Famine and exile: I brought the Spirit Spring to save the entire Marquis's mansion.

Sang Ning carried a jar of soybeans to the shopkeeper who sold bedding.

The beans and corn in the space were ripe, and she had already harvested and dried them, waiting to grind them into flour to eat.

"Yellow, soybeans?" The shopkeeper's eyes lit up.

It's been a long time since beans have grown in Liangzhou.

Even in the best harvest year, beans can't grow this big and plump!

Indeed, the capital city is wealthy.

"Change the quilts twice, and give me another bolt of cloth."

"What? Are you crazy! This is just a matter of changing the quilt at most!" the shopkeeper exclaimed, his eyes wide.

Sang Ning smiled calmly and said, "Shopkeeper, what price range are you using? If you're using the old rates, you shouldn't be selling me a quilt for ten taels of silver."

If we consider the current market value, then this jar of beans, which is about five liters, is worth it.

The shopkeeper looked very unhappy.

"Food is expensive now, but not to this extent. Besides, I don't need such precious stuff. I'd rather exchange it for more coarse rice and flour."

Sang Ning nodded.

"Well, actually I'm a little reluctant to part with it. My family only prepared this one jar for me."

These beans were grown by the servants on my mother's family's estate using milk and various precious medicinal herbs as fertilizer. They were originally intended to nourish my mother's health.

It can prolong life and cure minor aches and pains.

I'll go to my neighbor's house and ask if I can exchange a few beans for a slightly worn quilt.

After finishing speaking, Sang Ning turned and left.

"Wait a moment, young lady!"

The shopkeeper chased after them, asking, "You... beans can cure diseases?"

"I can't say it cures illnesses, but it definitely strengthens the body. I eat better beans than most people do, otherwise they wouldn't have grown so big. Have you ever seen them before?"

of course not!

Are all people in Beijing so good at maintaining their health?

No wonder this young lady has such a fair and delicate face, and such a good spirit.

When the others were exiled here, they all looked like they had lost half their lives.

"Can I try one?"

Sang Ning hesitated for a moment before picking one up and giving it to him.

The shopkeeper examined it for a long time before putting it in his mouth.

Fragrant!

Even raw, it smells delicious!

It also has a sweet taste.

This is definitely not an ordinary soybean!

A glint flashed in his eyes: if these beans were used as seeds, the beans grown would definitely be good!

"Young lady, I'll trade with you!"

“But, used ones are cheaper…” Sang Ning looked conflicted.

"Young lady, you don't know how cold it is here in winter. If you don't prepare now, you won't be able to buy anything when winter comes!"

This is true.

Cotton was not widely cultivated in this era, and even less so in Liangzhou. The quilts contained only a small amount of cotton, with wool added and some scraps of hemp stuffed in.

With the cold winter weather, there's a real possibility of stockouts.

If you have money, prepare it early, otherwise you'll only be able to survive the winter under a straw quilt.

“No ordinary family would be willing to give you a cotton quilt; at most, they’d give you a straw quilt,” the shopkeeper said, pressing on.

"Okay, then get me two more mattresses."

Shopkeeper: "..."

Sang Ning smiled, "The mattress is made of scraps of hemp and straw, it's not worth that much, is it? I won't take it for free, here's this one for you."

"Phoenix Egg".

What? What the hell?

Phoenix?

Sang Ning pulled out two white, tender eggs that were as beautiful as jade.

The country bumpkin shopkeeper: "..."

Phoenix eggs.

He saw the phoenix egg alive!

Larger than a chicken egg but smaller than a goose egg, its most beautiful feature is its shell, which is flawless and without any pores, like white jade. It is clearly not an ordinary product.

The shopkeeper carefully picked it up.

He stared at the egg with fascination.

You're lying, you're lying! People from the capital are the most cunning!

He ran to the door and looked at the sun.

He poured himself a glass of water and soaked it.

He scratched it with his fingernail.

Nothing has changed; this is the original color of the egg.

Finally, he licked it.

It has a sweet taste.

A refreshing and sweet taste that is delightful to the senses.

"Change, change, I'll change."

Sang Ning already grimaced in disgust.

Of course it has to be replaced! He licked it all, okay?!

"Eating this will prolong your life. Someone found it in the mountains and sold it to my family at a high price."

How could I bear to eat this!

He should be passed down as a family heirloom!

"Is there anything else? I can trade with you." The shopkeeper's voice trembled with excitement.

He heard that eating phoenix eggs could grant immortality!

Sang Ning shook her head: "That's all."

"What else do you have?"

"Now there's nothing left. But... if someone from my family brings me something in the future, I can still trade with you."

Sang Ning didn't say he was dead.

Later, the shopkeeper personally drove the donkey cart to take Sang Ning back.

Before leaving, he also introduced Sang Ning to the best craftsman who made kang (heated brick bed) in the area.

"Madam Sang, I'll speak to him and ask him to give you the lowest price. But what if he also wants grain..."

Manager Cao was a fairly honest man, and he advised in a low voice: "Don't rush to build a kang (heated brick bed). We don't know when the famine will end. Keep some surplus food on hand to save your life."

"Thank you, Manager Cao."

But she still had to figure it out. The small bed in the room was only one meter wide. How were she and Huo Chang'an supposed to sleep?

Are people stacked on top of each other?

No one in the family knows where they went. A quilt has been temporarily laid on the kang (a heated brick bed) in the main room, and the two children are sleeping soundly on it.

Sang Ning then placed another mattress on the bed.

Then make up the bed in the other room as well.

This bed is too small; there's definitely no room for three adults to sleep in it.

We need to fix the kang (heated brick bed) as soon as possible.

There aren't enough blankets either; we'll go get more later.

Providing too much grain at once could attract unwanted attention and cause problems.

Sang Ning went to the side room to find Huo Chang'an.

I saw him sitting on the edge of the bed, with his legs on the ground and his arms supporting him as he tried to stand up.

But it was clear that his legs were still weak and not strong enough to support his body.

His body tilted and he fell to the side.

Sang Ning rushed over to try and stop him, but was pulled along and fell to the ground.

"Ning'er, are you alright?"

"I really owe you!"

Sang Ning clutched her waist and grimaced as she got up.

"Didn't I tell you not to rush? Haste makes waste!"

"No, I feel like I can use my waist again," Huo Chang'an explained.

His voice was loud and clear, less gloomy than before, and it was obvious that he was in a good mood.

Her almond-shaped eyes sparkled, filled with the starlight of hope.

I had a feeling about it several days ago, but it was subtle and I wasn't sure, so I didn't say anything.

But just now, he felt that his waist could indeed control his upper body!

"That's great!"

No wonder he's been sitting so steadily these past few days; it seems his lumbar spine has been reattached!

The spiritual spring was practically made for him!

No, the dog space originally belonged to him!

Sang Ning narrowed his eyes.

"Ning'er, we haven't eaten the Tai Sui yet today."

Tai Sui?

Oh no! She'd finished the cooked fish, but hadn't prepared anything else.

Whether or not it's consumed, it's mainly thanks to the spiritual spring.

"Do you know about the Spirit Spring?" Sang Ning asked abruptly.

"know."

"You really know?"

Damn it! He even lied to her last time.

Just as she was about to lose her temper, she heard the boy say again, "Moon Spring will stop flowing completely in two days. The prefect is personally overseeing it, and each family has a limited amount of water to draw. My mother and sister-in-law have all gone to line up to fetch water."

The boy frowned.

"I've heard that Moon Spring has never dried up in the past five hundred years, and all the people of Liangzhou rely on that spring for their water. What will happen if the water runs out?"