Chapter 6: Reception

By the time the fire was completely extinguished, the Zhang family, with the help of the villagers, had finally finished cleaning up the aftermath. It was already late into the night.

When the three of them returned home, they realized they hadn’t locked the door. But they were so exhausted that they collapsed onto their beds and fell asleep immediately.

Jing Xi, who had been hiding in her personal space all along, waited until the three of them were sound asleep before cautiously stepping out and standing in the courtyard.

Looking at the massive piles of harvested di huan stacked in the Zhang family’s yard, she smirked.

These di huan had already been weighed and measured—only a thousand catties were missing. That thousand catties’ worth of money would be refunded by Wu Dazhuang to the buyers the next day.

She picked up a few di huan and examined them in her palm. Just as Zhang Jianjun had mentioned, the quality was indeed subpar. The sizes varied, and many had visible damage, likely caused during harvesting.

Technically, these should have been classified as defective goods.

Jing Xi carefully selected some of the larger and better-looking di huan and stuffed them into her pocket.

Then, she tiptoed over to the window and saw that the Zhang couple was sleeping like dead pigs.

A mischievous idea crossed her mind. She picked up a brick from the ground, took aim, and hurled it straight at their glass window.

A loud crash! rang out as the glass shattered, and the brick, along with the shards, tumbled into the room, landing right on the heated brick bed (kang).

With swift movements, she darted back into her space.

Standing in the corridor of her space, she began counting.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds.

Four seconds.

Five seconds.

Then came the enraged screams of the Zhang couple, cursing at the top of their lungs.

“Bastard! Son of a bitch!”

Hearing their furious insults, Jing Xi nearly died laughing inside her space.

Zhang Jianjun was also startled awake by the commotion.

When he saw that the window had been smashed and the brick was lying on his parents’ kang, his expression darkened.

Cold wind howled in through the broken window.

Zhang Qiang grabbed the brick, threw on a jacket, and stormed out into the courtyard. But after circling around, he found nothing.

He checked the main gate—it was tightly locked.

He even opened the door and peered outside. The night was pitch black, and not a single soul was in sight.

“Fuck! What kind of ghostly shit is this?! Who the hell smashed my window in the middle of the night?! Damn bastard! If I catch you, I’ll skin you alive!”

Zhang Qiang stormed back into the house, sat on the edge of the kang, and lit a cigarette.

Zhang Jianjun, meanwhile, gathered some tattered cloth and newspapers to temporarily seal up the window. He then helped his mother clean up the broken glass.

If they left it like this, with the cold wind blowing in, all the warmth in the room would be gone in no time.

Wang Cuihua’s face was full of displeasure. “First the fire, now someone smashing our window—this is too damn weird! I swear, this must be deliberate! I bet it’s that little bastard Wu Dazhuang! He was the one who came to report the fire too!”

Zhang Qiang took a deep drag of his cigarette. “I checked—there was no one outside, and our courtyard walls are so high. If someone climbed over, there’d be noise. But we didn’t hear a damn thing. This is some real ghostly shit! Whether it was Wu Dazhuang or not, we can’t say for sure.”

Zhang Jianjun’s eyes widened. “Could it really be a ghost?! What if it’s—”

Before he could finish, Zhang Qiang shot him a sharp look, signaling him to shut up.

But deep down, even Zhang Qiang found this situation unsettling. Could it really be…

“Enough nonsense! No way that’s possible. Jianjun, go back to sleep. Whatever’s going on, we’ll deal with it after tomorrow. The most important thing right now is selling the goods and getting the money. The whole village is counting on us.”

Zhang Jianjun didn’t argue further but grumbled under his breath as he returned to his room.

After the ordeal, neither Zhang Qiang nor Wang Cuihua could sleep peacefully.

Wang Cuihua didn’t dwell too much on it, convinced that Wu Dazhuang was the culprit.

Zhang Qiang, however, couldn’t shake off the nagging thoughts in his mind. His head was filled with memories from seventeen years ago.

Could it be?

Could the fortune teller’s prophecy back then be coming true?

Shaking his head, he decided to find that blind fortune teller after everything settled down.

He refused to believe in this superstition!

—

By the time Jing Xi got home, it was nearly three in the morning.

She had climbed over the Zhang family’s wall while the dogs were barking. As she did, she thought how convenient it would be if she could control her space with her mind and teleport.

That being said, she had to admit that her physical condition had improved significantly since drinking the spiritual spring water. She was already thinking of ways to use it for other purposes.

Instead of sleeping, she entered her space and found an empty patch of land.

She took out the large di huan she had stolen from the Zhang family and planted them.

Then, she watered them with the spiritual spring water.

She had no knowledge of farming. In her past life, she couldn’t even successfully grow garlic sprouts at home.

But she had a feeling that in this space, the plants would thrive.

After planting, she stood up and looked around.

Right now, her space only contained a spring, the newly planted di huan, and her stash of money.

That was it.

She had a plan.

She wanted to turn this place into a hidden paradise—a sanctuary just for herself.

—

The next morning, the entire village was up early.

The weather was exceptionally good that day—no harsh wind, and the sun was shining warmly.

That morning, the village received a phone call from the Long family.

They would be arriving in Fucha Village by noon to collect the goods.

Jing Xi, having slept in, had just woken up and was about to make breakfast when Aunt Liu hurried over in a panic.

“Jing Xi, girl! Do you want some work at noon?”

Hearing about a chance to earn money, Jing Xi immediately perked up. “Auntie, what kind of work?”

“The important guests are coming to collect the goods at noon, and they’ll be having lunch here. There are about ten of them. The village secretary came to my house earlier and asked me to help cook. It’s paid work, but I can’t do it alone. If you help me out, I’ll split the pay with you—two yuan total, you get one. Plus, we’ll get a free meal!”

Jing Xi’s eyes lit up at the mention of food. “Deal! Are we going now?”

“Yes! You’re free now, right? Let’s go!”

Jing Xi nodded, went inside to grab her coat, locked her door, and followed Aunt Liu to the village headquarters.

The village kitchen wasn’t used often, but it was functional.

When they arrived, Jing Xi saw that all the ingredients were already laid out—white rice, wheat flour, pork, chicken, cabbage, potatoes, and radishes.

She hadn’t seen meat in days, and the sight of pork and chicken made her swallow instinctively.

She had been too busy lately to go to the market.

“I’ll handle the fire and wash and chop the vegetables,” Aunt Liu said. “Jing Xi, you wash the rice and start steaming it in the small pot first!”

Jing Xi nodded quickly and got to work.

There were about ten guests coming for the meal today. Adding in the village leaders and some elders, there were about fifteen or sixteen people dining. Jing Xi didn’t hold back and poured a third of a bag of rice into a large basin.

After washing the rice, Aunt Liu had already started the fire. Jing Xi poured the rice into the pot and waited for it to cook.

Aunt Liu was very efficient. In no time, she had all the vegetables prepared.

Jing Xi then went to help her chop the chicken and prepare the seasonings—green onions, garlic, dried chili, and so on.

As noon approached, the two of them were waiting for instructions to start cooking when they suddenly heard the sound of car horns and people talking in the front yard.

There really were quite a few people.

Judging by the way the villagers were speaking, these guests must be important figures.

She curled her lips—who cared if they were big shots? All she wanted was to eat meat.

As she kept an eye on the fire and monitored the steaming rice, she heard hurried footsteps approaching. Soon, a familiar face came into view—it was Wu Jun, Wu Dazhuang’s older brother.

“Aunt Liu, start cooking. Also, boil a pot of water. I’ll serve them some hot tea first. Can we have the meal ready in half an hour?”

Aunt Liu responded enthusiastically, “No problem! It’ll be ready!”

Wu Jun glanced at Jing Xi, who was helping in the kitchen, then turned and left for the reception room in the front yard.

“Girl, take this pot of boiling water and bring it to the front hall,” Aunt Liu instructed.

Jing Xi stood up and headed to the front yard.

In the large courtyard, five vehicles were parked—four blue trucks and one black sedan.

Beyond the courtyard, there were also two tractors, both empty, seemingly here to transport the dihuan.

Carrying the kettle, she entered the house and saw about ten young men sitting there. They all had an air of refinement, clearly city folk.

They had fair skin and handsome features.

The village leaders surrounded them, engaging in polite conversation.

When Jing Xi walked in, Wu Jun immediately stepped forward to take the kettle.

It was then that she noticed Zhang Qiang was also in the room.

As she looked over at him, Zhang Qiang avoided her gaze, shifting his eyes away instead of making eye contact.

Jing Xi smirked slightly. “It’s fine, Uncle Wu. I can do it. You can stay seated.”

Wu Jun didn’t say anything but stepped aside to give her space. Jing Xi went around, pouring tea for everyone.

The young men were all very polite. Each one thanked her as she served them tea.

However, when she poured tea for the last person, she noticed that the young man was staring at her, his expression filled with disbelief.

Jing Xi politely smiled and then left.

But even as she walked away, she could still feel his gaze following her.

She knew she was good-looking, but being stared at like this made her a little uncomfortable.

It also felt a bit strange.

When she returned to the kitchen, Aunt Liu had already started simmering the dishes. Jing Xi helped tend the fire, adjusted the seasoning, and even gave Aunt Liu a shoulder massage to help her relax.

After about twenty minutes, they began serving the food.

The dishes included pork stew with cabbage and vermicelli, braised pork, stewed chicken with dried string beans, stir-fried shredded potatoes, stir-fried cabbage, braised pork ribs, and a radish soup.

The village couldn’t compare to the city, but having meat dishes like these was already considered a luxury.

As Jing Xi served the dishes, she could barely keep herself from drooling at the sight of the braised pork.

Xie Aiguo even brought out some liquor to serve the guests, but surprisingly, none of them drank.

“Please put the liquor away. We are here for business today, so we won’t be drinking,” one of them said.

“Yes, we won’t be drinking,” another chimed in.

The village leaders didn’t insist and, not wanting to offend them, had Jing Xi serve tea instead.

These men ate quickly. In about half an hour, the entire table of food was nearly wiped clean.

Jing Xi hadn’t eaten breakfast that morning and was now starving.

She returned to the kitchen, intending to have a bowl of rice soup to tide her over. But just as she was about to do so, Aunt Liu pulled her aside and led her to a pot.

Lifting the lid, a delicious sight greeted her—one large bowl of braised pork, two small bowls of radish soup, two bowls of stewed chicken with dried string beans, and two big bowls of white rice.

“Girl, this is our lunch. The village chief specifically set it aside for us!”

“Aunt Liu! When did you manage to dish this out? I didn’t even notice!”

Aunt Liu chuckled, covering her mouth. “I scooped it out earlier when you went to the restroom. I knew you’d be hungry. Go ahead and eat—I’ll go check on the front hall.”

Jing Xi’s eyes sparkled with delight. “It’s fine, Auntie. I’ll wait for you so we can eat together! They’re almost done eating anyway. I’ll just have some rice soup to hold me over for now!”