Ning Yuan was stunned. So, he meant that he didn't actually have a fiancée?
Suddenly, my heart started to pound for some reason, and a strange sense of joy crept up inside me.
Why did he tell her this?
And she suddenly realized that this position... was too intimate.
Ning Yuan looked into his captivating yet aloof eyes, so close to hers, and her heart skipped a beat.
She suddenly turned her head away and pushed him hard: "What does it matter to me whether you have a fiancée or not!"
Rong Zhaonan frowned slightly as he watched her push him away, then let go of her hand: "I just wanted to say something. I don't like misunderstandings."
He didn't say it was because he didn't want anyone to misunderstand.
Ning Yuan bit her lip, tossed her braid, and ran into the room: "I'm not playing with you anymore, I'm going to help Grandpa Tang and the others make dumplings."
Rong Zhaonan watched the petite figure run into the room. She found it strange that the woman sometimes seemed to have experienced many hardships.
But sometimes, he acts like a child.
Rong Zhaonan lowered his eyes and looked at the scarf around his neck.
Actually, he didn't understand why he said that to her.
A chilly winter wind blew by, and a faint fragrance wafted from the scarf.
He lowered his head and gently inhaled; it was the familiar fragrance of flowers and fruits emanating from Ning Yuan—
He knew she would gather fragrant flowers and fruits, along with soapberries and other things, to make her own bath and shampoo products.
It seems she had hidden the scarf on her body, or even close to her clothes, which is why her scent was so distinct.
Rong Zhaonan's fingertips brushed across the scarf, then he slowly closed his palms, as if holding the fragrance in his hands.
For some reason, even though he had just eaten, he felt a little hungry again.
Perhaps he should eat some vegetarian dumplings as well.
...
Happy holidays like the Lunar New Year always seem to pass by so quickly; in the blink of an eye, the Lantern Festival is almost over.
Ning Yuan packed a large pheasant in a sack early in the morning, preparing to go to the old Party Secretary's house.
Rong Zhaonan watched her as she was about to leave, then suddenly saw her to the door and raised an eyebrow: "Come back early today, I have something to tell you."
Ning Yuan was taken aback. He rarely spoke to her so formally. She nodded and said, "Okay, then you make the glutinous rice balls. I'll bring you something delicious tonight."
After saying that, she waved her hand, turned around, and left.
Rong Zhaonan snorted. What did he care about eating? He was so good at ordering him around, but he didn't even ask if he knew how to make glutinous rice balls.
But he still turned around and went to prepare the glutinous rice flour.
When Ning Yuan arrived at the old Party Secretary's house, she saw his wife, Aunt Fang, sweeping the yard as soon as she entered.
"Girl, you're here so early in the morning?" Aunt Fang, the Party Secretary's wife, saw her enter the yard, waved her kindly, and handed her a handful of melon seeds and candy.
Ning Yuan smiled and put the melon seeds and candies into her pocket, then casually stuffed the bag containing the pheasant into Aunt Fang's hand: "Auntie, Happy New Year, this is for you!"
Aunt Fang thought it was just some kind of rich and sweet bean paste or something, and she knew that Ning Yuan's life seemed to have improved a lot recently.
I don't know if it's because her husband got back to work, so money and food coupons were sent from their hometown.
"Why be so polite?" Aunt Fang said with a smile, casually opening the bag.
"Wait, don't..." Ning Yuan couldn't stop her in time.
A rooster's head, bigger than a normal rooster, popped out of the bag and stared at Aunt Fang.
Aunt Fang was stunned: "Huh?"
"Ooh ooh ooh quack quack quack quack—" The pheasant suddenly sprang out, stomping hard on Aunt Fang's face and sending her flying.
Aunt Fang was dumbfounded. A pheasant! A huge pheasant! It was all meat!
Instinctively, she lunged at the fleeing pheasant, yelling, "Help! Someone grab it! The meat's getting away!!!"
She screamed, and the old Party Secretary and his family all rushed out, causing chaos in the yard.
After a lot of commotion, with chicken feathers and droppings flying everywhere, Hua Zi and his child finally managed to catch the fierce pheasant.
Ning Yuan sat in the main room, feeling embarrassed, looking at Hua Zi, the old Party Secretary, Aunt Fang's family, all covered in chicken feathers: "Cough cough cough... It's all my fault, I didn't tell Aunt Fang that this is a pheasant."
Aunt Fang picked the chicken feathers off her head while smiling so broadly her eyes disappeared: "Oh, you're bringing us good luck."
Isn't that auspicious? Chicken sounds like auspicious, and it's a big mountain chicken that's worth two chickens! Think of all the meat in that!
These days, meat is a rare treat!
The old Party Secretary wiped his grandson's face as he chased chickens and dogs, having a wild time: "This chicken is so big, it took you so much trouble to catch it, why don't you take it home!"
Aunt Fang glared at the old Party Secretary with annoyance. Her family had five or six members, and they couldn't even eat meat once a month, while the old man was so generous.
Ning Yuan pretended not to see it, her big eyes crinkling: "It's alright, Zhao Nan goes hunting in the back mountain every week now, and they're quite easy to catch."
Because of the threat of being stripped of their capitalist tail, most people were hesitant to go hunting in the mountains, resulting in a pristine ecological environment with abundant birds and animals.
Aunt Fang was startled: "What? You went hunting in the mountains? Isn't that against the rules?"
Ning Yuan shook her head: "After the thirteenth meeting, these sayings no longer apply. Those who are capable should do more work and earn more. Hunting is not against the rules, and there is no need to cut off the capitalist tail."
Everyone else in the family looked at the old Party Secretary, who looked at Ning Yuan with a complicated expression: "What Ning girl said... is also true."
The brigade and the commune held many meetings to convey the documents from above.
Although everyone still doesn't quite understand what it means to focus on economic development, the village is unlikely to make any major moves.
But he knew that hunting and fishing no longer required cutting off the capitalist tail.
Hua Zi's eyes lit up: "Then Dad, we can go hunting in the mountains too!!"
The old Party Secretary hesitated and didn't speak. He was still a little scared. As the production team leader, could he really set a precedent?
Ning Yuan, her big eyes crinkling with thought, suddenly said, "The old Party Secretary knows I often go to the county on Sundays, right? That's where I sell my mountain produce!"
Her frankness was so outrageous that everyone in the room looked at each other in bewilderment.
But Manhua and Huazi exchanged a glance, and some of them began to have their own ideas.
Manhua couldn't help but ask, "Won't we get caught by the red armbands? And... how much can we earn?"
The old Party Secretary frowned: "Why are you asking such silly questions?"
Even though they said that, they couldn't help but prick up their ears.
Ning Yuan counted on her fingers: "The red armbands don't really care anymore, because they don't require food coupons or meat coupons. Wild goods on the black market, including live poultry like pheasants, rabbits, and ducks, sell for a bit more, while mushrooms and wood ear fungus are cheaper..."
She said frankly, "I can sell at least seven or eight yuan a week, and sometimes as many as ten yuan."
Actually, the upper limit is not just that, because she also supports the county's guesthouse, but she can't say too much about it now.
Everyone in the room was astonished. If you calculate it like that, even the lowest amount is close to thirty yuan a month! That's a huge sum—the monthly salary of a regular worker in the city!!
Manhua couldn't contain her excitement and leaned close to Ning Yuan: "Ning Yuan, is there really this much? Could you... could you..."
She wanted to suggest bringing her family along to sell local produce, but she felt a little embarrassed and glanced timidly at her in-laws.
Her father-in-law frowned but didn't say anything, while her mother-in-law, Aunt Fang, seemed quite agitated.
She gritted her teeth and said, "Ning Yuan, I have many children and no subsidies. Life is too hard. I also want to go into the mountains to get some local products. Can you take me with you to sell them?"
Hua Zi is the second oldest child. Luckily, she lives with her parents-in-law, otherwise they would be struggling financially. She has to think about herself and her children!
The old Party Secretary frowned even more deeply, and still said, "This is not fair. Xiao Ning is making a living on her own. How can we take advantage of her like this?"
Ning Yuan looked at the old Party Secretary. Although he said those words, his tone was tentative.
She smiled and said, "Old Party Secretary, these days everyone is short of food. There are only a few of us who supply mountain products, and we're afraid it won't be enough to go around. I feel more at ease working with Sister Manhua and Brother Huazi."
That's the truth. This time, she came to the old Party Secretary's house to persuade Sister Manhua's family to sell mountain products with her.
After all, she will eventually take the college entrance examination and leave the village, so this business of selling mountain products has a time limit.
She wanted to do the old Party Secretary a favor, partly so she could expand her network for her future antique business.
Secondly, if something happens to Grandma Xia while she's working as a "treasure hunter," someone will be there to help protect her.
Thirdly, she also wants to bring Grandpa Tang and the others to the county town, which will require the old Party Secretary and the others to release them.
Manhua and Huazi were overjoyed and extremely grateful to Ning Yuan.
The old Party Secretary didn't object, and sincerely thanked Ning Yuan. After all, who wouldn't want to improve their life?
Ning Yuan stayed and had a nice meal with everyone. Aunt Fang even reluctantly killed one of her farm chickens.
When she left, Ning Yuan had a bag full of melon seeds, candies, dried sweet potatoes, and dried persimmons.
Having achieved her goal, Ning Yuan happily walked home.
As soon as she reached the door, she saw a large group of children and adults gathered around her door, pointing and watching the spectacle.
Her heart skipped a beat. Could it be? She'd only been gone a short while, and someone had come to cause trouble for Rong Zhaonan again?
Why does this person always seem to have bad luck as soon as they leave her?
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