The old oxcart swayed and rattled along the dirt road.

The rice paddies by the roadside were riddled with dry cracks, and the shriveled rice ears drooped and swayed in the wind.

"Today is another tough year to get through."

Someone sighed.

We arrived at the market town.

Chen Xian went to the grain store first to buy rice, and asked his second son to inquire about the price of medicinal herbs.

Chen Erzhu was puzzled.

Not long after, Chen Erzhu returned and asked in confusion, "Dad, I squatted at the door for a while and heard the waiter say that the price of ephedra, cinnamon twig, licorice, peony, and poria changes every day recently."

Chen Xian nodded, then frowned. The current famine might be more severe than he had imagined.

Seeing his son's confusion, Chen Xian, in a fatherly tone, said: "Second son, you are the smartest child in our Chen family. When you encounter problems, think about them yourself and don't always think about relying on others."

Chen Erzhu pondered for a moment, "Generally speaking, herbal medicine shopkeepers have special methods to know information that ordinary people don't. Could it be that something big has happened, and some people have already started hoarding medicine?"

Chen Xian nodded.

He praised, "As expected of the Chen family's strongest rebel... good child."

Realizing he had misspoke, he quickly changed the subject.

"With the price of medicinal herbs rising, it's likely that the price of grains will also rise as well."

We arrived at the grain store.

Wheat flour was seven coins a pound, buckwheat flour was one coin a pound, rice was eight coins a pound, and cornmeal was two coins a pound. As for old rice and moldy rice, they were half the price.

Chen Xian: "Boss, five catties of wheat flour."

I originally planned to buy three jin to test the waters, but thinking that the price of medicinal herbs might rise further, and perhaps the price of grain would also rise, I generously bought two more jin.

The shopkeeper was somewhat surprised to see the other man covered in patches, and looked rather listless.

Chen Erzhu tugged at his father's clothes, "Dad, why don't we buy cornmeal? Wheat flour is too expensive, and we have a lot of people in our family."

Chen Xian calmly replied, "I know what I'm doing. I'm going to make some food to sell."

Chen Erzhu was annoyed. "Dad, do you think I don't know what kind of person you are?"

She can't even stir-fry vegetables, but she can still cook.

Forget it, I won't try to persuade you anymore. It's better than spending money to buy alcohol.

With the remaining fifteen coins, he bought half a pound of coarse salt and vinegar.

I wondered what vegetables were missing, and fifty coins was simply not worth spending.

At this time of year, most families plant common vegetables, tomatoes, cucumbers, etc., around the house, but due to the dry weather, not many survive.

Chen Erzhu was completely bewildered, and on his way back, he happened to catch a ride on a village oxcart.

Chen Xian placed the cloth bag in the corner to save people the trouble of figuring it out.

Close your eyes and pretend to sleep.

The oxcart moved slowly and swayed, making people want to take a nap.

Aunt Mei smiled and said, "Brother Xian, how many pounds of buckwheat noodles did you buy?"

Chen Xian pretended not to hear.

At this time of year, villagers basically eat either buckwheat noodles, cornmeal, or old rice. After all, those things are cheap, and regardless of whether they taste good or not, they just fill their stomachs.

Aunt Mei bought a few pounds of old rice; if she had bought a few pounds of wheat flour, she would have been ridiculed again.

I simply fell asleep.

Chen Erzhu replied, "Grandma Mei, I bought a few pounds of dried flour. We'll steam it with wild vegetable pancakes when we get home. It's so delicious."

Aunt Mei looked suspicious and remained silent.

Su Liniang is cleaning the yard.

San Niu and Si Niu searched for roof tiles, chopped some leftover vegetable leaves and clods of earth, preparing to make a Manchu Han Imperial Feast. Goodness, with meat and vegetables, it really looked like the real thing.

"Father and Second Brother are back."

A gasp of surprise.

Chen Xian unloaded the things and went outside to look for cucumbers, since they were a good garnish for snacks.

Unfortunately, the cucumbers were too small and wilted.

But something is better than nothing.

Just then, a coughing sound came from outside the door.

Only then did Chen Xian see that Uncle Chen had brought his son over.

The eldest son of the Chen family was named Chen Dashui. He had bronze skin and a tall stature, and looked like a skilled farmer.

Chen Dashui: "Brother Xian, my dad and I just came back from the fields and stopped by to drop by."

To be honest, he didn't like his lazy cousin either, but there was nothing he could do; many relationships were simply impossible to sever.

Uncle Chen didn't say anything, just quietly smoked his pipe.

The atmosphere was awkward.

Chen Xian smiled and said, "Uncle, please sit down and rest for a while. I just came back from the market."

"Um."

Uncle Chen nodded slightly.

Upon seeing the open white noodles, his face twitched.

"Brother Xian, there are some things your uncle really doesn't want to say outright. I know white flour tastes good, but with a large family like ours, we have to be careful with our money, especially since you've married two more wives."

"Why."

Uncle Chen was feeling a bit tired.

This child is too difficult to handle; I can't raise him.

Chen Xian explained, "I'm planning to make some snacks to sell; these aren't for my family."

Uncle Chen nodded stiffly, barely accepting the explanation.

He turned and left.

Not long after, Chen Dashui returned and whispered, "Brother Xian, my father said that if we really can't make ends meet, just say the word, and there's still some old rice at home."

Chen Xian felt conflicted. The original owner of this body was ungrateful and had no awful relatives. For a transmigrator, not having such relatives was like winning the lottery.

He took care of the Chen family in every way.

I can only repay my uncle properly in the future.

Chen Xian stood up and coughed heavily, saying, "San Niu, close the door."

"The first full meeting of the Chen family has officially begun."

Then Chen Xian explained in detail how he planned to make and sell liangpi (cold skin noodles).

In my past life, as a struggling food blogger, I naturally knew how to make this.

Chen Xian first prepared a pound of flour.

Let's test the waters.

Then, proceed methodically: after kneading the dough, add water, wash the dough, let it settle, and finally steam it for 15 minutes.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!