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

"Bang!"

Ye Dazhuang kicked Zou Shi away, then grabbed Fang Jincheng by the collar, his icy gaze sweeping across Fang's face.

A chill ran up Fang Jincheng's neck like an electric current. He felt those eyes were like knives, capable of slicing his throat in one stroke. He trembled like a leaf in fear.

"Who...who are you? What do you want...?"

This is the guy! I just kicked him and almost kicked his guts out!

"If it were me, I would kill you."

A vein bulged on Ye Dazhuang's arm as he threw him away.

Fang Jincheng flew through the air in a beautiful arc, then landed face-first next to Zou Shi.

The fall was quite severe; his vision went black, his head buzzed, and he felt as if his soul had flown out of his body.

Amidst the commotion and shouts of the villagers from Kaoshantun, the Zou mother and son limped away.

The lively courtyard finally quieted down. The family was freezing, so they quickly went back inside to warm up.

Ye Dazhuang turned around and silently walked towards the demolition site.

"Big Zhuang Brother."

As he entered the house, Ye Qingqing turned around and called out to him.

Ye Dazhuang stopped and gently turned his shoulder. "Hmm?"

Thanks.

Ye Qingqing raised an eyebrow, lifted the curtain, and slipped into the warm room.

Ye Dazhuang paused for a moment, then a faint smile appeared on his lips.

The next day, Ye Qingqing got up at the crack of dawn.

The first thing I do when I open my eyes is to draw up the three divination sticks.

Hopefully, there will be some surprises today too.

"Clang..."

The shimmering divination sticks appeared before my eyes, and after a few shakes, golden characters appeared:

[Zhongji: On the north peak of Qiushan Mountain, hidden in the dense forest, lies a wild ginseng. Climbing it is dangerous, but the harvest is possible.]

[Xiao Ji: Wild badgers roam the shady side of Qiushan Mountain. Badger oil can be extracted and sold for profit, but badgers are cunning and difficult to hunt, so you may return empty-handed.]

[Middle Ominous Sign: Do not easily trust others; greed for small gains may result in losing both money and goods.]

Ye Qingqing frowned unconsciously, repeatedly pondering the words "greedy for petty gains" before lazily getting up and pouring some warm water to wash her face and rinse her mouth.

As she pushed open the door, a biting gust of cold wind rushed in, making her shrink her neck in fear.

"Bang! Bang! Bang..."

Ye Dali was chopping firewood in the yard. When he saw her come out, he smiled sheepishly and asked, "I added some firewood to your kang (heated brick bed) yesterday. Are you sleeping warmly?"

"It's so warm, big brother!"

Ye Qingqing grinned.

It's great to have an older brother. Although he only has brute strength, he does all the heavy work like carrying water and chopping wood, never letting his two younger sisters lift a finger. He takes good care of the whole family.

It's getting colder and colder.

The cotton-padded coat he was wearing was the old coat of the original owner's deceased mother. The cotton inside had been used for who knows how many years, and it had hardened and clumped together, but it couldn't keep out the winter in the northern frontier.

After selling this batch of fish, it's time to buy some warm winter clothes for the family.

"Second Girl, come inside quickly! Breakfast is ready."

Li Chunyan greeted her and brought the heated steamed buns, rice porridge, and leftovers to the kang table.

After eating, Ye Dali loaded fish onto the cart.

The fish that were stacked against the wall yesterday have frozen solid after a night of freezing temperatures.

"Wait! What are you doing, bro?"

Ye Qingqing quickly stopped him, "Don't tell me you're going to town in a cart!"

Ye Dali smiled憨厚ly, "It's alright, I have plenty of strength, I'm not afraid of getting tired."

"You're not afraid of getting tired, but I am!"

Ye Qingqing was speechless. "Quickly go to the main road and flag down an empty car. No matter how much it costs, we'll charter it!"

It's more than 20 miles, how can you carry hundreds of pounds of fish all the way there?

She didn't want to exhaust herself trying to save those forty or fifty copper coins!

If she earns enough money from selling fish, she plans to buy an oxcart or a horse-drawn carriage, preferably a horse-drawn carriage, as it can carry more goods and travel faster.

It will be much more convenient to go to town from now on.

"Okay, sure!"

Ye Dali knew that this little sister had been spoiled since she was a child. Actually, he wanted to say that he would pull her along the way, but before he could finish speaking, the little sister refused.

There was no other way but to obediently run and flag down a car.

At that moment, Li Chunyan and Ye Cuicui picked out the smaller mandarin fish and some other small miscellaneous fish, weighing about fifty or sixty pounds, to keep at home for themselves.

The remaining large ones were all sold for silver.

Ye Qingqing said with a hint of disdain, "You want some of those small, unwanted fish too? They're all pungent."

"What do you know, Er Yatou? Small fish may have a lot of bones, but if you fry them thoroughly in lard, they'll be crispy and fragrant!"

Li Chunyan said with a grin, "You'll know when I get back and I'll make you something to eat."

At this moment, she didn't care about the lard at all!

She used to be stingy because she was poor. Now that life is better, who would want to suffer without hardship?

The pork I bought last time, including a piece of pork fat that was three or four fingers wide, had all rendered its fat and filled two large jars.

Even if you eat as much as you want, it can last for two months!

"My goodness, didn't you say we were just going to catch a few fish? Is this what you call a little bit?"

When the oxcart arrived at the door, the driver's eyes nearly popped out of his head when he saw so much cargo. He immediately started shouting,

"This weighs at least three to five hundred catties, and with the five of you, sixty copper coins won't do! It'll need at least a hundred!"

Li Chunyan complained, "Hey, why are you raising prices on the spot..."

"Sister-in-law, that's enough."

Ye Qingqing stopped her, raising her chin, "One hundred it is. Let's hurry to town, stop nagging."

She remembered the ominous fortune slip that said not to be greedy for small gains, so she didn't haggle.

Offending the driver is not a good thing; what if he leaves you stranded halfway through the journey?

Although the divination slip didn't specifically point to any particular matter, she still needed to be vigilant and careful in everything she did today.

The family quickly loaded the fish onto the truck. Some carried the fish, while others loaded them onto the truck. They then covered the fish with thick straw and burlap sacks. In no time, the truck was loaded and they were on their way.

Ye Youliang peered out the window and gave the children instructions.

"Drive carefully. When you get to town, remember to ask for fifty, but you should be able to sell it for around forty."

"Yes, Dad!"

Ye Qingqing agreed and got into the car.

The oxcart creaked and groaned as it left the village and headed towards the town along the dirt road.

Winter mornings are terribly cold; you can see white mist just by breathing out. Little Huanhuan insisted on going with them, and now she's huddled in her mother's arms, her little face as cold as an apple.

The outline of the town's walls finally came into view.

"arrive!"

The driver cracked his whip, turned around, and shouted loudly.

"Which street are you all heading to?"

Without a second thought, Ye Qingqing uttered three words: "Fu Shun Lai".

Mandarin fish is not cheap, and it's hard to know when it will be sold at a market stall. It's much more efficient to go directly to a restaurant.

As soon as the oxcart entered the scene, it immediately attracted the attention of passersby, who began asking all sorts of questions.

"Oh, these are mantis shrimp? They're quite rare in the dead of winter!"

"Look how plump these fish are! They fattened up just before winter; they must taste delicious!"

"That's right, mandarin fish is definitely tastier than big carp or catfish."

"Hey driver, how much is this fish?"

……