Xu Mumu stayed in the courtyard for a while, then she and Yin Yang were taken by a few children to explore the village.

"Big sister, why didn’t second brother come back with you?" Xu Tao asked curiously.

"Minglei is studying at home, so I didn’t call him," Xu Mumu responded with a smile.

"Second brother is so diligent," Xu Jiaojiao remarked. After the subjects were divided, studying became a bit harder; they all took it seriously. If it weren’t for Xu Mumu coming back, they would rarely come out to play. At home, besides studying, they would go to the mountains to find some mushrooms and such.

Now that the family could farm their own land, they no longer wanted to go to the mountains to pick wild vegetables.

The Xu Family’s private plot outside was already filled with vegetables. After eating enough vegetables at home, they could also buy more to eat in the county town.

Life was much better than it was a few years ago.

The development in the old hometown had been swift lately. All the activities organized by Yin Yang and the others required people to work. The village’s liveliness had led to considerable growth.

Now they could farm their own land and trade freely. The vegetables grown on the family plot could be taken to sell in the county town, and some people had started raising plenty of livestock.

Their family alone had several cages of rabbits, which were now directly handled by the fourth household. Xu Po brazenly started raising them and even built two dedicated rooms just for the rabbits.

On the second household’s side, Xu Jiang went to the team leader to get a new piece of land behind their house, and they were already laying the foundation to build a building.

Initially, Xu Xue intended to take their parents to buy a house in the city. But since Huo Qingze was having a booming business here, she agreed to let her dad build a house in the village to stay closer to Huo Qingze.

Xu Xue was overseeing the house construction, so Xu Mumu didn’t see Xu Xue when she came back.

To live more comfortably, Xu Xue was preparing to make their house the best. Once it’s finished, it would surely be the best in the whole team.

The materials used for building were also top-notch, to ensure longevity.

Her younger brother was still small, and with the house built, their parents would have less pressure in the future.

Xu Mumu walked along the country road, greeting people she recognized with a smile. She felt a bit sentimental, realizing how much everything had changed; so much that it was a bit overwhelming for her.

"Things have changed a lot," Xu Mumu said, walking side by side with Yin Yang, observing everything around her.

"Yes, quite a lot," Yin Yang nodded, acknowledging his own role in the changes.

The road near the ancient tomb had long been completed. Although the tomb hadn’t been fully excavated, many items had been unearthed, reportedly making the tomb highly valuable with numerous records about the tomb owner.

Yin Yang wasn’t interested in these things, just hearing Duan Yunkai mention it a few times.

They arrived at the squad’s health center, which had been renovated into a two-story building. Doctor Chu was administering an IV to Uncle Liu from the village. Uncle Liu was getting on in years, and his health was increasingly frail.

Xu Mumu and the others walked over, greeted warmly by Uncle Liu.

"Mumu, you’re on vacation? It’s about time the university had a break," Uncle Liu said with a kindly smile although his complexion wasn’t great.

"Yes, Uncle Liu. Are you ill? Is something bothering you?" Xu Mumu asked gently.

She recalled times when her younger brother and others would gather around Uncle Liu to listen to his stories. Uncle Liu liked children, often giving them candy when they came to listen.

"Nothing much, just some old issues that won’t heal," Uncle Liu said dismissively, waving his hand.

"That’s because you don’t follow the doctor’s advice, resulting in your current discomfort," Doctor Chu commented, glancing at Uncle Liu. If it weren’t for Doctor Chu supervising him, Uncle Liu would likely feel worse.

The old man was good in many ways, except for sometimes being too stubborn, as obstinate as a mule.

"Don’t badmouth me in front of everyone, I do listen to you," Uncle Liu retorted defensively, raising his voice, sounding a bit guilty.

"Then what’s with the pills I found under your bed?" Doctor Chu retorted unrelentingly, hoping Uncle Liu would be embarrassed enough to take his medication next time. Who’d have thought this stubborn old man was afraid of bitter medicine.

"They fell accidentally; you’ve mentioned this enough, my ears have grown calloused," Uncle Liu said indignantly, glaring at Doctor Chu. The lad was so annoying; he probably knew Uncle Liu dreaded bitter medicine and purposely gave him the most bitter kind.

Watching the banter between the old and young, Xu Mumu gleaned most of the story from their conversation and thought to herself, surprisingly, that Uncle Liu could be this way.

"Uncle Liu, I’m not afraid of taking medicine," Xu Tao said, lifting his chin to look at Uncle Liu. All the kids in the village liked Uncle Liu.

"Away with you, kid, are you looking for a scolding?" Uncle Liu glared at Xu Tao.

"Nah nah nah, Uncle Liu is afraid of bitter medicine, I know it," Xu Tao teased, sticking out his tongue.

"Don’t go spreading that around, or no more candy for you all," Uncle Liu threatened gruffly, trying to intimidate the kids.

Unfortunately, his honest image among the kids was too strong for them to truly fear him.

"Even if they don’t say anything, I’ll make sure you come take your meds daily," Doctor Chu declared calmly, determined to keep Uncle Liu in line.

"I warn you, don’t push it! Or I won’t seek treatment from you anymore. You’re only this uninhibited because we’re close," Uncle Liu blustered loudly.

Watching from the side, Xu Mumu wanted to laugh. Uncle Liu seemed more childish than ever. But having Doctor Chu watching over him was reassuring, especially given Uncle Liu’s frail health.

After staying a little longer, Xu Mumu and the others headed to the school area. The school was almost finished being built. As Yin Yang explained, Xu Mumu understood more: some equipment and the library were donated by Huo Qingze. This school was clearly meant to be high-quality. He hoped some excellent teachers under his tutelage could come and teach here.

After setting up a tutoring center, he had gathered a group of outstanding educational talents.

Xu Mumu raised her eyebrows slightly; one was wealthier than the other. The team leader was probably the happiest, with the squad improving so much thanks to Yin Yang and Huo Qingze.

The laboratory was more than halfway completed. Xu Mumu moved closer for a better look. The lab’s area wasn’t smaller than the new school; Yin Yang seemed to plan on setting up various equipment. Moreover, when the lab was done, it could provide experimental facilities for the school’s middle school section.