Chapter 007: Returning with a Full Load

The original youngest daughter of the Lu family didn't like to study. After taking over someone else's body, she was busy filling her stomach and taking care of the household, and had no time to study the origins of this Great Yuan Empire, whether it had developed from a historical divergence in the previous life, or was a mirror image in a parallel space.

But now, she realized that since there were cucumbers from the Western Regions and chili peppers from the southeast, it wasn't surprising to see potatoes here.

"Shopkeeper, how much for these potatoes? I want to buy more!"

Lu Xiaomi was overjoyed and kept asking the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper hesitated a bit. The potatoes were given to him by a merchant from the south as a favor, so they weren't considered precious. It was said that they were grown in the mountainous prefectures in the south, and in a good year, they were used to feed pigs. He didn't feel too attached to them. But Lu Xiaomi's eyes were shining, which made him suspect if there was gold hidden inside the potatoes...

At this moment, Lu Xiaomi also understood her appearance, so she smiled and said, "If you don't want to sell, it's fine. I just want to buy more to try planting them in the spring next year. I'll go look at other places then."

"Hey, don't leave, miss. I'm not unwilling to sell. I only have one bag at home. Since you like them, I'll sell them all to you."

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper didn't want to offend Lu Xiaomi, so he quickly stopped her and didn't dare to ask for much money. He just calculated the total, including the rice and flour from earlier, and received fourteen taels in total.

Lu Xiaomi was delighted and specifically asked Lu Wu to carry the bag of potatoes. Lu Wu was a bit reluctant, but Lu Xiaomi directly said, "If you don't carry it, you won't get to eat the good food I make!"

Lu Wu immediately grabbed the bag of potatoes tightly, looking like a hero defending the territory of the Great Yuan, "Sister, rest assured, even if I'm lost, I won't lose this bag."

Lu Xiaomi pinched her empty purse and decisively went to the money exchange to get a silver note, then headed towards the fabric shop on the roadside.

Everyone in the family, young and old, needed new cotton clothes. The quilts were not enough because of the arrival of Feng Jian's servants, and there were also shoes, socks, pillows, and various small sewing items, which was a big expense.

But the tiger and the bear had made significant contributions, so she didn't feel distressed. Forty catties of cotton, five pieces of fine and coarse cloth each, and she even picked two pieces of brocade and two boxes of embroidery thread...

There were too many things, and the shopkeeper at the fabric shop was a shrewd businessman. He directly ordered the young assistant to deliver the goods to the back alley.

Originally, Lu Wu was still clamoring to go to a restaurant for a big meal, but unexpectedly, snowflakes began to fall from the sky.

It was not a time to travel in the snow and wind, so the siblings hurriedly added a few more things and quickly went to find Lao Yang to meet outside the city.

The villagers who entered the city together had been waiting at the city gate. Seeing the Lu family arriving with so many packages, they guessed that they had sold their game at a good price, so they were all happy for the family.

They came with high spirits and left with pride, carrying a full load, which had exhausted the two old horses, but it made Lu Xiaomi smile. She was finally not a clever woman without rice to cook!

It was Lao Yang who still had a furrowed brow when he saw the shantytown outside the city wall.

Another woman on the cart, Liu Auntie, might have been hungry, so she broke off half of a cake and handed it to Lu Xiaomi while the two carts were passing each other.

"Xiaomi, are you hungry? Have a cake first. Just now, your uncle wanted to give all the dry rations to those refugees, but luckily I saved a piece. There's nothing in my stomach, and I can't stand the cold."

Lu Xiaomi thanked her with a smile, but the driver, Uncle Liu, turned back and sighed at the shantytown, "They are all poor people. I wonder if they can survive this winter."

"It's probably not easy. I heard that dozens of people froze to death last year!"

Everyone started talking, all with a sad expression. Although they were not related to those refugees, they were all from poor families, and there was a sense of empathy.

"Speaking of Anzhou, Anzhou, Anzhou is a good place. The sky is high, the emperor is far, and the officials have long arms. There are wild beasts on the mountain, and the wild beasts taste people!"

Uncle Liu sighed and then sang a unique long tune from Anzhou.

The snowstorm grew heavier. Although it was not yet dusk, the sky was dark.

The desolate singing pierced through the twilight, the snow, and flew towards the distant mountains, making everyone fall silent.

No matter when or where, for the common people, staying alive was a difficult problem.

On the Old Bear Ridge, almost every household had someone who had gone into the city, so at this time, many old people and children had gathered at the village entrance. The old people worried about the safety of their children, while the children hoped that their parents would be generous and buy some candy to bring back.

Finally, when they saw the cart arriving at the village entrance, almost everyone immediately surrounded it. Someone shouted, "Kid, did you buy tobacco for me?"

Another person shouted, "Mom, I want to eat sesame candy!"

For a moment, it was bustling and lively, completely dispelling the previous gloom.

Lu Xiaomi didn't want to attract attention with their large purchases, so she urged Lu Wu to go straight back to their courtyard.

Lu Lao and Lao San, as if seeing a savior, rushed out of the hall and busily moved things from the cart into the house.

Lu Xiaomi thought that everyone must be hungry, so she should make something quick and easy to fill their stomachs.

Since her previous life, she had loved rice, but since she arrived at the Lu family, she had never seen a grain of rice. The glutton in her stomach had long been rioting. Now that the rice was finally bought, she couldn't resist, especially with the best side dish, potatoes.

So, she ignored everyone's fuss and busied herself in the kitchen.

Wash the rice in a large basin, set up the stove with a big pot of boiling water, and start steaming directly.

Just bought some potatoes, endured the pain of peeling seven or eight of them. The pork ribs shaved off yesterday were cleaned without blanching, directly stir-fried in the pot to render the fat. Scallions and ginger were sautéed, soy sauce, Sichuan peppercorns, and star anise were added for a lively flavor, then hot water was added to stew for a quarter of an hour. Then the potatoes were thrown in, and two pieces of red chili were sprinkled for color. A pot of potato stew with pork ribs was about to be ready.

A bowl of minced meat, thinly sliced cabbage, stir-fried on high heat until the edges of the cabbage turned golden, then seasoned with sweet and sour sauce, a little soy sauce, and a little salt, the sweet and sour aroma directly enticed Gaoren, making it hard for him to leave.

Lu Xiaomi caught him adding firewood and then sliced the leftover half-cooked pork belly from last night, added some pickled vegetables and vermicelli, and stir-fried a plate.

There were only dishes, no soup, which was a bit monotonous.

A piece of seaweed, an egg, a handful of chopped green onions, and a light and nourishing seaweed and egg soup was ready.

Lu Xiaomi slapped away Gaoren's hand trying to steal a piece of meat, then thought for a moment and drove him away, "Gaoren, go ask Brother Feng. If he doesn't mind, let's have dinner in the east wing tonight. It's cold, and it's too troublesome to divide the food, and it's easy to cool down. It's better to eat together, it's more lively."

Gaoren failed to steal the meat, so he grabbed a piece of pork ribs and swaggered out of the kitchen.

In no time, Lao Yang opened the door of the east wing and called out to Lu Xiaomi, "Miss Lu, our young master said it's good to eat together, it's more lively with more people."

"Alright! Let's eat right away!"

Lu Xiaomi cheerfully agreed, and the brothers of the Lu family who were waiting at the door of the hall hurried over to help serve the dishes.

Soon, the square table that Lao San Lu used for studying and writing was set up neatly on the big kang in the east wing. The steaming dishes were served one by one, and the Lu family's dinner was finally ready.

Three dishes and a soup, with ribs, meat, vegetables, and soup. Compared to the banquets of wealthy families, it was naturally lacking, but it was a rare feast in the Lu family.

Lu Xiaomi quickly picked up a plate and served a few bites of each dish, then turned and handed it to Feng Jian, and then added a bowl of soup and a bowl of rice, and placed it next to him, before inviting everyone to eat.

"After a busy day, let's eat quickly."

Lao Dad Lu was the first to pick up his chopsticks, followed closely by the eldest and third brothers, Gaoren and Lao Yang were not far behind, and the six pairs of chopsticks quickly picked the ribs and twice-cooked pork almost clean.

It was only Lu Xiaomi who picked up her rice bowl, specifically picking the potatoes from the rib pot, eating with a satisfied and joyful expression.

Feng Jian occasionally saw her like this, so he also picked up a piece of potato with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth, and then raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"This potato is cooked so deliciously."

"Huh, Brother Feng, where have you seen this kind of potato? The shopkeeper who sold it to me looked very stingy. I thought this kind of potato was a rare thing."

Lu Xiaomi picked up a clean wooden spoon and scooped up a few pieces of potatoes and put them in Feng Jian's bowl, Feng Jian nodded in thanks, and then said, "This kind of potato is grown in several southern provinces of the Great Yuan, but mostly used to feed livestock."

Lu Wu, who was eating happily, was almost choked when he heard this, his face looked very strange, not knowing whether to swallow it or spit it out.

Lu Xiaomi raised her hand to pat her brother's back, scolding, "What's the fuss about? Which rabbit or wild boar on the mountain doesn't eat wild vegetables? You've been eating them for many years, and you haven't turned into a rabbit or a wild boar, have you?"

Lu Wu thought about it and realized it made sense, so he smiled foolishly at his sister and then focused on the potatoes even more.

"There are many ways to eat this kind of potato, and it can be stored for a long time. It's a pity that I only bought a small bag and have to save half of it for planting in the spring."

Lu Eldest Brother wanted to ask his sister, even if they had potatoes for planting, it would be difficult to find someone to plant them. But seeing his second brother trying to grab the last few pieces of potatoes, he put the matter aside.

After dinner, everyone tidied up the table, and Lu Xiaomi brought over a set of blue and white porcelain tea set and half a bag of tea leaves, then went enthusiastically to tidy up her spoils of the day.

Gaoren, full and satisfied, went straight to sleep on the kang.

But Lao Yang, while making tea, talked about what he had seen outside the city, and then sighed, "It is said that dozens of people froze to death last winter, and it's probably more this winter..."

Feng Jian's eyes flashed with a hint of fierceness, and he said coldly, "In the autumn of the previous year, refugees from the three southern provinces headed north. The court had sent documents to various provincial governments for relief and resettlement. How come they are now stranded in the northernmost Anzhou?"

Lao Yang did not respond. Although it was a question, both the master and the servant knew the answer. It could be said that the provincial governments were reluctant to spend money and grain, and kept driving the refugees north. If it weren't for the fact that Anzhou was the northernmost part of the Great Yuan, there might not be a single refugee here, and it would be a scene of peace and prosperity.

"Does Xuanming have any news?"

Feng Jian suppressed his anger and asked about another matter. Lao Yang nodded and replied in a low voice, "Yes, according to the investigation, it was a coincidence that those bandits passed by the ruined temple, and there was no one behind the scenes plotting."