Transmigrated into a seven-year-old child, my fate is in my own hands, not in the heavens.

Unbeknownst to Zhao Lian, a pair of eyes had been watching her all along. This person had been watching her ever since she entered the grain and oil shop.

After watching Zhao Lian walk several dozen meters away, the man followed her.

As Zhao Lian walked, she mentally calculated what else she needed to buy. Right now, she only had nine copper coins and six pieces of silver left.

I earned a total of 986 coins in the past two days, and I spent almost half of them right away.

We've already bought rice, flour, oil, and salt, as well as lamp oil and bath powder. For now, we'll just have to make do with our clothes and shoes.

I'll consider buying something else when I earn more money next time.

Zhao Lian looked up at the sun. She didn't know what time it was, but she guessed it was past ten o'clock.

Suddenly, the aroma of steamed buns wafted through the air. Seeing a steamed bun stall ahead, Zhao Lian's legs unconsciously led her over.

The owner of the steamed bun stall shouted loudly to the passing crowd: "Selling steamed buns and dumplings! Fresh meat buns and white flour buns!"

"Sir, what would you like to buy?"

Five meat buns? Okay!

Watching the steamed bun stall owner with a big smile as he packed steamed buns into oil paper bags and handed them to the customers.

Having eaten porridge for breakfast, Zhao Lian was now hungry. Smelling the fragrant aroma of meat buns, she swallowed hard, her stomach rumbling.

Although she had some dark bread in her pocket, she really wanted to eat steamed buns. She had earned some money, so she should save where she could, but she couldn't treat herself too badly.

Only when you have enough to eat can you think of ways to earn more money. If you only earn money and don't spend it, and just become a miser, it's better not to earn any at all.

At this moment, the stall owner also noticed Zhao Lian and asked warmly, "Little girl, would you like steamed buns or mantou?"

Zhao Lian asked, "Uncle, how much are these steamed buns and dumplings?"

The stall owner didn't look down on Zhao Lian, and said with a smile, "Steamed buns are two coins each, and meat buns are four coins each."

Zhao Lian felt the copper coins in her pocket, took them out and looked at them. The meat buns were too expensive, so she decided not to buy them.

Anyway, she'd have plenty of big bones to gnaw on when she got back, so Zhao Lian thought she'd better just buy a few steamed buns.

Thinking of this, she hesitated and said, "Uncle, I only have seven copper coins left. Can I buy four steamed buns?"

The steamed bun vendor looked Zhao Lian up and down, noticing her pale and thin face, her pudding-colored clothes, and her worn-out shoes. He nodded and said, "Alright, I can tell you're a poor girl. I won't make any money off you."

Immediately afterwards, he took out an oil bag, put four steamed buns on Zhao Lian's plate, and handed them to her.

Zhao Lian took it and was overjoyed to see the steamed bun that smelled of wheat.

Although these steamed buns weren't as white as they are now, and were even a bit yellowish, Zhao Lian knew that they were all-natural and additive-free.

No high-tech additives were used; even the fermentation process was done with sourdough starter, which makes the steamed buns taste better.

The sun was shining brightly, and Zhao Lian was hungry, so she decided to eat some steamed buns before going back.

Having made up her mind, Zhao Lian looked around for a suitable place. Then, she saw a step at the entrance of the alley and walked over with her basket on her back.

The steps look quite clean, and the sun isn't shining on them. Plus, this isn't in front of any shop, so you can sit down and rest for a while.

Zhao Lian unloaded the basket from her back and placed it aside. She sat down against the wall, finally able to sit down and rest after a busy morning.

It was so hot that day, and Zhao Lian was covered in sweat. Her little face was flushed from the heat. She wiped the sweat with the corner of her clothes and then fanned herself with her hand.

Finally, I grabbed a steamed bun and started eating it. I never expected that this kind of steamed bun would taste so good, with a rich wheat flavor.

Zhao Lian drank two sips of water and then ate two steamed buns in one go, finally feeling full.

Looking at the two remaining steamed buns in the oil paper bag, Zhao Lian put them back in her bosom; she had to leave one for each of Zhao Feng and Zhao Di.

Good things shouldn't be kept all by oneself. You know, Zhao Feng and Zhao Di are currently in dire straits at the He family's place.

She knew the He family probably didn't have much money either; her medical expenses that day amounted to two taels of silver.

Later, Yang Sen and his son were beaten, and they probably incurred some medical expenses. Moreover, they had to stay in bed for many days and couldn't earn money.

This large family has a considerable amount of food to eat every day, so Zhao Feng and Zhao Di don't know if they'll ever have a full meal.

As the sun rose higher, the number of pedestrians on the street gradually decreased. Zhao Lian sat and rested for a while longer before realizing it was time for her to go back.

With my small frame, I don't know if I weigh 40 pounds, but I have to carry something that weighs nearly 20 pounds, which is quite a heavy load.

We still have to walk another ten miles, which will take quite a while. Plus, there's pork fat and big bones, which don't keep very long.

In this hot weather, if it's left out for too long, it will go bad, so I need to go back and process it quickly.

Thinking of this, Zhao Lian quickly picked up her basket and stood up.

Having eaten and drunk her fill, and with so many good things in her basket, Zhao Lian felt full of energy.

Further ahead, there were some shops, and finally, Zhao Lian saw a stall area where many people were selling various mountain products on the ground.

However, Zhao Lian had no interest in shopping anymore, and with such heavy things on her back, she was afraid she wouldn't know the way. So she had no choice but to turn back and soon arrived at the market entrance.

As we walked along this road towards the outskirts, we saw a steady stream of people heading back, many of them farmers.

Most of them, like myself, carried baskets on their backs, bringing mountain produce to exchange for money, and then bought what they needed to take back home.

Because the basket on her back was too heavy, Zhaolian walked and stopped frequently, resting whenever she got tired.

Strangely enough, on the way back, we didn't run into anyone from Datian Village, and we didn't even know if Aunt Hongyu had gone back.

As the houses on both sides of the road became fewer and fewer, and they began to enter the mountain path, Zhao Lian was unaware that a man had been following her closely, neither too close nor too far.

There was another slope ahead, and Zhao Lian sighed as she looked at it.

"Ugh!"

With the sun so bright, let's sit down, have some water, and rest for a while.

Next, she found a good spot, a spot with the sun behind her, a small tree above her, and a small stone on the ground.

Zhao Lian sat down, took out the water bottle, and took another sip of water.

Touching the steamed bun in her arms, Zhao Lian swallowed hard again. This was meant for Zhao Feng and Zhao Di; she couldn't eat it.

After thinking for a moment, Zhao Lian took out the black flatbread, tore off a small piece, and put the rest back in her bosom.

It is said that it is easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality. After eating white flour steamed buns, Zhao Lian suddenly found it hard to swallow this black flour pancake.

The dark flatbread was rough and gritty, really not tasty, but at least it filled her stomach. Zhao Lian ate the flatbread and then drank some water.

Just then, a breeze blew by, and Zhao Lian immediately felt much more comfortable.

Just then, Zhao Lian noticed a man walking towards her not far away.