Exiled to Lingnan, the Crown Prince's wife raises children, cultivates the land, and leads the

"Congratulations, Madam is over three months pregnant."

The doctor's words instantly put Gao Shenglan's mind at ease: "Doctor, then, my child..."

Gao Shenglan unconsciously placed her hand on her stomach, her gentleness revealing her worry. She hadn't been eating or sleeping well along the way, and she still had to walk fifty miles.

"The baby is fine. If you're worried, Madam, you can get some medication to help with the pregnancy."

The doctor glanced at Gao Shenglan's clothes, which looked cheap, but the two of them had an air about them that suggested they were from a humble family.

"Then, I won't buy it."

Gao Shenglan immediately shook her head, saying that as long as the child was okay, that was fine.

"Doctor, how much does the medicine to prevent miscarriage cost?"

Cheng Qiqi asked, "If I don't take the medication to prevent miscarriage, will it affect the baby?"

"A dose of medicine to prevent miscarriage costs thirty copper coins."

The doctor noticed their embarrassment and offered, "Madam has a good constitution; with some supplements, she will recover her health."

"Then I won't eat it."

Gao Shenglan immediately stood up, pulled Cheng Qiqi along, and walked out, saying, "Thank you, doctor."

Cheng Qiqi said, "Shenglan, why don't we get some medicine to prevent miscarriage, just for peace of mind?"

"It's alright. We've survived such a difficult journey during exile, and now we don't have to walk like this anymore. My child will definitely be fine."

Gao Shenglan's worries lessened, and her smile broadened. She was relieved that the child was safe and sound: "Sister-in-law, thank you."

If she hadn't come here, she would have been feeling uneasy.

After leaving the clinic, Gao Shenglan asked, "Sister-in-law, where are we going to buy food? We don't even know where the rice shop is."

"Just wander around, you'll always find it."

When Cheng Qiqi left the clinic, compared to the prosperity of the capital, Chaosheng County looked incredibly backward. There were many vendors hawking their wares, and the shops were undeniably full of all sorts of things, but the items were just casually placed and looked really... not very appealing.

"A rice shop, that's a rice shop."

Gao Shenglan was delighted when she saw the rice shop; they had come today specifically to buy grain.

Once inside the rice shop, Gao Shenglan's smile vanished: "So expensive?"

Fine rice only costs thirty sen in Kyoto!

In Lingnan, this brown rice actually sells for twenty copper coins a liter!

This price is way too expensive!

She didn't work today and spent 100 coins, which is equivalent to five liters of rice!

Five liters of rice would last the four members of their family for several days. This was only the first day. If they were given one hundred coins every day from now on, the family would be so poor they wouldn't be able to afford food before she even gave birth!

"Sister-in-law, what should we do?"

Gao Shenglan hesitated, and her father-in-law gave her two hundred coins, which could only buy ten liters of rice.

"Of course we need to buy rice."

Cheng Qiqi looked at Gao Shenglan, and she was in a good mood. The clearer everyone's mind is, the easier the road ahead will be!

If Gao Shenglan disregards everything and just buys it without thinking, I'm afraid she'll have to think it over carefully!

"So, how do I buy it?"

Gao Shenglan was pulled out of the rice shop by Cheng Qiqi. She kept looking back at the rice shop, thinking, "Why don't we buy some last year's old rice? It's half the price!"

"Come with me."

Cheng Qiqi, pulling Gao Shenglan along, followed the street vendors until they reached a boy at the end of the street, where they squatted down and asked, "Can I exchange rice here?"

"Okay, what will you offer in exchange?"

The boy stared at Cheng Qiqi with a cautious look in his eyes.

"Calligraphy brush".

Cheng Qiqi had noticed the boy earlier; he took a sack of things and exchanged it for a stack of papers.

A calligraphy brush?

The boy's eyes lit up. It's not that Lingnan doesn't have calligraphy brushes, but good calligraphy brushes are really too few, or they're ridiculously expensive!

Gao Shenglan looked at Cheng Qiqi in shock. Could a calligraphy brush be exchanged for rice?

Cheng Qiqi rummaged through her cloth bag, actually pulling out a calligraphy brush from her spatial storage: "Look, how much rice can this top-quality Huzhou brush be exchanged for?"

"Five pecks of rice".

Ever since Cheng Qiqi took out her pen, the boy's eyes hadn't left it. He said, "The rice in my family is all homegrown, not old rice. One dou (a unit of dry measure) is ten sheng (another unit of dry measure), and I guarantee the steamed rice will be exceptionally delicious!"

"make a deal."

Cheng Qiqi smiled and agreed. Back when her mother-in-law Liu Suyi was in the storeroom, Liu Suyi had just prepared a batch of pens to donate to the school. There was a whole basket of these Huzhou pens!

"Five pecks of rice is too much for two women to carry home. Could you please deliver it to Guihua Village?"

Cheng Qiqi handed him the pen, and the boy patted his chest and said, "No problem, I live in the neighboring Hongxi Village. I'll bring it to the village entrance this evening, okay?"

"it is good."

After agreeing on a time, Cheng Qiqi left with Gao Shenglan.

"Wait a minute, sister-in-law, are we just going to leave like this? We gave her the pen, and we didn't even see the rice. What if he runs away and we can't even find him?"

"Sister-in-law, how about..."

Gao Shenglan thought about those five dou of rice; for the Zhou family, that rice was very valuable!

"Madam, my name is Jiang Feng. I live in Hongxi Village, by the river. My house is the first house you see when you enter the village."

Jiang Feng ran over and specifically told Cheng Qiqi what was going on.

"My husband's surname is Jin. You can find out by asking around in the village."

After saying goodbye to Jiang Feng, Cheng Qiqi said, "Shenglan, I trust my judgment."

Gao Shenglan: "..."

There was suspicion in her eyes.

Cheng Qiqi explained, "When I came from the dock, I saw him save a child. He did it bravely and even got some scratches."

"The injury on his elbow?" Gao Shenglan had just seen it.

"right."

Cheng Qiqi nodded slightly: "I believe in the character of someone who is willing to stand up for what is right."

Gao Shenglan was skeptical, but Cheng Qiqi had already set her sights on the betel nut stall by the roadside and asked, "What's this? How much does it cost?"

"This is our areca nut from Lingnan. Eating it can refresh you, dispel dampness, and expel miasma."

The vendor, an older woman, greeted Cheng Qiqi with exceptional enthusiasm, saying, "Look, take a packet of these wilted leaves; they're so delicious to chew on."

"It's only two coins a serving."

The old woman smiled and pointed to another serving, saying, "If you want something better, Madam, you can buy this one for only five coins."

"Then, give me two of each kind."

As soon as Cheng Qiqi spoke, Gao Shenglan, who was standing to the side, held back for a while. Only after Cheng Qiqi finished buying the items did she finally ask, "Sister-in-law, what are you buying this for?"

It can't be eaten as food, and it can't be drunk as water!

"Very useful."

Cheng Qiqi kept everyone in suspense for a moment, then spotted a vendor selling candied hawthorns. Her eyes lit up, and she immediately rushed over to buy two skewers. Just as she received them, a local thug blocked her way: "Young lady, you look unfamiliar. You're not from around here, are you?"

"Young lady, what's so special about these candied hawthorns? How about I take you to Zuixianlou Restaurant for some braised pork?"

The man looked at Cheng Qiqi with a nonchalant air. Although she was dressed simply and without any makeup, her bright, sparkling eyes were incredibly beautiful.