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One taught diligently, and the other learned humbly, so time passed quickly, and before they knew it, it was dark.

Dinner consisted of cornmeal porridge, steamed sweet potatoes, pickled vegetables, and stir-fried potato slices with meat. The leftover cornbread from lunch was fried in a little oil.

Zhang Hongmei fell asleep on the kang (a heated brick bed) soon after lying down, but Zhang Shouyi tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

Connecting the events of my past life with those of this life, I was surprised to find that they were very different from my previous life.

The main problem is that they are currently short of funds, while the money he borrowed from Zhang Hongmei has given him a significant head start over them.

Upon careful reflection, they realized that in their previous life, they only had a large source of funds after Zhang Aiguo and his wife passed away.

I only vaguely heard that Zhang Hongmei didn't survive in my previous life. Could it be that things changed because Zhang Hongmei survived?

Could the funds I have be what they obtained in my past life? But how did they acquire them?

That way, we'll have to be wary of them when Hongmei goes to the capital.

I only ever heard one sentence: "It's a pity that the last drop of legitimate royal blood has also disappeared." Was that when Zhang Hongmei died?

No one seems to be paying attention to Zhang Hongmei right now. She'll be safe for the rest of the year, but we'll have to make arrangements for her trip to the capital next year.

In fact, Zhang Shouyi was also confused, wondering whether he should continue down the path of his previous life. He had suffered too much and was all alone in his past life.

Although this life changed her father's fate, allowing him to avoid a dead end and stay with her, and she also met Zhang Hongmei, the person she wanted to spend her life with, she was also constantly facing danger.

Now, even if I don't compete or fight for anything, I have to keep going to ensure the safety of those around me.

Unable to fall asleep, I finally got up and stood in the yard, staring blankly at the yard next door.

It's already the fourth day of the Lunar New Year in the blink of an eye. Zhang Hongmei is getting tired of spending every day around the stove, but she can't just go on strike when there are guests at home, can she?

There's no other way. We have to keep going, since they're leaving on the ninth day anyway. As long as there's time, there's hope.

I took two large yellow squashes from the cellar. I put them in the nest and steamed them until cooked. After breakfast, I'll use the squashes to make steamed bean buns.

Next, let's have a fish head tofu soup and a stew of dried eggplant and green beans.

I turned on the radio and listened to the daily news, but my work didn't stop.

For breakfast, Zhang Hongmei got up to roll out noodles, poached eggs for everyone, and heated up sticky rice cakes.

After Zhang Xingguo finished eating, he asked, "Hongmei, have you packed all your things?"

"Put it away. It contains grains, pickled vegetables, dried vegetables, dried sweet potatoes, and the like."

"If there's too much stuff, let Xiao Shun deliver it first, otherwise we won't be able to move it all at once."

"Sure. Today?"

"Let's do it today. You and Shouyi stay home. Xiaoshun and I will go move."

"Dad, you stay home, I'll go. We'll load the truck in a bit, go after lunch, and come back in the evening."

"Okay, otherwise I won't be able to help Xiaoshun, but you two can hurry up too."

Zhang Hongmei had already prepared the food she was going to bring.

One bag of cornmeal, one bag of corn husks, one bag of sweet potato flour, and one bag of sorghum flour, each weighing about fifty pounds.

There was also a bag of dried sweet potatoes, dried eggplant, dried shredded radish, dried green beans, and dried cabbage. All of these were loaded onto the car, and seeing there was still room, I also put the pickled vegetable jars on top.

After a busy day of tidying up, it was almost ten o'clock, so Zhang Hongmei quickly started cooking.

The steamed buns with pumpkin noodles are sweet and delicious, as are the flavorful fish head tofu soup.

"Hongmei, you stay home and pack the things we need to deliver tomorrow. Let's go together tomorrow," Zhang Shouyi instructed Zhang Hongmei, though he really just wanted to be with her.

Zhang Xingguo understood what Zhang Shouyi meant. "Yes, we'll deliver the big items on the last day. You can just pack what you have with you and tidy up the place. Shouyi can help you while he's here."

"Okay, then let's have clothes, bedding, books, and some personal items."

After finishing their meal, the two drove away, and Zhang Hongmei started chopping meat filling with a loud clatter, because they should eat dumplings on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year.

I need to organize my things this morning, so I don't have much time. I'll take advantage of this time to chop the meat first.

Er Ya came over and said, "Hongmei, I saw Comrade Zhang loading the truck. Is he transporting things to the city?"

"Okay, let's move the big items over first, then make another trip tomorrow. If there's anything else, we'll make another trip the day after tomorrow, so the two of us won't have to carry it ourselves."

"Then you can go after the holiday?"

"Yeah, I'll just ride my bike there."

"I'm about to start the second year of junior high, and I'm quite nervous."

"Relax, with your grades you'll have no problem getting into high school."

"Sigh! I just feel sorry for my parents. They are exposed to the wind and sun all day long, and I still have to take food from home every time. I feel bad about it."

"Hehe, then you should work hard and find a good job in the future to repay them."

"Yes, I will try my best."

"Politics will be added to high school courses later, so it's not convenient for me to lend you the radio. But I can give you the newspapers I've read each month, so you should read them regularly."

"Hongmei, you are so kind. If it weren't for you, I would be just like the other girls, doing farm work at home and taking care of the whole family."

I don't want to live like that. It's not that I'm unfilial, or lazy; I just want to escape the life of toiling in the fields from dawn till dusk.

"That's great. You have your own ideals and you've put in the effort."

"But the girls in the village don't talk to me anymore. I know most of them are jealous, but I still feel bad."

Even though no girls want to hang out with you, you have a good attitude and just ignore them.

Zhang Hongmei: I've taken 10,000 points of damage. What do you mean no one wants to play with me?

"Yes, don't care about what others think, persistence is key to victory!"

After acting as a confidante for half a day, I finally finished packing everything. It didn't look like much, but I didn't dare bring the potatoes and sweet potatoes, in case no one stayed there for the next few days and they froze.

I'll just come back every month to collect some.

For dinner, I made sorghum porridge, boiled a few salted eggs, and had some pickled vegetables and fried peanuts. The pumpkin-filled steamed buns and sticky rice buns were also steamed and heated up; we were just waiting for Zhang Shouyi and the others to return.

They didn't stay up late; after dinner, they each went to rest.

Zhang Hongmei put all the valuable things into her space. After finishing high school, she would go to university and come back for a short stay. Although this place was safe, she had a safer place to store them, so why leave them outside?

Zhang Hongmei isn't exactly rolling in money, but she's certainly incredibly wealthy. Even though she can't spend it or take it with her right now, it's all her own money, and just thinking about it excites her. She can practically live a life of leisure from now on.