An Ning dialed Director Hu’s number.

The person who answered was a familiar voice—Wang. He didn’t waste a moment, transferring her to Director Hu’s office.

An Ning asked about getting electricity.

"An Ning, don’t worry. About the electricity—while it’s true I pulled some strings for you, it’s not exactly special treatment."

"Don’t feel burdened by it. Our country is electrifying the entire nation step by step. It was bound to reach your village sooner or later."

Director Hu wasn’t taking credit; instead, he was reassuring An Ning.

An Ning simply said a modest "thank you," and they both hung up.

She pressed down the switch hook on the phone’s cradle with one finger, and a dial tone buzzed from the receiver.

’If I’d known I could make a trade for electricity, I would’ve done it a long time ago.’

An Ning felt there was nothing wrong with trading the fruits of her labor, or her intellect, for something she needed.

She put down the phone, said goodbye to Auntie An Qi at the door, and headed home.

As for getting the electricity hooked up, Sun Dazhuang would be following up on it.

Getting electricity was a simple affair back then. It just took a few wooden utility poles and a wire run to each household, and that was pretty much it.

At that time, besides light bulbs, the village had almost no household appliances.

An Ning walked home alone from the brigade office.

With her head down, she didn’t pay much attention to the person in front of her. When she was about two meters away, she started to walk around them instinctively.

"An Ning!"

An Ning stopped and looked up.

She thought for a moment. The name was on the tip of her tongue, but she just couldn’t say it.

Chen Mingliang looked at An Ning with a complicated expression. Before he could speak, he heard her say, "Xiao Hua’s scumbag husband. Is there something you need?"

"I’m not—"

"Not Miao Xiaohua’s husband?"

"I am."

Chen Mingliang found that when he met An Ning’s eyes, his muscles tensed. He felt like prey being watched by a wolf.

He felt as if she might leap up at any second, her sharp teeth aiming to tear into his throat.

"An Ning, I came to ask you something."

Chen Mingliang steeled himself, his heart pounding in his chest.

"No, impossible, not interested, can’t be done, and no good."

Chen Mingliang hadn’t even asked his question, and An Ning had already hit him with five rejections.

An Ning looked at Chen Mingliang and continued, "And I’ll add one more: disgusting."

"Chen Mingliang, you’re even more disgusting than Miao Xiaohua."

"Miao Xiaohua knew what she did was wrong. But she did it, accepted the consequences, and has kept a low profile ever since. She hasn’t been parading around in front of me."

"But you? You knew it was wrong, and you not only did it, but you try to pass it off like you didn’t mean to. It’s absolutely revolting."

"Stay away from me. If you show your face in front of me again, I’ll tear you apart with one hand."

An Ning calmly turned and walked away, leaving him with only the sight of her back.

Chen Mingliang, left standing there, didn’t dare to follow.

Miao Xiaohua, who had been trailing them the whole time, emerged from behind a stack of firewood and walked over to Chen Mingliang.

"Have you finally given up?"

Chen Mingliang, who had been utterly dejected, suddenly bristled with anger.

He spun around angrily, gave Miao Xiaohua a hard shove, and yelled with a get-the-hell-away-from-me attitude, "I’ll do what I damn well please!"

"Now hurry up and go pack your things."

Chen Mingliang’s attitude was awful, but his next words made Miao Xiaohua forget his previous outburst in the blink of an eye.

’He’s willing to go with me. That’s all that matters.’

Miao Xiaohua was still following the path of her previous life. She wanted to go south to find work.

She had been trying to persuade Chen Mingliang for a long time. He was tempted but still clung to a sliver of wishful thinking.

’What if An Ning...?’

But alas, even the best dreams must come to an end.

Miao Xiaohua, completely unbothered, followed after Chen Mingliang. She believed that as long as he was willing to leave the village, he was bound to become wealthy.

One was willing to dish out the abuse, and the other was willing to take it. What could anyone else say?

「Meanwhile, An Ning had arrived home.」

Lin Cuihua watched An Ning walk in and started nagging disapprovingly, "If I didn’t know any better, I’d think a little beggar had just wandered in."

"You’re a mess. Even Hei Dan’er looks cleaner than you."

Despite her nagging, Lin Cuihua was holding a basin of warm water. She set it down for An Ning and said, "Hurry up and wash. Change out of those clothes, I’ll wash them for you."

"Clothes don’t dry well in this weather, so you’ll need a change."

An Ning took off her outer jacket and said, "Mom, just leave them. I can wash them myself."

"Just get yourself washed. It’s not like I enjoy washing your clothes. I’m just doing it since I’m at it."

Tough on the outside but soft on the inside, Lin Cuihua took the clothes and left.

An Ning’s scalp was itching like crazy. Getting clean was her first priority.

Halfway through her washing, An Guoping came over with a water ladle and another basin. He began pouring water over her head to rinse the suds from her hair.

"Good lord, sis, you’re turning the water black."

"Have you been digging for coal?"

An Ning wrung out her hair. "Digging for coal? How common. I was digging for gold."

"Sis, I should remind you that mining for gold without a permit is illegal."

An Ning wrapped her hair in a towel and stood up to face An Guoping.

"Not bad. You even know about the law now. What have you been up to at home these past few days?"

"Of course. I’m just following in your footsteps."

An Ning was drying her hair but didn’t dare leave the room. Lin Cuihua herded her over to sit on the kang.

"You just washed your hair. If you go out now, it’ll freeze solid. What do you need to go out for? Just stay put."

Lin Cuihua fussed over her, making An Ning change into a fresh set of clothes.

An Ning was happy to change. Her old clothes had a certain smell.

An indescribable, unidentifiable smell.

Once she was changed, she obediently lay on her stomach on the kang with a book in her hands. She fell asleep before she could even finish a page.

That evening, Lin Cuihua made a large pot of braised pork with dried green beans. She steamed flower rolls on top, which soaked up the rich broth until they were fragrant enough to die for. Paired with a pot of millet porridge, the meal was perfect.

An Ning had been craving a home-cooked meal for ages. She ate five of the flower rolls by herself.

"What’s the matter? Didn’t they feed you while you were away?"

Lin Cuihua put a piece of pork in An Ning’s bowl, her heart aching for her daughter.

"They did, but I just love your cooking, Mom."

An Ning’s sudden compliment made Lin Cuihua roll her eyes.

"Such a sweet-talker. You must have learned that from your second brother. Can’t you learn any of his good qualities?"

Far, far away, An Guoming let out a huge sneeze for no reason at all.

’Someone at home must be thinking of me,’ he thought.

After returning, An Ning resumed her usual schedule of teaching classes.

The village had been bustling with activity for the past few days. Director Zhao must have held a very high position, because Sun Dazhuang received a call in the morning, and by the afternoon, an inspection team had arrived.

They didn’t just inspect; they also drew circles on the ground. Each circle marked a spot where a hole needed to be dug for a utility pole.

For a job like that, Sun Dazhuang didn’t need to wait for an official work crew. He gathered the men of the village, and they had all the holes dug in less than half a day.

The next day, a large truck drove into Shili Gou, and a full load of utility poles was unloaded.

The children cheered. They didn’t really understand what electricity was, but they were overjoyed all the same.

"We’re getting electricity!"

"We’re getting power!"