Chapter 8: Which Part Offended You?

Liu Guihua was just as dumbstruck. She'd lived half her life and had never seen vegetables this big, this fine—let alone ones that had grown overnight.

"Old man, take a look! Is something wrong with the soil?" She tugged at Old Man Zhou's sleeve, fear creeping into her voice.

Old Man Zhou crouched, scooped up a handful of dirt, and sniffed it.

The soil was damp, carrying a faint sweetness he couldn't quite name—far more pleasant than the usual smell of their fields.

His expression shifted again and again. At last he looked up at the others, trembling with excitement. "The land... the land's fine. The vegetables are fine too. This is a blessing—a huge blessing!"

Zhou Xing'er stood at the back of the group, watching her family's shock. Time to put on a performance.

She had to steer this toward "divine will" or "feng shui." No one could suspect her—the Spirit Spring Space had to stay secret at all costs.

Zhou Xing'er drew a deliberate breath, her face arranging itself into an expression of utter shock, reverence, and a flicker of delight. She hurried forward, her peach-blossom eyes wide with disbelief.

"Oh my heavens! Dad, Mom, this... this is a miracle!" she exclaimed, her voice brimming with joy. "Look at these vegetables! They're ten times prettier than anything sold in the city!"

Zhou Dazhu turned to her, puzzled. "Little sister, weren't you out in the vegetable patch yesterday? Did you notice anything strange?"

Zhou Xing'er's heart skipped a beat, but her face betrayed nothing. She shook her head innocently. "Big brother, I just thought the ground was a bit dry yesterday, so I grabbed a bucket and watered them. Back then the veggies were still wilted. I swear, when I left, they definitely didn't look like this! Could it be... does our family's land really have great fortune?"

"Great fortune?" Zhou Dazhu stared at her.

Zhou Xing'er nodded earnestly and lowered her voice for the others. "Dad, Mom, I once heard the elders in town say our ancestors might have produced someone blessed with great luck. Some lands are feng shui treasures—they look ordinary most of the time, but when the timing is right and heaven blesses them, miracles happen!"

"The water we've been drinking these past two days has been so sweet. After drinking it, Dad's back stopped aching, Mom's spirits lifted, and none of us felt tired working in the afternoon. Now even the backyard vegetables grew this big overnight. Isn't this Heaven helping our family? It's a sign we're about to get rich!"

Zhou Xing'er's explanation sounded plausible enough, and it neatly covered up the business with the water from the day before.

In this remote rural corner of the 1990s, people were naturally prone to superstition. Hearing her interpretation, the fear in everyone's hearts melted away, replaced by boundless ecstasy.

"Yes! Xing'er's right!" Old Man Zhou slapped his thigh and stood up, his eyes shining. "Heaven must have seen how honestly our Zhou family suffered through poverty all these years. Couldn't bear to watch us stay poor, so He manifested His power to help us! This is a divine miracle!"

Liu Guihua quickly clasped her hands and bowed toward the sky. "Thank you, Heavenly Father. Thank you, Bodhisattva, for showing your divinity. Our Zhou family will surely do more good deeds and never squander Heaven's grace."

Zhou Erzhu and Zhou Dazhu rubbed their hands together, buzzing with excitement.

"Dad, can we... can we take these vegetables to the county seat to sell?" Zhou Erzhu asked impatiently.

"Sell! Of course we sell!" Old Man Zhou shouted, his voice filled with unprecedented vigor. "Dazhu, Erzhu, hurry back inside and grab the baskets and carrying poles! We'll pick all the ripe tomatoes and cabbages today and set up a stall in the county seat! With vegetables this good, if we can't sell them, it'd be an outrage against heaven and earth!"

"Yes, Dad!"

Zhou Dazhu and Zhou Erzhu shouted excitedly and ran into the house for the tools.

Zhang Fangfang was overjoyed too, calling out as she followed. "Big brother, Second brother, wait for me! I'll help you pick the vegetables too!"

The whole family busied themselves in the vegetable patch for over an hour. Everyone was slightly dazed, as if walking on cotton, unable to believe how unrealistically wonderful everything seemed.

Once all the giant ripe tomatoes and cabbages were packed into the large baskets, Zhou Dazhu and Zhou Erzhu hoisted the heavy loads onto their shoulders. With Old Man Zhou and Zhang Fangfang guarding them, the family happily—yet somewhat dreamily—returned to the front courtyard.

Eldest Sister-in-law Li Xiulan had stayed home to care for little Tie Dan, who was only six months old, so she was the only one who hadn't witnessed the miracle in the backyard.

At that moment, Li Xiulan was sitting in the main hall holding Tie Dan.

Seeing everyone return, she hurried up to greet them, curious. "Mom, what was Dazhu shouting about in the backyard earlier? What happened?"

Before Liu Guihua could answer, the baby in her arms suddenly let out a loud wail.

Tie Dan cried with particular grievance, tears streaming down his face. His small body wriggled constantly in Li Xiulan's embrace, his chubby legs kicking vigorously.

"Oh dear, why is he crying again?" Li Xiulan patted Tie Dan clumsily, cooing gently. "Shh, good baby, don't cry. Mama's here. Are you hungry? Or does something hurt?"

But Tie Dan only cried harder, his little cheeks turning red.

Zhou Xing'er had just set down a basket of tomatoes. Hearing Tie Dan's cries, she couldn't help but walk over to check on her adorable nephew.

The moment she approached Li Xiulan, a voice suddenly echoed in her mind without warning—loud, clear, and dripping with milky childishness.

[Wah wah wah! My butt is wet and hot and hurts so bad! Mama, change my diaper quick! Stop skimping on diapers, if you don't change it my butt's gonna get all red and rot off, it hurts!]

The voice was soft, tinged with a sobbing tone—unmistakably that of a young child.

Before Zhou Xing'er had even realized she was hearing Tie Dan's inner thoughts, she blurted out to Li Xiulan almost instinctively: "Sister-in-law, Tie Dan needs a diaper change. He says he peed himself and his butt hurts. He told you not to skimp on diapers and to give him a clean one right away, or his butt will get all rashy."

The moment the words left her mouth—

Zhou Dazhu, carrying the load, froze.

Zhou Erzhu, about to pour some water, stopped dead.

Zhang Fangfang and Liu Guihua turned sharply, staring at Zhou Xing'er as if she'd lost her mind.

Li Xiulan held the baby, looking at Zhou Xing'er with a mix of amusement, bewilderment, and confusion. "Little sister... what nonsense are you talking about? Tie Dan is only six months old. He can't even speak. How did he tell you he peed himself? And how did he tell you not to skimp on diapers?"