Chapter 67: What Is "Shixi"?

Chapter 67: Chapter 67: What Is "Shixi"?

Confirming there was an empty space in her mind to store things, Yun Zhen was so excited she almost jumped up. She suspected the bracelet could understand her words. Just as she was worrying about how to take all the things she liked home, the red mole on her palm grew hot, and she immediately obtained a miraculous pocket magical artifact.

More accurately, it was an empty space contained within her mind. A huge pile of things was placed in this space, yet she couldn’t feel the slightest weight on her body.

This was amazing! Truly worthy of being an immortal’s magical artifact.

Clasping her hands together, she gave thanks piously, "Divine Artifact bracelet, thank you for choosing me and giving me and the villagers a way to survive. Now you’ve even gifted me a treasured land so I can put everything I fancy inside!"

Yun Zhen felt like she was dreaming. There was a treasured land in her mind! It was as miraculous as Doraemon’s pocket. Had she become Doraemon Yun Zhen?

This discovery filled her with a sense of security. In the future, she wouldn’t have to worry about buying too many things and not being able to carry them back. She could just put them straight into the treasured land and take them out once she got home.

Suppressing her excitement, she refocused her attention on the treasures laid out on the ground.

Long-handled brooms and long-handled dustpans. The dormitories had the same setup, so she knew these were for sweeping the floor. If she didn’t have the treasured land, she wouldn’t have planned to take these items, but now she could place them all inside without any pressure. That was until she discovered that the amount of things the treasured land could hold was limited. If she wanted to put more in, she would have to stack them layer upon layer.

She took out a mesh bag and packed the kitchen knife, cutting board, and iron pot—a few small items that weren’t easily broken—inside. Carrying them out would also give Uncle Chen a reasonable explanation.

She had picked up most of the things laid out on the ground. Only one large box remained. It was about as tall as the trash can standing next to it, just wider and larger.

Leaning over to look inside, she pulled out two fluffy dolls.

One was a large brown bear. It had a chubby, round body covered in fluffy, thick fur that felt incredibly smooth to the touch, along with eyes the size of black beans, a red nose, and a mouth made of just two curved lines. With its short limbs and big head, it looked charmingly naive.

The other was a yellow tiger! It had a soft, fat body, a round head, and large eyes. Looking closely, one could see black and white accents mixed into its yellow fur. It was extremely adorable!

The two fluffy dolls were made so realistically that if they hadn’t been completely motionless, she probably would have mistaken them for a real bear and tiger. She loved them just by looking at them. Xiaobao would definitely love them too if she took them home. Hugging these two dolls felt incredibly warm; they could even be used for heating. At night, she would let Xiaobao lie right between them!

She tossed the dolls into the treasured land in her mind. Now that she was just about done picking things up, she began collecting cardboard boxes, colorful cans, and clear bottles, just like usual.

She collected slightly less scrap today than yesterday, only filling three bags.

Chen San offered, "If you can’t carry them, should I take you over there?"

Having picked up a lot of good things today, Yun Zhen was in a great mood. "Uncle Chen, there’s no need to trouble you. I can carry them. Thank you for telling me someone was throwing things away earlier; I managed to pick up half a bag of usable, good stuff."

Chen San smiled. "No need to thank me. You would have seen it once you entered the neighborhood. I just gave you a heads-up."

Regardless, Yun Zhen was still grateful for Uncle Chen’s care.

Upon arriving at the recycling station, she had the young boss, Lu Ping, weigh her items.

After weighing them, Lu Ping told her, "Kiddo, it’s sixty-eight yuan today. Ten yuan less than yesterday!"

Yun Zhen said, "I didn’t collect as many cans today." Cardboard and clear bottles weren’t as valuable as cans, and she hadn’t found many cans today.

Lu Ping smiled and comforted her. "That’s already pretty good. I’ve never seen a kid as persistent as you, coming to sell scrap every single day. You’re even more diligent than those old ladies. They say hard work leads to wealth; you’ll definitely make big money in the future!"

Yun Zhen smiled. "Brother Lu, you’ll definitely make big money in the future too!"

She took the sixty-eight yuan and went to work at the restaurant. After finishing her work, she went to the university town to sell her crocheted dolls. She already knew that this place wasn’t called Da Xue City, but a university town!

It had several magnificent main gates. The people living inside weren’t government officials, but knowledgeable scholars, both men and women. She watched them going in and out of the gates. They could go inside to study, and come out to eat delicious grilled sausages and drink tasty milk tea. It was truly enviable!

She wondered if she would run into Su Yue today.

Last night, Yun Zhen had used up all her crocheting materials. Together with the ten villagers learning the craft, they had made a total of twenty-one dolls. If they could all be sold, she would be able to buy some bedding to take back to the village, as well as a few stoves.

The spot where she set up her stall yesterday was taken, so she found a spot a little further away from the main gate to set up her stall.

A mishmash of smells drifted through the air. The rich scent of oil and meat made her mouth water constantly, but there were also some strange odors she wasn’t used to. For example, the stall next door was selling stinky tofu.

Yun Zhen was baffled. Selling tofu was one thing, but why wait until the tofu went bad to sell it? Would they really not get beaten up for feeding people rotten tofu?

When she actually saw someone buy the blackened stinky tofu, she felt utterly disturbed. There were actually people who ate rotten tofu. What a unique hobby!

Two young women crouched down in front of her stall and picked up a crocheted doll. "We heard from a friend that there’s a girl selling crocheted dolls at the school gate. The craftsmanship is supposedly finer than what you can find online, but it’s really expensive—one hundred yuan. This is your stall, right?"

There were quite a few people selling crocheted dolls at the school gate. The stalls were designed in all sorts of ways, but in truth, the craftsmanship was mostly mediocre, and some of the dolls were even fraying. Their friend had said that one girl’s crocheted dolls were much finer in quality, and she only sold a dozen or so a day. The only catch was the steep price of one hundred yuan. They had searched the area and finally found this sparsely stocked stall. Even the fact that the boss was a young girl matched up perfectly.

Yun Zhen quickly nodded. "I bought the material kits and made them entirely by hand. You can take a closer look; they’re definitely worth the price!"

The two young women hesitated for a long time, looking at each other before finally deciding to buy them.

"Yun Zhen, you’re right on time today too!"

Having just collected a sum of money, Yun Zhen was in a wonderful mood. Hearing Su Yue’s voice made her even happier.

In just two or three days, Yun Zhen had become quite familiar with her. "Don’t you need to study at this hour?"

Su Yue replied, "I don’t have classes this afternoon. My roommates like playing games and scrolling through videos. When I have nothing to do, I like to come out for a walk." She was a foodie. Compared to playing games or watching videos, she preferred wandering around the snack street when she had no classes.

Hearing this, Yun Zhen said, "Then your studies are quite relaxing."

Su Yue nodded. "University is just like this. Besides, I’m going to start my internship soon. I’ll graduate right after my internship ends, so I don’t have too many classes left."

This wasn’t the first time Yun Zhen had heard the word "Shixi" from Su Yue. Not understanding, she asked, "What is ’Shixi’?"

Hearing her heavily accented pronunciation, Su Yue knew immediately that she didn’t understand what an internship was. Amused, she explained, "It means learning through practice. Do you know what ’learning by doing’ means? Even though I’ve read a lot of books and know a lot of useful knowledge, I haven’t personally put it into practice. An internship allows me to familiarize myself with my future job. Later, when I completely leave school, I’ll be able to make a living relying on the skills I’ve honed through practical experience.

"For example, let’s take your crocheted dolls. Imagine you only knew what material kit to use and what techniques to apply, but you had never touched the materials or made one with your own hands. In that case, you would have to make one first. Only when you’re completely familiar with the process and can make them well can you earn money."