He sighed sadly, then resigned himself to his fate and went home carrying his bags.

In the room, the two women had already gotten on the kang.

On the kang, there were some half-finished cotton shoes.

Shen Jiaojiao picked up a pair of cotton shoes and said, "Mom, you are so fast at making cotton shoes! You have made almost twenty pairs in just ten days."

"Hi, your sister-in-law can help me when she's free, and some of the aunties in the village can help me when they have nothing to do and want to chat with me. There's strength in numbers, so it will definitely be much faster.

Jiaojiao, I have to thank you for this. You helped me, a lazy guy, find a job that can earn money. Besides, the money is easy to make. I made fifty yuan in less than two months."

Shen Jiaojiao said, "We are all family, why are you being so polite? What good thing is there for a daughter-in-law to not think about her family? Is she being disloyal?

Even these cotton shoes are not always available. Mom, do you want to start a business now? How about I find some things for you to do?"

In 1977, the darkest moment had passed.

Although there is no clear announcement of reform, many coastal areas in major cities have already started mobile businesses.

Those who are brave enough have already accumulated a lot of capital.

The situation above is also very selective and it is not as strict as before.

It means to be uninhibited.

As for the black market, it has become increasingly rampant.

Liu Xiaolan did not make a clear statement, and said, "Jiaojiao, don't worry about us. Now that you are pregnant, you should rest more. As for the rest, let nature take its course. Now your father can still work, Meili is still young, and it doesn't cost much, so our life is pretty good.

Your mother doesn't have any big ambitions, she just wants our family to be safe and happy."

Shen Jiaojiao didn't say much. She opened the package Xu Mo brought in and took out the things inside.

"Mom, I bought two sets of clothes for you and Dad, and two military coats.

I have three bottles of vanishing cream. I see your face and hands are easily dry. Applying vanishing cream can nourish your skin.

These are nuts. Eating nuts can help nourish your brain.

Oh, and there's also roast duck. I promised to bring it to you, so don't forget it."

The roast duck wrapped in oil paper still exudes a salty-sweet aroma, but no matter how fragrant it is, it cannot be eaten at this moment.

It's so cold today that the roast duck is frozen hard.

Liu Xiaolan smiled and said, "Jiaojiao is really thoughtful, but you guys should not spend money on us recklessly, save the money for big things in the future."

Shen Jiaojiao said, "You have to make money, and you have to be filial to your family. Mom, just accept it if I give it to you."

Xu Mo also spoke up at this time, "Yes, mother, it was not easy for you to raise us, and we should be filial to you."

As if she had just noticed her own son, Liu Xiaolan stared at Xu Mo for a long time, "Oh, the third son has become whiter and seems to be stronger. It seems that your mother-in-law has not treated you badly!"

Xu Mo: “…” As expected, he is not a biological son. I only noticed him at this time.

Shen Jiaojiao and her partner chatted with Liu Xiaolan for a while, then took some gifts and went to the village chief's house to pay New Year's greetings.

It's rare that the village chief is still smoking in the yard after the cigarette is lit.

"Village chief, you are so free today, it's rare! It seems that the people in our village have performed well. I estimate that the advanced village this year must be our Brave Village.

After all, no one is bothering you anymore." Shen Jiaojiao said, and walked into the yard with Xu Mo.

When the village chief heard that they had to go into the village first, his eyes lit up.

He laughed and said, "As long as you don't quarrel with others, I still like to listen to what you have to say."

The village chief put down his cigarette and looked at Shen Jiaojiao and Xu Mo.

"You two are back now. You are not going to leave again!"

Xu Mo said: "I won't leave for now."

The village chief said, "That's great. When you come back, make the most of your time to get to work. Don't delay production. I still want to work hard to become one of the advanced villages this year."

Xu Mo: “…”

The village chief raised his chin and looked outside the courtyard. When he saw no one, he dared to speak loudly, "Actually! As long as your mother doesn't fight with others, our village will definitely be the advanced village this year."

Xu Mo: "...My mother won't fight easily, don't be nervous."

The village chief laughed awkwardly and changed the subject, "Did you two just come back today?"

"Well, I just got here a while ago." As he spoke, Xu Mo placed a bag of wedding candy he brought on the table in front of the village chief.

"This is the candy for Jiaojiao's brother's wedding."

Hearing that it was wedding candy, the village chief unceremoniously peeled off a piece and put it in his mouth, mumbling, "Shen Zhiqing, congratulations!"

"Thank you very much, Village Chief. We will not bother you any more. I am belatedly sending you my greetings. I wish you a happy new year."

The village chief smiled and said, "Haha, Happy New Year, Happy New Year."

The two left the village chief's house and went to Ergouzi's house.

Ergou was the only one left at home again, as his grandmother had gone to work.

Er Gouzi was not too surprised to see Shen Jiaojiao coming.

Shen Jiaojiao walked into the courtyard and said, "Er Gouzi, long time no see, happy new year."

To be honest, Shen Jiaojiao was still very embarrassed when she called this name.

It is really a bit embarrassing to call such a successful man "Er Gouzi".

Er Gouzi smiled gently and led the two people into the house.

Shen Jiaojiao didn't say anything more. She put the textbooks she brought on the table and took a bag of wedding candy.

"I'll give you this textbook. You must study hard and make progress every day. Let's work hard together and try to get out of this village and still be friends."

She didn't explain the purpose of the textbook, but Ergou was sure to guess it with his intelligence.

The reborn Shen Jiaojiao knows that she will take the college entrance examination in the future, so the man who is good at fortune-telling must also know it.

Er Gouzi was surprised, "You want me to take the college entrance examination?"

Shen Jiaojiao nodded firmly, "Taking the high school entrance exam may not necessarily help you realize your life value, but it can allow you to leave this place and live somewhere else. Your life may change greatly.

But it doesn’t matter if you don’t want to take the college entrance examination. It’s your own choice. I just want to do my best to help those around me.”

Er Gouzi stared at the book for a while, then smiled and said, "Thank you for your trouble."

He did not express whether he would take the college entrance examination.

Shen Jiaojiao couldn't guess what he was thinking, so she didn't try to speculate.

Then he said, "I have already told my mother about your leg. You can go directly to Jing City to find her. She will arrange everything."

"Yes, I understand."

"So when are you going to Beijing?"

"Then let's celebrate the Lantern Festival!"

Shen Jiaojiao breathed a sigh of relief, "Great, before you leave, I will give you the spiritual spring water and my address in Beijing. Don't be afraid, my mother will take care of you there. She is a very nice person."

Er Gouzi pursed his lips and chuckled.

It was the first time he heard a girl tell him not to be afraid, and it felt wonderful.

"Okay, thank you."

Shen Jiaojiao said, "You're welcome. You helped me before, so it's normal for me to repay you. Besides, I think you're worth making friends with.

If you don't mind, Xu Mo and I will be your friends from now on. If you have any problems, feel free to come to us."

Er Gouzi still smiled faintly and said, "Okay."