"If all else fails, have your older brother keep watch outside at night." She blurted out. Compared to reputation, life was more important. Li Xueqing wasn't dead, but she was essentially soulless, a living dead.

Yuan Doudou listened quietly; taking precautions was the right thing to do.

However, she had her own considerations. The thief had already been here, and every household would surely be on high alert, so she doubted he would dare to come again.

Even with a mental urge, life goes on as usual.

To avoid worrying Zhang Aiju, she smiled and said, "I won't trouble you, brother. I'll put a pair of scissors under my pillow. If that thief dares to come, I'll kill him with one blow."

She made a gesture as if she were assassinating a thief, which opened Zhang Aiju's eyes.

DouDou may appear frail, but deep down she is braver and stronger than any man.

"Okay, then you must be careful not to hurt yourself." Zhang Aiju's eyes lit up when she saw the griddle in the kitchen.

"What is this?" She had never seen it before.

Yuan Doudou introduced its name and uses.

Zhang Aiju exclaimed in surprise: "Doudou, you came up with this too?"

She nodded, blushing.

"DouDou, this pan is really good. I want one too." Seeing the thin, beautifully shaped pancake that DouDou had made, she nodded in approval.

Yuan Doudou thought to herself that she still needed to use this pot, and she couldn't very well give it to her godmother.

"Godmother, wait here, I'll go get the blueprints." With the blueprints, Godmother can follow them.

Zhang Aiju received the blueprints but couldn't understand them. After putting them away, she left the An family and went straight to Li Datou's house.

Li Datou looked at the blueprints and exclaimed, "Isn't this the design that DouDou just made?"

"Yeah, I want one too. She seems to like it."

Li Datou was secretly delighted: Dou Dou is introducing business to me; the girl is really loyal.

"Okay, I'll pick it up in three days." Li Datou didn't want the blueprints; he had memorized how to do it.

That's the skill of a blacksmith; he can memorize anything after just one forging.

Zhang Aiju paid the deposit and went back.

Three days later, she came to pick up the pot. She found it very easy to use at home, and the neighbors next to her door were amazed to see such a useful pot.

Within half a month, every household in the village had a griddle.

Li Datou was busy and happy, and he hurriedly asked his wife to prepare some cured meat to send to Dou Dou.

Yuan Doudou was completely confused when she saw Aunt Li carrying meat.

"It's all because Uncle Li is so good at cooking that everyone goes to him. It has nothing to do with me. I can't accept this meat."

Seeing that she was determined not to accept it, Aunt Li had no choice but to take a hard line. She put the cured meat on the table and stormed out the door.

Yuan Doudou looked at the cured meat, smiled, and shook her head.

Early in the morning, the dough was already spread out, and some vegetables still needed to be stir-fried for later use.

By the time all the materials were ready, the sun was already high in the sky.

If we go to town now, we can catch lunch.

Aunt Li brought over some cured pork, which she diced and stir-fried. She added extra meat, which would cost two coins.

Anji was in a bad mood, so he stayed at the Wang family's house with his godmother.

On the road, she carried large and small bags, moving forward with a heavy burden.

Wang Qiqiang, who was on his way to the field, saw it from afar and rushed over to help carry it.

"From now on, if you need any physical labor, just tell me and I'll take you to the village entrance." That's the kind of service he provides as an older brother.

She smiled and didn't say anything.

When we arrived at the village entrance, the horse-drawn carriage had just arrived as well.

"DouDou, there's no one in the car, let me help you carry it." The driver saw DouDou and eagerly got out of the car to carry the bundle.

After the two of them put their things away, Yuan Doudou got into the car.

Wang Qiqiang waved to her, assuring her that Anji was safe at his home.

As the carriage drove further and further away, Yuan Doudou gazed into the distance, surrounded by lush greenery, feeling refreshed and relaxed.

"Young lady, it must be hard work traveling every day." The coachman cracked his whip, making the horse run faster.

They were friends who had been through thick and thin together. The coachman had a daughter who was a few years younger than Yuan Doudou, and he liked this capable girl.

Yuan Doudou sighed, "Sigh, it's all for survival."

Life is a long journey, and fortune is unpredictable. She went from being a migrant worker to a village widow, washing her hands and cooking soup every day.

She also thought of better ways out: farming or setting up a stall could at least sustain her current life.

The driver was moved upon hearing this: "It's sad that there's no man in the family."

He knew that Yuan Doudou was a widow whose parents-in-law had also died, and that she was living a difficult life.

Yuan Doudou didn't mind. Taking care of a child alone is hard work, but she also enjoys the freedom of not having to worry about what others think.

As always, the driver took her to the stall, helped her unload her things, took the money, and then hurried to the post station.

Yuan Doudou sighed, "What a good person."

Before setting up her stall, Yuan Doudou went to fetch water from nearby and wiped the countertop clean.

Add oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and arrange the side dishes neatly.

We started a fire; the new firewood we brought ignited easily with a tinderbox.

The griddle was placed on the stove, ready to begin.

She walked to the food cart, took down the sign, and used a charcoal pencil to add the words "five coins for an egg pancake."

"What kind of egg pancake is so expensive?" Eggs are only one coin each.

Yuan Doudou smiled and said, "Three coins a piece without eggs."

"Okay, one of these will do."

"Okay."

Yuan Doudou pulled the baffle under the stove open a bit to make the firewood burn brighter.

She scraped some lard with a bamboo slatter, spread it on the griddle to melt, and then placed a piece of dough on it.

"Can you check if any of these dishes are contraindicated for your diet?"

The customers looked at the bowls of various sizes, filled with shredded potatoes, eggplant, cucumber, pickled vegetables, and mustard greens.

The other two bowls contained chili sauce and tomato sauce.

"These are all free?" the customer asked in surprise.

"Add as much as you like, no extra charge. This is cured meat, the same as eggs. Adding one portion will cost an extra two coins," she explained patiently.

The customer nodded in satisfaction: "Okay, I'll add everything."

"I want the cured pork, but not the eggs." It's quite good that you can get meat for just two coins.

For the first customer, Yuan Doudou added extra cured meat to her plate.

Do you want some chili peppers?

"Mmm, more please." Chili peppers are an appetizer.

Spread chili sauce on the pancake, fold it repeatedly, wrap it in parchment paper for easy handling and eating.

"Here, take this carefully, be careful it's hot."

The customer paid, took the pancake, and immediately started eating.

Someone nearby crowded around, staring at her, eagerly awaiting her opinion.

"Delicious, so fragrant!" After saying that, she took another big bite.

A bystander, looking on with envy, said, "Girl, give me one too, with an egg, and no chili."

"It will be ready soon."

The griddle was smeared with lard, an egg was cracked on it, and it was broken with a bamboo stick. A piece of pancake was then peeled off and placed on top. The bamboo stick was tapped twice, and the left hand held the edge of the pancake. The bamboo stick was then used to lift the pancake from the bottom up and flip it over. The egg stuck to the pancake and was flipped to the right side.

It was coated with soybean paste and sprinkled with various stir-fried vegetables.

"I'll take the chopped green onions and the pickled vegetables."

Sprinkle with chopped green onions, fold a little bit of the edge of the pancake in, then fold it in half again, and wrap it in parchment paper.

Wow, it smells so good it makes my mouth water.

"DouDou, what delicious food have you come up with this time?"

Before long, several regular customers came to the stall.