In the Li family, such noises were common. At first, people would knock on the door and try to calm things down, saying things like, "A peaceful home brings good fortune."
But after a while, the neighbors got used to it. They stopped paying attention to how often Mrs. Li shouted at and hit her husband.
After all, it was just another argument between a wife and her husband—nothing too serious. People had their own work to do. No one had the time to stand around day and night playing peacemaker for someone else's family.
Besides, in a women-dominated society like this one, it wasn't unusual for wives to be hot-tempered. It was even normal for them to occasionally hit their husbands.
Everyone minded their own business. Life was already hard enough without worrying about someone else's drama.
Xavi had heard the shouting too. He looked a bit scared because Mrs. Li's loud voice was fierce and intimidating. He had just gotten married and this was his first time witnessing such a scene in person.
But unlike Jewel, he didn't seem shocked. Wives hitting their husbands was common in this world. Even their village had cases like that. He had heard stories of women who hit so hard they left their husbands seriously hurt.
"Let's go," Jewel said.
The yelling continued, but Jewel couldn't bear to listen any longer. Seeing how frightened the little husband looked, she gently put her arm around his shoulders to comfort him.
She didn't like bullying, but she had no right to interfere in someone else's household. So she just quietly took Xavi's hand and led him toward the ox cart at the village entrance.
On the cart, Jewel was adjusting her sleeves when—suddenly!
She thought she saw her office for a brief moment!
What was going on?
Was she just seeing things?
Could it be that when she came to this world, her office came along with her?
Jewel had heard that people who time-traveled sometimes gained special powers. She had already been in this world for a while, but maybe she hadn't noticed it until now.
She secretly tried moving her right hand over to her left—no reaction.
Right hand touched left hand—still nothing.
She kept trying different movements. Finally!
When her right thumb touched her left wrist—her office appeared clearly in front of her eyes!
Xavi saw her moving her hands strangely, but he didn't understand what she was doing. He figured she was just bored and turned to enjoy the scenery instead.
Jewel wanted to test if she could take something out from the space. So in her mind, she said: "Pen."
And just like that—something amazing happened!
She felt the familiar shape in her hand.
It was really her pen, the one she had used for a long time!
Even though both her hand and the pen were inside her sleeve, to avoid being noticed, she quickly sent it back into the space.
She silently tested a few more commands in her mind and found that the space could respond to her thoughts. This discovery filled her with joy.
In the bottom drawer of her office desk, she had stored some boxes of tea, a few ginseng roots, and some health supplements. She had planned to give them to the elderly during her visit to a charity project, but before she could go, she had ended up in this women-dominated world, in Xie family village.
Luckily, she could now take out a ginseng root, go to a clinic, and try to exchange it for money. That might help solve their current financial problems—at least they wouldn't have to eat bland soup and plain rice again like they did at lunch.
While thinking this, they soon arrived at town. It was around 1 p.m., just when afternoon business was starting. The street vendors had just opened for business, and the street was full of people. The air buzzed with lively voices calling out their goods.
Jewel helped Xavi down from the ox cart. The ride from the village to town cost two coins per person. After paying the fare, she led Xavi toward the nearest clinic.
"Wife, why are we going to the clinic?" Xavi asked, confused as he looked at the building in front of them.
"I found something that looks like ginseng in the mountains earlier. I just want to try my luck and see if we can sell it for some money."
Jewel didn't want to say the ginseng came from the space, so she made up a story. Not everyone could easily accept something as strange as time travel or a magical space. It was better to be careful.
"Please come in," a young female apprentice greeted them as they stepped inside the clinic. There weren't many patients, and she quickly came forward to assist them.
"Are you here to get medicine or see a doctor?" she asked.
Jewel and Xavi sat down at the doctor's table. The old physician looked up and asked, "What brings you here, if not to get medicine or see a doctor?"
"I was wondering if you buy medicinal herbs. I have something that looks like ginseng. Would you be willing to take a look at it?"
Jewel used her mind to remove the packaging around the ginseng and carefully wrapped it in a handkerchief hidden in her sleeve before taking it out.
The old doctor became interested right away and sat up straighter.
When Jewel opened the handkerchief, his eyes lit up.
"This… this is excellent ginseng!" he said, clearly excited.
"To be honest, I actually need a good ginseng right now," he continued. "May I ask how much you're asking for it, miss?"
Xavi sat beside Jewel, his eyes wide in surprise. He hadn't expected her random find to actually be something so valuable.
"I'm not sure how much it's worth. You can give me a fair price. Not too high, not too low."
Jewel believed that someone like this old doctor wouldn't try to cheat her. And from the way he looked, he truly needed the herb. They each needed something, so there was no point in overpricing. That wasn't her way of doing business. She believed in long-term fairness over quick profits. As long as the price was reasonable, she wouldn't argue.
"How about… sixty taels?" the old doctor asked carefully. Seeing Jewel remain silent, he quickly added, "Sixty-two taels. I really can't pay more… I'm almost out of money."
"But I do really want to buy it," he said sincerely. "If you're not satisfied, I can give you some other herbs as a bonus."
Xavi was shocked!
Sixty taels!
When the Xie family married him into their home, the bride price was only two and a half taels. This sale could pay off all their debts and still be enough to marry someone like him several times over!
"Alright, deal. Sixty-two taels," Jewel agreed.
All she wanted was to solve their current financial problems, pay off the debts, and make sure her family had better food and clothing. Sixty-two taels was more than enough for that. It could even build two more houses. She had no reason to refuse—it was a good deal.
After leaving the clinic, Jewel finally let out a deep breath. The heavens had been kind. Her gambling debts could now be paid. Luckily, her space had appeared in time and gave her a way to escape their tough situation.
"Husband, now that we've got some money from the herbs, let's buy some things for the house. We need to plan for food, clothes, and other daily needs."
Jewel secretly handed Xavi some broken silver coins, making sure no one around them noticed.