Well, this guy is a filial son. He probably thinks it's a rare opportunity to come back home, so he wants to chop some firewood for the family.

Okay, then she can carry a basket on her back too, so she can put some wild game or something in it.

Yesterday, her second brother returned home empty-handed, looking quite sad. Come to think of it, the rain before was no joke.

Even if there were fish in the river, they would have already escaped with the current. It's not easy to catch fish these days unless you go to a reservoir.

However, it takes more than an hour to walk to the reservoir.

So Liu Shile turned around, picked up a basket, and then the two of them slowly walked up the mountain.

Liu Shile didn't want to chop firewood as frantically as she did last year. The firewood they gathered last year hadn't even been used up in almost a year, so she only needed to chop a little.

Okay, she admits, it's to shut some people up.

When there were hardly any people on the road, Liu Shihua asked, "Lele, what happened to you yesterday..."

"Why did I say yesterday that I owed the school money?"

Liu Shile sighed; in fact, she didn't want to tell her second brother about this.

However, there are some things that must be said at certain times: she is a well-behaved and adorable little sister.

Therefore, she said with a sad expression, "Second brother, do you think Mom really forgot to send money to me and Dad?"

Liu Shihua shook her head. How could that be? Mom isn't really stupid.

But he didn't want to think too badly of his mother, so he hesitated and said, "Perhaps Mom doesn't have any money?"

Aside from this reason, Liu Shihua felt there was no other reason.

Looking at her still naive second brother, Liu Shile said cruelly, "No, second brother, actually, Mom has more money than we think."

At this point, Liu Shile glanced at her second brother's expression.

Then he shook his head to himself, thinking to himself, "Young man, you are really too naive."

"Once I saw Mom bury a jar under our grapevine. If you don't believe me, Second Brother, you'll understand when you have the chance to observe it."

Although his mother disguised herself well, and most ordinary people couldn't tell the difference, Liu Shihua was no longer an ordinary person.

You can still tell the difference between the old and new soil, it's just that he doesn't usually pay attention to those differences.

Liu Shihua truly didn't believe it. Whether you said he dared not believe it or was unwilling to believe it, he simply didn't believe it.

But his sister's expression was so calm and serious that he had no choice but to believe her.

He knew his sister's abilities very well. Since she had told him this so seriously, it was most likely true.

In that instant, he thought about many things: Why didn't his mother send money to Lele and his father?

Why didn't Dad question Mom? He didn't believe Dad didn't know how much money the family had!

Although Dad has never been involved in family matters, he should know how much the family has, right?

Also, since Mom has money, why was she unwilling to pay back the money when Lele said she owed it?

These problems were giving him a headache; in fact, he had never encountered so many complicated issues before.

This was so revolutionary that it was hard for him to accept.

After a long pause, he looked at Liu Shile with difficulty and asked in a trembling voice, "Lele, why are they doing this?"

Liu Shile shrugged. "Who knows? Anyway, they don't seem to be planning to say anything. Dad seems to be retreating and running away, unwilling to face it."

"So that's why you said you borrowed money from the school, to let Dad see what kind of person Mom is?"

Liu Shihua wasn't really stupid. Although her mind was still a mess, she finally understood why her sister had done that.

Liu Shile raised an eyebrow; her second brother was quite clever at this moment.

If her second brother can continue to be this smart, then she won't have to worry about him anymore.

To be honest, her second brother is actually quite sharp right now.

"Lele, you have more than one purpose, right?" Liu Shihua knew her younger sister well and looked at her seriously.

Sometimes, he felt that his sister was so formidable that it was a little scary.

But this is his sister, so he's not afraid.

"Uh, bro, you're wrong about me. I just couldn't stand Mom's attitude."

Liu Shile would never admit to that; she had no desire to test people's hearts.

So she sighed and said seriously, "Second brother, I'm telling you all this today just so you'll understand how things are with Mom."

Don't be foolish enough to hand over your entire fortune just because someone shows you kindness, understand?

Although he doesn't have much money right now, what about in the future?

She can't possibly manage his money for him forever!

What if his adoptive mother comes to him later and cries and acts pitiful, and he impulsively hands over his money?

Hearing her sister say that, for some reason, Liu Shihua felt a faint sense of relief.

Then he laughed and assured, "Second brother knows, I'll be more careful in the future, don't overthink it."

Seeing that her second brother didn't take it seriously, Liu Shile didn't say anything more.

She'd done everything she was supposed to do, and she didn't care about the outcome.

So the brother and sister picked some light topics to chat about, mostly about things in the capital.

Incidentally, there's also her eldest brother. Liu Shile noticed that her second brother seemed to have some longing for the army.

Thinking about this, she originally intended to say something, but then she realized that everyone has their own ambitions, so she didn't bring it up.

Even after reaching the deep mountains, Liu Shile did not stop. Only when she saw her younger sister heading directly towards the cave did Liu Shihua come to her senses.

There was some rice and flour left in the cave that hadn't been eaten yet, and now it's all gone bad.

"Second brother, what do you think about us clearing land on the hillside next to the river?"

As they walked, Liu Shile suddenly spoke, but her words stunned Liu Shihua.

"Lele, do you mean we're clearing land here?" Liu Shihua asked, somewhat puzzled, as she came to her senses.

"Well, although we discussed getting an experimental field at the school, it's not as good as here."

"Second brother, look! There's a cave here. We can store our harvest there from now on—it's convenient and discreet."

Liu Shihua admitted that the place was indeed nice, but firstly, it was a bit far from the town, and secondly, they weren't often at home and didn't have time to take care of it.

Seeing what he was thinking, Liu Shile said, "How about this, we'll all come home to clear the land on weekends from now on."

It would be best to bring my eldest sister along too, so that even if we're not around, she'll still be here.

Actually, this place is closer to my older sister's in-laws' house than ours, but the mountain road is a bit difficult to travel.

If it weren't for this year's disaster, Liu Shile really wouldn't have cared much about land reclamation. Otherwise, why hasn't she done anything for over a year, just talking about it?

But things are different now; she feels she can start preparing for the future.

Although this world is different from her previous world, it's always better to be prepared, right?

In this day and age, having food in hand is more practical than having money in hand.

Although her farm already has a surplus, it's just hers. It's fine to take some out occasionally, but it's not good to take out a large amount, as it would create a problem.

But if we clear a wasteland here, it's different. Although it's a bit against the rules, the things here do have a source.

"So... does that mean I'm not going to work at the grain depot anymore?"

Liu Shihua felt it was a bit of a pity, because that was three yuan a month, and if she didn't go, she would have no income!