Travel to the mountains and make a fortune in silence

She had just put all the things she had left behind into the well when Mu Nan and his two sons returned like swallows returning to their nest.

Each person carried a load of bamboo shoots, and Mu Nan also carried a basket filled with mushrooms, which looked like a small mountain.

As soon as Mu Xiao saw the potatoes and red peppers in the yard, she chirped like a cheerful little bird and asked Zhou Shi, who was peeling bamboo shoots nearby, "Grandma, what are these? Are they edible?"

Zhou replied with a smile, "Your sister-in-law bought these; she said they're called potatoes and peppers, and you can eat them."

Looking at the green potatoes on the ground, some of which had even sprouted tender green shoots, Mu Xiao said with a suspicious expression, "These are sprouting, how can they taste good?"

Zhou said, "Your sister-in-law made it at noon. You'll know when you eat it."

"Grandma, Second Brother is ready to eat!" Mu Qin shouted, her voice seemingly piercing the sky.

After the family was seated, Wang Qing'er, like an enthusiastic tour guide, introduced them: "The ones in the bowls are potatoes. This bowl isn't spicy, but I put chili peppers in this one, so it's a bit spicy. Try them and see which flavor you like."

After she finished speaking, she picked up a piece of spicy potato with her chopsticks and put it into her bowl, then ate it in big bites. Her heart was filled with joy. "Mmm, this is a long-lost taste. This chili is quite spicy, but I like it."

Mu Nan also picked up a piece of spicy potato and ate it. Wang Qing'er immediately asked like a curious kitten, "Brother Mu Nan, how does it taste?"

Mu Nan didn't answer her. She picked up another piece of food with her chopsticks, put it in her mouth, chewed it carefully, and swallowed it before saying, "Delicious! It's just a little spicy on the throat, but it has a unique flavor."

Wang Qing'er smiled happily like a blooming flower, then turned around and found Yao'er staring at her like a well-behaved little rabbit.

She quickly picked up a piece of non-spicy potato with her chopsticks and put it into Yao'er's bowl, saying gently, "Yao'er, you are still too young, you can only eat non-spicy food."

After saying that, she put a few more pieces of lean meat on Yao'er's plate, and couldn't help but sigh in her heart: "Ah! Being a stepmother is really hard! I have to serve this little darling well, and I must never become that wicked stepmother."

The rest of the Mu family tried both the spicy and non-spicy versions, and the results were surprisingly consistent—they all thought the spicy version was extremely delicious. Even Mu Yao, that little brat, praised the spiciness after trying a small piece.

As he ate, Old Man Mu sighed regretfully, "These potatoes and peppers are absolutely amazing! It's just a pity we don't have them here."

Wang Qing'er said, "Father, it will be here soon."

Old Man Mu: "Qing'er, what do you mean by that? Do you mean we can buy it here?"

“Dad, we can grow our own. Those potatoes outside are what I bought to plant, and we can also use the seeds from those chili peppers.”

Old Man Mu: "Qing'er, can this really be grown?"

"Yes, some people on my maternal grandparents' side have planted them before, and now is the perfect time for planting. Dad, could I plant potatoes and peppers in that empty plot of land in the back?"

Mrs. Zhou said lovingly, "My dear child, you can plant whatever you want on the land at home. You don't need to ask your father."

Wang Cuiying chimed in, "That's right, that's right. You can plant it if you want, but Qing'er, do you really know how to plant it?"

Wang Qing'er answered confidently, "Yes, I know how to plant them. Although I've never planted them myself, potatoes are similar to sweet potatoes. They're easy to grow, and the yield is about the same as sweet potatoes."

Although Wang Qing'er had never farmed in her previous life, she had lived in the countryside with her grandparents when she was a child, so she knew some crops and how to grow them.

However, as she grew up, she longed for rural life and especially enjoyed watching videos related to farming.

Unexpectedly, fate was so wondrous that she was transported to an ancient rural village, where the knowledge she had acquired in her previous life finally found a place to be put to use.

Upon hearing that the yield was similar to that of sweet potatoes, everyone was stunned. Old Man Mu was the first to ask, "Qing'er, are you telling the truth? Is the yield of these potatoes really not much different from that of sweet potatoes?"

"Yeah, it's true."

After finishing their meal, Old Man Mu and Mu Xiao went to the mountains to pick bamboo shoots and mushrooms.

Wang Qing'er then realized she hadn't asked Old Man Mu how the bamboo shoots and mushrooms were selling. Now that everyone had left, she could only ask him later that evening.

However, judging from the eagerness of my father-in-law and brother-in-law to go up the mountain, it must have sold well.

The braising liquid in the pot simmered gently over low heat for over an hour. When the lid was gently lifted, the unique aroma of the braised meat, like a mischievous little elf, eagerly jumped out of the pot and instantly filled the entire kitchen.

The rich sauce bubbled and simmered like a group of joyful dancers. As the steam gradually dissipated, a pot full of reddish-brown braised offal was presented before one's eyes like a fine work of art, making one's mouth water and greatly increasing one's appetite.

Wang Qing'er picked up a chopstick and gently inserted it into the fatty intestines, as easily as inserting it into a piece of soft tofu.

"It's ripe!" Her voice was filled with joy.

She carefully moved the embers from the stove into a clay jar, as if it were a precious treasure, and covered it to simmer.

The people here all use this unique method to store charcoal. Although this charcoal isn't as good as professionally made charcoal, it's still good enough for home use.

Wang Qing'er cut off a small section of large intestine, gently placed it in her mouth, and carefully savored the wonderful taste. "Mmm, delicious! It's just not spicy enough!"

She was worried that the Mu family's stomachs might not be able to handle the spiciness for the first time, so she only added a few chilies to create a slightly spicy taste.

Furthermore, the quantity of chili peppers is limited, so we need to use them sparingly until we can buy more.

She cut up some of each kind of braised food and brought it to the courtyard for Zhou Shi, Wang Cuiying, and their two children to enjoy together.

After eating a piece of large intestine, Mu Qin couldn't wait to pick up a braised pig lung and exclaimed, "Mmm! Sister-in-law, this taste is simply wonderful!"

She thoughtfully fed Zhou a piece of pig liver. Because she was worried that the pig liver would be overcooked, she deliberately put it into the pot when the other things were almost cooked. When she tasted it now, the texture was just right.

"Hmm, Qing'er, this pig liver is absolutely delicious! It has no fishy smell at all, and it's not tough at all!" Zhou praised with satisfaction.

"Qing'er, is this made with the spices you bought at the pharmacy?" Wang Cuiying asked curiously.

“Yes, Mother!” Wang Qing’er replied with a smile.

"Hmm, this taste is truly unexpected. I never imagined that you could make pig offal so delicious," Zhou exclaimed.

"Not bad, right!" She looked around the yard but didn't see Mu Nan, so she asked, "Where did Brother Mu Nan go?"

Wang Cuiying said, "He's leveling the land in the back."

"Oh, then I'll take it to him so he can have a taste too." Wang Qing'er fed each of them a piece, then carried the bowl and ran to the backyard like a light butterfly to find Mu Nan.