RIIDMDR chapter 13

 

Waking up the next day, Nan Xu opened the system as usual and checked the quest rewards.

[Main Quests 1-6 Rewards Have Been Issued. Reward List: One-Click Powerful Stunning Potion 0/3 (Manual Version), Blind Box*2]

Initially, Nan Xu found the stunning potion amusing. However, he then realized that he was in the mountains, surrounded by wolves and wild beasts. It might actually save his life if he needed it.

After this reward was issued, no new quests appeared. Only Main Quest 1 remained on the quest list. Nan Xu figured this probably meant that the smaller quests for Main Quest 1 had ended. If he wanted to take on other main quests, he would have to wait until this one was completed.

Thinking about this, Nan Xu opened the inn information:

[Name: Mountain Inn]

[Level: Level 0]

[Address: Zhuyu Mountain]

[Prosperity Points: 58]

[Coins: 0]

Just like last time, he clicked on the word “Level.”

[Level: Level 0 (Upgrade Requirements: House: Level 2/2; Courtyard: Level 1/1; Vegetable Plot: Level 1/1; Prosperity Points: 58/50; Coins: 500).

Nan Xu had never paid much attention to Prosperity Points. He found the Prosperity Points gained from main quests less appealing than the rewards and blind boxes. At first glance, he realized he had already exceeded the quest requirements.

But after staring at the word “money” for a long moment, Nan Xu sighed silently. No matter where he went, a penny could stump a hero.

Who could have imagined that those seemingly difficult tasks hadn’t fazed him, but the final upgrade would require money!

In these deep mountains and ancient forests, there was no immediate solution to the money issue. Instead of worrying about it, Nan Xu decided to check on the peppers and see how long it would take for the greens to be ready.

Nan Xu woke up and opened the door to his room. As usual, the main hall door was open, even though it was only daybreak.

He had never understood Tingchuan’s daily routine. Since arriving in the mountains, the quality of his sleep had worsened day by day, so he had no idea what time Tingchuan actually woke up each day. He first went to the warehouse to open the blind box. When he pushed open the door, he was stunned by the large wooden box inside. When had the system become so generous?

Coming to his senses, he hurried over to open it. Inside, he saw a jar as tall as his waist. Nan Xu beamed. He hadn’t had a water storage device in such a long time, and now he could finally take this one out of the blind box.

The second blind box contained a dried gourd. Nan Xu subconsciously picked it up and shook it. Hearing the seeds gurgle inside instantly doubled his joy.

He walked out of the warehouse with the gourd in hand. After exiting the main hall, he placed it on the doorstep. He expected to find Tingchuan dozing off on a bamboo chair in the yard, as usual. Surprisingly, the chair was empty, and his courtyard looked vastly different.

The old bamboo fence had been replaced with a new one about a meter high. Several stone paths crisscrossed the yellow, muddy ground. The widest path led directly from the house entrance to the courtyard. Frequently used areas in the courtyard were paved with smooth stone slabs, so there was no need to worry about stepping into mud on rainy days.

A set of stone tables and benches had been added to the courtyard. A strange-looking stone rested on the slabs to the west. Wait, that looks like a millstone!

Nan Xu almost didn’t recognize it. Its color was much darker than any he had seen before. Besides, he had turned 16 and gone to work in the county town, so he hadn’t seen a millstone in a farmyard since.

Meanwhile, Tingchuan stood by the millstone, carefully examining the object that had appeared there overnight.

“What’s this for?” Tingchuan asked, turning back after hearing a noise.

Nan Xu was somewhat surprised that Tingchuan’s first question wasn’t about the changes to the yard, but about the new addition.

“Stone mill.” Nan Xu walked over to Tingchuan and replied, “We humans use it to grind wheat or beans to make tofu.”

“What is tofu? Is it delicious?” Tingchuan’s attention was diverted.

Nan Xu thought, “Of course it’s delicious.” But then he thought that he didn’t even have beans right now. If Tingchuan asked to try it and he boasted about it, he wouldn’t be able to afford it as the boss, and he would lose face.

The fact that he couldn’t pay wages made it difficult for him to see Tingchuan as just an employee of the hotel. He didn’t dare bother him with many tasks and only assigned them if Tingchuan offered to help.

Nan Xu casually said, “It’s okay,” to brush it off and moved closer to examine the stone mill carefully.

This millstone seemed to be made from a few pieces of granite that Tingchuan had brought back. It had no elaborate or beautiful carvings, just the most primitive style.

However, Nan Xu didn’t dislike it. On the contrary, he was particularly fond of it. After living in the mountains for over a month, his requirements for many things had become minimal: usable and edible.

Appearance was a consideration only after material needs were met. He was still at the stage of making ends meet, so there was no need to pursue art and beauty.

The products produced by the system were all very clean, which greatly pleased Nan Xu. This millstone was no different; it was completely dust-free. Taking advantage of this, Nan Xu went into the house and brought out a basket of wheat.

Nan Xu had already washed and dried the two baskets of wheat that the Bird Tribe had sent him, so he didn’t need to wash them again. He scooped a few handfuls of wheat into the hole at the top and pushed the wooden frame. The circular millstone at the top turned with a heavy grinding sound. Soon, coarse grains were left between the two pebbles and fell into the trough at the bottom.

Seeing that the flour wasn’t fully ground, Nan Xu ran to the kitchen, where he found a wooden basin and a small straw brush. He used the brush to sweep the coarse grains from the trough to the mill’s opening, then poured the flour into the basin. He poured the flour back into the bottom opening to grind it again.

After repeating this process twice, the flour in the trough became very fine. However, the wooden basin was already full, leaving no room for the ground flour. After hesitating for a few seconds, Nan Xu decided to use the jar he had opened from the blind box that morning to store the flour.

He ran back into the house, but the jar was made of an unknown material and was too heavy. Nan Xu tried several times but only moved it a short distance. After hesitating for two seconds, he decided to seek Tingchuan’s help.

He ran out again with nothing in his hands and stood at the door of the wooden house. Tingchuan noticed him.

“What’s wrong?” Tingchuan asked.

Nan Xu replied, “There’s a jar in the warehouse. I want to take it out and put the flour in it. Can you help me?”

Tingchuan had long known how pitifully weak the human race was, so he didn’t say anything. He followed Nan Xu inside.

It was Tingchuan’s first time in the warehouse. The demon tribe had an unspoken rule not to enter other demons’ hidden treasures without warning. In the ten days since he arrived at the inn, Tingchuan had never ventured near this room.

Seeing the meager inventory now, even Tingchuan, who rarely cared about property, had a newfound appreciation for Nanxu’s poverty.

Preoccupied with grinding flour, Nanxu didn’t notice Tingchuan’s sympathetic gaze. Fearing that Tingchuan wouldn’t recognize the jar, Nanxu reminded him, “This is it.”

Even without Nanxu’s reminder, though, Tingchuan didn’t think he would mistake it. After all, there wasn’t another large item in the room.

Without Nanxu’s intervention, Tingchuan simply picked up the jar and walked out. Nanxu followed him, looking gloomy.

The ground flour was poured into the jar. Nan Xu scooped in some wheat and continued grinding the millstone. Once he had enough flour for breakfast, Tingchuan took over grinding while Nan Xu cooked.

Once the flour was ready, Nan Xu went to the fields to pick scallions and made scallion pancakes for the two of them.

The flour wasn’t the pristine white he had seen before in the human world, but it was tinged with a hint of beige and still caught his eye. The unique aroma of the scallions permeated the pancake, and frying it at a high heat gave the skin a moist, crispy texture. Every bite was accompanied by a crisp, lingering crunch that left an aftertaste.

Nan Xu chewed with relish, squinting his eyes and shaking his head.

In the yard, Tingchuan took over Nan Xu’s job of grinding flour. He wondered if his ears were right next to Nan Xu’s mouth. As soon as Nan Xu finished a pancake, Tingchuan suggestively cleared his throat outside.

Nan Xu: …

Really? You can’t eat behind someone’s back!

Tingchuan carried a plate of sliced scallion pancakes to the door, dropped the wooden frame sleekly, washed his hands, and sat down at the table. Seeing that Nanxu wasn’t using chopsticks, Tingchuan grabbed a pancake and stuffed it into his mouth. After tasting it, his brows twitched in surprise at the texture of this new food.

“How is it? Is it delicious?” Nanxu asked him.

Tingchuan nodded and reached for another piece. “Made of flour?”

Delighted to finally eat flour after such a long time, Nanxu’s smile never faded. “Yes, there are many ways for us humans to eat flour. They can be broadly categorized as pancakes, buns, dumplings, and noodles. We can have a different kind every month. You demons just use them to cook wheat grains. That’s such a waste of natural resources.”

Tingchuan glanced at the millstone. “Then why don’t you grow wheat?”

Nanxu: …

Nanxu thought that, even though he was an orphan, he had grown up in the rice-rich Jiangnan region. His desire for rice far outweighed his desire for flour. That’s why he had originally wanted to plant rice. Little did he know, his employee was a fox with northern tastes!

“I heard most bird tribes like to grow wheat. When we make some money, we’ll buy it from them,” Nanxu said.

Tingchuan glanced at Nanxu; his expression said, “Where will we get the money?” It made Nanxu feel a little guilty. After all, Tingchuan had been at the hotel for at least ten days, and not a single customer had come. His initial boasts about offering only commissions, not base salaries, had become untrue over the past few days.

After breakfast, Tingchuan ground flour in the yard. Nanxu took the dried gourd left by the door that morning, split it in half, removed the seeds, and soaked them in warm water to germinate them. Then, he transplanted the sprouting peppers to the vegetable patch behind the house. He watered the patch, running back and forth between the stream and the hillside with a wooden basin.

He bustled about, occasionally passing by the courtyard to glance at Tingchuan, who was working while sneaking a peek. He found it amusing. The allure of that morning’s plate of scallion pancakes seemed to last only half an hour. Shortly after sunrise, he yawned and fell back asleep.

Life in these mountains is quite slow. Nan Xu hadn’t expected Tingchuan to grind all the flour in one day. After all, since he had no other work, he could grind it slowly.

Author’s Note:

Nan Xu: When I make a fortune, I’ll buy lots of wheat and make you pancakes.

Tingchuan: …Thank you. I’ve already eaten them.