When Ye Nuan brought Ye Xiaohu home, the water in the house had been filtered, and Su Shi was plowing the soil with a hoe. For someone who had never worked before, turning just a small piece of soil would make her almost collapse.

Ye Xiaohu saw his mother and, with his short legs, he ran as fast as a cannonball into her arms. He was incredibly strong, and Su was caught off guard and knocked to the ground. Her hips and elbows ached, but she still wore a smile.

"Mom, we picked up eggs, so many eggs." He jumped and gestured happily, constantly pointing at the basket in Ye Nuan's hand.

Su pulled him into his arms and praised him, "Really? Our little tiger is amazing. He found an egg on his first trip out."

Ye Nuan walked to Su's side, took out the pheasant eggs and spread them on the ground. The twenty or so pheasant eggs were only the size of a baby's fist, and the shells were brown and olive colors, which made people happy just by looking at them.

Pheasant eggs are considered meat and are perfect for children.

Su patted the mud in her hands, reached out and picked up a pheasant egg, and her smile deepened, "Where did you find it, Ah Nuan?"

"I found it in the bushes by the south pond. Besides the pheasant eggs, I also found this." She tilted the basket slightly, and the bitter oak berries rolled to one side.

"What is this?" Su had obviously never seen this thing before.

Ye Nuan had never seen it before, let alone known about it. Afraid she would doubt it, Ye Nuan explained, "This is the fruit of the Castanopsis kusnezoffii. Little Miss Aqiu told me it can be made into bitter tofu. She even told me how to make it. She also told me about many edible wild vegetables and told me she would take me to dig them when she had time."

Bitter tofu?

Su said, "Don't call her Xiao Aqiu. Last time I called her that, she got angry and said she couldn't add the diminutive character. The little girl might be awkward, but she's a good person."

"Yes, I'll send some to her to try when I make the bitter tofu."

The sun was shining brightly. Ye Nuan fetched a sieve from the house, poured out all the bitter oak berries, and placed them under the sun to dry. The filtered water in the three jars was placed in the west room, covered with wooden boards. While fetching water to wash her hands, she flipped her wrist and dropped a drop of spiritual spring water into a ladle. After mixing it evenly, she divided it into three parts and put it back into the three jars.

If they drink this water every day, their health will definitely get better and better.

After washing her hands, she took out four pheasant eggs and said to her brother, "Xiao Hu, I'll make you some steamed eggs."

Ye Xiaohu clapped his hands with joy and almost drooled as he leaned against the stove.

Ye Nuan deftly broke the pheasant eggs, divided them into three bowls, added water and stirred them until fine milky white foam appeared on the surface.

Su was not very good at making a fire, and the flames started to rise. Finally, Su, who knew how to make a fire, smiled.

As the steam rose, she immediately put down the steamer, put three bowls of eggs on top, and covered the pot. She estimated the time in her mind. The aroma of eggs wafted out, and the little kid next to her couldn't help but swallow them.

The look was so funny that Su couldn't help laughing.

Ye Nuan lifted the lid of the pot, and a light aroma filled her nose. The surface of the egg was slightly arched, golden, tender, and glossy. The egg bowl was brought out, and the little kid's eyes followed her wherever she went, calling her "Sister" sweetly.

Su handed the spoon over and took the chopsticks to her daughter. The three of them squeezed on a low stool and ate the steaming eggs.

The egg custard was hot and smooth in the mouth, and it slid into the stomach, leaving a satisfying and happy feeling. After Ye Xiaohu finished eating the egg custard, he even licked the bowl, thinking that there was nothing more delicious than this.

It would be better if there was salt.

Of course, a bowl of egg custard wouldn't fill several people, but they were poor, so they saved what they had. After cleaning up the kitchen, Ye Nuan scooped up some water and soaked the chive roots she'd gathered. She and Su Shi continued to till the soil, while Ye Xiaohu followed behind, collecting rocks. By sunset, a large patch of land to the east had been completely tilled. Ye Xiaohu, with his short legs, handed the soaked chive roots to her, his eyes twinkling as he watched her plant them.

"Sister, when will the chives grow?"

Su was at a loss for words. Looking at the withered root, it was a miracle that it survived. She expected it to grow right after it was planted.

"Soon, Xiaohu talked to it every day, and it grew."

Ye Xiaohu believed it and squatted in the chive field and started muttering to himself, his cheeks puffing up, which was so adorable.

After planting the chives, Ye Nuan poured the soaking water over the roots, silently praying that they would survive. She had planted countless dying plants and trees before, and without exception, they had all survived. This time, she was sure it would work too.

After planting the chives, Ye Nuan found a large stone at the foot of the wall and cracked the sun-cracked Castanopsis berries open one by one, asking her mother and younger brother to pick out the shells. The milky white flesh of the berries filled the sieve.

Ye Xiaohu's eyes widened, and he quickly stuffed one into his mouth. After chewing it twice, his little face suddenly wrinkled up and he spat.

"Sister, it's not tasty."

Ye Nuan laughed so hard that she fell backwards. "Silly brother, you can't eat this fruit raw. It's bitter and astringent."

Su wiped her son's mouth while laughing. After he vomited everything, she couldn't help but sigh, "There's nothing wrong with being exiled here. It's better than staying in the Ye Mansion and watching that pair of bitches." She had had enough of Ye Daxueshi's cowardice in this life, and she must change the way she lives in the future.

Ye Nuan looked at her mother and they smiled at each other.

After peeling all the Castanopsis berries, Ye Nuan filled a wooden basin with water and soaked them. Su Shi asked in confusion, "Didn't you say you wanted to make bitter tofu?"

Ye Nuan explained, "We need to soak the Castanopsis kusnezoffii overnight to remove the bitterness, and then we can prepare it tomorrow morning."

Su didn't understand any of this, so she just did whatever her daughter said. That night, Ye Nuan only steamed three eggs. After the three of them finished eating, they washed Xiao Hu and tucked him into bed. When Su was about to go to bed, she discovered that her son had hidden an egg in his palm.

"Xiaohu, why did you put the egg on the bed?"

The child shrank into the bed and whispered, "Sister said chicks will hatch in here. I want to hatch chicks."

Su Shi was at a loss for words and tried to persuade him, "But if you hold it like that, it will break when you fall asleep. Be good and give the egg to your mother. I'll stew it for you tomorrow."

The child pouted, his eyes drooping in displeasure, and whispered in a very small voice, "But, I, I will be very careful, very careful."

Ye Nuan came in from outside and closed the door, chuckling, "Mom, let Xiaohu take it and go to sleep first."

Su had no choice but to wait until her son fell asleep, take out the pheasant eggs, and put them back into his hands before he woke up in the morning.

As the sky brightened, the sound of roosters crowing reached Ye Nuan's ears through the window. Life was like this for the poor: they worked from sunrise to sunset, and the day was over in the blink of an eye.

She quietly got up, put on her clothes, and after closing the door, she went to strain the water from the bitter oak berries and poured it into the vegetable patch. In the hazy mist, the roots of the chives she'd planted yesterday were already showing a hint of green. She thought she was seeing things, so she simply put down the wooden basin and took a closer look. Over a dozen clumps of chives had all turned green.

Ye Nuan's brows were filled with joy. It seemed that the leek roots were alive. If she watered them with spiritual spring water a few more times, they would surely grow very fast.

Chives are good. You can cut them again and again, and then transplant them and plant more when they grow roots. That way you won’t have to worry about going hungry.

Thinking of this, she stood up again, her steps much lighter.

She searched the house but couldn't find any tools to crush the bitter oak berries, and she was immediately at a loss. She stood at the gate for a moment, then suddenly remembered that she seemed to have seen a stone mill at Feng Dazhu's house that day.

But it was still early and the fog had not yet dissipated, so it was not a good idea to knock on the door and ask for a millstone.

She simply placed the wooden basin at her feet and began to observe the spiritual spring on her wrist intently. There were only two drops of spiritual spring left in the spiritual spring space. If she wanted to grow a lot of things in the future, she would definitely need more spiritual spring.

Two drops are clearly not enough!

We have to find a way to get the jade.

Thinking about it, she sighed again. It was too much effort to collect it drop by drop. Is there any way to make the spiritual spring as inexhaustible as in modern times, with extra space left?

The morning glow broke through the mist, illuminating her face. The scar across her right cheek, though still large, had faded considerably. A noise came from the yard next door, and she stood up on tiptoe to peer. The wall was quite high, and from here, she couldn't see anything.

Su opened the door with her son and saw her daughter looking around. She couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong?"

Ye Nuan turned around and said, "I want to borrow the stone mill next door to grind the bitter oak berries into pulp."

Su looked at the wooden basin at her feet and said, "Let's go together."

Ye Nuan put on her headscarf, and the family went out to Feng's house. A large section of Feng's courtyard wall had collapsed, and there was not even a gate. Feng Dazhu noticed it when the three of them just walked to the gate.

Ye Nuan explained the purpose of their visit, and Feng Dazhui said embarrassedly, "The things can be used, but they haven't been cleaned yet." The water at home was limited, and his family didn't plan to use a stone mill, so they didn't wash them at all.

Ye Nuan said, "It's okay, we can just wash it ourselves and return it when we're done."

The stone mill was placed in the corner of the kitchen. Feng Dazhu looked at Ye Nuan and the others and said, "This thing is heavy. Let me carry it to you."

"No need, we can just carry it out ourselves." She had nothing to be afraid of as long as her brother was there.

Feng Dazhu squatted down first and said, "It's okay, I'll help you move it over." He tried hard, but the millstone only moved a little.

Yesterday he exchanged half a bucket of water for a bowl of food, but the mother and son were reluctant to eat it and only dared to make porridge.

Feng Dazhu was very embarrassed. It must be because he didn't have enough to eat.

He took a deep breath and tried again with all his strength. The next moment, the entire millstone was carried away. When he saw who was carrying it, his eyes bulged out and he was so shocked that he couldn't close his mouth.

How, how is this possible? How old is the Ye family’s kid that carried the millstone away?

Feng Dazhu thought he was still asleep, so he rubbed his eyes and saw the little kid from the Ye family coming back empty-handed and carrying away the remaining stone mill base.

Feng Dazhu turned to look at Ye Nuan, his expression a little horrified, as if he was shocked. Ye Nuan smiled at him, without explaining, and just said: "Brother Feng, do you know where to find salt?"

"Ah?" Feng Dazhu came back to his senses and stuttered back, "I heard them say yesterday that the salt in the desert is all shipped from the interior, and only the Creation Pavilion has salt. If Luomu City needs salt, they have to go to the Creation Pavilion."

Another Creation Pavilion? This is truly a magical existence.

Ye Nuan took note and asked, "Did they say when to go pick up stones?" She wanted to go look for jade and exchange the stones for some seeds and salt.

Feng Dazhu nodded and said, "It should be the day after tomorrow. Someone will come to call you then."

She asked a few more questions about Crescent Moon Lake before returning with Su. On the way back, Su hesitated to speak again. Finally, unable to hold back, she said, "If we're going to collect rocks tomorrow, let me go. You and Xiaohu stay home."