"Peipei, could you help Big Brother over there? I’ll be back in a moment," she said, grabbing a basket and hurrying towards the back of their property. "Where are you going, miss?" Latest content publıshed on novel•fire.net "Just getting something; I’ll be quick," she called back. Zhenzhu carried a large basket towards the back of their land, passing through the mulberry orchard she had planted. The trees had been well cared for, with soil aeration and manure application, thanks to Feng Yi and Feng Xian. Although she had only asked them to look after the vegetable patches, they also took care of her mulberry orchard, which she couldn’t disregard. The mulberry trees, planted almost two months ago, were thriving, their growth accelerated by daily watering and proper care, their leaves shimmering vibrantly with a dense dark blue-tier spirit energy. "Feng Yi, Feng Xian, they really know their stuff. My little mulberries, grow quickly," she said happily, then proceeded to the stream, walking upstream to the waterfall at the end of their property. The temperature noticeably dropped. Sitting down, she dipped her feet into the cold water. "Refreshing indeed," she thought, enjoying her private natural pool. The waterfall area, part of their land, was a fortunate acquisition. Lying back on a rock with her feet still in the water was much more appealing than toiling in the hot sun. However, she didn’t forget her purpose here. Zhenzhu got up and walked behind the waterfall curtain to a cave, where she used a cloth to collect Yuchong fruits into her basket until it was full, then trudged back, weighed down by the heavy load. She tired of her little body, when would she grow? "Zhu’er, what’s that you’re carrying? It looks heavy," Miss Wang asked, noticing her daughter struggling with a large basket that seemed as heavy as stones. "Panting,” Zhenzhu replied, "It’s... Yuchong fruits, mother," placing the basket on a bench and catching her breath. "Are those the rare fruits you found behind our property you told me about last month?" Miss Wang recalled her husband and daughter mentioning finding valuable fruits for brewing, but she hadn’t paid much attention. "Yes, mother. I plan to use them for your brewing." "Brewing? Since when did I know how to brew? I’ve never made liquor before," she clarified. She only cooked simple meals for the family, never venturing into drinks or liquor brewing. “Don’t worry about that," Zhenzhu ran back into her house and took out Peipei’s manual on the northern brewing techniques. "This is a brewing method from a renowned brewmaster. I happened to come across it, and it includes a recipe for Yuchong liquor. Let’s try brewing it together." "Hmm, then let’s give it a try." "Eh, it says here we need Qian Xuan and Jin Chong herbs," she noted, fortunate that their garden cultivated both. Qian Xuan would give the liquor a fragrant and full aroma, while Jin Chong would add a soft and smooth taste. "I’ll go pick them for you." She brought out a sieve and placed a white cloth over it before taking out Yuchong fruits to crush with a pestle. "So hard," she remarked, noting that the fruits needed to be finely ground before dissolving in water. The process of fermenting Yu Chong liquor involves grinding the Yu Chong fruit into a fine powder and dissolving it in warm water at the right temperature. Leave it for three nights to allow the Yu Chong fruit to release its fragrance in the water. Then, dry the Qian Xuan herb and Jin Chong herb, grind them into a fine powder, and mix them with the prepared Yu Chong water. Let it ferment for another seven nights to allow the Qian Xuan and Jin Chong herbs to settle. The next step, which is the most challenging, involves using spiritual energy to filter out all the sediment. The person performing this step must be meticulous and calm to ensure that the spiritual energy does not wash away the beneficial properties of the Yu Chong fruit. Once this is done, pour the remaining liquid into a jar, seal it tightly, and bury it underground for 5-6 months or longer. The longer the Yu Chong liquor is aged, the better its taste and aroma become. “Whoever says making liquor is easy? It’s truly a complicated process.” In recent days, Zhenzhu has been busy setting up the Flowers Engulf Sky Formation. After everyone helped plant the eight elements immortal flowers, it was her turn to inscribe the characters at specific points. Since inscribing Illusionary and Dimensional characters requires at least 5-6 days of rest in between, she had to slowly work on one point at a time. Besides inscribing, she also adjusted the elements and directions of the formation to align with the influence of the stars until the final character was inscribed. Today, after returning from selling vegetables, she had to help her parents clean and arrange their new store, completed just yesterday. He Lei spent a significant amount to hire many workers to construct the water storage pond and rush the construction of the new store. Zhenzhu named the vegetable store without any artistic flair as ‘He Family’s Vegetable Shop’, a straightforward and meaningful name. Today, she had to clean up wood debris, tidy up, and put up the store sign. Tomorrow, the He Family’s Vegetable Shop will open for the first time. She had Xin Xi spread the word in town that the next day would be an opening day, vegetables will be sold every other day as usual, with the same quantity but at half price for the first day. Xin Xi mentioned that the news spread like wildfire throughout the town, with many preparing to wake up early to purchase vegetables from Master He. Some townspeople even came to inspect the site today to verify the news. Seeing the He family preparing and decorating the new store, they went back to spread the word further. "Little miss, I heard that the He Family’s Vegetable Shop is opening a new store tomorrow and selling vegetables at half price. Is that true?" one woman asked, still unsure, so she approached directly for confirmation. "Yes, it’s true, Auntie. You can buy vegetables at half the price tomorrow," Zhenzhu assured. "Ah, that’s wonderful. Thank you so much. I must go back and tell my husband," she said before hurrying off. "Father, I think we should bring more vegetables to sell tomorrow. That way, everyone can have some," Zhenzhu suggested, knowing that a special attraction was necessary for the opening day. "I think that’s a good idea too, husband. It will encourage the townspeople to spread the word." "Alright, we’ll go with that." The He family hurried to clean and neatly arrange the vegetable tables. This new shop wasn’t very large since it was built to sell only a limited quantity of vegetables. If their garden expands in the future, they planned to scale up the shop as well. After finishing the cleaning and organizing, Zhenzhu went on to crush Yuchong fruits as she did daily. Zhenzhu and Miss Wang planned to brew Yuchong liquor daily, processing 1-2 baskets each day with the help of Peipei and the twins. Whenever a batch of Yuchong water was ready for sedimentation, Zhenzhu and He Ming would use spirit energy to filter out the sediments. Then, they would seal the liquor in jars, label them meticulously, and He Lei, He Ming, and the twins would dig holes, and help bury the jars. Even though Zhenzhu harvested Yuchong fruits daily, the cave behind the waterfall seemed to have an unending supply. The amount she took out didn’t even amount to a tenth of the total, with fruits continuously falling from the trees. When Peipei first learned about the abundant supply of Yuchong fruits, she was utterly astonished. Who said Yuchong fruits were rare? They seemed easier to find than peaches, making her think the old tales were merely fabrications. Since they normally sent Qian Xuan and Jin Chong herbs to the Ruyi Pharmacy, using them now for brewing meant they couldn’t supply these herbs for sale, causing Master Tiao to complain bitterly in a letter. This prompted Feng Yi and Feng Xian to dig new herb plots for planting more Qian Xuan and Jin Chong. "Feng Yi, take this to dry in the sun." "Feng Xian, fetch some hot water. Let it cool down a bit from the stove first." Every morning, after watering and tending to the vegetables, they all would turn to brewing Yuchong liquor as if operating a sweatshop throughout the morning. Sometimes, Zhenzhu would check on the formation, with plans to inscribe the last character in the next two days, which would fully activate the formation. Today, after completing their tasks, the He Family went to bed early, preparing for an early start the next day to gather vegetables for the shop’s opening. They woke up before dawn, including He Yu who was the first to head to the vegetable garden with a small basket, cheerfully leading the way. They all diligently harvested the fully grown vegetables, racing against time. "Yu’er, don’t pick from that plot, come here and help me. That one hasn’t grown enough to sell." "But I want to pick from this plot," he protested, finding it more appealing than the others, since this plot was perfect, with no missing plant. "No, if you do, Teacher Li will scold you." "Alright then," he reluctantly agreed, returning to the plot his mother indicated. He Yu feared Teacher Li the most. Whenever he was disobedient or whiny, even Peipei could calm him by mentioning Teacher Li, an effective deterrent. "Clear out this entire plot. We’ll let the soil rest before planting a new crop," He Lei directed towards an overgrown plot. "Understood, father." With many hands making light work, it didn’t take long for them to gather the vegetables they needed. They quickly washed and bundled the vegetables before transporting them to the He Family’s Vegetable Shop nearby, using the cart He Ming had bought, saving them considerable effort. Upon arrival, they were shocked to find a crowd waiting even before the shop opened. "Look, fresh vegetables straight from the garden!" "Half-price vegetables are here!" The excitement of the customers filled the air. Feng Yi and Feng Xian unloaded the vegetables onto tables inside the shop, while Zhenzhu hurried to organize the crowd before chaos ensued. "Please listen, everyone. In fifteen minutes, we will start selling. As today marks the official first day of sales at the He Family’s Vegetable Shop, we’re offering special prices to all of you. Blue-tier spirit vegetables are only 5 qian per bundle, and dark blue-tier ones are just 1 Tael each. Please line up in order. If anyone does not line up, we’re sorry to inform you that we cannot serve you." As she finished speaking, the uproar started. "Hey, don’t push me." "You’re the one pushing me, I was here first." "I’ve been standing here for a long time." "Hey, don’t step on my foot." "Daughter-in-law Su, are you picking a fight with me?" "Clap! Calp! Calp! Everyone, please listen. If any disturbances or fights occur, we will not sell vegetables to those involved and will not be responsible for any damages caused," Zhenzhu announced, and soon after, the townsfolk gradually calmed down and started to line up more orderly. "First ten customers, please come in and make your selections. As before, you may only purchase up to three bundles per vegetable type. After selecting, please proceed to the front to pay," He Family’s Vegetable Shop implemented a system where customers could walk in, select their vegetables, and pay at a checkout table near the exit. The selling started. As the sky began to lighten, more townspeople started to arrive in lines. Those who came earlier smirked at the latecomers, feeling glad they had woken up early to line up. It was uncertain whether those at the end of the line would have any vegetables left to buy. In just two hours of selling, all the displayed vegetables were sold out, leaving the latecomers disappointed. "Thank you, everyone. Please come again next time," Zhenzhu called out with a dry smile, completely exhausted. The He family then cleaned up the shop and returned home to rest. They sold more vegetables today but earned the same due to the discount. However, the positive response from customers suggested that He Family’s Vegetable Shop would become well-known in the town. "It really went well. From now on, we won’t have to transport vegetables far for sale. Younger Sister is really smart," He Ming affectionately ruffled his sister’s hair. "My hair’s all messed up now." They were walking along the main road back home when they were approached by three or four men in black on large horses. Despite their intimidating appearance, they showed no malicious intent. "Is Lady He here?" one of them inquired. "Yes, that’s me. Who are you, and what business do you have with me?" After her response, they quickly dismounted, kneeling on one knee with a thud, startling Zhenzhu and making her wince in sympathy for their knees. Didn’t that hurt? "Lady He, we bring items on behalf of the Young Leader. He was delayed by urgent matters and sent us ahead. We are here to deliver this as a token of sincerity. The Young Leader asked us to convey his intention to bring Lady Hui Lin to visit after concluding his affairs," he offered her a wooden box, which almost slipped from her grasp due to its unexpected weight. The small box, only about the size of an adult’s hand, was surprisingly heavy. "Thank you very much." "Thank you, Lady He. We shall take our leave," they said before riding away. "Zhu’er, who were they, and why did they bring something for you?" He Lei asked, knowing those men were no ordinary folk. "Father, do you remember the friend who asked me to find the medicinal herbs for his mother? She has recovered now, and they sent this as a token of thanks," she explained. "Ah, your friend seems to be a martial artist of some sort." "He is the young leader of the Water Dragon Sect." "What? The young leader of the Water Dragon Sect!" Why would the young leader of the Water Dragon Sect not search for herbs to treat his mother? Ah... He remembered now. He had heard rumors that Hui Furen had been ill for a long time. He hadn’t expected his daughter to find the herbs to help Hui Furen. They must be the rare herbs grown in their garden. If it weren’t for Master tiao providing them with seeds, those herbs wouldn’t be in their garden. This favor had to be shared with Master Tiao. Upon entering the house, Zhenzhu hurried to open the wooden box given by the men in black, curious about its weight. But when she saw the contents, her small hands trembled uncontrollably, her eyes wide in shock. The wooden box was full of gold beans, shining so brightly she could almost go blind. "So much gold given!" Miss Wang exclaimed in surprise. The Water Dragon Sect was a major sect in the north, known for its wealth. Assisting Hui Furen, the heart of the sect leader, had deeply moved him. Such a small amount of gold beans was actually quite insignificant for them. Among the gold beans, there was also a piece of goat fat jade with an unfamiliar emblem carved into it, presumably the emblem of the Water Dragon Sect. Gold beans were like money for the wealthy, used instead of lower-valued silver or copper. Mostly used by high society, royalty, or nobles in royal court, one gold bean could be exchanged for a large amount of silver. Did not know that the leader of the Water Dragon was this generous, Zhenzhu nodded in satisfaction. She ran to fetch a small money bag that mother made for her, then splitting the gold beans into two portions, put the first half in the bag and gave it to her father. "Father, this is for our family’s expenses," she offered half to her father. The other half she intended to save as capital for opening a fabric shop in the future. She couldn’t be called poor anymore. "Zhu’er, keep it. This is your merit, no need to share. We already make enough from selling vegetables daily," he knew his daughter dreamed of opening a fabric shop, so he insisted she keep it as capital. "Please take it, Father. I’ve kept half for myself already. We need to expand our farm, so please use this to pay for expenses and to hire workers." "Take it, husband. Zhu’er has been very filial and thoughtful," Miss Wang encouraged. "If that’s the case, thank you very much, Zhu’er," he gratefully accepted the money and affectionately ruffled her hair, the He family had went this far because of. "Of course, Father," she smiled broadly. With just half of the gold beans, she already had a substantial amount. She now had the capital to open her future fabric shop. Read ‘Rebirth: This Farmgirl Has Spirit Fish Scales’ before anyone else with more Chapters at https://www.jinovel.com/en