Near the sunlight, there was a jujube tree, which was laden with jujubes.

He Tiantian picked wild jujubes with a basket, and soon the basket was full. Because the soil here is fertile, the wild jujubes grew very large. He Tiantian also picked some wild vegetables and covered them on top, planning to take some to the educated youth settlement later so that they could also try them.

It's never wrong to be polite; if you accept her food, surely no one will deliberately try to make things difficult for her.

Seeing that it was getting late, He Tiantian rolled her eyes again at the snake king who was swimming happily in the puddle. Snake king, indeed! It was just a little mudfish. A small puddle was enough to make the snake king forget about home.

"It's getting late, I have to go back now," He Tiantian said. It would be better if she didn't go with her; she wouldn't have to suffer a major hemorrhage, nor would she have to spend every day with a little silver snake.

The Snake King was furious when he heard He Tiantian's words. This woman was getting more and more demanding.

"You dare!" The Snake King flew over, landed on He Tiantian's shoulder, and flicked its tongue.

He seems ready to unleash his fury at the slightest provocation.

He Tiantian is no longer afraid of the little silver snake, but she still can't quite accept the mollusk getting so close, so she turned her head and said, "You've been having so much fun in the water and don't want to leave, have you?"

"The spring there is quite nice!" The Snake King looked at the emerald green spring water a few times and said reluctantly, "You must bring me here often in the future, and I will give you benefits."

He Tiantian shrugged and said, "You're with me all day, so you know what the situation is like. I have to work, so I can't keep running to the back mountain all day!"

The Snake King glanced at He Tiantian, then looked longingly at the emerald green puddle. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Then...then you should find some work that involves going up the mountain. I can even get you some food, you see..."

Just as He Tiantian was extremely unwilling and wanted to refuse, two plump, gray-furred rabbits lay motionless on the ground.

He Tiantian was overjoyed. A rabbit! A plump rabbit! She hadn't eaten meat in a long time.

"Hurry up and catch them!" the Snake King said angrily. He was a little dizzy from using his mental power to control the two rabbits. "This stupid girl, why aren't you catching the rabbits? They'll break free and run away!"

He Tiantian put down her basket and ran to the two wild rabbits a few meters away. She quickly tied them up with ropes, one in each hand.

"Oh my, this means we can have a better meal!" He Tiantian exclaimed happily. These two rabbits weighed over ten kilograms each, enough for several meals. However, it was broad daylight outside, and if she swaggered down the mountain with the rabbits like this, it would surely arouse the villagers' jealousy. He Tiantian wasn't new to Qijia Village; she had lived there for a long time in her previous life and was familiar with the villagers' temperaments, so she dared not let others see her without permission.

But if she doesn't bring them back, how will she eat two rabbits?

He Tiantian was caught in a dilemma. The Snake King, unable to bear it any longer, said disdainfully, "Couldn't you just knock the rabbit unconscious and put it in the basket?"

"Yes!" He Tiantian's eyes lit up. Sour jujubes were delicious, but not as good as meat. She put the rabbit at the bottom, the sour jujubes on top, and some wild vegetables. She wasn't familiar with the villagers, so even if they saw her carrying a basket full of things, they'd just assume it was sour jujubes and weeds. As for the sour jujubes, there were still plenty on the tree; next time she'd take a bigger basket and pick more.

Without hesitation, He Tiantian took a stone and swiftly knocked out two wild rabbits.

The little silver snake then looked at He Tiantian with newfound respect. This seemingly gentle and weak girl could be quite frightening when she got ruthless.

Little did the little silver snake know that He Tiantian had run a braised meat shop in her past life, where she personally slaughtered chickens and ducks, dealing with these small animals without batting an eye. It wasn't that He Tiantian lacked compassion; she couldn't even manage her own life, let alone have the energy to care for or sympathize with other people or animals.

He Tiantian placed the rabbit underneath, then put some sour dates inside, stuffed it full of wild vegetables, and tied it to the end of the rope. After climbing up the rope, He Tiantian pulled the rope upwards, raising the basket.

The little silver snake remained curled up on He Tiantian's left ankle, sleeping soundly.

He Tiantian carried a basket and walked down the mountain.

Along the way, He Tiantian quickened her pace, walking very fast. She reached the foot of the mountain in less than half an hour—an exceptionally fast pace; even a strong, healthy adult would take over an hour at that. Despite the long distance, He Tiantian wasn't tired at all. The Snake King hadn't lied to her after all.

He Tiantian encountered two or three villagers, whom she recognized but not in this life, so she lowered her head and quickly left.

When she got home, He Tiantian washed her hands and hurried to greet Grandma Qi.

Grandma Qi still had half a basket of cotton husks left to peel. When she saw He Tiantian coming over, she smiled and asked, "Where have you been?"

"Hehe, I went to the back mountain to dig up some wild vegetables. I'll make some cold dishes for dinner tonight." He Tiantian said as she helped peel the cotton husks.

When Zhao Dajiao saw He Tiantian coming over, she said, "You can tell at a glance that she knows how to manage a household; she does a lot of housework."

He Tiantian smiled but didn't say anything. She hadn't done much work at home, but after coming to Qijia Village in her previous life, she had never had a moment of leisure.

Grandma Qi smiled and said that she would talk to He Tiantian when she got home that night, and ask her to prepare some things to send over so that she could get an easier job when the work was assigned the next day.

Grandma Qi wouldn't have said that if it were any other educated youth.

But now Grandma Qi wants He Tiantian to live with her and keep her company, so she naturally has to give this little girl some pointers, lest she be too young to understand these social customs and be assigned to live like an adult, which would be exhausting!

After finishing her work, He Tiantian helped Grandma Qi San home.

Living with Grandma Qi, there are some things that can't be hidden from her.

"Grandma Qi, I caught two wild rabbits when I went to dig for wild vegetables today," He Tiantian told Grandma Qi when she got home.

Grandma Qi was taken aback, quickly closed the door, and whispered, "Who else knows?"

He Tiantian whispered, "I put it in the basket, covered with wild vegetables. Only the two of us know about it; no one else knows."

Grandma Qi breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, saying, "You did the right thing. The fewer people who know about this kind of thing, the better. I'll skin these two rabbits later, marinate one, and stir-fry the other. I'll send one bowl to Secretary Qi's house and one bowl to Zhao Dajiao's house."

He Tiantian was stunned; she hadn't expected Grandma Qi to make such an arrangement.

Seeing He Tiantian lost in thought, Grandma Qi sighed inwardly, "She's still just a child; she doesn't think things through." She explained, "It's hot, and the meat will spoil easily if it's not marinated. The reason I asked you to give a bowl to Secretary Qi and Zhao Dajiao is because they're in charge of arranging jobs for the educated youth. If they benefit from your help, they'll definitely make things easier for them when assigning tasks in the future. I'm not using your gifts to curry favor; I just want you to have a better life in the village in the future."

He Tiantian agreed wholeheartedly. If she could get the help of Secretary Qi and Zhao Dajiao, she would be willing to send all the rabbits away.

"Thank you so much, Grandma Qi. I'm so young, I really didn't think of these things. Luckily you reminded me," He Tiantian said sincerely, understanding Grandma Qi's good intentions.