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

"Let them take you with them tomorrow, and I'll escort you into the mountains to retrieve those things."

As soon as Ya Ya arrived at the shop, she heard Grandma Duck's arrogant voice ringing in her mind.

"Really? Grandma Duck, you're so kind! I can go too!" Ya Ya was so happy that she jumped around on the spot.

Although it would consume some energy, for the cave full of gold and silver treasures that the old man mentioned, Hejie Chi would do it!

"Ya Ya, why are you so happy today?" Cao Xiulian looked up and saw Ya Ya wrapped in an adult's work uniform, hopping around at the door like a little grasshopper, holding onto a small cart.

Several large bamboo baskets filled with vegetables were piled up under the vegetable shelves near the store entrance.

"Auntie! This is for you!" Ya Ya called out in a clear voice, rummaging through her pocket and handing something to Cao Xiulian.

Cao Xiulian thought it was some food or a small trinket she had made herself, so she casually took it. But as soon as she touched it, she felt that it was heavy and cool. She glanced down and her hand suddenly trembled. She quickly pulled Ya Ya and walked into the shop.

"Good heavens, where did this come from? It's so valuable..."

The little guy casually handed her a heavy gold bracelet, real gold!

Cao Xiulian's heart was pounding.

This bracelet has a simple, antique design, somewhat resembling the recently popular traditional gold bracelets. It's exceptionally well-preserved, with excellent gold quality and texture. Gold prices have skyrocketed in recent years, and now the buyback price per gram is over a thousand yuan. This bracelet is quite heavy, likely solid, weighing at least 50 grams.

The villagers were incredibly kind to let Ya Ya carry such a valuable item with her!

"It was given to me by the village chief. I need to exchange it for money. Auntie, do you know which shop I should go to to exchange it for money?" Ya Ya replied honestly.

Upon hearing this, Cao Xiulian's heart finally settled down a little. Fortunately, it wasn't something the little guy had secretly gotten for her; she couldn't accept such a grand gift.

"Oh, I see. That makes things easier. Auntie will take you to the jewelry store after we're done at the shop."

Ya Ya nodded vigorously. "Thank you, Auntie. I still need to buy some groceries, like free-range chicken and pickled green beans. Will I have enough time?"

"There's still time. Auntie will keep it for you. You can't easily show off such valuable things next time, understand?" After saying that, Cao Xiulian walked to the shelf by the door and looked at the wild vegetables in the basket: "At least we have some wild vegetables today."

"Hmm!" Ya Ya responded, "Before, there were wild boars robbing people all over the mountain, and one even hurt an uncle. The aunties in the village couldn't go into the mountain. Now that the wild boars have run away, the villagers can go into the mountain and pick a lot of wild vegetables."

"Aunt Chuntao also picked up a lot of snails. She said..." Ya Ya tugged at her little braid. What did her aunt say again?

"No rush, take your time thinking about it."

Cao Xiulian patted Ya Ya's little head.

"Oh, Auntie said there aren't many snails left in the mountains. If we keep selling stir-fried snails, they'll be gone soon. So Auntie is thinking of selling stewed chicken and snail soup, saying she'll make soup with some noodles."

"Is it the kind of soup that your Grandma Wang bought last time?" Cao Xiulian's eyes lit up.

"Yes! Aunt Chuntao said that adding chicken and snail soup noodles would help them sell for a while longer. Pouring the freshly stewed broth over the noodles makes for a warm and comforting breakfast. Aunt Chuntao also made a sauce, saying it can be eaten with the noodles or used as a dip for steamed buns. Auntie, Aunt Chuntao's sauce is so delicious!"

"What kind of sauce is this? It's so delicious!" Ya Ya had just finished speaking when footsteps came from outside the door, and Wang Guifen walked in with her hands in her pockets, beaming.

"Grandma Wang," Ya Ya greeted sweetly.

Cao Xiulian smiled and replied, "It's the auntie from Ya Ya's village who plans to stew chicken and snail soup, and sell it with noodles. It's the soup that you specifically requested last time, Big Sister."

Wang Guifen slapped her thigh. "That's wonderful! A bowl of noodles first thing in the morning is so comforting! And what about the sauce? Do you still have sauce?"

"Yes, it's sauce made by Aunt Chuntao, it smells especially good!" As she spoke, Ya Ya took a small plastic jar with a red lid out of the stroller.

Cao Xiulian took the jar and put it aside: "Let's take it one step at a time. Let's put the dishes out first."

"Finally, some wild vegetables! Let me see." Wang Guifen also helped out. "Oh my, so many wild mustard greens? They're all the tender tips. Perfect for steaming, making dumplings, or mixing as filling. After blanching, they're mixed with minced garlic and vinegar, and they even have a sweet aftertaste! And artemisia capillaris? There wasn't much left from last time. The old man drinks it in water every day, and it looks like there's not much left. He only dares to pinch off a small handful each day. This is a good way to replenish his energy."

Wang Guifen's eyebrows practically flew up with excitement; this trip was definitely worthwhile.

"Mountain grasshopper vegetable? Isn't it called fat leaf? The leaves are plump and thick." Ya Ya also joined in, helping to sort the tender leaves into a small basket.

"The name varies from place to place, but we call it 'mountain grasshopper vegetable' here," Wang Guifen explained as she pulled a plastic bag and started filling it with vegetables.

She looked up at Cao Xiulian: "Young lady, is Artemisia capillaris still fifteen yuan a pound? How much is wild mustard greens?"

"Selling for...twenty?" Cao Xiulian asked, somewhat uncertain.

Mountain grasshopper vegetables usually cost around ten yuan, and the lower-quality ones cost a few yuan per kilogram. But the ones from Ya Ya's village are always of excellent quality, and they taste different from others. Moreover, the baskets are full of tender tips, without a single yellowed old leaf.

"Okay, this quality is worth the price." After filling a large bag, Wang Guifen picked up another bag and started filling it with Artemisia capillaris.

When Cao Xiulian had finished arranging all the dishes, Wang Guifen had also weighed out the dishes she wanted: five catties each of Artemisia capillaris and wild grasshoppers.

"Hey little sister, I've already paid. Give me two steamed buns, I want to try the boss's sauce!"

"Alright, Sister Wang, please come in and sit down." Cao Xiulian wiped her hands, picked up two soft, fluffy white steamed buns from the steamer, and then took a small spoon and served them over.

Wang Guifen unscrewed the small jar that Ya Ya had placed on the table, and a rich aroma mixed with the fragrance of fresh, spicy meat instantly filled the air.

Her eyes immediately lit up. She broke open the large steamed bun, scooped out a small spoonful, spread it inside, and took a big bite with the sauce.

"Snapped!"

Wang Guifen slammed her hand on the table, her mouth still full of steamed bun, and mumbled, "This sauce is absolutely amazing! Oh, little boss, this sauce is so delicious, sour, spicy, and savory, and it even has minced meat in it! How much is a jar? Do you sell it separately? I'll give Grandma a jar. This sauce will make our rice so we don't need any other dishes!"

Seeing Grandma Wang's somewhat excited expression, Ya Ya quietly moved her chair back and thought for a moment, "Grandma Wang, if you like it, I can give you a can for free, but I can only give you one. I only have two cans in total. I'll sell you the extras next time, is that alright?"

Wang Guifen skipped the formalities and happily hugged the jar to her chest: "That's wonderful! Grandma will shamelessly accept it! This sauce is truly amazing. You were just saying you were going to make soup noodles with this sauce, right? With this sauce, you could sell plain noodles!"

"Is it really that delicious?" Cao Xiulian was a little curious as she watched Wang Guifen praise it so highly. She grabbed a steamed bun and scooped some into Wang Guifen's jar.

The fresh, spicy, and rich meaty aroma spread across the tip of her tongue, and Cao Xiulian's eyes lit up. She really didn't expect the taste to be so outstanding.