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

Two dark figures appeared in the distance, one tall and one short, swaying as they approached. Ye Dali stretched his neck and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Qingqing? Second Sister...is that you?"

"Big brother, it's me!"

Ye Qingqing waved vigorously at him, "We're back!"

Without saying a word, Ye Dali ran over and immediately noticed his younger sister holding Ye Dazhuang's arm, the two of them standing quite close together. His heart skipped a beat.

I hope my good cabbage won't be eaten by a pig.

Although this kid is good-looking and much more reliable than the one surnamed Fang, my father said in private that this kid might be a deserter, and told him and Chunyan to keep a close eye on Erya and not to get involved with him.

Ye Dali's face immediately fell. "Qingqing, what are you doing? Come here right now!"

Ye Qingqing sensed her brother's displeasure and retorted defiantly, "I'd like to go, but I've sprained my ankle. How am I supposed to get there?"

Did you sprain your ankle?

Ye Dali's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, instantly settled back into his stomach. He grinned sheepishly.

"Oh, you sprained your ankle! No wonder... Come on, let me carry you."

As he spoke, he handed the lantern in his hand to Ye Dazhuang, then turned around and half-squatted down in front of Ye Qingqing.

Ye Qingqing leaned against his back without any hesitation, "Has your sister-in-law cooked? I'm starving!"

"It's done, it's been ready for over an hour, it's still warm on the stove."

Ye Dali carried his younger sister on his back, feeling incredibly relieved that his own little cabbage hadn't been eaten by a pig.

Then, seeing Ye Dazhuang carrying several dark-looking things on his back, she was startled again. "Second Girl, what did you two fight about?"

On the warm kang (heated brick bed), after drinking a bowl of piping hot wild tea from the mountains, Ye Qingqing broke out in a light sweat, and her icy hands and feet felt numb and tingly.

My ankles, rubbed with medicated oil, felt slightly warm, and I felt an indescribable comfort all over my body, as if I had come back to life.

"I haven't seen badgers much in the last two years, Er Ya, where did you find this?"

Ye Youliang stared at the three badgers, gasping for breath. "These things are incredibly valuable!"

"The area behind the mountain."

Ye Qingqing had already prepared her explanation: "I saw that there weren't many prey on the mountain, so I went around in that direction to see if I could catch a pheasant or a rabbit in the hollow. I never expected to run into this."

Ye Dazhuang, who was silently drinking his tea, subtly raised his eyelids.

If he hadn't been following him the whole time, he almost would have believed it.

The girl's purpose in going up the mountain was very clear; she went straight to her goal. How could she have done it if she hadn't known the place beforehand?

"Which is better, pheasant or rabbit, badger meat?"

Li Chunyan and Ye Cuicui brought over steaming hot food, glanced at the badger, and said with beaming smiles,

"A couple of years ago, our dad caught one and cut off a leg for you to eat, have you forgotten?"

Back then you were so stingy, you'd just hold the meat and gnaw on it all yourself, not even letting us have a taste of the soup.

If I hadn't secretly tasted two pieces while it was stewing, the taste... tsk tsk!

Ye Qingqing, "..."

Sister-in-law, you can't be so frank!

Ye Youliang took a puff of his pipe and said with a chuckle, "The old saying goes, 'The four delicacies of the world are: turtledoves in the sky, donkey meat on the ground, white eels in the water, and badgers on land.' How could they not be delicious?"

Ye Qingqing was overjoyed and quickly asked, "How much can it sell for?"

"In previous years, it would only cost one or two ounces, but this year, I reckon these three, with meat and fat, could be more expensive than a wolf pelt."

Ye Youliang pondered, "Badger oil is excellent for treating frostbite and burns, and badger meat is highly nutritious. Otherwise, why would they have almost wiped out the badgers on the mountain in the past two years?"

A collective gasp filled the room.

"My goodness, that's ten taels!"

"Second sister, you're amazing!"

"Qingqing, take me with you next time, maybe we can catch a couple more..."

……

Li Chunyan's face lit up with a big smile.

Last time, we sold wolf pelts and roe deer meat for over ten ounces. We filled the jars with rice and flour, and half a pig is still hanging under the eaves.

Now she doesn't even need to count the grains of rice when cooking; she just scoops the stir-fried vegetables into the oil container!

The mango seeds were exchanged for another nineteen taels of silver, and the whole family bought cotton and new cloth as if money were no object. Everyone got a thick cotton-padded jacket and trousers, and there was still some left over...

If we get another ten or so taels from these three badgers, will we be able to replace all the patched quilts and mattresses in the whole family?

"Oh, only ten or so taels?"

Ye Qingqing pouted slightly, somewhat dissatisfied. "Catching these three badgers was such a hassle. I thought we could sell them for a lot!"

Ye Youliang retorted, "Tsk! You think this is too little? How much is too much!"

These past two years have been plagued by famine, and every household has had to tighten their belts to make ends meet; many are struggling to get enough to eat.

Putting everything else aside, just the cost of buying a son has been a huge burden for most families in Kaoshantun, and they're probably struggling to even afford a simple gruel.

Girl, if someone hears you saying that, you'll get beaten up!

Li Chunyan nodded repeatedly.

"Yes, Second Sister, you can't say that out loud, or they'll all come to our house to borrow grain!"

Just as the family was beaming with joy over ten taels of silver, Ye Qingqing took out a cloth bag from her bosom, opened it, and placed it on the kang table.

"Dad, how much do you think this is worth?"

The air suddenly went still, and everyone's eyes were fixed on the wild ginseng.

"Clatter..."

Ye Youliang dropped his pipe onto his thigh, and sparks flew all over his cotton trousers, startling him so much that he patted his pants repeatedly.

Li Chunyan took a deep breath, her eyes widening in surprise.

"Second, Second Girl, is this... wild ginseng?"

Ye Qingqing nodded. "Hmm. What? Doesn't it look like it?"

"Second Girl, where did you dig that up from?"

Ye Youliang's face tightened, sweat beaded on his forehead, and his voice trembled as he spoke, "You...you went to climb the North Peak?"

Ye Qingqing was surprised, "How did you know?"

"nonsense!"

Ye Youliang's heart pounded a few times. "This is clearly mountain ginseng, not forest ginseng! Only North Peak can produce ginseng that's at least twenty years old!"

"Father, you truly are a seasoned hunter; you have excellent taste!"

Ye Qingqing flattered her father repeatedly, then quickly asked the question she cared about most, "So, how much do you think this thing can sell for?"

Ye Youliang felt both heartache and lingering fear. She wanted to scold the child but couldn't bear to. She only ended up getting angry until her eyes reddened and her face changed color.

"No matter how much money it costs, North Peak is full of cliffs and precipices, and the ridge is not even as wide as a ladder. Are you out of your mind to go there?"

This time it was just a sprained ankle, but if you fall next time, how will your father explain it to... to your deceased mother?

Seeing that he was really angry, the group looked at each other, none of them daring to utter a sound.

Ye Qingqing stuck out her tongue. Why is this old man just like her master? He turns on her as soon as he gets angry.

I racked my brains, trying to find a reason.

"Uncle, Qingqing didn't go up the ridge."

In the dead silence, Ye Dazhuang slowly spoke, his deep voice saying, "She sprained her ankle on the mountain, so I went to help her."

"You can't go anymore, and you're not allowed to go there again!"

Ye Youliang knew he had spoken too harshly and was afraid of scaring his daughter, so he gave her a way out and pretended to scold her before letting it go.

Ye Qingqing raised an eyebrow at Ye Dazhuang to express her gratitude, then turned and asked further.

"So how much is it worth, Dad?"