My sister became the empress, but I'm still growing vegetables and raising chickens

The Si family's home was at the very end of Songji Village, some distance from the village entrance. It was dark and the paths were narrow, so Si Xingzhi lit a lantern before leaving, fearing Aunt Jin and the others wouldn't be able to see him.

As soon as I reached the path at the entrance of the village, I saw two people pushing a cart back.

"Ajin, Xiaoan."

Xiao An was drooping with dust on his face, and he said nothing. Although Aunt Jin responded, her voice was weak: "Master."

Si Xingzhi went over and handed the lantern to Xiao An, then took Aunt Jin's cart and pushed it home. He understood what was going on after just one look.

Aunt Jin picked seven big pumpkins this morning, each weighing about seven or eight kilograms. She has been out all day and there are still several left in the car.

Sure enough, when they returned to the house, Aunt Jin took out four copper coins from her bosom and handed them to Si Muyan.

"Miss, I didn't expect the streets to be filled with pumpkins this year. They were impossible to sell. Later, I had no choice but to sell them at three cents each. I barely managed to sell two... I... bought two steamed buns."

I sold two pumpkins for six cents, and the steamed buns for one cent each, so I had four cents left.

The younger brother said, "Sister, I'm really hungry. Aunt Jin bought me all the steamed buns..."

He was eleven years old, a growing age, and could eat a lot in one meal. Although the original owner was fierce, he would not treat his younger brothers and sisters harshly even if he treated himself harshly, at least he would feed them well.

Aunt Jin waved her hand: "I ate it too..."

The younger sister turned and went to the kitchen, and brought out the warm food from the pot one by one: "I left some food, eat it quickly."

I only ate one and a half steamed buns the whole day, relying on water to survive. I was already starving, so I immediately started eating with big mouthfuls. Although Aunt Jin was also very hungry, she was used to working hard over the years and always put her master first in everything, so she was able to endure it. She ate while talking to Si Muyan.

"Last year, pumpkins were worth a penny per pound. Pumpkins this big could sell for seven or eight pennies, so these are worth at least fifty pennies. But this year..." Aunt Jin frowned at the thought. "I planted so many pumpkins, I should be able to sell a hundred or so. I thought I could get a tael of silver."

There were still a dozen ripe pumpkins in the garden, and some still unripe. In the next month or two, there was definitely a hundred pumpkins. Last year, we planted fewer pumpkins, but we sold them for a little over three hundred coins a month, which even gave the family some cloth to make winter clothes. That's why Aunt Jin decided to plant more this year.

The younger sister said, "Selling it cheap? If you don't have a tael of silver, how can you sell it for half a tael of silver?"

Aunt Jin shook her head. "It's not easy to sell. Pumpkins are everywhere. They're easy to care for and don't require much effort. Even city folks can plant a few around their houses and they'll bloom and bear fruit. But there's a fair the day after tomorrow, so I plan to try again. I'll sell as many as I can."

The pumpkins can be kept for a month or two, but their family can't eat that much.

Si Xingzhi was completely oblivious to what they were talking about. He sat there in a daze, unable to think of what he could do. Coming from the capital to Lingnan, the things he'd learned since childhood were of no use at all. Instead, it was his talent for gambling that made him want to gamble to help support his family. In previous years, he'd managed to win a small amount, but his recent luck hadn't been so great, and with his family's current situation, how could he possibly have any extra money left over for gambling?

He should think about how to share some of the burden with the children.

Si Muyan had seen the situation nearby during the day and had foreseen the result of poor sales of pumpkins, so she was not as depressed as others.

And during the day, she had already figured out how to deal with this matter.

"When you go to the market, besides having a wide variety of things at low prices, eating and drinking are also very important. So, I have an idea."

Everyone's eyes fell on Si Muyan's face.

Si Muyan said, "Pumpkins aren't easy to sell, but what if we make them into pumpkin pie?"

"Pumpkin pie?"

Pumpkins only appeared last year, and everyone knows they're delicious, filling, easy to keep alive, and can last a month or two. But how do you make pumpkin pie? And are they a good sell?

Aunt Jin offered her opinion: "Miss, I've never heard of pumpkin pie, and I don't know if it's a good sell. Besides, when we go to the market, we all bring our own water and food. Can we really sell them?"

Si Muyan smiled and said, "Aunt Jin, if you have some extra money and see something delicious at the market, would you like to buy some for Xiao An?"

Aunt Jin nodded quickly. She had no money today. She had originally thought of selling the pumpkin early so that she could buy a meat pie for the young master.

"The weather has been good over the past two years, and every household has stored food, so naturally they also have some extra money. People usually go to the market in groups, bringing their children along. If there's a new and interesting snack, I'm sure any family, as long as they're not too poor, would be happy to buy some for their children."

The younger sister was not as hesitant as Aunt Jin and said quickly, "Sister, how do we make this pumpkin pie? Let's get started."

It's too late today, so of course it's not convenient. Si Muyan decided to try making some during the day tomorrow. If it really works, she'll make more and buy it at the fair the day after tomorrow.

The next day, everyone was busy with their own things. Si Xingzhi ate breakfast and went to the village head. Although the head had agreed to all the arrangements for his son's funeral, as a father, he couldn't just sit back and do nothing, right? Although he didn't understand anything, he was still obedient and didn't say much. He did whatever the head head asked him to do.

It's just that he has never done any heavy work, and he is always exhausted and out of breath. Seeing this, the other men shook their heads and thought that the man of the Si family is really just a good-looking man who can't do anything.

Si Xingzhi and three other men carried the empty coffin towards the charity cemetery. He was so tired that his legs were shaking and his lips were pale, as if he was about to faint.

"Come on, let me carry it, you come over!" The man next to him walked over and took over from Si Xingzhi to carry it.

"Thank you...thank you, Brother Dahe." Si Xingzhi stood aside for a while before he recovered. He quickly chased after him and continued to thank him. "Thanks so much to you guys. Otherwise, I really don't know what I should do."

Wang Dahe glanced at him and said, "Are all the men from your wealthy families so weak?"

The men all burst into laughter, and there was a hint of mockery in their eyes when they looked at Si Xingzhi. Their words were vulgar and full of mockery.

Si Xingzhi didn't get angry. He wiped his sweat and said, "It was okay when I was young, but I never did any hard labor. It was only after I came to the village that I realized that no wonder they say everyone has their own strengths. Now that I'm down and out, even if I work hard, there's no place that would hire me."

"Hahaha, but you can read and write. Just this one thing makes no one in our village comparable. There are not many people in Songji Village who can read and write."

Si Xingzhi's mind suddenly moved. Learn to read and write?