Chapter 30: Out of Money Again

In the evening, Zhao Hai specially invited Jibu Da to have dinner with them. Zhao Hai wanted to use this method to make Jibu Da a role model for the slaves, to inspire them to rejuvenate and strive to change their current living conditions. Only in this way could the slaves become more creative.

Jibu Da was very nervous. Although she was now a commoner, she knew that commoners did not have the right to dine with nobles. However, Zhao Hai called her to the main castle's dining room, which made her even more nervous.

But when Merlin brought the dinner, Jibu Da was stunned. She had been a commoner before and had never seen what noble meals were like, but she had heard that nobles had many courses, with strict rules about the order of dishes. The first dish alone was very particular, and the utensils they used were made of gold and silver. So when Zhao Hai called her to have dinner, she thought she would see such a scene.

But when she saw the dinner Merlin brought, she really couldn't believe that this was Zhao Hai's dinner. Ordinary bread, soup, vegetables, and meat, and the meat was only for Zhao Hai, not for the others. This dinner was not much better than what the slaves outside ate.

Zhao Hai also noticed Jibu Da's nervousness. Since she entered the dining room, she had been standing there, too nervous to sit down. Seeing her, Zhao Hai couldn't help but smile slightly and said, "Jibu, come and sit down. I have already given you a surname, so by the rules, you are now part of the Buda family. Don't be so nervous, sit down."

As he spoke, Zhao Hai gave Meg a look, and Meg immediately understood his meaning. She walked to Jibu Da's side and smiled, saying, "Sister Jibu, sit down. Young Master is very easy-going. We now eat with Young Master every day. The rules of other nobles don't apply here. You don't need to worry."

Jibu Da knew Meg's status and that Meg and the others were former servants of the Buda family. Such people would have a high status elsewhere, at least much higher than commoners.

However, the past few days of interaction had also made Jibu Da realize that Meg was a good person. Although she always watched them work, there was no beating or scolding. Plus, Meg was a girl, so Jibu Da's nervousness gradually eased.

Soon, Merlin brought the dinner. Seeing Jibu Da still a bit nervous, Merlin smiled kindly and said, "Girl, you don't need to be nervous. From now on, you are part of the Buda family. Don't worry, Young Master is very kind. By the way, you said you were a commoner before? How did you become a slave?"

Perhaps it was Merlin's kind appearance that made Jibu Da put down her last bit of nervousness. She finally softly recounted how she became a slave.

Zhao Hai and the others remained silent, listening quietly. When Jibu Da finished, Zhao Hai sighed and said, "With such nobles existing, it's a miracle that the world hasn't fallen into chaos. Well, Grandma Merlin, let's eat. Jibu, from now on, you are a servant of the Buda family, with the status of a commoner. You will receive a monthly wage. Tomorrow, follow Meg and learn from her."

Although Zhao Hai was excited about Jibu Da's skill in weaving grass, he also knew that her skill wasn't very helpful to them at the moment. Zhao Hai's generous rewards today were more about recognizing her courage. Regardless of why she stood up, her courage was worth rewarding. Moreover, with her as an example, the other slaves would surely be more motivated.

During the meal, Jibu Da kept stealing glances at Zhao Hai and the others, but she found that they didn't seem to have any unusual reactions. They ate naturally, without the difficulty she had imagined.

After the meal, Zhao Hai and the others went to the living room. After sitting down, Zhao Hai said to Jibu Da, "Jibu, I'll have Muto and Shitou bring you a bed and some bedding. Take good care of your brother today. Tomorrow morning, follow Meg and do what she tells you. If there's nothing to do, weave more grass mats and send them to the outer castle. The weather is still cold, so they can hang the mats on the windows to block the cold wind."

Jibu Da immediately replied, "Yes, Master."

Zhao Hai smiled slightly and said, "Jibu, you are now a servant of the Buda family, not a slave. You don't need to call me Master. Call me Young Master, like Meg and the others. Muto, Shitou, go and bring bedding for Jibu and An. Jibu, go back and take care of your brother."

The three of them responded and turned to leave. Meg and Merlin stood by Zhao Hai's side. Zhao Hai sighed and said, "I hope Jibu's story will inspire the other slaves. Now, the Buda family is really poor. If these slaves can produce something, we might discover some talents among them."

Merlin also nodded. She knew the difficulties the Buda family faced. Although they had bought a lot of supplies when they came to the Black Earth Wasteland, most of the supplies were food and clothing, and some tools. They didn't buy large items, or they would have given each slave a bed.

Now, although they no longer had the pressure of food, they were constantly worried about the situation in the Corpse Swamp, which was even more stressful than before.

Actually, Merlin was very confident in her and Meg's abilities. She believed they could handle ordinary monsters. Don't forget, she was an eighth-level mage, and Meg was a sixth-level mage. Muto and Shitou were sixth-level warriors, all with good skills.

The reason Merlin didn't reassure Zhao Hai completely was that she was unsure about the Corpse Swamp. It was one of the five forbidden zones on the continent. Even a ninth-level great mage couldn't come out unscathed, let alone an eighth-level mage.

Although they didn't need to enter the Corpse Swamp, if the attacking monsters were too strong, she couldn't guarantee they could repel them, so she didn't make any promises to Zhao Hai.

At this moment, Zhao Hai suddenly stood up and turned to Merlin, saying, "Grandma Merlin, I'm going to the space. The magic radishes are ripe, and I need to harvest them. Do you want to come?"

Merlin shook her head and said, "Young Master, I won't go. I need to clean the kitchen. Let Meg accompany you."

Zhao Hai nodded and turned to Meg, saying, "Meg, come with me to a place. This place is the biggest secret of the Buda family. Besides you, me, Grandma Merlin, Muto, and Shitou, no one else knows, not even Grandpa Green. So you mustn't tell anyone."

Meg, seeing how serious Zhao Hai was, didn't know what to do and turned to look at Merlin. Merlin nodded and said, "Meg, listen to Young Master."

Meg immediately nodded and said, "Yes, Young Master. Don't worry, I won't say anything."

Zhao Hai nodded and, with a thought, the two of them were in the space. Meg's reaction upon entering the space was similar to Merlin's. The radishes were now ripe, and the corn had sprouted.

Zhao Hai explained the function of the space to Meg and then harvested the radishes, separating the radishes from the leaves as before.

Meg, looking at this magical space, understood why her mother and Zhao Hai said it was the biggest secret of the Buda family. It wasn't just the biggest secret but also the hope for the Buda family's revival. No wonder they were so serious about it.

After Zhao Hai finished harvesting the radishes, he bought a bag of radish seeds from the store. Now, his space stored nearly 6,000 pounds of corn and three seasons of radishes, but he only had fifty gold coins left. Although he had a few bags of other seeds, it wasn't the right time to plant them, so he had to put them aside.

After doing this, Zhao Hai turned to Meg and said, "Meg, this is the magical space I obtained. Everything here is under my control. This is also the hope of the Buda family. You mustn't tell anyone."

Meg said solemnly, "Young Master, don't worry. I know the importance and won't say anything."

Zhao Hai nodded and said, "Let's go out. We don't need to worry about this place anymore. It's getting late, so go to bed early."

With a thought, the two of them reappeared in the living room. Muto and Shitou had already returned but were not surprised by the sudden appearance of Zhao Hai and Meg, as they had been to the space and knew what it was.

Seeing everyone there, Zhao Hai nodded and said, "Alright, everyone, go to bed. We have things to do tomorrow. Meg, take Jibu and learn more tomorrow." Meg responded, and Zhao Hai slowly walked to his room.

Zhao Hai had to think carefully about what to do next. He only had fifty gold coins left. Should he sell the radishes or the corn to get more gold coins? If necessary, he could plant corn on the ten acres of land where the radishes were grown.

Lying in bed, thinking about the space, he knew he had to sell something to get money. He preferred to sell the radishes. Before Grandpa Green returned, the radishes weren't very useful, and he had already separated the radish leaves, so selling the radishes wouldn't affect feeding the blue-eyed rabbits.

The corn was still abundant, and its uses were greater than the radishes. It could be used as food or feed, so Zhao Hai didn't plan to sell the corn.