Chapter 75 – Exchange
At around 7 PM, Xia Lu Nong woke up, groaning about a headache.
Xia Huo Qu wanted to scold him, but seeing Xia Lu Nong like this, he silently sighed. “Get up and have some porridge.”
Xia Lu Nong shrank further under the blanket, mumbling, “I don’t want to. My head hurts.”
He pressed his long, slender hands against his head, wishing he could roll around on the bed. This headache was worse than any he’d experienced before. It was so intense that he wanted to bang his head against the wall, but he didn’t dare show it in front of his brother.
In the past, the pain was only a dull ache near his temples, but now it felt like even his bones were hurting. He wanted to scratch at his head, desperate to pull out his bones and knock on them to relieve the internal pain by substituting it with external discomfort.
With red-rimmed eyes, Xia Lu Nong looked pitifully at Xia Huo Qu. “Brother, can you ask Dr. Ou what to do for this headache?”
“Wait here,” Xia Huo Qu replied, and quickly went to find Dr. Ou.
Kong Zhi sat in the seat Xia Huo Qu had vacated and began massaging Xia Lu Nong’s head. The warmth of his hands provided some relief, but the pain persisted.
Dr. Ou arrived shortly after. She placed her hand on Xia Lu Nong’s forehead and channeled some healing energy into him. “Is this better?” she asked.
The cooling energy spread through his head, soothing the pain. Xia Lu Nong’s brow relaxed, and he was about to nod when the energy dissipated. As the cool sensation faded, the pain returned.
“It helped while the energy was there, but now it hurts again,” Xia Lu Nong said softly, then asked in a low voice, “Dr. Ou, do you have any anesthetics?”
“Where would we find that kind of thing nowadays?” Dr. Ou sighed. “And even if I had some, I wouldn’t dare use it on you.”
Hearing that, Xia Lu Nong’s headache seemed to worsen.
Despite all their efforts, Xia Lu Nong’s headache didn’t subside and seemed to be getting worse instead. He whispered, “I want to sleep.”
“Then sleep,” Xia Huo Qu said.
“Kong Zhi, stay with me,” Xia Lu Nong reached out to grab Kong Zhi’s wrist. “I want to hear him play the flute.”
Xia Huo Qu said, “I’ll ask Dr. Ou.”
It was still early, and since Xia Lu Nong was the only patient in the clinic, Dr. Ou allowed them to play the flute.
Soon, soft, tranquil flute music filled Xia Lu Nong’s room. After being tormented by pain for so long, Xia Lu Nong finally found a moment of peace.
Xia Huo Qu stayed and listened for a while, but as it grew late, they didn’t want to linger in the clinic, so they headed home.
The room was left with just Xia Lu Nong and Kong Zhi.
Kong Zhi played the flute for over an hour before taking a break. Xia Lu Nong, caught between pain and exhaustion, found a delicate balance. In a low voice, he said, “You play beautifully.”
“It’s nothing,” Kong Zhi replied, holding his cool hand. “Now go to sleep.”
Xia Lu Nong let out a soft hum from his nose and closed his eyes.
Kong Zhi gazed at him, and suddenly, his hand felt empty. Looking down, he realized that the hand he was holding had turned into a furry paw. The Xia Lu Nong lying on the bed had transformed into a large cat on its back.
Kong Zhi chuckled, petting the cat’s head and scratching its chin. Then, picking up his flute again, he resumed playing.
The soft notes blended into the night, quickly dissipating without disturbing anyone else.
Xia Lu Nong, now a cat, slept through the night with the music. The next morning, when he woke up, he found that he still couldn’t turn back.
“Meow,” Xia Lu Nong opened his mouth, asking his brother to brush his teeth, his green cat eyes full of frustration.
Xia Huo Qu said, “Not being able to turn back is good. It’ll stop you from being reckless and treating yourself carelessly.”
“Meow,” Xia Lu Nong responded, not at all wanting to remain a cat. He couldn’t enjoy good food, read novels, play games, and worst of all, his legs were short.
After he finished washing up, Dr. Ou came to check on him again. Seeing that there were no further issues, she said he just needed to rest at home for a few days.
The clinic’s hospitalization fees were quite high, so once Xia Lu Nong knew he was fine, he “meowed” to urge his brother to take him home.
Xia Huo Qu glanced down at him. “Got it.”
Xia Lu Nong also gave a “meow” to Kong Zhi, who had stayed up all night, signaling for him to go get some rest.
Kong Zhi, understanding his intent, rubbed the cat’s head. “I’ll sleep once we get home.”
Xia Lu Nong’s transformation had turned his household upside down. That day, no one in the family went to work; they all stayed home to rest.
By evening, Yan Ming Qing finally heard the news. He came to visit with some cookies but was turned away by Xia Huo Qu, who used the excuse that his brother needed rest.
Yan Ming Qing knew that this incident had surely offended Xia Huo Qu. With a bitter smile, he left the cookies and said, “I’ll come by again tomorrow.”
Xia Huo Qu wanted to throw the cookies away but restrained himself, knowing they were all part of the same base. He didn’t want to cause unnecessary conflict, so he kept his temper in check.
He acted like a gentleman, not saying anything harsh, but he also made it clear that Yan Ming Qing was no longer welcome.
Kong Zhi stayed at the house, and when Yan Ming Qing came by, he blocked the door. His tall frame covered the doorway completely, preventing Yan Ming Qing from even catching a glimpse inside.
Xia Lu Nong, still in his cat form, couldn’t do anything except rest at home.
This experience had truly drained him. The consequences of pushing his abilities too far were significant, and he had even shed some weight in his cat form. The the results were undeniable.
That day, Yan Xi Nian came back after working all morning in the field and said, “The peanuts in the field are ready to be pulled up. All the plants have turned yellow.”
Xia Huo Qu asked, “Are the others in the base also pulling up their peanuts?”
“Yes, a lot of people are busy in the peanut fields.”
None of them had much experience with farming and didn’t know when crops were supposed to mature. But seeing the other plants drying up and the rest of the base pulling up their peanuts, they figured it was time.
Xia Huo Qu said, “Tomorrow, let’s go pull up one peanut plant to check. If the peanuts are fully grown, we’ll start harvesting.”
“Alright,” Yan Xi Nian said. “Then I won’t plan anything else for tomorrow. We’ll go harvest the peanuts together.”
The next morning, the three men and one cat set out for the field, carrying baskets.
Xia Lu Nong was still in his cat form, and since he hadn’t been to the fields in several days, everything looked new and exciting to him. He glanced around and saw that all the crops were growing well. The soil was moist, and there were no weeds, which meant everything had been well taken care of, leaving him feeling quite pleased.
His expressions were always obvious, and even with a furry cat face, everyone could easily tell what he was thinking. Seeing him nodding seriously as if inspecting the fields, Yan Xi Nian couldn’t help but laugh and pat his head. “Don’t worry. After all the effort you put into these crops, we’re making sure they’re well taken care of.”
Xia Huo Qu, still not entirely over his anger, shot a glare in Yan Xi Nian’s direction.
Yan Xi Nian instantly wilted and quickly raised his hands. “I was just saying! Let me show you how to pull up the peanuts.”
With his tall frame and long legs, he took big strides over to the peanut field. He grabbed the nearest plant and gave it a light tug.
What had been a struggle for Xia Lu Nong and Yan Ming Qing came easily to Yan Xi Nian, who pulled the whole plant out with one smooth motion.
The three men and one cat stared at the plant. Beneath the stalk, there were plenty of peanuts, most with five kernels per pod—a rarity, as four-kernel peanuts were more common.
Thanks to Xia Lu Nong’s efforts in the last phase, these peanuts were no longer small and scrawny. The shells looked as thick as regular peanuts but were much longer, giving the impression of oversized peanuts.
Yan Xi Nian plucked one pod and squeezed it, using just enough force to crack the shell open. The peanuts inside were fresh and full, and after a few extra weeks of growth, the shell was no longer tender but sturdy, indicating they were fully matured and ready for harvest.
He popped a peanut into his mouth, savoring the fresh, juicy flavor that made his mouth water. With raised eyebrows, he said, “Tasty.”
Then, handing the peanuts to Xia Huo Qu, he added, “Try it.”
Xia Huo Qu tasted one and nodded. “It’s good. Let’s start harvesting.”
“Got it,” Yan Xi Nian said, looking around the field and estimating, “We should be able to finish this by midday.”
With their combined strength, the three men worked swiftly. Pulling up the peanuts wasn’t difficult, but the challenge lay in how many peanuts were buried underground. A single tug could easily snap the stalks, leaving some peanuts stuck in the soil.
At those times, they had to carefully dig around the roots with small hoes, feeling for the buried peanuts and extracting them one by one. After half a year of effort to grow these crops, each peanut felt hard-earned, so they worked patiently to ensure none were left behind.
Xia Lu Nong, still in cat form, ran back and forth, sniffing out peanuts. Whenever he caught the scent of one, he would paw at his brother or Kong Zhi to alert them, prompting them to dig in that spot.
Fortunately, they hadn’t planted a large amount—only about two plots of land. After a morning’s work, they finally finished harvesting, though their backs were sore. They had even managed to turn the soil over.
They had brought three baskets, but the harvest exceeded their expectations. The baskets weren’t enough to hold all the peanuts, so they had to take some back and return for the rest.
Xia Lu Nong, still in his cat form, stayed behind to watch over the peanuts.
With the peanuts piled up in the field, they became quite noticeable. People passing by couldn’t help but stop and take a look, and soon, word spread about how unusual these peanuts were.
Had Xia Lu Nong not been there, people might have hesitated to come closer, fearing misunderstandings. But with him around, the situation was easier to manage.
Curious onlookers gathered around, and soon a crowd had formed.
“I’ve been farming my whole life and tried all sorts of high-tech seeds, but I’ve never seen anything like this,” one person remarked.
“Forget high-tech seeds! I’ve watched plenty of TV shows, and even they don’t have peanuts like these,” another chimed in.
“Hey, Xia Lu Nong, how did you grow these? Is this really from your ability?” someone asked.
“Did you get these seeds from Old Liu’s place too?” another person inquired.
“Wow, talk about feeling inadequate next to others! This is something else.”
As the conversation continued, someone finally made a suggestion.
“Xia Lu Nong, what are you planning to do with all these peanuts? You’ve got so many—how about giving me some to use as seeds?”
“Yeah, me too! I’ll trade two pounds of my peanuts for one pound of yours!”
“I’ll trade three pounds!”
Thanks for the chapter!