Chapter 2: A Family Thinking About Making Money

As dawn broke, Lin Yao slowly woke up, her head still a little dizzy and her wounds throbbing.

Lying on the bed, Lin Yao looked up at the small thatched hut that seemed like it could be blown away by a gust of wind.

The surrounding earthen walls were mottled and uneven, exposing the hardened yellow mud. The only table was missing a leg and was barely supported by a few stones, teetering on the verge of collapse. Several broken stools lay askew to one side, some even with half of their planks broken off.

Looking at his own body now, he was thin as a skeleton, his patched, coarse cloth clothes hanging loosely, like a bamboo pole covered by a burlap sack. His hair was dry, frizzy, and lusterless, tied haphazardly behind his head with a hair tie. His cheeks were deeply sunken, making his eyes appear exceptionally large.

Lin Yao instantly lost the desire to stay in bed.

Lin Yao walked out of the house and saw that Lin Cheng had already prepared breakfast and was gathering firewood for the fire. She looked at the fifteen-year-old boy in front of her. He should have been at the age where his body was just beginning to develop, but due to long-term heavy labor and lack of food, his body looked particularly thin.

Lin Cheng turned around and saw his younger sister standing to the side, lost in thought. "Ayao, your injury hasn't fully healed yet. Why don't you sleep a little longer?"

Lin Yao came to her senses and said, "It's nothing serious. My wound is much better. Lying down for too long makes my bones stiff."

Lin Yao stepped into the kitchen, her gaze falling on the large iron pot in the center. Inside, the brown rice porridge was bubbling sparsely, with more soup than grain, bland and tasteless. She suddenly felt that this pot of porridge was just like the fate of the second branch of the Lin family before, seemingly boiling and struggling, but in reality, it was making no progress, having heat but not enough to fill their stomachs, and unable to change their dire situation.

Although she already knew about the poverty of the second branch of the Lin family through the original owner's memories, it was only when she stood in the kitchen and faced the meager pot of coarse rice porridge that she truly felt the embarrassment and helplessness brought about by this poverty.

But Lin Yao had an indomitable spirit, and that moment of disappointment vanished in an instant. Now, only one unwavering thought echoed wildly in her mind: Make money! She had to find a way to make money! She, Lin Yao, wanted to live a life of luxury!

But before that, she had to fill her stomach. She ladled out three bowls of porridge, put them on the table, and went to call the two brothers to eat breakfast.

Upon hearing his sister's voice, Lin Song immediately ran into the kitchen, picked up his bowl, and began to sip his porridge.

Lin Song was much shorter than other children his age due to long-term malnutrition. His clothes were patched upon patched, like a patchwork of tattered rags. His sparse hair lay flat against his scalp, making his head appear even smaller.

She picked up the bowl and took a sip. The bitterness of the wild vegetables mixed with the coarseness of the brown rice instantly spread on her tongue. Lin Yao couldn't help but wrinkle her nose, but when she was hungry, she didn't pick and choose, and slowly put the food into her mouth.

After breakfast, Lin Yao was preoccupied with making money and planned to go out and check things out. She said, "Brother, I'll go out and wash the clothes later."

Lin Cheng stopped what he was doing. "You stay home and rest. I'll take care of the washing up in a bit."

Lin Yao shook her head. "My wound is fine. I don't have many clothes today, so I can wash them quickly. Brother, go and hunt some pheasants for me and my brother!"

The little girl's eyes sparkled, and she swallowed hard as if she were drooling, adding, "I haven't tasted pheasant in ages." Lin Cheng was both amused and exasperated. His younger sister was usually well-behaved and sensible, but she was still young and at the age where she was prone to cravings.

"Alright, hurry home after you finish washing the clothes, and don't wander off." Lin Cheng agreed, carefully slung the quiver over his shoulder, tightened his grip on the hunting bow, and turned to walk towards the back mountain.

Lin Yao watched her brother's departing figure until it disappeared at the end of the path before quickly tidying up the laundry tub, picking up a few old clothes, and going out the door.

Eating, drinking, and having fun—eating and drinking were the top priorities. Having arrived in ancient times, she was forced to leave behind fried chicken, fries, hamburgers, roast duck, roast meat, fried skewers…

These foods, which used to be readily available everywhere, were the source of both Lin Yao's spirit and body for survival. Sometimes, Lin Yao would be happy just by watching these things in videos.

But none of that matters! Lin Yao, a modern slashie, runs a food account with millions of followers. As a food blogger, one of the essential skills is to use local ingredients. She will create these dishes little by little, but her immediate priority is to escape poverty.

Lin Yao stepped out of her house, and the morning breeze, carrying the fragrance of grass and trees, wafted towards her. This was air full of negative ions! So fresh! So comfortable!

Lin Yao couldn't help but take several deep breaths, greedily savoring the pure air.

Lin Yao went to the riverbank, soaked the few tattered clothes from home in the water, added wood ash, and vigorously rubbed away the stains. After doing this, Lin Yao did not go home immediately, but turned around and went into the mountains.

Lin Yao once made a series of videos about mountain delicacies. During that time, she collected information every day and learned about the growth habits of common ingredients. She never expected that this skill would come in handy now.

She slowly walked into the mountains along the mountain path that villagers usually used to use to gather firewood.

The trees along the roadside were not very lush, mostly just thick, miscellaneous trees. Presumably, the branches had long been cut down by the villagers for firewood, leaving only tall, thin trunks standing on both sides.

Lin Yao hadn't walked far when she spotted a clump of wild chives. Chives could be used in so many dishes! Lin Yao's thoughts instantly drifted, and familiar modern culinary creations floated into her mind: chive pancakes, chive dumplings, scrambled eggs with chives…

Just thinking about it makes my mouth water. However, given the current limited resources and scarce ingredients, the simplest thing to make is still chive and egg pancakes.

But as soon as the thought crossed her mind, she became worried again.

In ancient times, eggs were not an easy food to obtain. Now, the family only had one laying hen, which was a wild chicken that Lin Cheng caught once when he went up the mountain.

Lin Cheng usually saves the eggs laid by the hens and takes them to the market to exchange for copper coins. Now she wants to use them to make pancakes. She doesn't know if Lin Cheng will agree.

Just as Lin Yao was pondering, a rustling sound suddenly came from the bushes not far away, startling her so much that her heart suddenly raced and her back instantly broke out in a cold sweat. She dared not linger, and with the few leeks in her pocket, she hurried home.

As soon as Lin Yao entered the courtyard, she saw Lin Cheng repairing a broken table, while Lin Song squatted to the side, sticking his little bottom out and curiously playing with the pebbles on the ground.

"Brother, I want to eat eggs today." Lin Yao hesitated for a moment, but still said it.

Lin Cheng paused for a moment, then looked up at his younger sister. His sister had always been sensible and rarely made demands of the family. They usually saved up their eggs to exchange for money at the market; each egg was worth two copper coins.

But when his gaze fell on Lin Yao's still-healing head wound, a wave of guilt washed over him. "Alright, I'll make it for you. You were injured yesterday, so you need to recover."

"I'll make it. I picked some fresh chives today, and I'll make something fresh for you and Song'er!" Lin Yao said.

"You went up the mountain?" Lin Cheng asked.

"Yes, I picked them right at the foot of the mountain," Lin Yao replied.

Lin Cheng suddenly said with a stern face, "These mountains are dangerous. Never go deep into the mountains. A few days ago, Uncle Zhang from the east end of the village thought he would try his luck in the deep mountains and hunt some rare things to exchange for money, but he never came back. His wife and children searched for him for days, crying and screaming, and in the end they only found a broken straw sandal. It was covered in blood and looked terrifying."

Lin Yao nodded obediently and replied, "Brother, I know. I only lingered at the foot of the mountain for a bit and didn't dare to go any further."

After saying that, Lin Yao immediately went into the kitchen, which was her comfort zone.

Lin Yao first spread the harvested chives on the cutting board, carefully picked them out, removed the wilted leaves, washed them in a basin of water, drained them, and then neatly chopped them into small pieces. The rich aroma of chives instantly filled the small kitchen.

Lin Yao moved a small stool, stepped on it to reach the bamboo basket on the high shelf, and took out a few wild eggs from it. In the countryside, to prevent rats and other animals from stealing the eggs, they were placed in baskets and hung high up.

Lin Yao gently cracked the egg, and the egg liquid slid into the bowl. It was bright yellow and clear. She picked up her chopsticks and stirred it quickly. The chopsticks collided with the bowl and made a crisp tapping sound. In no time, the egg liquid became delicate and fluffy.

Next, she poured the chopped chives into the egg mixture and flour, added a pinch of salt, and stirred it again. At this moment, the egg and chive paste in the bowl was bright in color, with alternating yellow and green hues, making it look very appetizing.

After adding firewood, Lin Yao scooped out a large piece of lard. The lard fell into the hot pot and instantly turned into a pool of clear oil, which slowly spread out at the bottom of the pot, sizzling.

As the oil temperature rose, Lin Yao picked up the bowl and slowly poured the egg and chive paste along the edge of the pot. With a "sizzle", the egg mixture instantly expanded and solidified in the hot oil, with an enticing golden color at the edges and tiny bubbles rising to the surface.

The earthen stove was burning brightly, so Lin Yao didn't dare to delay. She quickly grabbed a spatula, flipped the pancake over, and then pressed it down to ensure it was heated more evenly. Her movements were fluid and seamless, and the other side of the pancake began to turn crispy and fragrant.

Lin Song was squatting in the yard, engrossed in playing with stones, when he suddenly smelled an alluring fragrance.

He looked up at the kitchen, twitched his little nose a few times, threw down the stone in his hand, and ran towards the kitchen.

Reaching the kitchen door, the little guy suddenly stopped, tilted his head back, and stared intently at the stove. But he wasn't even as tall as the stove, so he had to stand on tiptoe, stretch his neck, and shout as he inhaled the aroma, "It smells so good, Second Sister!"

Seeing him looking like a hungry cat, his eyes full of eagerness and longing, Lin Yao first tore off a small piece of chive and egg pancake for him. The little guy carefully took it, first sniffing it with the tip of his nose. His little face, which regarded it as a treasure, was a little heartbreaking.

Lin Song took a small bite of the chive and egg pancake in her hand. The fluffy texture and the aroma of eggs burst in her mouth, and the little guy's eyes lit up. His cheeks puffed out slightly as he chewed slowly, looking satisfied. He said in a soft, sweet voice, "Second sister, so delicious." After saying that, he didn't ask for any more and stood obediently to the side, but his eyes still kept glancing at the plate of pancakes.

Lin Yao handed another piece to her brother, who had just stepped into the kitchen.

Lin Cheng took the food, and looking at its tempting color, he took a bite without hesitation. The moment he took that bite, his taste buds were instantly ignited. A wonderful flavor he had never experienced before spread throughout his mouth, and his eyes lit up. He looked at his sister with surprise and admiration: "Ayao, this pancake is so delicious! Where did you learn these new ways of eating it? It smells amazing!"

Finally asked!

Since she intended to make a living with her culinary skills, she had to find a plausible reason for her newly acquired skills.

After all, in ancient times, the inheritance of culinary skills was extremely rigorous. A chef's skills were either passed down carefully from generation to generation or learned from a master through elaborate rituals such as apprenticeship, kowtowing and offering incense.

The original owner was just a little girl who had never left the county town. How could she have become proficient in so many dishes for no reason?

Lin Yao lowered her voice, a hint of mystery on her face, and slowly said, "Brother, when I was injured and unconscious, I had a very magical dream. In the dream, everything was foggy, and I couldn't tell which way was which. I was scared when suddenly a soft light shone through, and an old man who looked like an immortal appeared in front of me."

As she spoke, she gestured with her hands, her eyes wide open. "The immortal had white hair and a beard that almost reached the ground. His clothes shimmered with tiny starlight, and he looked so majestic. He smiled at me, but without saying a word, he led me to a magical place where there was a large stone table filled with delicacies I had never seen before."

Lin Yao became more and more excited as she spoke, her hand casually tracing the scenes from her dream in the air: "The immortal told me about many foods, and after I woke up, the methods of cooking those dishes were as clear as if they were engraved in my head."

Hearing his sister's description, Lin Cheng, holding half a pancake in his hand, seemed frozen in place, remaining silent for a long while. He tilted his head slightly, his gaze seemingly piercing through the dilapidated roof, drifting towards the distant and ethereal sky, his eyes gradually reddening.

After a long while, he slowly spoke, his voice choked with emotion: "It must be that Mother is worried about us. She loved you the most when she was alive, and she certainly couldn't bear to see you suffer with your brother..."

Although Lin Song was young, he understood a bit of what was going on. He tightly gripped Lin Yao's clothes with his little hands, tilted his head back, and mumbled softly with misty eyes, "Second sister, is Mother here? I miss Mother so much."

Lin Yao reached out and touched Lin Song's head, then looked at Lin Cheng, "Brother, it must be Mother protecting us. With this skill, we can earn lots of copper coins and live a good life."

Lin Cheng took a deep breath, forcing down the bittersweet emotions. He knew now was not the time to grieve; his sister was right, there was still a long way to go.

He wiped his face and looked at Lin Yao, asking, "A Yao, what are your plans?"

Lin Yao knew that this was going to work out, so she quickly poured out her long-planned scheme, "Brother, I'm thinking of setting up a small food stall at the dock, starting with these chive and egg pancakes. The capital required is not much, and they taste good, so there will definitely be people who buy them. Once we've saved up some money, we can add some other food items."

Lin Cheng nodded, turned and went back into the inner room, took out a worn wooden box, and took out a cloth bag from it. He placed the cloth bag on the table, opened it layer by layer, revealing a handful of copper coins, which were the copper coins he had earned from selling his game.

Lin Cheng counted the money carefully, arranging the copper coins one by one, while muttering softly, "One, two, three..." After he finished counting, he looked up at Lin Yao and said, "A Yao, there are a total of one hundred and twenty coins. Take them and use them to buy things for your stall."

Lin Yao was deeply moved to see that he shared his knowledge without reservation. "Brother, don't worry, I will definitely earn more copper coins." Her cooking skills had finally been recognized, and she had the capital to set up a stall. Lin Yao could almost see copper coins beckoning to her.

A note from the author:

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