By the time Qin Rong returned home, the sun was already high in the sky.

Qin Yue was helping Qin Yi sort vegetables—these were brought from the Yu family the day before.

Old Yu and his wife deeply loved their daughter, but Madam Yu had an elder brother, and her mother couldn’t bring herself to say something like, “Let your sister and her three daughters move back in with us.”

A gift of a peck of rice can bring gratitude, but a bushel can cause resentment.

After all, her son was now married, and even though the daughter-in-law was of decent character, she had her own household to manage.

When Qin Yue saw Qin Rong coming in, her eyes lit up. “Big Sister, you’re back!”

Qin Rong took out two buns from her basket. “Here, you and Ah Yi eat these. I’ll head to the kitchen and whip up something fresh.”

Qin Yue’s mouth watered at the sight of the plump meat buns, but she still asked sensibly, “Big Sister, have you eaten yet?”

Qin Rong smiled and patted her. “You two eat. I had a full breakfast. The fish I have can’t wait. I’m going to see if I can make something tasty with it. If it turns out well, we’ll take it to the West Market and set up a stall.”

Qin Yue beamed, her eyes crinkling with joy. “Alright, we’ll follow your lead!”

Qin Yi echoed, eyes wide with excitement, “I’ll do whatever Big Sister says!”

Qin Rong smiled and took the fish to the well in their backyard.

Their rented courtyard came with a well, which had saved Madam Yu much effort—otherwise, she’d have had to haul water from the alley’s communal well every day.

Skilled and swift, Qin Rong gutted the fish, scaled it, and removed the bones.

She was planning to make handmade fish ball soup.

This required real technique, but she had practiced this skill for a long time, so it wasn’t a challenge for her.

After dicing the fish meat, she soaked it in water to remove the blood and eliminate any fishy smell—it would also look better.

With that prepped, Qin Rong went to check on the vegetables Qin Yue and Qin Yi had sorted—some Chinese cabbage and a few mushrooms.

With just a bit of thought, Qin Rong had a meal plan in mind: stir-fried vinegar cabbage and a mushroom fish ball soup for dinner.

Kids in this era matured early, and Qin Yue was already quite capable—she managed to help Qin Yi clean the vegetables and mushrooms thoroughly.

When they were done, Qin Yue said, “Big Sister, the vegetables are all cleaned. I’ll take Ah Yi to make knotted cords.”

She had learned embroidery from Madam Yu from a young age, but time and peace to practice had been rare back in the Qin household, where they were constantly mistreated.

Still, she had managed to learn the basics.

She could make two decorative cords a day, which sold for eight copper coins each at the embroidery workshop—after costs, she could earn 10–13 coins a day.

“Alright,” Qin Rong replied.

She brought the cleaned vegetables and mushrooms into the kitchen.

By now, the diced fish had finished soaking, and she began mincing it finely—this was where technique mattered.

Though Qin Rong had little strength, she focused and chopped with all her might. Then came the mixing: stir, add water, sprinkle in salt, and stir some more.

After a good while of mixing, Qin Rong placed the bowl of seasoned fish paste into the cool well water to chill.

It was springtime, still quite chilly—the well water was icy cold.

Once the fish mixture had chilled, she began shaping the fish balls.

One by one, the small balls floated to the surface of the water, gradually filling the pot.

It was done!

Qin Rong was delighted.

After cooking the fish balls, she scooped them into a bowl, then prepared the stir-fried cabbage and the mushroom fish ball soup.

Meanwhile, Madam Yu returned from her embroidery shift, walking down the alley.

Seeing the smoke curling from their little chimney, she felt even more certain that leaving the Qin family had been the right choice.

Back at the Qin house, she had worked tirelessly without a break, constantly belittled by her mother-in-law simply because she bore no sons.

Every bit of housework fell to her, and her daughters could barely eat their fill.

Her sister-in-law, Qin Shi, was especially petty and mean.

Life might be tight now, but at least it was peaceful.

She was determined to work hard and save enough to provide each of her daughters with a decent dowry, ensuring they could marry with pride.

As soon as Madam Yu opened the courtyard gate, Qin Yue and Qin Yi ran up to greet her. “Mother! Big Sister made something new and delicious today!”

“Did she?” Madam Yu smiled, her eyes lighting up.

Her eldest daughter truly had a gifted hand in cooking.

Qin Rong had just finished preparing the soup base.

Hearing the front gate open, she immediately dropped all the fish balls into the pot.

One fish had yielded over thirty balls—all now simmering in the broth.

In a separate pot, she was steaming coarse-grain flatbreads—the main staple for today’s meal. Given their current financial state, eating rice every day was a luxury.

Though there was rice in the cellar of Qin Rong’s guesthouse, she had no good excuse to bring it out yet.

The aroma of the fish balls filled the entire kitchen. The three daughters all sniffed the air eagerly.

“Big Sister, it smells amazing!” they exclaimed.

Qin Rong set down the large bowl of fish balls and smiled. “Come eat while it’s hot.”

After they sat down, Qin Yue picked up a fish ball first. Mmm—it was tender yet chewy, so delicious it felt like her tongue might melt.

It was just too good!

Seeing her sister eat another one, Qin Yi wasn’t worried about any fishy taste anymore.

As soon as she bit into hers, her eyes sparkled.

It really was that delicious!

Madam Yu waited until the girls were eating happily before she picked up one herself and slowly savored it—so fresh and flavorful!

The taste of food could be seen clearly from the expressions of those eating it. Seeing how much her family enjoyed the meal, Qin Rong felt satisfied.

After they finished, Madam Yu put down her chopsticks and hesitated before saying, “About the household…”

Qin Rong immediately guessed what she wanted to say. “Mother, do you think these fish balls taste good?”

Madam Yu quickly nodded. “Of course, they’re absolutely delicious!”

Qin Rong smiled and said, “Mother, I’ve done the math. After paying rent, your wages only leave us with about 200 coins. Ah Yue’s cord-making helps, but at most adds another 200. Living in town costs a lot—everything from rice, flour, oil, even firewood must be bought. It’s spring now, but come winter, we’ll need new cotton bedding and coats—that’s another huge expense. Saving at this pace, who knows how long it’ll take to get ahead? So, I’m thinking of setting up a food stall in the West Market.”

Madam Yu hadn’t expected her daughter to have thought so far ahead.

Her heart ached, but she understood.

Qin Rong was right.

Life was tough, and if they relied on her alone, they wouldn’t even be able to afford to get sick, let alone save for dowries.

“Have you figured out how much it will cost?” she asked.

Qin Rong hadn’t expected such trust from her mother and quickly nodded. “Roughly. A stall in the West Market costs 5 coins a day. We already have a stove at home, so we just need to make a small pot and get some bamboo tubes.”

“Bamboo tubes?” Madam Yu asked, puzzled.

Qin Rong grinned. “Bamboo is cheap. Cut into segments, it’s perfect for holding fish balls—much cheaper than buying ceramic bowls.”

Understanding dawned, and Madam Yu smiled. “Then tomorrow after work, I’ll visit your grandfather’s house. There are plenty of bamboo stalks in the wild hills. I’ll ask your uncle to chop some down and make tubes—we’ll save a good bit of money that way.”

Qin Rong beamed. “Great!”