RIIDMDR chapter 36

 

“Leave it to me,” he said.

Nan Xu’s eyes lit up and he nodded repeatedly.

Honestly, he didn’t want to do this tedious stone-moving work. It was tedious, heavy, and boring. By the time he returned from carrying stones for the second time, he was already considering taking on the fourth and fifth positions. However, having all the work dumped on the two of them was making Nan Xu’s conscience ache.

He didn’t ask Tingchuan because Tingchuan had brought up the 300 catties of stones last time, and Nan Xu couldn’t rely on him to do it all again.

Now that Tingchuan had volunteered, however, the boss certainly had to support his employees’ desire to work hard!

After returning the rain-washed soil to the vegetable seedlings’ roots, Nan Xu looked at the empty half of the garden. He then went to the market, bought a bag of soybean seeds, and planted two more plots.

The bird-like monster stayed for another day and left the next morning after breakfast. Yaolin realized that gathering all the seasonings in the monster world would be difficult, so he asked Nanxu for some.

Yaolin had been helping Nanxu with his cooking for the past two days. Despite being of different races, they had a lot in common. After spending two days together, Yaolin became one of the few friends Nanxu had made in this world. Since there weren’t many seasonings, Nanxu decided to give them away.

Yaolin refused, insisting on paying for cooking lessons. After a long argument, they compromised, and Nanxu accepted a hundred silver coins as a token of appreciation.

This was the first time that Nanxu, who was obsessed with money, had genuinely offered a gift without being calculating. It was as unusual as finding an inn in the mountains. Tingchuan had a vague feeling that something was wrong, but he couldn’t pinpoint what it was.

Since there were no guests staying at the inn, Nanxu worked with Zhuang Si and Zhuang Wu to build a pigpen. Tingchuan stayed behind to do the other household chores, such as watering the shed and feeding the chickens.

The pen didn’t need to be large; it just needed to fit two pigs. However, since wild boars tend to be unruly, the pen needed to be sturdy. This took a lot of effort, but Zhuang Si and Zhuang Wu were hard workers, and they built the pen in two days.

After completing the pen, Tingchuan went back to the mountains a few times and brought back two half-grown wild boars. They weren’t as ferocious as adults and their tusks were not fully grown yet, which made them look rather adorable and ungainly.

Nan Xu surveyed them and nodded in satisfaction. “This size is just right. They won’t be that powerful, so there’s no need to worry about the pigpen being unable to contain them.”

Tingchuan had gone into the mountains several times to find wild boars of the right size. Boars that were too small were difficult to raise, and those that were too large were difficult to tame. Tingchuan had heard Nan Xu mutter these words several times before falling asleep at night and had memorized them.

After admiring the wild boar, Nan Xu suddenly remembered something and asked Tingchuan, “You brought the wild boar kid back. Won’t its parents come looking for us? Our pigpen is well-built, but it might not hold up against an attack by a bunch of adult wild boars.”

Tingchuan was a little surprised. Nan Xu always seemed to have bizarre ideas. They sounded reasonable at first, but upon closer inspection, they were laughable and embarrassing.

“Good timing. I can save up some more cured meat for you,” Tingchuan said casually.

He’s truly a big shot, Nan Xu thought. Just look at his confidence as a four- or five-thousand-year-old fox demon. Kill one if you come; kill two if you come.

Nanxu felt relieved since Tingchuan had said so. Besides, Guan’er had been trained by Tingchuan to guard the house and knew the territory he was supposed to patrol. If an adult wild boar approached, Guan’er would warn him.

As he thought about this, Nanxu began to think about his next task: castrating the pigs.

The two wild boars that Tingchuan had brought back this time were both male. As soon as the boars were locked in the pigpen, Nanxu announced his plan. As soon as he finished speaking, Zhuang Si and Zhuang Wu’s faces paled.

“Boss, these wild boars rely on that thing to reproduce. Why give it to…?” Zhuang Wu asked, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

Nan Xu couldn’t explain it, but he remembered that all pig farms did it this way, so they must have their reasons.

“Producing meat is enough. We don’t need them to continue the bloodline,” Nan Xu said.

His decision was unquestionable, and Zhuang Si and Zhuang Wu fell silent. But when they looked at the two wild boars rooting around in the pigpen, their eyes filled with sympathy.

Wait, mutual sympathy?

Nan Xu seemed to understand something and told the two sullen-looking wild boar demon brothers, “Don’t worry. I only castrate wild boars. I don’t have any special fetishes.”

Zhuang Si and Zhuang Wu: …

It would have been better if they hadn’t said anything. As soon as they said it, the brothers almost burst into tears in front of Nan Xu.

Nan Xu had only meant that castrated boar meat tastes better. Since they couldn’t eat it anyway, what was there to be afraid of? But the more he tried to explain, the worse it sounded. In the end, he had no choice but to stay silent under their fearful gaze—the more you say, the more mistakes you make.

The wild boar hunt was scheduled for three days later to give the two boars time to adjust to the pigpen environment and prevent them from becoming overwhelmed or depressed.

Nan Xu returned to the courtyard and browsed the mall. A bottle of disinfectant cost 100 silver coins, and he picked out an inexpensive dagger. The total bill was 299 coins. It wasn’t a large amount, but after paying, his bank balance dropped from four figures to three, which was heartbreaking.

In late May, Nan Xu scattered a packet of flower seeds by the fence. Some have already bloomed, while others are still budding. The seeds provided by the system seem truly diverse and complex.

Some of the sunflowers started blooming earlier this month, creating a dazzling display of vibrant colors. The honeysuckle vines are crawling along the fence and wrapping around a large area, giving the yard a vibrant look.

Looking back at the shabby wooden house and simple courtyard from when I first arrived, and comparing it to the current situation, I realize that these past three months of hard work have transformed everything. Finally, the hard work day after day has paid off.

—

That afternoon, Nan Xu used a small shovel to reposition the flowers along the fence. He had been inexperienced when sowing the seeds earlier and had scattered them too densely. Now, many of the blooming flowers were crammed together. The yard wasn’t large, but the planned flower beds were, leaving ample space for transplanting flowers and plants.

He wondered if the courtyard system upgrade would include additional decorations. After all, who knows how long it would have taken him if he hadn’t clung to Tingchuan’s thighs and done it on his own?

“Innkeeper.”

Nan Xu heard a distant shout and put down his shovel. He stood up and looked out the open courtyard gate. Xu Ji and his group were approaching. Guan’er saw them and was so happy that his tail almost flew up. He rushed to Xu Le.

Xu Le bent down, picked up Guan’er, and walked in with his father and several uncles. Looking at Nan Xu, his eyes were bright and full of smiles. “Brother, Guan’er has grown a lot and gained weight.”

Nan Xu nodded and asked with a smile, “Have you finished building the house?”

Xu Ji replied, “Yes, but the air in the valley is more humid than in the mountains. There are also many boulders at the foot of the mountain, so we built the house with stones, which saved a lot of effort. We’ve also reclaimed land near the house and planted crops and vegetables. I think it won’t be long before we can eat our own vegetables.”

His tone was filled with the joy of settling down and a longing for a better future.

Nan Xu was also happy for them. He recalled how, when he first arrived, his house was empty and living alone in the mountains was difficult, nearly pushing him to the brink of a mental breakdown. Their situation was essentially the same, so, seeing the canines facing life’s setbacks so positively, Nan Xu felt a sense of empathy.

After Xu Ji finished speaking, he introduced the two people who had come with him to Nan Xu: “Innkeeper, these two are from the Hedgehog Clan. They’re staying at the inn and passing through the valley. We heard about them and went up the mountain together.”

Nan Xu looked at the two people. They were indeed strangers: a man and a woman. Their ages were unknown, but they appeared to be in their forties. Catching Nan Xu’s gaze, the woman tugged at the man’s sleeve. The man pursed his lips and said, “Hello, innkeeper. Are there any… ahem… rooms available?”

He spoke softly and appeared gentle and shy, unwilling to meet Nan Xu’s gaze.

“Yes, how many rooms would you two like?” Nan Xu asked.

The man replied, “One will do.”

Nan Xu pointed them toward the second floor. “There are two rooms upstairs. Take your pick. The rate is 200 yuan per night, including breakfast.”

The man and woman went to look at the rooms. Then, Xu Ji pointed to the wooden furniture they had brought with them and said, “These cabinets, tables, and chairs were made by my clansmen and me in our free time. They’re a bit rough, but I hope you don’t mind.”

How could Nan Xu possibly mind? His eyes widened. The Canine Tribe’s carpentry skills were truly remarkable. Not only were the cabinets sturdy and durable, they were also beautifully designed. They looked far better than Nan Xu’s own creations.

He glanced at the heavy, solid-wood table before him, then at the bamboo table he’d made and moved into the courtyard that morning. Because its four legs weren’t aligned, he had to carry a small piece of wood around to cushion it. It was instantly destroyed, leaving not a single piece of debris.

There’s no comparison without harm. That’s absolutely true.

“Don’t mind it. I really like it. You’re busy settling your family while doing this. How thoughtful!” Nan Xu said hurriedly.

Xu Ji smiled. “Fortunately, these are common tasks for our tribe. Last time, the bird tribe brought us rice dumplings and said the innkeeper had made them. We demons are very grateful for their concern. By the way, after we settled down, several more members of our tribe came over, and they are currently living in the valley.”

Nan Xu had known about this for a long time. Perhaps because of the spiritual contract, the system had informed him of the new canine demons entering the mountains. At the time, Nan Xu’s spiritual contract was with the entire canine tribe, and he didn’t intend to allow only a dozen of them to settle down while excluding the rest.

After the canine demons had settled down, they told him about it and informed him of the arrival of other members of their tribe. This proved the canine demons’ honesty, making Nan Xu particularly confident in them.

Eager to return to the valley before complete darkness, the canine tribe members didn’t stay long, leaving without even a meal.

After seeing them off, Nan Xu returned to the courtyard with Guan’er, who was reluctant to leave. The Canine Tribe had delivered two cabinets, a square table, and a long table.

Nan Xu moved one of the cabinets into his room and placed it against the wall. His bedroom immediately looked much nicer. Now, the tea set had a place to rest and was no longer confined to the tree stump.