Chapter 79: Tales of Spirits and Monsters
“To be honest, Xiaxia’s courage is the exact spitting image of her maternal grandmother’s. She dares to live all alone deep in the mountains.”
“I still remember back in the nineties when my dad and I went into the mountains to forage for wild mushrooms. Suddenly, we saw a group of people, walking in a perfectly straight, orderly line, passing right beneath the trees. In the blink of an eye, they vanished.”
“I was young back then and didn’t know enough to be scared. I just assumed they had taken a fork in the path.”
“But my dad didn’t utter a single sound. He packed up our things and dragged me straight down the mountain. It wasn’t until we got back down that he told me that specific spot had absolutely no forks in the path, let alone a cave entrance. He had watched with his own eyes as that group of people walked straight into the dirt hillside.”
The man’s story grew increasingly eerie as he spoke. “And my dad said those people… weren’t human at all. Necks topped with ox heads, deer heads, bear heads, and tiger heads… They were mountain monsters that had cultivated spirits!”
The sky was already in that transition between twilight and dusk. To save on electricity, the village elders generally delayed turning on their lights.
Sitting in the dimming shadows, hearing about a bizarre line of creatures marching straight into a hillside on the mountain… no matter how one sliced it, it was terrifying.
The villagers didn’t dare listen any further. “Forget it, forget it. Xiaxia making money is her own capability. I don’t have the guts to go into the mountains to pick chestnuts.”
For the first time ever, the crowd catching the breeze under the massive banyan tree dispersed in record time.
Jian Xingxia had absolutely no idea what the villagers were thinking. She only found out later when Fangfang and Hu Ming occasionally brought it up in conversation.
Truth be told, if one didn’t know what the “monsters” in the mountains actually were, the scene described by the villagers was indeed spine-chilling. But now that she knew those “monsters” were just poor temporary workers coming to do hard labor, Jian Xingxia wasn’t afraid at all.
As for ox heads and tiger heads, she hadn’t seen them herself, but it wasn’t outside the realm of possibility. Hunting wild beasts wasn’t illegal in ancient times; in fact, it made you a hero ridding the people of a menace, the kind rewarded by the imperial court. It was highly likely just a group of hunters making a living, wearing animal skin hoods and pelts while coming over to work.
No matter how terrifying a monster seemed, once it turned into a corporate slave or a laboring ox, all the terror evaporated, leaving behind nothing but pity.
Jian Xingxia didn’t pay any mind to the village rumors. She was pulling an all-nighter preparing chestnuts.
It was a shame she had already used up her recruitment slots for the day. If she had known she would receive a task after finishing the tilling, she should have had Dahei focus purely on farming and let Lin Sanniang boil the chestnuts. Previously, she had so many chestnuts that the chest freezer was practically bursting, but now her inventory was completely cleared out.
Starting from seven in the evening, Jian Xingxia boiled them continuously until midnight. She pushed through a total of five pots of chestnuts, completely refilling the refrigerator’s freezer compartment and the chest freezer before finally heading to bed.
It had been a long time since she stayed up late, so she wasn’t quite used to it. But Jian Xingxia didn’t feel tired at all.
This was double overtime pay! Who would complain about double wages?
Lying in bed, Jian Xingxia felt that by working day in and day out with her feet barely touching the ground, her physical stamina had significantly improved. In the very beginning, pulling weeds for a single afternoon combined with cleaning would leave her back sore and her muscles aching. Now, running down to the town twice a day and boiling chestnuts for five hours straight upon her return felt like nothing special.
Snuggled in bed, smelling the distinctly broody hen scent radiating from Dahua, Jian Xingxia fell into a deep, heavy sleep.
The thirteenth day since returning to the old house.
At barely five o’clock, Jian Xingxia woke up. Squatting by the back door to brush her teeth, she posted the recruitment notice.
The one she hired was still Lin Sanniang.
Before Jian Xingxia’s pot of eggs, corn, and sweet potatoes could finish boiling, Lin Sanniang arrived.
Lin Sanniang greeted Jian Xingxia with absolute familiarity and poise: “Proprietress, Miss!”
Jian Xingxia was currently packing chestnuts. Catching sight of Lin Sanniang, she didn’t beat around the bush either. “Sanniang, your job today is to boil chestnuts continuously. Once they’re done and have cooled down completely, place them into this chest freezer.”
In light of Lin Sanniang’s outstanding performance, and to maximize the utility of the [Income Doubling Card], Jian Xingxia made an exception and allowed Lin Sanniang into the small parlor.
This was Lin Sanniang’s very first time stepping into the small parlor. She was consumed by curiosity regarding the “ice box” Jian Xingxia spoke of.
Jian Xingxia flipped open the chest freezer lid, letting Lin Sanniang take a look. “These are the chestnuts I boiled yesterday. They’re all frozen solid by now.”
“I need to head out to sell chestnuts in a bit. Can you handle working here at home by yourself?”
Lin Sanniang felt highly delighted. She knew in her heart that this was the young mistress’s estate. She was merely here to perform hired labor. Yet the young mistress said she could work “at home.” Lin Sanniang loved that phrasing. Furthermore, the young mistress had even let her look at the “ice box” today.
Lin Sanniang couldn’t help but sigh in awe. “Heavens above! To think such a thing exists in the world—not a single speck of ice can be seen, yet it is colder than an ice cavern.”
It was the height of summer over here at the estate! In the Daliang Dynasty, only the Emperor and high-ranking officials could afford to enjoy ice during midsummer. To think the young mistress possessed it here as well, and it was far more convenient than the Emperor’s massive ice cellars.
Jian Xingxia had originally been waiting for Lin Sanniang to ask questions so she could explain. However, Lin Sanniang strictly observed the rules of a “hired hand.” After uttering that single exclamation of awe, she refrained from prying further. She simply listened intently to the instructions Jian Xingxia relayed.
“The chestnuts must be completely cooled and no longer dripping water before you put them in.” If boiled chestnuts weren’t fully drained of water, they wouldn’t freeze into individual pieces. They would just fuse into a massive block of ice.
“Also, the chest freezer must not come into contact with water. Especially this cord here—both the plug and the socket are extremely critical. Do not touch them at all.”
“When you open the freezer lid like this, once it reaches this angle, it will stay open on its own. But still be careful, in case the lid suddenly snaps shut.”
Lin Sanniang memorized every word. She kept herself far away from the “cord carrying lightning” mentioned by the young mistress, not daring to touch it in the slightest. As for the freezer lid, even though the young mistress said it could stay up on its own, it was still best to hold it for safety. So she would obediently hold it.
Lin Sanniang said nothing, merely listening, but in her heart, her reverence toward Jian Xingxia grew increasingly profound.
The Goddess of the Mountain could bear witness! The young mistress was definitely an immortal as well! She could control lightning!
The only lightning Lin Sanniang knew of belonged to the Duke of Thunder and Mother of Lightning—the electricity that flashed across the sky during heavy downpours. The Mother of Lightning hurled the lightning down, yet the young mistress could actually capture it, channeling it into those glass lamps to create light, and guiding it into that massive iron chest to create ice. It truly was far too miraculous.
Jian Xingxia reminded Lin Sanniang to try her best not to touch other appliances. “This is the electric rice cooker, which is what I use to cook rice. But once the corn is done boiling in a bit, I’ll unplug the power source. You can just carry the eggs and sweet potatoes out to the kitchen; don’t touch this machine.”
“Same goes for the other items.”
Trying to get an ancient person to accept refrigerators, freezers, and washing machines wasn’t going to be easy. Jian Xingxia was terrified of them getting electrocuted. It was best to take things slowly.
Fortunately, Lin Sanniang had excellent adaptability and was highly disciplined in her actions, never meddling out of mere curiosity.
“Set your heart at ease, Miss. Go right ahead and attend to your own matters; I will definitely perform my work well.” Over time, Lin Sanniang had also adopted the modern phrasing of “work.”
Jian Xingxia smiled. “No rush. I’m going to catch the morning market, but it doesn’t need to be this early.”
Lin Sanniang thus headed out first to light the stove, draw water, gather firewood, and score the chestnuts.
