As Lin Wanqiu stuffed the last piece of tofu wrapped in lotus leaf into the bamboo basket, dusk was just falling outside the courtyard. The sunset painted the western clouds orange-red, even bathing the wild rose bush in a warm glow. She glanced down at the jade pendant tied with a red string on her wrist, her fingertips gently stroking it—she had just checked her supplies in her spatial storage and found that she still had enough soybeans to make two more blocks of tofu. Thinking of the neighbors' eager expressions when they signed up a few days ago, she decided to take advantage of the twilight to deliver another batch, lest something unexpected happen.

"Mom, let me help you carry the basket!" Shen Nian'an, wearing a faded little jacket, ran over excitedly, trying to grab the handle of the bamboo basket. Lately, she had been eating a lot of good food with Lin Wanqiu, and the child's face had finally gained some weight, and her eyes were as bright as water-soaked black grapes. She was no longer the pitiful little girl who used to hunch over and not dare to speak.

Lin Wanqiu smiled and handed the bamboo basket to him so he could barely reach the edge: "Walk slowly, don't fall. Let's go to Grandma Li's house first, then Aunt Wang's house. Come back quickly after we drop them off, it'll get chilly at night." She carefully covered the bamboo basket with a blue cloth, leaving only a small gap at the corner for ventilation. She was also thinking to herself—there was still quite a bit of cornmeal left from the space she had taken out earlier. She would make some cornmeal porridge for Nian'an when they got back, and also add an egg to help her recover.

The mother and son had just turned past the old locust tree at the village entrance when they heard footsteps behind them. Lin Wanqiu's heart tightened, and she quickly pulled Nian'an behind a haystack by the roadside. In those days, few people went out at night, and if they encountered patrolling militiamen, or worse—if they ran into Zhao Jianjun's gang, it would be troublesome.

"Mom, what's wrong?" Shen Nian'an asked softly, her little hands tightly gripping the hem of Lin Wanqiu's clothes.

"Shh, let's wait a bit before we go, let's see who it is." Lin Wanqiu pulled the child closer to her chest and peeked out through the gaps in the haystack. She saw two young men in polyester shirts strolling over, humming an off-key tune, carrying empty liquor bottles. They looked like they'd just come back from drinking at someone's house. Lin Wanqiu breathed a sigh of relief. These two were from the neighboring team; they didn't usually cause trouble, so they should be fine.

After the two people had walked away, the mother and son continued on their way. Grandma Li lived at the east end of the village, with an old jujube tree in her yard. Just as they reached the door, they heard a cough coming from inside. Lin Wanqiu gently knocked on the door, and Grandma Li's voice immediately came from inside: "Who is it?"

"Grandma, it's me, Wanqiu."

The door creaked open, and Grandma Li, still holding a half-finished shoe sole, beamed with joy upon seeing Lin Wanqiu and her son: "Oh, Wanqiu's here! Come in quickly, it's chilly outside." She immediately noticed the bamboo basket in Lin Wanqiu's hand, her eyes lighting up, "This is…"

"Grandma, I've brought you some tofu." Lin Wanqiu handed over the bamboo basket, lifted the blue cloth to reveal the tofu wrapped in lotus leaves inside. "It's freshly made, so please put it away quickly."

Grandma Li quickly took the bamboo basket, weighed it in her hand, and her eyes reddened: "Wanqiu, you are such a good child! I thought I would have to wait two days, but I didn't expect you to bring it so quickly." She turned around and took out a cloth bag from the house, which contained half a pound of brown sugar. She stuffed it into Lin Wanqiu's hand, "Take this brown sugar and give it to Nian'an to help her grow. The child is at the age of growth."

Lin Wanqiu declined for a long time, but Grandma Li insisted on giving it to her, so she had no choice but to accept it. She then gave Grandma Li a few more words of advice to take care of her health before taking Nian'an to Aunt Wang's house. Aunt Wang's house wasn't far away. Just as they reached the gate of the courtyard, they heard Aunt Wang calling from inside the house, "Ya'dan, don't run, be careful not to fall!"

"Aunt Wang, I'm Wanqiu," Lin Wanqiu called out.

Aunt Wang quickly ran out to open the door. Seeing the bamboo basket in Lin Wanqiu's hand, she rubbed her hands together with joy: "Wanqiu, you've finally come! My husband came back from the fields today and was still talking about the tofu you made." She took the tofu, turned around and took out a ceramic jar from the house, which was filled with cornmeal. "Wanqiu, take this cornmeal. My family has been saving it for a long time. Don't mind it."

Lin Wanqiu took the earthenware jar and said with a smile, "Aunt Wang, you're too kind. I'll accept the cornmeal. You should also put the tofu away quickly so it doesn't spoil."

Just then, Ya Dan ran out of the house, saw Shen Nian'an, and happily shouted, "Little brother Nian'an, you're here! My mother saved a piece of tofu for me, I'll share half with you!"

Shen Nian'an glanced at Lin Wanqiu, and seeing her mother nod, she whispered, "Thank you, Sister Yadan."

The two children played in the yard for a while, and Lin Wanqiu, worried about taking too long, pulled Chen Nian'an to go home. Aunt Wang saw them to the door, not forgetting to remind them, "Wanqiu, next time you make tofu, don't forget to tell me!"

"Don't worry, Aunt Wang, I won't forget." Lin Wanqiu replied with a smile, and led Nian'an home.

It was completely dark, with only a few stars hanging in the sky. The village roads were full of potholes, and Lin Wanqiu held Shen Nian'an's hand, walking carefully forward. Just as they reached the old locust tree at the village entrance, they heard footsteps coming from behind, accompanied by a gruff voice: "Damn it, today is really unlucky. I wanted to find a place to have a couple of drinks, but there's no one to go with."

Lin Wanqiu's heart tightened. Why did that voice sound so familiar? She quickly pulled Shen Nian'an to hide behind a haystack by the roadside. Just as they hid, they saw several dark figures walking towards them from behind. The leader was none other than Zhao Jianjun! He was holding a wine bottle in his hand, walking unsteadily, and his face reeked of alcohol. Behind him were two henchmen, who also looked carefree and irresponsible.

"Brother Jianjun, where are we going?" one of his followers asked.

Zhao Jianjun hiccuped and mumbled, "Where else can we go? We have to find that Lin Wanqiu! Damn it, she got away last time, but this time I'm going to make sure she knows that anyone who goes against me, Zhao Jianjun, will suffer the consequences!"

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