When Zhang Guoqing returned, he found his son pontificating about how to make children behave. He paid no attention to it and reported to Zhang's mother where he had sent his two aunts.

Seeing that they had finished their topic, Zhou Jiao looked at her watch and said, "Brother, go to sleep for a while. I'll stay with Mom. Mom, we have to go out tonight. Ping An needs your care."

When Zhang's mother heard this, she quickly said, "Why don't you go and rest? Leave this to me."

"I'm not sleepy, but my brother woke up early and ran back and forth in the mountains today."

Ping An rolled his eyes, immediately stood up and took his father's hand, "I'll accompany my dad to rest."

Zhang Guoqing picked him up, tapped his nose, and said goodbye to them, "Then I'll go back first. Let me know if you need anything. Mom, you should do less work and give more to my brothers and sisters. I'll go up the mountain again in a couple of days."

"Okay, go get some sleep."

On the way, Zhang Guoqing smiled at Ping An in his arms and said, "You really can't go at night. Your mother and I are going to do some serious business and will be back before dawn."

"Really can't follow?"

"Yes. The place we're going to this time isn't suitable for children."

"Oh well."

Zhang Guoqing saw that although he was disappointed, he still agreed obediently, and touched his head with heartache, "I'll take you out to play tomorrow night, keep it a secret!"

Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, his son smiled. Forget it, I'll take him for a spin tomorrow night and see if there's anything the kid might like in the nearby black market.

The days are long in the north during the summer. It gets light at 4 a.m. and it is still bright at 7 p.m.

It was almost seven o'clock. The old captain looked up at the sky and secretly prayed for blessings from his ancestors, hoping that God would not send a sudden rain like in the previous two years.

Uncle Zhang had been with him for so many years that he knew what he was worried about the moment he saw his demeanor. He consoled him, saying, "The weather will be good for the next two or three days, so it shouldn't delay the wheat from being dried and stored in the warehouse."

"We still have to hurry up. Let everyone work a little longer. Everyone can have roe deer meat tonight, whether you're eating in the cafeteria or not."

Today, many people saw Zhang Guoqing carrying a roe deer into the cafeteria, and they were looking forward to eating meat. Now, Uncle Zhang made an announcement with a loudspeaker, which made the adults and children very happy.

What's the big deal about working more? I've stayed up late before.

Zhou Jiao finished her work and was urged by Zhang's mother to go back to take care of the children. She looked at the three sisters Mai Miao who had just returned home and did not refuse.

Honestly, she was worried that the child would sleep with his father and affect his sleep at night. Besides, last night she heard Zhang Guoqing say that he had promised the village elders ten kilograms of wine and snacks, so she had to go back and make some preparations.

As soon as Zhou Jiao entered the west room, she saw Zhang Guoqing sleeping soundly. Ping'an in his arms was not sleepy at all, and his eyes were shining when he saw her.

Ping'an carefully removed the big hand from her belly, slowly sat up, and seeing that Zhang Guoqing didn't wake up, she grinned silently and climbed down from the kang.

Zhou Jiao watched his little action, pursed her lips and smiled, walked over to him and took his hand out of the bedroom, gently closed the door, and asked softly, "Why don't you get up if you can't sleep?"

"My dad wasn't asleep at first. I was afraid to wake him up."

"What a good boy! Are you hungry?"

Ping An shook his head. "I had noodles this afternoon. I'm just thirsty."

Zhou Jiao immediately picked him up and said, "Do you want to eat ice cream? Don't eat too much. Mommy will take you to the kitchen. After you eat, we will burn the wrapper in the stove."

"Destroy the stolen goods and destroy the evidence, right?"

“Some things don’t need to be said.”

Ping An chuckled and kissed her on the cheek, "Mom, look at all the things on the mountain. They're free and can even be exchanged for money."

Zhou Jiao walked into the kitchen, took out some ice cream for him, and asked with interest, "So, you have some new ideas these past two days?"

Ping'an peeled off the top layer of tin foil and stuffed it into Zhou Jiao's mouth first, letting her taste it first. After seeing her take a small bite, he squinted his eyes and licked it happily.

"My brothers make money by selling mountain products. I've asked around, and the purchasing station wants game, mountain products, and herbs. But my dad said the prices here aren't as high as in Beijing."

Zhou Jiao smiled at him as he ate. She thought to herself, "I wonder if her son inherited his business talent from his father?" She'd already noticed this in just two days. That was great.

"Brother Xizi and the others say it's hard to make money. I think they're stupid. They all told me that wild fruits are worthless now. Why are they carrying them to the city to sell when they're so heavy? Why not just store them in the cellar and sell them when there's no more fruit in the mountains? Or maybe we can make preserved fruits like Mom does and sell them during the New Year."

Zhou Jiao looked at him amusedly and reminded him, "Maybe he's short of money right now?"

Ping An shook his head. "They can borrow from my grandma. But I'm too young. When I'm older, I'll ask Brother Xizi and the others to collect mountain products and send them to the capital. I can then sell them to the purchasing station and make money."

Zhou Jiao watched him shaking his head like a little adult, secretly amused. "You didn't tell them what you think?"

Ping An took a bite of the ice cream, shook his head, and swallowed it before saying, "I didn't tell them unless they asked me. I can't meddle in other people's affairs too much. It's troublesome."

"You're right. Not only is it a nuisance, but it might also make you dependent. From now on, whenever something happens, they'll ask you for help, and if you don't help, they'll think you're a bad person. It's better to just watch from the beginning."

Ping An nodded. That was exactly what he meant. And his grandfather said that only when you're down and out can you tell whether someone is good or bad.

Putting aside these thoughts, Ping An brought up the matter that concerned him most. "Mom, I have an idea. I plan to ask Dad to take me to the mountains more often so that we can store more meat. If we can't finish it, we can go home and sell it for money to buy tickets."

After saying that, he paid attention to Zhou Jiao's expression.

Zhou Jiao smiled and said, "You're so smart. Even if we didn't tell you that our family isn't short of money, you should be able to tell, right?"

Ping An nodded. He'd already had plenty of New Year's gifts, all saved. But did that have anything to do with the family having enough money? It's not like money always kills people, so of course the more, the better.

He asked doubtfully, "Who else thinks money is too much?"

Zhou Jiao laughed. "That's a good question, but I really can't answer it. Money is a good thing, but there are some things it can't buy. And conversely, you can't do anything without money. Regarding this question, you have to observe it yourself. I can only tell you my own thoughts."

If I were my mother, I wouldn't risk going hunting in the mountains to earn money after I'd had enough food and clothing. The gains wouldn't outweigh the losses. I would prioritize. I'd waste time and energy just to make more money, so I could learn more skills.

Another point is that the price of wild game is not high when it is sent to the purchasing station, but it is easy to get into trouble if it is sold on the black market. If you are not careful, your grandfather will be implicated, and in serious cases, it will cause a big disaster. Is this risk worth it?"

As Zhou Jiao spoke, the ice cream in Xiao Ping'an's hand gradually melted, and he himself fell into deep thought.

After a while, he shook his head. "I need to spend some time thinking about this. There must be a way. My grandfather said there are no unsolvable problems in this world, only unsolvable minds."

Zhou Jiao smiled. Of course there are ways, but they also come with risks. Getting the child to think about this is good for developing their thinking and also serves as exercise.

"But, Mom, my idea of ​​storing more meat is right. I'm learning skills while doing it. I won't sell the meat. I'll give it to the great grandfathers in the compound. They will give me gifts in return. That way, I'll make a profit."

"A real man shouldn't get hung up on petty gains or favors; that would be disgraceful. If you pay more attention to your father's interactions with others, you'll notice that he gives small favors to others, seemingly at a disadvantage, but in fact, he's reaping great benefits. Don't outsiders say your father is righteous and loyal?"

Zhou Jiao finished speaking and watched the child fall into deep thought again. The ice cream in her hand was wasted. But... she smiled. It was worth it!