Jiang Lin found her tools and turned around to see Meng Yiyi’s gloomy expression.

She decided to provoke her, “Yiyi, don’t forget to wash the dishes.”

If this were the old Meng Yiyi, she might have washed the dishes.

But now, Meng Yiyi believed herself to be the future mistress of the Cheng Family.

Wash your dishes?

Who do you think you are?

Even if you want to turn over a new leaf, you have to see if you have the chance.

If you’re heartless, don’t blame me for being unkind!

She spoke earnestly, “Linlin, think carefully about your future. Rooting yourself in the countryside is a noble ideal, but how many of us really want to stay?

Everyone’s trying to stay in the city, join the army, get a job, or go to college.

I’ve heard that many educated youth are finding ways to return to the city.

There are more job opportunities in the city now, and those who sneak back haven’t been sent back.

But taking kids with you is impossible; the city won’t grant them residency. I’m saying this for your own good. Take care of yourself.”

With that, she left.

Jiang Lin thought Meng Yiyi seemed different.

Usually gentle and considerate, she walked away with the pride of a peacock.

Anyone who didn’t know better might think she had become an empress!

Jiang Lin cleaned up the dishes, covered the bowl of noodles with a mesh made by Yan Runzhi to keep out flies and insects.

She grabbed her sickle and rope and headed out.

At the big locust tree, she encountered Yan Runzhi and some other women.

Yan Runzhi asked, “Bao’er’s mom, where are you going?”

Jiang Lin walked over to greet them. “We’re running low on firewood, so I’m going to gather some twigs and branches.”

Mrs. Shang from a nearby family laughed and said, “Jiang Lin, cutting firewood is hard work. Don’t go. I’ll have Zonghui cut some and share it with you.”

North of Shuihuai Village lies a range of hills.

While cutting down big trees is prohibited, the shrubs and vines are fair.

However, even though the hills are close by, it’s a full day’s work to walk there, cut, and haul the wood back.

This task is too much for most women.

Mrs. Shang, due to her family’s connection with the Cheng’s, had a good relationship with Yan Runzhi and wanted her grandson to help cut the wood.

Jiang Lin smiled and said, “Thank you, but I won’t go to the hills. I’ll just wander around the village.”

Shuihuai Village has a great location with hills and water, and in the summer and autumn, the vegetation is lush.

You can easily find firewood anywhere.

Jiang Lin wanted to familiarize herself with the environment around Shuihuai Village.

After all, the original Jiang Lin wasn’t interested in this, so her memories were limited.

Watching her graceful figure, Mrs. Shang laughed and said, “Jiang Lin is still so pretty, just like a young girl.”

One of the older women sneered, wanting to make a snide remark, but Mrs. Shang turned her head away, ignoring her.

Instead, she smiled at Yan Runzhi and said, “Your embroidery is getting more and more vibrant. You should have Dongsheng’s wife learn from you and continue the work.”

Yan Runzhi smiled back. “She’s a student and doesn’t have the patience for this. When Dongsheng comes back, things will get easier at home, and she won’t need to do much work.”

Mrs. Shang asked, “Do you think Dongsheng is safe?”

Yan Runzhi replied, “I’m sure he’s fine. At first, I was really worried, but as time went on and I calmed down, I felt reassured that he’s okay.”

When her father and elder brother died, she was so anxious, it felt like the sky was falling.

Now, with Cheng Ruhai talking about Dongsheng’s situation, she didn’t have that feeling, so she thought it would be fine.

If it weren’t for Cheng Ruhai using Dongsheng’s situation to manipulate her, she wouldn’t have cut ties with him just over moving houses.

At noon, the sun was scorching.

Jiang Lin wore a woven grass hat and returned with a bundle of twigs, reeds, and cattails, tossing them at the door to dry.

Dabao and Xiaobao, having eaten extra noodles in the morning, went to the cotton field to catch bugs to feed the chickens, earning some work points in the process.

The two boys enjoyed it immensely.

“Mom, look at all the bugs!” Xiaobao happily showed Jiang Lin a dark brown glass bottle, palm-sized, filled with bugs.

Jiang Lin didn’t want to look but couldn’t avoid it.

Her peripheral vision caught sight of the bottle packed with squirming insects, and she felt a shiver run down her spine.

She calmly nodded and praised them, “You two are great at catching bugs. Feed them to the chickens so they can lay eggs for us to eat.”

Xiaobao, very proud, immediately adopted the title of “bug-catching expert” and didn’t intend to give it up, despite most of the bugs being caught by Dabao while he mainly held the bottle.

Cheng Dabao noticed that Jiang Lin had cut some cattails with green spikes and pointed it out, “When these ripen, they’ll be good for stuffing pillows.”

Jiang Lin thought, ‘What does he mean by this? Is he telling me I shouldn’t have cut them? I’m less knowledgeable than a child!’

She replied, “I’ll leave the spikes for winter from now on, to use for making pillows.”

Cheng Dabao gave her an approving look.

Jiang Lin thought, ‘These things can be used to stuff pillows and quilts? He must be joking.’

After lunch, Yan Runzhi approached Jiang Lin for guidance. “Bao’er’s mom, should we take apart and wash the cotton quilts and clothes?”

Jiang Lin, pretending to consider it deeply, responded, “Yes, we should take them apart, wash them, and sew them back together.”

This kind of work is no big deal for a farmhouse.

It’s easy to take apart, you can finish it in an afternoon, and it dries quickly in the river under the sun.

Then it’s just a matter of finding time to sew it back together.

When Yan Runzhi pulled out all the quilts and clothes from the house, Jiang Lin fell silent.

She had an old quilt, which she could wrap herself in during winter.

Yan Runzhi and her two children only had one quilt.

She had a set of cotton clothes that were old but thick, and Dabao and Xiaobao’s were okay, but Yan Runzhi’s were old and thin, filled with a mix of cotton, reeds, and other materials.

They wouldn’t be able to handle the cold winter months.

Moreover, except for hers, all the other fabrics were wearing thin, so tearing them apart required extra strength.

Jiang Lin thought to herself, Yan Runzhi was afraid of the cold, wearing long sleeves and pants even in the summer, but in the winter, with these thin clothes, she’d freeze.

Because Yan Runzhi had been treating her well these past few days, she considered her an elder.

Yan Runzhi watched her closely, cautiously saying, “This year, each person will get a pound of cotton tickets. When it comes, I’ll stuff your coat with some, and use the leftovers to patch up the boys’ coats. They’ve grown out of their old ones.”

There were quite a few families who only had one quilt to cover several people.

Jiang Lin felt a pang of sadness.

To conceal her emotions, she bowed her head to undo the stitches carefully, ensuring not to tear the already thin fabric, trying to preserve it as much as possible.

Throughout the afternoon, she daydreamed about how to earn some money quickly, so she could buy fabric and cotton to patch up the quilts and clothes at home.

September cooled down quickly here, sometimes even snowing by October, so she needed to hurry.

Yan Runzhi thought Jiang Lin was upset because of the old clothes, considering exchanging some of her work points with the team for fabric.

She sent the boys out to play to avoid disturbing Jiang Lin at home.

Jiang Lin thought to herself, “I’m upset because of poverty.”

In the evening, Yan Runzhi burned dried mugwort to smoke out mosquitoes, but Jiang Lin ended up choking on the smoke.

She spent some time telling stories to Dabao and Xiaobao in the courtyard before they finally went inside to sleep around eight-thirty.

Cheng Dabao and Cheng Xiaobao were tired during the day and fell asleep as soon as they lay down at night.

Jiang Lin couldn’t sleep, so she played with some useless embroidery pieces from Yan Runzhi.

Some were delicate roses, others were clusters of orchids with a cricket on the grass, or something like a red apricot.

The embroidery was meticulous and the colors vibrant, making them look lively and fresh.

She was delighted by what she saw.

If she turned them into handkerchiefs or sewed them onto bags or clothes, they would look exceptionally beautiful, even as hair ribbons.

The countryside was still drab, but big cities were already showing signs of brightness.

Jiang Lin pondered whether she could sell them for money, or exchange them for cloth or cotton vouchers.

Yan Runzhi noticed her expression.

Ever since the incident with the quilt, her daughter-in-law hadn’t been very happy.

She cautiously said, “Baoer’s Mom, our commune members prefer simplicity. If you like, I can embroider a little garment for you to wear underneath.”

Jiang Lin replied, “I won’t wear it. I think these embroidered pieces are too beautiful to just sit idle. It would be better to turn them into handkerchiefs, handbags, or something to exchange for money.”

Yan Runzhi’s face suddenly changed. “Bao’er’s Mom, I dare not. We want socialist grass, not capitalist sprouts. Getting involved in speculation and profiteering would bring greater accusations upon our family.”

Jiang Lin persisted, “I’m not trying to speculate. I just think if I visit relatives, friends, or classmates in the city, it would be nice to bring some gifts. I think this could work well.”

Yan Runzhi relaxed a bit. “If that’s the case, there’s no problem. I’ll help you make a few tomorrow.”

“Teach me, and I’ll do it myself,” Jiang Lin said.

In her past life, she had become independent at a young age and later became skilled in handicrafts through renovation work.

Aside from average cooking skills, she could handle simple handiwork.

She couldn’t embroider flowers, but sewing edges and similar tasks were within her capability.

She quickly sketched a few designs on paper, all things that girls would love, like small handkerchiefs, simple coin purses, handbags, and hairbands.

For the pieces she couldn’t figure out, she decided to leave them aside to sell to others who could sew them onto their own backpacks or clothes.

After a few busy days, Jiang Lin had accumulated some embroidery work.

She tucked them away and planned to test the market in the county town.

If they sold well, she would head to the provincial capital.

Anyway, her introduction letter was still valid for over a month, which should be enough time.

That day after breakfast, Jiang Lin packed some dry food and informed Yan Runzhi before setting out.

Unlike other commune members who had to clock in and out for work, they were free to work as long as they completed their tasks.

As Jiang Lin stepped outside the courtyard, Dabao and Xiaobao followed her.

Xiaobao tugged at her clothes and looked up at her, “Mom~, take me and Dabao with you.”

Although Dabao didn’t speak, his eyes were filled with anxiety, afraid that she might leave and never come back.

Unable to resist their pleading looks, Jiang Lin gently booped Xiaobao’s nose and said with a smile, “You want to sell yourselves too?”

Cheng Xiaobao laughed, “Mom, is 10,000 yuan expensive?”

Jiang Lin replied, “It’s very expensive. Let’s go quickly and see how much money we can make this time.”

Initially worried that Jiang Lin might sell them, Dabao gradually relaxed as Jiang Lin joked with them, and his tense expression softened.

Jiang Lin laughed and ran ahead, the bundle bouncing against her hip.

Cheng Xiaobao pretended to be a big lion chasing her, “Roar, I’m going to catch you~~”

Dabao couldn’t help but smile helplessly and stopped feeling nervous.

He then ran after them.

They walked and hitchhiked until they reached the county supply and marketing cooperative.

Jiang Lin took out two handkerchiefs embroidered with grasshoppers and draped them around Dabao and Xiaobao’s necks, showing off the embroidery.

Holding Cheng Xiaobao’s hand, Jiang Lin led them towards a restaurant.

Dabao nervously said, “Let’s not eat out!” They hadn’t sold anything yet.

Jiang Lin replied, “Let’s see if there’s any business.”

She had the two children stand in the sunlight at the restaurant’s entrance, their beautiful handkerchiefs making them look especially charming.

She herself took out a cotton cloth purse embroidered with a green plum blossom and said she was going to buy two buns.

Li Yuegui immediately recognized them.

After all, it’s not every day a beautiful woman comes with a pair of handsome twin boys.

This rare encounter had left a deep impression on her over the years.

“Oh, it’s you!”

Jiang Lin immediately struck up a conversation with her, quickly becoming friendly as they exchanged introductions.

“Sister, your embroidery work is so vibrant. Did you make them yourself?” Li Yuegui glanced at the two children, then at Jiang Lin’s purse, clearly enamored with the beautiful items.

Women had no resistance to beautiful little things.

Looking around cautiously, Jiang Lin whispered, “I bought them.”

“Where did you buy them? How much? I’d like to buy one too!”