"Yes, as you command." Sikong Wuyou used a commanding tone, and naturally, Bai Su listened earnestly.
Bai Su placed the plate he was holding on the table beside him, and Sikong Wuyou naturally pinched a piece and put it into his mouth.
"These mulberries... are quite sweet," Sikong Wuyou comnted.
Bai Su smiled, "They are indeed sweet, probably brought over by Wen Jing from Cuishi Town."
"There’s more to it?" Sikong Wuyou paused slightly and asked.
"Of course," Bai Su then explained, "Before coming, I already conducted an investigation. This Cuishi Town is the poorest town in Long’an County. Long’an County is a mountainous area, and Suishi Town is even more surrounded by mountains on all sides. Because of its geological nature, the fields are mixed with small stones, so the grain yield is generally low. However, the fruits from Cuishi Town are famously sweet. Even the wild fruits from the mountains taste much better than those from other places."
"In that case, why doesn’t Cuishi Town make a living by planting fruit trees? Wouldn’t that also be a good way to make money?" Sikong Wuyou asked.
"As I just ntioned, Cuishi Town is neither too big nor too small but is surrounded by mountains on all sides. There are only two roads leading to the county town. One is a mountain path that only accommodates two or three people walking side by side, and the other is a governnt road on a cliff. When the weather is clear and dry, it’s fine, but when it rains, the road becos slippery and can easily lead to sliding off the cliff. It’s also extrely difficult to transport things out, and fruits on the trees are seasonal. Long’an County has plenty of rain, and during continuous rainy days, the fruits can’t be transported, so they just rot on the trees. Therefore, most families only plant a few fruit trees for their own consumption or casual sale..."
At this mont, An Ning was walking on the governnt road Bai Su ntioned.
Going there was downhill and didn’t feel too tiring, but on the way back, already exhausted, An Ning had to walk uphill. It felt like her legs were no longer her own.
As a result, the ti to return took much longer than it had taken to go.
By the ti she finally got ho, it was already late in the afternoon.
Once An Ning got ho, she couldn’t care about anything else. She hurriedly took off her shoes, wanting to lie on the kang and sleep, but Yan Shi forcibly pulled her up to eat a bowl of noodles.
Having gotten up before dawn and only eaten a few mulberries and a sesa seed bun, she was both exhausted and hungry, feeling almost faint.
Seeing An Ning laying tired on the kang, Yan Shi felt both heartache and helplessness.
Taking An Ning’s basket, Yan Shi began to check the items inside.
There were two sesa seed buns, two large pieces of sky-blue hemp cloth, and a fabric wrap that Yan Shi opened to find it filled with colorful cords. She wondered where the child got so much money to buy so many cords and what they were for.
At the very bottom of the small basket, there was a black cloth bag. Yan Shi opened it and covered her mouth in disbelief.
Inside, it was white rice!
Instantly, Yan Shi felt even more heartache for An Ning.
It was her own incompetence that caused such a small child to bear so much.
Thinking about how she saw the child returning covered in morning dew with the basket in the morning, Yan Shi couldn’t help but bla herself.
Holding back her sadness, Yan Shi sorted the items An Ning had bought, then grabbed a handful of rice to cook porridge for Xiaoniu.
She couldn’t bring herself to eat the good rice, so she ate the black noodles that Yan Qiushou had brought.
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