Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Gongyu Mingxi was amused. “Isn’t that how most of the people live their lives? Even the rich and noble families are mostly like that. Only those who have hot springs in their homes can have fresh vegetables during winter.”
While she spoke of this, Gongyu Mingxi’s face was solemn. “It’s fine if our families know about the mystical aspects and pocket dimensions between you and your second brother, but in front of outsiders, we must never mention anything about it.”
Yan Qixun smiled and said, “Even if Mother didn’t remind us, Second Brother and I wouldn’t mention anything about it in front of outsiders.”
After saying that, she continued the topic, “In my previous life, no matter how poor a family was, they could eat all kinds of fresh vegetables during winter. There were a lot of varieties, and basically, they could eat whatever they wanted.”
The whole family was shocked. “Even if you all were filthy rich back then, it shouldn’t be possible, right? How do you grow fresh vegetables during winter? Will it be enough for everyone?”
“Vegetables can be grown in a greenhouse. It is a transparent space made of plastic film or glass used to grow vegetables. Due to the availability of electricity and light, the enclosed environment would ensure the greenhouse’s temperature and not affect the plants’ growth.
“Therefore, no matter which season the green vegetables were, they could be bought all year round. Everyone can afford them. However, it is tough to find plastic film here in this life because it has to be produced in a factory. Besides, we don’t have the resources to do it in this life.
“Plastic leads to too much damage to the environment. The inventors of plastic regretted it so much that they committed suicide. Of course, its use was extremely significant. That was a brief introduction to plastic, but on the other hand, I can produce glass, which what you refer to as glazed glass.
“Speaking of glass, Lingyu was born rich in her previous life, so it should be pretty a common thing for her. In my previous life, ordinary glass was extremely cheap, the production cost was meager, and the process was not complicated. Even the poorest family could afford to use it. When I get the glass out of my pocket dimension, our family will build a glasshouse. During winter, we will have fresh vegetables to eat.
In addition, when we build a new house, all the windows will be made of glass. This way, the room will be very bright. Otherwise, if the weather is cold and the windows are closed, the room will be dark.”
At this point, Yan Qixun shook her head and sighed. “That is why Father must pass this Imperial Examination. If he doesn’t become an official, I can’t even get the glass out of my pocket dimension.”
Gongyu Hao was puzzled. “What does glass have to do with father becoming an official?”
Yan Lingyu thought for a moment and understood the twists and turns. She explained to her immortal Second Brother, “Although what Qixun said seems ordinary, glass is still a rare item even for a noble family like mine back then. How big of an advantage would it be if it really could be made?
“If our family doesn’t have anyone to support us behind our backs, producing glass may cost us our lives. Who would not be jealous as glass could make them rich? There’s a lot of people would kill for silver.”
Gongyu Mingxi and Yan Lingsu also nodded, while Gongyu Hao frowned, “Why is it so troublesome?”
He understood the reason after thinking about it. However, this feeling was particularly unpleasant.
As he ate, Gongyu Hao said, “A mortal general has quite a lot of authority and command. Why don’t I join the army? In the future, I’ll get a noble title, and then I won’t have to worry about anything.”
How could Gongyu Mingxi bear to let her son fight for his life in the army? Although her son was a reincarnated immortal, wasn’t he a mortal now? She understood that her son had a rebellious personality, and she was afraid that he would run off to join the army.
Gongyu Mingxi said, “The empire is strong and prosperous to this point, and thousands of dynasties have come to congratulate us. How could there be a war now? How can we contribute to the army if there isn’t a war? You should just stay at home.”
These words were just to persuade her son. There might not be a big war in the country, but there were a lot of civil wars ongoing, as the northern border was not stable.
Gongyu Hao declined to comment. He was not interested in being a general, but he was a mortal now. If he wanted to protect his family, he could not kill every single enemy with his bare hands, so it was better to have authority and power. Even Immortals sought power, let alone mortals?
When Gongyu Hao was a God, others controlled him because he didn’t have any power. Now he was a mortal, and it was even worse.
While Gongyu Hao thought about it, God Erlang, Yang Jian, was powerful. Even if his mother was locked up because of her secret relationship, God Erlang still had a strong army and guarded the river. Despite his unwillingness to take orders, he was a Duke in the mortal world— he had the power and influence. He even became the Supreme God of Taoism, worshiped by the people.
The Monkey King was at a disadvantage when he fought with God Erlang because his weapons and magical treasures were not as powerful as God Erlang. However, he could not attain any good weapons because he was not as powerful as God Erlang. If God Erlang did not have power and influence, he wouldn’t have those weapons in hand.
It was apparent that power and influence were necessary. Gongyu Hao didn’t mind it, but if he were in a higher position, wouldn’t his parents and siblings live freely?
Gongyu Hao was not interested in studying. Therefore, he would not have passed the Imperial Examination and become an official. Even if he did pass the examination, he was not a good candidate to become an official. On the other hand, he was more of a military person as the military was more straightforward. He would definitely be promoted if he had the skill.
Although he was rebellious against Heaven and Earth, wasn’t this the type of people everyone needed? He understood those complicated issues but was just too lazy to overthink them.
When they were on the topic of enlisting in the army, Yan Qixun did not speak up for her brother even though she was a soldier in her previous life. It was true that being a soldier now was not the same as being a soldier in her previous life. Although Gongyu Hao had made up his mind to find an opportunity to mingle in the army, he did not want to expose much to his family.
After dinner, the sky turned dark. There was nothing to do, and the whole family was tired. After washing up, they all went to bed, as they had to get up early the next day.
The following day, the rain stopped, and the air was fresh. Yan Qixun’s humble family was in a good mood. Yan Lingsu and Gongyu Mingxi finished making breakfast. After everyone washed up, they began to eat.
Not long after breakfast, the sun came out. Gongyu Hao put on the clothes that Yan Lingsu had dried for him and said to his mother and sisters, “Mother, I’m going to take a walk in the mountains to see if I can get some meat back. I want us to have a better meal.”
The food was watery and tasteless, and he really could not take it anymore. Yan Qixun wanted to follow him, but she did not have any outdoor clothing to wear, so she could only give up and obediently sit on the brick bed.
Gongyu Mingxi beckoned her hand and said, “Go ahead if you want to. Just remember to be safe. It rained yesterday, and the mountains were wet. Don’t let your clothes get wet or you will catch a cold. Even though we now have your third sister, the miracle doctor, but don’t get sick because it will be hard on you too.”
Although Brother Monkey felt he couldn’t get sick with his current physique, he still agreed. After he left, Gongyu Mingxi took out the silk cotton and cloth she bought yesterday to make clothes. Yan Qixun had never learned how to make clothes in her previous life, nor did she know how to do it in this life.
On the other hand, Yan Lingsu and Yan Lingyu had both learned how to make clothes in their previous lives. So, they followed Gongyu Mingxi and made clothes.
Yan Qixun thought that her family didn’t have any money now, but there were two boxes of books the survived the fire in the house. One of the boxes was the medical books left behind by her grandfather.
Yan Qixun then told Gongyu Mingxi, “Mother, do you have any paper and ink at home? Why don’t I copy a few of the medical books left behind by my grandfather and sell them to the medical center?”
People in the olden days placed great importance on personal skills because, for them, it was those skills that could provide for the family. Personal skills were inherited from generation to generation and not simply passed to outsiders. Hence, these books were quite valuable.
However, Yan Qixun disagreed about the value of these skills. People from the olden days cherished the skill and knowledge and kept it within the family. As such, this caused traditional skills to disappear slowly over time. For example, medical skills are meant to be passed down to save lives. It would be better if these skills were shared among people.
Moreover, traditional Chinese medicine had extremely high requirements for talent. It was not true that you could gain outstanding medical skills just because you have a medical book.
Everyone worked hard through the nine-year education system in her previous life, but many people couldn’t pass the double-first-class exam. Otherwise, why would so many people complain about the injustice after going through the nine-year education system? Every word that came out of their mouth was filled with grief and resentment..