Due to their circumstances, Grandma Qiao picked some tender heart of vegetables from her weed-filled vegetable garden and sliced some ham, using them to make a simple noodle dish for lunch.

But Xu Han needed adequate nutrition for breastfeeding, so in the evening, Grandma Qiao went to Erzhu’s house in the village and bought a fish to cook soup for Xu Han.

Grandma Qiao was skilled; she fried the fish until it turned golden in a hot pan with oil, then poured boiling water over it and stewed it vigorously for about ten minutes.

The fish soup turned milky white with rich, fragrant broth, topped with a layer of golden oil.

She sprinkled some chopped green onions on top, enhancing the aroma that made neighboring children drool.

However, Xu Han’s heart sank at the sight of fish again.

God knew how much chicken and fish she had eaten in the past month; just seeing them made her physically nauseous.

“Here.” Grandma Qiao served her a bowl of fish soup and carefully placed the best piece of fish meat into Xu Han’s bowl. “Eat more.”

Despite her aversion, Xu Han had to endure the discomfort for the sake of her milk production and the nutrition of that little one.

She took a sip of the soup and her eyes widened in surprise.

Because it was delicious!

Back in the city, Grandma Qiao had also made fish soup for her, but this one was completely different.

It was sweet and savory, with a creamy richness like milk soup, devoid of any fishy taste.

The moment it touched her tongue, a delightful fragrance filled her mouth, making it incredibly tasty.

“Why is this fish so delicious?” After finishing a bowl, Xu Han couldn’t help but ask Grandma Qiao.

Seeing her enjoyment, Grandma Qiao’s eyes crinkled with a smile. “This is wild fish caught by Erzhu from the reservoir nearby. It’s much tastier than those fed with feed in the city. Tomorrow, I’ll buy a few free-range local chickens. They’re also much better than the ones in the city.”

Xu Han nodded approvingly as she ate, then suggested, “Why not buy some baby chicks to raise ourselves? After all, our yard is quite spacious.”

Initially, Grandma Qiao thought of mentioning that they wouldn’t stay long enough to raise the chicks to maturity, but seeing Xu Han’s enthusiastic expression, she decided to let her have her way.

If the chicks didn’t grow up fast enough, they could always give them to the neighbors.

“Alright,” Grandma Qiao agreed, “there’s a market in the village tomorrow. I’ll go see if they have baby chicks for sale. Is there anything else you need?”

Although the village was remote, it had a market every fifth day of the lunar calendar, selling pork, fruits, clothing, and other household items, though the selection was limited.

For more variety, they would need to go to the town.

“We should also buy some vegetable seeds to replant,” Xu Han added.

The vegetables in their current garden were too old to eat and needed to be replanted. “Other than that, we don’t need anything for now.”

In truth, Xu Han was a novice at this, but she had plenty of time to figure things out gradually.

After dinner, Mrs. Li, their neighbor from next door, came over for a visit.

When she saw Koukou, her eyes lit up. “City children are indeed different. Look at this fair and delicate skin, like a snowball. Such a lovely face. He’ll surely grow up to be a handsome young man.”

No parent dislikes hearing their child praised, and Xu Han was no exception.

She felt secretly pleased but maintained a calm demeanor. “All children are like this. Auntie, you’re too kind.”

“Yours is especially cute. I remember seeing you when you were just a tall kid. Now, in the blink of an eye, you’re a mother,” Mrs. Li remarked, then asked, “Didn’t the child’s father come back with you?”

Aware of how gossip spread quickly in the village, Xu Han knew she needed to handle this delicately.

If she admitted to being unmarried and pregnant, without the child’s father with her, it would surely become a topic of discussion among the villagers.

So, she casually replied, “Oh, him? He had an affair while I was pregnant, so we divorced.”

Mrs. Li paused, then remarked, “You’re so beautiful. How could he think of looking elsewhere?”

Xu Han nodded in agreement and remarked, “Well said. Men will be men.”

Mrs. Li sighed with indignation, “That’s right. Men can be so bad, always looking elsewhere.”

“Yeah,” Xu Han agreed, “men are like big pigs.”

Grandma Qiao remained silent, listening to their conversation.

Mrs. Li looked at the soft bundle of Koukou and sighed again, feeling sympathy for Xu Han, a young girl who had gone through divorce and was now raising a child alone.

She didn’t want to dwell on this topic too much for fear of upsetting Xu Han, so she changed the subject, asking, “How long are you planning to stay this time?”

“We’ll see. Probably a few months or even longer, just here to recuperate,” Xu Han casually replied, explaining their extended stay.

“Well, that’s good,” Mrs. Li nodded, then remembered something else. “By the way, I’ve harvested the millet from your family’s field, but it hasn’t been dried yet. Tomorrow, my husband and I will bring it over for you. It’ll need to be dried a bit more.”

Grandma Qiao hurriedly declined, “No need, you keep it for yourselves. We won’t be staying long, and we still have plenty of last year’s millet left.”

“I’ve grown plenty myself this year, so we have more than enough,” Mrs. Li insisted. “Grains are essential every day. Don’t be polite with me.”

Despite Grandma Qiao’s attempts to refuse, Mrs. Li was insistent on returning the millet.

Grandma Qiao gave in, thinking of sending something back later as compensation for their trouble.

After chatting for a while longer, Mrs. Li prepared to leave.

Before she departed, she said, “I noticed your vegetable garden is neglected. If you need any vegetables, feel free to pick from my garden. I can’t eat that many veggies myself.”

Grandma Qiao nodded gratefully, “Alright, if we need anything, I’ll come over.”

Watching Mrs. Li’s figure disappear into the darkness, Xu Han commented, “Mrs. Li is so warm-hearted.”

Grandma Qiao smiled and replied, “That’s the good thing about villagers. They’re so friendly, unlike in the city where you barely know your neighbors.”

Xu Han nodded in agreement, enjoying this peaceful rural neighborhood atmosphere.

The next day, Grandma Qiao went to the market and bought 10 baby chicks and various vegetable seeds.

It was early October, the prime time for planting leafy vegetables.

She purchased seeds for spinach, Chinese spinach, cilantro, and other leafy greens, as well as radishes, green beans, and cauliflower suitable for the season.

Just at noon, it rained, thoroughly watering the ground.

Grandma Qiao took advantage of the damp soil to quickly remove weeds and old vegetables from the field, then loosened it up and planted new ones.

After feeding and putting little Koukou to sleep, Xu Han also helped with planting.

Grandma Qiao had become accustomed to Xu Han’s changes.

Seeing her excited and curious, she went along with her.

It took them two days to finish the entire vegetable garden.

Xu Han felt a sense of accomplishment seeing the freshly turned black soil covering seeds that would sprout in a few days.

Thinking about the lush green vegetables that would soon grow here made her particularly content.

Their yard was so large and bare.

Xu Han decided to redesign it into a small garden, planting flowers and trees.

For several days in a row, Xu Han felt very content.

The mountains and waters here were beautiful, the air fresh, and the food delicious.

Even a simple stir-fried cabbage tasted sweeter and fresher than in the city.

Cabbage grown with city fertilizers tended to be tougher, while here, the cabbage was crisp with a natural sweetness.

Cooked in an iron pot over firewood, even Xu Han, who used to dislike cabbage, could eat half a bowl.

Xu Han spent 1000 yuan to have a Wi-Fi connection installed at their home, making life more convenient.

The only downside was the inconvenience of shopping.

The village had only one small shop with limited items, many of which were expired!

Many villagers couldn’t read and didn’t check expiration dates, unaware of the risks of eating expired food.

Xu Han sighed, lamenting the lack of integrity among these merchants.

One day, Xu Han walked around the yard with Kouko, who was wide awake after a full meal.

Koukou had recently developed a new skill—drooling.

Often, staring at something for a while would cause drool to trickle down his chin, making Xu Han wonder if he was thinking about something delicious.

She gently wiped the drool from his mouth and softly said, “You little rascal!”

Koukou slowly shifted his gaze to her face, grinned widely.

Grandma Qiao had told her that a baby’s smiles in the first three months were unconscious, but Xu Han was still delighted.

She gently held his little paw and kissed it.

Kouko’s tiny hand tightly gripped her finger.

Despite his small size, he had quite a strong grip, and it took some effort for Xu Han to pull her finger away.

After playing with Kouko for a while, who was still awake but sleepy, Xu Han eventually put him to bed.

She walked around with him in her arms for a while longer.

From the corner of her eye, she noticed a spot in the yard where all the weeds had been cleared, and a cluster of fresh new weeds had sprouted.

The weeds were tender green, vibrant and lively, standing out among the others just starting to sprout nearby.

Xu Han was puzzled.

How could these weeds grow so fast in just a few days?

Feeling a bit bored, once she had put Kouko down for his nap, Xu Han came out again.

She squatted down near the cluster of weeds.

Her university studies in biotechnology gave her some knowledge of plants.

These weeds were common and didn’t seem much different from the others nearby.

So why had these grown so well while the others were just starting to sprout?

Could it be that this particular patch of soil was especially fertile?

But fertilizer doesn’t make plants grow this quickly in just a few days.

It didn’t seem scientifically possible.

Puzzled, Xu Han grabbed the cluster of weeds.

Suddenly, a thought struck her.

She remembered the day they had cleared the weeds when she was holding Koko in the yard and he had peed!

The location… seemed to be right around here.

Xu Han lowered her head to inspect the weeds closely.

Indeed, their irregular, slightly oval shape seemed to match the shape of Koko’s pee.

A bold idea flashed in her mind.

Though it seemed very unscientific, if things as improbable as entering a book world could happen, what could be more improbable than this?

To test her hypothesis, the next time Kouko woke up, Xu Han deliberately brought him to another part of the yard where many weeds were sprouting and let him pee there, making a mark.

The next day, Xu Han checked.

Sure enough, the weeds that had been watered by Kouko’s pee had grown much taller than the others.

It was clear as day after just one night!

After confirming it wasn’t a trick of the eyes or wishful thinking, Xu Han excitedly rushed into the house and showered the still-sleeping little antagonist with kisses.

“Baby, you’re amazing! Who knew you had such a miraculous skill.”

Overwhelmed, Kouko woke up and immediately burst into tears.

Xu Han regretted her excitement and quickly picked him up to comfort him.

Discovering this secret gave Xu Han newfound confidence in her gardening skills.

That day, Grandma Qiao went to dig some wild vegetables from the field to make dumplings.

Xu Han chopped the filling while Grandma Qiao kneaded the dough.

Just as Xu Han was busy chopping with the cutting board clattering, she heard someone calling outside, “Is Qiao Wanqing home? Someone’s looking for her.”

Not paying much attention, Xu Han grabbed the knife and went out.