CHAPTER 50: CHAPTER 49: IT’S SNOWING (SECOND UPDATE)

Qin Yao felt that Liu Ji’s face was probably made of city walls.

Upon hearing about good food, he forcefully squeezed his way over.

His main strategy was shamelessness; thus, you couldn’t morally condemn him.

Six bowls of fragrant wontons were served, and the children widened their eyes.

A bowl that costs eight cents contains fifteen wontons, packed with plenty of meat filling. Da Lang Brothers and Sisters thought it was tastier than candied haws.

Anything related to meat, they thought was the best.

Such a large bowl of wontons, Sanlang and Si Niang surprisingly finished them all.

Qin Yao glanced over and thought, well, they won’t be able to sleep tonight, definitely stuffed.

Qin Yao didn’t allow the two to drink the remaining broth, she drank it all herself in two big gulps.

Liu Ji waited to pick up the leftovers, but sadly didn’t get a single extra mouthful of broth, which was quite depressing.

After lunch, Qin Yao asked Liu Ji to take the kids back to the cart first, and she went alone to buy some New Year’s goods.

Oil and sauce need to be replenished, meat too—she bought twenty pounds. The fat would be rendered into lard, while the lean meat would be frozen outside and eaten slowly.

Seeing that someone was selling self-grown bean sprouts, Qin Yao decided to try it out herself when she got home so they could have extra vegetables in winter.

She bought a sheet of red paper, some incense candles, two red lanterns, and a bag of feed for the cattle.

The silver in Qin Yao’s pocket was reduced to nine taels and five maces.

A trip to town cost six maces of silver, which was a bit painful to consider.

Things in ancient times are so expensive. If she doesn’t find a way to earn money, Qin Yao feels that her silver will soon be depleted.

Having a bull cart was convenient for carrying people and goods. When Qin Yao returned the cart to the village chief’s house, she touched the bull longingly, wanting one.

Unfortunately, she could only look, as the silver in her pocket wouldn’t allow it.

The family of six returned home fully loaded, and just as they entered the courtyard, the gloomy sky suddenly brightened.

It started to snow.

White snow particles began to fall gently, quickly covering the ground with a shallow layer of white, creating a rustling sound as they walked on it.

The family of six huddled in the main room, warming themselves by the freshly lit charcoal brazier, grateful for their timely return.

The snow was falling fast.

Overnight, the ground was covered in a layer of white silver light.

The temperature plummeted, and true winter arrived, causing households to close their doors to fend off the cold.

To save firewood, Qin Yao’s family only cooked two meals a day, preparing both morning and noon meals together and reheating them on the charcoal stove at noon.

They couldn’t afford to heat every room; once the family got up, they gathered in the main room.

The father and five sons practiced writing.

After finishing two hundred push-ups, Qin Yao pondered how to make money.

Qin Yao began recalling the online time-travel novels she read during school.

How did the female protagonists make money when they crossed worlds?

The common method was gourmet food.

Pig offal often appeared due to its low cost, which could easily be sold for big profits with little effort.

Qin Yao was tempted.

But reality slapped her hard!

Firstly, she couldn’t buy the spices needed for pig offal.

Spices were exorbitantly expensive here; things like star anise and Sichuan peppercorns weren’t sold anywhere in Kaiyang County.

Only officials and wealthy merchants could afford them, using private transport and logistics routes.

Secondly, there weren’t even a thousand people across ten villages combined, with villages scattered around, and the nearest Jinshi Town being a three-hour walk away, making a mature market impossible.

Starting in a small mountain village led only to a dead end.

Finally.

Hilarious!

No one in the entire village could afford to raise pigs, meaning there’s no raw material!

Pig offal is still meat—the frugal and hardworking people can even stir-fry grasshoppers and leeches to bring to the table, let alone mere pig offal?

"Give up the pig offal route!"

Qin Yao severely crossed off the get-rich option through pig offal from her little board.

She continued to think of other delicacies.

Tofu seemed like a good choice.

However, as the saying goes, life has three major hardships.

Rowing a boat, forging iron, grinding tofu!

She didn’t know whether she could endure it.

Wait, she saw someone sprouting bean sprouts in the county. Wouldn’t they also be able to make tofu?

Thinking of this, Qin Yao decided to test the kids at home.

"Do any of you know what food can be made from soybeans?"

Qin Yao pulled Liu Ji away from his teaching position, sat down herself, and smiled while asking.

Second Lang eagerly replied, "I know!"

Qin Yao nodded encouragingly, indicating for him to speak.

Second Lang said, "Soybeans can be sprouted to make bean sprouts, and can also make soybean pudding and tofu. Our Aunt in winter makes tofu to sell, and villagers exchange soybeans with her for New Year dishes."

Da Lang added, "It’s for hotpot; tofu in a hotpot with meat is very fragrant."

When their real mother was still around, he had eaten it twice, and the aroma lingered until now.

Qin Yao rubbed her throbbing temples. The tofu route was blocked; unbelievably, there’s even hotpot here.

Moreover, the village mostly relied on barter; exchanging more abundant soybeans for tofu was common.

After careful calculation, it wasn’t as worthwhile as continuing to weave straw shoes.

Da Lang and Second Lang anxiously looked at their stepmother, wondering if they answered incorrectly. Why did she look dissatisfied?

Qin Yao forced a smile, giving a thumbs up to the two, "Congratulations, you got it right, but the reward is only spiritual."

The brothers eagerly asked, "What is a spiritual reward?"

Qin Yao gave another thumbs-up, "Just this, top-notch."

The brothers awkwardly stood there, unsure whether to smile, but found it hard to do so.

Qin Yao waved to Liu Ji, "You continue."

Liu Ji took a deep breath to avoid being furious; his lesson was going well, yet she just had to disrupt it!

Qin Yao returned to her corner seat, continuing to ponder.

But before she could come up with anything, the New Year arrived.

The snow fell for several days, and on New Year’s Eve, the sky suddenly cleared. The snow on the eaves melted into water, slowly dripping down, forming icicles below the eaves.

With the snow stopped, the kids who were confined indoors were finally free, rushing outside to play in the snow, smash icicles, and build snowmen.

The house was cold, and running around outside brought some warmth; the parents no longer restricted them from going out.

The village chief led a few robust young men from the clan, visiting each household to count the people.

After a day’s walk, they carried out two frozen elderly from the drafty low thatched huts.

Wrapped in straw mats, the young strongmen of the village took them to the desolate mountain, covered them with yellow soil, ending their lives.

Yet compared to last year, only two elderly were frozen to death this time, with no children or young people freezing to death, which was significantly better.

In Qin Yao’s memory, the Spring Festival was a lively occasion full of drums and exuberance.

But due to material scarcity, the way Liu Family Village celebrated was simple.

Every household tried their best to make a table of the best meals.

Then the family would sit together and finish this meal, marking the New Year.

There were no lantern displays, dragon, or lion dances to be seen.

Having a full meal and hoping for good weather in the coming year was already very good.

As a result, seeing Qin Yao take out two cut blessing characters to paste on the main door, the children at home watched like it was something rare.

Only then did they realize, oh, so this is what New Year is like.