Jiang Qinyu glanced at him in surprise, and then said, "What are you going to do with so many coal briquettes, young master? The coal briquettes made in Dingshui Village were originally intended to be supplied to the people of Yongshan County who could afford them."

Xiao Rui shook his head, then said seriously, "Madam, please rest assured, I bought the coal briquettes to distribute free of charge to elderly people who cannot work and to families with special circumstances."

Remembering that Jiang Qinyu was referring to supplies for the people of Yongshan County, he added, "There may not be enough coal in Yunshan. If you are worried that the people of Yongshan County will suffer from the cold, I can assure you that once other counties and towns produce coal briquettes, they will never sell them to Yongshan County at a price higher than the market price."

Since he had already said it so clearly, Jiang Qinyu naturally couldn't say anything more.

However, Xiao Rui's main purpose in coming today was definitely not to discuss business, but to hope that Jiang Qinyu could go with the people who were exploring the mineral deposits to see various places in Yukang Prefecture.

For some reason, he always felt that with Jiang Qinyu around, the coal mine problem could be solved quickly.

Xiao Rui always followed his intuition, and this time was no exception. He promptly paid for the blueprints and settled the price of the coal briquettes before saying, "I hope Madam can depart as soon as possible."

Jiang Qinyu was initially pleased that Xiao Rui was willing to buy all the coal briquettes in Dingshui Village for five copper coins each, but after hearing this, she immediately became unhappy.

She really didn't want to go out!

Xiao Rui was right. It was almost November, and the system only had about twenty days left to complete the task. If she didn't go out soon, she wouldn't be able to take advantage of the system.

“Alright,” Jiang Qinyu sighed, “We’ll set off tomorrow. Young Master Rui will be waiting for me at the village entrance at dawn.”

Xiao Ruixi said happily, "Great!"

He might as well stay in the village today and take Jiang Qinyu away tomorrow.

Jiang Qinyu was unaware of his thoughts. After confirming that she would be leaving the next day, she immediately made arrangements for things at home.

She would definitely have to say hello to Madam Chen and Old Man Lu, and since she was going out with Xiao Rui this time, she took A-Ping with her.

With Yunzhu and Hupo staying at home to take care of the two children, and with Chen Shi helping out, there shouldn't be any problems.

That evening, the two children came knocking on the door again, clutching their little pillows and looking pitiful.

"Auntie..." the two said in unison, with tears glistening in Pan'er's eyes.

Jiang Qinyu couldn't bear it any longer, so she quickly pulled the two of them into the house and carried them onto the kang (a heated brick bed).

"Auntie, can you please not leave?" Pan'er looked at her with a sad expression.

Although her aunt had gone out many times, she still couldn't bear to leave each time.

Jiang Qinyu gently pinched her nose and asked with a smile, "How does Pan'er feel about life these days?"

“Of course it’s great!” Pan’er innocently counted on her fingers, “There’s delicious food, warm clothes, and I can learn to read with my brother. Grandpa and Grandma treat us even better than before…”

She talked a lot, and Shufan watched from the side and sighed.

My little sister is still too young; she doesn't understand what her aunt is trying to say.

Jiang Qinyu waited for her to finish speaking, then patted her little head and asked, "Does Pan'er know where all these things came from?"

Pan'er looked puzzled. "Didn't Auntie earn all of that?"

“Yes,” Jiang Qinyu nodded, “that’s why Auntie has to go out and earn money!”

Shu Fan: "..."

Pan'er's face fell immediately, and she asked in a small voice, "Aren't the gods going to give Auntie food and clothes anymore?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Qinyu frowned deeply and looked at Pan'er with great seriousness, saying, "Pan'er, gods can only save us from danger, and not everyone can be saved. If you always think about relying on gods or others, one day you will end up with nothing."

Pan'er looked bewildered, but when she saw Jiang Qinyu's expression, she realized her aunt was angry. Her little mouth trembled, and she called out in a tearful voice, "Auntie..."

Shu Fan seemed to be thinking about Jiang Qinyu's words, and quickly realized what she meant. He looked at Pan'er with a serious face and said, "Pan'er, Auntie is right. We can't just rely on others. No matter what, the only one we can rely on is ourselves."

His aunt's words served as a wake-up call for him. He was very dependent on his aunt now, but what if one day she wasn't by his side? What if his aunt encountered danger and couldn't come back?

And then there's my uncle-in-law. Although he's a great general, nobody knows if he can stay a great general forever.

He can't continue like this.

Jiang Qinyu didn't know what Shufan was thinking, but hearing him say such things made her feel gratified from the bottom of her heart. She patted Shufan's head and said, "Our Shufan has grown up. You're right. No matter what, we can't rely on anyone. Mountains crumble and people run away. Only ourselves are the most reliable."

Pan'er looked at her aunt and then at her brother. Although what they were saying was a little hard to understand, she understood one thing: they couldn't rely on others.

"Pan'er understands!" Pan'er suddenly hugged Jiang Qinyu and looked up at her. "It was Pan'er's fault. I shouldn't have thought that the gods could always help us. Pan'er also needs to earn money to support the family!"

Hearing this, Jiang Qinyu chuckled and flicked her forehead, saying, "It's not Pan'er's turn to earn money in our family yet. You just need to stay with Amber and Yunzhu and listen to Grandma."

Pan'er covered her head, puffed out her little chest, and pouted, "Auntie, stop looking down on me! I can earn money too!"

"Oh? How will Pan'er earn money?" Jiang Qinyu asked curiously.

Shufan was already covering his forehead beside him.

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