The next morning, when Su Xianghong opened the door, she was almost shocked by the pile of goods outside.

But that’s a story for later.

Let’s go back to the present.

Su Xiangwan finished handling her work, returned the microphone to the projectionist, and sat down with a few of the children, excitedly watching the movie.

At that moment, Li Yifan walked over.

Although Li Yifan didn’t say anything, her expression could only be described in two words: comfortable!

The task had been handled neatly and efficiently, which made Li Yifan feel incredibly at ease.

But Su Xiangwan didn’t pay attention to her, which made her anxious.

“Aren’t you going to approve that girl’s clinic?” Unable to wait any longer, Li Yifan spoke up. “A clinic falls under the private sector. There are procedures for approval, so bring me the report.”

There were plenty of gray areas in the world when it came to making money, and Li Yifan was just waiting for Su Xiangwan to unlock each one.

“I’ve already written it up. County Mayor, just sign it, and Su Xianghong should be able to go to the pharmacy management station tomorrow to pick up her medications,” Su Xiangwan said.

Li Yifan took the application.

It was very well-written.

She angrily signed her name, took a deep breath, and looked at Zhi Zhi, who was biting her fingers.

She wanted to help wipe her hands but didn’t want Su Xiangwan to think she had any affection for her daughter.

Li Yifan, who found her subordinate comfortable but didn’t want to admit it, dragged Ma He(Aunty He) away.

Lu Dan and Gou Dan were completely absorbed in the movie “Crossing the Yangtze River.”

Li Chengze, being older, had to keep an eye on the clumsy Goudian and also watch out for Zhi Zhi, who might run away at any moment.

As for the movie, he was used to watching films in theaters, sitting back with his legs crossed, drinking soda, and eating five-spiced melon seeds.

This simple way of watching a movie, sitting cross-legged in the square, was nothing special to him.

But as the young master of the Tusi family turned into a babysitter, trying to keep an eye on three heads at once, he was losing track of everyone.

“Song Nanxi, how many times have I told you? Don’t run!” He whispered angrily, not daring to shout so Su Xiangwan and the protective Lu Dan and Gou Dan wouldn’t hear him yelling at the little girl.

Zhi Zhi, being so young, didn’t understand such a chaotic situation. If she ran off, there would be no way to find her.

The little one had her finger in her mouth, pointing to a vendor selling soda and melon seeds. “Bad big brother, I want to drink.” She was clearly craving soda.

Her little lips were moist, and the little girl looked really eager.

“Have you two ever had soda?” Li Chengze asked Lu Dan.

Lu Dan quickly shook his head. “Soda? That stuff can give you a bad stomach. Don’t ever drink it.”

“Just like 3911, Leguo, and 666. Don’t ever drink those. You’ll die!” Gou Dan, clearly more experienced, pointed at Li Chengze’s nose. “Big brother, you must never mention those two things again.”

“Why?” Li Chengze asked.

Lüdian said seriously, “My mom once drank soda and had to have her stomach pumped at the township health clinic. She almost died.”

That was one of the past experiences of their original selves, and in Lu Dan and Gou Dan’s minds, it was a terrifying memory.

Li Chengze stared at the two of them for a long time, almost like he was looking at someone with a disability.

Then, he quietly called over the three children to the other side, pulled out five cents from somewhere, and bought a bottle of ice-cold soda.

Right in front of them, he gulped down half of the bottle.

Then, the daring Gou Dan tried to lick the bottle and immediately covered his mouth: “Brother, it’s sweet, really good!”

Lu Dan also took a lick: “Poison is actually so tasty?”

Li Chengze felt sorry for the three children.

He really wanted to find something for them to eat, but he only had five cents himself.

He thought about how to make some money, but with only one child, where could he possibly get money from?

Just as Li Chengze was racking his brain to figure out how to feed the three little ones, he suddenly spotted a familiar figure in the square.

It was a woman, probably in her twenties, slender and beautiful, waving at him from a distance.

Li Chengze originally wasn’t going to respond, and in fact, he even felt like avoiding her.

But seeing Lu Dan and Gou Dan carefully licking the soda, he suddenly took off a strap from his waist, tied Zhi Zhi to Lu Dan’s waist, and handed the soda bottle to him, then prepared to slip away. “Watch over Zhi Zhi. When you guys finish your soda, I’ll be back.”

“Brother, where are you going? Take us with you,” Gou Dan said.

Li Chengze looked at them meaningfully and replied, “Brother is going to earn money to buy you more drinks, understand?”

Lu Dan, Gou Dan, and Zhi Zhi quickly nodded: “Then hurry up and go, we’ll watch the movie.”

Seeing that Su Xiangwan wasn’t paying attention, Li Chengze quickly darted away, off to “earn money.”

The next morning, Su Xiangwan was able to report to the Women’s Federation.

However, for now, she could only be the deputy director of the Women’s Federation.

The director was still the slightly balding, chubby Liu Tang.

But Liu Tang wasn’t happy about Su Xiangwan’s arrival either, because the deputy director position had been vacant for a long time.

When there was no deputy director, everyone could slack off when they wanted to, leave work whenever they liked—it was convenient.

Now, with a deputy director, how could they continue to slack off or leave early?

Liu Tang, upset, took two bags of raisins that were sent to him from the border and went to the county magistrate, hoping to persuade him to remove Su Xiangwan.

Li Yifan, known for his strict discipline and incorruptible character, not only threw the raisins out of the window but also gave Liu Tang a good scolding.

He warned him that if he couldn’t work properly, Su Xiangwan could become the director, and Liu Tang would be sent to work in the boiler room.

So, Su Xiangwan became the new deputy director of the Women’s Federation.

Since He Ma volunteered to take care of the children and the workplace wasn’t far from home, Su Xiangwan managed to balance her time.

She worked in the morning, returned home at noon to make lunch for the three children, and surprisingly even managed to get a bit of time to take a nap.

As for implementing the Women’s Federation’s work, that had to be ordered by Li Yifan.

While Li Yifan had a fiery temper outside, he was a dedicated leader who threw himself into his work.

At home, however, sometimes he would shout loudly, and sometimes he would be as quiet as a chicken.

This created a habit for the children, Lu Dan and Gou Dan, of climbing the apricot tree to watch what Aunt Li from next door, who supposedly ate children, was doing.

They would then decide if it was time to go play or stay quietly inside.

Su Xiangwan guessed that someone like Li Yifan, who was so energetic and efficient, would definitely find ways to create problems for herself.

But for now, she was busy with the reservoir issue and hadn’t thought about that yet.

She was focused on helping her children adjust to city life.

After moving to the city, Gou Dan’s grades improved dramatically, topping the class in both mock exams.

It was said that the teacher praised him every day, and he was now extremely confident.

Lu Dan, on the other hand, had seen his grades drop sharply since moving to the city.

His most difficult subject was mathematics.

For example, if you said that three plus two equals five and repeated it twice, he’d get it.

But when you asked him what two plus three equals, his mind would go blank.

For Su Xiangwan, second-grade math was something she could do with her eyes closed, but Lu Dan just couldn’t grasp it.

Not only that, but after being discouraged by his math teacher, he developed a lack of motivation.

When Su Xiangwan looked at his monthly test paper, he had only scored 58.

Even though she couldn’t scold him for it, she was still concerned.

“I’m going to learn kung fu and join Shaolin. I’m not learning math,” Lu Dan said stubbornly.

Li Chengze, who was nearby, added fuel to the fire: “Exactly! Look at you, your legs are weak now. You should go back to Xiao Songzhuang and find your master.”

The little wild boar just wanted to cause some trouble at home.

Upon hearing this, Lu Dan was even more determined to return to Xiao Songzhuang. “Mom, let’s go back to Xiao Songzhuang. I don’t want to stay in the city anymore.”

“Is your plan to just give up when things get tough?” Su Xiangwan said. “I’m a deputy director at the Women’s Federation, but there are many things I can’t count. Aren’t you going to learn math well and help me?”

When Lu Dan heard that learning math could help his mom, he took a deep breath, lowered his head, and started working on his problems.

Li Chengze saw that Su Xiangwan was just coaxing Lu Dan, but there was nothing he could do.

Lu Dan was utterly loyal to his mother, a foolish kind of loyalty.

His homework was done quickly, and Zhi Zhi, on the other hand, was next door, being monopolized by Aunt He.

With nothing to do, he was preparing to go out again.

“Chengze, where are you going now?” Su Xiangwan asked.

Li Chengze surprisingly replied, “I’m not really your son, and I’m already eleven years old. You can’t keep me locked up at home doing housework. I’m going out to wander around.”

It was summer, and the child was wearing a military green jacket that Song Qingshan had handed down, which Su Xiangwan had cut into two pieces, with pants that she had sewn herself.

The pants were especially long and narrow.

“Stop right there, come back here,” Su Xiangwan said.

Li Chengze refused: “I’m just going out to play for a while. I won’t run around.”

Su Xiangwan yanked him back and lifted his shirt to check. “Oh, a belt. Where did you get that from?”

Li Chengze quickly covered the belt. “Someone gave it to me.”

“You’re quite the big shot, huh? Tell me, who in this town would give you a belt?” Su Xiangwan asked.

Li Chengze replied, “Anyway, someone gave it to me. As for who, you don’t need to know. After all, you’re not my mom.”

Su Xiangwan then turned to Lu Dan and Gou Dan. “Do you guys know where your brother’s belt came from?”

“No idea, mom. Maybe he found it,” Lu Dan said seriously.

Gou Dan also chimed in, “Oh, maybe my brother even finds sodas to drink, mom. Don’t worry about him, okay? The soda’s sweet and not poisonous. We’ve been drinking it so much we’re getting fat!”

The little guy was stuffed, and his breath even smelled like soda.

It was clear that during the time Su Xiangwan was away at work, Li Chengze had probably earned some quick or accidental money outside.

And he had bribed Lu Dan and Gou Dan, who were helping him cover up.

Li Chengze, this little rascal, when weak, would act like he was harmless, but as soon as no one was around to control him, he would act up.

Su Xiangwan had never dealt with a child like this before.

In the future, Li Chengze would come into contact with many shady characters, including those who might try to take advantage of his family’s wealth.

She had to make sure that he wouldn’t fall prey to them, tricking him time and again and putting him at the edge of danger.

This child, though cautious, was also very arrogant.

Unfortunately, he was like a magnet for bad people—there were no good ones around him.

Su Xiangwan said, “You can go out any other time, but not now. Right now, we need to kill a chicken.”