Chapter 132: Making a Fortune

Chapter 132: Chapter 132: Making a Fortune

"Goddess, what kind of treasure did you buy?" the Village Chief asked, his curiosity piqued.

Yun Zhen had landed in the council room. The space was already so packed with supplies that there was barely any room to stand. The storage room was full, but the tents she had purchased last time had been set up behind her residence by the Village Chief and the others. She figured she would land in a different storage room next time.

Having too many supplies and nowhere to put them didn’t bother Yun Zhen at all. Instead, she only felt a deep sense of happiness and satisfaction.

The village was now incredibly prosperous. They lacked neither rice, flour, nor meat. The tents shielded them from the wind and trapped the heat, especially with the stoves burning inside. There was a surplus of warm clothing, and soon, everyone would have new outfits to wear. This newfound abundance brightened everyone’s spirits, and Yun Zhen couldn’t be happier for herself and the villagers. At worst, she could just buy a few more tents to store the extra supplies later.

Yun Zhen cleared her throat and announced, "I bought another one hundred and fifty bolts of cotton cloth!"

The group was shocked.

"Isn’t that a bit too much?" Yun Duo asked her daughter. "We already have enough to wear. You bought twenty bolts of new fabric last time, and we’ve already started making new clothes. Everyone will have something new to wear for the New Year."

Yun Zhen shook her head with a smile. "Not at all. The more fabric, the better. We can always save it for later. The cloth I bought this time is much softer and smoother than the last batch. It’s premium cotton. I reckon only high-ranking officials and nobles get to wear clothes made of such fine material. It shines so brightly it’s even more dazzling than silk!"

"Oh! Really?" Yun Duo was stunned.

Yun Zhen nodded. "Of course. When has your daughter ever lied to you?

"Take a look. I bought three new types of fabric. The most basic one is similar to what I bought last time—bright, eye-catching colors with grand, bold patterns. The slightly better one has softer colors and more elegant patterns; wealthy families love wearing clothes made from elegant fabrics like this. The best one is plain and patternless, but it feels like running your hands through water. It’s incredibly smooth and delicate!"

Yun Zhen brought out the three types of cotton cloth to show everyone. Under the candlelight, they gleamed with a vibrant, radiant sheen.

Li Cuilan stepped forward, her eyes sparkling. "This is cotton? Goddess, if you hadn’t told me, I would have thought it was legendary silk!"

"To me, it looks like a cluster of stars in the night sky. It’s simply too dazzling. Not even the wealthy families in the county town wear something so extravagant!" Yun Xiu shook his head repeatedly in awe.

"Beautiful, isn’t it?" Yun Zhen said. "Mom, Dad, Uncle Village Chief, Aunt Cui Lan—I didn’t waste my money. Wearing such bright clothes, we’ll look even more impressive than the nobles in town!" She carefully packed the fabric away. "This was money well spent. Not only is the material top-notch, but it was also cheap. The fabric I bought last time cost five copper coins per meter, which is less than two copper coins a foot. The ones I bought this time were only one and a half per meter, meaning three feet cost less than a single copper coin. We made a huge profit.

"If we were in the county town, you wouldn’t even be able to buy fabric of this quality for twenty or thirty copper coins a foot."

Li Cuilan chimed in, "I’ve never even seen fabric of this quality in the county town. It’s so beautiful! Thanks to the Goddess, I have the fortune of feasting my eyes on something so vibrant!"

Yun Zhen smiled. "Aunt Cui Lan, please see to it that everyone gets a few extra sets of clothes made!"

Li Cuilan nodded happily. "Whatever the Goddess commands!"

While everyone was still captivated by the dazzling fabric, Yun Zhen brought out a sewing machine. She sat down on a stool with the machine resting in front of her.

The Village Chief’s face lit up with realization. "Goddess, so this is the desk you bought for the children!"

Yun Xiu also accepted the notion that it was a desk. "The village has a lot of old tables. I was originally thinking of sanding down the tops to use as desks, but I didn’t expect Zhen Niang to buy new ones."

"But why is there a hammer on the desk? It doesn’t exactly look like a hammer, either... and why is there a foot pedal underneath?" Yun Duo asked, thoroughly perplexed.

Yun Zhen introduced it to the group. "This is a sewing machine. It’s a Divine Artifact for stitching and mending fabric. It’s much faster than manual needlework. If you’re quick with your hands and feet, you can make a piece of clothing in just a day or two."

Yun Duo was taken aback. "This table actually has to do with needlework? Making a whole outfit in a day or two?"

Yun Xiu frowned. He occasionally did some mending himself, but he honestly couldn’t see how the table in front of him had anything to do with sewing. "Isn’t this just a table? How do you do needlework with it?"

The group circled the sewing machine a few times, but not a single person could figure out its connection to needlework.

Yun Zhen took out the instruction manual, threaded the machine according to the diagrams, and got everything ready. "Aunt Cui Lan, hand me two pieces of scrap cloth."

Li Cuilan happened to have some in her pocket. She fished them out and handed them to Yun Zhen. "Here you go, Goddess."

Yun Zhen beckoned them over, and the group craned their necks to watch closely. "Look, you just do this... and this."

"Wow!"

"Ah!"

"Good heavens!"

Li Cuilan clutched her head and cried out in astonishment, "How... how did those two pieces of fabric get stitched together? The Goddess didn’t even have a needle in her hand!"

The Village Chief gulped. "The Goddess placed a spool of thread on it, moved her hands, stepped on the pedal a few times, and the two scraps were sewn together."

Yun Xiu picked up the stitched fabric. "The stitches are fine, even, and neat. It looks as if the two pieces of cloth were naturally fused together, without a single loose stitch hole in sight. No human could ever sew with such perfection. Zhen Niang has brought us a divine item!"

They passed the fabric around, their eyes growing brighter and brighter.

"A divine item!" the Village Chief exclaimed. "This table is a divine item!"

Li Cuilan watched with longing. "Goddess, may I give it a try?"

"Of course." Yun Zhen yielded her seat to Li Cuilan and patiently guided her from the side. "Be careful not to get pricked by the needle. Relax your hands and breathe steadily. Just act like you’re doing your usual chores. Your feet need to keep pace with your hands, otherwise the stitching will come out crooked."

She taught Li Cuilan how to use the sewing machine while Yun Xiu, Yun Duo, and the Village Chief crowded around to watch.

"My heavens! So that’s how it works."

"This is absolutely magical!"

Li Cuilan said excitedly, "It sews so perfectly and quickly! Normally, I get tired after holding a needle for just a short while, but I’ve been at this for half the day and I’m not tired at all. Goddess, this divine item you brought is incredible!"

"Since it’s used for sewing fabric, why is it called a sewing chicken instead of a fabric chicken? Come to think of it, it’s quite strange. Many Divine Artifacts from the Immortal Realm have the word ’chicken’ in their names. Do the immortals in the Immortal Realm just really like chickens?" the Village Chief asked, his mind a tangled mess.

Yun Duo offered her theory, "It’s probably because it’s used for sewing cloth, yet requires a person to control it. And look at the needle coming down from that hammer—doesn’t its up-and-down motion look exactly like a little chicken pecking at rice? That must be why it’s called a sewing chicken!"

Yun Zhen corrected them, "It’s a sewing machine, not a sewing chicken!"

Yun Xiu said happily, "Who cares whether it’s a sewing chicken or a fabric chicken? As long as it’s a good thing, that’s all that matters!"

Yun Zhen burst into laughter. Forget it, as long as everyone was happy. "Aside from the sewing machine, I also bought a thousand catties of cotton, dozens of freshly butchered chickens, and a whole bunch of assorted meat-flavored meatballs!"

Li Cuilan smiled. "The cotton is perfect for stuffing into our new clothes."

The Village Chief was equally delighted. "Tomorrow, we’ll make chicken soup for everyone, taste the meatballs the Goddess bought, and steam three giant pots of steamed buns!"

"Now, let’s take a look at the real treasures I bought!" Yun Zhen brought the candle closer. "Dad, open the sack!"

"It sounds all clunky in here. I wonder what it is?" Yun Xiu had felt the bags earlier. They were filled with hard, assorted objects, but he couldn’t figure out what they were. However, since his daughter called them treasures, could they be even more precious than the sewing chicken?

RUSTLE! The moment Yun Xiu untied the sack, Yun Zhen held the candle over it. Instantly, a brilliant, fiery luster illuminated the room!

The group leaned over the opening of the bag to peer inside. The radiant glow shooting out from within nearly blinded them.

"Wow!" everyone gasped in unison.

Yun Xiu’s lips trembled. His hands and feet acting on their own, he reached into the bag and touched the dazzling jewelry. "These... these are gold, silver, and jewels! Two massive bags full of them!"

They were rich!

They were filthy rich!

They had struck it incredibly rich!