Chapter 41: Yun Zhen Tells the Villagers She Won the Lottery

Chapter 41: Chapter 41: Yun Zhen Tells the Villagers She Won the Lottery

Upon hearing that Yun Zhen planned to let everyone use cotton quilts in the future, the villagers were overjoyed.

Tian Ergou could hardly conceal the delight on his face. "The village chief said cotton is a luxury only high-ranking officials and nobles can afford. One tael of cotton is worth one tael of gold!"

Zhou Dashan’s eyes widened. "Doesn’t that mean we’re living the good life, just like those nobles?"

Carpenter Zhao said loudly, "The cotton the Goddess brought last time was all distributed to the village’s elderly and children. They said winter clothes padded with cotton are much warmer than those stuffed with straw and willow catkins!"

Grandpa Zhang added excitedly, "Exactly! Straw-stuffed winter clothes are prickly at first, and after a while, they become as hard and freezing as wooden boards. Willow catkins offer no warmth at all. Cotton is the best. As expected of the treasure the Goddess brought from the Immortal Realm—stuffing it inside clothes blocks the wind and keeps you warm."

One villager was full of anticipation. "Just thinking about how our entire village will be wearing precious cotton-padded winter clothes and sleeping under cotton quilts in the future gets me excited."

"Thanks to the Goddess, we can eat refined grain and fresh sweet potatoes, and wear cotton winter clothes. Even the highest nobles can only envy us."

Another villager asked curiously, "Goddess, for such a precious treasure like cotton, it must be very expensive in the Immortal Realm, right? How does it compare to rice and eggs?"

Yun Zhen nodded. "Cotton is more expensive than both rice and eggs. A catty costs six cents!"

Even the village chief was shocked. "Ah! That expensive? Wouldn’t one hundred catties cost six hundred cents? That’s half a tael of Silver!"

The villagers felt an unbearable heartache at the cost. Yun Zhen comforted them, "Compared to everyone starving and freezing, this amount of money is nothing. Besides, not only do we have my wages from the Immortal Realm, but we can also sell crocheted dolls. The ones we made last night have all sold out. We earned over seven hundred cents—more than enough to buy this cotton!"

Only then did the villagers let go of their heartache.

The Goddess was right. The whole point of earning money was to survive. Cotton was precious, so it made perfect sense for it to be a bit expensive.

Hearing Yun Zhen’s words, the ten people who had learned the craft from her last night grew increasingly ecstatic.

"The crocheted dolls we made all sold out? Thank goodness! I was so afraid I would fail the Goddess’s great trust."

Someone breathed a heavy sigh of relief. "My needlework isn’t as good as yours. I was terrified that your dolls would sell out while mine were left behind. I’ve been worrying about it for a whole day and night. Now that the Goddess says they all sold, my heart can finally be at ease."

Tian Ergou counted on his fingers, growing more astounded by the second. "Earning seven hundred cents in a single day! I wouldn’t have even dared to dream of this in the past!"

"What did you expect? That’s the Immortal Realm."

"Who would’ve thought? Even if you worked yourself to death carrying goods at the docks, you could never earn this much in a day!"

"It’s all thanks to the Goddess’s blessing that we can live such good lives."

Outside, the cold wind howled, while inside, the villagers discussed everything with fiery enthusiasm. Yun Xiu asked, "Zhen Niang, do you have anything else to tell everyone? It’s getting late, and the snow is falling heavier outside. If there’s nothing else, let everyone go back and rest."

"Yes, Zhen Niang. Everyone has been waiting for you, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. all the way until now. It’s been a couple of hours," Yun Old Lady added.

Not wanting to delay everyone’s rest, Yun Zhen began to announce the exciting good news.

"Actually, there’s a reason I returned late today," Yun Zhen said. "You all should have heard what I said to my father just now. I only came home at this hour because something wonderful happened."

The crowd, previously busy discussing the cotton clothes and crocheted dolls, immediately shut their mouths the moment she spoke. The village chief had told them earlier that whenever the Goddess spoke, they must quiet down instantly, regardless of what they were doing.

Thus, the villagers stopped talking. The surroundings became dead silent.

The village chief asked cautiously, "Goddess, may I ask what wonderful thing happened?"

Yun Zhen highlighted the main points. "A shop opened in the Immortal Realm, and a kind-hearted person brought me along to join the fun. The newly opened shop covers a massive area—it feels about the size of our entire village. The ceiling of the shop is made of glowing panels, shining brighter than the moon in the night sky. The things they sell include everything from creatures that fly in the sky, to those that run on the ground, to those that swim in the water. They have absolutely everything."

The villagers listened intently, their faces filled with yearning.

Yun Zhen continued, "Most importantly, their Shopkeeper offered gold and over a hundred catties of fatty pork as a grand prize for the shop’s grand opening!"

The village chief couldn’t quite believe it. "Are the people of the Immortal Realm that generous? Gold and over a hundred catties of fatty pork—how much Silver would that cost!"

Zhou Dashan counted on his fingers and muttered, "In the county town, a catty of fatty pork costs fifty or sixty cents. A hundred catties would cost five or six taels of Silver!"

"HISS!" The crowd collectively gasped in astonishment.

Even the most well-off families in the village were only willing to buy a single catty during the New Year. For other families, it was common to not see a single scrap of meat for three to five years.

"I remember when Hongfu Restaurant, the biggest in town, opened. They publicly announced they would give away a free plate of stir-fried greens with pork cracklings, and that alone made them the talk of the town."

"To think the Shopkeeper in the Immortal Realm is willing to offer gold and over a hundred catties of pork as a grand opening prize... it sounds almost unreal!"

"The Goddess wouldn’t lie to us, so it must be true. We’ve really broadened our horizons today!"

"Is this the Immortal Realm? It feels just like the Heavenly Palace passed down through stories from the older generation."

Yun Xiu pondered his daughter’s words, and an unbelievable guess formed in his mind. "Zhen Niang, could it be that you won the grand prize for the Immortal Realm shop’s opening?"

The crowd suddenly fell silent! Everyone looked at Yun Zhen in unison.

Yun Old Lady looked at the ground, which held nothing but a few large sacks. "Apart from the cotton, Zhen Niang didn’t bring anything else. She probably didn’t win, right?"

However, Yun Zhen told everyone, "I actually did win!"

"WHOA!"

The crowd erupted into an uproar.

The village chief praised her with a smile. "The Goddess won the gold, didn’t she? As expected of the Goddess, truly blessed by heavenly fortune!"

One villager murmured softly, "I’ve only ever touched copper coins in my life. I haven’t even seen Silver many times. Listening to the older generation tell stories, they said gold is completely golden and shiny. I wonder what color ’golden and shiny’ really is."

The villagers couldn’t imagine it; they only knew that gold was far more precious than Silver. Their eyes were filled with longing. Since the Goddess had won gold, they wondered if they would have the opportunity to feast their eyes on the legendary metal.

Yun Xiu asked, "Zhen Niang, is what everyone saying true? Did you really win gold?"

Yun Zhen didn’t rush to answer. Under the villagers’ thirsty, inquisitive gazes, she said, "Wait for me for a short while. I’ll be right back."

After speaking, she pinched the red mole in the center of her palm and silently chanted a command to cross over. A holy white light radiated from her entire body, and she vanished from where she stood.

The villagers had only ever witnessed the miracle of the Goddess returning; they had never seen the miracle of her departure. Seeing such a mystical scene, feelings of reverence and devotion welled up spontaneously in their hearts.

Naturally, they did not dare to disobey the Goddess’s words. They guessed that the Goddess had probably gone to fetch the gold.

Once Yun Zhen arrived at her dormitory, she took out a few small bags and portioned out the pork she intended to give to the kind-hearted people.

In the eyes of the people in this world, pork wasn’t anything precious, a fact she had learned from Li Mei and the supermarket staff.

She worried that if she portioned out too much, those kind-hearted people would decline her offer just as Li Mei had done.