A peasant girl with a special ability uses herself and two wolves to escape famine!

For today's family reunion dinner, she plans to cook more dishes and make it a more sumptuous meal.

She took out a cleaned chicken she bought from a villager, along with some matsutake mushrooms she had picked on the mountain, and made a chicken stew with mushrooms.

Cut the black carp into thin slices, slice the radish, and wash the bean sprouts. I'm going to make boiled fish.

The abalone and sea cucumber purchased from the Han family for free were soaked and then used to make braised pork with abalone and steamed eggs with sea cucumber.

Finally, she cooked a pork rib and radish soup, stir-fried lotus root slices, and a plate of cabbage and pork dumplings, completing her New Year's Eve dinner. She didn't have a big appetite, so she only left a small portion of each dish, saving the rest for later.

Sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed), with dishes laid out on the kang table and a stove burning inside, the room was extremely warm. Outside, firecrackers crackled incessantly. On this joyous day, Xia Ning poured herself a cup of rice wine, which she had collected in the countryside; it was low in alcohol and slightly sweet.

After a natural disaster, you'll have more time to yourself, and having a drink now and then is quite nice.

She ate slowly, taking a bite of food and a sip of wine. It must be said, she has a real talent for cooking; the food tasted just as good as the prepared dishes ordered from upscale restaurants. She's just a bit lazy. If she weren't worried about not being able to cook in the future, she definitely wouldn't be so diligent, cooking every single day.

Thinking about the future when she would be fleeing famine, she wouldn't be able to cook, and even if she did, she probably wouldn't dare put in too much coarse rice. If she cooked refined rice and meat, would everyone tear her apart? Imagining the scene of refugees ganging up on her made Xia Ning feel terrible. She'd better stock up on some cooked food after the New Year.

When fleeing famine, she tried to stay away from crowds and secretly ate alone. She was just a weak woman and couldn't fight back.

Once the cold wave passes, she plans to go to the mountains again. If she can survive there, it will be better than her fleeing famine outside.

After downing two bowls of wine, she, who had little tolerance for alcohol to begin with, became slightly tipsy and so sleepy that she could barely keep her eyes open. She stored all the food on the kang (heated brick bed) into her spatial storage and went straight to sleep.

Meanwhile, the Xia family on the other side had an extremely bleak New Year.

All their silver and grain were stolen, and when they tried to sell vegetables, they ran into Xia Ning, a jinx. Not only did they fail to sell any, but they were also shunned by the villagers. With the Lunar New Year approaching, they couldn't borrow a single penny, and the family was starving. On the verge of starvation, the old man reluctantly sold an acre of land to survive.

Nobody was in the mood to celebrate the New Year. They looked for Xia Ning several times, but couldn't find her.

Every time they heard the news that someone was harvesting vegetables, they rushed over, only to find nothing.

That brat, she's like she's grown wings, I can't catch her no matter what.

Today is the 30th of the lunar month. We bought two ounces of meat and made a few cabbage and dark flour dumplings with more vegetables than meat. That's all. We didn't even buy any couplets, and not a single piece of candy.

The Xia family was deeply distressed. They hadn't experienced such a meager New Year in years. Ever since their second brother joined the镖师 (bodyguard/escort) business, their lives had improved. They never lacked food and drink during the New Year. Even after his death, their family's circumstances wouldn't have deteriorated much with the money he had earned.

"Eat up!" the old man said, picking up his bowl.

Each person had ten dumplings in their bowl, with two extra for him and his wife. He hadn't tasted alcohol for several months and was really craving it, so he could only drink the dumpling soup as if it were alcohol, slurping it down in a few mouthfuls before going back inside.

Without any snacks, what's the point of gathering together to celebrate the New Year? And we're not in the mood for chatting anyway, so let's all go back to our rooms and celebrate.

"Old man, what are we going to do?"

With their eldest grandson about to get married, who would want to marry into their family given their current circumstances?

"If all else fails, we can postpone the engagement for another year," Old Man Xia said after thinking for a long time.

"That brat is a bit strange. How come she can never get anyone out of her? Look at the clothes she was wearing last time. They were cotton. She must have made a lot of money harvesting vegetables."

Unfortunately, the money didn't go to her, and the old woman was filled with resentment.

"We'll keep looking after the New Year. As long as she's still harvesting vegetables, we'll eventually find her."

Old Man Xia narrowed his eyes slightly. Next time he finds someone, he'll just drag them away. That brat is cunning now, slippery as a mule.

Inside Xia Laoda's room.

"Dad, I want to eat meat! I want to eat candy! Why don't you buy it for the New Year?"

"Didn't I tell you? Our house was robbed, and we have no money. Wait until after the New Year, when things get better, and then Dad will buy you something."

Xia Laoda was extremely patient with his youngest son.

"I heard from Grandma that Xia Ning, that good-for-nothing, has money now. Why don't you ask her for it?"

"She ran away."

"That brat dares to run away! Next time I see her, I'll break her legs first!" She's ruined his meat supply, so when she gets back, I'll sell her to a brothel.

The eldest son glanced at his youngest son but said nothing. He thought the same thing; that brat still needed to be taught a lesson.

"Dad, that girl is like a completely different person! Look how fierce she was last time!"

"I reckon he was just pretending before, acting honest in front of us, but once we're out in the open, his true nature is completely exposed," Xia Laoda analyzed.

The woman nodded. If they had known she was so powerful, they wouldn't have kept a close eye on her and might have acted much earlier, instead of letting her live until today.

They've been deceived all these years.

Xia Ning woke up on the first day of the Lunar New Year. The bed was warm and cozy, and she didn't want to get up.

At that moment, she felt that she was missing a man by her side and a television in her room.

She pulled out a storybook to kill time. Men were nothing compared to her life. She didn't intend to team up with anyone; in this chaotic world, she only trusted herself. Besides, she possessed a rare treasure.

Carefree days are always short-lived; in the blink of an eye, it was the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the Lantern Festival. Xia Ning made a large bowl of glutinous rice balls.

Recently, she discovered that making noodles is especially good when she's bored. It doesn't require much thought; just put two braziers in the room, sit around the fire, and spend the whole day making dumplings, wontons, steamed buns, and the like. It's incredibly stress-relieving and keeps her from getting bored. Her mind goes blank, and the day flies by without her feeling bored at all.

After the Lantern Festival, Xia Ning, who had been lazy for more than half a month, perked up, changed her clothes several times, pawned most of her antiques, and found a merchant.

"Uncle!"

The merchant patted her on the shoulder, his face beaming. This was a lucky charm! "Young man! Long time no see. Where have you been busy lately?"

"The master is busy outside collecting and selling goods!"

"No wonder I haven't seen anyone in the city! If you want anything, remember to ask me, brother. No matter what your master wants, I can find a way to get it for him."

She believed it; this person was truly capable, able to handle any contraband.

"What a coincidence! My master wanted to buy a batch of goods in the prefectural city, and I immediately thought of you, Uncle!"

"Really? You're not bad!" The merchant's smile widened even more.

What do you want?

"Medicinal herbs, all kinds of medicinal herbs, as many as you can get. Also, some charcoal, coarse grains, refined rice and fine flour, 150,000 catties each. Salt and sugar. Cotton and coarse cloth, all dark-colored."

The customer's eyes lit up with astonishing light. "Young man, are you sure you want this much?"

"Of course, my master sold out of all his goods before the New Year, and now he's short of stock. I assured him I know a capable uncle who can get whatever he needs. Uncle, is that alright?"

"There's definitely no problem, what could possibly be wrong! It's just the money..."

"Same as before, payment upon delivery, how does that sound?"

What else can we do? It has to work!