When Wei Shufen saw the two baskets of tender corn they brought back in the afternoon, she felt a pang of heartache. But upon hearing Jin Yao say they could make corn buns for dinner and even sell them, her distress vanished instantly.
After the trip, Jin Miao felt completely drained of energy. She urgently needed to return to her small bed to recharge.
After changing clothes, she lay down and fell asleep, completely unaware that outside in the living room, her parents and siblings were spilling everything they had heard and discussed in the cornfield.
“Mom, Dad, that’s how things stand. I think Third Sister’s idea is really good—I want to raise pigs on that wasteland.”
Jin Yan quickly added, “And plant more fruit trees while we’re at it.”
Wei Shufen didn’t say anything, her gaze fixed on the old man silently weaving a bamboo hat. The three siblings also turned to look at him.
Finally, the taciturn man noticed their stares. He raised his head, frowning slightly.
“What are you all looking at me for? Is there something on my face?”
“You stubborn old man, the kids are talking to you, and all you care about is that worn-out bamboo hat in your hands.” Wei Shufen couldn’t hold back and scolded him, then worried her voice was too loud and might disturb the person inside. She peeked in, and seeing no movement, lowered her voice to say, “Second Son wants to raise pigs. Just tell us whether you agree or not!”
Although he had been weaving the hat, his ears hadn’t been idle—he had heard every word they said.
He sighed softly before turning to Jin Yan. “Alright, we can raise pigs, but let’s start with just two to test the waters. As for fruit trees, let’s hold off for now. They cost a lot, and fruit trees don’t yield harvests right after planting. You can’t become fat in one bite—take it slow. Let’s figure things out step by step first.”
His father’s words pulled Jin Yan back from his beautiful daydreams to reality. What he said made perfect sense.
“And Eldest Son, you go to town with your mom in the morning to sell breakfast, but don’t quit your factory job just yet. Wait until the breakfast business really takes off before making any decisions.”
The whole family fell silent. Wei Shufen gave a firm “Mm.”
“Your dad is right. Even though we can hear that… thing, it’s better to take things one step at a time, steadily and cautiously.”
Jin Sen nodded. “Alright, I’ll listen to you and Mom. But that means I can only sell for a little while in the mornings before heading to the factory for work. Oh, right, I can also work on Sundays!”
“But, Big Brother, won’t you be too exhausted?”
The next second, Jin Yao’s head was poked by Wei Shufen. “It’s fine. You and your Third Sister can help sell food while waiting for that cultural troupe.”
Jin Yao’s face instantly fell. She had been diligently performing, giving them a way forward, and in the end, she was the one shouldering the most responsibility—ahhhhh!
During dinner, when Jin Miao learned that her parents had agreed to let Second Brother raise pigs on the wasteland, she was utterly stunned.
Great, just great. This world truly was surreal.
It seemed like her family in this life was a little different… not.
[Jin Miao: It must be fake, all fake. Don’t I know their personalities? They’re all about three-minute enthusiasm. As soon as they hit a little setback, they’ll give up. Just wait and see.]
Wei Shufen’s chopsticks paused mid-air as she picked up a dish. “Hurry up and eat! Day in and day out, even a meal can’t keep your mouths shut. There’s still plenty to do later!”
Jin Miao sped up her eating pace. Who had upset her this time? Never mind—no matter what, eating came first.
With her mind blissfully empty, she ate her fill and went straight to sleep, lying comfortably in bed until the next day… or so she thought.
Jin Miao opened her eyes and lifted a corner of the curtain. For a moment, she couldn’t tell what time it was. Had she actually slept, or hadn’t she?
“Third Sister, Third Sister, get up! Mom’s calling us!” Jin Yao was already tugging at her, wondering why her third sister was so hard to wake up these days.
With no other choice, she pulled Jin Miao out from under the covers. “Sis, hurry up and get up. If you don’t, Mom’s going to come after you with the rolling pin.”
Under the threat of her mother’s formidable strength, Jin Miao forced herself out of bed despite her overwhelming drowsiness.
Yawning repeatedly, she helped knead dough and prepare food under Wei Shufen’s instructions.
Today’s menu included corn buns, steamed mixed-grain mantou, and fried dough sticks. After a quick breakfast, the family of four set off for the town.
The main sellers were Mom and the eldest brother, each carrying a large bamboo basket lined with clean gauze and covered with another layer, leaving only a small corner exposed to let the aroma drift out.
[Jin Miao: Who am I? Where am I? What am I supposed to do? Oh heavens, why do I have to go through this again? Walking such a long distance—I’m definitely not the heavens’ favorite daughter anymore!!]
Jin Miao felt utterly numb, her mind a foggy mess as she trudged forward mechanically. How she wished she could ride in a vehicle—it had been so long since she’d walked this much. She really had grown lazy.
It’s easy to go from frugality to luxury, but hard to go from luxury back to frugality!
The mother and son walking ahead exchanged a glance, unable to hold back their laughter. They’d never realized how amusing Third Sister could be.
Jin Yao was also grinning, her eyes crinkling as she linked arms with Jin Miao.
“Third Sister, do you know how to sell things? I’ve never done it before. Do you think we’ll make money today? If we do, maybe Mom will buy us hair ties?”
Jin Miao scoffed inwardly.
[Jin Miao: Not likely. Those hair ties are expensive and ugly anyway—better to make them ourselves. Wouldn’t it be nicer to save the money for snacks? Besides, the south already has lots of cheap and pretty hair clips and bands. Once the small commodity market opens up in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, the stuff there will really dazzle you—it’ll even be exported overseas, supplying souvenirs for tourist spots all over the world!]
Jin Yao blinked several times, trying hard to picture the small commodity market her third sister’s inner voice had mentioned. Could it really reach overseas? Was it truly that impressive?
Suddenly, she really wanted to go see such a place for herself.
“Mom and Big Brother should manage just fine. You have to believe in them.”
No sooner had her comforting and encouraging words left her mouth than they heard voices in the distance.
“What’s that smell? It’s so fragrant—I’m getting hungry.”
“Is someone selling food? It smells amazing. It’d be great if we ran into a food seller along the way. We still have a stretch to go before reaching town!”
“Yeah, the workload’s been heavy lately. There wasn’t enough food last night, and we got up so early this morning without breakfast. My stomach’s been growling for a while now.”
“Then let’s see if anyone nearby is selling food.”
The sky had turned a deep blue by now, not completely pitch black, allowing them to make out the general surroundings.
Jin Miao had excellent eyesight and spotted several figures in the distance. They looked increasingly familiar, as if she had seen them somewhere before.
As the arm she was holding tightened its grip, she turned and saw Jin Yao’s serious little face…