As soon as Li Jin entered the house, she was captivated by the sight before her. The house was spacious and bright, with clean tiled floors and snow-white walls. Yang Taohua smiled and said to Li Jin, "Look at this house! We just renovated it this spring! These bricks were distributed by the team according to the number of people, and the tiles were earned by your uncle working at the village-run brickyard, earning work points in exchange." She then pointed to the sewing machine in the corner, beaming with pride, "We bought it at the market last month, a Butterfly brand, it's so beautiful, it cost a whole 120 yuan!"

On the walls of the main room, the propaganda posters that used to proclaim "Grasp Revolution and Promote Production" have been replaced with a New Year's picture titled "Abundant Harvest," in which a chubby baby holds a carp and smiles with dimples. Uncle, squatting on a stool rolling tobacco, suddenly lowered his voice: "Thanks to the grain and cloth coupons you sent, we were allocated private plots a couple of years ago. Your aunt planted two rows of mint there, harvested it in the summer, and sold it to the town's supply and marketing cooperative—it was even more profitable than earning work points." He puffed on his pipe, his eyes shining. "Last autumn, when the land was allocated, my family of four got three mu of irrigated land. We planted two and a half mu of wheat and half a mu of cotton. After paying the grain tax, we still had some left over. The grain trucks from the town's grain station drove right to the village entrance—"

Looking at the beaming smile on her uncle's face, Li Jin couldn't help but exclaim, "Uncle, your life is getting better and better!" she said happily.

When Li Jin heard his words, his uncle smiled so much that his eyes narrowed into slits, and he happily replied, "Yes, the policies are good now. As long as you're willing to work hard, life will definitely be good." His uncle's words revealed his satisfaction with his current life and his confidence in the future.

After chatting with her uncle for a while, Li Jin got up and went to the kitchen to help Yang Taohua cook. Yang Taohua was busy chopping vegetables in the kitchen when she saw Li Jin come in, and a happy smile appeared on her face.

Li Jin asked Yang Taohua with a smile, "Auntie, is Xiaoqi taking the college entrance exam next year?" Yang Taohua replied happily while chopping vegetables, "Yes, she's taking the college entrance exam next year. I just don't know what kind of school she'll get into! But Xiaoqi has always worked very hard, and she's always looked up to you as a role model, determined to get into Tsinghua University too!"

Hearing Yang Taohua's words, Li Jin was overjoyed and quickly said, "Xiaoqi's grades have always been excellent. She's always ranked first in school. Getting into Tsinghua University shouldn't be a problem!" He was full of confidence in Xiaoqi's academic performance.

However, Yang Taohua sighed helplessly and continued, "Tell me, we're all from the same womb, so why is Xiao Tao so disappointing? He always gets the lowest score in every exam. I've tried hitting him and scolding him, but he just doesn't want to study!" Yang Taohua's words revealed her dissatisfaction and worry about Xiao Tao's attitude towards learning.

Li Jin quickly smiled and comforted her, "Auntie, maybe Xiao Tao just hasn't found the interest and method for learning yet. The policies are good now, and there are many ways out. It's not just about studying. Look, there are side businesses in the village now. If Xiao Tao is interested in something else, he can do it well and maybe even make something of himself."

Yang Taohua nodded thoughtfully after hearing this, "That's true. The world is changing a lot these days, and there are opportunities for everything. I'm just worried that he's too young and doesn't have a proper goal, so he might suffer in the future."

Li Jin smiled and said, "Xiao Tao is still young, he has time to find his direction. You and your uncle should pay more attention to what he likes and guide him. Besides, if he sees that Xiao Qi got into a good school, he might be motivated to start studying hard."

The meal was ready quickly, and Li Jin helped serve the steaming hot food. Because Xiao Qi lived at school and rarely came home, and Xiao Tao only came home in the evenings, he also ate lunch at school with a ticket! So there were only three people in the family!

"Jin'er, try your aunt's cooking and see how it compares to before." Li Jin picked up a piece of food with her chopsticks and put it in her mouth. "Aunt, your cooking is even better now, it's so delicious."