During famine years, I had a divination slip in hand, and my whole family ate chicken, duck, fish, a

"Little Huanhuan... what is that?!"

Ye Qingqing opened the oil paper package containing candies and pastries, first stuffing a piece of osmanthus cake into Xiao Huanhuan's mouth, then grabbing two handfuls and stuffing them into Li Chunyan and Cuicui's mouths, giving one piece to her older brother and Ye Dazhuang's mouths, before finally picking up a piece for herself and putting it in her mouth.

The sweetness melted on her tongue, and she squinted her eyes. Not bad.

Li Chunyan stroked the hairpin in her hair with satisfaction and said happily,

"Second Girl, it's almost afternoon, shall we go back to the village?"

Ye Qingqing raised an eyebrow. "No rush, let's go see Aunt Zhen first."

"Eh!"

Ye Dali gave a simple, honest reply and turned his horse around.

The Zhenpi Goods Shop is located at the other end of town, in a superb location, right next to the main street.

Inside the shop, several fine fox and mink pelts hung on the wall, and fur goods of all sizes were displayed on the counter, clearly indicating a well-off family.

Ye Qingqing jumped out of the car and turned to Li Chunyan to say,

"Sister-in-law, you can wait for me in the car. I'll go in and say a few words."

She picked up a few silver carp, a wild vegetable and a pear... all gifts she had specially prepared, and then pushed open the door to go inside.

The shop was warm and cozy, with the charcoal brazier burning brightly, creating an indescribably cozy atmosphere.

Behind the counter, Miss Zhen was looking down at her abacus. When she heard footsteps, she looked up and saw it was her. Her expression immediately relaxed.

"Oh, Second Sister! You haven't come to visit your auntie for a while now. What brings you here today?"

Miss Zhen smiled wryly, her words sharp, yet her eyes held amusement.

Ye Qingqing always found it strange that she had an indescribable charm in her eyes, as if she had seen the world, yet she opened a leather goods shop in this remote town. It just didn't seem right.

But that's their background; it's not worth wasting a fortune stick on.

"Aunt Zhen."

Ye Qingqing approached with a grin, took the things from the car and piled them all on the counter, saying politely,

"Today I caught some silver carp, picked some wild pears, and some wild vegetables. They're nothing special, just some for you to try."

Miss Zhen looked down and her eyes lit up.

"Silver-whiskered carp? That's a rare find! You little rascal, where did you get all that fruit and vegetables in the dead of winter?"

"If I told you that, would I still have a chance to get rich?"

Ye Qingqing winked playfully, grabbed a handful of wild pears, and stuffed them into her hand. "Try these wild pears, they're very sweet."

Miss Zhen picked one up and put it in her mouth, savoring it slowly, her eyebrows unconsciously raising slightly.

"Hmm, good stuff! For a place like this, in this freezing cold border region, to have such fresh and sweet fruit, you're quite capable, Er Ya."

Ye Qingqing didn't mince words; she pulled out a chair, sat down, and got straight to the point.

"If you like it, that's fine. I'll bring you food every day from now on. Aunt Zhen, I came today because there's something I'd like to discuss with you."

Miss Zhen raised an eyebrow and, without wasting any words, said, "Go ahead."

"I want to open a shop in town."

Ye Qingqing didn't beat around the bush and said straightforwardly, "It's too inconvenient to drive to town every day to sell wild mountain vegetables and such. It takes more than half an hour to get here."

Miss Zhen nodded gently. "Is that right? Does your father agree?"

"promise."

Ye Qingqing patted her trouser leg and said with a smile, "Don't you know my dad? The whole family dotes on me! Even if he doesn't agree, there's nothing he can do."

So I want to open a whole shop dedicated to selling mountain produce... oh, and soap too.

"Soap?"

Miss Zhen smiled at first, then paused, "What's this new gadget?"

Ye Qingqing took out something wrapped in oil paper from her bosom, placed it on the counter, and pushed it over.

Those were some soaps she had previously made using lard, wood ash, and herbs, which had a medicinal aroma.

Miss Zhen picked it up, looked at it, and smelled it. "What is this thing? It looks a bit like pig pancreas... Did you make this?"

"Um."

Ye Qingqing nodded, "It's similar to pig pancreas, but much better! This stuff I made not only removes grease but also doesn't hurt your hands."

You can add different flowers and herbs later to create different fragrances.

Miss Zhen put down the soap and looked at her thoughtfully.

"You want to sell this?"

"Sell it! Why not use good stuff to make money?"

Ye Qingqing leaned forward, her eyes bright, and said...

"But that's not all. I can get wild vegetables and game, that's the first step. Later on, I can make dried fruit, pickled vegetables, cured meat, and so on..."

The harsh, remote border regions are desperately short of fresh produce and things that can be stored for a long time. As long as the produce is good, I believe there will be no shortage of buyers.

She paused for a moment, then added with a smile, "Of course, this can't be rushed; we have to take it one step at a time."

The most important thing right now is to get a shop... You're the only person I know in town, Aunt, so I'd like to ask you for help."

Miss Zhen was silent for a moment, then suddenly looked at her and smiled.

That smile held a hint of appreciation, but also a hint of something else that was hard to define.

"I've figured it out now, you little rascal, your ambitions are sky-high! From now on, forget about Kaoshantun, I doubt even this town will tolerate you!"

She smiled and shook her head, but her tone wasn't critical; it sounded more like she was praising Ye Qingqing.

"Alright, I'll take care of the shop for you! Go back and wait for news; I'll find you a good place within three to five days."

Ye Qingqing's eyes lit up. "Really? So fast!"

"Tsk!" Miss Zhen glared at her. "Your Aunt Zhen has been in this town for quite some time now, and you think I don't even have this much skill? You're really looking down on me."

Ye Qingqing felt a warmth in her heart and waved her hands repeatedly, saying...

"No way! I was just afraid of causing Auntie any trouble... Then thank you in advance, Aunt Zhen!"

Miss Zhen laughed and scolded him, then added a word of advice.

Stop interrupting me! But remember this: opening a shop is easy, but keeping it running is hard.

You inevitably have to deal with the local thugs, hooligans, and tax collectors...

Fortunately, I can still say something here while I'm bowing my head. I'll take care of these things for you; you just need to focus on doing your job well.

"Um!"

Ye Qingqing nodded emphatically, stood up and said, "Thank you, Aunt Zhen. I won't let you help for nothing. I'll take care of all the fresh fish and vegetables you eat this winter."

……

As Ye Qingqing left the leather goods shop, her steps became lighter.

As the saying goes, having connections in high places makes things much easier. Finding a reliable person can really save you a lot of trouble!

However, Aunt Zhen's attitude towards her was truly sincere!

They're not related by blood or marriage. If it weren't for your father's sake, why would they help you out?

The more Ye Qingqing thought about it, the more she couldn't help but want to ask her father how they met!

On the way back to the village, the horse-drawn carriage moved slowly along the dirt road, its wheels crunching over the snow.

Ye Qingqing leaned against the side of the car, unable to suppress the urge to ask her father.