My best friend is living a famine-stricken life; you're going crazy, I'm farming.

With capital in hand, the next step is naturally to start setting up the business.

Xu Yingying stayed one night, bought some supplies and pastries, and then returned to Qingshui Village.

Yang Fenglan led Zhou Jingwei in the work herself.

After the situation stabilized, many grain merchants began to transport grain from the south.

Gradually, the grain warehouses of major grain stores stabilized, and they were no longer sold out as soon as they were restocked.

However, the price remains high.

However, Yang Fenglan guessed that the high grain price wouldn't last long. Once the wheat and beans elsewhere were harvested and the grain supply was plentiful, the price would come down.

Perhaps the imperial court will intervene, but given the remoteness of the region and the distance from the emperor, it's hard to say how it will be controlled.

Yang Fenglan didn't buy much; just enough to put on the shelves and make it look presentable.

There weren't many items, so I bought peas, broad beans, and peanuts in their shells.

Peanuts are directly roasted in a dry pan and then placed on the shelf.

Peas and broad beans can be prepared in many ways, including crispy peas and spiced beans that have been deep-fried.

Yang Fenglan first experimented with a small batch to achieve the desired flavor before starting to make large batches.

Place some on the shelf using a sieve, and seal the rest in earthenware jars to maintain their crispness.

Zhou Jingwei helped pack the last of the peas into the jar, then asked, "Mom, are we opening for business tomorrow?"

"The day after tomorrow, the market is open again. It's such a big event for the opening, we need to invite people to come and make it lively."

In the evening, Zhou Jingyi returned with firewood.

As soon as he entered the courtyard, Zhou Jingwei jumped up and down with joy, "Wow, big brother is so amazing!"

On Zhou Jingyi's bundle of firewood, there were two pheasants tied with straw and left in the yard. The two pheasants were flapping their wings frantically.

"Mother, my eldest brother has caught two pheasants!"

Zhou Jingwei excitedly ran into the kitchen.

Yang Fenglan steamed rice today, and when she heard that Zhou Jingyi was back, she started to stir-fry tofu over a fire.

Today's dish is just tofu, no meat, just salt and soy sauce.

The seasonings are simple, yet they perfectly preserve the sweet flavor of the tofu.

It's so delicious that you'll want to eat several bowls when you mix it with rice.

After Yang Fenglan finished eating, she put down her chopsticks and said, "Jingyi, go to Qingshui Village tomorrow."

"doing what?"

"Find your Uncle Xiao and Uncle Xu. They'll come to our house for dinner at the market the day after tomorrow. The shop will officially open the day after tomorrow."

It was agreed beforehand that everyone should come and have fun at the opening, to create a lively atmosphere.

Living in the city means we rarely see each other, and if we don't keep in touch, the friendships we've worked so hard to build will fade.

"Okay." Zhou Jingyi finished his rice, burped, and then stared at the few pieces of tofu left in the large bowl. "Mom, Jingwei, aren't you two going to eat?"

"full."

"Oh, then I'll eat it all." Zhou Jingyi took the large bowl that held the vegetables and added more than half a bowl of rice.

Fearing the two pheasants would escape, Yang Fenglan went back into the house, found some strips of cloth, tied them securely, and bound them to the yard.

There are few stars at night.

The noise on the street had subsided at some point, and the courtyard had become quiet.

That night, Yang Fenglan woke up several times because of the heat. She would kick off the blanket and feel cold, but then she would cover herself with the blanket and feel hot again.

She then realized that the cold snap had long passed, the weather was getting warmer, and spring was drawing to a close.

It's been a year since I came to this world, and not much has changed. Whenever I think about it, I feel inexplicably sad.

The next morning, Yang Fenglan cooked a lot of porridge as the family's meal for the day.

After breakfast, Zhou Jingyi set off for Qingshui Village, while Yang Fenglan stayed at home with Zhou Jingwei, fetching water, washing clothes, and cleaning the house.

"Mom, the chicken is dying." Zhou Jingwei squatted in the corner watching the chicken.

"Feed her some rice."

"Huh?" Zhou Jingwei couldn't bear to feed him rice at all.

In the end, Yang Fenglan went to get the rice herself. The chicken ate some rice and drank some water, and then it was lively and energetic again.

But he only lived for one more night.