Chapter 40: Yun Zhen Promises the Villagers Cotton-Padded Clothes and Quilts

Chapter 40: Chapter 40: Yun Zhen Promises the Villagers Cotton-Padded Clothes and Quilts

Yun Zhen suggested, "How about you take both of the pig’s trotters?"

Li Mei hadn’t wanted any of the fatty pork, opting only for the two bony trotters. Yun Zhen knew she found the pork too greasy, which was why she wanted to give her both of them. If Li Mei hadn’t paid today, Yun Zhen would never have been willing to spend ten yuan on a lottery ticket, let alone have the chance to win two hundred catties of pork.

Li Mei was her great benefactor!

Li Mei politely declined. "One is enough. It’ll just be an extra dish for dinner.

"It’s getting late. You should hurry up and call the agency staff so they can take the pork away and sell it. I need to head home, too."

Yun Zhen nodded. "Be careful on the way back."

Li Mei tucked her drowsy, swaying daughter into her arms, twisted the throttle of her electric tricycle, and left.

Calling the agency had just been an excuse. Once Li Mei was gone, Yun Zhen made three trips to move all the pork back to her room. After finishing, she collapsed onto her bed in exhaustion.

She had made a total of nine hundred and twelve yuan today. She needed to go buy rice and cotton.

In Yun Zhen’s understanding, the night was supposed to be completely dark, only illuminated if there was a moon. This was her first time going out at night in this world.

Tall poles lined the streets, each hanging with a glowing white sphere that lit up the night as bright as day. People walked in groups of twos and threes. It was quiet and peaceful, carrying a trace of serenity that Yun Zhen had never experienced before.

The cotton stall hadn’t closed yet, so Yun Zhen walked over to it.

The owner was drinking from a cup. He looked up at her and asked, "Miss, are you looking to buy some cotton?" He put down his cup and grabbed a freshly fluffed cotton quilt core. "This is authentic frontier cotton. It took a lot of effort to transport it here. Feel it yourself—it’s soft yet dense."

Yun Zhen looked at the quilt core in his hands. It was incredibly soft. Although it couldn’t compare to the bedding Sister Huang had given her, it would be far warmer than straw and reed catkins. "How much are you selling this cotton blanket for?"

"Blanket?" The owner paused for a moment before explaining in detail, "This is a quilt core, made of pure cotton. The one in my hand is a standard eight-catty weight. It’s incredibly comfortable and warm for the winter. It’s one hundred yuan each."

"One hundred!" Hearing the price, Yun Zhen thought it was far too expensive. "Do you have anything cheaper?" she asked.

The owner replied, "Summer quilts aren’t useful in this season. The cheapest summer quilt core is twenty yuan, but it’s only a two-catty standard."

That wasn’t cheap either!

Yun Zhen decided to just buy raw cotton. She would put off buying quilts for now and focus on clothes first. "I want one hundred catties of loose cotton."

The owner was taken aback. "A hundred catties? You need that much? Wait a moment, I’ll get it for you." He lugged over six large mesh bags. "Miss, I’ve weighed them out. A hundred catties of cotton comes out to exactly six bags. Did you drive here? Do you want me to help you carry them to your car?"

Yun Zhen frowned in thought. She decided to find a secluded spot to send the goods directly home.

"Could I trouble you to help me move the cotton into the alley next door? I agreed to meet my family there," she said. She had already noticed that the houses on both sides of that alley were empty, making it perfectly convenient for her to transport her purchases home.

Following the direction Yun Zhen pointed, the owner wondered why she wanted to move everything into an abandoned alley. Nevertheless, he obliged his customer’s request. Together, Yun Zhen and the owner dragged the six bags of cotton into the alley.

She took out the cash to pay. "Six hundred yuan."

The owner took the money and left.

Back in Taoyuan Village, a fierce blizzard raged outside. Inside the Yun Family’s thatched cottage, the villagers were as anxious as ants on a hot pan!

Usually, the Goddess would descend around this hour. However, after waiting for an extra two hours, the Goddess still had not appeared. Everyone was gripped by panic.

"Logically speaking, the Goddess should have returned by now!" The village chief’s eyes were filled with urgency.

The elderly Yun couple looked terrible. The possibility that their daughter might be in danger flashed through their minds. They burned with anxiety but were completely helpless. Usually, their daughter would return at this time, and she hadn’t mentioned coming back late when she left that morning. Yun Xiu and Yun Old Lady were deathly pale.

The village chief’s gaze darted around nervously. The villagers all clasped their hands in prayer, hoping the Goddess would hear their pleas and return quickly.

THUD THUD THUD!

A few muffled thuds suddenly echoed inside the room. To the villagers, it sounded like heavenly music! A pure, holy white light blinded everyone for a moment.

"The Goddess has returned!"

Someone shouted. A wave of joy washed over the crowd, and the hearts that had leaped into their throats finally settled back in their chests. Yun Xiu and Yun Old Lady similarly beamed with joy—their daughter was back.

"Goddess!" the village chief yelled, his voice nearly cracking.

Yun Zhen jumped in fright. "Uncle Village Chief, what happened?"

The village chief hurriedly asked, "Goddess, why did you return so late today? You scared us half to death."

Yun Old Lady looked her daughter up and down. Seeing that she was completely unharmed, she asked in concern, "Zhen Niang, you didn’t run into any trouble, did you?"

Yun Zhen knew that her tardiness had made everyone worry. Her face was filled with guilt as she said, "I got held up with some matters today. I’m so sorry for making everyone worry!

"Father, Mother, Uncle Village Chief, and everyone else, rest assured, I’m perfectly fine. I promise I won’t come back this late again."

"As long as the Goddess is back!" The village chief wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead.

Yun Xiu asked, "Zhen Niang, what exactly happened that delayed your return?"

Thinking of the pork, Yun Zhen happily told her father, "It was a good thing! A wonderfully good thing!" She pointed to the several large bags on the floor and said, "Father, Mother, this is the cotton I bought."

She then turned to the village chief. "Uncle Village Chief, tomorrow, you and my father will distribute this cotton among the young people in the village. Everyone gets one catty. Have those who know how to sew stitch the cotton into their old clothes to wear."

She didn’t immediately mention the pork, choosing instead to organize the cotton she had just brought. She would explain everything about the pork once she actually brought the meat over.

Yun Xiu was completely baffled. He knew his daughter hadn’t finished speaking, but despite his curiosity, he didn’t press her. Since she said a good thing had delayed her return, he was relieved. As long as she hadn’t encountered anything bad, that was all that mattered.

Li Cuilan covered her mouth in pleasant surprise. "The Goddess actually bought so much cotton! Heavens, we each get a whole catty! I heard from the kids wearing the cotton clothes that it isn’t heavy at all and is so warm. I never imagined I’d be able to wear cotton-padded clothes, too! The Goddess’s Divine Skills are truly boundless! To think she had the ability to bring back this much cotton!"

The crowd hovered over the cotton bags, pinching and patting them. As expected of cotton, it was extraordinarily soft.

The village chief said in pure joy, "Goddess, with this cotton, we’ll be able to live a little more comfortably."

Their village now had enough grain to fill their bellies, and in a couple of days, everyone would be wearing cotton-padded clothes. Such good days were something they wouldn’t have dared to dream of, even during years of peace and prosperity! All because their village had a Goddess with such mighty abilities!

The village chief’s heart swelled with ambition. He absolutely had to keep the villagers in check and ensure no one offended the Goddess. If the opportunity arose in the future, he would definitely build a temple for her and offer her incense and worship! The future generations of the village would never forget the Goddess’s grace, for all eternity!

Yun Zhen nodded. "I will try to buy as much cotton as possible in the future. Not only will we wear cotton-padded clothes, but we’ll also sleep under cotton-padded quilts."

"Cotton-padded quilts?" Everyone revealed expressions of utter disbelief.

Those were cotton quilts! One catty of cotton could pad a full outfit of clothes and trousers, but padding a single quilt would require at least two catties of cotton. To think that one day they might actually get to sleep beneath cotton quilts!