Sun Mei slapped her mouth in annoyance. She was really flustered by her outburst. How could she curse in front of her child? It seemed that she had been spending too much time with Sun Liuniang recently and was being assimilated.
She walked over and slapped Zhao Zhitong's bottom lightly. "You should learn the good things, not the bad ones."
Zhao Zhitong, being quite resilient and unafraid, said, "Mother, Elder Aunt is selling children; she's a bad person. Grandpa Bai said that it's okay to scold bad people."
"Grandpa Bai? Which grandpa?"
Zhao Zhitong replied, "My good friend."
Sun Mei and her husband didn't know about the existence of Grandpa Bai in the space. When they heard Zhao Zhitong say this, they assumed she meant Scholar Meng.
"Stop making things up. What friend? You should call him Teacher. And his surname is Meng. Hurry back and eat. Look at your noodles; they're already stuck together."
「——」
The dough prepared in the morning was almost ready. After finishing her meal, Sun Mei began to shape and steam buns.
Zhao Zhitong squatted by the vegetable garden in the courtyard, staring at the seedlings and chattering incessantly.
"Vegetables, grow up quickly, so I can eat you."
"Why do you grow so slowly? You're making me anxious."
Sun Mei came out of the kitchen and saw Zhao Zhitong squatting in the vegetable garden, talking to herself.
Helplessly, she said, "Staring at them won't make them grow any faster. If you want to eat, we can go up the mountain another day, dig some wild vegetables, and I'll make you a vegetable roll. How about that?"
Zhao Zhitong insisted stubbornly, swinging her little arms, "But I really want to eat it today."
"I'm telling you, no amount of sulking or rolling around will make the vegetables grow suddenly. If they're not ready, they're not ready. If you keep jumping around in the vegetable garden and trample the vegetables, just wait for your father to come back and spank you."
No matter what Sun Mei said, the stubborn young girl wouldn't leave the vegetable garden.
Sun Mei gave up on her, turned around, and went back into the kitchen.
It all started when Sun Mei was about to steam the buns, and Zhao Zhitong, for some reason, suddenly said she wanted to eat a vegetable roll, which is a type of vegetable wrap.
However, there weren't many vegetables in the house at the moment, and the ones in the garden weren't ready to be eaten, so Sun Mei definitely couldn't make it for her.
Sun Mei certainly couldn't just go up the mountain to dig wild vegetables for her right then.
Although Sun Mei and her husband doted on Zhao Zhitong, they didn't spoil her and wouldn't unconditionally agree to her unreasonable demands.
So now, Zhao Zhitong started to argue with the vegetable seedlings in the garden, "Why do the vegetables grow so slowly? Are they hungry? What do vegetables eat?"
At this point, Grandpa Bai in the space had bright, sparkling eyes, as if he had seen hope.
"Young girl, do you know the other magical uses of the space?"
Zhao Zhitong was focusing on the vegetable seedlings and shook her head absentmindedly when she heard Grandpa Bai ask.
"Do you still remember what I told you before, that the space can be used for planting things?"
Zhao Zhitong nodded casually. "I remember, but Grandpa Bai said that becoming a person of great merit is difficult, and Tongtong can't do it."
"Ah, young girl, things cannot be accomplished all at once. Xun Zi said, 'Accumulating soil forms a mountain, where wind and rain thrive; accumulating water forms a deep pool, where dragons are born. Accumulating good deeds forms virtue, through which divine understanding is naturally achieved, and the heart of a Saint is made complete.'"
Zhao Zhitong looked confused. "I don't understand."
"It means that great mountains are formed bit by bit from soil, and the vast oceans are formed drop by drop from water. If you persist in doing good deeds, you will cultivate a noble character. Throughout history, Saints have all started by doing small things, one at a time."
Zhao Zhitong asked, "Who is a Saint?"
"A Saint is someone with the highest moral character and the greatest wisdom. The most classic example is Master Confucius. He was a person of great moral standing, complete in knowledge and action, and a truly benevolent soul. His outstanding virtues and wisdom brought him fame throughout the world. His ideas went on to influence an entire nation, and even the world."
Zhao Zhitong listened, fascinated, her eyes twinkling like stars. She completely forgot about the vegetable roll. "Wow, Saints are so amazing! I want to become a Saint like Master Confucius in the future!"
Grandpa Bai: "..." This young girl really dares to dream and speak.
"AHEM." He finally coughed and quickly changed the topic. "So, young girl, your daily acts of kindness will all contribute to your merit.
After a long period of accumulation, a Spiritual Spring has now appeared in the space! Crops nurtured with Spiritual Spring water are incredibly delicious and sweet. More importantly, it can enhance a crop's nutrients and accelerate its growth."
Zhao Zhitong, still immersed in the greatness of Saints, looked bewildered when Grandpa Bai suddenly mentioned the Spiritual Spring water.
However, she scanned the space with her consciousness but didn't find any spring. "Spiritual Spring? Where is it?"
Grandpa Bai said, "Here, right here."
Zhao Zhitong looked in the direction Grandpa Bai indicated but still couldn't see it. "Where? Where is it?"
Grandpa Bai said, "Look down at your feet."
Following Grandpa Bai's words, Zhao Zhitong looked down and saw... a small puddle.
That's right, a small puddle, about the size of the bowl she used for eating.
Zhao Zhitong squatted by the puddle, looking left and right. It was completely different from what she imagined a spring to be.
"Grandpa Bai, is this a spring? It looks like a small puddle to me."
Grandpa Bai stroked his beard, smiling broadly. "Ah, young girl, remember, you must never judge a book by its cover. No matter how small it is, a spring is still a spring. Now, take some of this spring water, mix it with well water, and try watering the vegetable garden with it."
"Oh."
Following Grandpa Bai's instructions, Zhao Zhitong took a small bowl from the space and filled it with Spiritual Spring water. She poured half a bowl into a wooden basin, then scooped up well water from the water tank and mixed them together.
Wooden basins in those days were made from thick wooden boards. Zhao Zhitong filled it with water, making it very heavy.
Zhao Zhitong could only use a water ladle to scoop a dipperful, run to the vegetable garden, sprinkle the water, and then run back to scoop another.
She did this over and over again, running back and forth countless times. Her little face flushed red from exhaustion before the vegetable garden was finally watered.
Exhausted and out of breath, Zhao Zhitong sat down beside the vegetable garden and stared at the freshly watered seedlings, lost in thought.
From the kitchen, Sun Mei watched the busy little figure in the courtyard, working diligently all by herself, and couldn't help but smile. My daughter has always been my pride—so intelligent and sensible.
If Zhao Zhitong threw a tantrum wanting something that Zhao Dong and Sun Mei thought she shouldn't have and refused her, she would be unhappy but wouldn't resort to unreasonable crying or fussing, refusing to give up until she got it.
Instead, she would find her own way to get what she wanted.
Just like now, Sun Mei thought, that diligent little figure is making my heart soften. Maybe I should swallow my pride later and go to Sun Liuniang's vegetable garden to borrow some vegetables.
At this moment, Zhao Zhitong, sitting by the vegetable garden, began to feel impatient. "Why haven't they grown taller yet?"
Grandpa Bai stroked his beard, unruffled. "Don't worry, young girl. Don't be hasty. Everything has a process. You need to remain calm when faced with things; only then can you succeed."
Zhao Zhitong: "?"
Grandpa Bai is being profound and unfathomable again, she thought.