Chapter 88: The Goddess Found Another Livelihood for the Village

Chapter 88: Chapter 88: The Goddess Found Another Livelihood for the Village

The Goddess and the village chief were going to host a housewarming banquet for everyone!

The villagers who overheard their conversation passed the word along, and soon, everyone got the news. The village was hosting a housewarming banquet! They were going to eat fragrant noodles boiled in meat broth! Just thinking about it filled them with joy.

Yun Zhen went to the new room her father and the village chief had prepared for her.

The tent looked small from the outside, but it was surprisingly spacious inside. There was a wooden bed, and to her surprise, it was completely new.

"Carpenter Zhao brought out his most treasured stock just to get a new bed for you, Goddess," the village chief explained. "That bed you had at home snapped in two after we dug it out from under the ruins. Carpenter Zhao took it back to repair when he has some free time."

"Uncle Zhao, thank you so much!" Yun Zhen was truly touched. Uncle Zhao was the village carpenter, and business was tough around here with so few people and low pay. Before the blizzard, he used to take jobs in town, carrying his finished work all the way to the customers’ homes. He barely made half a tael of silver a trip, so this new bed was definitely a highly valuable asset to his family.

"As long as the Goddess sleeps comfortably, that’s all that matters! This elm wood bed is a canceled order from before, so please don’t mind it!" Carpenter Zhao was quite a straightforward and hearty man.

Since he was willing to offer such a precious new bed frame, there was no way Yun Zhen would mind. "I couldn’t be happier."

It was time for the village chief to go cook. "Goddess, take a look and see if there’s anything missing in the room. I’ll get it for you later. I’m going to thaw the meat in the pot and use the meat broth to boil the fragrant noodles."

"Village Chief, remember to put in more meat. We have our crochet craft now, and I’ve also found another job. If we do it well, it’ll be just as lucrative as crocheting. Once we have money, I’ll buy more meat and eggs for everyone’s meals, so there’s no need to skimp." Yun Zhen knew everyone was frugal, but how could they nourish their bodies without eating well? Besides, they had to work over the next few days, and they wouldn’t have any strength on empty stomachs.

Hearing that she had found yet another job for the village, the village chief’s lips trembled as he asked, "Goddess, you’ve found us another livelihood?"

The others were standing outside the tent, and since the village chief hadn’t lowered his voice, everyone turned to look at her in unison.

Yun Zhen wasn’t entirely certain, but she planned to give it a shot. "I’m not sure if we can make money from it yet, but I want to try.

"Even if we can’t pull off this livelihood, we aren’t lacking anything now, and we can still afford to buy more meat.

"Village Chief, go ahead and cook for everyone first. They’re all waiting. I’ll explain the details of this livelihood after we eat. Everyone, go back to your rooms and warm up before dinner. I’m going to look around my new room first."

The crowd kept thinking about the new livelihood the Goddess mentioned, but they knew that good things came to those who waited.

The village chief waved his hand. "Let’s all disperse. I’ll holler for you all to come eat once the food is ready."

With that, they all left.

Only Yun Zhen, her mother, and Xiao Bao remained in the room; her father had gone to help the village chief cook.

The communal meals in the village were prepared daily by Yun Xiu and the village chief. After eating, everyone washed their own bowls, while the adult men and women of the village took turns washing the large pot.

The tent room could be taken in at a glance. Although it was smaller than the thatched cottage, it retained heat well, kept them warm, and blocked the wind. A small stove sat on the floor with two sections of exhaust pipes connected to it. One section attached to the stove, led to an elbow joint in the middle, and connected to the other section that was stuffed through a hole above the door. Not a single trace of smoke could be smelled inside.

The bed was tucked in the deepest part of the room, layered with new bedding. The cabinet Yun Zhen usually used to store her things now sat right by the head of the bed. There was also a small round table with a wooden stool beside it.

It felt like a fusion of styles from two different worlds. It was very cozy and gave off a strong sense of security.

"What do you think? Is there anything that needs changing?" Yun Duo asked with a smile, standing beside her daughter.

The good days the village now enjoyed were all brought about by her daughter. She was both proud of her and heartbroken that she had to work so hard all alone in the Immortal Realm. All Yun Duo could do was help watch the child and do some trivial chores.

Yun Zhen was very satisfied with her new room. "No changes needed, Mother. I think it’s perfectly fine the way it is. I won’t be going back there tonight; I’ll stay here and head over tomorrow. I’ll sleep with Xiao Bao tonight. You and Father have been busy all day, so get some rest."

"I’m not tired. I can’t do heavy labor anyway, so I just helped the villagers watch the children. The kids are quite well-behaved. They were having a snowball fight, and I just watched from the sidelines." Due to Yun Duo’s poor health, the chores at home were usually split between the father and daughter. Sometimes she couldn’t even cook, and she would feel weak after doing just a bit of work.

Today, everyone had been working, so she took care of the children under five. The kids could run and jump, and they were well-behaved, so she didn’t tire herself out at all.

Speaking of her mother’s health, Yun Zhen frowned. She only remembered that her family had no food or clothes and would suffer from hunger and cold, completely neglecting her mother’s physical frailty. She really shouldn’t have!

Yun Zhen stared at her. "Mother, I’ll ask a doctor in the Immortal Realm tomorrow about how to treat your condition or nourish your body, and I’ll buy you some supplements."

"That’s too expensive. Just use the money to buy things for everyone. Aside from not being able to do heavy lifting, there’s nothing wrong with me. Look, I haven’t even gotten sick despite the freezing cold. I’m already completely satisfied now that I’m well-fed and warmly dressed," Yun Duo said sincerely.

Yun Zhen sighed helplessly. "Mother!"

If her mother’s frailty could be cured, she was willing to pay any price. Besides, now that everyone was well-fed, warmly dressed, free from the worries of hunger and cold, and even had meat to eat, the villagers surely wouldn’t object to her using some spare money to treat her mother’s illness.

"Alright! I’ll get treated. But don’t worry too much. I know my own body, and it’s not a huge problem. Your father has said that medicine shouldn’t be taken carelessly, so just buy me some sugar cakes or something to nourish me. If milk is cheap, buy some for me to drink. I love drinking that," Yun Duo said rather sheepishly.

Yun Zhen broke into a smile. "Don’t worry, Mother. All medicines have side effects, so I wouldn’t let you take them carelessly anyway. I’ll buy some of those sugar cakes and milk you mentioned."

Having sorted this out with her mother, Yun Zhen finally let go of another worry weighing on her mind.

She sat on the edge of the bed and playfully teased Xiao Bao. "Xiao Bao, Mother isn’t going back tonight. I’ll sleep with you."

"Yay! Xiao Bao loves sleeping with Mother!" Xiao Bao, who was playing on the bed, knew her mother usually dropped things off at night before returning to the Immortal Realm. Hearing that she wouldn’t be going back tonight made her extremely happy. She could finally sleep with her mother again. She scurried over and rubbed her face affectionately against her mother’s chest. Her mother’s embrace was the warmest of all.

"I’m glad you’re happy to sleep with me, Xiao Bao. I am too!" Seeing that Xiao Bao’s face was noticeably rounder than before, Yun Zhen felt a wave of comfort. As long as her family was living well, everything she did was worth it.

"When you two are ready for bed, I’ll have your father put the fire cover on the stove. Since you won’t be here tomorrow, we’ll add less firewood and just keep the embers burning," Yun Duo chimed in.

Li Cuilan walked in right at that moment, carrying a basket in her hands. She showed Yun Zhen its contents. "Goddess, a few of us who know how to crochet just finished up the rest of the dolls from last night. There are exactly thirty of them."

Yun Zhen took them and tossed the crocheted dolls into the treasure space in her mind. "Aunt Cui Lan, you all are so hardworking. You’ve been busy all day, and you still managed to finish the rest of the dolls."

"This is our village’s livelihood! We can’t neglect it no matter how busy we are!" Praised by the Goddess, Li Cuilan felt elated, her face flush with excitement.

"The fragrant noodles are ready!"

A wondrous aroma wafted through the air, even more overpowering than the scent of the meat itself, awakening everyone’s appetites.

"Goddess, this is the food my father-in-law served for you," the village chief’s eldest daughter-in-law said as she approached with a wooden tray. On it sat the portions for Yun Zhen, Yun Duo, and Xiao Bao.

The bowls were filled with curly, squiggly noodles submerged in broth, topped with a layer of golden-red oil! On top lay several pieces of meat and a pork rib, which looked to have been simmered in a braising sauce. The meat chunks bore a deep, rich hue, their glossy fat glistening under the candlelight.