Soon, on the other side, Little Zhu Lingyun also figured out how to operate the transaction splitter. Because her family had a limited supply of wild vegetables and chopsticks, she didn't use them for trading in the end. Instead, she selected items from her collection of candy wrappers and stamps, which she kept because they were pretty.
She picked out a red stamp depicting a bountiful harvest of rice.
An eight-fen stamp with a rice pattern.
She put it into the trading slot.
This was something she had cut from a discarded envelope. It was a bright red, her favorite.
Even though she wasn't sure if it was real, just the fact that the other party could speak in her mind convinced her it wasn't a scam. If it wasn't real, it was definitely a powerful spirit that shouldn't be offended. And there was no harm in trying.
The worst she could lose was a stamp.
At worst, she could hang around the post office more often and perhaps someone would throw away an envelope after reading the letter, allowing her to get another red stamp.
As both sides selected their trades, the items in their respective trading slots quickly changed.
The stamp went to Ding Yun's side.
And the fifty catties of assorted grains and fifty Merman Pearls that Ding Yun had prepared went to the other side. At the same time, Ding Yun immediately followed up with a message:
"You should have received the items. Inside, there's an extra bag with fifty more, looking just like pearls, very beautiful Merman Pearls.
Those are not real pearls, and they cannot be sold as such. You can smash those Merman Pearls, scoop out the light blue gel inside, and dissolve it in water for you and your family to drink. It has the effect of conditioning the body and making it healthier.
But be careful, absolutely do not apply it to your face.
Do not apply it to your face even when dissolved in water.
Otherwise, it might cause you to revert to youth.
Reverting to youth would expose you, so please remember!"
"Absolutely do not apply it to your face, absolutely do not apply it to your face!"
Ding Yun only thought of the potential consequences if the other party accidentally used the gel from the Merman Pearls on their face and reverted to youth, which would undoubtedly cause a huge stir. Therefore, she could only try to compensate afterward, repeatedly emphasizing this point through the transaction tool and waiting for a response.
However, at this moment, Little Zhu Lingyun was stunned by the pile of assorted grains that had suddenly appeared before her and hadn't noticed Ding Yun's message. She covered her mouth in surprise and giggled softly for a while before murmuring absentmindedly, "Is it really true?
It's really true, it's so magical!"
While talking to herself, she still pinched her thigh to confirm whether she was dreaming or if it was real. Even so, it took her three to five minutes to calm down from her state of surprise.
And then she finally saw Ding Yun's message.
Immediately after, without even looking at the Merman Pearls Ding Yun mentioned, she quickly replied, guaranteeing that she would definitely obey.
At the same time, she asked again if she could contact Ding Yun again as soon as she found a place to store the food.
Ding Yun breathed a sigh of relief at this.
And gave an affirmative answer.
Only then did she close the transaction tool, pick up the prepared baby food, and start feeding the child. After feeding the child, she played with her for a while, then put her back in the playpen to entertain herself with toys.
She then returned to her computer.
She declined a drawing request from an old client and began deleting all the drawing advertisements the original owner had posted on various websites.
The spirit stones were basically confirmed to be jade.
The original part-time job was no longer necessary.
In the future, she could do something more relaxed, or simply dedicate her time to taking care of the child.
The original owner's child spent most of her days at home, rarely having the opportunity to play with children her own age, and was noticeably withdrawn. Ding Yun was worried that if things continued like this, there might be problems, or symptoms like autism. Therefore, changes would definitely need to be made in terms of child-rearing.
She couldn't just let her stay at home until kindergarten.
…
Meanwhile, on the other side.
The old client who had their drawing request rejected.
"She rejected it? Why did she reject it?
And she said she plans to change careers. What does she want to do?"
Zhu Wenzhang stared at Ding Yun's rejection message and excuse for a while, then nervously turned and called out loudly:
"Wife, wife, hurry up and come here!"
"What is it? You're utterly useless.
Every time something needs to be done, you call me."
As she spoke, Xu Ping, the mother of the original owner Zhu Xin, entered the study where the computer was located, sounding impatient.
"Wife, I don't know what's going on with our daughter. She actually rejected my drawing work, saying she plans to change careers. But she studied drawing in college, what career does she plan to pursue?"
Zhu Wenzhang quickly pointed at the screen.
He said anxiously.
That's right, the excellent old client who used to give the original owner drawing work whenever she was on the verge of poverty and desperation, and who rarely asked for revisions, was actually her father and mother.
Although they had made harsh remarks back then, they only lasted less than a year in reality. However, they were unwilling to back down, fearing that if they compromised this time, they would continue to compromise. Secondly, they were also worried that their daughter would face gossip from neighbors and acquaintances if she came back.
It was better for her to stay away.
But they were worried about their daughter's well-being.
So they secretly kept an eye on their daughter's social media through acquaintances who hadn't blocked her.
And through this, they learned about her situation.
They also found out that their daughter was making a living as a freelance illustrator.
Then they registered a small account and occasionally gave their daughter drawing jobs. Whether the drawings were good or bad didn't matter, as they never intended to use them. The core purpose was to transfer some money to their daughter, to prevent her from starving.
As for why their drawing jobs always appeared just when the original owner was in dire straits, it wasn't because the couple was constantly watching her and gave her work as soon as they found out she was out of money.
It was because the original owner was often in dire straits.
Without their financial support, the original owner would probably have been kicked out by the landlord long ago for failing to pay rent.
But they never said anything.
The original owner never knew.
She really thought they valued her abilities.
In fact, with her abilities, the original owner shouldn't have been struggling like this. But unfortunately, drawing relies heavily on skill and inspiration. Her skills were not bad, but with a child to look after all day, just as she got a spark of inspiration, the child might start crying and fussing, needing to be fed or changed. No amount of inspiration could withstand constant interruptions. Therefore, she couldn't take on urgent jobs.
Large projects went to professionals, and only small, sporadic clients might look for freelancers. Many clients were impatient, or they wanted a somewhat well-known illustrator.
The original owner's work speed was slow, and she had no reputation.
Her work also lacked artistic flair, leaning more towards craftsmanship.
It was understandable that she struggled.
"She's not drawing anymore, so what is she going to do?
This darn girl changes her mind every day. The money I earn isn't enough to clean up her mess. I'll call her third aunt later to see if the girl has posted anything on her social media. This is so annoying.
Our second son has his high school entrance exam next year, and his grades are a mess. It's questionable whether he'll even get into high school. And this eldest girl is always causing trouble. I must have owed them in a past life. What sins did I commit in my past life?"
What could Xu Ping do? After glancing at the screen, she grumbled for a while and then turned to make a phone call.
Over the years, she had to work, cook three meals a day, do laundry and cleaning, keep an eye on her son's studies, and worry about her daughter in her spare time.
If she wasn't exhausted, it was because she had a strong constitution.
Only in the past two years, as her son started junior high school and the things the teacher taught were beyond her, did her daily emotions calm down a bit.
It wasn't like daily tutoring sessions were like arguments.
She hadn't done much homework.
She was already close to being angered to death.