Lin Wanqiu patted her son's head and said with a smile, "That's right, Nian'an did a great job! Grandma and Auntie bullied us, so we can't let them get away with it. But you can't take such a risk next time. If Grandma really hits you, Mom will be heartbroken."

"Okay! I understand!" Shen Nian'an nodded, a smile appearing on her face.

Lin Wanqiu led Nian'an into the house, but in her heart she was thinking—Old Madam Shen had suffered a loss this time, and she certainly wouldn't let it go so easily. She might even escalate the trouble in the future. She had to think of a way to completely resolve the Shen family's problems, otherwise, things couldn't continue like this.

Back inside, Lin Wanqiu placed Nian'an on the kang (a heated brick bed), took out a piece of chocolate from her spatial storage, and handed it to her: "Nian'an, have some chocolate first, and Mom will make you something nice to eat."

"Mom, I don't want chocolate, I want rice." Shen Nian'an shook her head and took Lin Wanqiu's hand. "Mom, I also want to eat your cured pork rice, it's so delicious!"

Lin Wanqiu felt a warmth in her heart and said with a smile, "Okay, Mom will make you some cured pork rice right away. But we have to keep our voices down so Grandma and the others don't hear us."

She walked towards the kitchen, and just as she picked up the cured meat, she heard a knock at the gate. Her heart skipped a beat—had Old Lady Shen returned again? She quickly hid the cured meat, picked up the shovel, went to the gate, and whispered, "Who is it?"

"Late Autumn, it's me, Aunt Wang." Aunt Wang's voice came from outside the door. "I just heard some noise from your house. Is it Old Lady Shen bullying you again? I came to check on you."

Lin Wanqiu breathed a sigh of relief and opened the door: "Aunt Wang, you're here. Old Mrs. Shen did come earlier, but she's already left. It's nothing."

"It's good that you're alright." Aunt Wang walked in, looked at the situation in the yard, and frowned. "Old Mrs. Shen is going too far! She comes to bully you every day. If you keep putting up with it, she'll only get worse. No, next time she comes, I'll call the militia and see if she dares to cause any more trouble!"

"Thank you, Aunt Wang, you're such a kind person." Lin Wanqiu felt a warmth in her heart. "But please don't let my matter cause a rift with the Shen family, it's not worth it. I can handle it myself."

"You're such a good child, you're too honest." Aunt Wang sighed, took a few eggs from the basket and handed them to Lin Wanqiu. "These are eggs that my chickens just laid. Take them and give them to Nian'an to help him get some nutrition. The child has gained a little weight recently, but he's still too thin."

Lin Wanqiu declined for a long time, but Aunt Wang insisted on giving it to her, so she had no choice but to accept it: "Thank you, Aunt Wang. I don't know how to thank you enough for helping me like this."

"No need to thank me, it's only right for neighbors to help each other out." Aunt Wang smiled. "I have something to do, so I'll be going now. If you need anything, just come and call me."

After seeing Aunt Wang off, Lin Wanqiu took the eggs and headed towards the kitchen. She put the eggs in a bowl, then took out a piece of cured meat from her spatial storage, sliced ​​it thinly, and fried it in a pot to render the fat. Then she poured in the rinsed rice, stir-fried it evenly, added an appropriate amount of water, covered the pot, and simmered it over low heat.

Soon, the aroma of cured meat wafted from the kitchen again. Chen Nian'an lay on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), her eyes fixed on the direction of the kitchen, her little mouth moving incessantly, clearly craving it.

"Mom, is dinner ready? I can't wait any longer!" Shen Nian'an couldn't help but call out.

"Almost done, just a little longer." Lin Wanqiu lifted the pot lid, stirred the rice with chopsticks, and the rice grains had become crystal clear, the aroma of the cured meat completely permeating the rice. She then cracked two eggs into the pot, covered it, and simmered it for two minutes before scooping the rice into two rough porcelain bowls and placing them on the kang (heated brick bed).

"You can eat now!" Lin Wanqiu handed the bowl to Nian'an. "Eat slowly, don't burn yourself."

Shen Nian'an took the bowl, picked up the spoon, scooped up a big mouthful of rice and stuffed it into her mouth, her mouth greasy with oil, her little face full of a happy smile: "Mom, it's so delicious! I've never eaten such delicious food before!"

Watching her son eat with relish, Lin Wanqiu picked up a spoon and took a bite herself, her heart filled with joy. She knew that as long as the space existed, and as long as she worked hard, she could definitely give Nian'an a good life and prevent him from being bullied by others again.

After dinner, Lin Wanqiu washed the dishes and hid the remaining cured meat and rice in the cellar. She sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) watching Nian'an play with building blocks, and suddenly remembered that there seemed to be some literacy flashcards in her space. Why not teach Nian'an to read and let him start his literacy early?

She touched the jade pendant on her chest and silently said, "Enter the space." A flash of white light appeared before her eyes, and she found herself in the warehouse. She walked to the skill panel, tapped it, and sure enough, she found literacy flashcards, pinyin textbooks, and arithmetic books—all things suitable for children's early education.

She picked up a set of flashcards and a pinyin textbook, then exited the spatial dimension. She walked to the kang (heated brick bed) and handed the flashcards to Nian'an: "Nian'an, shall I teach you to read? If you learn to read, you can read lots and lots of books in the future."

Shen Nian'an's eyes lit up, and she took the flashcards: "Great! Mom, teach me quickly! I want to learn to read and be a good student!"

Lin Wanqiu smiled, picked up a card with the character "人" (ren, meaning person) written on it, pointed to the character and said, "Nian An, this character is pronounced 'ren,' the 'ren' of good people, like Brother Shen and Aunt Wang, they are all good people."

Shen Nian'an repeated, "The 'person' in 'good person'."

“Yes, it sounds really nice.” Lin Wanqiu picked up another card with the character “山” written on it. “This character is pronounced ‘shan’, the ‘shan’ in ‘back mountain’. We even went to the back mountain to dig for wild vegetables last time.”

Shen Nian'an repeated earnestly, "Mountain, the 'mountain' in 'back mountain'."

The mother and son sat on the kang (a heated brick bed), one teaching and the other learning. The sound of Nian'an's tender reading could be heard from time to time, creating a warm and happy atmosphere. Looking at her son's earnest expression, Lin Wanqiu secretly vowed: she would make sure Nian'an received the best education, that he would become a cultured and successful person, and that he would never have to suffer like she did in this era.

At that moment, in the old courtyard at the west end of the village, Shen Tingzhou stood by the window, looking in the direction of Lin Wanqiu's house. He held a pair of binoculars, which allowed him to clearly see the scene inside. When he saw Lin Wanqiu teaching Nian'an to read, a smile of satisfaction appeared on his lips.

"Late Autumn, Nian'an, I'm sorry, I can't tell you the truth yet." He murmured softly, "Once I find out what happened back then, I will definitely return to your side openly and honestly, and we will never be separated again."

The moonlight streaming through the window shone on him, illuminating his resolute figure. He knew that many difficulties lay ahead, but as long as he could protect Lin Wanqiu and Nian'an, he was willing to endure any hardship.