Chapter 29 – I Need to Make the Crib for the Child
179 suddenly spoke up, “Host, it’s time to plant the winter gourds.”
The weather was particularly nice that day, but seeing Xia Yi lounging in the courtyard, leisurely eating sunflower seeds without a care for productivity, 179 grew anxious.
“I don’t feel like moving,” Xia Yi replied, spitting out a shell into a small dish.
At this point, Xia Yi didn’t want to leave this world anymore. To be exact, he didn’t want to leave Gu Wenzhu, so he had little motivation for his tasks.
After all, his parents from his original world had passed away, he wasn’t close with any relatives, and the brothers from his old dormitory had all found happy lives. What difference would it make if he didn’t go back?
“Besides, though this world lacks phones and computers, I still have you, 179.” For the first time, Xia Yi acknowledged 179’s value. Normally, 179 would be thrilled to hear this, but today, it couldn’t muster any joy.
“No matter when you start, what’s important is that once you begin, you must not stop.”
“When you stop trying, that’s when you fail.”
“Without sowing seeds, how can there be a harvest? Without hard work, how can there be success? Without trials, how can there be glory? Without setbacks, how can there be brilliance?”
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179 started reciting motivational quotes from who-knows-where.
Seeing that Xia Yi continued snacking, even hugging the nut dish closer, 179 began playing music in his head.
“The path ahead is full of confusion, but persistence will bring freedom. Once you walk out of the darkness, you can enjoy a carefree life…”
Xia Yi remained unfazed, even tapping his fingers in rhythm with the song.
“I should never have agreed to this marriage,” 179 lamented in agony. “A beauty’s charm is the downfall of a hero. I should have known from the start that no guy could resist someone like Gu Wenzhu.”
“Host, you need to think about your future. The technical system went off for external training, and it seems this bug won’t be fixed anytime soon. What if you end up in the cultivation world again? You should at least do more tasks now to pave yourself an easy path,” 179 continued to reason with Xia Yi.
Hmm, doing tasks would be beneficial in the cultivation world. For example, completing the task to find the clues about the master—here, it’s just planting potatoes. If I were to look for clues in that world, how would I ever find them?
Xia Yi slowly stopped snacking, thinking to himself, “These unreliable systems can’t be trusted. If I end up back there, I’ll still have to rely on myself. Better to complete as many tasks as I can, just in case.”
“Alright, let’s go plant the winter gourds. I’ll listen to you, 9-er,” Xia Yi said, brushing off the shell fragments and standing up.
By now, Xia Yi had become quite the farming expert. It only took him a day to plant all the winter gourd seeds in a small plot of land.
179 finally felt relieved, no longer on edge.
Time flew by, and two months passed. The winter gourds had sprouted and started growing vines.
Xia Yi had been worried that someone might notice he was growing winter gourds in the wrong season, but this morning, Zheng Gou’er squatted by the field with a bowl in hand and said to Xia Yi, “Your carrots are growing really well.”
It seemed 179 had some skill when it came to covering things up.
Gu Wenzhu was not at home today. He had left in the middle of the night with Li Zhu and a few others to hunt wild boars in the mountains, saying he wanted to get some mountain goods to cure for the wedding banquet and add another dish to the feast.
Since the proposal, he had been busy preparing for the wedding.
The two of them painted the walls and courtyard white, varnished all the doors, and even Qilin was now sleeping in a new doghouse that Gu Wenzhu had sewn himself.
Gu Wenzhu hadn’t gone to the fields since then either. He bought some good wood and stacked it in the courtyard, spending his days hammering away, making furniture and a new bed, working like a diligent carpenter.
Watching Gu Wenzhu constantly measuring and cutting wood, Xia Yi couldn’t help but suggest, “Why not just hire a carpenter? It’s too much trouble for you to do it yourself.”
“No way, I want to make our wedding bed myself,” Gu Wenzhu said, holding up a piece of wood and squinting at it. “Besides, I need the practice. One day, I’ll need to make a crib for our child.”
Child? Ha!
Realizing he had misspoken, Gu Wenzhu quickly tried to cover it up, seeing Xia Yi’s cold expression. “I mean for Qilin’s puppies.”
Puppies sleeping in a crib? Qilin himself sleeps in a doghouse. And besides, how do you expect him to have puppies when he’s a male dog?
Hearing his name, Qilin, who was chewing on a bone, lifted his head in confusion.
Oh well, let him build the furniture if he wants. It’s another useful skill, after all. He’s already a tailor, so what’s wrong with learning carpentry too?
Since Gu Wenzhu wasn’t home, busy hunting in the mountains, Xia Yi made himself a simple meal, heated a large bowl of leftover rice, quickly finished it, and took Qilin for a walk.
Qilin had grown into a majestic dog, with sleek, shiny black fur and a bell around his neck. Among the village’s scruffy dogs, he stood out with his moneyed and stylish look. Several of the local female dogs, like Dahua and Xiaobai, were constantly fighting over him.
As they strolled down the village path to the riverbank, Xia Yi spotted a group of wives and young men washing clothes in the distance.
“I swear, how much laundry can there be? They’re here every day, practically rooted to the spot,” Xia Yi grumbled. He always felt uneasy passing by them, suspecting they were gossiping or laughing at him.
“They’re talking about Gu Wenzhu,” 179 said.
“I’ve told you many times, don’t listen to that stuff! None of it is reliable, just a bunch of gossips. Listening to them will lower your IQ,” Xia Yi scolded 179, frowning. “What are they saying about Wenzhu?”
“They’re saying Gu Wenzhu stays home every day embroidering your wedding dowry, that his eyes are going bad because of it. They’re also saying the reason you bought out all the candles at Old Zhang’s store last time was because he can’t see well anymore. And they claim that he wears a thimble on his finger all the time now, switching between fieldwork and embroidery.”
“That’s not a thimble; it’s a ring!” Xia Yi retorted, clearly annoyed.
“Exactly, they love to talk behind people’s backs. They should look at their own lives. For instance, Aunt Li’s husband came back from the county once, and he and that woman from Zheng Gou’er’s house just so happened to ride Old Zhang’s carriage together. What a coincidence, right? Same day, same carriage!” 179 whispered conspiratorially. “And then there’s that one time with Chen’s son…”
Xia Yi: …
After their walk, Xia Yi headed back home, preparing to make dinner. Gu Wenzhu would surely be exhausted after hunting in the mountains, so Xia Yi decided to boil a pot of hot water for him to soak in when he returned.
“Let’s go, Qilin. Your dad needs to go home and make dinner for your mom.”
Qilin, reluctant to stop playing, whined a bit but obediently followed him home.
Xia Yi had just finished washing the rice and chopping the vegetables when he heard the gate creak open. Someone had entered the courtyard. Smiling, Xia Yi called out from the kitchen, “Wenzhu, you’re back?”
There was no reply. The courtyard was silent.
Xia Yi raised his voice and called again, “Wenzhu, are you home?”
Still no response. Then he heard Qilin growling menacingly.
A stranger had entered the courtyard? Xia Yi set down the vegetables and walked outside.
As soon as he stepped out, he saw a slender middle-aged man with long hair standing in the courtyard. He was dressed in a blue robe embroidered with golden patterns, holding a wooden staff, and was locked in a standoff with Qilin, who was baring his teeth and growling fiercely.
Behind him stood a young man with a dignified appearance, also dressed in a similar robe. He had a tall, slender build and carried himself with an air of arrogance. A bright red mole on his forehead, reminiscent of Bao Zheng’s crescent moon mark, made him particularly striking.
The familiar attire and the aura of immortality they exuded made Xia Yi immediately recognize their origins.
Two of them had crossed over?
Qilin had crouched low, his sharp teeth bared, ready to pounce. Xia Yi quickly shouted, “Qilin, don’t bite! They’re on our side.”
Qilin hesitated but stopped just before springing. Though he didn’t attack, he continued to glare at the man, teeth still showing.
Xia Yi stepped forward and patted Qilin’s head. “It’s okay, son. Go play by yourself.” Reluctantly, Qilin trotted back to his doghouse, still keeping a wary eye on the newcomers.
The older man, unfazed by Qilin’s aggressive display, looked at the dog in admiration, his eyes glowing. “Truly a divine beast. Its reputation is well-deserved.”
Xia Yi understood—people from the Qishan Sect really were dog lovers.
The younger man, however, didn’t seem impressed. His gaze roamed disdainfully around the simple farmyard, taking in the wicker baskets hanging on the walls, the hoes propped in the corner, and the overall rustic atmosphere.
After admiring Qilin, the older man retracted his staff and dusted off his spotless robe. He turned to Xia Yi and said, “Greetings, Xia Yi. I am Meng Wanzi, Elder of the Tianxuan Hall of the Qishan Sect, and the senior brother of Tianji and Tianquan.” Seeing Xia Yi’s confusion, he added, “Tianji is Liu Siqian, and Tianquan is Cheng Ming.”
He then gestured toward the young man beside him. “This is my disciple, Qi Zhou.”
Qi Zhou gave Xia Yi a slight nod and then gracefully raised a hand in greeting.
“Oh, greetings, greetings,” Xia Yi returned the gesture.
It seems both the master and disciple have crossed over.
Since Meng Wanzi mentioned Cheng Ming, Xia Yi asked with concern, “Did Cheng Ming go back? Is he acting normal?”
He was still a bit worried that with every crossing, Cheng Ming’s mind would deteriorate more, leading to more problems, like calling everyone “Immortal Lord.”
“He’s fine,” Meng Wanzi smiled lightly. “Xia Yi, thank you for your concern.”
“That’s good.” Perhaps due to the different energies between the two worlds, he returned to normal once he crossed back.
“It’s just that when he sees someone holding a bowl of soup, he gets angry, though I don’t know why,” Meng Wanzi added.
