Jiang Cheng and Shen Que left the night school together.

The night wind was strong, so they didn’t linger outside and hurried home.

Upon returning home, Grandma Shen gave each of them a bowl of ginger soup to ward off the chill.

After Jiang Cheng pinched her nose and drank the soup, she saw the yarn that Grandma Shen placed on the table.

"Grandma Shen, where did all this yarn come from?"

Jiang Cheng had been thinking about getting some yarn to knit sweaters and pants for everyone.

"Shen Que brought it back, said it’s for knitting sweaters for the family."

After saying this, Grandma Shen pointed to a ball of pink yarn and said, "This color is for you."

Family? For her?

Jiang Cheng suppressed a smile at the corners of her mouth and gave Grandma Shen a knowing look.

Jiang Cheng: Could you be more subtle?

Grandma Shen: No, I can’t!

The two exchanged smiles, and Jiang Cheng turned to look at Shen Que.

"I like this color."

"Hmm, you look good in any color."

Shen Que’s sudden compliment made Jiang Cheng smile even wider, and she confidently said, "I think so too."

"Sister looks good in everything!"

Little flatterer Shen Yue chimed in.

The whole family laughed happily together.

Grandma Shen cooked dinner, and the Shen family’s meals were definitely considered good.

But even if the other families in the courtyard knew, they had nothing to say.

After all, Shen Que was the factory director; eating some meat was normal!

After dinner, Jiang Cheng went next door to write letters.

The first letter was to Elder Xu, written in the tone of an excellent junior, proudly detailing her recent work accomplishments.

The second was to Uncle Zhong, with a similar theme to the one for Elder Xu. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

The third was to Director Leng, focusing on the project she was currently working on, and she also inquired if a translator would be needed at the next trade show.

After finishing the letters, she put stamps on them.

Jiang Cheng looked at the stamps on the envelopes, thinking of how valuable stamps would be in the future.

If there’s a chance, she’ll buy some; if luck is on her side, it’s good; if not, so be it.

Rare stamps are valuable because they are issued in small quantities.

If they were easy to get, they wouldn’t be valuable.

With the letters written and the packages ready for mailing, Jiang Cheng took out books to continue studying.

At ten thirty in the evening, Shen Que brought over a bowl of millet porridge.

Jiang Cheng accepted it but didn’t let Shen Que come in.

Opening the door to eat was a bit cold, and with the door closed, they weren’t a couple yet.

Shen Que realized this too, and simply said:

"Close the door properly, I’m heading back."

"Okay."

Shen Que waited for Jiang Cheng to close the door before returning to the next room.

The next day, after finishing breakfast together, Shen Xing and Shen Yue braved the wind to go to school.

Jiang Cheng was the last to leave, carrying her letters and packages, braving the cold north wind to the post office.

She paid for the postage, sent the items, and returned directly to the courtyard.

That day, Jiang Cheng studied while hooked up to a drip.

After three in the afternoon, Shen Que returned with two people.

Upon hearing the noise, Jiang Cheng hurried out, and when Shen Que saw her, he took off his coat and draped it over her shoulders.

Jiang Cheng: Actually... it would be easier for me to get one from inside.

But Jiang Cheng didn’t say anything, instead pulling the coat tighter, giving Shen Que the impression she really needed it.

Shen Que noticed this out of the corner of his eye and smiled slightly.

It’s true, men look their best when they feel needed.

"What are they doing?"

Jiang Cheng watched as the two men took measurements inside the house.

"Planning to build a warm stove; it makes the room much warmer in winter than just using a stove."

Shen Que didn’t mention that he’d noticed Jiang Cheng seemed to be afraid of the cold.

Jiang Cheng didn’t know what Shen Que was thinking, but she seemed very excited about the stove he mentioned.

During her time in the village, Jiang Cheng had slept on a heated brick bed for over ten days, and it was extremely comfortable.

Jiang Cheng watched with curiosity for a while, then took the two craftsmen next door to measure dimensions and choose a location.

The rest was about preparing the materials, which Jiang Cheng didn’t need to worry about; Shen Que had it all covered.

After bustling around, Shen Que saw the two craftsmen off.

As soon as he entered the house, Jiang Cheng handed him a cup of warm water.

"Quick, warm yourself up."

The words "I’m not cold" were on the tip of his tongue when Shen Que suddenly remembered Shen Yue acting cute, and instead he said, "My hands are cold."

"Huh?"

Jiang Cheng directly wrapped her hands around Shen Que’s hands; although she couldn’t wrap them entirely, the warmth spread to Shen Que’s face.

The steam rising from the cup obscured his blushing face.

Jiang Cheng saw this and laughed silently to herself.

He even learned to act cute?

No problem, she would indulge him.

Just as a playful vibe was developing between the two, it was broken by Shen Xing and Shen Yue returning home.

"Sister—we’re back!"

"Sister Jiang Cheng, we’re back!"

Shen Xing and Shen Yue burst in, and Jiang Cheng let go of Shen Que’s hand, turning to get hot water to warm the two children.

Shen Que: There are a few too many siblings.

Soon, Grandma Shen returned to cook dinner.

In the evening, everyone had dumpling soup, and they all felt warm and cozy after eating.

After finishing, Jiang Cheng called Shen Que.

"What’s up?"

Shen Que hurriedly shook the water off his hands, which were doing the dishes.

"I have something important to discuss with Director Shen."

Shen Que acknowledged and handed over the dishwashing to Shen Xing, then sat down with Jiang Cheng to talk.

Shen Xing: I feel like they’re tricking me into washing dishes?

The two of them exchanged a knowing glance and smiled.

"I actually have serious business to discuss with you."

"I know. Aren’t we sitting down for this reason?"

Shen Que seemed more serious, making Jiang Cheng almost doubt their earlier shared smile.

"Director Shen, during the half month I spent in the countryside, besides the greenhouse, I discovered a business opportunity related to the machinery factory."

When Jiang Cheng addressed him as Director Shen, Shen Que became more serious, grabbing pen and paper, signaling Jiang Cheng to continue.

"Currently, all farming labor relies on manual efforts; there’s some ox plowing, but it’s negligible."

"There are large-scale agricultural machines abroad. I know we lack the technology domestically, but I wonder if we can develop some small machines independently."

"You have the mechanical experts, and you already have the basic technology. Small machines aren’t difficult; it just requires improving the efficiency of planting and saving some labor."

"Like a seed planter."

"This picture shows a small wooden seed planter made by villagers. I think we can develop it further based on this."

Shen Que looked at the diagram Jiang Cheng had drawn.

On the paper was a simple box with a stick underneath.

Very simple.

After waiting a bit, Jiang Cheng continued, "The seed planter is just one example: there are also plows, harvesters, and even small machines for processing grain, like corn threshers..."

"Currently, what our country needs is this kind of small machinery to transition. Besides, many small Southeast Asian countries have complex terrains, making large-scale machinery impractical. Small machines are also a channel to earn foreign exchange."

The more Shen Que listened, the more serious he became, and then increasingly excited.

He became so excited that he stood up and grabbed Jiang Cheng’s hand.

"Jiang Cheng, your idea is extremely good!"

Jiang Cheng blinked, looking down at her hand enveloped in Shen Que’s large hand.

Are you trying to compliment me... or just hold my hand?