Chapter 29

After taking a walk around the village, Shuiqing and Fan Jin started heading home.

Shuiqing was looking down, feeling heavy-hearted.

Aunt Zhang’s family lived the hardest life, eating black bread and wild vegetable porridge. Both her children and Aunt Zhang herself were skin and bones. To put it bluntly, even the beggars in Huaguo looked healthier than them.

The village head’s family was the best off, with plenty of land and diligent sons and daughters-in-law. Their house was one of only two brick houses in the village.

Even so, their meals were still lacking in oil. Unlike Aunt Zhang’s watery porridge that could reflect one’s image, the village head’s family ate cornbread, which was much better than the black bread at Old Fan’s house—at least it didn’t scratch the throat.

The rest of the villagers’ meals were not much different from Old Fan’s, consisting of wild vegetable porridge with black bread or black buns.

Since it wasn’t the busy farming season and there was no heavy labor to be done, every household’s meals were completely devoid of any oily food, mixing dry and watery food together…

“Shuiqing, what should we make for dinner?” Fan Jin asked expectantly, carrying a large bamboo basket of bright, smooth fox nuts in his right hand and a basket of vegetables and fruits in his left hand.

This large bamboo basket of fox nuts weighed at least twenty jin, giving them a sense of security with the harvest.

Thinking about their father-in-law and brother-in-law, who had come to help them build a house, he suggested, “This morning, the butcher gave me some pork bones with the meat I bought. How about making pork bone soup?”

Originally, he bought it to nourish the family, but since their father-in-law also brought meat, his purchase was no longer needed.

He had to soak it in a clay pot in cold spring water to prevent it from spoiling.

Shuiqing agreed.

During these tough times, everyone ate poorly, especially those doing heavy labor, and it was customary to have a hearty meal at noon, preferably with some oily food to replenish strength.

Dinner was optional, depending on the host’s character.

Even if dinner was provided, it wasn’t elaborate.

She thought for a moment and said, “Dad repeatedly reminded us that we don’t have to make a hearty meal for dinner. How about noodles? No, making noodles requires kneading and rolling the dough, and we don’t even have a cutting board. Let’s make noodle soup with dumplings.”

The butcher, fearing they might waste grain and end up hungry later, was deeply worried about his daughter despite never having stepped into the kitchen himself.

Fan Jin thought of his father-in-law’s angry outburst and, instead of getting annoyed, he smiled sincerely.

He could distinguish between good and bad intentions.

“Dad is just worried we’ll go hungry later.”

Nobody likes the feeling of hunger, especially those who have experienced it. That burning, gnawing sensation is something no one wants to endure again.

“Yeah, we won’t use all the white flour. We’ll mix in some cornmeal to avoid Dad’s nagging. Each bowl of noodle soup with dumplings will have a fried egg, enough oil, and it won’t look bad. It’s presentable for guests,” Shuiqing planned.

Dad was looking out for them, hoping they would return to eat at home. Since these were people he brought to help, a good reception would give him face when he returned.

Among relatives and neighbors, mistreating them this time would make it clear, even if unspoken, that it would be hard to ask for help next time.

Being sincere this time would make it easy to get help next time without much persuasion from Dad.

Fan Jin had no objections. He lifted the vegetables and fruits in his left hand and asked, “Shuiqing, let me know if there’s anything in here that would go well in the noodle soup, and I’ll wash it.”

Shuiqing nodded.

As they reached the edge of the village, instead of heading straight home, they turned into a nearby grove.

Seeing no one around, Shuiqing checked the online market: 27 jin of fresh, pollution-free, hand-peeled fox nuts, 121 jin, confirm sale?

Shuiqing clicked on the confirmation button.

Ding, balance updated: 3240 yuan.

Shuiqing swallowed hard. After selling the mushrooms yesterday and opening up the seed category, they had about 400 yuan left after buying miscellaneous items.

The chicken fungus they picked today, though a lot of time was wasted, earned them 2016 yuan. Adding the current 3240 yuan, they had a total of 5256 yuan today!

This didn’t include the fox nuts that villagers might bring before dark.

Shuiqing felt more confident, thinking they were on the right track.

Earning several thousand a day, wasn’t that considered high income anywhere?

“Shuiqing, we’re closer to reaching the amount needed to open the medicine category, right?” Fan Jin estimated.

Thinking of the 8000 yuan required to open the medicine category, Shuiqing felt like a deflated balloon.

Even with the evening’s fox nuts, it might just be enough, but after opening it, they’d be back to square one.

“We need to keep purchasing; it’s faster to make money that way!” she muttered.

Fan Jin agreed gently, “Yes, medicine is essential. You said there are protective and storage items later on. We’ll open them one by one when we earn more.”

Thinking of those absurdly high-priced items, Shuiqing felt a strong surge of motivation!

Earn money, earn more money!

·

Returning home, they felt like they finally had a ‘home’.

A brand new thatched cottage stood on a high ground.

The three-room cottage wasn’t as spacious and bright as a brick house, but it provided shelter from the wind and rain, no longer worrying about sun or rain.

Moreover, the people brought by the butcher were skilled workers. The thatched cottage they built was much more spacious and taller than Aunt Zhang’s, and being new, it didn’t have the moldy smell.

“Before the rainy season next year, we’ll try to build a brick house,” Fan Jin whispered to Shuiqing.

Shuiqing looked up in surprise.

Did he notice her discomfort at Aunt Zhang’s house?

Fan Jin gently explained, “Don’t worry. Before the rainy season, this thatch won’t emit any bad smells.”

Shuiqing’s mood unknowingly improved, smiling, she whispered, “I’m not worried.”

Everyone wants a good life.

Her days were improving, and that was enough.

“Move aside. This grain is heavy. Let me carry it,” the butcher shouted.

Shuiqing wisely stepped aside.

She turned to find the two jin of brown sugar she had extorted from Sun Jinhua.

She would let Dad take it back for Mom to make sugar water.

People lacked nutrition these days. Handmade brown sugar contained many trace elements, especially beneficial for women.

The online market currently only had seeds and grains. Everyone could see how much grain there was. If she asked the butcher to take grain back, he would certainly refuse.

To him, that would be a slap in the face.

But letting him take brown sugar back to nourish Mom’s health was not something easily refused.

At the appointed hour, Shuiqing started preparing dinner.

Fan Jin helped by washing vegetables, fetching water, and mixing dough.

Since they stayed for dinner, the idle men followed Hu Wenhua to build a spacious chicken coop and a large enclosure.

Then, unwilling to waste any time, Hu Wenhua went to the back mountain to move stones after finishing the chicken coop.

“Wenhua, what are you doing?” Shuiqing asked.

“I saw some rabbit holes behind my sister’s house. They might catch wild rabbits someday!

I’m building a rabbit pen in advance. Rabbits are prolific and easy to raise, so they can have meat more often in the future, right?”