The sky collapsed, and in the blink of an eye, I found myself transported to Nanluoguxiang.

At three o'clock in the afternoon, a murmur of discussion arose in the ancestral hall of Lijia Village.

"Hey, do you know why the chieftain summoned us here?"

"I don't know, but judging from this situation, it seems like there's something important to say."

"I wonder if it's a food shortage problem?"

Third Grandfather stood at the head of the table, listening to the discussions below, but did not rush to speak.

Just then, the second great-grandfather walked into the ancestral hall, leaning on his cane:

"Hongzhi, why did you gather everyone here in such a hurry today? What happened?"

"Second Uncle, there's good news." Third Grandfather smiled and then pointed to the chair next to him.

"Please sit down first, and I'll talk to you once everyone has arrived."

Seeing that he wouldn't talk, the second master didn't press him further and plopped down in a chair.

Before long, the people from Lijia Village arrived one after another.

After counting everyone, Third Grandfather cleared his throat and announced loudly, "Everyone, please be quiet! I have some great news to tell you!"

The ancestral hall fell silent instantly, and everyone's eyes turned to the clan leader.

Seeing this, Third Grandfather didn't keep him in suspense any longer: "Listen up, everyone, I've already taken care of the food shortage we're facing this year!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the ancestral hall erupted in chaos.

"Resolved? Really?"

"What did the clan chief do? This requires tens of thousands of catties of grain!"

Third Grandfather raised his hand and pressed it down, signaling everyone to be quiet.

Then his voice rose a few decibels: "This time I got a total of 40,000 catties of grain, including both coarse and fine grains."

"Forty thousand catties!" A gasp of surprise erupted from the crowd.

Upon hearing this, the second great-grandfather, who was sitting to the side, became so excited that he kept banging his cane on the ground.

The elders were also shocked and began whispering among themselves.

After the commotion subsided, the second grandfather calmed down and asked with a puzzled look:

"Hongzhi, where did this grain come from? Don't be fooled."

"Second Uncle, don't worry!" Third Grandfather smiled mysteriously, "It's the same as last year, a deal with that person."

"Oh, I see! Then it's alright." The second great-grandfather nodded, a relieved look on his face.

The elders all smiled and nodded, knowing in their hearts that the person the clan chief was referring to was Li Kaixin.

However, some people standing below were completely confused.

Li Xinglong, being impatient, couldn't help but ask, "Clan leader, what kind of riddles are you and the elders playing? Who exactly is that person?"

The others below also looked at the clan leader with curiosity.

"Why are you asking so many questions, kid!"

Third Grandfather glared at him, then looked at the crowd below: "Everyone, remember, we'll gather here again tomorrow morning and listen to my instructions to go and haul the grain."

"Understood, Chieftain!"

At the same time, Li Xinglong sheepishly shrank back, but the curiosity in his eyes did not diminish at all.

Afterwards, the third grandfather, the clan leader, gave a few more instructions on what to pay attention to the next day, and then waved for everyone to disperse.

People in the ancestral hall gradually left, discussing the matter of the 40,000 catties of grain in hushed tones.

As Li Xinglong left the ancestral hall, he grabbed Li Yong's arm and asked, "Brother Yong, you said the person your old man was talking about, is it Brother Kaixin?"

"Keep your voice down!"

Li Yong quickly covered his mouth, looked around, and said, "It's best to keep this to yourself and not spread it around."

"Really!" Li Xinglong's eyes lit up. "I knew it was Kaixin!"

Upon hearing this, Li Yong immediately realized what was going on and laughed, "Oh, Xinglong, you dare to trick me?"

Li Xinglong chuckled and didn't deny it.

Li Yong moved closer and whispered, "I overheard my father talking about this when he was drunk, so please don't tell anyone."

"Don't worry, Brother Yong, I'll keep my mouth shut!" Li Xinglong patted his chest and assured him.

Seeing this, Li Yong glanced at him suspiciously, but ultimately said nothing more.

......

At six o'clock in the afternoon, Grandma and Mother prepared a large table of dishes.

Second Uncle Li Mingcai helped his wife out of the main house.

Second Aunt Wu Li's eyes were still a little red and swollen, but her expression had calmed down a lot, and she even managed to force a smile when she saw everyone.

"Lili, come sit here with me." Mother Qin Xiuli quickly stood up and pulled her to sit down.

Then he served her a bowl of rice porridge: "Here, have some porridge first. You didn't eat much for lunch today."

"Thank you, sister-in-law." Wu Li took the bowl, her voice still a little hoarse.

Li Kai, Li Xiaoxiao, and Li Jun, along with the other children, had also run back early and were now sitting obediently at the table.

However, none of the children touched their chopsticks, and they showed no interest in the dishes on the table.

Grandma looked at the children and asked in confusion, "Xiao Kai, what's wrong? Is the food not good?"

"No, no!" Li Kai quickly waved his hand, then scratched his head, "Grandma, we can't eat anymore."

Li Xiaoxiao, Li Jun, and the others nodded in agreement.

At this moment, Li Kaixin, who was sitting on the right, spoke up with a smile:

"Grandma, you don't need to worry about them. I gave them a big bag of snacks at noon, and they ate it all."

Upon hearing this, Grandma suddenly realized, "That explains it! Nobody was touching their chopsticks."

Upon seeing this, Li Kai, Li Xiaoxiao, Li Jun, and the others all lowered their heads in embarrassment.

"Alright, alright, if the kids don't want to eat, that's fine too."

Grandpa Li Hongtao, who was sitting at the head of the table, spoke up and then called out, "Come on, let's not just stand there, let's start eating."

The atmosphere at the dinner table was noticeably more relaxed than at noon.

Although Aunt Wu Li looked rather listless, she still drank most of a bowl of porridge after being gently persuaded by her sister-in-law.

Li Kaixin observed this, thought for a moment, and suddenly said:

"Second Uncle, why don't you and Second Aunt come to the city with us? I happen to have an apprenticeship position at the transportation station that I can give you."

"Yeah! How come I didn't think of that?"

Qin Xiuli, the mother, exclaimed in surprise and turned to Wu Li beside her, saying, "Lili, your mother and brother definitely won't let this go. Let's go to town together!"

If Kaixin hadn't brought it up, she would have almost forgotten about it.

Wu Li didn't reply, but looked up at her husband, waiting for his decision.

Uncle Li Mingcai paused in his chopsticks, refusing, "Kaixin, Xiaokai will graduate in another year, you should save the spot for him!"

"That kid Xiao Kai wanted to go to high school, but it's no longer necessary!"

Li Kaixin responded sincerely, "Second Uncle, if you and Second Aunt go to the city, life will be easier for you in the future."

After listening, Second Uncle Li Mingcai remained silent for a moment, but finally shook his head:

"I'm happy to hear your kind offer. But I have to stay and take care of your grandparents; they can't be left alone."

Li Kaixin opened her mouth and looked at her third uncle, but then swallowed her words back when she thought of his unruly nature.

When Uncle Li Mingtian saw his eldest nephew looking over, he quickly waved his hand:

"Kaixin, don't look at me. Like your second uncle, I'm staying to take care of our parents."

Upon hearing this, Grandpa Li Hongtao glared at his third son and said, "You? You should be grateful if you don't cause me any trouble every day."

Uncle Li Mingtian wasn't annoyed; he just chuckled and didn't argue.

Just then, Grandma Zhang Xiaohua, who hadn't said much, also spoke.

"Mingcai, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Don't you want to think about it again?"

"Mother, I've made up my mind. I want to stay and take care of you two." Uncle Li Mingcai said firmly.

Seeing this, Grandpa Li Hongtao, sitting at the head of the table, sighed, "Kaixin, you should keep that spot for yourself!"

Li Kaixin nodded and didn't press the matter further.