Lin Wanqiu squatted down, gently pinched her son's cheek, and said with a smile, "How could Mother not understand Nian'an? Mother is tidying up things, wanting to give Nian'an a surprise."

"A surprise?" Shen Nian'an's eyes lit up instantly, and she asked curiously, "Mom, what surprise? Is there something delicious?"

Lin Wanqiu deliberately kept it a secret for now, you'll find out in a few days. But Nian'an has to promise her mother that when she sees the surprise, she won't tell anyone else in the village, okay?

Shen Nian'an nodded vigorously, her little head bobbing like a rattle drum: "I promise Mom! I definitely won't tell anyone!"

Looking at her son's innocent face, Lin Wanqiu felt a warmth in her heart. She knew that raising chickens and ducks had to be kept secret in the early stages. There were many envious people in the village, like Zhang Lan and Old Lady Shen. If they found out that she had started raising chickens and ducks, who knew what kind of trouble they would cause. In the future, when the scale of the operation expanded and the technology matured, she could slowly tell the people she trusted in the village and encourage everyone to raise chickens and ducks together.

Lin Wanqiu, carrying a bamboo basket full of sickles and ropes, pretended to be going to the back mountain to cut pig feed, and quietly made his way there. The back mountain was about two miles from the village, covered with pine forests and low shrubs, and the further in he went, the fewer people he saw. Lin Wanqiu climbed up a small path worn into the ground, the soil under his feet damp from the rain, and occasionally he could see a few grasshoppers jumping around, startling the insects in the grass into squeaking.

Following the instructions in the manual, she surveyed the terrain. When she reached the halfway point, her eyes suddenly lit up – there was a flat clearing, about two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters) square, backed by a huge rock that perfectly blocked the north wind. In front was a sparse poplar grove, providing shade without blocking the sunlight. Even better, a babbling brook flowed beside the clearing, its water crystal clear, with several small fish swimming around – making fetching water extremely convenient.

Lin Wanqiu measured the size of the open space with a tape measure, then squatted down and touched the soil—it was soft and fertile, perfect for building a chicken coop. She planned in her mind: the main body of the chicken coop would be built with logs, the roof would be thatched, and the surrounding area would be fenced with branches. She would also dig a small pit next to it to store feed, and install a waterer by the stream… As she thought about it, she could almost see several glossy free-range chickens pacing around in the coop, and Nian'an smiling as she held a warm egg. She couldn't help but smile.

Over the next few days, Lin Wanqiu busied herself grinding and selling tofu while also squeezing in time to prepare materials for building the chicken coop. She took out several round logs as thick as bowls from her spatial storage—wood she had stored for renovations in her previous life, now sawn to the appropriate length to make the coop's pillars. She also took out a bundle of sturdy hemp rope and several large bundles of dried thatch, carrying all of these little by little in bamboo baskets to the back mountain, always choosing to do so before dawn or after the villagers had gone to sleep, for fear of being seen.

That morning, just as dawn was breaking, Lin Wanqiu carried a bundle of logs toward the back of the mountain. Dew dampened her trouser legs, making them feel cool. A few roosters crowed in the distance, and the air was filled with the fresh scent of grass and earth. She had just placed the logs on the open ground when she heard a "crack" behind her—the sound of a branch breaking! Lin Wanqiu's heart tightened. She turned abruptly, gripping her sickle tightly, and looked around warily.

"Wanqiu? Is that you?" A familiar voice called out. Lin Wanqiu looked up and saw it was Uncle Li from the village. Uncle Li was an honest and hardworking farmer. His wife had passed away early, and he raised his daughter alone. Whenever Lin Wanqiu sold tofu, he would always buy an extra piece. He would also often help her carry water and chop firewood. He was one of the few people in the village who genuinely treated her well.

Lin Wanqiu breathed a sigh of relief, put down her sickle, and stepped forward: "Uncle Li, why are you here at the back mountain so early?"

Uncle Li, carrying an axe, scratched his head and said with a smile, "I'm here to chop some firewood; we're almost out. You little girl, what are you doing carrying such thick logs so early in the morning?" His gaze fell on the logs, his eyes full of doubt.

Lin Wanqiu considered that Uncle Li was a reliable person, so instead of keeping it from him, she should tell the truth and maybe she could get his help. She lowered her voice and told him that she wanted to build a chicken coop to help Nian'an get better, but she omitted the matter of the space and only said that she had asked a distant relative in the city to get the chicks.

After hearing this, Uncle Li immediately nodded: "That's great! Nian'an is too thin, she needs to eat more. You're just a little girl, how will you have the strength to build a chicken coop? I'll help you! I don't have anything else to do today, let's build it together, we'll definitely finish before dark!"

Lin Wanqiu was both surprised and delighted, her eyes even getting a little hot: "Really? Thank you, Uncle Li! I... I'll pay you!"

"What are you talking about wages for!" Uncle Li said, feigning anger. "You little rascal, I haven't even thanked you for helping my girl with sewing and mending. What's a little shed? Come on, let's put the pillars up first!"

With Uncle Li's help, the chicken coop was built much faster. Uncle Li was strong and was responsible for burying the logs in the ground to serve as pillars, while Lin Wanqiu used hemp rope to tie the crossbeams to the pillars. The two worked together very well. The sun gradually rose higher, and sunlight filtered through the gaps in the poplar leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground. Uncle Li wiped his sweat and said to Lin Wanqiu, "Girl, this coop needs to be built higher, otherwise it will be hot in the summer, and the chickens will easily get sick. I'll go cut a few more long logs to raise the roof higher."

Lin Wanqiu quickly handed over the water bottle: "Have some water and rest for a while, I'll go chop."

"No need, you rest, I'll go." Uncle Li took the water bottle, gulped down a few mouthfuls, shouldered his axe, and disappeared into the woods. Lin Wanqiu watched his retreating figure, her heart filled with gratitude—in this complex era, to encounter someone who genuinely helped her was truly her good fortune.

This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!