Chapter 41: Direct Enlightenment
After dinner, Ning Xiyue and Chen Yechu stayed behind to organize the materials for building their small kitchens.
The new and old educated youths had all returned to the courtyard by then, and when they found out the two of them were building private kitchens, they looked on with open envy.
Wang Fenglan exaggeratedly exclaimed, “Oh my goodness, you two are loaded!”
Ning Xiaoxiao’s gaze was full of envy — and beneath that envy, deep jealousy. Thinking about how pampered Ning Xiyue was at home, and how much money she had, Ning Xiaoxiao made up her mind. She walked over to her and said sincerely:
“Xiyue, let’s cook together. We’re cousins after all. I can take care of you for Second Aunt. I know you never cooked at home — I’ll handle the cooking, you just have to eat. Let’s make our days in the countryside easier together.”
Ning Xiyue shot her a contemptuous glance and said coldly, “Who are you? Do I know you? Did you forget what happened last night? Did you forget what I said? Do you want me to help you remember?”
With one glance, Ning Xiyue could see right through Ning Xiaoxiao’s little scheme — she just wanted to mooch off her rations, eat and drink for free, all while pretending to be a devoted sister caring for her.
And then, when it suited her, she’d probably complain to outsiders about being “exploited.”
By the time the donkey finished grinding the mill, Ning Xiaoxiao would be the first to “kill it.”
Ning Xiyue pretended to reach into her bag for her brick, scaring Ning Xiaoxiao into stumbling backward several steps. Even Wu Zhigang, who had been about to step forward to support her, froze in place.
Ning Xiyue glanced at the bag on her back. It seemed she really needed to use the Direct Enlightenment soon. Carrying a brick as a weapon wasn’t a long-term solution — and lugging around a bag all the time was inconvenient.
Thinking about Direct Enlightenment, she completely lost interest in arguing with Ning Xiaoxiao any further.
“Don’t come near me. My brick loves meat — and no one should even think about touching my kitchen. If you don’t want to use the public kitchen, then build your own with your own money. Money doesn’t grow on trees.”
She laid her words out clearly, cutting off everyone’s wishful thinking before it started.
Then she sped up her work and continued on.
Chen Yechu, being more reserved, wasn’t as blunt as Ning Xiyue.
As a result, everyone turned their attention to her instead — especially the new educated youths, who had all set their sights on her kitchen and wanted to cook with her.
Newcomers often didn’t have enough food rations, and because it was a sensitive issue, even the friendliest of the older educated youths weren’t willing to share their meals with them.
Ning Xiyue found it amusing and watched from the sidelines.
Her mother’s words — “Kindness invites bullying” — were clearly true. And here was the proof.
After finishing up, Ning Xiyue ignored what the others were doing and went off to wash up.
She had plenty to do and no time to waste on such nonsense.
By the time Chen Yechu was still stuck talking to the other educated youths, Ning Xiyue was already lying comfortably in bed.
The moment she lay down, her consciousness entered the mustard seed space.
The first thing she did was check on the pregnant sow.
The big, floppy-eared black mother pig was lying lazily in the pen, her head still buried in the trough eating.
What a pig — literally too lazy to even stand up to eat.
Ning Xiyue looked at the little turtle standing on her shoulder. “Hey, Turtle, can’t you gift me a bit more pig feed? What’s in the trough won’t even last one meal.”
The little turtle spread its hands. “Host, if you want meat, you’ll have to raise it yourself. In this, Turtle can’t help you. The basket of pig grass you collected earlier is good — you can cook it like Aunt Chunsheng taught you.”
“Great… I really brought home a little ‘pig ancestor.’”
What else could Ning Xiyue do? She had already checked in the sow — of course she had to raise it. She couldn’t just stand by and watch it give birth to a dozen — no, maybe twenty — piglets and then abandon them.
She clearly didn’t have the heart for that.
“I’ll cook the pig feed after I finish the Direct Enlightenment. It has enough to eat for now.”
Just as she said that, the system chimed in.
Ding! [Reminder: Direct Enlightenment has a time limit. Please use it promptly. Remaining time before expiration: 20 minutes.]
Hearing that, Ning Xiyue didn’t waste another second. She sat down immediately, opened the system backpack, and activated Direct Enlightenment.
With a loud whoosh, golden light enveloped her head. Her mind suddenly became crystal clear — cool, refreshed, and as if a fog had lifted to reveal a bright moon.
Within about a minute, Ning Xiyue felt her once-empty mind fill with wisdom.
Countless Tai Chi techniques surged into her consciousness, along with the insights and reflections of a master on each and every move.
With her eyes closed, Ning Xiyue followed the techniques in her mind, mimicking them.
From clumsy, hollow movements at the start, she slowly grew stronger, more refined. Her strikes became soft yet powerful, flowing like water.
A stretch brought transformation, a retreat gathered strength. Like water, she could absorb and dissolve any technique.
Ning Xiyue was gradually mastering the essence of Tai Chi.
System No.3333 nodded approvingly from mid-air.
After finishing the movements, Ning Xiyue stopped and sat in meditation for ten minutes.
When she opened her eyes, it was as if yin and yang — the two forms of Tai Chi — flickered briefly within them.
She stood up and performed a full set of forms. When she finished, her entire body felt light and filled with strength — not the least bit tired.
“Direct Enlightenment truly lives up to its name.”
With just one session, she had mastered a whole martial art. It was an incredibly satisfying way to learn.
No wonder TV dramas always showed the male protagonist falling off a cliff, discovering a hidden cave, meeting a dying white-bearded master who passed on his life’s martial arts, and then emerging as the world’s strongest after a bit of practice.
Of course it was fast — when you’re gifted sixty years of skills and experience, how could it not be?
Now she truly understood that “flying” feeling.
Now, she not only had a powerful weapon but also sky-high martial strength. She was stronger too — ready to fight the world without fear. Any monsters, ghosts, or demons could all get lost.
“Even walking feels lighter now,” Ning Xiyue said, striding briskly through the space.
After savoring the thrill of her newly learned martial art, she resigned herself to cooking feed for the “Pig Ancestor.”
Mainly because the sow kept grunting and squealing at her as if to remind her.
Ning Xiyue stacked the stones she had collected earlier into a circle to make a simple stove.
Then she took out the large iron pot she had checked in from home and placed it on top.
Looking toward the pigpen in the distance, Ning Xiyue said, “I’m using my new iron pot for the first time just to cook your feed. You better make it worth it and give birth to those piglets safely.”
Honestly, she felt a little heartache for the pot. It hadn’t even been used to stir-fry a single dish before being reduced to cooking pig slop. Just thinking about it made her feel sorry for it.
After chopping the pig grass, Ning Xiyue frowned again.
She had no wheat bran or rice bran, and no sweet potatoes either. What now? Just boiling pig grass wouldn’t provide much nutrition.
Raising pigs was so hard.
Ning Xiyue scratched her head, exasperated. “I’ll have to figure something out tomorrow. Today, you’ll just have to make do with plain pig grass.”
Other people only had to raise one child. She, on the other hand, was about to raise a whole litter. Once those piglets were born, it’d be a whole new set of problems. Just thinking about it gave her a headache.
Once the pig grass was boiled and mixed with the leftover feed in the trough, the sow finally stopped squealing.
Wiping the sweat from her forehead, Ning Xiyue exited the space. Out of sight, out of mind — she’d rather go to sleep.
