The day after the New Year holiday, we had to go back to work. The streets were bustling with people, even more than usual. The supply and marketing cooperatives and department stores were packed with people; everyone was visiting relatives during this time.

Back at my post, I picked up the documents and started working.

Life went on uneventfully, with occasional articles submitted to newspapers, and then a steady stream of payments and packages delivered by Zhao Weiguo.

She thought about it and decided to go to the countryside to buy some local produce that he didn't have, and then deliver it to him. But before that, she would send him homemade chili sauce and meat sauce, as well as scarves and gloves that she had knitted herself, so it was a give-and-take arrangement.

After spring arrived and the weather warmed up a bit, Lin Jingyue specially chose a day off for herself and the little one to go to the countryside.

Sitting on the bus, the atmosphere inside was chaotic, with all sorts of smells. She took out an orange, peeled it, ate the pulp, and smelled the peel, which immediately made her feel much better.

After getting off the bus, I still need to walk a bit. I haven't walked like that in a long time, and I'm a little tired.

"Mom, I'm a little thirsty." Xiaomingyue tugged at her clothes, looking at her pitifully.

Lin Jingyue took a military water bottle from her waist and handed it over; it was also a gift from Zhao Weiguo. "Drink up."

"Thank you, Mom."

Then came the gurgling sound.

Feeling much better after drinking it, she walked ahead with a grin, "Mommy, are we going to find wild eggs?"

"Do you still remember what happened before?" Half a year has passed, and I thought she would selectively forget.

"I remember!" Xiaomingyue proudly raised her head, showing off her powerful memory. "Mom used to take me to the mountains often, and I could always find where wild eggs lay. Then Mom would make me steamed eggs and scrambled eggs."

As she spoke, she seemed to remember something, and her expression became somewhat downcast. "I remember when I was little, I found some wild eggs on the mountain, but Yaozu found them. I wouldn't give them to him, so he told my grandma. My grandma beat me up and took my eggs away."

Actually, she had initially intended to give the eggs to her grandmother, because she knew her grandmother wouldn't let her eat them alone, and if she were caught, she would get a severe beating. But she just didn't want to give them to Yaozu; that guy was just too annoying.

However, she still ended up getting a beating because her grandmother was biased and wouldn't believe her words without asking any questions.

Lin Jingyue gently patted her head and said tenderly, "It's all in the past now. My baby will have an endless supply of eggs from now on. Our hen lays two eggs every day, and sometimes you don't even want to eat them."

Little Mingyue smiled through her tears, "Sometimes I don't want to eat, but sometimes I do want to eat, Mom, am I very conflicted?"

"Eat if you want to, don't eat if you don't want to."

We chatted and laughed all the way until we finally arrived at the village.

Spring has arrived, and everyone is basically in the fields. Now is the perfect time for sowing, with plenty of rain, which helps crops grow well.

But some people stay at home to help take care of the children, or because they are not in good health.

The two went to the house they had stayed in before to see what it was like there. They had expected it to be deserted, but to their surprise, someone was already living there.

Looking at the clothes drying outside, I saw cotton and polyester fabrics, but hardly any linen. I quickly realized what was going on; the place must have been rented by educated youth.

The courtyard has been renovated and looks neatly arranged, with much more vitality.

"Mom, the place we used to live in is gone." Xiaomingyue stood outside the door, looking somewhat disappointed.

This was a safe haven for her and her mother after they fled the Chen family. Although that period was tough, she was happy. With her mother by her side, she wasn't alone.

“It’s good that someone lives here; it’s better than leaving this place deserted. Let’s go down to the foot of the mountain and see how many eggs you can find today.”

"I can find ten!"

"Then we'll see if we have ten."

"Then I want to have a competition with Mom, and the reward is that I can eat two candies today!"

"good."

With the system as her cheat code, Lin Jingyue wasn't worried about not finding anything. After finding some eggs on the mountain, she started digging for kudzu roots. After that, she looked for bamboo shoots, which grew naturally and didn't need to be dug up.

After two hours, she had picked a large bagful. Luckily, she had the foresight to change into some less-than-ideal clothes and bring a basket with her.

Feeling it was about time for them to finish work, they headed down the mountain towards the village.

Xiao Mingyue was lucky today and found nine eggs, but Lin Jingyue's cheating device was more powerful, and she found twelve eggs, so she lost and lost two candies.

Ignoring the curious stares of the villagers, Lin Jingyue went straight to the village head's house. She had changed so much, a world of difference from her previous appearance, that it was understandable the villagers didn't recognize her.

"Captain."

"Who are you?" The captain looked at her, puzzled for a moment, then when he saw Xiao Mingyue, he immediately came to his senses. "You're Lin Qiumei? You've changed so much!"

Although her clothes were simple, her aura was different. Her skin had become much fairer, she had grown taller, and after gaining some weight, she no longer looked as thin as before.

Most importantly, she cut her previously dry hair, and after it grew long, she got it permed, which is supposedly popular in Haicheng.

It would be a problem if even old friends could recognize you immediately after going through all this.

Lin Jingyue touched her curly hair and smiled sheepishly, "So much time has passed, everyone changes."

"That's true. You've raised your child very well. He's fair-skinned and clean-cut. It's like he's a completely different child from before."

Standing behind Lin Jingyue, Xiao Mingyue's eyes darted around. "Hello, Captain Uncle," she greeted him very obediently.

Although she had become bolder, she still had some lingering fear of the village, so she wasn't as daring as before.

"Okay, okay. What brings you here this time? Is there any information you need to gather?"

"Well, I came here to trade some mountain products with you. As you know, the food supply in the city is limited, and you have to buy things like vegetables at fixed times. I thought the village has a lot of mountain products, so I wanted to trade some."

The captain couldn't help but sigh, "I never imagined life in the city was so tough."

Even so, many people still desperately want to get into the city.

"Wait here, I'll go ask your sister-in-law how much mountain produce she has left."

"good."

It's called an exchange, but it's actually about buying with money. But who dares to say they're buying these days?

Since we're already here, we might as well exchange a lot more. We can send half of it out and keep the other half for ourselves.