In 1976, many places did not have greenhouse vegetables and fruits, and even if they did, they were not affordable for ordinary people.

Until the 1990s, off-season fruits and vegetables were a product of consumption for the wealthy class, and ordinary people would only spend money to buy some to try during holidays.

Li Xiangdong plans to take advantage of this time difference to grow cold-resistant watermelons. If stored properly, they can enjoy sweet watermelons even when it snows heavily in winter!

Imagine the snow falling heavily outside, the weather freezing cold, while inside the house the stove is warm and dry. What a delight it would be to eat a slice of refreshing, sweet, and juicy watermelon at this time!

When the time comes, we can sell the watermelons and make a fortune!

Two more days passed, but instead of watermelon and corn seeds, people from Yanjing City arrived!

Early in the morning, when the sky was just beginning to lighten, the commune members who had just gotten up heard the "humming" of a jeep. Curious, they all went out to see who had come.

Li Xiangdong was still asleep when suddenly there was a rapid knocking sound at the door.

Li Xiangdong rubbed his sleepy eyes, got up and opened the door, "Brother Liu?"

Opposite him stood Liu Xiaojun, dressed neatly and with a serious expression. He was Liu Donglai's secretary and was also familiar with Li Xiangdong.

"Xiang Dong, Secretary Liu sent me to call you and lead the way to Ning Ruoruo." After saying that, he leaned closer and whispered, "Someone from Yanjing City has arrived."

Li Xiangdong felt a chill run down his spine. It was Ning Ruoruo's relatives who had come looking for him. He was instantly wide awake, quickly put on his clothes, and went out with Liu Xiaojun.

There were two jeeps parked outside. He recognized the one in the back; it belonged to Liu Donglai.

Li Xiangdong glanced at the car in front of him; it had a Beijing license plate.

Li Xiangdong didn't ask any more questions and got into Liu Donglai's jeep with Liu Xiaojun.

"Uncle Liu, is that Ning Ruoruo's maternal grandfather up ahead?" Li Xiangdong asked in a low voice.

Liu Donglai nodded solemnly.

The two cars headed straight for Ning Ruoruo's cowshed.

The cowshed in Lijiapo wasn't very big. At the front was a pigsty, and at the back was a livestock shed made of wood and reed mats, where three cows, two donkeys, and a big blue mule were kept.

The troughs were filled with fresh fodder, and the cows, donkeys, and big blue mules were all grazing with their heads down, occasionally letting out low hums.

Feeder Liu Yuliang carried a basket of leftover oil cakes from pressing wheatgrass seeds, preparing to pour them into the feeding trough to give the livestock an extra meal.

Ning Ruoruo was wearing a faded blue trousers and jacket, black cloth shoes with loops, and had two shiny black braids. Her skin was fair and her face was beautiful.

She was also carrying a basket of fried dough cakes and was talking to Liu Yuliang, "Uncle Yuliang, the big blue mule has been eating slowly these past few days and doesn't like fried dough cakes anymore!"

Liu Yuliang smiled憨厚ly, "Daqing was tired from pulling the cart the other day, I'll give it some bean cakes later!"

Ning Ruoruo poured the fried dough into the trough in front of the big blue mule. "Uncle Yuliang, shall we chop some more hay?"

"No need, you should rest for a while! Come home with me for dinner later, your auntie made some chive pancakes especially for you."

Ning Ruoruo nodded in agreement.

Because she had always lived in a cowshed, she was taken care of by Liu Yuliang and his wife after her parents passed away.

The elderly woman, who had been secretly watching from the side, felt a little relieved. It seemed that the zookeeper hadn't mistreated her granddaughter and took good care of her.

Li Xiangdong, who was following behind, thought to himself, "This old man is quite wary."

Ning Ruoruo put the basket into the tool shed, came out and scooped some water with a ladle into a basin, carefully washed her hands, and planned to go to Liu Yuliang's house to help Aunt Yuliang eat.

Just then, a tall, white-haired old man appeared before him. He had a dignified expression, but there were tears in the corners of his eyes.

This is my granddaughter!

She looks exactly like her daughter!

"Ruoruo..."

The old man's voice choked with emotion, and Ning Ruoruo realized that this must be the grandfather that Li Xiangdong had mentioned.

Ning Ruoruo stared at her for a moment, then calmly asked, "Are you my maternal grandfather?"

The old man nodded excitedly, reaching out to grasp Ning Ruoruo's slender, fair hand. "Yes."

The process of recognizing the relatives was very brief, firstly because there was a paternity test result, and secondly because the old man's eyebrows and eyes were quite similar to Ning Ruoruo's.

The old man waved his hand behind him, and immediately someone led Li Xiangdong and Liu Donglai to the back, where they stood in a place where they could see but not hear.

The grandfather and grandson each took a small stool and sat down in front of the livestock shed to start talking.

The old man introduced himself, "Ruoruo, I am your maternal grandfather, my name is Zhou Yicheng. Our family lives in Yanjing City."

Ning Ruoruo asked, "Then why is my mother's surname Wang?"

As if recalling the past, Zhou Yicheng sighed and said, "Your mother took your maternal grandmother's surname. At that time, we were fighting a war. Your maternal grandmother gave birth to your mother three days later and then moved with me. For your mother's safety, she was sent to your maternal grandmother's family home."

"What about my maternal grandmother?"

"Your maternal grandmother passed away when your mother was three years old. To commemorate your maternal grandmother, your mother never changed her surname."

"Later, your mother insisted on marrying your father. Your father had a bad family background, so I disagreed and they eloped."

Recalling those days when he was struggling to make ends meet and his daughter insisted on marrying someone with questionable credentials, making his situation even worse, Zhou Yicheng felt a pang of sadness.

"In a fit of anger, I severed ties with your mother. We didn't contact each other for five or six years afterward, and when I tried to find her again, I couldn't."

Zhou Yicheng wiped away the tears welling up in his eyes, "Who knew that the next news I heard about your mother would be that she was gone..."

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