[{"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-18":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},1896792,2531,"Chapter 18: A Promising Start","the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-chapter-18",18,"\u003Cp>The storeroom of the Miscellaneous Labor Hall was enormous; Hua Changxi estimated it was at least as large as a sports stadium from her previous life, and there was more than one such storeroom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cartloads of medicinal herbs were continuously hauled in from outside, while herbs inside were carted out to various bureaus within the Miscellaneous Labor Hall for processing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi stepped into the storeroom and, seeing the vast variety of medicinal herbs inside, her eyes immediately lit up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The guard watching the storeroom saw Hua Changxi staring blankly at the herbs, looking utterly awestruck, and deemed her inexperienced; he sneered, \"What are you standing there dazing for? How many herbs do you need to claim?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wanting to gather information about the storeroom, Hua Changxi immediately smiled at the young man guarding it: \"Hello, Big Brother. My name is Hua Changxi, and I'm new here. I've never seen such a large storeroom before; please don't blame me for my lack of experience.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing that Hua Changxi looked obedient and spoke pleasantly, the young man's attitude improved significantly: \"Ah, this is nothing. If you went to the Medicine Manor, you'd see; their storeroom is what you call truly huge.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi looked astonished: \"So all these herbs aren't even the entirety of the Medical Bureau's stock?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young man said with an air of pride: \"Of course not; what we have here is only a tiny fraction.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi's eyes widened: \"These herbs are top-grade treasures I've never even seen outside; yet they're not even the whole collection?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young man laughed, mocking Hua Changxi for making a fuss over nothing: \"What kind of good herbs are these? The truly fine ones are sent directly to the medical halls on Ninth Street; what we store here are just ordinary herbs.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi asked in amazement: \"There are herbs even better than these?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Hua Changxi's eyes shining with full admiration as she looked at him, the young man felt greatly pleased and elaborated further: \"Of course.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let me tell you, in the past two years, local yamens and martial arts halls everywhere have discovered many new herbs; some of them possess miraculous effects—those are the real treasure herbs.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi looked wistful: \"I really wish I could see what those treasure herbs Big Brother speaks of look like.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, the young man's face broke into a mocking smile: \"Go on, go on; you're just a lowly laborer, so stop having such delusions.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi's expression stiffened, and she felt somewhat awkward and embarrassed: \"It was presumptuous of me; I didn't know my place.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing a young girl react this way, the young man felt he might have been a bit too harsh, so he softened his tone: \"How many herbs do you need to claim? I'll help you carry them.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the young man did not wish to talk further, Hua Changxi stopped asking questions; noting that it was only one double-hour until lunchtime, she decided to claim just two hundred herbs to take back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Big Brother, I'll claim two hundred herbs.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young man sized up Hua Changxi's slight frame: \"Don't you all have to process five hundred herbs every day now? Can you finish cleaning them all?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Knowing one must demonstrate one's value at the right time in the workplace, Hua Changxi immediately smiled confidently: \"Big Brother, don't let my young age fool you; I have plenty of strength.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young man chuckled, clearly not taking her words seriously: \"I'll find you some herbs that are easy to clean.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don't think cleaning herbs is simple; there's a trick to it. Some herbs are easy to clean, while others are difficult.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You're lucky you ran into me; otherwise, arriving this late, you would have definitely received only those hard-to-process herbs.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi nodded repeatedly with a smile: \"I know; today my lucky star is shining bright, allowing me to meet a benefactor like Big Brother.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Big Brother, please give me just a little of each type of herb. Since I'm still new, the steward isn't too strict with me yet; I need to use this time to quickly familiarize myself with the cleaning methods for various herbs.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was no trouble at all, so the young man did not refuse; for the two hundred herbs, he selected several dozen different varieties.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Hua Changxi smiled until her eyes narrowed into slits: \"Big Brother, you are so kind; next time I come to claim herbs, may I look for you again?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing how much the young lady liked him, the young man pretended to be slightly impatient: \"Fine then; since you're so young, just come find me. From now on, I'll look out for you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi looked overjoyed: \"Thank you, Big Brother. By the way, Big Brother, I don't even know your name yet?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young man helped load the herbs onto the cart: \"My name is Yu Gui; from now on, just call me Brother Yu.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This batch of two hundred herbs consisted of many varieties, but none were bulky, so a single cart could carry them all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Gui wanted Hua Changxi to make two trips, but she politely declined with a smile: \"Brother Yu, don't worry about me; I can pull this load.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I need to get back to work quickly, or there won't be any lunch left for me. See you this afternoon, Brother Yu.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching Hua Changxi actually pull away a cart fully loaded with herbs, Yu Gui was so shocked his jaw dropped: \"Sister Changxi truly has quite a bit of strength; hmm, she's made of the right stuff for a laborer.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>People under each steward tended to stick together, usually working side by side when cleaning herbs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi returned to the Sixth Bureau, pulled her cart of herbs over to the area where Du Ruo's group was working, found an empty spot slightly farther away, unloaded the herbs onto the ground, rolled up her sleeves, and began working.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soaking the herbs in the irrigation ditch, Hua Changxi plunged her hands into the water and activated the Water Control Technique from the Spotless Art.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next moment, the water soaking the herbs began to churn; suddenly, the herbs felt as though they had been placed inside a washing machine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cleaning them this way was simply too easy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi carefully controlled the movement of the water to ensure no one noticed the anomaly around her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By lunchtime, [Annotations on the Hundred Herbs Classic (Perfected): Tasting Hundred Herbs 612\u002F1000], [Spotless Art (Perfected): Cleaning Herbs 650\u002F1000].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi had not only cleaned all two hundred herbs but also secretly tasted a bit of each variety.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at the changing statistics, Hua Changxi felt extremely happy in her heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After lunch, Hua Changxi took the cleaned herbs to the Second Office to report in; after signing her name, she went back to the storeroom to claim three hundred more herbs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She sought out Yu Gui again; this time, Hua Changxi received several dozen more varieties of herbs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After cleaning all three hundred herbs, the statistics changed once more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Annotations on the Hundred Herbs Classic (Perfected): Tasting Hundred Herbs 692\u002F1000]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Spotless Art (Perfected): Cleaning Herbs 950\u002F1000]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing that the Spotless Art needed only fifty more herbs cleaned to upgrade, Hua Changxi glanced around at the others in her group.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Careful!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the young lady who had reminded her to eat yesterday nearly slip while carrying herbs, Hua Changxi quickly reached out and steadied her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My name is Hua Changxi; thank you for reminding me to eat yesterday.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Qingluo shook her head: \"No need to thank me; we are all under Steward Du, so we ought to help each other.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi asked with a smile: \"How should I address you?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Qingluo's attitude was neither particularly warm nor distant: \"My name is Lu Qingluo.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Noticing that Lu Qingluo was two or three years older than herself, Hua Changxi addressed her as \"Sister Qingluo\": \"By the way, Sister Qingluo, was it you who left the steamed bun on my bed?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Qingluo uttered an \"Mm,\" then picked up a new batch of herbs and went down to the irrigation ditch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi walked over beside her and, while helping her clean the herbs, said: \"I really can't thank you enough; otherwise, I would have gone hungry this morning.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Hua Changxi do this, Lu Qingluo quickly said: \"Bringing you a steamed bun was just a small favor; you don't need to help me clean the herbs.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi's hands didn't stop moving: \"Sister Qingluo, I've finished my work; let me help you wash some of the easier items.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Qingluo straightened up, glanced at Hua Changxi's cart on the bank piled with cleaned medicinal herbs, and asked in surprise, \"How did you wash the herbs so quickly?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi smiled and said, \"I've been helping out in my family's pharmacy since I was little. Don't let my size fool you; I'm an old hand at processing herbs, and I'm quite strong too.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even without using the Water Control Technique, Hua Changxi washed the herbs with remarkable speed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching her hands constantly churning in the water, cleaning herb after herb in rapid succession, Lu Qingluo felt deeply impressed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not far away, Du Ruo observed the scene.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had originally thought that since Hua Changxi woke up late today, she would surely be working until nightfall, but now she realized Hua Changxi had not only finished her own duties but still had energy left to help Lu Qingluo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed Manager Leng had indeed assigned her an excellent laborer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Stainless Technique (Perfected): Cleaning medicinal herbs 1069\u002F]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After upgrading the Stainless Technique to Perfection, Hua Changxi immediately felt her control over water and wind improve significantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With water droplets clinging to her fingers, Hua Changxi flicked them lightly; the drops instantly transformed into sharp projectiles, shooting toward the edge of the ditch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Boom~\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spot struck by the water droplets collapsed, leaving a depression over a meter in diameter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The people nearby jumped in fright at the sudden collapse, while Hua Changxi's heart swelled with immense excitement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I'll go fill that hole.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since she was the one who caused it, Hua Changxi quickly walked over, dug up some earth, and filled the pit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Hua Changxi's help, Lu Qingluo had already finished today's duties and came over to assist her as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two of them soon filled the hole.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let's go; we'll turn in our work at the Second Office.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi made two trips to deliver all her medicinal herbs to the Second Office; by then, Lu Qingluo was still making trips, but instead of continuing to help her, Hua Changxi ran off to help Du Ruo transport herbs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having washed herbs all day, Du Ruo was exhausted, so she did not refuse Hua Changxi's attempt to curry favor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When it was time for dinner, Hua Changxi ate together with Du Ruo and Lu Qingluo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the dining hall, Hua Changxi looked at Du Ruo, then at Lu Qingluo, the corners of her mouth constantly turning upward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having just entered the Laborer Hall, she had already befriended her supervising leader and colleagues; even Yu Gui, who managed the warehouse, greeted her with a smile that accounted for three parts of their meeting. Her career path could be said to have started with a successful opening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After dinner, Lu Qingluo suddenly called out to Hua Changxi: \"Changxi, could you do me a favor?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi replied, \"Just say it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Qingluo said, \"The dining hall doesn't allow anyone to take extra steamed buns; each person can take at most five. Several people in our dorm room go without dinner every day, so I was thinking...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi understood her meaning: \"No problem; I'll go get five buns too.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Hua Changxi return with the buns, a smile appeared on Lu Qingluo's face; then, the two of them walked back to the dorm room together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After returning to the room, Hua Changxi went to wash up, and as soon as she finished, she climbed into bed: \"Sister Qingluo, I'm going to sleep.\" With that, she lay prone on the bed and closed her eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having transmigrated to the Great Jin Dynasty thirteen years ago, today was the day she had worked the most; even though cultivation had strengthened her constitution, she was utterly exhausted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Hua Changxi fall asleep in no time, Lu Qingluo was somewhat at a loss for words: \"Changxi falls asleep far too quickly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the sky darkened, people began returning one after another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Qingluo, why did you bring back so many steamed buns?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I didn't take them all myself; Changxi took some too.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why has she fallen asleep again?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Changxi has only just turned thirteen; she's at the age where her body is growing, so she naturally needs more sleep than us.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because she helped bring back the buns, the attitudes of her roommates toward Hua Changxi improved considerably.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next day, when everyone was leaving, Hua Changxi was still asleep; Lu Qingluo hesitated whether to wake her, but recalling that Hua Changxi hadn't asked to be woken when she went to sleep last night, and considering Hua Changxi's fast speed in washing herbs, she remained silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi slept until the Si hour as usual, ate the steamed bun Lu Qingluo had saved for her, and went as usual to the warehouse to collect herbs from Yu Gui.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the end of the Shen hour (17:00), Hua Changxi had finished washing today's 500 medicinal herbs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After handing over the cleaned herbs to the Second Office, Hua Changxi did not return directly to the Sixth Bureau but took a detour to the entrance of the Medical Bureau.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today was the day the apprentice recruitment list would be posted; even though she had already entered the Laborer Hall, Hua Changxi still wanted to see the list of those recruited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Medical Bureau had recruited 200 apprentices this time; Hua Changxi read the names on the list one by one, but by the end, she still hadn't seen her own name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although she had long expected this result, she still felt somewhat stifled in her heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Standing at the main gate of the Medical Bureau for a while, Hua Changxi waited until her mood settled before turning back toward the Laborer Hall.\u003C\u002Fp>",2397,"2026-06-12T02:51:22.172Z",1,"Qwen3.5 397B","710ec26dccc6d79627e61d7494ece84b800610f43f30882abcfec50b29e3ccca","the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-chapter-19","the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-chapter-17",558,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-cover.jpg"]