Cheng Ying approached the withered stalks of cabbage and radish seedlings, pulling up those clearly past their flowering and seeding stage. She beat them vigorously.

Watching the seeds fall one by one onto the ground, Cheng Ying began to gather them up. The yield was actually quite substantial; a large bag of seeds for each variety.

Cheng Ying took out a piece of paper and collected the cabbage seeds and radish seeds from the ground. Don't ask where Cheng Ying got the paper from.

Cheng Ying truly was a bit of a saboteur; people often said that where there is need, human ingenuity will find a way. In a place utterly devoid of toilet paper, Cheng Ying, who was someone deeply preoccupied with her bathroom needs, felt a profound craving for paper.

While the common folk certainly wouldn't have any, the production team did possess some. The team had plastered the dirt walls of the roadside buildings with slogans; these slogans covered all sorts of topics, some dating back several years, one layered over the next.

Wind, sun, and rain had left them looking ragged, though there were new ones too. However, no one dared to touch those.

Cheng Ying certainly wouldn't dare touch the new ones. Cheng Ying had also seen similar paper on some of the wicker fences; when the wind blew strong, the slogans would tear loose.

Cheng Ying didn't care what these papers were used for; at the time, she just thought they were roadside advertisements—a terrible blight on the environment. Finding a time when no one was around, she began this task of cleaning up the "small advertisements," but she was very meticulous in her choices, only picking those that were heavily layered one upon the other.

She had finally done something vaguely useful for public welfare, but Cheng Ying was very careful about her methods; she wouldn't strip one wall bare, instead moving around to several locations so it wouldn't look like deliberate vandalism. Moreover, Cheng Ying tried her best to peel off only the topmost layer and reattach it haphazardly.

Though her reattachment wasn't skillful; she just wet it with water and stuck it to the wall. But even though she now possessed this paper, Cheng Ying couldn't bring herself to use it for its intended, private purpose.

If this was discovered in her own latrine, the consequences would be disastrous. Thus, to this day, Cheng Ying had only committed that single act of subtle destruction, and she still felt intensely uneasy about it.

If she had been caught, no matter how patriotic she claimed to be, she wouldn't be able to explain it away. Cheng Ying almost wished she could stick them all back up.

But putting them back carried the same risk as taking them down. Cheng Ying simply tossed the salvaged paper into her dimension, refusing to dwell on it.

After all, what she acquired was something the team no longer wanted. This was how Cheng Ying consoled herself, thinking that perhaps one shouldn't do bad things at all, yet the guilt lingered in her heart.

Cheng Ying felt she still hadn't fully adapted to this era; the gap in mindset between her and the local people was too vast. To truly integrate with the people here, she would inevitably have to join the collective.

Perhaps in the future, she might even become a model youth. Of course, this was a hope, not a certainty, but everyone needed some positive aspiration to strive for.

Firstly, this act of tearing down advertisements was something she absolutely could not repeat. The consequences of being caught were too severe.

Cheng Ying carefully wrapped the seeds in paper and looked at the still-vibrantly blooming squash flowers, her heart heavy with conflict. They had been blooming for days, and small squashes, about the size of a child's fist, had already formed between the flower base and the vine; they were genuinely tender and exquisite.

Cheng Ying didn't just see the little squashes; she also glimpsed the future of her personal dimension. What use could it possibly be?

But having it was better than nothing; at least it offered off-season vegetables. Cheng Ying proceeded to pick a few of the small squashes beneath the larger blossoms.

As for the beautiful squash flowers, Cheng Ying discarded them without a second thought, tossing them into the pond where the carp swam. Watching the carp become increasingly monstrous, Cheng Ying felt a surge of indignation: "Don't provoke me.

No matter how much you change, you are fundamentally a fish. No matter how beautiful your fins, it's still a fish tail.

If you push me too far, you’ll end up in my stomach." However, these were just words. Having seen the delicacies of the future, things so expensive, Cheng Ying couldn't bring herself to eat them.

That was money, after all. As for the single ear of corn that had grown from one kernel, though reluctantly, Cheng Ying also plucked it.

It was indeed exquisite. This harvest was truly meager.

But overall, it was more than what she had before planting. She needed to count them kernel by kernel.

Each corn kernel sparkled like a pearl. Though the yield was low, the quality was high.

As for the taste, Cheng Ying hadn't had a chance to try it, nor could she bear to waste one yet. Currently, what Cheng Ying needed was seeds.

Cheng Ying painstakingly rubbed the corn kernels off one by one, intending to bury them back into the soil. If she couldn't achieve greatness, she could at least manage a small harvest.

Having spent enough time in the dimension, Cheng Ying emerged. She figured Chi Wu should have finished his chores by now.

Cheng Ying thought about going out for a walk. Since her previous two outings had been too stimulating, Chi Wu refused to be threatened this time.

Seeing Cheng Ying push the door open, Chi Wu bolted outside like a rabbit, shouldering a basket. He was determined to avoid contact with Cheng Ying.

Cheng Ying watched Chi Wu disappear into the distance, knowing she certainly couldn't catch him, and gritted her teeth in frustration. With such a large household, Cheng Ying was left to fuss about by herself, which was quite tedious.

Cheng Ying closed the door, pulled out the ball of wool yarn she had obtained a few days prior, along with the knitting needles her grandmother used, and began knitting socks. Although Cheng Ying could be petty, her character did have a redeeming quality: she was fundamentally fair about debts and favors.

This wool was partly thanks to Chi Wu. Originally, Cheng Ying had considered carefully opening a seam on Chi Wu's padded jacket and stuffing some of the wool inside.

Unfortunately, that unlucky boy Chi Wu woke up earlier than her and went to bed later, leaving her few opportunities. So, she would have to knit him a pair of socks, just like for herself.

It couldn't be helped; this wool couldn't see the light of day, so it could only be used for inner linings—socks or stuffing a jacket. As for her own grandmother, Cheng Ying couldn't imagine her wasting time knitting socks for Chi Wu.

While knitting, Cheng Ying muttered under her breath, "I don't believe my 'sugar-coated bullets' won't win you over. See if you listen to big sister later." She was determined.

Cheng Ying’s grandmother and her biological mother didn't return until noon. Cheng Ying's mother was carrying a sack of grain, and her grandmother held a fish and a piece of meat.

This was the first time Cheng Ying had seen meat and fish since arriving here. The thirty-year-old soul within her nearly swooned over the fish and meat, and Cheng Ying felt embarrassed reflecting on it later.

People truly change. She was actually drooling over a piece of meat.

Cheng Ying took the items from her grandmother's hand, "Is this for us?" Cheng Ying's grandmother, whose expression had been less than cheerful, noticed a change in her granddaughter and said, "Ah Ying is craving something, isn't she?" Cheng Ying nodded, "Yes, Grandma. Did we exchange our work points for this?" The old woman nodded, "Yes.

Since the New Year is coming, we exchanged some grain first. The remaining work points are stored with the team, just in case of some urgent need." Yang Zhi set down the grain from her back; her forehead was beaded with sweat.

Cheng Ying, showing some perceptiveness, brought over a slightly yellowed washcloth. Yang Zhi looked at her daughter with relief, "Ying'er, what do you want to eat?" She had intended to say, "Tell me what you want, and Mom will cook it for you." But seeing the old woman beside her, Yang Zhi changed her phrasing slightly, "Tell Grandma what you want to eat, and Mom will cook it for you later." Seeing her mother like this, Cheng Ying inexplicably burst out laughing.

Cheng Ying's grandmother felt her face lose composure. "Useless thing!

You're supposed to be managing the household. How can you be so soft?

If I hadn't held firm today, the Second Brother's wife would have pushed you around until you couldn't stand. My granddaughter has suffered following you." This was anger born of exasperation, seeing how weak her daughter-in-law was in front of others.

Rural folk often said a wife needed to be a bit fiercer so she wouldn't be bullied, especially for a family like Cheng Ying's. The old woman worried about her daughter-in-law's lack of backbone.

If she were gone in the future, what would become of the household? Cheng Ying said, "Grandma, don't you worry?

My mother and I will just stay under your wing, not wandering too far." Yang Zhi knew her daughter was trying to appease the old woman. She glanced cautiously at her mother-in-law and nodded along.

The old woman sighed in defeat. She turned and went into the house, finding it pointless to scold such a daughter-in-law.

Yang Zhi took a deep breath. She was accustomed to the old woman cursing at her, but this sudden moment where the old woman paid serious attention to her, treating her as the head of the household who needed educating, felt genuinely unfamiliar to Yang Zhi.

She wiped the sweat from her head and said to her daughter, "Your Grandma treats me well, but it really makes me nervous. Do you think Mom has something wrong with her?" Cheng Ying looked at her own mother, speechless for a moment.

This woman was born to endure hardship. She felt conflicted even towards her own mother—an A Dou (a useless person who can't be helped).

"From now on, let Grandma focus on educating me. In the future, I'll take you with me wherever I go." Cheng Ying said this after careful consideration; she needed to keep this mother and grandmother by her side for the rest of their lives.

Yang Zhi stroked her daughter's head. Given their current circumstances, her daughter would likely need to marry a man who lived with them (Zhui Xu).

She felt deeply comforted, "From now on, Mom will follow Ying'er." The old woman, perhaps overhearing their conversation, began tapping her broomstick in the room, "Useless things! Even the child is more useful than you are." Cheng Ying glanced toward the room, thinking that at least the criticism had progressed from being unable to hold onto things to being "useless"—that counted as progress.

Seeing her mother's expression of relief, it seemed this mode of interaction was actually more suitable for her. Cheng Ying finally conceded, "Are you satisfied now?" Yang Zhi saw her daughter pursing her lips silently; there was indeed an issue.

And the look in her daughter’s eyes surely contained disdain. However, hearing the old woman scold her brought Yang Zhi a strange sense of peace, a feeling of belonging.

Cheng Ying didn't linger on the issue with her mother; she went directly into the room after her grandmother. "Grandma, shall we eat the fish tonight?" Cheng Ying's grandmother looked at her granddaughter.

"That's being saved for the New Year." Cheng Ying smiled and snuggled up to her grandmother's side, "Grandma, let's eat it. We'll have more for the New Year." Cheng Ying's Grandma looked at her granddaughter suspiciously.

"You went playing by the river again, didn't you?" As she said this, the broomstick was already raised; the fear of her granddaughter falling into the water had left a permanent scar. Cheng Ying quickly raised both hands, mimicking a gesture of surrender, trembling inwardly.

The old woman's gesture was too imposing, and Cheng Ying was terrified of being hit. "No, no!

It was only that one time!" The old woman looked at Cheng Ying's comical posture. "Put your hands down, what kind of pose is that?" Cheng Ying only lowered her hands after seeing the broomstick drop, feeling her heart settle back into her chest.

She touched her back, realizing she was covered in a cold sweat. "Grandma, don't scare me like that.

I'm a coward."