After checking everything, about two-thirds of Widow Xia's basket were Medicinal Herbs.
Qin Sang estimated that if she sold them all to the Mall's purchasing system, she could get at least seven or eight hundred mall coins.
Compared to the little things Qin Sang had given Widow Xia today, she hadn't lost out at all and had even made a decent profit.
Of course, this was only because Qin Sang had the Mall and didn't care much about those supplies. Otherwise, even for seven or eight hundred copper coins, she wouldn't sell the food and water she relied on for survival.
She put away the remaining Medicinal Herbs and threw the other useless roots into the pit outside for composting.
The next day, before Qin Sang was fully awake, she was roused by cheers coming from outside.
"There's water, there really is water."
"We won't die of thirst anymore, we're saved."
"This place really is a treasure."
Eldest Brothers Wife heard the commotion and got up to run outside. Knowing what was happening, Qin Sang took her time washing up.
A crowd had gathered around the distant well, and they could hear the village chief calling everyone to bring containers to prepare for drawing water.
Qin Sang yawned. Last night, she had secretly gotten up in the middle of the night, gone near the well to fill the water vat, and after returning, it took her a long time to fall back asleep due to lingering nervousness.
She planned to make something delicious to reward herself.
This time, she took out several dozen Preserved Eggs, perfect for making a pot of Preserved Egg and Lean Pork Congee, and then fry a few Egg Pancakes to fill everyone up.
When the plain rice congee was almost done, she added minced lean pork and Preserved Eggs. After cooking, she sprinkled in some dried vegetables. The fragrant aroma of the Preserved Eggs was particularly appetizing.
She mixed two eggs into the flour, stirring until smooth without lumps. She heated oil in the pan, poured in a portion of the batter once hot, and fried it over low heat until both sides were golden brown.
Sprinkled with some sugar, it tasted sweet and fragrant.
By the time Qin Sang had finished frying several dozen Egg Pancakes, the family members who had gone to watch the excitement had returned, all beaming with joy. Seeing Qin Sang bringing out breakfast, Eldest Brothers Wife and Er Fu quickly came over to help.
"Grandma, it smells so good. What is this?" Eldest Girl obediently waited by the large stone holding her pottery bowl. Seeing the dark specks in the congee, she asked curiously.
Qin Sang ladled a bowl for her. The congee had cooled while she was frying the pancakes, so it was just right to drink now:
"These are Preserved Eggs. Try them and see if you like them."
Eldest Girl scooped a spoonful with her wooden spoon, swallowed it, and then smiled sweetly:
"It's delicious. The congee Grandma makes is especially tasty."
"If you like it, have another bowl. Preserved Eggs can clear heat and reduce internal heat, perfect for this hot weather."
"Mm-hmm."
Qin Sang then served a bowl for Tian Wenmo. Unexpectedly, after taking a sip, the boy made a sour face:
"Mmm..."
Qin Sang asked curiously:
"What's wrong?"
Tian Wenmo picked up his bowl and said:
"Mother, what is this strange taste?"
Then he turned to Eldest Girl:
"Eldest Girl, your taste is so weird, liking such yucky stuff."
Teased like this, the little girl couldn't help but feel a bit sad:
"Uncle, isn't it good? I... I think it's tasty..."
Seeing Tian Wenmo about to say more, Qin Sang stuffed an egg pancake into his mouth:
"Can't even food shut you up? Different people have different tastes, what's the big deal? You're lucky to have anything to eat at all, and you're getting picky."
Tian Wenmo didn't dare argue. After swallowing the pancake, he said:
"Mother, I'm not being picky, and I'm not refusing to eat it. I just don't like the taste."
After speaking, he deliberately picked up his congee bowl and took a big gulp to show he really wasn't a picky eater. Finishing the congee, Tian Wenmo added:
"I just passed by Brother Heizi's shelter and saw they only had Roasted Flour to eat. Our family has white rice congee, meat, eggs, and pancakes, which is already excellent.
Mother, I'll finish it all and won't waste any."
Only then did Qin Sang smile:
"That's more like it. Don't drink so fast, be careful it's hot. If you don't like it, next time I'll ladle out a bowl for you before adding the Preserved Eggs.
Everyone in a big family has different tastes and habits. Living together means making accommodations for each other, that's how we can have harmonious and happy days."
Even in later generations, people argued over whether Tofu Pudding should be sweet or savory, let alone Preserved Eggs.
Those who like them call them delicious, while those who don't rank Preserved Eggs alongside foods like Surströmming as inedible.
However, Qin Sang was pleased that Tian Wenmo didn't refuse to eat it at all just because he didn't like it.
The few people inside all grinned, showing their white teeth:
"Mm-hmm, we understand, Mother."
After finishing a wonderful breakfast, Tian Yougen came over carrying half a bucket of water:
"Da Zhuangs Mother, I've brought water for your family. Da Zhuang, quick, bring a bucket."
"Ah, yes, Uncle."
Da Zhuang went to get the bucket, and Qin Sang went to greet him:
"Paternal uncle, why bring so much water? We still have water at home. Shouldn't we prioritize distributing it to the other villagers first?"
Tian Yougen poured the water into the wooden bucket Da Zhuang brought and said:
"That won't do. Even if you have water, it's what you bought. The whole village is sharing the water equally; no household should be left out. Besides, everyone's saying that if you hadn't risked bringing the water vat, none of us would have water to drink now.
Other families might go without, but your family must have its share."
Qin Sang had no choice but to thank him:
"You didn't need to carry it over specially. You could have just called, and we would have fetched it ourselves, saving you the trip. Paternal uncle, you haven't had breakfast yet, right? I made pancakes this morning. Have a taste."
As she spoke, Qin Sang brought over the pottery bowl containing the Egg Pancakes. Tian Yougen looked at the golden, oily pancakes, couldn't help but swallow his saliva, and found himself unable to refuse:
"Well, I'll just try one piece then."
Qin Sang smiled:
"There are plenty more. We're almost done eating, and there's a lot left. Take them all back for your nephews to try."
"That won't do. If those boys eat something this delicious, they'll cry tomorrow because they can't swallow the roasted flour at home.
I'd better go. Oh, by the way, we're preparing to go up the mountain to dig for Medicinal Herbs soon. My father said if your family is also going up, get ready."
Tian Yougen repeatedly waved his hands in refusal, took the pancake in his hand, picked up the bucket, and left. From start to finish, he didn't seem to put that pancake in his mouth, probably saving it for the children back home.
It also didn't feel right to send leftover food from her own family to someone else's, so Qin Sang let it go:
"There's still this much left. Let's take it up the mountain as rations later."
Yesterday, the village chief had announced that the village's able-bodied men would stay in the camp to work on building houses and the village gate, while a Hunting Team would be sent to escort the women up the mountain to dig for Medicinal Herbs.
A trip up the mountain meant they might not come down for lunch. Qin Sang prepared over a dozen Boiled Eggs and Sausages, packed some roasted flour, and also brought Water Skins and tools for digging herbs.
She packed the food into a bundle to carry on her back, put on her Bamboo Hat properly, and went to the open area to assemble with the large group.
Excluding the elderly, weak, sick, and young left to guard the camp, there were a full forty or fifty people going up the mountain to dig herbs. Everyone carried small hoes and baskets. Seeing Qin Sang arrive with Er Fu, Si Jin, and Eldest Girl, they all greeted her.
Da Huang also wagged its tail, following behind. When they set off, it dutifully dashed to the front to take the lead beside Hunter Xu.
After walking for about half an hour, someone spoke up:
"This should be far enough, right? We're halfway up the mountain already. We're just digging herbs; can't we dig them anywhere? Do we really need to climb to the top?"
"Yeah, there are so many trees at the top. What if there are wild beasts?"
"I think there's plenty of grass here. Let's just dig here."