Gou Zai Qingluo Cave Heaven Cultivation

A gentle breeze stirred, and fine, downy rain fell in wisps, rippling across the water and reflecting the hazy reeds on the shore.

"Brother Bao, I'll head back now. See you at the clan school tomorrow!" Zhou Changping stood on the Dharma boat, waving goodbye with reluctance.

"Go back now, see you tomorrow," Zhou Baoqing replied with a smile.

With a hum, the Dharma Boat transformed into a streak of light and flew towards Qinglin Workshop.

Zhou Baoqing held a green bamboo umbrella in one hand and carried a small bucket containing the Xuan Shui Spirit Turtle in the other. The spiritual plants had been carefully stored in the book box.

He walked slowly, watching the raindrops fall on the lotus leaves by the roadside, gathering into glistening water droplets, and then, unable to bear the weight, rolling down the edges of the lotus leaves into the water.

That lotus is the Jade Lotus, a first-grade spiritual plant. Its leaves can be used to wrap spiritual dishes and enhance their aroma, and the jade-white lotus root slices are even more crisp and refreshing when sliced ​​and served cold.

The people living along the water in Qinglin Bay are not all fish farmers.

For example, my grandfather's younger brother, Zhou Changming's second grandfather's family, specializes in growing Qingyuhe and various aquatic vegetables.

Just like the world of cultivation, where there is demand, there is trade; some people raise fish and grow grass.

Naturally, there are people who specialize in making nets, and those spirit fishing nets can catch spirit fish weighing a hundred or so pounds without breaking.

There were also those who specialized in building wooden rafts and Dharma boats.

In short, each has its own merits, and all industries are thriving.

This light rain came and went quickly; just when we were almost in sight of our fishpond, it stopped again, which was really annoying.

Zhou Baoqing closed his umbrella, shook off the water droplets, and was passing by Uncle Wang's fishpond when he suddenly heard a rustling sound.

He has now begun to enter the path of cultivation, and his five senses are far more acute than those of ordinary people. He quickly held the umbrella horizontally in front of him, stopped and looked in the direction of the sound.

Then a female dog with yellow and white fur, a slightly chubby belly, and a fierce-looking face emerged from the grass, baring her teeth.

"Big Yellow, come back!"

Just then, a loud and clear shout rang out, and a man dressed in shorts with his trousers rolled up strode over. It was Uncle Wang.

The Zhou family lived in the river bend, and every time Zhou Baoqing went home, he had to pass by the embankment of Uncle Wang's fishpond.

Upon hearing Uncle Wang's reprimand, the big yellow dog let out a yelp, folded its ears, tucked its tail between its legs, and dragged itself behind Uncle Wang, while keeping a wary eye on Zhou Baoqing.

"Old Zhou's Bao-ge, did Dahuang offend you? Oh, my brother's family couldn't keep him anymore, so they just sent him over."

Uncle Wang greeted him with a smile, and then said, "I saw you from afar, sitting in that magnificent Dharma boat belonging to the wealthy Zhou family, moored at the mouth of the river."

Zhou Baoqing sighed inwardly.

He deliberately didn't let Zhou Changping escort him to his doorstep, fearing that Fazhou would be too conspicuous and attract unnecessary gossip from the villagers. Unexpectedly, someone still spotted him.

He didn't show it on his face, but smiled and said, "Uncle Wang, how come your eyes are so sharp? You can see clearly from so far away."

"That's right, with my eyesight, I can see even a few mudskippers crawling in the water!"

He glanced at Zhou Baoqing and asked cheerfully, "Brother Bao, wasn't today a small test? How did it go?"

He used to be reluctant to talk to Zhou Baoqing, simply because the kid used to be arrogant and haughty.

Unexpectedly, after falling down a few days ago, I became more composed.

These past few days, I've seen several uncles and elders, and I've been happy to greet them proactively.

Uncle Wang couldn't help but sigh to himself, "This little rascal has actually grown up and become more sensible after getting hurt."

Zhou Baoqing smiled.

This is truly a traditional art form from ancient times to the present, both in China and abroad.

No matter where you are, the first thing your elders ask you when they meet is always about your grades.

"It's alright, I answered all the questions, so there shouldn't be any problems."

He humbly said a few words, satisfying Uncle Wang's concern and curiosity as an elder, before taking his leave and heading towards his own fishpond.

The house still smelled of the secret-recipe fish food, but you couldn't smell it outside at all, all thanks to the concealment array around the courtyard wall.

"My cousin is back!"

Zhao Yuanqiu was practicing calligraphy on a small stool in the courtyard when he heard the noise and immediately ran over.

Upon seeing the small black water turtle lying in the wooden bucket in Zhou Baoqing's hand, he immediately exclaimed "Eh!" and his face showed an extremely surprised and delighted expression, clearly showing how much he liked it.

However, he didn't touch the little turtle, but instead handed Zhou Baoqing a thick stack of papers.

That was the homework Zhou Baoqing assigned him every day.

The handwriting on the paper was neat and tidy, with each stroke showing seriousness, completely different from the messy, scribbled mess of half a month ago. It was clear that a great deal of hard work had been put in.

After looking at it, not only did my handwriting improve, but I also did my homework more diligently.

Zhou Baoqing pointed out a few things, and Zhao Yuanqiu immediately understood.

"I understand, cousin, thank you!"

He looked at Zhou Baoqing with an adoring gaze that shone brightly in the light.

"You must be tired after a long day of exams. Come and have some hot tea."

At this moment, Zhao Fanghua came out of the kitchen and handed over two cups of steaming hot tea with a smile.

This tea is made by brewing the roots of Jade Beard Grass together with slices of Red Jade Radish. It has a faint, sweet aroma and is suitable for both summer and autumn. It is especially good for relieving fatigue, regulating qi, and moisturizing dryness.

Zhou Baoqing took a sip of tea, then heard Zhao Fanghua say animatedly:

"My maternal grandfather went to the fishing platform early this morning. It seems that quite a few customers were quite interested in our bait. They said that if they tried it and it worked well, they would get their supplies from us regularly from now on!"

You don't need to worry about any of this, Bao-ge. I've thought it through. From now on, I'll focus on making bait at home and getting the workshop up and running. I guarantee I'll earn enough spirit stones for you to buy pills and talismans!

After she finished speaking, she glanced at Zhou Baoqing cautiously, afraid that her younger brother would disagree.

Zhou Baoqing was somewhat surprised.

Unexpectedly, my cousin Fanghua is also a very career-minded woman.

But then I thought, if I hadn't experienced the hardship of living under someone else's roof, I wouldn't be so eager to have a livelihood.

A girl of this age, in other families, would still be pampered by her parents. How could she be so preoccupied with working and making money?

Thinking of the figure he had seen at the market that day, his heart sank.

If Uncle Zhao Qiang is really the gambling addict he saw at the jade gambling market, what will become of my cousin and her brother's future?

Gamblers have no humanity whatsoever!

My aunt's family are rare honest people; they shouldn't be like that.

It can't be like that.

Zhou Baoqing put down his teacup, looked into the girl's eyes, and said earnestly:

"Sister, do what you want. Whether you want to start a business or stay at home, you don't need to care about what others think. If you make money, you can use it to build up a substantial dowry for yourself."

"Okay." Hearing this, Zhao Fanghua's eyes welled up slightly, and she immediately felt that her younger brother was really good.

Not only did she not look down on the siblings, but she was also so considerate and understanding. I really hope that life can continue like this forever.

As for the dowry the younger brother mentioned...

She wasn't interested in that; she just wanted to earn more money to ease the burden on her family.

Once the workshop grows bigger and we've saved enough money and have plenty of spirit stones, we can buy our mother some nice robes, send Yuanqiu to the clan school to study properly, and the two brothers can live harmoniously and support each other, making their future even more prosperous.

Thinking of this, Zhao Fanghua's eyebrows curved into crescent moons as she smiled, her eyes sparkling with hope and anticipation for the future.