Although many new drugs were added, Dr. Chen no longer needed to verify them and readily paid the money.

Two hundred taels in total, one hundred-tael note and two fifty-tael notes, Qiao Lian'er put them in her sleeve and then went to the abandoned courtyard.

It's late autumn now, the weather has cooled down, and the afternoon sun is no longer scorching, but feels warm and cozy on the skin.

Ah Da and the others were lying haphazardly in the yard, sleeping.

As soon as Qiao Lian'er entered, A Da opened his eyes a crack. When he saw it was her, he sprang to his feet.

"Sister Lian'er, has the land been requisitioned in your village yet? How is it? Are you alright?"

"It's alright," Qiao Lian'er said. "Just move the woodpile, I need to take those swords and knives with me, and carry two bags of grain to the cart."

We can't send it all back now, because there was a rebellion in Lingjia Village last time, which was about grain. If a family has a lot of grain, they might attract unwanted attention.

Therefore, it's safest to wait until Lingyin's family has finished eating before delivering the food.

The children got busy, with so much firewood piled on top. It was hard work, and as they worked, sweat began to bead on their foreheads.

Qiao Lian'er went into the kitchen. On the stove were several large white radishes, two cabbages, and a small half-bag of brown rice in the corner. There was no meat.

The children couldn't bear to buy meat to eat.

The oil was half full, about the same amount as when she came last time, so it seems she puts in small amounts of oil.

Qiao Lian'er took out a bag of potatoes, a bag of peanuts, a bag of corn, and a bag of tomatoes from her space. There were fifty catties of potatoes and peanuts each, and thirty catties of corn and tomatoes each. This was no more than the number of guests in the restaurant, and she was afraid that taking too much would cause them to spoil.

She planted rapeseed in the space and could spend gold coins to refine it into rapeseed oil. She took out fifty catties and put them into two jars.

I also prepared ten packets of salt, and a small jar each of soy sauce and vinegar.

They caught five more chickens, three ducks, and two geese.

When the children finished their work, panting and out of breath, they secretly carried the swords into the carriage and entered the courtyard. There they saw a flock of chickens, ducks, and geese flying out of the kitchen and running all over the yard.

The kitchen now has many more items, including oil, salt, and vegetables.

The children's eyes lit up immediately, and they felt their lives had become much happier and more fulfilling.

"Sister Lian'er, are these all for us?"

"Yes, there are four hens. You'll have eggs to eat every day from now on, and you can hatch chicks if you want."

"Also, don't skimp on oil and salt, or you won't grow tall and will have no energy."

"Use the money you have to buy some meat every few days, and do odd jobs or apprenticeships to carry things to supplement your income. If you really need more, just tell me."

The children were so moved that their eyes welled up with tears.

"Sister Lian'er, it's not that we're being lazy today. After the expropriation, many restaurants and shops were severely damaged, and the construction sites have also stopped. They're not hiring anyone and it will take some time for them to recover. We really had nothing to do, so we took a long nap this afternoon."

"Yes, I know. But if there's no work, it doesn't mean you can only sleep. You can learn a lot by auditing classes at those academies and schools."

"Even if you can't read, listening to the teacher explain principles can enlighten you."

The children nodded in agreement.

Qiao Lian'er drove the carriage away. On the street, the pedestrians and shop owners had not yet recovered from this tax collection. They were all dejected and looked gloomy.

Once the carriage had left the city gate, she saw a group of several dozen people carrying weapons on the official road not far away, joining another group of over a hundred people.

Are they going to rob us or rebel? A thought popped into her mind.