Pei Weixuan left the town and headed west.

There is a bamboo forest outside the town, not on the busy road, it is quite remote and few people pass by, so he waits for him to go there and look for someone.

The bamboo forest was quite large, and Huo Ye didn't know where to hide in the corner.

When he entered the bamboo forest, Pei Weixuan saw some spring bamboo shoots emerging.

Seeing these bamboo shoots, Pei Weixuan subconsciously felt that it was a pity. If he could dig these bamboo shoots up on a normal day, Yu Niang could turn them into delicious dishes.

When Pei Weixuan thought of this, he was stunned again. He shook off the thoughts in his mind and went towards the depths of the bamboo forest.

When we went deep into the bamboo forest, we saw several people squatting under a thick bamboo.

It was Huo Ye and his group. In addition to Huo Ye, there were several other black-armored guards, all wearing coarse linen clothes. They looked like ordinary civilians, probably in their twenties or thirties.

Huo Ye heard the sound and turned around to see the young master.

When the young master came closer, I could smell a very strong biscuit aroma and a very unique meat aroma from him.

"My young master, it smells so good."

They stayed in the bamboo forest all night and all morning, without even having breakfast.

Huo Ye's saliva started watering as he smelled the fragrance.

Pei Weixuan thought for a moment, opened the bundle, took out the oil paper package inside and handed it to them, "Sauce-flavored biscuits and dried pork, eat them."

Huo Ye and his friends opened the oil paper, and inside was the cut sauce-covered biscuits. Another oil paper package contained some dried meat with sesame seeds and some other seasonings, about the thickness of a finger.

A few people didn't hesitate to grab the soy sauce biscuits and started eating. The soy sauce biscuits were still warm and they were amazed at how delicious they were when they took a bite. They were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, with a strong soy sauce flavor and a salty aroma. They had never eaten such delicious biscuits before.

I grabbed another piece of dried pork. It tasted spicy and fresh with a hint of meat, and it became more delicious the more I chewed it.

Huo Ye didn't expect that the food the young master brought was so delicious.

"My dear, this is delicious. Where did you buy it?"

There are no such delicious soy sauce cakes and dried meat in Beijing.

"It was done by Yu Niang." Pei Weixuan said lightly.

Huo Ye was stunned.

Yu Niang? The second daughter of the Marquis of Dechang? She is also a pitiful girl.

Huo Ye did not ask any more questions. After they had eaten their fill, including the sauce-scented cakes, they were reluctant to eat too much of the dried meat. After all, it was made by the young prince's wife, so they naturally had to leave more for the young prince.

After finishing his meal, Huo Ye wiped his mouth and asked, "Young Master, where are we going now?"

Pei Weixuan asked him, "Where are the others?"

Huo Ye said: "They are all hidden in the mountains on both sides of the canal."

I also became a pirate and formed a small caravan...

"Let's go look for them first."

Huo Ye couldn't help asking again, "Young Master, what shall we do next?" How can we fight to the capital without money and soldiers?

Pei Weixuan did not answer and looked further away. There was the sea. Yu Niang said that there were people living on the other side of the sea. There were crops that could produce thousands of kilograms per acre, and there were also many things that had never been seen in the Great Sheng Dynasty.

If there are people on the other side of the sea, there will be many small islands on the sea.

It is easier to hide people on small islands near the sea than on land. Even if the imperial court attacks, it will not be so easy to defeat them...

And those things from overseas...

But the prerequisite for all these is to have ships and money.

Pei Weixuan looked in the direction of the canal and said, "Let's go and find someone first. After we find someone, we can find a way to get some boats and money."

——————

Xu Qinyu didn't feel sad for long after her fourth brother left, as she had to get busy making money.

Because her fourth brother left, there was no one to help her kill fish and wash fat intestines, so Wen had not been making bags with Ning Jie'er these few days. Ning Jie'er was doing the needlework by herself, while Wen helped Xu Qinyu kill fish and wash fat intestines.

But Wen was a girl, and her skill in pounding fish paste was not as good as that of her fourth brother.

Xu Qinyu still planned to hire a handyman, as there were no other candidates at the moment, so she wanted to hire someone who was strong, hardworking, and able to help run errands.

If that really doesn't work, they'll post a notice at the door a few days later saying they're looking for a handyman. Any free women from nearby homes can come and try. As long as they're hardworking and strong, they'll be qualified.

But Xu Qinyu was still a little hesitant for a moment.

A few days passed like this, and Xu Qinyu ate some salted pig intestines early in the morning. Tian the butcher came over and took the salted pig intestines and gave her some offal.

Not long after, Uncle He also left in his donkey cart to bring her fish and milk.

There was no sugar or other spices at home, so Xu Qinyu planned to go out and buy some.

After exiting Guihua Lane, we headed towards the market on North Street.

As soon as I reached an intersection, I ran into the child from the third branch of the Wen family, named Wen Shuncheng.

He seemed to have just come back from outside the town. There is a door leading out of the town.

Wen Shuncheng was holding a bag of things in his hands. These were the eels he had collected in the morning. He had caught quite a few today, about ten or so.

This was the idea he had come up with a few days ago after racking his brains. He made a few eel cages at home and put some bait in them. Every night he would go out and put the bait in the ditches or ponds. When he went to check the next morning, he would find a harvest, sometimes a few eels, and sometimes more than a dozen.

Xu Qinyu ran into him, and he also saw Xu Qinyu.

Wen Shuncheng touched his nose, came over and called out, "Fourth sister-in-law."

Xu Qinyu smiled and asked, "What are you holding in your hand?"

When she took a closer look, she found a bag full of eels. She laughed and said, "Eels? Where did you catch them?"

Wen Shuncheng turned around and pointed outside the town, "They were caught in the ditches outside the town, in the fields, small ponds, and small river ditches."

As he spoke, he suddenly stuffed a bag of eels into Xu Qinyu's hands and said, "These eels are for Fourth Sister-in-law to eat."

My great aunt also said that my second aunt and fourth sister-in-law were both very good people.

It didn't matter if he earned a few dozen cents less a day. It was just the right amount to give to Fourth Sister-in-law's family to try. Aunt Gui also needed some to replenish her health since she was not in good health.

Xu Qinyu didn't expect that the child would suddenly stuff a bag of eels into her hands.

She also wanted to eat eels. Eels are good, high in protein and low in fat, with few bones and thick meat. What's more, they are wild and have higher nutritional value.

But you definitely can't take other people's children's things for no reason.

The third branch of the Wen family also had a hard life in the Wen family, otherwise they would not have forced a twelve or thirteen-year-old child to go outside the town to catch eels to earn money.

She was about to take out a string of money from her pocket, one string of money was one hundred coins. She didn't know the price of this kind of eel, but estimated that it would not be more than ten coins per pound. People here don't like to eat things from rivers and ponds because they have too strong earthy smell.

When Wen Shuncheng saw her taking out money, he ran away immediately.

Xu Qinyu was stunned for a moment. This child, she suddenly thought of something and hurriedly shouted, "Cheng'er, don't run away. Come back. I have something to discuss with you."

Wen Shuncheng then stopped, but he still didn't quite believe her words. He probably thought she was going to trick him into going back so that she could give him some money.

Xu Qinyu didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and waved at him, "Come back, I really have something to discuss with you."

This child has a good heart. Gui always praises the children of the third room.

The third house also has a concubine named Wen Pingtao who is similar to Wen Pingling and has a gentle and amiable personality.

Wen Shuncheng then turned around and asked, "Fourth sister-in-law, what's the matter?"

Xu Qinyu said, "Your fourth brother is out on a caravan, and there's no one to help me with the housework. I just kill fish, clean their intestines, pound them into mud, and run errands. Do you want to come work for me? I'll give you one yuan a month, and you can go out of town to catch eels the rest of the time. The money you earn is your own. What do you think? Of course, there's one more thing. You can't tell your grandparents, or the people in the first and second houses of the Wen family that you're working for me."

Wen Shuncheng grinned, "Why should I talk to them? I never talk nonsense to them."

Xu Qinyu couldn't help but laugh, "Did Chenggeer agree?"

Wen Shuncheng nodded vigorously, "I do."

Xu Qinyu didn't expect that she would get a small job after going out.

She smiled and said, "Okay, then you can go out with me to buy some things first, and then come back to help me with the work."

Wen Shuncheng was naturally willing. He took the bag from Xu Qinyu and helped her carry the eels.

On the way, Xu Qinyu asked him about the price of the eels and found out that it was only five cents per pound, which was quite cheap.

People here don't seem to like to eat things from rivers and ditches. Their favorite foods are chickens, ducks, pigs, sheep or some game.

After buying granulated sugar, a bag of brown sugar and some other spices and seasonings, Xu Qinyu and Wen Shuncheng returned to Osmanthus Lane.

Gui was also very happy to see Wen Shuncheng.

"Brother Cheng, why are you here?"

Wen Shuncheng scratched his head and said, "Hello, Aunt Gui. I came back with my fourth sister-in-law. She asked me to do some work for her."

Xu Qinyu told her family that she wanted Cheng to help her with work and pay him a fixed salary every month. Naturally, everyone agreed. After hiring a handyman, Wen only had to do housework and needlework.

Xu Qinyu tried it on the spot and taught Cheng Ge'er how to scrape the scales to kill the fish, as well as some tips on killing fish, including that the gall bladder inside must not be broken, and how to clean the fat intestines, etc.

Brother Cheng learns very quickly.

The half-grown boy may not be as strong as an adult, but he is still quite big and can easily pound fish into paste.

With the help of Cheng'er, Xu Qinyu made some custard buns and steamed buns with milk. The dough had been fermented last night.

Cheng Ge'er didn't have breakfast in the morning. As he smelled the milky and sweet aromas, he kept swallowing his saliva and his stomach rumbled.

When Xu Qinyu heard Cheng Ge'er's stomach growling, she couldn't help but laugh. Finally, she picked up five steamed buns with milk and five custard buns from the pot and gave them to Cheng Ge'er.

Hey, little grown-up boy, I'm not kidding when I say you'll be poor.

Wen Shuncheng was shocked after taking the first bite, and then he wolfed down the five steamed buns with milk and custard, and he still felt a little unsatisfied after finishing them.

It was time for dinner when Wen Shuncheng stayed here. Mainly because he had nothing to do at home, he didn't want to go back. He saw that his fourth sister-in-law had no chores at home, so he helped with them, such as fetching water, washing dishes and pots.

When Fourth Sister-in-law started selling fish balls and braised fish heads, he also helped.

After selling the fish balls, Xu Qinyu killed the eel, cut it into shreds, and made a dish of stir-fried shredded eel. She added ginger, garlic and dried dogwood and stir-fried them quickly. The stir-fried shredded eel was so fresh, crispy and tender that the yard was filled with the tempting aroma.

Cheng Ge'er was almost distracted by the fragrance.

Xu Qinyu did not give Cheng Ge'er the money for the eels. She stir-fried a lot of the seven or eight kilograms of eels and put half of it in a lunch box for Cheng Ge'er. She also packed a dozen steamed buns and two packets of fish balls for him to take back for Aunt Bai and the people in the third room to taste.

No custard buns were given. We ate some of them ourselves and sold the rest to the Xia family and Xu Kongmu's family. They are now gone.

Wen Shuncheng went home carrying the lunch box, steamed buns and fish balls, feeling a little dazed.

After returning home, he sneaked in through the back door. Because of Aunt Gui's illness, she couldn't go in or out through the front door, so she had to go in and out through the side door. There was also another back door, which was where the third room of their family lived. It was quite remote, and the first and second rooms rarely came here on weekdays, so they went in through the side door. He always went in and out through the back door, so he wouldn't run into anyone from the first and second rooms.

This time was no exception. He secretly noticed that there was no one around, so Wen Shuncheng came in cautiously.

Aunt Bai and the others always returned to the third room just after dinner. Today, the head of the third room, Wen Zixiao, also returned, but did not make it for dinner. He just got home and was sitting in the main hall talking to his family.

After looking around and not seeing his eldest son, Wen Zixiao asked, "Where is Cheng brother?"

Aunt Bai said, "Brother Cheng has been going outside the town to catch eels and sell them recently. He usually comes back early, but he hasn't come back yet today."

Wen Zixiao didn't think it was a big deal. The family had encountered such a change, and his eldest son was almost thirteen years old. It was time for him to grow up, and it was right for him to think about making some money for the family.

As he was speaking, Wen Zixiao saw his eldest son Wen Shuncheng bending over and tiptoeing into the yard through the hanging flower gate opposite the door, looking like a thief, with a food box in his hands and someone unknown holding something in his arms.