Chapter 63: Immortal Realm’s Cotton Shoes, Waterproof, Non-Slip, and Dirt-Proof

Chapter 63: Chapter 63: Immortal Realm’s Cotton Shoes, Waterproof, Non-Slip, and Dirt-Proof

The villagers gathered around Yun Zhen, chattering excitedly about the miracles of the premium farming tools and the wheelbarrows.

Zhou Dashan was thoroughly thrilled. "The premium farming tools and wheelbarrows the Goddess brought from the Immortal Realm allowed us to finish a month’s worth of work in a single day! Not only did they save a massive amount of time, but they also saved everyone’s strength. If it weren’t so bitterly cold at night, I feel like I could have kept working for another four hours."

Tian Ergou nodded in agreement. "That’s right. Yesterday, I used a bamboo basket to carry snow, making trip after trip to toss it into the river ditch outside the village. By the time I finished, I was so dead tired I couldn’t even straighten my back. Today, I used the wheelbarrow to haul the snow and ice. Without needing to bend over, the work felt significantly easier."

Hunters Wang, who had been chopping trees with a machete, laughed and said, "We cut down four trees and split them into arm-length firewood with axes. For the next half a month, no one in the village will need to go up the mountain alone to gather firewood or snap off branches. If you run out of fuel for your fires, just go grab the wood we chopped."

Yun Old Lady looked at her daughter with pride. "I have to admit, the premium farming tools are leagues better than the dull shovels we have at home. The people in the Immortal Realm sure are clever to come up with three different designs just for a shovel."

Yun Xiu chimed in, "The most useful thing of all has to be the wheelbarrow made of pure refined iron. It might look incredibly heavy just sitting there, but even a child can easily push it."

Infected by their excitement and enthusiasm, Yun Zhen said, "Since everyone agrees that the premium farming tools and wheelbarrows from the Immortal Realm are so helpful, I’ll buy more of them in the future. They’ll save you a lot of energy while working, so you won’t exhaust yourselves into having aching backs and leaving yourselves vulnerable to chronic ailments."

The villagers were overjoyed to hear this. With plenty of premium farming tools in the village, they wouldn’t have to work themselves to the bone anymore. Having tasted the sweetness of working without extreme fatigue, no one wanted to go back to the old days of ending up tired as a dog!

Yun Zhen brought out the shoes and gloves she had purchased. "Let’s put aside the tools and wheelbarrows for now. I didn’t buy any rice or flour on my trip back today, as the rations I bought previously should last everyone for a while. Instead, I used the money meant for grain to buy warm cotton-padded shoes and thick, soft gloves for all of you."

She looked down at their feet. Aside from a small minority wearing single-layer cloth shoes, the rest had their feet wrapped in straw and tattered rags. Their dirty feet were red and swollen from the cold, and the exposed skin was split with deep, bleeding, and festering cracks. It was hard to imagine the excruciating agony they must have endured stepping on the freezing snow while working.

Fortunately, she had bought a pair of shoes for everyone in the village. "Most of you are wearing unlined shoes, and some are even using straw and rags to wrap your feet. Stepping on the snow while working must be painfully itchy, and once your feet go numb from the cold, you won’t even be able to walk. Now that we have enough food stored, we should consider keeping our hands and feet warm, which is why I bought these cotton-padded shoes and gloves."

The crowd was in utter disbelief, exchanging glances to confirm they hadn’t misheard. Someone exclaimed, "The Goddess bought us warm cotton-padded shoes?"

"That’s right," Yun Zhen replied. "This large bag in my hand is full of the shoes I bought for you."

Immediately, everyone’s eyes burned bright with anticipation, locking intently onto the large bag the Goddess was holding.

Yun Zhen pulled out a pair of black and red women’s cotton-padded shoes. They looked somewhat like short boots. The exterior was made of a special material that felt as smooth as snakeskin to the touch, adorned with beautiful patterns on the sides. The insides were visibly stuffed with long gray fur. They looked incredibly warm at a single glance!

"WHOA!"

An uproar of astonishment swept through the villagers. It was the first time they had ever seen such thick and substantial shoes.

Li Cuilan stared fixedly at the shoes in the Goddess’s hands. "Are the cotton-padded shoes from the Immortal Realm stuffed with animal fur? Could it be rabbit fur?"

Tian Ergou let out a gasp. "Th-these... these are called boots! I’ve seen the wealthy folks in the county town wearing them all the time!"

In the past, he had gone to the county town’s embroidery shop every month to deliver the handkerchiefs he made. He had frequently seen imposing, wealthy individuals and took notice of their footwear. They wore boots exactly like these, which wrapped halfway up the calves and looked incredibly dignified to walk in. This was a stark contrast to the majority of commoners, who could only afford shoes that barely wrapped around the soles of their feet and failed to even cover their insteps.

Yun Xiu was an educated man, after all, and had seen a fair bit of the world. "Yes, they are boots."

Zhou Dashan had only ever heard of the term "boots"—he had never worn a pair, let alone seen one. Shocked, he asked, "Does that mean the Goddess bought us all boots that only wealthy and noble families can wear?"

"Heavens! I never imagined we’d have such a blessing!"

Hunters Wang scrutinized the fur inside the boots. "It doesn’t look like pig bristle, nor is it rabbit fur. I can’t tell what kind of animal pelt it is."

Even Yun Zhen didn’t know. "I don’t think it’s animal fur. Shoes made of animal fur usually have a certain smell, but these have no strange odors—only a very fresh scent. Or perhaps the brilliant minds in the Immortal Realm managed to remove the smell of the fur."

She turned to her father and the village head beside her. "Dad, Mr. Village Head, why don’t you get a few people to distribute the shoes to everyone? Let them try them on right here. If there are any that don’t fit, they can be exchanged."

Hearing this, the village head immediately announced, "Everyone’s feet are far too dirty. So as not to soil the new shoes, we will first boil a pot of water and wash our feet clean before trying them on." After all, if they got the shoes dirty, they certainly wouldn’t be able to exchange them for the right size.

Thus, the villagers hurried home to fetch their own clay pots. They lit several fires inside the Yun Family’s small thatched cottage and set the pots over them to boil water. The men gathered in one room, and the women in another, all washing their feet spotlessly clean. They then dried their feet by the fire and carefully slipped on their new shoes.

Cries of pleasant surprise echoed endlessly within the thatched cottage.

"They fit! They fit perfectly!"

"So comfortable! I’ve never worn such comfortable shoes before."

Hunters Wang marveled, "I’ve worn cotton-padded shoes made of rabbit fur and pig bristle, but none were as soft as the ones the Goddess brought. It feels like stepping on clouds!"

Yun Xiu said to his daughter, "The shoes for me, your mother, and Xiaobao fit perfectly. We don’t need to exchange them."

"Goddess, mine fits too."

"My daughter’s fits perfectly as well, no need to exchange!"

In the end, remarkably, everyone’s cotton-padded shoes fit like a glove. Stomping their feet in their new footwear, their faces overflowed with blissful and joyous smiles while the children happily ran about.

Yun Zhen put on a pair of the cotton-padded shoes as well. She had previously been wearing a pair that Sister Huang had given her for her daughter, and she hadn’t expected the ones she bought to be this highly comfortable. She even went for a stroll in the snow outside. When she returned and shook her feet, the shoes remained immaculately clean.

Someone saw this and couldn’t help but exclaim, "Look! These shoes are waterproof and dirt-repellent! The Goddess just walked a lap in the snow, and the moment she came back inside and gave a shake, the snow fell right off. The shoes look good as new!"

The crowd finally realized that the cotton-padded shoes the Goddess brought were not only cozy, warm, and nice-smelling, but also waterproof and resistant to dirt. Even if snow melted on the surface, the water wouldn’t seep inside, and a simple wipe with the hand would instantly clean them.

The children, who had been running around outside, returned with even more groundbreaking news. "The shoes the Goddess brought are slip-resistant, too! We ran around in the snow for ages and didn’t fall once!"

The villagers now discovered the shoes were slip-resistant as well!

"As expected of cotton-padded shoes from the Immortal Realm! They keep you warm, repel water and dirt, and prevent slipping!"

Yun Zhen gave them one final reminder. "Are you all certain you don’t need to exchange your shoes? If they are too tight or so loose they slip off when you walk, you can still swap them now. Once tomorrow passes, I won’t be exchanging them anymore."

"No exchanges! They fit perfectly!"

"Not too big, not too small—they wrap around my feet just right."

"These shoes are far too comfortable, and the fur inside is thick without being prickly."

Having confirmed that no one needed to exchange their shoes, Yun Zhen brought out the gloves and announced, "I still have these gloves here. Each of you can take a pair shortly."

Someone asked in confusion, "Goddess, what are gloves?"