Chapter 50: The Security Guard Mistakenly Thinks Yun Zhen is Bribing Him

Chapter 50: Chapter 50: The Security Guard Mistakenly Thinks Yun Zhen is Bribing Him

Hearing Yun Zhen’s words, the villagers were deeply moved. The Goddess had taken every single one of them into consideration.

The village head marveled, "The kind soul from the Immortal Realm is truly powerful and benevolent to generously grant the Goddess eleven thick quilts!"

"Immortals are indeed different from us mortals. They casually hand out thick cotton quilts that only high-ranking officials and nobles can enjoy," someone said with deep reverence.

"Goddess, we aren’t disappointed! You’ve done so much for the village, and we know you have a merciful heart. The elderly and children can’t withstand the freezing cold as well as us young folks. We all support giving the thick quilts and blankets to families with seniors and kids!"

Zhou Dashan was the first to state his stance. His parents had passed away early, and though he had been married to his wife for over a decade, they had no children. Their household consisted of just the two of them.

He felt the Goddess’s arrangement was incredibly thoughtful.

The other families without elderly members or children also agreed with the Goddess’s approach.

Yun Zhen nodded in gratification. "I naturally know that everyone here is reasonable, which is why I am more than willing to help you all survive this blizzard. Rest assured, it won’t be long before every household has a quilt. I won’t leave a single family behind."

"Goddess, we believe in you!"

"The Goddess possesses immense Divine Skills and mercifully saves the world. Receiving your blessing is already a fortune we couldn’t earn in ten lifetimes."

"The Goddess’s decisions are always right!"

"By considering the elderly and children, the Goddess is reducing the burden on us young folks. Only when the elders and kids at home are healthy and safe can we find peace of mind."

The distribution of the quilts went just as smoothly as the previous supplies. "Village Head, could I trouble you to distribute the quilts and blankets to the families with elderly and children?"

The village head felt overwhelmed with trepidation. "This is my duty. There’s no need to use the word ’trouble.’"

The Goddess was no longer the pitiable woman Yun Zhen of Taoyuan Village. She was the disciple of an immortal from the Immortal Realm, the supreme Goddess. Hearing her say the word ’trouble’ to him felt like it would shorten his lifespan.

Yun Zhen turned to the villagers. "Those who have received their bedding can head back now. The ten people learning the craft from me, please stay. I have three large bags of crocheting materials here, and we’ll make a few more tonight."

The ten people asked to stay behind were ecstatic, each happier than the last.

It was finally their turn.

They could finally help the village earn big money too.

The others took their bedding, shed tears of gratitude, and kowtowed to Yun Zhen in thanks before leaving with their elderly and children.

Grandpa Zhang and Granny Wu also knelt before Yun Zhen.

"Thank you, Goddess. Thank you for thinking of the old and weak like us. You are a true immortal. Only an immortal would take pity on the frail and elderly!"

Yun Zhen gently helped the two elders to their feet.

The village widow, He Lanhua, was so emotional she burst into tears on the spot.

Her husband had died early. Although he had left behind over ten taels of silver and a few acres of land, the bitterness of being a lone widow raising three children by herself was something only she truly understood.

When the blizzard hit and their food ran out, she had nearly lost her three children.

That was until the Goddess appeared.

Yun Zhen helped the kneeling He Lanhua up. "Sister-in-law Lan Hua, please don’t cry. Take the children back early. It’s about to get pitch-dark, and the nights are freezing."

She had always felt a sense of mutual sympathy with He Lanhua.

He Lanhua’s husband had drowned three years ago while fishing in the river. As for her own husband... well, the less said the better. He might as well have drowned!

"Yes, yes, of course. I won’t disturb the Goddess from teaching everyone the craft." He Lanhua wiped her tears, picked up the heavy bedding, and led her three children home.

Yun Zhen handed the finished crochet doll of Lazy Sheep that her daughter had been playing with to the apprentices. "This is a finished crochet doll. Pass it around and take a look. If there are no questions, we’ll start right away."

"Goddess, I think I know how to do it."

"Goddess, I’ve got it!"

Only after everyone confirmed they understood the basic method of making the crochet dolls did Yun Zhen begin teaching them the finer details.

The patterns on the blueprints Yun Zhen had bought were diverse, with incredibly vibrant color schemes and numerous accessories on the dolls. They were slightly more difficult to make than the previous ones and featured vivid facial expressions. She decided to sell them for a hundred yuan each, and if they didn’t sell, she would drop the price back to sixty yuan.

Li Mei had mentioned that business seemed to be even better in a place called "Da Xue City".

"The knickknacks from the Immortal Realm are truly unique. Such a tiny thing takes a long time to crochet for someone unfamiliar with it. Still, one can sell for sixty cents, which is more than what my dad makes hauling cargo at the county docks."

"I have to be careful. The Goddess said they can only be sold if they’re made well. The thick yarn and all these miscellaneous bits and pieces for the dolls definitely aren’t cheap. If I mess up the crochet and waste this brightly colored yarn, I’ll die of guilt even if the Goddess doesn’t blame me."

Everyone carefully observed Yun Zhen’s techniques.

They followed her step by step.

By the end, they had produced fifteen exquisitely accessorized crochet dolls of various colors and types.

"Wow! We did it!"

"You all did a great job. It seems you’ve all mastered it. Later on, when I buy more thick yarn, I’ll assign each of you the important task of completing two crochet dolls a day. It won’t be long before our entire village can not only sleep under thick cotton quilts but also afford heating stoves."

"WOOHOO!"

Everyone present erupted in cheers.

A smile graced Yun Zhen’s lips. "Everyone worked hard today. Go home and get some sleep. As for whether these crochet dolls will sell, we’ll only know tomorrow. However, with craftsmanship as good as yours, I’m confident they’ll all sell out."

"Goddess, we’ll be heading back now. We won’t disturb your rest any longer."

The ten apprentices bowed to Yun Zhen and left together.

"Zhen Niang, it’s getting late. Hurry and get some rest."

While Yun Zhen had been teaching everyone the craft, Yun Xiu was patching up their family’s broken basket.

For the past two days, while Yun Zhen was visiting the Immortal Realm, the village hadn’t been idle. Everyone had brought out their spare baskets, hampers, and jars to scoop up the snow on the ground and dump it into the ditch at the village entrance. Unfortunately, the villagers’ efforts were largely ineffective. After two or three days of hard work, the snow accumulation continued to grow thicker.

Xiaobao had already been put to bed by his mother.

Yun Zhen went to the dormitory to rest.

The next day, she learned reading and writing in Mr. Gao’s class. After class, she carried three bags of meat and went to the Red Sun District to collect scrap.

It was the same security guard as before.

Yun Zhen asked him for information. "Sir, has Granny Qin returned?"

The security guard shook his head. "Teacher Qin went to another province to visit a sick old friend. She probably won’t be back for another week. You can just go inside and collect scraps by yourself."

Yun Zhen handed him the meat she was carrying. "Sir, this is a small token of my appreciation. You must accept it."

The security guard looked at it and gasped. "Oh! Pork? What are you doing, kid? Learning how to bribe people now? You don’t need to bribe me. I have nothing worth bribing over. You’re just coming into the neighborhood to pick up scraps. Why did you buy me pork?"

Yun Zhen hurriedly explained, "Sir, don’t be so quick to refuse. I won this pork in a lucky draw; I didn’t buy it. I won two hundred catties of pork at a newly opened supermarket. I sold the rest but specifically saved a little for you all.

"It’s not just for you. The other security guard gets some too, and so does Granny Qin. Do you know where she lives? Could you help me deliver the meat to her house?"

Meat would go bad if left out for too long.

Unable to wait for Granny Qin’s return, Yun Zhen planned to have the meat sent to her house. After all, it was just a small gesture of goodwill.

Seeing that she didn’t seem to be lying, the security guard was shocked. "You brought some for the night shift security guard too?"

Given this girl’s teenage age, she shouldn’t have been able to grasp the nuances of social reciprocity. Someone had to be teaching her behind the scenes. It was probably the staff at Sister Zhang’s charity organization who had told her to do this.