[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl":3,"chapter-the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-chapter-156":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Great Jin's Most Iron Rice Bowl",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1896930,2531,"Chapter 156: Repetition","the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-chapter-156",156,"\u003Cp>In the Hua family courtyard, everyone was busy preparing for tomorrow's betrothal banquet, yet Hua Changxi felt somewhat at a loss; she wanted to help but found no way to insert herself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gazing at the festive and lively Hua family courtyard, in a moment of恍惚, Hua Changxi felt as though she had returned to the Mid-Autumn Festival day, that sensation of being an outsider amidst the family's joyous atmosphere resurfacing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though she stood in what was clearly her own home and saw only her family members, she still felt as if a thin film separated her from the others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi disliked this suspended sense of detachment, yet she did not force herself to join her family's bustle; instead, she quietly returned to her room, sat by the window, and silently watched the activity in the Hua family courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the vibrant life filling the Hua family courtyard, Hua Changxi felt no rejection in her heart; in fact, she even wished to participate, for she knew clearly that she needed family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, regarding the Hua family, she actually possessed no deep sense of belonging.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a daughter of the Hua family, irreconcilable contradictions existed between her and Old Master Hua, and indeed between her and most of the Hua family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To Old Master Hua, as the head of the household, all major and minor family matters and the development of every Hua family member must align with his will, allowing no one to challenge his authority.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for her, she was certainly unwilling to live according to a mold crafted by others; as long as she persisted in being herself, conflict with Old Master Hua was unavoidable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the rest of the Hua family, in their eyes, a family should make no distinction between self and other; since she was part of the Hua family, everything she possessed ought to be handed over to the family, and her failure to do so might be seen as infringing upon their interests.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi sighed; she realized she seemed to be repeating the old problems of her previous life, longing for familial warmth on one hand while detesting her family's demands and emotional kidnapping on the other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ninth Sister, what are you thinking about to be so lost in thought?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Sixth Brother leaned against the window, curiously waving his hand in front of Hua Changxi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Hua Sixth Brother sweating profusely from his work, and noticing the courtyard filled with tables and chairs, with the rear courtyard seemingly just as packed, Hua Changxi asked in surprise, \"Will many people come tomorrow?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Sixth Brother nodded: \"Grandfather is now a clan elder, so people from the clan will certainly come; when I passed through the main hall earlier, I heard Grandfather say that several clan elders seem to be arriving.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"People from the Marquis Manor will also come, along with the Hua cultivators who cultivate alongside Fourth Brother; oh yes, Young Master Hongqi and Miss Shuran from the Heir's household will both be attending.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then there are those from the Sheng family; I don't know exactly who from the Sheng family will come, but we must at least prepare several tables for them.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Adding in other relatives and friends, the combined front and rear courtyards might barely have enough seating.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Speaking of this, Hua Sixth Brother suddenly sighed: \"Before, I thought our two-courtyard home was quite good by Jingcheng standards, but now, I feel our home is still too small.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is only for Eldest Brother's betrothal; if it were the wedding, even more people would come, and I'm afraid we won't even have enough space to receive guests.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi looked at him: \"If Eldest Brother is getting married, he should be the one worrying; why are you borrowing trouble?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Sixth Brother smiled: \"I was just thinking of myself; by the time I get married, I'm afraid our family won't even have space to arrange my bridal chamber.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi rolled her eyes: \"If I were you, I would find a way to acquire my own residence rather than staring hopefully at this small courtyard.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Recalling that he was stationed at the Fire Spirit Mine, where he could cultivate for free in the mine tunnels and receive fifty top-grade Fire Spirit Stones each month, Hua Sixth Brother mentally calculated his accumulated Fire Spirit Stones and realized that compared to his other siblings, he had already amassed a modest fortune; immediately, he chuckled: \"That's true.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Hua family courtyard remained busy until late at night before gradually quieting down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the rear courtyard, Third Master He could not get used to the Hua family bed, so he simply sat cross-legged on the bed to cultivate; as soon as he began cultivating, his expression trembled, and he immediately looked at Fifth Lady Hua, who was still coaxing her child to sleep: \"The spiritual energy here in your family is incredibly dense.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Fifth Lady Hua smiled: \"Ninth Sister said she arranged a Spirit Gathering Array in the Hua family courtyard; this way, family members with spiritual roots can cultivate, while those without can nourish their bodies.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing this, Third Master He's eyes flashed, and he said with a smile: \"I had thought that Ninth Sister and your family were on very bad terms.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fifth Lady Hua paused: \"Ninth Sister... is simply sharp-tongued; when it comes to her family, she has always been fiercely protective.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Third Master He immediately recalled the incident when Ninth Lady Hua caused a huge scene at Marquis Wu Yi's manor during Fifth Lady Hua's childbirth: \"Yes, she is indeed very protective.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fifth Lady Hua also remembered how Hua Changxi had stood up for her; she smiled, said nothing more, and continued lowering her head to coax her child.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Third Master He asked no further questions, merely carefully sensing the spiritual energy in the Hua family courtyard; as he absorbed more and more spiritual energy, the shock in his heart grew greater.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The He family also had cultivation rooms specially arranged with Spirit Gathering Arrays, but the density of spiritual energy there was far inferior to that of the Hua family; even so, the He family spent over a hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones every month just to maintain the operation of their Spirit Gathering Array.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By this calculation, given the concentration of spiritual energy filling the Hua family courtyard, the spirit stones the Hua family spent monthly on their Spirit Gathering Array must be at least several times that of the He family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A monthly consumption of hundreds of thousands of spirit stones—what a lavish expenditure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Hua family... no, it was Ninth Lady Hua; she must possess a spirit mine in her hands, otherwise she could not supply the spirit stone consumption required for the Spirit Gathering Array.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A spirit mine...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Third Master He's breathing became somewhat rapid; the He family had mobilized the entire clan's strength to seize only a small spirit mine, yet Ninth Lady Hua, merely a young lady, actually possessed a spirit mine as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fifth Lady, what exactly is Ninth Sister's cultivation level?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fifth Lady Hua raised her eyes to look at Third Master He and shook her head: \"I do not know.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Third Master He asked again: \"Does no one else in the family know either?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fifth Lady Hua shook her head once more: \"Ninth Sister is someone who greatly values her privacy; let alone the rest of the family, even Eldest Uncle and Eldest Aunt may not know everything about Ninth Sister's affairs.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Third Master He was puzzled: \"Didn't you say that your Eldest Uncle and Eldest Aunt treat Ninth Sister very well? Then why does Ninth Sister still maintain such strong guard against them?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Fifth Lady Hua froze; she had truly never considered this question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing her reaction, Third Master He smiled: \"Perhaps your Eldest Uncle and Eldest Aunt are not as good to Ninth Sister as you imagine; otherwise, Ninth Sister would not hide everything from them; at the very least, she should inform them of major matters.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fifth Lady Hua fell silent; in her view, Eldest Uncle and Eldest Aunt could truly be called loving parents to Ninth Sister; whenever Ninth Sister wanted something or wished to eat something, while Eldest Uncle and Eldest Aunt did not satisfy every single request, they fulfilled most of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, when Ninth Sister was punished by Grandfather and Grandmother, she had also heard Ninth Sister accuse Eldest Uncle and Eldest Aunt, claiming they did not love her, did not protect her, and even helped Grandfather and Grandmother bully her and the like.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was this the reason that caused Ninth Sister to develop resentment toward Eldest Uncle and Eldest Aunt?\u003C\u002Fp>",1454,"2026-06-12T02:51:22.172Z",1,"Qwen3.5 397B","d50a7137a6366bf682b03376488216175a8a07c01c86f981365a108e948e2d92","the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-chapter-157","the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-chapter-155",558,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-cover.jpg"]