Chapter 99: Si Xu’s Thoughtfulness
By evening, a row of long tables had been set up in front of Si Er’s wooden house. The tables were covered with food and drinks, and the village children’s eyes sparkled at the sight. Various spirit beasts also wanted to join in, though most of the villagers looked rather uneasy.
“Isn’t this too extravagant?”
“Yes, yes. A banquet is about liveliness—there’s no need to spend so much.”
Si Er smiled. “Grandpas, grandmas, uncles, aunties, brothers, sisters—please don’t be shy. Come over and help yourselves to whatever you’d like.”
“Everything’s already on the table. It won’t keep forever—if you don’t eat it, that would be the real waste.”
The villagers of the small mountain village were inexperienced and had no idea that Si Er’s family possessed special food containers capable of preserving food for months.
Hearing his reasoning, they found it sensible and shyly approached the tables.
As Si Er watched the villagers begin eating under the warm hospitality of his father and brothers, he clapped his hands and led away the villagers’ soul pets, along with the spirit beasts that had quietly gathered nearby.
To the former Si Er, whether human or beast, everyone in the village had been his providers. Naturally, they all deserved to be treated.
But since their tastes differed, it was better to feed them separately.
The carnivorous beasts were easy to satisfy—just give them a portion of Si Yi’s grilled meat. While he had been grilling earlier, they had gathered at a distance, drooling so much that it formed a small puddle.
If not for the dangerous aura around Si Yi, Si Er suspected they might have rushed over to snatch the meat outright.
Now that they could finally eat, they lowered their heads and devoured it. A few were so excited that they even bit their own tongues.
The sight was almost painful to watch. Turning to the herbivorous beasts, however, Si Er felt as though time had slowed into peaceful tranquility.
Although they also loved the fodder he had purchased from Black Tortoise Academy, they ate with elegance and restraint—only slightly faster than usual.
Seeing everyone eating happily, Si Er felt delighted.
“Big Brother’s cooking is irreplaceable, but could this fodder be cultivated?”
[It should be possible. Your father set up a mountain-protecting formation during the day. As long as the villagers grow quality fodder within the village, it shouldn’t be a problem.]
[Anyone whose formation skills surpass your father’s probably wouldn’t care about this kind of fodder anyway.]
“But this fodder must be hard to grow, right?”
[Ask your second brother. He can cultivate high-grade spiritual herbs—this is nothing to him. Just set up the appropriate planting formations.]
Just as Si Er was hesitating, Si Xu walked over.
“Er’er, I happen to have some seeds for the fodder you exchanged earlier. Would you like to try planting them here?”
There was no such thing as coincidence. Si Xu had long noticed Si Er’s purchases and had quietly exchanged for the same seeds.
He hadn’t been certain whether the village soil would suit them, but thought it best to be prepared. If they couldn’t be used, he could always resell them.
Besides fodder seeds, he had also acquired many low-tier spiritual rice and vegetable seeds, thinking that with enough preparation, something would surely prove useful.
Earlier in the day, while distributing potions, he had also examined the land. It was neither particularly good nor bad. With proper formations, many low-tier spiritual plants could be cultivated.
Hearing this, Si Er brightened immediately. “Can they really be grown here?”
“Ahhh, my wonderful second brother! You’re exactly what I needed!”
Standing nearby, Si Yi felt slightly sour. Back when he was born, why hadn’t he ended up with a wood attribute physique?
It seemed his little brother preferred someone who could farm.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t his strength.
Si Xu smiled. “Of the fodder you bought, only Purple Alfalfa is third-tier. The rest are low-grade and easy to grow.”
“Even Purple Alfalfa isn’t difficult—so long as the spiritual energy here is sufficient.”
“If you want, you could ask Father to set up a Spirit Gathering Formation?”
“No need.” Si Er shook his head. “I don’t want to change this place too drastically. Too much change too quickly wouldn’t necessarily be good for them.”
“A slight improvement in their lives is enough. It’s best to work with local conditions—no need for anything they can’t manage themselves.”
Si Xu smiled. “That’s simple. I’ve observed that the land east of the river is suitable for first-tier Golden Flower Rice.”
“This rice doesn’t contain much spiritual energy, but it has even less baleful energy. Eating it daily can gradually improve one’s constitution and extend lifespan.”
Si Er’s eyes lit up, and he immediately wanted to take out a notebook to write this down.
Si Xu laughed and handed him a booklet. “No need to record it specially. I already have a detailed guide on cultivating Golden Flower Rice.”
Si Er was surprised. “Second Brother even carries things like this?”
“I like collecting them. I’ve gathered all the planting booklets circulating on the market—and quite a few that aren’t widely available.”
“This village is too isolated. In slightly larger counties, almost every household has one of these.”
As he spoke, Si Xu selected a few more booklets and stuffed them into Si Er’s hands.
“You can raise the lowest-tier Fine Spirit Shrimp in the river. I’m not very familiar with it, but here’s a guide.”
“The vegetable fields are suitable for first-tier White Water Radish and Highland Cabbage. You can grow mushrooms in the mountains.”
“The mountain’s spiritual energy is slightly denser, so you could try planting second-tier Hemostasis Grass.”
“I have all the seeds except for the shrimp fry.”
By the time Si Xu finished speaking, Si Er’s arms were full—large bags of seeds stacked high.
He quickly stuffed the booklets and seeds into his storage pouch, only to see Si Xu shake several large sacks out of his storage ring.
“These are Golden Flower Rice seeds as well. Keep them together.”
After storing everything, Si Er couldn’t help but throw himself into Si Xu’s arms again.
“There’s no such thing as so many coincidences… Second Brother must have prepared all this especially for me.”
“He’s truly so thoughtful and considerate!”
“Waaah, I’ll love Second Brother for a lifetime!”
Si Xu beamed, practically radiating joy. As expected, nothing was cuter than one’s own younger brother.
At that moment, Si Yi beckoned to Si Er.
“Er’er, come here. Look what I’ve got.”
“What is it, Big Brother?” Si Er leaned over curiously.
Si Yi clapped his hands. “Little Yan, Little Flame, bring out what I prepared.”
The small golden bird flew from Si Yi’s shoulder to the riverside. With a flap of its wings, a large handful of red shrimp fry scattered into the water.
Si Er blinked in surprise. “Shrimp fry?”
Si Yi grinned. “The fry Xu Xu mentioned—I have some.”
“Besides shrimp, there are also some low-tier fish fry. They’ll survive here just fine.”
He shot a glance at the Blazing Flame Lion. “Little Flame, hurry up.”
“Roar—”
The lion gave a pitiful howl and reluctantly walked to the riverbank. With a single heave, it spat out heaps of fish fry into the water.
Its eyes brimmed with tears as it watched them go. Several lively fish fry still wriggled at the corner of its mouth, and it stubbornly refused to spit out any more.
Seeing this scene, only one thought remained in Si Er’s mind:
“A cat is still a cat—no matter how big it gets.”
