Grandma Qin circled the loaded donkey cart, turning left and right.
The wives from the Hou family were already contemplating how they would break up a fight if Grandma Qin decided to hit her daughter-in-law.
Except for when the Empress Dowager was in power, no woman had ever gone out to earn money.
Especially to places where salt was extracted; those were all men, and the two women of the Qin family were quite good-looking…
Grandma Qin finished her inspection without a word, the wind whipping the red scarf on her head. She just stared at the donkey cart.
Old Man Hou, seeing the stalemate, spoke up, "Sister-in-law, let's unload the cart and let the donkey rest?"
"Alright, let's unload," Grandma Qin said, turning her back and walking into the house. Everyone was clueless about what was going through her mind.
Mother Qin and Second Aunt Qin, however, breathed a sigh of relief. Their mother-in-law always vented her anger immediately and never brought up past grievances.
The items from the cart were moved into the storage room. Qin Dà Měi and Qin Dà Lì, like two rabbits, were moved to the side of the donkey shed. Qin Sēn built a covered cage for them.
Once everything was tidied up, Qin Jùn Yáo was carrying fabric with Mother Qin into the house to make aprons when Grandma Qin suddenly reappeared.
She told Qin Jùn Yáo to remember to buy some meat on her next trip to Salt County before retreating to her own room.
Grandma Qin paid no mind to the sudden realization of the mother and daughter outside. Looking at the three copper coins on the kang, she secretly rejoiced that she hadn't lost her temper but had instead performed a divination.
It was profitable, truly profitable. She had to start thinking about how to spend the money she earned.
She'd get a dozen headscarves, make a few more brightly colored outfits, and if she earned even more, she'd buy a pair of silver earrings…
With the preparations in place and the most difficult person in the household appeased, the next step was to decide what food to make.
For this, Mother Qin visited Grandma Ma several times.
The Qian family hadn't returned yet, and Zhao Liáng Cái hadn't come home for several days for reasons unknown. Grandma Ma had ample time to teach Mother Qin about Northwest cuisine.
The winter wheat was growing surprisingly well. The men from the Qin and Hou families were also busy, learning from the villagers how to dig root cellars on the mountain slopes and water cellars at the foot of the mountain.
They searched the Gobi Desert for tree roots, which would be used as fuel during the winter and burned well.
Qin Jùn Yáo had always wondered where so many tree roots came from and where the trees themselves had gone. Sudancxiaoshuo.com
It wasn't until Qin Lín returned home for the second time that she got her answer.
"Boiling salt?" Qin Jùn Yáo had considered many reasons for trees to be cut down, but she never imagined it would be for boiling salt.
Qin Lín nodded after taking a bite of the noodles with minced meat sauce. "The salt dug from the salt lake is said to be unsuitable for direct consumption. The salt transported to Jiangnan and the Imperial City has all been boiled."
Second Aunt Qin spooned more minced meat sauce into Qin Lín's bowl. "If salt dissolves in water, how can it be transported to the Imperial City? Eat slowly, there's more."
Qin Lín took a sip of the soup and straightened his back. "I don't know. Those who boil the salt are soldiers. We are only responsible for digging."
"Dad, is the salt you brought back boiled or directly dug?" Second Son Qin ate his garlic and noodles with gusto, not forgetting to ask his father a question.
Qin Lín glared at his son and didn't reply.
Was he stupid? If it was brought back for free, could it be boiled? He really wanted to beat him.
"Second Uncle, how do you like the noodles? My mother and Second Aunt are planning to sell noodles at your place for lunch," Qin Jùn Yáo quickly changed the subject, noticing Qin Lín's expression towards Second Son Qin.
Qin Lín nodded. "Delicious. When you sell them, use bigger bowls. It's okay if they're a bit more expensive. The people I work with all have money."
"Last time, after a break, many people came to give us cured meat, vegetables, and even eggs. But not many knew how to cook them."
"Also, the dugout shelters where we live are surrounded by sand. When the wind is strong, they can get buried. The water we drink and the food we eat have sand in them. We can't eat well."
"Ah, another bowl!" Qin Lín finished a large bowl and still wanted more. It seemed he really wasn't eating well.
With Qin Lín's words, Mother Qin's worries were put to rest.
The next day, Qin Lín went to the assembly point. Qin Jùn Yáo, Mother Qin, Second Aunt Qin, Second Son Qin, and Father Qin followed behind, driving the donkey cart.
The dough, mixed with white flour and corn flour, was kneaded. The flatbreads were cooked, the mutton stewed, the minced meat sauce prepared, and the peeled garlic cloves were all neatly placed on the donkey cart.
The donkey cart followed the salt-digging transport carts at a leisurely pace. The carts were full of people and did not travel fast.
Qin Jùn Yáo suspected that the transport carts came to pick them up because they were afraid people would run away. If people really ran, they wouldn't get far in a day and a night and could be easily caught.
The sun had fully risen halfway through their journey, and they had reached the edge of the desert.
Qin Jùn Yáo, tightening the red and green contrasting headscarf on her head and wearing a white cloth around her face, silently recited the contents of the space bamboo slips.
All she could see was sand, with scattered poplars and saxaul trees growing here and there. Qin Jùn Yáo was mainly looking for saxaul trees.
She had also found saxaul trees near Yangshu Village, but she hadn't found the plants that parasitized them. As long as she could find a seed or a piece of the plant, she could use her space to cultivate more seeds.
It took an hour and a half to reach their destination. Sitting on the donkey cart, she could see a vast expanse of white in the distance, dazzling under the sunlight.
Mother Qin and the others had come so early because they were afraid of not finding the place. Fortunately, upon entering the desert, there were various flags along the road, with patterns and text indicating the department to which people were going.
"Sister-in-law, it's truly beautiful here," Second Aunt Qin said to Mother Qin, also wearing a red and green contrasting headscarf.
The magnificence and beauty of the desert could only be truly experienced firsthand; no words could fully describe its grandeur.
Mother Qin looked at the desert and replied to her sister-in-law, "Yes, it's truly beautiful."
Qin Jùn Yáo dismounted the donkey cart and first placed her left hand under the donkey's mouth to give it water, then looked around again.
The white salt lake seemed boundless. Not far from the salt lake was another lake, and by the edge of that lake were many tents.
Many camels walked between the salt lake and the tents, carrying baskets on their humps, presumably filled with salt.
Qin Lín had mentioned that they only rested during the hottest part of the day, and now they had just started working.
There were many soldiers with weapons at the salt lake, and Father Qin and the others dared not get too close.
"Dad, there's a sand dune over there. Let's go to the shady side and wait," Qin Jùn Yáo pointed in a direction.
There were also many stones near the sand dune, and crucially, a few saxaul trees.
"Alright, let's go there."
Father Qin and Second Son Qin walked towards the sand dune first to place stones, preventing the donkey cart from getting stuck in the sand.
The soldiers guarding the salt lake had already noticed them and paid them no mind. Recently, many commoners had come to deliver supplies.
The General had ordered that as long as they didn't force their way into the salt lake, they were not to be bothered. In the past, they didn't even need to guard it; it was all the fault of the Second and Third Departments.
The donkey cart reached the back of the sand dune, and after stopping, the donkey was unloaded from the cart and given a basket filled with dry grass to eat.
Second Son Qin wanted to get closer to look at the camels. Second Aunt Qin told him not to wander too far or cause trouble, allowing him to move freely.
Qin Jùn Yáo didn't follow Second Son Qin to play. She walked in circles around the clump of saxaul trees on the side of the sand dune and suddenly noticed what looked like a plant stem standing not far from the saxaul trees.