Chapter 9: Spatial Spirit Spring

The person who earlier bragged to the Gao Shi was her only friend in the village, Wu Shi.

Wu Shi came over and chimed in: "Moon Mother, that's your fault. And Hushui, why don't you manage your daughter-in-law? Look at how she speaks to your mother."

Qiao Hushui saw her come and trip him.

He faced Wu Shi and said: "Aunt Wu, this is our family's matter; you don't understand, so it's better not to speak."

Hey, you…

Wu Shi hadn't even gotten her words about Qiao Hushui out.

Gao Shi grabbed a tree root from the ground and swung it at Qiao Hushui: "I'll beat you to death, you unfilial wretch—once you have a wife you forget your mother!"

Qiao Hushui didn't want to fight Gao Shi, so he could only let her hit him.

Lan Yue Niang couldn't stand it, she stepped forward, snatched Gao Shi's stick, and threw it aside.

I don't want to live…

Gao Shi sat on the ground crying and slapping her thighs.

Qiao Hushui wanted to step forward to say something, but Lan Yue Niang pulled him away: "Go work."

Gao Shi cried and cried until she couldn't cry anymore.

Wu Shi, watching from the side, said: "A Xiu, your daughter-in-law really turned out to be this formidable, huh."

Gao Shi got up, brushed off the dust, and with a gloomy look said: "I still don't believe it—I can't handle her!"

Qiao Sheng didn't know what was happening over there.

Qiao Sheng took Xiao Shitou's hand and walked a stretch, then carried him toward the town; upon reaching the town, she spent a hundred wen on a small pot and another fifty wen on a kitchen knife.

Two hundred wen were spent in an instant, leaving only fifty wen.

They originally had no oil or salt.

Qiao Sheng thought it over and bought a catty of fatty meat; in ancient times fatty meat was more expensive than lean, costing fifteen wen per catty.

Salt was also expensive, sold by the tael.

Even the cheapest cost ten wen per tael.

Qiao Sheng bought two taels.

After that purchase, the fifty wen left became fifteen wen; adding the twenty-five wen she had left before, she now has a total of forty wen in hand.

Thinking of her arm that had previously felt hot.

Qiao Sheng said to Xiao Shitou: "Xiao Shitou, Mom's stomach hurts and she wants to go to the outhouse. Let's do this: we'll go find a shop to buy some things, then Mom can go to the outhouse easily."

"Mom, does your stomach really hurt?"

Xiao Shitou blinked his eyes and asked Qiao Sheng.

It's not good for the son to be too clever.

Qiao Sheng covered her stomach, feigning discomfort, and said: "Yes, Mom, my stomach hurts, it's really awful."

She took Xiao Shitou's hand and walked off.

Snacks are too expensive.

Xiao Shitou couldn't bear to part with them.

Qiao Sheng then found a grocery store and bought two catties of yellow wheat flour, which tastes a bit better than black wheat flour, at four wen per catty.

Two catties come to eight wen.

She paid the money.

Qiao Sheng told the shopkeeper, then brought her own son and followed the shop's assistant to the backyard outhouse.

She had Xiao Shitou wait outside.

Qiao Sheng put down her things, entered the outhouse, latched the door, then reached out and pulled open the right side of her clothing to examine her right arm.

Upon looking, she saw a red lotus.

As soon as Qiao Sheng's hand touched it, the scene before her eyes changed instantly.

The muddy ground beneath her feet turned into grass; in the distance was a clear river, and before the river stood a thatched cottage, beside which lay a patch of land overgrown with weeds.

She didn't know how big a mu of land was, but the original owner did.

Therefore.

At a glance, Qiao Sheng knew that this weed-covered plot before her was one mu in size, and beside the land there was a spring eye currently gushing water.

Great!

She, Qiao Sheng, now also has a Golden Finger!

Qiao Sheng happily ran over, cupped the water and took a sip; she felt the spring water was refreshingly sweet, even better than the mountain spring water she used to drink.

She took another sip.

Qiao Sheng stepped forward and walked toward the thatched cottage.

The thatched cottage looked shabby from outside, but inside it was a different world—it not only had living quarters, a main hall, but also a kitchen and an outhouse.

The living quarters contained a bed, cabinets, and blankets; the quality wasn't great, but they were fairly complete.

The main hall's furnishings were simple: just an Eight Immortals table and a few stools.

The kitchen was similar to the Qiao family's kitchen: a big pot, a water vat, plus a long cutting board and half a kitchen's worth of firewood.

The outhouse was quite clean.

Besides it, there was also a pigpen.

Just as Qiao Sheng stepped out, Xiao Shitou's voice came in: "Mom, are you feeling really unwell? Why not go get some medicine?"

(End of chapter)