Making bedding is usually simple—just cut and sew.

However, Yang Haiyan, a fashion design graduate, made beautiful overlock stitches that looked like they were done by a sewing machine.

She even embroidered golden flowers on the light blue duvet cover, creating a warm and cozy atmosphere.

Yang Dahu couldn’t help but praise her, “Haiyan, your needlework is amazing! No wonder everyone praised you when you were in the Yang residence.”

Yang Haiyan replied, “I’ll teach you tomorrow afternoon.”

This overlock technique was modern and not from this era, but that didn’t matter—it was still needlework.

“By the way, what are you sending tomorrow?” Yang Dahua asked.

“Fried rice,” Yang Haiyan said.

The next day

Before dawn, the butcher’s daughter delivered ten jin of pig intestines.

Yang Haiyan kept two jin and put the remaining eight on the trading platform.

For lunch, she made pickled vegetable and pig intestine fried rice, accompanied by shrimp and winter melon soup.

When Yang Dahua came to call her, the enticing aroma of the pig intestines made her curious. “What is that smell? It’s strange but smells delicious!”

Haiyan explained, “I made a bit too much. You can take some; it’s made with pig intestines. If he likes it, you can make it next time.”

“Pig intestines?” Dahua had no disdain for the dish.

Coming from a poor family and having been a servant, she cherished food and wouldn’t look down on any ingredient.

She just hadn’t expected Haiyan to eat this.

“Just try a bit,” Yang Haiyan said, serving Yang Dahua a small bowl of fried rice with pig intestines.

Yang Dahua took a bite and her eyes lit up. “It’s delicious! If I didn’t know better, I’d think it was meat!”

“There’s another plate; I’ll pack it in your lunchbox for Han Baifu,” Haiyan said.

“Okay!” Dahua replied.

Today she brought fried eggs and tofu, which could be considered a meat dish.

When they arrived at the military camp, Han Zhen and Qin Fang were waiting at the entrance.

Seeing them, both rushed over.

Unlike Qin Fang’s silent demeanor, Han Zhen was more warm-hearted and asked curiously, “What did you bring today?”

“Fried eggs and tofu,” Dahua answered. “And Haiyan also gave me a mysterious dish you’ll have to try.”

Hearing this, Qin Fang shot a glare at Han Zhen, his eyes like knives.

This guy was eating his food!

Han Zhen pretended not to notice and eagerly opened the lunchbox, devouring the contents.

His wolfish appetite was quite the contrast to his handsome appearance.

In the afternoon, Qin Fang used the excuse of sparring to give Han Zhen a harsh lesson.

It was one thing to mess with him, but touching the food his wife prepared was absolutely unacceptable.

They fought fiercely until they lay exhausted on the ground.

Han Zhen nudged Qin Fang with his foot and laughed.

They had come from that small village, trudging through muddy paths, shedding blood together, fighting enemies side by side, both becoming captains and marrying wives from similar backgrounds. It felt good to share this bond.

After returning to the family quarters, Yang Dahua continued to ask Haiyan for needlework tips.

She wanted to embroider some handkerchiefs to contribute to her household, also dreaming of using her own earnings to buy pig trotters and meat for her husband.

Meanwhile, Yang Haiyan began making clothes for Qin Fang, starting with an inner garment of long sleeves and pants, planning to make him underwear after Yang Dahua left.

Before long, the Tang mother and daughter arrived.

Yang Dahua knew that there were people available to wash clothes, but she couldn’t bear to spend money unnecessarily.

If it had been earlier, she might have thought Haiyan spent too freely, but knowing how skilled Haiyan was in needlework, she understood the need to protect her hands, so hiring someone to wash clothes seemed reasonable.

Time passed quickly, and soon it was September 11.

Yang Haiyan received another ten jin of pig intestines, kept two, and put the remaining eight on the trading platform.

She also set out with one hundred blocks of soap.

At Yongji

The shopkeeper was thrilled to see one hundred blocks of soap. “How did you manage to have one hundred this time? If only it could be this much every time!”

Yang Haiyan explained, “I hired someone to help, so we made more. Plus, I needed the money quickly, so I worked extra hard.”

The shopkeeper’s eyes lit up at this. “Can you guarantee that amount every first day of the month?”

The soap had sold exceptionally well; he even showed it to his master, who had kept half of the first batch for personal use.

“I can’t hire too many people, as I’m worried about the secret recipe getting out. If it’s just two of us, I can ensure one hundred each month, but not more,” Yang Haiyan replied.

The shopkeeper exclaimed, “Ah, that’s great! This can be shipped in bulk to other places.”

Yang Haiyan replied, “Shopkeeper, this batch of 100 is different from the previous ones, so the price should also be different. Take a look.”

The shopkeeper examined the items and said, “Wow, these have characters and floral carvings! Incredible! The craftsmanship is excellent!” He added, “This has words like ‘wealth,’ ‘happiness,’ ‘longevity,’ ‘success,’ ‘beauty’… it’s quite interesting. Mrs. Qin, you really have a knack for business.”

Yang Haiyan modestly replied, “Please don’t flatter me. I’m just a small household trying to make a little money to get by. I find business too troublesome; someone like me, without connections, can’t really do it.”

The shopkeeper nodded, “You see things clearly, Mrs. Qin.”

She asked, “So what do you think of the price?”

The shopkeeper proposed, “I’ll give you 2 more coins for each piece.”

Yang Haiyan countered, “Make it 3 coins each.”

The shopkeeper agreed, “Alright, 3 coins it is.”

Adding 3 coins for each piece would allow them to sell for much more.

In the end, Yang Haiyan received 1,800 coins, bringing her and Qin Fang’s total to 6,270 coins.

She locked 6 taels of silver in the drawer of her wardrobe and kept the remaining 270 coins in her purse.

Yang Haiyan’s trading platform now had 1,243 coins.

She spent 700 coins to buy a portable solar-powered generator.

She had used such generators in her previous life and found them very convenient.

The solar panels would absorb sunlight, and the energy would be stored in the generator, which could then be connected via a power strip for use.

Next, she spent 129 coins on a blender that could make soy milk, rice milk, and juice.

After purchasing it, the generator had 10% surplus power for testing, so she soaked some soybeans and made soy milk.

The aroma of the fresh soy milk made her eyes glisten with happiness.

Of course, if she didn’t need the blender, she could store it on the platform as a way to sell it later, setting a higher price that no one would pay.

This was a loophole in the platform, allowing for storage.

Since she had made a lot of soy milk, Yang Haiyan also bought a thermos for 20 coins to keep the soy milk warm for Qin Fang when she brought him lunch.

With the thermos, it became easier for her to wash her face the next morning, so she spent another 20 coins to buy another one.

Now, her platform balance was 374 coins.

Seeing the balance, she couldn’t resist spending 89 coins on a spin dryer.

A washing machine was impractical because of the water changing process, but a spin dryer would speed up drying sheets and bedding.

With the soy milk ready, Yang Haiyan made steamed buns filled with chives and eggs for lunch.

After finishing her meal, Yang Dahua arrived.

Yang Dahua had been learning embroidery from Yang Haiyan every day and, although her skills weren’t perfect, her hard work paid off; she had already made some handkerchiefs and pouches that could be sold.

However, shops specialized in embroidered items with more skilled artisans, so they wouldn’t accept her work.

Thus, Yang Dahua decided to set up her own stall, and today was her first day.

“Hi, Haiyan, are you ready?” she asked.

Yang Haiyan smiled as she stepped out with her basket, “Ready! How did business go today, Dahua?”

Yang Dahua beamed, “It’s the first day, and I already had customers! I sold to some farm wives and young girls.”

“Congratulations on your grand opening, Dahua!” Yang Haiyan exclaimed.

Yang Dahua replied, “Exactly! I’m just taking it slow; after all, I have nothing else to do at home. Earning a little extra is good for the family. Once I get better at it, I can sell in the shops too.”

Meanwhile, Qin Fang and Han Zhen were waiting for their wives.

After some time, they grew envious of the soldiers in the barracks.

Who else had the luck to have their wives bring them lunch daily, except on rainy days?

Just a couple of weeks ago, many had mocked Qin Fang; now, they were envious of him, feeling sour about it.

Initially, people thought Qin Fang was unfortunate to have a troublesome wife, but it turned out she was one who brought meat for him.

According to the soldiers at the back gate, Qin Fang often enjoyed meat, and the aroma wafted into their noses, making them crave it.

At first, it was only Qin Fang’s family receiving these meals, but now Han Zhen’s family joined in, intensifying the delightful smells around.

As Qin Fang received the thermos, he, usually a quiet person, managed to ask a few questions after spending some time with Yang Haiyan. “What did you make today?”

Yang Haiyan replied, “I made steamed buns and soy milk.”

To keep the soy milk warm, she had spent 50 coins on an insulated tea bucket.

It was simply a round wooden barrel with a very tight lid, not comparable to modern thermal cups, but still effective for keeping things warm in ancient times.

Qin Fang inquired, “Soy milk? Did you grind the beans?”

“Yes, I ground the beans into a paste and then strained it. Try it; I added a bit of sugar, so it’s sweet,” she offered.

Qin Fang took out a bowl of soy milk from the thermos.

It was white and smooth, like tofu pudding, along with three steamed buns and three plain rolls.

He took a sip of the soy milk, enjoying its sweet taste that warmed his heart.

There was no bean odor at all.