Chapter 15: Launching the Support Trading Platform

Oil-fried dough sticks were something Yan Yu never cared for in the past.

Now, she craved them so much she couldn’t stop swallowing her saliva.

When she received a piece from her father, she was so happy she stomped her feet in delight.

So fragrant! So delicious!

Li Xuemei grabbed Da Ya’s hand and forced a piece into her mouth. Embarrassed, Da Ya chewed carefully, reluctant to swallow.

She herself also ate a piece, and the more she chewed, the tastier it became.

Second Yan wouldn’t shortchange himself either. He poured the pork from the pot into his bowl, ate two pieces of the fried dough sticks, and finally satisfied his craving.

A few pieces remained, left for Old Yan and his eldest nephew.

With the pot still filled with oil, Second Yan pulled out a head of Chinese cabbage.

Don’t underestimate this wilted cabbage. According to the vegetable vendor lady, it usually sold for two coins per pound, but now it was three—and that was already a good deal. If he hadn’t bought up all her leftover wild onions and cabbage, she wouldn’t have given him a discount. She could have easily sold them for seven coins per pound.

He chopped the wild onions and fried them in the oil until fragrant.

Then, he tossed in the sliced meat, stir-frying it until it changed color, added a bit of freshly bought soy sauce, and sprinkled in a little coarse salt.

The outer leaves of the wilted cabbage were peeled off. Instead of using a knife, he tore the cabbage by hand, poked at the firewood in the stove to make the flames burn stronger, and continued stir-frying rapidly.

By the time Yan Huaiwen returned slowly with his son, the sky was already darkening. As soon as they entered the courtyard, they were greeted by the rich aroma of meat.

Yan Huaiwen had a meal consisting of porridge and soup—soft-boiled pork liver porridge and a well-balanced bone broth.

He had intentionally saved a few pieces of fried dough sticks for his son and himself, but in the end, he only tasted one piece while the rest ended up in Xiang Heng’s stomach.

The others got an additional dish—stir-fried cabbage with pork.

Li Xuemei had no choice but to portion out the food for everyone. First, there wasn’t much meat to go around. Second, she was worried that if the children ate too much meat all at once, they wouldn’t be able to digest it properly.

“Second Uncle, you cooked this meal?” Xiang Heng was shocked. A gentleman should stay away from the kitchen, and while his second uncle wasn’t exactly a gentleman, he had always held himself to the standards of a scholar. How could he personally cook?

“Haha, your second aunt is pregnant and shouldn’t overwork herself. How’s my cooking?”

“Congratulations to Second Uncle and Second Aunt!” Xiang Heng grinned. “More than just okay—it’s amazing!”

“If you like it, I’ll cook more in the future.” The pregnancy excuse was powerful. Now he had a legitimate reason to take over the kitchen.

His wife’s cooking skills… best left unmentioned.

Yan Huaiwen glanced at him but said nothing.

He thought to himself that his younger brother’s obsession with food had really intensified—going from loving to eat to learning how to cook…

Since his sister-in-law’s pregnancy was unstable, it was best for her to take it easy. If his younger brother could handle the cooking, then let him.

As for Er Ya… The child was so focused on eating that she didn’t even lift her head.

Watching her, he unconsciously drank an extra half bowl of porridge.

He felt a bit full.

After dinner, Da Ya rushed to clean up while Yan Huaiwen and his son organized the books, ink, and supplies they had brought back from the academy.

Second Yan mixed the leftover cabbage leaves with wheat straw and fed them to the cow. He then helped collect the sun-dried quilts and clothes, sorted the wheat they had gathered today, made two trips to fetch four buckets of water, and took a stroll around his eldest brother’s house before finally going inside to rest.

“Big Brother didn’t mention splitting the family today?” Li Xuemei asked.

She wasn’t hoping for it, but the uncertainty kept her on edge. Honestly, none of them were particularly ambitious. They had never even considered making a grand fortune.

A small, stable life was enough, as long as the family stayed healthy. That was all ordinary folks could wish for.

“Not only did he not mention it, but he didn’t even seem angry,” Second Yan said, puzzled.

Li Xuemei asked again, “Did Big Brother still have the land deed with him?”

“Of course! You should’ve seen the face of the pawnshop’s head manager—he was so surprised!” Second Yan chuckled. “No matter what, selling the land was a good decision. With money in hand, we won’t panic. Now that we have an ox cart, the grains we bought, the newly harvested wheat, and the things Big Brother purchased—all are preparations for fleeing the famine. I think we’re well-equipped. The only problem is…”

“The only problem is that with all these supplies, plus our household belongings, the ox might not be able to pull anything else,” Li Xuemei finished for him.

Second Yan had noticed the issue while driving the cart home today.

But there wasn’t a good solution. Buying another cart wasn’t an option.

The ox could only pull so much. At most, his wife and daughter could ride in the cart, but everyone else would have to walk.

“There’s no helping it. We’ll just take it one step at a time,” Li Xuemei sighed, touching her belly.

“Father, what do you think of this version of the map?” Yan Yu had drawn it on paper this time.

Second Yan considered himself a scholar, so he had plenty of paper and ink on hand. To avoid waste, she always used the back of practice sheets for drawing.

“It looks great! All the places I’ve been to are marked.”

“Eh? This handwriting…” Li Xuemei compared carefully. “Did you imitate Second Yan’s handwriting?”

“Yep! Think about it, if my father suddenly couldn’t read or write, wouldn’t Big Uncle find it suspicious? I need to practice writing like him just in case. Dad, you should also keep practicing—you need to improve your handwriting and keep reading when you have time.” Yan Yu spoke earnestly.

Li Xuemei agreed. “Our daughter is right. Otherwise, you’ll be functionally illiterate, unable to even recognize a receipt properly.”

Second Yan quickly defended himself. “I can read! I recognize all the similar-looking characters—I just ask for help to avoid mistakes! Sigh… why did Second Yan insist on being a scholar? He wasn’t cut out for it! Wasted money and time. What’s wrong with just being an honest farmer?”

Resigned, he picked up one of Second Yan’s books and started studying from the simplest Thousand Character Classic.

Whenever he encountered a character he didn’t know, he asked. His wife and daughter had no trouble reading—only he struggled…

“Oh, I almost forgot!” Second Yan smacked his forehead, put down the book, and stepped out. Soon, he returned with a small basin.

“Look! How’s my pork skin jelly?” He proudly displayed it. “It’s crystal-clear! If only there was more pork skin, it’d be even better.”

Even though Yan Yu was full from dinner, she instinctively craved the pork skin jelly.

“Father, why didn’t you bring a spoon?” How were they supposed to eat it?

“We’re not eating this right away. Isn’t our trading platform going live at midnight? I made this secretly—if we can trade it for something, great. If not, we’ll eat it as a midnight snack.”

“I made something too,” Li Xuemei said, taking out a small cloth bundle.

But she didn’t open it.

“What did you make, dear?” Second Yan asked, full of curiosity.

Li Xuemei smirked. “You’ll find out soon enough.”

Father and daughter exchanged a glance—she was being quite mysterious.

…

Midnight

A gentle female voice rang out again.

【Please confirm if your surroundings are safe.】

Despite staying up late, Yan Yu instantly perked up.

“Yes!”

Her sudden response startled both Second Yan and Li Xuemei.

They were slightly better off than their daughter but still drowsy. They had been forcing themselves to stay awake.

But now, their eyes were wide open, completely alert.

The first trade—what should they exchange for? It was a tough choice.