Aunt He must be the gossip type; she gleaned a lot of information in such a short time.

She only stepped aside to wait when someone else came to tell her fortune.

Hua Xiangyun was very quick at fortune telling; she finished her work for the day as more and more people arrived.

He quickly packed up his things and disappeared from everyone's sight without giving anyone a chance to ask questions.

Aunt He, “…” I still have something to say.

Panting, Cheng Yue ran over and looked at the empty streets. Somewhat disappointed, she squatted down, pressing her stomach.

"You're late," Aunt He said, also carrying her basket and preparing to leave.

She had only heard of Cheng Yue's name but had never met her, so she didn't know that the person who had just arrived was the protagonist of her conversation.

"Why did my benefactor leave?" Cheng Yue was a little disappointed. She rushed over as soon as she received the news, but she was still a step too late. She didn't know if she would have a chance to meet him again next time.

"You call him your benefactor?" Aunt He stopped in her tracks, her eyes gleaming with gossip...

Having gone through so much, Cheng Yue would never want to expose her family affairs to the public.

He didn't answer her and walked back, feeling somewhat disappointed.

“I already guessed who it was even if you didn’t tell me,” Aunt He muttered under her breath. “But this girl is alright; at least she saw through the Liu family’s scheme. This woman is too difficult…”

Hua Xiangyun changed her clothes and strolled through the black market.

Now that things aren't being watched as closely, the black market has become much more diverse, and after she finished her rounds, she had some spoils in hand.

Carrying two large bags full, I avoided the crowds and went straight home.

She brought back mostly daily necessities, such as soap and fabric, which she would stock up on.

Moreover, we're almost in Beijing, and we'll definitely be short of many things at the beginning. If we prepare everything now, we won't have to run around all the time later.

When Tian Guihua saw that it was mealtime and her granddaughter hadn't gone over yet, she came over to call her.

"What is this child doing all by herself?" Seeing Xiangyun already cooking, Tian Guihua couldn't help but grumble, "Didn't we agree before that you would go back to your parents' house to eat if you were alone? Do you think our family is short of your food?"

Hua Xiangyun understood the old woman's good intentions. Now that she was married, she often went back to her parents' home, and she had to consider the feelings of her two sisters-in-law. However, she said, "Grandma, I know I can go home and eat ready-made meals, but we're not going to Beijing soon, and you and Grandpa don't want to leave with me. I can't just not eat in the future, can I?"

"Practicing now will save you from being flustered and overwhelmed when you actually need to do it later."

Tian Guihua said, "...There's no need to rush. We can practice the same thing slowly in a few days. Besides, it's not like I haven't eaten your cooking before, so why would I need to practice anything more?"

Did they talk about it behind my back?

Hua Xiangyun quickly shook her head and said, "No, I just wanted to do it myself."

"Grandma, since you've come all this way, why don't you stay and try some of my cooking?"

Tian Guihua shook her head and said, "No, everything is ready at home. ...Why don't you come home and stay for now? Jiang Yi just came back and left again. At least you'll have someone to keep you company at home."

Hua Xiangyun said, "Let's talk about it in a few days. I have a lot of things to tidy up in my house."

Tian Guihua failed to persuade Hua Xiangyun and could only walk back dejectedly.

Unexpectedly, as soon as I stepped out, I ran into Zhou Xiaolan and her husband, whom I hadn't seen in a long time.

They merely snorted coldly when they saw Tian Guihua and walked right past her.

Tian Guihua didn't care. These weren't her own children or grandchildren, so who cared about their upbringing?

Zhou Xiaolan waited until Tian Guihua entered the courtyard before stopping to look at the Jiang family's gate. "Hua Xiangyun is really lucky. I never realized she could do so well in the exam this time. I never would have guessed."

"You're saying Jiang Yi also passed the exam? Does that mean their house will be empty again?"

This is truly unfair. They are homeless now, while Hua Xiangyun and her husband live in such a large courtyard. Aren't they afraid of shortening their lifespan?

"What does that have to do with us?" He Ping'an was also envious of such a house. Which of the neighbors around here wasn't envious? But no matter how many methods they tried, no one could move in as they wished.

Now forget about it, Jiang Yi and Hua Xiangyun are even more formidable.

"Quickly think of where we'll rent a place next." They haven't even sorted out their own affairs yet, and they're already envious of others? They should at least consider whether they're truly envious.

“This house isn’t so easy to rent. We’ve moved several times already. I don’t know where these people got the news from, but they insist on going up there and causing a scene.”

Your parents are really heartless. You're their son, after all, and they won't even let us stay for a while.

He Ping'an's eyes darkened. How much time had passed? It was as if this family didn't exist.

Now, my parents only care about my eldest brother and don't care about their own lives. They don't even ask my eldest brother to clear out his room for them to live in; they can't even set up a bed in the living room.

Indeed, parents and siblings are not always reliable; you have to rely on yourself.

"When you say this, think about your own family. How good are your parents and your brother?"

Let me tell you, I won't acknowledge the IOUs or the betrothal gifts I wrote before.

Anyway, you married me empty-handed. If you have any objections, I'll take you back with me.

When Zhou Xiaolan heard this, she almost fell over. What did they take her for?

But he didn't dare to say anything more, and racked his brains, head down, trying to figure out where he could rent another place.

"We can't rent any in the villages around here. How about we go to the other side of the county to take a look?"

He Ping'an said, "That place is too remote. I wouldn't dare go there if I were to run the black market at night."

"Who gave you permission to operate at night now? Haven't you noticed that the black market is basically unregulated these days? I went in for a walk today and found that people aren't as cautious as before. Haven't you noticed that yourself?"

He Pingan shook his head, "I'm always on edge when I go in, I don't have the mind to observe these things."

Are you sure there won't be any problems during the day? This is no joke.

Seeing his timid appearance, Zhou Xiaolan felt a little annoyed. "Who's joking with you like this? You're just scaring yourself. Before, you said you had to work and didn't have time to go during the day, so going at night was normal. Now that you've lost your job, why do you need to do it like before?"

"If you don't believe me, wait a moment, don't sell anything, and come inside with me for a walk."

It would be best to do it during the day. Who likes walking at night?

He Ping'an was somewhat tempted. If the black market was just as easy to do business during the day as it was during the day, he didn't want to have his days and nights reversed like this.

The local residents shook their heads when they saw the couple; their two children, who were once so good, were now ruined.

The two of them have no jobs and are unwilling to go to the countryside. They wander around all day. Can they really survive on the meager food rations provided by the ration book?