Chapter 47 mentions accompanying the army again.

The Ji family hadn't expected Molly to come at this time. As usual, Molly went to Old Master Ji's room first. Xu Xia'an opened the door, put down the corn flour on his shoulder, and left.

Old Master Ji was the first to wake up. He sat up and asked, "Who is it?"

“Grandpa, it’s me,” Molly said.

Upon hearing this, Grandpa Ji immediately lit a candle and woke Ji Liangyou, saying, "Molly is here."

Ji Liangyou groggily opened his eyes, but instantly perked up when he saw the person under the light. "Molly's here."

“Dad.” Molly’s eyes crinkled into a smile.

"Sigh." Ji Liangyou got out of bed and poured water for Molly. "Have you had dinner yet? Dad will cook for you."

"No need, Dad, I've already eaten at Brother Xu's house." Molly drank some water, stood up, and said, "You and Grandpa can sleep here. I'm going to sleep with Grandma and Mom."

Molly knocked on the door, and after six knocks, Ji's mother's voice came from inside, "Who is it?"

“Mom, it’s me, Molly,” Molly answered softly.

The next morning, Molly was the last to wake up. When she got up, breakfast was already prepared.

“Your parents, aunt, and cousin are going to work on road repairs soon, so they have to leave early every morning. Are you still sleepy? Go back to bed for a while after breakfast,” Grandma Ji said, squeezing Molly’s hand.

Molly yawned. "Hmm, I'm going to take a nap later."

"Let's have breakfast first." Mrs. Ji served Molly a bowl of mixed grain rice. There was also a plate of blanched wild vegetables and two bowls of mushroom and meat sauce on the table.

The Ji family mixed wild vegetables with mushroom and meat sauce, eating them with a bite of vegetables and a bite of rice, thoroughly enjoying their meal. Molly also tried their way of eating, and it tasted pretty good.

"This time it's two jars again, even bigger than the last two. Are they still filled with mushroom meat sauce?" Grandma Ji asked.

"No, it's braised pork. I slaughtered two pigs the day before yesterday and made it into braised pork for easy preservation. In the future, when Mom and Auntie cook, they can cut a piece or two into the pot and stir-fry it together. It will definitely be very fragrant," Molly said.

"What is 'jarred meat'?" The Ji family had never heard of it.

Molly got up to open the lid of the earthenware pot, inserted clean chopsticks into the pot, and lifted up a large piece of meat, the oil from the meat dripping back into the pot.

"Large pieces of pork are fried until they release oil and turn golden brown. The meat and oil are then stored together in a jar, where they can be preserved for a long time."

"This is a good method," Grandpa Ji exclaimed. "The wisdom of the people is boundless."

"With so much oil and meat, you didn't leave any for yourself, did you?" Grandma Ji was both touched and helpless.

“Keep them. Those two pigs weigh 170 pounds each, they’re big fat pigs.” Molly said, pointing to two other bags. “These are dried mushrooms, and those are cornmeal. You can eat these first, so you don’t go hungry.”

Looking at the two full sacks, Mrs. Ji hugged Molly tightly. "You've worked so hard. Your parents can support themselves. Don't always think about us. Don't overwork yourself. We are not your responsibility. No matter what, you should always put yourself first."

“But I don’t feel tired.” Molly hugged her back. “It’s all within my capabilities. Besides, after this, I probably won’t be able to come back until the end of the year. The brigade asked me to raise pigs for the team, and I won’t have time until the pigs are slaughtered.”

"Raising pigs is great. You don't have to work in the fields or be exposed to the wind, sun, and rain." Grandma Ji thinks it's a good job.

"It just smells a bit bad," Ji Herun added.

Molly had slept in piles of corpses during the apocalypse quite a bit, and she adapted well to the smell of the pigsty. "It's okay, I can stand it. I'll bring my big fat pig over for you guys to try at the end of the year."

Mrs. Ji and the others still had a lot to say to Molly, but they had to go to work. Grandpa Ji was also going to herd the cattle. Molly was left alone in the thatched hut. She yawned and went back to bed.

Lunch was cooked by Grandma Ji after she came back, since no one was home and starting a fire would produce smoke, which was not normal.

Aunt Ji and others are repairing the road near the farm. They can come back for lunch and then continue repairing the road.

Molly soaked the mushrooms in advance and cleaned them. When Grandma Ji returned, she cut the braised pork into four pieces, filling a large plate. Grandma Ji brought back a large bunch of chives. The old lady smiled somewhat embarrassedly, "We don't know how to grow vegetables, and we don't have much time to take care of the vegetable garden. The best-growing vegetable in the garden is this chive."

“Chives are good, let’s stir-fry them with braised pork, and then make a mushroom soup. We’ll have cornbread pancakes for our main course,” Molly said.

Grandma Ji nodded repeatedly, "I think it's feasible."

Before Ji's mother and the others even got close to the house, they could smell the rich aroma. Fortunately, it was just them and the Wu family there; otherwise, even if Molly had brought meat, they probably wouldn't have dared to eat it.

The Wu family members who returned together silently glanced at the Ji family's house and swallowed hard.

Upon returning home, the first thing Ji Liangyou did was to take a deep plate, fill it with a plate of braised pork, and add an extra five spoonfuls of oil to the plate.

"Our food smells so good, even the Wu family can smell it," Ji Liangyou said with a smile.

Molly laughed too, "Dad, are you going to bribe them to keep our secret?"

Ji Liangyou gave Molly a thumbs up, "Smart."

No sooner had the Wu family arrived home than Ji Liangyou followed them in. He placed the plate of meat on the table and explained, "My daughter-in-law came over late last night with some jarred meat. I brought some over for you to try."

"Brother Ji, you're too kind. First it was mushroom and meat sauce, and now it's braised pork. We can't keep eating your food forever," Uncle Wu's son said, looking embarrassed.

“Why should I be embarrassed? We’ve all fallen on hard times, we should support each other. What’s wrong with giving you some of what we have? Look how thin Xiao Liang has become. You may not feel sorry for him, but I do.” Ji Liangyou said, then turned to Uncle Wu’s daughter-in-law, “Sister-in-law, go get a plate and pour out the meat. I should go back for lunch. I have to go back to repair the road soon, so we don’t have much time to eat.”

Uncle Wu's daughter-in-law went to get the plates, saying, "Please tell your daughter-in-law we're thanking you when we get back."

Ji Liangyou agreed, "Okay, no problem."

As soon as Ji Liangyou left, the Wu family couldn't help but gather around the plate full of meat.

"Mom, this meat smells so good!" Xiao Liang smacked his lips.

"This meat has been deep-fried, it must be delicious. Mom can use it to stir-fry some vegetables for Xiaoliang later, okay?"

"Okay, Xiao Liang wants to eat meat, and Grandpa, Dad, and Mom also want to eat meat."

"Okay, everyone eat meat."

"So much meat, enough to eat for many days. And that lard, it's perfect for stir-frying. Brother Ji's wife is quite capable, managing to get such good stuff."

"The Ji family are blessed people; even in their misfortune, they have people to help them."

"Who can argue with that?"

The Ji family was enjoying themselves immensely, with delicious food in front of them, and much of the fatigue from the morning had dissipated.

"These mushrooms are so delicious." Grandpa Ji took a bite of a mushroom and praised it, then took a bite of meat and praised it again, "This meat is so fragrant, with a good balance of fat and lean meat, and it's very chewy."

"I think this bread is special. The cornmeal is ground very finely, and it has a unique corn aroma. It's delicious and filling." Aunt glanced at the burlap sack in the corner. It was such a big sack that it would last them a long time.

“I’m going to make some cornbread this afternoon,” Molly said, having brought the starter for making the dough.

"It's been so long since I've had steamed buns," Ji Herun said with anticipation.

“You can make it yourselves when you have time. I planted corn in my vegetable garden, and I’ll bring it to you in my car when it’s harvested.” She can’t grow other grains for the time being, but she doesn’t need corn for now.

"You should eat first." Mrs. Ji was afraid that if she brought everything over to them, she would suffer instead.

Molly smiled faintly, "Mom, don't worry, I don't need anything. Look at me, I'm so good-looking, do I look like I'm going to suffer?"

Upon hearing this, the Ji family all laughed; they certainly didn't look like they were suffering.

For dinner, we ate steamed buns with mushroom meat sauce and mushroom soup.

After dinner, Molly took a shower but didn't change her clothes; she hadn't brought any spare clothes this time.

"Mom, I'm leaving first thing tomorrow morning. You don't need to get up and cook breakfast for me. I've brought money and tickets, so I'll eat in town," Molly said.

Ji's mother hugged her and said, "You must take good care of yourself."

Grandma Ji also hugged him, saying, "Take good care of yourself. When Xiaofeng comes back, you can go with the army."

Molly neither agreed nor refused. She was doing well in Xiaonan Village and didn't want to change anything for the time being.

The next day, before dawn, Molly left quietly without alerting anyone.

She went to say goodbye to Xu Xia'an, but was invited to stay for breakfast by the Xu family. After breakfast, she and Xu Xia'an went to town together.

When they arrived at the county bus station, Molly boarded the bus and discovered that the driver and ticket seller were not Uncle Qian and Sister Sun. They were probably driving the same bus that had departed in the morning.

When Molly got home, it was already dark. Mohe and Moan were having dinner, which consisted of stewed bones and a plate of toon leaves.

"My eldest sister says that bone soup is good for your health, and she forces me to eat it every day. Second sister, do you think I've gained weight?" Mo An pinched her own flesh, showing a strange obsession with gaining weight.

Molly looked at them carefully. "Their complexions are rosy, so it seems to have worked. My eldest sister's complexion is better than before I left."

Mo He laughed, "How could it not be good? Here with you, I eat meat for every meal."

Molly: "Then eat more. When you finish the braised pork in your jar, come and get some more from us. If you take good care of your health, you'll suffer less when you get old."

“Okay, I know what I'm doing. I raise chickens and rabbits myself, and I also supplement my diet regularly, so don't worry. Besides, I'm also planning to raise a pig this year.” Seeing how well her sister was raising pigs, Mo He was also considering raising pigs herself.

"If you want to raise one, then raise one. Do you have the money to buy a piglet, sister? If you don't have enough money, I'll pay for it first."

"No need. I'll contribute part of it, and your brother-in-law will contribute part of it. Raising pigs is something that he and Li Xiaoju both agreed to, so there's no reason for me to pay for it all by myself."

Molly went with the brigade to the commune to buy piglets on an oxcart. Besides her, the brigade leader, the accountant, and another aunt who was also in charge of raising pigs were on the cart. This aunt's surname was Fang, and Molly called her Aunt Fang.

When Aunt Fang saw Molly, she asked her, "Molly, when are your rabbits going to have kittens? Is it my turn next?"

Molly's bunnies have already sold two batches, and they're still in high demand.

“A mother rabbit just gave birth to eight baby rabbits. I’ll raise them a little longer and then I can send them to you, Aunt Fang.”

"I have four at home, pick the biggest one for me."

"They're all about the same size."

"Alright, everyone's right. You, Molly, are stubborn and won't listen to reason. You have to choose, not the others. But your rabbit is really good-looking. I haven't heard of anyone else killing their rabbit."

"That's because everyone put their heart into it and took good care of the rabbits."