Time flew by and it was already mid-April.

The seeds that Fang Qiao planted in the yard have all sprouted.

The bok choy is ripe and ready to eat, the fennel seedlings have grown to knee height, and the strawberries have started to bloom.

The biggest surprise was that the tomato seeds were actually real tomatoes. Tomatoes were still a rarity these days, and she was skeptical when she bought them, always thinking that the person selling the seeds might be trying to fool her with other seeds.

The sweet and sour tomatoes were too tempting for her, and the seeds weren't too expensive, so she bought them and took a gamble. Luckily, she won; they were real tomato seeds.

However, the tomato stalks were a bit thin and might not be able to support the weight of the fruit in the future, so Fang Qiao stuck a small wooden stick next to them and tied the tomato stalks together with rope for support.

Next to the vegetable garden, Fang Qiao used the broken tiles she had collected to build a simple chicken coop, where she raised three chicks.

Since Chen Guizhi couldn't buy any laying hens, she simply organized the families in the residential compound to buy thirty chicks wholesale from a chicken farm.

Buying a single item is expensive, but if you buy more than twenty, it's at a wholesale price, which is cheaper.

Chen Guizhi had a firm grip on the price; no one could make her suffer a loss.

Fang Qiao also benefited from her thrifty calculations; she saved nine cents on the three chicks, enough to buy three pieces of tofu.

Sweetie was overjoyed to have chicks at home. Every day, she would take a clean food can and follow her older sister Tingting out to find insects to feed the chicks.

"Auntie, Auntie, I caught two more worms today. Sister Tingting was worried that the three chicks wouldn't share them fairly, so she gave me an extra worm. Now I have three worms for the chicks to eat."

Sweetie held up the canned food box in her hand as if she wanted to take credit.

Fang Qiao patted her on the shoulder and asked, "Did you thank Sister Tingting?"

Sweetly replied in a childlike voice, "Thank you, and I even treated her to apple-flavored hard candy!"

"Well done. You're great," Fang Qiao praised.

Sweetie fed the little bugs to the chicks, then took the food can and went outside.

Fang Qiao picked some tender fennel sprouts, planning to make fennel pancakes for lunch.

A short while later, she returned carrying the canned food box, along with several round chocolates wrapped in gold paper.

"Auntie, Auntie, Aunt Li from next door gave me a few small granules, can I take them?"

Sweetie had never seen chocolate before. She only heard Li Dan say something, but she didn't remember it clearly and read it as "small granules".

As soon as Tian Tian finished speaking, Li Dan came in from outside the door and said with a smile, "It's just a few chocolates, let the child take them."

Fang Qiao nodded and gently patted Tian Tian's head: "Then you should thank Aunt Li quickly."

Sweetie leaned against Fang Qiao and said obediently, "Thank you, Aunt Li."

"Sweetie is so polite." Li Dan imitated Fang Qiao and gently patted the top of Sweetie's head.

Sweetie blushed shyly and took a step back to hide behind Fang Qiao.

Li Dan withdrew her hand somewhat disappointedly, straightened up, and asked Fang Qiao, "Where's your An'an?"

“She’s asleep inside,” Fang Qiao said, continuing to pick tender fennel seedlings.

"No wonder I saw you alone in the yard, kids always sleep a lot."

“Yes,” Fang Qiao replied with a smile, “I sleep twice a day, and each time I can sleep for two hours.”

"What are you pinching? I've never seen that before," Li Dan asked curiously.

"Cumin sprouts." Fang Qiao answered, "Pick some young sprouts and fry them in pancakes."

"Fennel? The fennel used for stewing meat?" Li Dan asked incredulously.

Fang Qiao nodded: "Yes."

"Is this edible?" Li Dan asked skeptically.

"It's edible. It's just a bit strong in flavor. People who like it really like it, but people who don't can't eat a single bite," Fang Qiao explained.

"Let me smell it." Li Dan bent down and smelled it. Sure enough, the fennel smell was very strong.

She frowned slightly: "How are we supposed to eat this?"

"You can chop it up and mix it with some batter to make pancakes, or scald it with boiling water, add some seasonings, and make a cold dish. Both are delicious."

Fang Qiao said simply, "I'll make some pancakes for lunch, and I'll give you a few to try. If you like them, you can just come to my yard next time and pinch off some seedlings. The more you pinch them, the more vigorously they grow."

Li Dan just gave Tian Tian a few chocolates. These days, chocolates are high-end and not cheap.

A few pancakes may not be much, but consider it a token of our gratitude.

As the saying goes, "give and take," and gradually, the relationship developed.

"Okay, I'll try it first and see what it tastes like. I've never had it before."

Li Dan simply didn't leave and stayed at Fang Qiao's house, waiting for her fennel pancakes to be ready.

Fang Qiao was used to working in the kitchen since she was a child, so making pancakes was a piece of cake for her.

She worked quickly and efficiently, chopping the fennel seeds and mixing the batter in just a few minutes.

Fang Qiao was making pancakes, and Li Dan sat in front of the stove to help her tend the fire. In about ten minutes, Fang Qiao had spread a whole bowl of batter into thin, round pancakes.

Li Dan lived alone with her boyfriend, so Fang Qiao picked out four pancakes for her and put them on a plate, two for each of them.

"Try it and see if you can eat it?"

As soon as Li Dan took the plate, she praised, "Fang Qiao, you made such a good pancake. It's thin, round, and chewy. I'm no good at it; I've never been able to make a proper pancake."

Fang Qiao smiled and said, "Take your time. You'll get used to it after a few tries."

Li Dan shook her head: "That's difficult too, I can't compare to you."

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