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

Red berries aren't a rare color; what's rare is that they're uncommon.

But some people say that there are similar ones on the mountain, which first have green fruit and then turn into red fruit, and have the same leaves.

Yang Fenglan knew the plant they were talking about; it produced small, round fruits, smaller than glass beads, which she used to pick and play with when she was a child.

That's called coral bean; it's poisonous and inedible, but it also has some medicinal value.

The vendor was quite sincere, and since he had said all that, Yang Fenglan didn't haggle and just handed over one hundred coins.

Finding none of the other plants she wanted, she took her beloved chili pepper home with her.

She was often whispered about, with people saying she was foolish and rich, that her clothes didn't look like those of a wealthy person, and that she was just trying to appear sophisticated.

Yang Fenglan doesn't care what others think.

As soon as I got home, I cleared a spot in the yard and buried two chili pepper plants there.

Water it thoroughly once, let it recover, and then go to the outhouse to scoop up manure water to water it again.

The thought of cleaning outhouses made Yang Fenglan feel nauseous.

Zhou Jingyi went hunting and didn't return that night.

The next day, Yang Fenglan did not open her shop. After having breakfast, she took Zhou Jingwei to the street to buy some pastries, ribs, pork belly, etc., and then took them to Qingshui Village.

"Mother, should I not go?" Zhou Jingwei frowned and looked at Yang Fenglan.

"Why? Don't you want to play with Xu Chunsheng anymore?"

"No, I... I'm afraid Mother will be in a difficult position if I go to Qingshui Village."

Yang Fenglan felt a warmth in her heart and put her arm around her daughter's shoulder, saying, "It's alright."

As long as she doesn't listen, you can't scold her.

“But I don’t want Mother to suffer because of me.” Zhou Jingwei looked at Yang Fenglan cautiously.

"Don't you resent me for abandoning you back then?"

“I don’t resent it.” Zhou Jingwei shook his head. “Mother said she didn’t know at the time. If she had known I was still alive, she definitely wouldn’t have abandoned me, right?”

"You're right." Yang Fenglan pinched the child's chubby cheeks. "You're a good child, and you'll have great fortune in the future."

“Mother is blessed too.”

"Hehe, yes, we will all make a fortune."

The mother and daughter talked as they left the city.

We strolled along, enjoying the scenery, and arrived at Qingshui Village just as noon was approaching.

Lin Cuiniang was washing rice and cooking when she saw Yang Fenglan and the other person arrive, so she immediately added more than half a bowl of rice.

"Fenglan, what brings you both here? Since you're both here, is the shop closed today?"

Yang Fenglan raised her eyebrows in surprise.

When the two of them arrived, wasn't Zhou Jingyi also there?

Judging from Lin Cuiniang's tone, it seems she knows Zhou Jingyi is not at home.

Yang Fenglan walked straight to the kitchen door, put down her basket, and said, "I was bored, so I closed the door and came to mooch a meal."

"Oh dear, you're really something. You're here all along, why did you have to buy meat!" Lin Cuiniang complained that she was being too polite.

But since we've already bought the meat, we can't just leave it there.

It gets smelly when it's hot.

"Fenglan, Jingwei, please sit down for a while. I'll have dinner ready soon. Yingying, Fenglan is here!"

Lin Cuiniang called out towards the west room.

Xu Yingying has come out, and Xu Chunsheng is following closely behind.

Yang Fenglan then noticed that there was an extra door in the west room, which meant it had been divided into two rooms.

She went to Xu Yingying's room and saw that it was indeed divided into...

and many more……

"Zhou Jingyi? What are you doing here?"

In Xu Yingying's room, Zhou Jingyi sat at the desk by the bed. He must have heard that Yang Fenglan had arrived, because he hurriedly hid something.

Yang Fenglan's interrogation gaze turned to Xu Yingying: "Tell me honestly, were you interfering inside?"

Xu Yingying chuckled: I didn't do anything, really.

Yang Fenglan: I don't believe you for a second.