Qin Qingman wasn't interested in the commotion at Zhu Hongxia's house next door. With the issue of the arranged marriage now behind her, she was much happier focusing on her life with Chuchu. Since the New Year was fast approaching and the supplies they had left were limited, they would need to tighten their belts and save where they could.

As she mentally calculated the remaining food in their storage room, Qin Qingman decided that they would have mixed-grain steamed buns for breakfast.

"Sis, we still have a lot of dried wild vegetables that were gathered and dried during the spring and summer," Chuchu said as he followed closely beside Qin Qingman, looking up at her. He too was worried about their food supply. Ever since they had gone hungry before, he was cautious about eating too much. He didn't want to face a day where they had no food left at all.

When there's no food, people can starve to death!

"I know. If we mix the grains with wild vegetables and ration our meals, we should be able to make it to spring. But we do need to eat some meat to rebuild our strength. Both of us are still a bit weak," Qin Qingman said as she gently patted Chuchu's worried little face.

After two months of improved nutrition, both of their health had recovered somewhat. However, with the severe malnutrition they had suffered, what they needed most was meat.

Red meat, in particular, could provide essential iron and other vital nutrients. Especially for Chuchu, who was still growing-without sufficient meat, his physical development might be stunted.

This was why Qin Qingman had been contemplating how to get more meat recently.

When Chuchu heard Qin Qingman mention eating meat to recover their health, he immediately recalled the delicious taste of chicken.

Licking his lips in memory, the little boy, despite his craving, remained thoughtful and said, "Sis, before the New Year, the village will definitely slaughter pigs. We'll be able to get some then. Let's wait a little longer-soon we'll be able to eat meat."

In the 1970s, things were different from the era of economic reform. All resources belonged to the collective, and everything had to be bought or distributed using food tickets. Fortunately, they lived in a rural village, where they didn't need food tickets for everything like people did in the city.

The village raised pigs, cows, and sheep. While most of the livestock was handed over to the state, some were kept to benefit the villagers. During major holidays, the village leader would arrange for pigs to be slaughtered, and the meat would be distributed based on the number of people in each household. Qin Qingman's family would also receive a portion.

Qin Qingman, having arrived in this era, understood how things worked.

She considered herself lucky to have been able to reclaim some grains and other supplies from her relatives by using the debt repayment system. However, meat was a different story. Meat was so scarce that even if you wanted to trade for it, no one would be willing to exchange it.

Everyone was short on meat and unwilling to part with even a small portion. The only way to eat a decent amount of meat would be to go hunting in the mountains. According to the rules, half of the game caught would be handed over to the collective, but the other half would belong to the hunter.

Qin Qingman paid no attention to the excitement next door at Zhu Hongxia's house. Now that the troublesome arranged marriage issue was behind her, she preferred to focus on the simple life she shared with Chuchu. With the New Year fast approaching and their food supplies dwindling, they needed to be cautious and live frugally.

Calculating the remaining provisions in the storage room, Qin Qingman decided that they would have mixed-grain steamed buns for breakfast.

"Sis, we still have plenty of dried wild vegetables from the spring and summer," Chuchu said, looking up at her. He was also worried about their food. Ever since they had gone hungry, Chuchu was fearful of running out of food. The thought of having no food left was terrifying.

When there's no food, people really can starve to death!

"I know. If we mix grains with wild vegetables and ration carefully, we'll make it through to spring. But we need to eat some meat to rebuild our strength. Both of our bodies are still weak," Qin Qingman said, gently patting his little face.

After two months of eating better, both she and Chuchu had regained some strength, but their bodies, which had been severely malnourished, still needed meat for full recovery. Red meat, in particular, could provide the iron and nutrients they needed. For Chuchu, who was still growing, meat was especially important to ensure his height and development weren't stunted.

That was why Qin Qingman had been contemplating ways to get meat.

Hearing his sister mention eating meat, Chuchu's thoughts immediately turned to the delicious taste of chicken.

Licking his lips, he spoke with both longing and maturity. "Sis, before the New Year, the village will definitely slaughter pigs. We'll get a share of the meat then. Let's wait a little longer, and we'll have meat to eat."

The 1970s were different from the era of economic reform. At this time, all resources were communal, and most things had to be bought or distributed using ration coupons. Fortunately, they lived in a rural village, where they didn't need coupons for everything, unlike in the cities.

Their village raised pigs, cows, and sheep. While most of the livestock was handed over to the state, some was kept for the villagers. During the holidays, the village leader would arrange for pigs and sheep to be slaughtered, and the meat would be distributed according to the number of people in each household. Qin Qingman's family would also get a portion.

Having adapted to this era, Qin Qingman understood these systems well.

Previously, she had been lucky to recover some grain and supplies from her relatives through debt repayment. But meat was another story-no one was willing to part with meat. It was too precious. If anyone wanted to enjoy a good portion of meat, they would have to go hunting in the mountains themselves. According to the rules, half of any game caught would go to the village, but the hunter could keep the other half for themselves.

Looking out at the snow-covered mountains, Qin Qingman felt a sense of longing but ultimately gave up on the idea. With her current physique and strength, not only was hunting out of the question, but even climbing the mountain would leave her out of breath.

"Sis, the mountains are dangerous. Only hunters should go up there. With all the snow lately, even the village hunters don't dare venture into the mountains," Chuchu said, sensing Qin Qingman's thoughts and quickly trying to dissuade her.

The little boy was so worried that he clung tightly to Qin Qingman's hand.

"Don't worry, Sis isn't going into the mountains. I know it's dangerous," she reassured him, her heart softening at his concern.

In truth, Qin Qingman had no plans to go into the mountains alone. The wilderness in this era wasn't like the forests in her previous life. The mountains here were full of wild animals-bears, tigers, wild boars-any one of which could easily kill her.

"Sis, there are bears in the mountains, and they can eat people!" Chuchu added, still not fully convinced, trying to scare her with tales of man-eating bears.

Qin Qingman thought to herself: Bears don't actually eat people, but one swipe of a bear's paw can crush a person's skull.

After some playful banter about the dangers of the mountains, the siblings happily got to work on breakfast. Qin Qingman mixed black bean flour, cornmeal, and a bit of wheat flour to make the dough for the steamed buns. For the filling, she used dried shepherd's purse and shredded radish.

When the buns came out of the steamer, the enticing aroma filled the room, making Chuchu's mouth water.

"Sis, it smells so good! I've never had such delicious steamed buns before," Chuchu exclaimed. He wasn't exaggerating. The original owner of this body hadn't been a great cook, and with limited resources, every meal had been prepared as frugally as possible, with hardly any oil or seasoning.

Under those conditions, it was no wonder the food had been bland and unappetizing.

But Qin Qingman was different.

She was a skilled cook and didn't skimp on ingredients. Even simple mixed-grain buns could become irresistible when prepared with care and proper seasoning.

Qin Qingman, aware of the contrast between her and the original owner, handed a cooled bun to Chuchu. "I added sesame oil, scallions, and some chicken broth to the filling. It'd be strange if they weren't delicious."

Hearing that, Chuchu nodded in agreement, completely convinced.

With plenty of good ingredients, of course, these buns were tastier than before.

Taking a big bite of the fragrant steamed bun, Chuchu's face lit up with satisfaction, especially since he also had a bowl of chicken soup with a few pieces of chicken to enjoy.

After a hearty and comforting breakfast, both siblings sat back in their chairs, fully content.

As Qin Qingman and Chuchu enjoyed their growing sense of hope for the future, there was also joy and celebration next door at Zhu Hongxia's house.

Even though Qin Plei and Zhu Hongxia were still not entirely thrilled about having Liu Hechang as a son-in-law, they had no choice but to accept it since their daughter, Qin Caiyun, was willing. And now that Caiyun had made her choice, there was no need to play the role of villains. After all, having Liu Hechang as a son-in-law would undoubtedly help their two sons find jobs.

So, after the initial awkwardness passed, harmony returned to Zhu Hongxia's household.

Everyone had their own selfish motives, but sometimes, scheming people could find common ground.

Liu Hechang had brought generous gifts with him, including meat and sweets, so Zhu Hongxia didn't call on Qin Caiyun to help with the cooking. Instead, she and her youngest son prepared a proper feast, killing a chicken and soaking mushrooms to make a rich dish of chicken stewed with mushrooms.

The strong aroma soon spread from their home, filling the air around them.

Qin Xiang's house, being the closest to Zhu Hongxia's, was the first to notice the delicious smell.

Smelling the chicken and mushroom stew, her fifteen-year-old daughter, Qin Dongmei, wrinkled her nose and asked curiously, "Mom, why is Aunt Zhu's family killing chickens and eating meat when it's not even a holiday?"

Qin Xiang hadn't known the reason at first either, but she had seen a certain someone that morning. After a brief moment of shock and surprise, she decided it was best to stay home and avoid getting caught up in Zhu Hongxia's affairs.

She didn't want Qin Caiyun's influence rubbing off on her daughter.

So, hearing her daughter's question, Qin Xiang immediately frowned and scolded, "Why do you care why Aunt Zhu's family is eating meat? What other people do in their home is their business. It has nothing to do with us."

Qin Dongmei hadn't expected her innocent question to spark such anger from her mother. She looked confused and turned to her father, Jiang Linshan, who was sitting by the stove.

As the only child, she was usually spoiled, especially by her father.

Jiang Linshan had already heard from Qin Xiang about what was going on at Zhu Hongxia's house. He shared his wife's opinion-this was a messy situation, and it was better not to involve their daughter in such unseemly affairs.

After all, marriage was never a simple matter.

Realizing that some things couldn't be explained to a child, Jiang Linshan quickly changed the subject. "Dongmei, let's kill a chicken and have a nice meal ourselves today." After all, they had been living off a vegetarian diet for months now, and with the New Year approaching, it seemed like a good time to treat themselves to some meat.

Sure enough, hearing that her own family was going to have chicken, Qin Dongmei immediately forgot about her curiosity over Zhu Hongxia's meat-eating and turned to her mother, hugging her and begging for the chicken to be cooked soon.

Qin Xiang didn't really want to kill a chicken, but with only one daughter to dote on, she eventually gave in, seeing how much Dongmei craved meat. She reluctantly agreed to cook it.

This scene was playing out in many of the households around Zhu Hongxia's.

The smell of chicken soup from Qin Qingman's house the day before, followed by the aroma of Zhu Hongxia's chicken stew today, was more than the neighbors could bear. The families with chickens in their coops finally gave in to temptation.

They reasoned that since they had been stuck indoors for so long, and with a large-scale hunting expedition likely to be organized soon, it was the perfect time to kill a chicken and prepare for the hunt by building up their strength.

And so, many homes in the village were enjoying meat that day.

By midday, the weather was still bright and calm, with no sign of snow or wind. Liu Hechang, having enjoyed the treatment of a future son-in-law at Zhu Hongxia's house, grew more confident. Over drinks, he even promised Qin Plei that he would help arrange a job for his eldest son at the farm.

With this promise secured, Liu Hechang became even more welcome in Zhu Hongxia's home.

Now that their daughter had made her choice, and with the bonus of securing their son's future, Qin Plei and Zhu Hongxia were beginning to feel much better about the match they had previously dreaded.

Liu Hechang becoming their son-in-law meant that when the time came for their younger son's job placement, it would be no big deal.

Sacrificing a daughter for so many benefits-Qin Lei and Zhu Hongxia thought it was a worthwhile trade.

Their smiles toward Liu Hechang grew more genuine by the minute.

The meal lasted until well past 2 p.m. By the end of the drinking session, not only had Qin Lei agreed to marry off his daughter, but both families had also settled on the wedding date-right after the New Year, on the 15th day of the first lunar month.

The most auspicious day for family reunions.

After they were full of food and drink, Liu Hechang and the matchmaker, taking advantage of the good weather, prepared to return to town.

Since they had accepted their new son-in-law, Qin Lei's family was, of course, going to escort him all the way to the gate. Just then, by sheer coincidence, Qin Qingman appeared in her own yard, carrying some firewood. Both parties unexpectedly ran into each other.

The moment she saw Liu Hechang, Qin Qingman muttered inwardly, What bad luck.

Honestly, she had no desire to see Liu Hechang. Every time she thought of how Zhu Hongxia and the others had tried to scheme against her with this man, she felt nothing but disgust. If she had known she'd run into him, she would've rather waited until he was gone, even if it meant going without firewood for a while.

Feeling annoyed, Qin Qingman pretended not to notice anyone and kept her head down, heading straight back to the house with her firewood.

Perhaps Qin Caiyun had gotten a bit cocky, or maybe she thought her marriage was secure. When she saw Qin Qingman, for reasons unknown, she enthusiastically called out, "Qingman-jie, carrying firewood?"

Her greeting was unexpected, and her voice was loud, causing everyone's attention to shift toward Qin Qingman's yard.

Qin Qingman felt irritated, but she couldn't just ignore the greeting and act deaf. Reluctantly, she looked up at Qin Lei and Zhu Hongxia and politely said, "Second Uncle, Second Aunt."

"Qingman, hurry up and go inside. If the fire dies out, it'll get cold in the house," Zhu Hongxia quickly added, cold sweat running down her back.

The fact that the man they'd originally wanted to set up with Qin Qingman had now become their son-in-law-how ridiculous! She couldn't bear the thought of introducing the two of them now.

Qin Qingman had no interest in meeting Liu Hechang. Taking Zhu Hongxia's words as an opportunity, she turned and went straight into the house.

At Qin Lei's gate, Liu Hechang stood still for a long time, staring at the now-empty yard where Qin Qingman had disappeared.

Although it had only been a fleeting glimpse, he had seen Qin Qingman's face clearly.

Her beauty was like that of the most stunning flower, and her figure was so perfect it was like a goddess from a dream.

"Second Aunt, is that girl named Qingman? Qin Qingman?" Liu Hechang turned to Zhu Hongxia's family, his gaze now heavy with scrutiny and deep contemplation.

Seeing Liu Hechang's darkened expression, Qin Caiyun's heart skipped a beat, filled with unease.

After two months of nutritious food and good care, Qin Qingman had transformed like a phoenix rising from the ashes, radiating with brilliance. As someone who worked hard every day, Qin Caiyun could not compare to her, not even remotely...