Su Li became more and more excited as she thought about it, as if she could already see piles of silver in front of her.

Let's get right to it. To make pickled vegetables, you first need a jar.

Su Li inquired everywhere and finally found out that there was a pottery workshop in the neighboring Jingde County.

After discussing it with her parents, she decided that her eldest brother would accompany her to Jingde County.

The two packed their bags, boarded a passing caravan, and embarked on their journey.

"You mean...you're going to Jingde County to buy pottery jars?" The caravan's workers were excited to see two unfamiliar faces and couldn't help but gather around to ask.

Su Li smiled and nodded gently.

“Yes, this is my older brother. My brother and I are going to Jingde County to buy a batch of pottery jars. We used to do some small business at the dock, but now that the war has affected us, business at the dock is really difficult.”

“My brother and I were thinking about whether we could find other ways to make a living. Although life was tough, we had to try to see if it would work. Maybe we could actually find a new path.”

Su Li's words were like a key, instantly unlocking the box of memories for everyone, and they all sighed with emotion.

"Yes, the world is getting tougher and tougher. In the past, we traveled all over the country. Although it was hard work, at least we could have a stable meal. Now that war has broken out, there is chaos everywhere, and it is getting harder and harder to do business."

"That's right! A few days ago we passed through a village that used to be bustling with activity, but now it's deserted and quiet. Many houses are closed, I don't know if they've fled or... Sigh, it's really heartbreaking."

Just as everyone was expressing their feelings, the convoy slowly came to a stop.

It turned out to be lunch break time.

The caravan leader was a middle-aged man over forty years old, with a robust build and eyes that revealed the vicissitudes of life.

"Let's rest here for a while and set off again in an hour. Fill the horses with hay and we won't rest on the road for a while."

"Yes, team leader, don't worry!"

When Su Li and her older brother saw the team leader approaching, they quickly stood up and greeted him with smiles.

"Thank you so much for being able to hitch a ride with your caravan! My brother and I are from Linshui Village, Wuyang Town. Our surname is Su. My name is Su Li and this is my older brother, Su Xiangyang. If you need any help, please don't hesitate to ask. We are both very capable workers."

The team leader paused slightly, his previously mild expression instantly darkening, and his eyes turning cold.

He raised his eyes and carefully examined the brother and sister in front of him, then asked uncertainly, "Your surname is Su, and you live in Linshui Village, Wuyang Town?"

"Yes," Su Li nodded, then asked with a hint of doubt, "Do you perhaps know someone here?"

The team leader's face darkened again. "It's nothing, you all should get some rest."

After saying that, he turned and left in a hurry, without even giving them a second glance.

Su Li originally wanted to ask the team leader about the pottery workshop, but seeing his attitude, she assumed he had something urgent to attend to, so she didn't ask any further questions.

When the lunch break ended and they resumed their journey, Su Li noticed that not only the team leader, but also those who had spoken to her that morning were intentionally or unintentionally distancing themselves from the two of them.

Full of doubt, Su Li gently tugged at her elder brother's sleeve and whispered:

"Brother, have we siblings done something wrong and offended everyone? These people are looking at us suspiciously, as if they're afraid of getting involved with us..."

Su Xiangyang scratched his head and hesitated, then said, "I'll go ask."

However, before he could even approach them, they simply waved their hands with strange expressions and hurriedly left, without offering a single further explanation.

When Su Xiangyang looked up, he saw the team leader staring at them with unfriendly eyes, so he didn't dare to ask any more questions, for fear of implicating others.

Despite her many doubts, Su Li didn't stop working along the way.

The caravan didn't charge them for the ride, so she thought she could help out by doing what she could.

It was dusk, the time for cooking, when Su Li picked up the vegetable basket from the ground and prepared to go to the river to help wash the vegetables.

The cook immediately came over and stopped her, looking troubled. "Oh dear, Miss Su, we really don't need your help. We're used to doing this kind of work. You should just rest on the side."

Su Li smiled, forcefully took the basket from her hand, and said:

“Auntie, please don’t be so polite with me. I often do chores at home, so this little thing is no problem for me. You’ve already worked hard enough leading us on the road, so it’s only right that I lend a hand.”

As she spoke, she picked up the vegetable basket and went to wash it in the stream beside her.

Su Li moved very quickly.

Although we don't know exactly what they did to offend the tour leader, being a little more diligent is never a bad thing when you're traveling.

Just as she got up to go back, she spotted the tender shepherd's purse on the riverbank and her eyes lit up.

This stuff has a light and fragrant flavor. Whether you use it to make filling for dumplings or stir-fry it, it tastes great. Especially now that it's springtime, it's at its crisp and tenderest.

Su Li excitedly put down her vegetable basket, picked up the small sickle she always carried with her, and in no time she had cut a large pile of shepherd's purse.

When everyone saw that Su Li had returned with a large basin of shepherd's purse, they couldn't help but show expressions of surprise.

But they still didn't say much to Su Li.

Su Li didn't mind and picked up the knife next to her, skillfully chopping the shepherd's purse into small pieces.

Her knife skills were superb; with each stroke, the shepherd's purse was reduced to even, fine pieces.

Next, she took out some pork cracklings from the package she had brought, carefully mixed them into the shepherd's purse, added some salt and sesame oil, and the filling was ready.

"Auntie, I saw you had some flour left over from steaming buns, so I used it to make dumplings."

Her hands moved like nimble butterflies, quickly shaping dumplings into plump, evenly pleated forms.

Before long, the cutting board was filled with rows of neat dumplings.

Then she turned around and went to the stove, where she skillfully cooked several dishes.

She poured oil, heated the pan, and added the vegetables, all in one smooth motion, controlling the heat perfectly.

As she stirred the food in the pot, it released an enticing aroma, and soon the fragrance of rice filled the entire camp.

Those traveling with them couldn't resist coming closer after smelling the aroma.

"Miss Su, your cooking skills are absolutely amazing! Just by smelling this, I know it must be delicious."

Someone ladled out a bowl of dumplings, brought it to the team leader, and said with a hopeful expression:

"Team leader, this was made by Miss Su. I never knew she had such good cooking skills. Please try it. It's fresh wild shepherd's purse."

The team leader glanced indifferently at the dumplings in his hand, picked up his own bowl, took a leisurely sip of hot water, and said coldly without any change in expression:

"You guys go ahead and eat, I don't need any."

The waiter scratched his head awkwardly and could only turn and leave helplessly.

That's really strange. What did the Su siblings do to upset the team leader?

He seems like a nice person...

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