[{"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-31":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},1896805,2531,"Chapter 31: Friends","the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-chapter-31",31,"\u003Cp>\"Sister Changxi, here to collect your medicinal herbs!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Hua Changxi arrive at the storeroom to collect herbs, Li Meng warmly took the initiative to greet her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi asked, \"Is Brother Yu awake?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Meng nodded enthusiastically with a smile. \"He's awake. Brother Yu can even sit up on his own now.\" Saying this, he approached Hua Changxi and lowered his voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The palm print on Brother Yu's back has vanished. Sister Changxi, your medical skills are truly this good.\" He gave Hua Changxi a thumbs-up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi smiled. \"It's good that he's awake. He must continue drinking the medicine; Brother Yu's internal injuries are quite severe, so he needs to drink it for at least five days.\" Saying this, she moved to carry the herbs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Meng quickly said, \"Sister Changxi, come over here to pick up your herbs.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi glanced at the herbs Li Meng was pointing to and shook her head. \"I'll just carry the ones over here.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Meng grew anxious, walking over to whisper, \"The herbs you're carrying are extremely difficult to clean...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi smiled. \"It's fine. I wash them quickly, and cleaning these herbs isn't difficult for me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every day, watching the laborers of the Sixth Bureau return to their rooms exhausted, witnessing their hardships, she sometimes wondered: if she hadn't accidentally obtained her fortune, would she not be struggling just like them?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An ordinary laborer, day after day, performing heavy labor to earn a meager sum of silver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whenever she thought this way, she felt both gratitude for her own luck and sympathy for the laborers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since cleaning herbs was no trouble for her, what harm was there in doing her best to wash a few more of the difficult ones?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Hua Changxi insist on taking the hard-to-clean herbs, Li Meng felt helpless. Once the other laborers coming to collect herbs had mostly left and he had nothing urgent to do, he went to find Yu Gui.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Brother Yu, the wound medicine Sister Changxi made is truly excellent. In just one night, your wounds have already started to scab over. I must write down this formula; next time we get bumped or bruised, we can use this medicine.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wan Xiaozhou carefully packed the crushed herbal paste prepared by Hua Changxi into a porcelain jar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Gui was also surprised by Hua Changxi's medical skills. In the past, if injured by a fourth-rank martial artist, he would have suffered for at least half a month, yet this time, he had barely endured any pain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wan Xiaozhou said, \"Brother Yu, once your injury heals, you must properly thank Sister Changxi. Not to mention she carried you back, but just for her treating you, we've saved dozens of taels of silver.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Gui's expression became somewhat unnatural. When the storeroom staff had targeted Sister Changxi, he had stood by and done nothing; she must surely despise him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wan Xiaozhou noticed Yu Gui's expression and, after a moment's thought, said, \"Sister Changxi is a person of true feelings. If there is any misunderstanding between you two, it's better to clear it up soon.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first, Brother Yu had really liked Sister Changxi, but later, for some reason, he suddenly stopped paying attention to her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Gui let out a low \"Mm.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then, Li Meng entered the room. After asking about Yu Gui's injury and learning he felt no discomfort, he began to speak about Hua Changxi collecting herbs that morning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I don't know what Sister Changxi was thinking. I told her to take the herbs that are easy to clean so she could have an easier time, but she insisted on taking the difficult ones.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wan Xiaozhou thought for a moment and said, \"Sister Changxi cleans herbs very quickly, whereas other laborers, even with easy-to-clean herbs, are busy until nightfall, let alone if they were assigned the difficult ones.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Perhaps Sister Changxi wanted to help the others? By washing the most difficult ones herself, it becomes easier for everyone else.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Meng looked skeptical. \"Is that so? In the past, everyone we met was slippery and deceitful. Suddenly encountering a young lady who doesn't follow the usual rules, I find it hard to believe.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wan Xiaozhou smiled. \"There are still many kind people in this world. There are those like Sister Changxi, cold on the outside but warm-hearted, and those like Brother Yu, who draw their swords to help others.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If Brother Yu hadn't helped us, we would likely have been thrown into the Yong'an Canal by the dock masters long ago to feed the fish.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both Wan Xiaozhou and Li Meng were country folk from villages near Jingcheng, struggling to make a living at the Yong'an Canal dock in Nanchengmen. Simply because they accidentally offended the steward, they had nearly been beaten to death on his orders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For Yu Gui, who had rescued them and even given them stable jobs, the two were truly grateful from the bottom of their hearts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this point, Yu Gui had to speak up. \"Why bring this up again? We are all brothers in hardship; helping each other is only natural.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wan Xiaozhou chuckled. \"I was just talking with Li Meng, and the conversation led here.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Gui said, \"...Sister Changxi used to prefer taking only a small amount of each type of herb. When she comes to collect herbs, mention this to her and ask her to continue doing as she did before.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wan Xiaozhou and Li Meng both smiled and agreed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After recuperating for seven days, Yu Gui fully recovered and then came to the storeroom to supervise the distribution of herbs by the staff.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi came to collect herbs as usual. Seeing Yu Gui there, she smiled and greeted him. \"Brother Yu.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Gui looked somewhat embarrassed. He hesitated for quite a while, and only after Hua Changxi had loaded all the herbs she needed onto the cart did he finally speak. \"Sister Changxi, thank you for saving me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi smiled. \"You're welcome. When I first entered the Labor Hall, Brother Yu, you did indeed take care of me. I remember that in my heart.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Gui felt somewhat ashamed. While helping Hua Changxi carry the herbs, he seemed wanting to speak but holding back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi looked at him. \"Brother Yu, is there something else?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Gui quickly shook his head. \"No, there's nothing.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Hua Changxi finished arranging all the herbs, she saw Yu Gui still following her step by step. After a moment's thought, she finally asked, \"Brother Yu, could you tell me, did I offend you somewhere before?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Gui paused, then awkwardly scratched the back of his head. \"Well... I thought you looked down on me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi looked surprised. \"Why would you think that?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Gui felt even more embarrassed. After hesitating, he finally said, \"The people in the storeroom were teasing us about each other. If you didn't look down on me as a person, why would you get angry?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Hua Changxi laughed in anger. Looking at Yu Gui, she said, \"You think I shouldn't have gotten angry?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Gui replied, \"It was just a joke...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi's expression turned serious. \"I do not like being someone else's joke, nor am I anyone's plaything.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing how serious she was, Yu Gui didn't know what to say.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi crossed her arms. \"Brother Yu, if I threw you into a male brothel for others to amuse themselves with, and then told you it was just a joke, would you be happy?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Gui's eyes widened. \"You... Sister Changxi, you are a young lady; how can you speak so casually about male brothels?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi snorted. \"Why can't I? You men can speak casually about brothels, so naturally, I can speak about male brothels.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Gui looked left and right, extremely anxious. \"Stop talking. If others hear this, it will harm your reputation.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi snorted again and turned her head away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Yu Gui could only soften his tone. \"Alright, alright, let's not talk about this anymore.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi looked back at him. \"Why stop talking about it? Since a problem has arisen, it must be thoroughly resolved; otherwise, there will be a knot in both our hearts.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Gui was truly at a loss. \"It's not necessary, it's not necessary...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It is necessary for me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi looked seriously at Yu Gui: \"Big Brother Yu, I am very serious about choosing friends. Do you know what you did wrong?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Gui's brain couldn't keep up; weren't they talking about how Sister Changxi had offended him? How had it suddenly become his fault?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi raised her right hand and held up her index finger: \"Your first mistake is thinking I shouldn't be angry.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Gui recalled Hua Changxi's analogy about the male brothel, felt he was in the wrong, and nodded: \"Yes, yes, yes, I was wrong.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi then raised her middle finger: \"Your second mistake is that you communicated nothing with me. I didn't even know what you were angry about, so how could we possibly resolve this misunderstanding?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Gui continued nodding: \"Yes, I was wrong.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing him admit his fault, Hua Changxi generously said: \"Very well. Since your attitude in admitting fault is acceptable, I forgive you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing her like this, Yu Gui muttered: \"So I was wrong, but you weren't?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi widened her eyes: \"What wrong did I commit?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Gui said: \"You have such a fierce temper. When Mao Yong caused trouble for you, if you had just come to ask me for help, wouldn't I have helped you? We could have used this incident to reconcile naturally.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi replied: \"When encountering problems, I prefer solving them myself rather than begging others. Besides, Big Brother Yu, I want to ask you a question.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Gui said: \"Ask away.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi asked: \"Do you want to be friends with me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Gui nodded slightly: \"Of course.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi smiled and said: \"If we are friends, where does the concept of 'begging' come in? Shouldn't we help each other?\" As she spoke, she looked at him very seriously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Big Brother Yu, when I first sought to befriend you, my intention was to quickly establish myself in the Labor Hall. I was somewhat impatient and utilitarian.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your seniority in the Labor Hall is greater than mine, and since you manage the warehouse, your status is higher than many laborers. When it comes to choosing whom to associate with, your options are far superior to mine.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You probably sensed my utilitarian motives, and seeing that I am a young lady, you showed me some extra care.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"However, in your heart, you did not regard me as a friend, but merely as someone dependent on you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Therefore, when the people in the warehouse mocked me, you felt it was nothing, so I shouldn't be angry.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And after you ignored me, I should have rushed to beg for your forgiveness.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Big Brother Yu, do you think this is how friends should behave?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Gui looked at Hua Changxi but said nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hua Changxi continued smiling: \"Big Brother Yu, there is one prerequisite for being friends with me: we must be equals.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If you harbor the mindset that I must depend on you, then let me tell you, we can never become friends.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having said this, she smiled, pushed her medicinal herbs, and left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Gui stood rooted to the spot, dazed, pondering Hua Changxi's words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wan Xiaozhou walked over: \"Brother Yu, does this mean you haven't cleared up the misunderstanding with Sister Changxi?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Gui shook his head: \"No.\" Then he sighed, \"In this life, I can only be a buddy and friend to Sister Changxi.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He understood Sister Changxi's words, and precisely because he understood them, he realized what a proud person Sister Changxi was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone like her was not someone he could tame.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wan Xiaozhou was confused: \"Isn't being friends good?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Gui looked at him but said nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was the first young lady who had ever smiled so brightly at him and called him 'Big Brother'!\u003C\u002Fp>",2022,"2026-06-12T02:51:22.172Z",1,"Qwen3.5 397B","f28cad3085540ed1af40d17c7f55ff6d0f29291616b24cb757a7e609f921ddf9","the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-chapter-32","the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-chapter-30",558,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-cover.jpg"]