Chapter 70: The Hand-Copied Book II

Yan Yu naturally understood.

She disagreed, “With the rainwater accumulated over the past few months and the unpredictable strong winds, you still want to travel? That’s too reckless! What’s wrong with staying here? We have food, water, and a relatively safe shelter. Maybe if you wait a little longer, the platform will offer more useful items.”

Sister Yu shook her head. “We can’t just wait in place.”

“When it was raining, the intensity fluctuated, and I kept hesitating, unable to decide whether to leave. Then I got sick and was completely delayed. After the flood, now comes a wind disaster…

When it rained, we could just find a high place to take shelter. But with these strong winds, I don’t know how long these high-rise buildings will hold up.

A few days ago, I saw someone using waterlogged wood to build a simple boat. It was so crude that they had to cling to it and swim in the water to carry more supplies. If they didn’t have a compelling reason to leave, I don’t think they would’ve taken such a risk.

What could have forced them to go?

Probably because their original homes… were gone.

Rather than waiting passively and being forced to leave when it’s too late, it’s better to seize the right moment, prepare as much as possible, and then set out.”

Yan Yu was convinced.

“You’re right, Sister. When our village fled, we harvested wheat, ground it into flour, and pooled money to buy mules and donkeys to pull carts. It was much easier than those who had to flee in a rush, abandoning everything…”

Their transactions for the day—both what they wanted to buy and sell—were done.

For once, they could chat leisurely.

When Yan Yu mentioned the price she got for selling trees, Sister Yu found it strange: “You sold each tree for around 200–300? But I sold ornamental greenery for a full 700!”

Yan Yu’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Did she mishear?

She had sold naturally grown trees, yet they were worth less than potted plants?

“The difference is huge!” Nearly three times as much.

Sister Yu pondered, “Could it be… based on the difficulty of obtaining them in each world? In your world, trees are everywhere, so only their intrinsic value is considered. But in my world, greenery is rare—forget trees, even grass is hard to come by.”

“Then!” Yan Yu’s eyes gleamed. “If I send my trees over to your side, and you sell them to the platform, how much would they be worth?”

“If I traded for them, I wouldn’t want to sell them,” Sister Yu replied. “After seeing those makeshift wooden boats, I want to build one myself. If the opportunity arises, I’d definitely trade for wood with you.”

Yan Yu’s thoughts began to expand. “If you trade for wood, you’d have to build the boat yourself. Wouldn’t it be better to trade directly for a boat? That way, you could use it right away—just like how Uncle traded me that bionic ox and exploration cat.”

“I just want to leave here as soon as possible. Only after reaching a new place can I discover new tradeable items. Apart from you, the other worlds connected to me aren’t very interested in trading with me.”

“I understand. There’s nothing particularly useful for them. Everyone is trying to obtain food and water from their own worlds. After all, traded goods don’t come with packaging, making them hard to store and explain.”

“Besides, their marketplaces also offer food and water.” Sister Yu pursed her lips, feeling troubled by her inability to provide valuable trade items.

Yan Yu understood her frustration.

She felt the same way—there was nothing from Sister Yu’s world that she desperately needed.

After thinking for a moment, she said, “Uncle mainly trades in intelligent mechanical creations.

Fairy Sister has only one tradeable item—snakes.

Little Brother has a potion that increases strength.

Each world has its own specialties. I think you do too—you just haven’t discovered yours yet.”

Sister Yu nodded. “That’s what I believe too. That’s why I decided to travel more and explore.”

“I’ve already experienced the feeling of hovering on the edge of death once. I can’t just scrape by—I want to live with some purpose, some meaning…”

Time ran out, and the video call disconnected.

Yan Yu shook her head, brushing off Sister Yu’s motivational words.

Everyone had different pursuits. She only wanted a quiet, stable life with her parents—and her unborn sibling.

Well, maybe if circumstances allowed, she’d include Uncle, Big Brother, and Big Sister Da Ya too?

—

Yan Lao’er first handed a freshly grilled sausage to the mother and daughter.

Then, one for himself.

The cuts on the sausage curled beautifully when grilled.

Seasonings sprinkled into the crevices.

One bite—crispy, fragrant, and tender.

They also shared a can of mixed fruit.

“Still the assorted fruit can. Nice, has a bit of everything,” Yan Lao’er said, satisfied.

Li Xuemei, however, couldn’t put down the newly purchased Hand-Copied Book II.

“Do you know what this is?”

The father and daughter were too focused on the grilled sausages and canned fruit.

This late-night snack was delicious!

Without much thought, one said, “No idea!” while the other asked, “What is it?”

“This is Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold.”

Huh?

Yan Yu quickly swallowed her food. “No way! Is the Hand-Copied Book really that good? Expensive things really are worth the price—this is incredibly useful!”

Li Xuemei explained, “Hand-Copied Book II contains Volume Two: Women’s Prescriptions (Upper Section). It’s not the original text but a modern, carefully edited version with illustrated explanations.”

Unlike the archaic language of bamboo slips, this Hand-Copied Book was easy to understand, making the reader feel confident that as long as they recognized the symptoms, they could prescribe the right medicine.

Yan Yu skimmed through it quickly.

She was full of admiration.

The tiny handwriting was neat and well-organized.

The illustrations were even colored—truly rare.

Volume Two: Women’s Prescriptions (Upper Section) was divided into nine parts:

1. Fertility

2. Morning Sickness

3. Fetal Care

4. Pregnancy-Related Illnesses

5. Difficult Labor

6. Stillbirth

7. Breech Birth

8. Retained Placenta

9. Infant Feeding Issues

Yan Yu’s eyes lit up—this was exactly what they needed, practically tailor-made for their family.

So useful!

“I was worried about Physician Cui’s skills, but with this volume, we can be more cautious. This pregnancy will definitely be safe.” Yan Yu happily explained the contents to her father.

Yan Lao’er was overjoyed.

He kept saying, “We didn’t buy enough! We should’ve sold more trees and gotten all the Hand-Copied Books!”

Yan Yu nodded vigorously. “You’re right, Dad! Even if we can’t afford them all at once, we should at least get Volume One and Volume Three next. If we have enough left, we’ll grab Volume Four too.”

“If this is Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold, then every volume is valuable.”

Yan Yu thought: They must collect the full set.

But they couldn’t sell too many trees at once. Next time, they’d prioritize completing the set—first Volume One and Three, then Four if possible.

“And that bamboo slip…” Li Xuemei hesitated. “Guess what’s written on it?”

(End of Chapter)