Zhao Laoer turned around and looked at Shen Xuezhhu, saying, “It’s good that you got your money pouch back.”

Lu Xiaoyue was curious about how Shen Xuezhhu got the money pouch back, so she asked her.

Shen Xuezhhu replied, “It was the young master of Xuan Yun Restaurant who helped me get it back.”

“I chased the thief, but I was too tired to catch up. Then I ran into him, and without saying a word, he immediately started chasing the thief.”

“Afterward, I saw two bailiffs, told them what happened, and they took the thief away.”

“That’s really satisfying! The thief was taken away by the bailiffs!” Zhao Laoer said from the front.

Shen Xuezhhu said, “It was also unexpected to run into the two bailiffs.”

Shen Xuezhhu suddenly remembered that she hadn’t finished buying the buns.

She quickly told everyone and went back to the bun shop.

“Miss, you got your money pouch back, right?” the bun shop owner asked with concern.

“Yes, thank you for asking,” Shen Xuezhhu replied.

She paid him eight wen and left.

Once back on the cart, Shen Xuezhhu handed a meat bun to Zhao Laoer, saying, “Zhao Erge, I’ve troubled you again today. Have a bun.”

Zhao Laoer tried to refuse, “No need, you can eat it yourself.”

Shen Xuezhhu insisted, “I bought four, one for each of us.”

Lu Xiaoyue and Shi Yi spoke up, “Zhao Ershu, please eat one, don’t be polite.”

Lu Xiaoli directly handed him a bun, saying in a sweet voice, “Zhao Ershu, hold your hand out.”

Zhao Laoer understood what Lu Xiaoli meant and laughed, taking the bun.

When he bit into it, he found it was a meat bun.

“Xiaoshan’s wife, you could have bought vegetable buns instead, I don’t need a meat bun.”

Shen Xuezhhu understood why he said that.

Poor families always try to save every penny.

“Zhao Erge, eating a meat bun once in a while is fine.”

Shen Xuezhhu divided the remaining three buns, handing one to Lu Xiaoyue and one to Lu Xiaoli. They both looked at them in awe.

The buns were really white, plump, and soft!

…

At the ironware shop, Shen Xuezhhu bought two large iron pots for 100 wen.

She then went to the general store, buying 20 jin of spices, two round bamboo sieves, 10 jin of soy sauce, four large wooden barrels, four large wooden basins, two large bamboo baskets, a carrying basket, and two jin of lamp oil, spending 590 wen in total.

These were all needed for making cured meat.

Finally, she went to the butcher and bought 150 jin of pork for 3 taels and 300 wen.

She bought extra pork to be prepared in case of any shortage.

She also told the butcher to cut the pork into strips.

Then, Shen Xuezhhu went to the ox cart and brought over the two large bamboo baskets to put the pork in.

“Boss, please put the pork I bought into these two bamboo baskets.”

“Sure! It’s even better to pack the pork in bamboo baskets!”

The butcher and his assistant packed the pork into the baskets and then lifted them onto the cart.

Shen Xuezhhu thanked them and sat back on the ox cart.

“Mom, you bought so many things today! This must have cost a lot of money!” Lu Xiaoli said, looking at the items on the cart.

Shen Xuezhhu nodded. “These are all for making cured meat. I had to spend this much money, otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to make 100 jin of cured meat in a day.”

Lu Xiaoli responded with an “Oh.”

Zhao Laoer understood. Shen Xuezhhu was making cured meat to sell for money. Otherwise, a poor family like theirs wouldn’t go to such lengths to make it.

He said, “Xiaoshan’s wife, I guessed that you were making cured meat to sell. My brother occasionally hunts wild boars. Do you want to use wild boar meat for your cured meat?”

Shen Xuezhhu nodded. “I do.”

“I’ll go tell my brother.”

Shen Xuezhhu responded with a brief “Mm.”