Aunt Zhang looked at the soy sauce in her hand and said in surprise, "Wanqiu, why did you buy this? It's so expensive. You can just add some salt when you stir-fry vegetables."

"Auntie, soy sauce enhances the flavor, making the dishes taste better," Lin Wanqiu said with a smile. "Nian'an is growing a lot lately, so he needs to eat more."

Aunt Zhang sighed, "You just love your child too much. But it's true, Nian'an has suffered because of you."

On the way back from the commune, Lin Wanqiu kept thinking—relying solely on the resources in her spatial dimension would only solve her basic needs; to truly live a good life, she would have to find a way to earn money. There was a "meat jerky making method" in the basic cooking techniques: cut pork or beef into strips, add seasonings, and dry them for easy storage and as a snack. If she could get some meat, making some sausages or jerky and exchanging it with those in the village who had ration coupons might be a good idea.

But where would the meat come from? Lin Wanqiu was stumped. Just as she was frowning in worry, she suddenly saw a rabbit in the roadside bushes, looking rather sullen, munching on wild vegetables. Her eyes lit up—rabbit meat! Although it wasn't as fragrant as pork, it was still meat, and rabbits reproduced quickly. If she could catch a few and raise them, she wouldn't have to worry about not having meat to eat in the future.

She quickly told Aunt Zhang, then quietly circled around to the back of the bushes. Relying on the rabbit-catching skills she had learned at her grandmother's house in the countryside in her previous life, she actually caught the rabbit. The rabbit wasn't big, only about two pounds, but for Lin Wanqiu now, it was an unexpected windfall.

When she got home, Shen Nian'an saw the rabbit and jumped up excitedly: "Mom, a rabbit! So cute!"

"Yes, lovely rabbit meat," Lin Wanqiu said with a smile. "Tonight, Mom will make you some rabbit jerky so you can try it."

Chen Nian'an paused for a moment, then pouted, "Mom, let's not eat the rabbit, okay? It's so pitiful."

Looking at her son, Lin Wanqiu's heart softened: "Alright then, let's raise it. When it has baby rabbits, we'll make you some jerky, okay?"

“Okay!” Shen Nian’an smiled immediately, carefully picked up the rabbit, and went to find a cage.

Lin Wanqiu watched her son's retreating figure and smiled helplessly—it seemed she wouldn't be able to make rabbit jerky. However, raising rabbits was a good idea; perhaps she could make some money selling them in the future. She went into the kitchen, took out a piece of pork from her spatial storage (she hadn't dared to take it out at the commune earlier), and cut it into strips according to the "Jerky Making Method" in the Elementary Cooking Techniques. She then marinated it with soy sauce, salt, and sugar (from her spatial storage).

The meat strips dried in the sun all afternoon, gradually becoming firmer, and their aroma filled the entire yard. Shen Nian'an would occasionally run over, smell the aroma, and then look at the rabbit in the cage, her little face full of anticipation.

By evening, the jerky was finally ready. Lin Wanqiu picked up a piece and tasted it—it was perfectly salty and savory, becoming more flavorful with each chew, even better than the beef jerky she had eaten in her previous life. She quickly handed one to Chen Nian'an: "Try it, is it good?"

Shen Nian'an took the jerky, took a small bite, and her eyes immediately lit up: "Delicious! Mom, what's this made of?"

"This is pork jerky. Mom will make it for you often from now on," Lin Wanqiu said with a smile, but in her heart she was already planning—tomorrow she could take a few strips of jerky to Aunt Zhang and Xiao Hu to try. If they liked it, she could use the jerky to exchange for some cornmeal or cloth coupons, and slowly accumulate resources.

Just then, the jade pendant heated up again, and a line of text popped up on the panel: "Basic Cooking Skill Proficiency +10, Current Proficiency 10/100, Next Recipe Unlocked: Sausage Making".

Lin Wanqiu's heart leaped with joy—sausages! These were even more practical; not only could they be stored, but they could also be used in stir-fries and porridge—they were practically an all-purpose ingredient. She quickly opened the sausage recipe and began to study it carefully, already planning her next "get-rich-quick scheme."

The moon rose outside the window, and the courtyard was quiet except for the sound of rabbits munching on grass in their cages. Lin Wanqiu looked at the sleeping Shen Nian'an, then glanced at the recipes on the counter, and a smile appeared on her lips. She knew that although life was tough now, as long as she had the space and basic cooking skills, and as long as she was willing to work hard, she would definitely be able to raise Nian'an to a better life and carve out a place for herself in this 1960s.