I was married off to a disabled hero in lieu of marriage; my in-laws doted on me and I aspired to gr

Qiaoqiao never dreamed that selling kimchi would be seasonal.

Come to think of it, when winter comes and you're shivering from the cold, who would want to eat cold kimchi?

The same penny is not as good as buying a hot cabbage.

Xiaoqi's kimchi business plummeted overnight.

All the canteens terminated their cooperation, so my sister-in-law went to set up a stall, but her income dropped from more than ten yuan a day to one or two yuan.

Fortunately, Xiao Liu had a tricycle, which he could use to haul goods at the bus and train stations to earn some money.

The most terrifying thing is that the eldest and second eldest brothers have had a bumper harvest of cabbages and radishes. The whole family eats them every day, but they still can't finish them all.

When a heavy snow falls, they'll probably all rot in the ground.

Xiaoqi was depressed, and the whole family pinned their hopes on kimchi, hoping to rebuild the three mud houses next year. Now it seems that their hopes are about to be dashed.

Qiaoqiao immediately suggested, "Xiaoqi, let's make sauerkraut. My sister Hu makes especially delicious sauerkraut with fish."

"Pickled...vegetables? I don't know how to make them."

"I'm not very good at it either, but my sister Hu is. Xiaoqi, this Sunday, I'll take Sister Hu to help your family make sauerkraut. We'll make a big vat, and when it snows, we'll take it out to sell. I guarantee a lot of people will buy it."

"Qiaoqiao, thank you so much. Do you need a big vat to make sauerkraut?"

A big vat? Qiaoqiao's eyes lit up: "I have one at home, I'll give it to you, and have Xiao Liu come to my house to haul it away on Sunday."

The large vat that Secretary Gao sent became the Zhou family's storage room, where potatoes, pumpkins, and winter melons were all stored.

The amazing thing is that the vegetables don't rot easily when placed in the jar; they are naturally preserved.

Of course, the jar shouldn't be used to store miscellaneous items; its value should be brought to the forefront, which is to pickle sauerkraut.

At 126 Songshan Road, Xiaoqi arrived in her brother's tricycle to move the water tank.

"Xiaoqi, is this your classmate's house?"

The small two-story building has a large courtyard surrounded by high walls. The bronze gate is tightly closed, and a plum tree can be seen in the courtyard through the crack in the gate.

Xiaoqi peered intently through the crack in the door, and after a long while, she said, "It should be, right?"

Several of Qiaoqiao's friends knew about her family situation, but none of them had ever visited her home.

Even Yao Xing didn't know where Qiaoqiao lived.

"What if we're not? Will people suspect we're thieves?" Xiao Liu was very nervous.

"The address Yang Qiao gave me is 126 Songshan Road, right? Hey, Third Brother, look what's that on the side of the corridor?"

"What is it?"

"The vat, the big vat, that's Yang Qiao's house. Ring the doorbell."

Xiaoqi rang the doorbell, and a middle-aged woman came out of the house.

"Who are you looking for?" Hu Xiaomei asked, opening the small window in the iron gate.

"Auntie, hello, I am Gao Xiaoqi, Yang Qiao's classmate, and he is my brother."

"Oh, Xiao Qi, come in, come in. Qiao Qiao told me yesterday that some classmates are coming to move jars of pickled vegetables today."

"Yes, it's us."

Upon entering the courtyard, Xiao Liu looked at his tattered coat and didn't know what to do with his hands and feet.

Even the usually confident Xiaoqi was at a loss.

"Go in, don't be nervous, the governor and Sister Luo aren't home."

Not to mention Xiao Liu and Xiao Qi, Hu Xiaomei gets nervous whenever Zhou Zhonghai is home.

Although Vice Governor Zhou never interfered in family matters, his military-like pressure and aura were undeniable.

Upon entering the house, there was a large living room on the first floor, with a long sofa and two short sofas.

Hu Xiaomei invited Xiao Liu and Xiao Qi to sit down, but they dared not.

What if the clean, white sofa cover gets dirty?

"Auntie, Yang Qiao, is she still not up?"

Xiaoqi realized she had arrived too early. Yang Qiao had such good conditions, how could she, a peasant girl, have to get up and work before dawn?

"I'm up. I've already had breakfast. I went upstairs to change and will be down soon. Hey, have you guys had breakfast yet?"

"I ate it, I ate it..."

Actually, I didn't eat any.

Hu Xiaomei made two cups of tea and went to the bedroom to change her clothes. Today she was also going to help pickle sauerkraut.

Xiao Liu and Xiao Qi stood in the living room with tea in their hands. Xiao Liu exclaimed, "Your classmate's house is so beautiful! With such good conditions, they're still willing to help my family. They're truly kind people."

"I thought her family lived in an apartment building, maybe a three-bedroom apartment, but I didn't expect her to live in a Western-style house."

The more capable a person is, the more low-key they are.

Xiao Liu summarized all her thoughts.

Soon, Yang Qiao rushed downstairs: "Xiao Qi, you're here? I've changed my clothes and I'm leaving right away. Sister Hu, let's go."

Qiaoqiao called out and ran into the kitchen.

Soon, Qiaoqiao came out carrying a cloth bag full of big, plump steamed buns and four or five fried dough sticks.

"Xiao Qi, take this, eat it on the way."

Qiaoqiao shoved the bag into Xiaoqi's hand, and Xiaoqi stammered, "We've already eaten... breakfast."

"You can eat later if you get hungry. Sister Hu's steamed buns are the best. I forgot to tell you, the flour is from my family's place. It's very wheaty. Next year, your family will be able to eat white flour buns every day."

"Yang Qiao, you are so kind."

Xiaoqi didn't know how to answer, so she simply said, "You're so kind," which said it all.

Zhou Wenhui did not go downstairs; he stayed on the second floor with Zhou Xiaowei.

The large water vat had been cleaned up long ago. It took the four of them a lot of effort to move the vat onto the tricycle. Xiao Liu pedaled in front, Qiao Qiao pushed the bicycle, and Xiao Qi and Hu Xiaomei helped push the tricycle from behind.

Because they hadn't eaten breakfast, Xiao Liu and Xiao Qi were so hungry they felt dizzy.

Even though there were steamed buns, I started lying and saying I'd already eaten breakfast, and I was too embarrassed to take them.

"I'm hungry, I'm hungry. Let's rest for a bit and have a steamed bun before we go."

Qiaoqiao stopped the bicycle, took out steamed buns from the cloth bag in the basket in front of the bicycle, one for Xiaoqi, one for Xiaoliu, and one for herself. She tore off a piece and handed it to Hu Xiaomei.

Sister Hu waved her hand: "I don't want to eat, I'm not hungry. You eat. Young people digest quickly and get hungry easily."

Qiaoqiao didn't insist. She took a small piece of steamed bun and ate it slowly. Then she took out the water bottle, took a big gulp, and handed it to Xiaoqi: "If you don't mind, have a sip too. The steamed bun is very dry."

Xiaoqi didn't mind, but she ate too fast and choked, so she grabbed the water bottle and poured water down her throat.

Qiaoqiao handed the water bottle to Xiaoliu: "Third Brother, we didn't drink directly from the bottle, so it's not dirty. You can have a sip too."

Why would Xiao Liu be so particular?

A sip of water, a big bite of steamed bun, and I was full.

The journey was much easier now. Xiao Liu pedaled the tricycle with all his might, while the three women chatted about gossip.

"Yang Qiao, there's a public trial next Sunday on the playground of No. 1 Middle School. Are you going to go?"

"I heard someone's going to be executed," Hu Xiaomei interjected.

"Oh, I dare not look, it's quite scary."

Qiaoqiao had never seen anyone executed, and she had an inexplicable fear of public criticism and struggle sessions, as her grandfather had been criticized and struggled against too many times.

"Corrupt officials should be executed, they should be executed, for embezzling so much money."

"You mean the fertilizer plant manager?"

Qiaoqiao asked curiously, "This case was handled by my father-in-law. He embezzled 180,000 yuan. He still hates it when he talks about it."

"I think so. I heard it too. Let's go see it together on Sunday." Xiaoqi seemed quite interested.

"Okay, come and call me next week, and we'll go together."

Qiaoqiao was very curious about what the fertilizer factory manager was like. 180,000, that's an astronomical figure. How could he afford to eat meat every day after embezzling so much money?

Meat requires ration coupons, and Qiaoqiao's family can only eat it two or three times a week.