The poor girl from the 1970s was forced to kiss by the damp educated youth.

Chen Zhi stayed at home for two more days before the sluggish feeling finally dissipated.

Today is the day the trading market is open. Chen Peng and Chen Da are not going this time, and Chen Zhi doesn't need to get up early. After finishing her housework, eating breakfast, and watering the vegetables, she starts packing the things she needs to take to the trading market.

To be more precise, it was meant to be taken to Shi Xin's family.

She packed six cured fish into a sack, each weighing no less than thirty pounds.

Because she hadn't been to the mountains for the past two days and hadn't caught any fresh prey, she only brought some dried fish.

We're running out of burlap sacks at home; we'll ask Sister Shi for a few more. Shi Xin is a businessman who deals in goods; he has plenty of burlap sacks. Chen Zhi's family gets almost all of their burlap sacks from the Shi family. Shi Xin delivers grain in burlap sacks, and once the grain is gone, he keeps the sacks.

This time, not only did Chen Peng and the others not go to town, but no one went to the educated youth settlement either, and there were even fewer people on the roads. I wonder if everyone was frightened by what happened last time.

The trading market was as lively as ever. As soon as Chen Zhi arrived, she saw Sister Shi waving at her.

"I've been waiting for you all morning, I thought you weren't coming," said Sister Shi.

Chen Zhi put her things down, smiled, and said, "I'm alone this time, so I'm not in a hurry."

Sister-in-law Shi asked in surprise, "What about your friends?"

She worried that Chen Zhi might be being ostracized by her friends.

"Something happened to them, so they shouldn't go out anytime soon." Chen Zhi didn't explain what happened.

Sister-in-law Shi seemed to have guessed something, "Are you alright?"

Chen Zhi shook her head. "It's nothing."

I just lay in bed for three days.

Seeing that her complexion was rosy and she didn't seem to be lying, Sister Shi was relieved. She took out a lunchbox and said, "These are meat buns your aunt made. She made some more because you liked them last time. It's just that the weather is cold now, so they're already cold."

Aunt Shi smiled and said, "Next time you come over, I'll treat you to something freshly baked."

Chen Zhi smiled and said, "Okay. Actually, it tastes good even when it's cold."

She picked up a steamed bun and started eating, finishing one in just two bites. After finishing the whole lunchbox of steamed buns, she let out a satisfied burp.

The Shi family members found her appearance inexplicably amusing, and their gazes became even more amiable.

Sister-in-law Shi: "Last time, your brother Shi took your fish and chicken and gave them away. Everyone said they were good and even asked your brother Shi if they could buy some from him. But your brother Shi refused, saying that he didn't have enough good stuff to sell."

Chen Zhi nodded, "Indeed, not many."

She lied.

There were many fish in the underground river, and she didn't know where they came from. Some she recognized, and some she didn't. The farther she swam, the more she realized that she had only glimpsed the tip of the iceberg of that mysterious river.

Sister-in-law Shi: "Your brother Shi is a man of principle and won't make promises recklessly, so you can rest assured."

Chen Zhi still trusted Shi Xin to some extent. "Of course, I've always trusted Brother Shi and Sister-in-law Shi completely. I brought six of them with me this time. You can keep them for yourselves or give them away."

Sister-in-law Shi was surprised, "Why did you bring so much? Did you keep some for yourself?"

Chen Zhi nodded, "I'll keep it."

There are seven or eight more.

Chen Zhi didn't need to buy anything and wasn't in a hurry to go back, so she sat at the stall chatting with Sister Shi and Aunt Shi.

Uncle Shi suddenly got up and left. A little while later, he came back with two pieces of pork belly, each weighing about five or six pounds. He put one of them in Chen Zhi's basket and said, "This is from a pig that was just slaughtered in town. I specially asked someone to save some for you to take back and eat."

"Then thank you, Uncle." Chen Zhi didn't refuse; she couldn't refuse anyway. Even if she refused, they would always find a way to give it to her.

Uncle Shi waved his hand, "We're family, no need for formalities."

Chen Zhi felt a slight warmth in her chest. "I plan to slaughter pigs at the end of the year, around the twelfth lunar month. I'll slaughter one, and I'd like to ask Brother Shi to help me sell the other two."

Sister-in-law Shi: "Sure, it's no big deal. Just set a date, and I'll have your brother Shi come and get it for you."

Chen Zhi thought for a moment, "The 20th of the twelfth lunar month, I guess."

There are still nearly two months left; those three pigs can grow a little longer.

Sister-in-law Shi asked curiously, "How big is the pig?"

Chen Zhi couldn't say for sure either, as she hadn't held it herself, "but it looks quite big."

Sister Shi laughed, "Just because you can raise a hen that weighs over ten pounds, I believe you're quite the pig. By the way, do you still have any hens? I gave the last one away as a gift, and I didn't even get to taste it."

Chen Zhi: "I just sold one to someone else a couple of days ago, and now I have two left. One is hatching chicks. If you want to eat one, I'll bring the other one next time."

Sister Shi frowned. "Then you won't have any eggs to eat?"

Chen Zhi: "Eggs are also sold at the market, so it's fine."

Sister Shi thought for a moment, said "You wait here," and then left in a hurry.

About ten minutes later, she returned carrying a cage containing three chicks. Judging from their faces and rear ends, they had just started laying eggs.

Sister Shi placed the chicken coop in front of her. "These young hens have just laid a few eggs. The eggs they lay at this time are the most fragrant and delicious. You can take them home and raise them."

Chen Zhi: "Sister-in-law, aren't you going to raise them yourself?"

Sister Shi waved her hand, "It's the end of the year, there's a lot to do, I'm very busy, I can't take care of everything."

Upon hearing this, Chen Zhi accepted it.

Before she could even leave, Sister-in-law Shi urged her to go home, saying, "If there's nothing else, go back. Don't stay too late by yourself; it's not safe. Besides, it's getting colder now, especially at night. I mentioned a couple of days ago that I was getting you some winter clothes, and your brother Shi said Xi Lang already did. Is that true?"

Chen Zhi nodded, "Yes, we have clothes for both autumn and winter, and four sets of winter cotton-padded coats."

Did Xi Lang already decide to leave at that time, which is why he hurriedly made clothes for her?

Sister-in-law Shi was relieved. "That's good. Just tell me if you need anything."

The day after returning from the trading market, Chen Zhi went back into the mountains to cut pig feed and chop firewood.

When Zhao Jinbao, Yang Wenyu, and Zhou Zhengping learned that she was going into the mountains, they hurriedly grabbed sickles and carrying poles and chased after her.

Zhao Jinbao smiled sheepishly, "Everyone's still traumatized by what happened last time, and we haven't dared to go into the mountains for the past few days. But we're running out of firewood. As soon as we saw you were going into the mountains, we followed you."

Yang Wenyu: "It's cold in winter, so we need to burn a lot of firewood. In a while, we'll be digging for sweet potatoes and potatoes, so we can only take advantage of the time we have now to chop as much firewood as possible."

Chen Zhi herself also had this plan: "I'll be going into the mountains these next few days, so we can all go together."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Jinbao and his two companions immediately breathed a sigh of relief; that was all the better.

Because Chen Zhi also had to cut pig feed, she had to travel to more places than Zhao Jinbao and the others.

"I'll be right here on this hilltop. If you encounter any danger, just shout my name," Chen Zhi said.

Zhao Jinbao and the others nodded. "We understand."

Chen Zhi often comes to this area and knows where to find pig feed. Even though he hasn't been here for a few days, new leaves have sprouted again. It's just that the weather is cold now, so the leaves aren't growing very well.

After cutting two sacks of pig feed, Chen Zhi ate the pancakes he had brought from home, and then began chopping firewood.

As the sun began to set, Chen Zhi bundled up the firewood and carried it to the foot of the mountain.

She saw Yang Wenyu, who was also at the foot of the mountain.

Yang Wenyu: "We plan to put the firewood at the foot of the mountain first, and then carry it home in batches."

Chen Zhi nodded, "That's what I was planning to do too."

The two continued up the mountain to carry their firewood down.

When Yang Wenyu, Zhao Jinbao, and Zhou Zhengping brought the last batch of firewood to the foot of the mountain, they saw Chen Zhi sitting on the pile of firewood, aiming a slingshot at the sparrows in the sky.

Looking at the six or seven sparrows lying on the ground, the three of them were speechless. Comparison is the thief of joy.

What's even more outrageous is that Chen Zhi chopped just as much firewood as they did.

On the way back, while the others carried two loads of firewood, Chen Zhi carried four, plus two bags of pig feed on her shoulders. She walked quickly, and by the time the three of them had carried all the firewood back to the educated youth settlement, Chen Zhi had finished carrying hers as well.

The same thing happened for the next few days, and soon a tall pile of firewood was built up in Chen Zhi's yard.

Knowing that tomorrow would be another trading day, Chen Zhi took two burlap sacks and two wooden buckets and went into the mountains after dinner.

The moonlight was like water, cool and refreshing. The autumn wind brushed against her cheeks, lifting Chen Zhi's long, loose hair. She moved freely through the forest like a mountain spirit. Occasionally, something foolish enough to pounce on her, but it was repelled before it could even get close.

Chen Zhi entered the cave and went down into the underground river. This time she swam to a more distant place. The bottom of the river was still dark, but she did not feel afraid. Instead, she felt inexplicably exhilarated.

After swimming for a while, she started catching fish, choosing the ones she recognized.

You should catch mandarin fish, bream, and yellow catfish, but the yellow catfish are a bit small, so just catch a few.

As for those she doesn't recognize, it means they don't exist in Sandong Village or even Bayuan Town. If she arrests them, she won't be able to explain their origins, which will cause trouble.

In addition to these fish, Chen Zhi also caught more than a dozen large grass carp and silver carp, intending to take them back to make preserved fish.

It was late at night when Chen Zhi got home. She fed the pigs to prevent them from waking her up early in the morning.

Little did she know that this time it wasn't the pigs that woke her up, but Chen Da and the others.

They also went to town this time to sell vegetables.

Chen Zhi yawned, reluctantly got up, looked at the four of them, and said perfunctorily, "You're recovering well."

Thinking that Sister Shi and the others must have prepared food for her, Chen Zhi decided not to cook breakfast. Even if they hadn't, she could buy some at the market. Nowadays, there were more and more food stalls at the market, and they were all doing quite well.

Chen Zhi fed the pigs, then carried a basket on his back and a bucket of water outside.

Chen and the others stopped asking where she got the fish; they guessed it wasn't from an ordinary source.

Chen Da: "Why did you bring chickens? Didn't you say there were only two left? If you sell them, what will you eat?"

"I'm not selling them, I'm giving them away," Chen Zhi said. "Last trading day, Sister Shi gave me three little hens, so I don't need any more eggs now."

Chen was puzzled. "Why trade a big chicken for a small one? Can't we keep the big chicken for ourselves? Your chicken is delicious. My whole family says it's the best chicken they've ever eaten."

Chen Zhi: "That hen is too fat, it's greasy."

These words successfully incited hatred among the five people present.

Chen Da frowned. "Life has only been better for a few days, and you're already complaining about being overweight?"

Chen Ergou: "What does it feel like to be tired of eating the same thing?"

Chen Peng: "It's also good for rendering oil. The cracklings are great for frying rice."

Chen Xiaoshuai: "My chickens are very skinny. I envy your chickens that are so fat."

Chen Xiaohong: "I can swallow chicken fat raw, but I've never had the chance."

Chen Zhi: "......."

They made her seem ungrateful.