Su Lu didn't like eating fruit, and this pear was so sour that he wanted to eat it even less. But Qin Xiaoxiao forced him to eat it, so he took two bites and gave it to Qin Xiaoxiao.

"There's not much fruit available now, and you're pregnant, so you need a lot of nutrition. We can't let our daughter suffer, so you should eat it."

Qin Xiaoxiao thought about it and felt that Su Lu's words made sense, so she hugged the pear and started eating it herself.

Su Lu secretly breathed a sigh of relief, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and went out to fetch water for Qin Xiaoxiao to wash her feet.

After Qin Xiaoxiao was put to sleep, Su Lu was finally able to close his eyes and rest.

After thinking about it all night, Jiang Jiaqi decided to stay away from Qin Xiaoxiao.

Before she transmigrated, she wasn't a ruthless person, nor was she very bright. She was just a homebody who had just graduated from university. Luckily, she transmigrated into a historical novel; if it had been a palace intrigue novel, she probably wouldn't have survived more than three chapters.

She felt she couldn't outmaneuver Qin Xiaoxiao, nor could she guarantee she wouldn't give herself away in front of her. Moreover, she didn't know if Qin Xiaoxiao had any ill intentions towards her. To survive, she had no choice but to stay away from her.

The next morning, Jiang Jiaqi and a group of female educated youth went up the mountain again. Winter was approaching, and in Northeast China, one cannot survive without firewood. They had to prepare enough firewood before winter arrived.

Once on the mountain, Jiang Jiaqi gathered firewood while trying to stay as far away from the others as possible. When her back was to everyone, she would secretly stuff some firewood into her spatial storage. When she got to the educated youth compound, she would secretly take it out and mix it into the pile of firewood. No one would notice.

These female and male educated youth went up the mountain together. Once they reached the top, they separated. The female educated youth tried to stay together, while the male educated youth, not wanting to spend too much time with the female educated youth, went to the other side.

With the autumn harvest basically over, Qin Ye has some free time. He needs to prepare firewood for his home and Qin Xiaoxiao's place within half a month, so he went up the mountain today.

They encountered male educated youth on the way. These older educated youths all knew him and went up to greet him. After Qin Ye left, the newly arrived male educated youth asked him questions.

"Who is this guy? He's quite handsome."

"This guy, hehe, he's the son-in-law of our educated youth compound, Qin's cousin, and the eldest son of the brigade leader."

"Son-in-law? His wife is one of our educated youth?"

"Yes, it's Su Yun, the educated youth. Su Yu is her cousin."

"Su Yu, an educated youth?"

"Oh, right, you're late, so you don't know. Su Yu, an educated youth, got married to Zou Jing, an educated youth, a few days ago. After the marriage, she moved out of the educated youth compound and is now renting a house in the village."

Su Yu and her husband, both former educated youth, didn't usually work with us. She was mostly with Qin and Su Yun, the other former educated youth.

The newly arrived male educated youth were even more confused, since they didn't know anyone except Qin Xiaoxiao, and everyone was completely baffled by what they heard.

The older educated youth didn't explain much, only saying, "You'll get to know each other when we start working together in the spring."

Seeing that the older educated youth were no longer saying anything or asking any more questions, the new educated youth all lowered their heads and worked diligently, otherwise they would freeze to death if there was no firewood to burn in the winter.

After picking for three days straight, the new educated youth couldn't take it anymore. The male educated youth could still manage, but the female educated youth were weak and had never done so much work before. The thought of spring plowing in the spring made them look like they had lost their parents.

Even if you don't want to, you have to keep going, otherwise no one will be kind enough to lend you firewood in winter.

The older educated youth, in particular, insisted on dragging these new educated youth up the mountain, while also warning them that they must gather more firewood, otherwise they would not lend it to them in winter, and they would have to endure the cold.

The new educated youth were full of complaints, and the entire educated youth compound seemed much more depressed. Even the carefree Qin Xiaoxiao sensed that something was wrong.

That evening, when Su Lu got home from get off work, Qin Xiaoxiao pulled him aside and asked, "What's wrong with those educated youth? They looked so pale, like they'd lost their parents."

Su Lu didn't know either, but when he thought of the broken branches on the ground in the front yard that hadn't been swept up yet, he could guess some of the reason.

"They must have gone up the mountain to collect firewood."

Qin Xiaoxiao understood and nodded, "I know that. Gathering firewood is not easy. These new educated youths definitely can't handle carrying such heavy firewood down the mountain."

Su Lu didn't take it seriously. "If you don't want to die, you have to work hard. In winter, the heavens won't warm up just because they lack firewood. But that's when the South shows its advantages. I went to the South last time, and it was so warm there. It's a pity you can't come with me, otherwise renting a courtyard in the South would be much better."

Qin Xiaoxiao's belly grew bigger every day, and he felt a chill run down his spine just looking at it. He couldn't imagine how Qin Xiaoxiao's small body could hold two children.

It would be even better if my wife could spend the winter in the south.

Qin Xiaoxiao pouted, "Just wait and see. In a few years, the regulations won't be so strict, and we can go wherever we want. By then, the child will be older, and we can take him anywhere."

They would buy a house in the south, live there during the winter, and then move to the capital in the spring. Many retired elderly people in Northeast China lived like this in later generations.

Buy a 30-40 square meter house in the south. If you don't have the money, you can rent it. Some people share a house with three or four other families. With meals and entertainment, your retirement pension is enough. You can live as carefree as you want.

While Qin Xiaoxiao was pondering whether to buy a house in the south, Jiang Jiaqi was already preparing to venture into the black market.

There was nothing she could do; she didn't have much money, and even buying a bar of soap was difficult. She wanted to take out the soap from her spatial storage, but modern products didn't fit this era, and she was afraid of arousing suspicion, so she could only use it secretly.

But this wasn't a long-term solution. It might work for a short time, but if it went on for too long, people would definitely become suspicious. So Jiang Jiaqi decided to do what the female protagonists in period novels do: go to the black market and take out some of the food and meat from her spatial storage to exchange for some money.

In addition, she also wanted to buy two courtyard houses in Beijing in two years, but she didn't have the money. All she could dream about was nothing. In order to live a better life in the future, Jiang Jiaqi was determined to do something risky.

Half a month later, thanks to the efforts of all the educated youth in the educated youth compound, the firewood for the winter was finally almost ready. Seeing the eaves and the woodshed piled high with firewood, both the old and new educated youth breathed a sigh of relief.

Old educated youth: We won't have to freeze this winter.

New educated youth: Finally, we don't have to go up the mountain to collect firewood anymore.

With the firewood ready, the new and old educated youth all decided to go to the county town for a stroll. Those with money also wanted to improve their meals, since no one could stand eating cornbread and steamed buns every day for too long.

Qin Xiaoxiao was also discussing with Su Lu about going to the county hospital for a check-up. After all, it was twins, and Qin Xiaoxiao was afraid that something might go wrong. She wanted to have a check-up before giving birth to put her mind at ease.

The next day, Qin Xiaoxiao and Su Lu got up early. After having breakfast at home, Su Lu told the Qin family and took Qin Xiaoxiao on their bicycles to the county town.

Upon arriving in the county town, Su Lu first went to his workplace to ask for leave, and then took Qin Xiaoxiao to the county hospital.