Chapter 9 Innate Divine Strength
Li Xiaoxiao felt that she had found a good job with free room and board. She was well-fed, warmly dressed, and had a room to stay in. She didn't have to worry about being attacked or mutated. She should be able to settle down for a long time. She was extremely satisfied.
Although this world looks backward and primitive, it's still a hundred times better than the apocalypse, making it perfect for a lazy person like her.
There were no lights here. As soon as it got dark, everyone went inside to rest. Li Xiaoxiao, having eaten and drunk her fill, lay on the bed, wondering what time it was. Seven o'clock?
Unexpectedly, she was able to lie in bed and rest at seven o'clock in her lifetime. When she was a miner in the apocalypse, she worked 14 hours a day and could only sleep for no more than four hours a day. Even so, she still couldn't collect enough crystals to hand over and had to go out hunting, which is how she accidentally transmigrated here.
She clenched her fists, slightly tightening her dantian, and felt a familiar pain in her chest. She sighed; the hidden injury from the battle with the silver wolf hadn't healed even after more than a month. If it dragged on like this, it might become a chronic illness. She had to find a chance to get rid of this thorn in her side.
She has medicine for treating injuries, but she can't take it out right now. She wonders if she can find such medicine in the world. She'll ask Mama Mao when she wakes up tomorrow.
With that thought in mind, she closed her eyes and fell asleep instantly.
Even without medicine, getting enough sleep is a good way to heal injuries.
It was still pitch black when Li Xiaoxiao suddenly opened her eyes and heard her mother knocking on the door.
She felt like she had just closed her eyes when it was already dawn?
She got up to open the door, and Mao's mother glared at her: "You dare to sleep in on your first day on the job? Didn't I tell you you have to get up at dawn?"
Li Xiaoxiao felt dizzy: "But there's no clock here, I don't know what time it is."
Mao's mother pointed to the water clock in the room: "Isn't there a water clock over there? Are you blind?"
Unfortunately, the room was pitch black, not even an oil lamp was lit, and nothing could be seen. Mother Mao didn't have time to scold her: "Hurry up and tie your hair up and go to work in the kitchen. Fill the water tank, because in a quarter of an hour the servants in the yard will all come to fetch water."
Li Xiaoxiao said "oh" and hurriedly tied her hair up before following Mao's mother to the kitchen.
Two oil lamps were lit in the kitchen. Mother Mao had already lit the fire on the stove. She pointed to the two large vats behind her and then to the wooden bucket with a rope hanging to the side: "The well is behind the house. Go and fetch water right now."
Li Xiaoxiao took the bucket and walked to the back of the kitchen, where there was a platform paved with stone slabs, about three zhang long and two zhang wide, with a well in the middle and rows of clotheslines on the sides. It was where the servants in the inner courtyard washed their clothes.
Li Xiaoxiao lifted the well cover, threw the bucket in, and instantly lifted up a full bucket of water. She carried the bucket back to the kitchen, poured the water into the vat, and looked inside; there was only a small layer inside.
She looked at the vat, then at the bucket in her hand. It was too small. How many buckets would she have to fill it?
She wandered around the room looking for something. When her mother saw her carrying a bucket of water, she couldn't help but ask, "What are you doing? This vat can hold twenty buckets of water. You need to carry forty buckets to fill both vats. You have to carry water at least three times a day, otherwise there won't be enough water."
Otherwise, why would the kitchen have needed three people to manage? There had to be one person specifically responsible for fetching water for the entire backyard. Moreover, they often had to fetch water while simultaneously collecting it, and the water tanks were usually taken away by servants before they were even full. During major holidays, the line of people waiting for water would stretch out in long queues. They would typically use up nearly ten large water tanks a day. The person fetching the water had to constantly travel back and forth between the well and the kitchen, making it an extremely tiring job.
Therefore, after witnessing Li Xiaoxiao's extraordinary strength, Madam Mao insisted that Madam buy her, so that with her around, the water supply in the kitchen could be guaranteed for all the masters.
Li smiled and said, "This bucket is too small. Running back and forth is a waste of time. Do you have any other smaller jars in the house?"
"What do you need a smaller jar for?" Mao's mother asked. As she asked, she walked to the other end of the cupboard and emptied the jar that was filled with grains for her.
Li Xiaoxiao carried a bucket in one hand and a small vat in the other, heading towards the well.
Mao's mother followed behind her curiously to see what she was going to do. She saw Li Xiaoxiao first fill a bucket with water and wash the small vat clean, then fill it with five buckets of water, squat down, lift the whole vat up, and walk quickly towards the kitchen.
Mother Mao was dumbfounded. These five buckets of water must have weighed over a hundred pounds, and she had just carried them away like that.
She hurriedly followed behind Li Xiaoxiao, watching her pour all the water from the small vat into the large vat, and nodded in satisfaction: "This way, I only need to make eight trips to fill the vat."
Mother Mao felt completely relaxed and comfortable. No wonder she ate so much; those two large vats would probably be filled in less than half an hour, and she wouldn't have to be stingy with water anymore.
She nodded in satisfaction: "Very good, you've found a good idea. Go and fill the jar with delicious breakfast food."
Upon hearing that it was time for breakfast, Li Xiaoxiao's eyes lit up, and she immediately grabbed the jar and rushed out.
Granny Qi came over and saw Li Xiaoxiao carrying over a hundred pounds of water and pouring it all into the large vat. Without even taking a breath, she went back to the well.
She was stunned: "This—she's so strong?"
Mother Mao felt completely relaxed: "This is the sixth trip. Just two more trips and these two big vats will be full."
Granny Qi smiled and said, "No wonder you were so determined to protect her. It seems you found the right person."
Mother Mao invited her in: "Why are you here today? If you need anything, just send the maid to fetch it."
Granny Qi said, "As people get older, they sleep less. Liuzhi is in the prime of her life and needs more sleep, so let her sleep a little longer."
Granny Qi was Liu's wet nurse. Her husband passed away when she was around thirty, leaving behind a son and a daughter. Her daughter married into a farming family on the outskirts of the capital, while her son and daughter-in-law stayed in the capital with their grandson to manage the land that the Meng family had allocated to the fourth branch of the family. Her granddaughter, Liuzhi, followed her to Biyang County with Magistrate Meng.
She was the head housekeeper and was naturally strict with the servants, but since Liuzhi was her granddaughter, she would take extra care of her.
However, she would not use her status to give Liuzhi any extra benefits. Liuzhi was still required to do her job well, and she would take over any unfinished tasks herself. She never troubled other maids, so she had a strong reputation in the mansion.
Mama Mao filled a large bowl with soy milk for her and then cooked a bowl of fresh pork wontons. As the head housekeeper of the inner courtyard, Granny Qi's food standard was not much different from that of the master, and she had her own rations.
While eating, Granny Qi chatted with Mama Mao. One after another, maids from various places came to fetch water. They all covered their mouths in amazement when they saw Li Xiaoxiao carrying the large vat back and forth.
"She can lift such a big bucket, that's amazing."
"I heard they used to work in the mines, and they were incredibly strong."
"Absolutely! I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes—she can lift over a hundred pounds of water with just her two hands!"
These days, only Mama Mao is busy in the kitchen, and she has no time to fetch water. The maids have to fetch water from the well themselves. The damp wooden buckets are heavy, and it takes a lot of effort to fill one bucket. They also have to carry it back to the courtyard to serve their mistresses when they wash up. The maids have been complaining about this for a while now. But now that Li Xiaoxiao has come to the kitchen, she has two large vats of water that are full. They don't have to queue up to fill the water back, which saves them a lot of trouble.
So before dawn, the news of the new fire-starting maid's superhuman strength had already spread throughout the entire front and back yards.
When Liu heard about it, she asked as she let Yingchun comb her hair, "Is it true? Does that girl really have such supernatural powers?"
Granny Qi said, "It's true. This old servant saw it with her own eyes. Her hands are as thin as bamboo poles. She lifted the vat weighing nearly a hundred pounds with one lift. I heard from Granny Mao that the two large vats in the kitchen usually need forty buckets of water to fill. She carried the vats and made eight trips to fill both vats. She just eats a lot. Her appetite is three times that of an ordinary person. Now that she has finished eating, she is chopping firewood in the backyard of the kitchen. She can chop up a shed of firewood in an hour or two."
Since arriving in Biyang County, Liu had encountered nothing good. Unexpectedly, a fire-starting maid she casually hired possessed superhuman strength, which made her feel relieved. She grabbed a handful of money: "You need to eat to have the strength. How can you work if you can't even eat? Yingchun, take this as a reward for her. Tell her I'm very satisfied and that she should do her job well."
Yingchun smiled and agreed, then took the money to admire Li Xiaoxiao.
Meng Guanqi, who lived in the east wing, had just gotten up when he heard the news from Ah Sheng, the messenger. He was taken aback: "Born with superhuman strength?"
Ah Sheng is eleven years old this year. He is tall and thin and very clever. He nodded heavily: "I didn't see it with my own eyes, but I heard that Granny Qi touched it. Such a big vat..." He stretched out his hands to show his expression: "It was lifted up in one go. The two big vats in the kitchen were filled up in no time. The sisters who went to fetch water didn't have to line up. They all carried water back. There was as much water as they wanted."
Meng Guanqi smiled slightly, like a spring flower unfurling: "She's so strong. You've always been very mischievous, so don't mess with her. If you anger her, she can lift such a big vat, and throwing you out would be even easier for her."
Ah Sheng rubbed his buttocks, remembering how he had angered Yingchun in the madam's room the day before yesterday. She had pushed him, and he had fallen because he wasn't paying attention. His buttocks still hurt.
In his opinion, Sister Yingchun was already quite strong; she could push him far away and make him fall. If it were the fire-tending maid, would she be able to lift him up easily like that jar and throw him away?
Meng Guanqi put down the washcloth: "Is the side room of the outer courtyard study ready? When can we move in?"
Ah Sheng said with a bitter face, "Young Master, do you really have to move out? Madam said that it's deserted there. Although you live in the inner courtyard, your whole family is your own flesh and blood. There's no need to be so discreet."
Meng Guanqi remained silent and stood up: "Rules are rules, there's no room for discussion. Pack your things in the room, and I'll move out today. If Mother blames me, I'll personally explain."
Ah Sheng sighed.
It seems the young master hasn't forgotten the rules he's supposed to have. This isn't the old mansion in the capital anymore, where the inner and outer courtyards were clearly separated. There are only a few masters, and the number of servants has been reduced by more than half. It's already quiet enough, and he still insists on moving out. Won't that make it even more desolate?
But he knew Meng Guanqi's temperament well. The young master seemed gentle and easy to talk to, but once he made up his mind, nothing could change it. So he had no choice but to roll up the bedding in the room and help move all the things to the side room next to the study.
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