Chapter 37 - 37 37 Mysterious Space_1

Words : 1415 Updated : Sep 10th, 2025

37: Chapter 37 Mysterious Space_1 37: Chapter 37 Mysterious Space_1 Jiujin quickly said, “Sister Wei’er, I’m not belittling you, I just wanted to help you. How can a girl like you feed so many mouths?” Although Cai Wei didn’t need Jiujin’s help to feed these people, she was still moved by his words. She sat up straight and said earnestly, “Jiujin, since I have opened up the nursing home, I am capable of feeding those people. However, I still want to thank you for your good intentions. As the saying goes, it is easy to add flowers to brocade, but difficult to add fuel to the fire in the snow. I will remember your kindness today, Jiujin.” With the conversation having reached this point, there was not much else Jiujin could say. He changed the subject and, with a heavy heart, drove the cow cart back to the village... When Cai Wei arrived home, it was already pitch black. As she entered the room, her mother, Lady Du, was sitting under the lamp, sewing with a stern expression. Wen’er and Wu’er were both asleep, Fei’er was sitting next to her mother, pretending to sew clothes for Wu’er. A long twist braid hung from her head, tied with the read hair tie which Cai Wei had given her the night before. Seeing Cai Wei return, she stuck her tongue out, sneakily motioning her hand across her neck. Cai Wei pretended not to notice, sat next to the kang table and picked up a pair of shoe uppers her mother was embroidering. She said in a pleasing manner, “Mother’s work is getting better and better, but it’s late and the oil lamp is straining your eyes. It’s better to continue tomorrow to avoid harming your eyes.” Lady Du put her work on the kang table, annoyed. She said, “You realize it’s late now? It’s inappropriate for a unmarried girl like you to go gallivanting with men outside. What if someone sees and our family’s reputation is ruined?” Cai Wei responded with a smile, “Mother’s teaching is right, I remember now and will refrain from doing so in the future.” Lady Du sighed, her tone softened. “I’m not criticising you. When you have something to do outside, at least tell me. Also, if you must go out, bring Wen’er or Wu’er with you. Going out in the open with Jiujin, the villagers have a lot of prying eyes. If someone sees, who knows what ridiculous rumors might spread? You should know to avoid appearances!” Cai Wei felt uncomfortable, how she wished she could’ve brought Wen’er or Wu’er to avoid the gossip, but the weather in December was bitter. The village was over twenty miles from the town. Jiujin’s cow cart was slow with no shelter, the children’s cotton-padded clothes were thin and worn out. If they had gone with her, they might have frozen to death before reaching the town. How could she bear to make them suffer so? Seeing her eldest sister being scolded, Fei’er, who was sitting at the side out of patience, helped her by saying, “Mother, Eldest sister has apologized, please forgive her just this once.” After saying it, she winked at Cai Wei and mischievously said, “Eldest sister, don’t take it to heart that mother is scolding you, in fact, mother loves you the most. She made dumplings tonight, they’re really fragrant, she left them in the pot for you, you should go eat!” Upon hearing this, Cai Wei quickly stood up, smiling at Lady Du, she said, “Indeed, mother loves me the most, I’m going to eat now, I just happen to be hungry!” As she was speaking, she snuck out of the room. Entering the kitchen, she could hear her mother’s sighs, “That girl, after falling ill once, she’s become cunning...” A faint aroma wafted out from under the wooden lid of the pot on the stove. Cai Wei lifted the lid to see a plate of crescent-shaped dumplings steaming on the pot. The delicious smell wafted into her nose, she quickly took out the dumplings. She really was hungry now, she had been busy the entire day, other than having a bowl of noodle soup in the morning, she hadn’t eaten anything up till now! After taking out the dumplings, she turned around to search for soy sauce and garlic on the wooden shelf by the stove. She didn’t find the soy sauce or garlic, but unexpectedly found the mirror she lost last night, it was the very one gifted by the old beggar. The palm-sized copper mirror was quietly lying on the wooden shelf, reflecting a cold light under the dim candle glow.... As if bewitched, she picked up the mirror and wiped its blurry surface. Suddenly, the mirror surface caved in, forming a vortex. A strong suction force like a magnet came from the vortex, gripping her tightly. In an instant, it sucked her into the mirror. With a dizzying turn, when Cai Wei opened her eyes again, she was stunned. Where was this? She got up and looked around. The place was small, only about three or four acres, but it had a beautiful landscape and delightful scenery. Close by, there was a small courtyard surrounded by a fence. Inside the courtyard were all kinds of strange flowers and weeds, their vibrant colors captivating to the eye. Even before coming close, one could smell their intoxicating fragrance. The odd grasses and immortal vines were even more verdant in the cold, all bearing fruit that looked like coral beans, hanging down endearingly. In the flower clusters, a small house constructed of green bamboo was tucked under a huge banyan tree. The house had green windows and doors, embraced by green trees. It was refreshingly elegant and tranquil. Behind the small courtyard, there was the faint sound of running water. Walking over at a leisure pace, Cai Wei saw a picturesque bridge over the stream. The rich, clear and transparent stream cheerfully flowed under the bridge. At the end of the bridge, there was a dense forest. Although not big, it contained extremely rare and precious trees such as purple sandalwood, yellow pear, golden silk nan, and taxus. The trees had all grown remarkably, overshadowing and lush... Passing through the forest, there was a small patch of grassland. The grass on the grassland was green and dripping, with wildflowers and wild vegetables all over. Occasionally, a wild rabbit or two could be seen running through the grass clusters. This place really is a paradise! Cai Wei sighed. After wandering around, she was a bit tired. Coming to the wattle gate, she shouted towards the bamboo house: “Is anyone home?” The bamboo house was silent. She pushed open the lattice gate and saw a stone walkway, with green bamboo on both sides. Walking on the stone walkway to the bamboo house, out of politeness, Cai Wei called out a few more times but no one answered. Confused, she pushed into the bamboo house. Inside was a modest small room. There was hardly any decoration in the room, just a mat on the floor, a tripod in front of the mat with a wisp of smoke curling up from it. Behind the mat was a small table where several very old and worn out books lay. The pages had turned yellow. Cai Wei walked over, picked up a book and looked at it. The book was titled “Nanhua Zhenjing”. She wasn’t interested in these Taoist scriptures, so she casually picked up another, which turned out to be “Chongyang’s Fifteen Debates”. She picked up another one, Pop—— “Tong Xuan Zhen Jing”! It seems that the master of this house is a Taoist practitioner, but where could this Taoist have gone? Passing through the small room, she went into another room. This room was a bedroom, very simple with only a few pieces of furniture and no playthings. On the table was a clay bottle filled with several chrysanthemums and a set of tea ware. A green mosquito net hung above the bed and the bedding was very simple. Cai Wei was a bit tired and lay down on the bed for a brief rest. Despite its simplicity, the bedding here was infinitely better than the hard-packed earth bed at home. Lying on the bed, Cai Wei rolled around comfortably. Soon, she drifted off into a light sleep...

Chapter 37 - 37 37 Mysterious Space_1

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