As Xu Ning had just delivered the steamed buns and vegetables to the cow shed, she saw Lu Xiaotang and Xu An coming down from the mountain, each carrying a load of firewood. They had finished working in the fields and went directly up the mountain without returning home.

Xu An had a lighter load, but Lu Xiaotang’s was definitely over a hundred pounds.

Xu Ning quickly poured some cooled boiled water for the two of them. After finishing his drink, Lu Xiaotang said, “I’ll head back up one more time. Xiao An, you don’t need to go.”

Xu Ning advised, “Brother Lu, you shouldn’t go either. You’ve worked hard all day. Eat and rest early. I’ll go up the mountain to chop wood tomorrow.”

“It’s fine; I’ll make one more trip and come back down soon. You two can put this firewood in the shed,” he replied, before striding back up the mountain with his carrying pole.

Lu Xiaotang had been working during the day and then going up to chop wood in the afternoon. When Xu Ning mentioned going to work, he wouldn’t allow it, insisting that she should tidy up the house and cook instead.

So, she found herself coming up with various meals for them each day, occasionally going to the mountain to chop some firewood or collect early-maturing pine nuts.

Time passed quickly, and the grains in the fields were almost all harvested.

The firewood shed was already piled high with firewood, and there was still cabbage in the courtyard. Since there was no place left to store the firewood, Lu Xiaotang decided to stack it at the entrance, planning to move it inside after they collected the cabbage.

He would be heading back in a few days, and lately, he had been returning home late from the mountains, bringing back quite a few wild chickens and hares.

After dinner, Xu Ning said to Lu Xiaotang, “Brother Lu, all the grains have been harvested. Tomorrow, I’ll go with the village aunties to shuck corn, so you should take a good rest at home for a couple of days.”

Lu Xiaotang nodded and replied, “Alright, I won’t go tomorrow. Xiao An will be starting high school soon, so I’ll take him to the city to register.”

Xu An chimed in quickly, “Big Brother Lu, you should stay home and rest. I can go by myself tomorrow.”

“It’s alright; I’ll accompany you tomorrow. A few days ago, I discussed it with Grandpa Qi. Xiao Mo will soon be seven, and it’s time for him to start school. I asked Grandpa Qi to speak with the village chief and the principal to see if they can allow Xiao Mo to attend this year.”

Xu Ning worriedly replied, “I wonder if the village chief and the school will agree to let Xiao Mo go to school, especially considering his background.”

“With Grandpa Qi’s intervention, there shouldn’t be a major issue. We’ll ask first, and if it doesn’t work out, I’ll think of another way,” Lu Xiaotang reassured her.

After dinner, Xu Ning found some cloth and started making a small backpack for Xiao Mo.

The next morning, after breakfast, Lu Xiaotang and Xu An rode the bicycle into the city.

When Xu Ning went to work, she went along with Yang Xiaomei and Wei Lanlan.

The two of them teased her, saying, “Oh, looks like your boyfriend finally let you come out to work today! After the autumn harvest, we all end up looking like little black balls from the sun, but your face is so fair and tender it looks like it could squeeze out water. Tsk tsk tsk, being pampered really makes a difference!”

Xu Ning listened to the playful banter between the two, her face not even turning red. She had thicker skin when it came to joking than both of them combined.

She laughed and said, “What’s wrong? Is Chen Xiangdong not worried about you? When I bring meals over, I often see you sitting under the tree while he works alone.”

After saying that, she glanced at Wei Lanlan’s belly and asked, “Are you pregnant?”

Before Wei Lanlan could react, Xu Ning turned to Yang Xiaomei and added, “And you too, Xiaomei! I saw Sun Hao holding the water bottle up to your mouth, feeding you water. So, when are you two going to invite us to your wedding feast?”

Upon hearing this, Yang Xiaomei’s face instantly flushed bright red, and Wei Lanlan also turned beet red, both of them exchanging glances as they prepared to pounce on her.

Seeing their faces turn crimson, Xu Ning got ready to run. Before they could react, she was already laughing and sprinting far away.

Behind them, Chunhua, Jiaohua, Wang Juanjuan, and Gu Wenjing watched the playful scuffle, their expressions a mix of amusement and curiosity.

Gu Wenjing snorted and said, “Getting involved with someone from that background, and still laughing so loudly—how shameless.”

Wang Juanjuan glanced at the group and then lowered her head to hide her emotions. She looked at her own hands, which had once been delicate and unblemished, now rough and calloused from hard work under the sun. Her face had darkened as well, and her skin felt much coarser.

As she looked at the radiant laughter of the others ahead, an uncontrollable surge of jealousy bubbled up inside her.

Jiaohua and Chunhua also had unsightly expressions. In the past, Wei Lanlan and Yang Xiaomei enjoyed chatting with them, but now they rarely spent time together, and they blamed Xu Ning for it.

When they reached the village where they stored the corn, many of the village aunties were already gathered there. A few familiar faces teased her, saying, “Xu Zhiqing, why are you working today? Where’s your boyfriend?”

While Xu Ning could jokingly banter with Wei Lanlan and Yang Xiaomei, she found herself at a loss against the teasing of the village aunties.

With a shy smile, she replied, “Auntie, he went to the city to register my younger brother.”

Hearing her shy response, Wei Lanlan and Yang Xiaomei burst into laughter, reveling in their playful revenge.

Xu Ning sat with Wei Lanlan and Yang Xiaomei, chatting and laughing with the village aunties, and time passed quickly.

As they finished work, Wei Lanlan asked, “When is your boyfriend coming back?”

Xu Ning sighed and replied, “In the next few days. This time, he can stay for a while because he saved up his vacation time for two years.”

Wei Lanlan teased, “Oh, feeling reluctant, are we?”

Xu Ning shot her a glare. “Of course! Let your Chen Xiangdong leave for several years and see how you feel.”

When she returned home, she noticed the bicycle was now in the yard, and a piece of meat was left in the kitchen. Since she didn’t see the two of them, she assumed they had gone up the mountain.

She went to the yard and cut some chives, planning to make dumplings for lunch. With the weather getting colder, she wouldn’t have many more chances to enjoy chives.

By the time the two returned with the firewood, Xu Ning had almost finished wrapping the dumplings.

Xu An looked excited as he said, “Sister, when Big Brother Lu took me to register today, I ran into a classmate who was also registering. We even got assigned to the same dorm! He’s from the neighboring brigade, so we can go home together on Sundays!”

Xu Ning smiled and replied, “That’s great! It’ll be nice to have a companion for the trips. Next year, Da Lin and Jianmin will be starting high school too, right?”

“Yeah! Next year, we’ll all be able to go to school together again. But Jianmin said he doesn’t want to go to high school. A couple of days ago, while working, Da Lin and I tried to persuade him, but he said he would think about it.”

That evening, when Lu Xiaotang returned from the cow shed, he told Xu Ning, “Today, Grandpa Qi went to talk to the village head and the school principal about getting Xiao Mo enrolled. They both agreed, so tomorrow, Grandpa Qi will take Xiao Mo to register for school.”

Both Xu Ning and Xu An were thrilled. “That’s wonderful! Xiao Mo will finally be able to go to school with the other kids in the village. Brother Lu, when you go to the cow shed tomorrow, please take the little backpack I made for Xiao Mo.”