Chapter 8 The Ancient Young Lady​​

Qin Qing closed the factory gate and walked inside. She headed straight to the warehouse storing rice, placed her hand on the bags, and transferred them one by one into her spatial inventory.

Just how large was her space? Even she wasn't entirely sure. In her previous life, she had never managed to fill it completely.

Having been reborn, if she could stuff this space full of goods, she would be utterly satisfied.

After transferring all the rice, she hummed a tune, keys in hand, locked the factory, started her small electric scooter, and rode back, feeling cheerful all the way.

Back at the supermarket, she parked the scooter in the small garage next to it. Just as she was about to leave, she remembered something. She pressed the garage door remote.

Once the door was fully closed, she reached out, gripped the scooter's handlebars, and instantly stored it away in her space.

Then, she immediately walked to the back door of the supermarket and entered the Dimensional Supermarket.

The Dimensional Supermarket's door had been open since morning, with the vending machine right at the entrance. People here could conduct their transactions at the door; they didn't need to enter the supermarket proper.

When she was present, Yùniáng and the others didn't dare enter the supermarket. When she was absent, they dared even less.

It was lunchtime. As soon as she stepped out of the Dimensional Supermarket, she caught the familiar scent of seasoning powder. She quickly spotted the source.

"Boiled wild vegetables for lunch? Not having instant noodles?" She walked over and greeted them casually.

Although these people consistently addressed her as "Celestial Master," she didn't feel she occupied any lofty position. She interacted with them like a neighbor.

"We cooked some noodles, one packet," they all turned to look at Qin Qing. "The noodles are delicious, but we don't dare eat too many. This one packet, with the wild vegetables, is enough for us to share."

"You could gather more white stones to exchange for more instant noodles," Qin Qing leaned against a tree, chatting casually. "Did you eat the durian yesterday?"

"We did," Yùniáng replied with a shy smile. "That durian smelled quite pungent, but the taste was excellent. We all enjoyed it very much and slept well last night."

"Good, durian good," the child standing beside Yùniáng looked up at Qin Qing and said earnestly.

"You could go pick some more today then," Qin Qing reached out and patted the child's head. Learning from Yùniáng that others had already gone to pick durians, she asked the child, "Which do you think tastes better, durian or instant noodles?"

The child tilted her head, then covered her tummy, looking up with bright eyes: "Tummy not hurt, both good."

"She hasn't eaten many good things since she was little," Yùniáng said, her voice filled with pity as she hugged the child's shoulder. "For a long time, she went hungry with me. She doesn't know the word 'famished,' she just knows her tummy hurts."

"You should be able to fill your bellies now that you've settled here," Qin Qing nodded. She had seen the Dimensional Supermarket's prompt. Even if she could travel to other worlds later, she could still leave a "branch store" here. Long-term trade wasn't an issue, and her stock of instant noodles was more than enough to feed these people.

"Many thanks, Celestial Master!" Yùniáng immediately bowed deeply.

Hearing her words, the others also showed expressions of gratitude.

Seeing them about to perform deep bows again, Qin Qing quickly waved her hand. "I'm going to walk around elsewhere. You all carry on."

Having said that, she walked a bit further away, retrieved her electric scooter from her space, and inserted the key.

The familiar starting sound hummed to life. Her heart leapt with joy, and she immediately twisted the throttle, following the path she took yesterday. If she had known the scooter would work, she wouldn't have foolishly walked for two hours yesterday.

It had to be said, the electric scooter was incredibly useful. The journey that took an hour on foot yesterday only took ten minutes today. Mainly because this area, though wooded, was mostly flat, making it convenient for riding.

After riding a while longer, she reached the spot where they picked durians yesterday, just in time to see someone swiftly climbing a tree.

She planted her feet on the ground, parked the scooter by the side, leaned on the handlebars, and watched the scene of people harvesting fruit in the distance. After a moment, she pulled her phone from her pocket and started recording a video.

"Ancient People Harvesting Durian Live."

Qin Qing took an apple from her space, biting into it while providing commentary.

"That durian looks good, very plump. The flesh inside must be large."

"This one looks nice too."

"Ah ah ah, this one's even better! Bigger than the last few."

She recorded for a while. Her actions caught the attention of the people ahead. They all turned and prepared to bow.

"No need for such formality. Keep picking. Can I have one durian later?" Qin Qing asked bluntly. "The biggest one, the one that looks the nicest."

"Of course," hearing this, they all looked honored. "If the Celestial Master desires it, it is our great fortune. If the Celestial Master likes it, we will respectfully offer one to you every day from now on."

"One a day is enough, no need for more," Qin Qing held up one finger, took the last bite of her apple, and casually tossed the core near a tree. "By the way, did you find any interesting places on your way here?"

"This..." They exchanged uncertain glances. Finally, one stepped forward. "Celestial Master, if I may humbly submit, we fled here seeking refuge, only thinking of finding a suitable place to settle quickly. What kind of interesting place did the Celestial Master have in mind?"

"Hmm," Qin Qing cupped her chin, thinking hard but couldn't come up with a clear idea. "I'm not sure either. Forget it, I'll just go wherever the path takes me. You keep picking, I'll head off."

She twisted the throttle to leave but remembered something. She reached out her hand: "Can I have the durian now?"

Immediately, someone picked up the durian she had singled out and respectfully placed it into Qin Qing's hands. Seeing the durian vanish the instant it touched her hand, they couldn't hide their astonishment.

"Thanks! I was just craving this. I'll give you two extra packets of instant noodles later." Qin Qing thanked them, twisted the scooter's throttle, and sped off along a reasonably defined path.

The wild vegetables along this path weren't abundant, and since people probably walked here regularly, the scooter moved smoothly.

She felt bold and capable, relying on her ability to instantly "return to the store" to explore anywhere she pleased. After all, having "crossed over" like this, she couldn't just stay cooped up in the store like an NPC shopkeeper.

After Qin Qing left, the durian pickers gathered at the spot where she had parked. They all stared in a daze in the direction she had disappeared.

"What was that?"

"Uncle Zhang, you're well-traveled..."

"Even if I am well-traveled, how could I possibly recognize celestial artifacts?" the man called Uncle Zhang replied, his gaze also fixed in the distance. "No need for oxen or horses, yet it could travel a thousand li in a day. How wondrous."

"If only I could have one..."

"Dream on. You can have anything in dreams."

"If I think about it hard enough before sleeping, maybe I really will dream of riding that celestial device. Heh heh."

"That works," Uncle Zhang chuckled. "Are you hungry? If you are, cook something. Boil those dry biscuits in your packs before they spoil."

"Add some of the seasoning powder from the instant noodles! That powder makes anything taste good. Do any of you have an opened packet?"

"I do! I have half a packet left. Oh no, spilled a bit! I was being so careful too."

"I saw bamboo groves not far away. Let's cut some bamboo tubes later. Opened seasoning powder needs careful storage. Did the powder spill onto the cloth pouch? We could boil the pouch, maybe get some flavor out."

"Then boil it several times. Don't worry, I used the cleanest cloth pouch."

"Just don't waste any."

...

"Riding my beloved little donkey, it never gets stuck in traffic..." Qin Qing hummed the song while riding, repeating those two lines over and over, mainly because those were the only lyrics she knew.

Riding further out, she breathed in the oxygen-rich breeze, happily forging ahead.

However, the journey revealed mostly durian trees bearing intact, edible fruit. Most other fruit trees had been ravaged by birds and animals. She did spot a few untouched trees, but didn't dare eat their fruit. Wild berries untouched by birds or beasts? She wouldn't touch them either.

After riding a while longer, she came upon a wide, well-trodden road, clearly frequently used.

Seeing this, she realized the Sunset Woods weren't as remote as she had thought.

"Gee up! Gee up! Gee up—"

Hearing the sound of a carriage approaching from afar, Qin Qing tilted her head and stopped her scooter.

Within her line of sight, the translucent prompt screen of the Dimensional Supermarket hovered, ensuring she could instantly return if anything went wrong.

Through the transparent screen, she saw a carriage approaching from the distance.

The carriage drew near and seemed to notice Qin Qing. The coachman tightened the reins and cautiously brought it to a halt.

The carriage rocked slightly. The occupant inside, sensing something amiss, pulled aside the curtain.

Inside sat a young woman, perhaps seventeen or eighteen, dressed in luxurious silk robes, her hair adorned with an elaborate set of gemstone jewelry.

Qin Qing looked at her. She looked back at Qin Qing.

Over a dozen men running behind the carriage quickly surrounded it, forming an impenetrable barrier, their hands resting on the hilts of their sheathed swords.

They seemed afraid Qin Qing might cause trouble.

The young lady in the carriage, however, showed no fear. Instead, she studied Qin Qing with curiosity. "Who are you?"

"A traveler." Qin Qing gripped the scooter's handlebars tightly.

"Why are you dressed like that?" The young lady's eyes were still full of curiosity.

Qin Qing glanced down at her own clothes. She didn't see anything wrong.

The weather had been getting warmer lately, and she was sensitive to heat. She typically wore just a short-sleeved top and knee-length denim shorts, her hair pulled into a simple high ponytail.

No one in the modern world would find this outfit odd. Even Yùniáng and the others hadn't commented. Only now, looking at the other woman's attire, did she realize she was in an ancient setting.

Looking at the girl swathed in long sleeves, she asked instead, "Aren't you hot?"

"Hot," the girl's eyes lit up immediately, and she leaned out further. "Steward Liu, I wish to speak with her."

"Young Mistress, this is wilderness. This person's identity is unknown. It may be unwise..." Steward Liu eyed Qin Qing warily, instinctively feeling the woman was highly dangerous. Here in the wilderness, daring to expose arms and calves? If she wasn't afraid of danger, then she likely was the danger.

"And what could we do if she intended harm?" The girl leaned on the window frame, pleading. "Steward Liu, I wish to speak with her. Please?"

"Young Mistress..." Steward Liu tried to harden his heart, but under the girl's beseeching gaze, he finally relented and nodded. "No more than a quarter-hour."

"Thank you, Steward Liu!" The girl beamed. She immediately flung open the carriage curtain, jumped down, and hurried over to Qin Qing. "May I speak with you? I wish to know you. I am the third daughter in my family; everyone calls me Sānniáng. You may call me that too."

Qin Qing saw the brilliant light in the girl's eyes as she looked at her, as if beholding a rare treasure.

In that moment, Qin Qing suddenly understood.

This was an ancient, cherished young lady of privilege. Yet, the world she could see was still confined to the small plot others permitted her to experience.