cornucopia pot

Chapter 002: Spiritual rice · "Splash..." He Pingsheng poured the two buckets of water from his carrying pole into the water vat. · The large vat was only half full. · That made five trips completed today. · He used a worn-out ceramic basin to scoop some water to wash his hands and face. After scrubbing the basin clean inside and out, he filled it halfway and brought it back into his room. · This half-basin of water was for drinking; if he grew thirsty during the night, he wouldn't have to run outside. · Back inside, He Pingsheng bolted the door and jammed the latch tight. · Moonlight, like flowing water, filtered through the lattice gaps of the window, casting mottled, dreamlike patterns across the room. · He Pingsheng rolled onto his bed and promptly fell into a deep sleep. · Early the next morning, a sudden, urgent clanging of a gong echoed outside! · Time to wake up! · Dragging his exhausted body out of bed, He Pingsheng grabbed his iron bowl and ran toward the kitchen. · Breakfast was being served. · One had to eat their fill in the morning to have the strength for labor, didn't they? · The servants emerged one by one from their rooms, heading toward the Handyman Canteen up ahead. · It was a chaotic crowd of over twenty people. · Boss Zhang, still bare-chested but now wearing dark red trousers, waited until everyone had gathered before calling roll. Once finished, he announced, "Time to eat... Old Bao, give this kid some extra meat. He must eat his fill... otherwise, he won't have the strength to carry water!" · He didn't pity He Pingsheng; rather, Boss Zhang understood all too well how difficult carrying water was. · He Pingsheng was young, only fourteen this year. If he didn't eat enough, where would he find the strength to work? · If the work wasn't finished, the one who would ultimately suffer for it was Boss Zhang. · After all, he was the head of this Handyman Quarters! · "Thank you, Boss Zhang!" He Pingsheng said, somewhat dazed, offering his thanks with a face full of gratitude. · Being so young, he did not yet see the complexities of human nature or the underlying motives behind such actions. · It had to be said that the food provided by the immortal sect was quite lavish. · There was even plenty of meat for breakfast. · After finishing his meal, He Pingsheng scrubbed his bowl clean and returned to his room, preparing to head to the waterfall behind the mountain to fetch water. But the moment he stepped inside, the sight in his room left him dumbfounded. · The basin he had used to hold Mountain Spring water yesterday was sitting by the window. It had originally been only half-full of clear water, but now it was filled to the brim with a liquid that had turned a vivid jade green. · "How strange. It's only been one night; has the water already spoiled?" · He Pingsheng set down his iron bowl and walked to the window, leaning in for a closer look. · Up close, he saw the water was truly green—a deep, emerald green. · At a glance, it looked completely rotten. · "I guess I can't use this basin for drinking water anymore!" He Pingsheng reached out, picked up the basin, and tossed the green water out the window. "From now on... I'll just use it for washing clothes!" · With a clatter, he dropped the basin back onto the floor. He Pingsheng then shouldered his pole and opened the door to head toward the Mountain Spring. · Since he had completed five trips yesterday, he only needed to do fifteen today. · Fifteen trips didn't seem like much, but by the time He Pingsheng finished all the work, it was late into the night once again. · Dragging his weary frame back to his small hut, He Pingsheng began to worry. Carrying fifteen loads a day was nearly his limit; tomorrow he had twenty to do. How could he possibly manage? · Just as he lay down on the hard wooden bed, he heard a knock at the door. · No, to be precise, it was a heavy pounding, accompanied by a coarse voice: "He Pingsheng... open up..." · It was Boss Zhang's voice. · He Pingsheng unlatched the door and pulled it open with a creak. · He saw Boss Zhang standing there holding a bag, walking in with a chuckle. "Pingsheng, how is it? Tired today?" · Thinking Boss Zhang was concerned for him, He Pingsheng replied gratefully, "A little tired!" · "Heh..." Boss Zhang chuckled. "I saw. You did five trips yesterday, and you didn't rest for a moment today, finishing fifteen loads." · "Ai, I know you're tired!" · "Can you finish the task tomorrow?" · Facing Boss Zhang's inquiry, He Pingsheng felt uncertain. · He could only say, "I will definitely work hard tomorrow!" · "Good!" Boss Zhang patted his shoulder. "Working hard is good, but I'm afraid you'll work yourself to death and still not finish this water-carrying task!" · "Look, what's this?" · Boss Zhang opened the cloth bag in his hand. · A small portion of a bag of snowy white rice appeared before He Pingsheng. · He Pingsheng asked curiously, "Is this rice?" · "It's not just rice!" Boss Zhang shook his head. "The Immortals took pity on us servants and gave the word. Every month, everyone gets a certain amount of Spirit Rice. Others get two pounds a month, but you're different—you get ten pounds!" · "Huh?" He Pingsheng asked. "Why?" · Boss Zhang replied, "Why else? Because carrying water is heavy work. But brother, every newcomer has to go through this stage. It's not that I'm trying to cheat you; if you don't believe me, ask the others—they've all carried water!" · "Once another newcomer arrives, you won't have to carry water anymore!" · "Come on... find something to hold it, and I'll pour the rice for you!" · He Pingsheng looked around the room and realized the only thing that could hold the Spirit Rice was that old ceramic basin. · He picked up the dark ceramic basin from the floor and placed it on the table. · Boss Zhang emptied the bag, and the rice tumbled into the basin with a rustling sound. · In the dim light of the evening, aided by the moonlight, He Pingsheng could see a faint green glow emanating from the white grains. · It really was Spirit Rice! · He Pingsheng had seen such things before. · When Uncle Jiang, Jiang Jian, was an Outer Sect Disciple, he also received ten pounds of Spirit Rice every month. · He Pingsheng had often run the errand to collect it for him, but Jiang Jian's Spirit Rice had been a vibrant jade green. · Different colors of Spirit Rice meant different qualities. · It was said that Top-grade Spirit Rice appeared golden yellow. · High-grade Spirit Rice was jade green. · The grains in He Pingsheng's basin were the lowest quality—the kind the Immortals looked down upon. Otherwise, how could they have trickled down into the hands of the Handyman Quarters? · "Remember, just cook two handfuls a day. Eat half before work in the morning and half before work in the afternoon!" · "With this rice in you, I guarantee you'll be able to carry water twenty times a day!" · With that, Boss Zhang turned and left. · He Pingsheng's brow furrowed. · Because he used to collect the rice for Jiang Jian, he knew exactly how much ten pounds of Spirit Rice looked like. · The rice in this basin wasn't ten pounds. · It was clearly only half that—five pounds at most. · That damn Boss Zhang... did he embezzle my Spirit Rice? · With these thoughts swirling in his mind, He Pingsheng locked the door again and went straight to sleep. · There was no use overthinking it. · He was weak right now; even if he knew someone was stealing his rice, what could he do? · Could he demand it back? · No. · Since he couldn't, he might as well stop worrying and get some sleep. · [END]