"Yes, you've made so many of my firsts: my first time farming, my first time doing business, my first time building a house, and my first time... meeting you." Although Gu Qian had never farmed before and didn't know anything about farming, digging holes was still no challenge for him.

"You're such a chatterbox." Qiu Yan glanced at Gu Xiaoran, who was walking her dog in the distance. She never knew that this child could be so obedient.

Gu Qian followed Qiu Yan's gaze and looked over. Xiao Ran, he will definitely grow up without worries.

He didn't expect Xiao Ran to rise to prominence or achieve great things; he only wanted him to live a peaceful life.

Li Zheng had just been to Baiyang. He gave some of the game he sold a couple of days ago to Qiu Yan, kept some for his own family, and sent the rest to Xingyue Tower.

Li Zheng gave all the pig offal to Qiu Yan. Qiu Yan and her daughter, Wang, carefully cleaned it with wood ash and then cooked it all for the craftsman.

The craftsmen then realized that pig offal, which was originally not eaten by people, could be made so delicious.

The craftsmen all came from poor backgrounds. Qiu Yan had improved their meals twice during the few days she was home. They felt that the girl from this family was generous, and they all had a very good impression of Qiu Yan.

When Li Zheng got home, he found Ye Shi building a burrow for the rabbits and rushed over to help. "Qiu Yun, you rest, I'll do this."

For the past two days, the little rabbit has been kept under the bamboo basket by Ms. Ye, making it difficult for it to move around.

As Li Zheng spoke, he helped Ye Shi to the side and built a rabbit burrow for himself.

Ye took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from Li Zheng's forehead. "Brother Li, Qiu Yan said that we should keep all the smaller prey in captivity and raise them. Once they multiply, you won't have to go hunting in the mountains every day, and you'll be able to live a much more peaceful life."

"Qiu Yan is full of ideas." Li Zheng thought about it and thought it was a good idea.

"That's right, look how much trouble she gets into. She even said that once she raises a lot of animals, the villagers can buy back their crop stalks to feed them in the winter. Maybe we can give it a try."

Ye really didn't want Li Zheng to go hunting every day in the wind and rain; it was too hard for him.

Li Zheng nodded, "We can give it a try." Since his wife wants to raise him, then let her stay. If it doesn't work out, there's no loss.

Over the next two days, Qiu Yan, Gu Qian, Gu Xiaoran, and the little dog frequently traveled to the depths of the mountains and forests.

They would occasionally gather some herbs, occasionally gather some wild vegetables, and occasionally hunt some game.

Qiu Yan didn't dare ask Old Man Zhao to continue helping her.

The old man, not wanting to be imprisoned, moved his rocking chair to a shady spot under a tree and watched others work.

He would fall asleep while sitting, and sometimes when no one was around, Liu and Xiao Liu would take him home and take turns bringing him food.

When the medicinal herbs ran out, those who worked for Qiu Yan began to learn from her how to identify the herbs.

In addition, many young men and women also came to learn how to identify herbs from Qiu Yan.

Each time she returned, Qiu Yan would dig up the entire medicinal plant and carefully teach the villagers how to use it.

She can't teach many at once; right now, she just needs these people to be able to recognize the appearance of herbs.

Qiu Yan didn't hide anything; instead, she led the villagers to prosperity, which made the villagers' impression of her even better.

Of course, Qiu Yan had her own ideas.

"You can sell any medicinal herbs you find in the mountains to me."

The villagers were overjoyed to hear Qiu Yan's words. They all agreed and studied even more diligently.

Thinking of her family's miserable state, Liu asked cautiously, "Qiu Yan, can we go with you to the mountains to gather medicinal herbs?"

Yuan added, "We don't know where in the mountains there are many medicinal herbs."

Liu and Sun also looked at Qiu Yan with expectant expressions.

Those young men and women who had nothing to do also wanted Qiu Yan to lead them to the mountains to collect materials.

Qiu Yan agreed without hesitation. "It's not common near the mountains. Whoever wants to learn, bring some dry rations and come up the mountain with me first thing tomorrow morning."

The next morning, Qiu Yan got up early to make some egg pancakes to take to the mountains to eat.

While Qiu Yan was making pancakes, the little glutton next to her had been drooling for a long time. As soon as Qiu Yan finished making one, he ate it.

After making the egg pancakes, Qiu Yan left some for her second uncle and the others, took two water bags, and went up into the mountains with the villagers who wanted to supplement their income.

Gu Qian and Gu Xiaoran have been following Qiu Yan around for the past two days, and today is no exception.

Villagers rarely venture into these deep mountains when they are alone, fearing danger. Wasn't it Liu's son who fell down a hillside and broke his leg while out alone, and was only found by his family two days later?

Now that there are more people, we can look out for each other.

Whenever Qiu Yan finds a medicinal herb on the mountain path, she tells the villagers about its physical characteristics.

During the time Professor Qiu Yan was teaching the villagers, they felt that their brains were not enough, and they always remembered things but forgot them again.

Little Liu stared intently at the herbs in Qiu Yan's hand.

"Qiu Yan, if only we had your brains."

Previously, Liu and her younger sister also knew that the old man had been collecting medicinal herbs for many years.

But they were all country women who had never intended to sell herbs before.

In their spare time, they would like to dig up some wild vegetables, just to fill their stomachs.

But now, they don't think that way anymore, because Qiu Yan said she wanted to buy herbs from them.

Qiu Yan replied with a smile, "We're all the same. It's just that I started learning earlier than you. Diligence can make up for lack of talent."

By the end of the morning, everyone's baskets were filled with herbs, more or less.

Besides herbs, they also packed plenty of wild vegetables, and their faces were filled with joy.

They walked a little further than usual, and at noon they sat together and started eating their dry rations. When they got thirsty, they drank some spring water to quench their thirst.

Qiu Yan and the other two also sat together, preparing to rest.

Qiu Yan took out the egg pancakes she had brought and handed one to each of Gu Qian and his son, and also gave them a water pouch.

The egg pancakes smelled delicious, and Gu Qian found them very tasty.

Gu Xiaoran opened and closed her little mouth, eating while also feeding the dog beside her.

Those who smelled the egg pancakes suddenly found it hard to swallow the flatbread in their hands.

They felt that they were not even as happy as Qiu Yan's pet dog.

Several women came up to Qiu Yan and asked her how she made her pancakes, saying they smelled so good.

Qiu Yan briefly explained the method, and everyone else shook their heads with wry smiles.

They want vegetable oil and eggs? Forget it. Given their current circumstances, they can't even afford to eat dry flatbread, let alone vegetable oil and eggs.

They had just harvested their wheat and paid their taxes, so there wasn't much left. They sold some of the rest and used the money to buy coarse grains, keeping some wheat to grind into flour for the New Year.

After Gu Xiaoran finished eating, he couldn't stay still, so he took the puppy a few steps away.

Gu Qian kept a close eye on Gu Xiaoran's every move and followed closely behind.

"Father, look! There's a stream ahead!"