Farming to Cultivate Immortality – CH4

Chapter 4 – The ‘Gers’ in Our Village All Run Around Shirtless

For the next few days, Xia Yi followed Gu Wenzhu to the fields every day. When Gu Wenzhu plowed, Xia Yi would sit on the field’s edge, studying the technique. When Gu Wenzhu sowed seeds, Xia Yi would follow closely, observing how each seed was planted, how many seeds went into each hole. He even asked eager questions, analyzing everything meticulously, greatly enriching his theoretical knowledge of farming. However, without paper and pen, he couldn’t record all his findings.

You could say he was incredibly thirsty for knowledge.

But for Gu Wenzhu, these days felt like a never-ending torment. Each day, when he led the ox and carried the plow to the fields, it was as if he was walking toward a boiling pot of oil, ready to be deep-fried over and over again.

Under Xia Yi’s increasingly intense gaze, Gu Wenzhu felt like there were thorns on his back. Several times, his left foot tripped over his right, almost making him fall into the field.

This ‘ger’ was getting more and more brazen. Recently, just staring at him wasn’t enough anymore.

He would pretend to observe the sowing closely, sticking right behind Gu Wenzhu. If Gu Wenzhu hadn’t been so agile, Xia Yi would have deliberately fallen on him by now.

He also kept trying to start conversations.

“Oh, so peanuts grow underground? I thought they grew on trees. In this hole, you put six seeds, but in the last one, you planted at least a dozen. Won’t that make a difference?”

And as he spoke, he would gaze at Gu Wenzhu with those bright, sparkling eyes, deliberately leaning close, with a faint fragrance drifting toward Gu Wenzhu’s nose, as if he feared no one would know his intentions.

Gu Wenzhu was getting worried. This ‘ger’ was becoming too much. He needed to find a tactful way to give him a hint. After all, he had always abided by propriety, maintaining a clean reputation, and had never been the subject of any gossip involving girls or ‘gers’. He needed to be cautious and not let this ‘ger’ ruin his good name.

Gu Wenzhu mulled it over cautiously.

Turning to glance at Xia Yi, he saw him smiling as he stroked the ox’s head. Sunlight kissed his face, making his pale skin appear almost translucent, with a faint dimple showing on his cheek.

And yet, all of this was happening too fast, with no time to slow down and think about it.

You at least need to give us some time to get to know each other.

Gu Wenzhu kept pondering.

…

Today, Xia Yi woke up unusually early. By the time Gu Wenzhu finished washing up and entered the kitchen, Xia Yi was already sitting at the table, full of energy, waiting for breakfast.

After days of learning, Xia Yi felt he had grasped the basics of farming and was eager to practice in the field. Two days prior, Gu Wenzhu had reclaimed the rented land, even selecting the most fertile patch for Xia Yi to cultivate.

After quickly finishing breakfast, Xia Yi, full of excitement, was about to grab the ox and the plow when Gu Wenzhu stopped him. Gu Wenzhu then took a hoe and headed to Xia Yi’s plot, finishing the plowing within half an hour.

Xia Yi: …

“179, I think we wasted several days just watching the ox plow the field.”

[It wasn’t a waste, host. All of this is valuable theoretical knowledge. When you start cultivating three acres, ten acres, or even a hundred acres of land—]

“Okay, okay, stop,” Xia Yi cut off 179 decisively.

He didn’t want to hear it.

Standing in the field, Xia Yi began burying the prepared potato sprouts. He gently covered them with soil, handling them as delicately as if planting a child.

After covering the soil, he applied fertilizer—water mixed with wood ash—and carefully tried to spread it evenly.

Busy for the whole day, Gu Wenzhu brought him his meal in the field.

As the sun set behind the western hills, Xia Yi carried an empty bucket, gazing at the patch of land where the potatoes were planted. He was filled with pride and contentment, letting out a long sigh.

“179, if I harvest potatoes from this patch, does that mean I’ll have completed my first task? The one about becoming an apprentice in the cultivation sect?”

[Yes, host, that will count as completion. Plus, you’ll also receive a newbie reward package!]

“What’s in the gift package?”

[I don’t know.] 179 emitted that familiar flat mechanical tone.

Xia Yi had figured it out by now. Whenever 179 made that sound, it meant the answer wasn’t exactly what he wanted to hear.

Oh well, as long as the task is completed, he thought, trying to comfort himself.

It was nearly dark, yet he was reluctant to leave the field. He kept staring at that plot of land until Gu Wenzhu came to call him for dinner.

Unlike others who would simply shout his name from the path beside the field, Gu Wenzhu walked along the winding paths between the fields all the way to where Xia Yi was working. After coughing twice to get his attention, and waiting for Xia Yi to warmly greet him, Gu Wenzhu finally said, while looking elsewhere, “Dinner’s ready.”

Without waiting for a response, he quickly left.

Exhausted but still excited, Xia Yi returned home. After dinner, he insisted on doing the dishes, humming a tune as he then settled into a relaxing bath.

“179, I want to go check if the potatoes have sprouted.” Xia Yi scrubbed his back with a towel, feeling the day’s fatigue melt away.

System: [Host, you just planted them an hour ago.]

“You’re right. I guess I’m being a bit hasty. No sprouts could appear so quickly—clearly, I lack basic farming knowledge.” Xia Yi chuckled to himself. He wrung the towel dry, placed it on his head, leaned comfortably against the tub, and draped his arms over its edges.

“I’ll check tomorrow morning.”

System: [……]

By the time he finished his bath, the moon was already high in the sky. Xia Yi got up, dressed, and after glancing around, realized he hadn’t brought his undergarments inside. He looked out the window—great, they were still hanging on the clothesline in the courtyard.

What now? Go get them.

Wearing only his underpants and slippers, he stepped out of his room, heading straight for the clothesline, while casually using the towel to wipe droplets from his hair.

It was mid-June, and the mountain air at night was still chilly. The cool evening breeze grazed his damp skin, making him shiver.

The soft moonlight shone on his fair skin, making it appear almost luminous.

*Clang!* The sound of a metal basin hitting the ground echoed loudly.

Standing at the main entrance of the house was Gu Wenzhu, his mouth agape, staring at him with an expression of utter shock—like the sky had fallen.

Xia Yi stood frozen, still in the act of wiping his hair. Then, in a split second, he snapped out of it.

“179, I forgot this is a twisted world!” Xia Yi screamed in his mind.

“Not only did I expose my neck, but I also showed two mosaic points!”

“179, this is like standing in my old neighborhood, and suddenly a bare-chested girl walks out of the stairwell.”

“179, I’m doomed, completely done for!”

……

A few seconds later, Xia Yi calmly walked to the clothesline, pulled down his undergarment, and slowly put it on. After tying it securely at the waist, he nodded to Gu Wenzhu, smiled faintly, and returned to his room.

Early the next morning, eager to check on his potatoes, Xia Yi once again sat at the table waiting for breakfast.

Gu Wenzhu, sporting dark circles under his eyes, was absentmindedly preparing breakfast. He kept dropping the ladle, burning the water, and when he picked up a bowl, it clattered loudly as if he was about to knock over the entire stack.

“179, if Brother Zhu acted like this in my old school dorm, do you think he’d survive three days?”

In the summer, the whole building would be full of shirtless guys.

*Bang!* A large bowl of noodles was slammed onto the table in front of Xia Yi. Since he had a big appetite, Gu Wenzhu served his noodles in the family’s only large soup bowl.

Gu Wenzhu didn’t sit at the table; he acted as if Xia Yi wasn’t even there, not sparing him a glance. He grabbed his own bowl of noodles and, with a scowl, went outside to sit under the tree, eating in silence.

Xia Yi, seeing this, thought for a moment, then picked up his bowl, slowly and carefully making his way over to Gu Wenzhu. He crouched down beside him, setting the bowl on a stool with great difficulty—it was heavy.

Gu Wenzhu, sensing this, looked like he was about to get up and leave.

Seeing him about to walk away, Xia Yi quickly called out, “Brother Zhu, let me explain.”

He was afraid Gu Wenzhu would walk away just like characters in TV dramas do after hearing such words. To his surprise, Gu Wenzhu paused, standing in place.

Though his face remained stern, it was clear he was giving Xia Yi one chance to explain himself.

Xia Yi chewed on his chopsticks for a moment before turning to look at Gu Wenzhu seriously. “Brother Zhu, if I told you that in my old home, in the entire building—no, the entire village—every guy walks around shirtless all summer, would you believe me?”

Gu Wenzhu’s face was first filled with shock, then darkened further.

Seeing things going south, Xia Yi hurriedly added, “I’m telling you, in my village, nobody makes a big deal of it. We’re all men; showing a bit of skin doesn’t matter…”

The vein on Gu Wenzhu’s forehead bulged as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Unable to bear it any longer, he shouted, “Enough! Stop spewing nonsense!”

With that, he turned and stormed back toward the kitchen. Halfway there, he paused, half-turning his head, and in a low voice, said, “Xia Yi, I know your feelings, but you can’t use methods like this. It only makes me dislike you.”

He finished, not looking back, and went inside.

Xia Yi remained there, crouched and motionless.

After a long pause, he asked quietly, “179, what does it mean when he says he knows my feelings? What feelings do I have?”

System: [Who knows? And he claims he knows your thoughts. Let me tell you, these guys are the hardest to read. Nothing like us, that’s for sure.]

Xia Yi spaced out for a while, then muttered, “Forget it, I can’t figure it out.” Suddenly, something else occurred to him. “179, I’ve noticed your tone has been a bit strange lately, but I can’t quite put my finger on it.”

“179, have you been scanning the people washing clothes by the river a lot recently?”

System: [What are you implying? Like I have time to waste scanning those worthless people.]

“Hiss…”