Thinking of this, He Yingyuan felt that the house had to be built as soon as possible, and it had to be made of sturdy blue bricks. Since he had achieved official rank, there were no restrictions on the use of blue bricks.

The reason this site was chosen was because it's the highest point in Shiligou, and if anything went wrong, they could escape to the mountains. The area is covered by a large forest, so mudslides and similar incidents are unlikely.

Thinking of the gold he had safely hidden away, he realized it was more than enough to ensure his family's livelihood for the rest of their lives! However, it was still too little; he needed more money for what he wanted to do!

Given the opportunity, he wouldn't mind doing business with Qin San Niang; he possessed the ability to foresee the future, though he didn't know if history would unfold differently. However, he also had his bottom line: he was unwilling to hoard goods and profit from national crises, as that would only harm the common people!

He was puzzled by Qin San Niang's desire for jade. What use would a pile of broken stones be at this time? Was it really just because she liked it? He wouldn't be so naive, but no matter how clever he was, he couldn't have imagined how significant jade was to Qin San Niang.

The pastries received unanimous praise, putting Qin San Niang in a very good mood. She decided to go to He County the next day to discuss things with Manager Si, as well as gloves and earmuffs. She had already made quite a few, and could try selling them to see how the market went!

Knowing that their mother and the others were going to the county town tomorrow, the children looked at them expectantly, their big eyes blinking like little lapdogs, as if asking if they could be taken along!

However, that wouldn't work, because they had a lot to do the next day. So, Qin San Niang comforted them, saying they could take them with them next time. This time, her mother and aunts had to go to discuss business; otherwise, where would they get the money to build houses and buy land?

The children were a little disappointed when they heard this, but soon they were all smiles. It was good to be at home with Grandma, and they could play hide-and-seek with Xiaobai. It was not bad at all!

Unexpectedly, Little White Dog had such a skill. Qin San Niang glanced at the big white wolfhound in surprise, seeing it proudly raise its head, as if to say: What's so difficult about this? Are you underestimating me?

Well, these days, even animals can become sentient!

The next day, around dawn, as the sky was just beginning to lighten, Qin Sanniang stretched and shivered as she crawled out of bed and quickly put on her cotton-padded coat. It was so cold! In the future, when we build a house, we must add an underfloor heating system, or at the very least, a heated kang bed!

Liu, who was sleeping lightly on the other bed, also woke up when she heard her eldest daughter's movements.

Qin San Niang quickly pressed her back down and whispered, "Mother, it's still early. Why don't you stay and sleep a little longer with Anan and the others? Otherwise, Da Wa and the others won't sleep well either! Besides, we're all capable, we don't need your help!"

Thinking that the children hadn't had a good night's sleep during their escape, and that the kitchen wasn't big enough for him to help, he told them to be careful on the road and not to rush, no matter how smooth things went.

Qin San Niang responded and tiptoed out of the room.

"Sister-in-law, why are you up so early?" Seeing that Wu Chunhua was already washing yams in the kitchen and the pot was full of water, Fatty must have gotten up as well.

"Hey, I couldn't sleep either, so I got up to do some chores! Third Aunt, let's steam these yams and red dates. Is there anything else I can do?"

Even though the two are quite familiar with each other now, Wu Chunhua still tries to avoid any appearance of impropriety when it comes to the dessert recipes. Even Fatty was sent back to her room by her.

Qin San Niang didn't care much, after all, she had plenty of prescriptions! Besides, Wu Chunhua and her son weren't the kind of thieves; if they were, it would only mean that she had misjudged people!

"Sister-in-law, please steam all of these for me, then add sugar and mash them into a paste. This yam and jujube paste cake is very easy to make; it's all about the thought behind it. Most people don't know it's made from ugly yam roots! As for the donkey roll, that requires a bit of ingenuity." With that, she started making the donkey roll, while the sachima had already been prepared.

When Liao Hongying arrived, she brought a three-tiered food box from her home. It was made of mahogany with carved lacquer, and it was very exquisite. Qin San Niang and Wu Chunhua both thought it was beautiful, so they used it to hold the snacks.

"Third Sister, my husband is also going to He County today to buy some paper, pens, and books. My sons, Xiaohu and Mingzhe, will go with him. Aunt Liu and the others might as well go along too, so we can feel more at ease."

Last night, her husband told her about going to He County. Thinking that only a widow and her child were left at home, Liao Hongying couldn't rest easy. So she decided to discuss it with Tan San Niang and ask if they could go together.

As for why He Yingyuan suddenly wanted to go to He County today, it was because he suddenly remembered that on this very day in his previous life, he met his loyal servant Luo Huan, who was in distress.

In his past life, Luo Huan followed him all over the country, but in the end, he did not have a good end. In this life, he wants to do his best to make it up to him and give him a peaceful life!

In the end, all of Qin San Niang's family members went to He County! They treated it as a trip, since they owned a car and the journey of a dozen miles was no problem at all!

He County, Siji Pastry Shop.

"Madam, you've arrived?" Upon seeing the familiar face, Xiao Wu hadn't even had time to react before blurting it out, then realized, "Isn't this the strange lady who had an appointment with the shopkeeper?!"

The eccentric lady, Qin San Niang, nodded and told him that she had come to keep an appointment, and asked Manager Si to come out for a chat.

The waiter nodded hurriedly and went to the backyard to call the manager over. He was surprised, not expecting the woman to actually come back to make another appointment. He thought she was just joking! After all, she didn't look like a chef who could make pastries!

Manager Si, who was frowning as he looked at the accounts, heard his employee mention this matter and quickly got up and walked to the front hall.

Two days had passed since their request, and this woman arrived so quickly! Hopefully, she brought good news; the shop was on the verge of collapse!

"Madam Qin, come in and sit down, the children must be cold! We have a warm room in the backyard! And Xiao Wu, quickly bring over a cup of hot tea!" Manager Si greeted them warmly.

Following Qin San Niang were Da Wa'er and Xiao Er, while A Nan and several other girls followed Liu Shi and went to set up a stall with Wu Chunhua and the others!

In He County, there's a market every five days, and today happens to be market day. The day after tomorrow is the Little New Year!

Whether you're rich or poor, you have to celebrate the New Year. Even the Little New Year is still part of the New Year celebrations. You'll need to buy some sweets and pastries. Those who are better off will buy some chicken, duck, fish, and meat, while those who are poor will buy less.

On the Little New Year, we worship the Kitchen God, who goes to Heaven to report on his duties. We always offer him sweets and pastries to sweeten his mouth and pray for good weather and a bountiful harvest in the coming year!