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

Ye Qingqing woke up early the next morning because she was cold.

The underfloor heating in the side room wasn't as strong as in the main room, and the charcoal fire weakened in the latter half of the night, making the area around the blankets feel chilly. She hunched her shoulders, pulled the blankets tighter, and lingered a while longer before finally getting up.

The maid Xiaohong brought in hot water and helped her wash her face and comb her hair.

Ye Qingqing glanced at herself in the bronze mirror—her cheeks were flushed from being covered by the kang (heated brick bed), like a freshly steamed bun, but she looked quite energetic.

Miss Zhen was already having breakfast in the main room. On the table were millet porridge, pickled vegetables, two steamed buns, and a plate of scrambled eggs.

"You're awake? Come and eat."

Miss Zhen raised her chin slightly.

Ye Qingqing sat down, picked up the bowl of porridge, took a sip, and gasped because it was so hot.

"Aunt Zhen, I have to go back to Kaoshan Village today."

"What's the rush? Stay for a couple more days." Miss Zhen picked up a piece of pickled vegetable with her chopsticks and put it in her bowl.

"There's still a ton of stuff to do at home," Ye Qingqing said, taking a bite of her steamed bun. "The shop's been booked, so we need to pack up and move quickly. My dad and older brother are waiting for news at home."

Miss Zhen thought for a moment and nodded: "That's true. Then be careful on the road. I'll have Old Zhou take you in the carriage."

"No need, Dazhuang can drive the cart." Ye Qingqing finished her porridge in a few gulps, wiped her mouth with her sleeve, and said, "By the way, Aunt Zhen, if the Zhao family comes to the village head's house tomorrow, could you keep an eye on them for me? I'm afraid that Zhao guy might change his mind."

"Don't worry, your aunt is here." Miss Zhen patted her shoulder. "If he dares to play any tricks, I'll let him know that Kaoshan Town isn't just ruled by the Zhao family."

Ye Qingqing smiled, stood up, and said, "Then I'll be going."

"Wait a minute." Miss Zhen took a cloth bag from the cupboard and handed it to her. "Take this, have something to eat if you get hungry on the way."

Ye Qingqing opened the package and saw several meat buns inside, still warm. She twitched her nose and smiled, her eyes crinkling, "Thank you, Aunt Zhen."

"Go on, go on, stop being so cheeky."

Ye Qingqing went out, and Ye Dazhuang had already prepared the carriage and was waiting at the door. When he saw her come out, he nodded, said nothing, and went over to help her into the carriage.

The carriage left the town and headed towards Kaoshantun.

The official road was a vast expanse of white after the snow, and the old elm trees along the roadside were covered with frost, with ice shards falling down with every gust of wind. Ye Qingqing huddled in the carriage, warming herself with a hand warmer, and went over the arrangements for the next few days in her mind.

The shop is in hand. Five hundred and fifty taels of silver were spent, but a resale profit of eight hundred taels plus the empty shop itself makes a considerable net profit. The move needs to be expedited; the mountain produce and hides need to be transported to town as soon as possible. And—

Zhao Yuanlang's face suddenly flashed through her mind.

The man's eyes looked strange.

The way they looked at her wasn't like she was a merchant looking at a seller, but rather like she was looking at some novel trinket, with a hint of inquiry and an inexplicable interest. Ye Qingqing had seen too many of these looks—at the fortune-telling stalls, the wealthy and powerful men who looked at her mostly had this kind of attitude.

She wrinkled her nose and dismissed the thought. Who cares what they think? The money's in hand, the shop's sold, all settled, and they'd go their separate ways.

After the carriage had been traveling for nearly an hour, the earthen walls of Kaoshantun finally came into view in the distance.

Before even entering the village, we saw Ye Dali carrying a sack by the roadside. When he saw the carriage approaching, he quickly waved.

"Second Girl's back!" Ye Dali rushed over, his face red from the cold, puffs of white breath coming out. "How did it go? Did you get the shop?"

Ye Qingqing leaned out of the car window: "Got it. Big brother, hurry back and pack your things, we're moving to town."

Upon hearing this, Ye Dali's eyes lit up: "You really got it? How much?"

"I'll tell Dad later," Ye Qingqing waved her hand. "Let's go home first."

As the carriage entered the village, it encountered several aunties and older women who peeked out from behind the horse. Kaoshan Village was so small that even the slightest disturbance was known throughout half the village.

When they arrived home, Li Chunyan was squatting in the yard cleaning fish, her hands covered in blood. Hearing the noise, she looked up and said, "Oh, you're back! How did it go?"

"Got it." Ye Qingqing jumped out of the car and patted the dust off her coat.

Li Chunyan tossed the fish into the basin, wiped her hands with her apron, and exclaimed excitedly, "Really? How much? What's the location like?"

Before Ye Qingqing could speak, Ye Youliang came out of the house, a pipe in his mouth, and squinted at her: "You're back?"

"Yes, Father." Ye Qingqing walked over, took out the property deed from her bosom, and handed it to him. "The shop is bought. It has three storefronts and two side rooms in the back. It's located on the main street, opposite a grain shop and diagonally opposite a cloth shop."

Ye Youliang took the house deed, examined it from all angles, and a smile crept across his face: "Good, good. Father, you can rest assured about my second daughter's work."

Li Chunyan leaned closer, staring longingly at the property deed: "How much silver did it cost?"

Ye Qingqing held out one hand, spreading her five fingers: "Five hundred and fifty taels."

"What?!" Li Chunyan nearly jumped up. "Five hundred and fifty taels! Are you crazy?! How many cartloads of mountain goods would you have to sell to earn that back!"

Ye Qingqing winked at her: "Sister-in-law, don't be in such a hurry. I can sell that shop for eight hundred taels, and I'll even get an empty shop for free."

Li Chunyan's mouth gaped open wide enough to fit an egg: "What do you mean? Someone's offering eight hundred taels for it?"

"Well, a retired official from the capital wants to buy a shop and connect it to his backyard," Ye Qingqing said casually. "I've agreed. I'll go to the village head's house tomorrow to complete the formalities."

Ye Youliang took a puff of his cigarette and nodded: "Okay, you decide."

Li Chunyan was still processing what she'd just heard when she grabbed Ye Qingqing's arm: "My dear second daughter! You made over two hundred taels just by reselling! Good heavens, over two hundred taels!"

"That's not all." Ye Qingqing laughed and pried her hands away. "There's another empty shop. I'll keep that one too, and open a second one later."

Li Chunyan was completely speechless. She just stared at her with her mouth agape, her eyes filled with both admiration and disbelief.

Ye Qingqing turned and shouted into the house, "Dazhuang! Unload the things on the truck, then come with your brother and load those bundles of leather. We'll ship the first batch of goods to town today."

Ye Dazhuang responded from behind.

Ye Qingqing rubbed her hands together, exhaled a puff of white breath, and looked up at her own yard.

She'd lived in this dilapidated fence and low mud house for so long, and now it seemed like she was leaving quite quickly. But it was all for the best; from today onwards, the Ye family would be moving into town.

Those days in Kaoshantun have come to an end.

Not only Kaoshantun, but Miss Zhen never expected that meeting Ye Qingqing would bring about such a big change.

Fate is beyond our control, but who can say that fate will definitely change?

Ye Qingqing never believed in fate!