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

Ye Qingqing folded the nine hundred-tael silver notes twice, stuffed them into the innermost pocket of her bosom, grabbed eighteen taels of loose silver and threw them into her purse, then pulled Ye Cuicui along.

"Come on, let's go buy things for winter, sister-in-law, just tell me what you want."

Li Chunyan chuckled as if in a dream, "Second girl, do we really have over a thousand taels? My hands are still shaking, it feels like a dream."

Ye Cuicui tugged at her sleeve, unable to hide her smile, "Second sister, where should we buy it?"

"Let's go to the fabric shop first. It's cold in winter, so we'll buy things to make bedding and replace all the old, worn-out blankets and quilts at home."

Ye Qingqing picked it up.

The shopkeeper, fiddling with his abacus, looked up and saw Ye Qingqing. He immediately stood up and greeted her with a smile, "Gentlemen, would you like to buy some cloth?"

Ye Qingqing walked in, pointed to the shelf, and asked, "How about the kind used for making quilts?"

The shopkeeper quickly pulled out a bolt of cloth, saying, "It's thick and sturdy; it'll be perfect for making winter coats to keep warm."

Cui Cui reached out and touched it, then quickly withdrew her hand.

"Second sister, feel the flatness with your hand."

"What about the fluffy one?"

Ye Qingqing pointed again.

The shopkeeper brought down a roll, saying, "This is warm; it's suitable for making linings."

"Also ten feet. That piece of Hangzhou silk, worn close to the skin without being tight, ten feet. My eldest and second eldest brothers used dark blue cotton cloth to make outer garments, ten feet."

I want ten feet of dark blue patterned cloth, and Cui Cui will take ten feet of peach-colored printed cloth, plus two zhang of white cotton cloth, to make a quilt lining.

Wow, this is a big deal!

The shopkeeper was secretly pleased. He took a ruler, measured, and cut with scissors, muttering to himself,

"Three taels of silver for brocade pattern, four taels for velvet, two taels for silk, one tael for cotton cloth, two taels for lake blue, two taels for peach red, and one and a half taels for white cotton cloth."

"A total of fifteen taels and fifty cents, young lady."

Ye Qingqing counted out fifteen and a half taels of silver from her purse and placed it on the counter. "Here you go."

The shopkeeper happily accepted the money and instructed his assistant to pack the goods properly.

"Second sister, this fabric is so nice! It's too extravagant to use it as a quilt cover. I almost can't bear to use it..."

Ye Cuicui hugged her bundle of peach-colored cloth, her beautiful smile spreading across her face.

The shopkeeper quickly drew another bolt of cloth.

"This fabric is quite nice, young lady, wouldn't you like to take a look?"

Ye Qingqing shook her head, "No, the one we ordered before."

"That peach-pink floral print would be perfect for a girl."

The shopkeeper kept recommending the family, and judging from their clothes and Ye Qingqing's demeanor, it was clear that this family was at least a landlord's family.

Ye Cuicui hugged the cloth and said, "Second sister, I want this peach pink one."

Ye Qingqing asked again, "Let me take a look at the best cotton."

Yes! Yes!

The shopkeeper quickly told his assistant to bring it out. "Young lady, look, this is the best cotton from the Central Plains. All the wealthy families in our town recognize this. It's thick and sturdy, yet not heavy."

"Twenty pounds should be enough."

Ye Qingqing nodded. "Shopkeeper, give me twenty catties."

The shopkeeper nodded quickly and said with a smile,

"Don't worry, how could I give you anything less than the best! Thirty coins per pound, six hundred coins for twenty pounds."

A large wad of snow-white cotton, wrapped in coarse cloth and tied with hemp rope, was taken by Ye Dali and slung over his shoulder. He said in a simple, honest voice...

"Second Girl, this cotton is really good! It's so thick!"

After paying, Ye Qingqing took her family directly to the blacksmith shop.

The bellows whirred as Wang the blacksmith, shirtless, swung his hammer.

"Shopkeeper!"

The blacksmith Wang paused, looked up at them, and asked, "What do you want?"

"Two iron pots, with thick bottoms, so they don't burn through. Four sturdy charcoal braziers."

Two sets each of fire tongs and shovels. Also, forge two butcher knives with sharp blades.

Wow, this is a big deal!

Wang the blacksmith said with a smile, "I'll use good iron, enough to last you for years! But the pot has to be made to order, so please sit on the stools and wait."

Wang the blacksmith quickly pumped the bellows, the furnace fire blazed, and the hammer clanged as it struck the iron. He then called to his apprentice.

"Put charcoal in the charcoal brazier first, then light it with pine needles. Young lady, don't worry about the charcoal brazier I made; it'll work perfectly."

It was placed near the head of the kang (heated brick bed) at night, and it stayed warm all night.

Ye Cuicui held Xiao Huanhuan in her arms and watched curiously from the side, thoroughly engrossed in the spectacle.

After waiting for half an hour, the pots and pans were finally broken.

Ye Qingqing paid five taels of silver and left the blacksmith shop. Her stomach started rumbling. "Brother and sister-in-law, let's eat something before we go."

Seeing a sesame seed cake shop on the street, I took my family there.

"Boss, five flatbreads with pork crumbs, extra crumbs please!"

The owner, smiling broadly, came over with a sesame seed cake in his hand. "We also have wontons, soup, and other things here. They taste great with sesame seed cakes. How about a few bowls?"

Ye Qingqing nodded, "One bowl each."

Ye Cuicui was already starving, so she quickly took one, biting into it and panting as it was scalding hot.

"It's so hot! It's so hot! Second sister, this sesame seed cake smells so good! I came here once before, and I was so envious watching other people eat it."

"I like to eat it, I'll take a few home and enjoy them slowly."

Ye Qingqing took a bite of the sesame seed cake, then turned her head and saw the chestnut stall, so she got up and went over.

"Boss, a bag of roasted chestnuts, please."

The family ate the sesame seed cakes and drank the hot soup, and their whole bodies felt warm.

The street was lined with shops selling all sorts of things. After eating and drinking her fill, Ye Qingqing still showed no sign of leaving and continued shopping with her sister-in-law and Ye Cuicui.

"What would you like, young lady?"

Upon seeing the customer enter, the shop owner quickly greeted him with a smile.

Ye Qingqing glanced at the shelves, pointed, and said,

"Two jars of salt, a basket of old ginger and garlic, three bundles of dried chili peppers, ten feet of hemp rope, two buckets of water, ten candles, and two packs of needles and thread."

"One jar of salt costs 500 coins, two jars cost 1000 coins. A basket of ginger and garlic costs 200 coins, chili peppers cost 100 coins, hemp rope costs 50 coins, a bucket costs 300 coins, a candle costs 100 coins, needle and thread costs 50 coins... In total, 1950 coins, which is equivalent to two liang (a unit of weight).

Next up was the shoe shop.

"Three pairs of cotton shoes and six pairs of thick socks."

"One pair of shoes costs 100 coins, and six pairs of socks cost 60 coins. The total is 360 coins."

She'd already bought a ton of stuff, but it still wasn't enough, so Ye Qingqing ducked into another store.

"Two hundred catties of charcoal, the kind that won't produce smoke."

"Two coins for one jin, four hundred coins for two hundred jin."

After buying so much stuff, Ye Dali and Ye Dazhuang couldn't carry it all.

Dazhuang carries a basket on his left: pots, pans, meat, cloth, and cotton; his right basket contains salt, garlic, chili peppers, a bucket, charcoal, shoes, and socks. Cuicui carries bolts of cloth and a bag filled with chestnuts.

Ye Qingqing walked forward empty-handed.

"Second Girl, are you moving the shop home?"

Li Chunyan was both happy and distressed, muttering repeatedly, "That's enough, how much did this cost?"

Ye Qingqing said with a smile, "You'll see how useful these things are once the heavy snow closes the mountain passes."

Ye Qingqing pulled up the strap of the basket that had slipped off her shoulder, narrowed her eyes, and revealed a sly look.

"Sister-in-law, Cui Cui, brother, we still have a very important matter to take care of today: buying a horse-drawn carriage."

"Beyond this mountain village, it's eight miles from the town. If heavy snow blocks the mountain, and we don't have a sturdy horse-drawn cart, what will we heat up on our kang (heated brick bed)? What will we eat?"

Ye Cuicui hugged the peach-colored cloth in her arms, blinked,

"Second Sister, are we really going to buy a carriage? How much silver will that cost?"

Ye Dali switched the basket on his left shoulder and said in a low voice,

"Second daughter, you make the decision. I'm strong enough to handle it. If we buy a car, I'll carry it less often."