The White-Bone Demon of the Farm is as rich as a country

"Sister, it's late. You should go back."

"Ah? But...but I still have a lot of things I want to ask you."

"Sister, don't worry. You can come and see A Ling anytime you're free. A Ling is always willing to answer your questions."

"Didn't the bamboo slips say that this place is not limited by time?"

"This place is truly timeless. Things left here never rot, and food is never hot or cold. If you stay here forever, you won't grow or age. But time outside just keeps passing by."

"Is this what's said in 'Lan Ke Shan': 'A day in the mountains is a thousand years in the real world.'"

"Sister is smart and understands things immediately."

"Ah Ling, if living here forever would allow one to live forever, then why did Shennong and Fairy Linghuan both ascend to heaven?"

"When my sister first arrived here, she only saw magical herbs and elixirs everywhere, and luxurious pavilions and buildings. She naturally thought that time here was peaceful and good. However, compared to the outside world, it is too lonely here. After a long time, life and death really become insignificant. Emperor Shennong was indifferent to life and death. He traveled all over the nine provinces and saw too much vicissitudes of life. He only wanted to benefit the people." Ah Ling paused for a moment, as if reminiscing about the previous master, and as if expressing her own feelings. "As for the fairy Linghuan, she is the descendant of gods and humans, born with an aura that everyone admires. She traveled far and wide, accustomed to life and death, and indifferent to worldly troubles, but she could not see through the worldly love. When the man she had pursued for many years died before her eyes, she suddenly realized that even if she was the best in the world, she could not get what she wanted. Her hair turned white in an instant, and she sat at the man's grave for seven days and seven nights before passing away."

Meng Ruyue's heart ached again when she heard A Ling speaking the most mature and experienced words in the softest and cutest voice. She looked around and found that it was still quiet and peaceful here. There was no alternation of black and white, and no movement of the stars. This was indeed a pure land, but it had never become a paradise on earth.

"Okay, I'll go back and see you tomorrow night." Ru Yue didn't want Ah Ling to worry, nor did she want him to discover her pity and compassion for him. "By the way, Ah Ling, can you leave here and live outside? Can you eat human food?"

Ah Ling smiled. He could see that his mistress was truly kind to him. "Ah Ling, you can live anywhere near me. You can eat normal grains, fruits, vegetables, and cakes. Oh, and my family isn't in good health. You can bring the spiritual spring water to them. They'll be much better in a few days."

"Okay. Let's go. I'll bring you some delicious food tomorrow. When I finish building the house, I'll take you out to live with me." After saying that, she waved her hand and left the space without looking back.

The night deepened, and the summer insects had all stopped chirping. Ru Yue lay in bed, thinking about the events of the past few days. She finally understood the details of this portable space, but she also had many more questions. Having Chu Ning'an in the house, while she didn't know his character, gave her a reason for her future actions. Tomorrow she had to go to town to buy daily necessities... Thinking about it, she fell into a deep sleep.

We were all very busy yesterday and didn't get up until dawn.

Breakfast was simple: porridge made from a mixture of white rice, brown rice, and sweet potatoes, along with a large plate of stir-fried wild vegetables. The three of them stirred the porridge in their bowls and found that each of them also had a snow-white, smooth boiled egg. The two children ate silently. Chu Ning'an, holding the egg between his legs, looked at Meng Ruyue. He was the "servant" she had bought, and she actually gave him...

"Eat quickly, why are you just standing there looking at me?" Ru Yue didn't give him a chance to ask and urged him to eat quickly.

"Sister, today's porridge is so delicious, with a light sweetness." Xiao Ruxue was the first to notice something was wrong, and she just thought that her sister's cooking was even better.

"I also think today's porridge is particularly sweet, and it seems to feel particularly comfortable in my stomach." Anping also felt the difference.

How could it not be delicious if it's cooked with spiritual spring water? But I can't let you know! It's painful to have a secret and not be able to show it off!

"Sister's cooking skills have improved. You'll be in for a treat from now on." Meng Ruyue evaded the question with a laugh, quickly changing the subject. "Brother Erqiang and his friends are coming over today. Tell them to build a fence around the hut. It doesn't have to be too dense, just enough to keep the villagers out. Then, build a simple stove in the yard. It's not right to cook on a stone all the time."

The two children nodded in agreement while eating.

"By the way, have you decided what to buy?" Ru Yue asked.

"Brother Chu didn't bring any luggage, so sister, remember to buy him some spare clothes, shoes and socks. He is using your bedding now, so you have to buy another one, as well as bowls, chopsticks, pots and pans." Anping said a lot, all of which were the basic needs of the family!

"Okay, sister has taken note of it. Anything else?" Ru Yue looked at Ru Xue and Chu Ning'an again, and they both shook their heads.

"Okay, I'll buy the rest."

"Let me go with you. There are so many things we bought that you may not be able to carry them all by yourself." Chu Ning'an put down his bowl and chopsticks and said to Ru Yue.

"No need. You just separated from Zhou Dahu and the others yesterday. The town is too small. If they see us, who knows what kind of trouble we'll get into. I'll buy it as you see fit. If I can't carry it all, I'll go back tomorrow. I'm not afraid of the trouble. We don't have any land, so we don't have to worry about missing the farming season."

Chu Ning'an saw that what she said made sense and didn't insist anymore.

After dinner, Ru Yue asked Chu Ning'an about his shoe size, compared her height with him, and then hurried to town.

There was no market today, and the villagers were busy working in the fields. Not many people went to town early in the morning. Ru Yue arrived at the village entrance, and Meng Qingshan's ox cart had not left yet. She thought that she had bought a lot of things today, and now there was a shrewd-looking Chu Ning'an in the family. It would be impossible to bring them back by relying on the space. It would be better to take Uncle Qingshan's ox cart to and from.

After saying hello to Meng Qingshan, he got in the car and slowly headed towards the town.

There were not many people on the bus. Several women from the village were chatting about their family gossip: the son of the Zhang family married a fierce daughter-in-law who started fighting with her mother-in-law. There was chaos every day and no one was doing the work in the fields; the girl of the Li family was bullied by her husband's family and ran back to her parents' home. Her brothers went to seek justice for her, but ended up making her mother-in-law faint from anger, and her husband wanted to divorce her;... Ru Yue had just arrived and was not familiar with these people, so she didn't say anything. Fortunately, she was a timid person who didn't talk much, so no one thought too much about it.

"Girl Ruyue, was the young man who came to your house yesterday really the husband your father found for you?" Ruyue was still thinking about what A Ling said last night when she was suddenly interrupted by a voice. It turned out to be the wife of Meng Dagui, the famous gossipmonger in the village.

"Well, he brought the green fish bone pendant that my father wore close to his body to recognize his relationship with him." In order to prove Chu Ning'an's identity, Ru Yue emphasized the green fish bone pendant to everyone. That thing was worthless and no one would steal it, but everyone in the village knew that it was Meng Lao San who had been carrying it with him since he was a child and never took it off. He treasured it very much. The green fish bone also proved that it was Meng Lao San's intention.

"How about the young man?" another woman asked.

Ru Yue lowered her head in shyness and said hesitantly, "I just came home, how would I know? But my father entrusted me with this before he died, so he must have trusted me." Anyway, it's right to put all the blame on Meng Lao San. Don't believe it? If you don't believe it, you can go over there and ask him! "Look, seeing that I and my younger siblings were living in a shabby thatched hut and lacked everything, he gave me some money and asked me to go to town to buy some daily necessities."

"Then this young man is quite good. Indeed, your father is an honest and upright man. He chooses people based on his own preferences." Meng Dagui's wife said, "As long as he treats you well and is willing to help you, it is better than anything else to have An Ping Ruxue grow up."

Meng Ruyue originally wanted to let everyone in the village know about this. Although these women were gossipy, they did not have any malicious intentions, so she was willing to chat with them more, which saved her the trouble of explaining to everyone she met.

"The aunts all know the situation of my family. I'm just an unattractive little girl with two younger siblings. We don't have a house or a piece of land. Respectable people all avoid us, for fear of getting into trouble and being unable to get rid of us. But after all, I used to work for a wealthy family in the capital. They don't look down on me and are willing to pay me. What else can I say?" As soon as Ru Yue said this, the women nodded in agreement - we are just a bunch of useless lentil sprouts with two burdens. We don't even have a place to live. We have nothing. It's really troublesome for anyone who gets involved with us.

"Then this young man is really good." People tend to sympathize with the weak. Meng Ruyue knew this very well. She had nothing to be proud of for fooling two village women.

A few of them chatted and laughed, and soon arrived at the town. Everyone was busy doing their own things, and soon dispersed.

"Uncle Qingshan, I bought a lot of things today. Please wait for me when you return to the village." Ru Yue greeted Meng Qingshan before leaving.

Meng Qingshan naturally agreed without any objection.

Ru Yue had a lot of things to buy today, so she had to hurry up and do her work.

"Ruyue."

She hadn't taken two steps when she heard someone calling her. Turning around, she saw that it was He Erkui's wife, who had just come with her by car and also lived at the end of the village, not far from her straw hut. She hurriedly responded, "Sister-in-law Erkui, what can I do for you?"

Seeing that there were no one around, He Erkui's wife hurried forward, grabbed Ruyue's hand and pulled her aside, saying, "Ruyue, you are young and there are no adults at home. You have to be more careful in everything you do, okay?"

Ru Yue saw concern in her eyes and knew that this was someone who truly cared about her.

"I know, sister-in-law."

"We live close to each other. If you have any problems, just come to me and your brother Erkui. We will definitely help you if we can." He said it sincerely, and Ru Yue felt warm inside. "Nothing is insurmountable. Everything will be fine. Let's go."

Without waiting for Ru Yue to answer, she turned around and left, quickly disappearing in the crowd of people coming and going. This sister-in-law Erkui really came and went in a hurry, she was just a good person who came to bring warmth.

Ru Yue did not delay any longer and ran towards Yifengtang.

"Hello, little brother, are you busy?" Ru Yue greeted the pharmacy clerk as soon as she entered the door, "Is Manager Cao here?"

"Miss Meng is here. The boss is in the back. I'll go call him for you." The young man was still as enthusiastic as ever.

"What are you yelling about? It's not like I can't hear you." Shopkeeper Cao pushed the door open and walked in from the back hall. "Miss Meng is here to sell herbs again?"

"Hello, Shopkeeper Cao. I'm here to buy some medicinal herbs today." Ru Yue greeted him and explained her purpose. "Shopkeeper, someone in my family is injured. I'd like to buy some medicine for the injury. Could you please prescribe some for me?"

Shopkeeper Cao hurriedly asked the waiter to get the prepared ointment while he chatted with Meng Ruyue, "Aren't you going into the mountains recently?"

"I still have to go in. I don't have any land at home, so I can only earn some money by hiking in the mountains. I've been delayed these days because of some things at home." Manager Cao is a good person, and Ru Yue is willing to interact with him more.

"I want to tell you something. You should keep an eye out for it next time you go into the mountains." Shopkeeper Cao looked around, pulled Ru Yue aside and whispered, "A wealthy family in the capital has spent a fortune searching for the elixir Resurrection Grass. It's said that this elixir grows on the cliffs deep in the mountains here. You should go into the mountains and see if you've seen it."

Shopkeeper Cao took out a blueprint from his sleeve pocket and handed it to Meng Ruyue. A few thin lines were drawn with a brush, and the pattern was very freehand. Even if she saw it, she probably wouldn't recognize it. Ruyue complained inwardly for a while, and suddenly she had an idea.

"This grass looks so familiar, as if I've seen it somewhere before." Ru Yue frowned and said pretentiously.

"Have you really seen it?" Shopkeeper Cao exclaimed excitedly, "I heard that the wealthy man in the prefecture city is looking for it for his grandfather, who is a high-ranking official in the capital. He promised a price of one hundred gold coins, which is one thousand taels of silver!"

"It looks familiar, but I can't remember where I've seen it before!" Ru Yue pretended to be thinking hard.

"Miss Meng, think about it carefully. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. With this bounty, you won't have to run around anymore."

"Okay, I'll think about it carefully when I get home. I'll come to you when I pick some, and we'll split the reward together." Meng Ruyue said generously.

"These magical herbs grow in extremely dangerous places. I heard that there are some wild beasts guarding the surrounding areas. If you can really get them, you must have overcome many difficulties. I dare not share this reward." Shopkeeper Cao waved his hands and refused, saying with a smile, "But I will take it all. The owner who helps to connect will also give a hundred taels of silver. I will be satisfied if I can get a hundred taels of silver just for delivering a message or running an errand."

Ru Yue knew that Manager Cao was telling the truth. Since the spiritual herbs had not been found, there was no need to dwell on it.

After the two had finished talking, the boy hurriedly handed the ointment to Ru Yue, explained in detail how to use it, and then ran off to wipe the dust.

"Manager Cao, if it's convenient for you, please bring this blueprint back to me. I will go into the mountains to search for it in the next few days. Maybe I will get that lucky thing!" Ru Yue said half-jokingly.

"Take it. It's just a few rough strokes, like a kid's graffiti. It's of no use to me. I'll give it to you if you want it." Manager Cao waved his hand generously. Ru Yue felt for no reason that Manager Cao had left this painting for her.

After taking the things, Meng Ruyue said goodbye to Manager Cao and hurried out of Yifengtang.