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

The group of people ate until their bellies were round, and the red flames in the charcoal brazier slowly died down.

Li Chunyan lay sprawled on the kang (a heated brick bed), touching her belly. "Second daughter," she thought, "this is the life of an immortal."

Ye Qingqing took out the silver notes, patted them on the kang mat, and said, "Let's just go for it, what are we afraid of? These nine hundred taels should be spent wisely, so that everyone knows that our Ye family has turned our fortunes around."

Just then, the front door slammed shut, followed by a timid knock.

"Who is it, so late at night?"

Li Chunyan shouted.

She shuffled to the door, and there stood Aunt Wang from next door, her neck hunched, carrying an empty cloth bag. Upon seeing Ye Qingqing, her face broke into a smile.

"Auntie, did I disturb your meal? We're really short of food at home, so I was thinking of borrowing ten or eight pounds from you and will pay you back in the spring."

Li Chunyan stepped aside to let her in. As soon as Aunt Wang entered the courtyard, her eyes nearly popped out of her head when she saw the brand-new carriage and the chestnut horse tethered there, chewing on a bean cake.

"Oh my goodness, Qingqing, is this... your family bought this car? My goodness, how much did it cost? I just heard a delicious smell coming from outside the wall, did they eat meat?"

Aunt Wang followed them into the west room, where a wave of heat mixed with the smell of meat rushed in. There were empty plates and dishes on the kang table.

She seemed a little flustered, fidgeting with the hem of her clothes. "The harvest is bad. My sons are at the age where they need to grow, and the grain jar is almost empty. We've borrowed from one neighbor to another, but we're still struggling..."

Ye, who had some grain, hurriedly said, "Second Girl, there's still half a bag of white rice in the cupboard. Could you scoop some out for Aunt Wang?"

Ye Qingqing agreed, "Mm."

Li Chunyan sat up on the kang (a heated brick bed), "It's easy to lend it out, but hard to get it back."

The voice wasn't loud, but Aunt Wang heard it and blushed.

Ye Qingqing scooped up a full ladle of white rice, about ten pounds, and handed it to Aunt Wang. "Auntie, take this to cook porridge first. Let me know if you need more. We're well-off this year, so we won't miss this little bit."

Aunt Wang took the bag of rice, her eyes a little moist, and bowed repeatedly, "Qingqing, I'll remember your kindness. Tomorrow I'll have your uncle help you chop firewood; you can't just take it for free."

She glanced at the car, then at the house, and whispered, "The villagers are going to be in an uproar tomorrow. Everyone wants to see how successful you are."

Ye Qingqing smiled calmly, "No way, my family is just lucky."

Before Aunt Wang had even finished smoking a cigarette, there was another knock at the door.

This time it was Old Man Li from the east end of the village, carrying a tattered basket on his back. He chuckled as soon as he entered the door.

"Is Dali home? I heard you got a big truck, so I'm here to take a look."

Ye Dali got up from the kang (a heated brick bed) and invited the old man into the room.

Old Man Li glanced at the pungent smell of meat emanating from the kang (heated brick bed) and the rolled-up peach-red cloth, smacked his lips, and said...

"Dali, my second son wants to go to town with you to work in the spring. Do you think you could take him along?"

Ye Dali chuckled sheepishly and said, "Uncle, I didn't do any work."

That night, the Ye family courtyard was anything but quiet.

Uncle Zhang, Old Zhao's second son, and several wives and daughters-in-law all came to take a look under various pretexts.

Some said they wanted to borrow needles and thread, others said they wanted to see the new cloth, but their eyes were actually glued to the carriage. Their hearts were filled with a mixture of envy, jealousy, and resentment, like a jumbled mess of emotions.

The Ye family always greeted anyone who came with a smile, letting them into the courtyard, allowing them to touch the horses and pat the carriages.

Inside the house, Li Chunyan was showing off the peach-colored printed fabric to her wives, saying that she bought it in town for fifteen and a half taels of silver, which made the wives click their tongues in amazement.

The news spread throughout the village at the crack of dawn the next day.

The Ye family sold their bezoar for over nine hundred taels of silver, bought a large horse-drawn carriage, and even had hot pot with mutton yesterday.

Kaoshantun has only a few dozen households, and everyone knows exactly what color their pots are. The sudden emergence of such a wealthy household was like a thunderclap in winter.

After breakfast, Li Chunyan sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) with her sewing basket and sewed a little jacket for Cuicui, muttering to herself, "This charcoal burns a lot; two hundred catties should last all winter. Second girl, you've spent your money wisely."

"Sister-in-law, this is called long-term planning. With the cart, it will save us the trouble of hauling firewood, carrying grain, and going to town to buy and sell. With enough charcoal, the kang (heated brick bed) will be heated, and we won't suffer. With a full granary, we won't panic."

Ye Qingqing said casually.

Just then, a large group of people suddenly appeared outside the courtyard gate.

Leading the group was Village Chief Zhou Bo, who was wearing a worn-out cotton robe, followed by seven or eight men and women from different families.

As soon as Uncle Zhou entered, he cupped his hands in greeting, "Brother Youliang, I hope I haven't bothered you? Everyone in the village has heard about it and wanted to come and see your new car. They're happy for you."

As he said this, everyone gathered around the carriage, some tapping on the carriage floor, others touching the horse's leg.

Old Zhao was also in the crowd, and said sourly, "This horse is so docile. I wish my donkey was this obedient."

He reached out to touch the horse's nose, but the chestnut horse snorted loudly, startling him and causing him to pull his hand back, which made everyone laugh.

Uncle Zhou asked, "I heard you had hot pot with mutton yesterday? That's a rare way to eat it. How did you prepare it?"

Ye Youliang briefly explained the method from yesterday, and then said with a smile, "When it snows, Uncle Zhou will bring the aunties over, and we'll make another pot so everyone can enjoy a warm meal together."

Uncle Zhou waved his hands repeatedly, "That won't do, how can I accept your hospitality for free?"

Lamb, is that something that ordinary people can afford?

As the onlookers gradually dispersed, those who wanted to borrow grain arrived again.

Uncle Zhang's wife, carrying an empty earthenware jar, smiled sheepishly, "We're out of flour. I was wondering if I could borrow two liters from you. I'll pay you back when the new wheat comes in the spring."

Ye Youliang is a kind-hearted man who never refuses anyone who comes to him.

Li Chunyan pursed her lips behind her back, but didn't say anything on the spot.

After Zhang's daughter-in-law left, she muttered, "Everyone's coming to borrow money, is our family some kind of charity?"

Ye Qingqing washed her hands and said slowly, "Sister-in-law, we're not short of grain right now. Letting them borrow it is a favor. In the future, when we have work to do, won't they all have to work hard? This is called casting a long line to catch a big fish."

Li Chunyan thought about it and realized that made sense, so she kept quiet.

At noon, Ye Qingqing prepared another stewed mutton meal.

Chop the remaining ten pounds of lamb ribs into pieces, throw them into an iron pot, add water, a few peppercorns and star anise, and simmer over low heat. The aroma of the meat wafts far and wide; you could probably smell it throughout half the village.

Ye Cuicui was chasing chickens in the yard with a small stick when she smelled them. She took off running into the kitchen.

"Sister-in-law, when will the stewed meat be ready?"

Li Chunyan lifted the pot lid, and white steam billowed out. The lamb chops had been stewed until they turned white, and a layer of golden oil floated on the soup.

She threw in a few pieces of frozen tofu and radish, covered it, and continued stewing.

Ye Dali came in after chopping firewood outside, his face covered in sweat, and he inhaled the smell.

Li Chunyan set up the kang table again, placed several coarse bowls on it, and provided each person with a spoonful of minced garlic and vinegar.

The stewed mutton was served; the broth was milky white and the meat tender. Cui Cui couldn't wait and grabbed a piece of rib, burning her left hand before switching to her right, stuffing it into her mouth. Chewing with bulging cheeks, she exclaimed, "Delicious, so delicious!"