After New Year’s Day, as the year-end approached, everyone became busy.

Some were working, some were preparing for weddings—everyone was on the go.

Qiao Wanqing’s Taobao store had been doing exceptionally well lately, likely because of the year-end shopping rush.

Several of her products were selling very well.

To better produce fruit and vegetable chips, Qiao Wanqing purchased a specialized dehydrator.

This machine made the chips fresher in color and produced a larger quantity, avoiding the hassle of multiple batches.

For the production of these chips, Qiao Wanqing entrusted it to the Alai couple, who had previously sold bamboo to her.

Alai, who had once prayed to the deity for help in finding a partner, eventually found a girl and got married this winter.

Alai knew how to operate the machine, and his wife was quick with washing and cutting the fruits and vegetables.

The two of them were fully capable of handling all the production for the fruit and vegetable chips in her Taobao store.

Additionally, Qiao Wanqing bought a new truck specifically for transporting goods.

Her second uncle had driven trucks before and had a license, so he could drive it without needing to learn again.

Qiao Wanqing’s actions were becoming more noticeable.

On the day she bought the truck, many people came to watch, similar to when people first saw a car.

Actually, it wasn’t about the truck; people were curious to see what kind of good fortune the family had that brought such success.

Qiao Wanqing knew that these people’s interest was just a temporary fascination.

Eventually, new events would capture their attention.

She had become more laid-back about it, letting people watch if they wanted to.

Since she wasn’t doing anything shameful, she had no reason to worry.

She enjoyed her rural life with ease.

In the twelfth lunar month, a much-loved vegetable called winter bamboo shoots began to appear on the mountain.

Many villagers enjoyed going up the mountain to dig them up.

They were delicious and sweet, whether stir-fried with cured meat or used in soups.

However, winter bamboo shoots were tricky to find.

They grew entirely underground, only creating small mounds or cracks on the surface.

With the ground covered in these small mounds and cracks, finding them was quite difficult.

Even Grandma Qiao, who had spent so many years in the mountains, couldn’t find them easily.

The first time Qiao Wanqing and Grandma Qiao went up the mountain to search, they came back almost empty-handed.

Alai, seeing that they only found two small bamboo shoots, said, “Finding winter bamboo shoots requires skill and experience. Blindly searching won’t yield good results.”

Qiao Wanqing asked, “Hmm? You seem to know a lot about this.”

Alai, perhaps because he was now married, wasn’t as fluent with Qiao Wanqing as he used to be, but still seemed a bit shy.

He awkwardly scratched the back of his head and said, “I used to cut bamboo for a living and dealt with bamboo all the time, so I know a bit about finding winter bamboo shoots.”

“Then you should take us up the mountain to dig tomorrow,” Qiao Wanqing said, “We really need someone like you as a guide.”

“If the boss lets me,” Alai replied.

Alai was now her “employee,” paid daily, so he needed Qiao Wanqing’s “approval” to go up the mountain to dig for bamboo shoots.

“No problem, approved.”

She wanted to collect more bamboo shoots, to give some to her second uncle, and also to let Gu Yanqing, who had less free time to come here, take some back to eat.

She also wanted to send some to her in-laws in X City for a taste.

The next day, they set off with baskets and hoes to dig on the mountain, and Koukou insisted on going with them.

“Then you have to walk by yourself. If you can’t walk, Mommy won’t carry you,” Qiao Wanqing said, adjusting his clothes that had become messy.

Koukou eagerly agreed, clenching his little fists and saying, “Koukou can walk by himself!”

Qiao Wanqing was unsure where this little guy’s confidence came from: “But if you can’t walk, you mustn’t cry.”

“I won’t cry. Koukou is the best!” Koukou declared.

“You really know how to flatter yourself,” Qiao Wanqing said with a smile as she patted Kouko’s head.

Kouko seemed to have thought of something and hurried off to his room, bringing out both his and Qiao Wanqing’s hats.

He waved them happily and said, “Mommy, wear!”

This little kid…

Qiao Wanqing put the hat on him.

Since the bamboo forest wasn’t far from home and it was winter with no mosquitoes, she decided to take him along.

On the way, Kouko ran energetically at first, showing no signs of tiring.

But once they started climbing the mountain, he couldn’t keep up and cried, asking Qiao Wanqing to carry him.

Qiao Wanqing had expected this outcome.

She handed the hats to Grandma Qiao and picked Kouko up, squeezing his little face and saying, “Before we even find the bamboo shoots, you’ve already become a 20-pound extra burden.”

Kouko happily snuggled in her arms, remaining silent, as if to say, “What’s wrong with being a burden?”

Grandma Qiao laughed and said, “He told me yesterday that playing at home with Auntie wasn’t fun. Auntie was always busy with her own things and didn’t play with him. He’s such a clever little guy.”

Originally, Kouko should have called Qiao Wanqing’s second uncle’s wife “Second Auntie,” but it was too long for him to remember, so he just called her “Auntie,” as they were family and it didn’t matter.

“Auntie doesn’t play with Kouko? Kouko plays with Auntie,” Kouko agreed, sounding quite upset about it.

Recently, his father bought him a toy for cutting fruits, which Kouko loved.

He cut apples and bananas every day.

But once the fruit was cut, he needed someone to help him put it back together.

Auntie, being busy, didn’t have time to play with him, so Kouko “complained” about her.

Qiao Wanqing said, “Not everyone has as much free time as you.”

Kouko protested, “Koko is very good at cutting, busy~”

Grandma Qiao and Qiao Wanqing both laughed at Kouko’s antics.

Yes, very busy—busy causing trouble.

Fortunately, the bamboo forest was relatively flat, so Koko could play on his own.

As expected, Alai was quite skilled.

The spots he chose almost always had bamboo shoots.

While searching, Alai gave them a live demonstration: “Winter bamboo shoots grow from the bamboo roots. Generally, where there are bamboo roots, there’s a high chance of finding bamboo shoots. Look for the roots near the bamboo, then follow their direction to find small mounds or cracks in the ground. There’s a high probability of finding bamboo shoots. See these cracks here? There should definitely be shoots.”

As he spoke, Alai wielded his hoe and dug around the cracks, revealing the tip of a bamboo shoot.

Both Qiao Wanqing and Grandma Qiao were deeply impressed by Alai’s skills.

Kouko, having watched for a while, also learned and started giving directions, pointing at mounds of dirt for Qiao Wanqing to dig, claiming there were shoots underneath.

He even found a rock and insisted she dig there too.

Qiao Wanqing was almost driven to tears by the little troublemaker.

Indeed, he was just causing trouble.

“Mommy, Mommy, here!” While Qiao Wanqing diligently searched for bamboo shoots, she heard Kouko calling her from behind.

“Sweetie, how about I make you some milk?” Qiao Wanqing was tired of digging and found it exhausting to use the hoe.

“No~ Mommy, dig, dig!”

With no other option, Qiao Wanqing had Kouko stand back and half-heartedly swung the hoe.

Surprisingly, Kouko’s luck was in; they actually found a shoot underneath.

Unfortunately, her careless digging split the bamboo shoot in two.

Qiao Wanqing: “……”

Kouko: “……”

Koko’s first bamboo shoot was accidentally damaged by his mother while digging.

Fortunately, he didn’t realize it was ruined.

When Qiao Wanqing praised him for being better than her, he happily picked up the remaining piece of the bamboo shoot and proudly showed it off, claiming it was his find.

He continued showing off until they got home.