Yin Lan first crushed the sweet potato starch, then let it settle, removed the water and impurities from the top, added spring water, put it in a pot, and waited for the water to slowly boil before taking the pot off the stove and setting it aside.

She had picked some wild berries before, which Yin Lan chopped up and put in. She would need to buy some more sugar next time, as it would taste better with sugar, but she would make do with this for today.

We'll wait for it to cool and solidify before checking the final product; it's hard to tell much at this point.

On the other side, the stone was still being boiled, and Yin Lan tried it, but it was still hard.

The book says it can soften, but is that really true? Yin Lan wasn't entirely sure. Since the water in the pot had gone down a bit, she added some more hot water and continued cooking.

After dealing with these matters, the sound of chattering could already be heard outside.

"Mother!" Erwa's cry came in.

"Two fish!" Then he came in excitedly. He was small but not stupid, and he even knew to lower his voice when he spoke.

Yin Lan glanced at it and saw that hanging from two long wild grasses were two fish of moderate size.

Its size is between the previous three, around one pound.

It seems there aren't many fish in this river; only two have come in the entire night and morning.

However, with only three young children at home, having two fish like these occasionally is already a blessing.

Even if the villagers went to the river all day, they might not catch a single fish.

"Mom, I dug up some earthworms again, and I put them away like you did last time, covering them with grass again," said the eldest child.

"Yes, we were very careful, and no one around saw us," Erwa added.

Okay, she only demonstrated it once yesterday, and the older child remembered it. The important thing is not that he remembered it, but that he consciously observed and memorized it, and did it completely correctly. Yin Lan thinks that the two children are really smart.

It even knows to avoid people, like a little imp.

"Mom, this afternoon Erwa and I will go to the river to dig another fish trap just like the one we used to make. That way we can catch four fish a day! Later we'll go pull some weeds."

Yin Lan chuckled, "Do you still remember how to dig?"

The eldest child nodded earnestly, "I remembered everything Mom made, and if there's anything I don't understand, I can just look at how Mom made it, and then I'll know how to do it."

Yin Lan: ....

Is he really only five years old? He's so smart, and he's very proactive, hardworking, and self-disciplined. It would be a real shame to let such excellent qualities go to waste.

The original owner of this body certainly hadn't planned for the child's future. In the village, it was simply a matter of growing up, farming, getting married, and having children...

Having been here for so long, being called "Mom" and relied on all the time, it's impossible not to develop feelings.

In this dynasty, the only way for people to rise in society was through studying for the imperial examinations. Now, due to the constant warfare, only in times of chaos can warriors have a chance to rise to prominence.

Of course, to become a general, or even a minor officer, requires more than just brute force; it still requires education. The eldest child is already a bit late in starting school, and the second child is almost at the same age. She needs to find a way to get both children into school.

After swaying back and forth like this, it was almost noon.

There are still some winter bamboo shoots at home, but no meat, though there is fish.

So I steamed some white rice, used one fish to make soup, pan-fried another, and stir-fried some winter bamboo shoots with lard.

Soon, the house was filled with the rich aroma of fish soup, the fragrant smell of fried fish, the fresh scent of winter bamboo shoots, and the rich aroma of white rice.

Yin Lan is living a fantastic life raising her child.

After eating and drinking their fill, both children had greasy mouths, and now Yin Lan forbids them from licking the bowls clean.

Since they are both well-fed now, the two kids don't have much of an objection.

At most, when the eldest child goes to wash the dishes, he'll just lick them haphazardly, making sure his mother doesn't see.

After lunch, it was time for the family to take a nap, and the stones continued to boil in the pot.

The three children and one adult fell into a deep sleep on the bed.

"Does he have a stepmother?"

After an unknown amount of time, there was a knock on the door.

None of the family heard it.

After knocking a few times, the man asked in confusion, "Isn't anyone here?"

I could almost smell a faint aroma of meat and oil.

But then he thought about it. Any other family might be a possibility, but this eldest daughter-in-law of the Chen family was so poor that she was practically penniless. Her family eating meat? That was impossible.

Besides, the village headman's visit to her was probably not for anything good; who knows what trouble this Lady Yin has gotten into this time.

Since the person is not here, then they have left.

He went outside and saw that the weeds in the Yin family's field seemed to have thinned out, and some of the weeds were still moving. He called out again, but there was no response or movement.

Judging that it was that beast, the man left.

Half an hour later.

Yin Lan woke up.

She immediately got dressed and got up. Because she had lit a large fire before going to bed, there was still a small flame. Half of the water in the pot had boiled away, so she added some hot water. When she poked at it with a knife, her eyes, which had been filled with no hope, suddenly lit up.

The texture is noticeably different from this morning; it's already a bit soft!

It really can soften stones?

Yin Lan had only read about it in a book and wasn't entirely sure, but now that she had actually done it, she was overjoyed.

Once the stone softens, she can carve it into the shape she wants and sell it to scholars. She can earn a few taels of silver for a small amount, or even a lot for a large amount. It's a business with no investment and huge profits.

The stones aren't soft enough yet, so we need to keep boiling them.

Now Yin Lan is becoming extremely enthusiastic about adding firewood; it's not just adding firewood, it's practically adding money!

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!