At five o'clock in the morning, Lin Chacha heard the clock in the main room strike five times and jumped up. She hadn't slept well all night and was thinking about getting up early to make steamed buns and dumplings.

She was happy that her family would have income again. Finally, dawn broke. The days were long now, and it was already getting light at 4:30, with the sun rising in the east by 5:00.

"Sister, sister, get up quickly, we're going to be late!" Lin Chacha said anxiously, nudging Lin Xiazhu a few times before running downstairs to the kitchen to start a fire.

Lin Xiazhu smiled and got up immediately. People from each village walked to the town for the market, and those from farther away had probably already started their journey.

Unfortunately, transportation is still very inconvenient. Some villagers can ride in tractors, but most people still walk, and bicycles are very rare.

Many people arrive in town around 7 or 8 o'clock, because walking is quite tiring. Shanhe Town holds market days on the 3rd and 8th of each month, which means there is a market every five days. Since it is a rare opportunity to come to town, everyone will have lunch before going back.

This is where food stalls play an important role. They're not too expensive, so everyone can afford them, and business is pretty good.

In one morning, Yan Xin sold only a few pieces of clothing. There were quite a few customers who came into the store, but many of them just came in to look around and didn't actually want to buy anything.

Lin Xiazhu's snack stall was busy all morning. People still prefer to spend their money on food, such as steamed buns, wontons, shredded pork noodles, and shredded pork rice noodles, which can not only satisfy their cravings but also fill them up.

It was very popular with the public. The small tables that Lin Xiazhu prepared were all full and never empty. Some people even squatted to the side with large bowls of food in their hands.

They were busy until 2 p.m., when most of the people who had come to the market started walking home. The number of people in the market gradually decreased, and Lin Xiazhu and Lin Chacha finally had time to eat.

The two of them, each holding a large bowl of wontons and a meat bun in their hand, wolfed them down. Although they were tired, they were happy and satisfied.

Lin Chacha couldn't stop smiling. She was excited at the thought of the money she received; her family had income again.

When there was no one left, they packed up and took the stove, small table, bowls and chopsticks back on a cart. Lin Xiazhu was strong and pushed it without any trouble.

They returned home at three o'clock and started counting their money in their room. It was mostly five-cent and one-yuan notes, with a few two-cent and one-cent notes scattered around.

"One hundred and seven yuan, I can earn that much in a day!" Lin Chacha was overjoyed.

"This is the net profit after deducting costs, which is only about fifty yuan, but it's much better than doing manual labor." You know, bricklayers on construction sites only earn thirteen yuan a day these days.

"Yes, sis, let's set up a stall again tomorrow."

Lin Xiazhu smiled and patted her head. "Second sister, make some steamed buns and dumplings tomorrow, nothing else. There won't be many people on the street if we don't go to the market."

"Is that so?" Lin Chacha was somewhat disappointed.

"We're still young, enough money is enough for us. We can't overwork ourselves, or we won't grow tall." Getting up early once in a while is fine, but getting up too early every day will make her and Chacha sick, and they might really not grow tall.

With nothing to do in the afternoon, Lin Xiazhu was worried that Xiao An would get bored staying in his room all day, so she carried him to a clothing store to play. Now Xiao An is recovering very well. Drinking bone broth every day has paid off. He is in much better spirits now, and his complexion is rosier.

She's still thin, mainly because her physical condition is too poor; it will take time to recover.

"I'm going to buy some fruit. Don't follow me, stay here with Xiao An," Lin Xiazhu said, and walked out on her own.

There aren't many fruits for sale in the countryside right now, only apples, pears, and bananas. Watermelons are available this season, and oranges will be available in a while.

Lin Xiazhu quickly bought several pounds of apples and pears, and then carried a big watermelon back to the store. Lin Chacha and the others saw it and exclaimed that they wanted to eat the watermelon.

"Okay, I'll cut it right away, don't rush." ​​Lin Xiazhu went next door to borrow a kitchen knife.

"Boom..." A loud noise came from afar, and those who heard the noise shouted and ran towards the river.

"They've caught fish! They've caught fish! Go get them!"

There is a big river in Shanhe Town, and there are many fish in the river. People often take two cannons to shoot fish. The two cannons are thrown into the deepest pool, where there are the most fish. They will float to the surface quickly, all in a semi-stunned state.

At this time, everyone is mobilized, and anyone can wait downstream in the river to collect the fish that are washed down.

Those who fish with cannons mainly pick up the big fish, and once they've picked enough, they leave. They don't care about the others; they're picking them up downstream, and you can't take them back.

Lin Xiazhu didn't even bother cutting the watermelon anymore. She threw down the kitchen knife and rushed out, saying, "I'm going to collect the fish. We'll have fish for dinner tonight."

Yan Xin: "..." It's as if she'd definitely find fish if she went there.

Lin Xiazhu first ran to the bridge and saw that there were a lot of people in the deep pool a few hundred meters ahead, and there were also quite a few people downstream, all wandering back and forth on the riverbank and in the shallow water.

She looked down and saw many small fish swimming down the bridge. She hesitated whether to go into the river, and then she saw a big fish turn belly up. It was a half-alive big fish.

Such a big fish was spotted by several people in no time, and they all rushed over to grab it. Children who grow up by the river are all excellent swimmers, and Lin Xiazhu was no exception. There were many streams in Linjia Village, and she was a good swimmer.

Having prepared her target, Lin Xiazhu narrowed her eyes. The bridge and river were more than two meters apart, so there was nothing to worry about. She climbed onto the bridge railing and shot headfirst into the river like a rocket.

When he fell into the water, the river surface only rippled slightly before quickly returning to calm; his diving skills were comparable to those of a diving champion.

As soon as Lin Xiazhu dived into the water, she accurately grabbed the big fish. Then she nimbly swam to the shallow water to prepare to go ashore. With a big fish, there was no need to fight with others for small fish.

"Hey, I saw that fish first, give it back to me!" A boy of about twelve or thirteen years old popped his head out of the water and shouted angrily.

"I saw it first, so it should be mine," another young man retorted, equally indignant.

"You think what you see is yours? That's ridiculous. The river is so big, whoever picks it up first gets to keep it."

Lin Xiazhu kept a cold face. These people only dared to shout because they thought she was young and easy to bully. If it were an adult, they definitely wouldn't dare to utter a sound.

“We’ve been chasing you all the way down from upstream. You suddenly came down from the bridge and stole it. Who told you to steal it? Who are you?” The tallest and darkest-skinned young man swam over with a grim face.

Soon, several fish-stealing men arrived. There were five young men in total, the oldest of whom was probably the tallest, around fifteen years old.

They surrounded Lin Xiazhu, clearly trying to force her to hand over the fish.

"Are you guys even men? How dare you snatch things from a little girl? Where's your shame?" Lin Xiazhu was not afraid at all, her voice crisp and sharp.

"You think you can steal our fish just because you're small? We don't care if you're a girl or not. If you know what's good for you, give me the fish right now, or we'll show you what it means to have a man." The tall guy was clearly the leader of the group, and his words carried weight.

The moment he finished speaking, they swarmed forward...