As autumn and winter approach, families typically stock up on vegetables like radishes and cabbages, as they are durable and don't spoil easily.

He Zifeng bought twenty large vats in one go. His house in the county was only used as a place to rest; it was too spacious. When he first arrived, he found everything novel and interesting, but with so few people, living in such a large house meant that even going to the outhouse took a quarter of an hour, which was inconvenient. It wasn't as cozy as the house in the village. He kept two rooms in the county house. The rest were used to store fresh vegetables, dried vegetables, and pickled vegetables.

Cellars were used to store grain.

After releasing 20,000 jin (10,000 kg) of grain, there was still some left over. He Zifeng also kept a few kittens in his house. With them around, the rats wouldn't come out and cause trouble.

The courtyard was piled high with cabbages. He Zifeng, Qiu Yu, and Fang Shi, along with several women from the village, were pickling the cabbages together.

He Zifeng then fetched another hundred catties of coarse salt. He removed the rotten leaves and old parts of the cabbages, washed them in water, arranged them neatly in the vat, sprinkled a ring of salt around them, then added more cabbages and more salt. Once the vat was full, he added water. Finally, he covered it with a large blue stone, and the vat was complete.

Every household is skilled at pickling vegetables. In winter, cooking some pickled cabbage and pork belly makes for a hearty stew.

Sour soup is an appetizer in winter; it's a delicious dish whether stir-fried or eaten raw.

Everyone was busily pickling vegetables. He Zifeng had just ordered over 10,000 jin (5,000 kg) of cabbage from a nearby village. After a busy morning, they had pickled almost half of it. The helpers were about to leave with the harvested cabbage leaves. Each of them had a whole sack full. It wasn't considered anything special in the county, but in the villagers' eyes, it was a treasure. They chopped it up to feed the chickens, ducks, geese, dogs, and pigs, saving on feed.

He Zifeng's family also has some chickens and ducks, which were raised by Fang Shi when she came back. Now they all weigh three or four pounds. If this continues, they will definitely be able to eat chicken raised by their own family during the Chinese New Year.

Ranran's rabbits reproduced too quickly, producing a litter every two months. Once the baby rabbits grew their fur, they asked Fang to take a few pairs out to sell. Unexpectedly, the rabbits were all sold before they even left the village. They were all bought by the village children who begged their parents; wild rabbits are clever, and catching a pair isn't easy. Before, He Ran had been seen carrying the baby rabbits around the village, which made the children incredibly envious.

Every household had sold their grain and had money in hand, so they couldn't resist their children's pleas and bought everything they wanted.

These wild rabbits are very resilient and easy to raise. Somehow, a trend has emerged. Now, not only children in the village are raising them, but adults are too; they'll thrive on just some tender grass or vegetable leaves.

The big rabbit has started brooding again. Before she even gave birth, three more pairs of rabbits were ordered.

When Fang first returned to the village, she didn't have much money, but now she has saved up more than an ounce or two, and she said she would make a cotton-padded jacket for Ranran in the winter.

Qiu Yu said, "Mother, I've already made Ranran's cotton-padded jacket, so please don't waste your money."

Women from other villages also joined in the praise.

Qiuyu made several sets of clothes for the whole family so they could change and wash them easily.

They did a lot of work. They not only pickled twenty vats of sauerkraut, but also prepared a vat of pickled cucumbers and a vat of chili peppers.

The radishes and potatoes they bought were brought back early. In addition to the leafy greens, He Zifeng also gave everyone two radishes and a pound of salt.

Everyone who came to help was very happy.

The work was finished, and the oxcart was almost here to pick them up. Qiu Yu settled the wages for the helpers and then told them to hurry back.

People in the county are buying a lot of vegetables for winter storage now. If you find some cheap ones, you can order some from someone. If you order a lot, you can have them delivered to your village.

Fang was willing to stay with the villagers. She happened to have some money and wanted to buy some things. The villagers were good at bargaining, and if she found something she liked, it would be perfect. They could go back together that evening, and she only needed to pay an extra five coins for the cart.

Seeing his mother's enthusiasm, He Zifeng said, "If there's not enough room on the train, you can come back and come with us." There was room, but with each of them carrying a bag of vegetable leaves, it would definitely be overflowing.

Fang agreed.

They left in a hurry, and now the heated kang (a traditional Chinese bed-stove) is finished. After dinnertime, the shop can close up shop. I heard they bought quite a bit of coal; if they're careful, it'll be enough to get them through the winter.

Life is getting better and better.

Qiu Yu looked at He Zifeng and said, "Why have you been unhappy lately?"

He Zifeng was taken aback, then said, "I'm not unhappy."

Qiu Yu looked at him with some worry: "Really?"

He Zifeng said, "It's nothing." Then he put his arms around Qiu Yu and said, "Don't worry about me."

With no one around, Qiu Yu obediently let him hold her, then smiled and said, "Could it be because you miss your son?"

He Zifeng said, "I really want to."

Qiu Yu glared at him and said, "You're so pathetic!"

He Zifeng leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Who told Ranran to be your daughter? She's just so adorable."

This made Qiu Yu blush bright red again.

Fang Shi hadn't returned even when the oxcart was almost ready to depart. He Zifeng drove his horse-drawn carriage over to check. He asked around at the crossroads and was relieved to hear that Fang Shi had already boarded the cart. The horse-drawn carriage was faster than the oxcart. It caught up with the oxcart in no time. The oxcart was loaded with goods, carried several people, and four others were walking alongside it.

Seeing this, He Zifeng took Fang back to the carriage and also gave the four people a ride back to the village. These people didn't expect the carriage to be so fast; the oxcart they were on hadn't even gone halfway.

As soon as he arrived at the village, someone was waiting for him at the entrance. They said, "Second Brother He, your father just came looking for you. He said your two younger brothers are engaged and he wants you to come and take a look. Wan Hai came back and left quickly, but Xu Li didn't leave." They explained the situation in a few words.

He Zifeng didn't have a good impression of He Tong, but He Fan was alright; he hadn't heard from him for a long time.

Engagement is a big deal, and he plans to go and take a look.

With his current status, he's not afraid of any tricks or schemes from others.

There has been no news of the He family's old residence for a long time. They used to be He Zifeng's nightmare, but now, with He Zifeng's rise in status, no one will take the initiative to provoke them anymore.

He went to the He family mansion. The He family used to be a prominent family in the village. Now, when he went back, everything around him looked dilapidated and desolate.

Since it was such a big event as an engagement, people from all around would come and see. The whole house was bustling with activity.

When Xiao Wan saw He Zifeng arrive, she said, "Zifeng, why are you only coming now? Come in and have a look. The wedding is in three days." She spoke with such warmth that even He Zifeng admired her shamelessness.

He Zifeng asked, "So eager?"

Xiao Wan said, "We country folk don't care about that." Knowing that he and He Tong didn't get along, she led him into He Fan's house.

This was exactly what He Zifeng wanted.

As soon as he entered, he saw that He Fan had lost a lot of weight, and he was quite happy to see him, saying, "Second Brother."

Although He Zifeng utterly despised his scumbag father and stepmother, he still felt some affection for his youngest brother. Looking at him, he said, "You're a grown man now." Then he asked who he had married.

He Fan said, "I heard that my mother married me from Shewa Village. They are a brother and sister. The older brother married the third brother, and the younger sister married me."

He Zifeng had just overseen the tax collection and reviewed the records. That village hadn't paid taxes this year; all the men had been conscripted to build the city wall. They couldn't even afford food. Many had sold themselves into slavery or married off to earn money to supplement their income. But the fact that a brother and sister had married their brother was bound to attract gossip. How could someone as clever as Xiao Wanshi allow such talk to circulate?

He Fan seemed to sense He Zifeng's thoughts and said, "Second brother, since we sold the soy sauce shop, things have become much worse than before." He was also a little downcast, remembering how glorious it was when his eldest brother, Wan Hai, married his sister-in-law, Xu Li.

Now, he didn't even hold a wedding banquet for his wife; they just had a meal at home and that was it. All the family's most glorious days were given to Wan Hai. Now Wan Hai is gone, never to return, and his father, He Donglai, is filled with regret.

He Zifeng asked, "How much money did Wan Hai leave you as a safety net?" As an older brother, he'd always give something. Like when he came, he brought one tael of silver as a precaution. Wan Hai is now the young master of the Gong family, and the Gong family even gave him a hundred taels to help Gong Sanping. He Fan is his half-brother, so he certainly couldn't give less.

At this point, He Fan became even more embarrassed and said, "My older brother came back to borrow money!"