The little one's purse connects the two worlds, turning a desolate village into a paradise.

"Isn't this too much stuff? Will my daughter be able to push it?"

Zhao Hu tried pushing the cart; it was still a bit heavy.

No matter how much you flatten the dirt floor inside the house, the wheels still don't roll very smoothly.

"It can be pushed!" Ya Ya gripped the sides of the stroller, leaned forward, and pushed off with her short legs, slowly moving the stroller forward.

"We can fit even more!"

Lately, he's been eating well at every meal and has been having three regular meals a day, and the little guy has gotten stronger.

Ya Ya stared at the unfinished mushrooms outside and the empty spaces in the cart and boxes, and directed Zhao Hu:

"Uncle Zhao, give me some more wood mushrooms and prickly ash shoots, quick!"

Zhao Hu couldn't persuade her otherwise, so he added a few more wood mushrooms and casually put two clumps of thorny buds inside.

Ya Ya protested, "Uncle Zhao, why are you so stingy! We can't finish it all. We should pack more and sell it; we can get lots of money!"

Sister Hemiao had told her before that she shouldn't carry too much money. Grandpa Fang was also worried that she would have more money after selling her things and it wouldn't be safe to carry it all, so he tidied up her little handbag.

She took out all the rope, copper coins, and thick stacks of various paper bills, leaving only two red bills and some small denomination bills in her small cloth bag.

The little cloth bag was flat and lightly pressed against her body, but Ya Ya still felt uneasy.

Zhao Hu glanced at the people beside him, but none of them stopped him.

I had no choice but to fill all the gaps inside, stuffing it until it was overflowing, then pressing it down before finally putting the lid on.

Ya Ya patted the lid with satisfaction and breathed a long sigh of relief. Now she wouldn't have to worry about not having money.

She's going on a big shopping spree today!

We need to buy firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea.

Salt is so precious, and oil is even more expensive! A pound of fatty meat costs 100 coins, a number she remembers very clearly. Few people in the village can afford it; everyone pools their money to buy a pound together. Only the wealthiest Grandpa Chen can afford to buy it alone.

……

"Auntie!" A clear little voice drifted from across the street. Cao Xiulian looked up and saw Ya Ya. Her eyes lit up and her mouth involuntarily turned up.

Oh my goodness, her little niece is so adorable.

Wearing a bright red hooded lamb's wool jacket, soft and fluffy, with a small basket slung over her back, she stood there looking like a round little red dumpling. Her hair wasn't tied up, lying softly beside her cheeks, making her head look round.

She wore light gray shorts and a new pair of children's Velcro shoes, looking clean and energetic.

She was so thin and small a few days ago, but I've watched her grow up little by little.

Her cheeks are no longer sunken, and although she's not fat at all, her complexion is much rosier. Combined with this red outfit, she's so cute that it's hard to look away.

Cao Xiulian's heart melted completely, and she muttered to herself:

Why didn't I give birth to such a well-behaved little daughter?

She was just wondering a while ago that the little sprout had made a lot of money from selling it back and forth, but she hadn't seen the child change clothes. Her mother-in-law seemed to be very ill. She should go and see the grandmother and granddaughter when she had time.

Then take Ya Ya to buy new clothes; she needs at least a few to change into.

Who would have thought that I would see Ya Ya wearing new clothes today, and they fit her so well and look so pretty. I can finally relax a little.

She walked over quickly, took Ya Ya's little hand in her hand, and casually weighed the stroller in her hand.

It's strangely heavy.

I don't know what's in the small basket on her back.

When they arrived at her stall, Cao Xiulian reached out and patted Ya Ya's head.

My hair was just washed; it's soft, smooth, and feels incredibly comfortable to the touch.

"Quickly put the basket down."

Ya Ya obediently took off her little basket and took out two pairs of straw sandals from it.

"Auntie, these are the shoes my mother-in-law knitted for you, take a look..."

Cao Xiulian was taken aback at first, wondering why she had been given something again, but once she held it in her hands, she immediately took a liking to it.

It's an old-fashioned craft. It looks durable and comfortable, with a dense weave and neat patterns. It's much sturdier than those cheap ones that cost ten or twenty yuan at the morning market, and it looks nice too.

She didn't know anything about intangible cultural heritage or handicrafts, let alone that straw sandals came in different types of straw and different crafts. In her eyes, these were simply the heartfelt wishes of an elderly person who made them sturdy and comfortable.

I can't refuse, especially since I really like it.

"Okay, okay, this is great!" Cao Xiulian happily accepted it. "Auntie loves wearing these; they're breathable and good for your feet."

"Thank you, Ya Ya, for always remembering your aunt. And on your behalf, thank you to your mother-in-law!"

Ya Ya pursed her little mouth and smiled happily, her eyes curving into two little crescent moons.

Cao Xiulian carefully packed the shoes into a bag and put them away, then started helping to arrange the goods in the trolley.

I was shocked when I opened the lid; there were so many fresh ones!

Was there some kind of village-wide mobilization?

As she set things out, she took out her phone and sent a message to a small group chat she had just created with about a dozen people:

[We have a large selection of fresh wild vegetables today, including shepherd's purse, wild asparagus shoots, bracken, oyster mushrooms, and a small amount of morel mushrooms. Hurry if you want some!]

After sending the message to the group, no one replied, but Cao Xiulian wasn't worried at all.

I put my phone aside and focused on setting up the stall with Ya Ya.

The people here might be reluctant to buy expensive clothes or jewelry, but if they come across wild or fresh produce that has just come out of the mountains, they'll be willing to spend any amount of money to buy it, as long as it's good.

What you eat is never a loss.

She wasn't worried at all about not being able to sell them.

Fresh, green wild vegetables are placed in a small basket and then arranged one by one on a yellow checkered picnic blanket, looking refreshing and delightful.

Just as I set up my stall, a gust of wind suddenly swept across the area, and a person rushed over, panting heavily, and stood in front of me.

"Oh dear, oh dear... I just made it in time!"

Wang Guifen, one hand supporting her lower back, was panting heavily, her eyes fixed on the two baskets of morel mushrooms:

"These morel mushrooms... pack them all up, oh well, I'll just take the basket too, it'll be more convenient."

Ya Ya stared at Wang Guifen with her little mouth agape, hesitated for a moment, and then pointed to her feet: "Grandma, your shoes seem to be on backwards."

Wang Guifen glanced down, her face flushed, and she straightened her slippers. "Isn't it because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to buy these morel mushrooms if I was late?"

Cao Xiulian had already weighed the two baskets of morel mushrooms. "The two baskets, after peeling, weighed exactly one jin (500 grams). Each basket cost twenty-five yuan, so it's four hundred."

Wang Guifen wasn't in a hurry. She pointed to a bunch of tender shoots and picked up a handful of wild onions, saying, "This can also be called that."

As usual, I ordered another ten yuan worth of fried sugar cakes and paid for them together.

No sooner had Wang Guifen left than several more people rushed over, and Cao Xiulian recognized them as members of the group chat.

"Oh dear, where did the morel mushrooms go?"

"I got up as soon as I saw the news, but I'm still not as fast as them."

"There are still quite a few oyster mushrooms left!"

"These wild oyster mushrooms, I must say, taste so much better than the cultivated ones!"

"Absolutely! Artificially made mushrooms taste watery and bland, but the oyster mushrooms this young owner sells are thick, chewy, and have a wonderfully fresh aroma. Just a few in any stir-fry will make it incredibly delicious, and the kids love them!"

Everyone chatted and laughed as they picked out vegetables; they were all familiar faces, and the atmosphere was lively.

There were plenty of wild thorn shoots this time, so we shared them. In no time, the small cart that was originally full of wild produce weighing more than ten kilograms was almost sold out.

I also bought a basket along with some other things. The last bit of wild green onions was taken away by a newly joined auntie, who said she would use them to make scrambled eggs.

After everyone left, Cao Xiulian calculated that it was 1196 yuan, another thousand yuan or so in income.

She rounded up the bills for Ya Ya: eleven red bills plus a hundred yuan in loose change.

I also sold quite a few of the sugar cakes I made myself, and everyone who bought wild vegetables also bought a few pieces. It was quite a busy day.

"Keep the money safe, don't lose it." Cao Xiulian helped fold the money and handed it to Ya Ya.

"Thank you, Auntie. You've worked so hard." Ya Ya carefully put the money away, then picked up her little basket and reached inside to rummage around.

Cao Xiulian looked on in confusion. What else could it be? Did this little basket hide some kind of treasure?

The next second, Ya Ya held up a small bag and handed it to me, looking up at me with her little face: "Auntie, here you go."

It's a small bag of fresh morel mushrooms.

Cao Xiulian stood there, stunned.

The child definitely knows this thing is valuable. It's been sold twice already. So many people came wanting it, but she couldn't bear to sell a single one or even mention it. She just kept it for her and even hid it in her little basket.