The little one's purse connects the two worlds, turning a desolate village into a paradise.

The four of them took the hug home with their arms full.

The best-quality young Malan plants, with intact leaves, are kept and sent over there to sell; the slightly less desirable ones, with larger leaves, are also kept without being wasted.

Doctor Chen noticed this and instructed that it should be kept to be dried in the shade for processing into herbs.

This processed dried iris has a mild nature and can be stored for a long time. In the future, if anyone in the village suffers from sore throat, bloody stool, or damp-heat, they can simply take a small handful, boil it in water, and drink it to treat the ailment. It can be considered a practical and common herbal medicine in the village.

As the sun gradually set in the west, the rich and spicy aroma of mountain snails slowly wafted from the stove. The villagers, who had been busy all day, had rumbling stomachs. They looked at each other, a little embarrassed, and covered their lower bellies.

A small section of the backyard retaining wall was rebuilt with freshly mixed cement mortar. Da Niu and Zhao Hu looked at their work with considerable satisfaction; the plastering was quite nice, and they would see how it would look after it dried.

After reminding the younger children not to come and play in the mud, I packed up my things, cleaned the ground, and prepared to go back.

Ji Chuntao prepared the snails to take to sell, used the leftover broth from the pot to make a sauce, and simply cooked a pot of kudzu root porridge, which she then served in bowls to everyone.

Kudzu root is the most filling food. Paired with the reddish-brown, glossy sauce, even the most shy Gou Ya couldn't refuse. She blushed as she accepted the bowl and ate it slowly, burying her head in her food.

After eating, we cleaned up the dishes and chopsticks, and it was almost time for Nannan to leave.

The thermos was filled to the brim with spicy stir-fried mountain snails. Next to it were two large baskets. One basket contained cleaned and bundled wild vegetables, including today's main ingredient, shepherd's purse, as well as several bunches of wild scallions.

The other basket contained several medium-sized small baskets, which could be used to portion the wild vegetables and arrange them neatly on the L-shaped table.

Fang Tiesheng specifically asked Ya Ya to inquire with the Duck Immortal about whether the place where the girl would stay could be changed now that the shop had been rented. The Duck Immortal personally said that he would send the girl directly to the shop.

That way, even if we bring a lot of things, we won't worry about our daughter getting tired.

Only then did the village chief feel relieved enough to prepare such a large amount of things.

As for how to avoid being exposed or discovered in the shops where they appear directly, with the all-powerful Duck Immortal, these mortals don't need to worry about it.

After tidying up, Ya Ya held onto the small cart with one hand and the handles of the two large bamboo baskets with the other. She smiled at Grandma Liu and everyone else with her eyes crinkled, and the little girl and her belongings disappeared from everyone's sight.

……

My feet touched solid ground; there was no familiar cold wind or mixed fragrances, only a warm, cozy atmosphere.

Ya Ya opened her eyes and looked around, instantly stunned by the drastically changed shop.

Is this still the same dark and empty shop she saw yesterday?

The roller shutter door was wide open, the glass windows by the door were spotless, oil was heating up in the pots on the two stoves, and steam was rising from the other pot, with the aroma of corn porridge wafting out from inside.

The overhead light emitted a warm yellow glow, filling the entire room like a fragrant, golden roasted sweet potato.

The wall on the left, which used to be empty, now has a large five-tiered shelf, with light-colored wooden boards on each tier, like a shelf in a general store.

Ya Ya stood there blankly.

Cao Xiulian was filled with anxiety, fearing that Ya Ya would arrive before the shop was open, and that she would be in Ya Ya's hands again, so she came to the shop to work at four in the morning.

After putting the dried three-piece bedding back on, Zhao Yu wiped the tables and chairs clean inside and out again. He also specially welded a five-tiered shelf on the wall near the entrance, saying that he could put the vegetables he brought on it to sell in the future, so that they could be seen without entering the store, which would be convenient for attracting business.

However, they changed the store layout without consulting Ya Ya, which made Cao Xiulian very uneasy, fearing that the little girl would be unhappy.

Just as I was feeling uneasy, I saw a simple and strong rural man push a cart with one hand, carry two large baskets on his back, and lead Ya Ya into the store with the other hand.

The man put his things down, nodded gently at her, and then quickly turned and left.

She didn't even have a chance to say hello.

"Ya Ya, was that your uncle just now?" Cao Xiulian put down the spatula, wiped her hands, and came out from behind the counter.

Ya Ya blinked and sweetly called out, "Auntie!"

She was about to ask what kind of uncle she was, since she came alone, but then she realized it must have been her grandmother, so she obediently nodded and said, "Yes, it's uncle."

Cao Xiulian felt a little uneasy. She remembered that Grandpa Fang had said yesterday that Uncle Ya Ya had broken his leg, so how come he was so lively now? Then she thought that maybe he had entrusted the things to an elder in the next village, so she didn't dwell on it anymore.

Her gaze fell on Ya Ya, and seeing the little girl looking around curiously, examining the newly renovated shop, she couldn't help but feel nervous again. Her tone was cautious as she said, "Your Auntie and Uncle Zhao took it upon ourselves to slightly renovate the shop and add shelves. Take a look, and if there's anything you don't like, Auntie will fix it for you, okay?"

Ya Ya didn't care at all whether there was any discussion or not, and strolled back and forth in the shop with small, quick steps.

The glass window with small holes on the right side, which used to be covered in dust, was wiped clean and shiny. Two large pots on the stove below were steaming. Yesterday, the black grime that had accumulated on the stove was completely gone, and it was now snow-white.

Underneath the stove, there was a neatly stacked pile of black cylindrical flatbreads with holes.

She ran to the bathroom again and took a look. The walls and floor were all snow-white, clean and refreshing, and even the tissues had pretty bags hanging on the wall.

Ya Ya ran back after circling around, her little face full of amazement and her eyes only with joy: "Wow! Auntie, you guys are so amazing! It's so clean and beautiful!" She reached out and gently touched the shelf on the wall next to her, "This new shelf is so big and tall, what's it for?"

Seeing Ya Ya so happy, Cao Xiulian finally felt relieved and explained softly with a smile, "This is my husband, your Uncle Zhao, who specially installed this shelf. From now on, you can display the wild vegetables and mushrooms you bring on it layer by layer for easy sale."

She then pointed to the lower L-shaped counter, "The cooked snails can be portioned into small bowls, covered, and placed on this counter. Customers can take them themselves when they come in, and they can also sit at the small tables inside and eat them at their leisure."

After she finished speaking, she glanced at the buckets and baskets next to Ya Ya and saw that she had brought quite a few today.

Ya Ya looked up at the tall shelf and counted—there were five layers! She wondered how much space the groceries she brought today would take up; it would look beautiful when they were all displayed.

Thinking about it, Ya Ya started rummaging through the baskets in the crate, preparing to divide the wild vegetables into the baskets and then put them on the crate.

"The shop doesn't have a sign yet. Does Ya Ya have any ideas for a name? Auntie will go find someone to make one later." Cao Xiulian squatted down and asked, while her hands were busy helping to tidy up the wild vegetables.