As it was getting dark, Xia Chunmei went into the mountains.

She can't waste three chances a day.

She used her magic touch to retrieve thirty wild eggs, and on her way back, she also carried a bundle of pine needles with her. The eggs were hidden among the pine needles, and no one noticed them.

"Erzhu, Guixiang, Xiao'e." As they approached their house, Xia Chunmei called out to the village children.

"what"

“Go back and tell your family that I’m going to trade wild eggs for green beans, cowpeas and peppers. One wild egg can be traded for one pound of vegetables. See if your family is willing to do so.”

Are you serious?

"Of course it's true! If you'd like to exchange, bring the vegetables to my house."

"Okay, I'll go back and ask now."

The children immediately went back to their respective homes and found their mothers.

Eggs were a precious commodity in this era; no one would trade eggs for vegetables or chili peppers.

Upon hearing this news, all the parents thought Xia Chunmei was an idiot, but upon closer reflection, they also felt that Xia Chunmei was good at managing her finances, had foresight, and thought long-term.

Xia Chunmei has no land at all, and in winter she can't even get radishes and cabbages. She has to exchange some cowpeas to dry so that she can have vegetables to eat in winter.

Soon the children brought over cowpeas and chili peppers.

Xia Chunmei traded eight wild eggs for six and a half catties of cowpeas and one and a half catties of red peppers.

“Chunmei, we still have winter melons at home. Do you want to trade them? My mother said one winter melon can be exchanged for five wild eggs,” Xia Xiao’e said.

How big is your winter melon?

“It’s about this big, my mom said it weighs seven or eight pounds,” Xia Xiao’e gestured.

"Sure, if you have seven or eight pounds, I'll trade you five wild eggs."

"Then I'll go back and get it for you."

After saying that, Xia Xiao'e ran back and carried the winter melon in a basket on her back.

Xia Chunmei weighed it in her hand; it must weigh seven or eight jin (3.5-4 catties), and five wild eggs wouldn't be a bad deal.

The whole village soon knew about Xia Chunmei exchanging eggs for vegetables. Many adults even sent their children to ask her if she had enough. If not, they said they had some left and could exchange them too.

Xia Chunmei traded five wild eggs for five catties of cowpeas.

It's getting late, so Xia Chunmei decided to blanch the cowpeas in boiling water again tomorrow before drying them in the sun.

For several days in a row, Xia Chunmei used this method to change the vegetables.

Sometimes they traded eggs, sometimes fish; one pound of fish could be exchanged for three pounds of vegetables.

The villagers thought it was a great deal to exchange vegetables for fish or eggs, so they introduced their relatives and friends to do the exchange, and those relatives and friends then introduced their neighbors to do the exchange.

Over the course of a few days, Xia Chunmei brought back more than 70 jin of cowpeas, more than 10 jin of red peppers, two winter melons, 8 jin each of red beans, mung beans and millet, and 12 jin each of soybeans and sorghum.

Xia Chunmei mostly dried cowpeas and chili peppers, and made a small portion of them into pickled ones.

The pheasants in our yard have started laying eggs, and now we can collect five eggs every day.

Except for her youngest sister, who eats egg custard twice a day, morning and evening, Xia Chunmei and her two other sisters eat eggs every other day to supplement their protein intake.

As life gets better and better and the food in the house increases, the sisters feel at ease and are full of energy.

Time flew by and it was already the fourth day of the eighth lunar month. On this day, Wang Dagui, Wang Fuchun, and Xiao Zhangshi arrived with generous gifts.

"Chunmei, you've struck it rich! You've bought so many things!" When the clansmen saw the Wang family members arriving with so many things, they assumed that Xia Chunmei had bought them.

“This wasn’t bought by Miss Xia; it was a gift from us,” said Madam Zhang.

The villagers found it even stranger that the Wang family would send so many gifts out of the blue.

Could it be that the Wang family has taken a liking to these sisters and wants to arrange a marriage? But how could a family like the Wang family possibly be interested in these orphaned girls?

Is it taking a concubine?

Xia Chunmei is already engaged, so it can't be Xia Qiumei she marries.

Wang Dagui could tell from their expressions that they had misunderstood, so he said with a serious face, "Don't you fucking think such nonsense. My Wang family simply admires Miss Xia's abilities!"

Wang Fuchun also said, "Miss Xia is a friend of the Wang family. Anyone who bullies Miss Xia will be going against the Wang family!"

The villagers were so shocked their mouths could have fit an egg.

Xia Chunmei only hosted a banquet for the Wang family once, it wasn't for free, so why are the Wang family willing to be her backer?

The villagers' imaginations ran wild, wondering if Xia Chunmei had some shady dealings with the Wang family.

However, he dared not say that; he couldn't afford to offend the Wang family.

Xia Chunmei stepped forward at the right moment and said, "All my uncles and aunts have taken good care of me, so please don't scare them, Village Chief Wang."

"Yes, we watched Chunmei and her sisters grow up, how could we bully her?"

"That's right, we all have the surname Xia, and we share the same ancestor. We wouldn't bully our own people."

...

The villagers took turns speaking.

Xia Chunmei invited the Wang family into the house.

The villagers were also very curious about what the Wang family had come for, so they stood at the door and didn't leave, just wanting to hear what was going on.

Xia Chunmei knew that if she didn't let these people know the truth today, all sorts of nasty rumors would probably surface tomorrow. So she invited them in openly and generously.

"Miss Xia, I was blind to your greatness that day. If we had believed you, Xiuxiu wouldn't have fallen into the water." Madam Zhang regretted her actions when she talked about it.

"I am young, so it is normal for you to have some doubts. You are here today for Miss Wang's marriage, right?"

"You even know that?" Wang Dagui was now completely convinced that Xia Chunmei was truly capable. This was because they had only just decided today to marry Wang Xiuxiu to her savior, Xiao Zheng.

“I may not have any other skills, but face reading is no problem for me. Give me their birth dates and times, and I can do a calculation.”

Xiao Zhang immediately handed over the birth dates and times of Wang Xiuxiu and Xiao Zheng to Xia Chunmei.

Xia Chunmei quickly calculated with her fingers and then said, "Judging from his birth chart, this man should not have any parents."

The Wang family members' eyes widened in disbelief: "Miss Xia, you are truly amazing! Xiao Zheng is sixteen years old this year, and his parents passed away from illness two years ago."

Xiao Zheng is not from Xiaowang Village, but from Xiaojiazhai, which is dozens of miles away.

His marriage to Wang Xiuxiu had only just been discussed, so Xia Chunmei couldn't possibly have known such details beforehand. That just proves that she really is capable!

"His life was full of hardship in his youth, but his future is still bright, and his luck will start to improve after the new year."

"Miss Xia, are his birth dates compatible with my Xiuxiu's?" Madam Zhang asked.

"It's a match made in heaven, but there's a hurdle for Miss Wang at seventeen. It would be best if she had the child after she turned seventeen."

"Thank you, Miss Xia."

Wang Dagui: "Miss Xia, please don't hesitate to ask if you ever need anything in the future."

"If I may ask, Miss Xia, where did you learn this skill?"

"Of course, it was my master who taught me, but my master has gone traveling all over the world. I will introduce him to you when there is a chance in the future."

Xia Chunmei could only make up a master.

The Wang family guessed that Xia Chunmei must be a disciple of some master. Their visit today with generous gifts was actually an attempt to get to know the master behind Xia Chunmei.

After the Wang family left, the villagers still surrounded Xia Chunmei.

"Chunmei, you can actually tell fortunes!"

"Chunmei, when will you learn to tell fortunes?"

"Chunmei..."

"Alright, uncles and aunts, listen to me. I do know how to read faces and calculate birth charts. From now on, if anyone wants their birth chart or face read, we Xia family members will all be 99 people, and I will only do three readings a day."

Xia Chunmei answered all the questions everyone had in one go.

"Chunmei, are you sure you can tell?"

"The Wang family must not have sent her so much stuff—a bushel of rice, three pounds of fatty meat, and I think half a pound of brown sugar too," a villager said with great envy.

"All these things add up to nearly half a tael of silver. She only had her birth chart calculated, and the Wang family is already so generous. This shows that Chunmei must be right."

...

Xia Chunmei was a fortune teller, and the news that the Wang family had paid a generous price to Xia Chunmei to have their birth charts told quickly spread far and wide.

People who haven't seen it with their own eyes basically don't believe it, after all, Xia Chunmei is quite old.

Lin Xiaojuan even said that Xia Chunmei had been swindling and cheating the Wang family, and that the Wang family would beat her to death sooner or later!

Lin Qianhong soon found out as well.

Now that the Wang family has declared they will protect Xia Chunmei, they dare not act recklessly anymore.

I can only figure out how to make these fish dishes at home by myself.

...

"How come Xia Chunmei suddenly knows how to tell fortunes and cook? Her personality has also changed. Could she be possessed by a ghost?" Xia Chenshi said to Xia Changjiang.

"Why don't you mention this to the women in the village when you're chatting?"

Upon hearing this, Xia Chenshi glanced at her husband and suddenly understood.

………………

"Girl, those two old guys are definitely no good," Xia Ping'an, who had come to monitor Xia Changjiang and his wife, immediately flew to Xia Chunmei's side to report. "Chen Sanhua will definitely team up with the villagers to expose you."

“I’m not a monster, and the Wang family has said they’ll protect me, so the villagers don’t dare to do anything reckless.”

"Next time you go to the market, buy more paper money to burn for me. If I have money, I can appear in your dreams and ask everyone in the village to take care of you."

"I might as well take them fishing."

Buying paper money costs money, but taking them fishing not only costs less for yourself, but also brings them the most direct benefit.

...

The next day, Xia Chenshi actually told the villagers that Xia Chunmei was possessed by a ghost.

"Second Aunt, if I were a ghost, would I let anyone bully me like this? I would have scared my stepmother's family half to death in an instant!" Xia Chunmei said directly.

“Chunmei is right. If she were a ghost, she wouldn’t have let that old woman Shi Zhenxiang go.”

"That makes sense."

“Sanhua, don’t go looking for trouble. How could Chunmei be a ghost? You’re just jealous of Chunmei’s good life, aren’t you?” Xia Mingshi said even more directly. “Chunmei has a powerful backer now. You’re jealous and trying to frame Chunmei, but you should think twice.”

The Wang family was a large clan with scholars and officials; ordinary people dared not offend them.

Xia Mingshi's words immediately startled the villagers.

Xia Chenshi chuckled and said, "I'm not saying Chunmei is a ghost, it's just that her personality has changed so much and she suddenly has so many abilities, I just find it strange."

"Second Aunt, I became stronger because life forced me to. If I didn't become stronger, my sisters and I would be bullied to death. As for skills, I told you, my father taught me cooking, and my master taught me fortune telling. To be honest, I'm not only good at these things. And even if I am a ghost, aren't you afraid that I'll come after you tonight if you target me now?"

After he finished speaking, everyone laughed.

Xia Chenshi has always been targeting Xia Chunmei. Everyone's not stupid; they've seen it all long ago. If Xia Chunmei were a ghost, would she still be here?

Xia Chenshi looked extremely displeased when she realized that she had not achieved her goal.

"Chunmei, Chunmei!" Aunt Lihua ran over excitedly. "This old lady wants you to host her wedding banquet."

After waiting so long, have some customers finally arrived?

Xia Chunmei was also a little excited.

“Miss Chunmei, I’m from Xiaowang Village, and my surname is Xu.”

"Aunt Xu, please come inside and have a seat." Xia Chunmei invited her into the house and poured her a glass of cool water. "Aunt Xu, please have some water first."

"Miss Chunmei, are you free on the 10th and 13th of the month?"

"Auntie, do you have some happy occasions to celebrate these past few days?"

"Yes, my son is getting married on the tenth, and my mother's sixtieth birthday is on the thirteenth. I was wondering if you'd be free?"

"I do have time, but ma'am, I can only send people."

“I understand. The Wang family told me everything. We’ll prepare the pots and pans. Our dishes don’t need to be too complicated. One table will have two bowls of sauerkraut fish, two servings of braised crucian carp, two bowls of spicy fish balls, one serving of sweet and sour fish skin, two servings of grass carp cakes, and one serving of boiled eggs. That’s exactly ten bowls. It’s much easier than what the Wang family is doing. So, what’s your price…”

"If it's as you say, it does save me a lot of trouble, but as you know, the fish balls and fish cakes are quite troublesome to prepare, so my price is eight coins per table."

"Five coins per table. I'm entrusting both banquets to you, so you should give me a discount."

"Five coins is too cheap. You've cut the price in half. How about six coins per table? That's the lowest I can go. Fish balls and grass carp cakes are really time-consuming to make, so I really can't go any lower. But for birthday banquets, we need longevity peach buns, which aren't priced like this."

"For the birthday banquet, just make one less dish of braised crucian carp. It'll save you trouble compared to having it at the Wang family's. You'll have to give us a discount."

"That means the birthday banquet consists of two servings of pickled fish, one serving of braised crucian carp, two servings of spicy fish balls, two servings of grass carp cakes, one serving of sweet and sour fish skin, plus eggs and longevity peach buns. Am I right?"

"Yes, that's right, so you need to lower the price."

"Ten coins a table."

"Eight coins."

“This really won’t work. Making longevity peach buns is very tiring, and we have to start working at dawn. I kneaded dozens of kilograms of flour at the Wang family’s house that day, and my arm has been aching for several days. Most importantly, only I can do this job.”

Seeing that Xia Chunmei remained unyielding, and considering that only Xia Chunmei could make the longevity peach buns, Madam Xu stopped trying to persuade her.

Once the price was set, Xia Chunmei discussed some details with her.

After Madam Xu left, Aunt Lihua almost jumped for joy: "Haha, forty tables for the wedding banquet and sixty tables for the birthday banquet, Chunmei, you're going to make a fortune this time."

"Auntie, are you free then? Could you come along?"

“I’m free, I’m free. You’re helping your aunt earn money, how could your aunt not be free? Hehe.”

"The dishes are simpler this time than last time, but there are more tables, so your wages will still be the same. No objections, right?"

"No objection, no objection, I'll listen to you." Aunt Lihua just wants Xia Chunmei to work with her, she hasn't thought about anything else.

Xia Chunmei then went to inform Xia Mingshi and Xia Huohua. They were equally excited upon hearing the news. Xia Chunmei told Xia Huohua to start building the stoves now, and this time they would only need to build three temporary stoves.

However, Xia Chunmei reduced their wages this time. Xia Huohua went to build the stove today, and Xia Chunmei gave him the same amount of money as last time, but Xia Mingshi was paid the same as Aunt Lihua this time.

Xia Mingshi said she could understand. Last time, she did different work than Aunt Lihua, so she definitely received more money. This time, since she did the same amount of work, her income should be the same as well.

Business is business, and personal relationships are personal relationships; Xia Chunmei likes to make certain things clear in advance.

"So, is it still just the few of us this time?" Xia Mingshi asked.

"It's just the few of us, but we'll probably need to invite more people for the birthday banquet on the thirteenth. Grandma, what do you think of Aunt Jinlian?"

Xia Mingshi originally wanted to ask if her daughter could go along, but Xia Chunmei suggested inviting other people, so she felt embarrassed to ask.

"Jinlian is fine too, she's a good worker."

"Then let's settle on her first."