Chapter 58: Living a Good and Prosperous Life

Chapter 58: Chapter 58: Living a Good and Prosperous Life

Yun Zhen said without any exaggeration, "This cart can save everyone ninety percent of your energy when working!"

"Thank you for your blessings, Goddess!"

The crowd dropped to their knees again with a loud RUSTLE.

Yun Zhen quickly said, "Everyone, please get up!"

Tears of gratitude streamed down their faces as they kowtowed, THUMP THUMP THUMP.

Helpless, Yun Zhen said, "I know you’re all very grateful for the farming tools and carts I bought, but I can’t take all the credit. The crocheted dolls from last night contributed the majority of the money. This is the result of the entire village’s hard work."

Li Cuilan’s face was full of emotion. "Goddess, the fact that we can exchange crocheted dolls for money is still your doing. If you hadn’t been so generous and selfless as to bring out the material kits, no matter how capable we are, we could never have earned money from the Immortal Realm. We wouldn’t have been able to buy the village these farming tools made of refined iron, nor this Divine Artifact called a cart."

"Exactly, it’s all the Goddess’s blessing!"

Yun Zhen sighed. "Once you’re done kneeling, please get up. I haven’t finished speaking."

With the Village Head taking the lead, everyone stood up.

Yun Xiu pushed the cart around using the method his daughter had taught him, his eyes filled with awe. "Zhen Niang, this cart is simply too convenient!"

Yun Zhen said, "If you load it with five trays of eggs, not just strong men, but even frail women would be able to push it. Even though these carts are much more expensive than other items—one costs three hundred and fifty cents, and two cost seven hundred cents—I still bought two."

It was indeed expensive! But for such a good item, it was worth it! Everyone thought the same.

The Village Head was filled with joy. "With its help, not only will it save everyone some energy when clearing the snow, but it will also speed up our progress."

The villagers couldn’t wait for the next day. They wanted to test the power of the top-grade farming tools, as well as the carts, these Divine Artifacts.

Yun Zhen continued, "You’ve all seen the farming tools and the carts. I also bought a hundred catties of rice and a hundred catties of flour."

They had already eaten the rice.

Someone asked joyfully, "Goddess, is it coarse flour? Can we eat dough drop soup now?"

Dough drop soup had both broth and dough; it was much more filling than rice porridge. There were truly a lot of surprises today, even though the Goddess gave them surprises every day.

Yun Zhen shook her head. "It’s not coarse flour. I bought refined white flour."

Refined white flour! None of them had ever eaten it before. They eagerly anticipated eating dough drop soup made from refined white flour.

Yun Old Lady couldn’t help but ask, "Zhen Niang, is refined white flour also one cent per catty?"

Everyone’s faces were filled with longing, eagerly awaiting the Goddess’s answer. If refined white flour was the same as refined white rice—one cent a catty—then they would definitely be able to eat it frequently in the future. The crowd was overwhelmed with joy.

"I wonder if refined white rice is whiter, or if refined white flour is whiter."

"They’re both refined grains, so they must be equally white."

Someone fantasized with anticipation, unable to stop themselves from slurping their drool. "A handful of wild vegetables in the dough drop soup, a sprinkle of salt... the aroma alone would make anyone’s mouth water. If we could add a dollop of lard too—heavens, I can’t even imagine how delicious it would be!"

Everyone smacked their lips as they listened.

Yun Zhen couldn’t help but fulfill their wishes. "Uncle Village Head, since they want to eat dough drop soup, we won’t make rice porridge tomorrow. We’ll make dough drop soup. Call a few more aunts to cook with you and my father. Add a bag of fresh vegetable leaves, put in half a bowl of lard directly, and pour in some soy sauce. Put the refined salt in a clay bowl so they can add it according to their own taste. When I go tomorrow, I’ll buy a few more bottles of soy sauce, along with a few bags of salt and vinegar.

"Recently, everyone has to transport the snow from the village to the river ditch outside. We must make sure everyone is full when they’re working."

The Village Head naturally followed the Goddess’s arrangements. "Don’t worry, Goddess. I’ll make an extra pot of dough drop soup tomorrow to ensure everyone gets their fill!"

The villagers danced with joy.

"Thank you, Goddess!"

"The Goddess has such a merciful heart, actually fulfilling our wishes just like that. I’m so happy."

Seeing the villagers so joyous, Yun Zhen also felt happy inside. "I also bought ten catties of white sugar and ten catties of brown sugar. The white sugar was five cents a catty, and the brown sugar was eight cents a catty. After working, when everyone’s body is tired and your heads are dizzy, mixing a bowl of sugar water will not only relieve fatigue but also help clear your minds. We’ll alternate between white sugar and brown sugar.

"I also bought ten trays of eggs. One tray cost fourteen cents and has fifty large eggs. I bought five hundred in total!"

Yun Zhen then announced a thrilling piece of good news. "I’ve decided that from now on, we will eat boiled eggs every three days, and everyone will get a whole one! Moving forward, besides rice and flour, I’ll buy more meat, eggs, and sugar so that everyone can eat meat and drink sugar water every day. This way, everyone can put on a bit of weight and become healthier!"

"AOOO!" The villagers cheered!

"May the Goddess live for thousands of generations!"

Outside, the wind and snow filled the sky. Inside the small thatched cottage, there was only a single campfire, yet it brought a flush to everyone’s faces. Their eyes shone with astonishing brightness.

White sugar for five cents! Brown sugar for eight cents! A tray of fifty eggs for fourteen cents! Even in peaceful times, these three items were top-grade tonics!

Ordinary commoners only got to eat eggs during the New Year; at any other time, they couldn’t even catch a whiff of them. Let alone white sugar and brown sugar. Only women who had just given birth could get a taste of brown sugar. White sugar was much more precious, completely unaffordable for commoners.

The Goddess said that they would eat an egg every three days and drink sugar water daily to nourish their bodies. How could they not be ecstatic! This was the beginning of a prosperous and thriving life!

Having finished her announcements, Yun Zhen urged them to return to their respective homes. "Alright, everyone, go back and get some sleep. I will also buy more cotton as soon as possible so you can stuff your quilts thicker."

"Goddess, we believe in you!"

The villagers left one after another. Relishing the Goddess’s words, their hearts pounded wildly with excitement. Tonight would be another sleepless night!

After everyone left, Yun Zhen instructed the Village Head to organize the ten people learning the craft to make crocheted dolls. They made another fifteen that night.

The next day, the villagers of Taoyuan Village woke up full of energy to work. Thinking about the Immortal Realm’s top-grade farming tools, the Divine Artifact carts, the eggs, and the sugars, they had barely slept at all.

The Village Head said that the dough drop soup would be saved for between 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., so the villagers’ morning meal was still rice porridge. It was filled with tender fresh vegetable leaves and glistening with lard; a single sip warmed their entire bodies.

With full stomachs, everyone began to work.

Just like yesterday, they had to transport the accumulated snow to the river ditch outside the village. But unlike yesterday, when they had worked themselves to the bone carrying it out in woven baskets, today they used shovels to toss the snow into the carts. They packed it down tightly, then pushed it out and dumped it into the ditch.

Trip after trip, the accumulated snow visibly decreased. Some areas even revealed the ice layer underneath. Picking up a pointed pickaxe, they smashed the ice into large chunks, then used a flat-headed pickaxe to break them into smaller pieces. Finally, using round and flat-headed shovels, they scooped the ice into another cart and dumped it into the river ditch.

It wasn’t tiring at all! It was so effortless that it felt like they weren’t even working. They were even chatting and laughing with one another.

By noon, Hunters Wang and Carpenter Zhao, who had been chopping wood on the mountain, returned, each dragging a tree.

Hunters Wang said, "The Immortal Realm’s woodchopping knife is incredible. Just one strike, and the tree split wide open."

Carpenter Zhao added, "The axe is amazing too. One swing, and it practically knocked the tree crooked!"

Before long, the other two villagers carrying woodchopping knives also returned, chatting and laughing, each dragging a tree of their own. Together, they chopped the four large trees into blocks the length of a forearm.

Before cooking between 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., the Village Head boiled a pot of sugar water. Every adult and child received a bowl. As they drank, the sweet taste lingered in their mouths, making them feel as if all their fatigue had vanished, and their muddled minds cleared up significantly.

The village was a picture of thriving prosperity!