Transmigrated into a fat wife, farming, raising children, and picking up husbands

For the next two days, Lin Xiuer was extremely busy.

She drank half a bowl of thin porridge early in the morning and then went out to look at the blueprints for the stroller at her third brother Lin Dafu's house.

Although Lin Dafu was still somewhat skeptical of her, he was quite skilled in his craft and drew the blueprints meticulously.

Based on her description, a recessed area was specially designed to securely hold the small iron stove and cutting board. There's also a folding tabletop on the side, making it a very practical design.

"Third Brother, this design is excellent!" Lin Xiuer praised sincerely. "Let's make it according to this! As for the materials and labor costs..."

"Don't worry about the materials for now, but for the labor... just give me 150 coins," Lin Dafu said in a low voice. This price was almost half the market price.

Lin Xiuer knew that her third brother was helping her indirectly, so she didn't refuse and readily paid 150 coins.

"Thank you, Third Brother. I'd also like to trouble you to draw a picture of a furnace with an iron plate for me so I can find Li the blacksmith at the east end of the village to make one."

"No problem, just come pick up the drawings tomorrow."

After leaving Lin Dafu's house, Lin Xiuer hurried to the town.

She went to the pharmacy to get her medicine, carrying the medicine bag in her hand, thinking about her understanding husband at home, her pale face and obviously weak body.

Just giving him porridge and medicine won't do; we need to buy him something better to nourish him.

As soon as I turned into the main street of the vegetable market in the East Market, a loud, rough shout came from afar.

"Look at this! Freshly slaughtered pigs this morning, no money back if they're not fresh! Stir-fried forelegs, braised pork belly, and offal are all sold cheaply!"

That voice was as loud as thunder, so distinctive. Lin Xiuer looked up and saw the greasy, twisted cloth banner of "Hu's Butcher Shop" hanging a dozen steps ahead.

In front of the counter, a burly man with a greasy, shiny leather apron, a face full of fat, and as strong as a black iron tower, was loudly hawking his wares to attract customers.

This person was one of the original owner's gambling buddies from Xinglong Casino, and they used to gamble and shout together quite often.

Because of his steady, accurate, and ruthless pig-slaughtering technique, he rarely had to use a second cut on any of the pigs. As a result, everyone gave him the nickname "The First Cutter of Peach Blossom Town."

Hu Yidao, with his sharp eyes, turned his head and caught a glimpse of Lin Xiuer.

He was stunned for a moment, then narrowed his small eyes, looking her up and down in disbelief as if he had discovered something strange.

"Hey—! You over there! Fatty Lin? Is that you?"

His voice was so loud that it attracted the attention of many people around him.

Lin Xiuer forced a smile and approached, a little embarrassed: "Brother Hu."

Butcher Hu saw it more clearly now. He dropped the boning knife in his hand, took a few steps and came out from behind the chopping board, walking up to Lin Xiuer.

They looked her up and down several times, as if she were some kind of monster.

"Hey! It really is you!" He clicked his tongue, his face full of disbelief.

Although the woman in front of me was still fat, she had obviously lost a lot of weight and was completely different from the slovenly and bloated Lin Dapang from before.

"It's only been a few days, I almost didn't recognize you! You... did you fall into a ditch and get thinner? Or did those bastards at the gambling den beat you up so badly you're unrecognizable?"

Lin Xiuer was quite happy to hear that. It was good that she looked thin. At least all her hard work and bland diet these past few days hadn't been in vain.

She raised her hand and punched him: "Brother Hu, what nonsense are you talking about? I just swore that I would never gamble again, and I don't want to live a muddled life anymore."

He pulled Lin Xiuer aside and whispered in her ear, "Really quit? I heard from the sly-eyed guy that you borrowed ten taels of silver from the gambling den at exorbitant interest rates. Is that true?"

"Yes, really, that's why I've decided to quit gambling. I can't really sell my children." Lin Xiuer said helplessly.

"Okay, it's good that you quit. You're still young. After you pay off your debts, you can still find someone to marry."

"Forget about marriage, Brother Hu, first cut me half a pound of pork belly and a piece of pork fat."

"Alright!" Butcher Hu stopped wasting words, turned back to the chopping board, and with a swift stroke of his knife, cut off a piece of pork belly with evenly distributed fat and lean meat, and also picked out the thickest and whitest piece of lard.

When weighing, the tail of the scale stick sticks up very high.

Lin Xiuer paid, and Butcher Hu waved his hand, pulled out two large bones with lots of meat and tendons from under the chopping board, and stuffed them into her basket.

"Bone broth is the most nourishing. Look how thin you've become in just a few days. No matter how much debt you have, you still need to eat."

Just as Lin Xiuer was about to ask how much it cost, he started shooing her away, "Go away, go away, it's free! It's a gift from your brother."

This Hu Yidao looks fierce and crude, but he has a very forthright personality.

"Then thank you very much, Brother Hu." She didn't refuse anymore.

"No need to thank me!" Hu Yidao waved his hand, as if shooing away a fly, telling her to hurry up and leave so as not to interfere with his business.

He turned and started shouting down the street again, "Meat for sale! Fresh meat!"

Lin Xiuer left with her basket on her back, walked through the bustling streets, and turned into a spice shop.

The shop had a complex mix of smells. She carefully examined the prices of several common spices and silently calculated her options.

Spicy pepper, Sichuan pepper, star anise, fennel seeds...

Spices are mostly expensive, so the cost of a single egg pancake, after adding seasonings and a layer of sauce, would be more than ten coins.

It seems that if you want to create your own unique sauce and seasoning, it's more cost-effective to go to the back mountain to find it.

Weighing the remaining money, Lin Xiuer walked out of the spice shop and turned to enter the tailor shop next door.

The storefront of "Liu's Tailor Shop" is not large, and inside are some ready-made clothes and fabrics hanging.

A man in his early thirties, with a refined appearance and wearing a slightly worn cotton long gown, was threading a needle by the light of the window.

This is Liu Sanzhen, the owner and tailor of the tailor shop, who was also one of the original owner's acquaintances from the gambling den.

Because of her excellent embroidery skills and her leisurely pace, the gamblers in the gambling den all called her "Old Sister-in-law".

Hearing the door open, Liu Sanzhen looked up and saw Lin Xiuer, who had lost a lot of weight, and almost didn't recognize her.

"Sister Lin? Is that really you?"

Lin Xiuer walked to the counter: "Brother Liu, I would like to ask you to make a well-fitting dress for my family...."

Liu Sanzhen raised an eyebrow, put down her needle and thread, and picked up a ruler: "Your man? Didn't I hear..."

While others might not know about the death of Lin Xiuer's husband, those who frequented the gambling dens were more or less aware of it.

"The person was just missing, but came back a couple of days ago," Lin Xiuer said vaguely.

Liu Sanzhen said "Oh" and didn't ask any more questions.

Do you have the correct size?

"I just walked here and suddenly remembered that his clothes didn't fit properly, so I wanted to make him a new set."

Lin Xiuer gestured: "He's half a head taller than you, with broader shoulders, and his waist... about the same." She tried her best to recall the figure she saw when she changed the man's dressing.

As Liu Sanzhen listened, she jotted down a few numbers on a piece of paper, clicking her tongue twice and saying, "I never would have guessed you knew how to care for people."

His tone was ambiguous, neither joking nor wistful, "Alright, a set of coarse cloth jacket and trousers, I'll give you a discount, eighty coins. Pay thirty coins as a deposit first, and come back in three days to pick it up."

Lin Xiuer counted out thirty copper coins for him.

Liu Sanzhen took the money, glanced at her, and slowly added, "I heard Zhang Mazi came to your house a few days ago? Be careful, Zhao Tianba is not someone to be trifled with."

Lin Xiuer: "Yes, I know, thank you, Brother Liu."