Chapter 91: Thermos? Silver Light Cup?

Chapter 91: Chapter 91: Thermos? Silver Light Cup?

The next day, Yun Zhen prepared to travel to the other world.

Little Bao was still fast asleep. She opened the door quietly, only to see her father standing outside.

He looked incredibly excited and couldn’t wait to share the news. "Zhen Niang! The thermos truly lives up to its name. It really keeps things warm all night long! I poured a cup of hot water before going to bed last night, and when I opened it today, the water was still steaming!"

He showed the steaming thermos to Yun Zhen.

Yun Zhen’s eyes lit up. "It really works? It seems the shop boss didn’t lie to me."

Yun Xiu marveled, "I’ve never heard of anything so magical. To think there’s a cup in this world that can keep water hot all night—I doubt even the Imperial Palace has something like this!"

Yun Zhen had already decided what to do with the thermoses. "Dad, let’s keep one for ourselves and give the rest to families with elderly members or children. The old and the young can’t withstand the cold as well as us younger folks. They need to drink more hot water to stay warm. With these thermoses, their families can store more hot water for them to drink."

Yun Xiu nodded, thinking his daughter’s suggestion was excellent. "The village head and I boil a large pot of hot water every day, and every household in the village also boils a clay pot of it. Aside from drinking it to stay warm, the hot water is also used to thaw the frozen soil into mud to secure the walls. Our daily supply of hot water really isn’t enough. If everyone had a thermos like this, they wouldn’t have to worry about boiling too much hot water only for it to go cold," he said, holding the thermos as if it were a precious treasure.

"All right, Dad. I’ll leave this matter to you and the village head. It’s getting late, and I need to head to the Immortal Realm," Yun Zhen said.

Yun Xiu nodded hurriedly, not daring to delay his daughter’s journey. "The village head and I will take care of the village. You can go to the Immortal Realm with peace of mind. I’m going to find the village head right now to tell him about the thermoses."

The two parted ways.

Yun Zhen went to the cafeteria for breakfast first, while Yun Xiu headed to the village head’s home. Standing outside, he called through the tent flap, "Brother Li!"

Since they had to work every day lately, the village head’s entire family was already awake. Hearing his voice, the village head opened the door and quickly ushered him in. "Yun Xiu, you’re here! Come inside quickly, it’s cold out. What brings you over?"

They usually gathered at the work site. The village head figured Yun Xiu must have urgent business; if it were an ordinary matter, he could have just brought it up when everyone was working.

Yun Xiu raised the thermos with both hands. "Brother Li, this is a treasure Zhen Niang brought back from the Immortal Realm. It’s called a thermos. As the name suggests, it’s a cup that retains heat. I poured a cup of hot water into it last night, and when I opened the lid this morning, the water was still steaming!"

The village head’s wife was the first to react in shock. "Oh my! There’s actually such a magical treasure?"

"If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it either!" Yun Xiu nodded solemnly.

The village head took a deep breath, forcing himself to accept the existence of such an incredible item. "This is a divine artifact the Goddess brought back from the Immortal Realm. We can’t help but believe it."

"Yun Xiu! Are the thermoses from the Immortal Realm expensive? If they’re cheap, we should suggest to the Goddess tonight that she buy a few more. Hot water is scarce in the village. We need it for drinking to warm our bodies, for washing, and for soaking the frozen soil to plaster the walls. If we buy a few more thermoses, we can store extra hot water for the elderly and the children to drink. The young people can endure the cold, but if the old and the young don’t have enough hot water, they won’t last long working outside."

Pitching tents and building the high walls required everyone’s participation, except for those truly too old or too young to work. Because the villagers spent long hours outside without being able to go indoors, they relied on drinking hot water to stay warm. However, the village’s hot water supply was far from sufficient. With the thermoses, they could store a little extra hot water without fear that boiling too much would result in it going cold with nowhere to store it.

Yun Xiu explained, "These were given to Zhen Niang by the shop boss when she was buying scented powder. There are twenty thermoses in total. Zhen Niang’s idea is pretty much the same as yours—distribute the thermoses to families with elderly members and children, one for each household."

"The Goddess is so thoughtful!" the village head exclaimed. He then added, "Bring the thermoses over later, and we’ll distribute them to the households with elderly people and children."

Later, while everyone was working, they noticed the Goddess’s father walking over with a stack of long boxes in his arms.

"What are these?" Zhou Dashan went over to help Yun Xiu carry the boxes.

The crowd stared curiously at the small boxes in their arms. Yun Xiu took a gleaming silver thermos out of one.

"Whoa!" everyone gasped in amazement. "A silver glowing cup?"

Yun Xiu coughed. He thought the name "silver glowing cup" was actually quite fitting. "These are all thermoses that Zhen Niang brought back from the Immortal Realm. They can ensure that hot water doesn’t go cold all night long, and they’re meant for storing it. The Goddess, the village head, and I have decided to distribute them to families with elderly members and children. What do you all think?"

A divine artifact that retained heat all night long! The group of people dropped their jaws in shock.

"We have no objections," Zhou Dashan’s wife, Li Cuilan, who was standing beside him, quickly replied.

"None of us have any objections. The elderly and the children come first!"

"Since everyone is in agreement, I will distribute them according to the Goddess’s wishes."

The villagers who received the thermoses were overjoyed. Yun Xiu taught them how to use the items. "Boil a pot of hot water and fill the thermoses to the brim. Once we finish our work, it’ll be ready for us to drink."

Everyone eagerly hurried home to boil hot water and fill their thermoses. After all, these were divine artifacts brought from the Immortal Realm by the Goddess. The Goddess was merciful to distribute them to households with the elderly and children. If this were any other village, the best things would always be given to the families of the strong laborers.

After boiling the water, everyone came back out to work.

Meanwhile, after finishing her breakfast, Yun Zhen spent some time learning to read. She then collected and sold scrap materials, worked her shift at the restaurant, and finally took her thirty crocheted dolls to the university gates.

The crowd in the area had visibly thinned out. Yun Zhen could only pray that she would be able to sell all thirty crocheted dolls today. Barring any accidents, she would be selling fridge magnets or wooden hairpins tomorrow. With the university students going home for the holidays, she would need to find another crowded place to sell her goods.

Su Yue walked out of the campus gates and spotted her immediately. "Yun Zhen, you’re quite punctual today too."

Yun Zhen was delighted to see her again.

Su Yue asked, "Have you figured out how to make money with woodworking?"

"I have. I’m going to make wooden hairpins and fridge magnets. If I have time, I’ll also craft jewelry boxes to sell." Since Carpenter Zhao and Hunters Wang were fully on board, Yun Zhen spoke with a bit more confidence.

Seeing her confident expression, Su Yue couldn’t help but wonder if her craftsmanship would actually sell. Still, Yun Zhen’s perseverance and diligence were truly commendable.

"Let me have a look when you start selling the hairpins and fridge magnets. I want to see just how many surprises my multi-talented good friend can give me!" Su Yue said, full of anticipation.

Yun Zhen blushed slightly. She wasn’t the one making the items, but she couldn’t tell Su Yue the truth. She could only reply vaguely, "Sure, I’ll show you when the time comes."

She quickly changed the subject. "Did you find a job?" Su Yue had mentioned yesterday that she was going to look for work near the school.

Su Yue nodded. "I’m working as a cashier in a mall. The part-time job is right on the food street. I’m staying at the school over the holidays, so it’s just a five or six-minute walk."

"It’s good that it’s close by." Yun Zhen didn’t quite grasp the concept of a five or six-minute walk, but she knew the food street wasn’t far, as Su Yue went there for a stroll every day.

Su Yue was also satisfied. "Exactly, so I won’t have to struggle to squeeze onto the bus." She stroked her chin. "Yun Zhen, have you decided where you’re going to sell the hairpins and fridge magnets?"

Once finals week was over, the university town would soon be empty.

Yun Zhen shook her head. "I only know that it’s lively around here. I haven’t been anywhere else."