Transmigrated as a Peasant Girl with Prophetic Dreams: Using My Space to Become the Richest Person - Chapter 52

Chapter 52: Space Upgrade

“Hey, miss, don’t leave just yet! If there’s an issue, we can discuss it further.”

“It’s too expensive. My budget is five taels.”

“Miss, are you joking? Where can you buy a servant for five taels these days?”

“If that won’t do, then I’m leaving.”

“Wait, wait, wait! Miss, why are you in such a hurry? Eight taels—how about eight taels?”

The manager felt a pang of pain. For an ordinary servant, five taels would certainly be no problem. But this man wasn’t ordinary; he knew martial arts. He was easily worth ten taels—the manager hadn’t actually been overcharging. However, eight taels was acceptable; it wasn’t a total loss. Any lower, though, and it would be out of the question.

Yang Xue knew when to stop. “Eight tales? I suppose that’s doable.”

The manager looked at her. “You’re a stubborn one, miss. One word and you’re out the door.”

Yang Xue shrugged. “What else? If the price isn’t right, I’m certainly not buying.”

“So, we agreed on eight tales? I won’t go a copper lower,” the manager confirmed.

“Fine, fine. Eight tales. Bring the deed of sale.”

The manager immediately sent someone to fetch the contract. The man stood nearby, watching the transaction as he was being traded. He felt little emotion at this point; his only hope was that this new mistress would be kind to his sister and that he hadn’t chosen the wrong person to follow.

Yang Xue paid the money and checked the name on the deed: Huang Zhongcai.

Yang Xue liked the name. (Note: Zhongcai sounds like “winning wealth” or “bringing fortune.”)

“Let’s go, Brother Huang.”

Before leaving, Yang Xue turned back to the manager. “Big brother, I’ll be back in a while.”

“Understood.”

…

As they walked out the gates, Yang Xue asked, “Where is your sister? Shall we go pick her up?”

Huang Zhongcai nodded. “Please follow me, miss.”

“You can just call me Yang Xue from now on. We can talk about my requirements while we walk.”

As they headed out, Yang Xue noticed he was leading her toward the edge of town. “You don’t live in town?”

Huang Zhongcai shook his head. They didn’t have a home; they had simply found a place to settle. The corners of the town were already occupied by beggars, so he had to take his sister to a ruined temple outside the town limits.

“Then let’s buy some things first, so we don’t have to double back after picking her up.”

Since she finally had money, she naturally wanted to buy food to bring home so the family could celebrate.

Huang Zhongcai followed behind her, already looking every bit the guard. Yang Xue bought meat, snacks, and then visited a seed shop. Although her space’s laboratory had many seeds, the collection was incomplete. Things like chili peppers, green onions, ginger, and garlic were missing.

The chili peppers were especially important. Many dishes lacked half their flavor and aroma without them. She wondered if ordinary chili seeds could be modified in her laboratory to produce different varieties.

After getting the seeds, she stopped to buy several pairs of shoes. Clothes could wait, but shoes were a necessity. Walking mountain roads every day in thin, tattered shoes was torturous. She didn’t know the exact sizes for Yang San and the others, so she described their heights and builds to the clerk. The clerk picked out appropriate sizes and assured her they could be exchanged if they didn’t fit, which gave her peace of mind.

Noticing Huang Zhongcai’s worn-out shoes, she asked, “What’s your size? I’ll buy a pair for you too.”

He shook his head quickly. “No need, no need.” He hadn’t even started working yet; he couldn’t accept a gift like that.

“Just say it. You’re considered part of the Yang family now.”

Huang Zhongcai thought for a moment and said hesitantly, “Could I… swap my pair for a pair for my sister instead?”

Yang Xue paused, then nodded. “That’s fine. What’s her size?”

He quickly provided the size, and Yang Xue let him pick a pair. He happily chose the most ordinary, cheapest pair and thanked her profusely.

…

The Ruined Temple

With the shoes bought, they left the town to fetch his sister. Despite his own tattered shoes, Huang Zhongcai looked cheerful clutching his sister’s new ones.

“By the way, your sister is twelve. How old are you?” Yang Xue had only glanced at the name on the deed earlier.

“I am exactly twenty this year.”

“What?!” Yang Xue was incredulous. He was only twenty? She had assumed he was at least thirty. Was it possible to age that fast? She looked closer at him and realized it wasn’t that he was naturally old, but that the hardships of life had weathered him.

She suddenly thought of her own body’s original host. Due to chronic malnutrition, she was sixteen but looked like a small thirteen-year-old. In a way, they were kindred spirits. Only recently, with better food and sleep, had she started looking like a girl in the bloom of her youth.

Huang Zhongcai lived in a completely different direction from Niao’er Village. Eventually, they reached a dilapidated temple. Yang Xue pointed at the broken door. “You live here?”

“Yes.”

Great, she thought. The siblings live in a ruined temple, and my family lives in a cave. Talk about being brothers in misfortune.

“Alright, go inside and explain the situation to your sister as I described. I’ll wait out here.”

“Okay.”

…

The Space Upgrade

Once Huang Zhongcai went inside and she confirmed no one was around, Yang Xue entered her Space.

She went straight to the laboratory building to drop off the new seeds. Just as she was about to leave, a line of text appeared on the electronic screen:

Congratulations! The Space has been upgraded.

Yang Xue was surprised; she hadn’t known the space could level up. She rushed outside to see what had changed. The land area had indeed expanded, though the new soil was currently empty.

Walking to her experimental field, she noticed the soil felt richer and more fertile. To be sure, she’d need to take a sample back to the lab, but her intuition told her she was right.

She looked at the large expanse of new land. What should I plant? She intended to utilize every inch. If chaos ever broke out in the outside world, she could survive on the supplies from this space.

After inspecting the new plots and picking some fruits and vegetables, she exited. It was then that she made a startling discovery: this time, she had entered space with her physical body, not just her consciousness.