Qian Shikun was a scoundrel by nature, and he was even more uncouth. He believed that food was the most important thing in the world.
Sun Sihao wasn't old, just over forty, but he had been through a lot and looked to be in his fifties or sixties. He was very weak, wouldn't eat, and wouldn't live much longer in this remote place. He didn't want to die; he wanted to live and see his wife and children.
A large pot of chicken soup, along with chicken pieces, was completely devoured by He Tiantian, Old Man Qi, and the others. Fortunately, there were still flatbreads and vegetables, so they were basically full.
He Tiantian collected the bones and fed them to Old Qi's dog. She then washed the pots and dishes, cleaned everything up, and packed her things before leaving.
After they finished eating, they felt grateful to He Tiantian and wanted to express their thanks, but found that He Tiantian had already left. They were very tired and didn't have time to chat. They went back to their room and fell into a deep sleep, ignoring the mosquito bites. They were full and just wanted to get a good night's sleep to make up for the sleep they had missed over the past few days.
He Tiantian put the earthenware pot in the basket and covered it with wild vegetables.
Grandma Qi was cooking when she saw He Tiantian return. She smiled and said, "You're back a little late today. I saw that your Aunt Liu came back a long time ago."
“I took the day off yesterday, so I’ll do more today,” He Tiantian said with a smile, taking a clay pot out of her basket. “Grandma Qi, I caught another pheasant today. I made chicken soup at the livestock team’s place, and I brought some back with me.”
"Oh, this is good stuff, you should drink it yourself." Although Grandma Qi said this, she was overjoyed inside. The old woman was all alone, and she never expected that someone would be so filial to her in her old age.
He Tiantian heated up the chicken soup and brought it to Grandma Qi, saying, "Grandma Qi, you drink it. I already had some at Grandpa Qi's!"
He Tiantian asked Grandma Qi to prepare the chicken soup while she cooked. With the chicken soup in her stomach, she could cook less for dinner; half a bowl of corn porridge for each person and a dish of cold wild vegetables would be enough.
After dinner, He Tiantian and Grandma Qi San enjoyed the cool air in the courtyard.
The evening breeze is already quite cool; the beginning of autumn is just two days away.
"Sweetie, how are those people who were criticized and denounced doing?" Grandma Qi asked. Some of them were about her age, and they still had to suffer like this. It was truly pitiful.
The outside world might not be as good as Qijia Village!
He Tiantian sighed, "She looks fairly energetic; she should be able to pull through."
"There's no mountain that can't be crossed by a person," said Grandma Qi. "When I was young, my family was well-off, but then the land reform movement happened, and all of our land was taken away, and our family's fortunes plummeted. My sisters cried and wailed, but I didn't cry. Instead, I married a former farmhand, while they went to the city to become concubines for wealthy officials. Although I suffered, I had a husband, a home, and children, and I lived a good life. My husband died, and I haven't heard from my son for years, but I still hold onto my breath. I want to live well, and maybe my son will come back."
He Tiantian listened to Grandma Qi's simple yet strong and courageous words, and her mood improved greatly.
As long as you live, you must have hope.
Grandma Qi lived her whole life like this, so in the end she waited for her son to return from abroad, and lived out her old age in peace with a house full of children and grandchildren.
“Yes, that’s what my parents told me when I left home. They said that as long as we get through this period, we will have the opportunity to live happily together in the future,” He Tiantian said. “So no matter how hard or tiring it is, I can bear it.”
"Haha!" Grandma Qi laughed heartily, "You little rascal, just like me!"
"Haha!" He Tiantian said, "I'd be happy to be as capable and strong as you."
He Tiantian was still brooding over something when she was resting that night.
This life is different from the previous one.
Although Secretary Qi brought back seven people in his previous life, two old men died as soon as they arrived in the village.
The seven people now are different from the seven people in the previous life, except for Professor Gu and Professor Wang who are the same.
Although He Tiantian couldn't guess who these people were, she could clearly see that there were three groups. Professor Gu and Professor Wang were a couple, the old man in white and the two people next to him were one group, and the other two thin men, one tall and one short, were another group. It seemed that each group knew each other in private.
He Tiantian vaguely felt that after she changed some things in her past life, the things around her also changed.
Although it hasn't affected her much yet, He Tiantian is on high alert.
She can change her situation; there are plenty of smart people who will adapt to the circumstances.
He Tiantian meticulously went through everyone connected to her in her mind, not missing a single detail. She didn't fall asleep until late at night.
The next morning, after having breakfast, He Tiantian and Grandma Qi went to the livestock team.
After He Tiantian's tireless help to everyone last night, and the fact that everyone learned that He Tiantian had hunted those pheasants from the mountain, their impression of her improved even more.
"Professor Wang! Good morning." He Tiantian greeted him with a smile, as energetic as the sun at eight or nine o'clock in the morning.
Professor Wang is cooking, Professor Gu is helping out, and the others are also busy helping to pick vegetables.
Upon seeing He Tiantian approach, Professor Wang smiled and said, "Sweetie, I'm not teaching anymore, I'm not a professor anymore. From now on, you can just call us Grandma Wang and Grandpa Gu."
"Good morning, Grandma Wang and Grandpa Gu," He Tiantian said. "Did you sleep well last night?"
"Everyone is eating well and sleeping soundly, so everyone looks great today," Grandma Wang said. "Today I'll go up the mountain with you to cut grass. If we do more work, we can contribute to the village."
At this moment, Aunt Liu arrived, smiling and saying, "Aunt Wang, you're not feeling well, so why don't you stay here? You can clean up the cowshed, pigsty, and sheepfold later, and feed them some hay. Sweetie and I will go up the mountain to cut grass."
Judging from Aunt Liu's tone, she has a good relationship with Professor Wang.
“Alright then,” Professor Wang said. “You’ll have to work hard first. Once we’ve rested, we’ll get to work and make sure you don’t suffer any losses.”
"What do you mean by 'losing out'? This is all the work the livestock team does," said Aunt Liu as she carried her bamboo basket up the mountain with He Tiantian.
On the way, Aunt Liu whispered to He Tiantian, "Tiantian, the autumn harvest is coming soon. We have a heavy task to do: prepare the fodder before we harvest the corn."
The amount of corn stalks is fixed; the livestock team can keep some, and others can be distributed to the villagers for cooking. Most of the fodder still needs to be obtained from the mountains.
"Okay! Let's hurry up and try to make four trips in the morning and four in the afternoon," He Tiantian said. Preparing fodder before harvesting corn could earn them an "advanced worker" award, and perhaps a bonus at the end of the year. It might be an enamel mug, a towel, or a bar of soap. Although it's not much, it's free, and being recognized as an "advanced worker" is a great honor.
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