Jiang Le glanced at his remaining fifty “Melon Coins” and felt that Gua Gua was right.  

It seemed that compared to Melon Coins, the lottery draws were clearly more valuable.  

He looked at his meager three lottery chances but still didn’t dare to gamble just yet. Better to save up a few more times and see if he could draw the mid-grade Universal Trauma Medicine.  

With Gua Gua’s assurance, Jiang Le felt that at least there was still some hope, which put his mind at ease. Soon, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.  

The next day, he found some time to take out the items he had bought from the system store.  

The Jiang family was already shocked enough by the brown and white sugar—sugar was an expensive commodity these days, so how could he buy so much at once?  

However, when Jiang Le brought out the senior milk powder, the whole family was even more stunned.  

Grandma Jiang held a can of milk powder, speechless for a long while: “…Little one, where did you get this?”  

She was someone with experience—after all, the family had been well-off before. But even during their wealthier days, they had never had milk powder. This stuff was incredibly expensive. She’d heard that a single can cost dozens of yuan.  

Dozens of yuan? Wasn’t that practically like eating gold? Grandma Jiang had once thought that way. Yet now, she was holding milk powder bought by her own grandson.  

Grandma Jiang was so afraid of damaging it that she carefully placed it on the table: “Little one, tell me the truth. There’s no way the money you had could buy something like this.”  

Of course, she didn’t think her grandson would do anything shady, but she was still deeply worried.  

“Is this… milk powder?” Zhao Meilian finally reacted. It was her first time seeing such a thing, so she hadn’t recognized it at first.  

Hearing her mother-in-law’s words, she realized just how rare it was.  

Jiang Le had already prepared his explanation. Smiling, he said, “Grandma, my friend bought this from out of town. He got lucky—the milk powder was close to its expiration date, so it was sold at a big discount. He helped me get a can too. It wasn’t expensive.”  

Jiang De: “Why would something be cheaper just because it’s about to expire?”  

This was the first time he’d heard of such a thing.  

After all, in these times, goods were always in short supply. How could anything sit around long enough to expire?  

“That friend of mine drives big trucks and goes down south sometimes. They have plenty of stuff there.” Jiang Le took advantage of his family’s lack of knowledge about the outside world and spun the tale freely.  

Grandma Jiang squinted, searching for the expiration date, and finally found it in a corner: “There’s still a month left. How is that ‘about to expire’?”  

Jiang Le had specifically instructed the system to adjust the date. He explained, “Two or three months still counts as near-expiration. The shorter the remaining time, the cheaper it gets.”  

Grandma Jiang roughly understood. Of course—those with money would buy products with longer shelf lives. Why would they buy something about to expire? That’s why the nearly expired stuff was sold cheaper.  

“Grandma, this milk powder will expire in a month, so you’d better drink it quickly,” Jiang Le said.  

One reason he mentioned the near-expiration was to prevent his grandmother from saving it for too long.

Grandma Jiang chuckled, “How could I drink it all by myself? The whole family should try some.”  

“Grandma, this is senior milk powder. It’s not good for kids. You, Mom, and Dad should drink it,” Jiang Le said. “Besides, we still have brown sugar—we can drink that.”  

Hearing this, Jiang De waved his hand dismissively. “I’m a grown man, what do I need milk powder for? Your mom and grandma should drink it.”  

Since Grandma Jiang knew the milk powder was nearing its expiration date, she didn’t hesitate to open it. She peeled off the metal lid, scooped out a level spoonful, and prepared drinks not just for Zhao Meilian but also for Jiang De. “Our boy has a filial heart. Let’s both try it.”  

She didn’t add much, but even a single sip carried a rich milky aroma. After tasting it, Jiang De fell silent.  

What was there to say? It was their child’s thoughtful gesture. He had never tasted anything so luxurious before.  

Grandma Jiang didn’t let the kids watch without giving them anything. Since Jiang Le said senior milk powder wasn’t suitable for children, she didn’t dare let them drink it. But brown sugar water was a good alternative, so she made some for the little ones.  

Jiang Huan sipped the brown sugar water, her cheeks flushing with happiness. Finally, she didn’t have to drink it secretly all by herself—now the whole family could enjoy it, which made her much happier than drinking it alone.  

…

Jiang Huan carried a bag out from the kitchen and called out to Jiang Le, “Little one, do you still want these sour berries? They’re about to go bad if we keep them any longer.”  

Following Jiang Le’s suggestion, Grandma Jiang had been using the sour berries as a vinegar substitute in cooking. Surprisingly, it worked quite well. But cooking didn’t use up much, and Jiang Le had picked a whole sack of them—far more than they could consume.  

Jiang Le set down his book and came out of his room.  

Jiang Huan: “Oh, little one, you were reading? I thought you were outside.”  

Jiang Le: “It’s fine, I needed to rest my eyes anyway.”  

As he spoke, he looked at the bag on the ground. The sour berries inside had turned from their original green to a pale red. Their thin skins held juicy flesh inside, giving the illusion that they might actually taste good.  

Unable to resist, Jiang Le picked one up and took a bite. Before Jiang Huan could stop him, she watched as her little brother’s face twisted in agony.  

Jiang Huan: “…Hahaha, are you stupid, little one? These sour berries are inedible, and you just shoved one in your mouth?”  

Of course, being a good older sister, she didn’t just laugh at him. She thoughtfully prepared a cup of brown sugar water for him. “Here, take a sip. Plain water won’t help.”  

Jiang Le quickly took a gulp, and the sweetness of the brown sugar instantly neutralized the sourness. All he could taste now was the rich fruity aroma.  

He smacked his lips and realized that, aside from the tartness, the berries had no bitterness—just an intense fruitiness.  

Instantly, he thought of another use for the sour berries: jam!  

As long as there was no bitterness, the jam wouldn’t taste bad.  

Jiang Le was a man of action. He immediately enlisted his sister’s help. Together, they mashed all the berries with a rolling pin into a pulp, then painstakingly picked out the seeds and skins.

Jiang Huan asked, “Little one, what are you doing?”  

Jiang Le replied mysteriously, “You’ll find out soon.”  

He told Jiang Huan to light the fire: “Keep it low, really low.”  

Jiang Huan nodded repeatedly as she watched Jiang Le pour nearly half a bag of white sugar into the mashed fruit pulp.  

Jiang Huan: “!!!”  

She was too late to stop him and almost fainted on the spot.  

“Little one, are you sure this will taste good? I’m afraid Mom and Dad will spank you,” Jiang Huan said, her face full of worry.  

Jiang Le rubbed his nose. “Don’t worry, it won’t go to waste.”  

Jiang Huan: “…Fine.” What else could she do?  

Jiang Le poured the mixed fruit mash into the pot and began simmering it over low heat. Before long, the mixture thickened, and a rich, sweet aroma filled the kitchen.  

Jiang Huan took a deep sniff and thought—it actually smelled… really good.  

She had never smelled anything like it before and couldn’t help but swallow her saliva.  

Seeing that it was about ready, Jiang Le quickly ladled the jam into jars. He scooped some into a cup of water for Jiang Huan to try. “How does it taste?”  

Jiang Huan took an eager sip, then her eyes lit up, and she jumped in place. “It’s delicious! So good!”  

Hearing this, Jiang Le made himself a cup as well. After tasting it, he sighed in relief—no disaster here.  

“Little one, how are you so smart? If I hadn’t seen you make it myself, I wouldn’t believe this came from those sour berries,” Jiang Huan said before taking another big gulp, her eyes squinting in delight. So tasty.  

Jiang Le glanced outside. The sun was high in the sky—the hottest part of the day. Usually, Jiang Huan and the others took turns delivering water to their family working in the fields.  

He looked at the freshly made sour berry jam, scooped out several spoonfuls, and dissolved them in cold boiled water. Then, carrying the water jug, he said, “Sis, I’ll go bring water to Mom and Dad.”  

By the time Jiang Le reached the fields, his face was flushed red from the heat. The first person he spotted was his second brother, toiling away under the sun.  

Sweat dripped from his brother’s forehead as he worked in his sleeveless shirt. Every flex of his arms revealed well-defined muscles—thanks to the family’s improved diet lately, his physique had become even more pronounced.  

Jiang Le glanced at his own arms and felt a pang of envy.  

Just as he was about to walk over, he saw a pretty girl with two braids approach his brother, holding out a cup of water for him.  

Gua Gua instantly appeared on the frontlines of gossip: [Host, something’s going on here!] 

Jiang Le’s eyes sparkled with curiosity, and he quietly stopped in his tracks, not wanting to interrupt.