After thinking it over carefully, Meng Chijian shook his head.

“When I travel to the countryside, I buy from people in different villages. They are all familiar faces, mostly farmers. In the city, I do business with restaurant owners and hunters. I keep records of everyone… But Mother, you know, many of them are illiterate, so the signatures are just a couple of random lines. It’s not really possible to find them one by one.”

Mother Meng nodded, and took everyone's hand in hers, including Yuan Hua's. "In that case, as the old saying goes, don't cause trouble if there's nothing to do, but don't be afraid of trouble when it comes. Xiao Jing, when you encounter trouble, your first reaction shouldn't be to run away. That's the last resort."

"Meng San, from today onwards, record the name of every customer in your business, and then have them put their fingerprints on it. For big deals, come back and ask me before deciding whether to take them. For the rest, you can handle it yourself; make sure to grease palms where necessary."

Since it's about smuggling ironware, it's impossible that they would only buy an iron pot, a spoon, a sickle, or something similar.

“Yuan Hua,” it was amazing that Meng’s mother remembered Yuan Hua’s real name from beginning to end, “Thank you for reminding me. Speaking of which, you have a special connection with our family. You caused them to lose a chicken, and then they made you work for several months, but you’re not inherently bad-hearted. I heard you describe this matter in great detail, so we have to be careful. You can still talk to that Miss Lu you mentioned. Pay close attention to the details Miss Lu says about this matter.”

"Don't be busy tomorrow. Mengjing, go and invite your second brother's family over for breakfast. Amian, I'll teach you how to cook tomorrow. Make everyone a stew of cabbage, pork, and vermicelli."

As Mencius' mother gave her instructions, one by one, everyone's hearts somehow calmed down.

Ah Mian, in particular, had recovered by now, her eyes were bright again, clearly imagining the feast tomorrow!

Don't be fooled by the seemingly ordinary dish of cabbage, pork, and glass noodles; in rural households, this is considered a New Year's dish.

Early in the morning, Meng's mother took out her savings and told Meng Chijian to go and cut two whole pigs.

There were cabbages in the backyard, which meant that A-Mian's family got a good deal, while the vermicelli was brought by the second brother's family.

This dish is very special to the Meng family.

When Meng's father hesitated about whether to invest all his wealth in opening a blacksmith shop in the city, he ate something.

When they were conscripting men, just as every household was sending its male members to the front lines, they ate;

Later that year, when many men in the village had their funerals, the women, children, and the elderly also ate there.

It sounded ominous, but Meng Jing vaguely remembered that she was very young at the time and did not know what had happened. She only saw many people shedding tears into blue porcelain bowls, and the salty taste of the tears made the already delicious cabbage and pork stew with vermicelli even more delicious.

If you are alive and can survive without being completely defeated by this cruel world, then please eat stewed cabbage and pork with vermicelli.

The Meng family was busy from early morning.

Amian soaked the vermicelli in water until soft, and following Mencius's mother's instructions, she cut the pork belly into thick slices and chopped the cabbage into chunks, filling a whole bowl.

Second Sister-in-law's family had already arrived and were chatting quietly in the courtyard. Meng Jing and Second Sister-in-law, who usually didn't get along, didn't argue, while Meng Er and Meng San understood each other without saying a word. After discussing it, everyone felt that all aspects had been considered thoroughly.

"Put the meat in the pan on both sides and fry until the oil is rendered, then add scallions, ginger, and garlic..."

Ah Mian's mouth watered at the aroma, so she poured in the sauce and warm water and started stewing. After about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, she added glass noodles, cabbage, and salt, and continued stewing.

After washing her hands, A-Mian went to the yard to play with her second sister-in-law's children.

It smells delicious!

After an unknown amount of time, probably when even the children were so enticed by the aroma that they were grabbing their fingers and stuffing them into their mouths, Ah Mian went into the kitchen and scooped the food from the large pot into individual porcelain bowls.

The child's bowl contained only a few pieces of rice noodles that had been broken off with chopsticks, a few slices of pork, and cabbage.

The adults' bowls were filled to the brim, with at least a dozen slices of meat and plenty of cabbage.

At first, Ah Mian thought everyone would be scrambling to eat the meat, but the best part of the dish was actually the glass noodles!

The glass noodles were soaked in the broth. After picking one up with chopsticks and putting it in her mouth, Ah Mian couldn't help but exclaim, "So smooth and bouncy! It tastes so good!"

When we eat at home, we don't talk about anything fancy. Everyone eats heartily, and in the steamy atmosphere, our hearts settle back into our stomachs.

"If anything happens, just call me! Your second sister-in-law is formidable; she won't let you suffer!"

After a lively and enjoyable meal, Yuan Hua had had the most satisfying meal since her transmigration.

After his second brother's family left, Meng Chijian packed up briefly and took Yuan Hua to the city to open a shop.

A-Mian stopped doing business and stayed home to herd donkeys, do chores, and wash clothes with Meng-Jing.

She couldn't help but ask, "Was the opera performance good?"

Meng Jing got excited, "Oh my, you didn't see that! There were so many people, they almost stepped on my shoes! Next time the opera troupe comes to our village, you absolutely have to see them. Those acrobatic performers, wow, they're like they're flying through the air and disappearing into the ground..."

A-Mian didn't believe it, but she still listened with a smile.

"And there's the 'disappearing act,' you haven't heard of it, have you? It's using a bed sheet like this or that, and suddenly that person reappears in the open space, hohoho..."

As Ah Mian listened, she also wanted to watch the show.

That evening, as soon as Meng Chijian returned home, he saw A-Mian with bright, piercing eyes asking, "Is there really such a thing as a magic trick where people disappear into thin air? Have you ever seen it? Do you believe I can do it? That way I can perform tricks and earn some money!"

"..."

Meng Chijian laughed, "Then you act one out and I'll see."

Ah Mian stood on the bed, shook out a sheet, and muttered a bunch of vague charlatan spiel. Suddenly, she flung the sheet a few times, and Meng Jing, who had been lying under the covers, quickly jumped out.

"Ta-da!"

Meng Chijian raised an eyebrow and tossed out two copper coins. "Here's a reward for you two."

Lu Amian and Meng Jing were overjoyed. They each put a coin in their pockets and then performed the same trick for Yuan Hua.

Yuan Hua ignored the two carefree locals. "Do you think I've never seen magic tricks before? We call that magic. The most amazing magic trick is one that can cut a person in half, and after the trick is over, the person who was cut off is perfectly fine and comes out to win applause from all the audience."

Meng Jing said, "You're just bragging."

Ah Mian's dream of forming a juggling troupe was quickly shattered. Because the training was so arduous, they didn't understand any techniques at all, and even accidentally broke a bowl while practicing by balancing it on their heads.

This really broke Ah Mian's heart, and she behaved herself unusually well for two days in a row.

On the third day, Meng Chijian couldn't sit still any longer. He pulled the young woman in front of him and promised, "I'll take you to see a theatrical troupe in a few days, okay?"

Amian grinned, "Okay, I'm going to sell roasted melon seeds!"