46 - Little Peasant Wife

I'm unable to process requests directly referencing URLs or accessing external databases. However, if you provide the specific text from the novel you'd like translated, I'd be happy to help with the translation while maintaining the character-specific pronoun preferences and literary style. Please paste the text here for further assistance. In the evening, after dinner, Jing Aoxue began pondering how to refine more effective medicinal pills. Back in the laboratory during the apocalypse, with the help of high-tech experimental equipment and the ability users from the base, she could leave the lower levels to the outer areas and bring back various mutated herbs, which also possessed special abilities. With the assistance of wood-based ability users like herself, they were able to produce more effective potions. These potions were not cheap and could usually only be afforded by the middle and upper classes of the base. Now, as a level-two wood-based ability user in this mortal world of a different realm, crafting such high-quality elixirs was truly challenging. She scratched her head and asked Shen Luman beside her, "Do you have any ideas?" Shen Luman was sewing at the moment. Since the room was well-lit with lamps and the sky had not completely darkened, Jing Aoxue didn't stop her. Hearing the question, Shen Luman glanced at Jing Aoxue and said, "In the cultivation world, I could make elixirs, but here in the mortal world, not only are the herbs of mundane quality, but the essential alchemical furnace and fire can't be found. The pills you've made so far are already the best we've got." Jing Aoxue exchanged a glance with her, and both saw the helplessness in each other's eyes. Jing Aoxue sighed, laying on the table, "Perhaps I'll make some topical ointments. With both oral and topical applications, the effects should be remarkable. I'll go get some herbs from the pharmacy now, and you can come help me later." Shen Luman agreed, and Jing Aoxue got up to head to the adjacent pharmacy. Closing the door, she visualized the effectiveness of the ointments in her mind, using her wood-based abilities to select from various herbs, finally choosing some that were similar. She placed these herbs in a basket and turned to leave. Shen Luman joined her in the alchemy room, which was specifically set up next to the kitchen for Jing Aoxue's use. Shen Luman rolled up her sleeves, asking, "What do you need me to do?" Jing Aoxue took out a copper pot, saying, "Making ointments is harder than pills. We'll have to work through the night again. Go get some vegetable oil from the kitchen; I need to extract the medicinal oil first." Shen Luman, surprised that Jing Aoxue would really do this, wondered if she had learned it from a golden core cultivator's jade slip. With these thoughts in mind, she quickly went to fetch the vegetable oil. Once the pot was hot, Jing Aoxue poured in the oil. When it was warm, she added the sorted herbs according to their properties. She handed Shen Luman a spatula, instructing her to keep stirring to prevent anything from sticking or burning. Shen Luman kept stirring, thinking it would take a long time, but was surprised when Jing Aoxue, after briefly squinting at the pot, announced, "Alright, you can slow down the stirring now while I strain out the herb residue." She filtered out the debris, leaving medicinal oil in the pot. Using her wood-based powers, Jing Aoxue sensed the oil's quality, feeling it wasn’t up to par, possibly due to the firewood’s temperature not matching lab standards. She sighed, saying, "Not great, but passable." Shen Luman asked, "What's the issue?" Jing Aoxue glanced at her, realizing Shen Luman, being a cultivator who could produce fire from her palm, essentially wielding fire powers, could help. Jing Aoxue's eyes lit up, and she instructed Shen Luman to infuse the furnace with fire spiritual energy. Jing Aoxue monitored with her wooden powers, advising when to increase or decrease the energy. When Jing Aoxue finally shouted to stop, both were drenched in sweat. They exchanged tired but satisfied smiles. Shen Luman leaned in to check the pot's contents, asking, "Is it ready?" Jing Aoxue nodded, "Almost. Can you get a few bottles of pills from the pharmacy? We have to stir the oil, while it's still warm, to make the ointment paste." Shen Luman, though not fully understanding, complied quickly. Jing Aoxue divided the pills into batches, adding them to the oil, while Shen Luman kept stirring until Jing Aoxue said, "Alright, I'll soak the ointment in cold water to remove the heat toxins. We'll get some medicinal cloth from the herb hall in town tomorrow to store it." Shen Luman, nodding albeit a bit unclear, watched as Jing Aoxue wiped her brow. Shen Luman remarked, "You know so much." Jing Aoxue raised a brow, amused, "Why, is that bad? I've at least inherited from a mid-tier cultivation family. My patriarch grandfather didn't skimp on training me." Shen Luman couldn't help but laugh at her pride. "Now that we're done, I'll heat water next door for a bath. Get some rest, we have to go to town early." Jing Aoxue asked, "Did you arrange for a donkey cart?" "I handled it this afternoon. It's the same young man who helped move us." Jing Aoxue agreed, "It's inconvenient to keep hiring people like this. We still have some silver, let's just buy a carriage tomorrow." "That’s sensible. It won’t cost much, and it’ll be handy for trips." For them, a carriage costing at least fifty taels was decided upon lightly. Other villagers would agonize over such a purchase and often choose a cheaper donkey cart. Their ease came from their different perspective on worldly money and their relative wealth. After packing the ointment, cleaning up the mess, and seeing the water heated for a bath, Jing Aoxue realized it was late into the night. She didn't delay further and went straight to bed. The next morning, after breakfast, the family of three took the donkey cart to town. Passing through the village entrance, they encountered Liu's carriage but didn’t greet them, driving on instead. A neighbor complained, "The Jing family is known for being down and out, yet they live in the same village. Their girl is even friends with our Qiao’er, yet they won’t even say hello. It’s really..." The steward from the Liu residence, looking through the carriage window, focused on the youngest, Liu Er, with a satisfied smile. The neighbor, noticing, felt a twinge of jealousy, and adjusted Qiao Er’s clothes, advising, "In town, stay close to the mistress. No trouble, got it?" Qiao Er, with a sweet smile, reassured, "Mother, I know. I'm off to town now." After a polite nod to the steward, she boarded the carriage. As the neighbor waved goodbye, her eyes welled with tears. Her daughter, precious as her own heart, was leaving, akin to having her heart carved out. However, for Qiao Er’s future, to avoid marrying an ordinary peasant like her, she had to send her to the Liu residence for companionship. Though it meant being a servant, she consoled herself. Her daughter had been pampered and never wronged. In Liu’s residence, who knew how the daughters would treat her... Resigning to her fate, the neighbor dried her tears, comforted by the thought that surviving this would elevate Liu Er's status, making future proposals better, a good thing indeed. Slowly heading home, she eased her mind, recalling the kind Liu Madame and daughters weren’t harsh. Meanwhile, on the carriage, Qiao Er remained composed for a favorable impression, resisting her curiosity about the scenery. Halfway through, she heard the steward calling, "Isn’t this Qiao Er’s good friend? How fortunate we meet again." His words were for Liu Er, but his attention was directed toward Jing Aoxue. Typically, parents would take such notice to present their daughters, but today, he found no such eagerness. He said, "I am the steward of the Liu residence. Little girl, your friend Qiao Er is on my carriage. Would you like to come over and play with her?" Liu Er glanced at him, sensing an inexplicable danger about this person. She shook her head but then felt it might be impolite, so she looked up at Jing Aoxue for guidance. Jing Aoxue's long, almond-shaped eyes narrowed slightly, a smile tugging at her lips though her gaze remained cold. She said with a cheerful demeanor, "So you're the steward of the Liu residence. I've heard much about you. Such a distinguished household is beyond the reach of common folks like us. You're very approachable, but I'm afraid Liu Er here is a bit timid. She stammers when she speaks, and I'm worried she might say something wrong and upset you. Perhaps it's best if she doesn't." The steward felt a bit slighted by her gentle refusal. Being someone who had stature in the Liu household, he wasn't used to being disregarded by villagers. He snorted in disdain and ordered the driver to speed up. The carriage moved faster than the donkey cart and soon disappeared from sight. Liu Er nervously said, "Qiao Er, sister, on the carriage, that, uncle, not good man." Jing Aoxue hugged her reassuringly, asking, "How does Liu Er know he's not a good man?" Liu Er furrowed her brow, thinking hard before finally shaking her head, "I don't know, just a feeling." Jing Aoxue chuckled, "You have quite a keen intuition. That person indeed wasn’t good. In the future, if Liu Er senses someone might be bad, stay far away, okay?" Liu Er nodded, then added, "But bad man, carriage, has Qiao Er sister." Jing Aoxue rolled her eyes, puzzled by Liu Er's concern for Qiao Er. It wasn’t as if Qiao Er had been particularly kind to Liu Er, yet she constantly thought of her.