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

After the meal, everyone cleaned up the dishes together, and Ji Chuntao prepared to tidy up the renovated small greenhouse.

The village chief led the people to collect snails again. There was still some time before Ya Ya set up her stall, so they could make good use of it.

Xinghua was worried that Ji Chuntao wouldn't be able to manage alone, so she offered to go with her, saying, "Two people helping each other will make things faster. Gouya and Grandma Liu are watching over things in the yard."

When Ya Ya heard that the little house was going to be renovated, she wanted to go along too.

Grandma Liu quickly reached out and grabbed her, coaxing her gently, "Sweetie, don't go. There's a lot of dust when you clean the house. You just changed into clean pants, and if you get them dirty again, you won't have any extra to change into."

Ya Ya immediately pulled back the step she had just taken, then turned to her little follower number one and instructed her like a little adult, "Little Bean, you go with them and watch carefully how Aunt Chun Tao and Sister Xing Hua renovate the little house. Tell me about it when you get back!"

Little Bean immediately patted his chest and nodded, "Little Bean guarantees to complete the mission!"

Grandpa Li and Grandma Li, standing to the side, looked at their little grandson with a proud expression, as if he had been entrusted with an important task, and shook their heads with smiles.

Ji Chuntao led Xinghua and Xiaodouzi toward the empty old house.

The first thing to do upon entering the house was to clear out all the clutter and tangled firewood, sweep away the dead leaves and dust from every nook and cranny, carefully dust the walls and beams, and thoroughly remove the cobwebs from the cracks in the walls with a small stick.

Then the two carefully inspected the gaps in the doors and windows, and stuffed any leaks with old, worn-out rags and scraps of cloth that had been replaced earlier.

Some gaps were leaking so badly that Xiaodouzi went to Granny Liu's house to get a few large plastic bags left over from when they were storing quilts. Each bag could almost cover half of the window, and then they covered it with a layer of mud to seal it.

A washed old straw mat was hung by the door. Ji Chuntao then hung her own old mattress on top of the straw mat, making it three layers in total, which was very windproof and warm.

There were already a few old wooden frames in the room. Ji Chuntao found a few more flat pieces of wood and casually built a simple wooden frame, planning out the area for placing the baskets and dividing it up neatly.

Xinghua, who had just returned from gathering firewood, looked at the clean and orderly house with admiration. Aunt Chuntao was truly capable; she could do everything, inside and out.

She was an exquisite embroiderer, an exceptional cook, and a skilled brewer of yeast and sauces. She even did carpentry work with remarkable skill.

Ji Chuntao was quick and efficient. She took the firewood Xinghua had gathered and went to the kitchen to light the earthen bed. Once the room was warm enough, she clapped her hands, closed the door, and said, "Alright, let's light it for a while. I'll come back tonight to check if the temperature is right. We still need to make snails!"

Xinghua, holding Xiaodouzi's hand, silently followed behind Ji Chuntao. Seeing her spinning like a top all day without a break, she couldn't help but ask, "Aunt Chuntao, aren't you tired of running around like this every day?"

Ji Chuntao turned around and looked at her in surprise, then smiled gently and said, "Now I only need to focus on eating, and I don't have to worry about any other trivial matters. It's so much better than before when I was busy at home and outside and had to work hard in the fields, only to have a meager harvest at the end of the year."

Besides, these are all things I enjoy. I love experimenting with these culinary skills. Seeing everyone eating more and more each day, and enjoying their food, and knowing that my skills can even be sold for money in the celestial realm, fills me with joy. How could I possibly be tired?

She paused, her eyes filled with anticipation: "Once this greenhouse is completely set up, we won't just be able to make wheat koji, but we can also brew our own soybean paste and soy sauce, and we won't have to trouble Nannan to bring it back again."

"It's not that I'm picky, it's just that I always feel that the sauces and food bought from other places taste too rigid and lack a homely, warm quality, unlike what we make ourselves. Even though they can be a bit inconsistent due to the unpredictability of temperature and season, it's actually this inconsistency that adds... a human touch?"

Xinghua looked at Ji Chuntao, who seemed to glow whenever she talked about cooking, and unconsciously smiled as well.

Little Bean listened for a while, seemingly understanding but not quite, then raised a thumb high: "Aunt Chuntao is the best!"

Ji Chuntao's lips curled up in a smile. Right? She also thought she was pretty amazing.

……

Before dawn, with the streetlights casting a faint glow on the ground, Cao Xiulian arrived at the shop early on her tricycle.

The GG tag I ordered yesterday wasn't made with any complicated techniques, and it's already up now.

It's a simple lightbox sign with warm-colored LED lights. The light green background is paired with four rounded brown characters—"Flower Sprout Shop." In the upper right corner of the character "Sprout," there's a small, tender green sprout. The two small leaves add a touch of elegance to the otherwise unremarkable sign.

The warm yellow light shone through the lightbox, making it stand out in the otherwise quiet and deserted morning market street.

Cao Xiulian parked the tricycle, took out her key to unlock it, and pushed the roller shutter door up with a whoosh.

She methodically arranged the dough for fried dough sticks, sugar cakes, and the soy milk she had made, and then specially put the bag of the new clothes she bought for Ya Ya in the attic on the second floor.

The stove had just been lit, and the oil in the pot hadn't even heated up yet, when customers arrived at the shop.

Zhang Limin carried the birdcage, followed by two strong young men; the three of them walked in.

Cao Xiulian glanced at the time; it was only 5:40. She was a little surprised that the old man had come so early, but she still greeted him with a smile, "Good morning, sir. Our shop has just opened, and the pots aren't even hot yet. You'll have to wait a while if you want fried food. I reckon Ya Ya won't be here until after six."

Zhang Limin glanced around, picked a table, and sat down. "No problem, no rush. I'm relieved to be the first one. That little girl's name is Ya Ya, no wonder there's a little sprout in the sign. She's quite cute."

"The shop name was Ya Ya's idea; that child is very clever," Cao Xiulian replied with a smile.

"Xiao Li, Xiao Huang, please sit down. The young boss hasn't arrived yet. Let's start with three bowls of soy milk and six fried dough sticks." Zhang Limin saw the oil in the pot starting to bubble and ordered the food himself without Cao Xiulian having to call him.

"Girl, you don't know, yesterday I brought back some spicy stir-fried snails, and they were all gone in less than ten minutes. All the old guys ate to their hearts' content, and they were full of energy for work."

They even begged me to buy more so they could take some back for their families to try. I've been craving the taste myself, so I came early this morning. I'll take as much as you have today.

Zhang Limin knew that mountain snails grew slowly, and only those that were naturally raised had such a good taste. No one could say for sure when the little guys would be gone and no longer available for sale, so he figured he should eat them as many days as possible.

And so, they even brought two movers with them.