The next morning, before dawn, Tian Yu busied herself steaming buns, thinking that the farmers would eat a lot, so she steamed five batches. Before they were even finished, Zhao Jinxin arrived with a kind-looking middle-aged man. Much later, Tian Yu learned that because of what had happened before, no one in the village was willing to help, and this man was only brought in because Zhao Jinxin had repeatedly begged him and because of his father's position as village head. Seeing only two people, Tian Yu asked doubtfully, "You've come so early, are two people enough?"

"Oh, it's not just two people, there's another one who'll be here soon," Zhao Jinxin said somewhat embarrassedly.

"It's still dark. Thank you both for your hard work. Please come inside and have some food."

The two had just sat down when someone else arrived. Tangyuan went to open the door, and Tianyu saw that it was Chen Chong who came in. She quickly stepped forward and whispered, "Didn't I tell you not to come? Why did you come?" But Chen Chong ignored her completely, gave her a meaningful look, and pushed her aside to come in.

"Brother Chen, come in and sit down, it's time to eat." Hearing Zhao Jinxin's call, Tian Yu instantly understood and quickly pretended to invite Chen Chong into the house for dinner. Chen Chong also pretended not to know him, tossed the pheasant he was holding to Tian Yu, and sat down at the table to exchange pleasantries with Zhao Jinxin. Tian Yu wondered when they had met and were even calling each other brothers. Zhao Jinxin saw the pheasant in Tian Yu's hand and said, "Brother Chen, isn't this the pheasant you hunted yesterday? Why did you bring it here?"

"I live alone at home, and since Brother Zhao is here today, I brought this to share with him."

"Brother Chen, you're too kind. It seems we're in for a treat today."

Listening to their pleasantries, Tian Yu rolled her eyes. Zhao Jinxin's younger brother was a scholar, so she knew a thing or two from a young age. As for Chen Chong, she had seen many books and writing implements at his house last time, so he should be literate too. Meeting these two felt like meeting kindred spirits. The taciturnity she had shown when she first met Chen Chong was gone; his smile was radiant, and he was quite talkative. Tian Yu really didn't want to interrupt, but she had never killed a chicken before. Finally, she brought up the pheasant, saying, "I don't know how to handle this; you'll have to help me prepare it first."

"Hey, how can you manage a household like this? You can't even handle a chicken properly," Chen Chong said with a look of disgust. He then glanced back at her.

Tian Yu was somewhat incredulous, staring wide-eyed at Chen Chong, as if to ask, "Are you talking about me?"

"Why are you glaring at me?"

"You...you..." Tian hesitated for a long time, then, thinking that there were other people present, and that Chen Chong probably didn't want people to misunderstand, he let it go.

"Brother Chen, please don't be offended, and sister-in-law, please don't be angry either. I'll tidy it up for you in a bit, don't worry, it won't delay your work."

“Alright then, how can we let Brother Zhao do it? I’ll do it myself.”

Tian Yu brought out the prepared steamed buns and rice porridge, noticing that Tang Yuan had been standing silently to the side ever since Chen Chong entered, seemingly oblivious to Chen Chong's feigned indifference. Remembering Tang Yuan's expression when he returned yesterday afternoon, it seemed he had known all along, keeping it a secret from her. The three ate breakfast, constantly praising Tian Yu's steamed buns, saying they were better than those in the county town, and suggesting she could set up a stall selling them. Especially the honest-looking Zhao Jinxin, whom she called Uncle Ping, couldn't stop eating. He even mumbled that he was lucky he hadn't refused, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to eat such delicious meat buns. Tian Yu didn't want to sit at the table, but since none of the three objected, she sat down in the empty seat opposite Chen Chong. Throughout the meal, Tian Yu couldn't taste her food, because she felt Chen Chong's gaze towards her was different today, and with outsiders present, Tian Yu was afraid of being misunderstood. Yet, she also felt Chen Chong was flirting with her; if it were anyone else, she would have truly believed he was interested in her. But Chen Chong probably wouldn't. She must be overthinking it. He would never be interested in a woman with a child like her. At most, he would just treat her like a younger sister.

After breakfast, it was already light. Chen Chong stayed behind to process the pheasant, while Zhao Jinxin took Uncle Ping to dig some soil from the nearby hillside. Then Chen Chong and Zhao Jinxin went up to the roof, while Uncle Ping stayed below. They first removed the old thatch from the roof, then mixed some mud and laid a new layer. Tangyuan helped Tian Yu prepare lunch, first covering the things inside the house to prevent them from getting dirty, and then boiling water for them to drink. Chen Chong and Zhao Jinxin really got along well, chatting about this and that, but it was clear that Zhao Jinxin was quite skilled at building houses, even boasting that he had built his own house using his own method. Chen Chong learned quickly and soon got the hang of it. Seeing that they didn't need anything, they began preparing lunch. Tian Yu prepared some braised pork offal, a pot of bone broth, stir-fried wild vegetables and eggs, and a stew of braised pork. Now that there was an extra pheasant, and only three people, they were worried it would be too much to eat, so they decided against making braised pork. The courtyard was filled with delicious aromas, making the group drool and wonder why it wasn't noon yet. They had eaten so much in the morning, but the smell of the food made them hungry again. They were surprised by Tian Yu's excellent cooking skills and said they would definitely come to help next time they needed her. Uncle Ping even said that those who didn't come would be missing out. Tian Yu didn't understand and didn't ask further. They said that he and Tangyuan were listening in the kitchen, smiling but not commenting.

It was almost noon when Tian Yu told them to come down, wash their hands, and rest before lunch. The three of them saw there wasn't much work left and figured they could finish it in the afternoon, so they stopped to rest. Once Tian Yu had set the table, everyone's mouths watered at the aroma, with Tangyuan practically glued to the table, ready to dig in at any moment. Because of the renovations, they ate in the courtyard. Finally, they stir-fried the pheasant Chen Chong had brought with chili peppers, and lunch was served. The group wolfed down their food, showering Tian Yu with praise. Tian Yu was so flattered she was almost embarrassed to reply, only able to lower her head and serve Tangyuan some food. Uncle Ping, in particular, said he'd done all the work in the village, but no housewife had ever cooked so well, especially the pig offal. He said that while some people ate it, it was never properly prepared and was difficult to swallow, but Tian Yu's was simply delicious. In his delight, he exclaimed, "That bastard Zhao Sibao still complains about you? He must be blind!" Then, looking up at everyone, he realized he might have said too much and quickly lowered his head to eat, not daring to say another word.

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