The night faded and dawn began to break.

Smoke from cooking fires swayed gently in the morning light, as if telling the story of a new day’s beginning.

In Old Zhao’s courtyard, the atmosphere was already bustling with activity.

The matter of the family division from the night before, like seeds on a spring breeze, had already taken root and begun to sprout in every corner of Huanghualing overnight.

All of this was thanks to Li Cuihong.

Discontent simmering in her heart, she had gone to vent to her aunt, Li Lianyan, beneath the old locust tree.

She had intended to use her aunt’s words to let the villagers know how unreasonable Zhao Daqing was, paving the way for not having to support the elderly couple in the future.

She had high hopes, thinking that once the villagers heard, they would surely side with her and criticize Zhao Daqing.

However, things did not go as she expected.

The villagers of Huanghualing Village did not echo her sentiments.

On the contrary, their words were filled with indifference and ridicule, as if watching a farce.

This reaction infuriated Li Cuihong, but she could do nothing about it.

She had hoped to win sympathy through this, but instead she became the subject of the villagers’ idle gossip.

Next door, Qian Chunhua, who lived in the west wing, had been kept awake late into the night by the commotion from the Zhao household.

She had woken up early to cook breakfast for her three children and now felt dizzy and tired.

After Qingsong and Xiaoling left for school, the noisy arguing next door resumed—this time, over the division of grain.

Qian Chunhua frowned and decided to take Qingfeng away from the noise for a while.

“Mom, where are we going?” Qingfeng asked, blinking with curiosity.

Qian Chunhua smiled gently, stroking his head. “Mom’s taking you to the county town. How does that sound?”

“Yay! Yay!” Qingfeng jumped up in excitement.

He had never gone to the county town with his mother before.

He carefully packed his little school bag, slung it over his back, then cheerfully grabbed Qian Chunhua’s hand, urging, “Mom, let’s go, let’s go!”

Qian Chunhua gazed at Qingfeng with motherly affection and followed his happy little steps toward the county town.

In truth, Qian Chunhua had her own reasons.

Two days had passed, and she was eager to learn what was happening outside.

In this era, there were no phones or internet.

All news had to be spread by word of mouth.

Official bulletins from the government were far beyond the reach of ordinary folks.

“Never mind, I’ll just think of it as taking the child out to relax,” she thought to herself, a faint smile playing on her lips.

..

The streets of the county town were sparse with people.

Everyone wore somber expressions, walking quickly with a sense of urgency.

Compared to a few days ago, the town had become much quieter.

Only outside the grain store was a crowd still gathered, murmuring and debating.

Qian Chunhua and Qingfeng walked through the county’s streets, silently observing everything.

Outside the grain store, a long line had formed—people patiently waiting to buy grain.

Under the strict watch of the yamen officers, the crowd remained orderly. Everyone held their household registration slips and waited quietly.

Qian Chunhua stood quietly to the side, observing.

Despite the bustling crowd, people did not look overly panicked, as if everything was still under control.

Leaving the grain store behind, she gently held Qingfeng’s small hand as they wandered further through the alleys of the county town.

By chance, they came upon a vendor selling candied hawthorn skewers.

Seeing the sparkle of desire in Qingfeng’s eyes, Qian Chunhua didn’t hesitate to buy six sticks—one for each family member, including her mother and Qian Xingshan.

Qingfeng held the treat delicately, savoring it bite by bite.

The sweet and sour flavor lit up his face with pure satisfaction and happiness.

They continued strolling through the town, picking up malt candies, sugar figurines, sunflower seeds, and other little snacks kids loved.

Now that there were three more children at home, she needed to prepare some treats.

Although she had stockpiled plenty of survival food and supplies in her storage space for times of disaster or apocalypse, there were no snacks for children.

Qian Chunhua decided to buy more snacks to bring some joy into the kids’ lives.

After all the shopping, she had spent three taels of silver.

Qingfeng didn’t understand the value of silver, but seeing his mother buy him so many tasty things, his face was lit with joy.

He even skipped along as they walked.

Qian Chunhua didn’t mind the expense—this money had been compensation from Zhao Yongqiang the day before.

After setting aside eight taels to build a house, she still had seven left.

She planned to spend it all—it was found money, after all.

Better to use it than let it sit.

With that in mind, she stepped into the county’s pastry shop, planning to buy some more delicious treats for the kids at home.

..

“Auntie, welcome!” The shop assistant greeted her enthusiastically as soon as she entered.

Qian Chunhua was momentarily surprised.

She looked down at her patched-up clothes—clearly not the appearance of someone who could afford pricey pastries.

But the assistant’s warm attitude caught her off guard.

With a beaming smile, the assistant began introducing the shop’s specialties: “Auntie, this is our signature snack—Peach Blossom Crisp.

The crust is crispy and delicious, and the filling is soft and delicate. The taste is excellent.”

Hearing the description, Qian Chunhua couldn’t help but crave a bite. She asked curiously, “How much for the Peach Blossom Crisp?”

“Fifty copper coins per jin,” the assistant replied readily.

Qian Chunhua nodded slightly, thinking to herself: That’s even more expensive than meat.

At that moment, little Qingfeng couldn’t hide the longing in his eyes.

But he quickly swallowed back his drool, afraid his mother would notice.

Seeing this, Qian Chunhua’s heart softened.

She decided to buy more. “Give me ten jin,” she said.

“Ten jin?” The assistant looked at her in surprise.

He hadn’t expected this seemingly poor woman to order so much at once.

But he quickly regained his cheerful expression, secretly thinking: You really can’t judge people by appearances!

Qian Chunhua added, “Please divide them into twenty portions, half a jin each.”

She planned to give the kids one portion at a time and store the rest in her space for later.

After all, with people scrambling to buy grain these days, it wasn’t a bad idea to stock up on some nice snacks for the kids.

“Alright!” the assistant replied warmly.

Customer satisfaction always came first—and this wasn’t a hard request.

As the assistant busied himself with the packing, Qian Chunhua glanced around the shop.

Some of the pastries looked very appealing, and she couldn’t help but ask, “This one… that one… and that one over there—how much are they per jin?”

The assistant put down his task and smiled as he explained, “This one’s twenty coins per jin, that one’s thirty-five, and the other’s thirty.”

Qian Chunhua boldly waved her hand and said she wanted ten jin of each, also divided into twenty portions of half a jin each.

With the assistant’s enthusiastic help, she shopped until she’d spent four taels of silver—all that Zhao Yongqiang had given her the day before.

While the assistant was still packing, Qian Chunhua struck up a casual conversation, hoping to gather some information.

“Why is the street so quiet today?” she asked offhandedly.

The assistant sighed, “It’s not just today. It’s been like this for a few days—barely any people around, and our shop’s been dead.”

As soon as he spoke, the assistant seemed to realize he had said too much and quickly shut his mouth, looking a bit panicked.

Qian Chunhua acted as if she hadn’t noticed and pressed on, “What’s going on? Is everyone too broke to shop?”

Relieved she didn’t call him out, the assistant answered, “Well, word is things aren’t looking good outside. Folks are all busy stockpiling grain and firewood. Who has time to walk around town?”

He regretted it as soon as he spoke and mentally kicked himself.

Qian Chunhua bit her lip, barely holding back a smile.

This assistant was kind of cute, really.

“Auntie, are you buying all these pastries as gifts?” the assistant quickly changed the subject, trying to escape the awkward moment.

Qian Chunhua paused, then nodded with a smile and played along: “Yes, that’s right.”