I have been farming since I crossed over.

On the 16th day of the first lunar month, after removing the tarpaulin from the rice seedlings, everyone began to get busy. The Yang family had now officially split up, and cooking was handed over to the eldest sister-in-law, Zou.

Yang Laowu and Yang Minghu began to reclaim the wasteland again. The villagers also came to help so that they could divide the rice seedlings.

Yang Mingxi was mainly thinking about how to make money to rebuild the house and move the whole family in.

Brothers Yang Mingyu and Yang Mingyang started cleaning up the old house of the Yang family two years ago, planning to bring Yang Mingxi to live here when the time comes. On the one hand, it was convenient for Yang Mingxi to check the growth of the seedlings, and on the other hand, the five-room Yang family house was too crowded and could no longer accommodate everyone. Finally, at Yang Mingxi's suggestion, the three siblings Yang Mingyu, Yang Mingyang and Yang Mingxi came to live in the old house of the Yang family and look after the seedling fields at the same time.

The Yang family's old house consisted of three thatched huts. The center one served as the main room, and the two side rooms were just enough for the three siblings. However, the old house had fallen into disrepair, and the roof was in disrepair. Yang Mingyu and Yang Mingyang re-thatched it, cleaned it, and the three siblings moved in on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year.

Yang Mingxi racked her brain, but no good money-making ideas emerged. She felt discouraged, but she persisted. Finally, an idea struck her: start a business! The thought sparked a glimmer of hope. However, the question arose: What should she sell? What was her specialty?

As Yang Mingxi was lost in thought, she suddenly recalled a novel she had read. It depicted a protagonist searching the mountains for precious Chinese medicinal herbs, ultimately accumulating immense wealth through their exploits. This story inspired Yang Mingxi to consider the possibility of treasure hunting in the mountains. Perhaps she could find something valuable and change her current situation. So, she decided to set out the next morning, heading for the nearby mountains and forests in search of opportunities for fortune.

She called Yang Mingyu over and told him about going up the mountain to look for precious herbs, but Yang Mingyu flatly denied the idea. It was already spring, so it was not suitable for collecting herbs. Besides, precious herbs were not easy to find; it was just a matter of luck. The Yang family's fifth branch didn't have the time or energy for such a thing.

Yang Mingxi thought about it and realized that even if she did find a valuable medicinal herb, what about the other families? If she simply gave them money, they wouldn't take it. So, when she did things, she had to think about the other cousins. It's better to teach a man how to fish than to give him a fish. Right now, because her family had first said they wanted to cultivate this wasteland to grow rice, everyone was helping with the cultivation. Once the wasteland was reclaimed, they would also have to start their own business. This couldn't go on forever.

A few days ago, I heard my second aunt say that they were planning to build a house and had asked my mother to help hatch the ducklings. They were planning to raise ducks in the future. Not only was my second aunt good at raising ducks, she also made excellent salted duck eggs. I ate a few during Chinese New Year, and they were truly delicious. Besides, since my second aunt's family sent two people to the mountain for hunting this time, they naturally got a larger share of the money. There was no problem with the money for building the house.

If I were just building a house, it wouldn't be a problem. But if I cleared the wasteland, I'd be worried about someone else taking advantage of it, and then I'd be making things easier for them. So the most important thing was to buy the wasteland first, and then figure out the rest later.

If he couldn't go to the mountains to dig herbs, what else could he do? They say, "Live by the mountain, eat by the mountain; live by the sea, eat by the sea." He had a mountain behind him, so he had to find a way to make money from it. Yang Mingxi couldn't think of any solution, so he called Yang Mingyu over and asked them to come up with a plan together.

Over in the wasteland, everyone was busy clearing the wasteland. By the river, Yang Mingxi and Yang Mingyu sat by the river, discussing something. Zheng Huairen was digging in the wasteland over there. He looked up and saw Yang Mingxi sitting by the river. He thought about asking Yang Mingxi if she wanted to go hunting in the mountains that night. Clearing the wasteland made the little girl unhappy.

Watching the fish swimming in the river, Yang Mingxi suddenly thought of selling cooking recipes. Yes, selling fish recipes might make money. But then he thought about it and rejected the idea. His future plan was to open a large restaurant. That way, he could sell the products grown by the Yang family and even the villagers. If he just cooperated with others, the price and quantity would be limited. It would be more cost-effective to do it himself.

The brother and sister sat by the stream, racking their brains for a long time, but couldn't think of any good way to make money. Finally, Yang Mingxi suggested, "Why don't we go to my uncle's house and see how his rice seedlings are doing?"

Yang Mingyu's eyes lit up, thinking this was a good idea. He nodded and said, "Okay! Let's go now!"

The two hit it off immediately and stood up, ready to set off. Yang Mingxi added, "Let's not go through the front of the village, but go directly over the mountain behind Old Yang's house. This will save time, and we can also see if there are any good things in the mountains."

Yang Mingyu thought this was a great idea, so the brother and sister took their tools and headed towards the mountain behind Old Yang's house.

Along the way, the brother and sister happily discussed their future plans. Yang Mingxi was looking forward to her visit to Uncle Wu's house, hoping it would be enlightening.

As they reached the top of the mountain, Yang Mingxi spotted a large tree in the distance. Remembering the wild boar her uncle Wu and his friends had found during their break, she ran over to the tree to take a look. Perhaps because they were so close to the mountain, there were signs of people resting under the tree. Furthermore, the area was deserted, making it unlikely that a wild boar would be around. Yang Mingxi was certain the boar had an owner, and that the Wu family had somehow managed to snatch it away.

After climbing a mountain, we finally arrived at our destination—Uncle Wu's residence. From afar, Uncle Wu's home gave off an air of grandeur and wealth. Behind the spacious gate rose a towering wall, separating the entire residence from the outside world. Within the wall lay a series of separate, individually arranged courtyards. This layout stood in stark contrast to the crowded, single courtyard of Old Yang's residence, more like the layout of a modern school, with each area dedicated to a specific purpose and function.

There is a wide square at the entrance. In the middle of the square is a small flower bed. It should be planted with some climbing plants, because there are some ropes on the edge of the flower bed to facilitate the plants to climb. There are two houses next to the gate, which look like gatehouses.