Female-to-male: I live on farming

"Hey, these French fries taste really good too."

The first bite you take is full of textures, starting with the crispy skin and then the softness and moistness of the potatoes.

The color is golden, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

"Do you know what caused this explosion?"

The maid who was warming the wine for the ladies smiled and lowered her head to explain: "Ladies, this is made from fried potatoes."

"potato?"

"Yes, this is also the latest new variety launched by our Gu family. There are many new dishes. Ladies can go to Caiyue Tower to taste it. However, since it has just been cultivated, the output is still very small, and it is currently limited."

"By the way, I heard that Caiyue Tower has launched a new hotpot. I wonder if we can try it?" Lady Beijia had a lazy look in her eyes as she lay on the massage bed, enjoying the massage from the maid.

"This..." The maid's tone was a little hesitant, but she also knew that these ladies were all powerful people in Jinzhou City and could not afford to offend them easily, so she bowed and said, "Allow me to ask the shopkeeper for instructions."

"Oh, this is all thanks to my wife. I will definitely try the hot pot later."

"That's right, let's play a few rounds of mahjong after eating hot pot. I lost a lot last time, and I must win it back this time."

When the shopkeeper heard the ladies' request, he hesitated for a moment and then sent someone to Caiyue Tower to fetch some ingredients for a hot pot.

You have to know that there are not many copper pots in Caiyue Tower, and the ingredients are limited. Those fish balls and meat balls are made fresh every day by the kitchen staff. Vegetables and seafood are also in short supply in winter. The cost of a hot pot is so high, so the price is naturally very high.

Of course, ordinary people cannot afford it and can only sigh in despair. Currently, it is only circulated among powerful families.

The capital city was far away and the roads were rugged, but the carriages, with their shaking and creaking sounds, brought these new things into the capital city.

The capital city was full of wealthy and powerful people who spent money carelessly without caring at all. They were even more curious about this newfangled toy, and for a time Caiyue Tower was packed with people.

However, in the study room of a magnificent mansion closest to the imperial city, it was as if a dark cloud was pressing down on the sky, and the air was filled with tension.

The few people below hung their heads, trembling with fear, holding their breath, waiting for the storm to come.

"The Gu family's business is really getting better and better now. Didn't I ask you to support the people of the Gu family's side branches? You are all a bunch of trash. You can't even control a little girl!"

"Your Highness, that Gu Lanxi is really cunning and his methods are hard to guard against."

The man addressed as His Highness was wearing a red suit with gold edging, a jade-studded ribbon around his waist, and his long black hair was tied up high in a red crown. His originally well-dressed and handsome appearance was ruined by the sinister expression on his face.

"Then what do you say we should do? The fifth and seventh brothers are eyeing my position. How can I deal with them without money?" The prince turned around for a few times with his hands behind his back, and then he seemed to remember something and said, "Also, who did the Gu family rely on? Why haven't we found out for so long?"

The Gu family's reputation as a wealthy business family was well-known far and wide. He thought he could easily take advantage of them, but he never expected that someone would get there first, especially in the past six months when the Gu family's business had been getting better and better, and was booming.

"This... Your subordinate is incompetent."

"Trash! A bunch of trash!"

With a "bang!", broken cups and plates fell to the ground at the feet of several people, and the scalding tea splashed onto their clothes. Following the sound, several people fell to their knees with a plop and bowed their heads to the ground.

"Your Highness, I have sent someone to contact the second son of the Li family..."

The Li family is an imperial merchant appointed by the imperial court. Although their financial resources are not as good as the Gu family, they are also one of the richest merchants. Moreover, the Li family is prosperous, so it is easier to find a breakthrough than the Gu family.

Hearing this, the prince's stern expression finally softened a little.

……

Li Nanqiao was naturally unaware of those distant class struggles. Ever since Lu Youqing talked to her that day, she had been worried all day long.

"Nanqiao, is something wrong with you? You seem absent-minded lately." Li Nanqiao's mother could see that her daughter was worried recently.

Li Nanqiao looked at his mother's gray hair. Her face was dark and rough, and full of frost, because she had worked in the fields in the early years under the wind and sun.

Moreover, due to years of bedridden illness, he was very thin and weak, and he walked with a hunched back.

Fortunately, Li Nanqiao's life has become better since he followed Lu Youqing and the others. The family has money to hire a doctor, and his mother's illness is getting better day by day.

Facing his mother's worried eyes, Li Nanqiao put down the axe in his hand, not knowing how to start the conversation.

"It's okay, talk to mom. Maybe mom can't help you, but it's better than keeping it in your heart."

Li Nanqiao was silent for a long while before she walked over to sit beside her. She picked up a wooden stick and scribbled on the ground, telling her mother everything Lu Youqing had said to her that day.

Mother Li stopped what she was doing, turned her head to look at Li Nanqiao who was drawing on the ground with his head down, looked at the chaotic lines on the ground, and sighed softly.

"Nan Qiao, do you want to go with Madam Lu and the others?" Although her tone was questioning, her expression was affirmative.

She and Nan Qiao have been dependent on each other for many years. Although she cannot be said to be a worm in her stomach, she came out of her stomach after all.

She could guess what she was thinking at a glance.

Upon hearing this, Li Nanqiao paused his scribbling hands, but his head remained lowered and he never raised it.

"Can't you let me go?" Mother Li continued to persuade: "Mother has seen that Madam Lu and Qin Ke are capable people. It's better for you to follow them than to stay in this village. Do you want to farm for the rest of your life?"

Having experienced life and death, she has now become more open-minded. Everything depends on her daughter's wishes and she doesn't want to force anything on her.

"Mom is half buried in the earth now, but you are still young. Didn't you chatter for several days when you came back from Jinzhou last time? The world outside is so big, you should go out and explore it."

Although Li's mother has never been to school, she is a very smart person.

"Wherever mother is, I am there." Li Nanqiao said with his head held high.

Li Nanqiao swore to death that he would never leave her alone in the village.

Li's mother tried to persuade her for a long time, but she just said that.

Finally, Li's mother had no choice but to look around the house where she had lived for most of her life and compromised: "Wherever you go, I will go there."

Li Nanqiao, who finally got the answer he wanted, jumped up excitedly and said loudly, "I'll go tell Madam Lu!"

Looking at Li Nanqiao who had instantly run away for a long distance, her figure shrank smaller and smaller until it condensed into a tiny black dot, Li's mother murmured in a low voice: "I hope the decision I made is right..."

At this time, Lu Youqing listened to Li Nanqiao's final decision with a smile, and felt relieved.

Suddenly, I turned my head and looked out the window, and saw pure white snowflakes falling from the sky, like beautiful silver butterflies dancing.

"Snowing."