So, for the sake of her own mother, Cheng Ying didn't dare let the television show in the village, It wasn't until she had secured a television set for Second Uncle that Cheng Ying returned home.

The old lady saw her granddaughter, "Why are you back already?

You finally went out, why not stay a couple more days?

Did your mother have the baby?" Cheng Ying replied, "What's there to stay for?

It's boring.

Without my grandma, nowhere feels comfortable.

My mom still has a while before giving birth." Regardless of the truth, the old lady was pleased by her granddaughter's coaxing, "You little rascal, always sweet-talking me.

How is your mother?" Cheng Ying said, "She's great.

Eats whatever and smells good.

I’ve never seen anyone have an easier pregnancy.

I hear, except for that one time at home, she hasn't been sick once." The old lady seemed momentarily lost in thought.

"That means she's living comfortably.

That's how it is for women.

As long as your mother is well, that's all that matters.

Let's eat." Cheng Ying replied, "No need, I already ate on the mountain with Second Uncle." The old lady asked, "Why did you go up the mountain first?" Cheng Ying explained, "To set up the wiring for Second Uncle, pulling it all the way from the lumber yard." The old lady tutted, "That must have cost a fortune.

You're such a spendthrift." Cheng Ying had long grown accustomed to this remark; after years of being scolded this way, one simply stopped taking it to heart.

If one were to say that time flies, it truly was not false.

Yang Zhi gave Chi Yong a son.

Chi Yong was so thrilled that he kept telling Cheng Ying to go to the brigade office to take phone calls every day, which annoyed Cheng Ying immensely.

Later, Chi Wu procured a tractor for Cheng Ying, and the Cheng family officially entered the mechanized era.

For Cheng Ying, this tractor brought nothing but trouble.

How could she refuse anyone in the village who asked to use it?

On top of paying for the fuel, Cheng Ying even had to provide labor.

Cheng Ying was infinitely frustrated until she forced Cheng Ming to learn how to drive as well; only then did she get some peace.

As for middle school, Cheng Ying was enjoying it immensely.

During the high-stakes exams of the third year of middle school, looking at the scores of the other youths, Cheng Ying finally realized she had stumbled into a serious predicament.

A very big one.

Cheng Ying looked at the pairs of young men and women and started to worry.

Her own period of romantic awakening had arrived.

But what kind of person should she set her sights on?

This budding affection was a problem in itself.

Cheng Ying counted on her fingers; she was fifteen this year.

The matter of first love and all that should have been surfacing.

But how should one choose the object of that first love?

That was genuinely a quandary.

Looking at the little kids around her, choosing someone her physical age meant raising an extra son.

Choosing someone her mental age—her own grandmother would beat her to death.

That would be choosing a father for herself.

Cheng Ying gazed out at the sky, tilting her head up at a forty-five-degree angle.

This question was too profound.

She wondered how all those reborn or time-traveling individuals managed to overcome this psychological hurdle.

While in class, Cheng Ying surveyed the male students around her, and finally, her gaze settled upon the male teacher.

It turned out that the mental hurdles were difficult to overcome.

Cheng Ying thought to herself how she could possibly make the old lady accept an age-gap relationship normally.

Most importantly, how could she find an older gentleman who would remain chaste for her, one without any inappropriate hobbies, all without destroying her family?

These were another set of lofty problems, not ones she could solve.

For the first time, Cheng Ying keenly realized that arranging her own future marriage was truly difficult.

After the middle school exams, Cheng Ying’s results were excellent.

This gave Grandpa a great opportunity to brag, though he managed to find something to boast about every year anyway.

When Cheng Ying returned home, she counted her money.

Two thousand yuan, gone in three years, all thanks to her efforts.

Now, only bits and pieces of small change remained.

Second Uncle wouldn't even be able to draw his salary this month.

If she had known, she should have withheld some of that boy Chi Wu's money to solve this urgent problem.

Currently, Cheng Ying wasn't nearly as rich as Chi Wu.

That unlucky kid had a knack for making money; he managed to procure medicinal herbs every year to earn pocket money.

They called it pocket money, but it was thicker than his father's entire annual salary.

Cheng Ying was desperately short of funds now.

She could afford to be inconsistent during middle school—three days fishing, two days drying the nets—but high school was different; she wasn't so confident then.

So, Cheng Ying planned to buy a house in the county seat and take Grandma with her to accompany her studies.

That all required money.

Cheng Ying sorted through her belongings; there weren't many items she could liquidate for cash.

The ginseng root was excellent, but she wasn't ready to sell it; it wouldn't fetch a good price right now.

The saplings were good; those she could sell.

There was currently no market for them, however.

The only remaining assets that could provide capital were the trees in the mountain forest.

Cheng Ying patted a large pine tree, feeling reluctant to part with it; she had enjoyed the pine nuts for several years.

Then, Cheng Ying began pacing around the edge of the lumber yard.

Over the years, Shanghe Village had benefited greatly from the forest.

If not for the lumber yard, building a road here would have taken ten or even twenty years, never mind the current dirt road, which was at least wide enough for large trucks.

Moreover, when the lumber yard got too busy, they would hire temporary workers from the village, solving employment issues for a portion of the labor force.

More people came to the lumber yard, making the traffic slightly more diverse, which was also a good thing for Shanghe Village.

An economy can only thrive where there are people.

The lumber yard brought people to Shanghe Village.

Cheng Ying decided her economic ventures should also start here.

She spent several consecutive days doing nothing but lingering by the main gate of the lumber yard, chatting with the old man guarding the area while watching truckloads of timber being hauled out.

Of course, there were also individuals who came to buy timber; Cheng Ying would strike up a conversation with them too.

The young girl was striking, friendly with everyone, and pleasant to look at—she certainly wasn't off-putting.

In the last two days, Cheng Ying had set her sights on one man: large head and thick neck, looking exactly like a nouveau riche parvenu—easy to approach.

Cheng Ying felt a bit predatory.

She had good merchandise, openly available, a legitimate transaction; why was she acting like she was involved in smuggling or crime?

Cheng Ying once again attributed this feeling to the influence of the era.

Although it was already the 1980s, it certainly wasn't fully open yet.

Wearing plain cloth work clothes was considered decent attire on the street.

If a young wife returned with permed hair, the villagers would follow her around like she was a circus act.

What kind of era was this?

Cheng Ying felt that the slow development of her career had little to do with her own failings.

The country was still in its nascent stages.

How could a young girl like her expect to take flight?

That would only lead to a crash.

Therefore, Cheng Ying thought, making money was fine, but she needed to keep a low profile.

Cheng Ying finally approached him.

"Uncle, I've seen you lurking around here for days.

Haven't found anything you like?" The man with the large head and thick neck, whom Cheng Ying had pegged as definitely a big spender and not a cook, spoke first, "Girl, do you work at the lumber yard?" The man meant no harm; he was simply charmed by the beautiful young girl and couldn't resist talking to her.

Cheng Ying replied, "No, my home is just over there.

I spend a lot of time around here.

I've noticed you looking anxious for two days, your mouth looks all dry from worrying.

I thought I'd see if I could help you out." The man was in his forties, with a standard 'boss physique'—in short, not particularly attractive.

His current attire, however, was very period-appropriate: a zip-up jacket.

"Little girl, I'm an honest man.

Don't mind my looks; I'm straight-laced." Cheng Ying wanted to laugh and simultaneously bang her head against the wall.

This man had self-awareness; he knew he wasn't handsome and didn