"Jie, what are we eating today?" Chuchu's eyes, filled with admiration, had now shifted from Qin Qingman to the storage room. With the house warmed up, he ran over to the door of the storage room on his short little legs and peeked inside.

Jie = sister

What had once been an empty storage room was now filled with plenty of food, thanks to Zheng Anguo's help. Qin Qingman had managed to retrieve quite a bit of grain from their relatives.

There was flour, millet, and even soybeans and dried mushrooms...

These things were crucial for their survival through the winter.

Chuchu's voice snapped Qin Qingman back to reality. After wringing out the towel and hanging it on the wall, she poured out the water she had used to wash her face and replaced it with clean warm water. Then, turning to the excited little boy, she said, "I'll make dough drop soup in a bit. Come wash up first."

Qin Qingman was used to keeping things clean and wasn't going to start cooking without freshening up.

"Coming!" Chuchu happily ran over to the basin to clean himself up.

With the fire stove burning, the room was much warmer, so Qin Qingman didn't wear too many layers. She rolled up the sleeves of her sweater and got to work making the dough drop soup.

Before she transmigrated into the book, she had lived in a 500-square-meter villa, but she was originally from a rural village. It was only because of her education that she had been able to change her fate and own her business in a big city.

Now that she had transmigrated, rural life wasn't unfamiliar or difficult for her.

The stove was made of iron, and the belly of the stove, filled with firewood, had already burned red-hot. The kettle on the tray above was spouting white steam, adding moisture to the warm room.

Qin Qingman knew the household was lacking many things, so when she had taken back what was owed, she had asked for many practical items.

For instance, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and even more than a hundred eggs.

Between four different households, they could manage to gather over a hundred eggs. She planned to use the eggs to help nourish herself and Chuchu.

From the moment she had taken over this body, Qin Qingman knew what it desperately lacked. She wasn't planning to scrimp and save with the food she had collected. She knew that without a healthy body, even a simple cold could be life-threatening. So, she planned to first restore both her and Chuchu's health.

Half an hour later, Qin Qingman and Chuchu were eating steaming hot dough drop soup.

Since there wasn't much time, she hadn't added any mushrooms for flavoring—just dough drops, oil, salt, and two eggs.

One egg for her and one for Chuchu.

Chuchu scooped up his poached egg with his little spoon, but he hesitated to eat it. It had been a long, long time since he'd had an egg.

The poached egg on the small white spoon tempted Chuchu endlessly.

Smelling the unique aroma of the egg, Chuchu swallowed the saliva pooling in his mouth. He then carefully moved the egg-laden spoon toward Qin Qingman, saying, "Jie, you eat the egg."

Qin Qingman had been secretly watching Chuchu, and when she saw him genuinely offering her the egg, she finally felt willing to fully accept this little brother.

A person who knows gratitude is someone worth treating with sincerity.

"We each get one egg. Don't pass it back and forth, or it might fall on the floor," Qin Qingman said, stopping Chuchu before he could carry out his next action.

Chuchu, who had been about to put the egg into Qin Qingman's bowl, froze with his arm halfway in the air.

He was really worried that the egg might fall to the ground. Even though it would still be edible if washed, it definitely wouldn't taste as good as it did now.

Seeing this little boy's worried expression, Qin Qingman couldn't help but smile. She simply held her bowl under Chuchu's spoon to guide the egg back into his own bowl. "Hurry and eat up. You'll need strength to help me with chores," she said gently.

"Mm!"

Chuchu nodded earnestly and then stuffed the egg into his mouth.

As he chewed the delicious egg, his eyes narrowed with happiness. In his heart, he vowed to get healthy as soon as possible so he could help his sister with the housework. After all, he was a man, and it was his job to protect his sister.

Qin Qingman, unaware of the vow her five-year-old brother had just made, was busy enjoying her own egg.

Eggs from free-range chickens that aren't fed commercial feed taste much better.

The eggs were fragrant and delicious; she hadn't tasted such good eggs in years.

The dough drop soup, seasoned with pepper and chili, warmed Qin Qingman and Chuchu from the inside out. The steaming hot soup even caused beads of sweat to form on their foreheads.

Wiping the sweat off her forehead, Qin Qingman began to feel a bit uncomfortable.

She needed a bath.

The original owner of the body also liked cleanliness, but because there wasn't much firewood in the house, they had been saving it. The last time she had bathed was ten days ago. Although the air was clean in winter, the idea of going so long without a bath was still hard for Qin Qingman to accept.

Just as she was considering boiling water for a bath, a noise came from outside the house.

"Jie..." Chuchu gripped Qin Qingman's sleeve tightly, his big, watery eyes filled with fear as he glanced toward the door.

Bad memories surged in his mind.

It had been when he was home alone that several aunts and uncles had come to borrow supplies. He was small, and too shy to speak up, so he couldn't stop those relatives who were eyeing the family's belongings.

Seeing Chuchu's fear and concern, Qin Qingman didn't think those shameless relatives had come again.

With the village secretary Zheng Anguo keeping them in check, she doubted those relatives would dare to come and cause trouble again. So the noise outside had to be something else. Could it be someone else who was jealous of the supplies they'd collected?

Thinking it over, Qin Qingman grabbed a wooden stick from behind the door and prepared to open it.

"Is Qingman at home?"

At that moment, Zheng Anguo's voice rang out from outside.

Hearing his voice, both Qin Qingman and Chuchu breathed a sigh of relief.

There were only the two of them at home—one was a girl with little strength, and the other was a five-year-old kid. If someone with bad intentions really came, they wouldn't be able to defend themselves.

"Secretary Zheng." Qin Qingman threw on her military coat and opened the door.

When the door opened, she not only saw Zheng Anguo but also her troublesome relatives. They stood behind him, their heads down, holding axes, hatchets, and other tools.

With a glance, Qin Qingman immediately understood why Zheng Anguo and the others had come again.

"Qingman, I noticed your house is drafty. When the weather is calm, it's barely livable, but if the wind blows all night, no amount of firewood will keep you warm. So, I brought your uncles here to help you fix it up," Zheng Anguo explained, raising his voice slightly.

In the rural Northeast, land was plentiful and people were few. Every household had a large courtyard, and although a wooden fence couldn't stop anyone determined to get in, no one would enter without the homeowner's permission unless absolutely necessary.

When Qin Qingman had entered her second uncle's house before, it had been a case of repaying them in kind.

"Secretary, you're so thoughtful. I really can't thank you enough," Qin Qingman said, genuinely surprised and overjoyed. She quickly stepped forward to open the courtyard gate, inviting Zheng Anguo and the others in.

Although the debt-collecting incident had already put her at odds with her uncles, she didn't let it show on her face.

After inviting everyone inside, she thanked the uncles who had come to help. This eased the tension a little, and the grim expressions of Qin Lei and his brothers softened somewhat.

After exchanging a few polite words, Qin Lei led the others to start fixing the house.

In this weather, it was best to get the work done quickly while the sky was clear. If they waited until it snowed, it would be even harder on the workers.

Zheng Anguo didn't enter the main house either. Instead, he followed Qin Lei and the others, supervising their work. Fixing the house was no small matter. If anyone froze to death, even he, as the village secretary, would be held responsible.

With Zheng Anguo keeping an eye on things, the Qin brothers didn't dare slack off.

They worked diligently and thoroughly.

Fixing up the house was physically demanding, and as a girl, Qin Qingman couldn't do much to help. Instead, she took Chuchu and boiled some hot water to bring out to Zheng Anguo and the others.

She didn't hesitate to add a large spoonful of honey to the water.

As they sipped the sweet honey water, Qin Lei and his brothers felt a complex mix of emotions.

After all, this honey had originally belonged to their family. Now, it was being served to them as a token of thanks, under Qin Qingman's name. What a situation!

Feeling a growing frustration in their hearts, Qin Lei and the others picked up the pace.

An hour and a half later, Qin Qingman's wooden house was completely fixed. The previously drafty corners had been sealed up tightly. From now on, no matter how much it snowed or how hard the wind blew, the house would stay warm and protected.

"Secretary, uncles, thank you all so much," Qin Qingman said, sincerely grateful to those who had helped.

"No need to thank us. I wasn't aware of your situation before. From now on, if you have any issues like this, just come to me, and I'll find someone to help fix things," Zheng Anguo said. He glanced at the pile of firewood stacked in the courtyard and the now well-repaired house, feeling quite satisfied as he reminded her.

"Alright, Secretary."

Qin Qingman recognized that Zheng Anguo was the kind of leader who got things done. She didn't bother with empty pleasantries and simply accepted his help.

"Qingman, you'd better head back inside so you don't catch a cold. It looks like it's going to snow tonight. Keep an eye on the windows and doors, and tomorrow, make sure to clear the snow off the roof. Your house is fairly new and should hold up, but when the snow gets too heavy, it's always best to clear it," Zheng Anguo advised, preparing to leave.

In the Northeast, the cold, harsh winter brought most work to a halt—whether in the forest or the fields. It was the perfect time to hunker down and wait out the season.

"Got it, Secretary."

Qin Qingman took his advice seriously. His words, backed by experience, could be lifesaving in a harsh winter.

Seeing that she was genuinely listening, Zheng Anguo didn't stay any longer. He left with Qin Lei and the others.

As they left, they even thoughtfully closed the courtyard gate behind them.

"Jie, Secretary Zheng is really a good person."

Qin Qingman had just walked back into the house and nearly tripped over Chuchu, who was standing right behind her.

"Yeah, the Secretary is a good person. If I'm not around and someone tries to bully you, you should go to the Secretary and ask him to stand up for you." Qin Qingman ruffled Chuchu's hair, then started boiling water to prepare for a bath—not just for herself, but for Chuchu as well.

After all, they were sleeping on the same kang (heated bed).

That night, after having thoroughly cleaned themselves, the siblings lay flat on the warm kang, too excited to fall asleep.

They could hear the howling wind outside, but inside the house, it was as warm as spring.

Their clothes and blankets were clean, and they were also clean from head to toe. Now that they had enough food to eat, the siblings felt much better and had hope for the days to come.

From that day onward, Qin Qingman's routine consisted of clearing the snow off the roof and courtyard each day, and focusing on nourishing their bodies behind closed doors with Chuchu.

Two months later, the siblings' health finally showed improvement.

Not only had their cheeks filled out again, but their skin had regained its smooth, fair appearance, and Chuchu's hair was starting to turn black again. As for the boy's height, it would likely take a few more years to return to normal growth.

Both Qin Qingman and Chuchu were quite satisfied with these changes.

The only thing that troubled Qin Qingman was that, due to their generous eating habits during this time, the food in the house was steadily dwindling. With no new income, they might not have enough to last until the New Year.

She had already taken as much as she could from her relatives, and it was clear they wouldn't be able to give her any more this year.

Just as Qin Qingman was considering turning her attention to the vast mountains surrounding Kaoshantun, her second aunt, Zhu Hongxia, showed up at the door with a beaming smile. "Qingman, great news! Fantastic news!"

Qin Qingman's gentle face broke into a smile. "Second Aunt, what's the good news?"

"Comrade Liu Hechang from the state-run farm is asking around for a marriage match! As soon as I heard, I thought of you. Comrade Liu is a leader at the farm. He not only has a house there but also one in town. If you marry him, you'll have the security of government rations!"

Zhu Hongxia, who hadn't stepped foot in Qin Qingman's house for half a year, began her pitch.

Knowing the plot ahead of time, Qin Qingman looked at Zhu Hongxia and smiled—a particularly soft and gentle smile.