"Grandma, now that we can earn money at home, could you please change the names of my two sisters and me, considering how well I've been behaving lately? My classmates always make fun of me at school, and even our ancestors said these names are bad." The female protagonist swayed her arm around the old lady of the Su family.

"You silly girl, isn't Lai Di great? Now that you have a younger brother, let's see who dares to bully you!" Bai Shi subconsciously tried to pull the female lead's ear. The female lead dodged away.

"Don't lay a hand on me! Who gave you permission to hit a child from the Su family?" The old lady of the Su family immediately berated Bai.

“Mother, you can’t spoil this girl. My husband and I still want to have a son, so that someone will be there to break the pot when we get old,” Bai said with a wronged expression.

"What does having a son have to do with naming him?" The old lady turned her back on Bai Shi.

"If our ancestors really said that, then we really need to choose a new name. Did our ancestors suggest any names? This old woman can't think of any either."

"Our ancestors said that Xiaoyue means optimism, open-mindedness, reason, and wisdom, so we named her Su Xiaoyue." The female protagonist copied her name from her previous life, after all, she had been using the same name for so many years, and she wouldn't feel comfortable changing it.

“Alright, since the ancestor feels it’s a good name, then let’s call her that. Your sister can simply be named Su Xiaoxing or Su Xiaochen. Go to town to deliver goods in a couple of days, and change her name while you’re at it. Also, buy some extra paper money for the dead and burn it for the ancestor secretly tonight,” the old lady of the Su family decided.

The Su family gradually got back on track, delivering goods every two days. But while they could keep it a secret from the village for a while, the smoke from their chimneys and the aroma wafting out every day made it impossible to hide their pastry business.

Finally, an agreement was reached with the village chief, who would take the lead in recruiting some quick-witted and clean-cooking women from the village, which would be enough to supply so many supply and marketing cooperatives.

My family runs a pastry business, and our standard of living has risen sharply. Before, we would fight over a bowl of steamed egg custard, and we only got to eat pig's head dumplings once a year during the Lunar New Year!

Now we can eat meat every day, the grain cabinets are no longer locked, and the kids in the family can eat White Rabbit candy and drink malted milk powder, which are considered high-end products.

Mo Qian thought about the recent changes, and realized that she could eat meat, white rice, and white steamed buns whenever she wanted.

Thinking back to my previous life, when I had nothing to eat or drink and had to deal with all sorts of risks, I was so moved I almost cried.

Hmm, Bai's cooking skills have improved recently. It's her turn to cook today, so I'll make some meat later and have a couple more bowls of it...

Mo Qian lay on the recliner, eating the wild grapes Su Er had picked on the mountain, thinking, "These wild grapes are actually quite sweet. The wild peaches I saw on the mountain last time will be ripe in a couple of days..."

"Wife, dinner's ready! There's your favorite braised pork and four-happiness meatballs, come on over!" Su Er called out from the main room.

"Coming, coming right now!" Mo Qian hurried over. Ever since her family became rich, they've been willing to use more oil and seasonings when cooking, and the taste is now comparable to that of state-run restaurants. If you're not enthusiastic about eating, there's something wrong with your thinking. Meatball, I'm here.

The rocking chair in the courtyard swayed up and down...

"Su Er, how about we go to the recycling center sometime? We're just killing time anyway, and who knows, we might even find a couple of treasures." Mo Qian thought back to the novels she read in her previous life, before the apocalypse.

The female lead always manages to find antiques, jade, emeralds, and rosewood at the junkyard...

After the restrictions were lifted, people bought courtyard houses, houses, and shops in Beijing. Once the properties appreciated, they made a fortune and could stay at home all day without spending all their money in ten lifetimes.

Mo Qian wanted to follow suit; just thinking about it made her happy.

"What are you thinking? You know it's valuable, but others aren't stupid either. They've already looted all the valuable stuff."

"But don't worry, you have your man, you won't go hungry." With that, Su Er ran under the bed, near the headboard, tapped on the floor, and pulled out a small box.

"What is this? It's hidden pretty well," Mo Qian said, watching Su Er's series of actions.

"Open it and take a look." Su Er raised his eyebrows and smiled.

"So many! Wow, I don't have to worry about spending money anymore, haha!" Mo Qian opened the box and saw that it contained mostly small yellow croakers, as well as gold rings, gold bracelets, jade, and other items.

"You're so good-natured. If you follow me, I guarantee you'll live a life of luxury and never go hungry," Su Er said with a smug look on his face.

"Yes, yes, you're the best," Mo Qian couldn't help but praise. You still have to coax your long-term meal ticket.

1997

"Su Er, good luck! I still want to buy a house in the capital and become a landlady, so you have to study hard for the exam," Mo Qian encouraged her.

"Xiaoyue, do your best on the exam. Our family has never had a college student before." This time, the Su family's daughter and Su Er both registered for the college entrance examination.

Today marks the first time the college entrance examination has been reinstated in ten years since it was abolished. This time, not only educated youth have registered for the exam, but also five or six people from our village.

Seeing so many people registering, and considering that the villagers' living conditions had improved over the years since they started working with the Su family, the village chief decided to fund the transportation of examinees by tractor this time.

Su Er watched until the village gradually disappeared from sight.

Thinking back to last year, my wife said she envied Li Juan, a former educated youth in the village, for marrying Zhang Tianheng, who was also an educated youth.

I envied her for marrying a highly educated man who only graduated from high school. How could my wife admire someone else? If she had to admire someone, it would be me. So, to make my wife think I was amazing, I got caught up in the vortex of studying.

Before, I could be lazy and not work, but now, once you start studying, it's like falling into a deep sea; from then on, being a lazy bum is a thing of the past.

I get up at six in the morning and don't go to bed until eleven at night. I get up earlier than the chickens and go to bed later than the dogs. It's enough to make me cry.

Mo Qian watched the examinees leave, reflecting on the past few years. She had lived a peaceful life in the village, free from the fighting and killing, lack of food and clothing, and poverty and weakness of the post-apocalyptic world.

On the contrary, they had plenty of material possessions, and would occasionally take a stroll in the back mountain or go to town to satisfy their appetites.

With the resumption of the college entrance examination, everyone should have taken the exam. After all, the first generation of college graduates had a high level of education and were guaranteed jobs with a secure livelihood.

In later generations, the chances of getting a government job are extremely slim, with only one in a hundred or even one in a thousand being selected – a situation like a thousand troops crossing a single-plank bridge.

But when she thought about having to work from nine to six and not being able to sleep in, Mo Qian handed this important task over to Su Er, urging Su Er to study every day and not let him go to bed until he finished memorizing.

If Su Er performs normally, getting into a university in the capital city won't be a problem. The female lead, needless to say, will definitely get in too.

"They passed! They passed! Mother, my second brother and Xiaoyue both passed!" The eldest son of the Su family shouted loudly before even entering the door, holding the acceptance letter delivered by the postman.

"Su Da, your family's ancestral graves are emitting auspicious smoke!"

"Grandma Su, two of your family members have been admitted to university. Don't forget to treat us!"

"Congratulations! Your family has produced a college student. You've really made our brigade leader proud."

When the villagers heard what Su Da said, they knew that the Su family had produced two university graduates, and they all offered their congratulations.

"You really got in! Bring me the acceptance letters quickly!" The Su family members grinned from ear to ear as they looked at the two acceptance letters, one bearing the logo of Capital University and the other of Tsinghua University.

Although it wasn't me who passed the exam, a family member did, and if they become a cadre in the future, they can take care of the family's children.