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

The villagers of Lotus Village, where Cao Xiulian was, had no idea that the wild vegetables she had brought had become a hot commodity.

She's taking notes on paper with a charcoal pencil.

We need to buy more fragrant soap and reading glasses, and continue to buy a bag of rice every day. There are so many things we want to buy, and our little brains can't remember them all, so we simply draw them all on paper.

Fang Tiesheng stared at the circles of various sizes on the paper, feeling both helpless and amused.

Aunt Lin further improved Ya Ya's little crossbody bag by sewing two compartments together. Now Ya Ya's little crossbody bag has three compartments: one for red bills, one for other colors, and the last one for coins.

Before long, it was evening, and Ya Ya pushed her little cart and appeared in a flash next to the small stone pier at the morning market.

As soon as Cao Xiulian heard the tumbling sound, she knew the little girl had arrived. Seeing how easily she pushed the cart, she figured she probably wasn't selling wild vegetables, so she knew there was no need to notify the customers.

"Auntie!" Ya Ya's short legs flew swiftly, and she stood by the stove as if she knew the way well.

"What are you buying for the villagers today?" Cao Xiulian asked with a smile, gently warming Ya Ya's frostbitten cheeks with her warm hands.

Ya Ya blinked a few times: "Buy white rice and noodles, and take another look. Mainly, Grandma is bringing things for Auntie."

As she spoke, she lifted the lid of the trolley and pulled out a small cattail basket.

The basket was woven in a fine and dense manner, and inside it was a neatly stacked bag of wild vegetables. At a glance, there were several kinds, each in small quantities, and they were all washed clean. It was clear that they had been carefully selected and prepared.

Fresh and tender, it's a delight to look at.

"Wow, there's so much food! There's even lamb's quarters! It's all delicious." Cao Xiulian's eyes lit up.

"Did you bring this especially for me?"

"Yes! Grandma said to remember Auntie's kindness and add a dish for Auntie." Ya Ya nodded her little head earnestly.

Cao Xiulian didn't stand on ceremony with Ya Ya and accepted it with a smile: "Then Auntie will accept it. Thank you, Ya Ya, and please thank your mother-in-law for me!"

"I've also prepared something for you." Cao Xiulian turned around and took out a paper bag from behind her.

"I bought you clothes last time, but you were missing a new pair of pants. I saw these pants yesterday that fit you well, so I bought them for you."

Inside the paper bag was a thick pair of black cotton pants, dark in color and resistant to dirt.

There was also a pair of beige corduroy trousers.

Spring is just around the corner, the weather is gradually warming up, and there will be new trousers available. Corduroy is perfect for spring and autumn.

Ya Ya peeked through the edge of the paper bag, her eyes widening instantly, her little mouth slightly agape: "Wow!"

She reached out her little hand and gently touched it. It was soft, similar to the floral jacket she had bought. It was thick. The other one, however, had strips of fabric she had never seen before, with a slightly fuzzy feel.

The color was like rice, I can't quite describe it, but it was really beautiful.

The little girl immediately reached for her small handbag: "Auntie, how much is it? Ya Ya will give you the money."

Cao Xiulian gently pressed her hand, somewhat amused and exasperated: "You silly girl, you brought me vegetables and I didn't give you any money. So, if I bring you things, shouldn't I also not give you money? I treat you like family, we're relatives. If you give me money, it means you don't acknowledge me as your elder."

Upon hearing this, Ya Ya immediately put down the money, stretched out her little arms and hugged Cao Xiulian's leg, rubbing her head against it: "Yes, yes, Ya Ya loves Auntie the most, thank you Auntie!"

As the two were chatting, the older woman, who had bought all the toon sprouts from Ya Ya the day before yesterday, came over again. She spotted the small basket that Cao Xiulian had placed next to her, and her eyes lit up immediately.

"Oh my! Wild vegetables again today? And lamb's quarters too, what's the price?"

Upon hearing this, Cao Xiulian quickly hugged the small basket to her chest and waved her hands repeatedly, saying, "No, no, I won't sell this. My niece specially gave it to me to keep for herself."

"This looks like it weighs two or three pounds, right, young lady? Let's discuss sharing some, even just some lamb's quarters, it's good for calcium, I'll make some for my kids."

Cao Xiulian shook her head vigorously, and Ya Ya stretched out her little hand to block the small basket: "Grandma picked these especially for Auntie."

Undeterred, the eldest sister circled the basket, looking it over from all angles. Suddenly, her gaze fell upon the exquisite cattail basket, and her eyes lit up.

"Never mind not selling the vegetables. I'll buy them next time I pick more. This basket, this basket is newly woven, isn't it? It's made with old craftsmanship. The texture, it's handmade. Are you selling this basket? I need a vegetable basket."

Upon hearing this, both Ya Ya and Cao Xiulian froze on the spot.

Why are you even eyeing the basket?

Cao Xiulian held up the small basket and looked at it. The material was natural and simple, with a grassy scent and no patterns. She wondered what price it would cost.

She gestured for her older sister to wait a moment, then lowered her voice and asked Ya Ya, "Ya Ya, did your mother-in-law weave this basket?"

"Yes, Grandma is very skillful; she can knit many things," Ya Ya replied proudly.

She heard it; her mother-in-law's basket had been praised and could be sold for money!

My mother-in-law has always been very capable. In the past, she supported the two of them by growing vegetables and selling small baskets. She still remembers that a basket cost two coins, and the small ones cost one coin. My mother-in-law would save up for half a month and then go to the outside of the mountain with other villagers to sell them, earning many copper coins!

Cao Xiulian was conflicted. She frowned and said, "Sister, I've never sold these handmade baskets before, so I don't know the price. If they're too expensive, it's not worth it, and if they're too cheap, it's a time-consuming handmade craft."

"How about 25 yuan?" The older woman thought for a moment and gave a price.

Several ordinary machine-knitted items cost 10 yuan, and even the more expensive ones are only around ten yuan. This lady's price is quite reasonable.

"Ya Ya, do you think this is appropriate? Go back and ask your elders, how many should we bring tomorrow?" Cao Xiulian didn't make decisions for Ya Ya blindly; as long as the price was right, that was fine.

She had initially thought the little basket was nothing special, but now that someone else had taken a liking to it, she found it increasingly fascinating.

She has no intention of selling what she has on hand.

Asking about the price was also a way of thinking that if it was good, Ya Ya's elders could have an extra source of income and another sales channel.

One coin turned into twenty-five dollars, and Ya Ya was so shocked that she couldn't speak.

Wow!

My mother-in-law is about to become a landlord!

No, no, it's the old lady landlord.

"Can I go back and ask my mother-in-law and then give you an answer? How many do you want? If she agrees, I'll bring them over tomorrow morning."

Ya Ya turned her head to look at the older sister who was still waiting expectantly.

"Two, please. If you have any larger ones or other styles or patterns, please bring them too. I really appreciate these traditional handmade items—they're simple, durable, and easy to make!" the older woman thought for a moment.

"Okay, I'll bring it for you if my mother-in-law agrees."

The older woman was pleased that things were settled. She didn't ask about the wild vegetables; those who had extra would naturally bring them to sell. She bought a bag of fried sugar cakes from Cao Xiulian's stall before heading off to browse elsewhere.

After everyone had gone, Cao Xiulian quickly put the basket of wild vegetables into the small cabinet under her stall to avoid being seen and questioned again.

As for the small basket, she deliberately placed it in a conspicuous spot.

If other people are interested, it could bring in a few more business opportunities for the villagers of Ya Ya.

She put the paper bag containing the new pants into Ya Ya's stroller and instructed, "Take these with you and go about your business. Remember to tell your mother-in-law about the basket, don't forget!"

"Mmm!" Ya Ya nodded vigorously. "Thank you, Auntie! See you tomorrow, Auntie!"

After leaving Cao Xiulian's fried sugar cake stall, Ya Ya strolled back into the morning market crowd; this place had almost become her happy hometown.

We'll buy the grains last; yesterday we bought fruit and meat.

What should I buy today?

Ya Ya pushed the cart; she still had over 1,800 yuan.

Just then, a strong yet sweet fragrance wafted over from not far away, like a small hook that instantly caught her nose.