In the middle of the tenth month, as the weather turned colder, Zhenzhu had to find several winter coats she had bought to protect against the wind. Opening the window in the early morning, she saw Peipei making a fire with Feng Yi and Feng Xian roasting rice on the glowing coals. Miss Zhou and Miss Wang sat by the fire, engaging in pleasant conversation. Miss Zhou and her husband agreed to stay with the He family. They had been here for several days, residing in the large worker’s quarters behind the house. He Yu seemed to be the happiest about their presence, being particularly close to Miss Zhou among everyone in the He family. Li Si had returned to the capital the day before. Before leaving, the little lady hugged Miss Wang, refusing to let go and crying so much that Miss Wang had to accompany her out of the city. The items Li Si purchased required two carts for transport. Zhenzhu did not forget to pack various vegetables, including some precious mushrooms, in a Golden Basket for Li Si to take to her father. As the cold wind brushed against her face, Zhenzhu closed the window and snuggled back into her blankets. In such winter weather, she did not want to leave her bedding, thinking it was time to quickly set up the formation. She turned to find the most comfortable and warm position but found her gaze landing on a small turtle shell on the bedside table. The little turtle shell had been with her for several days, nearly forgotten by her. Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝⁂𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚⁂𝔫𝔢𝔱 Could it really predict the future? It couldn’t be that the merchant lied just to make a sale. But trying it wouldn’t hurt. Divination with turtle shells has been a practice since ancient times. There’s a tale of a wise emperor who went to wars to unite the lands, one by one. Once, when he was about to go to war, a noble in royal court brought out turtle shell to foretell whether or not they will win this war. The emperor remarked that if brave warriors must do the foretell, how could they win the battle? And if the result was that they would lose, will they still fight? Why destroy their morale? He threw the turtle shell away. He did not against turtle shells divination, but he stated that such practices could be useful at times for encouragement, not for undermining morale. Yet, the popularity of turtle shell divination remained. There are many methods, such as casting the shell; if it lands convex side down, it’s a smile, indicating success. If it lands convex side up, it signifies silence and likely failure. But the shell’s back offers more profound interpretations for predictions. Later, burning the shell became common, starting with offerings to deities and ancestors for their blessings. Questions were either held in mind or inscribed on the shell before burning it until it cracked. The direction of the cracks, up or down, would indicate the prophecy’s positivity or negativity. Zhenzhu looked at the turtle shell in her hand. She would have to predict by casting it because this turtle shell already had a crack. If she were to burn it, the crack would likely widen along the existing fault, potentially making the prediction uncertain. Eh, what should I divine about? When she bought it, she was merely intrigued by its uniqueness, not intending to use it for serious divination. "Since He family do the cultivation, let’s divine about the fertility and prosperity of the crops." Zhenzhu just thought in her head, didn’t conduct any ritual or make offerings to gods or ancestors. "Will the Yan Region be prosperous this year, with abundant crops and water?" Then, Zhenzhu thought it would be fun. If it lands flat side up, it means good, so let it be flat side up. She carefully flipped the turtle shell to get flat side up before gently tossing it onto the ground to prevent it from flipping over. The turtle shell lightly touched the ground, flat side up as Zhenzhu intended. However, for a moment, as the turtle shell was about to settle, it seemed as if something unseen lightly nudged it. The turtle shell, initially flat side up, flipped over onto the floor. “Eh!” How did it flip over? Zhenzhu was about to reach out to pick it up to see if there was something on its back that caused it to change direction when suddenly, there was a cracking sound from the turtle shell. The little shell, now flat side down, shattered into tiny pieces right before her eyes. Zhenzhu was so startled that she stepped back. Baihu, who had been lying quietly on the bed, suddenly stood up, staring intently at the little turtle shell as if it were a formidable enemy. Baihu’s emerald eyes glinted more intensely, and its white fur bristled. It slowly circled the remains of the turtle shell. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. The door of her room made a loud noise, startling Zhenzhu. She rushed to open the door, wondering who could be banging on her door. But when she looked, she found Xiao She was hitting her door with its tail. "Xiao She, what’s wrong!" she exclaimed, her face turned pale. Normally, Xiao She would prefer to be in the garden or sometimes at He Yu’s residence, but why was it banging on her door today? Miss Wang, He Lei, Aunt Zhou, He Ming, and everyone else, alarmed by the noise, rushed over to see what happened. "Zhu’er! What happened? Why such a loud noise?" "Father, I don’t know. Suddenly, Xiao She started banging on my door." Before Zhenzhu could finish, Xiao She had already slithered into her room. Zhenzhu, puzzled, followed it in. It turned out that it was circling around the shattered turtle shell. "What is this, Zhu’er?" Miss Wang asked her daughter, looking at something scattered on the floor surrounded by Baihu and Xiao She. "It’s a turtle shell, mother." "Why do you have a turtle shell?" "Well... when I went to the city with Li Si the other day, I happened to buy this turtle shell for divination. I intended to try it out just for fun. But when I cast it onto the floor, it flipped over and then shattered into pieces as you see here, mother." Upon hearing her, Miss Wang and Aunt Zhou turned pale. Both Miss Wang and Aunt Zhou were great believers in divination. "Zhu’er, what did you divine about?" He Lei asked. "I... I was just divining for fun, Father. Why take it so seriously?" Zhenzhu, seeing everyone’s grave expressions, began to pale herself. "I simply divined whether the Yan Region would be fertile and prosperous this year, with abundant crops and water. That’s all, Mother." Seeing everyone turn even paler, Zhenzhu mentally reached out to Baihu to ensure that the prediction would not be as dire as she feared. However, what Baihu told her drained all color from her face. She had only recently planted the entire garden with fruits. Could it be that drought and cold disasters would strike simultaneously? "Baihu says this year will be extremely cold, with heavy snowfall leading to deaths. Crops will be damaged by the cold weather, but once the cold passes, a drought will follow. Not a drop of rain will touch the ground, crops will not thrive, and people will die of starvation in large numbers. And it’s not just the Yan Region that will face these disasters; surrounding regions will experience the same," she explained. "But... it’s just a divination, Father, Mother. Please, don’t worry," she tried to smile, but more than half of her believed the prediction. If it weren’t serious, Xiao She wouldn’t have rushed to her house so urgently. "Let’s clean up this shell first so no one steps on it. We’ll discuss this divination later," He Lei decided, seeing everyone’s uneasy faces. After everyone left, Zhenzhu collected the broken pieces of the turtle shell into a cloth bag to avoid any accidents. Then, she went to Baihu and Xiao She, who remained in her room. Xiao She, being closely connected to the spirit of nature, was most affected by such events. If a cold disaster and drought were to truly follow as predicted, she would need to take preventive measures well in advance. Her vegetable garden and orchard would need a formation that must be completed soon. This formation would need to maintain an optimal climate for plant growth. During snowfall, a strong fire element would be required to ensure plant growth, and during drought, a prominent water element was necessary. Additionally, she would need to prepare water sources for the impending drought after the cold had passed. She would have to hire workers to dredge the stream at the end of the field, it needed to be dredged deeper to store as much water as possible and construct weirs at intervals. Wells would be dug to utilize underground water to the fullest. The formation planned for her field would require some adjustments. Without delay, she took out the papers where she had drawn the formation and began making enhancements with Baihu and Xiao She assisting. Xiao She, being closest to nature’s power, offered valuable advice to Zhenzhu on adjusting the natural formation. One person and two mystical beasts worked diligently to adjust the formation until it was completed by noon. At this point, Zhenzhu’s appearance was no different from that of a beggar; her clothes stained with black ink and her hair disheveled to the point that birds flying by almost mistook it for their nest. Zhenzhu listed the various plant species necessary for the formation on paper before running off to find He Ming, who was helping their mother dry herbs. "Big Brother, I need to finish setting up the formation as soon as possible. Here’s a list of the plant species needed for the formation. Could you please help me purchase them? We need them as quickly as possible, and if it costs more, please don’t hesitate to pay," she requested. "Alright, I’ll go look for them right away." After leaving He Ming, she turned to Xin Xi, "Xin Xi, gather all the workers for me by tomorrow. Put the weaving factory and fruit planting on hold for now. Then, go to the slave market and hire as many male labor slaves as you can find." "Yes, Big Sister Zhu." After instructing Xin Xi, she hurried to her father, "Father, please, let’s hurry and stock up on provisions before the prices go up. We also need to warn Master Tiao." "Wait a moment, Zhu’er. Shouldn’t you take a bath and change your clothes first? You haven’t even had lunch yet. Don’t rush too much," He Lei, seeing his daughter’s disheveled state, admonished her. It was ironic; she had told others not to worry about the divination earlier that morning, yet she seemed to be the most concerned of all. The next day, Zhenzhu had all the slaves dredge the stream to be wider and deeper to store more water. They also built weirs at intervals to the end of the He family’s land. The He family’s slaves and the day laborers hired worked diligently under the watchful eye of the young lady. The slave market’s master was overjoyed as all his slaves were hired by Lady He, anticipating great profits in the coming days. After instructing Xin Si to oversee the workers, Zhenzhu headed into town with He Lei to buy a variety of provisions, including fresh and dried food, spices, and seasonings, ensuring they had enough for her family and all the servants. She also purchased clothes and winter blankets in abundance. She could store fresh food in the Golden Baskets inscribed with Preservation Character, keeping them fresh for up to two months. However, anticipating the disasters would last longer, she planned to buy livestock like ducks, chickens, pigs, and sheep for later consumption. The next day, she would have Xin Xi allocate some workers to clear the vacant land she purchased for constructing chicken coops, duck coops, and pig pens. Several ox carts loaded with grains, sweet potatoes, and various foods left the northern city gate heading towards the He family’s home. "Father, I think we should buy more. It’s better to have surplus than shortage because if we don’t eat it all, we can sell it to the townspeople at a lower price," she confidently stated, believing that the price of rice and food in the town would soon rise significantly. Some townspeople might not have enough money to stockpile food. Hence, when winter arrives, they won’t have enough money to buy food at high prices. She should buy a bit more. When the prices in town rise, she can distribute or sell the rice and food she had bought at a lower price. This not only benefits others but will also enhance Master He’s reputation. "Excuse me, my master, I noticed you’ve purchased a large quantity of rice. Would you like to buy more?" asked a foreign merchant who approached He Lei. He was a rice broker who came to sell rice in Fengfu City. Spotting the father and daughter buying a large amount of rice, he decided to inquire, hoping to make a significant sale. "Oh, uncle, are you selling rice?" "Yes, Miss. I’ve been a rice broker for many years. This year’s rice prices are not very high. I have both this year’s new rice and last year’s stock. If you’re interested in buying in bulk, I can supply that. But why do you need so much rice?" "It’s for feeding the slaves. How much are you selling a cartload of unhusked rice?" "Oh, I see. If it’s new unhusked rice, it’s 55 taels per cartload, and for last year’s stock, it’s 45 taels per cartload. But I can offer a discount for multiple cartloads." He noticed that the father and daughter were interested. This merchant then became so eager to sell. "If we take 50 cartloads each, how much can you reduce the price?" He Lei asked. "F... fifty cartloads each!" The merchant was astounded. How many slaves did this father and daughter must feed that they needed so much rice? Could it be they were spending all their money on feeding slaves? 50 cart loads each meant a total of 100 cartloads, he would have to travel selling rice across various towns all year to sell such a quantity. Was he too lucky to have stumbled upon such a big client? "Why are you so surprised? Don’t you have as much as 50 cartloads each?" "No, not at all. I do have it, but it’s stored in the warehouse in Jiankang City. But don’t worry, Miss. I’ll rush back and bring it to you as soon as possible, no later than 10 days." He answered so quickly, stuttered, he was happy. "And with such a large purchase, how much will you discount, uncle?" She hadn’t forgotten that a large purchase should come with a discount. "For new rice, I’ll sell it to you for 52 taels per cartload, and for last year’s stock, 42 taels per cartload. I’m barely making a profit at this price." He was thrilled because the rice stored in the warehouse had been piling up. Selling 100 cartloads nearly cleared his stock, saving him from selling at a lower price and the hassle of transporting it to distant towns. He Lei and the rice broker agreed on a contract, signed it, and He Lei paid a deposit. "Pleased to do business with you, master. I must take my leave now to fetch the rice for you as quickly as possible," said the merchant, clutching the contract tightly as if it might fly away, before hastily departing. "Is this enough purchase for us?" He Lei asked his daughter. "That’s enough, thank you, father," she smiled warmly at her father. She had to ask her father to help with the expenses because her own funds were significantly depleted. She had spent a lot on buying land and constructing a weaving factory, in addition to buying fruit seedlings and paying for labor. Now, she only had a few thousand taels left. Her father, however, was very wealthy, earning money from selling vegetables, mushrooms, and herbs almost daily. He had become quite rich and generously provided for everyone in the household, allowing them to spend freely each month. However, she herself declined to take money from her father, managing to sustain herself through selling inscribed pills and Golden Baskets. Once the fruits in her garden were sold and the weaving factory was operational, she would have a higher income. "Father, let’s go see Master Tiao," she suggested. At the very least, she felt she should warn him to prepare, regardless of whether Master Tiao believed her or not. Read ‘Rebirth: This Farmgirl Has Spirit Fish Scales’ before anyone else with more Chapters at https://www.jinovel.com/en