Ch 6: The Cannon Fodder Won’t Play Along Anymore [QT]

Mu Xing drove a small electric three-wheeler, weaving through the streets of the town.

“You’re here again, young man. What do you need today?”

“One pack of bok choy seeds, one pack of radish seeds, and two bags of fertilizer!”

After paying, Mu Xing took out a notebook from his bag and checked it:

“Aunt Zhang wants two jin of lean pork and two mangoes. Xiao Bin wants to buy a blue Ultraman schoolbag…”

An hour later, Mu Xing returned to the village with a load of goods and began delivering the things he had picked up for everyone.

“Thank you, Xing Xing. Without your help, it’s such a hassle for me to buy things.”

“Thanks, Brother Xing Xing.”

“No problem, I was going to get some supplies myself anyway.”

After finishing his deliveries, Mu Xing drove the three-wheeler back to Xiaoxi Village.

The place where he was living had completely changed. The whole house had been renovated, with bright-colored paint on the walls, and Mu Xing had added some essential home appliances.

He was not the kind of person to live in discomfort. Though supplies in the mountains were limited, online shopping was now available—only, items were delivered to the town and had to be picked up personally.

All his bedding was bought online. It didn’t have to be especially pretty, but it had to be comfortable.

Opening the door, the living room was right there. To the right were two bedrooms—one for Mu Xing himself, the other used as a study. Behind was a spacious backyard, with a semi-open kitchen in one corner and a dining area in another. On the right were two vegetable plots and a small flower bed.

He carried two bags of rice into the backyard and began rinsing rice for cooking.

By his count, it had already been half a year since he returned to Xiaoxi Village.

In this half year, Mu Xing had felt many changes in himself.

First, his strength had greatly increased. For example, just now, each of the rice bags he bought in town weighed fifty jin, and he had lifted them from the three-wheeler with one hand each, effortlessly and without even panting.

Nothing in his memories suggested that Mu Xing had such natural strength.

Then there were his senses—his vision and hearing had improved, his body felt lighter, and his sense of smell seemed sharper.

There were also changes in his appearance.

During his two years at Star Entertainment, the original Mu Xing had been under tremendous stress, developing tendencies toward severe depression and anxiety. This had led to drastic weight loss, frequent insomnia, and significant hair loss, with his hairline receding noticeably.

After returning to Xiaoxi Village, his weight had naturally recovered—especially since Mu Xing was open-hearted and spoke his mind, without letting things fester.

Never one to skimp on his own comfort, he lived well, and by the time he terminated his contract with Star Entertainment, his overly thin frame had already started to fill out. Over the past six months, he had visibly rounded out, no longer looking like a gust of wind could knock him over.

Fortunately, Mu Xing liked to roam the mountains in his free time, so he got plenty of exercise—otherwise, he might have lost even his abs.

The change in his hairline was obvious; he could see fine baby hairs growing back when he looked in the mirror.

Then there was his skin.

The original had naturally good skin. As a mountain child, he’d never had any concept of skincare, running barefoot in the sun all day yet remaining pale and tender-skinned. Only during those two stressful years had his complexion looked haggard.

In the past six months, even though Mu Xing had been running around in the mountains exposed to wind and rain, his skin hadn’t roughened at all—if anything, it had become even fairer and more flawless, smooth and lustrous like jade, with a healthy rosy glow, as if he were so fresh he could be squeezed for water.

Mu Xing thought he looked a bit too fair, almost feminine, so for a while he deliberately sunbathed in the noon heat every day. But after ten or fifteen days with no effect at all, he gave up with a sigh.

For all these reasons, Mu Xing had suspected something unusual. He went to the county hospital for a full check-up, but the results showed nothing wrong—his health was excellent.

When he cautiously explained his doubts to the doctor, a middle-aged woman old enough to be his mother gave him a look that was hard to describe.

“Young man,” she said, looking at his youthful, rosy face, “if you’re that free, go find something meaningful to do.”

Stop wasting my time here with your fussing!

Since the tests showed nothing wrong and he felt perfectly fine, Mu Xing decided to drop the matter.

“Squeak squeak squeak!”

Looking up, Mu Xing saw a monkey squatting on the fence.

“It’s you.” Mu Xing waved at it.

This monkey had first appeared in his yard more than a month ago, probably from the mountains.

At first, Mu Xing thought it had wandered there by accident—wild animals were usually very wary and avoided humans—so he pretended not to notice it.

But the monkey never left. It didn’t run around either, just sat on the fence watching Mu Xing eat, then watched him wash some fruit afterward.

Mu Xing had hesitated at the time, then held up a banana. “Want to eat?”

That was the start of their bond.

Every few days, the little monkey would visit, sometimes even bringing Mu Xing wild fruit from the mountains—it was surprisingly intelligent.

Now, seeing Mu Xing notice it, the monkey looked happy, hopping twice along the fence before pointing to the right.

Following its gesture, Mu Xing saw two large heads slowly rise above the wall.

Another two monkeys!

Mu Xing laughed. “What, you even brought friends today?”

He found it amusing and tried greeting the two newcomers. The two monkeys seemed a little shy, not as lively as the first one, but still carefully jumped down from the fence and slowly came over to shake his hand.

Mu Xing was smiling and about to say something when he suddenly heard the sound of pounding footsteps from the front.

The two monkeys seemed startled, and in a flash they jumped back. By the time Mu Xing snapped out of it, they had already leapt over the fence and disappeared.

“Brother Mu Xing! Have you eaten yet?” A boy in a blue-and-white school uniform stood at the gate of Mu Xing’s house calling for him.

Mu Xing walked to the front and smiled when he saw who it was. “Oh, it’s Xiao Bin.”

Xiao Bin’s full name was Lu Xiaobin. He was in second grade this year. His father had passed away, his mother worked in another city, and he lived with his grandfather, who was over sixty.

Grandpa Lu had trouble walking, so he usually made small handicrafts like bamboo dragonflies and sold them in the county on weekends to earn pocket money for his grandson—like the blue Ultraman schoolbag Xiao Bin had wanted for a long time.

Xiao Bin’s background was a bit pitiful, but for those still living in Xiaoxi Village—apart from Uncle Fang and Aunt Xiu, who stayed out of fondness for their old neighbors—few had it easy.

Xiao Bin handed over a small plastic jar, showing a big white-toothed smile. “My grandpa ground some chili powder. He said you probably didn’t have any this year, so he told me to bring you a jar.”

The people of Xiaoxi Village were just like that—simple and warm-hearted, always thinking of their neighbors when they had something to share.

Mu Xing accepted the gift. “Thank you, Grandpa Lu. Thank you, Xiao Bin.”

Seeing the blazing sun outside, he pulled Xiao Bin inside. “It’s hot out—come in and sit.”

He took a bottle of soda from the fridge and grabbed a handful of chocolates for Xiao Bin.

Xiao Bin blushed and quickly waved his hands. “I don’t want them.”

He said, “These things are expensive. My grandpa says you’re a good person, Brother Mu Xing, but we can’t always take advantage of you, or he won’t let me come play at your house anymore.”

When Mu Xing had first come back, the village children had been a bit afraid to approach him. In their eyes, this big brother was handsome, stylishly dressed, and seemed like he came from a completely different world.

But it hadn’t taken long for them to discover that he was very nice—he helped bring things back for their families and invited them to play at his house.

Brother Mu Xing’s house was clean and pretty, with lots of tasty candy—and even a computer! They could watch all kinds of movies and cartoons!

Before long, his place had become the most popular spot for kids in Xiaoxi Village.

Xiao Bin didn’t touch the snacks on the table, fidgeting with his shirt instead. He shyly asked, “Brother Mu Xing, have you eaten?”

Mu Xing nodded. “Just finished.”

Xiao Bin said, “Then let me wash the dishes for you!”

Mu Xing quickly stood to stop him. “No, no.”

He guessed the reason and asked, “It’s Sunday—Xiao Bin, have you finished your homework?”

Xiao Bin nodded. Not only had he finished his homework, but he’d also washed the bedding at home.

Mu Xing grinned. “Xiao Bin’s so good. How about I reward you with two hours of cartoons?”

Xiao Bin’s eyes lit up instantly.

As expected, Mu Xing thought with amusement, the kid obviously just wanted to use the computer but was too shy to ask.

Seeing Xiao Bin happily run toward the study, Mu Xing couldn’t help smiling, though it soon turned into a wistful look.

Life was too hard for the children in Xiaoxi Village.

He’d been outside and seen what life was like for city kids. Their everyday life was something kids like Xiao Bin couldn’t even dream of.

The people here were so kind—he hoped they could live better lives.

Unfortunately, he had no business sense.

That night, Mu Xing sat in his study, searching online—

How can mountain villagers become prosperous?

But the answers were either ridiculous, like telling you to find thousand-year-old ginseng or lingzhi deep in the mountains to get rich overnight—

Or blatant advertisements: Join XX franchise, get rich easily, earn 100,000 a month!

The next day, Mu Xing slept in unusually late.

After breakfast, seeing the nice weather, he planned to take a walk in the mountains. But then he overheard Uncle Fang and Aunt Xiu chatting next door.

Normally, this distance was too far for him to hear clearly, but Mu Xing’s hearing had become unusually sharp lately.

He was about to walk away quickly, but then he caught what they were talking about:

“Sigh, who would’ve thought Boss Xu, who’s been ordering from us every year, suddenly wouldn’t want any this time?”

“What should we do? With so many persimmons, if Boss Xu won’t buy them, we’ll never sell them all.”

“Uncle Zhang told me about it, and he’s really worried.”

…

Mu Xing changed direction, walked over to Uncle Fang’s house, and greeted them.

“Uncle Zhang, morning. What are you talking about?”

Sure enough, Uncle Fang’s face was full of worry, though he still smiled when he saw Mu Xing. “Morning, Xing Xing.”

He sighed. “I was just chatting with your Uncle Zhang this morning—this year’s persimmons will be hard to sell.”

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