At 2:30 a.m., when An Moxue arrived at the threshing ground on her bicycle, there were more than a dozen torches lit around the grain warehouse, and a scorekeeper was making records at the entrance.

The village's only six large carts were parked at the entrance of the granary. Two of them were already loaded with grain and were being driven to the roadside. The rest were all human-powered wheelbarrows, forming a long line with flickering torches that stretched as far as the eye could see.

When the militia company commander saw An Moxue arrive, he walked up to her and said, "An Zhiqing, you have a bicycle. We'd like you to be in the first group and travel with these big trucks. I don't know if that's okay."

“Okay,” An Moxue readily agreed.

"Alright, just follow these trucks all the way to the grain depot. When they come back, come back together. Once you see our militia, you don't need to go back. Just follow the trucks when they head back to town. Understand?"

"Okay, I understand."

After giving instructions to An Moxue, the militia company commander turned around and went to arrange the work for the others.

In no time, all six carts were loaded. The drivers were all strong laborers. Only the first cart had Accountant Chen sitting on it, holding a notebook in his hand, presumably to take notes. The other carts also had a driver accompanying them.

Accountant Chen saw An Moxue and waved to her. An Moxue rode up to him on her bicycle. Accountant Chen said to her, "Moxue, don't be nervous. Accidents are rare. Just ride along with me." Then he turned around and shouted, "Let's go!"

The lead mule cart started moving, and slowly all six carts began to move. Each cart was equipped with a lantern for lighting, and they were carrying grain. They were not moving very fast. An Moxue rode slowly alongside the sixth cart.

At first, she could still see the people pushing the wheelbarrow behind her when she looked back, but they gradually went further and further away. When she looked back again, she could only see a long, fiery dragon stretching along the mountain road, getting longer and longer.

In the pitch-black night, she inexplicably remembered the forced march that the original owner's parents had told her. She shook her head to bring her scattered thoughts back and continued on her way.

She usually only needs a little over an hour to get to town, but today it took her almost two hours. She arrived at the grain depot before five o'clock.

The entrance to the grain depot was empty. Apart from the first car that Accountant Chen was in, the other five cars unloaded their grain one after another. In just a few minutes, a whole carload of grain was unloaded and neatly stacked at the entrance of the grain depot.

An Moxue put the bicycle on the mule cart, and the five carts turned around and headed back, this time much faster.

When they encountered the grain convoy, they quickly drove over and started loading the grain. Once it was full, they headed towards the town. This time, Village Chief Guo was also on the truck.

When An Moxue and her group arrived at the granary entrance for the second time, three more villages had already lined up in front of it.

All the vehicles were lined up on the right side of the road, with the grain piled behind them, leaving half of the left side empty.

Village Chief Guo greeted them familiarly, "Old Liu, you've arrived quite early."

The man replied, "We're not as early as your village, so we're first in line."

Village Chief Guo answered insincerely, "Just lucky, just lucky." He greeted the grain carts in the next village the same way, using the same excuse, until the very last one.

In the dark, An Moxue couldn't see his expression, but she could hear the pride in his words. She couldn't help but think, this little old man also likes this trick. If I were in those villages, I would put a sack on him and beat him.

When An Moxue and her group arrived at the gate, it was already open. In front of the grain pile belonging to Anle Village, there was only one villager guarding the grain. Everyone else had gone inside to unload the grain, and the grain pile had shrunk considerably. Several people sped up the unloading of the grain. Only then did An Moxue realize that the granary had opened at five o'clock to start receiving grain.

After unloading the grain, they hurried back. The other villages were in a similar situation. It wasn't until the third time the grain was delivered to the granary that it was fully light.

An Moxue also saw the lively grain delivery team clearly. It was a grand and impressive procession, with all sorts of skills being used. Some of the grain was even carried on shoulder poles. It was all strong and capable laborers. It was the first time she had ever seen such a shocking and spectacular scene.

It wasn't until after 1 p.m. that the village had delivered enough rice for its quota, and they also brought back three bags of grain. They would receive a notice in a few days to deliver corn and other grains.

An Moxue did not return to the village with the village chief and the others, but went to the state-run restaurant instead.

The state-run restaurant was unusually lively today. An Moxue bought a plate of sauerkraut dumplings and a plate of sweet and sour pork. The small restaurant was packed with people.

After finally finishing his meal and leaving his seat, An Moxue quickly picked up the dumplings and sweet and sour pork and sat down next to him. Because of the grain tax, everyone eating at the restaurant except An Moxue was a strong, middle-aged man.

They chatted as they ate, and An Moxue noticed several bowls with wine next to them.

She overheard a few people nearby saying, "Have you heard? Something's been weird going on in Majia'ao lately."

The man paused for a moment after speaking, and then continued, "I heard that several of them went there and all came back seriously injured, most of them unconscious. They're probably in serious trouble."

Another person chimed in, "I've heard about it too. What's going on? This hasn't happened in previous years!"

A voice was lowered, and An Moxue could vaguely hear it: "Someone said that they offended the Weasel God there."

"You can't say things like that carelessly, it could kill someone," the group whispered.

The man, perhaps having had a few drinks, retorted defiantly, "I'm not making this up; this rumor has been circulating quite a bit."

The person next to him hurriedly covered his mouth, looked around furtively like a thief, and then breathed a sigh of relief. The group exchanged glances, stopped talking, finished the food on the table in a few bites, and dragged the man out of the restaurant. As they left, the man tried to say something, but his companion covered his mouth, preventing him from uttering a word.

An Moxue found what these people were saying a bit strange, but she also found them quite interesting.

After those people left, all she heard was about food.

After she finished eating, she rode her bicycle back to the village.

In the village, the enthusiasm for delivering grain had not yet faded, and the people you met on the road were all talking about delivering grain to the state.

People always have a great interest in food, and the same goes for topics related to food.

The village chief returned and said that the village was the first to deliver its rice this year, and the grain grade was quite good. Everyone was very happy to hear this news. These days, there is nothing more gratifying than receiving recognition from the organization.

An Moxue saw everyone acting as if they had accomplished something extraordinary. To be honest, she didn't understand. Although she had lived here for so long, she probably still wouldn't understand. But that didn't mean she would object. She could just stay silent and be tolerant. There was no need to be different.

However, seeing their enthusiastic attitude towards life, she envied them. She felt that she didn't have that; she tended to view things more rationally and from multiple perspectives, which made her lose a lot of enthusiasm for life.