Du Jiang had no idea what to say. He couldn't persuade them to reconcile, nor could he persuade them to break up. He could only change the subject, "Well, Sister Yingying, I've almost collected enough firewood. Why don't we go down the mountain first?"

Looking at the basket full of dead branches and leaves, Du Yingying nodded and said, "Let's go down the mountain. The temperature up here is getting lower and lower. I think there won't be many people going up the mountain soon."

Du Jiang disagrees. "Not necessarily. There's not much work in the fields in winter, and most people stay at home. I guess young and middle-aged people will go hunting together in the mountains to supplement their family income. I recently encountered quite a few traps and snares while foraging for pigs."

"That's true. My dad said they used to organize a trip to the mountains every year, but I'm not sure if today will be the same as in previous years," Du Yingying said, looking at the vast Cangshan Mountain with some concern. "The villagers haven't found many prey in the mountains this year, and the weather hasn't been great in the past two years. I wonder what the situation is with the large animals in the mountains."

"Don't worry, there will definitely be gains. I heard recently that someone caught pheasants and rabbits in the mountains. If that's the case, I'm afraid there are other animals as well, and they are probably hiding in the mountains." Du Jiang put the backpack on his back and walked down the mountain with a sickle.

Du Yingying quickly followed and stood up. Along the way, the two of them kept discussing whether there were any animals on the mountain. Du Yingying stopped talking until they arrived at the educated youth site. "Du Jiang, don't forget." After reminding Du Jiang, Du Yingying quickly walked back home.

Looking at Aunt Cui standing at the door, Du Jiang touched the tip of his nose awkwardly. He didn't know why, perhaps it was Aunt Cui's aura, but every time he met Aunt Cui's gaze, Du Jiang felt like running away. But now he couldn't. Du Jiang could only force a smile and wave his hand to greet her, "Aunt Cui."

"Du Jiang, don't listen to Yingying's nonsense. She's just a child who hasn't grown up yet," Aunt Cui said, feeling a little embarrassed. She looked at Du Jiang's thin figure, then at her own daughter who was obviously a head taller than him, and coughed awkwardly twice. "If Yingying asks you for something, just pretend you don't know. Auntie said, if she causes you trouble, just tell me and I'll deal with her."

"Aunt, it's nothing. Sister Yingying just accompanied me to the mountains to find some pig grass. There's nothing else." Du Jiang could only say this under Du Yingying's gaze. However, Aunt Cui obviously didn't believe this. But she didn't say anything. She just grabbed a small cabbage from the basket and walked over to stuff it into Du Jiang's arms, "It's almost noon. Aunt will go back to cook."

Looking at the little white cabbage in her arms, and then at Aunt Cui who was forcefully pulling Du Yingying home, Du Jiang seemed to see dark clouds covering Du Yingying's head. As expected, she was not liked by her mother-in-law, and her love life was destined to be bumpy.

Everyone had left, and Du Jiang had no reason to stay, so he immediately turned and went into the yard. At this time, no one had returned except Yu Chunxiao. Listening to the movement behind the house and looking up at the already built roof, Du Jiang placed the backpack and cabbage under the eaves at the door and walked along the alley between the wing and the main house. Yu Chunxiao was sweeping the floor with a broom, and he had also deftly tied a fence around the outside of the house. Looking at the fence that was so short that he could easily step over it, Du Jiang was very curious, "Chunxiao, what are you doing?"

"Hey, Sister Jiang, you're back." Hearing Du Jiang's voice, Yu Chunxiao quickly raised his head and beckoned Du Jiang into the house. "Come, Sister Jiang, come in and sit for a while. I'll finish sweeping in a moment."

Du Jiang walked in without hesitation, looking at the house that had been built except for the door frame. The rectangular room was visible at a glance. Looking at the window and door frames, Du Jiang turned to look at Yu Chunxiao and asked, "When will this be installed? Are you planning to move in before the New Year?"

"Yes, I'm thinking of moving in before the New Year. I'll use cloth to divide this place into two or three rooms. Although each room won't be big, it should be enough for two people to live in and a kitchen. As for the fence outside, I'm thinking of using it to dry some beans or something." It was obvious that Yu Chunxiao hadn't forgotten Du Jiang's question just now. "Even though we go out the front door, my side is against the back wall. I'm thinking of going to the mountains to find some thorny vines and planting them after the New Year."

"Your idea is very good. If you can find some longer branches or something at the door, I suggest you build a passage. You don't need to hire workers. Just ask Brother Xu and others for help." Du Jiang walked to the door, estimated the distance to the back wall, and couldn't help but make a few suggestions.

"Ah, that won't work. If I build a corridor, the vegetable plot will have to be transferred to Brother Bai's side, which is not very convenient." Yu Chunxiao shook her head. "Even if the others don't say it, Sister Qian will be the first to disagree."

Uh, Du Jiang had forgotten about Qian Meili. "That's true. I'll be careful when I go up the mountain. If I find any thorny vines, I'll dig some up and plant some along the back wall. But I don't think anyone would be so blind to come here. After all, Aunt Du's house is on our left, the village chief's house is on our right, and the pigsty is over here."

Thinking along the lines of Du Jiang's words, Yu Chunxiao chuckled, "I was wrong. By the way, Sister Jiang, are you going home for the New Year today?"

"I can't go back. This is the first year I've been here. The work points I received in exchange for food are probably only enough to keep me fed and clothed. As for the wages, they're probably not even enough to buy a standing ticket." Du Jiang shook his head when he thought of the train ticket back to Cangzhou.

Yu Chunxiao has a deep understanding of train tickets. "That's true. If you live far away, you basically spend your holidays on the road. Even if you go home, you can't rest for more than a few days before returning home. Moreover, just bringing your belongings home is a problem, not to mention round-trip tickets. It's even a problem whether you can buy them."

Du Jiang turned around and looked at Yu Chunxiao. "Well, I remember your home is in Hualin City. You should be able to go home by taking a long-distance bus."

Unexpectedly, Yu Chunxiao shook his head and said, "It's in this city, but I'm not going back. My parents will probably bring my sister over during the Chinese New Year, so I'm in such a hurry to build a house."

Ah, Du Jiang was a little surprised, "Your family is coming over, this is a solution."

Yu Chunxiao was equally happy, "Yes, I told them not to come, but they didn't listen and insisted on coming to see me. They said it was not safe for me to run back and forth alone. Besides, the bus ride only takes a few hours. I can just go to the town to pick them up then." While he was happy, there was also a hint of showing off between his brows.

Still a child, Du Jiang thought, but she was also genuinely happy for Yu Chunxiao. "Your parents love you very much. You should hold on to the door frame. When the time comes, you can put the stove on the stove so that people can come and cook directly. You can go up the mountain to collect firewood in the next few days. Save more firewood because it will be difficult to go up the mountain when it snows."

Yu Chunxiao was very grateful for Du Jiang's reminder. "Sister Jiang, thank you. If you hadn't told me that I had forgotten about this, I would have gone there this afternoon. I think I can save a lot of snow from now on."

Du Jiang smiled and said nothing more. The two of them just stood under the eaves, looking at the trees outside the courtyard wall and enjoying this rare leisure time.