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by Little Merger

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57. Spatial Peasant Girl: These Mad Darlings

Spatial Peasant Girl: These Mad Darlings Are Delicate and Gullible

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The only daughter of General Dingguo was lost the year she was born, and everyone thought she had very bad luck. Who would have thought that more than ten years later, they would find her? The young master and ladies of various families in the capital gossiped a lot about it, saying this young lady from the General's house must be stupid, poor, ugly, and unwanted. Hearing this, the new champion sneered, "They call her stupid?" The richest man in Jiangnan mocked, "They call her poor?" The jade-face divine doctor scoffed, "They call her ugly?"The Imperial Army's commander was puzzled. "They say she's unwanted?"These men captivated all women everywhere, but when they saw that mountain girl, they were all smitten and had eyes for no other. The blood-stained, cold, and aloof prince held his sword and gave a chilling smile. "Who will you choose, my fiancee?"

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Spatial Peasant Girl: These Mad Darlings Are Delicate and Gullible #Chapter 1 - Read Spatial Peasant Girl: These Mad Darlings Are Delicate and Gullible Chapter 1 Online - All Page - NOVEL NEXT

Chapter 1

Beside the river, a ten-year-old girl picked up a fishing rod and caught a grass carp that was ten inches long.

The fish jumped around and bent the fishing rod slightly.

Xiaoxiao glanced at the woman who had been staring at her for the whole morning while pretending to sunbathe. She smiled and asked, "Second Aunt, how long do you want to look at me?"

The woman snorted and left.

The few old men who were watching could not help but ask.

"We've been sitting for the entire morning. Xiaoxiao, why do only you have bait?"

Xiaoxiao revealed a smile. Her round eyes were very cute. "Maybe I'm fated with water?"

As the sun rose, she wiped the sweat from her forehead and waved goodbye to the old men around her.

However, after walking around a tree and seeing no one around, she put down her fishing rod and reached to wave in the small wooden bucket.

One of the three fish in the bucket was instantly gone, and a familiar notification immediately sounded in her mind.

[Ingredients were collected successfully. Points obtained 10.]

[Master, do you want to braise or steam it today?]

Xiaoxiao rubbed her chin and thought for a moment. [Let's get a pickled fish.]

The gourmet space emitted a cheerful electronic voice: [Okay, sure. This dish has never been recorded before. We will get a lot of points.]

Xiaoxiao nodded in satisfaction and looked at the bucket with a gratified gaze.

If travelling to ancient times and space was a chance for her to live another life, then the food space was a gift.

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She collected ingredients and delicacies to obtain points. Then, she used the points to exchange for the items she needed in the Space Mall, such as the bait that had just been hung on the fishing hook.

She was confident that she would be able to bring her family out of poverty and become rich soon.

Suddenly, there was a flapping of wings above her head. Xiaoxiao looked up and saw a white shadow among the branches. With a flip, a small slingshot appeared in her right hand.

The white pigeon fell to the ground. Ning Xiaoxiao weighed it in her hand and estimated that it had five taels of meat.

She skillfully broke the wings and tied the pigeon's waist with thatch.

She could slaughter it and make soup while it was fresh when she went back home. It was suitable for her father, who still had injuries on his head, to drink. She had gained a lot today.

With this thought, she bent down and recorded the other fish, leaving only the largest.

Keeping the fish in the space so that others would not take advantage of her since she could not finish it.

However, why would there be pigeons in Fortune Village?

She had never heard of anyone raising such a thing.

Carrying the bucket and the bird, Xiaoxiao stopped thinking about the doubts and continued to walk home.

On the way home, she would pass by a forest. She habitually went around to see if there were any ingredients to collect.

Although she had almost turned over all the ingredients, she could see during this period. Mosquito legs were still meat, and the wild vegetables she had collected could also replenish the points needed to exchange for bait.

If that did not work, it would be better to take it home and make a vegetable dumpling than to eat wild vegetables.

Looking at her swaying back as she entered the mountain, the villagers along the way could not help shaking their heads.

"How can Old Madam Ning bear to do that?"

"She's a stepmother, after all."

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Not long ago, the eldest son of the Ning family was injured at work. There was a bowl-sized hole in his head. The doctor said that he needed ginseng to survive.

Old Madam Ning immediately refused to be treated. No matter how the villagers and neighbors persuaded her, she refused to take a single cent.

Eldest Brother Ning's wife was not to be trifled with either. She immediately said that she wanted to split the family assets. Then, she decisively used a small portion of the family assets as consultation fees.

The bad things came again and again. On the day of the accident, Xiaoxiao, the daughter of the eldest family, suddenly disappeared. She was curled under a slope when found, her face burning red.

Although she was lucky to be alive, her family, who had not received much before, was at the end of their rope. They were about to run out of food.

After waking up, she began thinking about how to make a fortune to fill her stomach.

Fortunately, Fuyuan Village was beside a mountain and a river. It was a good place with a lot of ingredients.

Over the past few days, she had taken advantage of the sunny weather to wander around the village and stuffed a lot of ingredients into the space to exchange for points.

This was the first bucket of gold in the truest sense.

Ning Xiaoxiao hummed happily as she followed Little Spoon's instructions and dug out the wild fungi and vegetables hidden in the cracks of the rocks.

Thinking that she finally did not have to eat wild vegetables tonight, she was excited and walked deeper without paying attention.

After realizing she was far from safety, she did not panic.

Anyway, with Little Spoon around, she could not get lost.

It was still sunny, so she decided to take things as they came. Ning Xiaoxiao ensured no one was around by smelling the fresh scent of plants. With a wave, she put the bucket in her space and focused on picking up the mountain goods.

It had rained a few days ago, so the ingredients in the mountains were growing well.

She had picked up several types of fungi, and one of them was her first time collecting it.

Xiaoxiao happily found a large leaf and wrapped up just enough for one meal. The rest was exchanged for points.

The mission for today was completed. She turned around and was about to return when she passed by a few people.

One of the youths stepped on something and tilted his foot, coincidentally bumping into her.

She did not overthink it. She helped him up, nodded, and left.

However, after she walked far away, the young man behind her chuckled. "There's no need to wait. They can't find us."

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Chapter 2

Confused, the person beside him asked, "Why do you say that, Master?"

The young man placed his hands behind his back and looked in Xiaoxiao's direction.

"Because the carrier pigeon we put out is hanging on her waist."

Everyone's expressions changed drastically. They quickly pretended to chase after her, but the young man stopped them. "Since you can't send it out, just destroy it."

The young man then handed the letter to his subordinate, who had taken the opportunity and removed it from Xiaoxiao's waist just now.

The guard dressed as a hunter said, "I'm going to look for the nearest government official!"

The young man glanced at him. "You've lost your jade token and official documents. Guess if they'll beat you up or…"

He looked down at his hand and frowned. He took out a handkerchief and carefully wiped the redness between his fingers before saying.

"Or will they bring more killers to kill me?"

The guards' faces were pale, and they were at a loss. Then, they were shocked. "That girl!" If she were the assassin's accomplice, their master would be in danger!

The young man stopped on the spot and recalled the woman's appearance just now. His tone was filled with disdain.

"If she's related to the killer, why did she especially show us the carrier pigeon?"

Moreover, the bamboo tube containing the letter was intact. It was obvious that it had not been touched.

The young man patted his clothes and walked in the direction Xiaoxiao had just left.

"Be calm and take things as they come."

…

At that moment, Xiaoxiao had already removed the bucket filled with fish from the space and returned to the dilapidated thatched hut.

When they separated from the family, Old Madam Ning did not allow them to live in their original place. She was worried that they would live close to each other and pretend to be pitiful to gain sympathy, so she gave them the dilapidated house she had planned to destroy many years ago.

However, it was more to Xiaoxiao's liking to stay far away. She didn't have to be too careful when she was preparing dinner.

The owner was only twelve years old. In the modern world, she was still a child. However, it was not rare for such a child to cook in Fortune Village.

Before they separated from the family, Old Madam Ning scolded the owner and asked her to follow her mom to do all kinds of household chores. When she told her mom that she wanted to cook, her mom only hesitated for a moment.

At first, she thought she could do more work since her daughter could help.

However, when she saw the fish her daughter brought back today, she was really surprised.

She knew about the river at the end of the village. Not long ago, the village gathered to net all the fish that could be seen. After that, the villagers stayed by the river for an entire day, but no one could catch any fish.

Unexpectedly, her daughter was lucky enough to meet the fish and catch them.

Madam Song was overjoyed. "Good. It can be divided into three parts. The fish head can stew soup, the fishtail can stew vegetables, and its body can be smeared with salt to make salted fish. We can eat for a few days."

With that, she reached out to take it.

Xiaoxiao did not forget her mission to make pickled fish. Frowning, she quickly retracted her hand.

"Mom, we agreed that if I catch a fish, I'll decide what to do."

Although Madam Song could not bear to waste such a good fish, she was even more unwilling to ruin her promise to her children. Hence, she nodded after thinking for a while.

On the other hand, the second son, Ning Erlang, was extremely worried. "Mom, are you going to hand it over to Sister? What if it's overcooked?"

Madam Song knocked his head. "How many wild vegetable dumplings made by your sister did you eat yesterday?"

Ning Erlang moved to his brother's side with a red face.

Unexpectedly, his brother, who always said few words, taught him a lesson while weaving a bamboo basket. "As a person, you have to keep your word."

On the other side, Xiaoxiao rolled up her sleeves and went into the kitchen. She took out the fat grass carp from the bucket and even muttered something.

"It's been hard on you to suffer in such a cramped place for so long. I'll let you relax now."

After saying that, she threw it to the ground without even blinking.

At the kitchen door, Ning Erlang, who was about to persuade his sister to reconsider, swallowed his saliva and silently stopped.

Xiaoxiao was multitasking. She picked up the kitchen knife and swiftly cut the fish's stomach open. At the same time, she greeted her second brother.

"Second Brother, what's the matter?"

Ning Erlang watched as his sister raised her hand and cut down, cutting the fish's stomach. He cupped his hands very wisely. "I see if you need help."

Xiaoxiao thought for a moment. "Can you get me a jar of pickled vegetables?"

Every family in Fortune Village had pickled vegetables.

The farmers relied on the cropland to grow vegetables for food and drink, but food could not be provided every season. So everyone marinated all kinds of dried and pickled vegetables in advance.

Most of them were pickled vegetables and dried radish.

There was no other reason. These two items were durable and not worth much money.

Because of this, the Ning family readily gave them a few jars when they separated from the family.

To be honest, Xiaoxiao did not agree with the taste of this pickled vegetable.

It was obvious that Second Aunt made this jar. It was only little salt, and the taste was faint.

However, this was not important.

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Chapter 3

After Xiaoxiao cut the fish into slices, she sprinkled a little salt into its stomach and spread ginger slices and onions she had just pinched from the ground to remove the fishy smell. Then, she started to handle the pickled vegetables.

The second Aunt was not paying attention to hygiene. Xiaoxiao should rewash the pickled vegetables.

The second Brother had also heated the pot after Xiaoxiao washed it and cut it into small pieces.

The low-income families couldn't bear to use too much oil, so cooking was even more of a test.

When she saw the pot's steam rising, Xiaoxiao scooped a small spoonful of oil into the pot and then put in the onions, ginger, and dried chili.

She then put in the cut pickled vegetables and began to stir-fry them. After a few stir-fries, she added to water when the pickled vegetables changed color and covered the pot.

The fragrance seemed to be magical as it entered Ning Erlang's nose. He couldn't help but poke his head out of the stove.

"Sister, I think I can eat three big rice bowls with this pickled vegetable."

As if there was so much rice to eat at home.

Xiaoxiao glanced at him coldly and calmly opened another pot.

There was only one stove, but there were two pots. She could cook two dishes simultaneously as long as one piece of firewood was used.

The person who built this kitchen back then had the wisdom which made it convenient for Xiaoxiao.

The things in this pot were simple.

The pigeons that had been dealt with and a few pieces of ginger.

The pigeons were delicious. She just had to sprinkle a few grains of salt. There was no need for other seasonings.

Pigeon soup's fragrance and pickled vegetables' sour taste stimulated Ning Erlang's taste buds. He could not control the increasing amount of saliva in his mouth and asked belatedly, "Then where did you get it?"

Xiaoxiao picked up the plate containing the fish slices and blinked. "Would you believe me if I said it bumped into my arms on the way back?"

Ning Erlang had already lost the ability to think.

His gaze followed Xiaoxiao's action closely. As she poured a large basin of fish slices into the boiling pickled vegetable soup, he shouted without thinking, "Hey, hey!"

She did not know how expensive wood and rice are until she was in charge!

There were so many fish. They would have to eat for three to four days if she was frugal!

Why did she put them all in so quickly?

Forget it, forget it. At most, when the dishes were served later, they could eat half of them and put the rest in the basket.

Farmers would use this method to prevent rats from secretly eating.

Xiaoxiao didn't care what he was thinking and focused on preparing dinner.

She missed peppercorns and octagonal cinnamon but didn't have any at home.

The main was still steamed buns. Not to mention the taste, the poor appearance made her sigh repeatedly.

Although she sighed, she still had to eat steamed buns no matter how ugly.

She placed the steamer on the pot and closed the lid again.

"Second Brother, turn on the fire."

After ordering him around, she sent Ning Erlang away and went to help their mom tidy up the garden.

The seeds had been scattered a few days ago. The vegetables grew quickly. They would see the seedlings in five to six days if cared for.

Compared to other vegetables, it could be harvested in a few days.

She then dug up some wild vegetables and mushrooms. Coupled with the two bags of rice and noodles given to them by the old residence, they could at least last for a while.

After some time, Xiaoxiao felt that she would think of a new way to make ends meet.

The cooking time passed very quickly. The soup had already turned milky white, and the steamed buns were also soft. She slipped back after Xiaoxiao slipped to the kitchen door and ensured no one was around.

A small bowl appeared in her hand. She picked something from the pot, which had more vegetables than fish, and put it in her space.

"Ding! Congratulations, Master. Pickle-boiled fish has been successfully recorded. You have received 200 points."

Xiaoxiao happily ran to the garden to look for her mom and started pestering her.

"Mom, shall we have dinner earlier today?"

Looking at her daughter's sparkling eyes and her son's unconcealable craving, she reached out and poked each of them in the head.

"You guys are too hungry."

"Go and call your big brother."

Erlang happily accepted the mission.

The moment he opened the pot, Ning Erlang forgot his plan.

He took a mouthful of pickled vegetables and a steamed bun. He was so happy.

Xiaoxiao couldn't stand him. She broke open the steamed bun, picked up a mouthful of fish meat and a few pieces of vegetable leaves, and stuffed them in, handing them to her mom.

She handed the second one to Big Brother and then wrapped one for herself.

The fish was sliced very thinly, and the bones were removed.

This bite satisfied Xiaoxiao so much that she let out a moan.

Ning Erlang glared at her suspiciously. "Is that necessary?"

In the end, he couldn't help himself from doing the same.

The sour, spicy, salty, and fresh taste made him unable to say anything.

Ning Dalang looked at his younger siblings in amusement. He did not say anything and took a bite himself.

Then, all of them fell silent.

Other than Xiaoxiao, everyone ate very slowly.

After eating a mouthful of fish, his chopsticks went towards the pickled vegetables.

Xiaoxiao slowly swallowed the food.

"I saw Second Aunt when I was fishing today."

Everyone fell silent. She held her chin in an unfathomable manner. "I thought she would come uninvited tonight."

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Chapter 4

"Others will eat the fish I worked so hard to catch if you don't want to eat."

Madam Song patted her and did not refute. Erlang reacted the fastest. He picked up a few pieces of fish with a stern expression and stuffed them into the steamed bun.

When he bit the steamed bun, it was as if he wanted to bite off a layer of someone's flesh.

However, when the delicacies entered his mouth, he was instantly cured.

"Sister, if grandma knows you have such skills, she will regret only letting you burn the wood and wash the vegetables."

Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes. "You can't shut up even if you're eating!"

"Eat less steamed buns. Save them for the next meal."

"The fish slices can't be kept. I might as well eat fish until I'm full tonight!"

Ning Erlang sighed and focused on eating.

Although his actions were straightforward, he would still push the fish into Xiaoxiao's bowl from time to time.

Xiaoxiao accepted his good intentions and kept helping him.

He did not forget about the other two people at the table.

"Mom, eat. Big Brother, eat too."

"Don't be reluctant. I'll go fishing another day after eating!"

"In the future, I'll make delicious food for you guys and raise the entire family until we're all fair and fat!!"

These words were good enough to hear, but no one refuted him.

After their dad was injured, everyone was mentally and physically exhausted. They needed such a meal and such a dream.

They filled their stomachs and finished the fish. The pigeon soup was also stewed with a fresh fragrance. They poked it with their chopsticks, and the meat separated softly.

Madam Song carried the bowl to feed Ning Fengnian, who had just woken up, pigeon soup. Ning Erlang even took the time to shout at him.

"Dad, remember to eat it cleanly!"

Xiaoxiao almost choked from laughing.

At this moment, Rong Yan and the others, who had just entered the village, were knocking on the door of Zhao Hu's house.

When Zhao Hu opened the door, he looked at the fair-skinned young master in front of him with a puzzled expression. "Who are you looking for?"

One of the guards stepped forward and took his hand.

"Second Master, I've finally found you!"

"We're from your brother's family. We came all the way here to look for you!"

"This is your nephew."

Zhao Hu looked curiously at Rong Yan, who stood quietly at the side.

Rong Yan took out the item to acknowledge him and cupped his hands at him. "There's a water problem at home. My parents have been separated. Uncles brought me here to find you."

The uncles were speechless.

We dared not!!!

It was evening, and smoke rose from the chimneys of Fortune Village.

The door of the house next door was pushed open. A woman with thick arms and a round waist was smashing the door with a bowl bigger than her face.

Rong Yan and the others, who had just come out to familiarize themselves with the environment after exchanging pleasantries with Zhao Hu, turned around and saw this scene.

Zhao Hu shook his head and introduced. "The Ning family lives next door. They just separated from their family. The one staying here is the eldest branch, and the one who came is the second branch of their family."

Second Aunt Ning held the bowl in her hand and banged on the door louder and louder.

The old house was broken everywhere and needed to be repaired everywhere. However, this door was the first thing Xiaoxiao urged her brothers to reinforce.

Not installing barbs was her last act of gentleness.

Hence, even when Second Aunt Ning's palm was in pain, the door did not move.

Xiaoxiao told her brothers in the small courtyard, "Look, this is weakening the enemy's combat strength."

Madam Song glanced at her helplessly and went forward to open the door.

It was fine if she was naughty for a while, but her second sister-in-law would talk about it everywhere later.

Seeing Madam Song's actions, Xiaoxiao quickly walked towards her. "Mom, rest. I'll do it. I'll do it."

She rolled her eyes and pulled the door open.

Outside the door, Second Aunt Ning was holding back her strength to push the door open. She did not pay attention and fell on the ground.

Xiaoxiao dodged nimbly and even blinked as she looked at Second Aunt Ning, who was half-kneeling in front of Madam Song.

"Second Aunt, why are you doing this?"

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Chapter 5

"It's not the New Year."

Madam Song secretly stared at her and helped Second Aunt Ning up.

Second Aunt Ning was never one to be taken advantage of. She scolded, "You blind and annoying. A lazy and useless thing like you will only have a poor life in the future!"

Madam Song turned pale, and she let go.

She could tolerate anything that was said about her, but not her children.

Second Aunt Ning did not expect this to happen. Her feet tilted, and she almost fell back down.

After being unlucky twice in a row,she had a bad mood. After getting up by herself, she was filled with anger. Just as she was about to scold them, she saw three of them looking at her indifferently.

Their gaze made her shudder. She finally remembered the purpose of being here.

Second Aunt Ning wiped her face and said, "Huh, Sister-in-law."

"Dad and Mom haven't been feeling well recently. The doctor said that they're all tired from work."

"If it weren't for Eldest Brother, why would the two elders have to do it themselves and make themselves suffer like that?"

Second Aunt Ning lied without thinking. She made the two older adults lazing around at home sound so diligent.

Then, she again talked about fatherly love and filial piety. She made it sound like her eldest brother's injury had implicated many family members.

Xiaoxiao couldn't help but roll her eyes when she heard her words, causing Madam Song to avoid Second Aunt Ning's gaze and stare at her.

However, the guilt that Second Aunt Ning had aroused was decreased under her daughter's playfulness.

Madam Song's dad was an old scholar and often doted on her. She had studied when she was young. Her few words won't lead her.

Although she was different from ordinary peasant women, she was also a traditional woman who paid attention to filial piety. If Second Aunt Ning said these words as soon as she arrived, she might be touched.

However, when she thought about how Second Aunt Ning had cursed her earlier and looked at her daughter's mischievous appearance, she suddenly could not feel guilty.

She could even think more about her daughter's words when Second Aunt Ning was talking.

Xiaoxiao had been brainwashing her family these past few days.

"When we were in the Ning residence, we chopped firewood, fed the chickens, washed clothes, and cooked. We also had to take care of Grandma's unknown grass. Dad and Second Brother worked day and night, but what about the others? Did they have any other work at home?"

"Mom, I realized that everyone in our family eats the same food, but why did we eat differently from our grandparents, second uncles, and third uncles before we separated? Moreover, we work a lot but only eat porridge."

"Mom, grandparents always say that you and Dad are unfilial. But if this is considered unfilial, how can it be considered filial? Should you cut off meat to feed them, as the storybook said? Grandma hits and scolds us for no reason. Do we have to go along with everything she says? Does she think we're filial this way?"

"But mom, you've never scolded grandma before. Why is she still talking to everyone?"

And so on.

Although she was scolded after saying, Madam Song remembered her words at the same time, making her change unknowingly.

For example, no matter what Second Aunt Ning said now, not only did she not take the initiative to admit her mistake and compensate like before, but she also did not say a word and quietly watched Second Aunt Ning.

Second Aunt Ning spoke until thirsty, but no one answered. She felt a little awkward.

Hence, she changed the topic and finally revealed her real purpose.

"Xiaoxiao was lucky to get a big fish today, right?"

"Parents haven't eaten meat for a few days. They don't mind if it's not meat. Let me have a bowl."

She then handed the big bowl to Madam Song as if it was a matter of course.

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Chapter 6

Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes. "I heard so much from you just now, Second Aunt. I thought you were worried we wouldn't have a good life after we separated and came here to visit us."

"I saw something hidden behind your back just now. I thought it was because you know my dad was injured, so you're here to send some condolences."

"But I didn't expect you'd be here to ask for fish."

Madam Song didn't even glare at her this time. Her expression was cold, and she had no intention of taking the bowl.

Xiaoxiao was right. Her husband was still lying on the bed. They didn't want to care about him, but they still wanted to get benefits from him.

Her daughter was right. The Second Aunt was here to take advantage of her!

"Sister-in-law, you came too late."

Madam Song said calmly, "We've already finished eating the fish."

Second Aunt Ning raised her eyebrows. "How is that possible? It's not time for dinner yet!"

She had come at the time because she thought they had just finished cooking the fish and had no time to eat it. It just so happened that she could take advantage of it. But how could they have finished it?

Xiaoxiao crossed her arms and raised her chin. I predicted your prediction!

Ning Erlang rolled his eyes. He gave his sister a thumbs up.

What they ate was not a waste. Letting her take the fish back would be a deficit, and they would be angry!

Second Aunt Ning said suspiciously, "Could it be that you can't bear to eat it and are deliberately lying to me?"

As she spoke, she walked towards the kitchen.

Bowls and chopsticks were on the kitchen's small table that had yet to be cleaned up. Second Aunt Ning casually picked up a pair of chopsticks and exclaimed, "That's it? That's it?"

Madam Song stopped her daughter and spoke.

"That's right. You've seen the scene now. There are so many people at home. We finished it before we felt full."

She was reminding Second Aunt Ning that it was not easy for them.

However, what kind of person was Second Aunt Ning? Even if others starved to death before her, she would probably only think it was too good to have one less person snatch food from her.

She would not empathize with others, not in her lifetime.

Hence, she asked without thinking, "Why are you eating dinner so early? Your minds are filled with food, but you don't think about your parents! In this day and age, it's not good to be lazy!"

There was even a hint of reprimand in her words.

Madam Song laughed in anger.

"After all, we're not like you. Other than lying in bed to recuperate daily, you're just strolling around the village and gossiping."

"I can't count the number of things I must do daily. Everyone is top-notch diligent, whether it's the children, me, or even his dad, who doesn't forget to weave a bamboo basket while lying in bed."

"Not to mention eating dinner earlier, even if we have three meals a day, it won't affect others!"

To conserve food, the farmers only ate two meals a day. Only the landlords could eat three meals a day like the people in the city.

She had said those words out of anger. Second Aunt Ning had indeed been angered.

"What the hell!"

Once angry, she had no manners and became even more unrestrained.

"As expected, you came from a low-income family with no parents to teach you. Not only did you jinx your biological parents to death, but you also jinxed your husband into bedridden. Now, you still have shame to eat and drink!"

"Why didn't the heavens strike you to death with lightning… Ouch!"

"Who pushed me?"

Xiaoxiao tilted her head and looked innocent. "No, Second Aunt, you kicked the corner of the table, right?"

With that, she even held down Ning Erlang, who was angry and stopped him from going forward.

Second Aunt Ning saw them as easy to bully, so she turned around proudly.

There were no more fish in the Pickle Boiled Fish, but the fresh fragrance lingered for a long time. She swallowed her saliva and stuffed the leftovers on the table into her bowl, not letting go of the pickled vegetables.

Seeing this scene, Xiaoxiao was even more glad they had eaten dinner beforehand. Otherwise, with Second Aunt Ning's behavior, wouldn't they have nothing to eat?

In addition to the Pickle Boiled Fish, there was a plate of stewed mushrooms. Some were left on the plate while hurrying to eat the fish first.

Second Aunt Ning pursed her lips and took them all away with a look of disdain.

Second Aunt Ning would even want to walk around the kitchen again if it weren't for the two men's stern expressions.

Ning Erlang clenched his fists and asked Xiaoxiao.

"What are you afraid of her for?"

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Chapter 7

He asked Xiaoxiao. But just as he finished speaking, her mom patted his head.

"That's how it should be. She's your second aunt, after all. Have you thought of the consequences if you had pushed her just now?"

Ning Erlang was indignant, angry, and aggrieved. His eyes were red.

Madam Song wanted to persuade him again, but when she heard her husband's sound, she had no choice but to take care of him first.

Only then did Xiaoxiao turn to Ning Erlang, but he did not want to look at her. He would rather face the wall than look at her.

Xiaoxiao was speechless.

"Second Brother?"

"Are you angry?"

Ning Erlang ignored her. Xiaoxiao chuckled, "Don't tell me you think I'll let Second Aunt badmouth mom?"

Ning Erlang snorted. "Why did you pull me just now?"

Xiaoxiao was about to hit him.

"Are you stupid?"

"Second Aunt can't wait to tell the village she's pregnant. If you push her, she'll immediately fall on the ground, say that her stomach hurts, and ask us to compensate."

Second Aunt Ning was a top-notch scammer.

Ning Erlang was even more depressed after hearing this. He knew that her words made sense, but he was just unhappy.

"We deserve to be pissed off, then?"

Xiaoxiao smiled slyly. "You're overthinking. Am I such a generous person?"

Only then did Ning Erlang become interested? They stood together and began to mutter.

As he spoke, he did not forget to call Ning Dalang, "Big Brother, help us to delay mom."

Ning Dalang smiled dotingly and went to the kitchen to get a basin of hot water to change his dad's dressing.

Not long after, the old residence sent someone to invite them over, saying that they had a few questions to ask. Xiaoxiao and Second Brother immediately volunteered to go over on behalf of their mom.

Madam Song was worried, but even the eldest son, who had always been steady and doted on his sister, persuaded her. She looked at her husband, who had just removed half of the gauze, and then at her eldest son, who was holding hot water and could not free his hand for her. She then agreed.

If she went to the old residence at the moment, she would probably not be back for more than an hour. She could not let go of her husband's injuries.

However, she would not forget what she had to say.

"If their words are unpleasant, don't contradict them. Just listen to them casually."

"They're your grandparents, after all."

Xiaoxiao nodded obediently as if she planned to listen.

The family ate in the house when the two arrived at the old residence.

However, since no one asked them to come back later and no one invited them to sit down and eat with them, they only could wait in the courtyard.

Xiaoxiao and Ning Erlang rolled their eyes and squatted outside the chicken coop to count eggs to pass the time. They took turns feeding the chickens at the old residence before. It was unknown if the chickens recognized them, but not only did they not hide, they even walked closer to them.

Just as Ning Erlang was sighing secretly that even chickens were more humane than the people in the old residence, he saw the fattest one shake its butt and lay an egg before them.

Both of them were speechless.

At this moment, Old Madam Ning's loud voice came from the dining room. "Hey, count the eggs at home later. Don't miss any."

Was she worried that the two of them would steal eggs?

Ning Erlang gritted his teeth and complained to Xiaoxiao in a low voice, "Petty! Are we that kind of people?"

Xiaoxiao calmly reached out and took an egg. At the same time, she nodded heavily. "Yes, I am."

It didn't matter if she ate it or not. She was just unhappy.

Ning Erlang was dumbfounded. He returned to his senses until he was called into the house.

Everyone in the old residence sat steadily after eating, looking like a master interrogating a criminal.

As the representative, Old Madam Ning thought she was an old lady from a rich family, and she raised her chin.

"I heard that you guys got something good today. When I saw you sent it over, I thought it was rare. In the end, you sent a bowl of pickled vegetables? Who are you trying to send away?"

In less than a minute, she had become the shrew in the marketplace.

"A room full of ungrateful ingrates. Why don't the heavens strike you to death!"

"I raise you guys difficultly back then. It's fine if I can't get filial piety when I'm old, but I must still be so disgusting. Do you want to anger me to death so I can be carefree?"

"Back then, I shouldn't have given your dad a mouthful of milk. I should have pressed him into a bucket of feces and suffocated him to death!"

If not for the fact that he was mentally prepared before coming, Ning Erlang felt that he would have flipped the table.

Taking a deep breath, they showed a surprised look together.

"What? A bowl of pickled vegetables?"

"How can it be a bowl of pickled vegetables?"

Old Madam Ning's curses were stuck in her throat. She narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean?"

Xiaoxiao was worried about Second Brother's acting skills, so the rest of the scenes belonged to her.

She looked panicked in Second Aunt Ning's direction, then quickly retracted her gaze and lowered her head to look at her toes.

"No, nothing. I-I didn't say anything."

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Chapter 8

Ning Erlang was amazed by her action.

He would have also suspected his second aunt if he had not been one of the parties involved.

To prevent the people in the old residence from not being smart enough to understand her performance, Xiaoxiao worked harder and continued her performance.

"Second Aunt didn't even have a bite of fish. Really!"

"There were only pickled vegetables and not a single piece of fish when she got the food!"

She took a deep breath, and her eyes turned red. "We… we ate it ourselves…"

The more she spoke, the weaker her voice became.

Old Madam Ning removed her shoes and slapped Second Aunt Ning while scolding her. Of course, she avoided her stomach.

"You're too lazy. You stole my food, right?"

"You ate everything and still dare to bring it back for me to eat your saliva? Why don't you go to hell!"

"You're not allowed to dodge! If you hurt my grandson, I'll skin you alive!"

Second Aunt Ning felt sad. No one would believe her words even if she said it.

Xiaoxiao was overjoyed. But at this moment, she continued her performance. She scrunched up her face and stammered.

"It's not Second Aunt's eating it!"

"Grandma. Second Aunt didn't ask us to lie to you!"

Second Aunt Ning: Shut up!!!

After the farce ended, Xiaoxiao and Ning Erlang did not care about the old residence's attitude of chasing them away. They covered their mouths and snickered when they walked out of the courtyard.

After running out of their sight, Ning Erlang gave his sister a thumbs up.

Xiaoxiao had a smug look. With her hands behind her back, she flicked her bangs. "Sure, sure. It's easy for me. Learn it in the future!"

After they returned home, this matter naturally couldn't be hidden from Madam Song. She glared at her worrisome daughter and son with mixed feelings and didn't know what to say for a moment.

Xiaoxiao blinked. Although thin and shriveled, her big black eyes were beautiful. They were like top-notch black agate. When she sincerely pretended to be obedient, staring at people, it could melt their hearts.

How could Madam Song bear to reprimand her?

Hence, she turned around and vented her anger on her son.

Ning Erlang didn't feel aggrieved at all. He was overjoyed.

However, he had to scream a few times.

Or her mom wouldn't be appeased.

Before Ning Erlang could feel the pain, Xiaoxiao asked with an innocent and cute expression, "What should we say if they ask us again when we return to the old residence next time? It's not good for each of us to give a different explanation, right?"

Madam Song said angrily, "What else can I say? I can only say that your Second Aunt didn't eat anything."

Xiaoxiao smiled until her eyes narrowed.

She went forward and hugged Madam Song's waist. "Mom is the best."

Madam Song poked her little head. "I owe you!"

Xiaoxiao hummed and avoided her mother's gaze as she gave her second brother a look.

Ning Erlang was much smarter now. He covered his butt and ran. "I'll go clean up the kitchen!"

Rong Yan, who was next door, heard the commotion. He held his chin and smiled after a while. "Interesting."

The owner of the house, Zhao Hu, was holding the things Rong Yan and the others had given him and flipping them around.

He did have an elder brother. Many years ago, his elder brother said he wanted to go out and do the business. Later, his parents had gone, and there was still no news of him.

He did not expect him to succeed. His child grew up, but it was a pity that his brother could not come back…

However, he recalled Rong Yan, who had an extraordinary temperament and was as good-looking. "Is he my nephew?"

However, his wife raised her handkerchief. "Huh, my poor nephew! You must have suffered along the way, right? Don't worry. We're family from now on! We'll take good care of my nephew… and brothers!"

The guards did not expect things to go so smoothly. Seeing that the family had acknowledged their identity, they cupped their fists and thanked them before walking out.

As soon as he left, Zhao Hu pulled Madam Hu over. "Why are you blindly acknowledging him as our relative? What if he's not?"

Madam Hu put away the handkerchief. "You don't even have as much money as the one they casually took out. Why would they lie to you?"

"Besides, didn't they take out your brother's token?"

"I've seen that thing before. You have one too. It can't be faked."

Seeing that he was still frowning, Madam Hu continued, "Your nephew is unfamiliar with this place. Doesn't he feel at ease to have a relative helping him?"

"Could it be that you're willing to let your brother's only bloodline have no one to rely on?"

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Chapter 9

Zhao Hu sighed and brought a pheasant he had just killed as a gift for the village chief to settle his nephew.

When Xiaoxiao woke up the next day, she discovered that Zhao Hu, who stayed not far away from her house, had found her long-lost nephew.

It was said that he had escaped to the wilderness. On the way, his family had either died or scattered. Because he knew that his hometown was in Fortune Village, he came to find relatives and wait for his lost relatives. However, when they heard this, they all sighed. The so-called loss was just a nice way of putting it. How could those separated on the way to the wilderness survive?

Xiaoxiao had only heard a little about this matter. In the past, they did not interact much with Zhao's family. Moreover, pitying others was not their turn, according to her family's current situation. Hence, out of etiquette, she sent a few steamed buns over according to her mom's instructions.

Today was also a day of running around for her life. Xiaoxiao carried the small bamboo basket her dad had made in her arms and carried one on her back as she went out happily.

Madam Song sighed in relief when she saw Xiaoxiao bouncing back from the window.

"She become more lively after splitting up. She's also more capable."

"This is good, but I wish she would always be so small."

Ning Fengnian patted his wife's hand.

"It's a good thing that she's grown up."

Madam Song sighed. "But if she grows up, will she leave us?"

"After all, we can't hide her background forever…"

Stopping her words, she forced a smile. "It's time for you to take medicine. I'll help you up."

Xiaoxiao didn't know what her parents were worried about, so she went to the river again.

However, just as she reached the river, she saw her uncle and aunt out for the first time in the morning and come to the river.

Glancing at the basin beside them and the fishing rod in their hand, Xiaoxiao instantly understood.

They knew she was fishing yesterday and wanted to try their luck today.

She didn't want to stay with these two people, so she turned around and ran in another direction before they noticed her.

She went to find a place with shallow water, more sand, and grass. She put the bamboo basket and threw some bait from the space inside. Then, she wandered around.

Few people usually came to this part of the river bank, so the number of wild vegetables was still considerable.

Fortunately, spring was not over yet, and the ingredients were rich in mountain goods, so her family could barely fill their stomachs.

But this couldn't go on forever.

Time passed in the blink of an eye. Not to mention summer, the weather would quickly turn cold in autumn. At that time, not to mention wild vegetables, even wild grass and fruits, would turn yellow and wither. In winter, there was no food at home and no carbon to burn. There was no way they could survive.

Even now, she couldn't keep finding seafood in the river for her family.

Whether she could eat her fill or not and nutrients was one thing, but if she caught too many of them, it would inevitably attract attention. Why was she the only one who gained anything?

Moreover, the next time they return to the old residence would not be easy to give the reasons.

She did not want to spend so much time searching for it but to benefit someone else.

Other than food, the house also needed a lot of items.

The broken bowl could be used again, but they could not survive the winter with thin clothes.

At the very least, she had to think of a way to add a thick cotton coat each before the end of autumn. Yes, it would be best if they had a new blanket.

Now, they only had the tattered blanket the old residence did not want. It was heavy and hard, and she still felt that there was a smell.

She suspected the owner had swapped her soul because she couldn't survive the cold of winter.

She thought that not only was the Ning family short of food, but they were also short of money.

Thinking about it, she used the small shovel to dig up the soil.

When she was distracted just now, she heard from the space that ingredients were nearby. She thought that it was just wild vegetables.

Using the shovel to remove the soil carefully, Xiaoxiao heard the notification.

[Ding! New ingredient discovered. It's bamboo shoots.]

[Master, quickly pick them. We haven't recorded bamboo shoots before!]

There were several bamboo forests around Fortune Village. The skilled villagers would go up the mountain to cut bamboo and weave bamboo baskets. Some would use them at home, and some would even bring them to the market to exchange for copper coins. Ning Fengnian was an expert at weaving bamboo. The things he made were exquisite, beautiful, and durable.

Because bamboo shoots were bitter, few people liked to eat them. Even the villagers who were not rich felt that only wild boars would eat them.

However, Xiaoxiao, who was once a chef, knew that the taste was astringent. Other than the fact that the season of the bamboo shoots was wrong, it was also because the cooking method was too crude.

She quite liked the dish of braised spring bamboo shoots.

However, at this time, farmers only cooked to fill their stomachs. They did not care about the details and could not bear to use oil.

Usually, it would only be a big pot of vegetables when it was time to eat.

Those with better conditions could eat very well by putting a few pieces of meat into the pot.

She thought of a few dishes about bamboo shoots, rolled up her sleeves, and began to dig.

Half a day had passed unknowingly by the time four or five bamboo shoots appeared.

Xiaoxiao despised the owner's small body. She was sweating profusely just from doing some physical work.

But at the same time, she was helpless.

If she was hungry, where would she have enough strength to work?

Xiaoxiao patted off the soil at the roots of the bamboo shoots and placed them in the basket. Once again, Xiaoxiao was sure that the first step to becoming rich was to fill the hunger!

It was time to pull up the bamboo basket.

The gains this time were quite bountiful, but Xiaoxiao only kept a small portion, and most of it was exchanged for points.

It wasn't that she was stingy, but she knew that the people from the old residence were staring at her. It wasn't good to do things too out of line.

Walking out of the forest, Xiaoxiao wandered by the river until the angry Second Aunt Ning caught her.

She snatched Xiaoxiao's baskets without saying anything. Seeing that there were only bamboo shoots that only wild boars could eat and a handful of small prawns, she curled her lips in disdain.

"Alright, I don't mind. Give me the prawns."

Xiaoxiao lowered her eyes and put down the two baskets. When she looked up again, her expression changed.

Second Aunt Ning couldn't understand but felt her gaze was even scarier than Ning Erlang's.

"What, what's going on?"

"I'm your second aunt. What's wrong with taking a few prawns from you?"

Xiaoxiao snorted. "Looks like you didn't learn enough lessons yesterday."

It would have been better if she hadn't mentioned this. However, the moment she did, Second Aunt Ning was instantly furious.

"I haven't settled that matter with you yet! Who asked you to talk nonsense and frame me?" Her butt was still hurting, slapped by the soles of her mother-in-law's shoes!

Xiaoxiao looked at her calmly and her smile gradually disappeared.

"I don't understand your words. I'm telling the truth."

It was the truth that was hateful! She could not refute it even if she wanted to!

Xiaoxiao continued, "But I was so happy when grandma hit you." As she spoke, she even grinned at Second Aunt Ning.

Second Aunt Ning could not take this provocation. She raised her hand and was about to hit her.

In the blink of an eye, Xiaoxiao screamed and fell diagonally backwards, knocking over the basket containing the prawns. The prawns instantly spilled all over the ground, and the bamboo shoots.

Xiaoxiao's hair had also scattered and covered her face, making it impossible to see her expression.

However, looking at the fall and how she was trembling now, it was not difficult to guess how much strength Second Aunt Ning had used.

Second Aunt Ning was also stunned. She looked at her palm in confusion.

Did she… hit Xiaoxiao? Why didn't she feel anything?

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Chapter 10

From afar, many villagers saw this scene. Those who had some sympathy could not help but go forward and hold Second Aunt Ning.

"Hey, you can't hit a child. What if something happens if you hit her so hard?"

Someone quickly helped Xiaoxiao up. "Child, where did she hit you? Are you alright? Does your head hurt?"

Xiaoxiao covered her face and wanted to get up, but she still shook her head strongly. "I-I'm fine."

"No, it wasn't Second Aunt."

She raised her head and looked at Second Aunt Ning timidly. She bit her lip and said, "I fell myself!"

After saying that, she panicked and packed the bamboo shoots and a small basket. She staggered back to the river and did not even bother to pick up the other bamboo basket containing the river prawns.

What a pitiful little girl who didn't retaliate…

Second Aunt Ning couldn't chase after her even if she wanted to. The villagers, who couldn't take it anymore, were pulling and persuading her.

"Second Aunt, don't be like this. If you continue to cause trouble, we will report it!"

Look at how arrogant she was. She was beating, scolding, and bullying her niece in front of them. In the past, before they split up, they didn't know how she dealt with her.

Initially, they thought it was unfilial of the Ning family to kick a fuss about splitting up when the elders were all fine. Now, it seemed that…

Ning Erlang was picking up firewood nearby. After hearing about this from his friends who were running over, he didn't even want any firewood. He ran towards the area where the accident happened and called her Sister along the way. The villagers who passed by felt sorry for him.

However, when Ning Erlang found Xiaoxiao, she was lying by the river with a lotus leaf covering her face.

Upon hearing the commotion, she lifted her lotus leaf and revealed an unscathed smile.

"Second Brother, what took you so long?"

"Help me dig bamboo shoots!"

Ning Erlang's tense muscles immediately relaxed, but he was still perplexed about the situation. After confirming that his sister was fine, he walked closer and asked, "Did you meet Second Aunt just now?"

"She hit you?"

Xiaoxiao still said the same thing, but her tone was very different.

She waved her hand. "How could I? I fell myself."

"However, I even spun half a circle in the air in the middle and added some details. I feel that this performance is a little outstanding. I think Second Aunt will be confused when she sees it."

It was good that his sister was not at a disadvantage. Ning Erlang heaved a sigh of relief.

As usual, after giving his sister a thumbs up, he remembered to ask, "Why are you digging bamboo shoots?"

Xiaoxiao passed the shovel to him. "Eat."

"Isn't this only for pigs?"

Everyone in Fuyuan Village knew that the wild boars on the mountain would eat bamboo shoots.

The villagers would also dig it back and cut it up to feed the pigs at home with other things.

Besides that, very few people used bamboo shoots to make food.

This thing was bitter, astringent, and difficult to chew. His sister wanted to eat this?

He scratched his head awkwardly. "I think steamed buns mixed with chaff aren't that bad…"

Xiaoxiao glared at him and let him dig without saying anything.

You're the pig!

Hmph! If you can, don't eat it after I make it!

Ning Erlang felt his sister was taking it for granted, but he still habitually helped her dig bamboo shoots. He only stopped after he filled a basket with bamboo shoots.

At this moment, Xiaoxiao picked up the bamboo basket buried by the river again.

Ning Erlang sighed and comforted her in advance. "Sister, don't be sad even if you can't catch her."

"When the river rose last time, all the good things in the river were scooped up by the villagers… Eh, there's so much?"

Xiaoxiao covered his mouth. "Don't expose what you eat, do you understand?"

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Chapter 11

Ning Erlang vaguely remembered that it was not the actual sentence, but he did not refute her.

He still remembered the way Second Aunt looked at the pickle-boiled fish. It resembled how the dog at the village entrance looked at its food.

After tidying up, Xiaoxiao let her hair down again to cover her face before walking home.

It was the time when villagers were returning home after finishing their work. The two children holding bamboo shoots and covering their faces immediately caused a discussion.

At this moment, most people had heard of Second Aunt Ning's magnificent feat. When they saw Xiaoxiao's pitiful look, they felt sorry and thought the Ning family was outrageous.

For this reason, no one in the old residence dared bully them in the current situation.

This was the effect that Xiaoxiao wanted. After entering the courtyard and closing the door, she tied up her hair and rushed into the kitchen.

Good food! I'm coming!

Her eldest brother stopped her halfway through her run.

Ning Dalang helplessly carried her into the house and washed her face and hands with a clean cloth. Then, he picked up a comb and began to comb her hair.

"You're an adult and don't know how to tie your hair."

Although he was scolding her, his tone was full of pampering. He was very gentle and careful. He did not pull a single strand of hair.

Xiaoxiao enjoyed her brother combing her hair with a clear conscience. She patted her chest and promised, "Brother, I'll make a lot of delicious food for you in the future! I'll raise you into a handsome, elegant, and handsome young master."

"No, from today onwards!"

Ning Erlang was jealous. "Today? Eat those bitter bamboo shoots which you asked me to dig?"

Xiaoxiao sat on the stool and raised her short legs, pretending to kick him. "If you can, don't eat the food later!"

Ning Erlang admitted that he dared not.

He did not understand what was going on either. The ingredients were the same, and the salt was the same. Why was it that his sister's food was more delicious than others?

To be honest, even his mom, who had been in charge of cooking for more than ten years, was now far inferior to his sister.

It was just a simple bamboo shoot sprinkled with some onions. He did not know how his sister made it, but it was so fresh that it made him want to bite his tongue off.

She put the shrimp into the pot of boiling water and added small onions, ginger slices, and a few grains of salt.

When the water boiled again, Xiaoxiao picked one up and broke it in the middle. She squeezed her thumb and index finger slightly, and the white and tender prawn tail meat was squeezed out.

The bamboo shoots were sweet and refreshing, and the fresh and chewy prawn. Every bite made Ning Erlang exclaim in surprise.

The rice chaff buns that were difficult to swallow in the past were not enough today.

Even so, his sister propped her chin on her hand and said thoughtfully, "It's still lacking a little."

Ning Erlang stuffed his mouth and asked, "What do you need?"

Xiaoxiao said honestly, "Oil and meat."

Ning Erlang laughed at her. "Of course. How can meat not taste good together with anything?"

Xiaoxiao ignored him and said to herself.

"Stewed spring bamboo shoots and roasted meat with bamboo shoots are the best."

"Simmer bamboo shoots in a hot oil pot and stir-fry them. Add soy sauce, soy sauce, and white sugar. Smooth them over a small fire to dry them. The bright red sauce wraps the bamboo shoots when they're out of the pot. One bite at a time. It's fresh, sweet, and crispy."

"Or put the pork meat mixed with fat into the pot. After stir-frying the oil, stir-fry it and stir-fry it. Add sugar and stir-fry it. Then, pour the meat back and stir-fry it to color it, and add seasoning, water, and ginger slices. When the water is half-filled, put bamboo shoots. After the soup is dried, the bamboo shoots are more delicious than the meat…"

Ning Erlang was already dumbfounded. He didn't know if he understood his sister's words, but his mind was filled with the word delicious.

After a while, he remembered and asked, "How did you know about these two dishes?"

"You haven't eaten it either."

Xiaoxiao said calmly, "That's what I did in my dream. After waking up, I thought about the various smells and felt they matched the smell in my dream."

In the future, she would have to make a lot of delicious food. Instead of hiding it and not daring to show it, she might as well find an excuse in advance.

"Not only that, but I also dreamt of many other dishes!"

Ning Erlang smiled. "Gluttonous, you're always thinking about food, even if in your dream."

Xiaoxiao was not embarrassed and continued to fight with her second brother for food.

Madam Song let them play around. She had thought the separation would be difficult, but after having her children laugh and fool around, she immediately felt much more energetic.

This was good. From time to time, she would feel that their suffering would soon end.

The Ning family's dinner ended with laughter. When the people in the old residence heard about what happened next, they were too lazy to find the eldest branch.

Of course, the most important thing was that he could not afford to be ashamed.

It was said that Second Brother's family had beaten up that girl from the eldest branch in public, and she was ruthless.

Most importantly, there were only a dozen finger-sized shrimps in the bamboo basket. Even if she picked them up and cooked them, filling a small bowl would not be enough.

There was no need to go through so much trouble over such a small thing.

After discovering that the bamboo shoots were edible, Ning Erlang volunteered to dig tomorrow. Xiaoxiao was happy and relaxed. She also happily decided to stay home tomorrow and study new dishes to earn points.

Theiy were harmonious. But Zhao Hu's house, which was not far away, few people had a few bitter expressions

"What's wrong? Master didn't eat anything again?"

"That's right. When we decided to acknowledge the Zhao family, we didn't know that this woman's culinary skills were so bad. Not to mention the pampered and spoiled master, even I almost vomited."

Yun Er did not notice the expressions of his brothers, who were desperately winking at him, and he was still lamenting.

"But even if we still have snacks and dried meat, we won't be able to keep them for long. Besides, we haven't made any income, so we can't just sit around and eat empty food, right?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he heard a voice behind him. "Not bad."

Yun Er was froze. He twisted his neck with difficulty and turned his head. "Master, when did you come?"

Rong Yan said lightly, "When you said I'm pampered and spoiled."

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Chapter 12

He raised his eyebrows slightly and smiled. "Since you know that you can't sit only and eat food for free, go and learn how to farm today."

Since they had decided to stay, they had to keep it decently, so they bought a piece of land from the village chief.

The location of that place was very good. It was close to Dayan Mountain and far away from the Dusk River.

There was a reason why this piece of land still belonged to the village chief.

Firstly, it was not fertile enough and was a poor land.

Secondly, it was too far away from the Dusk River. Every time the villagers wanted to carry water, it would take a long time. If it was unlucky and tripped on the way, it would be lucky to bring back half a pail.

As soon as Rong Yan left, Yun Er looked at the others with a stern face. "Why didn't you remind me?"

Everyone was speechless. "Our eyelids are about to cramp. What can we do if you can't see us?"

Before he mentioned the need for brotherly love, everyone had gone away. One said that he wanted to familiarize himself with the terrain and look where the new house should be built. The other said he wanted to go into the mountains to hunt with Zhao Hu and increase their relationship. The one whose most ridiculous said that he wanted to study recipes!

In any case, all of them were heartless and disappeared in the blink of an eye…

Even Rong Yan wandered out of Zhao Hu's house. Zhao Hu's wife was going to start cooking later. He didn't want to eat, but he would be hungry if he didn't eat. It even confirmed what Yun Er said about being pampered and spoiled.

He raised his eyebrows and kicked away the annoying stones by his feet. He was not spoiled! The wife of the Zhao family cooked disgusting food! Was there no one in the village who could make delicious dishes?

He began to regret choosing to stay at this place. It was good to go to the county. At least there was a restaurant…

However, he knew that there were too many people in the county and hiding was unsuitable.

A wild fruit falling from the tree almost hit him as he was pacing in frustration. Looking up gloomily, he thought, "How good would it be if a chef fell from the sky!"

It was the most comfortable time in the sun. It was bright and moving but not as warm as at noon.

Xiaoxiao carried a small stool and her bamboo shoots to the backyard to diligently peel them.

The villagers who passed by only thought that Xiaoxiao was famished, but Rong Yan remembered the bowl of pickled, boiled fish soup that Second Aunt Ning carried in front of them.

Rong Yan suspected that he was too hungry. Otherwise, why would he have such a deep impression of the leftovers?

At this moment, the bamboo shell on the ground had already piled up to a high layer.

When Xiaoxiao got up, she saw Rong Yan standing against the light.

She had caught a glimpse of him the first time she met him in the mountains. She thought he was fair and tender but did not expect him to be so stunning up close.

Especially when compared to other men in the village, the young man in front of her was so handsome that it made her heart beat faster… Ah, no, it made one feel that he was radiant.

Coincidentally, at this moment, she noticed that the master was inadvertently pressing his stomach.

Xiaoxiao frowned.

As a chef, she knew very well what this action meant.

If it wasn't stomach pain, it was hunger. Both were related to food.

As a chef, she couldn't control her desire to feed him, especially since he was so handsome.

Hence, Xiaoxiao, who had received Madam Song's education to let her be friendly in the village, dusted off her hands and took the initiative to go forward and coax him.

"Hello, are you Uncle Zhao's nephew? We lived too close. We'll be neighbors from now on. You can come and play with me often in the future. My name is Ning Xiaoxiao."

"By the way, I'm preparing to roast bamboo shoots. If you don't mind, do you want to try one?"

Her bright black eyes made people unconsciously ignore her. Rong Yan, originally just out for a walk, nodded for some reason. After nodding, he regretted it. However, Xiaoxiao reacted extremely quickly and did not give him a chance to return to his word.

Xiaoxiao quickly packed the bamboo shoot shells on the ground and waved at Rong Yan with the peeled bamboo shoots. "Come to my house and wait for me for a while." After she finished her words, she ran away.

Rong Yan felt that it was rude to turn around and leave now. Besides, he was also curious about what roasted bamboo shoots were. Could bamboo shoots be eaten? No matter if they were bad, they wouldn't taste worse than the Zhao family's cooking.

Ning Xiaoxiao, from the modern era, didn't intend to guard against men and women. Born and raised here, Rong Yan kept a distance and walked into the courtyard with her.

He politely went to greet her parents before sitting down in the courtyard.

Listening to her parents praise him for his extraordinary temperament, sensible and polite, honorable appearance, and steady and generous. He didn't show the happiness on his face, but his pursed lips curled up.

The countryside was not bad either. At least the people here had good taste.

The courtyard was not big. Some green plants were planted around the courtyard wall, adding a few artistic conceptions to the mottled corners. Although it was not as elegant as the famous flowers in the previous residence, it was still interesting.

As she thought this, Ning Xiaoxiao ran out of the kitchen and pinched the green leaves again.

"I forgot to pick the spring onions."

Rong Yan was speechless.

Chapter 13

The fresh bamboo shoots were blanched and cooled immediately. It could remove the bitterness while maintaining the crispness it deserved.

Of course, controlling the fire was very important during this process. If one was not careful and cooked too much, the tender bamboo shoot would immediately go limp and lose its appetite.

The bamboo shoots that were simply processed could still stand upright when pinched with hands. This meant that the blanching was just right.

Xiaoxiao gave herself a thumbs up and then dragged out the bamboo mesh board her brother had made from the kitchen.

It didn't have any technical skills. It was just intertwining bamboo pieces and forming a tablet with gaps.

After Xiaoxiao finished discharging the bamboo shoots, she stuffed the bamboo mesh board into the stove.

The bamboo net board and the flame were about a fist's length apart. It was just enough to heat the bamboo shoots on it evenly without burning them.

When the bamboo shoot shrank slightly, she pulled back the bamboo board and asked Rong Yan, who was outside.

"Do you mind eating spicy?"

Rong Yan paused for a moment. "It's fine if it's just a little."

Xiaoxiao asked again, "Do you want garlic?"

Rong Yan didn't say anything. He wasn't pampered and spoiled. He didn't eat garlic because it was too smelly.

Hence, Xiaoxiao made a sweet and spicy sauce for him. It was mainly fresh and sweet. She only added a bit of chili powder and used it as an embellishment.

Rong Yan looked at the chili powder in the sauce and hesitated momentarily. Then, under Xiaoxiao's puzzled gaze, he took a bite. He was stunned when he tasted it. The sauce was not spicy at all. The bamboo shoot strips were crispy and refreshing when he bit into them. There was a faint taste in the saltiness and an imperceptible sweetness.

His stomach, which had been tortured for the past few meals, seemed to have been redeemed. He quickly took another bite.

Xiaoxiao propped her chin and watched him eat. After he finished eating, she handed him another one. She was completely immersed in the joy of successfully feeding him.

Rong Yan, who had grown up in luxury life, did not expect to be interested in such poor food, nor did he expect to finish five or six sticks unknowingly.

After eating, his ears turned red as he thought, "Food is the most important thing for people." The ancients were not lying to him.

From the emperor to the common people, eating was a major event regardless of their status.

As he began to strategize in his mind, Xiaoxiao only thought that he ate too little.

When she met such customers, she would usually self-reflect first. Was the food not delicious? Or was it not to his liking?

Hence, she took out other bamboo shoots from the stove, using another method to deal with them. "Why don't you try something else?"

Madam Song happened to hear her words and poked her daughter's head.

Only her daughter could treat a few wild bamboo shoots as treasures and use them to entertain guests.

It seemed that the young master's family background was good. He had already eaten a few mouthfuls, but Xiaoxiao still wanted him to eat,

She smiled apologetically at Rong Yan. "Please forgive me for my poor hospitality."

Rong Yan stood up and bowed. "Aunt, you're welcome. Miss Ning's culinary skills are very good. I apologize for disturbing you."

He thought momentarily and said, "Aunt, just call me Ah Yan."

Madam Song liked this good-looking and polite young man very much. However, her family was poor. She could not take out anything suitable to entertain him. After chatting, she saw he was about to leave and did not ask him to stay.

Xiaoxiao was in charge of sending the guests off. Even though he lived next door, she still couldn't forget their etiquette. Her mom had always valued the upbringing of the siblings.

However, on the way, she couldn't help but mutter, "Actually, the bamboo shoots that are roasted together with the skin have a different flavor. The moment the shell of the bamboo shoots is peeled, the fragrance goes straight into my nostrils! If pork belly with fat and lean meat is sliced into thin slices, rolled up the bamboo shoots, and roasted with my secret sauce, the taste will be amazing!"

Rong Yan was speechless. Why was he suddenly hungry again?

When this girl talked about food, she was just like Aunt Xiao's husband, who was an imperial chef. Her image was too specific and tasteful.

Thinking about it this way, her eyes seemed somewhat familiar.

Xiaoxiao realized that Rong Yan would look at her quietly when she spoke. This made Xiaoxiao, who was always despised for being bold and talkative, feel satisfied and comfortable.

She then became more talkative. "I know how to make a lot of sauces. Sweet, salty, spicy, and sour. I can make whatever you want!"

"I realized that you don't like to eat onions and garlic. Are you like to eat more salty or sweet?"

Rong Yan swallowed and answered honestly, "I like sweet."

Xiaoxiao felt that he was adorable. As she imagined such a good-looking young master hugging a dessert to eat, she was suddenly filled with motivation!

However, it only lasted for a moment. Because, in this era, sugar was a luxury item that her family could not afford.

However, she still said thoughtfully, "I'll remember. I'll make you sweet sauce next time."

After saying that, she turned around and ran back to her house.

When the guard saw Rong Yan standing at the door, he happened to hear her words and looked puzzled.

When did Master become so familiar with the girl next door?

Huh, wasn't this the girl who took their carrier pigeon?

Before he could figure it out, he heard Rong Yan ask calmly, "What did you hunt today?"

Yun Yi, who had gone to the mountains with Zhao Hu to try his luck, shook his head. Rong Yan didn't say anything, but the guard could see the obvious disdain in his eyes.

Yun Yi, also ranked among the imperial guards, felt very aggrieved. Wasn't he trying to hide his strength?

However, he thought that his master wanted him to hunt prey.

He probed, "What do you think I should hunt?"

Rong Yan said calmly, "A wild boar."

He added, "The kind with pork belly."

Yun Yi was speechless.

Chapter 14

A few days later, Xiaoxiao, peeling bamboo shoots at home, looked enviously at the new house next to the hunter's house from its starting building to its completion.

The Ning family had left their old house empty, where her family was now residing. After simple repairs, they could only make it so that it did not leak rain.

She wanted to live in a new house, wear new clothes, and buy pots, pans, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, sugar, octagonal cinnamon, fennel, and cumin…

As she thought about it, her gaze fell on a flower that had bloomed at the corner of the house.

The wildflowers were not very beautiful, but bees were flying around them.

Her eyes suddenly lit up. She stood up and shouted into the house, "Mom, I'm going out for a while!"

Madam Song was already used to her daughter's attitude. She looked at the porridge and steamed buns prepared in the kitchen and reminded her, "Go after you eat."

However, when she finished speaking, Xiaoxiao had already run far away. Madam Song only had time to see her back.

"Huh."

She thought Xiaoxiao couldn't stay home and went out to dig for wild vegetables again.

Her luck was indeed good. Every time she went out, she gained more than others.

She knew it had only been over ten days, but everyone in her family seemed much rosier than before.

Second Aunt Ning, who was strolling outside, coincidentally saw Xiaoxiao as she dashed into the forest. However, Second Aunt Ning was too embarrassed to follow her. There were many people nearby, and there would be a lot of gossip.

After she hit someone to snatch the prawns last time, the villagers said she had forced the eldest branch to snatch food from the wild boar. As long as she approached anyone from the eldest branch, the troublesome villagers would persuade her to accumulate merit for the child in her stomach.

She was not afraid of anything else but had to pay attention to the child. Moreover, the doctor had just said that her pregnancy was not stable.

Second Aunt Ning consoled herself. What good things could a child find in the mountains? Hmph, she didn't care!

This time, Xiaoxiao was patrolling the mountain with a purpose. She went no deeper but followed her memory in a certain direction.

She remembered seeing a large swarm of wild bees when returning home from fishing.

Where there were so many bees, there must be…

[It's a beehive! There's honey in the beehive! Master, we haven't recorded honey either! After this recording, I can upgrade! And I can complete the recording and upgrade at the same time!]

Xiaoxiao asked curiously, "Then, after the upgrade, do you have any new functions?"

The space chuckled and whispered to her. The more Xiaoxiao listened, the brighter her eyes became, and she was even more determined to get the beehive.

She had come prepared for this time. She had made some simple preparations before leaving, bringing a few tattered clothes.

Before taking action, she sifted through her clothes and tightened her cuffs. Then, she wrapped her head, face, and hands with her old clothes to make sure that all the places that could be exposed were covered. Only then did she raise a tree branch in her left hand and a long stick in her right hand and quietly move towards the gathering of bees.

A gray oval beehive was hanging on a tree seven to eight meters ahead.

Hundreds of bees entered and exited their homes to the sound of buzzing.

Xiaoxiao narrowed her eyes and looked up from the seams of her clothes. She recalled that she had received a bee sting when the owner was younger. It was just a bump, but she was not sensitive, so she thought that this trip was not very dangerous.

Just as she finished thinking, she put down the branch and raised her long stick. She slapped the place where the beehive was connected to the branch. The oval beehive fell onto the thick grass and leaves.

The bees all came out. After finding the culprit, they all rushed over with a buzz, looking like they would not stop until she was stung to death.

Xiaoxiao was scared out of her wits. Although she knew she wouldn't die of an allergic reaction just because bees stung her, it didn't mean she wasn't afraid of pain. With so many bees, could she still see people?

It was better not to steal beehives by herself in the future…

With this thought in mind, she ran towards the beehive without slowing down.

Something strange happened. The moment Xiaoxiao touched the beehive, she disappeared with it.

[Ding! Recording successful! Space upgrade!]

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Chapter 15

The angry bees flew back and forth for a long time around the place where the thief had just stopped. They were filled with confusion. Where was she?

At this moment, Xiaoxiao was holding the beehive stored in the space and looking around. What she saw was a motionless colorful world. The blue sky, white clouds, and a familiar round egg on the green lawn.

She suddenly remembered the scene when she took it from the old residence. At that time, she was so angry that she took it, but she did not have the chance to take out the egg after that since her mom would beat her up.

This space was not bad. After being placed for so long, the eggs were still fresh. It would be very convenient for her to go out for a trip in the future.

Now that it had the function of letting her enter and leave, she could hide in her space if she encountered any danger. No one would be able to find her.

The more she praised, the more excited the space became. At this moment, it could not help but praise itself.

[Master, that's not all my functions. If you continue to work hard to make delicacies in exchange for points, I can keep upgrading. Not only can I open the seed shop and provide the various seeds you need, but I can also open fields. In the future, if you want to eat anything, just plant it here. The variety is good, and the growth cycle is short!]

Huh, Xiaoxiao was not sleepy anymore when she heard its words. She asked, "How short exactly?"

The mysterious space kept them in suspense. "It's beyond your imagination!"

It even hooked up with Xiaoxiao. "If you want to know, you have to collect more delicacies and let me level up quickly."

What an old-fashioned marketing method. As Xiaoxiao despised it, she fell into the trap and started to think of a good way to upgrade the space quickly.

She thought that the bees outside were probably tired from searching. Xiaoxiao cut a small piece from the beehive and threw it into the distance when she flashed out of space. Then, she ran in the opposite direction.

The familiar smell attracted the bees, and most flew towards the small beehive. However, some paused for a while before continuing to chase after Xiaoxiao.

Xiaoxiao ran for a while and hid in the space for a while. When she came out again, she threw a small piece of beehive. When only about half the beehive left, a few bees followed her. It was not far from returning to the village. Xiaoxiao checked her condition and took a deep breath. She hugged the beehive and ran out of the space with all her might.

Rong Yan was bored and familiarizing himself with the environment in the village. The guards had yet to contact their trusted people, let alone find the traitor who betrayed them and caused him to be in danger. They could only hide here.

From afar, he saw a tightly wrapped figure rushing out of the forest by the roadside. When it passed by him, it even shouted, "Run, run, there are bees behind us!"

With great difficulty, he could tell from her voice that it was Xiaoxiao. She pulled his sleeve and started running before he could ask what had happened.

She pulled Rong Yan into a haystack without thinking when they passed a haystack.

Not many bees left, especially since there were so many different smells after they returned to the village. They quickly confirmed that they had lost their target and slowly dispersed. At this moment, Xiaoxiao let go of Rong Yan and crawled out of the haystack to pat her chest. "You scared me to death."

Rong Yan: … To be honest, I was the scared one.

Looking down in confusion, he saw a few conspicuous bags on her arm and the back of her hand. Was she… stung by a bee? Where did she go? Why did she provoke a bee?

Xiaoxiao didn't say anything. He thought he was a gentleman, so he didn't ask. However, before he went home, he smelled his hands in confusion. Why did it seem a little sweet? It couldn't be the smell of that girl, right?

Blushing, Rong Yan hurriedly extended his hand and quickly put it into the basin, splashing water everywhere.

At this moment, the guard, Yun Yi, returned with the gift. "Master, we've caught it!"

Rong Yan immediately retracted his hand and wiped it with a handkerchief.

Yun Yi looked at the water in the room with a puzzled expression. Rong Yan snorted. "It's all because you suddenly shouted and I got scared. What did you hunt that caused such a big commotion?"

Yun Yi led his master to the courtyard. A wild boar that was too big was tied up and hung upside down on a pole. It was unknown if it was dead or alive. Yun Yi introduced it expectantly, "Master, this pig looks very delicious and very strong!"

Rong Yan sighed expressionlessly. Was it dependent on a pig to see if it was delicious?

His gaze couldn't help but drift towards the Zhao family's kitchen. It depended on the chef!

Some people could only make food for pigs when they got the freshest meat dishes.

However, some people could turn something only pigs could eat into delicious food.

He thought he was smart and had thought of many ways to choose Zhao Hu's family, the most flawless target. However, everything was well thought out. The only mistake was that the Zhao family's wife's culinary skills were unbelievable!

They could not often go to the county to eat to maintain their image of fleeing. They could only find an opportunity to buy refreshments to pass the time.

The past was unbearable to look back on. Rong Yan looked at the pig, then at the guard, and then at the kitchen. Ultimately, he shifted his gaze to the Ning family's house, not far away.

There was a very good saying in the countryside. It was better to be close than distant relatives.

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Chapter 16

After Xiaoxiao returned home, she covered the beehive wrapped with cloth in a bamboo basket and got some cold water to wash the wounds on her hand. She carefully ensured no bee stings were left after the wounds were washed clean.

Like in the original owner's memory, the wound only swelled up briefly and had a slight itch. Xiaoxiao blew on it a few times and then jumped into the kitchen as if nothing had happened.

It was almost time to prepare for dinner. She lit up the stove, prepared the porridge, and steamed buns for dinner. Then, she took a wooden stick, still smoking from the stove and began to smoke the beehive.

It was very likely that there were some bees left in the hive. They were in the same preservation state as the ingredients in the space. They could not move or attack, but it was different when they came out. Therefore, before she took the honey, she had to let them go away.

At this time, her mom would wash her clothes, her eldest brother would help with the work in the new house next door, and her second brother would pick firewood. Her dad had just fallen asleep, so it was suitable for her to do things unsuitable for others to see.

She could already skillfully put everything she touched into the space, but Xiaoxiao didn't want to compete with the bees in terms of speed, so she used another bamboo basket as a lid to cover the one with the beehive. After smoking the bees out, she stuck a finger into the hole under the bamboo basket.

As soon as she touched the beehive, she put it into the space. This way, there were only bees left in the bamboo basket. Xiaoxiao tied the bamboo basket and placed it aside, preparing to find a chance to set the bees free. It wouldn't be good to rob someone's house and take their life, right?

After settling this, Xiaoxiao removed the beehive from her space, prepared a clean kitchen knife, bowls, and chopsticks, and cut the honey. Cutting the honey was an inspiring thing, at least for Xiaoxiao.

With one cut, the long-lost sweet fragrance made her drool. Enduring the desire to lick it, Xiaoxiao poured the honey into the bowl. It was a beautiful amber color that looked like the eyes of the young master next door.

The beehive was not too big. It could only pour two bowls. Xiaoxiao put one bowl into the space to keep it fresh and kept the other bowl for eating. Then, she brought over boiled gauze and wrapped it around the beehive. She squeezed hard, and thick honey flowed out along with the force she used to twist the gauze. Soon, another bowl was filled.

She found the largest clay jar in the house and washed it clean. She boiled it with boiling water and placed the remaining beehive residue into it. Then, she soaked it in a bowl of clear water. Only then was the harvest for today was done.

The two bowls of fragrant honey on the table made Xiaoxiao squint her eyes in delight.

Before the adults returned home, she scooped out a spoonful from the flour bag and added the sauce she had mixed herself to mix evenly. She poured it into the pot and stirred it while heating it. She brought over the small jar by the pot when it began to steam.

The jar contained the powder she had ground from small shrimps. Usually, it was used to make dishes to increase the freshness, and everyone at home liked to eat. Now that it was added to the noodles sauce, the umami flavor filled the kitchen once it was heated. She added honey and boiled the noodles sauce until it was thick. Finally, she scooped out the bubbling sweet noodles sauce.

Some of it was stored in the earthen jars used to store seasonings at home, while the rest was carefully scooped into the most beautiful small jars. Then, she placed them on the shelf and waited for them to cool.

While waiting, the porridge in the pot had already started to boil. Xiaoxiao looked guiltily at the door to ensure no one was there. Then, she quickly removed the eggs from her space and scattered them into the porridge. She also scattered the cut wild vegetables and mushrooms.

Just like that, the porridge was suffocated. She removed a few sweet potatoes from the food bag in the kitchen corner and deftly cut the skin into pieces to cut the underwater pot. She made a simple version of the shredded sweet potatoes.

There wasn't much oil at home, and they used the original honey. It was impossible to make it as delicious as before. Fortunately, wild honey was fragrant and mellow, and the taste was not ambiguous. She couldn't help but eat two pieces as soon as it was ready.

"Huh, you secretly eat it!"

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Chapter 17

Ning Erlang's shout was so sudden that Xiaoxiao was so shocked that she almost choked.

She glared at him and poked a sweet potato with chopsticks before stuffing it into his mouth.

"Now we're accomplices."

Ning Erlang widened his eyes and was about to retort, but the taste in his mouth startled him. "Sweet? Is it sweet?"

The moment he went back home, he smelled candy. He thought that he had fainted from hunger and was hallucinating. Now, even his tongue was trying to deceive him?

He chewed hard. "I'm not dreaming, am I?"

Xiaoxiao pulled him in as if presenting a treasure and pointed at the two full bowls. "What do you think?"

Ning Erlang was overjoyed but still confusedly asked, "Where did you get it?"

Of course, Xiaoxiao would not tell him the truth. Taking advantage of the fact that there were no witnesses, she talked nonsense. "I picked it up! I wanted to go to the forest to look for fungi today. When I turned around, I happened to see it, so I picked it up."

Ning Erlang didn't believe it, but he didn't have any evidence, and Madam Song and Ning Dalang didn't believe it either. However, the honey was right before them, so they had no choice but to suspect it. Xiaoxiao couldn't have risked her life to snatch it from the bees.

The Ning family's dinner today was very sumptuous. The plate of honey sweet potatoes was all eaten, but only steamed buns were left. Madam Song used her chopsticks to stir the wild vegetable porridge in her bowl and asked in surprise, "Where did the eggs come from?"

Xiaoxiao's expression did not change. "I saw a nest of bird eggs when I saw the beehive, so I put them into the porridge."

This time, even the calmest Ning Dalang could not help but pat her head. "Little Sister is so lucky."

Xiaoxiao acted cute to him. "Yeah. Children who like to smile won't be too unlucky~"

After saying that, she even poked the corner of his mouth and smiled. "Brother, you have to smile more. With such a cute sister like me, you should have o smile more! Moreover, my brother is so good-looking. It would be a pity if you didn't smile!"

Ning Erlang slapped her hand away and covered his brother's face. "Then laugh three times. Maybe you'll pick up a wild boar and give us a delicious meal tomorrow!"

Xiaoxiao felt that he was jealous because she had praised Big Brother but not him. But she liked to see Second Brother jealous. The more anxious Second Brother was, the more she liked to continue teasing him. Hence, she looked at the sky and the ground but did not look at the face Second Brother had approached her. She even swung her short legs under the table and kicked him. As she kicked, a very polite knock was on the door outside the room.

Rong Yan, who Ning Fengnian and his wife had praised, was standing outside the door. His guard looked a little embarrassed as he carried two skewers of meat.

Noticing Ning Erlang's gaze, he explained, "I went into the mountains to hunt. I was lucky. A wild boar charged around, and we got lucky."

Ning Erlang was speechless.

He touched his chin and looked back at his sister with a dark expression. "Sister, give me a smile."

Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes at him.

Rong Yan realized that they had come at the wrong time. He was used to having three meals daily but had forgotten that ordinary farmers only ate two meals daily. This was the time for the Ning family to eat dinner.

He smelled the fragrance, and Rong Yan couldn't stop it even if he wanted to. He had already forgotten what he wanted to say.

Xiaoxiao sighed. "You came at the right time. I have something to give you. Wait for me for a while."

Due to his upbringing, Rong Yan couldn't interrupt others, so he stood obediently and smiled at everyone in the Ning family.

Madam Song couldn't stop smiling. She felt that Rong Yan didn't have the arrogance of an ordinary rich family. He was good-looking and polite, so she repeatedly invited him in to sit.

How could they disturb other people when they were eating? The Ning couple invited them warmly, but Rong Yan could only reject them tactfully. After a few rounds, Xiaoxiao rushed back with a jar in her arms.

Madam Song held her down and taught her softly, "Slow down. What's with the rush? Look at Young Master Ah Yan."

Xiaoxiao looked over. She even commented seriously, "It's quite good-looking."

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Chapter 18

Rong Yan was speechless.

The Ning couple's praise was acceptable, but Rong Yan felt embarrassed when this girl said he was good-looking.

Madam Song froze. She wished she could cover Xiaoxiao's mouth and stuff her back into the kitchen. Listen to this. Those who didn't know better would think that she was a lecher! Where did she learn this from?!

However, Xiaoxiao did not realize what was wrong. She even took out a small jar and enthusiastically gave it to Rong Yan. "Here, this is the housewarming gift I prepared for you. It's the sweet noodle sauce I just made. It's especially convenient to eat. If you want to eat pancakes or steamed buns, just wipe it on it. If you want to eat noodles, cut the minced meat and stir-fry it with this sauce. The taste can be said to be superb!"

She had made too many noodle sauces. Although the weather was not hot, the sauce could not be used for many days. The young master next door was good-looking and polite. When she saw him, she wanted to feed him. She could not change her habit of wanting to stuff food into her mouth when she saw a beautiful person.

Ning Erlang snorted secretly, "You make it sound like you've eaten it before. Huh, I believe you… Can you make it for me? Huh."

When Rong Yan looked down at the jar of honey, he also saw the swelling on Xiaoxiao's hand that had yet to disappear. He recalled how she had wrapped herself tightly to hide from the bees and how she had said that this jar of sauce was a gift for him…

So, this honey was for him? Just because he said that he liked sweets?

Recalling how little time they had spent together, Rong Yan's expression became even weird. Could it be that this girl from the Ning family had taken a fancy to him?

The sweet fragrance from the jar made it difficult for Rong Yan to refuse. Thinking of the Zhao family's wife's cooking and touching his aching stomach, he felt very conflicted.

After hesitating for a long time, he found a solution. He called Yunyi to bring the two pieces of meat over and said to Xiaoxiao.

"Thank you for taking care of me these past few days. This is a little gift. I hope you don't mind." Returning a bow was reciprocation. This also showed that he only treated Xiaoxiao as a neighbor.

Xiaoxiao's eyes shone as she looked at the two pieces of meat. She thought, "I don't mind, I don't mind. Even if I dislike something, I can't dislike meat!" Looking at the evenly cut snowflakes and the beautiful white, fat, red, and thin meat, it was obvious that the meat was superior quality and would be fresh and delicious. If it wasn't for the fact that she had just finished eating, she would have gone to stir-fry a plate of double-cooked meat now!

Before her mom could decline, she took the meat and thanked Rong Yan profusely. Rong Yan left with the noodle sauce.

This was good. As the saying goes, one should not receive a reward without doing something. But now that they were exchanging favors, it was immediately reasonable. However, after a few steps, he instructed Yun Yi, "Send my medicine to the Ning family's girl." He did not know if the bee sting could use this medicine, but he had nothing else.

Madam Song was afraid that her daughter would repeat something shocking, so she didn't bother to return the meat to him.

Rong Yan walked out of the Ning residence and subconsciously quickened his pace. Yun Yi followed behind him, still feeling a little puzzled.

Didn't he say that he would ask about the meat's cooking method? Why did he give it away so easily?

And that medicine… the girl was injured?

After putting the sweet noodles sauce on the kitchen shelf, Rong Yan turned around and glanced at Yun Yi, who immediately went to cook the noodles and cut the meat. Although he was not a skilled chef, he could still do such a simple thing.

According to the girl, the salty and slightly sweet minced meat noodles were quickly served in the pot. The white noodles and amber-colored minced meat were mixed with chopsticks. The fragrance entered their noses through the steam. It was not an exaggeration to say that this was the most decent meal since they came to Fortune Village.

Zhao Hu was unsurprised that his nephew was not eating with them today. His wife's culinary skills… Forget it. Let's not talk about it.

While eating happily, Madam Song had yet to find a chance to talk to her daughter when another guest came to the house. This time, it was an uninvited guest.

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Chapter 19

Second Aunt Ning had learned her lesson. She did not slap it with her hands and only kicked it with her feet, avoiding her hand pain. "Is there anyone? Don't pretend that there's no one. I can see smoke coming out of the chimney. Open the door for me!"

Xiaoxiao finished the bowl in a few bites. The others followed suit and stuffed themselves with all the dinner that they could not bear to eat too quickly just now. Ning Erlang even sighed. "What a pity. I want to chew slowly."

The family tacitly cleaned the dining table without leaving any traces of delicious food. Even the used bowls and chopsticks were soaked in the pot. But even so, everyone still found it difficult to look at the two pieces of meat and two bowls of honey.

People thought Second Aunt Ning was about to kick down the door as the sound of the door opening got louder and louder. Xiaoxiao pushed everyone out. "You guys go first. I'll hide." Once everyone left, she waved her small hand and put the meat and honey into the space. She opened the window, opened the door, and waved to dissipate the sweet smell.

Xiaoxiao heard Second Aunt Ning shout in the courtyard unhappily, "Why did you take so long to come? The little girl went into the mountains today and found something good, right? Quickly bring it over. I'll bring it home for you to show filial piety to parents." Xiaoxiao clicked her tongue and thought something. She turned around and walked towards the basket she had placed in the corner.

Second Aunt Ning was certain that the Ning family had something good and did not care that this was someone else's house. She ran straight to the kitchen. When she entered, she saw Xiaoxiao suspiciously hiding the basket in her arms behind her.

"Second Aunt?" Xiaoxiao panicked and tried to use her body to block the basket behind her. "Why are you here?"

Second Aunt Ning put her hands on her hips proudly. "Why? Don't you welcome me? What's behind you?" As she spoke, she went forward to pull Xiaoxiao. Xiaoxiao pushed her a few times, but she was pulled away as if she couldn't win against Second Aunt Ning's strength. Hence, she used the force to retreat to the door and pulled Second Brother and the rest who were about to go forward.

Ning Erlang was filled with regret. He shouldn't have listened to his sister and let her stay alone. If he was here, he wouldn't have been caught red-handed just after putting the good stuff in the basket.

There was so much meat and honey. He hadn't even eaten, and it was already gone.

Their reactions gave Second Aunt Ning even more confidence. There must be something good in the basket! She was used to being impolite. She rolled up her sleeves and was about to open them.

Xiaoxiao exclaimed, "Second Aunt, don't! Please don't! That's not food. You have to believe me. You'll regret it if you open it!"

The more she said this, the more Second Aunt Ning did not want to hear it. This little girl still wanted to fool her? She had experienced more than this girl. This little girl was still too inexperienced to fight with her!

As soon as she placed her greedy hands on the side of the basket, Xiaoxiao pushed Ning Erlang and ran out.

Ning Erlang was a step slower. He happened to see a few bees buzzing out of the basket. There were not many, but more than ten of them. He was stunned but strongly desired to live and did not forget to run with his sister.

Ning Dalang also realized something. He ran out the door and asked his sister in a low voice, "What's in the basket?"

Without waiting for Ning Erlang, who was panting, to speak, Xiaoxiao said mysteriously, "Pretending to be retribution for Second Aunt."

Then, Second Aunt Ning screamed louder and louder, "Help! Help! Ah! There are bees!!"

If his mom wasn't here, Ning Erlang wanted to clap. However, Xiaoxiao still had time to tell her mom, "Mom, don't worry. I've already closed the door and windows of dad's room. Bees can't enter."

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Chapter 20

Madam Song calmed down instinctively. She only reacted when Second Aunt Ning disappeared. No, why did she feel at ease? She should have helped go to help Second Aunt Ning… right?

Madam Song, who had yet to realize that her daughter had subtly changed her, heaved a sigh of relief. She looked in the direction Second Aunt Ning had run off in and frowned. "Second Sister-in-law is too exaggerated." There were only dozens of bees, but her cries sounded like she had poked a hornet's nest.

Xiaoxiao didn't expect that she only wanted to scare Second Aunt Ning and teach her a lesson, but the effect was so shocking. Unsurprisingly, she ran to the stove and reached out to the woodpile, pretending to take out the two pieces of meat she had just now put from her space.

Madam Song understood at a glance. "No, we've already eaten dinner. Keep it and we can eat slowly. We'll have meat and fish for the next half a month."

What? Xiaoxiao was shocked. This was too good at living. She swallowed her saliva and squeezed out a worried expression. She even sighed. "But mom, I think that Second Aunt is coming here often. I'm afraid this meat won't be able to stay in our house for so long."

Madam Song: … She felt that her daughter's words made sense.

Seeing a chance, Xiaoxiao continued, "Mom, look. The person next door gave us such a big gift. I feel a little embarrassed to accept it just like that."

Madam Song thought, "Why didn't you think so when retrieving the meat just now?" But she continued to hear her talking.

"Shouldn't we return the favor? They don't look like people who can cook at home. Why don't I cook this meat and give them settle their dinner?"

Her words seemed to make sense. Xiaoxiao tricked Madam Song. As Xiaoxiao spoke, she lit the stove again and picked up the kitchen knife to cut the meat into thin slices. She even waved her hand and arranged for her second brother to send a message next door to wait for delicious food. Fine, it was too late for Madam Song to stop her.

There were clear marble patterns on the sliced pork belly. It was obvious that the meat was of high quality. If this was a wild boar, it would probably be a lazy pig that could eat, sleep, and not exercise.

It was good to be a lazy pig. After processing, the meat would be fragrant and crispy. It was suitable for fat and thin, and the taste was the best.

She wrapped the blanched bamboo shoots in the meat slices, then skewered them with a bamboo stick and placed them on the pot. With a sizzling sound, oil was roasted out of the meat slices. When the bright red meat slices matured, they were brushed with the secret sauce, and the fragrance immediately spread.

Xiaoxiao took a bunch of meat when no one was paying attention and exchanged them for points. She made up her mind to use the rest of them as sacrifices.

The members of the Ning family, who were not full, to begin with, suddenly felt hungry. No one noticed that Xiaoxiao's hands did not stop rolling the meat skewers. Only when the pot was filled did she shout, "Huh, I accidentally put too much. We can't keep such good things. Why don't we eat a few too?"

Madam Song looked hesitant, so Xiaoxiao guided her patiently. "Just a sip so that you can give me some suggestions. Don't send the bad food to the neighbors, right?" Madam Song felt it made sense and nodded in agreement, but she also felt something was wrong.

Xiaoxiao did not give her any time to sort out her thoughts. She smiled and started to distribute the food. She only put it into her mouth when her parents and brothers had eaten. Occasionally, she would say, "It's salty" or "It's bland". Instantly, there was only the sound of chewing in the room. Unknowingly, half a piece of meat had disappeared. Madam Song was shocked and stopped Xiaoxiao from continuing. This girl was careless.

After eating, Xiaoxiao looked at the remaining pork and licked her lips, unwilling to put down the knife.

No, she still felt uncomfortable. She was unwilling to believe that so many good things would only benefit the people from the old residence.

She thought and said, "Mom, shouldn't we call a doctor for a follow-up checkup on dad's injury? Also, we only have a few vegetable crops at home. This is a problem…"

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Chapter 21

When Ning Erlang sent the bamboo shoot meat roll the next door, the noodles were just out of the pot. One bite of noodles and one bite of meat were fragrant.

The guards were praised for Xiaoxiao's thoughtfulness and good culinary skills. They urged their eldest brother, Yun Yi, to go to the mountains again and remembered to hunt more wild boars to give to Xiaoxiao.

Hunter Zhao's movement was too fast. He couldn't wait to find a buyer when the prey was brought back. They wanted to send more to the next door, so they could get an extra meal, but it failed. Huh, they could only blame themselves for setting up a fatal family character that needed to rely on hunting and selling prey to survive to enter the city. It was a sad story.

Rong Yan, on the other hand, looked at the delicious food and fell into deep thought. He did not owe her, but what about now? This girl was quite persistent…

Second Aunt Ning cried back to the old residence. With snot and tears all over her face, she exaggerated the matter again, making Old Madam Ning slam the table and curse.

Second Aunt Ning was her niece. She would stand on her niece's side unconditionally when it came to matters that had nothing to do with her mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. Moreover, she did not like the eldest branch to begin with.

Slapping the table, Old Madam Ning immediately wanted to put on her shoes and settle scores with the eldest branch. Unexpectedly, just as she reached the eldest branch's residence, she saw a familiar white-bearded doctor walk out of the house. Xiaoxiao didn't panic when she saw the people from the old residence and went forward to greet them.

"Hello, Grandma. Hello, Second Aunt. Are you here to visit my dad?"

"It just so happens that Doctor He is here for a follow-up. The medicine that was prescribed earlier has also been used up. Do you know my family is in trouble, so you especially came to help us pay?"

Her gaze only met Old Madam Ning angrily. Pay? Even in her dreams, it wouldn't be so beautiful! She was about to spit out a mouthful of thick phlegm when she saw a familiar figure coming out of the courtyard of the main house. Was that… the village chief?

Old Madam Ning choked on her saliva and coughed repeatedly. Xiaoxiao hid the schadenfreude and ran to the village chief's side. "Thank you for making this trip, Uncle Village Chief. My dad's injuries haven't recovered yet. The doctor said that he can't be blown by the wind, or he might fall ill easily, so I can only be ashamed and let you out!"

The people from the Xiaoxiao family were all wise. Before coming, they had specially sent the village chief a piece of meat and a small jar of honey. The village chief was also happy to make this trip. "It's fine, it's fine. Fengnian had hurt his head, so he had to recuperate well. You did the right thing. I only took a few steps. It's nothing."

Then, his gaze paused and saw Old Madam Ning's unnatural expression.

He had heard all the rumors in the village over the past few days. He and Lizheng had been in charge of separating the Ning family. Because the village had always had the habit of the elders being inseparable from the family, at that time, they had thought that Fengnian's wife was too domineering and lacked filial piety. Now, it seemed…

Thinking about the huge pile of bamboo shoot shells in the courtyard and Ning Xiaoxiao stepping on the stool to reach the stove, he felt that Old Madam Ning was really unkind.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, who had planned to cause trouble, were at a loss. They seemed to be able to hear the whispers around them. "I heard she saw the girl carrying something back from the mountains and wanted to snatch it again!"

"Huh, she's already forced her to this point, yet she still makes a fuss. What a sin. As expected, a stepmother is a stepmother."

Old Madam Ning liked to flatter herself. She usually liked to talk about the eldest branch. Although she was a stepmother, she raised her eldest son, Ning Fengnian, until he became an adult. It was as if she had done him a great favor.

Seeing that the image she had built over the years was being spoiled, especially in front of the village chief, she could not help but pinch Second Aunt Ning angrily. Second Aunt Ning grimaced in pain, but she had to endure it and did not dare show it.

Xiaoxiao had seen their actions. She pulled Doctor He forward and said sincerely, "Grandma, you're so good to us!" Then, she stretched out her hand to Old Madam Ning. Her meaning was obvious. She wanted money.

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Chapter 22

Of course, Old Madam Ning was unwilling to give her money, but the surrounding villagers were staring at her. She couldn't reject her directly, so she cleared her throat and said, "Who will bring so many copper coins when out?"

Xiaoxiao pretended not to understand what she meant. "I don't dare to trouble grandma. I'll go get it for you now." Anyway, the money today had to be paid by Old Madam Ning. Otherwise, wouldn't she have called the doctor and village chief for nothing?

She couldn't eat the meat, and felt sad. However, giving it to the village chief was better than giving it to the old residence. If she gave it to the people in the old residence, not only would it be of no help to her family, she might even be scolded. If she gave it to the village chief, it would be different. After all, it was for the benefit of her family.

Old Madam Ning was extremely unhappy, but looking at the village chief's stern face, she couldn't make a scene. Hence, she kept winking at Second Aunt Ning. "What money does this little girl have? You go ahead."

Madam Song had just helped Ning Fengnian to apply the medicine in the room. When she heard the commotion and came out, Second Aunt Ning had already turned around and left reluctantly. Xiaoxiao pulled Ning Erlang over and winked at him with her back facing them. "Brother, we forgot to pour a glass of water for Uncle Village Chief. How dare we!"

Ning Erlang immediately understood and ignored the village chief's refusal. He quickly entered the house and poured a cup of hot water. He even gritted his teeth and added a small spoonful of honey.

The village chief also sat down to smell the rare sweetness in the cup. Ning Erlang also poured a cup for Old Madam Ning. He forcefully pulled her into the courtyard to drink water. Of course, her cup was just ordinary plain water.

When Xiaoxiao arrived at the old residence, Second Aunt Ning entered the house faster than her. She was so nimble that she did not look like a pregnant woman who had been pregnant for a few months. She was in a hurry to discuss it with the head of the family.

They could pay, but they still had to be calculative about how much they had to pay and make the eldest branch return it.

Without Xiaoxiao and her family, the old residence was much more spacious and messy. No one had cleaned up the dust and debris on the ground, and the strange smell and dirty things in the chicken coop were even harder to ignore. Xiaoxiao simply did not understand how this group of people could endure it.

She looked around the courtyard and saw that no one was around. She was about to knock on the main room door when she heard whispers coming from the second room.

First, Second Aunt Ning asked uneasily, "Master, what do you think of this?"

Then, Second Uncle Ning said angrily, "If I had known earlier, I wouldn't have hit his head with that stick…"

Xiaoxiao stopped in her tracks, and her expression instantly turned cold.

She nimbly moved to the side of the second room and found a window to squat down. She could hear more clearly from here.

Second Aunt Ning's sharp voice made Xiaoxiao's face turn cold. Second Aunt Ning said, "Why don't you use a little more strength and kill him? It's better than dragging us down like this occasionally."

They had to give a large amount of copper coins to the eldest. Just thinking about it made her angry.

Xiaoxiao clenched her fists and used all her strength to avoid breaking in. She forced herself to maintain her rationality. Although she wanted to beat the two bastards to death, she was still young and could not beat the two tall and burly bastards. Moreover, even if she told them about this, these two people would not admit it. They might even accuse her and slander their family.

She needed evidence that could not give them a chance to quibble.

Second Uncle Ning snorted. "What do you know? Hurting people and killing people is far different. Would the village chief and junior officer have ignored this matter if he had lost his life then? If this matter reaches the government office, even if I know a bailiff, this matter can't be suppressed. At that time, who knows their methods and if they will discover the truth."

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Chapter 23

Xiaoxiao felt that she couldn't listen anymore, or she might be unable to control herself.

Whether it was the owner's memories or her experience after transmigrating, their kindness had already made her treat everyone as her family. How could she tolerate her family being hurt like this?

She quickly returned to the door and pushed the door against the wall. She pretended that she had just arrived. Old Sir Ning, the second branch, and even her aunt, hiding in the room and putting on makeup, ran out. When she saw it was her, her aunt, Ning Xiao'er, was the first to shout, "Stupid girl, what are you doing?! My rouge is crooked. How ugly!"

Xiaoxiao glanced at her ugly face and thought, "Makeup had nothing to do with your ugliness." Then, she looked at Old Sir Ning. "Grandpa, Grandma asked me to come and get my dad's consultation fees. Second Aunt knows about it." She couldn't be bothered to tell them anything else.

Second Aunt Ning wanted to lie, but Xiaoxiao added, "Uncle village chief and Grandma are still waiting for us."

Second Aunt Ning was speechless.

She could only tell them the truth and return the copper coins.

She didn't know if it was an illusion, but she kept feeling that Ning Xiaoxiao's gaze on the way back was a little scary, making her have goosebumps.

Suppressing her hatred, Xiaoxiao quickly paid the consultation fee and respectfully sent the village chief away. At this moment, Old Madam Ning already knew why the village chief had appeared in Xiaoxiao's house. "You want to buy land?"

Once the village chief left, she revealed her true personality and sneered. "You have the money to buy land, but you don't have the money to pay the consultation fee. Do you think I'm a fool?"

Madam Song grabbed Xiaoxiao, who was about to speak. How could she let her children stand before her at a time like this? "Mom, we bought this land on credit."

There was a precedent for this. To not waste the spring plowing time, the eldest branch first bought two acres of land on credit with the village chief and agreed to replenish the money they had spent on the land at the end of the year or hand over 300 catties of food.

Considering their current ability, what the Ning Family wanted was middle-quality land. It was not as good as the best quality land, but it was not poor, so one acre was three taels of silver, and two acres was six taels.

Old Madam Ning didn't think they could have so much money, so she was certain this group of fools wanted to work for free. They had worked hard to farm for a year, but in the end, they had benefited others.

The yield of an acre of land is about 300 catties, the best quality land. With the two acres of land they had on credit, it was lucky for them if it could grow a total of 500 catties. In other words, after paying 300 catties of food, they would only have about 200 catties left. With so much food, how could they be full of five members in a family?

Old Madam Ning secretly gloated. "Who asked you not to know how to appreciate favors and insist on splitting up? With that little injury on Ning Fengnian's head, he could lie in the house for three days. Why did you have to ask a doctor to prescribe medicine? There was also expensive ginseng in the medicine. Was Ning Fengnian worthy of eating noble ginseng?"

She was gloating secretly, and did not pay much attention to what had happened today. She then proudly brought Second Aunt Ning, who had come to deliver the money back home.

Second Aunt Ning's heart ached along the way for the copper coins she had just given out. Old Madam Ning couldn't bear to see her useless appearance and spat. "Don't worry. Isn't it just a few copper coins? Just wait. Soon, they'll return it with interest."

No one in the eldest branch knew what Old Madam Ning was up to. After sending the village chief away, the family was a little excited. Ning Erlang's eyes lit up, and he still remembered to ask in a low voice, "Dad, mom, we have land? We have our land?"

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Chapter 24

Madam Song patted his shoulder in amusement and looked at her eldest son, who was not good at talking but was happy, and her youngest daughter, who was about to jump up. She nodded and said affirmatively, "Yes, we have land! In the future, we'll farm our land and support ourselves."

When they split up, she still felt guilty for letting her children leave the old residence with her to suffer a bad life. Now she felt that her decision was right. It was fine to suffer a little. No one in her family was lazy. They were filled with endless strength to work hard in the future.

After these few days of recovery, the bloody wound on Ning Fengnian's head had already scabbed over, and he was no longer often dizzy. His wife assisted him today in walking a few rounds in the courtyard after he finally received the Doctor's approval.

However, when he walked from Madam Song to the youngest, Xiaoxiao, they all stared at him, ready to carry him back into the house if his situation was not right.

Ning Fengnian felt very pressured, so he tried to say a joke to ease the situation. "I've finally experienced the feeling of confinement these few days." After saying that, he was glared at by Madam Song and taken back into the house.

Only then did Ning Fengnian remember that Madam Song had never gone through a good day when she was with him? Every time, she would be urged to be busy after giving birth for three to four days. He had seen the anxiety and busyness of the entire family these few days. He was touched. He held Madam Song's hand and sighed. "Qiuniang, the greatest fortune in my life is to marry you."

Madam Song blushed. "You're not serious!" She didn't pull her hand away. Although everyone felt that Ning Fengnian was much more energetic recently, she could only feel at ease after receiving Doctor He's permission today. She felt relieved, and tears couldn't help but fall. "You scared me to death…"

Madam Song was so frightened that she trembled when she saw him covered in blood. Otherwise, she wouldn't have insisted on splitting up after hearing Old Madam Ning say that she would only let him rest for two days and wouldn't even give him the medicine.

Xiaoxiao and the other two left tactfully when their dad held their mom's hand. Now, they cleaned up the bamboo shoots piled in the courtyard. Ning Erlang felt he was about to dig out all the bamboo shoots on the mountain. "It's not good to eat this every day."

Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes at him. "Do you see the two jars in the courtyard?"

When they split up, the people from the old residence dared to use the remaining half of the acre jar of pickled vegetables to cover twenty catties of food. These two days, Xiaoxiao washed the jar and placed it under the sun before putting in the bamboo shoots she had cut.

Ning Erlang also helped clean the jar, but he didn't understand what his sister wanted. At this moment, Xiaoxiao instructed him to open the jar. As soon as he opened it, they smelled the sour fragrance.

Unlike the sour smell of food, it smelled a little like pickled vegetables after it deteriorated.

Ning Erlang looked doubtful. "Is this edible?"

However, Ning Dalang did not hesitate to pick up a piece with his chopsticks and take a bite. After eating, he gave his sister a thumbs up, causing Xiaoxiao to smugly put her hands on her hips. "Look, how can my food not be delicious!"

Ning Erlang also snatched his eldest brother's chopsticks and narrowed his eyes after taking a bite. "Huh, it's not bad to change the taste. This is much better than Second Aunt's pickled vegetables. I'll use it as a side dish and eat porridge later. We can eat it for another month, right?"

Xiaoxiao looked at him as if she was looking at a little fool. "Can't you have a higher level of pursuit?"

Ning Erlang asked shamelessly, "What kind of pursuit is it?"

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Chapter 25

However, Ning Dalang's eyes flashed, and he stroked Xiaoxiao's head. "If only she wanted us to eat, she wouldn't have let you dig so much back."

Xiaoxiao moved closer to her eldest brother, looking like she despised her second brother's intelligence. "You understand me the best."

She did not keep him in suspense and asked directly, "Second Brother, do you think this thing can be sold for money?"

Ning Erlang pondered for a moment, and his eyes lit up. "There's a market in the county the day after tomorrow. Shall I try it?"

Xiaoxiao nodded repeatedly. She had been busy because of the market. She had even stayed up for a few nights to catch up on time.

The three siblings discussed the matter of selling bamboo shoots at the market. Ning Dalang had a clear mind and quickly arranged what they could bring there. Ning Erlang was smart and found a few suitable locations from memory. Xiaoxiao just nodded and agreed. She ran home to look for other usable pots and jars when she realised she was useless.

In the house, the couple, who had calmed down, had already started to talk about other topics. Ning Fengnian calculated the money on credit and sighed. "Since we're on credit, why are we only on credit for two acres? Excluding the grains we must pay, it's less than 100 catties. It's not enough for us to live."

Madam Song also agreed. "I originally planned to buy more on credit. Since we're diligent, I thought we could work for a year to live a better life. Unexpectedly, just as I was about to speak, Xiaoxiao interrupted me and set the rules for two acres of land with the village chief."

Ning Fengnian laughed and sighed. "That child… doesn't know how expensive wood and rice are until she's in charge. Forget it. When I've completely recovered, I'll go to the village chief's house."

Since it was already the end of March if they did not prepare to farm, it would be too late. Madam Song packed up the remaining copper coins at home to buy grain seeds the next day. Fortunately, the old residence had paid the consultation fee. Otherwise, she would probably be short of money to buy seeds for two acres of land.

It seemed that Xiaoxiao's decision was right. If they bought too much land on credit but couldn't buy enough seeds, they wouldn't even be able to gather enough food to pay off their debts. Ning Fengnian could only sigh when he heard from it. "If it weren't for the fact that something went wrong when I was choosing a job at landlord Zhao's house, we wouldn't be in such a difficult situation."

Madam Song was sewing beside his bed. When she heard his words, she did not answer, but she had a plan.

It was great that nothing had happened. But if he had been chosen at that time. Not to mention that he could not receive his salary successfully. They were still living a hopeless life in the old residence. To be honest, she would rather be like this so that her family would be together and work hard for their life.

When Ning Fengnian recovered completely, there would be more to live for.

"It's fine," she said. "Tomorrow, I'll pack up all the embroidery work I've been saving for the past few days and get someone to bring it to the market to sell it. I'll see if I can gather another acre of seeds."

Just as she thought this, her daughter approached and pestered her. "Mother, I want to go to the market tomorrow!"

She was still a child. Madam Song was worried about her going out alone. Xiaoxiao was already prepared for this. "Let Eldest Brother and Second Brother go with me. I'll prepare breakfast before we go out. You should stay at home with dad. Brothers and I will bring your embroidery work to sell. We'll be back at noon. It won't delay anything at all."

She blinked and said slyly, "We can go to the cloth shop to sell it ourselves. We can also leave some silver. Without the price difference, we can earn another sum of money!"

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Chapter 26

Madam Song was convinced by Xiaoxiao. Counting the embroidery pieces she had accumulated over the past few days, there were at least seven or eight pieces. Usually, she could get someone to sell them for six copper coins each. If one piece could save a copper coin, wouldn't she be able to buy a handful of seeds if she went to the market?

Xiaoxiao continued, "Mom is the best! Mother, please agree with me!"

Madam Song couldn't stand her pretending to be obedient and nodded without hesitation. Xiaoxiao immediately cheered and rushed out to tell her brothers the good news. Ning Erlang almost jumped out of laughter. Although Ning Dalang was more reserved, he was also overjoyed.

One of them was not even 14 years old, and the other was only 15 years old. In the modern era, they would still be children. Xiaoxiao suddenly felt like she had a mission to care for a child. Her gaze made Ning Erlang anxious.

After knowing that Xiaoxiao and her brothers were going to the market the next day, Rong Yan thought for a while and arranged for the guards to prepare and travel with them.

Hence, Xiaoxiao did not need to squeeze into the ox cart with the others in the village. The Zhao family had a cart that specialized in delivering prey. They placed the jars on the carts and went there with ease.

The market was in the county, an hour's journey from Fortune Village. The journey was easy for the farmers. If not for the fact that there were many things and they were heavy and easy to break, they would not use the ox cart.

Before they came out, Madam Song generously gave them two coins each to spend. The two brothers gave their coins to Xiaoxiao. At this moment, Xiaoxiao shook the small pouch containing the copper coins.

If someone else did this, Rong Yan and even Yun Yi would probably think it was vulgar. However, it was filled with naivety and interest when it was Xiaoxiao's action. Of course, with the burrito she had specially prepared for everyone, the feeling was even stronger, as thick as sauce stuffed into the crust of the burrito.

Xiaoxiao was too embarrassed to accept the kindness of others for nothing. Therefore, before she left, she specially baked many rolls. She even used the remaining wild boar meat to express her gratitude for making meat sauce. She wrapped it in tender bamboo shoots and rolled it up, one for each person as breakfast.

She had even left some for her parents in the kitchen. She had stuffed meat sauce into the steamed buns even if they couldn't bear to eat it and deliberately ate the steamed buns. She couldn't bear them to treat themselves badly!

The morning in March was still a little cold. As they bit into the hot meat sauce burrito, everyone felt that they were not traveling, but walking in spring. Yun Yi praised sincerely, "This burrito is delicious. I feel warm all over after taking a bite."

Xiaoxiao waved her hand generously. "If you like it, I'll make more next time!"

Rong Yan paused. Was she planning to make every meal for him?

The relationship between them seemed to be incalculable. How could this be good?

Xiaoxiao smiled at him. "Thank you for the medicine. It's useful. My wounds have disappeared!"

He glanced at Xiaoxiao's hand. There was only a red mark left on the original bump. She looked much younger than him, but her fingers were rough and dry. She looked different from the women he had seen before.

It was her hands that made delicious roasted bamboo shoots and noodles.

The road to the county was very far. He had practiced martial arts since he was young and didn't think much of it, but he never thought that Ning Xiaoxiao smiled all the way and didn't complain about being tired.

This girl was different from the people he had met before.

The pancakes she made this morning were stored in the space, and she received 100 points, so Xiaoxiao was in a very good mood.

A portion of bait cost 20 points, and 100 points could be exchanged for five portions of bait. A portion of bait could also catch several fish, and the pickle-boiled fish would cost many points. In that case, wouldn't she quickly become a big spender of points? Would there be endless fish at home?

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Chapter 27

Xiaoxiao knew her family's biggest worry about the two acres of land. They thought that the grain planted would not be able to support everyone in the family. In this world, the general output of rice was only 200 to 300 catties per acre. No matter how carefully they served the two acres of middle-quality land, the harvest would not exceed 500 catties.

The farmers only ate two meals a day, but there were five members of the Ning family, and they had to use rice to exchange for other necessities. 500 catties of rice would not be enough to last a year, but this worry was under the premise that the entire family only relied on farming to survive.

Moreover, if they planted more land, they would have more things to do. Xiaoxiao did not want to let her family be tired all day long.

Xiaoxiao felt she had a long way to go and could not help but clench her fists.

Although Rong Yan did not know why she suddenly looked so serious, he could not help but urge her to get on the handcart when he saw the dark circles under her eyes and her yawns.

He worried her slender ankle would break if she walked too much.

Xiaoxiao was embarrassed. She was sitting, and he was pulling the car. What was she doing?

However, Yun Yi finally found a way to repay her. How could she let her be polite? "I won't even pant even if I pull ten of you. Huh, why don't you guys go up too?"

Ning Dalang afraid that Yun Yi would drag the two of them into the cart, immediately turned around and pressed his sister onto the cart with Ning Erlang.

Xiaoxiao also casually declined. Seeing that the others insisted, she happily sat down. Before she stuck out her butt, she even asked her second brother to put the bag she had brought before leaving the house under her butt.

The sun was slightly warm, and the breeze was gentle. Xiaoxiao crossed her legs and wanted to hum a song in satisfaction. Ning Erlang gritted his teeth and said, "Look how you're sitting. If Mother sees this, she'll say you can't get married!"

Xiaoxiao didn't care. "It doesn't matter. As the saying goes, finding a lover in this world is hard. If someone likes me, no matter how I look, he will like me. He must be hypocritical if he doesn't like me when he sees me like this. It's fine not to marry such a person."

Ning Erlang was suspicious. "Is that so?"

Rong Yan gave her a strange look. This was the first time he had heard a woman say such a thing.

Ning Dalang coughed lightly and reminded his younger brother not to discuss such a topic with his younger sister in front of outsiders. Ning Erlang quickly stopped him. However, Xiaoxiao was too high and continued to say. She got up from the cart and said to her brothers, "Don't randomly matchmake me in the future. I have to choose the person I like myself."

"He must be a handsome man who's talented in martial arts…"

Ning Dalang stuffed the last burrito into her mouth and glanced awkwardly at Rong Yan and his companion.

Fortunately, Rong Yan pretended not to hear.

However, Ning Dalang didn't see that Rong Yan's ears were slightly red. Was the girl praising him?

She was young, but she had a lot of flowery words. Also, she didn't know how to be tactful…

He was not like those ignorant fools in the village. A few sweet words would not tempt him.

They couldn't be together, but perhaps he could help her lead a better life as much as possible. It would not be vain for her to put in so much effort for him.

Rong Yan had been strict with his family's etiquette since he was young. He had never heard anyone express their feelings so bluntly, nor did he know how to respond to such passionate words. His usually clear and intelligent mind was in a mess. When he finally adjusted his expression and turned around, Xiaoxiao slept soundly.

His mood was a little subtle.

He knew that Xiaoxiao didn't know who she was. To be able to like him without knowing his identity, she had to admit that her taste was not bad.

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Chapter 28

It was the first time Xiaoxiao had left home after she came to this world. She had been excited all night and had woken up early in the morning to prepare breakfast. At this moment, she was a little tired. Soon, she went from sitting on the cart to lying down. Not long after, her breathing gradually slowed down.

Ning Erlang was a little embarrassed. Ning Dalang carefully removed a small rag blanket from his bag and covered her with it. Ning Erlang was extremely impressed. "I wondered why you carried such a big bag before you left. It was prepared for her."

Listening to the two brothers whispering behind him, Rong Yan also instructed Yun Yi to pull the car slower and more steadily.

He had brought a spare set of clothes, which was inappropriate for him and Xiaoxiao. Even if the rules in the countryside were not serious, it was still inappropriate. Hence, he walked to Yun Yi's side and let him walk under the sun as much as possible.

This way, it would be warmer and less likely to catch a cold.

Although he could not accept Xiaoxiao's love, she was a good chef and girl. It was fine to take care of her when he could.

By the time Xiaoxiao woke up, they were already waiting to enter the county. The bustling scene in front of her quickly dispelled the awkwardness she had been feeling from sleeping. With two or three people in front of her, she saw the bun shop and wonton stall at the gate.

The guards guarding the city went through their routine. Xiaoxiao and the others were let in after a few casual questions, but a young master with a servant behind them was asked for a long time.

Xiaoxiao felt that she couldn't control herself anymore. She was looking at the food. The next moment, she was looking at the other foods. When she passed by the restaurant, she was about to step into it to take a look. Ning Erlang felt so embarrassed that he grabbed and stopped her from running around.

Ning Dalang didn't care. He was happy to see his sister happy, but his gaze occasionally lingered on a certain place. Xiaoxiao turned around and saw it, so she silently remembered this shop.

The restaurant where Rong Yan and the others were going to deliver their prey was nearby. Ning Dalang simply greeted them and moved his jar down. They arranged a time and place to gather later and then parted ways.

After separating, he said sternly and began to lecture his younger brother. "You shouldn't have said those things in front of outsiders just now. You'll affect Xiaoxiao's reputation."

Ning Erlang knew that he was wrong. As soon as he finished speaking, he began to regret it. He was just too excited to go out and couldn't control himself. However, he didn't expect that not only did his sister not remind him, but she even followed his words and said more than him!

Xiaoxiao waved her hand generously. "It doesn't matter. It's just a small matter. Anyway, he doesn't look like a gossipy person. He won't tell anyone even if he hears our words."

Ning Dalang was worried but could not stand his sister's teasing and cute acting. He quickly let it go.

Xiaoxiao decided to go to the market with her brothers to find a place to set up a stall. After all, the embroidery shop was always there, but the stalls in the market would not wait for anyone. They had set off early, but most of the breakfast shops in the county had already opened. What if there were no good seats if they were delayed for a while?

When they arrived at the place, they realized how right their decision was. The place approved as a bazaar was almost filled with people. Not to mention a good seat. If they had come a little later, they would not even have a seat in the corner.

Xiaoxiao squeezed into a stall selling noodles. The stall owner thought they were here to eat and asked enthusiastically, "Sir, what would you like to eat?"

Ning Dalang and Ning Erlang were a little embarrassed, but Xiaoxiao did not feel uncomfortable. She looked at the stall owner with an innocent expression. "Uncle, we're not here to eat. May I ask if there's anyone else setting up a stall beside you?"

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Chapter 29

Upon hearing that it was not a customer, the stall owner's expression changed, but Xiaoxiao did not care. She continued, "When I smelled this fragrance just now, I felt your place would be full later. If I can freeload in a corner, I might be able to earn a few copper coins. At that time, I can eat these fragrant noodles."

When he met such a sweet-talker, the stall owner couldn't keep a stern face. He asked, "What are you selling?"

Xiaoxiao took out a few jars of various sizes. "Here, some pickled vegetables made by my family can't be sold for much. My father is injured and wants to exchange some copper coins to buy medicine."

Huh, how pitiful. The stall owner was a warm-hearted person. When he heard this, how could he refuse? Besides, if he were to sell other food, he would have to worry about his business being snatched. It was just bamboo shoots that no one wanted to eat. The children were just playing around. So what if he let them stay here?

When Xiaoxiao heard the stall owner agree, she smiled even more brightly. She even turned around and handed the stall owner a small jar of sour bamboo shoots.

"Uncle, you're such a good person. No wonder you looked familiar when I saw you just now. My family is poor, so there's nothing to thank you for. I'll give you this jar of sour bamboo shoots if you don't mind. Let the guests who came to eat noodles be a side dish so that we can have a chance to express our gratitude."

After saying that, she picked up a piece and stuffed it into her mouth, indicating no problem with the food.

The stall owner could not refuse, so he accepted a few side dishes on the table. Anyway, side dishes were a bonus. The customers would be happy if there were more.

Although Ning Erlang was very happy that he finally had a place to sell the things, he felt sad about the small jar he had given away. Just as he sighed, his sister pulled him to the side and started to arrange things on the ground.

Although the sour bamboo shoots they sold were all stored in jars, Xiaoxiao still thought they had to pay special attention to hygiene when selling food, so she insisted on bringing a clean cloth. Then, she placed the jars on the cloth and took out a few pieces from a small plate. She poked them with a clean bamboo stick and kicked Ning Erlang.

Ning Erlang blushed. "Can I not do that?"

After taking a few steps, he turned around indignantly. "Why it's me? Why don't you guys shout?"

Xiaoxiao pointed at Ning Dalang. "Big Brother knows how to calculate, but do you? Do you know how much you should collect after selling?"

Ning Erlang became obedient. He did not understand those numbers.

Xiaoxiao pointed at herself again. "As for me, I'm your younger sister. Aren't you embarrassed?"

He had the nerve to do so, but his big brother might beat him. However, his big brother looked like a scholar. With his sleeves rolled up and the muscles on his arms even harder than his, he could not defeat his big brother.

Ning Erlang could only look back like a young lady forced into a bridal sedan chair. He said sadly, "Sour, sour bamboo shoots, delicious sour bamboo shoots. Do you want to try them?"

After a few rounds, Xiaoxiao suspected that the passers-by did not hear what he was saying. She admired her second brother's embarrassment for a while and finally let him go.

Xiaoxiao went forward to take the small plate and shouted.

"Sour bamboo shoots! Delicious sour bamboo shoots. Brothers, sisters, uncles, and aunties, please don't miss it. Try them. If they're not delicious, they're free for you!"

Her voice and words, completely different from Ning Erlang's, instantly attracted many passers-by. "Is it free if it doesn't taste good?"

Xiaoxiao nodded and raised the small plate in her hand. "Here, this is for you to try. Eat first before buying. If you don't like it, then don't buy it. The price is fair and honest!"

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Chapter 30

The opportunity to get food for free immediately drew many people who believed that doing so would be profitable. Hence, after Xiaoxiao stuffed a piece into her mouth, others tried to take it with the bamboo stick.

It was sour, refreshing, and fragrant. When they chewed it, it was as crisp as dried radish. It was different from what they had eaten in the past.

In this day and age, who didn't have rice with pickled vegetables and pickled vegetables? However, this was the first time they had eaten sour bamboo shoots, with crispy and delicious. It was too delicious.

Seeing that there was a chance, Xiaoxiao quickly pointed at her stall. "If you like it, buy some and try it. One copper coin for a large serving. It's delicious and cheap. We only bring two jars here today. There won't be any left after selling them!"

It was unknown if it was because of the low price or the sense of danger that they could not buy anymore after it sold out, but it attracted many customers in front of the sour bamboo shoot stall. However, many people did not buy it and even wanted to freeload.

Xiaoxiao didn't chase them away and said sweetly, "If you didn't taste it just now, you could also buy a bowl of noodles from this uncle's noodle stall. The noodles cooked by this uncle are delicious. Among the side dishes, there are sour bamboo shoots. Everyone can try them."

Seeing that she still remembered to solicit business for him while busy, the stall owner's smile widened, especially when he realized that people were sitting down to eat noodles. The bazaar would be held for three days in a row. He thought it was not impossible to let these children be here daily.

Just as the crowd was bustling, Ning Dalang suddenly heard a woman in front of the stall extend her hand. "Give me one, please."

He was stunned momentarily, but Xiaoxiao, who was the quickest to react, stuffed the tasting plate into Second Brother. She scooped a large spoonful of washed leaves for the woman and wrapped it up. "Thank you, beauty. You're the first guest. I'll give you more!"

The woman was so happy that she couldn't help but laugh when she was called Pretty Sister. She then wanted to buy another serving. However, as soon as she finished speaking, she regretted it. Although it wasn't expensive, she did not know if her family liked it. What if she bought more and no one liked to eat?

Xiaoxiao thought and said, "Wow, you have good taste. How about this? To thank you for your trust, I'll give you one portion if you buy two portions today. Then you'll have three portions for two coins. These are the sour bamboo shoots for you. Keep them well. You can add to porridge, rice, or noodles when you return. Your exquisite culinary skills will reach a new height!"

She blinked her eyes. "The others as well. Buy two free ones!"

The woman was stunned. She thought she had profited from carrying three bags of sour bamboo shoots.

With her in the lead, more people bought sour bamboo shoots. It did not seem unacceptable for them to buy fresh food for one copper coin; it was such a big spoonful. On second thought, neither one or two copper coins were not expensive. Buying two sets of bamboo shoots, and they would get one for free, and they even earned one copper coin for nothing. Then what were they waiting for? Buy it!

Ning Dalang checked the account, which increased from one to two copper coins. People who took the initiative to request a taste were also surrounding Ning Erlang. About two hours later, the jar of sour bamboo shoots they brought was sold out.

Ning Erlang looked at the copper coins in his brother's pocket and felt he was in a dream. Was he earning money?

However, after one jar, very few customers came here. Everyone rushed to other stalls.

Ning Erlang's emotions were very complicated. He was happy and a little dissatisfied. Xiaoxiao could see his struggle at a glance and patted his shoulder. "Don't worry. The second round will come soon."

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Chapter 31

Few people came to their stall because it was already past the time when the people bought groceries in the morning. The rest of them came to shop or buy novel items. However, wasn't it almost noon?

The fragrance of the noodle stall at the side became stronger and stronger. Xiaoxiao touched her stomach and decisively took out money to buy a bowl of noodles from the stall owner, who was not busy yet. She also shamelessly asked for two small bowls. "Uncle, when we earn money, we'll each buy two bowls, eat one bowl, throw… Ah, pack one bowl!"

They had all been through hard times. The stall owner did not mind that they had bought too little and even took the initiative to add half a spoonful of noodles. After the three siblings ate their sour bamboo shoots until they were full, Xiaoxiao temporarily abandoned her second brother with her eldest brother and sold her mother's embroidery.

Ning Erlang also wanted to walk, but there was still a large jar of sour bamboo shoots and two small jars. He could not bear to part with the copper coins he was about to get, so he tearfully bade farewell to his brothers and sisters and stood alone.

Xiaoxiao looked at him and couldn't help but complain, "We're just going to sell embroidery. It'll take at most an hour. Second Brother, do you have to do this? At most, we'll play together after selling the sour bamboo shoots."

Ning Erlang immediately raised his head. "So you have to come back in an hour. Let's go shopping after selling sour bamboo shoots!"

It seemed a little different from what she said but also similar. Xiaoxiao brushed it off and went to the cloth shop with the embroidery.

Although she didn't know anything about embroidery, she could tell that Madam Song's needlework was extremely good. For example, their clothes were all torn and tattered, but no one couldn't tell from their appearance alone, which was very difficult needlework. Madam Song would embroider a simple pattern on their clothes. Hers were many small flowers, and her father and brothers were bamboo leaves.

She didn't brag. No one would guess that the embroidery was to block the hole.

After entering the cloth shop, she was not hurrying to ask for the price. Instead, she listened to others sell embroidery with her brother. She said playfully to her brother, "This is called knowing yourself and your enemy. You will never be defeated in a hundred battles."

Ning Dalang followed her dotingly and stood beside the table with the thin cotton cloth.

There was no hope for his younger brother to study and learn calligraphy. His younger sister still had some talent. It would be even better if she did not randomly piece them together and create sentences.

The woman negotiating with the female shopkeeper was an old woman in her fifties. She had all kinds of embroidery in her bamboo basket. It was obvious that she had bought them from everywhere. She said in a fawning tone, "12 copper coins per piece. Didn't we agree on this?"

The female shopkeeper casually picked up an item from the basket. "We agreed on twelve copper coins, but it should be the embroidery that was done well. Look at these yourself. The stitches are rough, and the patterns are tacky. How can they be worth twelve copper coins? Ten copper coins for each item. Otherwise, take them all."

The old woman frowned and calculated secretly. In the end, she still obediently left the basket. If each embroidery piece earned two, it was still a profit. If the transaction failed, it would be a pure loss. Although she had never studied and did not know how to settle accounts, she was still clear about this.

After she left, the female shopkeeper turned her attention to Xiaoxiao and her brother. To put it bluntly, she didn't think these two children were here to buy things, but she had always been different from those snobs and was still amiable. "What can I do for you?"

This gentle voice instantly won Xiaoxiao's favor. She said nothing else and said directly, "Hello, Pretty Sister. We're here to sell embroidery for Mother!"

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Chapter 32

The female shopkeeper's surname was Liu. She was 32 years old this year and had long passed the age of being called Sister by others. However, it did not stop her from feeling sweet from being called by Xiaoxiao. Moreover, although this girl was thin and small, her eyes were clear and beautiful. When Xiaoxiao looked at her, there was an inexplicable sense of sincerity. She could not help but scratch Xiaoxiao's nose. "Why are you calling me Sister? Call me Shopkeeper or Aunt."

She looked at the bag in Xiaoxiao's arms. "What kind of embroidery is it? Let me take a look. Let me make it clear first. If the embroidery isn't good, I won't accept it." No matter how pleasing she looked to this girl, she had to distinguish between public and private matters. If she could coax her into paying with just a few flattery words, how would the Ruyi Clothing Shop be?

Just now, she had seen what was in the bag and guessed their intentions. Otherwise, she won't let unrelated people hear about the negotiation.

Xiaoxiao immediately opened the bag and continued, "Don't worry, Pretty Sister. My mom's embroidery skills are top-notch. The rarest thing is that not only is she good at embroidery, but she's also very serious. No matter how difficult it is, she's very careful with every piece of embroidery and definitely won't do it randomly!"

Shopkeeper Liu smiled as she listened, but she still planned to judge for herself. The bag was opened layer by layer and placed neatly. She immediately approved the embroidery after Xiaoxiao separated it with a fresh cotton cloth. It seemed that this girl was not bragging. At least the embroidery maiden was attentive.

The shop assistant was puzzled. In the past, the shopkeeper would only personally inspect embroidery items worth more than five taels of silver. How many were there?

Shopkeeper Liu did not care what the shop assistant thought. She watched as the sweet-talking girl took out the embroidery products individually and asked her, "What price do you want?"

Without even blinking, Xiaoxiao said, "Fifteen copper coins per piece."

Not to mention the people in the cloth shop, even Ning Dalang, could not help but look at her.

Before Shopkeeper Liu could speak, the shop assistant had already spoken first. "Miss, you're asking for an exorbitant price. Didn't you hear we bought the embroidery with ten copper coins just now? We're even acquaintances."

Xiaoxiao looked at her. "But the quality of those embroideries is uneven. You're charging an average price for these ten copper coins. These are all top-notch. There are eight pieces, and the embroidery is all of the four gentlemen of plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum. The meaning is good, and the stitches are exquisite. It's worth fifteen copper coins!"

Xiaoxiao was still praising the embroideries. However, as a businessman, Shopkeeper Liu did not dislike her sales method. However, when it came to business, she still asked, "But what if I think it's not worth it?"

Xiaoxiao was neither anxious nor angry. "Then you can bargain. We can always negotiate."

She said seriously, "I chose the most beautiful cloth shop to sell embroidery."

Shopkeeper Liu was amused. She covered her mouth with a handkerchief and smiled. "Alright, alright. Girl, it's a pity that you don't do business. I'll accept this embroidery, but this is our first time working together. We're unfamiliar, so I'll only give you twelve copper coins per piece. Are you selling it?"

Of course, there was no problem with Xiaoxiao. Shopkeeper Liu stood up and instructed the shop assistant, "Go and count 96 copper coins for this girl."

Xiaoxiao took the copper coin and asked with a smile, "Since the first deal was successful, are we considered acquaintances now?"

Shopkeeper Liu looked at her with interest and heard her ask, "Pretty Sister, are you free now? Give me a chance to talk to you about the second business deal?"

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