The sky collapsed, and in the blink of an eye, I found myself transported to Nanluoguxiang.

After leaving the grocery store, Li Kaixin looked around, then slipped into a quiet corner and put everything in his hand into his secret space.

Next, we went into the fabric shop.

Li Kaixin took out all the cloth coupons he had and used his cousin's wedding as an excuse to gain the salesperson's trust. He bought 15 feet of floral cloth and 25 feet of gray cloth, spending sixty yuan.

After leaving the fabric store, Li Kaixin didn't stop walking and left the department store directly.

They continued walking, asking around, and visited two more department stores.

In both department stores, Li Kaixin followed the same method after entering the small shops.

After using up all the coupons and vouchers he had except for the grain coupons, Li Kaixin raised his wrist to check the time; it was already 11 o'clock.

After putting the items into the secret realm space, they didn't linger and set off home.

As I walked back, I kept calculating my expenses for the day, and in the end, I found that I had spent 271.5 yuan.

Back to the courtyard house.

As soon as Li Kaixin stepped through the gate, she saw her younger brother Li Kai surrounded by seven or eight children in the yard.

There he was, Li Kai, the younger brother, holding the walnuts that Li Kaixin had given him that morning, chin up, showing them off to his friends.

"See the walnuts my older brother gave me? I ate several this morning, and there are still so many left!"

The second son of the Sun family was the first to speak, saying somewhat impatiently, "Brother Kai, you've been saying this all morning!"

Li Kai, the younger brother, pulled the walnuts back a bit, glanced at the second son of the Sun family, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "Second son of the Sun family, do you still want to eat them?"

Sun Lao Er's expression immediately changed, and he repeatedly apologized, saying, "Brother Kai, I was wrong. I swear I will always be your little brother!"

Li Kai, the younger brother, nodded in satisfaction, put on a grown-up act, patted Sun Lao Er on the shoulder and said, "A good comrade is one who can admit his mistakes and correct them."

As he spoke, he handed over the half-cracked walnut kernel he had just cracked.

Turning to his friends, he said, "Do you want to eat it? If you do, say something nice."

Seeing this, the other children in the yard also gathered around, showering him with flattery:

"Kai Ge is awesome!"

"Brother Kai is awesome!"

"Kai will always be our boss!"

Amidst the constant praise, his younger brother Li Kai gave him half a walnut after another.

Li Kaixin stood not far away watching this scene, his lips twitched, and he couldn't help but cough lightly.

Hearing the sound, Li Kai, the younger brother, looked up and saw that it was his older brother who had returned. He immediately forgot about his friends in the yard and ran to Li Kaixin with great enthusiasm.

He looked up with a grin and said, "Big brother, you're back!"

Li Kaixin nodded, glanced around, and asked, "Where is Xiaoxiao?"

"She's at Uncle Liu's house, with Liu Wan," Li Kai pointed towards the backyard.

Li Kaixin didn't linger after hearing this, and took her younger brother's hand to walk towards the backyard.

As soon as I arrived in the backyard, I saw my younger sister, Li Xiaoxiao, saying goodbye to Liu Wan, hand in hand.

"Wanwan, I'll come see you again this afternoon. My brother should be back soon, I need to go cook."

"Okay, Xiaoxiao."

The two girls had just finished speaking when they noticed Li Kaixin standing not far away.

Liu Wan blushed immediately and whispered, "Hello, Brother Kaixin!"

Li Kaixin responded gently, "Xiao Wan is great too! You've become even more beautiful since I last saw you."

Liu Wan blushed even more upon hearing this, and said in an even lower voice, "Brother Kaixin, it's nothing, I'll go back now."

Then, without looking back, she turned and ran home.

Li Xiaoxiao, the younger sister, quickly came up to Li Kaixin and said in a sweet voice, "Big brother is back! I'll go make lunch right away."

As she was about to head to the kitchen, Li Kaixin gently pulled her back.

"We're not eating at home today, we're going to the state-run canteen," he said with a smile to his younger siblings.

Before her younger sister, Li Xiaoxiao, could react, her younger brother, Li Kai, jumped up first.

Still unsure, he asked, "Really, brother?"

Li Kaixin nodded in confirmation.

Li Kai, the younger brother, clapped his hands with joy. Xiao Xiao, the younger sister, also smiled.

Li Kaixin went back to the main house to get a food box, and then led her younger siblings toward the state-run canteen at the entrance of the alley.

When we arrived at the state-run restaurant, it was very quiet inside, with only one diner sitting there who looked like a remnant of old Beijing.

The chef was resting on a chair by the kitchen door.

When the waiter heard someone come in, he merely raised his eyelids lazily and then continued with his work.

Li Kaixin stepped forward and asked, "Master, what dishes are served today?"

The chef slowly stood up, his tone somewhat sharp: "Look at the blackboard over there!"

The small blackboard on the wall had only three lines of text: stir-fried shredded potatoes, braised pork, and braised eggplant.

After watching the food, Li Kaixin thought to himself that the dishes at the state-run restaurant were too simple.

Not daring to ask why there were so few dishes, he thought for a moment and said helplessly, "Master, I'd like two servings of braised pork, one serving of each of the other two dishes, and three bowls of rice."

The cook didn't stand on ceremony and held out his hand, saying, "One pound of meat coupons, one pound of refined grain coupons, plus three yuan."

Hearing the words "hostage" made Li Kaixin feel terrible.

Yesterday, I was so focused on the fact that there was still venison and tiger meat in the secret realm that I didn't buy meat coupons from Hu Laoliu.

Li Kaixin awkwardly pulled out his grain coupons and money and handed them over, pleading, "Master, I don't have any meat coupons here. How about I exchange two catties of venison for it?"

The chef glanced at Li Kaixin a few times, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Alright. Bring the meat first, and I'll make you braised pork. I can stir-fry the shredded potatoes and eggplant for now."

Li Kaixin knew this meant they didn't trust her, so she let her younger siblings find seats first, and then turned around and left the restaurant.

They found a secluded corner nearby, retrieved more than two pounds of venison from the secret realm, and then headed back.

When Li Kaixin returned to the state-run restaurant with the venison, her younger brother and sister had already placed three bowls of rice and a steaming plate of braised eggplant on the table.

The two children sat quietly, neither of them touching their chopsticks, eagerly waiting for their older brother to return.

When the chef saw Li Kaixin return with venison, he was stunned.

He initially thought the young man was just saying it casually, but after taking the meat and weighing it in his hand, a smile immediately spread across his face.

"Please have a seat, young comrade, I'll get you something right away!"

Li Kaixin handed over the lunchbox again: "Master, put a serving of braised pork here."

This scene stunned the waiter, and even the man who looked like an old-fashioned man looked up and stared at him intently.

These days, not many people eat at restaurants, and even fewer can afford meat. He himself only ordered a plate of shredded potatoes.

Li Kaixin ignored everyone's stares and sat down next to her younger siblings.

After all the dishes were served.

The aroma was so enticing that even the usually quiet younger sister, Li Xiaoxiao, couldn't resist taking big bites, while her younger brother, Li Kai, ate with his mouth full of oil.

The culinary skills of state-run restaurants are truly exceptional; though the seasonings are simple, the flavors are rich and satisfying.

Finally, the younger brother, Li Kai, carried out the CD operation.

After putting down their chopsticks, Li Kaixin and the other two patted their round bellies.

The younger brother, Li Kai, asked expectantly, "Big brother, can we eat here again in the future?"

Xiaoxiao blinked her bright eyes and looked at her older brother.

Li Kaixin smiled and patted their heads: "Whenever you have time, I'll bring you here."

Immediately, the younger brother jumped up with joy, and the younger sister's face was also full of smiles.