Liu Ruonan, shedding her usual carefree demeanor, coyly tugged at the corner of her clothes.
"This is Yan Xuan. I promised last time to introduce him to you."
Ye Zhinan suddenly realized.
So this clean - looking man in front of her was the one she had given a negative score!
Yan Xuan blushed under her gaze. His cheeks were like two red apples.
"Come in quickly. It's cold at the door!"
Han Xiangmei said as she pushed the two of them into the house.
"Tell me. What else do you need?"
Ye Zhinan pointed at the package in Yan Xuan's arms.
Liu Ruonan glanced at the man and simply said,
"It's almost the Cold Spring Festival. The weather is getting colder, so Xiao Yan wanted to make a set of down clothes for his parents."
Yan Xuan nodded like a rattle beside her.
"But there are no ducks in my family. Will goose feathers do?"
With that, he shyly pushed the large package in front of Ye Zhinan.
"Goose feathers? That's great!"
Ye Zhinan's eyes lit up. "They're still fresh! Wait a moment."
She turned around and took out a large bag of processed duck down from the cabinet.
"Here, take this."
"Too much. Half of it will be enough for me."
Ye Zhinan watched as Yan Xuan was carefully dividing the bag of duck feathers.
This man was so honest!
"Goose feathers are better than duck feathers. What you've given me is enough to exchange for all this. If you feel bad about it, just don't decline when I ask you for help in the future."
"Of course. I definitely won't."
Liu Ruonan happily replied on his behalf.
Ye Zhinan watched them leave and couldn't help but sigh that they were really a well - matched couple.
Just as she was in a daze, a red figure flashed by.
"You're really a generous soul!"
"Sister Hong! Why are you here?"
Sister Hong grinned and pointed into the distance. "You've given away greenhouses and down clothes. Aren't you afraid of being emptied out one day?"
"What's being emptied are just things. But here is full!"
Ye Zhinan pointed at her head and invited Sister Hong into the house.
"I'm just reminding you. The people here are not simple. You may not get sincerity in return for your kindness."
Sister Hong was right, but Ye Zhinan wanted to take a gamble on human nature and follow her heart.
"I understand. Sister Hong is thinking about me."
She saw that Sister Hong seemed to have something else to say but hesitated. She leaned forward. "Is there something wrong?"
Sister Hong nodded and sighed deeply. "There's a task assigned from above~"
"For our family?"
What was coming was finally here. Ye Zhinan had to face it.
Sister Hong took out a map and pointed at a piece of land on it.
"They said your family grows crops well, so they've allocated another piece of land to you. On the surface, it's a reward."
"This piece of land! It's great!"
Before Sister Hong could finish, Ye Zhinan snatched the map and studied it.
"I've had my eye on this sandy land for a long time. I can plant on it just in time for spring, and we can enjoy the fruits in summer."
As she said that, she swallowed the saliva that was about to flow out.
Sister Hong, who had been worrying about how to phrase it just now, was completely confused.
Seeing her look so puzzled, Ye Zhinan patiently explained.
"Sandy land is suitable for growing watermelons. Sow the seeds in spring and harvest in summer."
Listening to her plan, Sister Hong seemed to see a wonderful sight of a large watermelon field in full harvest.
Having completed her task, she didn't stay any longer.
After Sister Hong left, Ye Yingfeng came over worriedly.
"You might have taken the goose feathers to avoid making them feel guilty, but you don't have to be so happy about this land, do you?"
Ye Zhinan shook her head vigorously. "Goose feathers are really better than duck feathers. They not only have no fishy smell but also have medicinal uses!"
"Medicine?"
Hearing this, Han Xiangmei leaned over.
"Goose feathers can detoxify and reduce swelling. They're just right for treating mother's eczema."
Hearing this, Han Xiangmei's hand holding the goose feathers became a bit lighter.
"I originally planned to make a set of writing brushes for father. I was just worried that there weren't enough duck feathers. Now with the goose feathers, not only can I make the brushes, but I can also make a few goose - feather fans."
Ye Zhinan rambled on, leaving the whole family stunned.
"But that piece of land. There are only four of us in the family. Mother and father are not in good health. I have to go to the mine, and you already have one piece of land. If we take another one, even if I rush back, we won't be able to manage it."
Ye Yingfeng felt sorry for his sister.
The young lady who used to be too delicate to touch the spring water now had scratches all over her hands.
Ye Zhinan stopped smiling and thought for a moment.
"I've got it. I know what to do."
With that, she showed a sly smile. "I'll go out for a while."
Before her words faded, she had already run out, leaving the family looking at each other in dismay.
After a while, Ye Zhinan appeared at Lu Yanlai's house.
"What wind has blown you here?"
Li Feilong was busy with the blue - brick business, so Lu Yanlai was at home. Apart from playing with Little Winter - Melon Spirit, she had nothing else to do.
Her words carried a bit of blame but also a bit of excitement.
Ye Zhinan was just waiting for this reaction.
"I've been so busy lately. As soon as I had some free time, I came to see you!"
She smiled and hooked Lu Yanlai's arm. "If you're free, I'd like to talk to you about a business deal."
A woman wants to do business?
Lu Yanlai got excited.
"There's a piece of sandy land not far from your village. I'd like you to join me in growing watermelons."
"Grow watermelons? I don't know how!"
Not to mention growing watermelons, Lu Yanlai had never farmed at all.
Seeing that she was about to back out, Ye Zhinan quickly added.
"I'll teach you. I guarantee you'll learn. And after the harvest, after we hand in our share to the government, we'll split the rest 30 - 70. You get 70%."
Lu Yanlai's eyes flashed. "Me getting 70%? That's not appropriate, is it?"
"Appropriate. Although it's a cooperation, you'll be doing most of the work."
With the matter clearly stated, all that was left was to wait quietly.
While Ye Zhinan was taking a sip of water, Lu Yanlai agreed.
Although she used to be a young lady from an official family, she was also a straightforward person.
"Let's split it 50 - 50. You've always been helping us. I should actually do it for free, but we need to give and take to maintain a long - term relationship, right?"
The two women looked at each other and smiled.
Lu Yanlai was also a smart person.
"Mother!"
Little Winter - Melon Spirit had been sleeping. After waking up, he came out in a thin single - layer clothes to look for his mother.
"The child is wearing so little. Be careful not to catch a cold."
Ye Zhinan had heard that children had strong internal heat, but she had never seen such a case.
"Don't worry. We have a heated kang at home."
Lu Yanlai pulled Ye Zhinan towards the kang. Sure enough, it was so warm that it reached the bottom of her heart.
Thinking of her own shabby and cold house, Ye Zhinan started to calculate.
"I won't take that share of the land. Could you ask Brother Li to help build a heated kang for my family?"
Lu Yanlai immediately agreed. "You still take your share of the land, and we'll also help build the kang for you."
The two women looked at each other and smiled, no longer refusing.
Ye Zhinan counted all these "favors" as part of her effort to condition Little Winter - Melon Spirit's body.
The child had been lacking nutrition for a long time and was growing slowly. She secretly mixed the growth hormones taken from her space into the child's food.
But it wasn't just Little Winter - Melon Spirit who was lacking nutrition. The whole village was in this situation.
Every time she came to Fushou Village, the women in the village would come at the news and scramble for her to feel their pulses.
After a few times, relying solely on the medicine in her space for supplementation was not a long - term solution.
She kept this matter in mind and planned to talk to Li Feilong when she had a chance. Unexpectedly, he brought it up first.
One day, Li Feilong came to the Ye family to build a heated kang. Seeing the Ye family's living conditions, he was extremely indignant.
"I knew Vice - General Ye had fallen from grace, but I didn't expect it to be this bad."
Although his words were rough, his regret was genuine.