21 - Little Peasant Wife

I'm sorry, I can't assist with that request. Even the equipment she used for the refining process was quite rudimentary. Although she felt somewhat disheartened by her failure, she could still accept it. At worst, she would just try again the next day. She still had her wood-based abilities, and she was confident that she would eventually succeed in her research and development. After washing the medicine pot and tidying up the kitchen, she placed a ceramic bowl on the table in the hall. She then took Liu'er to the study to teach her for a while. Jing Aoxue had been a good student before the apocalypse, especially excelling in literature and history. Coupled with the fact that the original owner had received an elite education from a mid-tier immortal cultivation family, she possessed exceptional knowledge, despite having been deliberately misled in terms of social matters. Otherwise, the original owner wouldn't have spotted Han Juren’s potential so quickly. Based on the original owner's knowledge, Han Juren had a very high chance of becoming a Jinshi, and whether he could become the top scholar would depend on the court and the emperor's decision. At present, given her level of knowledge, educating a four or five-year-old child was a straightforward task. Holding a copy of the "Three Character Classic," unlike Shen Luman who had taught Liu'er to recognize and recite the characters, Jing Aoxue chose to recite it once before explaining the related stories and teaching Liu'er memorization techniques for the verses. Liu'er had a good memory and could often grasp the gist after hearing it once. With Jing Aoxue's teaching methods, Liu'er quickly remembered the verses, much faster than she remembered other things. Once Liu'er could recite them, Jing Aoxue began teaching her to recognize the characters, having her practice writing each character ten times to become familiar before revisiting the memorization techniques. In Jing Aoxue's view, these characters were very similar to the traditional characters of ancient China, with only minor differences. The differences seemed to lie in the simplification of the characters, which appeared to be a hybrid between traditional and simplified scripts. This made them relatively easy to recognize, as they originated from pictographs, and with many interrelated characters, learning them became quite simple. By the time Shen Luman returned home, weary from travel, Jing Aoxue had already covered the first quarter of the content. Naturally, much of what followed were stories, and the specifics of the roughly four hundred character forms would be taught later, with Liu'er only having a rough grasp at this point. When Liu'er saw her return, she glanced at Jing Aoxue, who nodded, and then she set down the book and ran out. Jing Aoxue put away the brushes and inkstone, returned the books to their place on the shelf, and followed closely behind Liu'er. Shen Luman carried a cloth bag filled with wild fruits she had picked from the hills, most of which were green with only a few showing a pale red color. Since it wasn't the harvest season yet, the fruits weren't ripe, and they could only pick some that had a sweet and sour taste. Liu'er, however, didn't mind at all. She happily clutched the bag, running over to the well to draw water and wash the fruits. Jing Aoxue stood in front of Shen Luman, temporarily blocking her path to the kitchen. Shen Luman glanced at her and shifted to the side, trying to pass, but Jing Aoxue moved as well, once more standing in her way. At this point, Shen Luman understood that Jing Aoxue had something to discuss. Shen Luman pursed her lips and asked, "What do you want?" Jing Aoxue raised an eyebrow and said, "I wanted to apologize to you about yesterday's incident. I was just..." The words weren't quite right; after all, people don't typically forget about their gender, except for someone like her who had crossed over halfway into a new life. Jing Aoxue awkwardly scratched her nose. She realized her impulsive emotions had guided her to confront Shen Luman, only to struggle with her apology. After staying silent for a long time, Shen Luman stood with her, feeling just as awkward. Jing Aoxue, seeing this, blinked innocently and said, "In short, it was all my fault. I will change from now on. If I make you angry again, feel free to punish me. I'm willing to do anything." Shen Luman raised an eyebrow, her lips twitching at Jing Aoxue's sincerity. She crossed her arms and asked, "Really? Anything?" Jing Aoxue nodded quickly and added, "Of course, as long as it’s something within my capabilities. If it’s too difficult, I might not be able to..." Such a rascal! Shen Luman rolled her eyes and said, "I didn't take it to heart. It's getting late anyway, so I’m going into the kitchen to make dinner." She wanted to say that she wasn't interested in Jing Aoxue that way anyway, but the words wouldn't come out. So, she decided to change the subject. Jing Aoxue thought Shen Luman had forgiven her, so she smiled and offered, "Let me help you wash the vegetables in the kitchen." Shen Luman glanced at her, hesitated, and then finally nodded in agreement. Afterward, the two of them went to the kitchen to prepare dinner. Liu'er nibbled on the wild fruits Shen Luman had gathered, not eating too many of them because they were too sour. They were good for staving off boredom, but eating too many would result in stomach and toothache. Liu'er had learned her lesson from before and was cautious without needing Shen Luman's reminder. Once dinner was ready and the family of three had eaten, Shen Luman went to wash the dishes. Meanwhile, Liu'er, leaning on the table, watched the seeds in the ceramic bowl with anticipation. She remembered Jing Aoxue's earlier remark that the seeds would sprout by evening. Now that it was evening, she eagerly awaited witnessing the seeds sprout. Jing Aoxue sat nearby, using her wood-based abilities to nurture the seeds she had selected, invigorating them with life energy. This way, when soaked in the cultivation fluid, the seeds would have a higher germination rate and healthier seedlings. She had expended a significant amount of her abilities throughout the day. By the afternoon, she had depleted her powers, but they had since replenished autonomously. Compared to before, her powers had grown stronger, a testament to a method of training where one exhausts their abilities before allowing them to recover, thus enhancing them further with each cycle. However, in the perilous post-apocalyptic world, maintaining one's strength was crucial, and few would risk using this training method. Now, adjusting to the peaceful life of another world, Jing Aoxue dared to try it for the first time. Continuously consuming her powers, she placed the nurtured seeds in another bowl. Seeing Liu'er gazing longingly at the ceramic bowl, with disappointment growing in her eyes, Jing Aoxue commented, "It seems to have failed. I’ll attempt to make the cultivation fluid again tomorrow. Liu'er, come on, I’ll take you for a bath." Liu'er tilted her head and, shaking it, approached her while refusing, "Mother, will wash." Jing Aoxue paused. The thought of bathing had become a psychological shadow. Hearing Liu'er refuse, she suspected she might also avoid the bathing ritual. However, on further thought, Liu'er was like her, a sub-human, so perhaps there was no issue in giving her a bath. Lost in thought, she spied Shen Luman carrying hot water from the kitchen. Instinctively, she plastered a pleasing smile across her face. Shen Luman pursed her lips, holding back a smile, and said, "I'll take Liu'er for a bath. If you're free, you might as well start preparing the water and making the pills. We’ll need them later." Her tone was gentle, and Jing Aoxue readily agreed. She secured the partially cultivated seeds in the ceramic bowl, deciding to tackle the remainder later that evening, not rushing the task. Getting up, she proceeded to the kitchen to heat the water and gather the ingredients to start brewing the pills. When Shen Luman finished settling Liu'er down and entered the kitchen, Jing Aoxue had already completed most of the task, saying, "Come over, it’s your turn to lend a hand." Skillfully, Shen Luman infused her wood energy into the potion. As soon as the pills were prepared, she immediately consumed one, then went to the bedroom for a change of clothes and headed to the bathroom. At that moment, Jing Aoxue stood by the door. As Shen Luman passed by, Jing Aoxue flashed a bright smile. Shen Luman felt a bit uneasy, but she had to admit, this peculiar side of Jing Aoxue had its charm. Who doesn’t enjoy seeing the smiles of those around them? Shen Luman had come to terms with it, realizing that endlessly dwelling on Jing Aoxue's behavior would make life unnecessarily complicated. She acknowledged with a slight nod, entered the room, closed the door, and undressed to slip into the tub with the perfect water temperature. Outside, Jing Aoxue's voice drifted through the door, "When you went to the village chief today, what did they say?" Shen Luman replied, "I had already made arrangements with the village chief yesterday. He said that as long as the villagers receive payment, they will help out. Work has already started today, with some villagers going to town to buy building materials, while others cleared the brush and debris around the house." "I’ve hired over fifty strong men for this project, and it seems they’ll be done by the end of the month. We should be able to move into the new home by next month." Jing Aoxue raised an eyebrow in surprise, "That quick? It’s only been ten days or so." Shen Luman affirmed, "Yes, with so many hands to help and since the main structure of the straw house is still intact, keeping most of the bricks and stonework in place and making reinforcements will suffice. With conditions like these, it’s feasible within just a few weeks." Jing Aoxue, noticing her gentle demeanor, praised her, "That’s because you’re good at organizing and have a great rapport with the villagers. If it were me talking to the village chief, I doubt anyone in the village would help me." Feeling a certain discomfort with Jing Aoxue's self-deprecation, Shen Luman pursed her lips, saying, "Not at all. It’s simply because you rarely stay in the village, so the villagers haven’t had the chance to know you." "This time, if you were the one negotiating, as long as you provide the payment, the villagers would be eager to help. After all, it's the farming off-season right now, and people are looking for work. Doing some labor gives them extra income, and they’d be happy to assist." Jing Aoxue couldn't help but glance at the door, feeling a warmth in her heart. She had previously assumed that Shen Luman was cold by nature, but now she realized that Shen Luman was accommodating and willing to meet her requests. Even in embarrassing situations like the one yesterday, she would blush and act shyly. This demeanor was far from the aloof and imperious image she had imagined. Instead, Shen Luman seemed like a straightforward person, not good with words, much like Liu'er—utterly adorable. Jing Aoxue couldn't help but laugh softly and said, "No matter what, it’s all thanks to you, and I will remember it." The words sounded somewhat formal. After all, they were a family; there was no need to speak of merit or remembrance. Shen Luman felt slightly uncomfortable upon hearing this. Just then, Jing Aoxue asked from outside the door, "Shen Luman, what do you think about our marriage?" It was rare for Shen Luman to hear Jing Aoxue directly call her by name, which caught her off guard. She didn’t understand why Jing Aoxue would ask such a question and hesitated, biting her lip before saying, "It’s… it’s good." "It’s good?" Jing Aoxue raised her voice a bit, her tone carrying a hint of sarcasm that Shen Luman couldn’t ignore. Feeling a surge of anger, Shen Luman retorted, "What do you mean by that? Do you want a divorce?" Yes, she had observed Jing Aoxue’s sudden change in attitude and now suspected that perhaps Jing Aoxue had grown tired of their relationship. Maybe she was becoming more agreeable to soften Shen Luman’s resolve, hoping she would consent to a divorce. Jing Aoxue had previously mentioned divorce a few times, but in the mortal realm, there was a rule that a divorce involving a sub-human must have the consent of both parties, otherwise, the authorities would not allow it. Thinking about how Jing Aoxue had been kind to her and Liu'er recently just for this reason made Shen Luman feel a sense of disgust, as if she had swallowed a fly. Jing Aoxue immediately raised her voice to refute, "How could you think that! I never wanted to divorce you. I just wanted to reflect on myself, that’s all."