Having borrowed a combine harvester, Si Cheng quickly harvested all the grain with the Gao family.

Si Cheng stayed at the Gao family's house for a few days, helping them collect the grain. He even cleared out a corner of the house. Since there was no lime, he cooked glutinous rice until it was mushy and mixed it with mud and sand. Although this was a bit wasteful, it was the only way to get through the winter.

Si Cheng personally taught the Gao family father and son how to rebuild the wall using old bricks, and even demonstrated how to build a wall before letting them try it themselves.

Seeing that Uncle Gao's house had successfully built a wall, other villagers also expressed that they would use the same method to build their own houses after the harvest.

Yunqi instructed his aunt to finish building the house as soon as possible and to stock up on firewood for the winter, because the winter might be very long.

The other villagers from Pinghe Village have all returned home one after another. They have marked all the dangers they could find along the way, so they can make their way back on their own without any problems.

In the past few days, when Uncle Gao was resting, he mentioned Si Cheng's mother a few times, mainly because he was worried about her situation in the city and whether she was still safe. Si Cheng and his wife did not respond to him, and Aunt Gao directly rebuked them.

As for Hujia Village, which is the home of Yunqi's uncle, the two of them never spoke of it. They could only tell the two siblings in secret, and they agreed to tell Aunt Gao after the house was built.

After saying goodbye to the Gao family, the two headed back. Once outside the village, Si Cheng carefully observed the surrounding mountains. Aside from some fallen trees, the vegetation was still quite lush; after all, anything that could survive in the wild was remarkably resilient. In such a short time, even some of the leaning trees had taken root and started growing again.

"Once we've finished dealing with things at home, we should still go take a look around the neighborhood. From now on, we'll probably have to rely on the mountains for our livelihood." Si Cheng carefully pulled Yun Qi aside, avoiding a pile of rocks.

"Don't go alone; find a few reliable people to travel with."

"I know, the next few years will definitely be tough." Thinking about the upcoming cold wave and the three-year drought, Si Cheng felt utterly helpless.

"It's much better than being away from home before. After this harvest, as long as everyone is frugal and plants a little more, we should be able to get through this difficult time."

"Our village is alright, but other places might not be so lucky. Who knows how many people will freeze to death with this cold wave?"

The two chatted as they walked, and soon arrived at the newly formed Maohu Lake. Because the lake appeared suddenly, the second grandfather simply and directly named it Maohu (冒湖), which both indicates that it appeared suddenly and also carries the homonym for lush and abundant.

"Look! Isn't there a fish over there?" Yunqi saw something swimming across the lake. "That's strange, how come there are fish in such a young lake?"

"This lake must be connected to an underground river, otherwise it wouldn't have filled with water so quickly."

"Actually, it's quite good to have this lake. Even if it doesn't rain for the next few years, our village should be able to get through it safely."

"I hope so." Si Cheng truly hoped that Pinghe Village could peacefully weather the hardships to come.

"Why did it take you so long to come back?" As soon as they entered the house, Yun's mother quickly poured them some water and asked them what they wanted to eat, promising to make it right away.

"Mom, don't bother with all that. We'll just grab something to eat later." Yunqi said, taking out the food he had prepared earlier from his spatial storage.

"Where are my dad and the kids?" Yunqi asked while eating.

"The two siblings are sleeping. Your dad went to a meeting at the village office. Everyone has basically finished their work these past few days and is discussing the future distribution of collective labor. Those few people who came back halfway that day have been gossiping these past few days, even accusing you of having no fellow villagers and abandoning them halfway."

"Ignore them. No matter how much you do for someone like that, they'll never feel it's enough."

"That's not how it works. We're all in the same village, so we should help each other out when we can." Although Mama Yun didn't mean to criticize the young couple, her words sounded a bit like that of a saint.

"How do you expect me to help? Isn't rescuing him enough? Do you expect me to carry him all the way to the village?" Yunqi was furious when he heard this.

"What's the big deal about sending it back?" Mother Yun still didn't understand her daughter and her husband. It was just a waste of half a day, but they could gain a good reputation. What was wrong with that?

"Then you deliver it next time. It's not like you're the one doing the work. You..." Si Cheng saw her getting more and more outrageous and quickly stopped her.

"Who am I doing all this for? Do whatever you want from now on!" Yun's mother also felt very wronged.

Si Cheng looked at his mother-in-law, wondering what was wrong with her. She was usually so clear-headed, so why was she suddenly acting so strangely?

Some things can't be left unchecked, so Si Cheng thought he should wait for his father-in-law to come back and have a proper talk with him.

"Mom, Yunqi didn't mean anything by it, he just felt sorry for me."

“She’s the only one who knows how to care for people,” said Yun’s mother, seemingly realizing that if everyone thought that Si Cheng would have to take on most of the responsibility, it would be a clear case of their family being at a disadvantage.

She smiled shyly at Si Cheng, "Si Cheng, I'm not saying you have to help them, but you can politely decline."

"Okay, Mom. We'll definitely be more careful next time."

"Then I'll go see if the two siblings are awake yet." After saying that, she went straight to her room and didn't come out until the two siblings woke up.

"I think she's been brainwashed by everyone these past two days, and she can't even tell the difference between inside and outside."

"You need to watch your tone. You're being too harsh on your mother." Si Cheng said to Yun Qi, but in his heart he was thinking that he needed to find an opportunity to have a good talk with his father-in-law. He needed to adjust his saintly mentality. Everyone loves their own wife.

When Yun's father returned home, he was overjoyed to see his daughter and son-in-law. The house was now built, and although it wasn't decorated, at least it could keep out the wind and rain. The crops had all been harvested, and although the yield wasn't great, at least their food supply was secured. Most importantly, the whole family could be together again, so he asked Yun Qi to take out the food he had packed from the hotel before, preparing to have a proper celebration that evening.

"What's wrong?" Seeing that her daughter and wife's expressions were a little off, she quietly asked her son-in-law.

Si Cheng recounted the whole story to his father-in-law and carefully observed his father-in-law's reaction.

"Isn't this foolish? I told you those people have been coming to chat with her every day these past few days, they were just waiting here." Yun's father was also very angry when he heard this.

"Don't take it to heart with your mother. She's probably just talking to them too much these past few days and hasn't quite caught up yet. I'll talk to her properly later."