Sold immediately after wearing it? I took my family and fled the famine.

The distribution is based on the amount of labor contributed. The strongest laborers who contribute the most labor receive more, and those who contribute less labor receive less. Ma Dadan already explained this rule yesterday, and no one has any objections.

Dr. Gu squatted at the entrance of the cave, buried the yam at the edge of the fire, and waited until the skin was charred before peeling it off. The white inside was steaming, and when he broke it open, it emitted a faint sweet fragrance.

One child took a bite, his eyes widening in surprise: "It's so sweet and delicious! Even better than cornbread!"

Every household followed suit, and people squatted around the fire, filling the cave with the sweet aroma of roasted yams.

Jiang Xing didn't roast the yams. Instead, she squatted by her own fire, peeled the yams with a short knife, cut them into small pieces, and put them into a clay pot to cook with brown rice.

Yam is good for strengthening the spleen and stomach, and cooking it into porridge is the best way to maximize its medicinal effects.

Grandma and Third Uncle were both recovering from serious illnesses and had weak spleens and stomachs. They were better off cooking them than roasting them. Several families who still had grain stored up were also learning to roast yams. When they saw Jiang Xing peeling, cutting, and cooking them into porridge, they paused for a moment and then followed suit.

Not long after, the young woman who had been peeling the skin first suddenly put down the knife, looked down at her hands, and saw that the back of her hands was turning red, a dense patch of small red dots had appeared on her wrists, and her fingers were itchy.

"Is this yam poisonous?!" She was so anxious that tears were about to fall, and she stretched out her reddened hands in front of Doctor Gu.

Several people nearby also looked down at their hands, and the scene became a little chaotic for a moment.

Surrounded by several people, Dr. Gu examined each one, then picked up a piece of yam peel and held it up to the firelight to carefully examine the sap at the cut. His brow relaxed, and he waved his hand, saying, "It's nothing, not poisonous. Yam sap will cause itching if it touches the skin, but washing it will be fine, or you can roast it over a fire. It's harmless."

"Next time you peel yams, wrap your hands with a cloth, or don't touch the skin after peeling, and you won't feel itchy. It's harmless to eat yams; yams are good for the spleen and stomach, so eat them as you normally would."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Several women, itching to get their hands dirty, ran to the cave entrance and rinsed their hands with cold water, muttering under their breath, "Why didn't you say so earlier!"

"Don't you know that yourself?" The woman next to her rolled her eyes.

"Ouch, it itches so much!" The little incident, where the person was both itchy and unable to stop laughing, actually lightened the atmosphere in the cave considerably.

Ma Dadan sorted out the yams he had dug up that day. He had personally gone up the mountain and dug up quite a lot. He took the yams out and divided them into several small portions. He took one portion and walked to the Qian family's carriage.

Master Qian peeked halfway out from behind the carriage curtain, took the yam, and a rare genuine smile appeared on his face. He cupped his hands in thanks and said, "Captain Ma, thank you for your kindness."

"Don't be so polite, Mr. Qian. It's only right that your family donated grain." Ma Dadan took another portion and delivered it to the outside of Chen Xiucai's tent. Chen Zhilan thanked him on his behalf, her voice gentle and soft: "Thank you, Captain Ma."

Jiang Qingshan stood outside the crowd and witnessed the whole scene.

Clutching a few yams he had dug up himself, he hesitated for a long time, took a deep breath, walked around several fires, and stood outside the tent of Chen Xiucai's house.

"Miss Chen... Miss Chen." Jiang Qingshan's voice was a little tense. He held out the yam in his hand and stammered a bunch of flowery words: "My family dug some yams up the mountain today. They're not anything precious, but they'll fill our stomachs. I hope you won't find them too expensive..."

There was a moment of silence inside the tent, then the curtain was lifted slightly.

A glimpse of her plain-colored cuff and a pair of slender hands were visible. When she took the yam, her fingertips accidentally touched Jiang Qingshan's fingers.

Jiang Qingshan's hand trembled, and the yam almost fell to the ground.

"Thank you for your concern, Young Master Jiang." Chen Zhilan's voice came from behind the tent, soft and gentle: "You are too kind, Young Master. Thank you for your trouble."

Jiang Qingshan stood frozen in place, his mind seemingly fogged up by something.

Her voice echoed in his ears, but he couldn't speak. He opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word. His face turned red from his ears all the way to his neck.

"Young Master?" Chen Zhilan's voice rang out again, this time with a hint of doubt.

"No...you're welcome! I'll take my leave!" Jiang Qingshan practically fled, tripping over his own clothes as he turned around and nearly falling. He ran back in long strides.

Jiang Qingyue sat beside the cart, finished peeling the yam in her hand, glanced at her brother, and pursed her lips. She secretly clicked her tongue in amazement. They were almost starving to death, yet he could still think about romance.

Zhou saw it too. She first saw Jiang Qingshan running back from the tent of Chen Xiucai's house, and then she noticed that a few yams were missing from her cart.

She jumped to her feet, hands on her hips, and walked up to Jiang Qingshan. Her voice was low, but each word seemed to be squeezed out from between her teeth: "Qingshan, a few yams are missing. Did you take them to Scholar Chen's house?"

Jiang Qingshan didn't say anything, his ears were still red.

"You're using our own things to save face!" Zhou pointed at his nose, her voice rising, "Do you know that these yams were painstakingly dug up by your parents climbing the mountain? If you give them away, what will we eat?!"

Jiang Qingshan raised his head, his face still flushed, but his expression was completely different. The corners of his mouth were slightly upturned, and his eyes had a hazy light. He was clearly still immersed in the short conversation just now and hadn't heard Zhou's words at all.

"Mother, what did you say?"

Zhou was so angry she almost choked. Gritting her teeth, she turned around and went to the cart to sort through the remaining yams, muttering to herself, "What sins did I commit to have such a traitorous and foolish son..."

Jiang Qingyue sat in the corner, wiped the knife she used to peel yams on a cloth, and whispered, "Brother, wipe your drool."

Jiang Qingshan subconsciously raised his sleeve to wipe the corner of his mouth, only to find that he hadn't drooled at all. He then realized that he had been teased by his sister, and his ears turned red again.

The commotion in the cave gave it a bit of a lived-in feel.

The oppressive atmosphere of the past few days was dispelled by this small flurry of activity. Zhang sat on her bedding, looking at the busy crowd around her, and then at Jiang Xing, who was squatting by the fire, intently peeling yams. Her lips moved, but she ultimately said nothing.

Third Uncle squatted down beside him, the last patch of ointment on his knee, a pipe in his mouth but not lit, squinting as he looked around.

No one in the cave slept through the night. Those who had eaten their fill slept soundly, and even the coughing was much less frequent than in the previous nights.

The fire had burned down to embers, the dark red light flickering on the stone walls. Occasionally, someone would turn over, snore, or a child's indistinct sleep-talking could be heard. These chaotic sounds only made the cave seem more peaceful.