At this time, Xujia Village seemed like an ordinary mountain village, with chickens and dogs sleeping and resting in the shade under the scorching sun. However, there was one place that was bustling with activity.

In the mosquito coil workshop, ten tables for kneading mud and ash were surrounded by people.

Old and young, men and women, their hands and mouths never stopped moving, talking and doing at the same time, laughing and joking.

Although they were all talking about their experiences in the town and countryside, the older folks told old stories passed down from their ancestors, while the newcomers talked about interesting things from other places. In short, everyone was having a great time.

In the crowd, Da Xiangxiang and Xiao Xiangxiang worked silently, but their ears were perked up. When they heard something interesting, the corners of their lips curved into a smile.

Although the two children were still thin, they were dressed cleanly and, like everyone else around them, wore small blue floral headscarves to cover their hair, making them look neat and tidy. The fearful, abyss-like figure they had been just over ten days ago was no longer visible.

Just then, someone mentioned that Lotus was pregnant, and Qin Shi in the crowd shouted, "Whatever child she has, it will be under my name. I won't mind."

The man was still persistent, and asked with a smile, "Your Genqing is an only child, so Lianhua still needs to have a son. Only a man can earn money to support the family and take on responsibilities."

Qin clicked her tongue lightly: "Of course I hope Genqing has many children and much happiness, but saying that only men can earn money, support the family, and take care of things is just nonsense."

That was in the past. You had to stand behind the ox and touch the plow to talk to it; you couldn't just sit here and say it.

"You're a man, and you're doing the same work as me, getting paid the same amount? To be honest, you don't even earn as much as Da Xiangxiang."

Making mosquito coils is all about speed, not age or gender. It's good to have both boys and girls, and it's best to have several so that the family has more people and can earn more money and work points.

Nowadays, families with several children are envied by others because children don't just sit around doing nothing; they can earn money just like adults.

The girl being compared to others kept her head down and didn't say anything, but her eyes were bright and sparkling.

During her stay in Xujia Village, she has been praised countless times.

She couldn't get enough of hearing these words, which she had never heard before in the Yang family.

Beside her, Xiao Xiangxiang nudged her sister with her elbow, and the two looked at each other, pursing their lips and blinking.

The man who was rebuked by Qin was not angry. He knew that he would lose if he continued to argue with Qin, so he immediately turned around and went to talk to other people.

A group of women around him were laughing and teasing him, saying that he couldn't even compare to a child.

This has become commonplace. Ever since these women made money selling mosquito coils last time, they've straightened their backs and spoken with more confidence.

Every day, they would sit down and talk about how many dishes they could cook, how much money they could earn, how much oil and salt they could buy for the family, and how much cloth they could buy for the children to make clothes.

Normally, these things would only bring in money after a year of selling pigs, eggs, and grain, and you'd hold onto them so tightly you could practically squeeze water out of them before you could spend them.

As Qin slammed the dark, sticky clay around, making a crackling sound, she chatted and laughed with the people around her: "Now it's great, we can even eat chicken after giving birth. Chicken is so delicious! You should all have more children, the village provides chickens and rice, so you won't just have chicken soup."

The mosquito coil workshop was filled with constant chatter, with conversations quickly shifting from one topic to another.

Suddenly, a person popped out of the cornfield next to them, startling everyone.

Tan rushed into the workshop shed and shouted to Da Xiang and Xiao Xiang, "Run! Run! Your father is coming to arrest us!"

Her face was filled with terror, her hands and feet were trembling, and she grabbed the two children and looked around for a place to hide, muttering, "They're here, they're here, hide!"

Everyone in the workshop stopped what they were doing and looked over.

Qin shouted, "What's going on? Why is Tan here? Wang Xiaoju, Wang Xiaoju, aren't you going to do anything about this?"

The entrance to the mosquito coil workshop was fenced off, allowing only villagers to enter; everyone else was kept out.

How could Tan Shi have come from the fields?

Wang Xiaoju, who was in charge of management, stayed in the corner the whole time. She had to remember how long each family's bucket of water could last so she could notify the next family to take over.

Seeing Tan's delirious state, Wang Xiaoju shouted, "Tan, what are you doing here?"