Here, Qin Zheng led Ye Yun to the supply and marketing cooperative at the crossroads of the village.

After the reforms were fully implemented, the eldest son of village chief Lü Guohua was the first to seize the opportunity and invested a huge sum of 200 yuan to set up a small sales point at home, mainly selling cigarettes, alcohol, sugar, and salt.

The tobacco was loose, old-fashioned tobacco that cost two cents a pound.

The wine is two cents a pound.

Sugar and salt are a bit more expensive, but not by much, since the prices of these things are set by the authorities.

The village is inhabited by farmers who toil in the fields for a living. Few are willing to spend money on necessities. Apart from salt, few people are willing to buy even sugar. Therefore, most of what Lü Da sells are these seemingly insignificant but essential items in life.

Of course, there are still some small portions left.

For example, when someone is visiting relatives or arranging a marriage, they naturally bring presentable gifts such as malted milk powder, canned goods, and peach crisps.

The shopkeeper is Lu Da's wife.

When Ye Yun and Qin Zheng entered the small shop together, Lu Da's wife was lying on the table, dozing off while idly waving a fan to swat away flies.

Hearing someone enter, she lazily lifted her eyelids and glanced at them.

"Oh? Qin Zheng is back!"

Upon seeing this, Lu Da's wife immediately perked up, all sleepiness vanished, and she sat up, greeting Ye Yun with a smile, "Qin Zheng's wife, you're back too."

Ye Yun smiled and said, "Hey, I came back to visit."

"That's great! Come back and visit your mother more often. She sits in the doorway of the main room all day, basking in the sun, waiting for you two to come back." Mrs. Lü's face was beaming with joy as she chattered on, "She's such a good person. I brought her some rice and flour a while ago, and she even gave my child a handful of peanut candy in return!"

She was so enthusiastic because her sister-in-law, Lü Fangfang, worked at Ye Yun's garment factory.

Lu Fangfang was stubborn and headstrong. Because of her intellectual disability, she received all of Lu Guohua's love and also caused a lot of trouble for Lu Guohua's family. She would tease cats and dogs, fight with children, and in the eyes of Lu Guohua's eldest daughter-in-law, her sister-in-law Lu Fangfang was a troublesome plague.

Last year's troublesome little pest entered her garment factory and stayed for half a year.

In the past six months, not only has the little plague god stopped causing trouble at home, but she can also receive a monthly salary to supplement the family income. Doesn't Mrs. Lü feel a sense of warmth when she sees her?

Ye Yun smiled faintly.

The supply and marketing shop was small and poorly ventilated. She felt nauseous and her chest tightened after only a short while.

After exchanging pleasantries, Mrs. Lü got back to the main topic, looking at her and Qin Zheng with curiosity, and asked with a smile, "What are you two here to buy?"

Qin Zheng said, "I'll go up the mountain to buy some offerings for the two old men."

"Oh, oh!" Mrs. Lü suddenly realized, and while leading them inside, she said with a smile, "I remember now, you didn't come back for the Qingming Festival, but Aunt Xiang'e came back."

"These peach shortbreads just arrived today. They're really crunchy. Would you like some?"

Lu Da's wife lifted the cotton cloth on the table in front of her, and an enticing aroma of peach shortbread wafted out, revealing rows of neatly arranged peach shortbreads in a cardboard box.

But this fragrance wasn't very pleasant for Ye Yun.

"Qin Zheng, I'm going out for some fresh air. You can buy your things first."

"Okay." Qin Zheng noticed that she was a little uncomfortable, so he patted her head and whispered, "Don't go too far. Wait for me at the door."

"good."

After Ye Yun finished speaking, she quickly left.

Although her pregnancy symptoms weren't severe yet, if she stayed any longer, she might really lose control and vomit.

As soon as you step out of the small shop, a refreshing breeze greets you.

A gentle breeze slowly dispelled the lingering scent of peach shortbread in Ye Yun's nose, leaving a cool sensation that made her exhale a long breath.

The sunlight was no longer intense, and the temperature it brought on people was just right.

"Give me some peach shortbread, wrap them separately."

Qin Zheng's voice drifted on the wind.

Through the doors and windows, she saw Qin Zheng pointing at the peach shortbread in the basket and asking Lu Da's wife to weigh some.

After weighing it, wrap it in oil paper.

One bag of small items, one bag of large items.

The smaller ones are offerings for visiting graves, while the larger ones were bought especially for her so she can eat a piece whenever she gets hungry.

The living environment in the village is far inferior to that in the city. In the city, Ye Yun can eat whatever she wants. If she doesn't have it at home, she can buy it. If she can't buy it, she can drive to find it. But it's not the same in the village. Even if you ransack the village, you won't find anything rare.

Ye Yun may not necessarily eat peach shortbread.

But something is better than nothing.

After buying the offerings, Qin Zheng looked through the shelves to see if there was anything suitable for Ye Yun to eat.

Although he couldn't stay at home for long, he didn't want to make Ye Yun feel uncomfortable even for a day.

Ye Yun witnessed this entire scene.

No matter how much time has passed, Qin Zheng's heart for her remains as sincere as when they first met, and thinking of this, a smile involuntarily appeared on her lips.

"Ye Yun?"

Suddenly a questioning voice came from behind.

Upon hearing that familiar voice, Ye Yun frowned unhappily and turned to look back expressionlessly.

Someone disturbed her enjoyment of the beautiful scenery.

"It really is you!"

The person who arrived was Guo Lili.

When Guo Lili saw her, a look of deep surprise flashed across her face.

Suddenly, her face lit up with joy, her eyes gleaming with delight, and she raised her voice, "You're here, then is my older brother here too?!"

She had barely finished speaking when she saw Qin Zheng through the window.

"Big brother!"

Ignoring whether Ye Yun replied or not, Guo Lili exclaimed and excitedly rushed into the store, heading towards Qin Zheng like a butterfly.

She was also carrying a soy sauce bottle.

Seemingly finding it in the way, she disdainfully tossed the soy sauce bottle aside as soon as she entered the store, causing some of the remaining soy sauce to spill out and splatter onto Mrs. Lü's counter.

Lu Da's wife immediately frowned.

Guo Lili had already grabbed Qin Zheng's arm, shaking it while pouting and whining, "Big brother, you're finally back! You have no idea how much I missed you!"

Qin Zheng's expression was...

The lack of boundaries in their intimacy made him extremely uncomfortable. With a sullen face, he pulled his arm out of Guo Lili's arms and pushed her away two steps.

Beneath his thick eyebrows were a pair of narrow eyes that glared at Guo Lili with icy coldness.

It has to be said that Qin Zheng is very handsome, with deep-set features and profound eyes. When he is facing Ye Yun, his smile is as clear and honest as a loyal dog. When he turns his face to outsiders, his features are sharp, his eyes are piercing, and even his eyebrows exude a sharp aura.

However, Guo Lili seemed oblivious to his cold and stern expression.

"Big brother, why didn't you tell us you were coming back?" Guo Lili stood next to Qin Zheng, pretending to be obedient, and said with a coquettish smile, "You have no idea how much Mother missed you. She keeps grumbling that Third Brother and the others are not as good as you."

oh?

Qin Zheng's expression grew even colder.

Ye Yun leaned against the big tree, playing with her hair, and her eyes gradually showed more interest as she looked at Guo Lili.

Strangely enough, Li Xiuying didn't tell her beloved daughter that Qin Zheng had returned.

Has someone truly had a change of heart?