The four children each ate two pieces, and the whole plate of candied sweet potatoes was gone.

Actually, they had already eaten a lot of snacks before dinner, but for some reason they still ate a lot when it was time for the main meal.

Although Zhao Xiaolan and Zhao Xiaolu had only been there a short time, they were able to eat their fill every day before going to sleep. They slept soundly through the night, sleeping until dawn.

He Tiantian finished dinner at home, just as the children were gathered in the main room reviewing their lessons from the day.

She also had time to visit Zhao Tingzhang's house. He Tiantian brought a bag of snacks she had bought herself and went out.

As the sun sets in the evening, the sky is ablaze with fiery red clouds. The daytime sunlight still carries lingering warmth, and the temperature has not yet dropped.

The village had many poplar trees planted before. Poplars are quite drought-resistant, and even in this hot weather, their leaves remain tender green. Unlike the old locust tree at the village entrance, which hasn't flowered much this year due to the drought.

In previous years, whenever the old locust tree blossomed, the villagers would come to pick the locust flowers to eat.

Zhao Denglong made this dish several times this year. Freshly picked locust flowers were mixed with eggs, and it tasted delicious whether steamed or stir-fried in oil over high heat.

As she was walking forward, He Tiantian suddenly heard some noises coming from the grove.

With her keen sixth sense, He Tiantian felt that it might not be a good thing, so she thought of taking a detour.

Just then, Widow Zhang and Zhao Ergou came out of the woods. They were stunned when they saw He Tiantian, and He Tiantian didn't react either.

Six eyes met, and for a moment, no one knew what to say.

Having witnessed He Tiantian's prowess last year, Zhao Ergou dared not provoke her easily. His face flushed red, and he quickly looked away.

Widow Zhang smiled awkwardly, "Oh, it's Wanzi's mother. Look at Er Gou, it's so hot and he still wants to catch monkeys in the woods. I said a few words to him and told him to go home early."

He Tiantian nodded, constantly telling herself not to overthink it, that Widow Zhang wouldn't harm such a young child.

"Then you guys continue, I'll be going now." He Tiantian said, turning to leave.

“Hey… Maruko’s mom, let’s go together.” Widow Zhang quickly caught up from behind, as if afraid that He Tiantian would suspect that she had some kind of connection with Zhao Ergou.

After walking a short distance, Widow Zhang looked at the things in He Tiantian's arms and asked curiously, "Wanzi's mother, where are you going?"

He Tiantian said calmly, "I'm going to the village head's house. I need to talk to Aunt Liu about something."

"Oh..." Widow Zhang looked embarrassed. "Wanzi's mother, I don't know if you've heard, but the wages in the mine have gone up. It's a hundred coins a month now!"

When Widow Zhang said this, her tone was full of pride and boastfulness.

He Tiantian remained silent, as if the two hundred coins were no longer relevant to her.

Moreover, she doesn't need those two hundred coins.

The reason Widow Zhang said this was mainly to show off in front of He Tiantian. See? Even if you hadn't connected her with the mine, she could have gotten in on her own merits.

He Tiantian knew perfectly well what Widow Zhang was thinking. As long as she didn't pick up on Widow Zhang's jokes, it would be like punching cotton.

Boring.

Sure enough, Widow Zhang followed for a while, but He Tiantian wouldn't respond to anything she said. Feeling it was pointless, she reluctantly made an excuse and left.

When they arrived at Zhao Tingzhang's house, only Aunt Liu and her daughter-in-law Cheng Ying were home.

Zhao Tingzhang, along with his two sons and several other villagers, went into the mountains to find a water source.

"Auntie, these are some snacks I bought in town today. Here, have a taste." He Tiantian handed over a bag of snacks.

Mrs. Liu was embarrassed and declined with a smile, "Oh, Maruko's mom, please take it back for the children. We don't have any children at home..."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Ying, who was standing to the side, turned pale and hurriedly lowered her head.

Liu just got carried away with her words and didn't really mean anything else.

Perhaps realizing she had said the wrong thing, she quickly changed the subject. "Mother Wanzi, is there something you need from me so late?" Liu moved a stool over and let He Tiantian sit down.

He Tiantian placed the snacks on the table. "I just wanted to tell my aunt that the cross-stitch work might have to wait a while. Because of the drought, the shops in the city aren't doing too well..."

He Tiantian explained the situation in detail, and Liu expressed her understanding.

"By the way, when does the village head usually come back?"

Liu looked at the sky outside. "It's still early. He hasn't come back until dark these past few days. It's even more dangerous in the deep mountains and forests at night. I've told him this so many times, but he won't listen!"

Mrs. Liu was also quite helpless. At her age, she was still working so hard every day. How could her body take it?

"Our village head is a good village head; he's thinking of the villagers!" He Tiantian comforted her.

She glanced at Cheng Ying, who was standing awkwardly to the side, then smiled and asked, "How long have you and Dahai been married?" She seemed to have heard Liu mention it before, but it had been too long for her to remember.

Upon hearing this, Cheng Ying blushed deeply.

Liu said from the side, "It's been almost two years."

“Oh…then we really need to hurry up about having a baby.” He Tiantian said thoughtfully. “But this can’t be rushed, and having a baby is a matter for both of you. The problem might lie with the two of you.”

"What? Maruko-chan, do you mean there's something wrong with my Dahai?" Liu was startled.

He Tiantian quickly explained, "No, no, no, what I meant was that only Cheng Ying has gone to the city to see a doctor so far! Look, she's taken the medicine, but there's still no improvement. My suggestion is to let Dahai go and have him checked out too..."

Cheng Ying stood to the side, unsure of what to say. She herself was puzzled as to why her stomach hadn't reacted despite taking the medicine for so long.

She had wanted to persuade Dahai to take a look as well, but she was too embarrassed to say it out loud.

I was afraid that if I told him, Da Hai would feel that I hadn't considered his feelings, and I was also afraid of upsetting my mother-in-law.

After hearing He Tiantian's words, Liu felt a mix of emotions.

That can't be right, can it? Her son shouldn't have any problems, right? If the father is fine, what problems could the son possibly have?

However, the doctors in the city couldn't really give Cheng Ying a specific explanation for her condition, and she had been extremely anxious about it for the past two years.

No, she has to find Dahai today and get to the bottom of this. He needs to get treatment as soon as possible; she can't let it delay her from having her grandson.

After He Tiantian finished explaining, she was about to leave. Liu looked uneasy, indicating that she had been greatly affected.

Cheng Ying stepped forward and said, "Auntie, let me see you off."