The aroma of cooking filled the house: I sent my eldest brother to become the Grand Secretary.

When Shen Cao and the others left Village Chief Ma's house, it was just dawn.

The horse-drawn carriage traveled along the country dirt road, raising a few specks of dust. Every household's doorway had been swept clean, welcoming the upcoming New Year.

Some people looked curiously at the out-of-place carriage. Although it didn't have many fancy decorations, it was still something rarely seen in their area.

Sunlight streamed in through the carriage window, and Shen Chen couldn't resist lifting the curtains. He looked out at the village that seemed both strange and familiar.

Some children stared curiously at the carriage, their fingers in their mouths, their eyes wide with wonder.

Shen Chen saw only curiosity in the children's eyes, not any envy.

Most of the houses in the village were thatched huts, which were much better than their previous ones, but not by much.

It had been cleaned up in preparation for the New Year, but the dilapidated state could still be seen in the sunlight.

The leaves on the big elm tree at the village entrance had long since fallen, and there were no villagers chatting under the tree anymore.

Stepping out of the village, you see fields stretching out on both sides of the road. It's winter now, and there's hardly any vegetation left, making the fields look rather desolate.

Only after the village gradually disappeared from their sight did Shen Chen slowly lower the curtains.

"Cao'er, I just overheard you talking to the village chief and the others about growing chili peppers."

Shen Cao looked up and saw that her older brother's eyes revealed seriousness, as well as a little emotion that she couldn't quite understand.

"Uh-huh."

Perhaps they were a little tired, the children had already fallen asleep leaning on each other.

Inside the carriage, only Shen Cao's voice could be heard as she recounted in detail to her elder brother how she had previously asked the village chief to plant chili peppers.

"These chili peppers are so profitable?"

Shen Cao nodded and then shook her head.

"It's not about making money. The main reason is that chili peppers were introduced from foreign lands, and the people of our Great Xia Kingdom don't know how to eat them, so very few people grow them."

"I happened to have seen it in a book, and I tried making some myself. I really enjoyed it."

"We were just thinking of having the village chief plant some, but we never expected that quite a few people would actually like to eat it."

"So, the village chief sold all his chili peppers to me."

"Actually, not all of the village chief's money came from selling chili peppers."

“I even taught the village chief how to make dried bamboo shoots before. When the village chief and his family have nothing to do, they go to the mountain to dig bamboo shoots and make dried bamboo shoots.”

"Brother, as you know, the bamboo shoot wontons and bamboo shoot vegetable dumplings at Shen's restaurant sell very well."

"In addition, I brought my younger brother and sister back once this summer. The village chief took us into the mountains and we picked a lot of edible mushrooms."

"These mushrooms are not only delicious when fresh, but they also taste extremely delicious when dried."

"From then on, the village chief's family would go up the mountain to check on things whenever it rained."

"These past few months, the village chief's family has made money by selling these things."

"These were all sold to me, and they are some of the essential ingredients for our restaurant."

Shen Chen was surprised to learn that there were these things. He nodded, his eyes lowered, lost in thought.

Shen Cao glanced at her older brother and said, "Brother, I understand what you mean."

"You want to help people, but you also need to understand that the person receiving the help is very important."

"Some people, when they are stuck in the mud, if you pull them out, they will desperately try to climb out."

"However, there are also people who will take advantage of your situation and drag you down into the mire as well."

Shen Chen's voice was a little hoarse, "Cao'er, I understand, but this is our hometown, and we have received help from some people in the past."

"I want to give this place a chance."

Shen Cao shrugged. "Whatever decision you make, I will support you."

Shen Cao lifted the curtains, a smile curving her lips as she looked outside. He was still the same older brother she knew.

Shen Chen glanced out the window. Outside was the neighboring village to Stone Village, where every household had blue brick and stone tiles, with only one or two thatched huts occasionally visible.

As if he had made up his mind, he slowly spoke, "Grass, is this kind of chili pepper troublesome?"

Shen Cao shook her head. "It shouldn't be too troublesome, otherwise the village chief wouldn't have been able to succeed on the first try."

Shen Chen's face lit up with joy. "If these chilies are widely planted, will we still be able to make money?" Although he had already made up his mind, he didn't want to do something that would harm his own people.

Shen Cao answered almost without hesitation, "Yes!"

She had originally planned to persuade the village chief to plant more chili peppers next year. Her restaurant with Princess Wanyue was tentatively scheduled to open early next year, and the amount of chili peppers she had was just enough to supply her small eatery. It would be far from enough to supply the restaurant.

Moreover, her meat sauce business with Manager Ma needs new innovations and new flavors, and she plans to make some spicy meat sauce next year.

That's why she said without hesitation that she definitely could.

Even if all the fields in Stone Village were planted with chili peppers, it would still be profitable.

After hearing his younger sister's words, Shen Chen finally felt relieved.

“Then…” He looked at Shen Cao and spoke hesitantly.

Shen Cao stretched out a hand, interrupting him, "Big brother, I've said it before, I'll support whatever you do."

"Go ahead and do these things if you want."

"You never need to worry about me, because your decision is my decision."

Shen Chen was somewhat touched, as she thought her younger sister would care about what those people had done to their family before.

Unexpectedly, she didn't care about any of that.

"Brother, it's not that I don't care about what happened before."

"I care about you more."

"I don't care what they do, and I don't want to care."

Shen Chen gently patted his younger sister's head, "Little sister, I'm being too narrow-minded."

"My eldest sister is the kindest person in the world."

Shen Cao shook her head. She wasn't kind; she just wanted to protect the people she cared about.

If the people she cares about want to do something altruistic, she won't care even if those people have a grudge against her.

But if the person she cares about wants to do something that puts them at odds with the whole world, then she will stand against the whole world and be their strongest support.

She's very protective of her own.

"Brother, you will definitely become a good official in the future."

They returned to Xin'an County as the sun set, and the sun quietly disappeared behind them.

When they got back, Shen's mother had already prepared dinner for them.

"How was it? Did you have fun today?" At the dinner table, Shen's mother asked them with a smile.

“Mother, you have no idea, that pig was huge today. It took five or six people to hold it down,” Shen Wan gestured.

"However, I didn't dare to watch when the pig was being slaughtered, so I secretly slipped back to the main room to keep my sister company."

Shen Qing continued, picking up where Shen Wan left off, "Let me tell you, the butcher holds a butcher knife, looking very imposing, and with a single wave of his hand..."

It was pitch black outside, but the main room was lit by candlelight. The sounds inside continued, from bursts of laughter and worried exclamations to the occasional whining of a child…

Time stands still at this moment; it is the happiest scene in the world.