Mo Qianshang originally thought that talking about reading would scare the younger boys, but to her surprise, Qin Heming and the other boys gathered even closer: "Really? Can you really read every day?"

"If my brother can go, can I go too?"

What about me? What about me?

Mo Qianshang looked into their three pairs of eyes, which were sparkling with joy, as if being able to read was the happiest thing, much more so than letting them play all day.

She smiled helplessly: Isn't reading supposed to be a happy thing? Reading can change one's destiny, which is such a precious thing in this era, and an opportunity that most people crave. This is the normal reaction for them.

Thinking of this, she nodded vigorously: "Yes, you all need to go to school. When Qianya is a little older, Mother will also hire someone to teach her to read."

The children were even happier when they heard this, and Mo Qianshang watched them running around wildly, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

Preparing building materials is not something that can be done in a short time, so Mo Qianshang wasn't in a hurry. She planned to think of a way to make money first.

She lay in the tent and opened the system shop. The dazzling array of items was endless. After thinking for a moment, she began searching for "sugar".

Sugar existed in this era, and the process wasn't too difficult. But lollipops were different. Those with plastic packaging were also out of the question, as plastic packaging was an industrial product that didn't exist in this era. A single piece of candy would cost an absurd ten taels of silver!

She looked for loose fruit and milk candies. Some were expensive, which must have some strange stuff added to them. The cheap ones were so cheap that Mo Qianshang would question her existence.

This one will do.

One type of fruit candy has a wholesale price: 100 coins for 10 jin (5 kg).

She went to the county town to ask about the price of sugar. It is now 200 wen per jin (500 grams). Before, when there was no famine, three jin would cost four or five hundred wen.

Loose candy is so expensive, no one will buy it to eat. Mo Qianshang is also worried about whether hard candy will sell. But if you're going to do it, do something rare.

Anyway, it's only 100 coins. If we can't sell them, we'll keep them for the children to eat.

Thinking this, she poked her head out of the tent and called all the children back: "Come on, everyone, open your hands."

The children opened their hands, puzzled.

When giving something to children, it's best to find a reason so they don't feel entitled to something for nothing: "Well, you were all very good on the way we fled the famine, and you even helped your mother with chores. Today I'm giving each of you a small reward."

As she spoke, she placed two pieces of candy in each person's hand: "These are candies. Remember to unwrap them before eating, and don't talk while eating them, or you'll choke, okay?"

The children obediently agreed, but they had no idea what the candy in their hands was like, because they had never seen candy like this before.

Mo Qianshang felt a pang of sympathy watching them carefully unwrap the packaging. She walked over to Xiao Yaoshi, grabbed a handful of food, and placed it in her hand: "Here, take it and sweeten your own and your child's mouths."

The children didn't know, but Little Yao knew what sugar was, and that it was very expensive, no matter what kind of soup it was!

She was about to decline when she remembered what Mo Qianshang had said about her before, that she always refused anything offered to her. After hesitating for a long time, she finally accepted.

"That's right. You should try it too, and see how well I sell it at the market."

Upon hearing what she said, Xiao Yao took out one, carefully put away the rest, and began to savor it.

The moment the candy entered her mouth, her eyes widened.

She had never eaten such a sweet and sour candy before. As for ordinary candy, she had only eaten it once in her life, and she only licked it once. This candy was just too delicious!

"This is sweet and sour, it's so delicious! What kind of candy is this?"

The taste of this fruit candy completely overturned Xiao Yao's imagination of candy, yet it was also incredibly addictive.

"This candy is good, but these days, I doubt there are many people buying it."

Mo Qianshang also sighed: "It's not that I care about that, but I feel that there's not much profit in this candy."

Little Yao didn't know how much Mo Qianshang's candy cost. She thought it was because it was too expensive to buy. After all, she had never seen candy like this before, and even if she sold it, she wouldn't make much money.

Little did she know, Mo Qianchang felt that an income of several hundred coins was rather low for her.

She also opened a piece of candy and put it in her mouth: "So tell me, what do people like to buy these days? If you ask me, it's probably just food. The rest might as well be exchanged for gold and silver and kept around."

Little Yao nodded: "Perhaps it's gold, silver, jade and other such things. We've never seen them before, but those things are indeed good to carry on the journey."

Just as Mo Qianshang was wondering whether she should go back to the system to check again, Qianya ran over with her arms outstretched in a cute and adorable manner: "Mom, have some soup! I want some meat soup!"

Qianya has said several times since drinking the pork soup that she doesn't like eating fatty meat, but she really likes drinking the soup.

The pork they bought wasn't all used up, and the children didn't have many opportunities to eat meat. Naturally, Mo Qianshang had to fulfill their requests. Although prices here had risen, and pork that used to cost more than 20 coins per catty had now doubled in price, it was still affordable for Mo Qianshang.

She couldn't help but rub her youngest daughter's face, thinking that she was too thin for her age. Not only her, but all the children and she herself were very thin, even to the point of malnutrition. The same was true for Xiao Yao and her daughter.

Despite being young, her complexion was sallow, her eyes lacked luster, and her hair was dry and brittle.

Rather than saying you should eat whatever you want, it's more accurate to say you should eat more good food to nourish your body.

Mo Qianshang immediately became very motivated, and even exchanged tomatoes and potatoes in the system. Anyway, it didn't cost much, so she could make a stew with just an iron pot and eat several kinds of vegetables at the same time.

Standing to the side, Xiao Yao held the steamed buns that Mo Qianshang had heated up. Smelling the aroma from the pot, she couldn't help but sigh with satisfaction: "Your cooking skills are too good. Just by smelling them, I know they're delicious. I can't help you at all!"

Mo Qianshang placed the stew she had prepared on a wooden board to the side: "What's the big deal? You don't need to know how to do it right away. Just watch me make it once, and you can make it next time."

Little Yao could actually understand it at once, but the ingredients Mo Qianshang used were far inferior to hers. For example, she could only use this oil once every few years. In the past, she had the chance to get a small amount of lard and ate it for a long, long time. Each time, she would only use a tiny bit and could not taste anything.

She had never cooked a stew like this before, one where you could see oil floating on top when it was served in a bowl.

But after eating it once, she realized that compared to this kind of food, what she had seen people eat before was almost like pig slop.