Chapter 119

Chapter 119

It was the first time Ding Huiniang had heard about this, and she quickly asked Hong Niangzi, "What exactly is going on? They agreed she would marry in the second half of the year."

Although it was only a difference of a few months, constantly changing the date feels somewhat disrespectful to the bride's side.

Hong Niangzi sighed, "You’re right, it’s only a few months, but I was planning to add more to her dowry later so she could marry in grand style."

Ding Huiniang frowned, "This isn’t about the dowry right now. A family that breaks their word—how can Shi Liu expect to have a good life if she marries into them?"

Hong Niangzi also frowned, "That can’t be, can it? They are a good family. Originally, they said Shi Liu should have married earlier, but they agreed to postpone it because of the issues we’ve had at home."

At that moment, Shi Liu entered by lifting the door curtain from outside, "Mother, I think Auntie is right. They suddenly changed the date without even informing us in advance, just telling us to marry off that day. They really don't seem to respect us."

Seeing her enter, Hong Niangzi quickly hushed her, "This isn’t something a young girl like you should say. I’m here. We still have some pig pancreas soaps left, so go and play outside for a while."

Despite Hong Niangzi’s attempt to send her away, Shi Liu refused to leave. Looking at Ding Huiniang, she said, "Auntie, please help persuade my mother. I really don't want to marry into that family."

Her words carried a hint of stubbornness, not wanting Qian Niangzi and Liu Niangzi to say ‘I told you so.’ Another reason was that if she left, her mother would struggle to manage the tofu business alone. Without someone to help, Shi Liu couldn’t feel at ease.

Ding Huiniang thought for a moment, then smiled at Shi Liu, "Don’t worry, I’ll discuss this carefully with your mother. Whether you marry or not isn’t something that can be decided in a few words."

After Shi Liu left, Hong Niangzi said, "Why did you agree with her? She’s throwing a tantrum. What if she really doesn’t want to marry?"

Ding Huiniang lost her smile and spoke seriously, "I think she has a point. Don’t rush. Let me explain carefully. Forget other places, just look at our village. Look at the lives women lead after they marry."

Hong Niangzi was startled, and her voice became choked with emotion, "You and I are different. Your husband broke his leg. If he were still the same, you’d be living well too."

Ding Huiniang snorted, "If that were true, do you think I’d just let him lie in bed without caring for him? I just don’t want to make Geda suffer."

Hong Niangzi persisted, "Shi Liu is different. Since Lin Chunyan taught her how to make pig pancreas soap, she’ll be more valued in her husband’s family."

Ever since Lin Chunyan taught Shi Liu how to make the soap, Hong Niangzi had felt a weight lifted off her shoulders. This skill was the best dowry, and she wouldn’t have to worry about Shi Liu being looked down upon in the future.

Ding Huiniang knew Hong Niangzi had always been simple-minded, even before she married into her birth family. That’s why she made that pricing mistake. Shaking her head, she said, "It’s not as you think. Precisely because she has this skill, it could be problematic once she marries."

Shi Liu and Maitiao were eavesdropping in the next room. Initially, Shi Liu hadn’t thought much about it, but hearing Ding Huiniang’s words sent a chill down her spine.

If her husband’s family really asked her to teach them the skill, could she refuse?

Of course not.

But if she really taught them, how would the people in Qingshan village view her? How would her mother and Maitiao manage to live in the village if she taught them the skill?

The more Shi Liu thought about it, the colder she felt. She could already imagine the kind of life they would have if she taught them the skill.

Without the support of her birth family, she would have to rely entirely on whether her husband’s family was kind. If she were alone, it might be bearable, but if she had children in the future… What if they encountered someone like her father, who might pretend to be good but could start hitting her one day?

It wasn’t uncommon for men to hit their wives, claiming it was for discipline. Sometimes, they didn’t even need a reason. Those who tried to mediate would say it was normal and that it would get better over time, that the man would stop hitting eventually.

Shi Liu suddenly thought of Ding Huiniang. She vaguely remembered that when she was little, as she passed by their door, she heard Geda’s father cursing and hitting someone.

Maitiao noticed Shi Liu’s state and gently pulled her sleeve, leading her to sit aside. In a low voice, he said, "Sister, if you don’t want to marry him, then don’t. Don’t be afraid! I’ll support you in the future."

Shi Liu shook her head, knowing that relying on Maitiao wasn’t a long-term solution. If she really didn’t want to marry—her eyes hardened with determination—she needed to learn a skill to support herself and then establish a female household.

Just like Lin Chunyan's family, they are now living prosperously, and no one dares to bully them.

The more Pomegranate thought about it, the more she believed this path was viable. She wouldn't have to worry about losing touch with her natal family, nor would she have to fear being beaten or scolded by her in-laws.

After Ding Huinian left, when Hong Niangzi came over, Pomegranate shared this idea with her.

Hong Niangzi was already feeling dizzy from everything Ding Huinian had said, and hearing Pomegranate's suggestion pushed her to the brink.

"You can't just focus on a few bad examples and think everyone is equally bad. Look at the parents of Sanlang and Silang; they are living quite well. Many women do get married. This match is a good one, and if you miss this chance, you won't find another as good."

Pomegranate's hands were unconsciously stirring in one spot. It had taken all her courage to say those words, and hearing Hong Niangzi's rebuttal left her without the strength to argue further.

Zhang Tianhe went with the Village Headman to Miss Li's house once again. Though it was improper for them to meet so often before the engagement, after Mr. Li's death, the Village Headman feared the marriage might fall through. Using the pretext of offering assistance, he brought Zhang Tianhe in and out of the Li residence openly.

Everyone understood the underlying intentions, but given that Zhang Tianhe was a scholar, no one held it against him.

Zhang Tianhe also wished he could marry a beautiful woman as easily as Hu Xianggong had and, with the help of in-laws, secure an official position in the court, moving his entire family to the Imperial City.

Truth be told, Hu Xianggong’s family was not much different from their own, but he had secured such a good marriage and risen to success. How could the Village Headman and Zhang Tianhe not feel envious?

However, the Li family only had money and lacked the influential in-laws that Hu Xianggong's family had, which left Zhang Tianhe somewhat discontent.

This time, they did not see Miss Li during their visit to the Li residence. Zhang Tianhe breathed a huge sigh of relief, uncertain how to face the young lady. He always felt her eyes were piercing, as if they could see through his thoughts.

On the way back, the Village Headman heard from the servants that it was likely the matter with Madam Dong. Miss Li had displeased Mr. Li, so he had confined her to the house, preventing her from coming out.

Zhang Tianhe only half-listened, and the Village Headman, seeing that he wasn't as resistant as before, looked meaningfully at him and said, "I know you're not too keen on this marriage, but consider that our family background can only support you so far. Your sister-in-law and the others have been complaining! Plus, your nephew is growing up. We can't just focus on you. Once you're married, your in-laws will help you. If you really succeed like the Hu family and rise to power, you can have anyone you want."

Zhang Tianhe's face turned red, not expecting the usually honest and upright Village Headman to say something like this.

But thinking about it, even an ordinary trader had several external wives and many young ladies in the house. Once he became an official, it would be unavoidable for him too.

For some reason, Lin Taohong's figure came to his mind.

He had taken leave from the academy to return, and for several days, under the pretense of studying, he had gone to the riverbank. But for some reason, Lin Taohong never appeared again, leaving him somewhat let down.

It wasn’t that he had any romantic feelings for Lin Taohong. She was still quite young and, in his eyes, was like a younger sister. He just enjoyed watching her jump up and scold people, lively and spirited, temporarily easing his study-related worries.

Since he couldn't see her, Zhang Tianhe ceased going to the riverbank and followed the Village Headman's plan, visiting the Li residence several more times.

Early in the morning, the cicadas were chirping incessantly, making it difficult to sleep in. Lin Taohong opened her drowsy eyes and, feeling sticky all over her body, went to fetch well water to wash with.

"How long will this heat last? I don’t recall it being this hot in previous years."

"It wasn’t that it wasn’t this hot in past years; you just forgot. It's almost the dog days of summer, and it'll be hot for another month or so."

Hearing this, Lin Taohong wilted and lost her appetite for breakfast.

Lin Chunyan didn't bother frying rice in the kitchen. After washing the lotus leaves, she cut them up, put them in a pot with a piece of dried tangerine peel, and cooked lotus leaf porridge.

They each had a salted duck egg, the kind where the red oil had seeped out from being preserved for a long time, along with a plate of pickled vegetables, making for a refreshing breakfast.

Without the tofu pudding, Zhang Niuli's business went downhill, and even the Feng family's side had no work, constantly coming over to inquire about news.

Zhang Niuli mentioned to Old Uncle Zhang and the others that he was thinking of opening a general store.

Old Uncle Zhang wasn't too keen. After finally having some money, he planned to save it to build houses for his children.

And then there was Zhang Xiaomei; he had to prepare a suitable dowry for her.

However, Hu Shi and the other children thought that the idea of opening a general store was a good one. "Our place is remote, and the peddlers can't come every day. Even if people have money, there's nowhere to spend it."

"Besides, we can stock up on things that won't spoil. Even if no one buys them, we won't lose much."

Zhang Xiaomei preferred a more cautious approach, and since everyone agreed, Big Uncle Zhang consented to go and ask for Lin Chunyan and Big Aunt Zhang's opinions.

The next time they came to pick up some things, Big Uncle Zhang and the others arrived just in time. They learned that the group had gotten up early at dawn.

"We didn’t dare to walk in the blazing sun. We were worried they might get heatstroke and feel ill," said Big Aunt Zhang, who hurriedly gave them a warning.

"That's alright. We came around from the mountain where there are many trees, so it wasn't that hot."

At this point, Zhang Manliang moved over to Lin Chunyan and laughed a few times. He took something out from his backpack, "Yan Niang, guess what this is?"

Lin Chunyan had smelled a foul odor when they arrived and hadn't had time to ask about it. She saw Zhang Manliang take a viper out of his basket.

The snake was as thick as a human wrist, and it startled everyone in the yard.

Seeing how frightened they were, Zhang Manliang laughed happily, "What’s there to fear? This viper isn’t venomous. And its meat is quite delicious."

These boys were bold, and back when they were hungry, they had eaten all sorts of things. The taste of this viper was already considered top-notch.

Lin Taohong stayed back and asked Zhang Manliang in a low voice, "Does that mean you’ve also eaten rats?"

Lin Taohong still remembered the stories told by Silang and the others.

Hearing this, Zhang Manliang only laughed a few times and glanced at Zhang Niuli, not daring to continue the story.

Of course, they had eaten rats. The largest rat they caught was almost as big as a newborn baby. That rat was quite clever, and they had to work hard to catch it, so they weren't about to let it go easily.

After skinning the rat, they roasted it directly over the fire without adding anything. These young men divided the rat meat among themselves and ate it.

However, this rat seemed to know how to take revenge. When they returned home after eating the rat, they found that a lot of grain had gone missing or been eaten. They didn't dare tell the adults about eating the big rat, so everyone was left puzzled, and it took a long time to finally catch all the smaller rats.

These half-grown children gradually realized something was off and agreed not to tell anyone, keeping this matter buried in their stomachs.

Seeing that Zhang Manliang wasn't going to say more, Lin Taohong didn't press further. She turned to Lin Chunyan and asked, "Big Sister, can we cook and eat this meat?"

Lin Chunyan nodded, "Certainly, it can be cooked and eaten."

Even though she had a natural fear of such reptiles, her face had turned pale since earlier, and she didn't dare to look at it much.

Big Uncle Zhang scowled at Zhang Manliang, "Put that away quickly! I told you not to bring it, but you wouldn't listen!"

Zhang Manliang then looked at Lin Chunyan, "Yan Niang, this meat is really delicious. Are you sure you don't want any?"

Lin Chunyan firmly shook her head, "No, there are many other delicious things to eat. I'll stick with something else."

Moreover, the snake was battered and bloody, which didn't look appetizing at all.

Zhang Manliang could only regretfully put the snake away.

Lin Chunyan wasn't in a hurry to go to the shop. She listened as Big Uncle Zhang and Big Aunt Zhang talked about opening the general store.

"Big Sister, give us some advice. Should we open the general store? We’ve been in the tofu pudding business for nearly a year and have saved up some money, but we're afraid of losing it all."

Big Aunt Zhang felt reassured when her brother asked her for advice and spoke confidently, "If you want to do it, then do it! Even if you lose money, it’s not a significant problem. In business, there are both profits and losses. Even those big merchants say the same thing. And even if you lose money, you can earn it back when the tofu pudding is available again in autumn."

Zhang Manliang pushed Uncle Zhang as soon as he heard it, "Father, you have even less knowledge than our aunt."

Uncle Zhang didn't get angry after hearing this. "Your aunt has always been more capable than all of us, and now that she's seen more of the world, she takes advantage of our lack of knowledge."

Uncle Zhang didn't hesitate any longer and started talking about the things they needed to take. "Bring more lard soap, and also the vermicelli, tofu skin, dried tofu, and give me a few portions of cold noodles."

They originally didn't dare to take the cold noodles back to sell and only ate them at Aunt Zhang's place, but now that they were going to open a shop, Uncle Zhang decided to take a risk. In this heat, people might want something cool.

Lin Chunyan brought out some mung bean jelly for them. "This is made from mung beans and can be cut into pieces to eat."

It’s eaten similarly to acorn tofu, but since it was made from mung beans, the price was naturally a bit more expensive.

Uncle Zhang didn't stand on ceremony with them and became interested as soon as he saw the mung bean jelly. "Exactly, I'm thirsty and hungry from the journey, and I'd like to eat some."

Lin Taohong went to pick a few bowls, added garlic juice and other seasonings, and handed them to Uncle Zhang, who ate them in a few bites, feeling extremely refreshed.

With such hot weather, the constables also started walking through the streets with gongs, shouting to remind everyone to prevent fires.

Constable Sun took a break to drink some iced drinks and eat a bowl of cold noodles. Mr. Song was somewhat worried and asked, "Why has it suddenly become so serious?"

"Fire broke out in Gourd Town and many houses were burned. The county magistrate is afraid something might happen here too, so he's making us remind everyone frequently."

"Sigh! Fires are hard to extinguish on such hot days."

Everyone sighed. Their shops were particularly watched by the constables. After finishing his meal, Constable Sun was in no hurry to leave and repeatedly warned them not to leave any fire sources.

Lin Chunyan also became more cautious and every night before leaving, she would check if the firewood in the kitchen was completely extinguished. She also reminded Mrs. Song to be very careful with fire at night when sleeping.

After a few days, a medicinal shop in the eastern part of their town actually caught fire. Fortunately, it was broad daylight, and as soon as the fire started, everyone grabbed buckets to fetch water. Since they were relatively close to the dock, it was quite convenient.

Lin Chunyan asked Hu Daqiang and Zhao Liu to go and help. The business can wait; people were the most important.

She also took a bucket and went over. Aunt Zhang repeatedly urged her not to get too close to the fire, watching as several young women went forward.

Upon arrival, she found many people there. The guards from the escort agency were also there, passing water buckets forward, which was faster than going back and forth with a single bucket.

"Are the people okay?" Lin Chunyan asked while helping to carry water.

"The people were rescued, but most of the shop’s goods were lost, and they are crying over there."

Lin Chunyan followed the gaze and saw a few people kneeling on the ground, looking miserable.

She couldn't bear to look anymore.

After the fire was finally extinguished, the neighbors around the medicinal shop were all grateful. If the fire had spread to their homes, who could they have reasoned with?

Sun Anyuan had noticed Lin Chunyan coming earlier and had been distracted watching her. As soon as the fire was out, he couldn't wait to come to her.

"Miss Lin, why did you come too? Is someone still at the shop?"

"Of course someone is there," Lin Chunyan kept a certain distance from him. "Constable Sun, do you know how the fire started?"

"They were searching for herbs and a candle fell on dry herbs, starting the fire. Fortunately, it was daytime."

After saying this, Sun Anyuan didn't forget to remind Lin Chunyan. "You often need to cook with fire in the shop, so remember to place a water bucket in the kitchen. If a fire starts, you can quickly extinguish it."

Lin Chunyan thanked him for his kindness. After carrying several buckets of water, she felt a bit tired and wished to return early.

Lin Chunyan’s few steps back did not escape Sun Anyuan’s notice. Seeing her eagerness to leave, he felt deeply saddened, watching as she left with Hu Daqiang and the others.

Da Zhuang grinned and leaned in, "Boss, I was wondering how I couldn't see you for a moment. So you were chatting with Lin Xiaoniang. Planning to treat us to a feast?"

Sun Anyuan used to agree generously, but this time he stepped aside, "If you want to eat, go ahead."

Da Zhuang wasn't disappointed. He sniffed the ash on his clothes and called Hu Zi and the others to go to the public bathhouse to bathe.

Their town had a lane lined with public bathhouses. Everyone, young and old, could come here to bathe. The places with a pot hanging at the entrance offered a variety of services, including full-body washes, facial cleanses, and more.

Recently, they even had pork pancreas soap. This small piece of pork pancreas soap cost three more coins, but it could clean the body thoroughly, and many people used it.

Initially, the bathhouses mainly used dried soapberries and flowers, but the regular customers brought pork pancreas soap and praised its effectiveness. The shop owners took note and bought pork pancreas soap from Sanlang, and indeed, many customers came to buy it.

Of course, if you brought your own, they wouldn't charge you extra.

Lin Chunyan could still hear the constant gratitude from that family even after walking a long way with Hu Daqiang. She looked back a few times but still found it pitiful.

"Later, let's send them some soup and water. It's better than letting them go hungry."

When she returned and Zhang Daniang saw her appearance, she exclaimed, "Good heavens! Did you just come from a fire? Why is your face all black?"

Both Lin Chunyan and Hu Daqiang were covered in ash.

"Go wash quickly."

Lin Chunyan wanted to simply wipe herself down in the backyard, but Zhang Daniang took her to the public bathhouse, "Let's all get a proper wash."

When they arrived, they discovered a cold water pool. At the entrance, they bought soap balls with dried flowers.

Zhang Daniang thought the soap balls were too expensive and took the pork pancreas soap inside, even pulling Lin Taohong, "No need to waste money."

Lin Taohong didn't listen and insisted on buying the soap ball, "We're here, might as well use it."

When they entered, they saw familiar Lady He, who waved at them, "Come quickly and soak. It's so refreshing!"

Lin Chunyan envied Lady He, thinking she lived a carefree life.

After soaking for a while, Lady He lowered her voice and said to them, "Did you hear? The manager of Hehua Restaurant wants to transfer his restaurant."

This was big news. Lin Chunyan popped her head out of the pool and asked, "How much is he asking for?"

Lady He knew Lin Chunyan would be interested and didn't hide it, "My old Zheng heard that Manager Zong feels the feng shui of Hehua Restaurant is bad and is asking for only 100 strings of coins."

Lin Chunyan gasped, "Why is it that expensive?"

"It's a two-story building with luxurious decorations and everything you need inside."

Lin Chunyan had inquired about shops before, and even those in worse locations cost fifty to sixty strings of coins. Considering Hehua Restaurant was in the town center, the price wasn't actually high.

But she really didn't have that much money, and Lin Chunyan immediately lost her drive. Zhang Daniang came over and asked, "Yan Niang, how much money do you have? I have some; let me add to yours."

Lin Chunyan looked at her. Ever since Jin Niangzi wanted to adopt her as a goddaughter, Zhang Daniang had been very well-behaved and didn't cause any trouble, fearing that Lin Chunyan would ignore her.

Lin Chunyan roughly knew how much money Zhang Daniang had, but even if she added it, it wouldn't be enough for a fraction. She could only shake her head, "That's your hard-earned money. Keep it for your old age."

From opening this shop until now, Lin Chunyan had saved only about fifteen to sixteen strings of coins. But she needed to keep some cash on hand and couldn't spend it all at once.

She had saved a fair amount, but many families didn't even have a single string of coins.

Lady He told Lin Chunyan not to worry, "I don't think anyone will buy it for a while."

Lin Chunyan thanked her for the kindness but felt a twinge of regret as she looked at the cold soup covered with fresh and dried flowers.

She had to soak for a while to earn back the money she spent.

However, after soaking for a bit, Lin Chunyan felt a chill and had to get out, watching Mrs. Zhang and Lady He enjoying themselves in the pool.

After returning home, Lin Chunyan took out all her money jars. Some of the money had already been exchanged into silver coins for easier storage, while others were still copper coins that rattled loudly when poured out of the jar.

No matter how she counted, not a single extra coin appeared, and Lin Chunyan couldn't help but sigh, "Why can't money breed like a hen?"

Lin Taohong, shoulders shaking, laughed uncontrollably, "If money could breed, I’d be willing to sit for months, not just twenty days like an old hen."

Since there was no way to gather enough money, Lin Chunyan decided to stop thinking about the Hehua Restaurant, considering it fate that they were not meant to be.

Wang Yingniang pulled Lin Chunyan up, "You're too anxious. Our shop has only been open for a short while; how can we expect to get rich overnight?"

Lin Chunyan nodded and mentioned the perfume shop, "One day I'll take you there; it’s indeed more comfortable than washing at home."

Wang Yingniang agreed, "Sanlang is quite resourceful to run a perfume shop."

"Yes, who would have thought that half a year ago he was worried, and now his business has grown so much."

Since Lady Zhu wanted a lot of mint cakes, Lin Chunyan and Wang Yingniang made them together. Lin Chunyan had a whimsical idea, "What if we put some meat floss on top of the mint cakes?"

Wang Yingniang's lips curved into a smile, knowing that Lin Chunyan had finally stopped thinking about the Hehua Restaurant, said, "I still remember when you sprinkled pine nut powder on them; the taste wasn’t good."

Lin Chunyan also laughed, "These green cakes are so pretty; I couldn’t help but want to add something on top."

"How about using rose preserves to make another color of cake? They’d look nice together."

As they pondered the snacks, all their worries vanished, and they found it all amusing. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much rose preserve left, so Lin Chunyan couldn't bear to use it.

She regretfully patted her head, "I should have made some apricot jam instead of so much dried apricots."

Lin Taohong, wanting to drink plum wine again as the heat made her thirsty, tried to grab some when Lin Chunyan wasn't looking. Hearing their conversation, she mentioned that there were wild raspberries on the west village mountain, "Eating that turns your mouth black; it can be used for dyeing too."

Lin Chunyan and Wang Yingniang exchanged glances, "Why didn’t we think of this?"

However, they couldn't go up the mountain now. The usual path they took had little tree coverage, and the paths with trees were hard to walk on, not to mention the risk of snakes and insects. They would have to wait until the sun set and it cooled down.

They also talked about Lady Zhu and Qiwen Jie, "It's strange; every time they meet, they have to tease each other, but if someone else says anything, she gets upset."

"It always feels odd between them."

Lihua came knocking and brought out some pieces of pig pancreas soap for Lin Chunyan. Every time she made them, she kept a piece for Lin Chunyan. Lin Chunyan had told her several times not to, but she insisted on giving it, saying they won’t spoil and can be used gradually later.

She was clever and skillful, and the pig pancreas soap contained various dried flowers, making them smell wonderful.

Lin Chunyan gave her a small jar of ginger preserved in plum sauce, perfect for the weather.

Lihua didn't decline and told them about raising little rabbits, "The heavy rain a few days ago made some of my little rabbits sick."

"Are they feeling better?"

At this, Lihua looked a little sad, "Two have recovered, but two have passed away."

"For someone just starting to raise them, it’s already a good achievement," Lin Chunyan comforted Lihua, "They should be having little rabbits soon, right?"

Lihua cheered up again, "In a little over a month, it will be ready, and we'll need to get more rabbit cages by then."

Raising rabbits seemed like a highly profitable venture, but in the summer, the yard always had a smell. Lihua cleaned more frequently because of this.

"When you go up the mountain later, I'll go with you," she said, planning to gather some grass.

"Alright, we'll stop by your place and pick you up on the way."

When they went up the mountain, they happened to see Pomegranate and Ding Huinang. Pomegranate hesitated for a moment as she quickly covered her red, puffy eyes.

To avoid encountering these people, Ding Huinang had intentionally brought Pomegranate to this side of the village, but today, Lin Chunyan had also come here.

Lin Taohong asked immediately, "Huinang, why are you with her?"

She had always been a grudge-holding person and naturally didn’t want to show Pomegranate any kindness.

"It's nothing. I just brought her here to cheer her up," said Ding Huinang.

Ding Huinang let Pomegranate go on ahead and stayed behind to help them gather things.

"What’s wrong?"

"Pomegranate’s mother insists on marrying her off, but she doesn’t want to go, so she came to me for help."

Seeing Ding Huinang as a lifeline, Pomegranate hoped she would speak up for her.

Ding Huinang gave a bitter smile, "I don't have any good solutions either. She said she wanted to establish a female household, which isn't an easy thing to do. Relying solely on the skill of making pig pancreas soap isn’t enough."

For a moment, Ding Huinang considered passing her dishwashing job to Pomegranate, but she quickly dismissed the idea.

If she gave it to Pomegranate, she and her family wouldn’t have any means of survival.

After a few more words, they began discussing happier topics, "Are you going to make those lotus flower pastries with what you’ve picked?"

Lin Chunyan shook her head, "Still the mint cakes. We’re thinking of adding some fruit to improve the flavor."

However, Ding Huinang’s mention of lotus cakes reminded Lin Chunyan, "I'll make this seasonal pastry later."

"Do you need actual lotus flowers?"

"No, just make them in the shape of lotus blossoms."

Lin Taohong suddenly thought of something and asked with her hands on her hips, "Didn't you make lotus-shaped pastries with clarified butter before? I heard from Zilan that they looked extremely beautiful, and most importantly, they tasted great."

Lin Chunyan didn't expect her to remember that and could only smile awkwardly, "We made a few that day, but we couldn't bring any back."

"I don't care. I want to try those lotus pastries made with clarified butter. You have to make some for me later, sister."

The wild grapes on the mountain had also borne fruit. Lin Chunyan and Lin Taohong fooled around for a while before looking at the wild grapes.

The grape raisins they dried last year were finished early.

No matter what, they had to bring back more this year. Unfortunately, the grapevines at home were barely surviving, and there weren’t many fruits on them.

Seeing her staring at the grapes, Wang Yingniang said, "When autumn comes, we'll come early to pick them. We'll definitely get a lot."

Lin Chunyan shook her head, "We shouldn’t keep taking advantage of the village like this."

"What’s the big deal? Who in the village has the time to come up the mountain every day to pick these things? Only the kids come for a little snack." Ding Huinang pointed to a distant area, "There are also wild grape trees and apple trees over there, but they’re small since they’re wild."

Lin Chunyan was thinking about something. Maybe the money she had saved would take a long time before she could buy a shop in the town, let alone in the county or prefecture.

Why keep saving money for such an unattainable goal?

If she could buy these hills, the chestnuts from these hills, various fruit trees, and wild vegetables, wouldn’t that be something she liked for herself?

Suddenly, she realized. She still needed to earn more money, but not to buy a restaurant. It was to buy this hill and continue living her simple rural life.

When Lin Taohong went back, she was still complaining about wanting to eat clarified butter. She felt relieved, so she didn’t find her annoying. She went to the kitchen to check the jar of clarified butter. “If there’s enough left, I’ll make some for you both.”

Lin Taohong quickly nodded, staring at the jar.

“There should be a lot, right? Our female sheep can be milked a little every day.”

Lin Chunyan nodded. “There’s a lot, but we can’t use too much. We need to be careful. We’ll need it for the mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival.”

Lin Taohong counted the days. “That’s still a long way off.”

“It’ll be here soon. If we run out, we’ll be stuck.”

Lin Chunyan took out the clarified butter and taught them how to make it. Lin Taohong didn’t want to learn and just wanted to wait to eat.

“No, that won’t work.” Lin Chunyan didn’t indulge her attitude.

“But it’s too hot. I feel uncomfortable in the heat.”

In just a short while, Lin Taohong was sweating, looking quite uncomfortable in the heat.

Lin Chunyan softened. “We’ll learn when it’s cooler.”

Wang Yingniang chuckled. “You’re always so understanding.”

The two of them weren’t afraid of the heat and continued making honey flowers while talking.

Lin Chunyan shared her thoughts. “We’ll live on the hill. The entire hill will be planted with things we need.”

Wang Yingniang was interested and agreed with Lin Chunyan but shook her head. “It’s not perfect. If we live on the hill with no other households, it wouldn’t be fun.”

Lin Chunyan nodded. “You’re right. We’ll still live at the foot of the mountain. I like working and chatting with everyone. We can still go up the hill to pick things daily.”

“We’ll raise more sheep, and also the geese that our adoptive mother wants to keep…”

Mrs. Zhang came back from outside and heard Wang Yingniang mention raising geese. Excited, she hurried into the kitchen. “Is my goddaughter thinking of me? Are we going to raise geese?”

At this point, Lin Chunyan smiled. “Mother, you’re dreaming. Where would we put the geese? No one can raise them without resources.”

Mrs. Zhang was a little disappointed. Lin Chunyan told her to just buy some goose eggs at the stalls in town. “If you want to eat, go ahead. Why limit ourselves?”

“Each one costs five coins!” Mrs. Zhang was distressed. “Who can afford that?”