CH 55

Before Yu Jin could really drive Xie Feng crazy, Nan Ge pulled them apart, and also saw the situation in the car, feeling a bit helpless.

What was even more helpless was that Xie Feng, who, even with his neck being gripped, kept babbling about his discoveries and speculations. He looked like he hadn’t slept all night, with bloodshot eyes and stubble, which added a sense of decadence to his normally refined appearance. However, the sparkle in his eyes successfully wiped away that decadence, giving him a youthful vigor – the essence of youth.

Eventually, the situation settled down after Shu Shuishui reorganized Yu Jin’s wooden frame. Though the sweet potatoes were dug out, Xie Feng knew the importance of food and didn’t take the sweet potato seedlings out of the wooden frame’s range. Therefore, Shu Shuishui only needed to bury the sweet potatoes again.

After they set off, Shu Shuishui was allocated a camper van, which was even larger and more comfortable than the one Xie Feng brought.

With no subject for Xie Feng to study and no response from Yu Jin, he sulkily pestered Shu Shuishui and moved some of his equipment into his camper van, observing him build the micro-farm.

The dedicated driver originally prepared for Shu Shuishui was replaced by Gu Langu, who meekly drove the car that was originally meant for Gu Langu. Gu Langu took charge of the camper van.

Inside the spacious camper van were stacked high wooden frames, which seemed to have been mass-produced, coming in three sizes: large, medium, and small. The largest one could cover a whole bed, the medium one was suitable for a balcony, and the small one looked like a rectangular flower pot.

Shu Shuishui designed different formations for each wooden frame according to their sizes, aiming to maximize the use of spiritual stones. He was not stingy in using whole pieces of spiritual stones. If all went well, one wooden frame could last three to six months, making it almost a magical tool to get through the winter.

The exchanged energy stones were of the highest quality, as no one dared to withhold anything with Nan Ge and Gu Langu present.

Shu Shuishui didn’t have time to calculate precisely, but there were at least three to five hundred stones. Once purified, they would become over three hundred top-grade spiritual stones. He felt like he had become rich overnight and that he could now earn money to support his family.

Thanks to his first bucket of gold, Shu Shuishui was especially serious about constructing one micro-farm after another. Sometimes, he would even plant a flower seed in a corner that wouldn’t affect the crops, so that a small flower would bloom, serving as decoration.

Shu Shuishui was very happy, singing “Seaweed, Seaweed, Seaweed~” while busy with his work.

Gu Langu, who was driving, was once again brainwashed by the song, but watching Shu Shuishui so busy, he wouldn’t deprive the little mouse of the joy of singing. Thus, even Xie Feng, who could ignore being choked by Yu Jin, eventually stopped his activities after two hours of brainwashing with “Seaweed” and fell asleep on the table with a thud.

Shu Shuishui was startled by the sound and jumped in place. Turning around, he found that Xie Feng had been hypnotized by the endless “Seaweed”. The little dormouse’s singing paused for a moment and then changed to a gentle lullaby. He even momentarily put down his work, found a blanket in the camper van, and covered Xie Feng’s shoulder with it.

Xie Feng’s eyelashes trembled, but perhaps he was too tired or the lullaby was truly soothing because he didn’t wake up.

Gradually, Shu Shuishui stopped singing and quietly cultivated the fields. His little paws were light as they dug the soil. In the morning, he completed the construction of fourteen farms before walking up to Gu Langu, asking quietly, “Gu Gu, what do you want to eat for lunch? How about a grasshopper? Today, we can indulge a bit.”

Gu Langu couldn’t help but glance at the decorative grasshoppers in front of the car, seriously doubting whether this group of grasshoppers could survive until they reached their destination. “No need. I want something lighter for today. What about you, Shui Shui? Do you want to eat some too?”

Shu Shuishui stared at the grasshoppers in the ranch, which seemed to have gained some weight, and thought for a moment before nodding. “Yes, I do. Then I’ll divide one leg of the grasshopper for you at lunch, Gu Gu.”

Gu Langu nodded. Shu Shuishui, who was always proactive, immediately jumped into the farm. His small body moved nimbly among the green grass, and he effortlessly caught a grasshopper.

“Besides grasshoppers, do you want anything else to eat, Shui Shui?” Gu Langu asked.

Shu Shuishui raised his paw. “Hazelnuts!”

Gu Langu: “… ” He seemed to have just remembered that he had asked this question before, and the answer was as usual.

But after a moment, Shu Shuishui tilted his little head and pondered. “Apart from hazelnuts, seafood is also good. But we haven’t seen any rivers or lakes along the way.”

Gu Langu’s eyes brightened slightly, and he took note seriously.

At noon, the convoy stopped, and fine snowflakes were floating outside, fortunately without much wind. After setting up the bonfire, Yu Jin came to call Shu Shuishui and the others for lunch. He noticed Xie Feng slumbering on the table and couldn’t help but chuckle, “This guy finally fell asleep. Now I can eat lunch in peace.”

Xie Feng, who was almost drooling in his sleep, immediately sat up. “Lunch? Is it time to eat? Do we have sweet potatoes for lunch?”

Yu Jin forgot that this mad scientist was also a glutton.

There were no roasted sweet potatoes for lunch since the ones buried again in the morning had not matured yet. Moreover, with many people involved in setting up the micro-farms these days, Shu Shuishui planned to share his excellent variety of sweet potatoes. After all, they cost several hundred spiritual stones, and Shu Shuishui didn’t want to be stingy. He believed that being generous was a way to win people over.

For lunch, Shu Shuishui took out his own small plate, put on a small bib, and presented a formal dining appearance that hadn’t been seen for a long time.

As everyone was nibbling on the coarse purple tree cakes, they noticed the small plate in front of Shu Shuishui. On it, there was a grape, five freshly boiled tender corn kernels, and two boiled peanuts. Of course, the most eye-catching item was the roasted, golden, and crispy grasshopper in the middle of the plate.

Shu Shuishui plucked off a leg of the locust and then offered it to Gu Langu. He spread out his palm, and Shu Shuishui placed the grasshopper leg on the pad of his index finger. “Gu Gu, eat.”

Amidst the envious and jealous gazes of everyone, Gu Langu put the grasshopper’s leg into his mouth. Though it wasn’t enough to fill his teeth, he enjoyed the baptism of everyone’s attention, making him feel very satisfied.

However, soon Gu Langu felt like grinding his teeth.

Because Shu Shuishui plucked off another locust leg and handed it to Xie Feng. “Xiao Feng, eat it. Don’t stay up late in the future; it might cause hair loss and baldness.”

Xie Feng was deeply moved and accepted the locust leg. He felt that it was the most delicious leg he had ever eaten.

Nan Fang’s eyes rolled twice, and he leaned toward his elder brother’s ear. “Brother, do you think Xie Feng can survive for three days? He offended Brother Yu and Boss (Big Brother Gulan).”

Nan Ge replied, “Don’t worry, he will definitely live longer than you.”

Nan Fang got a face full of comeback and wondered where he stepped on a landmine. Little did he know that Nan Ge suddenly remembered that he, too, had received the privilege of extra grasshopper treats. He regretted recovering so quickly; now he couldn’t even get a grasshopper leg.

Yu Jin, on the other hand, was more straightforward. Seeing both Gu Langu and Xie Feng having grasshopper legs while he had none, he looked at Shu Shuishui expectantly. “Shui Shui, what about me? What about me?”

Shu Shuishui looked down at his own grasshopper. “Do you mind not eating the legs?” The two hind legs of the locust had been given away, leaving almost no meat on the remaining legs.

Yu Jin naturally understood and nodded obediently. “Not eating the legs is fine.”

So Shu Shuishui used his sharp little claws to cut off the two antennae from the locust’s head and then handed them to Yu Jin. “Perfectly cooked, it melts in your mouth, fragrant, crispy, and tender.”

Yu Jin: “…”

Nan Fang couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter, holding his stomach.

Shu Shuishui looked at Nan Fang. “What’s wrong? Fang Fang, do you want to eat grasshoppers too?” Nan Fang was choked by the term “Fang Fang” and waved his hands repeatedly. “No, no. I’m going vegetarian today.”

Shu Shuishui expressed regret, spreading out his two little paws. “Oh well, I was thinking of killing another one if you wanted to eat. One grasshopper leg for each of you and Yu Jin.”

Nan Fang: “… ” Why was this mouse always so unpredictable?

Shu Shuishui quickly finished his lunch, wiped his mouth with the bib, smoothed his fur, and was once again a graceful little dormouse.

Nan Ge was distributing the completed micro-farms and providing a unified set of operating instructions. In fact, all they needed to do was to plant the seeds and wait for the harvest, as Shu Shuishui’s formations could solve most of the problems.

“Due to the space limitations, it’s best to plant sweet potatoes. Shui Shui has already put the sprouted sweet potato chunks into the wooden frames. When the soil moisture is sufficient, you can bury them. According to yesterday’s situation, sweet potatoes can be harvested in two days at most. The lifespan of these micro-farms varies from three to six months depending on external conditions…”

As Nan Ge explained, the people of Gu Langu Base became more and more excited. The people from the other two bases, who had been inquiring about the news in the vicinity, were incredulous and rubbed their ears.

Then, they watched the seemingly ordinary wooden frames being moved one by one into different vehicles, and everyone’s faces at Gu Langu Base were filled with uncontrollable joy and anticipation. It seemed that what Nan Ge had just said was true!

The people who inquired about the news dared not delay any longer and quickly returned to their respective bases to report the news they had heard.

As expected, the other two bases went into an uproar.

What was a micro-farm? What did it mean to harvest sweet potatoes in two days? Was this news true or false? They heard that it was all because of that field mouse’s work. Could a field mouse really have such abilities? Or, perhaps, this was a trick from Gu Langu Base to deceive energy stones?

The convoy, which was already not so peaceful, suddenly surged with waves of turbulence.

Shu Shuishui didn’t expect so much at all. While Nan Ge was distributing the completed micro-farms, Shu Shuishui and Gu Langu piled up two snowmen by the roadside. As before, Shu Shuishui planted a grass seed and a tree seed in each, which would grow when the snow melted the next year.

Gu Langu was full of expectations that the tree seed in his snowman would grow into a towering tree, providing shelter for the grass nearby.

Shu Shuishui extended his paw and patted the snowman he had built. “I’ll leave the protection of Gu Gu’s snowman to you.”

After the busy work was done, the convoy set off again. Xie Feng, still enthusiastic, hovered around Shu Shuishui, carefully documenting his creation process and recording subtle changes in energy with his instruments. From time to time, he communicated with Shu Shuishui, attempting to use technology to further improve the micro-farms.

Meanwhile, Yu Jin was in a low mood, slumped in Nan Ge’s vehicle, deeply immersed in the sorrow of receiving two grasshopper antennae. He occasionally complained to Nan Ge, who was driving, “Nan Ge, am I only worth two antennae? Why does Shui Shui love novelty so much? I’m no longer his favorite!”

Nan Ge didn’t even turn his head. “Don’t overthink it.”

Yu Jin said, “Nan Ge, you’re still the best.”

Nan Ge’s tone remained unchanged. “You were never Shui Shui’s favorite. Next time, you can try competing for wings.”