Reborn as a Superpower Girl in the 80s
Chapter 527 Return to the Village, Gratitude

Chapter 527: Chapter 527 Return to the Village, Gratitude

After the two-day exam had ended, Luo Qiao said goodbye to Teacher Ge, her homeroom teacher, in advance for the New Year and mentioned she would not return to school to collect her report card, planning to go straight back to Capital City.

The next day, she and Stone took a bus back to Qingshan Village. Upon arriving at the village, she sent Stone off to play with his friends while she went down to the gardens at the foot of Daqing Mountain to check on the growth of the vegetables in the greenhouses and also caught a good number of fish by the pond there.

During winter, people would only start working in the gardens after 9:30 am due to the cold. Luo Qiao found a basket and filled it with quite a few fish, planning to drop by Auntie Gao’s later and ask her to distribute them among the villagers as a New Year’s benefit.

After leaving the gardens, Luo Qiao headed toward the village committee office. This year, with Huo Yuhao setting up a purchasing station in the village, every household had more money on hand. Seeing how much money Luo Qiao had made from growing vegetables that year, many families were planning to follow her lead and grow vegetables the next year.

Luo Qiao discussed next year’s vegetable growing plans with the village officials and reminded them about the unused mountain land at the foot of Daqing Mountain, suggesting they encourage the villagers to clear it and plant economic forests.

When leaving the committee office, Luo Qiao ran into Auntie Gao, who was on her way to the gardens. "Auntie, I was just on my way to your house," Luo Qiao said.

Auntie Gao replied with a smile, "I’m heading to the gardens now. Those vegetables are growing so well; I reckon we won’t have enough to sell. Boss Huo has said he’ll start picking vegetables from the 23rd of the last lunar month."

Luo Qiao smiled, "Auntie, I’ve just been to the gardens and saw the vegetables in the greenhouses. They’re being taken care of very well. I’m going to Grandma Lin’s house at the east end of the village first, and then I’ll head up to the gardens. It would be a good chance to hand out this month’s wages to everyone in advance so that we can all have a good New Year."

Auntie Gao, seeing the basket in Luo Qiao’s hands, chuckled, "Alright, I’ll head to the gardens first then."

Because it was so cold, there weren’t many people outside. As Luo Qiao approached the Lin Family house, she found a secluded spot to secretly take out the things she had prepared in advance from her space. With New Year fast approaching, she wanted to bring gifts ahead of time.

Reaching the gate, she saw Grandma Lin moving firewood in the courtyard and called out, "Grandma Lin, I’ve come to see you."

Old Lady Lin recognized Luo Qiao’s voice immediately, and her eyes turned red upon seeing what she had brought. She thought to herself, "What kind of good fortune have we old folks accumulated to be remembered by this child like this?"

She quickly said, "Come in, come in. It’s freezing outside."

"How has Grandpa Lin been lately?" Luo Qiao asked with a smile.

The old lady replied, "He’s in the chicken coop. He’s been well lately. Ever since he started taking the medicine you prescribed, his health has improved greatly. He just can’t sit still for a second."

Luo Qiao entered the house where it was warm enough and asked, "Is the firewood enough for this winter?"

Old Lady Lin said with a laugh, "Yes, yes. This year, since Grandpa Lin is healthier than before, he picks up some whenever he can, and I carry it back when I have a moment. I don’t let him carry the heavy loads—it took so long for him to get better."

Luo Qiao smiled, "That’s a good way to do things, Grandma. The most important thing now is to take good care of yourselves and do what you can without overexerting yourselves. It’s not the age to be showing off strength."

Old Lady Lin chuckled, "You’re right. We’re quite content with how things are. As long as your Grandpa Lin can take care of himself, I have more time to work in the fields. We own our land now, and I can work whenever I like. I go to the fields in the morning and evening and come back when it gets hot. Your Grandpa Lin built a coop for the chickens this year, like you suggested, and we’re having a good year."

Luo Qiao put down the things she brought, "Please put these away, Grandma, and use them to make some dishes for the New Year."

Old Lady Lin said, "Our lives have improved now. In the future, you won’t need to worry about us old folks. You’ve really helped us so much these past two years."

Luo Qiao laughed, "Please don’t say that, Grandma. I haven’t done much. Let’s go take a look at the chicken coop."

The moment Old Lady Lin mentioned the chicken coop, her face lit up with a smile, "Let’s go. The chicken coop has a strong smell; you might want to cover your nose and mouth with a scarf."

They left the courtyard and headed to the backyard. Inside the coop, they found Grandpa Lin busy tidying up.

When he heard someone coming, he turned around and upon seeing Luo Qiao, he said with a smile, "Luo Qiao is back! The smell is strong in here."

Luo Qiao looked at the chickens in the coop, guessing there must be around forty or fifty, all well cared for by the elderly couple. She thought that at least now they had a source of livelihood.

Seeing the old couple’s gaze at the chickens and the expressions on their faces, she truly felt relieved. These chickens were their hope and motivation.

After leaving the Lin Family, Luo Qiao went directly to the gardens, told everyone about the two fish per person, paid out this month’s wages, and handed out a red envelope to each person as an award for their hard work.

Even the Zhao brothers didn’t miss out. The two boys were thrilled; they were on school break and had come over to help voluntarily, not expecting Luo Qiao to pay the salaries early.

Zhao Lizhong said he would work with everyone else every day during the holiday break. Luo Qiao promised to compensate them for the extra days, and he was grateful for the opportunity Luo Qiao gave them. He and his brother bowed to Luo Qiao before running off.

After making sure Auntie Gao remembered to divide up the vegetables among everyone before New Year, Luo Qiao left the gardens to find Stone. They planned to take the midday bus back to Ji City.

They had already bought their train tickets to Capital City for that evening, so they needed to return early to pack their things.