Chapter 100: A New Use for the Spring Water

“What a coincidence, I live nearby too. Let me walk you home since it’s on my way. My name is Wei Guo Xiao. From now on, consider us acquainted. If you ever need anything, feel free to reach out to me.”

Wei Guo Xiao realized he had very few friends in the city, so it was time to expand his network.

“Good brother Wei Guo, let’s go then.” Without hesitation, Xiao Ming Zhou climbed onto the back of Wei Guo Xiao’s bike. The two chatted as they rode home.

Along the way, Wei Guo Xiao learned that Xiao Ming Zhou’s family was burdened heavily: an elderly mother who was paralyzed, a younger brother, and a sister. Zhou’s current job was a temporary laborer at the steel mill. Their household income was barely above the poverty line set in Forty-Nine City.

The city defined impoverished households as those with a monthly per capita income under five yuan.

At that level, even affording daily meals was a struggle.

Yet it was a mystery how such a broken family had cultivated such a strong sense of justice and fairness.

Anyway, Wei Guo Xiao took a liking to his new friend, Xiao Ming Zhou.

After dropping him off at Courtyard 90, they parted ways with a promise to hang out sometime.

Wei Guo Xiao then headed back toward his own place at Courtyard 98.

As he passed Courtyard 95, where Sha Zhu lived, he saw Third Uncle Yan Bu Gui about to close the main gate.

Just then, someone hurried over, shouting for Yan Bu Gui not to shut the door.

Wei Guo Xiao looked closely— it was Sha Zhu, or someone like him, carrying a net bag holding two aluminum lunchboxes.

Third Uncle, noticing Sha Zhu returning, sped up closing the door, trapping Sha Zhu outside.

From outside, Sha Zhu called for Third Uncle to open up. Through a crack in the door, Third Uncle fixed his gaze on the lunchboxes and said, “Your Third Uncle here didn’t get enough to eat for dinner.”

Sha Zhu quickly hugged the lunchboxes to his chest, saying, “I can’t give you these.”

Wei Guo Xiao couldn’t help but laugh. The folks at Courtyard 95 were quite the characters. He regretted not living there himself. Life would certainly be more entertaining.

Frustrated at not being able to reason with Third Uncle, Sha Zhu moved aside and tried to scale the wall to get back in. After much effort, he was almost over, but his rear end was still stuck.

Wei Guo Xiao couldn’t bear it and gave Sha Zhu a sharp push on the backside with his mind. Sha Zhu yelped in surprise and tumbled inside the courtyard with a shout.

Keeping his good deed anonymous, Wei Guo Xiao chuckled as he returned to Courtyard 98.

In the backyard, he spotted Elder Liu Qing Chang, carrying a jar with a ginseng root soaked inside, happily heading home.

Curious, Wei Guo Xiao called out, “Elder Liu, where did you find that ginseng-soaked liquor? What’s it for?”

Elder Liu turned, his smile unwavering. “It’s you, Wei Guo. I finally managed to get this treasure. They say a glass a day prolongs life and brings health. A couple of shots daily keeps you strong and young.”

Wei Guo Xiao examined the jar closely. It was clear liquor with something resembling ginseng inside, though he wasn’t sure if it was genuine.

Could something like this really have such powerful effects? He was skeptical.

Still, a spark of inspiration seemed to flicker in his mind, just out of reach. For now, he greeted Elder Liu and returned to his room.

Because the coal stove’s vent had been tightly sealed and topped with a coal briquette before he left, the fire was still burning when he returned.

He replaced the briquettes and opened the stove’s vent, causing the coal to roar to life. He filled the kettle with water and set it on to boil, planning to soak his feet.

Listening to the whistle of the kettle, Wei Guo Xiao pondered the inspiration that had just slipped away.

As he poured water into the foot basin, watching the stream flow, suddenly it all came back to him.

Indeed, the spring water from his space was rich in spiritual energy. Animals that drank it healed and gained wisdom.

If he extracted this water alone, it would be hard to explain why it had such effects in everyday life.

But he could use it to brew medicinal liquor. In people’s minds, herbal-infused wines were potent remedies.

Ginseng wine could replenish vitality; snake gall wine treated rheumatism; tiger bone wine strengthened the body; even tiger whip wine was known to enhance virility.

Adding a measured amount of this spring water to such brews would surely amplify their effects—and crucially, it made sense.

Wei Guo Xiao grew more excited as he considered the feasibility.

It was entirely doable, but he’d need to prepare: large quantities of high-proof grain alcohol, brewing recipes, or even the liquor itself.

From a cost perspective, having recipes was better because he could produce high-quality herbs himself. In a pinch, he could even offer century-old ginseng wine—who could compete with that?

Once the spirit wine brewed with this spring water was ready, it would have myriad uses. To some extent, it could be called a magic elixir.

Possessing such a miracle cure in this era would greatly increase Wei Guo Xiao’s value, enabling many more opportunities.

Still, he would have to control production scale carefully to maintain scarcity and uniqueness.

This meant the spring water would become even more precious. His own cultivation consumed much of it, and his jade stone reserves were nearly depleted.

Clearly, it was time to visit the black market again to see if they could help replenish his jade stocks.

As he soaked his feet, Wei Guo Xiao contemplated these matters, deciding to get some rest and head to the nearby Pigeon Market in the early morning.

Lying in bed, he glanced at his watch. He thought to himself, “I need to buy an indoor alarm clock. This watch is good, but it can’t set alarms.”

He could only rely on his subconscious to wake him in the middle of the night. If he didn’t wake up, he’d have to see what to do later.

When he opened his eyes again, it was still dark. Under the moonlight, he checked his watch—three o’clock in the morning.

Clearing his mind, Wei Guo Xiao got up quickly, skipping washing up. He changed into a simple outfit, put on a hat, grabbed a cloth as backup, and stored his bike in his space.

He hurried out of the courtyard toward the Pigeon Market at South Luogu Alley.

He hadn’t been back since the last police sweep and wasn’t sure if the market had relocated. If it had, he’d need to observe and find out where.

Arriving, he watched from afar and saw the market was still at the same location, bustling with activity even at this hour.

Without hesitation, he put his bike away again, covered his face, and made his way into the Pigeon Market.