After transmigrating, he supported his family by working at a garbage dump.

As dawn broke, Xu Wenjie got up early to start a fire and boil water. Not only that, he also cooked a pot of thick porridge.

Zhang He was tidying up her vegetable basket. She lined the basket with a layer of vegetable leaves, then sprinkled a layer of flour, and then neatly placed the dumplings she had made the day before into the basket, covering them with another layer of cabbage leaves.

Fortunately, the basket she bought was big enough to hold just the right amount of fifty dumplings.

When Xu Zhuzhu woke up, her parents and brother had already washed up and gotten ready.

She groggily changed into her pink padded jacket and sat on the bed, half asleep. She forced her eyes open and saw that she was the only one left on the bed.

The sound of his brother reading aloud could be heard from the courtyard, along with his parents' intermittent conversations.

They had planned it together last night; today the whole family would go to the market in town to cheer Zhang He on.

Just then, Zhang He came in after washing up. Seeing Xu Zhuzhu's sleepy eyes drooping, she chuckled and said, "...Why don't you just keep sleeping? Your mother will make you osmanthus cake when she gets back."

Xu Zhuzhu shook her head desperately.

Is she someone who craves those snacks?

She went with Zhang He mainly to investigate the market situation.

In her opinion, the best-selling dumplings should be those with corn and pork filling, in a sweet and savory flavor.

But since there was no corn left in the world, she could only cultivate corn by planting it in March at the earliest. Fearing trouble, she had to settle for selling leek and egg dumplings and cabbage and radish dumplings instead.

Thinking this, Xu Zhuzhu steeled her heart and firmly grasped Zhang He's hand.

"Mother! Quickly wake me up from my drowsiness."

Zhang He had just washed up, and her hands were still wet. It was winter, so her hands were ice cold.

Understanding Xu Zhuzhu's meaning, he smiled and placed his hands on Xu Zhuzhu's warm, rosy cheeks.

"Lazybones, get up!" Zhang Hewen said with a smile.

A cool sensation shot from Xu Zhuzhu's cheeks straight to the top of her head, instantly dispelling the drowsiness that had lingered for so long. She opened her eyes wide, feeling refreshed and invigorated.

"I woke up!"

As she spoke, she quickly got out of bed and put on her shoes.

Zhang He shook her head and laughed.

Soon, after Xu Zhuzhu finished washing up and everyone drank two full bowls of rice porridge, the family packed up and set off for town.

Xu Wenjie carried a basket on his back, and Zhang He carried a small basket. The two of them each led a child towards the town.

Along the way, we met many villagers who were also going to the market, most of whom were selling firewood and vegetables.

After what happened before, most people in the village knew Xu Wenjie and knew that he was a scholar. Those who wanted to greet him would go up to him, while those who didn't would just nod as they passed by. Xu Wenjie returned the greetings to everyone without being arrogant.

Xu Zhuzhu yawned as she walked, and saw her father's handsome face turn red, as if he felt a little embarrassed.

His father's basket contained a pile of firewood, a beautiful pot, a few bowls, and several pairs of chopsticks.

According to Xu Wenjie's idea, they simply set up a pot in town, put the dumplings in the pot to boil, and once the aroma spread, customers would naturally come to their door.

That's why I decided to carry the pot and firewood on my back.

When the family arrived in town, it was quite early, but almost all the vendors had already arrived.

There weren't many people shopping; every now and then, groups of two or three would come to buy some goods at the market.

This was Xu Zhuzhu's first time in town. Qingshan Town was a bit bigger than she had imagined, but not by much.

Based on Xu Wenjie's description, Xu Zhuzhu always felt that Qingshan Town was very small, similar to having only one street dedicated to selling goods, with shops lining the main road and ending there.

However, upon inspection today, there are at least two streets where businesses operate, and these two streets are arranged in a cross shape, with two different directions: east, west, north, and south.

Xu Zhuzhu observed silently and noticed that the locations of shops and stalls in this small town were different from those in her hometown of Qingzhou Prefecture.

In their hometown, there are very specific rules for setting up a stall and doing business. For example, only fruits and vegetables can be sold on the north street, while only pots, pans, knives, and so on on the south street.

But thinking about it, in this small place, it probably doesn't make much sense for the government to divide these areas, and these are not things that Xu Zhuzhu should consider.

Xu Zhuzhu looked around at the potential locations for her stall. Most of the good spots near the center of the street, where there were many people, were already taken. The best spot for her stall now was next to the rice noodle stall.

Xu Wenjie's calligraphy and painting stall was not on this street before. After surveying the area, he felt that the location was more suitable, as the food was all concentrated in one place and the businesses could influence each other.

To avoid upsetting other vendors, Xu Wenjie took the initiative to greet them.

"Hello, sirs. Our family is also looking to start a small business. We'd like to trouble you, but is anyone here?"

The rice noodle vendors were an elderly couple. From the moment they saw Xu Wenjie's family, their aged faces were always smiling. Although they were old, their eyes were bright and clear, and their gazes were very kind.

After talking with Zhang He, she learned that the couple were in their fifties but had no children, so they loved energetic children very much. They took a great liking to the two children, Xu An and Xu Zhuzhu, as soon as they saw them.

They were generous people, and naturally they weren't angry when they saw the unfamiliar Xu Wenjie family setting up a stall next to theirs.

"You just arrived, right? I've never seen you before." The rice noodle vendor was very enthusiastic, and she took the initiative to direct her husband to help. She also pulled Xu Zhuzhu and Xu An to sit on their stall and warm themselves by the fire.

"You're not allowed to be naughty."

Seeing that the couple were so kind and smiling, and didn't seem like bad people, Zhang He felt relieved, but still gave them some advice.

"Are you from out of town?" the old man asked, while helping Xu Wenjie set up the stove and the pot.

Xu Wenjie smiled and quickly thanked him, replying politely, "Thank you for your trouble, sir. We've come from the north to visit relatives."

The old man who made rice noodles stroked his gray beard, his eyes narrowing into slits, and said that it was no wonder the family's accents didn't sound like those of locals.

Xu Zhuzhu listened intently, then suddenly realized that she hadn't really noticed their family's accent; she was probably just used to it.

Just as Xu Wenjie and Zhang He set up their stall, Xu Zhuzhu and her brother were already sitting at Grandma Rice Noodles' stall, chatting away with her.

"Hello, Grandma! My name is Zhuzhu, and this is my brother."

Her lively and outgoing demeanor made Grandma Rice Noodles, who loves children, laugh heartily.

Xu Zhuzhu is in her mid-twenties, so she's naturally not shy around strangers. In fact, you could say she knows exactly what kind of children older people like.

It just so happens that she has this carefree personality; otherwise, she could even put on a charming act.

But Xu An was different. He kept in mind his father's teaching that a scholar should be humble and polite.

"Hello, Grandma. My name is Xu An. You can call me An'an. Thank you for letting my sister and me warm ourselves by the fire here."

Xu An cupped his little hands and bowed respectfully to the rice noodle grandma. The little boy was upright and dignified, and it was definitely not just for show.

Since they had solved their basic needs, Zhang He, under limited circumstances, would never allow her two children to be unkempt, as long as they were clean and tidy.

The two children in front of me are not as plump as they were six months ago, nor can they be described as exquisitely beautiful. However, due to their strong genes, even though they are thin, their big, bright eyes are still endearing.

The brother and sister are only five years old, but they speak clearly, logically, and very politely, which makes Grandma Rice Noodles even more fond of them.

She asked the two children if they had eaten breakfast and hurriedly prepared to cook them a bowl of rice noodles.

Xu Zhuzhu had last eaten rice noodles in her past life, and she was indeed a little tempted, but she still firmly shook her head.

"I drank the porridge, but I can't eat anymore."

Xu Zhuzhu patted her stomach, indicating that she had already eaten breakfast.

She couldn't accept a reward without doing anything in return, especially since the old woman was so kind; she couldn't take advantage of her.

Grandma Rice Noodles also touched Xu Zhuzhu's belly, which was indeed round and plump. She chuckled and was about to speak when the guests arrived.

"Grandma Mi, a bowl of rice noodles, please!" A young man came forward with a bowl and said, "The soup from yesterday seemed a bit bland."

"Oh! My old man made this, he probably forgot to taste it again..." The rice noodle grandma greeted her with a smile, she seemed to be a regular customer.

It turns out that Grandma Rice Noodles' surname is Mi (米). Xu Zhuzhu thinks this surname is really suitable for Grandma Rice Noodles.

After Zhang He finished tidying up, she noticed that Grandma Mi's stall had also received some customers. Fearing that the two children would interfere with the business, Zhang He took them home.

Old Man Mi helped Xu Wenjie set up the stove and start the fire. He was tending his own stove when he heard what Granny Mi said. He muttered something to himself, and his mustache twitched.

Xu Zhuzhu turned her head to listen carefully: "...Bullshit, I tasted it and it was just right. It was clearly that person who ate it too salty."

He looked up and his gaze met Xu Zhuzhu's. The two looked at each other and chuckled.

This old man is so cute!