Shen Qing thought that the newly opened book section in the marketplace was meant to be spiritual nourishment.

But when she saw books on practical tools, only one thought floated through her mind: There’s a house of gold within books!

This wasn’t just spiritual nourishment—this was a clear path to wealth!

She found a book on the ancient method of making soap and quickly skimmed through it.

She had made handmade soap before and had experience, but after arriving here, she struggled with the correct lye-to-water ratio.

She had nearly failed due to the lack of straw!

But with this book, things were different. It not only mentioned that straw and soybean stalks could be used to extract lye, but also listed other alternatives: the common Vitex tree, lychee branches and leaves in the south, as well as tea seed shells and gardenia branches.

The book detailed the steps and proportions meticulously.

It was the same for calligraphy brushes.

Shen Qing: … If only the marketplace had opened this book section earlier!

Then she remembered that food and medicine were even more critical—neither could be replaced.

She began looking forward to the next category that would be unlocked.

After briefly reviewing books on tofu-making, brewing, and malt sugar production, Shen Qing contentedly put the books away.

She then turned her attention to organizing her valuables and placing them in the storage cabinet.

Silver, of course, was essential.

Currently, her family had a little over eight taels of silver, which she carefully stored in the cabinet.

The travel permit was also of utmost importance.

Without it, one could only remain hidden deep in the mountains; otherwise, movement would be impossible.

She wrapped it securely in oil paper and placed it inside—Jiang Yu’s permit would be stored once she returned. It was easy to carry anyway.

With her belongings sorted, Shen Qing began planning what she needed to do when she entered the city early the next morning.

A cleaver was a must-buy. While at it, she would check the prices of ironware—if affordable, she’d buy a few extra knives for self-defense.

If too expensive, she’d wait until she earned more silver.

She planned to buy more brown sugar—some for making boiled eggs to nourish Huo Bing, Jiang Yu, and Jiang Shui, and some to store in the cabinet.

Summer brought heavy rains, and if they ever got drenched, a pot of ginger-brown sugar tea would be the perfect remedy against the cold.

She also wanted to visit the livestock market to check the prices of horses, cattle, and donkeys to determine which offered the best value for her household.

By the latest, she had to buy one by May.

With the books she now had, she wasn’t worried about feeding and caring for them.

And most importantly, she needed to investigate Head Constable Sun’s character.

The Liu family were outright villains.

Now that they had been offended, they would undoubtedly seek revenge.

However, even if they begged on their knees, the Liu family would never let Jiang Yu go, and their cowardly but vengeful nature meant they would retaliate even more fiercely.

If Head Constable Sun chose to stay out of it, that would be ideal.

But if he was the same kind of person as the Lius, she had to be prepared—she would not fight a battle unprepared!

Just then, a knock sounded on the door, followed by Jiang Xiangnan’s cheerful voice. “Mother! Are you free? Second Uncle and Aunt Ying want to talk to you.”

Ever since eating better meals, Jiang Xiangnan had been full of energy every day.

Shen Qing found that raising this son was easy—just give him good food.

His standards weren’t high; being able to eat white rice and wheat flour was already a blessing, and if there was meat, he was absolutely delighted.

“I’m free. I’m coming.”

—

Most of the villagers had gone home. Jiang Shui and Guan Li were washing the dishes and sorting them for easy return to their owners later.

Jiang Yu was in Huo Bing’s room, where Huo Bing was measuring her for new clothes.

The old garments, blankets, and fabrics hadn’t gone to waste—they had all been torn into strips for polishing brush handles.

The once-crowded courtyard now felt empty, with only Second Uncle Jiang and Jiang Ying’s father-daughter pair remaining.

“Sister-in-law, let’s find a quiet place to talk,” Jiang Ying quickly suggested when she saw Shen Qing come out.

Shen Qing understood that this must be something important that they didn’t want others to overhear.

Could it be about Jiang Yu?

Though puzzled, she didn’t ask and simply followed them.

Today’s events had made her realize how crucial family ties and unity were in this era!

If not for Second Uncle Jiang, the village head, rallying the people, how many could she have gathered with just a few bowls of crispy pork given to her neighbors?

If not for Zhou Yan standing firmly in front of Jiang Yu as her in-law sister, Jiang Yu’s injuries would have been far worse.

If not for Third Aunt Zhao Mingyue using her connections to summon strong women, how could the Liu matriarch have been subdued so easily?

And at the Liu household, those who stepped forward and fought the hardest were mostly from her own family. Their presence gave the rest of the villagers the courage to act.

Having more people mattered, but unity and mutual support mattered even more.

Whether it was today’s events, the uncertain nature of Constable Sun, or the future hardships they might face on the road while fleeing disaster, her small family alone wouldn’t be enough—they all needed to be strong together.

The three of them walked along the village’s main road until they reached the fields.

Jiang Yang looked at the lush green wheat and suddenly asked, “You were quite generous with lunch today—it was well done. But I imagine it must have used up a lot of grain. Do you still have enough at home?”

The earliest the wheat could be harvested was early May.

According to Ying, they had eaten freely at lunch, and even with the egg soup filling part of their stomachs, at least 20 to 30 pounds of flour must have been used.

A full 20 to 30 pounds of fine white flour, not to mention the real egg soup.

“There’s plenty! Don’t worry, we still have lots of food,” Shen Qing responded cheerfully, happy to see their concern.

Jiang Yang frowned. “I remember you sold off most of your wheat last year and kept less than 50 pounds. How could you still have more than half of it left nearly a year later?”

And yet, in one meal, she had used up such a significant portion?

Shen Qing immediately understood—this was a test.

She had anticipated this and calmly gave the answer she had prepared long ago: “Of course not, we ran out a long time ago. Everything we have now was bought later.”

“When I delivered the fried pork earlier, I mentioned that I stumbled upon a way to make a living and earned some silver. That’s how I’ve been buying food and fabric for the family.”

Jiang Ying anxiously interjected, “Sister-in-law, we can’t do anything illegal! That could land you in prison!

“Even if we have to eat or dress poorly, it’s still better than suffering in jail. If times get too tough, there’s still my father and our family—we can support each other and get through this.”

Shen Qing was stunned.

She had thought they were just being concerned.

Then she thought they were testing her. But it turned out they were just genuinely worried about whether her money was earned legally!

They were afraid she might have taken a criminal path for the sake of silver and wanted to persuade her otherwise.

Second Uncle Jiang ( Jiang Erye ) added, “Our family doesn’t have much surplus grain, but if we ration carefully, the three of us can scrape together 70 to 80 pounds. That should be enough to last your household until the wheat harvest. No need to be polite with family.”

Shen Qing understood the value of those 70 to 80 pounds of grain!

In these lean months, every household was short on food and was already stretching their rations as much as possible.

Yet, they had managed to set aside this much—it had been squeezed out of their own mouths.

She gazed at the still-green wheat, took a deep breath, and made a decision.