After drinking several doses of medicine, Lu Dahai gradually recovered, so Lu Qiqi asked Li Shi to cook some meat porridge for him.

Liu Tong still felt resentful about this, wondering why he had to fart before he could eat, while Lu Dahai could drink meat porridge as soon as he woke up.

Lu Qiqi retorted irritably, "How about if you hurt your head, I'll make you drink meat porridge too."

Upon hearing this, Liu Tong realized he had been being unreasonable and shook his head sheepishly.

Lu Dahai heard about Li Changlong and the village chief leading men to take Li Nianzi to the government office.

Upon learning that Li Nianzi was ultimately sentenced to exile to build a city in a harsh and cold land, they were filled with sorrow.

Lu Dahai leaned against the headboard and said, "Old Master Li has spent most of his life doing good deeds, but I never expected that marrying a daughter-in-law would ruin his family."

Everyone lowered their heads and remained silent. Who could disagree? It just goes to show how important it is to marry a good wife.

Of course, if everyone were like Li Gou Dan, only thinking about making amends afterward instead of stopping it at the time, then Qian Shi wouldn't have been so indulgent towards Li Nianzi, causing him to make such a mistake.

Upon learning that Lu Dahai had woken up, the village chief brought over a chicken to nourish him, and also brought over the land deed for the homestead, which was stamped with the official red seal.

Lu Qiqi later heard from Li Qingshan that on the day Lu Dahai was injured, he found the village chief at the village entrance, which made her realize that the village chief did not know that her third uncle was injured, but was pretending not to know.

The village chief brought another chicken to our door today, which shows he's very thoughtful, and we won't have any past grudges in our future interactions.

The village chief had another important matter to attend to today: land allocation. He said, "This piece of land at the foot of the mountain is too far from the houses the villagers have built, so no one wants to come here. I was thinking that since your family of more than ten people lives at the foot of the mountain, if we could allocate this land to your family, you wouldn't have to travel far to farm, which would be more convenient for everyone."

Lu Dahai thought for a while, and the village chief thought that Lu Dahai was unwilling, so he said, "But it depends on you. If you want to farm the land on the other side of the village, come to my tent this afternoon to get the slip."

When Lu Qiqi heard that the village chief planned to allocate all the land at the foot of the mountain to them, she was overjoyed. This would make it easier for her to plant whatever she wanted or to build factories and raise livestock.

Lu Qiqi said to the village chief, "Village chief, let's discuss this and give you an answer before the lottery this afternoon."

The village chief told Lu Dahai to rest well and to come to him if he needed anything, and then Li Shoucai helped him away.

After the village chief left, Lu Qiqi asked Lu Dahai, "Third Uncle, do you have any concerns?"

Lu Dahai said, "It would be great if the entire foot of the mountain were given to us, but there is more land than farmland at the foot of the mountain. We are all farmers. If we don't grow rice and wheat, are we supposed to grow vegetables? Every family has land and needs to buy vegetables from outside."

Lu Qiqi listened quietly to Lu Dahai's concerns and said, "Third Uncle, the terrain at the foot of the mountain is flat and there is a stream nearby. If you want to grow rice, we can convert the dry land into paddy fields. Although the cost is a bit high, it is not entirely impossible."

"Besides, we don't necessarily have to grow vegetables. We can also grow fruit trees, build wooden houses, and raise livestock. In short, land can be used better when it is in one place. Otherwise, if we draw lots and end up with pieces of land scattered all over the place, we will have to argue with the villagers about who added a little extra mud to their land. It's not worth it."

Lu Dahai thought Lu Qiqi's words made sense. After discussing it with Li Qingshan, he asked Li Changlong to inform the village chief.

The whole family was looking forward to clearing the land, planting crops, and harvesting a crop in the spring to lay a good foundation for next year, so they wouldn't have to worry about going hungry or cold anymore.

During the days that Lu Dahai was injured, Li Qingshan and the others were not idle. With Lu Qiqi secretly helping to transport wood, the work was twice as efficient. The wooden house was already built, and only the wooden doors were missing.

In the past, people would choose an auspicious day to install a door, but now this family only wants to move in as soon as possible, putting auspicious days out of their minds and planning to move in as soon as the wooden door is installed.

...

After being unable to set up their stall for several days, Lu Dahai was able to get out of bed, so Lu Qiqi and Liu Tong and his apprentice drove a donkey cart into the city.

There were no guards at the city gate, and the West Market was much more crowded than the previous two times.

Lu Qiqi set up her stall in the same old spot. She had paid her taxes and taught Hou Si and his gang of hooligans a lesson. Anyone with a brain wouldn't take their spot anymore. Lu Qiqi and her group had become famous overnight.

After Liu Tong and his group set up their stall and kneaded the dough, Lu Qiqi noticed that many food stalls had appeared around the area.

Lu Qiqi thought that the guards had retreated, and the food vendors had all come out to earn money.

Although competitors are often rivals, Lu Qiqi didn't harbor any hatred towards anyone. Everyone relies on their skills to make a living, and in the end, there are only two ways to retain customers: good taste or low price.

It wasn't until Lu Qiqi saw the newly set up stalls and the red banners hanging up that she realized why there were suddenly so many food vendors.

Because these people all sell spicy noodles!

Lu Qiqi glanced around at the four or five spicy noodle stalls nearby: Zhang's, Li's, and Liu's. She was clearly just looking to get a piece of the pie since they were making money.

Liu Tong saw it too. He threw down the dough heavily and wanted to rush out to argue with the person, but Lu Qiqi stopped him.

Liu Tong's face turned red with anger. He said, "Seventh Girl, don't stop me. I'm going to find them and give them a good talking to. I've never seen anyone steal so blatantly before."

It's no wonder Liu Tong was so angry; a chef's foundation lies in having good skills and recipes.

It's not uncommon for a delicious recipe to sell for ten gold coins. To have your own things stolen without any effort is just as infuriating as having your newlywed wife kidnapped by a conman.

Lu Qiqi shook her head and said, "This spicy noodle dish is easy to learn. As long as you've tasted it and put some thought into it, you're not afraid of not being able to learn it. Even if the taste is slightly different, you can still learn about 60-70% of it. You've learned from so many stalls, are you going to go to each one and beat them all up?!"

Liu Tong thought that nothing would work, and he couldn't figure out how to get rid of this pent-up anger.

Dunzi, who was standing nearby, was also very angry. He said, "Are we just going to let them steal it and do nothing about it?"

"Spicy noodles, five coins a bowl."

When Liu Tong heard that Zhang's Spicy Noodles stall across the street was selling noodles for only five coins a bowl, he felt even more urge to punch someone, clenched his fists, and charged forward.

"Zhu Zi!" Lu Qiqi shouted, and Zhu Zi immediately understood and stopped Liu Tong.

Liu Tong's eyes were bloodshot, and a surge of rage was raging within him, impossible to suppress.

Just when the pillar was about to lose its ability to stop Liu Tong.

Suddenly, Liu Tong heard Lu Qiqi say calmly, "I have a way to take our business to the next level."

Instantly, Liu Tong relaxed, waiting for Lu Qiqi to tell him her brilliant idea.