Three days later, Aunt Chen returned from vacation and brought a bunch of bad news that suddenly woke Zhou Jiao up from her happy mood.

After drought, frost, and floods in the north, some parts of the south were even more miserable. In addition to these, wind and hail, locust plagues, and insect pests continued to occur.

Zhou Jiao knew without even asking that the harvest would be a total failure, another disastrous year. Even though she had been mentally prepared, hearing it confirmed from someone else's mouth made her feel even more complicated.

Before she could even utter a word, Aunt Chen leaned over to whisper in her ear, urging her to save some money. The monthly food ration for city officials was 28 catties, while for ordinary citizens it was only 26 catties, and each person was only given 2 taels of pork per month.

Zhou Jiao was heartbroken after hearing that. It looked like they were going to have to reduce their scores again when they returned to school. Was it easy for her? Suddenly, both of them had their scores reduced and were going to have to use up their savings again.

She never thought that something heartbreaking would happen...

"Before I came back, I specifically asked at the supplies department. Every household in the compound, except pregnant women and infants, must also reduce their intake. From now on, meat will mainly be distributed by internal farms, and tobacco and alcohol will only be supplied during holidays."

Zhou Jiao shook her hand weakly, "Aunt Chen, just say it all at once, don't attack me in waves."

Aunt Chen laughed and said, "At the end of the year, give me more money for the household expenses. I have to queue up at the service center every day. After the New Year and the holidays, it will be even harder to buy anything."

Zhou Jiao gave her a thumbs up. "That's amazing!" She said, "Waiting in line for woolen yarn in this freezing weather, you'd freeze to death."

After Aunt Chen finished speaking, she hurried to check the warehouse without saying a word. She was worried. She had not been home for the past two days and wondered how much this girl had ruined.

After a while, Aunt Chen came out with a smile and praised, "You did a good job this time. Is there any other way? Ask Xiaowu to prepare more stock."

Zhou Jiao looked at her speechlessly—she didn't even need to make excuses; they had already given her reasons. How could she be so powerful in the black market? She was the biggest source, okay?

"Forget it, let's not take the risk. No matter how much we reduce the quantity, the Supply Department will never let the leader go hungry."

What could Zhou Jiao say? She was just talking to herself, amusing herself. Not to mention, without her space, the family might actually go hungry.

No matter how powerful her father is or how high his status is, can he still steal military rations?

"I heard that there's no market this year, so there are more people going to the temple fair. How many people from all over the capital would have to squeeze in? Even though life is hard these days, there are still many wealthy people, so everyone has to stick to each other."

Zhou Jiao was hit hard by Aunt Chen again, and she smiled bitterly in silence.

By analogy, the temple fairs across the city will surely be very crowded this year. In addition to joining in the fun, more people are looking for opportunities to stock up on supplies.

The nature of the temple fair had changed. So what was she doing there? What was she going to see? The main road or the crowds? It looked like her son's long candied haws were out of the question; it would be incredibly crowded.

Zhou Jiao had originally planned to take her son to a temple fair during the Lunar New Year to give him a taste of what a grand festival truly is. Compared to the hip-shaking songs and high-flying fireworks, temple fairs are more down-to-earth.

Now it's all right, but the plan still needs to be made in detail.

Lin Lishan sneaked back in the afternoon, and without saying a word, she pulled Zhou Jiao into the room with a sly look in her eyes.

Zhou Jiao was terribly curious—what was this old lady singing about? Could she be so beaming because she was getting promoted and rich? That wouldn't require such petty theft.

Lin Lishan giggled happily, took out a handful of bills from her bag and handed them to her daughter, showing off proudly: "How about it? Your mother is awesome, right?"

Zhou Jiao didn't have time to look at the receipts and hurriedly asked her, "Mom, where did you get these? You're not making a mistake, are you? We have enough to eat and use, so don't let anyone catch you."

After hearing this, Lin Lishan slapped her forehead in anger and said angrily, "You're usually quite smart, why are you so stupid at the critical moment? Do you think Mom is busy leading the team day and night? Are you really trying to steal some of the credit? I'm already the team leader, where else can I go?"

Zhou Jiao laughed foolishly, "Your daughter is wrong, please spare me. They are all subsidies and can be exchanged, right? Mom, you are so smart! You are amazing!"

Her words made Lin Lishan laugh so hard that she only stopped after ruffling her hair.

The mother and daughter played around for a while, and Lin Lishan sighed, "I've left all the household chores to you. I can't let my daughter be like a clever cook without rice. After the first month of the lunar year, we all have to reduce our food intake, and we have to find a way to raise some food coupons for you to use at school. Xiaowu, in particular, has a big appetite; we can't let him go hungry."

Zhou Jiao was touched at first, but then she lost interest. She pouted and muttered, "Xiao Wu is your biological son. Why don't you worry about me being hungry?"

After saying this, she started laughing.

"Your little cat's appetite is so big, how much can it eat? Don't think that Mom dotes on Xiaowu. He is your husband, and he takes care of everything at home and outside. If I treat him well, he must treat my daughter better."

Zhou Jiao blinked, smiled, and nodded. What kind of crazy logic? However, as long as someone cared about her man, she would be happy to accept it as long as it wasn't a little girl.

"Mom, your son-in-law is prepared. Don't try to curry favor with outsiders just for something foreign."

Lin Lishan glanced at her sideways, straightened her back and raised her chin, snorted, and said arrogantly: "Who am I to need to fawn over others like those people?"

Seeing this, Zhou Jiao smiled and nodded.

That's good, just don't lose the Zhou family's integrity. Although her mother can't know about the space, there's no need to make her mother feel wronged by some external things.

"Mom's not stupid. Mom knows what's going on. Our family is neither better than the rich nor worse than the poor. With your dad's status and Xiaowu as a capable son-in-law, who would not give me face? Why would I bow to outsiders?"

Lin Lishan's arrogance made Zhou Jiao a little dazed - her mother was a happy woman! The Lin family fell, and she had her husband and son-in-law to support her, and in the future, there was Ping An who was close to her. This was the halo of the heroine.

"Look for any bills that are about to expire. Remember to use them as soon as possible. I have to run back to work. If you have anything, call the group."

Zhou Jiao stood at the gate to see off the hurried Lin Lishan. Thinking that it would only be a few hours before her mother got off work, she couldn't help but laugh.

Zhou Jiao looked up and saw that the sky was clear, so she went back to the inner room to change her clothes. After explaining her whereabouts to Aunt Chen, she put on her specially made large bag and slowly left the courtyard.

As the end of the year approaches, more people are likely to be visiting their families. The closer you get to the city center, the more you'll see students wearing small cotton jackets and large cotton pants, or little kids wearing cotton hats and large five-eyed cotton ties on their feet. She'd forgotten that school was out for the holidays, so it's no wonder the streets are so crowded.

Zhou Jiao walked leisurely in the light snow, with a gentle smile on her face as she looked at the baby in the arms of the old man and the old woman, holding their hands, and smiled knowingly from time to time.

She was strolling around enjoying the scenery, but she ignored the passing buses and pedestrians who were hurrying by, all of whom couldn't help but glance at her.

Zhou Jiao's mind wandered as she wandered the streets, trying to understand the circumstances of each household and learn more about the lives of ordinary people. Leaving the compound and facing reality, she couldn't quite articulate what she felt.

It’s hard! Too hard! The necessities of life are essential, and life is not easy for anyone.

Children laugh when they bite a candy in half; old ladies are delighted when they buy four ounces of oil. Thanks to these contented people, life is still full of sunshine.