Zhao Mingyue breathed a sigh of relief that the tea garden subcontracting went so smoothly. She figured that the subcontracting of farmland at the end of the year would also go very smoothly.

After finishing all this, Zhao Mingyue could return to Beijing with peace of mind. She had already arranged with Aunt Cao before the holiday to continue renting her house this year, and she would probably have to borrow Aunt Fang's sewing machine again. Thinking about this, Zhao Mingyue felt completely relaxed.

After the meeting, the group returned home under the starlight and moonlight, chatting and laughing all the way. Seeing her mother still holding her second brother's youngest daughter in the yard, Zhao Mingyue went over and asked, "Mom, why aren't you asleep yet?"

"Pingping said it was hot and refused to sleep inside."

Pingping is the name of Zhao Mingyue's niece. Zhao Mingyue's second brother had two daughters, but his wife was determined to have a son. She was already pregnant with her third child, which was considered an over-birth according to the policy. To avoid the one-child policy, she went to live with relatives, leaving her two daughters in her own home to be cared for by her mother.

Zhao Mingyue knew that in her previous life, her second brother had three daughters before finally having a son on his fourth pregnancy. Actually, Zhao Mingyue's parents were very open-minded and didn't insist on having a grandson. However, her sister-in-law worried that others would look down on her because her eldest sister-in-law had two sons. She felt that if she only had daughters, her status in the Zhao family would be too low, and without a son, she would be looked down upon by the villagers. Therefore, she desperately wanted to have a son.

These days, family planning is strictly enforced. To evade it, many people go into hiding, all in the hopes of having a son. In her past life, Zhao Mingyue had heard her second sister-in-law complain countless times about how her womb was useless, bearing so many daughters that people looked down on her. Zhao Mingyue could only listen silently, because she herself had none, not even a daughter.

Shen Xuyue brought over a stool: "Mingyue, sit down and cool off."

Zhao Mingyue sat down, and Shen Xuyue fanned her with a palm-leaf fan, instantly making her feel incredibly cool. Without a breeze, the first half of a summer night in the countryside is still quite hot, only cooling down in the second half.

The Milky Way stretched across the sky like a ribbon, with countless stars scattered across the deep blue horizon. Occasionally, a shooting star would streak across the sky, dazzling and brilliant. However, the chances of encountering a shooting star were slim. Fireflies were far more numerous than shooting stars, and they moved much slower, drifting and shimmering with a faint yellowish-green glow as they lightly swept overhead.

The sounds of insects chirping and frogs croaking filled the air, along with a mother lulling her niece to sleep. Such a night was intoxicatingly blissful. Shen Xuyue remained silent, listening to this summer night's symphony, seemingly lost in its beauty as well.

Suddenly, the lights in my second uncle's house next door, which had already been turned off, came on. Then the door creaked open, and I heard Wang Zhaodi instructing her son, "Minggang, take a light and go ask Aunt Zhang to come over."

Upon hearing this, Hu Nianchun said, "It must be that Huaihua is about to give birth. Minggang, is your wife about to give birth?"

Zhao Minggang said excitedly, "Yes, Auntie. I'm going to call the midwife."

Hu Nianchun asked, "How long have you been in pain?"

"It's only just begun to hurt."

"Then there's no rush. Go ahead and be careful on the road," Hu Nianchun said. The little girl in her arms let out a soft moan, as if she had been woken up.

Hu Nianchun patted his granddaughter in his arms and said to Zhao Mingyue, "Mingyue, hold Pingping for a moment, I'm going to check on the locust flowers."

Zhao Mingyue said, "Mom, I'll go too."

Hu Nianchun said, "What are you going to do? Don't go, stay at home."

Zhao Mingyue had no choice but to take her niece in her arms. It wasn't unreasonable for her mother not to let her go; it wasn't appropriate for an unmarried young woman to go to the delivery room.

Shen Xuyue asked, "Is Minggang's wife about to give birth?"

Zhao Mingyue thought for a moment: "It should be. Didn't they say she was pregnant during the New Year? It's almost time."

A short while later, the lights in Uncle's house were on. Uncle carried water buckets out the door. Zhao Mingyue said, "Xuyue, take a flashlight to help Uncle carry water. Be careful not to fall."

"Okay," Shen Xuyue agreed and went off.

Zhao Minglang said, "I'll go."

Shen Xuyue said, "It's okay, I can do it."

Zhao Minglang and Zhao Shunsheng also went over to see if there was anything they could help with. A little while later, Zhao Minglang returned with two buckets from his home, presumably at his mother's request.

Zhao Mingyue gently rocked her niece in her arms. The little girl finally fell asleep, sleeping soundly even in the arms of her unfamiliar aunt. Zhao Mingyue picked up the child and placed her on her mother's bed. The little girl whimpered softly, and Zhao Mingyue patted her and soothed her a couple of times until she settled down. Zhao Mingyue sat inside the linen mosquito net, fanning her niece. The room was dark; the lights were off, for fear that the light might disturb the two children.

After an unknown amount of time, Zhao Mingyue heard Shen Xuyue calling her from outside: "Mingyue, are you asleep?"

Zhao Mingyue came out of the mosquito net: "Not yet, have you fetched the water?"

"Yes, I saw that Minggang has already brought the midwife over."

Zhao Mingyue thought for a moment and said, "Then you should go and rest. You should be fine. Anyway, we can't go see you. Let's wait for the news."

Shen Xuyue nodded: "Okay."

Shen Xuyue went back to his room. Zhao Mingyue thought for a moment, then went to her second uncle's house and peeked into the locust tree room. Several kerosene lamps were lit inside. Her mother and second aunt were there, as was her sister-in-law. The midwife was sitting nearby, and they were chatting. This spring, the power lines had been brought to Moon Bay, but the installation of electric lights was based on a voluntary principle. Her second aunt probably heard that electricity was more expensive than kerosene lamps and couldn't bear to spend the money, so she didn't have the power lines installed. Therefore, the house still relied on kerosene lamps for lighting, and the light was very dim.

Zhao Mingyue asked from the doorway, "Mom, should we bring over a light switch from our house?"

Hu Nianchun asked, "How do we lead it?"

"My brother and Xuyue should know how, they can do it with a wire and a light bulb."

Wang Zhaodi said, "We don't need Mingyue anymore. The locust flowers might not be born until morning. It's the first time, so it won't be that quick."

Zhao Mingyue nodded: "Oh, that's fine." She hadn't heard a sound at all. Huaihua was lying quietly on the bed, chatting calmly with everyone, so she guessed that the contractions had just begun. She went to the kitchen and saw Zhao Mingxiu sitting behind the stove, tending the fire. She greeted her: "Sister."

Zhao Mingyue walked over and touched Mingxiu's hair. Mingxiu was wearing the dress Zhao Mingyue had made for her; the little girl was just starting to develop, and the dress looked quite nice on her. "Do you need my help?"

Zhao Mingxiu shook her head: "No need, I can manage."

Zhao Mingyue stayed at her second uncle's house for a while before her mother sent her back: "Mingyue, go back and rest. It won't be that quick."

Zhao Mingyue thought her nephew might be born by the next morning, so she went home. Around midnight, she finally heard Huaihua's cries, which startled her awake. She listened intently for a while; the sound was truly pitiful. She drifted off to sleep again, but woke up sometime later. Looking at the sky, it was pitch black outside; it must be around three or four in the morning. She heard a commotion outside—had the baby not been born yet?

Zhao Mingyue quickly got up and ran next door to check. Several people were standing in the room; her mother and sister-in-law were still there, along with several older women from next door. She heard the midwife say, "She's not in good health, she doesn't have enough strength, the baby is in an abnormal position, and she's having a difficult labor."

Zhao Mingyue instinctively said, "Get them to the hospital quickly!"

Everyone looked towards the doorway. The midwife said, "Huaihua, give it your all. This is how it is for all women when they give birth. Everyone can get through it, don't be afraid." That's how it is in the countryside. Women rely entirely on themselves when they give birth. If the birth goes smoothly, it's your luck; if it doesn't go well, it's your bad luck.

Huaihua was soaked to the bone and had long since lost her strength. Hearing Huaihua's very weak voice, Zhao Mingyue disregarded her filth and rushed over, saying, "Don't delay any longer, Sister-in-law Huaihua has no strength left. We need to get her to the hospital quickly, or she'll be in danger."

Hu Nianchun and his sister-in-law also said, "Then, let's send him to the hospital. It's too dangerous to drag this out."

Zhao Mingyue said, "I'll go get some help." She quickly ran back and woke up her third brother and Shen Xuyue. Her eldest brother was also called by her sister-in-law. They also called a few young and strong neighbors. They quickly dismantled a door panel, carried the woman in labor to the bed, and took her to the hospital.

Without a car, they walked the entire way. The group of men jogged all the way, arriving at the hospital just as dawn was breaking. They were rushed to the emergency room, where a cesarean section was performed, and the baby was successfully delivered—a boy. Huaihua stayed in the hospital for several days due to postpartum weakness.

Because it was a boy, Wang Zhaodi didn't have much of a complaint about her daughter-in-law going to the hospital to give birth; otherwise, she would have complained to death about Zhao Mingyue.

Zhao Mingyue didn't care; human life was at stake, so let them complain if they wanted.

Zhao Minggang and his wife were extremely grateful to Zhao Mingyue and insisted on keeping her at home for their wedding. However, Zhao Mingyue could not stay. Due to the tight schedule, there was no time to make clothes and shoes for the baby, and there was nowhere to buy ready-made ones. So she tore off a piece of cloth, bought two boxes of malted milk powder, took ten yuan, and went with Shen Xuyue to see Huaihua and her nephew.

Zhao Minglang wanted to go to Beijing with them, so they traveled together. When they got to the street to catch a ride, Shen Xuyue tugged at Zhao Mingyue's elbow, gesturing for her to look at the street. Zhao Mingyue followed his gaze and saw Yu Youfen holding a child, standing on the street with a basket at her feet, seemingly waiting for someone.

Zhao Mingyue glanced at Zhao Minglang beside her and said, "Third Brother, I'm going to check on Sister Youfen."

Zhao Minglang paused noticeably, glanced at the street, and then said, "I'll go take a look too."

When Zhao Mingyue saw Cheng Yongqiang walking over from the other side, she said to Zhao Minglang, "Third Brother, you don't need to go, I'll go."

Zhao Minglang understood and nodded. Zhao Mingyue didn't have time to buy anything and went straight over: "Sister Youfen."

Yu Youfen was overjoyed to see Zhao Mingyue: "Mingyue, you're back? My brother's back too, isn't he?"

Zhao Mingyue smiled and nodded: "Yes, but I have to leave soon. I have things to do in Beijing. I've been back for several days and haven't seen you go home, so I haven't been able to visit you. Is this your little niece? She's so cute." She had heard Yu Youqing mention that Yu Youfen had given birth to a daughter.

Yu Youfen nodded, looking at the sleeping baby in her arms, a happy smile on her face: "Yes. This is Nannan. Are you leaving already? Why don't you stay a few more days?"

Zhao Mingyue extended her hand: "Um, I have to go now. Nannan is so cute, she looks just like Sister Youfen, can I hug her?"

Yu Youfen nodded: "Okay." She carefully placed the child in Zhao Mingyue's arms.

Holding the soft, cuddly baby, Zhao Mingyue felt her heart melt. She especially loved children, particularly after being unable to have children in her previous life, when she envied other people's children immensely and spent several years secretly weeping in the dead of night. In this life, she was determined to make up for that regret and, like all women, hold her own child.

Cheng Yongqiang had already walked over. He looked at Zhao Mingyue and paused for a moment. Yu Youfen said to him, "Take this basket and wait for me over there. I'll be right back."

Zhao Mingyue looked up at Cheng Yongqiang: "Sister Youfen, is this your brother-in-law?"

Yu Youfen smiled and said, "He is Nannan's father."

Cheng Yongqiang smiled when he saw Zhao Mingyue greet him, but remained standing still. Yu Youfen urged him again, "You go first, I want to talk to Mingyue for a while."

Cheng Yongqiang reluctantly bent down, picked up the basket, and left.

Seeing that Yu Youfen didn't seem to be in a weak position when she spoke to her husband, Zhao Mingyue smiled and said, "He seems to listen to you."

“I did as you said. After Nannan was born, I had a big fight with him, and after that, he didn’t dare to order me around anymore. They really do bully honest people, humph.” Yu Youfen said, revealing a victorious smile.

Zhao Mingyue laughed: "That's how you should deal with those people."

Yu Youfen then put on a stern face and said, "But his parents are still the same as before. After the baby was born, when they saw that it was a girl, his mother didn't speak to me for three days."

Zhao Mingyue frowned and said, "How can this woman be like this? Isn't she a woman herself? Don't pay any attention to her. Just focus on disciplining Nannan's father and living your own life well. You can't rely on the two old people anyway." The old lady from Chengjia was an extremely snobbish woman, even more so than Shen's mother. She was also a typical opportunist. When Zhao Mingyue had just miscarried and hadn't even been discharged from the hospital, she turned around and went to serve the culprit, Wang Qiulan. Later, when Wang Qiulan gave birth to three daughters in a row and Zhao Mingyue became wealthy, she immediately turned around and fawned over Zhao Mingyue, listing all sorts of faults about Wang Qiulan, which was truly disheartening.

Yu Youfen nodded, "I understand. Don't worry, I won't let his family bully me anymore." Yu Youfen mustered her courage and had a fierce argument with Cheng Yongqiang, finding it very effective. Cheng Yongqiang actually softened his attitude and became much more amiable and respectful towards her. She tasted success from this and decided to continue working towards this goal.

The baby in Zhao Mingyue's arms squirmed and then began to whimper softly. Yu Youfen quickly said, "Let me take over. Nannan is probably hungry. She's been sleeping for a long time and should wake up soon."

Zhao Mingyue glanced back at Shen Xuyue and her third brother, then took out five yuan from her pocket: "Sister Youfen, I have to go now, I need to catch the bus. This is for Nannan to buy some food." As she spoke, she stuffed the money into the child's arms.

Yu Youfen took the money and said, "No need, Mingyue, don't be so polite."

Zhao Mingyue had already taken two steps back. She waved her hand and said, "Goodbye, sister. You and Nannan must take good care of yourselves."

Yu Youfen looked at Zhao Mingyue and nodded: "Then be careful on the road."

"Okay, goodbye!"

Zhao Mingyue returned to Shen Xuyue and Zhao Minglang's side. Zhao Minglang asked, "What did you say to her? Is she alright?"

Zhao Mingyue smiled and said, "It's alright. We chatted about her recent situation, and it's much better than I expected."

Hearing this, Zhao Minglang breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good." He turned to look at Yu Youfen. Yu Youfen also noticed Shen Xuyue and Zhao Minglang, and stood there watching for a while until they got into the car before turning and leaving.

Upon arriving in Beijing, Zhao Mingyue spent two days with Zhao Minglang before handing him over to Shen Xuyue for company. She then reopened her clothing store, initially taking orders from acquaintances introduced by Song Xiaorui. As time went on, her old customers, having heard the news, gradually returned.

The dress styles she made last year have appeared on the streets in large numbers this year. These kinds of clothes aren't particularly difficult to make; anyone with a little skill and thought can learn to make them. Zhao Mingyue changed several styles again, striving to be unique so as to continuously attract customers.

Before the holiday, Zhao Mingyue had already agreed with Mao Jianlan that they would open a clothing shop together during the summer vacation and split the profits 50/50. Mao Jianlan, however, was too embarrassed to ask for half the income and insisted on taking only one-third. After some back and forth, they finally agreed to Mao Jianlan's terms, with her taking only one-third of the income.

Zhao Mingyue was in charge of cutting, and Mao Jianlan was in charge of sewing. When there were more difficult stitches, Zhao Mingyue would take over. The two of them worked together closely, which greatly improved their efficiency.

Knowing that his younger sister owned a shop in Beijing, Zhao Minglang made a special trip to visit it. Seeing the dazzling array of beautiful dresses made by the two girls, he couldn't believe how capable his sister was: "Mingyue, did you make all these clothes?"

Zhao Mingyue said, "Yes, I cut it, and my classmate sewed the stitching."

Zhao Minglang asked, "Where did you learn that?"

"I can learn by looking at the clothes the actors wear in popular film magazines."

"Little sister, you're so smart! I'm so proud of you."

Zhao Mingyue laughed: "Now you know how capable I am."

Shen Xuyue laughed and said, "Yes, she's so capable that it makes me feel a sense of urgency."

Zhao Minglang said, "I also feel a little ashamed."

Zhao Mingyue laughed and said, "Everyone has their own expertise. I'm not good at what you're good at."

Shen Xuyue laughed and said, "I guess I'll become a researcher in the future. Minglang, you can become a doctor."

Zhao Mingyue said, "I'll just be a teacher in the future. I can't make clothes for a lifetime; I can only do it as a hobby." Before the rise of the garment industry, tailoring was a very lucrative profession, especially for those who made excellent clothes; they were highly respected. However, after the 1980s, the domestic garment industry flourished, and handmade clothing was completely overwhelmed by mass production. Countless tailors were eliminated, and less than one percent remained. These remaining tailors, through their superb skills and a stroke of luck, turned to high-end ready-to-wear production, specializing in bespoke clothing for the wealthy. In her previous life, Zhao Mingyue herself had worn bespoke handmade clothes.

"Having a special skill is quite remarkable, but I don't seem to have any special skills," Shen Xuyue remarked.

Zhao Minglang said, "I have even less."

Zhao Mingyue smiled and said, "Don't underestimate yourselves. You should be good at discovering your strengths. For example, Xuyue, your foreign language skills are excellent, which I can't match. If you're interested, you could do translation or something, which I couldn't do even if I wanted to. Besides, you've published articles in newspapers, haven't you? You can write articles, which I can't. You can also sing and play the piano; these are all your specialties and strengths." Shen Xuyue is a typical artistic young man, the most sought-after type these days.

Shen Xuyue immediately realized what Zhao Mingyue meant when she pointed it out: "Does that count as a special skill?"

“Of course, anything that others can’t match is your strength,” Zhao Mingyue said with a smile.

Zhao Minglang said, "What about me?"

Zhao Mingyue frowned and thought for a moment: "Brother, you can eat more."

Several people present couldn't help but burst out laughing. Zhao Minglang blushed and said, "Mingyue, you really know how to tease your brother."

Zhao Mingyue said, "Brother, your strengths are being able to eat and work hard, which is a great advantage in the countryside. But now that you've left the countryside, those skills don't count anymore. You need to cultivate some hobbies as your own strengths."

Shen Xuyue suddenly said, "Minglang, have you noticed that Mingyue is particularly suited to be a teacher? She has a keen eye for discovering the strengths of others, and she is especially good at patiently guiding and praising people."

Zhao Minglang was taken aback for a moment, then laughed: "Really? It seems that my choice of this major is a good fit. I can become a good teacher in the future."

"Definitely," Shen Xuyue said approvingly with a smile.

Zhao Mingyue was unaware that her casual conversation would change the lives of both Shen Xuyue and Zhao Minglang. After reflection, Shen Xuyue decided to leverage his strengths and begin translating articles in their field. Environmental engineering research started much later in China than abroad, and their university was the first in the country to establish this major, giving it a pioneering role.

This field is almost entirely unexplored in China. Teachers and students are figuring things out as they go, learning from advanced international experiences while simultaneously conducting research and summarizing them in light of China's national conditions. Most textbooks and materials are imported from abroad, with a small portion written by domestic experts. Shen Xuyue often sees a lot of original foreign language materials, which is only accessible to those with relatively high foreign language proficiency who can understand them. Those with lower proficiency can only read translated materials.

Shen Xuyue decided to try translating the English works he had read. Of course, he couldn't do it alone, since these were authoritative works and he couldn't just translate them arbitrarily. He had to be very rigorous. He discussed his idea with his professor, who was overjoyed and agreed to be his mentor. The teacher and student would explore this field together.

Starting from the summer after his freshman year, Shen Xuyue devoted almost all his spare time during university to translating academic works. By the time he graduated, Shen Xuyue and his professor had compiled and translated several authoritative professional books. Zhao Mingyue's contribution to this achievement is undeniable.

Zhao Minglang felt he didn't have any particular talents, and his hobbies were few, at most playing chess. This was hardly a skill he could boast about, so he devoted all his time to his studies. He studied acupuncture under a highly respected traditional Chinese medicine doctor. Zhao Minglang studied diligently and was well-liked by the doctor. Later, Zhao Minglang's achievements in acupuncture were largely due to Zhao Mingyue's contributions.