs, and she planned to use them to supplement her and Chuchu’s nutrition.

From the moment she took over this body, Qin Qingman knew what it lacked. She had no intention of being frugal with the food she had obtained because she knew that without a healthy body, even a simple cold could be fatal. Therefore, she planned to first improve the health of herself and Chuchu.

Half an hour later, Qin Qingman and Chuchu were eating hot, steaming dumpling soup.

There was no time to spare, so she hadn’t added mushrooms for flavor. The soup was just dumplings, oil, salt, and two eggs.

She and Chuchu each had one bowl.

Chuchu scooped up the steaming fried egg with a small spoon. He couldn’t bear to eat it, as he hadn’t had an egg in such a long time.

The fried egg on the white spoon kept tempting Chuchu.

The aroma unique to eggs filled the air, and Chuchu swallowed hard, feeling his mouth water. He carefully moved the egg from the spoon toward Qin Qingman. “Sister, you eat the egg.” he said.

Qin Qingman had been quietly watching Chuchu. When she saw that he was really offering her the egg, she finally accepted him wholeheartedly as her younger brother.

Only those who knew how to be grateful were worthy of her sincere care.

“We’ll each have one egg, don’t push it back and forth. Be careful, it might fall on the floor.” Qin Qingman quickly stopped Chuchu’s actions.

Chuchu, who had been about to place the egg into Qin Qingman’s bowl, froze with his arm suspended in mid-air.

He was extremely worried the egg might fall. Though it could still be eaten if it fell, it wouldn’t taste as good as it did now after being washed with water.

Qin Qingman smiled warmly at the child, so she took her own bowl and gently placed it under Chuchu’s spoon, guiding the fried egg back into his bowl. “Hurry and eat it, you need energy to help me with the chores.”

“Mm.”

Chuchu nodded firmly at Qin Qingman, then stuffed the egg into his mouth.

As he chewed the delicious egg, the child’s eyes squinted with happiness. He silently vowed in his heart to take good care of his health and help his sister with the chores. He was a boy, and he needed to protect her.

Qin Qingman had no idea about her five-year-old brother’s vow. At that moment, she was also eating the egg that was meant for her.

Eggs from chickens not fed with feed always tasted better.

They were so fragrant and delicious. She hadn’t had such a tasty egg in years.

The dumpling soup, mixed with pepper and chili, went down easily. The warmth from the soup spread through their bodies, making Qin Qingman and Chuchu sweat with tiny beads of perspiration on their foreheads.

Wiping the sweat from her brow, Qin Qingman began to feel annoyed with herself.

She needed a bath.

The original owner, though also fond of cleanliness, had not had a bath in a long time due to the lack of firewood at home. She had been trying to conserve it, and the last time she had bathed was ten days ago. Though the winter air was clean, Qin Qingman couldn’t bring herself to accept it.

Just as Qin Qingman was considering heating water for a bath, a noise came from outside the door.

“Sister.” Chuchu grabbed Qin Qingman’s sleeve tightly, his large, watery eyes looking nervously at the door.

Bad memories churned in Qin Qingman’s mind.

It had been when Chuchu was alone at home that a few uncles and aunts had come to borrow supplies.

He was young, and his speech was clumsy, unable to stop those greedy relatives from taking whatever they wanted.

Seeing Chuchu’s fear and concern, Qin Qingman didn’t think it was those troublesome relatives again.

Under the pressure of Zheng Anguo, the village committee secretary, she figured even those relatives wouldn’t dare to act improperly.

So, the noise outside must have been caused by something else—perhaps others who were envious of the supplies in her home?

After a moment’s thought, Qin Qingman grabbed a wooden stick from behind the door, preparing to open the door.

“Is Qingman at home?”

Just then, Zheng Anguo’s voice sounded at the right moment.

Upon hearing his voice, both Qin Qingman and Chuchu let out a sigh of relief.

Their family consisted only of the two of them—one was a weak girl, and the other a five-year-old child.

If they really encountered ill-intentioned people, they truly had no means of defense.

“Secretary Zheng.” Qin Qingman quickly put on her military coat and opened the door to the main room.

As the door swung open, she not only saw Zheng Anguo but also several of her peculiar relatives. They were trailing behind Zheng Anguo, looking dispirited, with tools such as axes and machetes in hand.

With a quick glance, Qin Qingman immediately guessed why Zheng Anguo and the others had come again.

“Qingman, I noticed your house is drafty. A house like that can barely hold up without the wind, but if a strong wind blows all night, no matter how much firewood you burn, it won’t be warm. So, I brought your uncles here to help repair your house.”

Zheng Anguo raised his voice to explain.

In rural northeast China, where the land was vast and the population sparse, every household had a large courtyard.

Although wooden fences couldn’t stop determined people, most would not enter without permission from the head of the household.

Qin Qingman had gone to her second uncle’s house previously to return the favor.

“Secretary, you are so thoughtful. Thank you so much!” Qin Qingman was truly surprised, quickly stepping forward to open the courtyard gate and inviting Zheng Anguo and the others inside.

Although she had offended several uncles during the debt collection, she didn’t show it on her face.

After inviting everyone inside, she also thanked the uncles who had come to help.

This made Qin Lei and his brothers, who had been sulking, feel a bit better.

After a few polite words, Qin Lei led the others to start repairing Qin Qingman’s house.

In this weather, it was best to work quickly while the sky was still clear. If they waited until it snowed, the ones who would suffer were those doing the labor.

Zheng Anguo didn’t enter Qin Qingman’s main house but instead followed behind Qin Lei and the others, busy supervising the repairs.

The house needed to be fixed properly, and if anyone froze to death, it would be hard for him, the village secretary, to avoid responsibility.

With Zheng Anguo overseeing the work, Qin Lei and his brothers didn’t dare cut corners.

They worked honestly and diligently, carefully repairing the house.

Repairing the house was a physically demanding task, and as a girl, Qin Qingman couldn’t contribute much.

She decided to take Chuchu and heat some water to bring to Zheng Anguo and the others.

She generously added a big spoonful of honey to the water.

Drinking the sweet honey water, Qin Lei and his brothers felt conflicted inside.

The honey had once belonged to their family, but now it had become a gift from Qin Qingman to thank them for their help.

What kind of situation was this?

With their frustration building, Qin Lei and the others worked even faster.

—o—o—o—

An hour later, the wooden house was fully repaired. The previously drafty cracks and corners had been sealed tightly. Now, even if it snowed or the wind blew, the house would be unaffected.

“Secretary, uncles, thank you so much.” Qin Qingman sincerely expressed her gratitude to the people who had helped her so much.

“No need to thank me. I didn’t know about your situation before. In the future, you can tell me if anything like this happens again, and I’ll have someone come to fix it for you.” Zheng Anguo replied, glancing at the pile of firewood in the yard and the newly repaired house. He was in a good mood and offered Qin Qingman some helpful advice.

“Thank you, Secretary.” Qin Qingman said, recognizing that Zheng Anguo was a practical leader. She didn’t indulge in empty pleasantries but accepted his kindness directly.

“Qingman, you should go back inside. Don’t catch a cold. It looks like it might snow tonight. Pay attention to the doors and windows. Remember to clear the snow off the roof in the morning. Even though your house is relatively new and sturdy, if there’s too much snow, it’s better to clear it off.” Zheng Anguo reminded her as he prepared to leave.

The northeast winters were cold and harsh. Whether it was work in the forest or the fields, everything came to a stop. This was the time of year for people to hunker down and wait out the winter.

“I will, Secretary. Thank you for the advice.” Qin Qingman said earnestly, taking the old man’s advice to heart. His words could be lifesaving in critical moments.

Seeing that Qin Qingman had truly taken his advice to heart, Zheng Anguo didn’t stay long and left, taking Qin Lei and the others with him.

Before leaving, he thoughtfully closed the courtyard gate behind him.

“Sister, Zheng Secretary is such a good person.” Chuchu said as Qin Qingman entered the house, almost stepping on him.

“Secretary Zheng really is a good person. If anyone bullies you when I’m not around, you should go find him to stand up for you.” Qin Qingman replied, gently patting Chuchu’s head. Then she started heating water to bathe. Not only would she bathe, but Chuchu needed to as well.

After all, they slept on the same big kang (heated bed).

—o—o—o—

That evening, the two siblings, thoroughly washed and clean, lay on the warm kang, too excited to sleep.

They could hear the howling wind outside, but inside, the warmth was as if it were spring.

Their clothes and blankets were clean, and so were their bodies. After having enough to eat, their mood had improved, and they now looked forward to the future more than before.

From that day onward, Qin Qingman spent her time clearing the snow from the roof and the yard every day. When not doing that, she and Chuchu focused on improving their health.

Two months later, the siblings’ complexion had improved significantly.

Not only had their cheeks filled out, but their skin tone had returned to a healthy, pale glow. Even Chuchu’s hair was turning darker, although the child’s height would likely take a few more years to return to normal growth.

Both Qin Qingman and Chuchu were satisfied with the changes.

The only issue that bothered Qin Qingman was that, due to the increased consumption of food and resources, the family’s stock of grain was steadily depleting, and with no new income coming in, they might not make it through until the New Year.

She had already “borrowed” from several relatives, and this year, there was no chance of getting anything more from them.

Just as Qin Qingman was turning her attention to the surrounding mountains of Kaoshan Village, her Second Aunt, Zhu Hongxia, arrived with a joyful expression, “Qingman, I’ve got great news, the best of news!”

Qin Qingman smiled gently, “Second Aunt, what’s the good news?”

“Comrade Liu Hechang from the state-run farm is arranging a matchmaker for an arranged marriage. As soon as I heard the news, I thought of you. Comrade Liu is a leader at the farm, not only does he have a house at the farm, but also one in the town. If you marry him, you’ll be able to eat government-provided grain.”

Zhu Hongxia, who hadn’t stepped foot in Qin Qingman’s house for half a year, began her persuasion.

Qin Qingman, who already know the story, looked at Zhu Hongxia and smiled—a particularly “gentle smile.”