Da Shan felt quite embarrassed, so he could only sit in front, cracking his whip without saying a word.

Wang Hongxi made conversation by talking to Zhang Hongmei about the city's department store. "It's good to be young and capable. Look at you, you're already going to high school in the city. You can even go to the capital later. As for me, I've only been to the city twice."

"Uncle Village Chief, I still think our village is the best."

"Hmph, you're just pretending. You're not lying when you say that? If things were better in the village, why would you go out there?" Wang Xiaorui was most jealous of Zhang Hongmei's life and schooling in the city.

Is this person treating themselves like an easy target?

"Shut up, if you can't speak properly, then don't speak." Wang Hongxi was annoyed; this brat was truly more trouble than she was worth.

Zhang Hongmei chuckled, "I just think the village is great, but what can I do? I'm smart enough to go to high school."

Wang Xiaorui trembled with anger, but when she looked up at her father's glaring eyes, she swallowed back the words that were on the tip of her tongue.

"Hongmei, ignore her, she's just a clueless idiot."

"Uncle Village Chief, please don't say that." I thought to myself that there's nothing wrong with being a straightforward person; it's much better than those who are pretentious and affected.

Zhang Hongmei and Wang Hongxi chatted casually along the way.

Finally arriving in the village, Zhang Hongmei slung her bag over her shoulder, handed Wang Hongxi a bag of chives wrapped in old newspapers, said hello, and left.

Zhang Hongmei did not go to the train station, but went to the old principal's house instead.

The old lady opened the door. "Grandma, I've come to see you."

"Come in and have some water. Are you back in Liujiatun?"

"Yes, I went back yesterday and am heading back to the city today." Zhang Hongmei said, handing the bag to the old lady.

"This is sweet potato flour, and some leftover sweet potato residue from grinding the flour. This is chives from my own yard."

"No need, we won't starve. You can take it back and eat it yourself."

"It's okay, I have some. Just take it, let's not keep passing it around."

"Sigh! I'm sorry to trouble you, child. How much food have we eaten from you these past two years? It's been a lifesaver."

"Don't worry about it. I have to catch my train, so I'll be going now."

"Okay, I won't keep you any longer. Take care of yourself."

In fact, Zhang Hongmei had been taking care of the old principal because she found him kind and also because he genuinely wanted to help her. It's common to offer help when things are going well, but it's rare to offer help in times of need.

After waiting for quite a while, the car finally arrived. We arrived in the city, but instead of going straight home, we went to a department store.

The ink in my fountain pen is running low, so I need to buy some blank paper. My daily notes can fill a whole sheet of A4 paper.

After returning home, I thought about it and decided to go see Liu Changhai tomorrow to get things done quickly and feel at ease.

Thinking of this, I rode my bicycle to the abandoned winery. Seeing that there was nothing unusual around, and that the lock was the same one I had replaced, I felt relieved and went back.

The next day, during her lunch break, Zhang Hongmei rode her bicycle to the municipal government and was only allowed to enter the compound after receiving permission from the Ministry of Culture and Health.

"Hongmei, did you come here for something? You wouldn't have come if you didn't."

"Third Master, let's go outside to the courtyard to chat. I feel too stuffy in the office."

"Sure, Xiao Wu, let's go together."

The two men were now in the middle of the courtyard's open space. "Third Master, the village is out of salt and almost out of food. I've found a way. Could you send a cart to bring it back on Thursday morning?"

"Sure, why not? It's all your doing, but I'm the one who got the credit."

"Forget about merits or anything, as long as everyone doesn't go hungry or suffer, that's enough. Let's set it for 1 a.m. then."

"Okay, don't worry, the car will arrive on time at 1 a.m. on Thursday. I'll have Xiao Wu deliver two thousand yuan to you tonight."

"Okay, I'll cover the cost with my own money, that way we can buy a lot of grain."

"Then I'll go back to class. Here, this is the key. Tell Uncle Wu to come back at 8 PM tonight; otherwise, I won't be home when I get back earlier."

When Zhang Hongmei got home from school in the evening, she saw Liu Changhai's car parked in front of her house.

Without exchanging pleasantries, Zhang Hongmei took the money from Qian Xiaowu and drove away.

Last night, I filled thirty bags with salt and five bags with baking soda in my room.

The corn cobs were packed into fifty bags, weighing about four thousand kilograms.

That's quite a lot. On the surface, it's only seven thousand yuan. If you were on the black market, you could probably only get four thousand jin of corn cobs, not to mention three thousand jin of salt.

After thinking for a moment, I packed two more bags of flour that I had ground myself using a small mill. I hadn't even removed the bran yet; I'd save these to make mooncakes for the Mid-Autumn Festival.

He also took out a bag of broken rice. There are many children in the village, and if one of them is unwell, has a headache or fever, this can improve their lives.

Having prepared everything he could think of, he finally felt at ease leaving the space to sleep.

It wasn't until midnight on Wednesday that Zhang Hongmei walked quite a distance from her house before letting her car out. She drove around the winery twice before parking it, unlocking the door, and entering the factory.

It's been over a year since I last came here; the warehouse must be covered in dust.

Zhang Hongmei didn't go inside. Since it wasn't raining, she just piled the truck up at the entrance, making it easier and less strenuous for them to load it onto the truck later.

I unloaded everything I had prepared, locked the door, and went home. I didn't need to worry about the rest.

This time, Liu Changhai came along. Even in the pitch-black night, the two large piles in front of him could be clearly seen when the door was opened.

It was estimated that Xiao Wu brought four people in total, and it took almost an hour just to load them into the car.

Who exactly does Zhang Hongmei know in the underworld? How does she have so many supplies? The black market doesn't usually stock up on supplies like this. After scanning the surrounding ground with a flashlight for a while, they found tire tracks, but still couldn't pinpoint the direction.

"Forget it," Liu Changhai thought to himself with a self-deprecating laugh. "I've really lived up to my mother's words; I'm becoming more and more inhuman."

As dawn broke, the truck finally arrived at Liujiatun. All the able-bodied men in the village came to unload the truck.

When everyone saw the truck full of supplies, all the gloom and despair disappeared.

Liu Changhai carried the fabric he had brought for his mother home.

When the old lady saw Liu Changhai return, she wasn't happy. Instead, she jumped down and slapped Liu Changhai hard across the face.

Liu Changhai knelt down, head bowed, without saying a word.

The old woman was still angry, so she picked up her cane and hit Liu Changhai hard.

Liu Changhe heard the commotion and came in to find out what was happening. He was startled and quickly hugged his mother.

"Mom, calm down, calm down. Changhai, why did you make Mom angry again? You didn't even come home for the New Year, you deserve to be beaten."

The old lady pursed her lips, her face turning pale, and sat down on the kang (a heated brick bed) with Liu Changhe's help.

Liu Changhai didn't move; he just remained kneeling.

Liu Changhe massaged the old lady's chest for a long time before her face regained color.

“I’m only giving you two choices. The first is to go home and farm, and never leave the village again. Never have any contact with the outside world.”