RIIDMDR chapter 21

 

Nan Xu spent two days crafting this wooden barrel in the mountains. Compared to the previous wooden basin, he finished this one much faster. As expected, practice makes perfect, no matter what one does. Even if he couldn’t be a successful innkeeper, he could certainly be a qualified carpenter.

The lightweight barrel had a handle, making it much easier to draw water.

The small bok choy seedlings in the backyard garden are already ready to eat. After Nan Xu finished watering the vegetables, he conveniently cut some to add to the dinner table.

The cabbage was fresh and tender, and the stir-fry filled the kitchen with a unique fragrance. As soon as Nan Xu placed the dish on the dinner table, he saw Tingchuan reach for the cabbage with his precise chopsticks.

Seeing this, Nan Xu was in no rush to eat. After all, this was his first crop. No matter how small the vegetable was or how expensive it was, he wanted to see Tingchuan’s opinion.

Nan Xu watched Tingchuan’s every movement and expression from the moment he picked up the vegetable to the moment he put it in his mouth and chewed. As Tingchuan was about to swallow, Nan Xu unconsciously slowed his breathing.

Tingchuan didn’t find this offensive, but he didn’t offer a comment. As if to whet Nan Xu’s appetite, Tingchuan’s Adam’s apple rolled as he swallowed the vegetable, then he picked up another piece with his chopsticks and continued chewing expressionlessly. After this happened twice, Nan Xu finally reacted.

Tingchuan wanted to eat alone in front of him!

He picked up his chopsticks, scooped a small amount of food into his bowl, and then stopped.

His expression of sudden realization, tinged with regret, was so vivid that Tingchuan wanted to laugh.

It’s no wonder the furniture was ordered in sets of three. Aside from the room he was staying in, one set would be perfect for each of the other three guest rooms. However, when he thought about his crude woodworking skills, Nan Xu suddenly felt a little embarrassed.

The next morning, as he left the main room, Nan Xu saw Tingchuan standing in the middle of the courtyard, looking toward the wooden house.

His lingering sleepiness vanished instantly, and his heart skipped a beat. He had been so caught up in the excitement of the upgrade last night that he had forgotten about the employee in his hotel who knew nothing about the system. How could he explain how the house had changed overnight?

Had the wooden house, absorbing the essence of the sun and moon, gained intelligence and adorned itself last night?

When Nan Xu appeared, Ting Chuan merely glanced at him before returning his gaze to the house. He felt this reaction was inappropriate, so he walked out and followed Ting Chuan’s gaze toward the house.

He saw that the single-story wooden house now had a second floor. Because of the sloping roof, the second floor looked more like an attic. Still, the current house’s design was much more impressive than the previous one. Although the roof was still thatched, it had shed its austere style, embracing a leisurely mountain atmosphere instead.

Nan Xu walked around the house and ran inside to find the stairs. He wanted to go upstairs and take a look.

The staircase was located against the wall of the main hall. As he climbed the stairs, a small hallway opened up in front of him, with a door on each side.

They pushed the door open and stepped inside. They found themselves in a square room, not the attic they had expected. The room was brightly lit; the rising sun slanted through it, casting a golden glow across the ground.

The room was as spartan as ever, containing only a wooden bed in the center. Nan Xu assessed the room and realized it would look much better once the table, chairs, and wardrobe were added.

When he reached the window, he saw Ting Chuan still standing in the courtyard. Their eyes met, and Nan Xu smiled and waved.

“Come up and take a look. The view from here is great,” Nan Xu said.

Nan Xu was right. From there, one could see rolling hills and distant, misty clouds barely pierced by sunlight.

If the first floor weren’t so convenient, and if he weren’t already accustomed to his own room, Nan Xu would have really wanted to move in.

Tingchuan entered the room upon hearing this. It wasn’t long before he was in Nan Xu’s room. The two were sharing the same room, and Nan Xu suddenly felt guilty again. He hadn’t figured out how to explain how the room had changed overnight.

Thankfully, Tingchuan didn’t ask. He walked over to Nan Xu and rested his hand on the windowsill, gazing into the distance.

“Isn’t it beautiful?” Nan Xu waited two minutes, relieved when no one asked.

He thought Tingchuan didn’t seem particularly curious. Aside from food, he rarely asked about anything else. Otherwise, he would have asked about the huge pile of rocks in the courtyard that disappeared overnight and the subsequent drastic change to the courtyard.

Tingchuan nodded and agreed. “The scenery of Zhuyu Mountain has always been beautiful,” he said.

Nan Xu said, “I’ve visited many famous mountains and rivers in our human world, but Zhuyu Mountain is different from them.”

Tingchuan followed up with a question: “How are they different?”

Nanxu smiled but didn’t answer.

He didn’t know. The mountains and waters were the same, as were the azure sky, emerald green forests, and clear streams.

Or perhaps it was just a sense of belonging for him?

He couldn’t explain it, so Tingchuan told him about Zhuyu Mountain.

“There weren’t any Zhuyu Mountains here before,” said Tingchuan. “About three or four thousand years ago.”

Nanxu thought the formation of mountain ranges by the movement of the earth’s crust was not surprising, so he nodded and explained human science to the goblin, talking about plate tectonics and collisions until his mouth was dry.

Tingchuan just smiled and said, “These mountains appeared overnight.”

Nanxu: Huh?

Nan Xu: “How did they appear?”

Tingchuan shook his head. “Who knows? Maybe the monsters who know are buried beneath the mountain.”

“What’s there to know?”

Nan Xu: …

Although Tingchuan’s words were creepy, the warm sunlight enveloping the two of them made them seem like a joke.

In the end, Tingchuan didn’t ask why the house had changed. Perhaps, as he said, the mountains had risen suddenly from the ground overnight, and there was no need to know why.

—

Breakfast was a large bowl of noodles topped with leftover braised rabbit meat from the previous day. It was fragrant and flavorful, intensifying Tingchuan’s love for noodles.

After breakfast, Nanxu was planting cucumbers behind the house when he heard the system notification sound in his head.

[Side Quest 3: Build a Chicken Coop.]

Nan Xu was stunned, then he dropped his hoe and went home.

In the kitchen, Tingchuan checked on the eggs as usual. As he lifted the thatch, he saw several chicks in the basket that had pecked their way out of their shells. Their yellow feathers were sparse and clung wetly to their skin. Tingchuan looked at them with a hint of disgust.

His gesture drew the chicks’ gazes; their dark eyes reflected his own image. Then, as if by agreement, they began to chirp endlessly at him.

Tingchuan was just about to cover the basket with thatch and pretend he hadn’t seen anything when he heard Nanxu run in. His voice filled with excitement and anticipation: “Tingchuan, did the chicks break out of their shells?”

Tingchuan paused his work on the thatch and lifted it aside, allowing Nanxu to see the crying chicks underneath.

Nanxu squatted beside the basket and gently ruffled the chicks’ feathers with his fingers. Their feet were weak from emerging from their shells, and Nanxu’s touch sent them tumbling down into them.

Nanxu had just run a little too fast. Panting and laughing, she said, “It’s finally hatched! Two days later than I expected.”

Tingchuan looked at Nanxu beside him. He had just been in the vegetable patch behind the house and had returned hastily, as if he had suddenly learned that a chick had hatched. Tingchuan couldn’t help but take a second look. This human had many secrets.

“Tingchuan, why do I feel like they’re only looking at you? Are they looking for food?” Nan Xu’s voice interrupted Tingchuan’s thoughts again.

His gaze returned to the basket. As Nan Xu had said, those dark eyes were indeed fixed on him.

“Could they have mistaken you for their mother?” Nan Xu speculated.

Tingchuan: “How is that possible?”

Nan Xu looked around for a moment and saw that some eggs were still in their shells. He found a new basket, covered it with straw, and moved the chicks into it. This would serve as their nest for now. They wouldn’t be using the pen in the yard for the time being.

The work behind the house wasn’t finished yet. As Nanxu stood up to go back inside, he heard a commotion approaching. He looked at Tingchuan. Tingchuan’s expression was calm; he didn’t seem to be in any danger.

A few minutes later, the gate opened and a tentative voice called out, “Excuse me, is anyone in the inn?”