Chapter 112 The Spiritual Pet Working Even on Holidays

Chapter 112: Spirit Beasts Who Work Even on Holidays

After returning home, Jiang Yingxue went to the Spirit Beast Forest and caught a Five-Colored Treasure Chicken. Lunch had been pretty mediocre, so tonight she'd have a proper feast.

As she passed the fields, she saw the rice was ripe. The golden grains swayed with the breeze, like rolling waves of gold—a beautiful harvest sight. The air was also filled with the fresh fragrance of rice.

Jiang Yingxue said, "Xiao Yang, Xiao Feng, when you get a chance tomorrow, harvest the rice in the fields."

Xiao Yang & Xiao Feng: "Okay, Sis."

Worried they might not know how, Jiang Yingxue pulled up videos about rice harvesting for them, so they could get familiar with the process beforehand.

Once she'd explained, Jiang Yingxue took the Five-Colored Treasure Chicken into the space.

If Xiao Feng and the others wanted to eat spirit beasts, they could hunt them themselves. However, after tasting cooked spirit beast meat, they could no longer stand the way they used to eat it raw.

For this reason, Jiang Yingxue installed a kitchen in the space, fully stocked with all the necessary cooking tools and seasonings.

Beside the well in the small courtyard, a large basin filled with boiling water contained a chicken adorned with vibrantly colored feathers.

A few minutes later, Jiang Yingxue took the Five-Colored Treasure Chicken out of the basin and started plucking it.

She collected the colorful feathers in a basin—these were perfect for making a feather duster.

Apart from its beautiful feathers, the Five-Colored Treasure Chicken was also known for its delicious taste. Because of its flavor, it was a common and popular dish in the taverns of the cultivation world.

There were many ways to prepare it: steaming, salt-baking, soy-braising, grilling, or used in soups. Today, she decided to make a simple dish—lotus root and chestnut treasure chicken soup.

The lotus root was harvested from the Buddha Lotus in the space, and the chestnuts were picked from the Spirit Beast Forest. The ingredients were infused with spiritual energy and were fresh and delicious. She added two slices of spirit ginger to the soup to remove any gaminess and enhance the flavor.

In addition to the lotus root and chestnut treasure chicken soup, tonight's dinner table also featured steamed fork-tail fish, Jade Meat Crisp, blanched bok choy, and shredded potatoes.

Jiang Xianzheng took a piece of Jade Meat Crisp and ate it, then took a sip of Dragon Horn Wine. "Mmm, delicious!"

Lu Caiyun also took a sip of fruit wine and said, "The food at home is still the best!"

Jiang Xianzheng agreed, "Indeed!"

Since Jiang Yingxue returned with the "ancient texts," their lives had undergone dramatic changes, and their taste buds had become more discerning. The lunch they'd had today would've seemed great in the past, but after getting used to the truly delicious meals at home, they still preferred their own cooking.

The next day, inside the space.

The Monster Cultivators had no concept of holidays. Jiang Yingxue had given herself time off for the National Day holiday, but they hadn't.

After Ji Fu printed out the orders from the app, they began packing according to the contents listed on the orders.

For the holiday, Jiang Yingxue had also set up a promotion on the app beforehand: purchasing three or more items would get a 25% discount.

She had also posted an announcement on the app's homepage in advance. The first item stated that the Xuehe stall would be closed during the holiday. The second wished everyone a happy holiday. The third announced the 25% discount for purchasing three or more items. Note that orders placed during the holiday could only be picked up on the first day the stall reopened after the holiday.

Ji Fu held an order and smiled as she read the content praising the exquisite craftsmanship of the clothes.

_More plain-colored clothes?_

The owner of this order was Tu Xiying. This time, she bought 2 portions of Nine Heavens Exquisite Yao Fruit, 2 portions of Jade Meat Crisp, 2 portions of Auspicious Mist Spirit Soup, 1 portion of steamed Golden Buddha Flower, 1 bottle of Dragon Horn Wine, and a can of Heart-Enlightenment Tea. In the remarks, she strongly expressed her love for the three dresses, described their beauty, and lavished praise on the person who made them. Finally, she asked if there were any other clothes in plainer colors.

Ji Fu had Heavenly Spirit Silkworms in her storeroom. The silk they produced was called Heavenly Spirit Silk. Clothes woven from it were visually elegant with a great texture, and were soft and comfortable against the skin. Moreover, Heavenly Spirit Silk was white and could be dyed in various colors.

Ji Fu called out to Jiang Yingxue in her mind: "Sis, a customer asked if there are any plainer-colored clothes. Should we make everyday clothes and list them in the gift catalog?"

Jiang Yingxue: "The color of Silver Crane feathers is relatively plain. You can also check if there are any spirit beasts in the Spirit Beast Forest with plain-colored pelts. Xiao Fu, if you want to make clothes in any style, go for it."

"When the Xuehe Mall is completed, you can choose a storefront on the first floor to sell clothing."

Ji Fu: "Sell clothes?"

Jiang Yingxue: "That's right. You're so skilled, and if you enjoy it, you shouldn't hide your talent. The store doesn't need to be open every day; you can run it however you like."

Ji Fu: "Then I'll give it a try. Thank you, Sis."

"You're welcome."

Once the Xuehe Mall is built, Jiang Yingxue plans to allocate one storefront for Ji Fu to sell clothing, one for Xiao Feng to sell honey, one for Grandma to sell produce or whatever she likes, and one for Grandpa to sell fish or pursue other interests. This was already part of her plan.

As for Xiao Yang, she hadn't yet discovered any special talent of his—aside from being a hard worker—but of course, she'd saved a storefront for him too.

After packing today's orders, the Monster Cultivators in the space went their separate ways to attend to their own tasks. Xiao Feng carried a bucket and moved among the flowers collecting pollen. Xiao Yang returned to the Spirit Beast Forest to cultivate. Ji Fu, on the other hand, dove into the water with a splash.

Her Emerald Water Pond had already been moved from the Spirit Beast Forest to beside the flower fields. Xiao Feng's hive had also been moved out.

Ji Fu and Xiao Feng became neighbors. As soon as she surfaced, she could see the mountains and fields covered in Spiritual Flowers, and the air was sweet with the scent of flowers. Beyond the flowers, a row of houses came into view, including the wooden cottage Jiang Yingxue used for resting, the warehouse, and their workrooms.

Ji Fu planted a row of Mystic Crystal Mulberry Trees behind the Emerald Water Pond and then built a wooden cabin next to them. The cabin was used to raise Heavenly Spirit Silkworms, and the Mystic Crystal Mulberry Trees served as their food.

*

Outside the space, the Jiang family enjoyed the moon in the courtyard. The table was set with Spirit Flower Cookies, a platter of spirit fruits, and spirit fruit juice.

Xiao Zhao wrapped its wings around a bottle of juice, sipping it contentedly.

It downed bottle after bottle, but its belly didn't seem to swell at all.

Lu Caiyun said worriedly, "Xiao Zhao, don't drink so much juice at night. Be careful not to wet the bed."

Xiao Zhao replied in a childish voice, "It's okay, Grandma. I'm already so big; I won't wet the bed."

Xiao Feng, Xiao Yang, and Ji Fu—these three Monster Cultivators—lived, spoke, and worked openly in the courtyard during the day. A few days ago, Xiao Zhao couldn't contain itself anymore and started talking, too. Unexpectedly, Grandpa and Grandma took its ability to speak completely in stride and weren't the least bit surprised.

They acted as if it was only natural for Xiao Zhao to talk and were even skeptical of their granddaughter's story that "Xiao Zhao was picked up on the mountain."

Jiang Yingxue smiled and said, "Grandma, Xiao Zhao's true form is very large. This little bit of juice is nothing to it."

Jiang Xianzheng slid the plate of cookies over to Xiao Zhao and said, "But you still shouldn't drink so much at once. Xiao Zhao, have some cookies to line your stomach first before drinking more. Drinking too much juice on an empty stomach isn't good."

"Grandpa, then I'll eat the cookies first before drinking the juice." Xiao Zhao put down the empty juice bottle, polished off a plate of Spirit Flower Cookies, and then grabbed another glass of juice to drink.

After they'd finished all the food on the table, Lu Caiyun said, "Let's go to bed early. We have to attend a wedding banquet tomorrow."

"Okay."

Jiang Xianzheng asked Xiao Zhao, "Xiao Zhao, Grandpa, Grandma, and Sis are going to a wedding banquet tomorrow. Are you coming?"

Xiao Zhao asked, "Will there be good food?"

Jiang Xianzheng paused for a moment and said, "You'll get to see good people."

Xiao Zhao fluttered its wings and hopped up, saying, "Then I won't go. I want to stay home and watch TV."

Xiao Zhao had recently gotten hooked on cartoons and spent almost the entire day glued to the TV, barely stepping outside.

*

At noon the next day, the three members of the Jiang family, all dressed neatly, set off for the Yingyue Hotel to attend their relative's wedding banquet.

The wedding banquet Lu Caiyun and the others were attending was for a relative on the Lu side. The groom was the grandson of Lu Caiyun’s younger brother, making him a distant older cousin of Jiang Yingxue's.

Lu Caiyun’s parents had six children, but only she and her younger brother, Lu Zhanrong (deceased), survived to adulthood. Lu Zhanrong and his wife, Jin Tiandi, had a son named Lu Yonghong. Lu Yonghong and his wife, Dong Laiyin, had a son named Lu Taifeng, who was now getting married at the age of 25.

In City J, it was customary to give between 100 and 200 yuan as a wedding gift. Since Jiang Yingxue's family had three people attending, they pooled together 600 yuan. Some families, even with multiple members, only gave 200-yuan red envelopes. In addition to the monetary gift, Lu Caiyun’s group also presented a bottle of Jiao Horn Wine, a can of Soothing Tea, and a Xuehe Gourmet Rainbow Membership Card.

As soon as she took her seat, Jiang Yingxue sensed a malicious gaze from behind. Without turning around, she used her Spiritual Sense to investigate and discovered the source was Hong Xinyue, a classmate of Jiang Peiyu.

She was someone Jiang Yingxue had blocked. Hong Xinyue was likely a relative of the bride or the groom’s mother, but regardless of her connection, Jiang Yingxue paid her no mind.

The banquet hall was buzzing with joy, and the newlyweds' faces were lit up with radiant smiles.

Soon, it was time for the toast. The bride, groom, and the groom’s parents made their way to Jiang Yingxue’s table in order.

At that moment, a middle-aged man sitting beside Hong Xinyue suddenly stood up and said, “Brother Lu, Taifeng, I never expected to see the owner of Xuehe here! So you’re related to the owner of Xuehe Stall—congratulations!”

The middle-aged man was Hong Xinyue’s father, Hong Gaofei, who was also the uncle of the bride, Hong Heyang.

Although most of the guests had never purchased anything from Xuehe Stall, they were all familiar with its reputation.

Instantly, everyone turned to look at the middle-aged man, the groom Lu Taifeng, and his father, Lu Yonghong.

“Which one is the owner of Xuehe Stall? I want to get a good look.”

“I heard Xuehe Stall is incredibly profitable!”

“With a palm-sized chicken selling for 500 yuan and a boxed meal for 2,000 yuan, how could it not be profitable?”