The post office wasn't open yet, and He Tiantian and Qi Xiaoyan were waiting at the door.

Even though the two of them wanted to go out and explore, they had brought so many pine nuts that they could only mail the items first and then go shopping.

Not only did He Tiantian send things, but Qi Xiaoyan also sent her second brother some pine nuts and dried sour dates.

Just as the two were feeling bored, a bicycle bell rang. He Tiantian thought it was a post office worker, but when she looked up, she saw Niu Lili.

"It really is the two of you! I thought I was seeing things. I was too embarrassed to call out, so I just rang the bell," Niu Lili said crisply. "By the way, it's cold here. We'll probably have to wait a while. Come on, let's go to my place and warm up."

He Tiantian wanted to send something, but she didn't want to take it to Niu Lili's place, so she declined, saying, "Sister Lili, you go to work first. We'll send the things and then come to your place for a meal. I need to send some pine nuts home so we don't have to carry them around."

Niu Lili's eyes lit up, and she said, "Are these the pine nuts that you asked my cousin to bring me last time?"

"Yes, it tastes alright, right?" He Tiantian asked. "I'll bring you more next time I finish eating."

“No need, those can all be sold for money,” Niu Lili said with a smile. “I won’t say anything outside, you guys wait here. Once the mail is ready, you must come to my place for a meal. On such a cold day, a bowl of mutton soup with bread is especially warming.”

"Yes, we'll definitely go," He Tiantian and Niu Lili agreed.

After staring at the post office for about half an hour, the staff finally arrived. They were early and at the front of the line. They quickly filled out the form, weighed the item, paid, and received the receipt. The whole weighing process took only about ten minutes.

He Tiantian and Qi Xiaoyan went to Niu Lili's restaurant for dinner.

They had already passed the restaurant, and Niu Lili, not in a hurry, personally greeted He Tiantian and Qi Xiaoyan. Soon, two bowls of mutton stew with bread, filled with plenty of mutton, were served—a great value.

After finishing her meal, He Tiantian received a look from Niu Lili and then pretended to go to the restroom.

Niu Lili pulled He Tiantian to a secluded spot and whispered, "Sweetie, I'm sorry. I said I'd help you sell wild game, but the county is cracking down hard now, so I don't dare to do it anymore."

So that's what it was about! He Tiantian never expected this. It would be good if she could make money, but it wouldn't matter if she couldn't do business! If she couldn't sell it, she could still eat it herself!

"It's alright. It's getting cold, and I can't hunt anymore. Safety is the most important thing," He Tiantian said nonchalantly. "You were just trying to help me. I'm so grateful to you. How could I blame you?"

Niu Lili breathed a sigh of relief when she heard He Tiantian say that, as long as He Tiantian wasn't angry.

“Under Secretary Qi’s leadership, our village went hunting in the mountains and caught a lot of things, which we’ve already sold at the purchasing station,” He Tiantian said. “It’s legal there, and although it’s cheaper, it’s safer.”

Niu Lili nodded and said, "You're right. Secretary Qi is very capable and has strong principles. My dad often praises Secretary Qi at home, and I admire him very much when I hear it!"

Niu Lili's father is Niu Dajun's uncle, Niu Peng!

As the two walked out, He Tiantian said, "Yes, during this year's autumn harvest, thanks to Secretary Qi's thoughtful consideration, not a single grain of our village's grain was wasted. Now, leading everyone hunting is also to improve the villagers' living standards. He's a good secretary."

"By the way, what are you going to do next?" Niu Lili asked. She was too busy to take them out for a stroll.

He Tiantian smiled and said, "It's okay. Our village is far away. I want to go to the hospital to buy some anti-inflammatory iodine and cold medicine. For minor ailments, I can just take some medicine myself."

He Tiantian didn't say anything, and Qi Xiaoyan went for a medical checkup. There's a hint of something going on between Niu Dajun and Qi Xiaoyan, but neither set of parents knows yet. Once it's out in the open, both families will inevitably gossip and consult each other. Niu Dajun's family is influential in the county town; if they find out Qi Xiaoyan's health isn't good, the marriage will likely face difficulties. So He Tiantian made up a random excuse and didn't tell the truth.

“Okay, the hospital is just over two miles away, turn left when you go out,” Niu Lili said. “I have to go to work, so I can’t go with you.”

“We’re all adults now, we can go by ourselves. Lili, you’re busy, we’re leaving now, we’ll come to visit you another day. When you have your holidays, you can also come to visit us in the village,” He Tiantian said, bidding farewell to Niu Lili.

He Tiantian and Qi Xiaoyan walked along the road. He Tiantian said, "Xiaoyan, if anyone asks us why we're going to the hospital, just say we're here to buy medicine, not to have a check-up."

"Why?" Qi Xiaoyan asked, puzzled. Many people knew she used to be in poor health. Besides, now that she was better, she wasn't afraid to tell others!

"Gossip is a terrible thing. Even if you're better, what if people say you weren't healthy before? The county is so small. What if it gets to Dajun's family's ears and they have a bad impression of you?" He Tiantian pointed at Qi Xiaoyan's ear. "You had heart problems before. Even if you're better now, your heart is still inside your body. Nobody knows, and nobody can take it out to look at it! Just because you say you're better doesn't mean you're better!"

Upon hearing this, Qi Xiaoyan suddenly realized and said, "Sister Tiantian is so thoughtful!"

The two chatted and laughed as they arrived at the hospital, took the referral letter, registered, and waited in line.

Qi Xiaoyan was a little nervous. She especially hoped to have a healthy body so that not only would her parents not have to worry about her, but she could also continue her singing career.

Qi Xiaoyan has come to a deep understanding of what her parents meant when they said that health is the foundation of everything; without good health, everything else is in vain!

Soon after, it was Qi Xiaoyan's turn. She was very nervous and pulled He Tiantian inside with her.

The doctor here is a woman in her fifties, dressed in a clean and tidy white coat.

"Young ladies, please sit down. Which of you is feeling unwell?" The female doctor looked at He Tiantian and Qi Xiaoyan and, seeing that neither of them seemed ill, asked softly.

Qi Xiaoyan looked nervously at He Tiantian.

He Tiantian stepped forward and said, "Dr. Chen, hello. This is my sister. She wasn't feeling well, and these are her medical records. She's been feeling better lately and wanted to come for a check-up to make sure she's really better."

Dr. Chen looked at Qi Xiaoyan, pointed to the stool in front of her, and said, "Young lady, sit down, don't be nervous, let me take a look at your medical records."

Qi Xiaoyan sat in front of Dr. Chen, waiting for his diagnosis.

Dr. Chen opened the medical records, looked them over carefully, and understood the situation. Instead of rushing to treat the patient, he asked, "You two girls are very beautiful. Are you sisters?"

This is a heart condition, and it's best to have the consultation done in a calm and relaxed state for a more accurate diagnosis. (To be continued.)