As soon as the drought ended, before the autumn harvest began, the villagers of Xiaoling Village rushed to tend to their orchards in the mountains. After the rains, their spirits were lifted once again!
Over at the town government office, work resumed its usual rhythm, with no major issues except for Secretary Ma urgently arranging for experts to visit.
Nan Sheng was now part of Secretary Ma’s team, though she wasn’t usually assigned minor tasks—only when everyone was swamped would she be called in to help.
She joked with her colleagues, "Think of me as a brick—just move me wherever I’m needed!"
The black market had temporarily halted its ice-selling business, focusing instead on grain sales. Nan Sheng paid a visit to settle the profit split with Xiao Yi.
When she arrived, Xiao Yi personally came out to greet her, teasing, "Nan Sheng, you’re not in a hurry to collect your share, which makes me look impatient instead."
Nan Sheng laughed. "The money isn’t going anywhere with you. The drought just ended—I had to sort out my work first before coming here."
They didn’t dwell on the topic. From the initial grain trade to the ice-making formula, and even the timely warning about the drought’s end, Nan Sheng had played a crucial role.
Though talking about money might seem crass, who in this world isn’t entangled in such worldly concerns? Xiao Yi decided to give Nan Sheng a larger share as a token of gratitude.
He handed her the ledger. Truth be told, the ice business hadn’t been as profitable as grain in the early stages—only in the last half-month had prices skyrocketed.
After deducting labor and transportation costs, their profits were still substantial.
"Nan Sheng, does the ledger meet your expectations?"
"Absolutely. Even someone like me, who can’t make sense of accounts, finds it crystal clear. You’ve put in a lot of effort, Xiao Yi."
Being called "Xiao Yi" again made him a little bashful. They were around the same age, and it was hard to say who was older.
But Nan Sheng worked for the government and had helped him repeatedly, so he felt somewhat indebted and willingly took a humbler stance.
"Don’t tease me, Nan Sheng. Here’s your share. Once the weather warms up next year, I’ll consider restarting the ice business."
When Nan Sheng saw the money on the table, she immediately noticed the discrepancy.
The bills were all ten-yuan notes—if she wasn’t mistaken, one stack was a hundred bills, totaling a thousand yuan. There were five stacks here.
The ice business hadn’t brought in that much revenue. After costs, Nan Sheng was getting at least a third of the profits, even though they’d originally agreed on just ten percent.
She was about to point out the mistake when she caught Xiao Yi’s expression and realized it was intentional. There was no need for her to feign modesty.
"Fine, I won’t take advantage of you. From now on, the ice-making formula is yours."
Now it was Xiao Yi’s turn to be speechless. Dealing with someone so scrupulous made even trying to show appreciation difficult. Luckily, Nan Sheng gave him an out.
"After the autumn harvest, there won’t be much work in the village. You know I have a younger brother—do you need extra hands here? It’d be good for him to gain some experience."
"Of course! I could always use more trustworthy people around!"
Nan Sheng wasn’t just sending her brother for training—she was building a bridge between them. He wasn’t foolish enough to refuse.
"Don’t worry, Nan Sheng. I’ll take good care of our little brother!"
They both retrieved the original contract, confirmed its terms, and tore it up. Nan Sheng took the money and immediately stored it in her space—her personal, Nan Sheng-branded bank.
After all, this money couldn’t exactly see the light of day.
Back home, Sizhe was busy in the kitchen while Siqi lay on the kang, diligently writing—yes, she was now a diligent little student!
"Sweetheart, was your teacher strict today? Did she rap your knuckles?"
"No!" Siqi beamed. "She even said I was smart!"
Only after starting school did she realize teachers only punished misbehaving children. And because she was younger, the teacher gave her extra attention.
Nan Sheng rewarded her daughter with a kiss before shooing Sizhe out of the kitchen to cook herself. She didn’t want the kids coming home from school without time to do homework.
She’d also mailed her reply to Lin Han, congratulating him on his military academy admission but mentioning she needed more time to consider moving to the base.
She’d also written about Fan Shuting’s illness, subtly throwing shade at Lin Xue. She wondered if Lin Han would find her annoying.
For dinner, Nan Sheng made white rice with stir-fried shredded potatoes, adding just a bit of meat for flavor. The kids loved it.
"Will we still be able to forage for mushrooms this year?"
Sizhe thought for a moment. "It’s probably too late now, but Grandma has dried mushrooms we can eat."
Nan Sheng felt a pang of disappointment. She’d really wanted to go picking herself—fresh mushrooms were tastier and more fun.
Meanwhile, after receiving the letter, Lin Han prepared to leave once he got the keys to the family quarters.
The drought in Huaishan Town was over, the kids were in school, and everything was looking up. As for his wife’s not-so-subtle complaints—
Far from finding them irritating, Lin Han thought it showed how close they were. It was actually quite endearing.
At that very moment, his "endearing" wife was slathering snowflake cream on her face. She’d decided to wear a mask outdoors from now on—she was determined to restore her fair complexion.
A month later, the autumn harvest began in earnest!
Though the crops weren’t as bountiful as before, at least half had survived, giving the villagers hope to carry on.
Nan Sheng’s month-long mask regimen had paid off—her sun-darkened skin had lightened to a warm ivory. Good genes helped, but her daily snowflake cream routine also played a part.
This era had a "farmwork break," which for Nan Sheng was a rare vacation. But both kids wanted to join the harvest, and Siqi even dragged her along.
Nan Sheng styled her hair in a loose fishtail braid, letting wispy strands frame her face for a carefree, playful look. Not planning to work, she wore a floral blouse with light brown pants and a straw hat—simple yet put-together.
Sizhe gave his mother a hesitant look. Was it just him, or did she look like she was going on a picnic, like in their textbooks?
Mom was starting to seem less and less like a country woman.
Sizhe walked ahead while Nan Sheng held Siqi’s hand, strolling leisurely toward the fields. The scene was lively—strong laborers cut, shucked, and hauled corn, while women pitched in without pay, bundling stalks for fodder or burning the rest.
Even the children had tasks, gathering fallen corn kernels. Some collected several pounds a day, and Siqi eagerly joined them.
Villagers brightened at Nan Sheng’s arrival, with close ones teasing, "Comrade Nan, here to inspect our work?"
Nan Sheng smiled sheepishly, occasionally lending a hand. The village head approached, his face troubled.
"Has the secretary hinted when relief grain might arrive? This year’s yield is barely half of previous years. After quotas, there won’t be enough left for the villagers."
Nan Sheng’s smile faltered. Bringing this up on such a festive day was a real mood-killer.
She said, "Not yet. We have to wait for each village to report their yields first."
In truth, Secretary Ma had already submitted a request, hoping Huaishan Town could be exempted from grain requisition this year. It was just unclear how the higher-ups would respond.
As the two of them fell into thought, Sicheng called out excitedly from nearby, "Aunt Nan, look who's back?"
Hearing his voice, Nan Sheng and the village chief instinctively turned around. There, standing beside Sicheng, was a tall figure gazing steadily at them.
Nan Sheng had to admit—that touch of army green stood out brilliantly in the crowd.
