Heaven rewards diligence; he fought his way through chaos to become a saint.

It was afternoon.

As usual, Senior Brother Fang came to inspect the front yard. Fearing to hurt others' self-esteem, he did not talk to Ye Ci much.

He had seen many poor young people who worked as hard as Ye Ci.

In the end, how many people actually reach the level of Ming Jin?

If one can master martial arts through rigorous training, then what is the point of having a natural talent?

After a while, Ye Ci finished her practice, politely greeted him, and took her leave.

Fang Cheng estimated the time and had some doubts in his mind:

"Was the medicinal bath at noon not enough to fully utilize the medicinal effects? Judging by the time it took, less than two hours, they must have come to terms with reality. It's tough..."

He felt that Ye Ci might be better off than the average poor person, as he had some hunting skills and could slowly save up some money to buy medicinal baths, but it was absolutely impossible for him to knock on the gate in a month.

Watching his departing figure, Senior Brother Fang sighed deeply, thinking to himself that he must have witnessed Xiao Hua's performance today and realized the difference in their abilities.

At that moment, he saw as if he were looking at a pitiful child who had lost all confidence.

I do hope he still has the money to pay next month's tuition.

"I'll take these."

In the fabric shop, Ye Ci took a fancy to several pieces of clothing, all made of cotton.

Cotton fabric is not cheap in the market; a few pieces of clothing can cost more than three taels of silver.

There are two smaller sizes, one for Mumu and one for Yaoyao.

Cotton cloth is warmer than coarse cloth, so we always need to prepare some clothes before winter. Usually, the elderly, weak, sick and disabled are reluctant to spend money, so we have to make them ourselves.

After nearly a month of arduous practice, I don't care about these few hours. My proficiency in stance training is only 20 points away from breaking through, and I'll be able to do so tomorrow.

Buy some things for my family.

After all, there are still more than thirty taels of silver left from killing Li Dabiao.

Logically speaking, life shouldn't be this hard; it's just that they're unwilling to spend the money.

Ye Ci took out his money bag to pay the bill.

The shopkeeper took the loose silver, pinched it hard with his fingernails, and then put it on the scale to weigh it.

"sufficient in quantity."

The shopkeeper wrapped the clothes up and handed them over, calling out:

"Take care, sir."

Ye Ci took the clothes and then passed by a pastry shop, intending to buy two boxes to take home for her family to try.

This shop is called "Pinweizhai" and is the most famous in the county. It uses high-quality ingredients and its prices are naturally not cheap.

I've heard Wang De mention that the young ladies from wealthy families in the city all love his family's pastries.

As Ye Ci approached, he overheard the shopkeeper and waiter chatting behind the counter, the latter part of their conversation drifting into his ears.

"They robbed us...and later, it cost two thousand taels to ransom them..."

The shopkeeper and waiter were chatting behind the counter, and Ye Ci caught their voices.

Two thousand taels?

Didn't they make a fortune?!

Ye Ci's heart skipped a beat, but before she could think about it further, the waiter saw a customer arrive and quickly greeted them with a smile:

"Sir, what would you like to order?"

Ye Ci didn't respond. His gaze swept over the wooden shelf, which was polished to a shine, and each exquisite pastry was neatly arranged.

Osmanthus cake is adorned with tiny golden osmanthus blossoms, cloud cake is as thin as a cicada's wing, and jujube paste pastry is shiny and glossy... Just looking at it makes you feel sweet and fragrant.

The shopkeeper noticed that Ye Ci was carrying a bag from the cloth shop, so he must be a buyer, and he also noticed that Ye Ci's gaze was serious.

"Sir, you have a good eye. All our pastries are made fresh daily; we don't sell overnight. They are a bit pricey, but many families are eager to buy them. They're perfect gifts for elders. Today, our osmanthus cake and jujube paste pastry are our signature dishes, and they're the freshest they've ever been..."

Ye Ci withdrew her gaze: "Give me a box of osmanthus cake and a box of jujube paste pastry."

The waiter replied "Okay," and quickly brought over two pastry boxes. He carefully packed the pastries inside and tied them tightly with red string.

"Sir, the osmanthus cake is 1.3 taels and the jujube paste pastry is 1.9 taels, which adds up to 3.2 taels."

"How many?"

"Three taels and two mace."

Ye Ci clicked his tongue inwardly, thinking to himself that the two of them were also robbing people, but he still paid the money quickly.

"Please take this, sir/madam, and have a safe trip! Come again next time!"

"Sigh... there's still a long way to go before we achieve basic needs and a moderately prosperous life..."

On the bluestone street, Ye Ci carried her clothes and a box of pastries, strolling slowly.

If I really want my family to live a good life, I can't just sit around and do nothing.

Fortunately, it will be almost dawn tomorrow, and I can find a part-time job to earn money, which will provide me with a legitimate way to make money.

As autumn arrives, more withered yellow leaves drift in the wind, landing on the stone steps.

Some women sat on the steps, and when they saw someone pass by, they would look up and smile. They all had malnourished faces.

These women can stay overnight for just 500 coins.

There was also a group of begging children, who looked at each other, and the leader's eyes fell on the pastry box in Ye Ci's hand.

Ye Ci glanced at them and drew his wood-chopping knife from his waist.

The crowd dispersed.

He will have no sympathy. I didn't bring this suffering upon myself, so you can't take it from me.

After leaving the streets, I bought some rice and noodles at a grain and oil shop near the city gate.

When I got home, it was still broad daylight.

"You just need to learn a little bit; you don't need to help me with the writing."

In the courtyard, Li was teaching Mumu how to weave baskets, saying, "I'll talk to Wu next door later. That woman has a foul mouth, but she's good at needlework. You can learn some needlework from her. As long as you're honest and hardworking, you'll always find a way to make a living."

"Aba..."

Mu Mu stood up and looked at the man at the door.

Ye Ci handed over the clothes: "I bought each of you a new outfit. Don't be too stingy in your daily life; spend what you need to spend."

Hearing the noise, Li put down her bamboo basket and came to greet them. Upon opening the package and seeing the new clothes, she couldn't stop chattering:

"You say you have many friends at the martial arts school, but all this money comes from other people's help, not from your own earnings."

"This money must have come from others who saw how hard you've worked to train in martial arts, so you should spend it all on yourself... Don't worry about us..."

She didn't know where her grandson got the money from, only that it was a gift from a wealthy friend. But as she spoke, she clutched the new clothes in her hands, her eyes welling up with tears.

Mumu knew the inside story, but she couldn't tell.

Seeing the brand-new clothes, which felt soft to the touch, her little face immediately lit up with joy.

She was adopted after all and not considered a member of the Ye family, yet she still had new clothes.

Ye Ci walked to Li Shi's side and shook the pastry box in her hand:

"Grandma, guess what this is?"

"What is this?"

Li hurriedly wiped her hands on her clothes twice before reaching for the box:

"Wow, what a beautiful box! We can use it to store melon seeds during the New Year."

Ye Ci smiled, opened the box, took out a piece of jujube paste pastry, and stuffed it into Li's mouth.

"Hmm...why is it so sweet..."

Li's mouth was stuffed full, and she held her chin with both hands to prevent crumbs from spilling out, a look of surprise on her face.

"And osmanthus cake..."

Ye Ci tried to feed him again, but the old man waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "Oh dear... I don't like sweets... give it to Mu Mu..."

"come over!"

Ye Ci grabbed Mu Mu by the back of her neck, pulled her close, and stuffed the osmanthus cake into her mouth.

"Aba..."

Mumu looked up at Ye Ci with her little face raised, but the latter remained expressionless.

"eat!"

Her lips moved twice, and suddenly, tears streamed down her face.

Back in her hometown, she had eaten osmanthus cake, a taste she had long missed. But when this man rudely stuffed the osmanthus cake into her mouth, Mumu suddenly felt sad.

He's fierce, but kind.

She carefully ate half a piece, then held it up with both hands and offered it to Ye Ci, tilting her little face up:

"Aba..."

It means you should try it too.

Ye Ci took a bite and found it to be very sweet. Then he looked at Mu Mu.

Don't say...

This little mute girl's complexion has become rosier lately, and she's quite the beauty when she cries. I've heard that beauties from the southern barbarians, once they reach adulthood, have slender waists and shapely, full figures...

Ye Ci stroked his chin, looking around and pondering, "How did I end up with a flat-chested girl?"