Nan Sheng set the dishes on the table and told her son to dry his hair first. "If it's too stuffy, you don’t have to go to school starting tomorrow. A couple more days won’t make a difference."
Sizhe refused. He didn’t want special treatment—his father had always taught him to endure hardships and persevere.
"I can handle it, Mom. Why are we having meat today?"
"Qiqi and I went to Grandma’s house today. We had meat for lunch, so you should eat more tonight. You look exhausted from the heat."
Qiqi was still too young to pick up food easily with chopsticks, so Nan Sheng sat closer to her to help, occasionally adding a piece of meat to Sizhe’s bowl as well.
Qiqi ended up with rice grains all over her face, but Nan Sheng didn’t mind. She wiped the child’s mouth and let her keep practicing with the chopsticks.
Her job assignment was almost finalized.
Three days later, the town mayor sent word to the village chief, instructing Nan Sheng to report to the town office once she had settled her family affairs. The village chief, upon receiving the news, didn’t waste time dwelling on past awkwardness and immediately went to share the good news with Lin Guozheng.
"Old Lin, your daughter-in-law Nan Sheng has really made you proud! The mayor arranged an official position for her. She’ll be on the government payroll now!"
Lin Guozheng and his wife were overjoyed. They rushed to their daughter-in-law’s house—a five-minute walk that took them half an hour in their excitement. By the time they arrived, the news had already spread through the village.
Nan Sheng, Lin Han’s wife, was even more impressive than the village chief—she was going to work at the town government office!
Many villagers regretted having ever crossed the Lin family. With Nan Sheng working for the government, she could have brought benefits to the village. Now, they’d be lucky if she didn’t hold a grudge against them.
Nan Sheng knew exactly why the village chief had come, but she pretended otherwise.
"Uncle Feng, what brings you here? Sizhe, go inside and pour three bowls of cold water for our guests."
Starting the day before, the school had announced a temporary closure until the weather improved.
With Sizhe at home, Nan Sheng had more freedom. She dried shrimp and fish, preserved vegetables, watered the garden, and even collected wild duck eggs—never a moment of idleness.
She felt bad seeing him work so hard, but he wouldn’t listen. Most of the ice blocks ended up in his stomach.
The village chief deliberately put on a stern face. "Nan Sheng, you’re really something. The mayor gave you a government job, and you didn’t even mention it? Treating me like an outsider, huh?"
Nan Sheng smiled. "I thought the mayor was just making small talk. Does this mean it’s official?"
The village chief couldn’t keep up the act any longer. His face broke into a wide grin.
"It’s official! Starting tomorrow, you’re a government employee. You’ve brought honor to Xiangyang Village!"
Fan Shuting chimed in, "It must be because our daughter-in-law warned about the drought. That’s why the mayor secured this job for her. Let’s have your father buy some meat from town—we’ll all gather at our place for dinner tonight!"
The village chief chuckled. "No need to go to town. I still have ten pounds of meat from when we hosted the city experts last time. I’ll bring it over right away!"
He’d cover the cost himself.
Lin Guozheng didn’t stop the village chief from showing his generosity. Letting him spend a little money might ease the lingering tension between them. Unable to express himself eloquently, he simply told Nan Sheng,
"Daughter-in-law, write a letter to Lin Han and share the good news. Once you start working in town, do your best and don’t cause any trouble for the mayor."
Not wanting to dampen the couple’s excitement, Nan Sheng accepted the invitation. When dinnertime came, she took the two children to the old family house.
Inside, apart from the eldest son’s family of three, only the village chief was present—the third son’s family hadn’t come.
While helping in the kitchen, her mother-in-law explained that it was Lin Guozheng’s decision.
The village chief had truly gone all out—he brought all ten pounds of meat. Three pounds were used for tonight’s dishes, and the rest was given to Nan Sheng to take home.
He hadn’t been on good terms with his wife lately, so when he took out the meat, she didn’t dare question him.
"Uncle, I’ll shamelessly accept this then. I do love meat!"
The village chief, chatting with Lin Guozheng at the table, replied, "I’d be upset if you refused! Don’t treat me like a stranger."
Celebrating such joyous news, Fan Shuting prepared a lavish spread—every dish contained meat.
Stir-fried wild greens with meat, spicy pepper and pork, green beans with pork, stuffed eggplant with minced pork, garlic-marinated sliced pork, and a plate of scrambled eggs—six hearty dishes in total!
Lin Guozheng even brought out the liquor he’d been saving for the New Year and insisted Nan Sheng take a small sip.
"Today’s meal is in your honor. You have to drink at least a little."
The village chief agreed, so Nan Sheng had no choice but to raise her tiny cup and clink it with the others.
Once the men started drinking, the conversation never stopped. The children, meanwhile, focused entirely on eating—even New Year’s feasts weren’t this extravagant. They had to make the most of it.
Nan Sheng had a small appetite and set down her chopsticks after one bowl of rice. She chatted idly with her mother-in-law until Sicheng’s eyes suddenly reddened.
He thought, If only Mom were here to enjoy such a good meal...
He made up his mind—tomorrow, he and his older brother would visit their maternal grandparents. He hoped their mother wasn’t being mistreated.
By the end of the meal, only the village chief and Lin Guozheng remained at the table.
The village chief, clearly drunk, spoke with a sob in his voice. "Old Lin… I’ve wronged you. I couldn’t control my own wife."
Lin Guozheng wasn’t much better off. He tried to punch the village chief’s shoulder but ended up hitting his chin instead.
"You—you have the nerve to say that! Hiding from me for days? Are we not brothers anymore?"
Fan Shuting couldn’t bear to watch. She told Nan Sheng to take the children home early, knowing these two would end up crying once the alcohol took full effect.
Nan Sheng helped her mother-in-law clean the kitchen before leaving. On the way home, she ran into a few villagers, all of whom greeted her with unusual warmth.
Back at home, the first family meeting was convened—the topic: who would take care of Qiqi.
"Mom, I can look after my sister. If she gets hungry at noon, we can pick cucumbers or tomatoes. It’ll be fine."
Nan Sheng patted her son’s head. "Then you stay home with her. No going out to work—what if she gets heatstroke while you’re away?"
Sizhe: "…"
Wasn’t he just trying to stock up on more food?
They’re not even my real siblings, yet I’m treated differently!
"Actually, I could take Qiqi to work with me. Once you’re back in school, she’ll have to come with me anyway. Might as well let her adjust now."
Sizhe disagreed. "When the time comes, she can just go to school with me. You’ll already be exhausted from work—bringing her along would just invite gossip."
Qiqi didn’t hate school anymore. She just wanted to spend more time with her mother, but now Mom was leaving for work…
Pouting, she grumbled, "Fine, I’ll go to school. But on days off, Mom has to spend the whole day with me!"
And so it was settled.
Wanting to arrive early on her first day to complete the necessary paperwork, Nan Sheng woke at dawn.
Just as she finished preparing breakfast for the children, Sizhe stirred awake.
"Mom, I could’ve made breakfast."
"You’re still a child. Just focus on taking care of your sister—doing too much work might stunt your growth."
Lately, her son’s affection for her had skyrocketed—from 50 to 70, surpassing the passing mark and nearing excellence.
She had also saved up four chances for the prize draw, waiting for a lucky moment to try her luck again.
Though happy that her efforts were being recognized, Nan Sheng sometimes couldn’t help but feel melancholy. What if she completed her mission too quickly and never saw these two children again?
Unknowingly, she and the two children had developed a deep bond with the Nan family.
If the system were to ask her now whether she wanted to return to the modern era or stay here, she probably wouldn’t be able to decide anytime soon. She missed the convenience of a technologically advanced world, yet she couldn’t bear to part with the emotional connections she had formed.
Nan Sheng rode her bike to town and first stopped by the black market to find Shitou.
"Nan Jie, are you looking for Yi Ge? He won’t be back until tomorrow or the day after!"
Nan Sheng knew Xiao Yi was elusive and hadn’t actually come to find him.
"I’m here for work, but I also need a favor. Do you know anyone who deals in second-hand bicycles? I want to buy one, but I don’t have any vouchers left."
"Actually, yes. A buddy next door does this kind of business. The chopping knife last time was from him too. Let me take you over to check it out."
These folks all knew each other, and whenever a business opportunity came up, they’d agree first and settle the accounts after getting the payment.
