There was a theory and pictures, and with Tangyuan’s direct guidance and production on-site, she managed to apply her woodworking skills acquired in her previous life where she was a nobody. Although her skills were limited and far below the level of the exquisite craftsmen here, at least she wasn’t a complete outsider.
She started to use professional terminology, and gradually became popular among soldiers and civilians.
Day after day of running around had unexpectedly slimmed her down to 100 pounds, combined with her soaking in the space, working, and her usual physical activities, the skin around her waist and abdomen wasn’t as loose as before.
Though her belly was still large, it no longer had the Michelin-like ridges. Her skin, tightened from exercise, grew firmer and firmer.
Perhaps leaving Dongru Country and stopping the consumption of poison had improved her health a day at a time—at least she no longer breathed heavily like a bull when walking. Despite being overweight, she moved quite energetically without getting too winded.
Based on her current height of 5’1’’, she would have to slim down to below 100 pounds to be considered normal—140 pounds was still overweight.
Soon, winter gave way to spring. Chunyu, mixed with the scent of rebirth, decorated everything, making it seem like spring had arrived overnight.
Here, unlike the Northern regions where you hardly feel spring or autumn—as summer transitions straight into winter and vice versa—the spring was quite distinct, with particularly frequent dew and rain. The windmills and waterwheels which everyone had worked collectively to build, actually started moving, gradually transporting water to the fields drip by drip.
Even though they had done experiments before, when the big wind came and the fields were irrigated, everyone truly appreciated Tangyuan from the bottom of their hearts.
The soldiers who used to dislike her in the military camp were now greeting her because her research had saved many lives. With the imperial orders absolute—who knew who might be the next to die? So they treated her like a lifesaver.
Rong Heng was a generous person; he usually bought groceries and cooked, and this significant achievement she had made meant that he gave her silver almost every day. Sometimes it was a hundred taels, other times fifty taels. With so many silver notes, she couldn’t spend them all, and she suggested a few times to him, but each time he said,
"Just keep it for yourself, buy some nice clothes. We’re overweight, but we’re not bad at foundation, dressing nicely can at least be pleasing to the eyes!"
Well, this topic, once brought up, was discouraging. After that, she stopped mentioning it, taking whatever amount he gave her, since those moneys could justifiably buy the vegetables and fruits from her space. The reason her cooking tasted so good was not only because of her high skills, but also because of these premium space vegetables and fruits, and since she ate them herself, she simply cooked everything in one go rather than making separate meals for her convenience.
Thus, just by association to her, Rong Heng and the two servants really benefited, so when he tossed her silver notes, she no longer felt uneasy.
And she was obedient, buying quite a lot of cloth, making clothes for herself and Rong Heng. However, the materials she bought for herself were ordinary, while those for Rong Heng were the finest locally available. She thought he might not wear what she made, but this gentleman did not despise them at all. He even gave her a generous amount of silver after learning the prices of these fabrics, proving to be a thoughtful person.