After a cup of tea's time, a fork in the road appeared ahead.
The path to the left was dark and deep, while the right path was bright and clear. Even a fool would know she should go right.
However, Qi Huan stopped, raised her hand to point at the other path, and asked:
"Is this the road to the Duke of An Manor?"
Every time they met, it was Shu who came to find her. She wanted to take the initiative to go find Shu for once.
So, her eyes lit up as she gazed ahead, excitedly rubbing her hands together.
Her gaze was so transparent that even the rats in the tunnel could tell what she was planning, let alone Xiu Yuan.
Upon realizing her intentions, Xiu Yuan's perfect expression cracked slightly.
In his mind, he was frantically shouting: No, don't!
He silently begged Miss Qi not to have such a dangerous idea!
He feared that if His Highness found out, he would embed the remaining path with night pearls as well!
His Highness's love was truly too expensive!
But then...
Xiu Yuan had a change of heart, realizing that all the money being spent was His Highness's, and it didn't really concern him.
He immediately regained his composure and answered truthfully:
"This path indeed leads to the Duke of An Manor. However, it takes about half an hour to get there. I didn't bring a torch today, and there might be rats in the tunnel. There are also many intersections that are hard to distinguish. Perhaps Miss Qi would prefer to go another day?"
Qi Huan nodded.
After all, she would see Shu at night anyway, so going another day wouldn't matter.
She withdrew her gaze and continued walking forward.
As the path beneath her feet had been smoothed out, she walked quite quickly.
After about another quarter of an hour, they finally reached the residence that was used as a warehouse.
In the two-courtyard compound, rows of buildings stood side by side. The rooms inside had minimal furniture, leaving as much space as possible for storage.
After finishing the tour, Qi Huan took out a clumsily sewn pouch from her sleeve and waved it in front of Xiu Yuan.
She then earnestly tried to deceive him:
"This is called a Universe Bag! Though it looks small, it can hold many things."
As she spun her tale, Xiu Yuan's gaze fell on the pouch, and he couldn't help but sigh inwardly: What a unique treasure!
Uniquely ugly, that is.
Qi Huan, unaware of his thoughts, continued on her own: "I've packed some greenhouse film and spring planting seeds in this bag. Since we've already come this far today, I'll take them out in a moment. After that, you can proceed according to the original plan."
In fact, if it were just a small amount of supplies, she wouldn't have needed to explain this to Xiu Yuan at all.
But there were too many items, and transporting them would not only be conspicuous but also time-consuming and labor-intensive.
After careful consideration, she chose to be half-truthful with Xiu Yuan. Xiu Yuan was a very trusted and loyal subordinate of Shu, worthy of trust. However, she still held back, not revealing her true abilities, instead attributing all the miraculous properties to the pouch.
After speaking, she opened the pouch and turned it upside down, while mentally communicating with the system:
"In a moment, let the deliveries fall from the bottom of the pouch."
"How is the host so sure that this system can accomplish that?"
"Because you've hit me with deliveries before, with pinpoint accuracy!"
"......"
So the host held such a grudge.
The embarrassed system quickly changed the subject: "Which items does the host need to repurchase?"
"Repurchase twenty sets of greenhouse film. Also, search for high-yield wheat and corn seeds, fifty bags of each to start. We can return extras or supplement if needed."
Thinking of greenhouse vegetables, Qi Huan quickly remembered spinach.
In this era, many people believed in the concept of "kinship upon kinship," and family ties were very strong. Cousins marrying each other was not uncommon, unknowingly increasing the risk of birth defects.
With her current status, if she were to speak out about prohibiting marriages between collateral relatives within three generations, no one would listen.
Instead, they would see her as a lunatic.
What she could do now was to popularize folic acid as much as possible.
However, purchasing folic acid required points and depended on her, which was not a long-term solution. So, she wanted to promote spinach cultivation.
And then, using the words of the medical sage Shen Jueming, encourage pregnant women to eat spinach in moderation.
It could not only supplement folic acid but also alleviate constipation.
Having made up her mind, Qi Huan asked the system again: "Are there spinach seeds in the delivery warehouse?"
After searching and checking the price, the system confidently replied: "Yes!"
"Purchase!" Qi Huan issued the order decisively.
In the history of her previous life, spinach was introduced from Nepal during the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty. It was initially called "boleng vegetable," later simplified to spinach. It was delicious! She loved eating it!
After transmigrating, she hadn't seen spinach for a long time. Probably because it hadn't been introduced from elsewhere yet.
So let her, this human bug, introduce it.
As the point value decreased, a pile of deliveries fell from the bottom of the pouch one after another.
The scene before him completely stunned Xiu Yuan.
So this ugly pouch really was a treasure?!
The world was full of wonders. He had certainly broadened his horizons.
At this moment, Qi Huan handed him a dagger, inviting him to experience the joy of unboxing deliveries together.
After the packages were opened, she once again held the pouch towards the cardboard boxes and urged the system:
"Quick, quick! Collect the trash!"
"...Host, couldn't you describe this function of the system in a more dignified manner?"
The system corrected: "Next time, please say, 'Come participate in the resource recycling project!'"
Qi Huan let out an "Oh," and asked, "So, are you going to collect it or not?"
"...I'll collect it."
Then, the delivery boxes flew one after another towards the mouth of the pouch, disappearing in an instant.
Xiu Yuan rubbed his eyes, secretly marveling:
This Universe Bag is truly miraculous!
He would no longer call it ugly; at most, its beauty was not obvious.
But its capabilities more than made up for its lack of aesthetic appeal!
Inside the room, greenhouse films, grain seeds, and vegetable seeds were scattered about in disarray.
The colorful packaging was too eye-catching, so Qi Huan instructed Xiu Yuan: "Before taking these seeds out, find some reliable people to give them a makeover. Repack them in burlap sacks to make them look more down-to-earth."
"Yes."
After finishing their discussion, it was already noon.
The two made their way back through the tunnel, retracing their steps.
After Qi Huan emerged from the teahouse, she suddenly realized two people were missing.
She asked Yan Qing: "Where are Tao Su and Second Sister?"
"Sister Tao Su said she went to buy walnut cookies! Second Sister went with her."
"...They've been gone this long just to buy cookies?" Qi Huan looked towards the nearby pastry shop.
It was a very ordinary storefront, with the same decorative style as the shops to its left and right, nestled among them inconspicuously.
This was where Tao Su first encountered the strange woman, so she came by today to try her luck.
Second Sister accompanied her for protection.
As usual, Tao Su bought three boxes of walnut cookies: one for herself, one to share with the Granny and little maids at Qinghuan Court.
And one to sell to Zhu Yan, making a small profit!
Zhu Yan, like her, loved walnut cookies. He even said the ones she bought tasted better and asked her to bring him a box whenever she went out.
As long as the money was right, Tao Su was happy to oblige.
Soon, the shop assistant nimbly packed up three boxes of walnut cookies, tied them together with hemp rope, and handed them to her.
After receiving them, Tao Su turned to leave, only to see the strange woman from last time walking in.
Learning from their first encounter, the woman didn't waste time with small talk this time, instead getting straight to the point: "Miss, you look very much like an old acquaintance of mine named Tao Yao. I wonder if you've ever heard this name?"
Tao Su had done more than just hear it.
It was her mother's name.
Tao Su looked at the woman with a mix of surprise and suspicion, asking, "Who are you?"
The woman didn't answer immediately. She discreetly glanced at the walnut-red string bracelet on Tao Su's wrist, then her gaze returned to her beautiful face, her expression tinged with nostalgia.
"I'm an old friend of Tao Yao's. Seeing that you look nine-tenths like her, I couldn't help but stop you."
"But my mother said all her friends in the capital had died."
