Within the time it takеs fоr a stick оf incensе tо burn, еvеrу аble-bоdied рerson in the village hаd mobilized, fоrming a lоng quеue оutside thе cоurtyard.
The distinctivе odor оf mud sludge fillеd the air, swirling throughout the yard.
“I never eхpeсted thе peорlе of Shili Villаgе tо be sо enthusiastiс—thеу’rе truly hardworking folks!” Ziуu remarkеd with аdmirаtion.
If this wеre in later timеs, evеn а singlе сoin drоppеd on thе ground would gо ignored, with nо оne willing to bеnd dоwn аnd рick it up.
Let alоnе ten baskets of dirty, foul-smеlling mud sludgе in exchаngе for just оnе cоpреr cоin—such work would be utterly unthinkable in another era.
Yet here, countless people toiled tirelessly for that single copper coin.
Having once been penniless and starving to the point of stomach cramps, Ziyu held a deep fondness for the diligent women, elderly, and children of Shili Village.
In the seemingly endless line, there were few able-bodied men; it consisted mostly of women and adolescent boys.
“Thanks to the young master’s benevolence, our village would never have had such good fortune otherwise.”
The old village chief stroked his beard with a smile, thinking of the two taels of silver that had just filled his purse, his grin growing even more sincere.
“Haha, mutual benefit, that’s all! Perhaps we’ll have more opportunities to cooperate in the future.” Ziyu chuckled lightly, brushing it off.
“Haha, I’ll hold you to those words, young master.”
The old village chief glanced at the noisy crowd and stood up, shouting, “Quiet, everyone! Quiet! Line up one by one for counting. Ten large baskets for one copper coin—no cheating or slacking off. If I catch anyone, they’ll be disqualified.”
With the old village chief taking charge, the process proceeded smoothly and orderly. Ziyu only needed to count out the copper coins.
By the end of the day, less than half a basket of copper coins had been spent. With little else to do, Ziyu grew somewhat bored from sitting around.
But the households that managed to earn twenty or thirty copper coins in a single day were overjoyed.
For them, being able to earn money without leaving home—and without any upfront costs—was a rare blessing.
Every household in Shili Village was buzzing about the matter. The quick-witted ones had already rushed off to inform their nearby relatives.
…
“Old village chief, I’ll leave the task of collecting mud sludge to you. We want all the sludge cleared from the riverbanks. Store it temporarily in the courtyard, and I’ll send someone periodically to haul it away. For your efforts, I’ll pay you one tael of silver per month, and I’ll deliver the copper coins every five days.”
It wasn’t that Ziyu was overly trusting. Having just arrived in this area and planning to purchase large quantities of grain next year, she needed a reliable village to depend on.
A few baskets of copper coins were a small price to test someone’s character—for her, it was well worth it.
“Young master, rest assured. I will handle this matter properly!” The old village chief, entrusted with such an important task, readily agreed. One tael of silver was no small sum.
Despite being the village chief, his household didn’t have much income.
…
Because Shili Village was close to Qingyang Prefecture, it appeared relatively more prosperous than other villages—but that was only on the surface.
Nearly ninety percent of the fertile land near the city was controlled by wealthy families.
After serving as village chief for many years, he owned only ten mu of poor-quality land. The rest of his family’s livelihood depended on renting and farming others’ fields.
During the agricultural off-season, his children and grandchildren could still go into the city to take on odd jobs. But this year, with the river dredging underway, it meant the entire winter would pass without any income.
Sitting at home worrying, the old village chief never expected such good fortune to fall from the sky—Ziyu showing up at his door to purchase mud sludge.
Naturally, the old village chief was determined to give his full support, especially since she was offering payment on top of it.
…Ziyu entrusted the task of collecting mud sludge to the old village chief, leaving behind all four baskets of copper coins she had brought. She drove the mule cart away from the village but did not return to the city.
Those heading upstream had already scouted locations days earlier, aiming to collect water from the river at night.
With the fertile farmland in the dimensional space turning into a Gobi desert, water remained the most pressing need—this was her second purpose for venturing out.
Driving the mule cart leisurely along the road, Ziyu gradually vanished into the deepening night.
A young man dressed in short, dark clothing hid in a low-lying area by the river, shivering slightly in the gusts of river wind.
Due to the river dredging, the upstream water had been dammed, raising the water level—a situation that conveniently favored Ziyu’s plans.
With a thought, Ziyu summoned a black cotton cloak to drape over herself, and a small stool appeared beneath her.
Sitting on the stool, the water thief dipped one hand into the icy river while nibbling on a warm steamed bun with the other.
Having only eaten a bowl of plain noodles provided by the old village chief at noon, Ziyu’s stomach had long been growling with hunger.
…
In the darkness, a small whirlpool slowly formed in the river due to the suction force, as gurgling water flowed through that incredible hand into a vast Gobi desert.
The parched Gobi desert eagerly swallowed the water, emitting a contented bubbling sound.
Along with the flowing water came fish, shrimp, and crabs of various sizes—these new lives seemed controlled by an unseen force.
A diverted stream of water carried them toward the dried-up fish pond…
Watering five hundred acres of Gobi desert was but a trivial task for a river abundant with water.
Even so, Ziyu spent half the night completing this arduous mission.
Having finally resolved a major concern, her entire body chilled to the bone, she left the riverside with an awkward gait.
Having sat in one position for too long, her legs and feet had gone numb. No longer wishing to stay by the river, Ziyu’s ears were filled with the mournful howling of the wind.
Had anyone else stayed by the river for half the night, they would likely have been frightened into tumbling into the water.
Using a fire starter for illumination, Ziyu finally found her way back to the main road. The surroundings were so quiet that not even a ghostly shadow could be seen, and in the depths of winter, not a single insect chirp could be heard.
“Ghoooost… ghoooost…”
A long, eerie voice drifted through the night, while the flickering fire starter danced like a will-o’-the-wisp.
…
“Clip-clop, clip-clop…”
Rapid hoofbeats approached from the distance, and the person amusing herself suddenly vanished from the main road.
The mischievous Ziyu set up a small stove and charcoal grill in front of the Spatial Villa, boiling a pot of pre-prepared mutton soup while sizzling roast mutton cooked on the copper charcoal grill plate.
Between bites of instant-boiled mutton and roast mutton, she still listened attentively to the commotion outside.
“Young master, there’s something strange ahead. Could it be an ambush? Allow me to investigate first!”
The man’s voice was hoarse, as if from prolonged thirst.
“No need. Whether human or ghost, we’ll find out with our blades.” A cool, composed male voice carried a hint of urgency.
Hearing this clearly, Ziyu playfully tossed out a piece of meaty mutton bone.
“Clang… clatter… thud!”
The cool, composed man sliced through the mutton bone with his blade, catching the distinct aroma of mutton, which triggered a growl from his empty stomach.
“Thank you, senior, for showing mercy. If fate allows, we shall repay you generously another day!”
The orderly hoofbeats quickly retreated into the distance. Ziyu curled her lips in disdain—everyone spoke so unreliably.
“Repay you generously another day”—truly, a man’s words are as deceptive as a ghost’s!
After eating and drinking her fill in the dimensional space, Ziyu resignedly boiled a large pot of hot water to wash away the lingering odors, then changed into a plain silk robe.
She crawled into the luxury carriage that served as a temporary bed, stretched out her limbs, and let her still-damp black hair hang outside the carriage.