Chapter 12 I'll Take You​​

"One, two, three... twenty-nine, thirty..." Qin Qing counted the durians piled like a small mountain before her. Exactly thirty. Besides the initial "offerings," most were traded to the vending machine today.

Clearly, compared to durians, they preferred sweet potatoes.

Or perhaps they trusted her so much they were willing to trade most of their durians for the sweet potatoes.

The durian pile was substantial, but storing them in her personal space meant they wouldn't spoil.

Qin Qing stored all the durians away and went to the study on the second floor. She opened her computer, searched for sweet potato planting and cultivation methods, and copied everything useful or not into a document.

Before printing, she copied the entire content again, opened a webpage, and converted it all into traditional Chinese characters.

Early the next morning, she first opened the Dimensional Supermarket door and taped the printed instructions to the front. Before anyone arrived, she heard shouts from the direction of the main supermarket entrance and rushed to open it.

Her online purchases had arrived.

...

"Cut into pieces, dry, plant... yield per mu..." The old man read the words on the paper aloud, squinting and bending close to the last line. Once he saw it clearly, one hand shot out and gripped the arm of the person next to him.

"Old Lin? What is it? Can we not plant it?"

"Even if we can't plant it, it's fine. Such a good thing must require very specific land. We can just clear land further away."

"No," Old Lin shook his head, still gripping the person's arm. "It's not that we can't plant it. We can. And it yields... yields... I fear I misread."

He turned and beckoned. "Yùniáng, come. You learned some characters as a child. Look here and tell me what this says."

Yùniáng, seeing her father's grave expression, cautiously approached. Following his gesture, she looked at the words taped to the wall. Her eyes widened in shock. "Yield per mu... three thousand catties?!"

"Three thousand catties?"

"Yùniáng, are you certain you read that right?"

"What thing yields three thousand catties per mu? If it were true, planting just one mu would feed a family for a year!"

"But it came from the Celestial Master! If it truly yields that much... wouldn't... wouldn't we never fear starvation again?"

"We all tasted the sweet potatoes yesterday. I've never eaten anything so sweet. Old Lin, Yùniáng..."

Both shook their heads. "We haven't eaten it either. Not us. Not even the imperial family in the capital has surely ever seen such a thing. This is truly a celestial gift."

"You two are well-traveled and have never seen such a treasure. Then it must be unheard of. The Celestial Master is truly benevolent, bringing us such a boon."

"Give all the durians to the Celestial Master. I noticed she enjoys eating them."

"I'll take Nannan to gather more White Stones. The Celestial Master wants them; surely they have a purpose." Yùniáng stated firmly.

White Stones could be found by anyone, but not everyone seemed to notice them. Only Yùniáng and her daughter consistently found more than others. So this task naturally fell to them.

Old Lin studied the paper intently. "It says here sweet potatoes aren't demanding on the soil. We should start clearing land immediately. Plant them as soon as possible. We can't always burden the Celestial Master so much."

"Then we'll go clear the land."

"We'll pick more durians to trade for sweet potatoes."

"We'll gather wild greens."

"We'll finish the roof. Once it's done, we'll cut more wood."

The group of over thirty people faced numerous tasks, but they no longer carried the exhaustion and despair of their arrival. Instead, they were filled with hope for the future.

It was then that someone nearby spoke softly, "When I fled here, I traveled non-stop, desperate to find a refuge. I had to leave my parents along the way... Now that we're settling, may I go and bring them here?"

"My wife and child are frail. I dared not let them travel far. I left them in a town we passed. If possible, I also need to go fetch them."

"And me."

"Where are they? Far?" Qin Qing stepped out just as the conversation was happening.

The group started, then immediately began talking over each other, explaining their situations.

The land was in chaos; people fled everywhere. Not long ago, this group had found a town where they hoped to settle. But surrounding farmland was scarce. While they could stay, finding work was difficult. Long-term poverty and starvation were inevitable.

Helpless, they had to continue south, seeking suitable land.

However, during their initial flight, they traveled with families. Some elderly, weak, women, and children simply couldn't endure further travel. Yet, without a settled place soon, even those left in towns would struggle to survive.

The solution was for the stronger members to push south first. Once they found a suitable place, they would return to collect their families.

Their requirements for a settlement were basic: land to farm, ideally near a small town or market to trade necessities.

"This place is remote, but there is a small town nearby, just half a day's walk. We intended to settle here. Who knew the Sunset Woods lived up to its dangerous reputation? If not for the Celestial Master's mercy... we... we might never have seen our families again."

"Are you going to fetch them now?" Qin Qing asked. "You've only just arrived yourselves. You aren't settled yet, are you?"

The men who had spoken exchanged uneasy glances, then bowed respectfully. "To speak truthfully, Celestial Master, we used almost all our funds fleeing here. Before coming south, our families pooled what little they had to buy us dry biscuits for the journey. Now, they likely struggle for every meal. Though we are not fully established here, we have the sweet potatoes you provided, allowing us to eat our fill. Yet, whenever we think of our families' hardship, we toss and turn, hearts uneasy."

"I noticed several of you seem educated. How did you end up like this?" Qin Qing found herself speaking more formally, influenced by their speech.

"In these chaotic times, a head full of learning is less valuable than a pair of strong arms," one man replied with a bitter smile. "To be honest, some of us held official posts. But the world is fractured, divided. Titles mean nothing now. Wealth gone, we are poorer than commoners. All we wish now is to protect our families and live peacefully."

"No wonder you all seem quite polite," Qin Qing scanned the group. Had they not spoken with such evident literacy, she'd never have guessed some were former officials. At first glance, they truly looked like ordinary refugees.

Thinking about it, it made sense. As the saying goes, "When the granaries are full, one knows propriety." If they were truly uneducated commoners, they likely wouldn't carry themselves this way.

"How will you go?" Qin Qing asked. "A few days ago, I went out and saw a relatively clean, flat road. Will you take that?"

"Yes, Celestial Master. That must be the nearby government road. Taking it, it's about five days' walk to reach them," the man answered. "However, even if we set out, we must wait a few more days. Finish building the shelter, prepare some dry rations."

"You can dry some sweet potatoes into strips. For a round trip of over ten days, you'll need plenty of dry food," Qin Qing pointed to the sweet potatoes in the vending machine. "And when the time comes, if possible, I'll take you part of the way."

This was the inconvenience of ancient times. In the modern world, a five-day journey could be covered in half a day with a car.

"Celestial Master's great kindness, we offer eternal gratitude." The men immediately knelt to kowtow.

This time, Qin Qing couldn't avoid the grand gesture.

Since she was offering transport, the electric scooter wasn't suitable. She was contemplating whether to rent a vehicle or buy an electric tricycle when she learned only two men would actually go to fetch their families.

According to them, there was much work here – building and land clearing required hands. Their families were all in the same place, so sending everyone wasn't necessary. It wasted time, effort, and food. One or two people were sufficient to bring everyone back.

With only two people to transport, Qin Qing didn't need to make a big deal. She simply retrieved an electric tricycle from her personal space.

The tricycle wouldn't navigate the forest well. She had the two men set out first at dawn. Around noon, she rode her bicycle towards the edge of the Sunset Woods.

...

"Do you think... the Celestial Master will really come?"

"Even if she doesn't, we still have to go."

The two men spoke as they neared the forest's edge. They looked back simultaneously, then sighed and turned away.

"I thought coming south... it would take at least a year, maybe more, before I could return to fetch them. I never imagined it would be so soon. My daughter is frail. If I had to wait a year... I feared never seeing her again."

"My old mother is unwell too. But I thought... we'd starve on the road. After all..."

"Third Brother gave all his food to his family. Even if you'd found out sooner, you couldn't have saved him. It's not your fault. Don't blame yourself."

"But if I'd noticed earlier... maybe he could have held on until meeting the Celestial Master. If we hadn't met her... we'd have ended up like Third Brother."

Among those who had continued south, they were the strongest. Even so, two had died on the journey, including a robust young man.

"It won't happen again. Once we plant the sweet potatoes... no one will starve."

"Mm-hmm," the speaker adjusted the bundle slung over his shoulder. "We'll eat less on the road. Their lives in the town probably aren't easy either."

"May everyone in the town be well."

"The world is unpredictable. How can we defy Heaven's will? We can only accept fate."

As they spoke, they heard a sound approaching from behind them.

Turning, they saw the familiar vehicle that belonged only to the Celestial Master.

"Celestial Master!"

"Celestial Master, you came!"

"Mm-hmm. I said I'd take you part of the way," Qin Qing rode her scooter past them. "I'll wait for you up ahead where it's wider. Hurry up!"

With that, she disappeared from their view.

The two men exchanged a glance and immediately quickened their pace.

After walking a short while, the path opened up. An even stranger vehicle stood before them. It resembled an ox cart, but without oxen. On the flat cargo bed at the back were two ordinary stools.

"Celestial Master?"

"Get in and sit," Qin Qing settled into the driver's seat. "Grab the handrails on the side once you're seated. I'll take you a distance."

The two men exchanged another look, then quickly climbed onto the cargo bed, sitting on the stools and gripping the handrails tightly.

"Setting off." Qin Qing pressed the accelerator. With a low vroom, the vehicle surged forward, speeding swiftly along the wide path. Soon, they reached the smoother government road.

In the back, both men now clutched the handrails with both hands. When they looked up, they saw the same pale, shaken expression mirrored on each other's faces.