Refusing to marry a widower, I went on a crazy spree of sending my children to the army.

"Wow, you got kicked out but still have money to repair your house? Qiao Manman, which random guy gave you this money?"

There was a moment of silence. Qiao Manman raised her hand and slapped Qiao Zhenzhen across the face: "Qiao Zhenzhen, you ruined my job. I didn't hold it against you because you're my cousin. How dare you come here and yell at me?"

With your filthy hands and feet, or your filthy heart that even betrays its own relatives?

Qiao Manman's voice was loud enough for everyone to hear clearly.

Qiao Zhenzhen was clearly not as rational as Qiao Manman, and she lost control all at once.

She raised her hand and started fighting with Qiao Manman: "You bastard, what right do you have to steal my job? Your mother is crazy, you're crazy, your whole family is crazy..."

Qiao Zhenzhen went on and on, but what she really meant was that she was accusing Qiao Manman of stealing her opportunity.

But everyone wasn't stupid; they immediately understood that Qiao Zhenzhen was indeed trying to frame her cousin out of jealousy.

Good heavens, how ruthless must she be to inflict a thousand wounds on the enemy while losing eight hundred of her own?

Qiao Zhenzhen was consumed by anger and didn't notice the different way people were looking at her. She thought she was beating people up really hard, but in reality, it was all just a show of skill.

Although Qiao Manman didn't fight back much, she was strong, and every blow made Qiao Zhenzhen grimace.

He Nian came out of the house and shouted in terror, "Quick, quick, pull them apart!"

The uncles who were helping repair the house finally realized what was happening and rushed over to separate the two.

Qiao Zhenzhen's hair was disheveled, her clothes were torn, and she was covered in injuries. She glared fiercely at Qiao Manman, then ran away crying.

Qiao Manman raised her head high like a victorious rooster, facing the direction Qiao Zhenzhen ran off to, and snorted coldly.

He Nian tenderly tidied her hair and asked, "Does it hurt? Are you hurt anywhere?"

Qiao Manman shook her head: "It's nothing, Mom, she just messed up my hair. Hehe, I'm awesome, I chased the bad guy away!"

"Amazing, incredibly amazing!" He Nian glared at her, "Go back to your room and tidy up."

Qiao Manman hummed in agreement, then, seeing Li Chuncao standing in the corner, prepared to slip away.

He quickly stopped her, saying, "Chuncao, it's been a long time! How have you been lately?"

Li Chuncao gave an awkward smile: "It's...it's alright!"

Qiao Manman noticed her awkwardness and smiled as she took the other's hand: "Let bygones be bygones. It's rare for you to come to my house, let me pour you a bowl of sweet soup."

Upon hearing this, everyone praised Qiao Manman for her magnanimity.

Li Chuncao licked her lips, hesitating slightly: "Isn't that a bad idea?"

"Oh, what's wrong with that? We're guests! You wait here, I'll go get you some water."

He released Li Chuncao and went back into the house to get a cup.

But when no one could see, she put a fertility pill inside and covered it with a thick layer of brown sugar.

The system asked in confusion, "Host, didn't you two get along? Why did you give her a fertility pill? What a waste! Besides, she married a dead man..."

Qiao Manman's lips curled upwards: "Tongtong, what do you think would happen if a young widow who married a dead man suddenly got pregnant? Wouldn't that be interesting?"

The system looked shocked: "Host, they're all scared! You humans are too playful, they all want to go back to the countryside!"

Qiao Manman was trying not to laugh; she could barely hold it in.

I scooped two spoonfuls of hot water from the earthenware pot into the cup, and with a slight shake, the pills and brown sugar melted together.

"Drink up, look at you, you've lost weight lately!"

Recalling her experiences over the past few days, Li Chuncao's face flashed with fear, and she trembled as she took a step back.

Qiao Manman understood. Li Chuncao must have suffered inhuman torture at the Zhao family's hands. And she couldn't tell anyone else.

But she felt no sympathy. After all, the person in front of her was the one who set the trap, while the one who was almost destroyed was the original owner of the book and herself in reality.

Qiao Manman, as if she hadn't noticed anything, handed the enamel mug to Li Chuncao: "It's a little hot, but don't worry, drink it slowly!"

With that, he left. He wasn't worried that Li Chuncao wouldn't take the bait; after all, sugar was such a precious thing, how many people could resist its temptation?

Sure enough, as soon as Qiao Manman turned around, Li Chuncao took a small sip. The first sip was a little hot, but the second sip was so sweet.

Li Chuncao hadn't had anything good to eat in a long time. She wanted to smash the cup and leave with dignity, but she was really craving it and wished she could finish it in one gulp.

Only when not a drop of sugar water remained in the cup did Li Chuncao lick her lips with lingering satisfaction, place the cup in the yard, and reluctantly leave.

Qiao Manman didn't come out until she was far away and almost out of sight.

She changed her clothes and redid her hair. There were no signs of a fight on her.

After thanking my uncles, I carried my basket up the mountain to gather some mountain produce and firewood.

No one paid any attention to the earlier commotion and smiled kindly at her. Some of the more lively ones even reminded her not to wander too far, but to just stay at the foot of the mountain.

Qiao Manman responded and left.

It hasn't rained lately, so there are almost no mushrooms in the mountains. The edible wild vegetables are all too old, and their taste is greatly diminished.

Qiao Manman strolled over to the riverbank and sat on a rock to play in the water. Seeing shrimp in the clear stream, she squatted down to catch them.

River shrimp are very cunning; before Qiao Manman's hand even touched the water, the shrimp had already run away.

After several unsuccessful attempts, Qiao Manman sat down on a rock in a huff: "Tongtong, I'm going to sign in. This time, get me some fishing gear."

"Yes, host!" the system readily agreed.

Qiao Manman cleared her throat: "Everyone, sign in!"

"Congratulations, host! You have obtained one cubic meter of supplies and one fertility pill!"

Qiao Manman's consciousness sank into the system space to check the supplies. She discovered not only small fishing nets and buckets, but also many large fishing tools.

Besides that, there were all sorts of seafood and river delicacies. Qiao Manman looked at the frozen river shrimp in a box in the corner of the space and felt that everything was so thoughtful.

"Tongtong, if only you had a physical form." That way, she could cook for it, lots and lots of food, and take it to see the beautiful landscapes of the motherland.

The system feigned a sob: "Host, I'm so touched."

Qiao Manman rolled her eyes and took out some shrimp to put in the basket to thaw.

Then he took out a small fishing net and set a trap in the stream. Before long, he caught more than a dozen fish.

Qiao Manman beamed with delight and sat by the river, gutting the shrimp. She washed away the shells and intestines, leaving only the translucent shrimp meat.

As evening approached, they found some dry branches by the river, bundled them up, and dragged them back home.

By the time I got home, the sun had set, and the sky was gloomy.

Qiao Manman handed the river shrimp to He Nian and went to the backyard to wash up.

After washing up, I found that the courtyard walls and roof had been repaired. Even the cracked kang (a heated brick bed) had been reinforced.

Qiao Manman moved, taking her clothes and a straw mat to the next room.

He Nian wanted to stop her, but then thought that the girl was old enough to sleep separately.

Dinner consisted of multigrain porridge, stir-fried river shrimp, and shredded potatoes.

After the three of them finished eating, they huddled together in the room talking. Qiao Runming looked at the increasingly abundant furniture, his eyes red and sore.