Chapter 8: Inquiries

In the afternoon, Hong Qi and Chu Wei had no leads, so they chose to return to their rooms to rest.

Xia Wulei called Yu Huaiyu and Zhu Chen, and the three borrowed a hoe from a nearby farmer, preparing to till Xia Wulei’s rice field.

Xia Wulei only needed to dry twenty jin each of wheat and rice grain, which wasn’t much.

However, the next step required threshing, so Zhu Chen, the laborer, was needed to help.

Zhu Chen was initially enthusiastic, confidently claiming the task was his responsibility, but he soon showed his limits.

After bringing back the dried grains, they used Aunt Wang’s stone mortar for threshing. The wooden pestle was solid, large, and heavy. Zhu Chen exerted force with several strikes but soon found it exhausting.

“I can’t do it anymore, sis. Carrying those two loads of water this morning over such a long distance made my hands and legs sore. I really can’t continue.”

Zhu Chen’s complaint was not unfounded. Though he was a strong boy, carrying water over five kilometers each way—ten kilometers total—was truly taxing.

“You’re just too honest. The system told you to carry water, and you obediently went all that way.”

Zhu Chen scratched his head. “What else could I do?”

“It’s just carrying water. Why not get water from the neighbors and bring it to Aunt Wang’s? That’s still carrying water.”

Xia Wulei lounged in her chair, sipping corn juice contentedly. “Later, when I harvest, I’ll give you a bag of grain. You can trade it with the neighbors for water, have them fill their cisterns, and you bring it over tomorrow morning.”

Zhu Chen’s eyes lit up. “Thanks, sis!”

Yu Huaiyu listened silently, realizing this was the same advice he had received from Zhu Chen, and refrained from commenting.

Reinvigorated, Zhu Chen raised the wooden pestle with fresh energy to thresh the rice.

“Hey, be gentle! Don’t crush my rice!”

“All right, sis!”

Xia Wulei felt at ease. The simple-minded system was good; it only answered questions and never listened in on the host’s activities.

At that moment, Yu Huaiyu awkwardly approached. “Sis, I helped thresh the grain this morning. Can I have some corn? I want to make a snack for Huwang.”

Xia Wulei turned, suspicious. “You can cook?”

Yu Huaiyu confidently replied, “No, but you’re such a good person. I know there’s a great corn snack.”

“Is it you who wants to eat it, or Huwang?”

“I want popcorn.”

Xia Wulei sighed and resigned herself to the task.

Why was Xia Wulei so willing to be bossed around? Because she wanted to eat it too.

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Xia Wulei opened the exchange shop and searched under corn.

The farming system’s exchange shop had a convenient feature: you could trade harvested crops for other types of the same crop.

For example, with corn, there was sweet corn, glutinous corn, corn for oil pressing, and so on. The kernels used for popcorn were smaller, rounder, contained less moisture, and popped more easily.

Xia Wulei exchanged for two ears, sat down with Yu Huaiyu, and began shelling the kernels while chatting.

Soon, a basin full of kernels was ready. Xia Wulei carried it to the village entrance, placing the kernels out to dry in the sun.

Aunt Wang’s yard was small, so she had to go outside to dry them.

The small village was peaceful and serene; green waves of grain swayed by the roadside, and dragonflies hovered intermittently.

Xia Wulei slowed her steps—it was her ideal life!

If only this wasn’t a terrifying game.

A man carrying a hoe approached, glancing at Xia Wulei from time to time.

Xia Wulei recognized him as Li Fugui, the lecherous man Chu Wei mentioned.

Li Fugui regretted losing the chance to talk more with the stunning beauty who fled earlier and was surprised to meet another young beauty in the afternoon.

“Oh, the young beauty noticed me and even came over.”

Xia Wulei carried a bamboo basket and smiled at Li Fugui. “You’re Brother Li, right? I want to ask you something.”

Li Fugui retorted stiffly, “I’m unmarried.”

Xia Wulei: What?

What was this guy thinking?

She swallowed her annoyance, barely holding onto her smile. “No, Brother Li. I want to ask where your old master is buried.”

Li Fugui was puzzled. Why were girls always asking about the old master? Were they interested in the family’s ancestral tomb?

“Why do you ask? You’re not planning to mess with our ancestral grave, are you? I hear that can affect the family’s luck.”

Xia Wulei thought bitterly that when they casually buried the old master, they never considered future luck.

Li Fugui, trying to show off, feigned mystery. “Our ancestral grave is a feng shui treasure spot, ensuring descendants become high officials! So, want to—”

He shyly lowered his head.

Xia Wulei: …

She sighed; it seemed soft diplomacy wouldn’t work.

She slammed a shiny hoe down in front of Li Fugui. “Now can you talk?”

Li Fugui: Where did that hoe come from?

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At dusk, Xia Wulei returned to Aunt Wang’s with the corn.

Yu Huaiyu’s eyes sparkled as he looked at her, but she crushed his hopes mercilessly.

“The kernels won’t dry that quickly. At earliest, tomorrow.”

Yu Huaiyu was disappointed. Then Chu Wei entered the yard, carrying a grass rope tied to something at the end.

Xia Wulei looked closely—wow, a huge chunk of pork.

Chu Wei handed the meat directly to Xia Wulei. “Can you cook this?”

“Yes, yes, yes.”

Xia Wulei took the meat, mouth watering.

Though the village wasn’t wealthy, it had chickens, ducks, and sheep.

But Aunt Wang’s house was bare; they hadn’t eaten decent meat in two days. Where did Chu Wei get this?

Chu Wei casually ran a hand through her wavy hair. “A quest target gave it to me.”

Yu Huaiyu couldn’t help asking, “What’s your quest?”

“To get five people to like me. Nearly done.” Chu Wei sat leisurely, pouring herself a cup of corn juice.

Yu Huaiyu gritted his teeth, bitterly jealous. The village men were practically glued to her eyes; this quest should be effortless.

Xia Wulei was too busy to care. She took the meat and headed to the kitchen to start cooking.

They could finally eat white rice today. She had been wondering what to cook—after a day of potatoes and corn without meat, it tasted bland.

Her space had a farm, but poultry was pricey, so she only raised a few chicks. Eating pork would take a few more days.

Chu Wei’s timely gift was truly a blessing.

The pork was prime belly meat. Xia Wulei washed it clean and cut it into uniform chunks.

She lit the stove, brought water in an iron pot to a boil, added two stalks of scallion and ginger slices, poured in cooking wine, and blanched the meat.

All these seasonings were redeemed from the exchange shop with points, costing quite a bit.

Xia Wulei didn’t mind; to a foodie like her, poorly seasoned food was worse than death.

After blanching, she removed the meat, rinsed it, and returned it to the pot. Soon, the fat rendered, filling the air with a rich aroma.