"Oh, isn't this Wanqiu? Busy delivering medicine?" Old Mrs. Shen stopped and looked at the cloth bag in Lin Wanqiu's hand. "Can your medicine powder really cure chicken plague? You're not just faking it, are you? What if it kills someone's chickens? How will you explain that!"

Lin Wanqiu sneered inwardly, but remained outwardly calm: "Grandma Shen, this medicine powder of mine was passed down from the old doctor. Whether it can cure chicken plague or not, you'll know in a few days. As for you, is your ankle any better? It's the middle of the night, so you should stay home and avoid falling again."

Old Mrs. Shen was hit where it hurt, and her face instantly turned ugly. She stomped her foot angrily with her cane and said, "Mind your own business! I want to see if your medicine powder works or not. If it doesn't cure me, I'll go to the brigade secretary and report you for cheating people out of their money!" After saying that, she limped away, her back view showing a bit of a mess.

Lin Wanqiu watched her retreating figure, shook her head, and turned to walk home. Just as she arrived home, she heard clucking coming from the chicken coop. She went over to look and saw a free-range chicken standing in its nest, with two more eggs beside it. She carefully picked up the eggs and placed them in her bamboo basket, thinking to herself—once the chicken plague was over, she would raise more chickens and ducks, and maybe even start a small farm to help the villagers get rich.

For the next three days, Lin Wanqiu would go to the village every day to check on the chickens. On the first day, Li's wife came to tell her that her two listless speckled chickens had started eating again and their droppings were normal. On the second day, Grandpa Zhang said that his chickens had not only recovered but had also laid an egg. By the third day, all the chickens in the village had regained their vitality, and there were no more reports of chickens dying.

The villagers were overjoyed and came to Lin Wanqiu's house to express their gratitude, bringing their own eggs and vegetables. Some brought a basket of eggs, some brought a bunch of fresh greens, and others brought a pair of cloth shoes they had made themselves. Lin Wanqiu couldn't refuse, so she accepted some of them and also shared some of her homemade tofu with everyone as a way of returning the favor.

That evening, Lin Wanqiu was cooking dinner in the kitchen when she heard a knock at the gate. She went to open the door and saw Zhao Jianguo, the brigade secretary, standing there with a smile on his face: "Wanqiu, busy? I've come to tell you something."

Lin Wanqiu quickly invited him inside: "Secretary Zhao, come in and sit down. I just cooked some corn porridge. Would you like a bowl?"

Zhao Jianguo waved his hand and sat down on the stone bench in the courtyard: "No, I have something to do, so I won't sit. I heard that the village was hit by chicken plague this time, and it was all thanks to your medicine powder that it was cured?"

Lin Wanqiu nodded: "Yes, it's all thanks to the medicine powder left by the old doctor, otherwise we probably wouldn't have been able to save all the chickens in the village."

Zhao Jianguo sighed: "Wanqiu, you are a good girl. Not only are you capable, but you are also willing to help the villagers. I came here today to discuss something with you. If the village encounters poultry diseases again in the future, could you please take the time to help and give everyone some guidance? If needed, the brigade can also give you some work points as a subsidy."

Lin Wanqiu's heart skipped a beat; this was exactly what she wanted—to gain the approval of the brigade secretary so that she could have far fewer troubles when raising livestock and opening workshops in the village. She quickly nodded: "Secretary Zhao, you're too kind. It's my honor to be able to do something for the village. I don't need the work points; I'm happy as long as I can help everyone."

Zhao Jianguo nodded in satisfaction: "Good, good! Wanqiu, I didn't misjudge you! If you have any difficulties in the future, just tell me, and the brigade will definitely help you solve them!" After saying that, he stood up, gave a few more instructions, and then turned to leave.

Watching Zhao Jianguo's departing figure, Lin Wanqiu smiled—she knew that this chicken plague had not only won her the villagers' trust but also the support of the brigade secretary, marking another solid step forward on her path to prosperity. She just hadn't expected that her "medical skills" would spread not only within the village but also to the commune, even attracting some ill-intentioned individuals…

At dinner, Shen Nian'an held her bowl, drinking corn porridge while excitedly saying, "Mom, the teacher praised me again today. He said I'm good at arithmetic and even made me the class monitor to help my classmates check their homework!"

Lin Wanqiu patted her son's head and said with a smile, "Nian'an is great! Keep up the good work and strive for good grades so you can become a college student in the future!"

Shen Nian'an nodded vigorously, then remembered something and said, "Mom, Wang Xiaoming told me today that his chickens are doing well and have even laid eggs. His mom asked him to thank you and said she'd take me to collect bird eggs this weekend!"

Lin Wanqiu felt a warmth in her heart as she looked at her son's happy face—everything she had done was for Nian'an to have a good life, and now it seemed her efforts had not been in vain. She picked up a piece of tofu for Nian'an: "Eat quickly, the tofu won't taste good when it gets cold."

Shen Nian'an took the tofu and ate it heartily, his little face full of happiness. Lin Wanqiu looked at her son and thought of Shen Tingzhou again—she wondered where he was now, whether he was doing well, and if he could come back so the family could be reunited, that would be even better. She sighed softly, gazing at the night sky outside the window, silently praying: she hoped Shen Tingzhou would return safely, and that her and Nian'an's lives would get better and better.

As night deepened, the village lights gradually went out, except for Lin Wanqiu's. She sat under the lamp, mending clothes while planning her future—first, expand her chicken farm, then open a tofu shop. Once she had saved enough money, she would open a small restaurant in the commune; with her culinary skills, she was sure it would be a success. She believed that as long as she worked hard, she could definitely live a happy and fulfilling life with Nian'an in this era, achieving true prosperity.