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

To everyone's surprise, Huo Chang'an paused for a moment, then blushed.

“It’s not entirely wrong to shout like that in the room… but I feel it’s a bit inappropriate.”

After all, he really does have a younger sister.

My brothers and sisters-in-law at home are all very proper and don't call me that.

Shen Ye, for example, has this quirk: when no one's around, he forces his wife to call him "brother."

When he first heard it, he got goosebumps.

"Or, you can call me... Brother Chang'an."

After saying that, I felt unlucky.

Because Yunshuixian also calls it that.

"How about you just call me by my nickname, Zi Le?" The boy pursed his lips, seemingly a little shy.

His nickname was no longer used after he turned ten.

I'd overheard some gossip about Third Brother and Third Sister-in-law before; Third Sister-in-law always called Third Brother by his nickname.

It's a little bit cheesy, but it's still okay.

Sang Ning was completely stunned.

What are men thinking about?!

"You haven't even learned to walk yet, and you're already practicing figure skating? Here's a pillow for you, keep dreaming!"

They're still playing the old "brother in love" and "sister in love" games.

I'm talking about siblings!

Sang Ning ignored him and continued making food.

She walked for quite a while, and the heat on the boy's face gradually subsided.

And he realized it too.

He lowered his head, gritted his teeth, and muttered to himself, "I'm determined to be your husband."

"You like touching abs, right? Then you can sleep naked tonight!"

Sang Ning took out some rice and flour from the hidden cellar in the kitchen, mixed it, and set it aside to rest.

These were brought by the villagers, and they weren't ground very finely at all.

She also threw away some wheat, green beans, and other things that could be grown into her storage space.

We'll have to wait for it to mature.

Then they brought out a large pumpkin, cut it up, and steamed it in a pot.

I'm going to make some pumpkin steamed buns today.

These are for the family to eat. In addition, we need to steam a pot of wild vegetable buns for the Liu family father and son.

After a busy day, the old lady and Xie Yurou returned.

They actually brought back a lot of things.

"Third sister-in-law, you're seriously ill, why are you going out with Mother?"

Xie Yurou smiled and said, "This was my mother's idea. She helped me, who was seriously ill, to walk around the village to see who was worth associating with in the future."

They only needed things to stuff their pillows with; most households with land had these, but they were optional.

But some people refused to give it to them and even cursed at them.

Kind-hearted people not only give, but seeing her pitiful appearance, they will also take an extra bite to eat.

Of the nearly one hundred households in the village, more than a dozen received gifts.

What I brought back included dried bamboo leaves, buckwheat hulls, rice bran, a few scattered dates, a handful of goji berries, a pear, and even a little brown sugar and two goose eggs!

"Who gave you this goose egg?"

Such valuable things, and they gave me two of them at once.

"There's a woman at the far east end, over forty years old. People call her Aunt Goose. She doesn't look quite right. They say the egg was laid by her son," Xie Yurou said.

Sanning: "????"

The old lady said, "Regardless of whether she's normal or not, her kind heart makes her worth befriending. We'll return the favor later; I've already remembered the families who gave us gifts."

"Mother, that was a really clever idea," Sang Ning praised.

Now is the time to test people's hearts. In two days, when she finds a water source, any further help will be like icing on the cake, not as precious as the help given in times of need.

“I’m not smart; I learned that from your father,” the old lady recalled.

"More than ten years ago, there was a famine in the north. The people had no grain to plant during the spring planting season, and the grain seeds transported by the imperial court were not enough. The county magistrate did not know how to distribute them."

Your father disguised himself as a beggar and went from house to house in the village begging. Those who gave him a bowl of water or a mouthful of food, without cursing or hitting him, eventually received grain seeds.

"Your father was so dirty when he came back home, I had to make him take three baths."

The old lady smiled as she thought about it, her eyes taking on a very gentle and tender tone.

It's clear that she and the Marquis have a very good relationship.

This is a woman who was pampered by a man her whole life; all her memories are sweet.

But the sweeter the memories, the more heartbreaking the reality.

Fearing she would continue to dwell on it, Sang Ning changed the subject: "Mother, Third Sister-in-law, are you hungry? Come and see what I've made!"

"What did you make this time? Let me see!" Xie Yurou stepped forward with interest and lifted the pot lid.

"Wow!" she exclaimed.

What exquisite pastries!

They were little yellow pumpkins, made just like real ones, with two bright green wild vegetable leaves attached to the top.

The sweet, glutinous aroma of pumpkin wafts through the air, making one's mouth water.

"Is this pumpkin cake?" the old lady asked curiously.

"This is a steamed bun, um, but it can also be called a Chinese sugar-free pastry, hahahahaha!" Sang Ning laughed exaggeratedly.

The old lady and Xie Yurou also laughed.

For lunch, I had pumpkin steamed buns, cumin potatoes, stir-fried eggs with chili peppers, and corn porridge.

Two large steamed buns and a bowl of thick vegetable porridge were given to Liu Dong and his son.

The father and son have never eaten this well during the Chinese New Year.

They said it was for lunch, but they gave us a whole day's worth!

The father and son squatted against the wall, eating and wiping away tears.

"That's great, that's great! We won't be hungry anymore. Dongzi, remember this great kindness. When we return to Lu, don't forget to bring our benefactor some things."

Unlike the Huo family, they were only sentenced to seven years, and they can go back in three more years.

"I'll remember, Dad."

Dongzi hid the two cornbread buns in his clothes and took them back to his wife and children.

One serving is enough for the father and son.

The Huo family closed the door and had a lively meal in the small house.

Cumin potatoes are so popular that even twelve weren't enough, mainly because cumin, as a condiment, hasn't been discovered and used yet.

One bite and you're blown away by its divine beauty.

Furthermore, only a small number of people are trying to eat chili peppers, and they haven't yet mastered the correct way to consume them.

They were all delicious with rice, and the whole family couldn't stop eating them.

Half of the pumpkin buns that I thought would last for three meals were gone in no time.

Huo Jingya's face scrunched up like a steamed bun.

"Fourth Sister-in-law, we can't make this chili pepper anymore, it's too wasteful of grain. *burp*" She burped.

Wow, she's actually full!

That's too extravagant!

Hiccups are contagious, and the three little ones started hiccuping too.

Then Huo Chang'an, Li Yuzhi... all ate their fill.

“Eat, eat without worry! I’ve already thought of a way to make money. How about we sell these cumin potatoes on the street?” Sang Ning asked.

She saw a few food stalls scattered around the street, and the government took special care of them, with yamen runners patrolling the area.

It is evident that Bai Yi and Rong Kun wanted to maintain a balance, and they highly valued and encouraged those who had surplus grain at home and were willing to contribute.

She'll make a five-spice version and a spicy version, then sprinkle some sesame seeds and chopped green onions on top—perfect!

“Then it will definitely sell well,” Li Yuzhi said.

The Huo family had never tasted such delicious food in the capital.

But the key point is, it's deep-fried, deep-fried!

It uses a lot of gas!

"We're almost out of oil," Xie Yurou reported weakly.

“No problem! I’ll go up the mountain tomorrow and bring back a basket of wild pepper, then we’ll press it.”

Just kidding, we have so many Sichuan peppercorns in our space that we couldn't finish them all in two years!

“Okay, I’ll grind it,” Huo Chang’an immediately replied.

His gaze, shimmering with gentle starlight in the dimly lit room, fell upon the radiant woman.

Nothing to hide.

The old lady smiled, pursing her lips.

"Oh, there are some on this mountain too?" Huo Jingya asked in confusion. "Why didn't I see any?"

Xie Yurou nudged her with her elbow, "You two have eyes that turn like car wheels, how can you see anything if you're turning so fast?"

Huo Jingya: "..."

Looking into Li Yuzhi's meaningful eyes, Huo Jingya immediately understood.

"That's right, my eyes are practically blind."

……