"Oh dear, how could you be so shameless..."

"You silly child, why are you giving such an expensive gift? We're all from the same village, we should help each other out! If something happens to my family, would you just stand by and do nothing? Oh, it's all just what we should do!"

"Hey, don't be so polite next time! Anyone would be worried if their child got lost!"

"You're too kind, really..."

...

"Eldest daughter-in-law, is this a gift from Madam Qin's family?" Wang, the village head's wife, looked at the package of steamed buns and a pound of meat. Other families also gave the same gifts, but the ones given to their family had four more steamed buns and half a pound more meat.

Wang nodded to herself, thinking to herself that this family was very good at handling things!

Zhou was always meek and obedient in front of her mother-in-law. Hearing her question, she quickly nodded, "Yes, Mother, Madam Qin gave this to me separately, saying that I should bring it back. She also said that she was very grateful to Father for mobilizing the whole village to search for it. They have many people to visit today, so they won't come over yet. They asked me to bring it back!"

"Yes, this Third Sister Qin is no ordinary woman. You must be careful and befriend her!" Wang instructed.

Weighing the meat in my hand, it weighed a full pound, and I estimated it would be even more. I was even more satisfied, knowing I could give my grandson an extra meat dish tonight.

"Go, cut off a small portion of these meats, and marinate the rest with salt to prevent them from spoiling."

Hearing her mother-in-law's instructions, Zhou quickly took the meat to the kitchen. She had already eaten meat at the Qin family's house, so she would cook more for the child that night. Thinking of this, she became even happier and felt even closer to Qin San Niang.

After this ordeal, almost every household in Shiligou was able to eat meat. That evening, the air was filled with a faint aroma of meat, making the place even more lively than during the Spring Festival.

The whole family was discussing this matter at the dinner table. They all felt that the families of Qin San Niang and the others were worth befriending, not only because they brought wages to their families, but also because they could eat meat every now and then!

Those men who were able to work were given detailed instructions, and they worked even harder the next day!

The second day of the second lunar month is the day the dragon raises its head, an auspicious day.

The school in Shiligou has been completed. He Yingyuan, dressed in a blue cotton robe, stood in front of the school where he was about to teach, feeling a mix of emotions. It was just as impressive as the school in his previous life!

The school enrolls students of a wide age range, from five-year-olds who can barely sit still to twelve or thirteen-year-olds who are about the size of a big kid. They all sit in the same classroom and receive the same early childhood education.

At the construction site, the house is almost halfway done!

"Hey Zhang, is your child going to school yet? Mine is, but I don't know if he'll be able to keep up!"

"Oh, my child signed up too! Whether they can keep up or not, we'll find out later by asking them. As long as they can write their own name, I'll be happy!"

"It's really a good thing that our village has its own school. It's only a short walk away, and it's very cheap."

"If my child can study hard and become a decent person, even after I die and go to the other side, I can face my parents with my head held high! Just thinking about it makes me happy!"

"Hey, my kid is smart. It would be great if he could be an accountant someday!"

"You good-for-nothing! You can't say that to the child! He's been home and learned what the teacher said: what's the purpose of studying? It's to make something of yourself! Being an accountant is what you call being successful? Look at you, so self-satisfied!"

...

The men, sweating profusely, talked about their hopes for the future.

Looking at the increasingly lush mountains and forests in the distance, Qin San Niang thought to herself, "This spring is not bad!"

To prepare the birthday cake, Qin San Niang spent the whole day yesterday working on it, which can be considered a rehearsal.

There aren't any egg beaters or similar tools available now, so it would be too much of a strain on Qin San Niang's hands to beat eggs by hand!

Although she is strong now, this job is really boring!

Out of a sense of responsibility for my own hands, I went inside and used an electric mixer to whip the egg whites. Then, following the steps, I started making the chiffon cake, which would serve as the cake base. Next, I whipped the cream, etc. There weren't many seasonal fruits available, so the decorations weren't as pretty, but that's okay. I could use various jams to decorate it. For those who had never seen a cake before, it would definitely be eye-catching, especially since it tasted so good!

The day before her birthday banquet, Qin San Niang changed into women's clothing and entered the city. The city guards recognized her, but couldn't remember where they had seen her before.

It was Qin San Niang who stepped forward and said, "Brother, do you know the official surnamed Guo? I am a relative of that镖头 Huang (镖头 Huang)."

"Hey, that's me. You're that Huang镖头's relative's older sister, right? Oh my, you two look so alike, no wonder you looked familiar!" Guo Mengzi said with an embarrassed smile. This woman was really beautiful, and he was a little embarrassed!

Qin San Niang feigned surprise and smiled as she agreed, "Yes, my younger brother mentioned that Brother Guo takes good care of him. Here are a few oranges; please take them back for your child to sweeten his mouth!"

"Oh, sister, you're too kind. I'm so sorry!"

"Don't be shy, take it. I can make lots of other snacks too, I'll bring them to my nephew later!" Qin San Niang readily agreed, her former social anxiety completely cured by the unfortunate world! Surprised? Unexpected?

The two talked for a while and learned that He County had been relatively peaceful recently, with not many refugees.

Qin San Niang then asked him to keep an eye out for families with the surname Lu and the name Lu Dingtian. They said that their family had adopted a boy who was a refugee who had been separated from his family, and they hoped to help him find his family!

This filled Guo Mengzi with awe. In this day and age, people with such compassionate hearts are rare. He patted his chest and said that he would definitely pay attention and would also tell his brothers that if there was any news, he would find a way to spread it to Shiligou.

Qin San Niang didn't want her to know her background, so she told him that if he had any news, he should inform Xiao Wu, the shop assistant at Si Ji Pastry Shop, who was also her relative.

After bidding farewell to Guo Mengzi, Qin Sanniang entered the city smoothly. After several twists and turns, she arrived at Siji Pastry Shop. The people keeping watch there had already been removed by Chen Yushan, who probably had something more important to do. Qin Sanniang guessed that the tavern probably still needed a lot of manpower, and since there was no progress here, there was no need to keep pursuing them.

"Oh, my dear sister, you've finally arrived!" Si Liren was delighted to see her coming and stood up to greet her. Everything for the banquet was ready, but he was still worried that something might go wrong, which would turn a good thing into a bad thing!