Chapter 3

Xiaoping stood in the room, testing a light jog, and after a while, he was pleasantly surprised to find that the feeling of being out of breath and having a heavy stone pressing on his chest after a little exercise was gone. At first, Xiaoping was hesitant to believe it was true, so he jumped rope in the room and did a few push-ups, only then did he start to feel a slight stuffiness in his chest.

However, the fact that he only started feeling uncomfortable after such a long period of exercise indicated that Xiaoping's condition had improved significantly. Although he hadn't fully recovered to the level of a normal person, it wouldn't greatly affect his daily life anymore.

"What... is this?" Xiaoping looked at himself in the mirror with surprise, unable to believe that such a miracle could happen. At this moment, Xiaoping was overwhelmed with emotion, so happy that he couldn't even speak. Because of this illness, he hadn't even gone to college, let alone looked for a job. The burden that had weighed on him for over twenty years was now mostly gone, how could Xiaoping not be overjoyed?

After the initial joy, Xiaoping gradually calmed down and began to think about the reason for his recovery. He reviewed everything that had happened in the past few days and finally concluded that the miracle must be related to the Spirit Cauldron.

If there was anything strange that had happened to Xiaoping in the past few days, it was only the incident of obtaining the Spirit Cauldron by the river. He quickly connected the dots between touching the liquid in the cauldron, the foul smell that had emanated from his body, and the improvement in his condition. Thinking about this, Xiaoping couldn't wait to open the lid of the Spirit Cauldron, hoping to pour out another drop of the liquid. He believed that if he could obtain another drop of the spirit liquid, he would be completely cured.

However, no matter how hard Xiaoping tried, he couldn't get another drop of spirit liquid from the Spirit Cauldron. This made Xiaoping both worried and disappointed. If the drop he had obtained yesterday was the last one in the cauldron, his hope of being completely cured would be dashed.

For Xiaoping, becoming a healthy person was undoubtedly the most important thing. So in the following days, he broke his usual routine and didn't go out to sell newspapers. Instead, he stayed in the room all day, checking the Spirit Cauldron every now and then, hoping that the miracle from that night would happen again.

Fortunately, reality didn't disappoint Xiaoping. On the evening of the third day, when he tipped the Spirit Cauldron again, he was pleasantly surprised to see the spirit liquid slowly flowing out, forming a clear drop hanging at the mouth of the bottle.

This time, Xiaoping wouldn't let the spirit liquid fall onto his hand and be wasted. He quickly opened his mouth to catch it carefully. When the spirit liquid landed in Xiaoping's mouth, he felt a warmth on his tongue, which then quickly spread throughout his body, making him feel warm and comfortable. In this state, Xiaoping felt his eyelids getting heavier and soon fell into a deep sleep...

When Xiaoping woke up, it was already the next day. As soon as he regained consciousness, he sniffed his body vigorously. When he smelled a distinct foul odor, he couldn't help but laugh happily. Xiaoping didn't bother to wash off the dirt on his body; he immediately started high-intensity exercise in the room. This time, his physical condition had improved even more. Whether it was jumping rope or doing push-ups, he did them effortlessly. After continuous exercise for more than two hours, he still didn't feel the slightest bit tired, and his eyes welled up with tears.

The burden that had weighed on Xiaoping since childhood had finally been completely lifted. From now on, he wouldn't have to endure others' strange looks and could live a normal life. How could Xiaoping not be emotionally moved? Since the death of his only relative, his grandfather, he hadn't cried no matter how difficult life had been. This was the first time he had shed tears in five years. Unlike that time, his eyes were now filled with tears of happiness, as if he could already see a beautiful life beckoning to him.

After a while, Xiaoping gradually calmed down. The first thing he did was to find a thin rope to hang the Spirit Cauldron around his neck. Now that he had confirmed it was an extraordinary treasure, he had to carry it with him to feel at ease. After hiding the Spirit Cauldron close to his body, Xiaoping began to plan his future.

For Xiaoping, who had suffered through hard times, the thing he most wanted to do was to earn money and enjoy life, to live with pride. He had never given up on this dream and had been quietly preparing for it all along. Now that Xiaoping was healthy, the first thing he thought of was to earn money. However, how to earn money was a real challenge for him.

The Spirit Cauldron could produce a drop of spirit liquid every three days, and such a treasure could certainly fetch a high price. However, Xiaoping was just an ordinary person. If he made the Spirit Cauldron public, it might bring him not wealth and status, but rather fatal disaster. Therefore, the plan to sell the spirit liquid for money was absolutely out of the question. However, apart from this method, Xiaoping couldn't think of any other way to earn money.

"How can I earn money?" Xiaoping pondered this question, his gaze wandering around the room. When he saw the potted plant on the table, his eyes suddenly lit up with hope.

The pot on the table contained a kumquat tree. Due to lack of sunlight and care, it had almost completely withered. However, the kumquat tree now looked very healthy, with each leaf as green as the finest jade, and white flowers blooming among the branches. Several fruits had already formed and looked like they would ripen soon.

Xiaoping remembered that he had thrown a paper towel soaked in spirit liquid into the pot. The kumquat tree, which had been on the verge of death, had changed so much in just three days, clearly due to the effect of the spirit liquid. Since the spirit liquid was effective on plants, Xiaoping decided to use it to grow vegetables for sale. Vegetables grown with spirit liquid would surely be very popular, and using them to earn his first pot of gold should be no problem.

"Since heaven has given me this opportunity, I must seize it!" Xiaoping clutched the Spirit Cauldron hanging from his chest, filled with determination. He hurriedly took a shower and then went to find the landlord, Mr. and Mrs. Liu. They were chatting in the kitchen, and when they saw Xiaoping walk in, Mrs. Liu asked, "Xiaoping, are you feeling better?"

Xiaoping hadn't gone out for several days, and Mrs. Liu had asked him what was wrong. At the time, Xiaoping had said he had caught a cold from the rain and needed to rest for a few days, so Mrs. Liu asked him this.

"Completely better," Xiaoping smiled at the Lius and said, "Uncle Liu, I want to talk to you about something. Can I borrow the yard outside the house?"

Mr. Liu was curious, "What do you need the yard for?"

"I plan to grow vegetables," Xiaoping explained, using the reason he had already thought of. "I had a classmate who worked at the Agricultural Research Institute. They developed a new variety of vegetables that sells very well in the market. Since I don't have anything else to do right now, I want to try growing them. If it works out, I'll expand the scale."

Mr. Liu, who came from a farming background, naturally approved of Xiaoping's plan and nodded in satisfaction. "Young people should do something practical. The yard is just lying idle, so you can use it to grow vegetables. I can't charge you for it."

Xiaoping knew that Mr. Liu was being kind, but he didn't like taking advantage of others, so he quickly refused, "Uncle Liu, you must take the money. Otherwise, I won't feel right using the yard."

Mr. Liu was also stubborn and insisted on lending the yard to Xiaoping for free. They argued for a while, and in the end, they compromised. Xiaoping rented the yard for fifty yuan a month, but the rent would only start after he sold the first batch of vegetables, which was a win-win result.

Mrs. Liu, however, was a bit worried and asked, "Xiaoping, growing vegetables isn't easy. Can your body handle it?"

Xiaoping smiled and said, "It's fine. I'll just work a bit slower if necessary. Besides, moderate exercise is good for the body. Maybe my condition will gradually improve."

Mrs. Liu didn't know the severity of Xiaoping's illness, so she was reassured by his words and nodded in agreement with her husband.

===分割线===

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