Heavy rain and snow never came as expected, but windy days were quite frequent.
Ye Zhinan watched the little vegetable seedlings in the backyard growing steadily and healthily, feeling extremely delighted.
"Brother, could you do me a favor and make a trip?"
She stuffed a small object into Ye Yingfeng's hand.
"What's this?"
Ye Yingfeng played with the miniaturized version of the greenhouse in his hand.
"It's a model. Just show it to Inspector Qin. He'll understand."
"You're really something, coming up with such a method."
Since they were exiled, Ye Zhinan's potential seemed to have been unleashed, and she would occasionally come up with some interesting things.
Not long after, Ye Yingfeng came back with a package.
Ye Zhinan opened it and found several processed duck necks inside.
Ye Zhinan was incredulous. When did he know that I wanted to eat duck necks?
But none of these mattered. The most important thing was to have a delicious meal.
"Mom, we'll have marinated duck necks for dinner tonight!"
Han Xiangmei looked blank at the new task assigned by her daughter.
"Marinated duck necks? We can boil or steam them, but our family is so poor. Where can we get the marinade?"
Ye Zhinan was so overwhelmed by happiness that she forgot their current difficult situation.
"Lu Yanlai went to the town fair some time ago and brought back some star anise, Chinese prickly ash, and cloves. We can make do with them for flavoring."
Saying so, she ran back to her room, pretending to rummage through the package, but actually sneaking into the space to get some seasonings.
Only then did Han Xiangmei feel relieved. She took out two duck necks, washed them, and cut them into pieces.
As long as there was something to eat, she could make it delicious with her cooking skills.
Ye Zhinan watched her mother being so stingy, feeling both heart - ache and sadness.
She silently washed and cut the remaining duck necks and poured them all into the pot when her mother wasn't looking.
"You child, why are you so wasteful?"
Han Xiangmei was angry and tried to fish out some of the duck necks.
"We don't have a cellar at home. If we leave them, they'll go bad, and that would be a real waste."
"Our daughter means well. Let's just eat them."
As soon as Ye Shenyan spoke, although Han Xiangmei was still angry, she didn't say anything more.
During the meal, she was reluctant to eat the duck necks herself and kept picking them for the two children.
She murmured, "Since we've made them, we should eat them all. Otherwise, it's a waste if we can't store them properly."
Ye Zhinan knew that her mother was still feeling awkward about what she said just now. After a moment's thought, she had an idea.
"Let's build a cellar!"
Previously, the Ye family relied on the supplies she secretly took from the space to survive, always living from hand to mouth.
"What do we need a cellar for? It's not like we can eat ducks every day."
Han Xiangmei felt that she had given her daughter a topic to talk about and was even more unhappy.
Ye Zhinan patiently explained, "What if we have more ducks in the future? Nowadays, the demand for duck down is so high that every household has started raising ducks. If we have a cellar, we can not only store more vegetables and fruits but also some duck meat, even chicken and goose meat. With Mom's cooking skills, we can make all kinds of marinated foods and surely find a way to make money."
"Your dream is indeed ambitious, but if a thing is only limited to one way, it's not a long - term solution after all."
Ye Shenyan seemed serious, but actually, he was testing her.
His daughter had many ideas, but her considerations were not comprehensive enough and needed some guidance.
Ye Zhinan put down her chopsticks and stared blankly at the duck necks on the table.
Everyone thought they had dispelled her wild ideas and stopped talking. But suddenly, she stood up, holding a duck neck and saying firmly,
"Raising ducks is not only for keeping warm and satisfying our appetites but also for preparing for emergencies."
She pointed to the ridge of the field.
Ye Shenyan gave a faint smile, already understanding. He tacitly approved of the idea of building a cellar and raising ducks.
Ye Zhinan was one step closer to her small goal, and Qin Yihuai also followed in her footsteps.
The government issued a notice that they would reinforce the greenhouses for the common people, but there's no such thing as a free lunch. They needed to collect silver.
Some people were happy, while others were dissatisfied.
Sister Zhang pointed at the notice and complained sarcastically, "If you want money, just say so. Don't say it's for our own good."
"That's right. This greenhouse collapses after a heavy rain. Now, besides farming, I have to worry about it every day. It's much more tiring than before."
"The harvest hasn't increased, but the work has."
Several people in the crowd echoed. Seeing that the complaints were getting louder and louder, a man suddenly stood up and shouted,
"Indeed, there's no such thing as a free lunch. But if you think this little money is too much, go to the market and buy bamboo yourself. I bet you can't even buy a single piece."
The speaker was Liu Dongxing. He usually kept quiet, but since his family helped make the cloth for the greenhouses, their life had improved significantly.
With a better life, he became more confident and his words were more forceful.
Those who envied him nodded in agreement, while those who were jealous sneered.
Chen Zhenhai dispersed the crowd.
"Those who want to reinforce the greenhouses, come to the supply center to register. We have limited manpower. You can wait, but the weather won't wait."
Saying so, he pointed to the gloomy sky. It was obvious that the weather was about to change.
Everyone knew that if there was another heavy snow, the harvest for the whole year would be completely ruined. Liu Dongxing took the lead and ran to the supply center to register. Then he put the money on the table with a bang.
Seeing this, everyone rushed there, afraid of missing the best opportunity.
But there were still a few families hesitating, looking around.
At this time, Wei Shiqi swayed out with her graceful figure.
"We can reinforce the greenhouses by ourselves. It's just a matter of getting a few thick bamboo poles. If you're willing, our Wei family is willing to study with everyone, and it's free."
"Really free?"
Sister Zhang was tempted when she heard this.
Who doesn't like free things? Especially when the mysterious Wei family offered, anyone would want to take advantage of it.
So another group of people followed Wei Shiqi back to the Wei family.
In this way, the people were divided into two groups and each went their own way.
Ye Zhinan pursed her lips and looked at the silent man in the dark beside her.
"Should I also charge a fee?"
"I've already paid you."
Qin Yihuai remained calm and pointed to his thin lips.
"You think you can buy my technology with just a few duck necks? Next time, I'll definitely set a price clearly, or I'll suffer a great loss."
Although Ye Zhinan knew that the government wasn't making money, she didn't want to lose in words. Of course, she was also dissatisfied with the government's charging.
"Why do you think I charge?"
"How would I know what's on your mind!"
Everyone seemed to want to test her.
Although she was dissatisfied, she was secretly thinking.
After a while, she clapped her hands and exclaimed, "One can't get something for nothing!"
People are lazy by nature. Helping someone once is okay, but helping them all the time is actually harming them.
One shouldn't be overly kind - hearted. One may not get a reward even if they work hard, but if they don't work hard, they definitely can't last long.
Ye Zhinan looked at the deep - thinking Qin Yihuai beside her. How far - reaching was this man's consideration?
She looked at the gradually darkening sky. She made a cute doll out of scraps of cloth and hung it on the window.
Ye Yingfeng was surprised. "You were praying for snow before. What's the meaning of this doll?"
"Look, it's so cold. It seems it's going to snow soon. But for the sake of all the people in the world, I still hope the weather will be good."
Ye Zhinan looked noble and righteous, but secretly she was praying, "Let it snow!"