Er Gouzi nodded vigorously, grabbed the mooncake, and pulled Zhao Mo out the door.

They were going to chase the moon.

Zhang Yunxi and He Xiaoxiao both tacitly chose not to dismantle the children’s whimsical ideas. Instead, they sat together, gazing at the bright moon.

He Xiaoxiao was a very quiet person.

She rarely spoke much with Zhang Yunxi.

Mostly, Zhang Yunxi did the talking, and He Xiaoxiao occasionally chimed in with a word or two.

Zhang Yunxi didn’t feel awkward at all. She enjoyed herself, peeling the pomelo and savoring its sweet, refreshing flesh.

The autumn harvest was just two days away, and she remembered there was something she hadn’t done yet.

What was it?

Zhang Yunxi absentmindedly ate the pomelo and thought for a moment.

Then it hit her!

She needed to get the first-grade textbooks from Zhao Rencheng.

Glancing at the items on the table, Zhang Yunxi quietly prepared a small portion to take with her.

He Xiaoxiao glanced at her but said nothing.

She must be going to see Zhao Rencheng!

Hmph.

At least Deng Damei had something to take with her when she went out. But Zhang Yunxi had to prepare something for Zhao Rencheng.

Why was Zhao Rencheng so stingy?

He Xiaoxiao kept complaining in her heart, but her face remained calm and composed. She even raised her cup and clinked it with Zhang Yunxi’s. “This rice wine is pretty good.”

“I think so too.” Zhang Yunxi liked drinking but preferred to do so in moderation.

Being slightly tipsy was the perfect state.

*

Zhao Mo and Er Gouzi, carrying a whole mooncake, attracted a lot of attention as they went out. Many children followed them, hoping to get a share of the delicious treat.

Unfortunately.

Neither of them was the type to sacrifice their own enjoyment just to earn a bit of admiration from others.

By the pond, under the moonlight, they slowly ate the entire mooncake.

Er Gouzi solemnly made a wish to the moon, silently saying in his heart, “Dear Moon, I hope I don’t get a stepmom… Oh, never mind. Just don’t let me have a stepmom who bullies me. Otherwise, my dad will be lonely too.”

Zhao Mo also made a silent wish: “I hope my aunt stays happy every day. Dear Moon, I’ll share a little secret with you. I’m working hard to become someone my aunt can be proud of. But I’ll achieve that wish on my own. Please remember the first one. This is the first time I’ve made a wish to you, so I hope it comes true. Thank you in advance!”

After making their wishes, the two ran off.

The other children went home crying, begging for more mooncakes.

Everyone was insanely jealous. They wanted an aunt like that too!!

Zhao Mo and Er Gouzi ran back, and Zhang Yunxi gave them some pomelo to eat and let them try a sip of the rice wine.

Both of them shivered from the sourness.

“It’s so bad.”

“It’s not that bad,” Zhang Yunxi laughed.

Zhao Mo shook her head. “It’s terrible. Spending money to suffer.”

Er Gouzi nodded. “Yeah, I feel like throwing up.”

“You’re so dramatic,” Zhang Yunxi said, taking a sip and sighing contentedly. “This is the taste of heaven~”

The two kids made strange faces.

They looked at their aunt with suspicion.

Zhang Yunxi burst into laughter. Seeing that they were full, she sent them home, worried they might trip and fall if it got too late.

Zhao Mo ran home and immediately went to bed, determined not to engage with her stepmother any more than necessary.

Er Gouzi ran home and first peeked inside to see if his dad had returned.

Smack—

Zhao Changfu slapped the back of his son’s head. “What are you sneaking around for? Your grandma said you ate a whole mooncake from that female educated youth. Don’t always go looking for small favors.”

“No, Auntie gave it to me willingly,” Er Gouzi wasn’t stupid. He could tell that his aunt wasn’t pretending to be generous. She genuinely wanted to give, without expecting anything in return. She simply wanted everyone to enjoy themselves, unlike many people, including his own family, who would remind him for days after giving him something, as if they wanted to engrave it into his bones.

“Even so, you shouldn’t go too often,” Zhao Changfu grabbed a pillow and lay down on the bed. “It’s not appropriate.”

“Got it.”

Er Gouzi agreed but didn’t take it to heart.

He blinked his big eyes and cautiously asked, “Dad, am I getting a stepmom?”

Zhao Changfu stared at the roof beam, silent for a moment.

He had once promised his late wife to take good care of Er Gouzi, but people always said that with a stepmom comes a stepdad. He wasn’t sure if he could still treat Er Gouzi well if he had another child.

“No, don’t overthink it.”

“Oh.” Er Gouzi brightened up. If his dad said no, then it must be true. He climbed onto the bed and sat beside him, sharing, “Dad, I also ate some pomelo today. It was super sweet, not like the pomelos from the trees on our mountain, which are bitter and dry. I also tried a sip of rice wine, but it was awful.”

“Zhang Zhiqing seems to treat you and Zhao Mo really well.”

“Of course, she’s my auntie.”

“Alright, let’s sleep.”

Once he started working, he’d see if he could buy something suitable for Zhang Zhiqing.

Zhao Changfu was genuinely happy that someone was treating Er Gouzi well.

Especially since Er Gouzi mentioned that it was Zhang Yunxi who encouraged him to study.

Zhao Changfu was illiterate and hadn’t realized the importance of education. He hadn’t thought much about his child’s future, just muddling through life. But ever since his son started studying, learning a few characters, and even writing down his and his late wife’s names side by side, Zhao Changfu felt a bittersweet mix of regret and pride.

He also began to understand how to be a better parent.

Education was a way out.

So he was particularly grateful to Zhang Yunxi for reminding him.

It was always good for a child to learn something.

Everyone envied him for having a temporary job at the factory, but little did they know, he was at the bottom of the hierarchy there. He was always given the dirtiest and hardest tasks and constantly faced mistreatment.

If his son could get into a technical school, work in an office, and earn a decent living without breaking his back…

Zhao Changfu rubbed his son’s head, filled with hopeful dreams for the future, and fell asleep.

At the female educated youth dormitory.

Zhang Yunxi: “Why hasn’t Damei come back yet?”

“Don’t know,” He Xiaoxiao replied, her head down as she sketched a design. She wanted to create a clever little mechanism but hadn’t even figured out the basics yet.

Zhang Yunxi glanced at He Xiaoxiao’s watch and decided to wait half an hour. If Deng Damei hadn’t returned by 7:30, she would go out to look for her.

Returning to her room, Zhang Yunxi took out her draft paper and continued writing her article.

Her first piece.

She wrote about: Her feelings upon arriving in the countryside.

Of course, the emotions weren’t entirely genuine, but she described the anxiety of a female educated youth coming to the countryside, the warmth of the villagers, and the aspirations of being an educated youth.

The main theme of the article was: The countryside holds great potential.

It perfectly aligned with the current editorial direction.

She had been working on it for several days and was almost done. Once she found time to copy it neatly tomorrow, she could submit it.

Zhang Yunxi lowered her head in thought. How could she find the postman?

Maybe…

Borrow a bicycle from the Brigade leader and go to the commune?

Otherwise, it would take nearly a month for her to get to town, which was too slow. She wanted to earn some royalties and visit the provincial capital.

“You’re still up?” Deng Damei walked in, her voice hoarse.