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

As soon as she finished speaking, Ye Dazhuang's brows twitched slightly. He turned to look at her, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

"We often go hunting in the mountains, and we might bump into things or get hurt, so we'll buy an extra bottle as a backup."

Ye Qingqing simply took one bottle and put it in her pocket, saying casually, "Let's go, my brother and sister-in-law must be getting impatient."

"Um."

Ye Dazhuang nodded slightly and silently tucked the medicine bottle on the table into his pocket.

Steamed bun shop.

Li Chunyan stood at the door, looking around anxiously, like an ant on a hot pan, muttering to herself incessantly.

"Weren't you going to sell roe deer meat? It's been almost half an hour and you still haven't come back. Did you run off to some shop again?"

"Rice, noodles, pork—how much money must she have to spend like this!"

Ye Qingqing suddenly popped her head out from beside her, grinning, and said, "Sister-in-law, what are you cricketing about me for again?"

"No, no... I wouldn't dare to cricket you!"

Li Chunyan was startled, and said awkwardly with a forced smile, "The roe deer meat was sold? How much silver did you get?"

"It sold for a little over three ounces and eight mace."

Ye Qingqing raised her eyebrows proudly, "Our roe deer meat is so fresh that the shopkeeper took a liking to it at first glance. He knows his stuff!"

They even said they'd send any mountain produce they hunted to his shop!

"So much! Doesn't that mean we've earned back the money we spent on rice and flour?"

Li Chunyan immediately beamed with joy, patting her chest and saying repeatedly, "That's good, that's good! I was really afraid you'd squander it again, and end up not even paying for Dali's child purchase..."

"It did cost a little more."

Ye Qingqing raised an eyebrow, interrupting her, "I saw that Dad's leg injury wasn't healing, so I went to the pharmacy and bought him a bottle of wound medicine."

Before Li Chunyan could speak, she took two loose silver coins from her purse and stuffed them into Li Chunyan's hand.

"There's about four taels left. Sister-in-law, take two taels to pay for your brother's marriage fee, and buy whatever else you like."

"Huh? No need, no need. You and Brother Dazhuang fought the wolf and the robe, why would you give them to me?"

This made Li Chunyan feel embarrassed, and she declined a few times, but the heart that had been in her throat finally settled back into her stomach.

As long as the money for Dali's son's purchase is secured, she doesn't care what Er Yatou buys!

"Cui Cui, this is yours."

Ye Qingqing took out three to five hundred copper coins from her money bag and handed them to Ye Cuicui.

"Huh? Second sister, what are you doing to me?"

Ye Cuicui had originally come to watch the fun, but she was startled when her second sister grabbed a handful of copper coins and gave them to her. She waved her hands repeatedly.

"I'm not buying anything, I don't want it, I don't want it!"

"Take it!"

Ye Qingqing grabbed her hand, shoved the copper coins into it with a jingling sound, and raised an eyebrow, saying...

"How can a young lady not have some money? Buy whatever you want, and tell your second sister if you need more."

Ye Cuicui had never seen so many copper coins before. Suddenly holding this large handful of copper coins in her hands, she was so excited that she didn't know what to say.

"Second sister, you...you're so kind!"

Ye Qingqing smiled, "That's right! Following your second sister around, you get three meals a day!"

Beside her, little Huanhuan lay obediently on the table, watching the adults with longing eyes.

"Little Huanhuan, look what delicious treats your auntie bought for you!"

Ye Qingqing took a string of candied hawthorns from her waistband and, as if by magic, handed it to Xiao Huanhuan.

"Look! Candied hawthorns!"

"Wow! Candy! Candy!"

Little Huanhuan clapped her hands happily, shouting and laughing, "Auntie is so nice!"

"Eat up, then we'll buy more."

Ye Qingqing affectionately patted her little head, hugged her in her arms and said, "There's more! Sister-in-law, it's almost dawn, let's go to the shop next door and buy some cloth and cotton to make Huanhuan a warm winter coat."

"No need, why waste the money?"

Li Chunyan felt bad about spending the money, but seeing that her daughter's cotton-padded coat was two years old, with the hem and cuffs patched together and the cotton filling lumped together, she changed her mind and said...

"Then, then I'll buy some new cotton, and I'll stuff more cotton into her coat later."

No matter what she said, Ye Qingqing took the child and went to the fabric shop.

"Huanhuan likes that floral fabric? Your aunt will buy it for you."

The fabric shop was filled with all sorts of colorful fabrics, so vibrant that Huanhuan's eyes couldn't take it all in. She waved her little hands, pointing at this and that.

"Auntie, Huanhuan likes this...no, this! Oh dear, why are there so many!"

Ye Qingqing chuckled softly and said,

"Red is festive for the baby, shall we make a red dress for it?"

"Hmm! Red looks better!"

Huanhuan clapped her little hands happily, even happier than during the Chinese New Year.

"Hey buddy, get me that piece of fine red cloth, and some of that coarse blue-gray cloth too, just enough to make a bed."

Ye Qingqing gestured to the shop assistant with her chin, "Give me another ten catties of cotton."

Li Chunyan exclaimed, "Buying clothes is one thing, but why buy a quilt cover!"

Cotton is so expensive right now, I might as well not buy it!

She'd never seen anyone buy things like that before!

Does he think he's made of gold? He buys everything he sees.

"Yesterday, my eldest brother gave the bedding in your room to my eldest brother, so let him use it."

Ye Qingqing said casually, "I'll buy you a new bed."

Ye Dazhuang, who had been silent all along, suddenly looked at Ye Qingqing, a faint trace of gratitude appearing in his deep eyes.

Ye Qingqing gave him a faint smile.

This is a very important person who will reward her with a thousand taels of silver and a hundred acres of farmland in the future!

Of course, we should try to "suck up" to them properly.

Li Chunyan immediately shut up.

For some reason, a warm feeling suddenly welled up in her heart, like being covered with a new quilt, making her feel warm and cozy all over.

It turns out that when Er Yatou isn't confused, she knows how to care for her family.

"One tael and four mace of silver, young lady."

The shop assistant brought over the wrapped cloth and cotton, smiling broadly, and said, "Sister, the price of cotton went up several coins as soon as winter came. There's nothing we can do about it, but I've weighed it up high for you, so don't worry!"

"Okay, sure!"

Li Chunyan was holding a large roll of cotton, feeling both happy and embarrassed. For some reason, her eyes suddenly reddened.

When she got married, her family couldn't even afford ten catties of cotton to make two new quilts for her as part of her dowry.

They had to dismantle the old quilt, add three pounds of new cotton, and piece together enough to make two matching quilts.

She never expected her sister-in-law to buy her ten pounds right away. How could she not be touched?

All the resentment I had suffered from my sister-in-law, who was spoiled by her parents, vanished in an instant after I married into the family.

Little Huanhuan hugged her bright red piece of cloth, her little mouth agape in a wide smile.

"Mommy! Mommy! Huanhuan is wearing new clothes! Red ones, such pretty new clothes!"

"You little rascal, look how pleased you are!"

Li Chunyan happily rubbed her little head, but looking at the hundreds of pounds of rice, noodles, pork, cloth, and the two jars of wine Ye Qingqing had bought for her father—so many odds and ends—she suddenly felt a little worried.

"How are we going to get all this stuff back home?"

"It's alright, sister-in-law. I just hired an oxcart to take us directly back to the village."

Ye Qingqing raised an eyebrow. "I told the driver to wait for us at the steamed bun shop. He should be here soon."