Youqing said, "Thank you for your concern, Auntie. I was busy all day yesterday and was very tired. I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow last night and didn't hear any noise."
The old woman looked somewhat surprised, but was mostly happy; after all, she hoped people would be well.
"It's good to be able to sleep peacefully."
“I appreciate your kindness, ma’am. When I was little, my parents took me to a temple and said that I was immune to ghosts and monsters and that I was the luckiest person in the world. I have never seen anything unclean since I was a child.”
The old lady's eyes lit up immediately upon hearing this. There are people with such a destiny? That's a truly rare and auspicious destiny!
"Is everything you're saying true?"
Youqing smiled and said, "What do you think?"
The old woman thought that she had stayed in this strange little courtyard for a night without any problems, so there must be some truth to it.
If that were really the case, that would be great. Although they don't live in this courtyard, the fact that no one lives there, along with the eerie rumors surrounding it, makes them feel uneasy sometimes, even when they pass by the gate.
“That’s great. This yard is quite big, and it’s a shame to leave it empty for so long. I live right next door to you, so if you need anything, just let me know and I can lend you a hand.”
"Thank you, ma'am."
After seeing off the enthusiastic old lady, Youqing turned back into the house. The house was clean, but it was still unfurnished, making the room look rather plain and unattractive.
Youqing spent an afternoon decorating the house using farm produce, some farm-bought items, and some trinkets she had made herself before.
With the house furnished, Youqing looked at the empty space in the yard and didn't let it sit idle.
Yunnan has many mountains and plenty of stones. She spent some money to buy a lot of stones, and then she bought machinery at the farm to cut the stones into various irregular but uniformly thick stone slabs. After polishing them smooth, they were not much different from marble slabs.
She laid these stone slabs in the yard, and sprinkled grass seeds in the gaps. The grass was quite special; it was vigorous and easy to survive, but it didn't grow very tall. It usually stopped growing when it reached about three or four centimeters. It was perfect for filling the gaps and preventing water from accumulating on rainy days.
She paved most of the yard with stone slabs, and left a section on the right side against the wall to create a small garden for planting flowers.
It took her three days to finish all of this.
It's tiring, but incredibly fulfilling. I get up when the sun rises every day, start working, cook when I'm hungry, continue working after eating, and have a good night's sleep after dinner. There's no more pleasant life than this.
After several days of this, watching the elegant and unique courtyard take shape in her hands, Youqing felt a great sense of accomplishment.
Youqing stayed in this courtyard for several days without any problems. At first, only the old lady next door knew about it. This old lady was a kind-hearted person, but she also had a gossip-loving nature. Before long, Youqing became a household name in the area.
It not only became a household name, but also quite legendary.
For example, saying that ghosts and monsters don't approach him, or that he is a rare and blessed person, is considered a compliment. In ancient times, people were especially friendly to people with good fortune. That's how Youqing, a stranger, was integrated into the local community in such a muddled way.
This is already quite an achievement.
After spending a few days with her, I learned quite a bit about the old lady next door. Her surname was Sun, and her husband's surname was Yang. Everyone called her Aunt Sun. She lived with her family of four in a small courtyard with three rooms next door. Aunt Sun, her husband Uncle Yang, and their son and daughter were also there. Their daughter was twelve years old, and their son was eighteen and was studying at a nearby academy.
Grandma Sun was responsible for taking care of the family's food and clothing every day, while Uncle Yang was the one who earned the money. Uncle Yang was a craftsman.
When he was a young man, he went out with people from his village to learn carpentry from a master. However, the people who went with him did not make it and went home to farm halfway through.
Uncle Yang's parents were biased, leaving most of the family fortune to his younger brother. He had no savings when he returned home, so he couldn't even find a wife. He gritted his teeth and persevered for several years.
Later, his master saw that he was a good person and could endure hardship, so he introduced his niece to him. After working hard, he stayed in the prefectural city and did not return to his hometown except for holidays.
Uncle Yang is a man of few words, but he is exceptionally patient and efficient in his work. No wonder he has settled down in the prefectural city in just over ten years, had a son and a daughter, and supported his son's education. Now he has become a scholar.
Is anyone home?
Upon hearing Aunt Sun's voice, Youqing replied, "I'm home. The door isn't locked. Come in directly."
Grandma Sun pushed open the door and entered. Youqing was planting some flowers in the small garden, flowers that she had specially selected from the system that didn't attract many mosquitoes.
"I'm busy!"
Youqing stood up, looked up, and said with a smile, "There's a patch of empty land in the yard. It's a shame to leave it lying around. I'll plant some flowers."
Grandma Sun smiled and said, "Your yard is quite big. Planting some flowers makes it look less bare, which is nice. By the way, these are the vegetables I grew in my yard. We can't eat them all ourselves, and it's not worth selling them. You can keep these to eat, so you don't have to buy them."
There was a reason why Aunt Sun would bring vegetables over. The two houses were separated by a wall. Youqing didn't eat out, so even if there were technological products, he couldn't use them often. After all, if people don't eat out, there's almost no smoke coming out of the house, which would be a problem. She had seen smoke coming out of Youqing's chimney before and knew that he could cook, so she brought vegetables over.
Youqing had no shortage of vegetables, but Aunt Sun's intentions were genuine, and she accepted the gift.
The two talked for a while longer before Aunt Sun left.
After Aunt Sun left, Youqing noticed it was getting late and decided to make dinner. The farm's processing workshop automatically cleaned and chopped the hen, and Youqing put the whole thing into a ceramic pot with a seasoning packet and started simmering chicken soup.
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