In the afternoon, Yuan Chun went into the mountains again, harvesting a full basket and a big bundle of pigweed, earning twelve work points in a day.

Da Qiang, together with his younger siblings, filled two baskets in the morning and two in the afternoon, earning eight work points.

In the evening, the mother and children cooked a pot of sweet potatoes, paired with pickled vegetables, eating with a smacking sound.

Yuan Chun told the children about ordering thirty little chicks, which made them very happy; even the youngest, Sanqiang, was clamoring to catch bugs to feed the chicks.

Since Chen Dagang passed away, the Mei Family had been under a cloud of gloom. This was the first time in days that the children laughed joyously.

For the next three days, Yuan Chun took the children to gather pigweed, and the five of them earned twenty work points every day.

On this day, Yuan Chun didn’t go to gather pigweed in the morning. After breakfast, she took a big basin of clothes to the river at the village entrance to wash.

As in her past life, at eleven in the morning, Lingling, holding a points ledger, passed by the river on her way back to the pig pens to record work points for the children who gathered pigweed. Nearby, a group of children with greedy mouths were using nets to catch fish.

Suddenly, one child was pushed by a friend and fell into the river.

Lingling was shocked, dropping her points ledger, and jumped in to save the child.

Meters away, Yuan Chun saw this and shouted, "Someone fell into the river, hurry up and save them, quick!"

Then she abandoned the nearly finished laundry and ran towards that side.

Just like in her past life, after rescuing the child, Lingling either cramped up or was exhausted and gradually sank below the water.

Yuan Chun leaped into the water and soon brought Lingling back up.

In the warm March, the river water was very cold.

Yuan Chun’s body was already frail, and after climbing out of the water, she sneezed several times, shivering from the cold.

But she didn’t think about herself.

She quickly pressed on Lingling’s chest and used spiritual power to check her condition, pushing all the water out of her stomach.

When the team leader’s couple arrived, Lingling spat out a big mouthful of water and started crying.

She cried out of fear.

After all, an eighteen-year-old girl who had just come of age nearly lost her life. Anyone would be scared.

The team leader’s wife held her daughter, crying her heart out, but didn’t forget to thank Yuan Chun, "Yuan Chun, Lingling was scared. We’ll take her back to calm down. You should go back quickly and change into dry clothes to avoid catching a cold. And thank you for saving Lingling. Once she feels better, I’ll have her personally thank you at the Mei Family house."

"No need to thank me, sister, it’s a small matter. Quickly take Lingling back and comfort her more, don’t mind me, I’m fine."

Many villagers, hearing the commotion, came to see what was happening.

Some were concerned, while others gloated.

Fortunately, it was early March, with layers of clothes on. Even if her clothes were soaked, it wouldn’t ruin her reputation. Yuan Chun didn’t mind, carried the washing basin home in her wet clothes.

Back at home, Yuan Chun first changed clothes, then took out a piece of ginger and half a pound of brown sugar to brew a small pot of ginger tea.

She filled an enamel mug with it and had Da Qiang take it for Lingling to drink.

She also drank a mug of hot ginger tea herself, worked up a good sweat, and then took a hot bath, before lying down in bed all afternoon.

Lunch was prepared by Da Qiang and Erqiang, a stew of potatoes with half a bowl of fresh mushrooms, fragrant enough to make one’s mouth water.