Travel to the mountains and make a fortune in silence

This is undoubtedly adding insult to injury for businesses that have already suffered misfortune, dealing them another heavy blow.

The granary contained hundreds of thousands of dan of grain. This grain was not ordinary grain, but military rations specially purchased for the army, and its importance was self-evident.

The business was simplified, so they had no choice but to deal with it.

But this trip took him nearly half a year.

It wasn't harvest season then, so food was hard to come by. Shang Congjian was exhausted from working so hard to gather enough military rations to burn.

He had long forgotten about his marriage and hadn't even sent a letter back.

A sense of loss and sorrow welled up in Yun Jing at home.

When she had nothing to do, she would always think about it: Did Shang Congjian really hate her so much that he resolutely left home on their wedding night?

He was gone for half a year, and didn't even send a letter during that time.

These problems were like a thorn, deeply embedded in her heart, causing her great suffering during that period.

No secret stays hidden forever, and the news quickly spread throughout the capital.

Those so-called noble ladies naturally enjoyed talking about Yun Jing's experiences, using them as topics of conversation during their leisure time.

Yun Jing could only silently endure the gossip and whispers of others.

During that time, only Qin Miaomiao would occasionally go to keep her company and talk to her to relieve her boredom.

After finishing his business in Jinzhou, Shang Congjian returned home and only then remembered that he was getting married.

That night, the two consummated their marriage. This should have been a moment of intimacy between husband and wife, but Yun Jing's heart was always shrouded in gloom, and she let him do as he pleased.

While others talked about playing hard to get, Yun Jing neither refused nor welcomed.

Shang Congjian noticed Yun Jing's coldness and tried to communicate with her, telling her that since they were now married, he would treat her well, respect her, and love her in the future.

These words might have had an effect if spoken on their wedding night, but for Yun Jing that night, they were like a gentle breeze, unable to touch her already frozen heart.

As the days went by, Yun Jing remained indifferent to Shang Congjian, with an insurmountable chasm separating the two.

This awkward way of getting along gradually became the norm in their lives.

Life is short. If we are always dwelling on unpleasant things from the past, how can we find true happiness and joy?

Yun Jing's inner turmoil not only caused her immense suffering but also caused more than five years of her life to slip away in vain, which is truly regrettable.

One should try to be more open-minded.

Wang Qing'er is a very open-minded person.

If she continues to hold a grudge about Mu Nan leaving without saying goodbye, then it will be very difficult to repair their relationship.

This would definitely make their lives awkward and uncomfortable, and they wouldn't be as happy and content as they are now.

Children will also be affected; they can sense the tension between their parents, and their young minds will be impacted as a result.

These negative emotions can spread like ripples, affecting the entire family and making everyone uncomfortable.

In the afternoon, two large baskets of reed leaves were moved in front of her, along with a basket of wild duck eggs.

Wang Qing'er was unraveling a sweater; the children had grown up, and the sweater was too small.

The yarn is made of pure wool, which is both warm and comfortable.

The new yarn has long been used up.

That's why Wang Qing'er would tirelessly unravel and re-weave it, until it was too small to wear, then unravel it again.

Wang Qing'er asked Shang Congjian more than once if those things could still be found.

These things weren't found by him at all, so where could he possibly look for them for Wang Qing'er?

Shang Congjian had no choice but to tell Wang Qing'er the truth: these things were actually found by Mu Nan.

Upon learning this news, Wang Qing'er didn't dwell on it too much and went to ask Mu Nan.

Mu Nan could only tell her that she couldn't find those things either.

He discovered those items by chance in a warehouse at the Duanwang camp when he recaptured the city.

When he saw these items, he naturally thought that his wife would like them very much, so he asked Shang Congjian to send them back to Wang Qing'er in his name.

Now, Wang Qing'er has long since used up all of those items, and even the diapers are almost gone, with only some sanitary napkins remaining.

Wang Qing'er was overjoyed to see the emerald green reeds in the basket.

She quickly put down the half-unraveled sweater in her hand and hurried towards the reeds.

The reed leaves are large and thick, and look fresh and juicy.

Wang Qing'er, along with several maids, began washing the reed leaves. They used brushes made of pig bristles to gently scrub them, removing all the dirt and impurities.

Clean the reed leaves thoroughly, put them into a large pot, add an appropriate amount of water, then light the firewood and start boiling the reed leaves.

After cooking for a while, she felt it was about right, so she took the reed leaves out and soaked them in clean water to make them softer and more resilient.

The glutinous rice and red beans had already been soaked in water that morning for later use.

Salted egg yolks, cured pork, fresh meat, and candied dates are all ready.

Wang Qing'er first cut the cured meat into small cubes and set them aside for later use.

The fresh meat is then marinated with various seasonings to allow it to fully absorb the flavors.

With all preparations complete, Wang Qing'er began wrapping zongzi (sticky rice dumplings).

With skillful hands and quick movements, she wrapped a small and beautiful zongzi in no time.

When she saw the rice dumplings being wrapped by the cook next to her, she couldn't help but frown.

"You're wrapping it wrong," Wang Qing'er said, pointing to the rice dumplings the cook was wrapping. "The rice will spill out after cooking." As she spoke, she personally demonstrated the correct way to wrap them.

Upon hearing Wang Qing'er's words, the cook suddenly understood and quickly rewrapped a zongzi according to Wang Qing'er's instructions.

"Young Madam, do you think this is alright?" A maidservant nervously handed Wang Qing'er a rice dumpling she had wrapped.

Wang Qing'er took the zongzi, examined it carefully, and then smiled with satisfaction. "This is good."

She handed the rice dumplings to the other maids, saying, "You should all wrap them like this."

The other maids gathered around, looking at the zongzi that Wang Qing'er had approved, and learning the correct way to wrap it.

"Wrapping it like this, there's a hole here, that won't do," Wang Qing'er said, pointing to a small hole in a rice dumpling wrapped by a maid.

"Yes, wrap them like this." She picked up another zongzi wrapped by a maid and nodded in satisfaction.

"Hmm, this one is not bad either." Wang Qing'er commented on each person's zongzi and guided them to make continuous improvements.

……

Wang Qing'er moved among the cooks and maids.

She patiently taught them how to wrap zongzi, explaining each step in great detail, from folding the bamboo leaves to placing the filling and finally tying it up.

After much effort, everyone finally learned how to wrap zongzi.

Only then did Wang Qing'er begin to focus on wrapping the zongzi.