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

As the sun gradually rose to its zenith, the entire Lotus Village, like a well-oiled wheel, began to operate with increasing efficiency and order.

The firewood crackled in the stove as Ji Chuntao, holding a long-handled spatula, led Xinghua, Qiao Chuan, and Grandma Wang in bustling about among the large pots.

There were a total of twenty-nine mouths to feed today, and Ji Chuntao couldn't manage it all by herself, so more and more people gradually joined in to help with the cooking.

The large wood-fired stove was burning brightly, and three huge iron pots were placed on the stove, with flames licking the bottom of the pots.

A large bowl was piled high with persimmons. They were chopped and poured into the first large pot, then stir-fried in hot oil until their bright red juices slowly seeped out. Next, a large bowl of beaten eggs was poured in, and the mixture was stirred and simmered. A steaming pot of sticky, sweet persimmon and egg stir-fry was ready.

In another large pot, braised pork with potatoes was simmering. Large chunks of potatoes were cut into chunks and added to the pot along with the tender, stewed pork. A small amount of oil was used, and the dish was simmered slowly.

When stewing this dish, the stove heat should not be too high; it should be simmered over low heat to allow the meat flavor to permeate the potatoes.

Xinghua squatted by the stove, adding firewood to the firebox every now and then, controlling the heat. Qiao Chuan was in charge of washing the side dishes: large baskets of bok choy, whole slabs of tender tofu, yams, pork, lettuce, mushrooms... all of which were stored in Nannan's previous space.

They had no idea how much stuff Nannan had stockpiled in her big space. Every time the little one went to Aunt Xiulian's place, she would always buy some vegetables and pretty fruits. She didn't really like buying ingredients like ginger and garlic, but she would remind Chuntao from time to time when she was about to run out.

They also took some garlic cloves to plant behind Grandma Liu's house. Right now, only a few green shoots have sprouted, about the height of a hand. In about half a month, they'll be able to harvest the garlic sprouts for stir-fries.

As for the button mushrooms, Qiao Chuan stared at the round mushrooms in his hand. He heard that his daughter had seen them and thought they were interesting, so he bought them. They cost eight yuan a pound, and he had stocked up on quite a few. This was the first time he had cooked them.

White rice is steamed in a cedar wood steamer.

The white, finely milled rice is cooked until half-done in a pot, then the rice water is drained and the rice is spread into a steamer, which is placed over a large wood-fired pot to steam over a high flame. When the lid of the wooden steamer is lifted, a cloud of hot steam rushes out, revealing each grain of rice as distinct, soft, and sticky, carrying with it a faint, refreshing aroma of cedar wood.

The fragrance made Yan Erzhu and Yan Sanya, who had just returned from feeding the pigs and horses, completely dazed.

The food was served one after another, filling the rotating round table to the brim, with wisps of steam rising from it.

The scrambled eggs with tomatoes are bright red and tempting, the stewed potatoes with meat exude a rich meaty aroma, the tofu and vegetable soup is topped with a layer of green leaves, and the stir-fried pork with oyster sauce and mushrooms is coated in a thick sauce...

Erzhu and Sanya stood by the table, their eyes wide with amazement. This morning, the two siblings had been talking privately about how the prefect didn't eat meat every meal and mostly just wild vegetable porridge for lunch. But now, the table full of dishes had meat on almost every plate, and the aroma was like a little hook, tickling their stomachs.

Erzhu's Adam's apple bobbed, and he quietly turned his head to the side: "Sister, didn't you say that even the prefect has never lived this comfortably? This, this isn't just minced meat anymore, look at that plate of yellowish-brown vegetables, those are all big chunks of meat on it."

Sanya couldn't answer either, only staring at the dishes on the table, her tongue unconsciously licking her dry lips, and she swallowed a large mouthful of saliva: "I, I don't know either, what are these dishes? Brother, have you seen them in town? What's that bright red pot?"

Yan Erzhu squinted at the bowl of scrambled eggs with tomatoes, still clueless: "I don't recognize it either. It looks like it's made with fruit?"

Qiao Chuan placed a large bowl of rice on the table.

The aroma of rice was even stronger.

Sanya pursed her lips, the aroma of food wafting around her nose, her stomach growling loudly.

The rice in this bowl is pure white and soft, with not a single grain of brown rice to be found, nor any bran or scraps mixed in. Even the wild vegetables that mountain people usually pick are nowhere to be seen on the table; they are all rare green vegetables.

What kind of life do people in Lotus Village live? Even the emperor in the palace might not be able to eat this well every day.

"Hey? Erzhu and Sanya, you two sit down, don't be shy. Eat your fill, there's plenty." Grandma Wang and Xinghua brought the last two dishes to the table and greeted the brother and sister who were still standing next to them in a gentle voice.

The other villagers smiled and waved, gesturing for the two to sit down.

"There aren't many rules in our village. We eat here all the time. You'll get used to it after a few meals."

Just then, Ya Ya peeked out from under the table and cheerfully reminded everyone, "You need to wash your hands, or worms will grow in your tummy!"

She still remembered that Little Bean had passed worms last night.

Erzhu and Sanya were startled and quickly looked down at their mud-covered hands, their cheeks slightly flushed.

The village chief chuckled and chimed in, "Nannan is right. Washing your hands before meals is a good habit, and it can be considered a local custom. You know where to wash your hands, right? Go wash them clean before you eat."

"I know," Erzhu quickly replied, pulling Sanya along.

After the brother and sister washed their hands and returned, they nervously moved to the stool and carefully sat down.

Someone gently pushed the turntable in the center of the round table, and the entire table of dishes slowly rotated. A plate of stir-fried pork with oyster sauce and mushrooms slowly moved to the two of them. Erzhu and Sanya's eyes widened suddenly, and their bodies stiffened slightly. They never expected that the table could rotate like that, and that the food could be delivered to them by itself.

"Come on, the food's been turned around, eat as much as you want!" the village chief said with a smile.

"Like me, once no one is at the table to pick up food, I can hold onto the edge of the wooden plate and gently turn it so that the dishes in the distance can be moved to my side. I can then turn it to pick up whatever I want without having to get up to get it."

Yan Erzhu held the bowl, hesitated, picked up a piece of mushroom and put it in his mouth. It was soft, tender and fragrant, with a unique taste.

Sanya scooped up a spoonful of the red and yellow vegetables with a small spoon. She saw that Grandma Wang and the others next to her really liked eating this. It looked incredibly delicious when she mixed it into her rice.

She stirred it a couple of times, waiting for the juice to fully mix with the white rice before picking up her chopsticks and taking a little to taste. The sweet and sour flavor spread across her tongue, and as she chewed it slowly with the rice, it was soft, sticky, and sweet—a flavor she couldn't quite describe.

Let alone the emperor, even the gods in heaven probably wouldn't be this comfortable.