The village was bustling that morning. Many villagers had already headed down the mountain to buy daily necessities, hoping to get their shopping done before opening their own shops.
They also had to hurry back to cook lunch for their families.
Whenever the weather and temperature were pleasant, they would get up early.
Before, they had risen early to work the fields. Now, it was to shop. Both were essential.
Their village had no large supermarket, only a tiny, dimly lit shop. Anyone wanting clothes or pots and pans had to head down to the town early.
There was hardly any internet access here, either. Even under good conditions, the best signal they could get was 3G, so naturally, online shopping was out of the question.
A villager happened to be returning from her sugarcane field with a bucket in hand.
Sugarcane was the crop that had grown best that year, but few villagers chose to plant it. It was inconvenient, and transporting it down to town to sell took a great deal of effort.
"Teacher Lin, did you go up the mountain with the men from our village to take a look?" the woman asked with a beaming smile. She was eager to know where things had gone wrong, too.
Although the woman had a rather strong local accent, she was understandable if one listened carefully.
Lin Xiaoqian smiled and nodded. "Yes. We should have the results tomorrow."
Seeing that there was hope, the villager immediately came over, overwhelmed with gratitude. "That's wonderful! I thought we wouldn't be able to grow any fruit anymore. My daughter's waiting for the money to pay her tuition. What a relief, what a relief. Thank you, thank you so much..."
Lin Xiaoqian gave her a radiant smile. "It's all right, ma'am. I'm just