Chapter 214: Chapter 214: Space Cultivation
214 Space Cultivation
After Mrs. Zheng found out that around a dozen families were raising pigs along with Zhao Dong, she started getting ideas. However, she didn’t want to take any risks. So, she went to Sun Mei and asked if she could learn the techniques even though her family wasn’t raising pigs.
Sun Mei sneered and, without a word, picked up a basin of swill and drove Mrs. Zheng out of the house.
This Mrs. Zheng was truly shameless. The two families were already on such bad terms, yet she still had the audacity to make such a request. Even if she had said she wanted to raise pigs, Sun Mei would have tried to dissuade her, let alone when she was clearly just trying to freeload. It seemed that after being rejected, she had resorted to eavesdropping.
Caught red-handed, Mrs. Zheng didn’t even blush. Instead, she smiled brazenly as she got up from the ground. "I was just coming to ask Mrs. Sun something," she said, chuckling. "I only just arrived and was startled by this young girl."
The other villagers were no fools and immediately began to criticize Mrs. Zheng.
"Mrs. Zheng, what you’re doing isn’t right!"
"That’s right, Mrs. Zheng! When Brother Dong first proposed leading our village to prosperity, you were the loudest opponent. You wanted to drown him or kick him out of Zhao Village. What are you up to now? Regretting it and trying to steal his methods?"
"Pah! Trying to steal knowledge! How shameless! Mrs. Zheng, don’t you feel embarrassed?"
...
The villagers’ reproaches, one after another, made Mrs. Zheng flush with anger, ready to argue.
"Bah! Steal knowledge? I wouldn’t stoop so low! You all go ahead and raise your pigs. When you lose everything, right down to your trousers, don’t blame me for not warning you..."
This Mrs. Zheng was truly detestable, spouting such filth and not a single good word. They had only just started raising pigs, and here she was, already saying such discouraging things.
Zhao Zhitong also detested Mrs. Zheng. So, she climbed down from Sun Youcai, and shouted towards the courtyard, "Da Bao, Da Bao, bite her!"
Because many fellow villagers were visiting, Da Bao had been sitting obediently in the courtyard. At the sound of Zhao Zhitong’s voice, it immediately wagged its tail and rushed out.
Hearing the command, it instantly started barking fiercely at Mrs. Zheng.
Initially, Mrs. Zheng wasn’t afraid and even tried to kick Da Bao. However, Da Bao often trained with Zhao Zhitong; though small, it was very agile.
With a sudden dash, it dodged Mrs. Zheng’s kicking foot and bit directly onto her skirt hem. AWOO! With a furious roar, it shook its head and tore off a piece of her clothing.
Mrs. Zheng yelped in fright and bolted, cursing as she ran.
Da Bao barked fiercely, chasing after Mrs. Zheng. Seeing her run out of the yard, it immediately pursued, intending to bite her.
Terrified, Mrs. Zheng forgot about cursing and fled for her life, so scared that she even lost a shoe in her haste.
Seeing Mrs. Zheng’s miserable state, everyone couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
Zhao Zhitong waved for Da Bao to return. "Da Bao, Da Bao, come back! Stop chasing her."
Da Bao indeed stopped chasing Mrs. Zheng. It turned around and ran back to Zhao Zhitong. Wagging its tail and sticking its tongue out, it seemed to be asking for praise.
Zhao Zhitong clapped her small hands together, hugged Da Bao, and laughed happily. "Da Bao, you’re so great! Remember this bad person’s scent. If she comes near our house again, scare her away."
WOOF WOOF!
Da Bao seemed to understand and barked twice, panting happily with its tongue out.
The villagers watched in amazement.
"Wow, your little puppy is really smart!"
When the little puppy was praised, Zhao Zhitong felt a rush of pride, as if she herself had been complimented, and she was ecstatic. "Right? Right? My Da Bao is so smart! When I teach it things, it learns really quickly!"
WOOF WOOF!
As if understanding the praise, Da Bao barked twice more, seemingly in response to Zhao Zhitong.
"It’s true! Look, since we came to Brother Dong’s house today, Da Bao has been so well-behaved, not a single bark."
Sun Mei smiled. "Don’t underestimate animals; they can be quite perceptive."
Shi Tou’s wife added, "Yes, yes, I’ve heard many stories about dogs risking their lives to save their owners."
"Mhm, that’s true. Hunters usually raise several dogs. Dogs are loyal; some recognize only one owner their entire life."
...
The villagers chatted for a while longer and then said their farewells. They had learned a fair bit that day and were all planning to follow Zhao Dong’s advice to go home and dig pits for composting manure.
As they were leaving, they all praised Zhao Zhitong generously, urging her to study hard.
Zhao Zhitong was momentarily stunned by all the praise. But since she was often complimented, she quickly recovered and listened with delight, her little face beaming with pride.
After seeing off all the villagers, Zhao Dong took Zhao Cheng to the area behind the house, intending to dig a large pit for composting manure.
Sun Mei poured the river snails that Sun Youcai and the others had brought back into a basin of water. "Let them spit out the mud overnight," she said, "and tomorrow I’ll stir-fry them for you."
Sun Daqing and the other children had tasted Sun Mei’s stir-fried river snails before. Now, the youngsters were practically drooling and cheered in anticipation.
Her young male and female cousins played with Zhao Zhitong for a while longer, then said their farewells and went home.
Zhao Zhitong then began to think about planting peony flowers in her space. After checking the tools she needed, she brought them all into the space.
Then, her consciousness also entered the space. Together with Grandpa Bai, she followed the instructions in the book to graft the peony flowers.
There were now three Spiritual Fields in her space, capable of holding three plants. The Spiritual Spring had also grown to the size of a millstone.
Grandpa Bai mentioned that when she suggested using sterilized scissors to cut the umbilical cord during Aunt’s childbirth, she had actually saved Aunt’s life.
For that, she had been awarded one hundred Merit Points.
Hearing from Grandpa Bai that she had saved Aunt’s life, Zhao Zhitong instantly felt a great sense of accomplishment and was overjoyed for a long time.
Ever since that incident, Zhao Zhitong had become even more passionate about learning medicine. Every time she studied with her grandfather, she would become so absorbed she’d forget to eat or sleep.
This pleased Sun Kang immensely, and he decided to start bringing Zhao Zhitong with him when he went to treat patients.
Grandpa Bai said that if she accompanied her grandfather to treat patients four more times, she would be able to unlock the Space Mall.
While they chatted, they finished grafting the peony flowers and planted them in the Spiritual Field. The flow of time in the Spiritual Field was different from the outside world; it wouldn’t take long for the flowers to bloom. She just needed to wait and see.
At that moment, Zhao Zhitong was squatting beside the Spiritual Field, her eyes unblinking as she stared at the peony flowers.
The peony flowers grew at a speed visible to the naked eye. Zhao Zhitong excitedly asked, "Grandpa Bai, will our grafting really work?"
Grandpa Bai stroked his beard and shook his head. "I don’t know," he said. "This is my first time trying it too, but it should be fine."
Zhao Zhitong nodded and continued to watch.
Just then, she heard her older brother’s voice calling. Zhao Zhitong’s consciousness quickly left the space.
She saw Zhao Cheng looking at her with a worried expression. "Sister, are you all right?" he asked.