A peasant girl travels through time with a hospital, rising to become an empress.

Cluck, cluck, cluck~~~

Cluck, cluck, cluck~~~

Nie Qianqian woke up very early the next day, disturbed by the crowing of roosters all around her.

In my previous life, I lived in a concrete jungle, and apart from occasionally visiting farmhouses, I hadn't heard the sound of roosters crowing for a long time.

Nie Qianqian had been thinking about ways to make money all night and didn't fall asleep until late at night. She was so tired that she forced herself to turn on her computer and get up. She took out a bottle of coffee from her spatial storage and chug it down.

After leaving the house, she found that Liu Yan was already starting a fire and boiling water to prepare a meal. She greeted Liu Yan and then left.

At this moment, dawn was breaking, the sky was a pale white, and a faint moon still hung in the sky. Qinghe Village was backed by a mountain forest, its outline emerging in the morning light. The mountain was not high, but stretched out to the north in a dark green hue, and the calls of forest birds could be heard in the distance.

Nie Qianqian took a deep breath. The air was fresh and slightly cool, carrying the scent of grass, something she couldn't experience living in the city, which made her feel happy.

She went to the riverbank next to the old house, took out ten live fish from the seafood section of the supermarket, beat them half to death with a stick, and placed them along the riverbank in the grass or in shallow water.

Nie Qianqian had already thought it through last night. Since the old house was right by the river, she could take some fish to town to sell for money.

Holding a fish, Nie Qianqian ran quickly back to the old house, pushed open the door, and excitedly shouted to Liu Yan, "Mom, look! What did I find by the river?"

Liu Yan turned around and saw the big, fat fish in Nie Qianqian's hand. She opened her mouth wide in surprise, "Qianqian, did you catch this fish from the river?"

The water in the Qinghe River is not deep, and you can rarely see fish on the banks. Even if you do see them, they are very small.

Nie Qianqian: "Yes, there's more than one. There are several more on the riverbank. Mom, quickly grab a basket and come with me to collect the fish."

There are still several fish left?

Liu Yan's heart pounded with excitement. Last night she was worried about what to eat these next few days. With the fish, they had extra food for a few more days and could also help Qianqian recover.

Hearing the noise outside, Gu Xiao opened the door and came out.

Through the crack in the door, Qianqian could see several books on his desk, indicating that Gu Xiao had also woken up early and was reading.

"Mom, hurry up, or someone will pick you up."

Upon hearing this, Liu Yan became anxious, wiped the water on her hands onto her pants, grabbed a bamboo basket, and hurriedly went out.

Gu Xiao followed and silently took the bamboo basket from Liu Yan's back. Before it was fully light, the three of them groped along the riverbank and eventually "picked up" eight fish.

Although Liu Yan was puzzled as to how there could be such a big fish, her mind was already overwhelmed with joy, and she simply thought it was a sign of divine mercy and that they had good luck.

Gu Xiao frowned slightly as he looked at the plump fish.

How could such a small tributary like the Qinghe River produce such fat fish? It's possible that the rains these past few days washed the big fish from the main river, but the weather has been sunny and clear these past few days.

Gu Xiao looked at Nie Qianqian, who was looking around aimlessly, yet she precisely walked to the right spot and picked out a fat fish.

Gu Xiao narrowed his eyes, finding her pretentious manner somewhat amusing.

Did they find some money, which gave them the confidence to move out of the Nie family's house?

Nie Qianqian didn't notice the gazes falling on her. She searched all the places where she had put the fish based on her memory, but couldn't find the remaining two fish. It seemed that she hadn't hit them hard enough, and two of them had jumped back into the river.

Gu Xiao carried a fish basket on his back. Nie Qianqian pulled some weeds to cover the basket so that others couldn't see what was inside. She gently patted the bamboo basket and smiled, saying, "What a bumper harvest this morning!"

The first rays of morning sunlight fell on Nie Qianqian's face, and Gu Xiao's gaze lingered for a moment before quickly shifting away.

Nie Qianqian was smiling, in a great mood, but seeing Gu Xiao's poker face dampened her good mood a bit.

When they first met yesterday, she noticed that Gu Xiao's demeanor wasn't one of feigned aloofness, but rather a quiet composure born from having experienced the world and seen through everything.

Nie Qianqian couldn't help but wonder what he had been through.

Liu Yan looked around anxiously, afraid that someone would discover her and steal this rare stroke of luck. Seeing that it was already dawn, she whispered, "Qianqian, let's hurry back, so no one sees us."

The three of them hurried back home. When they arrived at the door, they found that Tuantuan had already woken up and was peering out from the doorway. When she saw the three of them return, the tension on her little face instantly disappeared, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

Nie Qianqian went over and hugged Tuantuan, nuzzling his little face. "Tuantuan, Mommy went to catch fish for you. We can eat fish tonight!"

Tuantuan felt the warmth of her mother. Her anxiety about not seeing her mother when she woke up early in the morning dissipated. Her mother's embrace was so warm, and her mother's arms smelled so good.

Tuanzi grinned, hugged Nie Qianqian, and then went to look at the fish in the bamboo basket. It was the first time she had seen live fish, and she was both curious and a little scared. She kept looking at the fish while clinging to the bamboo basket.

Back home, Liu Yan quickly prepared breakfast. She added water and wild vegetables to the leftover rice from last night and cooked it into a fragrant wild vegetable porridge. She also cooked a few sweet potatoes and an egg pancake.

The simple meal was enjoyed by the three of them and their child.

Nie Qianqian wanted to take the fish to town to sell. Gu Xiao, who often went to town, was sitting at the table. Just as she was about to ask how to get to town, she was called "Gu Xiao" and stopped.

Um, how should I address Gu Xiao? It's not appropriate to call him by his name directly. I can't recall how we used to address each other in conversation.

Nie Qianqian thought for a moment and then said:

"Ahem, my lord, I'd like to ask, how do you usually get to town?"

Gu Xiao, who was drinking porridge, suddenly started coughing, his face turning red from the coughing.

After a long pause, she replied in a low voice, "Uncle Li's house at the village entrance has an oxcart that goes to town. It costs two coins per person, and it takes about half an hour to get to town." As she spoke, she kept her head down and didn't even look at Nie Qianqian.

Nie Qianqian didn't expect him to react so strongly to the word "husband." Was he just shy?

Will the poker-faced man be shy? Probably not...

She watched as Gu Xiao quickly composed himself, reverting to a poker face, and couldn't help but slightly curl the corners of her lips into a smile.

That's how a normal young man should act. Gu Xiao is usually too lifeless. He's only in his early twenties, why does he act like an old man who has seen through the world? I guess I should tease him more often in the future.

"Mom, there are too many fish for our family to eat. Let's keep one for tonight and take the rest to town to sell today?"

Liu Yan has always been indecisive, so she nodded in agreement when Nie Qianqian said so.

Gu Xiao: "I'm going to town today to copy books from the bookstore. I'll be back in three days."

Nie Qianqian: "Which bookstore did you copy the book from?"

Gu Xiao: "Tiande Bookstore".

Nie Qianqian had heard of Tiande Bookstore; it was an affiliated bookstore of Tiande Academy, the best academy in Fulin Town. Many students from poor families couldn't afford the original books from the academy, so they bought handwritten versions from the bookstore at much cheaper prices. In addition to textbooks, the bookstore also sold past exam papers and exam preparation guides passed down from the provincial capital and even Beijing. Business was always good.

She knew about this academy because her good older brother, Nie Wenye, studied there.

Nie Wenye loved reading from a young age and was willing to put in the effort. At the age of eighteen, he passed the county examination and became a student. In six years, he passed the prefectural and provincial examinations and became a scholar. He was a rare talent in Qinghe Village. For the Nie family, which had been peasants for generations, Nie Wenye brought great honor to the Nie family and was the future light of the entire family.

The Nie family tightened their belts and sent Nie Wenye to study at the county academy. It was said that he would be able to take the provincial examination in the autumn of the following year, and if he passed, he would become a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial examination).

After Nie Wenye passed the imperial examination and became a scholar, Old Madam Nie became inexplicably confident. At home, she would constantly talk about how she would be the grandmother of a future top scholar, hoping that Nie Wenye would become a high-ranking official and take her to the capital to enjoy great wealth and change the fate of the family.

This is also why Grandma Nie dotes on Nie Wenye from the bottom of her heart.

Nie Qianqian came to her senses and reminded her, "Yes, you should also do what you can when you copy the book, and don't overwork yourself."

Gu Xiao glanced at Nie Qianqian upon hearing this, nodded, and remained silent.

The Nie Qianqian of the past would never have said this to him. Why is she suddenly concerned about him?