Chapter 125 You're such a backward ancient person

Ye Zhi Qiu's eyes lit up instantly, but she remained calm and said, "Oh... I'm so embarrassed."

"Please accept this, Auntie." Xiao Qidi presented the gold-inlaid jade hairpin with both hands.

When Ye Zhi Qiu took it in his hand, he saw that the hairpin was of the highest quality in terms of both material and craftsmanship.

The jade part is emerald green in color, clearly the best quality emerald, and then it is exquisitely carved with superb craftsmanship to create a lifelike flying bird pattern.

Then, using an extremely complex gold wire inlay technique, auspicious cloud patterns were woven with gold, blending seamlessly with the flying birds.

This is no ordinary hairpin; it's a top-tier work of art!

Ye Zhi Qiu was momentarily stunned. Before she transmigrated, she had owned all kinds of luxury jewelry and had seen good things before.

But compared to this hairpin, everything else pales in comparison.

“The quality of the emeralds is beyond question,” Ye Zhi Qiu couldn’t help but exclaim. “The craftsmanship is so exquisite. This kind of craftsmanship was lost in our time. I never thought I would be able to see it with my own eyes.”

"Hehe, Mom, you like it, right?" Ning Jinli winked at her.

"Of course! Didn't you see your mom's eyes glued to it?" Ning Shan joked. "This is truly a wonderful thing. If it were taken to our world, it would definitely become a national museum's prized possession."

"Mom, let me put it on you," Ning Jinli said.

Ye Zhi Qiu nodded and gave the hairpin to his daughter.

Once the hairpin was on, Ning Jinli and her father Ning Shan immediately showered her with compliments and even brought her a mirror to look at herself.

"Alright, alright," Ye Zhi Qiu beamed with joy, staring at herself in the mirror from left to right, her cheeks flushed. "Qi Di, thank you so much for such a wonderful gift."

Seeing that she genuinely liked it, Xiao Qidi breathed a sigh of relief and subconsciously said, "Actually, this is Jinli—"

Before he could finish speaking, Ning Jinli quickly pinched his waist, stood on tiptoe, and whispered in his ear, "Silly you, just let my mom think it's your intention, okay?"

Ye Zhi Qiu looked up, puzzled, and asked, "Qi Di, what did you say?"

“He said this hairpin is the most suitable, beautiful, and perfect match for you!” Ning Jinli said loudly with a grin.

Ning Shan had seen the young couple's reactions, sighed softly, and muttered to himself, "My daughter has really grown up. She knows how to use her wits to help her boyfriend win over his future mother-in-law... Why don't I get a chance?"

“Uncle Ning,” Xiao Qidi walked up to him, “I’ve also picked out a gift for you.”

Then Xiao Qidi took out an exquisite jade pendant.

Ning Jinli recognized it at a glance as a jade pendant with dragon patterns from the Xuan Kingdom.

After all, when she first met Xiao Qidi, he gave her one to exchange for food, and she almost got ripped off by Master Wu when she tried to sell it.

She later learned that each of these dragon-patterned jade pendants was made by a top jade craftsman and was unique.

Even the lowest grade dragon-patterned jade pendant is a treasure.

She remembered this matter very clearly, and naturally she would not forget the appearance of the dragon-patterned jade pendant.

The Xuan Kingdom dragon-patterned jade pendant has a distinctive shape and carved graphic elements, but this one looks more gorgeous and exquisite than the one Xiao Qidi wore before.

She never expected that when she simply suggested to Xiao Qidi that he prepare two nice gifts to give to her parents, he would produce two such wonderful items.

"Oh!" Ning Shan hurriedly stood up. "You're too kind. You've already given Jinli's mother such a nice gift, and you even got me a dragon-patterned jade pendant! Tsk tsk... I've seen similar things on your royal family members before, but this one is much better than any I've ever seen."

Xiao Qidi said, "This is the one my grandfather wore when he was alive. It is also the best of all the dragon-patterned jade pendants. Please accept it, Uncle."

"Okay, okay, thank you, thank you." Ning Shan took the jade pendant, his smile stretching from ear to ear.

"Give it to me." Ye Zhi Qiu stretched out his arm and opened his palm towards him.

Ning Shan said with a wronged expression, "Wife, at least let me warm it up a bit..."

Ye Zhi Qiu smiled and said, "I'll keep it for you."

"Sigh... take it, take it." Ning Shan had no choice but to hand the jade pendant to Ye Zhi Qiu.

Ye Zhi Qiu said with a smile, "Thank you, my husband, I love you."

Upon hearing this, Ning Shan's earlier gloom vanished, and he said with a happy expression, "Wife, I love you too."

"Ugh... I'm getting goosebumps," Ning Jinli said, rubbing her arm. "You two are being so lovey-dovey. Qi Di and I are right here, do you have to show off your affection in front of us?"

"So what? They're not outsiders," Ye Zhi Qiu blurted out.

Ning Jinli's eyes lit up, "Mom, what's going on...?"

“Successfully bribed.” Ning Shan interjected.

"Alright, alright, you all sit down and eat. The meat we just put in is almost overcooked." Ye Zhiqiu picked up a large chopstick of meat from the boiling soup pot and put it into the bowl prepared for Xiao Qidi.

"Tsk tsk, you used to always put food on my plate first..." Ning Shan said deliberately with a sour tone, "Things are different now, sigh...it seems our feelings have faded."

"You'd better say less and eat quickly!" Ye Zhi Qiu picked up two slices of meat, blew on them, and then stuffed them directly into Ning Shan's mouth.

Xiao Qidi stared at the scene, slightly lost in thought.

Ning Jinli pulled him down to sit and asked, "What's wrong? What are you thinking about?"

Xiao Qidi smiled and said, "Your parents have a really good relationship. So this is what it feels like for a married couple to be a family..."

"Don't your parents have a good relationship?" Ye Zhi Qiu blurted out without thinking.

Ning Shan quickly glared at her.

Ye Zhi Qiu then realized what had happened and quickly said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I got so excited that I didn't think before I spoke."

“It’s alright,” Xiao Qidi said with a gentle smile. “If you are interested in my parents’ affairs, I am willing to tell you.”

If anyone mentions his parents' relationship in front of Xiao Qidi, he will immediately lose his temper, because those things more or less touch on his painful past that he doesn't want others to talk about.

However, since he got together with Ning Jinli, the shadows from his childhood have been gradually fading away.

The ease and comfort he felt after spending time with Ning Jinli's parents was especially healing, so he didn't feel uncomfortable talking to them.

Afterwards, he ate hot pot with Ning Jinli and her family of three, chatting about everyday things like any other ordinary person.

...

One night passed.

As the first rays of sunlight illuminated the earth, in the camp where the 100,000-strong Xuan Army was stationed, the soldiers, led by their generals, had already begun their drills.

Duan Wu arrived at the camp and walked to General Zhang's side, smiling as he said, "Actually, we could let them rest more. Everyone has had a long and tiring journey."

General Zhang said solemnly, "With a major war imminent between our two nations, we cannot afford to be complacent. Otherwise, how can His Majesty be at ease?"

"Don't worry, don't worry," Duan Wu said, patting his shoulder. "Your Majesty can rest assured. I came here to tell you that all the soldiers, including you, should have a good three-day rest. They don't have to do anything, just rest, eat well, drink well, and sleep well. This is His Majesty's decree."

General Zhang looked surprised. "The Yu Kingdom must be making urgent preparations, yet His Majesty is giving us three days of rest? If we miss the opportunity, I'm afraid..."

“His Majesty has his own plans,” Duan Wu said, hooking his arm around General Zhang’s neck. “Didn’t you want to find out about the situation in Linxian City last night? Stop the drills, I’ll take you for a stroll, and you can have your men take their respective soldiers for a walk around too.”

"Alright, then I'll have to trouble General Duan."

The two then each mounted a horse and left the camp.

After walking for a while, General Zhang was greeted by the lush green rolling hills and abundant crops scattered among the hills and fields under the morning sun.

General Zhang was stunned. He rubbed his eyes and said incredulously, "Isn't this place suffering from a drought? I've been rushing here for days and haven't seen a single sign of life. Yet this is the scene in Linxian City?"

Duan Wu pointed ahead and said, "Those saplings and crops were planted by tens of thousands of people here with the help and encouragement of Fairy Jinli. They worked day and night to grow them. And those livestock, such as cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens, ducks and geese, were all young animals sent by the fairy. Look, they are all growing very well."

General Zhang was even more puzzled. "Where did the water come from? Is it only in Linxian City that it's raining?"

Duan Wudao said, "It hasn't rained yet, but thanks to Fairy Jinli for blasting out a large amount of groundwater for us, the people are using the groundwater for irrigation, which is why the plants and crops are not suffering from drought. The fairy also said that the growth of plants can improve the environment, thus forming a virtuous cycle of water and soil."

General Zhang listened in bewilderment, "What is the water and soil cycle?"

"Well..." Duan Wu scratched his head and thought for a moment, "I don't really understand the technical terms the fairy used, but basically, planting more trees will make it rain in arid places. Although it hasn't rained yet, there have been clouds in the sky many times in the past half month, and each time they've gotten thicker. The fairy said that it's estimated that it will rain soon."

"Oh...I see." General Zhang nodded, somewhat confused.

Duan Wu continued to lead him forward.

After passing through groves of small trees and fields of crops, you will see rows of houses built uniformly according to the terrain.

“This is one of the residential areas of Linxian City,” Duan Wu immediately began his explanation. “Currently, Linxian City has more than 60,000 people, who live in several residential areas and are responsible for cultivating and planting the surrounding mountains and fields.”

“Those houses are quite unique,” ​​General Zhang said, his eyes wide. “They are tall and large, and look quite sturdy, like the city walls of Linxian Village. They can’t even compare to the residences of the officials in the royal city.”

Duan Wu said proudly, "Of course. These houses are built with bricks and reinforced cement."

"Reinforced concrete? What are those?" General Zhang's mind was reeling; one new term after another was constantly pushing the boundaries of his understanding.

"Anyway, it's just building material, very sturdy," Duan Wu continued. "The fairy has been sending us materials continuously, and under the guidance of her parents, Lord Ning and Sect Leader Ye, the soldiers and people of our Linxian Village have built one brick and tile house after another. Sect Leader Ye said that these two- or three-story houses are only for the initial use. When conditions are better in the future, he will teach us to build taller and bigger houses!"

General Zhang was increasingly shocked as he listened. Just as he was about to ask where Fairy Jinli was, he suddenly caught a glimpse of thick smoke rising into the sky, with flames spewing out from within.

"Oh no!" General Zhang shouted, "There's a fire over there! General Duan, quickly gather men to put it out!"

"Hahahaha!" Duan Wu burst out laughing.

General Zhang was about to turn his horse around and go to the camp to call for reinforcements when he saw Duan Wu laughing. He calmed down and tentatively asked, "Could it be... something I've never seen before?"

Duan Wu nodded and said, "That's right, it's quite far over there, so I won't take you there to see it now. Let me describe it to you. There's a lot of oil underground in that area, what we call petroleum grease. General Zhang, are you aware of that?"

“I know that,” General Zhang said as he pondered. “Gum water can burn and can be used as fuel for starting a fire, but it is not common and I have never seen it with my own eyes.”

Duan Wu said with great enthusiasm:

"Fairy Jinli said that in her world, oil has many uses, far more than just burning. So, Lord Ning and Sect Leader Ye led their people to build an oil field in that oil-rich area using the various novel tools sent by the fairy, and it will soon be able to start operating and extracting oil."

"In addition, they also built a small natural gas power plant because they said that the so-called natural gas exists together with oil and can be used to generate electricity."

"Currently, there is only one small power plant with relatively little electricity, just enough to sustain the construction of the oil field."

"However, the fairy also said that as long as we take it one step at a time, we can build a large power station and connect power lines everywhere so that our people can also have access to electricity."

These words left General Zhang speechless once again.

He was stunned for a while, then hesitantly asked, "Is the electricity you're talking about the same thing as lightning during a thunderstorm?"

Duan Wu nodded. "Yes."

General Zhang looked puzzled. "Isn't electricity released by God? Can humans emit it? Besides, lightning is extremely dangerous. If you're not careful, you can be struck by lightning and die. How can you use electricity? What use is electricity anyway?"

"Sigh, you're such a backward ancient person." Duan Wu shook his head and sighed, then began to show off the knowledge he had learned, "Electricity is a kind of energy that can be used to power electrical appliances. It's an indispensable thing in the fairy's world."

"What are... electrical appliances?" General Zhang asked again.

"Appliances that require electricity are electrical appliances."

"Then what constitutes an appliance that requires electricity?"

"Well, how should I put it..."

Duan Wu realized he couldn't explain it to anyone, so he had a sudden inspiration and pulled out a walkie-talkie from his waist. "This is an electrical appliance."

General Zhang stared at the walkie-talkie, his bewildered expression becoming even more pronounced.

Duan Wu turned on the walkie-talkie and said after a few "hellos," "Attention, attention! I'll be bringing General Zhang to the Jinli Fairy Temple in about half an hour. Get ready. Please reply!"

General Zhang looked around in confusion. "General Duan, there's no one else around. Who...who are you talking to?"

"Received, received!" came a loud reply from the walkie-talkie.

The sudden voice startled General Zhang. Without thinking, he quickly drew his sword from his waist, looked around in alarm, and blurted out angrily:

"What are you doing, you demons and monsters! Daring to come out and scare people in broad daylight? Show yourself now and take my blade!"