On her way home, Jiang Qiao was startled to see the woman standing in the yard. What was Shen Ruifang doing here? And in their house no less! Wasn't it supposed to be arranged by Grandpa Hou? How did she end up next to her?

"Uncle, hurry up and wash up, it's time to eat. I'm going to deliver food to Jingwan and the others. I ate with her in the field. I've already fed Qiao'er. Could you keep an eye on her for me?"

Although Jiang Qiao was anxious to know her mother's condition, the most important thing right now was to try and see if she could return to her own body.

Gu Hanting was actually more anxious than Jiang Qiao. He called out to his grandson and rushed into the room where Jiang Qiao was lying.

"Girl, quick, give it a try—"

Seeing her own body lying on the kang (a heated brick bed), Jiang Qiao felt like crying. It was so familiar, it felt like something she hadn't felt in a long time.

She was well taken care of; apart from being a little thin, she looked refreshed and healthy.

She tried, but unfortunately, she couldn't get in. She could feel that the spiritual energy around her was very abundant, but she just couldn't figure out why she couldn't get in.

She looked at Gu Hanting with some frustration, "Grandpa, I can't get in, what should I do?"

Although Gu Hanting couldn't hear Jiang Qiao's voice, he knew that his granddaughter had probably encountered a problem since she hadn't made a sound for a long time.

“Girl, we’re not in a hurry. We’ll wait for your Master Hou to come back. You stay inside while Grandpa goes to get food for Shitou.”

Stone couldn't wait any longer outside, so the little guy came in by himself. "Grandpa, is my sister alright?"

Gu Hanting picked up his grandson and gave him a big kiss. "Your sister is doing very well. Maybe it won't be long before our Shitou can go out and play with her."

The little guy's eyes widened, and he looked at Gu Hanting happily, "Really? Grandpa, you're not lying to me?"

Gu Hanting smiled and said, "Would Grandpa lie to you about this? Go eat, Grandpa will get you something delicious in a bit."

"What's good to eat?"

Jiang Qiao guessed that her younger brother must have been short of food these past two years, and the little guy looked at Gu Hanting with longing eyes.

The old man smiled and took out the candy that Jiang Qiao had thrown out. "Look—"

"sugar?"

It wasn't that Shitou had never eaten candy before. Although the family's conditions weren't as good as before, with so many adults taking care of him, the siblings were always given priority when it came to good food.

However, given the limited resources in the countryside, sugar wasn't something all the children could eat every day, since ration coupons were required to buy it.

While ensuring the nutritional needs of their two children, Wen Jingwan and Jian Ling also had to take care of the three elderly people in the family.

Jiang Qiao was already in this state, and they didn't want their child to wake up and see that the old woman was gone. So, they tried their best to provide the old woman with some food.

In terms of losses, Wen Jingwan and Jian Ling ate relatively worse.

It wasn't that Wen Jingwan wanted to mistreat Jian Ling, the person who helped her; it was just that Jian Ling had made that request.

She's an adult, younger than the old men but older than the children, in the prime of her life. Putting aside her relationship with Jiang Qiao, just based on the years they've spent together, their bond is practically sisterly.

Moreover, living with this family was a rare opportunity for her to experience the warmth of family life, which was different from living with the couple. It was more lively. In addition, she had a selfish motive: she hoped that Jiang Qiao would take care of her in her old age.

Even if Jiang Qiao doesn't wake up, there are still Shi Tou and the others. After all, they don't have children, and the two of them will have to face this problem someday. So why not sacrifice a little in advance? They will naturally be blessed in the future.

She had seen everything Jiang Qiao had done, especially how the Gu family educated their children. She thought that since they treated the two elderly people and the orphans so well, she was probably no different.

Put yourself in her shoes; you will reap what you sow.

Jiang Qiao followed them outside to take a look at their lunch.

There's really no comparison when she's around. Before, we ate vegetables for health reasons, for the sake of the elderly's well-being.

However, the dishes were never lacking in oil, but looking at the dishes on their table, although they weren't exactly boiled in plain water, there wasn't a drop of oil on them either.

However, seeing my younger brother wolfing down his food as if it were all delicious, the little guy was eating with such relish, one bite after another.

"Eat slowly, no rush, Grandpa is waiting for you. In a little while, Grandpa will give you something delicious."

Upon hearing about something delicious, Shi Tou's attention was immediately drawn. "What's delicious? Is it candy? I already have some, Grandpa. You keep it for yourself and give it to the other two grandpas."

Gu Hanting patted his grandson's head. "Everyone else has one. Look, it's an apple. Grandpa took a bite, and it's so sweet!"

Apples are a rare commodity these days. Even though there are orchards in the countryside, those are all for fulfilling quotas and selling to purchasing stations. Not many actually reach the hands of ordinary people; most of them are rotten fruit. Even so, people still have to pay money to buy them. Who would be willing to waste money like that?

When autumn comes, the mountains and fields will be full of wild fruits, and it won't be too late to eat them then.

Moreover, the apples Jiang Qiao took out were truly unique to this area; they were produced within the space, and their taste and color were incomparable to ordinary fruits from outside.

Even though Stone was very tempted by the apple, the little guy was very sensible.

"Grandpa, save this for my sister. Mom said she needs nutrition."

Gu Hanting patted his grandson's head with a kind expression. "Eat up. Your sister doesn't need this. We've eaten all the stones so you can grow up. After the autumn harvest, Grandpa will send you to school."

Thinking about the situation outside, Gu Hanting sighed, "Qiao'er, please wake up soon. You have no idea what the situation is like now."

Jiang Qiao could know what was happening outside, but she didn't know what was happening at home.

Judging from Grandpa's appearance, I guess no one will dare to cause trouble. Otherwise, wouldn't all her previous efforts have been in vain?

The problem is, she didn't understand why her mother was working in the fields.

After the grandfather and grandson finished eating, Gu Hanting took his grandson to the cowshed to continue teaching him to read and write. Schools outside no longer taught reading properly, so he taught as much as he could. He had already taught two grandsons, so he didn't need another one.

Gu Hanting thought his granddaughter had stayed in the old house, but to his surprise, Jiang Qiao had gone to the cellar, which was now empty. She quickly emptied her things out, as this was the last thing she needed in her space.

Then, she drifted to the field. It wasn't the busy farming season, so she shouldn't be eating in the field. She just couldn't understand what was going on.