Travel to the mountains and make a fortune in silence

Mu Qin first gently shook her head, like a flower swaying in the wind, then nodded slightly, like a wheat stalk in the wind, "It should taste very good. Every time your mother says something is delicious, it always tastes especially good when it's made."

Wang Qing'er also overheard the conversation between the two girls, and for a moment she was completely bewildered, her face full of confusion. "Mother? What the hell?"

Then she thought again, oh! Now she really is Mu Yao's stepmother. Everyone says that being a stepmother is difficult. She doesn't know if she can handle this role.

"Muqin, Yao'er, you two must not touch these chili peppers. They will sting your eyes and make your eyes water, understand?" Wang Qing'er kindly instructed the two girls, her tone as gentle as a spring breeze.

"I know, sister-in-law," Mu Qin replied softly, like a well-behaved little rabbit.

"Okay, Auntie," Mu Yao replied softly, just like a shy little lamb.

Wang Qing'er gently touched Yao'er's rosy cheeks, and suddenly remembered that she had bought candy for them today. She quickly rummaged through her basket and gave each of them a piece. Then she carefully peeled a piece for Zhou Shi and said, "Grandma, have some candy."

Zhou was slightly taken aback at first, but then, like a child, she happily put the candy into her mouth and said with a smile, "Qing'er bought this candy, it's so sweet, it's sweet enough to touch Grandma's heart."

Wang Qing'er ate one herself, then took another, peeled it open, and fed it to Wang Cuiying, who was washing and boiling offal by the well.

She then stuffed all the remaining candies into Zhou Shi's hands, saying, "Grandma, keep these candies safe. If Muqin and Yao'er are well-behaved, give them one as a reward."

"Alright, alright, Grandma will keep it for you." Zhou rewrapped the candy and carefully placed it on the small table next to her.

"Muqin, quickly go and get a bamboo sieve so we can air out the cotton we bought today," Wang Cuiying called out loudly.

"Okay!" Mu Qin replied and hurriedly ran to the storeroom to get the bamboo sieve.

Wang Qing'er helped Mu Qin pour the cotton into the bamboo sieve. Mu Qin noticed a few black objects in the cotton and, thinking they were junk, picked them out and threw them on the ground.

Just as Wang Qing'er was about to cook, her sharp eyes spotted the black particles on the ground. Curious, she picked them up and examined them. "Muqin, are these cotton seeds? Are there any more inside?"

"Sister-in-law, there are still a few left here. What are they used for?" Mu Qin asked curiously.

“It’s useful, very useful, it can be used for sowing,” Wang Qing’er said excitedly, and then began to carefully search through the bamboo sieve.

The two carefully kneaded all the cotton and found a total of more than fifty seeds.

Wang Qing'er found a bamboo tube, put the seeds in it, and then poured some water into the tube to soak them, preparing to plant them in the ground the next day.

If these seeds can germinate and grow into cotton, more seeds can be bred after a few years. At that time, the family will no longer need to buy cotton and can be self-sufficient.

"I'll go make you some delicious potatoes. Muqin, come help me start the fire." Wang Qing'er put the bamboo tube in place, picked up a few potatoes and some chili peppers, and stepped into the kitchen.

Wang Cuiying had already steamed the rice. She steamed brown rice, which Wang Qing'er didn't like, but she had no choice. After all, the Mu family was still in debt and couldn't eat white rice every day.

She had to find a way to earn money and pay off all of the Mu family's debts before she could afford to eat white rice.

Wang Qing'er washed the potatoes thoroughly, peeled them, sliced ​​them thinly, and then soaked them in water.

She cut off a piece each of the pork belly and lean meat she had bought that day, and put the rest in a bucket and hung it in the well. In this season, it wouldn't spoil even after a few days.

The pork belly and lean meat were sliced ​​as thin as cicada wings, and the chili peppers were washed clean. The seeds were carefully removed and set aside, to be scattered in the ground in the afternoon.

She wasn't sure if the chili seeds would sprout as she hoped, but she was determined to plant all the seeds from those dozen or so kilograms of chilies, hoping that some would sprout like tenacious life.

Seeing that the pot was already red-hot, Wang Qing'er scooped a little snow-white lard into the pot. The lard quickly melted like ice and snow. Then she poured all the chopped pork belly into the pot and stir-fried it.

Render the excess oil, add some minced garlic (like crushed gold) and stir-fry until it releases an irresistible aroma, then add the lean meat and stir-fry together, finally adding some soy sauce.

Wang Qing'er scooped out most of the meat from the pot and then poured half of the sliced ​​potatoes into it.

She wasn't sure if the Mu family could handle the spicy flavor, so she decided to stir-fry one spicy and one non-spicy potato slice.

Before long, the two kinds of stir-fried potato slices were ready. Wang Qing'er then took out two duck eggs and made a duck egg and mushroom soup.

After the dishes were cooked, Mu Nan and his two sons still hadn't returned, so Wang Qing'er divided the spices she had bought into five equal portions. She wrapped four portions in oil paper for safekeeping and used one portion to braise pork offal later.

She found a piece of fine white cotton cloth in the pile of scraps of fabric. She sewed it into a small bag with a needle and thread, washed it with water, and then scalded it with boiling water to disinfect it. Only then did she put the spices and chili peppers inside, sew up the bag, and put it in a pot to cook.

She wanted to take advantage of the time she had to braise the pig offal so she could enjoy this delicious dish that evening. Looking at the large basin full of pig offal, which was so cheap, Wang Qing'er felt as happy as a blooming flower.

Although Wang Cuiying had cleaned the pig offal very thoroughly, she still checked it carefully again, not entirely without being sure.

She rinsed the pig lungs repeatedly to ensure there were no impurities left. Then, she carefully removed every part she deemed inedible.

Wang Qing'er put them into a pot filled with the aroma of spices and stewed them together, adding some soy sauce to enhance the flavor and color.

As for the pig's stomach, she planned to save it for soup; she also planned to save some of the pig's large intestine and liver for stir-frying.

Wang Qing'er noticed that the water used to soak the potatoes had become unusually clear and transparent, and a layer of snow-white starch could be clearly seen settling at the bottom.

When she scooped the potatoes out of the pan to stir-fry, she gently rubbed them with her hands a few times to extract more starch.

She carefully poured out the excess water and carried it to a sunny spot to dry.

She also reminded Zhou and the others not to throw away the contents of the small basin, as she would need it.