Thinking about what would happen in the coming year, Liu Huan even thought about how to avoid such risks while sleeping.

Taking the whole family with them is unrealistic. The family doesn't have that much money, and there's no legitimate reason. Su's parents wouldn't just leave their hometown for no reason.

Given Shi Tou's intelligence, he must have noticed something. If that's the case, how should I explain it?

Staying in town isn't an option either; if a real robbery breaks out, how could a family of weaklings possibly win?

Then we can only go to Thatched Village, but at least in such a poor place, robbing is not the first choice.

The only challenge is overcoming the wild beasts in the mountains; how can we prevent wolves from coming down the mountain?

And the storage of food and the construction of houses—this thatched hut was utterly inadequate to withstand attacks from wild boars and wolves.

I fell asleep while thinking about it.

The next day, Da Shi got up very early and went to cut pig feed. The family had many chickens, so they ate a lot every day.

Grass was worried after making breakfast: "These days, the grass can only be cut in the morning. It wilts and becomes too tough to cut in the afternoon. If it doesn't rain soon, feeding the chickens will be a problem."

After breakfast, the family went to pick chili peppers while it was still dark. Although it was autumn, the late summer heat was still not to be underestimated.

When I got to the field, I found that some people had picked a lot of fruit earlier than me.

"Da Nian's wife is back. How is Da Nian?"

Su's mother answered truthfully, "It's alright, but she can't move around and is recuperating in town."

The auntie said, "That's good. We were so worried that day, we couldn't even feel at ease eating pork."

Su's mother smiled with relief: "Yes, it's good that you're alright."

After a brief chat, they started picking the fruit from their own garden.

Because the whole thing was dry, they had to be picked all at once. The sun came out in no time, and the heat felt like a small fire burning on your body, making you feel uncomfortable.

After picking grass for a while, they went back to cook. Su's mother started carrying the grass home, while Liu Huan, Da Shi, and Xiao Shi buried themselves in picking grass.

All the work involved bending over, and by the end of the day, my back was so sore I couldn't straighten it. After dinner, I would rush to bed, and the cycle would repeat itself the next day.

Because they picked a lot and the weather was good, they didn't have time to carry the fruit to sell like other families, so they had to dry it all in the sun.

Part of the land at home is planted with chili peppers, and part with rice; the main purpose is for paying taxes.

The family worked for several days to finish the task. The rice was dried and then taken away by the soldiers. They didn't even know what the inside looked like.

Looking at the yard full of bright red peppers, Liu Huan felt an overwhelming sense of joy, as if she were looking at her own child. All the hard work seemed worthwhile at that moment.

"Mom, let's take some with us when we go to town this time,"

Su's mother thought the same way: "Okay, bring more vegetables this time. Vegetables are expensive in town, so we won't waste the money."

Liu Huan looked at the chickens at home and pondered. Once everyone left, the chickens would have to be handed over to Da Shi again. Pig feed was hard to find now, and there were hundreds of chickens. He definitely couldn't manage it all by himself.

“Mother, why don’t we sell some of the chickens? It’s getting hotter now, and it’s hard to find pig feed. We can’t spare the time, and it’s too hard for my brother to work alone.”

Liu Huan shared her idea, and Su's mother agreed. She immediately tied up a few girls and told them to come and buy some on every market day.

To reward the three of them, including Cao'er, who were at home, another chopstick was caught and used to make soup for them.

On the last day of the autumn harvest holiday in Shitou, the two followed the villagers who were selling chili peppers back home.

From afar, I started calling out, "Stone, are you home?"

Shi Tou put down his pen and ink, went out and took the things from their hands to the storeroom.

Liu Huan followed behind him, chattering away, saying that Xiao Shi was very well-behaved at home, and how many chilies they had harvested.

He didn't notice when he said "Ah," and the stone turned around and bumped into him.

"Stone, can't you keep an eye on things?"

She even tried to shift the blame first. Shi Tou was both amused and exasperated. He brushed the stray hairs from her forehead and asked, "It's so sunny here. Why aren't you wearing the hat I bought?"

When she left that day, Shi Tou bought her a sun hat, but judging from the extent of her sunburn, she probably didn't wear it.

"It's uncomfortable to wear. The sweat gets all over my face, and when I squat down, it tends to get stuck on the chili stems, so I don't wear it."

Perhaps it was because Liu Huan looked so pitiful that Shi Tou couldn't bear to look at her.

He avoided eye contact: "I'll go get you some rice."

Knowing they would definitely be back today, he prepared the meal in advance and was waiting for them.

During the meal, Liu Huan repeated what Aunt Lian had said to him, and also mentioned that the chili peppers at home had all dried up.

Basically, I described all the changes that had occurred in the village.

Stone would occasionally put food in her bowl, listen attentively to what she had to say, and nod in response from time to time.

"Stone, do you think there might be a natural disaster if it doesn't rain for a long time?"

As soon as Liu Huan finished speaking, he saw Shi Tou's hand pause for a moment.

She knew he had taken her words to heart.

That evening, Shi Tou finished grinding the beans and returned to the academy. Liu Huan and Su's mother lit the tofu by the light of a kerosene lamp before going to sleep.

The next day, he resumed selling tofu and doubled the quantity.

She had previously planned to rent a shop, but now she felt it was unnecessary. She planned to earn more money before the drought arrived and then stockpile more food.

Once the tofu business was on track, she started making tofu-derived products such as bean curd sheets, dried bean curd sticks, and braised tofu, and also soaked some to make cold dishes.

It is so popular that it's practically a hot commodity.

A regular customer said, "Boss, your cold dish is really delicious. Please make more next time."

Su's mother smiled so broadly that her eyes disappeared. "I'm really sorry, it's just me and my daughter at home. My son is in school and we can't manage everything."

Then someone started to flatter him: "Your son is studying at the academy. Even if he doesn't do well in the future, he'll still be a scholar."

Su's mother humbly replied, "Thank you for the compliment. I don't expect him to be very successful. I just hope he won't be blind to the truth."

Because of what happened that day, everyone knew that the county magistrate had given his family a jade pendant, which meant that his family had a powerful backer, so no one dared to cause trouble.

Others can only be envious.

In the academy's dining hall, Shi Tou now eats lunch there every day because Su's mother is so busy that her mealtimes are irregular.

He had just sat down after getting his food when his deskmate sat down next to him.

"Brother Su, try this cold dish. It's the best cold dish I've ever had. I've never had it before."

Stone glanced up casually and immediately recognized it as something from his own farm, so he asked earnestly, "Is it delicious?"

Chu Xuan picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. "It's delicious, but the portion is small. My servant went to queue up very early to buy this much."

"If you want some, I can share some with you."

Stone shook his head. "No need, you eat it yourself."

The others nearby smelled the aroma and crowded around, "Brother Chu, it smells so good! Can I have some?"

Chu Xuan protected it like a cub, saying, "Get out of my way, this is all I have. What will I eat if I give it to you?"

Those people didn't care whether he agreed or not, and they immediately put their chopsticks on the table. The boy, who was only a teenager, ate with gusto, saying, "Brother Chu, this is so delicious, I want to buy some tomorrow too."

Chu Xuan was furious: "Do you think this is so easy to buy? You can't even get your hands on it even if you have money, okay?"

Shi Tou didn't join in with them. He quickly finished his meal and left, as he needed to finish his homework and then go back to grind soybeans for milk.