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Ye Caiping and her daughters went up the mountain. Halfway up the mountain, they saw more than ten people picking dates.
There were children and women.
Ye Yinhua was holding a bunch of dates in her skirt when she saw Ye Caiping and her daughters. She waved to them.
Ye Huan’er, carrying a basket on her back, rushed over. Yinhua poured the dates into the basket, and there were two or three pounds of them.
Tie Niu’s wife was also there. She held a large bamboo pole and hit the date tree with a bang. The dates fell down like rain, and the children were hit and laughed, scrambling to pick them up.
Ye Caiping also experienced the fun of picking dates.
After picking for a while, Ye Caiping didn’t want to compete with them anymore. She asked Yinhua and Huan’er to stay and continue playing, while she and Jin’er went up the mountain to see if they could find some wild vegetables.
The two of them searched the mountain for a while. Ye Jin’er suddenly pointed to a steep slope: “Mother, look at that… is that ginseng?”
Ye Caiping was startled and looked in the direction Ye Jin’er pointed. She saw a red fruit peeking out from under a clump of wild grass.
Ye Caiping quickly moved behind Ye Jin’er and looked from her angle. Sure enough, she saw a ginseng plant growing at the bottom of the steep slope.
Ye Caiping couldn’t help but be surprised. Could it be that encountering ginseng in this time travel was inevitable?
Thinking about it, she felt excited. This ginseng, depending on its age, could be sold for a few taels or even ten or twenty taels.
She seemed to see silver beckoning to her.
“Haha, today’s harvest is really good.”
“These dates are so crispy and sweet.”
Suddenly, a burst of laughter rang out. The women and children who had been picking dates were coming towards them. Seeing Ye Caiping, Tie Niu’s wife laughed and said:
“Caiping, what are you doing here? Digging for wild vegetables?”
Ye Caiping quickly looked away from the ginseng and nodded with a smile: “Yes.”
“Oh, there are quite a few shepherd’s purse here.”
Tie Niu’s wife’s eyes lit up. She saw many shepherd’s purse growing around them and immediately squatted down to start digging.
The other women, including Zhuzi’s wife, also started digging.
Ye Caiping: “…”
Ye Jin’er’s heart pounded, afraid that they would discover the ginseng.
Ye Caiping quickly squatted down and dug with them. When they had finished digging up all the wild vegetables, she smiled and said: “It’s getting late, let’s go back!”
“It is getting late. Look, the sun is already setting, and the sky is gloomy. It looks like it’s going to rain.” Tie Niu’s wife nodded.
The group of people chatted and laughed as they walked down the mountain.
The two daughters walked behind. Ye Jin’er tugged at Ye Caiping’s skirt and whispered: “Mother, I want to go back…”
“No, let’s go! There are still people picking dates over there.”
Ye Jin’er nervously nodded.
That steep slope was quite steep.
The people who had been picking dates hadn’t all left yet. If she dug halfway and was startled by someone, she might roll down the slope. Not only would the ginseng be exposed, she might even lose her life.
The ginseng plant grew quite hidden. If she hadn’t stumbled upon it, it would have been difficult to find.
For now, she would go home first and come back another time tomorrow.
When Ye Caiping returned home, she saw Ye Jinhua feeding the chickens.
She and Ye Peng had been catching grasshoppers and insects for a long time.
After they returned, they chopped up the grasshoppers and insects and mixed them with radish leaves and rice bran, putting them in the feeding trough.
At this time, Ye Bajin arrived with a cart, handing a basket to Ye Caiping.
“10 pounds of lean meat for 150 wen, pig head bone for 5 wen, large bone for 32 wen… a total of 187 wen.” Ye Bajin said, somewhat stammering, “I bought it from Chen the butcher. If you don’t believe me, you can ask him tomorrow.”
Ye Bajin was afraid she would think he had taken a bribe.
He had also brought things for other villagers before, and they would question him left and right. The next day, they would even go to the shop to make sure that Ye Bajin hadn’t cheated them out of a single wen.
When he agreed to Ye Caiping’s request in the afternoon, he remembered that money always caused trouble. He felt a little regretful at the time.
And this wasn’t a small amount of money, but a few hundred wen.
Ye Bajin was filled with remorse.
Ye Caiping, however, smiled slightly: “What’s there to ask? I trust you.”
With that, she handed him the money.
Seeing her straightforward and generous nature, Ye Bajin’s anxious heart settled. He grinned sheepishly: “Then I’ll go now. I’ll come to pick you up tomorrow morning.”
He left happily.
That evening, Ye Caiping asked Du Shi to fry all the remaining lard scraps. If they were left out, they would go bad even in dry weather.
Du Shi’s eyes lit up when she heard this.
After spending this time together, she realized that her younger sister-in-law had truly changed.
Looking at her younger sister-in-law’s tone and expression, after she finished the pork cracklings, maybe tomorrow she would buy delicious food to come back.
After dinner, it started to rain heavily.
Ye Jin’er anxiously looked at the rain outside.
Ye Caiping soaked the dried vegetables that she would use tomorrow in water, then chased her two daughters to bed: “It’s not early, let’s go to sleep quickly, we have to get up early tomorrow.”
After returning to the room, Ye Huan’er was exhausted and fell asleep soon.
Ye Jin’er leaned against Ye Caiping, whispering: “Mother, maybe I won’t go tomorrow, I’ll go up the mountain to dig ginseng.”
“No. That slope is too steep. Besides, it’s raining now, the soil will become looser and more dangerous.” Compared to ginseng, her daughter’s life was the most important.
…
The next morning, Ye Caiping woke up with the rooster, seeing her two daughters still asleep, she didn’t wake them up, let them sleep a little longer.
They are still young, they are growing, they need to sleep more.
Yan Fang woke up earlier than her, and had already cut the dried vegetables.
After a busy period, after the three large buckets of spicy soup were packed, Ye Caiping woke up her two daughters.
Because she made an extra bucket, they arrived in town a quarter of an hour later than yesterday.
The plump aunt next door’s breakfast stall was already set up, seeing them, she snorted.
“Mother, look…this person…” Ye Huan’er said softly, “He’s taking our spot.”
Ye Caiping looked over and saw a figure squatting where they had set up their stall yesterday, clearly coming to take the spot.
Ye Caiping’s face darkened slightly, she was about to speak when the figure suddenly jumped up:
“Oh my goodness, you’re finally here, I’ve been waiting for you for so long! Come on, spicy soup! I want to eat spicy soup!”
Ye Caiping and Yan Fang were both stunned, they finally recognized that this person was the old man who had been the first to eat their spicy soup yesterday.
Ye Caiping: “Old man…what are you…”
“After I finished the spicy soup yesterday, I’ve been craving it all night. Seeing that it’s not early, I came…hehe.” The old man laughed, “Come on, give me a bowl!”
Ye Caiping was speechless, how hungry could he be!
“Alright, alright, you sit down, we’ll unload our things.” Yan Fang was delighted.
Ye Jin’er chuckled and whispered to Ye Huan’er: “It turns out he wasn’t here to take our spot, but is craving spicy soup.”
After they put down their things, Yan Fang immediately gave the old man a large bowl, letting him squat by the street and drink.
The old man drank, praised the heavens, and said, “This is the taste,” after finishing, he took out a small clay pot and said he wanted to take some back for his wife and grandchildren to try.
Ye Caiping scooped some for him and also wrapped some chili oil in lotus leaves for him.
After the old man paid, he left satisfied.
Before long, the sky was completely bright, with yesterday’s opening and introduction, yesterday’s regular customers came confidently.
When the street became lively, the spicy soup stall was already surrounded by people.
“Give me a large bowl, add more chili!”
“I want a small bowl, with chili and vinegar.”
“Pour it into my bowl, I want to take it home for my child to eat.”
Those who hadn’t tried it couldn’t help but stop and look: “What are they selling over there, why are so many people surrounding it?”
“It must be delicious, no matter, let’s try it too.”
The plump aunt watched from the side, gritting her teeth, only three or two people were sitting at her stall.
Her breakfast was going to sell out!
Thinking about the dozens of buns left over yesterday, the plump aunt was furious. Looking at the situation today, there would be even more left today! Maybe even hundreds!
The plump aunt was just getting angry when a customer at the spicy soup stall suddenly shouted:
“Hey, after one bowl, it’s fragrant, but it’s just a porridge, it feels like something is missing. Right, the lady over there, give me two steamed buns!”
The plump aunt curled her lips, she wouldn’t sell! Why would she sell to the people at the spicy soup stall, huh!
Her husband glared at her: “What are you standing there for, quickly get the buns. Forget it, I’ll get them myself.”
The plump aunt was still sulking, but unexpectedly, after the first person at the spicy soup stall asked for buns, there was a second.
Some asked for fried dough sticks.
A bun, with a small bite taken out, was then dipped in the spicy soup until it was soaked, drowned in the spicy soup, then a big bite was taken, the taste was simply amazing!
Compared to buns, fried dough sticks with spicy soup were even more delicious.
The plump aunt watched as more and more people asked for buns and fried dough sticks, gradually, she finally understood and figured it out, and quickly cooperated with her husband to sell buns.
A smile never left her chubby face.