Transmigrated as a Stepmother: Time to Bring the Family to Prosper!-Chapter 254 - 253: Can’t Afford to Eat

"Liu Li ranked thirteenth in the second class, quite an impressive achievement! Congratulations!" Qin Yao said to Liu Li with a smile.

Liu Li excitedly smiled at Qin Yao, a bit unsure of what to do, repeatedly confirming his name on the list.

Si Niang and her siblings didn’t believe their father couldn’t make the list, they looked through from start to finish twice, but eventually had to face reality.

Passing the official exam isn’t just about luck, it requires genuine talent and knowledge.

And their father didn’t have much education.

"Sigh~" The Dragon and Phoenix Twins sighed.

Da Lang and Second Lang exchanged a glance and could only enviously look at Liu Li, "Congratulations to Uncle Li for making the list."

"Thank you, thank you!" Liu Li said joyfully, expressing his gratitude.

He didn’t expect to pass on his first try, feeling like everything was unreal, and if it weren’t for Da Zhuang holding onto him, he wouldn’t even know where to follow the crowd to.

Qin Yao glanced at Liu Ji, "Aren’t you going to congratulate him?"

Liu Li had just comforted him to try harder next time, shouldn’t he at least congratulate despite not making the list?

Liu Ji refused to speak!

These days, he kept dreaming of the examiner who stared at him at the exam table, pointing at his nose and saying, "I have high hopes for you, you must make it to the list!"

And yet, this is what he got?

Though he knew he was just there to experience the real examination, the feeling of having his hopes dashed was hard to swallow.

Qin Yao saw Liu Ji keeping silent and didn’t bother to say anything more.

Liu Li and Da Zhuang needed to go to the government office to handle follow-up procedures, so the two families temporarily separated.

On the way back, when Qin Yao turned around, she saw the father and his five sons with similar expressions, "Sigh~" they sighed.

Such good children, looking old and dreary, like little old men.

Qin Yao originally intended to leave them be, but couldn’t stand the depressing atmosphere, and stopped when she reached the inn entrance.

"Liu Ji, is it so hard to recognize your own shortcomings?" she asked with a puzzled frown.

Liu Ji, lost in thought, raised his head only after a while, nodded, and then pointed to the sign in the hall advertising the ice drinks, "One bowl of icy treat, and I’ll feel fine."

The four young ones beside him immediately showed disdainful expressions, decisively standing back beside their mother, looking at their father with indescribable dismay.

They had never seen someone so shameless!

Seeing him making such unreasonable demands, Qin Yao knew he was absolutely fine. She chuckled lightly, "You can dream on!"

Liu Ji: "Wife, don’t use foul language."

Qin Yao’s eyes narrowed dangerously, and she said sternly, "The results are out, get ready, we’re leaving the city and heading home the day after tomorrow!"

Liu Ji saw she was about to get angry, so he quickly relented and obediently followed his wife and five kids back to their room.

However, as they passed through the hall, he couldn’t stop glancing at the ice treats in front of the other guests.

Looking at the price on the sign, it was originally eighty cents a bowl, but now it’s directly increased to one hundred eighty cents.

Liu Ji shook his head, "Can’t afford it, can’t afford it..."

Today, the rice prices in the city had increased again by a significant margin; the residents have money to buy pricey rice, eat meat, and enjoy ice treats.

But the situation outside the city was unimaginable.

The huge disparity between rich and poor was even more evident in the Prefecture, where a typical meal could cost as much as several meals for a family in the countryside.

He had heard that neighboring prefectures were experiencing famine, yet the young masters and mistresses here continued to drink tea and compose poetry with plenty of surplus grain at home, oblivious to the outside changes.

The rice, flour, oil, grains, and vegetables were daily transported in by the guards from the manor outside the city, enjoying an idyllic life.

Liu Ji felt both envious and resentful, wishing he had such fortune.

But saying these things wouldn’t help now, the fierce wife was to set off in two days, and he had plenty to busy himself with.

For the six of them on the road, he’ll need to carefully prepare their food.

The fifty pounds of flour they brought on the way were finally going to be used; at the current grain prices in the city, Liu Ji wouldn’t buy any even if he lost his mind.

A pound of fine rice was now priced at ninety cents.

Every day he went to the vegetable market, he was shocked by the rice prices.

When he returned and told his fierce wife, she wasn’t worried at all and still smiled, saying:

"As long as there’s still overpriced grain available, there’s no big problem."

When even the rice shops close, then it’s truly scary; what’s happening now is nothing."

Qin Yao instructed Liu Ji to prepare enough dry food for the road, told the four kids to finish today’s assignments quickly, and pack their luggage in advance.

After arranging everything for the father and sons, Qin Yao went out again.

First, she went to the lumber company to confirm with Manager Fang the delivery status of the first batch of lumber, and she was relieved to learn it had started shipping to the Liu Family Village.

They also confirmed the subsequent quantities and delivery dates of the lumber, and once everything was in order, Qin Yao left.

She then visited the Fulong Trading Company, but couldn’t meet Second Shopkeeper Jiang Wen, so she asked a clerk to pass on her message about returning to the village.

Leaving the trading company, she hurried to the escort agency before it closed and spent several coins to inquire about current circumstances outside, then returned to the inn.

Liu Ji was in the kitchen with Da Lang and Second Lang, the two little helpers, preparing dry food.

They set aside twenty pounds of flour to make some hot soup noodles or dumplings for the road, and the remaining thirty pounds were used to make biscuits.

These were easy to store, and making a full batch could last the whole journey.

But they were very dry and could be as hard as a helmet when cold.

However, since it was just a four to five day journey, they could endure it.

Liu Ji even learned a couple of tricks from Aunt Zou in the kitchen, eating the biscuits with sweetened water, or breaking them into a meat broth to make a mushy soup, topped with scallions. It tasted quite good.

Qin Yao came to the kitchen looking for the father and sons, heard Liu Ji’s description, and gave a couple of dry laughs,

"Your imagination is quite rosy; do you know what things are like outside? Forget scallions and meat soup, if the smell gets noticed, you might be surrounded and killed at night, and they might even cook you."

Liu Ji was so startled he almost dropped the dough into the hearth and barely managed to steady himself, thinking Qin Yao was purposefully scaring him, he grumbled under his breath:

"Wife, it’s not even dark yet, why are you telling ghost stories...?"

"It’s not a ghost story." Qin Yao’s expression turned serious, "A large number of refugees from neighboring provinces have come over, and since the Prefecture is in the south of the province, nothing much has been seen here yet."

"But as we head north on the return journey, we are bound to encounter them."

"Ah?" Liu Ji was taken aback, hastily asking, "Wife, where did you get this information? How come I don’t know?"

Qin Yao patted Second Lang’s shoulder, and the little boy immediately presented her with the largest, crispiest biscuit.

While eating the biscuit, Qin Yao snickered at Liu Ji, "You’re busy daydreaming about getting top marks, how could you have time to pay attention to the world’s miseries?"

Liu Ji: "..."

"I got the latest news from the escort agency; on the return trip it’s best to find a few people to travel with. I plan to find Young Master Ding to travel back together tomorrow."

Qin Yao signaled Da Lang with her eyes, the biscuit was too dry, making her choke.

The young boy understood, took out a bowl and ladled half a bowl of bone broth for her, sprinkling with some green onions; with the biscuit, it was delicious.

Qin Yao nodded at Liu Ji, "This is indeed good on the road."

Liu Ji almost choked, had someone forgotten she just said having this on the road could draw trouble and attacks?

Qin Yao finished the soup and biscuits in one go, put down the empty bowl, and contentedly patted Liu Ji’s shoulder heavily, "Make plenty, it’s delicious."

If anyone dared to covet her biscuits and bone broth, she wouldn’t hesitate to deal with them harshly!