He Tiantian will take this as a compliment for now.

"Hehe." He Tiantian chuckled innocently, "It's nothing, I just thought I'd make a lot more, in case the weather is bad tomorrow, it'll last for another day."

“That’s true. We not only need to cut fresh grass now, but also prepare some hay for the cattle and sheep to get through the winter,” Aunt Liu said. “Go and rest for a while, I’ll clean up the grass you cut.”

"Then I'll have to trouble Aunt Liu." He Tiantian said with a smile, picked up her water bottle, and took several big gulps.

After finishing her drink, He Tiantian didn't rest. She went to clean the wild vegetables she had managed to get and made a cold dish for Old Man Qi.

Old Qi was very happy and said, "Hehe, sweet girl, thank you for your trouble. I have a small plot of land over there where I grow vegetables. We can't finish them all, so you can take some home to eat."

Aunt Liu didn't stand on ceremony and continued working as usual, saying, "Then I won't be polite, Sweetie. Go check the yard and see if there are any cucumbers, green beans, gourds, loofahs, or anything like that that have grown."

"Okay!" He Tiantian agreed. Old Qi was probably trying to get her to cook for him more often in the future.

Since it was inconvenient to use only one hand, He Tiantian noticed the dishes and chopsticks in the kitchen. Although they had been washed, they weren't very clean. He Tiantian couldn't stand messiness, so she washed them while washing the vegetables.

This vegetable garden is much bigger than Grandma Qi's garden; it's probably Grandpa Qi's own private plot. At the foot of the mountain, there aren't many rules or restrictions!

There were several rows of cucumbers, as well as early green beans, late green beans, string beans, tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers. Loofahs were climbing all over the surrounding fence, and there were green pumpkins scattered on the ground.

Oh my, no wonder Old Man Qi is so generous. There's so much food growing here that he can't possibly eat it all by himself!

He Tiantian picked the vegetables. It's a bit late today, so she won't weed anymore. She'll help Old Man Qi tidy up the vegetable garden tomorrow.

He Tiantian brought back a whole basket of things and said with a smile, "Grandpa Qi, your vegetable garden is really big, and there are so many things in it. If you can't finish them all, I can pick some for you, pickle them, and dry them in the sun. They'll be perfect for stewing in the winter."

Winters in Qijia Village, though damp, are extremely cold and damp. Fresh vegetables are scarce; the best things are stored cabbages, radishes, and dried vegetables from the summer sun.

"Sure!" Old Qi laughed so hard his breath hitched. "If you can't finish it, you can take some back with you."

"Uncle Qi, those cucumbers are nice. I'll take a few later." Aunt Liu said without hesitation, thinking she could add some salt to make a cold dish when she got home that evening.

“These tomatoes are quite good, I’ll take two.” He Tiantian didn’t want to make an exception, so she imitated Aunt Liu and said, “Grandpa Qi, it’s still early, and I’m just killing time anyway, so why don’t I cook you dinner to thank you for the two tomatoes you gave me?”

Old Qi was very pleased. He had been wondering how to bring it up, and this little girl had offered to help. Good job, she has good judgment.

"Hehe, then I'll have to trouble you." Old Qi said, "If you need anything in the future, just say the word. As long as this old man has the authority, I will definitely help you."

"Thank you so much, Grandpa Qi," He Tiantian said in a cheerful voice, now that she had another helper.

Cooking is something He Tiantian does effortlessly; it's the easiest thing in the world.

Since there were so many vegetables, He Tiantian casually stuck a few flatbreads on the side of the pot while stewing eggplant for Old Man Qi. This became Uncle Qi's staple food. With the addition of two cold dishes, wild vegetables and cucumber, Old Man Qi's dinner was ready.

Old Qi was very happy. Although Aunt Liu usually cooked for him, she didn't cook as well as He Tiantian, and the food didn't taste as good.

Aunt Liu had finished her work, and He Tiantian had also finished hers. They went back to the village together with Aunt Liu.

The first day of work was completed successfully, earning the approval of Old Man Qi and Aunt Liu, laying a solid foundation for future work.

For several days in a row, He Tiantian fully adapted to life as an educated youth.

They work at sunrise and rest at sunset.

Although I'm a little tired, it's nothing compared to the joy in my heart and the hope for the future!

When the jujubes turned sweet, He Tiantian, carrying a half-basket of jujubes, a few cucumbers, and tomatoes, went to visit the educated youth at the settlement. Along the way, she encountered some villagers. She greeted those she knew and smiled at those she didn't, never being aloof or ignoring them.

The educated youth were eating on several large rocks at the entrance of the educated youth settlement, chatting and laughing as they ate.

When Huang Jingli saw He Tiantian coming over, she quickly waved and said, "Tiantian, come and sit here."

"Who is this?" A woman who looked to be around twenty years old turned around and asked. She didn't look like a girl from the village. She was neatly dressed and had fair skin. She looked more like an educated youth than the girls.

Huang Jingli smiled and said, "Sister Wu, she's also an educated youth. She came with us. But we couldn't fit her here, so Secretary Qi arranged for He Tiantian to stay at a fellow villager's house. That villager really liked He Tiantian, so she stayed there."

He Tiantian put down her basket and, seeing everyone looking at her, said confidently, "Hello, brothers and sisters, I am He Tiantian, a former educated youth from Nanshi. I hope you will take good care of me in the future."

Since they were all sent-down youth, no one made things difficult for He Tiantian. Besides, He Tiantian was so polite, calling everyone "brother" and "sister," and even brought food.

The male educated youth chuckled, while the female educated youth were more enthusiastic towards He Tiantian.

The educated youth, addressed as Sister Wu, laughed and said, "You're definitely from a big city; you know how to be polite. Hey? You can just come to visit, why did you bring a basket?"

He Tiantian lifted the cloth covering the basket and said, "There's nothing special. I just saw these dates when I was cutting grass a few days ago and picked them. Grandma Qi said they're sour dates, but they'll sweeten after a few days and taste very good, so she brought some for my older brother and sister."

"Sour jujubes, those are good stuff, really delicious, Comrade He, you're so kind. My surname is Wang, you can just call me Wang Lei from now on," said an older man. This man was named Wang Lei, and he had been here for two years. Because he had been here for a long time and was relatively old, everyone respected him and treated him like an elder brother.

"Brother Wang Lei," He Tiantian said, "Since it's delicious, I'll go wash up and we can all eat together."

Since He Tiantian arrived, everyone has been chatting and laughing around her. Lin Xiaoru, standing to the side, looked at He Tiantian's fair face and arms, which were even fairer than hers. In the past few days of work, Lin Xiaoru had fallen behind several times, and her skin had become tanned. There were red marks on her face, neck, and hands from the corn husks.

"Tian Tian, ​​you're so lucky. You've built good relationships with your fellow villagers and been assigned easy jobs." Lin Xiaoru said enviously. They were all educated youth sent to the countryside, from the same place. Why should He Tian Tian be able to live a better life than them?