As Baihu described his origin, Zhenzhu learned that since the era when the world was rich in spirit energy, Baihu’s ancestors were semi-divine creatures ruling the western skies, tasked with protecting humans and all creatures. However, as time passed and human vices clouded their minds with desire, greed, anger, ego, envy, gluttonous, and laziness, the spirit energy dimmed, and the balance of power was disrupted. Heaven and earth were divided, and beings like them retreated from the lower realms to higher ones. Still, they could not look away from their responsibilities, every three thousand years, they must send a fraction of their spirit to the vast world below. "Ah, so you’re that grand. Then, you must possess incredibly deep spirit energy, right?" "The fraction of spirit is weak, yet stronger than ordinary mythical beasts," Baihu said, lifting his head proudly, prompting Zhenzhu to lightly hit him on the head for his boastfulness. Three days later, after stabilizing her spirit energy cultivation, Zhenzhu finished setting up the Flowers Engulf Sky Formation in the fruit orchard, now able to inscribe character three times a day. "Big Sister Zhu, all the fruit varieties have been planted." "Thank you, Xin Xi. Let the workers rest and tend to the weeds in the garden for now, then rotate them to finish building the weaving factory." "The weaving factory is almost complete. I’m hurrying the workers to build it quickly to be ready for the silk-spinning season of the silkworms, as Aunt Qu mentioned," Xin Xi reported without missing a beat. "You’re becoming more adept by the day. Should I raise your salary?" Zhenzhu praised him. Xin Xi rubbed the back of his neck shyly, his cheeks flushing red. "I... I’m just doing as Big Sister Zhu instructed. There’s no need for a raise. This is more than enough for me," even though he wanted the money, he wasn’t greedy. The work he did wasn’t that exhausting. "Alright then, I will consider a reward on the New Year." "Oh, if you’re not busy today, let’s go to the city to buy some things. I need to purchase several items to prepare for silk spinning and weaving." "Understood. I’ll go get the horse carriage ready in a moment. Big Sister Zhu, please wait here," he said before leaving. Zhenzhu and Xin Xi went into the city to buy various items. Zhenzhu headed first to the district selling silk spinning and weaving supplies. However, before she could pick what she needed, she overheard several merchants who were sitting and drinking in a small liquor shop by the roadside start talking. "Ha, ha, ha, look at that. Isn’t Governor Xin panicking too much? Announcing that there will be cold disasters and droughts. It’s been over a month, and I haven’t seen any cold disasters as he said. Even though it’s a bit colder, it’s not cold enough to be considered a disaster," one merchant, holding a wine cup, spoke loudly. "Right, he’s overreacting. He even built water-retention barriers, urging the townspeople to dig wells. Seeing this makes me laugh," another merchant added. "Don’t make light of it. Isn’t this good for us? We can easily bring in goods to sell. Did you not notice? Since the governor announced it, we’ve been selling our goods so well." "I heard that Governor Xin even wrote letters to warn other cities’ Governors, but which of them would believe his words? It’s baseless." "Exactly. Others are afraid of having surplus grain in their stores and are rushing to sell off, but Governor Xin is buying in massive amounts. Thinking about it makes me laugh." "Yes, yes. Governor of Feirong even recommended the townspeople to sell their grain from the storehouses." "Indeed, Governor of Lishan advised the townspeople to sell their sweet potatoes as well. Look, how much money is flowing into the city, but look at Fengfu City. Only money flowing out, such foolishness," a foreign merchant commented loudly, carelessly, as he drank. Fengfu’s townspeople passing by, though displeased, couldn’t do anything. Some even followed the merchants’ words, regretting listening to their Governor. But what could they do since they had already bought? Zhenzhu, hearing these words, didn’t think much of it and didn’t follow their words at all. She was confident in Baihu, sure that the prophecy wouldn’t be wrong. Let them be if they don’t believe. At least she had warned as much as she could. How could she force them to accept her help if they refuse? She sighed and hurriedly continued her shopping. Meanwhile, in the capital, Li Si was searching for a birthday gift for Lady Guilan, the sole daughter of Yangzhi Wang and his principal wife. Lady Guilan, being Taizi’s cousin, always received considerable attention from the capital’s ladies during her birthday celebrations. This was because Lady Guilan and Taizi had been close since childhood, and Taizi, who rarely appeared at other social events, would always attend her birthday parties. Hence, her birthday was seen as an opportunity by the ladies in the capital to showcase their talents and possibly secure a position in their dream pursuits. However, Li Si was profoundly bored by such social events. She preferred traveling over attending these gatherings. Why did one have to act so prim and proper and put on a facade in front of men? "Miss, what would you like to choose as a birthday gift for Lady Guilan? We have fabrics, exquisite pearls, carved jade, or gold jewelry," Nanny Hu Qi brought various items for her Lady to choose from. Li Si looked over the items Nanny Hu Qi presented but only shook her head in response. Lady Guilan was hardly in want of luxurious fabrics, beautiful jade, or valuable items. These were easily found in any royalty household. Choosing a gift for someone wasn’t about picking something offhandedly; it had to be meticulously selected to convey the giver’s sincerity. All these items were commonplace. "I don’t want any of these. We need to find something that others don’t have." "Miss, Lady Guilan already has everything. What could she possibly lack?" Nanny Hu Qi expressed her concern. "Miss, there’s a delivery from the courier shop," another servant girl came in with a moderately sized basket. Seeing it, Li Si instantly got up from her seat. That had to be from A’Zhu, for sure. "Bring it here quickly." Li Si took the basket to inspect its contents. Inside, she found brightly shining, freshly ripe fruits. They must be the fruits A’Zhu mentioned were ripe, so she sent them for her to try. Without hesitation, Li Si bit into a caomei fruit. As soon as she tasted this new fruit, her eyes widened in excitement. Delicious! It was slightly sweet and sour with a unique, refreshing fragrance and soft texture. "The fruit from A’Zhu is incredibly delicious.” Besides being tasty, it was also imbued with dark blue-tier spirit energy. Eager to see how many more she had, she found that A’Zhu had sent two bundles. How generous. "Miss, why don’t you take this new, exotic fruit as a birthday gift for Lady Guilan?" Nanny Hu Qi suggested. A’Zhu sent these for her to enjoy, not to give away. Such delicious fruit, she wanted to keep it all to herself. Even if she ate it alone, it would soon be gone. The young lady hugged the bundle possessively. Eh, But then... if she gave Lady Guilan this new fruit from A’Zhu, wouldn’t it make A’Zhu’s fruit more well-known? When it came time to sell, wouldn’t that make it sell even better? Li Si glanced at the red caomei fruit in the bundle, torn between decisions. She didn’t want to share it with anyone else. To share or not to share. To share or not to share. Li Si found herself in a dilemma. A’Zhu had sent two bundles of caomei fruits. She contemplated giving one bundle to Lady Guilan, which would leave her with only one. But no, she wanted more for herself. "Your friend sent two bundles. If you give one to Lady Guilan, you’ll still have one left for yourself," suggested Nanny Hu Qi. "Aaaah, I can share. I’ll consider it helping A’Zhu sell his product," Li Si reluctantly handed over one of the caomei fruit bundles to Nanny Hu Qi. Her hand stretched out to give, but her eyes were filled with regret. "Pack it nicely in a box and wrap it beautifully." "Yes, Miss," Nanny Hu Qi reached out to take the bundle. However, when she tried to take it, Li Si couldn’t let go. The young lady looked sorrowfully at the bundle, struggling for a moment before finally letting go. "Miss, please let go." "Aah, my little caomei, you have to leave me now," she finally relented, looking at the remaining bundle of caomei fruits in her arms. A’Zhu, I will come back for more caomei fruits. After making up her mind about sharing the caomei fruits with others, Li Si went to prepare her outfit for the event. It was unfortunate that A’Zhu’s weaving factory wasn’t open yet; otherwise, she would have had beautiful fabrics to make her dress. The birthday celebration for Lady Guilan was held in the Yang Wang Manor. Li Si wore a delicate light green dress, embroidered with swaying bamboo patterns. Her hair was tied in twin buns, making her look charmingly age-appropriate despite the simplicity of her attire. "Miss, let’s go inside," Nanny Hu Qi urged. Li Si, still young and not of marriageable age, typically attended events with her mother or the principal furen of the family. However, since the Zhao family lacked a furen, Nanny Hu Qi would accompany her to these events. Li Si carried a wrapped wooden box herself, showing her sincerity to the birthday girl. The party was held inside the grand hall instead of the park, avoiding the evening dew of the winter season, which could make the guests ill. Lady Guilan sat in the hall, smiling tiredly at the courtesies from the young ladies and their mothers. The gifts she received were those fine fabrics, rare pearls, auspicious plants, auspicious porcelain, and various kinds of jewelry, nothing she didn’t already possess. She merely smiled to not offend the givers, despite feeling overwhelmed by the showy ladies who clearly had ulterior motives, wearing as much fine jewelry as possible. Brother Taizi would not be interested in those fake jades anyway. "Taizi has arrived," announced someone from outside, causing Lady Guilan to straighten up a bit. She was the real reason everyone was here, after all. But those ladies craned their necks, looking outside. However, Shi Wenlang entered with a well-known young lady – Lady Yaoyao, renowned for her intelligence and exceptional beauty. She wore pale pink attire, delicate and sway, embroidered with delicate pattern, pleased to the eyes, fitting her role as the one who invented the well-known silk. The other ladies were envious, wondering how she could attend with Taizi. "Brother Taizi, How did you come with Lady Yaoyao?" Lady Guilan asked, voicing the silent question of many. "We just met by chance," Shi Wenlang replied tersely. "Oh, I see. Brother Taizi, please have a seat." Shi Wenlang took his honor seat. “Lady Guilan, Yaoyao did not know what would be perfect for you, so I did the embroidery myself. Yaoyao’s embroidery skill is bad, lady please forgive me. I wish my lady a happy birthday.” Yaoyao presented her handmade embroidered fabric as a gift. Although Guilan had received many precious gifts, Yaoyao’s hand-embroidered fabric pleased her somewhat, given Yaoyao’s reputation in textile art. A single bolt of her fabric could sell for 50 taels. The sincerity behind Yaoyao’s handmade gift was apparent, bringing some satisfaction to Guilan. "Thank you, Lady Yaoyao. Please," Guilan gestured for her to sit not too far from herself, causing the other ladies to feel even more envious. Why does just embroidering a piece of fabric grant her a seat near Taizi? They thought, if only they had known earlier, they would have embroidered day and night to present it to Lady Guilan. Li Si entered the event carefully cradling a bundle of fabric in her arms. "Greetings, Brother Taizi," the young girl respectfully greeted her social superior first. "Sister Guilan, may you be happy and healthy," she then offered her gift to the lady in front of her. "Thank you very much, Li Si," Guilan received the gift from the young girl, curious about the precious item Li Si had brought so carefully. Upon opening the box, she found a peculiar red fruit with seeds scattered across its surface. Picking one up, a pure dark blue spirit energy radiated, palpable to those around. "Spirit fruit!" exclaimed Guilan in surprise, but what astonished her more was the fruit’s unfamiliar form. It’s uncommon for agricultural spirit energy cultivators to imbue fruits with spirit energy, as most fruits cannot be used for food, making it an overly laborious and seemingly pointless endeavor. "What fruit is this, and why have I never seen it before?" "This is caomei fruit, a new type cultivated by my friend. Sister Guilan, please try it. It’s deliciously sweet and tangy," Li Si explained proudly as if she had grown it herself. Guilan picked one up then tasted it, the flavor made her eyes widen, the fragrance filling her mouth. " Brother Taizi, you must try this. It’s really good," Guilan didn’t hesitate to pop another fruit into her mouth, disregarding etiquette. Shi Wenlang was about to taste it when his guard intervened. Shi Wenlang ignored the warning and tasted the unusual fruit. "Good," he commented, a simple but highly approving response. The other young ladies, seeing the peculiar, brightly colored, and appetizing fruit, longed to try it themselves. Taizi’s approval meant the fruit must be exceptionally delicious. However, they could only look on enviously, unable to partake. Lady Guilan clutched the wooden box as if it contained treasure. " Younger Sister Li Si, where did you get this caomei fruit? Do you have more?" She was hooked on its flavor. "It was grown by a friend of mine. It’s not for sale yet as she’s still expanding the crop. It will be available soon. Besides its great taste, it’s also a spirit fruit," Li Si offered eagerly. "I must have someone find it for purchase. Where does your friend live?" "In Fengfu City, Sister Guilan," Li Si replied with a bright smile. "Si’er, have you been to Fengfu City?" Shi Wenlang asked for the first time. He had been there and nearly lost his life. If not for the mysterious benefactor who saved him, he would have only his name left in this world. He had wanted to return the favor but sadly couldn’t identify his savior. Despite sending guards to investigate, they found no trace. "Yes, my friend lives there. She’s very skilled." "Skilled? In what way?" "She can predict the future," Li Si excitedly proclaimed, her eyes wide. She boasted about her friend’s talents, insisting her friend was capable of everything. Meanwhile, the young ladies aiming to bridge a connection with Taizi could only listen to their engaging conversation with a mix of feelings. If the intent was merely to chat , why bother organizing a birthday event at all? They could have just gathered at a restaurant instead. Despite their eagerness to stand out, they lacked the ability to interject into the lively discussion of that young lady. Why must a woman talk so much? It’s proper for women to be quiet and maintain decorum, isn’t it? Yaoyao, who had been silent for a while, felt slightly displeased. Why were both Taizi and Lady Guilan paying attention to Li Si instead of her? Shouldn’t they be more concerned with her, especially when her beautifully embroidered fabric, which took days of effort, was overshadowed by some fruit? "Excuse me, I overheard Lady Li Si mentioning a friend who could predict the future. It just so happens that last month, someone saw Lady Li Si buying a large quantity of rice and provisions. Is this related to the prediction?" Li Si slightly frowned, irritated. Did this highly toxic young lady want to steal the spotlight? "Yes, indeed. My friend mentioned that..." Li Si elaborated on the prediction without missing a detail. "You’ve amused me now. We’re well into winter, and yet the cold disaster you mentioned hasn’t occurred," Lady Yaoyao responded with a polite but mocking smile. "Indeed. Lady Li Si, are you perhaps too gullible?" another young lady added. "I’m not gullible. My friend truly said so," Li Si insisted, feeling frustrated that no one believed her. Why were her words deemed so unreliable? The young ladies chuckled internally, pitying Li Si’s naivety. Even a child’s baseless prediction had caught her full attention, making her a subject of ridicule. The next day, rumors spread about young Lady Li Si of the General Zhao Manor panicking over a child’s prophecy, hoarding rice and dried foods in fear of impending disasters. People laughed at her, and even storytellers used her story to entertain children. "This lady is truly foolish." "Yes, how could the general’s daughter be so foolish?" "Alas, she’s just a dumb lady.” “A simple girl who easily trusts others is not unusual. It’s a shame about all the money spent on rice. She handles money like throwing it into the sea." The rumor of Lady Li Si hoarding rice spread into Zhao Manor. When Li Si heard these rumors, she laid face down on her bed, her usual posture when upset. "Lady, what should we do? Villagers are bringing rice in large quantities to sell to us. We need dozens of guards to fend them off," Nanny Hu Qi reported urgently. Since the townspeople heard about Li Si’s panic buying, those with old rice at home thought to deceive the naive young lady into buying their stock. The lady of the general’s manor was this foolish, lie a little and she would buy their old rice. "Prevent them? Why prevent them?" "How else, lady? Right now, the townsfolk are bringing bags of rice to sell to you." "Buy!" Thıs text ıs hosted at 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩•𝗳𝗂𝗋𝖾•𝕟𝕖𝕥 Read ‘Rebirth: This Farmgirl Has Spirit Fish Scales’ before anyone else with more Chapters at https://www.jinovel.com/en