Several people got up early in the morning to start working on the remaining snow.

With Zhou Ting'an here this time, she didn't even need to lift a finger.

Duan Xiaoxi, who was next door, watched He Wan, who was wearing cotton gloves, a cotton hat, and a cotton scarf, covering herself up completely, and stood behind Zhou Ting'an watching him busy.

She chuckled secretly and said, "Comrade He, your brother is so good to you. When are you two planning to get married?"

"Um... I'm still young."

Since everyone has misunderstood, let's just leave it at that.

With this guarantee, there's no need to worry about matchmakers trying to set up shop.

No houses collapsed during this snowfall, but some elderly people in the village did not survive the winter.

Therefore, there are several families holding funerals.

The villagers got busy again, so Zhou Ting'an went with Wang Xiaorong and the others to help them shovel snow.

Everyone in the village knows that He Wan has an older brother who is in the army.

Of course, they all regarded him as their lover or partner.

Because of Zhou Ting'an's outfit, no one dared to joke around much, so Zhou Ting'an was somewhat puzzled when she listened to their conversation.

He Wan is steaming buns at home today.

Mushroom and pork buns, without pickled cabbage.

While Zhou Ting'an was away, they added many seasonings that are no longer available.

It smells amazing.

Zhou Ting'an didn't return until she had finished packing.

Looking at the freshly steamed buns, she smiled and said, "You're so fast!"

"Brother Zhou is back! Come and have a taste, it's so delicious when it's freshly steamed."

Zhou Ting'an smiled and went to wash her hands, then took a bite and said, "Mmm, Wanwan, your cooking is pretty good. This tastes great."

"What I learned here is how to make steamed buns, and I think it's pretty good. That's my specialty."

Before Zhou Ting'an returned, He Wan also put a few in Lao Yun's space.

This is also Lao Yun's favorite.

When I chatted with Lao Yun in the evening, he had just finished filming.

She said it was raining where she was and the weather was quite cold.

She's wrapped in a big cotton-padded coat all the time now.

"I don't care about my image anymore. When I go out, I cover my face and try my best not to let them take pictures of me."

"Your husband, Lao Bai, hasn't come back yet?"

"No. It seems like things are quite complicated over there."

"Are reporters still chasing after you so closely these days?"

"No, there are far fewer now. It's almost the end of the year, and there are many events. The artists are very active."

There have been many trending topics recently.

"Oh, that's good, you can focus on filming. I miss you, I steamed some buns today, I saved them for you."

"Okay, make sure you keep it safe, don't be tempted to eat it. The materials I bought for your Brother Zhou have arrived. I called Sister Han and asked her to put them on the basement floor."

"So fast! Okay."

Is your Brother Zhou still around?

"Yes, he's on leave for two weeks, and he'll be leaving in a few days."

"We can't spend the New Year there."

"He was covering for someone during the Lunar New Year, so he's on holiday now."

Some of the soldiers were married and wanted to go home for the New Year, so the single men had to line up first.

"I understand, Lao He. We won't be able to get together for the New Year, boohoo."

"Come on, you're doing great with your husband by your side."

Yesterday, while helping the villagers shovel snow, Li Weidong and the others said they wanted to take Zhou Ting'an winter fishing.

When I got back, I asked Wang Xiaorong and the others, and they said it was okay.

The next day, several people went together with the villagers.

With such a thick snowfall, the roads are difficult to travel on, and the ice is also thick this year.

But the catch of fish is really plentiful.

As per usual practice, the small fish were released into the pond.

Keep the big fish for yourself.

Zhou Ting'an filled a basket.

Zhang Deping is also one of them.

She and Duan Xiaoxi worked together to clean all the fish from both families.

I even counted them after bringing them back inside; there were more than twenty in total.

That very evening, I made a sauerkraut fish dish.

It's served with rice, spicy and numbing, and incredibly satisfying.

Zhou Ting'an remarked with emotion, "I used to think you must be quite tired and working very hard here. But now it seems..."

"It seems you're overthinking it."

Zhou Ting'an laughed and said, "Yes, I heard from the village that you only cut pig feed. That's not tiring work, and sometimes you can even slack off. The villagers treat you quite well. Li Weidong looks older than you, so why does he call you Sister He?"

"Ahem, this is a long story. You know that educated youth Liang who came to my door last time, right? His wife, Chen Qing..."

He Wan didn't hide anything from Zhou Ting'an and told him everything about how Chen Qing was at odds with her and how he framed her.

Ah, I didn't mean she wanted Zhou Ting'an to back her up... well, you could say that to some extent.

Let her, his adopted brother, know who bullied his little sister, so she'll know who her enemy is in the future.

Sure enough, Zhou Ting'an's expression darkened when he found out. He got up and was about to confront Liang Shurui and teach her a lesson so she wouldn't bully his sister again.

He Wan quickly pulled him down to sit and said, "The two of them went home to visit their families and aren't at the educated youth settlement. Don't worry, she won't dare to do it again. Besides, I'm not someone you can easily bully."

"Hasn't this been reported to your captain?"

"The brigade leader's son was the victim that time, but there's no evidence. Besides, they're well-liked in the village, so no one would believe them even if they told us. The brigade leader's son even went to argue with Chen Qing, but the brigade leader pulled him back. The brigade leader doesn't believe him."

"If you encounter something like this again, remember to call several people as witnesses and then call the police."

"Yes. I know."

"I'm leaving in a couple of days. Here's fifty yuan for you, and some food coupons too. Don't be stingy with them. Buy whatever you want to eat in the county town. Remember to call me if anything happens."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!