Chapter 6

    In the simply decorated bedroom, with only a few pieces of furniture, all items packed in this room were essential. Ruo Lan sat on a low wooden stool, holding a small bowl in her hand, which seemed to appear and disappear intermittently, as if playing a game of hide and seek with her. In reality, Ruo Lan was testing the dimension within her spirit realm.

    Since the spirit pearl in her spirit realm absorbed spiritual power from the luminescent stone a few days ago, Ruo Lan felt its capabilities had significantly evolved. After it refined over three hundred spirit pearls and absorbed an entire coal mine, it became tranquil as if entering a state of meditation. From the coal-absorbing incident, Ruo Lan discovered another of its abilities: around it was a vast dimensional space. Initially, the young woman was half skeptical that such a bizarre thing could exist in this world, but after testing, she found it to indeed be a miraculous reality.

    "Miss, Xiao Bai and Xiao Hong are refusing to eat worms," Mei Zhu's voice came from outside. The young woman quickly tossed the bowl into the dimension. Mei Zhu, frowning, came in with a large birdcage.

    When the two baby birds first arrived, Mei Zhu took on the task of finding worms and small insects in the forest for the two little birds to eat. On days when she couldn't find insects or worms, she would divide some of the preserved white tiger meat for them or, if she bought chicken or pork from the town, she would share it with them. However, lately, after getting used to eating meat, they refused to eat worms and insects.

    "In that case, just leave the worms and insects in the cage. If they don't eat, let them starve. When they become easygoing, then share some meat," By now, they had become picky eaters. Their behavior had to be corrected. Mei Zhu had gone into the forest to find worms and insects in the snow like this. Did they think it was easy? She had to endure the cold, struggling through the snow with her hands and feet freezing. If they continued to be so stubborn, they were just left to starve.

    As if the baby birds understood they were being scolded, their feathers drooped, and their little heads tucked in close to their bodies, pitifully nibbling on the worms and insects left for them.

    "Wow, Miss, just a threat and they've already learned their lesson? When I tried both threatening and forcing, they didn't care. Well done," Mei Zhu puffed up like a proud dog.

    Ruo Lan chuckled at her little servant's antics. Mei Zhu had become plump and radiant lately. She noticed the butcher's son in town looking at Mei Zhu quite often. The butcher's son was a decent man, hardworking, even if a bit simple-looking. Being a good person was enough. She decided to watch and see what the young man would do next.

    "How is Father doing?" she asked Mei Zhu. She hadn't seen her father much lately and wondered about his condition. After selling the beast meat, Yu Chang went to town to buy herbs regularly to nourish Shen You Wei's body. A few days ago, Ruo Lan had shared a sip of the viscous water from the forest cave with Yu Chang and Shen You Wei, cautious not to let them drink too much, unsure of its potential harm. She wondered about their current condition.

    "The young master is doing well, and the master's lower body is beginning to feel more. If we keep nourishing the master's body like this continuously, he is certain to recover fully, miss," Mei Zhu replied with an excited and pleased tone, even forgetting the resentment he had towards the two little birds.

    She thought Shen You Wei's improvement was due to the herbs Yu Chang bought from the town's doctor. However, Ruo Lan believed differently—it was the viscous water. Going forward, she planned to add this water to Shen You Wei's food every day.

    In the eleventh month, the weather began to worsen, with heavy snowfall whitening the streets to the point of being completely covered. Today, Ruo Lan entered the town to buy some small items. Most of the townsfolk stayed indoors to keep warm.

    "Shopkeeper, can you lower the price a bit? Just two months ago, it was still selling at 80 e-pae per catty. Has the price really risen to 200 per catty today?" The sobbing voice of a woman entered Ruo Lan's ears.

    Next to the pot shop was a rice and grains store owned by a prominent family. They owned extensive farmland, growing rice and grains as well as fruits and raising chickens. Their produce was sold to the townspeople at high prices. While other regions sold rice for just 20 e-pae per catty, Yue Region charged a high 80 e-pae. But in the past one to two months, with the cold weather and heavy snow, the rivers froze over, making it impossible for cargo ships to travel and fetch goods from other regions. This led to a sharp price increase for the available rice and grains, with prices jumping from the usual 80 e-pae per catty to 200.

    Despite this, the royal court remained indifferent, allowing the powerful families to exploit the common people of their own region as if unaware of their hardships. Or, if she wasn't mistaken, perhaps the nobles had received bribes from these wealthy merchants and turned a blind eye. After all, living in their grand mansions, with plenty of food and warm stoves and thick blankets, why would they care about the common folk?

    Seeing this, Ruo Lan could only feel disheartened. She was just a commoner herself, with no power to help everyone.

    "No discount, can't afford to give a discount. If you don't have the money, leave my store!" The shopkeeper's shout startled the woman, causing her to tremble and leave in a pitiable state.

    Ruo Lan knew there were many more like this woman, and in these conditions, some people were bound to freeze or starve to death.

    The next morning, Ruo Lan woke up early and set out for the forest again, intending to venture deeper into parts unreachable by the average villager. The deep forest remained abundant. The fruits there were largely ignored by hunters or those with spiritual powers, who mostly focused on demonic beasts or large wildlife. The common fruits, herbs, bamboo shoots, and wild mushrooms were of no interest to them. When ripe, these forest fruits would just rot and go to waste. Even after drying them, Ruo Lan's family could not consume them fast enough. She often felt regret over the fruits that spoiled beneath the trees.

    But today, she knew exactly what to do with these fruits. If the Shen family couldn't consume them all, surely there were others who needed them. Since they couldn't gather the fruits themselves, she decided to play the good Samaritan.

    Ruo Lan ventured deep into the forest, a path she had trodden dozens of times. She looked up at the ripe persimmons covering the tree, reaching her hand to touch the tree trunk.

    "Harvest."

    Whoosh! The entire tree disappeared into her dimension.

    "Uh..." Ruo Lan was slightly startled. She had intended only to pick the ripe persimmons, but her dimension had misunderstood and taken the whole tree.

    No matter, she thought. She could plant it in her garden later.

    At that moment, an idea struck her. She would take one of each fruit tree from this forest to plant in her backyard. When they bore fruit, she wouldn't need to come to the forest anymore. For the remaining fruit trees, Ruo Lan would only take some fruits, leaving the rest for the wild animals. She wasn't heartless enough to steal their food source.

    Amid a snowstorm, with terrible weather all around and the town buried under piles of snow, a small hut stood in the blizzard, about to collapse. Inside, a young boy shivered under a thin blanket, his stomach in severe pain from hunger. He hadn't eaten for days, and the biting cold made it impossible to venture outside. A woman hugged the boy's small frame, trying to warm him with her body, though she hadn't eaten for days either. They could do nothing but wait for death in this state.

    Crack!

    The sound of the roof, burdened by the weight of the snow, creaked alarmingly. It might collapse at any moment, but the mother wished for a slower death.

    "My dear, curl up and wait for me on the bed. I'll try to clear the snow off the roof."

    "Yes, mother," the boy replied, understanding their dire situation. Despite his youth, he couldn't afford to be a burden and cause his mother more distress​​.

    When she stepped out of the small cottage, she discovered a large woven basket placed at the front door, containing various items. Inside the basket, there were dozens of plumps, dark red fruits, several yams, large succulent bamboo shoots, wild mushrooms, roughly three measures of coarse grains, a number of shiny black stones, and two thick pieces of linen cloth.

    "By the heavens! Who could this be?" The lady was moved to tears with joy and excitement. She and her son were saved. With the items before her, they could survive the snowstorm if they were frugal. She looked around but found no one who might have left these gifts, so she raised her hands in a gesture of thanks to the immortals, praying for blessings upon their benefactor.

    Not only this mother and son but other villagers in dire straits due to the snowstorm received similar baskets of goods. Prayers of gratitude echoed continuously, ensuring the mysterious benefactor heard nothing but blessings in their dreams.

    Ruo Lan, Mei Zhu, and Yu Chang struggled with a sled, dragging it home through the snow. Mei Zhu, frowning and complaining, asked, "Miss, why must we do this? Aren't you being too kind?"

    In reality, the young mistress and young master should have been in bed, warm and comfortable with a brazier and thick quilts. Why should they endure hardship, searching the forest day after day, only to distribute their finds to others? Mei Zhu didn't mind her own suffering but seeing the young mistress and the young master's hands and feet turn red from the cold was heart-wrenching as if she were their mother witnessing their struggle.

    Ruo Lan smiled at her maid's question. She didn't consider herself particularly kind; she was just an ordinary person who felt empathy and compassion. When she had arrived in this world, she and the Shen family had faced extreme hardship. They had been able to survive those tough times thanks to the magical pearl that helped in various ways. Another reason for her actions was her desire to repay the original owner of her body by doing good deeds. The goods she provided to the villagers were mostly gathered from the forest or bought with money, including linen and coarse grains. The hardships she endured were minor compared to saving several lives, making it all worthwhile.

    "The greatest gift is giving life. Without these items, they might not survive the winter. Waiting for official aid could be too late, or worse, the authorities might not even consider their plight. A little hardship on my part in exchange for many lives, don't you think it's worth it?"

    Mei Zhu, persuaded by Ruo Lan's reasoning, nodded in agreement, "It is worth it, indeed. But you have suffered a lot, Miss."

    "In times of hardship, maintain your goodness. When you achieve, don't forget to spread that goodness to the land."

    Yu Chang remained silent, not voicing any opinion, but his pride was unmistakable.

    On a bitterly cold night, a woman and her young son huddled together on an old wooden bed, their bodies curled up together. The thick linen cloth they had received days before helped them endure the harsh nights.

    Suddenly, a noise at the door woke the woman from the darkness. She moved out of the blanket, carefully folding it to protect her son from the cold draft, then hurried to the door.

    Upon opening it, she saw the slender back of someone about to leave. "Wait, my benefactor!" she called out loudly, managing to stop the person.

    Looking down at the items left at her doorstep, she was certain the figure before her was the mysterious benefactor who had kept her and her son alive until now. As the person turned around, she saw a pair of peach blossom eyes. The lower half of the benefactor's face was wrapped in a thick cloth, likely due to the severe weather. Upon closer observation of the slim figure before her, she realized that this person was a woman.

    The woman knelt down with a thud and bowed her head to the figure before her. "My benefactor, this humble woman thanks you. Without your gifts, my child and I would have likely died of cold or hunger. May I know your esteemed name?"

    "Just an ordinary name, not worth remembering," came a response, both resonant and clear as a bell, making one want to hear it again. The words indicated a desire to remain anonymous.

    However, the homeowner wished to know the benefactor's name, to spread it throughout the town if she overcame her hardships, acknowledging there were still good people in the world. Despite the bad weather and heavy snow, in the dead of night, the benefactor had made an effort to bring supplies to those in need. "My benefactor, I do not know how to repay you, but your name deserves to be praised. I fear the gods may punish me if not."

    "People fear fame as pigs fear fattening[1]. Auntie, you need not worry. I must be going now," the person prepared to leave, but the homeowner persisted.

    "Please wait just a moment," she said before running back into the house. She returned holding a wooden box, crafted from dark brown hardwood and intricately carved. Despite its age, the box was intriguing.

    "My benefactor, this wooden box has been passed down from my ancestors through many generations. Being in dire poverty, I have nothing of value to offer you in return. Please, I beg you to accept this," she offered the box to her benefactor.

    "How can I accept it? An heirloom from your ancestors should be preserved," the benefactor replied, hesitant to accept knowing the box's heritage.

    "Not being able to repay my benefactor would make me too ashamed to face my ancestors. I cannot open this box myself; it requires spiritual power to do so. My family has lacked someone with spiritual power for many generations. Keeping it in this old house serves no purpose. Please, accept it," she insisted, kneeling and bowing as if to say she would not rise until the gift was accepted. Hearing the sound of her head knocking against the floor compelled the benefactor to reach out and take the item.

    "Thank you."

    "Thank you, benefactor," the voice was immensely grateful and delighted.

    "Thank you so much, my benefactor," her voice filled with immense gratitude.

[1] "People fear fame as pigs fear fattening" means that when people become famous, they often encounter complications, just like pigs that are fattened up and then it's time for them to be slaughtered. This implies that fame brings its own set of troubles, similar to how a pig's fattening leads to its eventual demise.