Author Archives: Thingyan

This chapter sadly does not contain mature content. Read at your own discretion.

That night, Xu Qing didn’t want Li Changfeng to bother him anymore. He had finally slept peacefully for one night, and now…

Xu Qing sat in the main hall, watching the rainwater continuously flowing down from the eaves. It was raining heavily today! Li Changfeng had gone to the fields after breakfast. This rain was good for the fields that hadn’t been cultivated much before, but it posed some risks for the already cultivated ones. To prevent the fields from being damaged by waterlogging, Li Changfeng wore a raincoat and braved the rain in the fields.

The seedlings behind the house were already covered to protect them from the rain. Heavy rain could easily damage the seedlings. The little chicks had also been moved into their coop, and Li Changfeng had prepared food for the piglet yesterday. At the moment, Xu Qing had nothing to do and had been sitting here watching the rain for almost half an hour!

Xu Qing was bored and could only watch the rain. But Zeng Ama was not bored at all. He loved rainy days the most. It was the perfect time for gossip! “As the head of the household, I’m going to visit Sun Ama’s house. I’ll be back to cook at noon!” Zeng Ama said to the old man Zeng who was working on woodcraft, then took an umbrella and headed towards Sun Ama’s house with a twisting gait.

Sun Ama and his husband had two sons, the elder one was twenty-one and the younger one was eighteen, both unmarried. One reason was that the family was a bit tight on money, and the other was that neither of the sons had good character. One liked to boast but didn’t do anything, while the other had many ideas but never succeeded in anything. This made the villagers and even outsiders look down on them. That’s why the marriage proposal from Sun Ama’s family to Xu Qing had been unsuccessful the last time, which naturally made Sun Ama feel somewhat uncomfortable.

“Sun family, open the door. I’ve come to have a chat with you!” Zeng Ama’s loud voice echoed into Sun’s house, but only Sun Ama was inside, sewing shoe soles. The men in the family had all gone out to visit neighbors.

Upon hearing the knock on the door, Sun Ama put aside the half-finished shoe sole and patted off the remaining fabric scraps on his body. He quickly walked out of the main hall and opened the door for the waiting Zeng Ama. “I knew you would come. I haven’t even left the house.”

After entering the main hall, Zeng Ama put away his umbrella and sat down with Sun Ama. He took one of the shoe soles that Sun Ama had already sewn and said, “Why are you still sewing these things? I buy them now. It saves time and effort! Plus, they’re cheap, just a few coins!”

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

Sun Ama forcefully suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. He gritted his teeth and said, “My husband loves the shoe soles I sew. They are sturdy and durable!”

Zeng Ama didn’t want to dwell on this matter either since he didn’t come to discuss shoe soles. He nudged Sun Ama, who was still sewing, with his hand. “You know what I came to talk about, right?” Sun Ama didn’t lift his head and threaded the needle through the thick shoe sole. “If you don’t say it, how would I know what you’ll be talking about?”

Zeng Ama didn’t like being ignored, but he felt uncomfortable with something on his mind. If he didn’t let it out, he would be restless. “Very few people in the village know about this, but who am I? Let me tell you, that family from the end of the village, the one who married into town, he came back yesterday!”

“So what if he came back? Isn’t it allowed for him to come back and visit his family?” Sun Ama thought it was such a trivial matter. Such a small thing didn’t seem worth so many people knowing about it!

Zeng Ama enjoyed hearing others feign ignorance. It made him feel like his information-gathering skills were getting better and better. “This time it’s different from when he came back before,” he leaned closer to Sun Ama. “I heard he got separated!”

“Ah!” Sun Ama was startled by the voice in his ear, and the needle pierced his finger, causing him to shake his hand in pain. “Look at your reaction!” Zeng Ama felt a sense of accomplishment.

“Separated?! Where did you hear that?” Now Sun Ama stopped sewing the shoe sole and anxiously questioned Zeng Ama.

“Don’t rush, don’t rush. I also just heard it, haven’t had a chance to investigate the details yet!” Every time he wanted to visit the Xie family, no one would accompany him. Xie Ama didn’t usually interact with him either. Going alone made him nervous. That person wasn’t as gentle as he appeared on the surface!

“If Xie Yu really came back after the separation, then he is considered single now!” Although he was older than Sun Ama’s two sons, Xie Yu was still a ger, right?

Zeng Ama smirked, “He is now single indeed, but I guess no one dared to take him.”

“Why do you say that?” Was there more to this story?

“Brother Xie still doesn’t have any children until now! The separation is probably related to this!” Zeng Ama analyzed the situation for Sun Ama with an expression and tone that could rival an investigator.

***

The rain outside was getting heavier, and the water from the eaves almost formed a straight line. Uncle Xie didn’t go out; he sat in the main hall smoking dry tobacco. Xie Ama came out of Brother Xie’s room, holding an empty medicine bowl. Uncle Xie stood up and looked at the bowl, grinning happily. “Finished drinking?”

Xie Ama smiled and pursed his lips. “Finished drinking. I feel much better now. And let me tell you, the pickled vegetables that Brother Qing gave us are perfect for Xiao Yu’s appetite. Not only can he have a bowl of porridge now, but he’s also been more diligent in taking his medicine than before.”

Uncle Xie took the bowl from Xie Ama’s hand. “Then go to Brother Qing’s house today and thank him properly. If they have extra pickled vegetables, buy a few jars and bring them back. Our son’s happiness is more important than anything else!”

Xie Ama glared at him. “You don’t have to tell me. I know. You stay at home, Xiao Yu has taken his medicine and gone to sleep. Don’t make a ruckus in the house and disturb him. I won’t spare you if that happens!”

Xu Qing was cooking lunch. They had been eating boiled fish slices for the past few days, but today Xu Qing was planning to steam the fish. Ever since Xu Qing started cooking fish, Li Changfeng would catch a few and keep them in a bucket filled with water. Even if they weren’t eaten immediately, they wouldn’t die right away. Xu Qing picked two relatively large grass carp. Li Changfeng had a big appetite.

After stunning the fish with a knife, Xu Qing scraped off the scales and cut open the belly, removing all the innards. “It’s a pity we don’t have a dog or a cat at home.” After disposing of the innards, Xu Qing carefully removed the gallbladder. When cooking fish, it was important not to break the gallbladder; otherwise, the whole fish would be ruined. After preparing the fish, Xu Qing stuffed ginger, scallions, and a few peppercorns into the belly. Then he rubbed some salt on the surface of the fish and poured a little leftover rice wine from their wedding day over it. He let it marinate for fifteen minutes.

After finishing these preparations, Xu Qing was about to start a fire when he heard Xie Ama’s voice at the courtyard gate. “Brother Qing, are you home? I’m coming in!” Since it was raining, Li Changfeng only closed the courtyard gate but didn’t lock it. “I’m here! Come in, Xie Ama!” Xu Qing took the umbrella from Xie Ama and stored it neatly on the wall under the eaves. Then he welcomed Xie Ama into the kitchen.

“Preparing lunch?” As soon as he entered the kitchen, Xie Ama saw the two marinated fish on the stove.

“Yes, on rainy days, there’s nothing else to do, so I started preparing lunch early.” After Xu Qing fetched a clean stool for Xie Ama to sit on, he sat in front of the stove, lit the fire, and added water to a pot, covering it with a lid. He was waiting for the water to boil so that Li Changfeng could have hot water when he returned.

“Changfeng went to the field, right? I came over to thank you for the pickled vegetables you gave us yesterday. You don’t know, yesterday at noon, your brother Yu had a whole bowl of porridge with the pickled vegetables. It’s a lot more than he used to eat!” Xie Ama was delighted that their son had eaten something, and his face looked much brighter than yesterday.

“It’s nothing to thank me for. I still have another jar here. Take it back with you and follow my instructions to make more. It’ll be convenient for him to eat that way.” Because Li Changfeng loved to eat them, Xu Qing had prepared several jars of pickled vegetables. The one Xie Ama took was from the first batch he made.

“No need to tell me the instructions. This stuff looks good. You can sell it in the market. It might bring in some extra income. Here, take this money as a token of appreciation and buy another jar. With the one you gave us and the additional jar, it’ll be enough for Xiao Yu to eat for a while.” Xie Ama felt that Xu Qing had come up with this on his own, and he couldn’t just take the recipe so easily. They were a newlywed couple, and there were many expenses to consider. He included some persuasion in his words.

“It’s not some precious recipe. Just take it and make it. Don’t give me any money. If Brother Yu likes what I cook, then let him eat to his heart’s content. Once he recovers, everything will be fine. Xie Ama, don’t embarrass me by offering money. Otherwise, I won’t feel comfortable coming to your house anymore!” Xu Qing couldn’t accept money. Not to mention Xie Ama, even Uncle Xie had been so kind to him. Xu Qing felt bad for not being able to help with Brother Yu’s matter. It was already embarrassing enough; he couldn’t ask for money.

“Nonsense! How can a newlywed couple get by without money? Listen to me and do as I say!” Xie Ama thought that Xu Qing was still too young. When a couple gets married, there are expenses everywhere—food, firewood, oil, salt—every aspect requires money. If they have a child in the future, the expenses will only increase.

Xu Qing scooped some boiling water from the pot to drink and poured the rest into a bucket, covering it with a clean wooden lid to keep it warm and slow down the cooling process. “Then you can forget about the recipe, but don’t give me the money for the pickled vegetables. Otherwise, I won’t make them for you.”

“Okay, okay, you cunning guy!” Xie Ama knew exactly what Xu Qing meant, so he reluctantly accepted his goodwill. He thought that in the future, if there was anything Xu Qing’s family needed, he would help them as much as he could.

“Why are you boiling water again?” Xie Ama looked at Xu Qing in confusion as he added more water to the pot.

“I’m going to steam the fish today! Here, watch me do it, and then you can go back and try making it for Brother Yu. It’s steamed fish, so it won’t be a problem for him to eat.” Xu Qing explained the method of marinating the fish and went through the steps with Xie Ama. If there was anything Xie Ama didn’t understand, he made sure to explain it clearly.

Once the water in the pot started to bubble slightly, Xu Qing placed four clean, long wooden sticks in a cross shape on the surface of the water. Then he tightly wrapped the steamer with a clean piece of gauze to seal it. After the water came to a full boil, Xu Qing carefully placed the marinated fish onto the steamer using a plate and covered the pot with a lid. “Steam it for about fifteen minutes after the water is fully boiling. It will be ready then. Steaming it for too long will affect the texture.”

Xu Qing explained the timing to Xie Ama, who listened attentively, afraid of missing any details and ending up with something that didn’t taste good.

When the fish was ready, Xu Qing sprinkled a small amount of finely chopped green onion on top. A plate of fragrant steamed fish was ready to be served.

“Smells good, doesn’t it?”

Xie Ama nodded repeatedly. “Not only does it look good, but it also smells amazing. It’s completely different from boiled fish slices! Xu Qing, you’re really talented! Li Changfeng is lucky to have found you!”

“That’s right. Being able to marry such a wife is the fortune I’ve accumulated over several lifetimes!” Li Changfeng had just returned home and heard Xie Ama praising his wife. As soon as he caught a whiff of the fragrance coming from the kitchen, he knew his wife had cooked something delicious.

He gestured for Li Changfeng to take the hot water in the bucket and clean himself up, paying no attention to his proud expression. “Xie Ama, stay for dinner. I’ll quickly heat up a couple more dishes, and then we can eat.”

Xie Ama hurriedly shook his head. “In the past, I wouldn’t hesitate to accept your offer, but today, I have to go back and take care of Xiao Yu. You know how bad your uncle’s cooking skills are. He even struggles to cook for himself!”

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

This chapter contains mature content. Read at your own discretion.

As Li Changfeng entered the room, he immediately saw a sight that made his mouth dry. Xu Qing had changed into a loose-fitting shirt to take a nap. Because the shirt was too big and loose, it revealed a fair amount of his chest. His cute little toes were constantly wiggling, as if they were feeling a bit itchy. Xu Qing was lying on his side, hugging the blanket, with one leg propped up on the blanket. His perfectly rounded buttocks faced the door, reminding Li Changfeng of the incredibly elastic and soft sensation he felt when touching it last night.

“Are your toes itchy?”

With his eyes closed, Xu Qing nodded his head. It was the time when he felt sleepy after eating, and even though his feet were itchy, he didn’t want to use his hands to scratch. But now, hearing Li Changfeng’s question, he simply raised one leg in the air, indicating to Li Changfeng to scratch it for him. “I don’t want to move. Scratch it for me.”

Li Changfeng got on the bed and placed Xu Qing’s raised foot in his palm, gently scratching it. At first, he obediently scratched Xu Qing’s foot, but slowly, his other hand started to glide up Xu Qing’s soft and tender leg…

Not long after, Li Changfeng lifted his head and bit down on Xu Qing’s already reddened lips that he had just kissed. He nibbled gently at first, then used his large tongue to play with Xu Qing’s sensual lower lip. Gradually, Li Changfeng explored Xu Qing’s slightly parted lips and teeth, thoroughly conquering the territory he had already occupied. Xu Qing was so overwhelmed by the intensity that he was almost out of breath. He tried to push Li Changfeng away with his hand, but Li Changfeng’s eagerly awaiting large hand firmly grasped him.

Between their lips, Xu Qing could only feel the slight coolness emanating from Li Changfeng’s hand, which had just been washed with cold water. It provided a relief from the internal heat Li Changfeng had ignited within him. But he had no room to breathe. He struggled to push away Li Changfeng’s intrusive tongue, lifting his head. However, to his surprise, Li Changfeng continued his path downward along his neck, releasing the grip on Xu Qing’s hand and tightly holding his waist to prevent him from falling onto the bed.

“You!”

Li Changfeng firmly grasped Xu Qing, causing him to cry out. The long and calloused hand from agricultural work brought both stimulation and passionate sensation to Xu Qing. It made him tremble uncontrollably, and each up-and-down motion created a continuous “sloshing” sound in their ears.

Xu Qing felt flustered and hot, his body wanting to escape from Li Changfeng’s transgressive grip, wanting to retreat. But he was held tightly by the other party, unable to move forcefully. He could only support himself with his hands on the bed, arching his partially exposed upper body. In the middle of his protruding chest, there was a furry little head moving incessantly.

“Faster…”

Of course, Li Changfeng knew what Xu Qing wanted. So his movements only increased in intensity, getting faster and faster. The pleasure from their actions continued to build up, and soon Xu Qing couldn’t take it anymore and erupted in Li Changfeng’s hands. He collapsed heavily onto the bed, his red chest rising and falling as he continued to pant.

“Does it feel good?” Li Changfeng licked his lips and, with his strong hands resting beside Xu Qing’s head, he asked with a seductive gaze.

Xu Qing opened his clear eyes, looking at Li Changfeng’s smug expression, and said in a hoarse voice, “I told you not to touch me these days!”

“Alright!”

If it weren’t for the fact that Xu Qing could feel Li Changfeng’s erectness pressing against him, his serious expression might have fooled Xu Qing. Seeing Xu Qing’s doubt in his eyes, Li Changfeng directly undressed himself, lying brazenly next to Xu Qing. He pulled the limp Xu Qing to sit on top of him, and Xu Qing shifted his position, feeling uncomfortable with that thing underneath him.

“I won’t touch you. You touch me, hm?” Li Changfeng deliberately shook his body, causing Xu Qing to tremble as he sat on top.

“Really?!” If it was himself touching Li Changfeng, then he could definitely do it! Although he couldn’t counterattack, he could playfully tease Li Changfeng. (You’re thinking too much…)

Excited, Xu Qing reached out and scratched Li Changfeng’s chin, saying, “Hey, show me a smile, kid!” Li Changfeng smiled slightly as instructed, and his natural smile puzzled Xu Qing. Could it be… Xu Qing reached out and grabbed that thing, asking with a mischievous smile, “Are you embarrassed?”

“What do you think?” Li Changfeng gestured for Xu Qing to look at his energetic self held in his hand. He pinched Xu Qing’s reddened cheek, and Xu Qing’s eyes narrowed dangerously. Applying a little pressure, Li Changfeng also started breathing heavily. The sense of control from grasping someone like this excited Xu Qing, and his eyes widened with excitement.

Li Changfeng suppressed the burning desire in his eyes and let Xu Qing explore eagerly. To catch prey, you have to take your time, savoring it, right?

After several movements from Xu Qing’s hand, seeing that Li Changfeng was indeed strongly reacting, Xu Qing became more and more excited. He kept teasing and didn’t stop. As time went on, Xu Qing’s hand started to feel sore, but Li Changfeng didn’t release. “Can you please speed things up a bit? You’re exhausting me!”

Li Changfeng sighed inwardly. It was because he was so worked up that it had taken so long. Xu Qing could smell the scent in the room and unconsciously felt thirsty. He licked his lips slightly, and Li Changfeng watched his lively brows and eyes. Xu Qing’s pink tongue made such teasing movements, creating a contradictory scene that intensified the stimulation. Li Changfeng felt his entire body boiling with desire, wanting to ravage Xu Qing with all his might. But now, Xu Qing easily controlled his little brother, making him dare not make any rash moves!

“Are you thirsty?”

Xu Qing didn’t catch the depth in Li Changfeng’s tone and nodded foolishly. Even though he was the one in control, why was he the one getting tired? It was the same last night too, it wasn’t fair!

“Good boy, let me feed you!”

Suddenly, Xu Qing felt everything blur around him as Li Changfeng pressed him down. He was about to reproach Li Changfeng for not keeping his word when his mouth was sealed shut by a scorching hot mouth. In a daze, Xu Qing realized that thing in his hand was getting bigger and only then did he realize that Li Changfeng was still in his hand.

“Use the same strength and speed that I usually use on you,” Li Changfeng whispered in Xu Qing’s ear, lightly biting it. Xu Qing’s actions followed Li Changfeng’s words, as if he had been hypnotized.

Li Changfeng’s hands caressed Xu Qing’s black hair and then slowly moved downward, sliding over his ears, cheeks, and neck. His lips lingered on Xu Qing’s neck, and as he listened to Xu Qing’s sounds, Li Changfeng seemed encouraged. He took Xu Qing’s chest into his mouth, and his hand followed Xu Qing’s lead in speed and strength.

The stimulating actions from Li Changfeng burying his head caused Xu Qing to tremble uncontrollably. Xu Qing’s hand unconsciously slowed down until a large hand enveloped his own hand and started moving slowly again. It was only then that Xu Qing realized that Li Changfeng was actually helping him with the actions!

“Does it feel good, hmm?” Li Changfeng panted against Xu Qing’s forehead, his other hand continuously kneading and probing him. “Are you still thirsty?” Xu Qing shook his head in fear. His mouth was almost swollen from Li Changfeng’s kisses!

“Will you touch me again?” Xu Qing shook his head frantically. His hand was almost numb, and being held by Li Changfeng was uncomfortable. His mind felt like it was on fire, and he only wanted something to cool himself down.

“Changfeng… Changfeng…” Xu Qing called out Li Changfeng’s name in discomfort. He wanted him, his whole body burning with desire!

Li Changfeng had also reached his limit. Xu Qing had at least reached his climax once, but Li Changfeng hadn’t at all! He directly pinned Xu Qing tightly to the bed, and once Xu Qing was barely conscious enough to hold onto him, Li Changfeng slowly explored him. Only when Xu Qing enthusiastically accepted his fingers did Li Changfeng eagerly and gently enter Xu Qing’s body, starting powerful and forceful movements.

As Li Changfeng and Xu Qing merged into one, Xu Qing couldn’t find any words to describe the sensation of their intimate connection. It was a strange feeling, swelling yet filled with another kind of wonderful pleasure. When Li Changfeng pulled out, Xu Qing felt a strong emptiness in his body, but as soon as he thrust back in, Xu Qing felt himself being filled completely.

Every sensitive spot on his body was expertly teased by Li Changfeng. Xu Qing could only follow the rhythm of his partner’s breathing, sometimes light, sometimes heavy. His eyes started to blur, and his mind went blank. He could only grasp onto Li Changfeng on his body; he was his lifeline, his redemption!

When Xu Qing woke up again, it was already evening.

Even though his body was no longer sticky after Li Changfeng cleaned him up, Xu Qing couldn’t suppress his frustrated and powerless sigh. He was always devoured by this wolf, how would he be able to live like this in the future?

“Awake? Thirsty, right? Have some water. I just boiled it, and it’s cool enough to drink now.” Li Changfeng opened the door and was met with a pair of accusing eyes. He cheerfully walked over, holding a bowl of water, and embraced the weak Xu Qing, giving him an affectionate kiss.

As soon as Xu Qing heard the word “thirsty,” his face flushed. He couldn’t care about much else. They had been active for half the afternoon, so he was really thirsty! He was genuinely parched!

“Do you want more?” Li Changfeng felt a bit guilty seeing Xu Qing finishing the entire bowl of water.

“No more! No more! My waist is sore!” Xu Qing’s brain lagged, and he blurted out without thinking. Once he realized what he had said, he felt extremely embarrassed and buried his head in Li Changfeng’s embrace. It was truly humiliating!

Li Changfeng gently patted Xu Qing and stopped teasing him. “Okay, okay, no more. But do you still want to drink water?” His wife had thin skin, and if he said something wrong, he might not be allowed to touch him for real!

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

“I do…” A small voice came from within his embrace. If it weren’t for Li Changfeng being so close, he probably wouldn’t have heard it!

Li Changfeng pulled up the fallen blanket for Xu Qing and then turned around to pour water. Xu Qing, wrapped in the blanket, looked at the darkening light outside the window and knew that he had wasted another afternoon. Ah, the allure of a handsome man was truly destructive!

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Thingyan: I would like to thank LaisseSeul for their 5-star review on NU and the suggestions on the issues with aggregator sites. Appreciate it 🙂

Shen Cheng harvested the rice in the space field, and stacked the newly harvested rice together with the previously harvested good rice in the warehouse. When she wasn’t around, her cub was surprisingly diligent? In just five short days offline, cub had already spontaneously harvested the grain four times, and most importantly, planted new ones every day after harvesting. With this snowball effect, a shallow layer had already accumulated at the bottom of the granary.

Shen Cheng tried to check the price of the rice: buying seeds cost 2 gold coins per piece, and selling them cost 4 gold coins per piece. Deducting the cost of buying the seeds, it meant that cub had planted the equivalent of 20 pieces of land, and the daily income from planting was 40 gold coins?

This was much more stable than the previous main mission, and could be considered a task that could be done once a day.

Shen Cheng secretly decided to set an alarm for every harvest time, to ensure that the efficiency of each piece of land was maximized. For her, harvesting the rice was a daily routine, while for her cub, it would probably take a lot of effort. Moreover, she had been offline for five days, but still received payment for four harvests. The time wasted in between was probably when her cub was busy in the fields.

In the game, gold coins had to be carefully managed and not spent recklessly.

The cheapest and easiest rice to grow was 2 gold coins, while the next level up was vegetable seeds, with the cheapest cabbage costing 4 gold coins per piece, and a planting time 1.5 times longer than that of rice, taking 36 hours.

Vegetable and fruit seeds were more expensive and had longer planting times, but for now, they were not within Shen Cheng’s consideration. Although she didn’t know everything about the game’s overall background, Shen Cheng was well aware that it was not in an era where the characters could afford to consider food types and flavors too much. Before she could completely fill her cub’s storage space with the main grain she had harvested, she temporarily had no plans to plant other types of crops.

First, she had to make sure her cub’s belly was full before considering anything else.

Moreover, Shen Cheng remembers that in her previous main quests 2 and 3, she helped her little cub collect more than twenty subordinates. With so many mouths to feed, she’s worried that the output from her space won’t be enough.

Some covetous eyes glanced at the apple seedlings in the system store, which were displayed as “100 gold coins, mature period: three-day harvest cycle, 1/hour”. Shen Cheng added it to her priority purchase list, and her worried gaze fell on the icon of Li Weilan on the map.

This map is different from the previous one. Shen Cheng tried it and found that Li Weilan’s target location this time has a red system mark next to the word “Walmart”.

“Sweeping location: Walmart. It is said that there are advanced mutant beasts here, and many abilities have disappeared here. Danger level: high.”

The word “high” is orange and flickers slightly in Shen Cheng’s vision, making it very prominent.

Looking at this line of words, Shen Cheng frowned slightly.

She had played this type of mobile game before, and although the explanatory words in the system seemed to have a certain probability.

On Li Weilan’s character interface: he was still wearing the black uniform that he received as a first-time purchase. The introduction on top of it was written clearly:

“A set of military uniforms left over from the pre-apocalyptic era. It is of excellent quality, with durable fabric that absorbs sweat in the summer and resists cold in the winter. It is a must-have for traveling. But do you really think you can go and fight monsters in this?”

Apart from this good-looking and durable uniform, Li Weilan’s weapon, equipment, and additional items were all blank.

Wait… his equipment…

Shen Cheng glanced at the additional items he carried, and a little guilt for being too careless on raising her child arose in her heart.

Li Weilan only had one additional item with him:

“Never-disappearing lollipop: This is a lollipop that was given to Li Weilan by a mysterious person and has an extraordinary meaning to him.”

The four words “extraordinary meaning” made Shen Cheng inexplicably blush.

She knew that she was not needed by anyone in real life.

After her parents passed away, the people who truly cared about her were no longer around.

The remaining people who showed even a little bit of care for her, even if it was just a few words, were mostly for their own interests.

She only spent one yuan on raising her cub, but the little thing in that one yuan was treasured and carried with him.

Shen Cheng thought about it and finally made up her mind: Although it seemed to be a little bit over her budget, should she… spend 168 yuan to make a top-up?

The recharge in the game is divided into four levels: 38, 68, 128, and 168.

Apart from the first recharge reward, there are different rewards for purchasing these four gift packs for the first time.

And the 168 yuan gift pack has a very powerful weapon: a plasma gun that looks imposing at first glance.

In reality, Shen Cheng has never seen such a powerful weapon, after all, plasma weapons are still in the early stages of research in reality, and it is said that there is still a gap from mass production.

But she has heard of the power of plasma weapons, so when she sees the plasma gun in the game with a price tag of only 168 yuan and some other supplies, she feels a little itchy to buy it.

However, before she impulsively spends her money, Shen Cheng sees the weapon lottery tickets she accumulated in the main mission 3 earlier.

She opened the weapon lottery roulette and took a look.

The equipment on today’s roulette seems pretty good!

Shen Cheng rubbed her hands, devoutly washed them, and then returned to her phone, carefully clicking on the two shining golden words “Lottery Draw”.

With a pleasant ringing sound, the pointer gradually slowed down, and finally, the pointer on the roulette jumped one by one, and finally stopped in front of a huge knife.

This knife was surrounded by thunder and lightning, and when Shen Cheng just drew it out, the blade trembled constantly, as if an indomitable soul was jumping on the blade.

And after a moment, the clear and mirror-like blade slowly reflected the word “Thunder”.

Originally, Shen Cheng preferred the long-range weapons that could be drawn from the lottery pool. After all, in her impression, her own child was still a relatively fragile beauty.

And a fragile beauty is more suitable for holding a wooden box in the back and going up to bathe in blood, which is not suitable for her own cub.

Shen Cheng thought: how about hoarding this Thunder for now… and see if there is anyone more suitable to give it to later?

While Shen Cheng was hesitating, she suddenly heard a strange and subtle sound coming from the window.

The sound was very light, but in the quiet night, this slight weird sound suddenly attracted all of Shen Cheng’s attention sitting on the bed in the room!

She suddenly looked up and looked out the window, just in time to see a black dot withdrawing from the gap.

A camera?

Shen Cheng’s expression changed.

The shadow that rushed away from the window turned out to be a camera.

Fortunately, Shen Cheng was just playing games in the room just now. Her clothes were tidy and she was not in a mess. Otherwise, at this moment, she would have been nervous about what the camera had captured!

She didn’t have time to care about the game anymore. She couldn’t even put on her shoes. She rushed over and opened the door, but the person in the corridor had obviously disappeared without a trace. Only the slightly opened window of the room told Shen Cheng that what had just happened was not her imagination.

She was already planning to move out next month.

But now it seems that the landlord can’t even wait for the last month’s rent, and there have been frequent small movements recently.

What makes Shen Cheng scared even more is that it seems the landlord has more than just the intention of raising the rent. Judging from the situation of the secretly recorded footage, the landlord might be planning something shady in private!

Shen Cheng suspects that the landlord has figured out that she is planning to move out, and is now showing his true, sinister face impatiently. He doesn’t even bother to pretend anymore.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

Moving out is easy.

The worst-case scenario is that she will spend a few hundred more dollars a month to rent a nicer single room or move further away from the core area, and her budget will still be more than enough.

But what about the landlord?

Does she have to surrender to someone like him, a “propertied class” who frequently engages in small despicable acts and takes advantage of his age, and just run away with her tail between her legs?

Once she leaves, the landlord will naturally find his next prey.

She has enough savings to rent another house, but what if the next girl is a completely vulnerable group, without even the ability to break the contract and run away?

Enabling evil is itself a sin.

Shen Cheng’s eyes sank, and she pursed her lips slightly: she was unwilling.

At this moment, her phone suddenly rang.

The words “landlord” on the screen seemed to pluck the string of reason in her heart.

Shen Cheng took a deep breath before answering the phone.

“Hello?” she said.

“Miss Shen,” the landlord’s oily voice hissed like a venomous snake. But in that smiling tone, there was not even a hint of fear or remorse for being caught peeping and filming just now. This made Shen Cheng gradually feel a burning sensation in her eyes. What could she use to fight against such a shameless old rogue? “Someone is coming to see the house tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. Please be prepared and remember to stay at home.”

Shen Cheng responded with a “okay.”

The old rogue seemed to want to say something else, but Shen Cheng was already impatient with him: “Is there anything else?”

“No, no,” the voice on the other end turned embarrassed. The landlord said, “Miss Shen, if you want to renew the lease, please let me know as soon as possible. The location of this house is good, but it’s in high demand. If I rent it out and you come to me later to renew the lease, it will be too late. Even if I want to, I can’t find another one like it. The price in this area is 110,000 yuan per square meter, and your rent doesn’t even cover half of the mortgage I have to pay to the bank.”

Shen Cheng felt a wave of discomfort and nausea in her chest.

Her lips parted and the words she had been brewing for a long time blurted out: “I won’t renew the lease. I’ll be moving soon.”

“Oh, I see. Okay then…” The landlord seemed surprised by her blunt response, perhaps feeling a loss of face, as his voice carried a hint of coldness. “Remember to open the door tomorrow or the day after!”

“Okay.” Shen Cheng didn’t ask about the tenant who had offered 2,000 yuan earlier. She carefully checked the locks on the windows and doors before returning to bed.

Since she had promised to move out, she needed to be careful with every penny she had. Moving was a physically and mentally exhausting process for a girl from the slums. It not only represented a significant reduction in her savings but also meant several days of fatigue and wasted energy.

But since it was unavoidable, Shen Cheng knew she had to be mindful of every cent and save as much as possible. Who knows when she might need it in the future?

Buying a weapon for 168 yuan was out of the question. Shen Chen silently equipped “Thunder” onto Li Weilan’s weapon slot and looked at his figure holding a sharp long knife for a while before sighing apologetically, “Cub, I’m sorry, but you’ll have to make do with this weapon for now. I’ll get you a better one next time.”

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Translator has something to say: I thought I could, but my body said no; I now am suffering from the carpel tunnel syndrome so, I won’t be able to update every day as I used to.

Xie Yu listened to the words of Xie Ama and Uncle Xie and couldn’t help but burst into laughter, but his eyes were filled with tears. Xie Ama quickly took out a handkerchief and carefully wiped Xie Yu’s eyes, saying, “Why are you thanking us? You are our child. Are you crying over such a small matter?”

“Did that troublesome Ma family cause you trouble again? If I had known, I would have given him a few more punches!” Uncle Xie’s angry voice attracted the attention of people around, but he didn’t notice.

“Father! Lower your voice!” The touched feeling that Xie Yu had just experienced was completely destroyed by his own father. After so many years, his father was so silly…

“Don’t talk!” Xie Ama really didn’t want to think about changing Uncle Xie’s bad habit anymore. The best way was to make him shut up! Uncle Xie, being addressed like that by the two people he loved the most, didn’t get angry. He just smiled foolishly, drank up his teacup, and noticed that Xie Yu had just laughed!

“Pay no attention to him, Xiao Yu. Take your time and drink. We’ll go out for a walk later. It’s been a long time since we strolled together!” After resting for a while, the three of them walked on the street again and only returned to the Ma family when it was getting late.

The Ma couple and Ma Fugui were still in the main hall, along with three elderly people sitting above them. This indicated that these three individuals held higher positions in the Ma family.

“Xiao Yu, you’re back. Father-in-law, Mother-in-law,” Ma Fugui greeted Xie Yu and the old Xie couple with an embarrassed tone. The old Ma couple were behaving well at the moment, and Ma Ama only glared fiercely at Uncle Xie but didn’t say anything.

“Well, Father, Ama, these three are the uncles of the Ma family.” After Xie Yu had Xie Ama and Uncle Xie sit down, he introduced the three serious-looking elders sitting above them.

Xie Ama and the others hadn’t even settled in their seats when they were infuriated by the words of the elders above them!

“What?!” Xie Ama looked at the slightly overweight elder in the middle, unable to believe what he had heard. He felt like he must have misheard!

The elder glanced at Xie Ama and Uncle Xie with a disbelieving look, cleared his throat, and said, “Today, although Xie Yu of the Xie family has been married to the Ma family for a full three years, they have not been blessed with a child. The Ma family’s lineage is thin, and we cannot continue without descendants. However, although Xie Yu has no child, it is well known that he is a good child in other aspects. Therefore, according to the request of Ma Fugui and his parents, today Ma Fugui and Xie Yu will separate, and each will live their own lives without delaying anyone!”

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

Ma Ama couldn’t help but speak in a spoiled tone, “It’s still our family’s Fugui who is righteous. Otherwise, according to our request, it would simply be a divorce letter!”

Xie Ama trembled with anger, “Back then, it was your family that insisted on taking my son, and you even said that he would only marry him. How come you’re going back on your words now?! You’ve tortured my son like this! Do you just want to wash your hands of it?!”

Ma Ama rolled his eyes and pouted, “I haven’t said that your brother caused me to have no grandchildren for years! Divorce is not an excessive demand for having no offspring.”

Xie Yu stared blankly at Ma Fugui since he heard those words, “You want to separate?” As soon as this question was asked, Xie Ama stopped arguing with Ma Ama, and Uncle Xie let go of the old man Ma he had been tightly holding onto.

For a while, apart from the sound of the elders drinking tea, no one spoke in the main hall.

Ma Fugui’s robe was tugged by Ma Ama. He didn’t dare to look into Xie Yu’s eyes and his gaze wandered around. “I, I saw the prescription you had hidden under the bottom of the wardrobe!” As the words faded away, Xie Yu’s face turned pale as well. “So, that’s it…”

Xie Ama and Uncle Xie could tell from their own son’s expression that something was wrong. Uncle Xie gently patted Xie Yu’s back, trying to make his face look better, while Xie Ama pressed for answers, “Prescription?! What prescription?!” It wouldn’t escalate to a divorce if it was just an ordinary prescription! It wouldn’t make Xie Yu’s face change like this!

“What prescription? Isn’t it about your son’s lifelong difficulty in having a child? It would be harder than ascending to the heavens for him to conceive in this life!” Ma Ama spat fiercely at Xie Ama. Uncle Xie hadn’t forgotten the time when he fought with Ma Ama for Xie Ama and Xie Yu!

Xie Ama couldn’t say a word because all he saw in Xie Yu’s eyes was despair and pain. “Child! My child!” Xie Ama tightly hugged the pale-faced Xie Yu and couldn’t help but cry in pain. What kind of sin had he committed for the heavens to treat his child like this!

Xu Qing didn’t expect it to turn out like this. “What happened next?” Xie Ama wiped away his tears with a handkerchief and said, “Afterwards, your Uncle Xie beat Ma Fugui severely and sent him to the doctor. Of course, Ma Ama wouldn’t let it go and invited the Ma family’s uncles, accusing your Uncle Xie of unjustifiably harming someone and demanded punishment from the authorities!”

As Xie Ama thought about it, he couldn’t control his sobs. “Because it was our fault from the beginning. Ma Fugui’s cousin works in the yamen. Even if we were not at fault, we couldn’t escape their deliberate interference. You know your Uncle Xie’s personality. He is straightforward and can’t match them at all. In order to prevent him from being taken to the yamen, Brother Xie took the separation letter and let the Ma family off the hook. We stayed in the town for a night just because of this matter!”

No wonder Uncle Xie and Xie Ama looked so exhausted. It was clear they hadn’t rested well. “What about Brother Xie?” Xu Qing hadn’t heard or seen Xie Yu since entering.

Xie Ama pointed to the side room where Xie Yu used to live before getting married. “He slept after taking medicine because yesterday was too tiring, and his health hasn’t improved.” Xie Ama felt the pain in Xie Yu’s heart. He witnessed it and felt it deeply. The Ma family was truly despicable. How did he agree to this marriage in the first place?

Xu Qing’s mood also became gloomy. Xie Ama’s family had shown him great kindness, but when something happened in their family, he hadn’t been able to help. “Let’s not dwell on the past. It’s all in the past, and it will pass! What delicious food did you bring for Xie Ama?”

Xie Ama felt relieved after speaking his mind and felt a bit embarrassed seeing Xu Qing’s low mood influenced by him. So, he quickly changed the subject.

Upon hearing that, Xu Qing remembered that Xie Ama’s family probably hadn’t eaten much these past few days. He hurriedly opened a small jar on the table. “This is pickled vegetables. It has similarities to the method of pickling. But this one is more appetizing. You must not have eaten much, Xie Ama. Just put it directly in your bowl during meals. It’s very appetizing. Yesterday, Changfeng didn’t even want to eat fish after eating this!”

Xie Ama got excited upon hearing that it was appetizing. The elderly couple could manage not eating much, but his son’s body wasn’t in good shape to begin with. If this could help Xie Yu eat, it would be better than anything else.

“That’s great! Brother Xie hasn’t eaten much these past few meals. I was worried about it! Thank you, Brother Qing.”

“Thanks for what? I couldn’t help with anything when you needed it. If I can’t be of help again, I’ll feel uneasy. I can make some porridge for Brother Xie. It’s good for the stomach and appetizing when paired with pickled vegetables!” The pickled vegetables contained spiritual spring water, which was beneficial for Xie Yu’s health.

“Okay, okay, that’s right! Oh, goodness, I forgot about your little chickens in all this busyness these past few days. Let me find a basket for you to carry them back!”

After leaving Xie Ama’s house, it was already close to noon. Carrying fifteen fluffy and tender little chicks on his back, Xu Qing bumped into Li Changfeng, who had come to pick him up.

“What are you up to?” Xu Qing looked at Li Changfeng, who was covered in sweat. Did he work so hard in the fields again? Look at all that sweat! Somehow, he remembered how the two of them were entangled in sweat last night…

“I went home to drink water and rest. Didn’t see you there, so I came to check on you.” Li Changfeng reached out and took the basket from Xu Qing’s back, closing the straps and carrying it on his arm. He grabbed Xu Qing’s hand and started walking towards their home.

Xu Qing’s palm felt the heat from Li Changfeng’s large hand, and it warmed his heart. “I can find my way home by myself, you know.” Li Changfeng nodded, acknowledging that Xu Qing could find his way back home on his own. “But I didn’t see you at home, and I wasn’t at ease without you.” Li Changfeng couldn’t calm down when Xu Qing wasn’t around.

At lunchtime, Xu Qing didn’t eat much and stopped early. He got up only a little before noon, and he wasn’t hungry now. Li Changfeng knew this and didn’t force Xu Qing to eat more. “So, Xie Yu has returned home?”

“Isn’t that obvious? Hey, let me ask you, if I can’t have a child, would you want a divorce?” Xu Qing hadn’t fully accepted the fact that he could have a child. If it weren’t for Xie Yu’s situation, he would have almost forgotten that he was capable of having a child too!

Li Changfeng took a sip of soup and was busy eating when he heard Xu Qing’s question. He quickly shook his head. After swallowing, he said, “I prefer a world for just the two of us!” That way, no one would compete with him for his wife. Isn’t that great?

Xu Qing rolled his eyes at Li Changfeng. What a preference for a world for just the two of them! In the end, it was all about… that! Men truly were creatures with three legs! Even he was one…

After lunch, Li Changfeng cleaned up the bowls and utensils. Then, he prepared a chicken coop near the pigsty. Since there were only baby chicks and no adult chickens, Li Changfeng used two large wooden boards to cover the coop. He made a simple chicken coop with four square stones. He also used wooden blocks to create a fenced area not far from the chicken coop. This was a place for the chicks to move around during the day. Xu Qing had planted seedlings in the backyard, and he couldn’t let this group of little guys destroy them!

After Li Changfeng finished his work, washed his hands and face, he entered the main room but didn’t see the familiar person. Knowing that Xu Qing was in the bedroom, Li Changfeng simply closed the courtyard and main room doors and entered the bedroom to take a short nap with Xu Qing!

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Thingyan: Finally went to the beach after cooped up at home for a month, the weather started becoming downcast, it began to rain. Had to leave after a few hours. Got some photos to share with my lovely readers though ☺️

Shen Cheng closed the door, she learned her back against it in exhaustion.

“It’s time to move,” she thought.

Shen knew that she couldn’t stay where she was living now. Even if the landlord didn’t come to evict her next month, there would always be another rent increase. The landlord was greedy and she found it troublesome to move and find a new place, but it was even more troublesome to be leered at by creepy men.

Moreover, her compromise this time was a rent increase of 200 yuan per month. Two hundred yuan! If she had that money, couldn’t she buy better food and drinks for her game avatar?

She had only just begun to enjoy the game, but she was always tight on money, so she had only spent one yuan on her cub so far. But if she could save some money on rent, she would definitely spend more on the game!

Shen thought about it and decided to download a rental app and search within her budget.

Choosing a place to live was a matter of timing, location, and people, especially when funds were limited. It was difficult for a girl to find a clean, safe, and responsible landlord within her budget.

Shen contacted a real estate agent and looked at many apartments, but found that each one had its own issues. She spent her precious free time after work running around in the scorching sun, and had to temporarily give up playing her game.

**

Li Weilan had recently noticed something strange: his secret “guardian” had disappeared since he entered the Noah base.

After entering his name into the control panel of the Noah base, he found that her authority made him the only person who could decide who had the right to enter the base.

The entire Noah base was built completely underground. At first, not only he, but other survivors also found it uncomfortable to live in such a mouse-hole-like environment. However, they soon found it to be a safe haven.

Living underground has far more benefits than above ground.

Since the Earth entered the apocalypse, nighttime has become the most dangerous time. This danger is not only brought by the wandering zombies on the ground, who occasionally gather in groups, but also the mutated beasts and human companions roaming the wasteland.

Before the appearance of the Noah Base, perhaps due to habitual thinking or the human instinct for sunlight, almost all bases were built on the ground. But the steel fortresses built on the ground often become the most obvious target in the face of the vast waves of zombies.

It was better when there were firearms available, but recently, firearms have gradually been depleted, and it is basically up to the ability users to fight against the waves of zombies, risking their lives. Before Li Weilan, there were already many reports of apocalypse bases being attacked and overrun by zombie waves.

On the other hand, the underground base almost perfectly avoids zombie attacks.

Li Weilan didn’t know how the mysterious person who saved him did it.

The entrance to this base is almost non-existent when not opened, perfectly blending in with the surrounding ground and mountains, and zombies can hardly detect it.

Even if a few stragglers follow, after they are eliminated and unable to form a group, they do not pose a threat to the base personnel.

With this worry lifted, the hearts of the people in the base gradually settled down.

However, Li Weilan’s mind began to stir restlessly. His rice in the space grew rapidly from small seedlings to mature plants, with heavy rice ears hanging down and bending the branches. But the mysterious person who planted the rice never appeared to harvest it.

On the first day, Li Weilan breathed a sigh of relief for the disappearance of the surveillance.

On the second day, he entered the space again and looked at the unchanged golden rice in front of him in silence.

On the third day, he began to suspect whether that person had completely forgotten about him.

On the fourth day, he picked the rice and stacked it in the granary, leaving a little behind, and replanted the seeds. He coldly said to himself in his heart, “Maybe that person won’t come back, and you need to be prepared.”

On the fifth day, he began to be silent, even vaguely worried that something had happened to that person.

His unusually quiet behavior was also noticed by the people around him.

As for the other members of the base, they mostly respected, admired, and trusted Li Weilan.

The twenty girls, who were rescued by him from the fire pit, although they did not dare to express their gratitude to him in person due to their past shadow, anyone could see that if anyone dared to harm Li Weilan, these girls would fight to the death.

Xi Nan came from a scavenger background, and his psychological defenses against people were inevitably heavier. It wasn’t until he arrived at Noah’s base and saw the entire situation of the base with his own eyes that he completely let go of his heart, and the title “Brother Li” was called with sincerity.

Since it was sincere, he observed Li Weilan even more carefully than the girls did. Sensitively, he discovered that Li Weilan’s mood seemed to be shrouded in dark clouds.

“Brother Li,” realizing this, he decided to find a time to talk to Li Weilan, “Do you have something bothering you lately?”

Li Weilan couldn’t talk to Xi Nan about his space issues or the mysterious person who gave them Noah’s base and had never shown up.

That person had never reappeared, and even if he told them there was such a person, would they believe him?

Besides, he had to admit that he did have selfish motives.

That person only saved him, only cared about him, and for some reason, Li Weilan didn’t want to share this with anyone else.

So he lifted his long eyelashes slightly and asked, “There isn’t much left of the supplies in the base, right?”

Indeed, this is currently the biggest problem for the base.

Xi Nan nodded solemnly, “The supplies we got from those gangsters earlier are enough for us to eat for about two weeks, but after that, there will be nothing left. Currently, the base does not have a stable source of food.”

Li Weilan also nodded lightly.

There are some blank areas on the main console that currently cannot be clicked or opened.

He had seen the photosynthesis hydroponic room and the towering trees in the phantom image of the base he had seen before, so he guessed that the base would have a very stable source of cultivated food in the future.

But not now.

He didn’t know how to open those areas, maybe… only the mysterious person who saved him knew?

After the apocalypse, there are two types of food sources in some large bases. One is meat from hunting, which is unreliable and may cause casualties. The other is vegetables and fruits grown by plant ability users, but they are expensive and generally consumed within the bases, as the quantity is limited and rarely sold outside.

There are not many options for Noah’s base.

As the controller of the base, Li Weilan quickly made a decision, “We need to save some of the reserve food and not eat it all. Go ask Xiao Chu if there are any areas nearby that have extra food. He is a local and should know better than us.”

Xiao Chu is the only one who survived among those small group hooligans.

Xi Nan quickly went to call him over and after listening to their question, Xiao Chu thought for a moment and immediately came up with an answer that fit their problem, “There is a Walmart not far from here, but… it is said that there is a highly-ranked mutated animal inside, and any ability user who goes in never comes back. We didn’t dare to go there before!”

“Oh?” Li Weilan’s interest was piqued by his words: a high-ranking mutant animal?

After his ability outbreak, his space ability was upgraded. From the last time he tried to carry a fireball, he discovered that his space function was even stronger than he had imagined.

This kind of loading was almost equivalent to devouring abilities.

Moreover, if he couldn’t beat the mutant animal, he could just hide in the space. The lifespan of space ability users was extremely strong. When he heard what Xiao Chu said, he immediately thought of something and curled his lips: “Let me go alone and take a look.”

“Brother Li!” Xi Nan was scared by his words.

Everyone in the base knew that Li Weilan was a vulnerable spiritual ability user. It was almost a universally recognized fact that spiritual ability users were not good at close combat and also weaker bodies.

Spiritual ability users were strong in fighting against other humans in remote control, but they were not effective against mutant animals. Now Brother Li was the backbone of the base. He was going to the mutant animal nest alone?

Xi Nan and Xiao Chu looked at each other, and they saw the thought “Is the boss crazy?” in each other’s eyes.

Li Weilan stood up.

His black uniform fits snugly on his strong body, outlining the flexible muscle shape. It was at this moment that Xi Nan and Xiao Chu realized that the boss they were shouting about was actually a powerful ability user who had already killed more than a dozen people easily.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

Yes, he has been low-key and quiet during this period, but that doesn’t mean he is weak and hesitant.

They shouted “boss” to him, but it didn’t mean they could interfere with his decision.

Xi Nan immediately corrected his attitude: “Brother Li, shall I prepare some dry food for you before you leave the base?”

Li Weilan glanced at him, feeling a bit more satisfied with this little follower he picked up on the way.

“Good,” he agreed.

Watching Li Weilan’s figure disappear into the morning fog, Xi Nan and Xiao Chu looked at each other. After a while, Xiao Chu suddenly thought of something else and asked Xi Nan with a worried face, “Brother Xi, do we only have access to the base through Brother Li’s permissions? If Brother Li is not here, can’t we even leave the door?”

Xi Nan realized this only now and couldn’t help but knock on Xiao Chu’s head. “Why are you only thinking about this now? What’s the point of saying it now that Brother Li already left?”

“What should we do then?” Xiao Chu’s face turned gloomy.

“What can we do?” Xi Nan rolled his eyes. “Go back and pray to the gods and Buddha for Brother Li’s safe return!”

**

Shen Cheng opened the game again, and the screen displayed a map once more.

The last time a map and a progress bar appeared was when Zai Zai and the others were heading to the Noah base. This time, there was a map loading again. Could it be that while she was not playing the game for these few days, Zai Zai went somewhere else?

Shen Cheng felt worried and opened the game to check. This time, the central location of the map had become the Noah base, and Zai Zai’s avatar was moving towards the position of a place marked “Walmart” to the north.

She checked the time: Zai Zai was already halfway there, with two hours and forty-five minutes left.

During the loading of the map, she couldn’t do much besides accessing the home system in the game. Shen Cheng clicked on the home system while absent-mindedly wondering if the rice and other crops that no one took care of for these few days had withered.

As soon as she entered her home, Shen Cheng was stunned: she was greeted with a planting area that had doubled in size and a shallow layer of rice piled up in the barn!

In addition to this, a new batch of rice was already ready for harvesting.

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Indeed, Uncle Xie’s tone was far from the cheerful and energetic one from a few days ago. Now he wore a tired look with dark circles under his eyes. It seemed he hadn’t been resting well these past two days. If Uncle Xie looked like this, then Xie Ama… Xu Qing didn’t continue that train of thought and nodded at Uncle Xie in front of him. “I understand, you go and take care of your tasks.”

With a weary expression, Uncle Xie watched as Xu Qing entered the main room. He truly hadn’t been resting well these days. A few days ago, he was busy with Xu Qing and Li Changfeng’s wedding preparations, but these past two days… sigh!

As soon as Xu Qing entered the room, he saw Xie Ama sitting there with his head down, looking lifeless. Xu Qing gently placed the jar on the table and sat down beside Xie Ama. “Xie Ama…” He had never seen Xie Ama like this before. It was as if the sky had fallen. It seemed that Xie Yu’s situation was serious!

Xu Qing called out several times before Xie Ama snapped back to reality. Slowly, he lifted his head, and the sight startled Xu Qing. His eyes were swollen and filled with tears, his face was pale and haggard, and his eyes seemed lifeless.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

Xu Qing looked at Xie Ama, his eyes filled with concern. After a long pause, Xie Ama spoke, his voice sounding creaky, like the sound of an old wooden door that hadn’t been opened in a long time. “Brother Qing, you’ve come. Don’t be frightened by Xie Ama’s appearance. How are you and Changfeng doing? Are you adjusting well?” Although his voice was weak, it carried a deep sense of care.

Xu Qing reached out and took Xie Ama’s trembling hand, feeling a sense of unease in his heart. “We’re doing fine, but Xie Ama, what’s happened to you? If there’s something, don’t keep it to yourself. It’ll only make you feel worse.” Hearing Xu Qing say that he and Li Changfeng were doing well, Xie Ama felt a slight sense of relief. But as soon as he thought about his unfortunate son, he couldn’t help but choke up.

“What exactly happened? Please tell me. Maybe I can help.”

“What kind of karma have I accumulated in my life? How could I let my dear son, Brother Xie, suffer like this!”

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

So, two days ago, Uncle Xie and Xie Ama received a message from their son. It asked them to come to the town, and they thought he was homesick. They brought some of the things their son loved to eat and went to the Ma family in town.

But when they arrived at the Ma family, the first people they saw were the old Ma couple. “Oh, you’ve come! What did you bring with you? Have a seat,” Ma Ama said, glancing at the dusty bag Uncle Xie was carrying. A hint of impatience flashed in his eyes. Every time they came, they brought these things that their son liked to eat, but he couldn’t eat any of it himself. He wished they would bring something else.

Old man Ma greeted Uncle Xie, and he sat down. Although he was mute, his family had made a living through the miscellaneous goods store in town for several generations. When business was good, they could make ends meet, and even when the income was not great, they could at least have enough to eat.

As Xie Ama sat down, he didn’t see their son anywhere, so he casually asked Ma Ama, “Is Xiao Yu and Fu Gui not here?” Their son’s name was Xie Yu, and his husband was named Ma Fu Gui. The general store in their family was now being managed by Ma Fu Gui.

Ma Ama raised his eyebrows, brushed off the invisible dust on his clothes, and raised his head. “Xie Yu is lying in the house. His health has been deteriorating these past two years. As for our Fu Gui, of course, he’s busy at the store.” If it wasn’t for Fu Gui being attracted to Xie Yu’s appearance and himself liking the idea of a child from a rural family who would be well-fed, he wouldn’t have married such a “precious person” who couldn’t even lay eggs and was always sick.

Xie Ama held down Uncle Xie’s hand beside him, as he was about to explode from Ma Ama’s tone, suppressing his frustration. He forced a smile and said to Ma Ama, “Oh, I see. No wonder someone asked us to pass on a message. Maybe he’s homesick because of his illness.” Their son had been married to the Ma family for several years without bearing a child, and his health often suffered because of this concern.

“Heh, this time it wasn’t Xie Yu who asked someone to pass on the message to you. It was me who had someone do it,” Ma Ama said with a touch of helplessness between his brows. “Let’s not beat around the bush. Both couples are here today, so let’s talk about our children’s matter.”

Xie Ama instinctively felt that whatever was going to be discussed next was definitely not good news!

“We also have only one child, and you know about Fu Gui. He’s a good person, but your son has been with our Ma family for so many years without having a child. His health is deteriorating more and more. This…!” Ma Ama complained while blaming himself. “Fu Gui is not young anymore, and my nephew is already a father of three children!” Old man Ma remained motionless throughout, his appearance suggesting his agreement with Ma Ama’s words.

“What did you say?! Say it again? Why is our son’s health deteriorating? It’s all because of your constant meddling!” Uncle Xie slammed the table and stood up, yelling at the incessant Ma Ama, startling both Ma Ama and Old man Ma.

Xie Ama was also furious. If it wasn’t for Ma Ama believing someone’s words and giving Xie Yu that “fertility soup” to consume, their son’s health wouldn’t have worsened!

“What’s going on with you all?” a tall and thin man walked into the room and looked at Ma Ama and the others. As soon as Ma Ama saw the man coming in, he started wailing, “Son! This Xie family’s old couple wants to sever our family’s ancestral line!”

Ma Fu Gui hurriedly went forward to support Ma Ama and comforted him before turning his attention to Xie Ama and Uncle Xie. “Father-in-law, mother-in-law, when did you arrive?”

Uncle Xie didn’t speak and just stared at Ma Ama, who was hiding behind Ma Fu Gui. Xie Ama thought of their son and his expression turned grim. “We’ve been here for a while.”

“Why are you staring at me? I was right all along! After all these years, not even a single child! Oh dear! My son!!”

Xie Ama couldn’t bear to listen any longer. He went forward, pushed Ma Fu Gui away, and slapped Ma Ama directly in the face, causing him to cry out in pain!

Immediately, Old man Ma shielded Ma Ama and began to gesture and point at Xie Ama, full of condemnation. It seemed that he disapproved of Xie Ama’s actions.

“In front of me, you dare to speak ill of the son I raised! You’re just asking for a beating!” Xie Ama wasn’t afraid of Old man Ma, and as for Ma Fu Gui, he was a junior. He wouldn’t dare to lay a hand on Xie Ama or Uncle Xie. Otherwise, if word got out, their general store would be finished!

Ma Ama held his burning cheek, seething with anger. “Didn’t I say what’s going on? Did I say something wrong? Your son married into the Xie family, and for years, hasn’t laid a single egg! Your son is just like you!! Ahh!!”

“Dare you speak ill of my wife and child? Have you had enough of living?!” Uncle Xie kicked Old man Ma away, and with his strong hands, he lifted Ma Ama up, gripping his throat tightly!

Ma Fu Gui initially hesitated to get involved in the conflict between the elders, but seeing his own Ama being held up in the air, he disregarded the distinction between elders and juniors and engaged in a struggle with Uncle Xie.

Even with just Ma Fu Gui and old man Ma, the two couldn’t snatch Ma Ama from Uncle Xie’s grasp. When Xie Ama saw that Ma Ama’s face was starting to bruise slightly and wanted his husband to let go, a gentle and weak voice made Uncle Xie release his grip. “Father, let it go.”

Brother Xie looked extremely similar to Xie Ama, albeit slightly more frail. His complexion was slightly pale, and due to frequent illness and spending long periods indoors, there was a sickly beauty about him. No wonder he was able to marry into the town. But now Xie Ama regretted marrying Brother Xie here. He approached him with a pained expression and hugged him. “You child, your health hasn’t recovered yet. Why did you come out?”

Brother Xie greedily savored the warmth of his mother’s embrace. “I heard a commotion over here and was afraid something might happen. You also know Father’s quick-tempered nature.” After marrying into the Ma family for so many years, how could he not know the temperaments of the Ma couple? His mother and father were both protective, and with everyone involved, something was bound to happen.

“Xiao Yu, your health isn’t good. Go back to the house.” Ma Fu Gui helped Ma Ama, who had just caught her breath, to sit down and spoke to Xie Yu.

Brother Xie withdrew his smiling face towards Uncle Xie and looked at Ma Fu Gui with a cold tone. “I’ve been sleeping too much and wanted to come out for a walk. Father, Ama, the sun is nice today. Accompany me for a stroll. It’s been a long time since I went out.”

Xie Ama and Uncle Xie felt their hearts ache upon hearing this. They no longer cared about the expressions of the Ma family members behind them. Xie Ama gently took Brother Xie’s hand and walked away without turning back.

On the street, although Brother Xie had the intention to walk more, his body, weakened by prolonged illness, couldn’t go far. Xie Ama saw that Brother Xie’s forehead was covered in fine sweat and immediately found a small tea house. He ordered a pot of regular tea and a cup of sweetened honey tea. “Here, have something sweet. It’ll make you feel less weak.”

Brother Xie smiled gently and obediently drank the special tea in front of him. His lowered eyelids were filled with gratitude. Only his own mother and father treated him with such wholehearted devotion.

“Did Brother Qing get married yesterday? My health isn’t good, so I didn’t go see him. Mother, please apologize on my behalf.” Xie Yu was a few years older than Xu Qing, and although Xie Yu often showed goodwill toward Xu Qing, the original body didn’t want to interact with the villagers, especially Xie Yu, who was considered the most beautiful in the village.

“Alright, alright. Your father and I brought your favorite things, all grown by ourselves. The taste is different from what others grow!” Xie Ama looked at Brother Xie, whose body seemed even thinner than the last time they met, and his eyes were filled with heartache.

“Yes, yes, if it’s not enough, I’ll bring you more, plenty of it!” Uncle Xie is completely doting on his son now. Whatever Brother Xie says, he will do it.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Li Weilan stood alone on the spot where the words “Noah Base” were written on the map, looking at the black soil under his feet with a blank expression.

There was nothing here.

No matter who gave him the token, they were playing him for a fool.

Maybe that person was watching him from the shadows, perhaps to that person, his trip here was just a joke.

Noah Base?

Hmph.

The screen in front of Shen Cheng had already switched to the game scene, showing a small character with a blank expression standing on the ground, but emitting black smoke from its head, obviously about to explode with anger. Curious, she poked the character’s cheek with her finger, leaving two small dents on the character’s face.

Why is the little guy so angry?

Curiously, she pulled the game camera back and forth, left and right, and suddenly realized the reason for the character’s anger: was it because he couldn’t find Noah Base?

“Little guy, you have the city-building token in your hand. If you don’t use it, how can there be a base?” Shen Cheng was a bit anxious, but Li Weilan stood still, bowed his head in silence for a long time, and finally said nothing, just threw the token with the words “Noah Base” on it to the ground and turned to leave.

He had misunderstood. Even if that person was trying to deceive him, he didn’t even know who that person was, so what could they do to him?

In such an unequal relationship, even if that person wasn’t deceiving him now, they could still toy with him when they wanted to.

It was best if that person never appeared again. Otherwise, it would all be for nothing in the end.

The ferocity in his eyes had just surfaced when he suddenly heard a “rumble” behind him, as if the earth was shaking slightly, and the ground behind him slowly opened up.

Li Weilan turned around in disbelief, and was stunned.

A massive steel fortress was taking shape right in front of him.

Room after room, tightly divided, artificial sunlight rooms, hydroponic rooms, water purification rooms, control room, energy rooms…

Although many rooms disappeared like bubbles after showing only a glimpse, the precise mirage was a magnificent sight that Li Weilan had never seen before, more like a human’s fantasy home, an immortal land that does not exist in this world. He could even vaguely see humans walking in that home, wealthy, happy, not having to fight for daily food, not having to fight each other for a piece of meat, and not having to sell themselves for a small profit.

Li Weilan was stunned.

This kind of base was truly worthy of being named after “Noah’s Ark.”

Although the appearance and disappearance of the steel fortress seemed extremely bizarre, Li Weilan did not hesitate, but took step by step into the entrance of the base, and only heard a “hiss,” a white mist enveloped his body.

He closed his eyes.

On the screen, Shen Cheng couldn’t help but laugh “hee hee” as she watched this scene.

Her cub was really shocked when he was sprayed with disinfectant and biochemical scanning just now. The expression on his face, which was always neither smiling nor angry, showed such a rare startled expression.

It was really worth seeing her cub’s face with such an expression.

Shen Cheng chuckled twice, quietly took a screenshot, saved the picture for keepsake.

Li Weilan heard the mechanical and rigid voice of the AI saying, “Welcome to Noah. Identity scan has passed. Please go to the control room to set base permissions.”

Li Weilan’s mind was in a state of turmoil, reaching its peak at this moment.

“What does it mean to set base permissions?” he wondered.

If his judgment was correct, this meant that the large base still had no controller, and that mysterious person had essentially handed the entire base over to him.

But how could this be possible?

Even if everything he had just seen was just an illusion, it was a priceless illusion that countless people would be willing to exchange their lives for. How could anyone simply hand over such a steel fortress?

Almost instinctively, he stumbled his way to the control room and, upon sitting at the console, his eyes turned slightly red when he saw the prompt to enter the name of the controller.

This would be his home in the future.

Shen Cheng looked at the expression on Li Weilan’s face and blinked: “This game is really well-made, isn’t it?”

The tears in the child’s eyes rolled, looking like he was wishing for his old mother to pat his head and comfort him.

After hesitating for a moment, Shen Cheng opened the system store again and purchased a first recharge gift pack worth one gold coin.

“Alright, alright, it’s just one yuan. Mom will buy it for you, so stop crying,” she said.

The one-yuan first recharge gift pack fell into Li Weilan’s arms.

As the starlight dissipated, it revealed its contents: an endless lollipop and a black uniform that would never get dirty.

Li Weilan was stunned for a moment.

He picked up the lollipop, his eyes teared up with mixed emotions. After hesitating for a moment, he opened the wrapper and put the candy in his mouth.

As the sweet taste flooded his taste buds, Li Weilan felt a rare moment of emotion.

Shen Cheng looked at the little person on the screen with the lollipop in his mouth, his cheeks bulging. With mischievous intent, she couldn’t help but poke the bulging cheek with her hand, earning a big eye roll from the little person.

She chuckled, rubbed her hands together, and finally extended her guilty hand to change the little person’s outfit. Li Weilan had been wearing the same outfit since he had been taken off of the cross, covered in blood and sand. It was not as nice as the black uniform from the first charge.

Unfortunately, changing the outfit was just a click away. The military uniform outlined the little person’s slender waist and long legs, and even the Q-version couldn’t hide the perfect body proportions. For a moment, Shen Cheng almost became a fangirl instead of a fanmom.

Thankfully, she restrained herself.

She did not want to become a sugar mommy by flirting with the digital character on the phone.

While Shen Cheng was laughing on her end of the screen, Li Weilan’s face was slightly flushed. He didn’t know why the other person wanted to change his clothes, or what kind of ability they had to make it so easy to change clothes for others, but thinking about it still made him feel a bit embarrassed.

Compared to the other’s generous gift of a base and a thoughtful gift of a lollipop, changing clothes… was just changing clothes.

He licked the lollipop, savoring the rare sweetness of the post-apocalyptic world, then carefully wrapped it up and put it back in his pocket. With a serious expression, he sat back at the control panel and entered his name. Finally, Shen Cheng’s main task 4 in Noah’s Base jumped to the state of 【completed】.

You can draw weapons now!

After completing the fourth main storyline, Shen Cheng got a free draw for a weapon.

She didn’t rush to draw it – it seemed like it was hard to get a lottery ticket, so why not wait until her cub needed a weapon or until she had properly washed her hands before drawing?

Otherwise, if she drew the worst weapon in the weapon pool – a wooden stick, she would really have no face to see her cub.

If she saw her cub disappointed, she might just spend money to buy a medium-level weapon.

Shen Cheng seemed to have no confidence in her self-control.

It was just at this time that someone knocked on Shen Cheng’s door.

Her face suddenly darkened.

Shen Cheng slowly turned off the game. The person at the door was obviously impatient, knocking harder and harder from the slow start until the frequency increased. They had used up their patience.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

Shen Cheng knew she had no choice but to answer the door. She went to open it, and sure enough, the fat landlord was standing there.

The balding landlord, with a big belly, held some fruits that had already begun to soften and showed Shen Cheng a greasy smile. “Miss Shen, I see you’re at home. I came to say hello to you.”

Shen Cheng didn’t want to take his fruit.

For some reason, this kind of thing happened to her a lot throughout her life. Perhaps it was because her parents died early, leaving a child without protection, which made her character inevitably weak and introverted. And this weakness and introversion in the eyes of many people became an easy target.

But she was indeed a soft-hearted person, and at the moment she couldn’t bring herself to refuse outright. She forced a smile and said, “Sorry, I have a lot of work to do in my company, and I’m still working overtime right now. Thank you for your concern.”

“Oh, working overtime,” the landlord’s eyes flickered. “Miss Shen is so beautiful, and yet her boss is willing to treat her like this.”

He lingered on the word “treat” for a moment.

Shen Cheng’s face grew even darker.

She had understood the landlord’s insinuation, and being leered at by a greasy old man like him made her sick to her stomach.

But what could she do? This was the most suitable house she could find within her budget and the distance her company required.

If she wanted to move out, not only would she not be able to get her previous deposit back, but finding another house that required a deposit and rent upfront was also a problem.

“It’s just overtime, nothing serious,” Shen Cheng said calmly. “Do you have anything else to say? If not, I’ll get back to work.”

“Well, Miss Shen,” the landlord’s tone changed as he realized he wouldn’t be able to take advantage of her today. He went from being smiling and friendly to hard and uncompromising. “The reason I came to see you today is because someone else asked me about renting the place, and they offered me 2K. I only charged you 1.8K, so it’s not insignificant to be short 200 per month. Our lease is up next month, so think about it.”

Shen Cheng knew exactly what “think about it” meant.

It seemed that if she let him take advantage of her today, he would have just covered the difference of those 200 yuan. But if she refused outright, he would use those 200 yuan to pressure her.

Shen Cheng felt disgusted and sick to her stomach. She said, “Okay,” and slammed the door shut with a bang.

The landlord stood at the door, looking at the closed door for a long time before revealing a sinister smile.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Greetings from the translator

I was wondering if you, readers, prefer me using Zaizai or Cub when FL refers to Li Weilan. Let me know in comments. For now, I’ll just go with both 😀 Happy reading.

Shen Cheng didn’t know Li Weilan’s conflicted feelings.

Shen Cheng happily applied the medicine to the *Zaizai’s shoulder, watching the white ointment disappear quickly after sticking to the litter person’s skin. Then she clicked on Zaizai’s head, and the “injured” debuff tag on his body finally disappeared.

*(T/N: Zaizai = cub cub. I’ll be using either Zaizai or cub in later chapters).

The annoying injury was gone, so Zaizai shouldn’t be in pain anymore, right?

After the main quest 3 was completed, system did not issue a new task for a while. Instead, a map appeared on the page with a Q-version of Zaizai’s face on the screen and a row of words below:

[Time remaining to reach Noah’s Base: 1 day 2 hours 23 minutes]

Shen Cheng poked the map, but there was no response.

So does that mean that Zaizai is on his way to Noah’s Base, and the next stage of the main quest can only begin after he arrives at Noah’s Base?

In the upper right corner, the icon for “Home” was lit up, and Shen Cheng’s heart moved, so she clicked on the “Home” button.

This time, when she entered the “home,” she saw something different from the last time.

As soon as Shen Cheng entered, the first thing she saw was a big fireball!

What is this?

The fireball, which looked like a deadly weapon, was just lying in the middle of the small house. Shen Cheng frowned and could feel the air around the fireball crackling.

She thought for a moment and clicked on the fireball, only to see a row of system prompts:

[One first-order fireball (Note: recyclable)]

“???” Recyclable?

How to recycle it?

Burn down the house?

Shen Cheng felt a thin layer of sweat on her forehead. But when her gaze fell on the wolf meat hanging on the rack, she suddenly realized what was going on. Roasting meat, yeah! This game system is amazing! Although she didn’t know where this first-level fireball came from, Shen Cheng estimated that it was a sign that the game would develop a barbecue and cooking system in the later stage. She couldn’t help but whisper to herself, “The game planner is so creative to think of this.” She moved the fireball under the wolf meat and happily roasted it piece by piece.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

The game system was so intelligent that it could even control the heat and the strength of the flame. The first few pieces of meat that Shen Cheng roasted were burnt black and not very successful, but the later pieces were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a beautiful color.

She happily opened the roasted skewers in her hand and looked at the system introduction: “Perfectly roasted mutant wolf meat.” Then she glanced at the fireball that had disappeared into the air after being used up and couldn’t help but swallow her saliva, suddenly feeling a little hungry.

Apart from the wolf meat, Shen Cheng suddenly found that the fog around the cabin had dissipated a lot, revealing a black piece of land – a total of ten squares, obviously for planting!

Has the planting system opened?

Shen Cheng enthusiastically opened the system mall again and carefully looked through it, only to find that there were already seeds and fruits of grain in the system mall’s products. With a total of ten squares of land, anyone who has played management games would know that the highest utilization efficiency must be to maximize the use of all ten squares of land.

Currently, there are only 20 gold coins left for Shen Cheng. Based on this price, if the seeds cost 2 gold coins each, she can only afford the cheapest rice. As for the more expensive and long-growth-cycle seeds like improved rice and spiritual rice, Shen Cheng can neither afford nor grow them for the time being. She can only look at them longingly and prevent herself from spending money on them. A single spiritual rice seed costs 500 gold coins, which is not only expensive, but also has a planting condition of “requires spiritual spring watering,” which would be useless even if she spent money to buy it!

After buying the rice, Shen Cheng planted the seeds and saw the green seedlings sprout up. She confirmed that the rice would take a full day to mature. She was surprised at how slow the planting system in the game was and looked at the time before shutting down and going to sleep.

Soon after she logged off, Li Weilan entered the space.

“Has that person been here?” Li Weilan noticed that the fireball he had previously collected in the space was gone.

In its place was neatly roasted wolf meat placed on a shelf. He picked it up and looked at it, except for a few that seemed to have been burnt black, the others were perfectly roasted!

This really shattered his impression of that mysterious person.

Was this really the same person he thought was trying to harm him, the person who saved him and even cooked meat for him when he had his arm injury and not convenient to move around?

But even more surprising things happened. Li Weilan discovered that on the newly added land in his space, tiny seedlings had grown!

How is this possible!

He squatted down, with an extremely shocked mood, dug up the soil until he saw the roots of the things, and only then did he confirm that what he saw was not an illusion: rice had actually grown in his space!

Before, his space didn’t have this function at all.

Not to mention his space, even after the apocalypse, when spatial ability users appeared, he had never heard of anyone being able to grow grains in their space!

If it weren’t for this, their spatial abilities wouldn’t be treated as “human cargo carriers”, and he wouldn’t have become a complete outcast after his ability went out of control.

But where did the grain seeds in his space come from?

After the apocalypse, the seeds of grains had undergone changes, from mutating to gain attack power to taste and appearance, all of which were completely different from before the apocalypse.

He was not mistaken. All the grains grown here were in their old form. Where did the mysterious person who treated his injuries get the rice seeds from?

His previous worries about the mysterious person had come true. They could indeed enter and exit his space at will. While he was worried about the situation getting out of control, he felt a complex emotion that he couldn’t describe as he looked at the batch of rapidly growing rice.

He thought that when he reached the Noah Base, even if that person wouldn’t want to see him, he would definitely ask to meet them. The feeling of not being in control of everything was really unsettling.

He felt like he was walking on clouds and mist, happy for his good fortune but also worried that he would fall into an abyss in the next minute.

Li Weilan flashed out of the space and walked a few steps before returning to the bonfire they had lit before.

He glanced around and saw the survivors divided into three distinct groups. Xi Nan and Xi Bei were sleeping in a cuddle, and the girls he had just saved were sleeping by the bonfire. They wore either oversized or ill-fitting clothes, and their faces dirty. Half of them were still on patrol and guard duty. When they saw him, although some still had fear and disgust towards men on their faces, more were grateful. Xiao Chu, the only thug left from the original group of gangsters, was crouched in a corner, curled up in a ball, sleeping soundly despite his situation.

Li Weilan nodded at the girl who was still patrolling diligently and sat down by the bonfire on his own.

Before long, the girl carefully brought a bowl of soup, always keeping her head down. Li Weilan could feel that her body was still trembling slightly, but her voice, though weak, was very firm: “Brother Li, you should have a bowl of soup to warm yourself up. We’ll be able to get to the base tomorrow, so rest early.”

The fire-type ability user in a red dress was named Yan Hongyu. Li Weilan didn’t know the name of the girl who brought him the soup, but seeing her arm, which was tender but covered in bruises, Li Weilan furrowed his brows slightly and took the soup from her hand, saying in a deep voice, “Okay.”

Li Weilan still remembers the past.

The role that spatial ability users could play was nothing more than human cargo carriers. Everyone was wary of them eating up the supplies, and someone would be watching when the supplies were put in and taken out. The distribution of supplies to these human cargo carriers was minimal, but they were the ones put on most patrols and duties. The others called it fair and just. The more effort you put in, the more you get.

It’s funny to think about it now.

Li Weilan did not desire power or respect before, as he felt that spatial ability users were not particularly effective in combat. However, the result was not entirely satisfactory.

Li Weilan put the soup back into the space with his backhand and took out a piece of wolf meat to gnaw on. For ability users, the meat of mutant beasts was the best tonic, and his space was not lacking in these things.

**

The next day after work, Shen Cheng promptly opened the game.

She felt that this game was really friendly to players: unlike other games that require grinding and spending money, the grain in this game had such a long maturity cycle that players didn’t need to worry about it much, but the plot was still thrilling and worth following. It’s not like some games that force people to grind and require them to set alarms to refresh within a few seconds.

After entering the game, the distance between Zaizai’s icon on the map and the location of the Noah base is only 1% away. Watching the progress bar display that 99% has been completed, Shen Cheng inexplicably becomes excited, feeling like she is witnessing a historical moment.

“Why am I so excited?”

As the map jumps, the new main task appears on Shen Cheng’s screen:

[Main Task 4: Establish Noah Base. Task Reward: One weapon roulette lottery.]

“!!!” A weapon!

Wow!

Shen Cheng’s eyes lit up in an instant.

From the perspective of the space she could enter, she guessed that her Zaizai might be a spatial ability user. She was worried before that the fighting power of the Zaizai would be too weak, but if she could draw a good weapon for him, then everything would be different!

Shen Cheng took a bite of the apple in her hand, opened the [Weapon Roulette Lottery], looked at it, and then compared the prices in the system mall. She couldn’t help but start drooling.

On the weapon roulette, the highest level “ionic weapon” is very expensive to directly purchase. Although the probability of winning the lottery ticket is only 1%, it is still considered a free chance. What if she really drew it and her Zaizai could immediately reach the pinnacle of life?

Main Task 4, let’s go!

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Greetings from the translator

A little disclaimer, *Ahem … I don’t play games at all, mobile or PS4/5/6/7 or any game whatsoever. So, translating a novel with game terms is a little uneasy for me. Please do feel free to point out any mistakes or anything that could make the translation better so, I can learn and provide better quality translation in the future 😀

Xu Qing and Li Changfeng finished their lunch in the Li family’s yard and prepared to leave. They had piglet at home, so they needed to return early. When they reached the junction at the end of the village, Xu Qing remembered what Li Changfeng mentioned yesterday about Uncle Xie asking them to catch some chicks. So, they decided to go to the Xie family and catch the chicks while they were at it.

“Oh, no one’s home. Let’s come back in the evening,” Li Changfeng nodded, holding Xu Qing’s hand as they walked towards their house outside the village. The lock on the gate of the Xie family’s yard indicated that Uncle Xie and Xie Ama were not at home.

Just as they arrived home to rest for a while, Li Changfeng picked up a hoe and went out. “I’m going to turn the soil in the field. You rest at home. I’ll be back soon.”

The fields were around the house, making it quick and convenient. However, Xu Qing frowned as he looked at the scorching sunlight outside the eaves. “Let’s wait a bit before going. It’s hot now, and I don’t want you to get heatstroke.”

“It’s fine. It’s not far, and I’ll be back soon. The weather is good, loosening the soil, and the grass is easy to wither under the sun. Be good.” Li Changfeng glanced outside at the sun and didn’t pay much attention. He turned around and freed up a hand to ruffle Xu Qing’s soft hair before leaving.

“Come back early! Don’t overwork yourself!” Xu Qing worriedly cautioned Li Changfeng’s back. The weather was getting hotter, and he knew that spring farming was pressing, so he didn’t try to stop him too much.

After bringing in the bedding that had been sun-drying in the yard all morning and neatly folding it, just as Xu Qing was about to open the cupboard to put it away, he saw the little booklet that Li Changfeng had thrown on top of the cupboard yesterday. “This thing!” Xu Qing blinked and slipped the booklet under the bottom of the cupboard, hiding it away. After securing it, Xu Qing hummed a little tune and continued arranging the bedding.

While Li Changfeng was still away, Xu Qing took the soil seedlings from the space and arranged them neatly in rows in the vegetable garden behind the house. The seedlings had already sprouted slightly, looking lush and pleasing. They didn’t need to stay in the space anymore, so Xu Qing brought them out to grow for a few more days. When the field was ready, they could be transplanted.

By the time Xu Qing finished arranging the seedlings, the sun had already gone down. Xu Qing washed his hands and, carrying a shoulder basket and holding a sickle, went to cut pigweed. Not far from the gate, he saw Li Changfeng busy working in the field.

Li Changfeng had already dug three plots, and his sweat soaked his clothes, making him look hot. Xu Qing could only turn back and fill a wooden cup with water, bringing it to quench his own husband’s thirst. He was so stubborn, not considering how hot the weather was.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

“Here, have some water. Look how hot you are!” Xu Qing asked Li Changfeng to stop using the hoe and handed him the water.

Li Changfeng chuckled a few times at Xu Qing and took the water, taking the opportunity to touch his wife’s smooth and tender palm. This earned him a big glare from Xu Qing. “Thanks, wife. Are you going to cut pigweed?” Looking at Xu Qing’s equipment, he knew what he was about to do.

“Yeah, I’ll be cutting in that field. The piglet is still small, and they don’t eat much. It’s not much trouble.” It would be difficult when the pigs grew up and required more feed. There was no corn to feed the pigs here, only pigweed all year round. In a while, the fields would be filled with crops and vegetables, and to cut pigweed, they would have to go to the uncultivated land or the outskirts of the mountain.

After Li Changfeng gulped down half of the water, he held it near Xu Qing’s mouth. “You should drink too.” Xu Qing didn’t hesitate and, seeing Li Changfeng drinking, felt thirsty as well. He took a big sip from Li Changfeng’s hand. But unknowingly, he drank too quickly, and the excess water overflowed from his mouth, trickling down his snow-white neck and soaking into his clothes. Li Changfeng’s eyes blazed with fire. Tonight, he wouldn’t hold back.

As Xu Qing cut pigweed for a while, he would occasionally glance at Li Changfeng not far away. Sometimes, he would catch Li Changfeng’s gaze as well. There was a sense of contentment in his heart. The happiest life is the simplest life.

In the evening, smoke gradually rose from the roofs of the village’s farmhouse. Xu Qing put the fish slices that Li Changfeng had prepared into the simmering red soup. Fish doesn’t need much cooking, and within fifteen minutes, Xu Qing served it on the table. After Li Changfeng prepared the fish and vegetables for Xu Qing, he went to Uncle Xie’s house to catch the chicks and hadn’t returned yet.

“Oh, right! The pickled vegetables from yesterday!” After bringing the rice to the table, Xu Qing remembered the pickled vegetables that Li Changfeng had prepared by hand. He took a pair of chopsticks, grabbed a small bowl, and gently opened the jar lid. A familiar sour aroma wafted out.

“It’s ready!” Xu Qing tasted it. Although it couldn’t compare to the sour and spicy flavors of modern times, it was still refreshing. Plus, he added a drop of spiritual spring water, giving it a unique fragrance.

“Wife, I’m back!” Li Changfeng’s voice came from afar in the yard. Xu Qing carefully covered the jar and placed the bowl filled with pickled vegetables on the table. “The meal is ready, let’s eat. Did you give the money for the chicks to Uncle Xie?”

Li Changfeng wiped his freshly washed hands with a cloth and shook his head. “Uncle Xie and Xie Ama aren’t home. I met second Wei at the edge of the village and had a chat. He said he’ll bring the wood for making the wardrobe in a few days.” He could already smell the aroma of the food his wife had prepared before reaching the courtyard. He was really craving it.

Xu Qing served rice for Li Changfeng and didn’t think much about it. “They might have gone to Brother Xie’s place.” Xie Yu was the only child of Uncle Xie and Xie Ama. A few years ago, he got married and moved to town. His husband’s family owned a general store in town. The villagers envied him for a while. Uncle Xie and Xie Ama occasionally visited to see their son. It wasn’t uncommon for them not to come back.

Li Changfeng ate the most pickled vegetables in the evening. He fell in love with the taste instantly. Even the fish wasn’t as satisfying as the pickled vegetables. Helplessly, Xu Qing added another half bowl of pickled vegetables for Li Changfeng. “You shouldn’t eat more! It’s too sour!” Eating too much of it isn’t good for the stomach, although it does stimulate the appetite…

***

Dim starlight had filled the night sky. It was already the darkest hour of the night. In the dark room, Xu Qing barely had time to scream before he trembled uncontrollably. Li Changfeng’s scorching tongue entangled with him, causing his whole body to shudder involuntarily.

Li Changfeng didn’t stop because of Xu Qing’s climax. On the contrary, he became even more intense in his movements. The wooden bed, slightly swaying due to their actions, made a rhythmic creaking sound. Xu Qing remained in a state of confusion brought about by Li Changfeng. Perhaps it was because of Li Changfeng’s overly vigorous movements, or perhaps it was because of Li Changfeng’s large hands that ignited everywhere, or perhaps it was the intimate contact of their skin!

He felt like everything he was experiencing, both physically and emotionally, was a dream. But he was abruptly pulled back to reality by Li Changfeng’s powerful movements. The night outside the window was cool, but Xu Qing felt like he was on fire.

“Enough…” His voice had become hoarse. It had been too long, and he couldn’t take it anymore.

“Be good, one last time.” Li Changfeng responded urgently to the person beneath him, his movements becoming more intense with each thrust.

“For fuck’s sake! Stop!” The near unbearable sensation of pain drove him almost to madness. His hands, resting on Li Changfeng’s shoulders, squeezed hard into his flesh, but Li Changfeng seemed oblivious to the pain and only soothingly kissed the corner of Xu Qing’s mouth…

Afterwards, Li Changfeng lay side by side with Xu Qing on the cleaned wooden bed, holding him close. The sweat on their bodies had been wiped away, and a cool breeze blew in through the window, providing a rare refreshing feeling after their activities. Just before falling asleep, Xu Qing said, “Don’t even think about touching me again these days!”

Li Changfeng lovingly caressed Xu Qing’s sleeping face and replied, “Alright, I won’t touch you. You touch me instead…” He wondered if Xu Qing would want to strangle him upon hearing those words. That wasn’t his intention at all!

The next day, Xu Qing didn’t get up until nearly noon. “Don’t smile at me! Go and see if Uncle Xie and Xie Ama have returned.” Dismissing Li Changfeng with an irritated face, Xu Qing rubbed his waist and moved around in the courtyard. Although they had a vigorous night, it was much better than their wedding night.

Li Changfeng happily followed Xu Qing’s command and went to the village. Just as he was about to knock on the gate of the Xie family’s house, he heard Xie Ama’s crying from inside.

“Damn Ma family! How heartless they are! How will our son survive in the future?” Xie Ama’s voice was filled with sorrow.

“How will he survive?! We haven’t died yet! Our son can always come back to us!” Uncle Xie’s furious roar echoed. Li Changfeng withdrew his hand, which was raised to knock, and after a moment of thought, he didn’t make any sound and went back.

“They haven’t returned yet?” Xu Qing finished the meal Li Changfeng had left for him and saw that Li Changfeng had returned empty-handed. He thought Uncle Xie and Xie Ama hadn’t come back.

Li Changfeng shook his head, closed the gate, and spoke softly under Xu Qing’s puzzled gaze, “Something seems to have happened to the Xie family, specifically related to Brother Xie. I’m not sure about the details. I listened at the gate for a while, but after all, I’m an outsider and a man. It’s not appropriate for me to meddle in their family affairs.” His wife got along well with Xie Ama, and Xu Qing was much better at handling such matters than himself.

Xu Qing’s heart sank upon hearing Li Changfeng’s words. “I’ll go there myself later.” It seemed that Uncle Xie and Xie Ama going to town might not be as simple as wanting to see their son.

“Okay, I’m going to the fields now!” Li Changfeng kissed Xu Qing’s forehead and went off carrying a hoe. The sun was shining brightly these days, perfect for working in the fields.

Xu Qing tidied up the kitchen and took a small jar of pickled vegetables to give to Xie Ama. When he arrived at the gate of the Xie family’s house, there were no sounds like when Li Changfeng had come earlier. It was rather quiet. Xu Qing glanced at the unlocked gate and, after making sure someone was home, began knocking.

“Is Xie Ama home? It’s Brother Qing. I brought something for you!”

After a short while, Uncle Xie came to open the door. “Brother Qing, come in. Xie Ama is in the main room. Go talk to him. I need to go to the fields. I haven’t been able to work properly these days, and I can’t wait any longer.”

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NOTE: Thanks to the kind reader who pointed out that it’s NOT kimchi that Xu Qing was making but it was a kind of Chinese traditional pickle.

Thingyan:

Li Changfeng’s hot tongue, still smelled of kimchi, lingered in Xu Qing’s mouth, causing his entire body to kimchi unconsciously.

On the side note, kimchi is so delicious, and it can be used to make a wide variety of dishes. I especially love kimchi fried rice.

Bright red blood slowly flowed out from under the car body.

Shen Cheng was silent in front of her phone for a while, then sighed lightly, and put it down.

She needed to take a break.

It wasn’t that she had sympathy for the little hooligans who wanted to kill and set fires, or any regret for her behavior of protecting her cub and his followers in the game. It was just that Shen Cheng knew very clearly that in her reality, she didn’t have such luck of someone silently guarding her.

When she saw the blood flowing out, what filled her chest was not disgust or fear, but a sense of reconciliation with her past self.

It was like drinking a cold Coke on a hot day. When she let out a burp, even the lingering discomfort in her chest disappeared.

The things that happened when she was a child had turned into vague images, but the fear and powerlessness at that time, perhaps because she had never successfully retaliated in reality, still lingered in her heart like a ghost, occasionally haunting her without completely disappearing.

But now, looking at the flowing blood, the anger and eagerness from before gradually dissipated. As she carefully tasted it, she felt a bit satisfied in her heart.

Shen Cheng put down her phone and said, “It’s time to cook.” With the danger around her cub finally cleared, she finally breathed a sigh of relief and began to feel hungry.

**

“You, you, you are a psychic ability user?” The little hooligan, who was a step behind and the only one who didn’t rush up and therefore escaped when the car crashed down, widened his eyes in fear.

Everyone present saw the process of the car flying up and crashing down on its own. This little hooligan was grateful for his escape but also made a precise judgment on Li Weilan’s ability, and he thought he was right. He saw that Li Weilan was about a person’s distance away from the car just now. If lifting a two-ton car was something that a strength-type ability user could do, then lifting something so heavy without laying a finger on it could only be done by a psychic-type ability user!

No wonder, no wonder he dared to be so arrogant to them despite his injured hand, no wonder the man who tried to sneak attack and kill him earlier was kicked away by a kick out of nowhere!

He must be one of the rare physic ability user in the apocalypse!

It’s just too rare to come across such an ability, so they didn’t think about he could possibly have this ability at all. Otherwise, they would have avoided him and wouldn’t have provoked such a fierce opponent!

Li Weilan lifted his eyelids, and the light in his eyes shown bright. After a moment, he smiled slightly: “You know too much.”

“…” I’ll shut up! Boss, spare me, don’t smile at me like that! It’s too scary!

The little lackey stood by trembling, and at this time, Xi Nan came up and kicked him. He then whispered to Li Weilan, while looking towards the small building behind them: “Boss, that should be their base. Do we want to search over there?”

Li Weilan’s space was now empty.

They didn’t know what the “Noah” base they were going to was like, but in this world, resources were always in short supply. Looking at this group of robbers, they had the strength to shout and kill, and they must have made a lot of money from passersby.

This group of small thugs didn’t have strong abilities, but their location was quite good. It was at a north-south traffic hub, and with the waterways blocked, many people passed through this small road. He don’t know how many passersby they had robbed to live so well during the past year, but judging from their appearance, they could also rob other robbers.

Li Weilan smiled and kicked the only thug who survived because he was slow: “Lead the way.”

As soon as they entered the small building, a dark, damp environment and a nauseating smell hit their noses.

Li Weilan’s footsteps slowed down slightly.

As adult males, they all knew what that pungent, disinfectant-like odor was. They didn’t know how long this building had been closed without opening doors or windows. Everything was dark, and the smell was like the fermented dregs that had been sealed up for too long. As soon as the lid was opened, it rushed into their noses and made them nauseous.

Suddenly, the bright sunshine turned into the darkness of the small building, but Xi Nan’s reaction was not as quick as Li Weilan’s. He fanned his nose and said to the leading thug in annoyance, “What’s that smell? Even if you’re a bunch of grown men, you shouldn’t be so nasty!”

Just as he spoke, his vision suddenly became clear.

As soon as Xi Nan saw the situation inside the small building, his face turned pale.

Li Weilan didn’t say anything. His tall figure blocked the entrance, and he turned around with a deep and cold look in his eyes, glanced at Xi Bei, and said to Xi Nan, “Take your sister and wait for me at the door.”

“Boss…this…” Xi Nan hesitated. His sister had gone crazy and had a damaged brain after being burned. She lived day by day in a daze, and he naturally wanted to protect her from seeing the dirty scene inside. But since he called Li Weilan “boss” and he was still new to the gang, he had not even held onto Li Weilan’s thigh firmly yet. Would he be resentful for only taking care of his sister at this critical moment?

With just one glance, Li Weilan knew what Xi Nan was hesitating about. He calmly said, “Wait at the door.”

Xi Nan stepped back and left with his sister.

The thug who led the way looked at Li Weilan’s face, which had suddenly turned cold, and his heart was filled with fear. He stammered, “I didn’t participate…”

Before he could finish speaking, the chain around the woman’s neck suddenly snapped, and she stood up with a “whoosh.” She raised her hand and threw a fireball.

When the fireball left her hand, it was only the size of a ping-pong ball, but after a second, it seemed to absorb the surrounding fire elements, and instantly gathered into a basketball-sized ball of fire. Just by looking at the orange-red core, you could tell how terrible its power was. The woman who had been tied up like a dog on a pillar was at least a second-level or higher ability user!

The thug was scared out of his wits, and he was about to run away using both his hands and feet. He had yet to remind the psychic ability user not to break the lock randomly when this guy had already opened it. He didn’t even have time to stop him!

Listening to the wind and discerning sound, the woman’s ears slightly moved, she swung her hand and the fireball rushed towards the direction where the small gangster was escaping, leaving only the sound of air explosion along the way.

It’s over!

The small gangster stared at the pair of desperate eyes and couldn’t run anymore. He stood rooted and closed his eyes.

But a few seconds later, he realized something was wrong. Why didn’t the pain and burning sensation come?

He secretly opened his eyes a little and heard the indifferent voice of the physic ability user Boss in front of him, “Untie your blindfold yourself.”

It was a strange voice. The woman shuddered and pulled off the blindfold, it took her a while to adapt to the environment in front of her. When she saw Li Weilan, she still shrank a little.

These days, she had deeply engraved the voices of those who had humiliated her in her mind.

This person was not one of them.

But he was still a man.

“Have you seen clearly?” Li Weilan’s voice was indifferent, “If you want to kill him, you can do it, but just remember, he only deserves to die if he assisted those tyrants.”

The woman hesitated.

She turned to the small gangster who had just escaped the fireball, still shaking on the ground. A little suspicion gradually appeared on her beautiful face, “Xiao… Xiao Chu?”

The small gangster just escaped from the dangerous situation and now he realized it. He didn’t know how the fireball disappeared, but he nodded heavily, “Yes, it’s me, Sister Yan!”

The woman’s face gradually turned cold.

She gritted her teeth.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

Xiao Chu is indeed the only one among the group who hasn’t done anything to her, but what this stranger said is true – assisting the tyrant is just as bad as being the tyrant. He deserves to die.

She did indeed receive a little bit of care from him in order to survive until now, but the other people in their group, they all…

Li Weilan looked at her coldly.

What he was thinking in his heart, though, was something else entirely: since his “guardian angel” saved him, why didn’t they make a sound when it came to helping another poor person?

Oh. When he realized this, a chill ran through his heart: indeed, even angels have their own choices.

Shen Cheng only just returned to her phone now.

Lately, she has been eating very perfunctorily. Although she didn’t order takeout today, she can’t really make anything fancy by herself. She just made a chicken wing steamed rice with a Tajine pot. As she gnawed on the chicken wings and flipped through her phone, a series of main quest progress bars appeared on the screen.

[Main Quest Three Progress: 1/20, 2/20, 3/20…]

The progress bar refreshed on the screen for a while.

Shen Cheng was stunned.

Main Quest Three was about having her cub recruit 20 followers, and she thought that even if she could kill someone with one action, it wouldn’t necessarily be easy to recruit 20 followers. But now the progress bar was updating itself while she wasn’t looking? What did cub do while she was away?

On the screen, behind the cub, flames rose up to the sky. Standing beside him was a beautiful and dignified woman, even though she was drawn in a Q version and her body was covered in a bunch of mosaics, her heroic spirit couldn’t be concealed. Although her clothes didn’t cover much of her body, she stood tall and straight. She stood behind Li Weilan, watching the flames rising into the sky, with fire snakes crawling in her hand, tears suddenly rolling down her eyes.

And behind her were a string of women, with only one cowardly man.

Shen Cheng counted them: exactly 20.

Is this the group of people her cub had recruited on his own?

While Mother was away for just a moment, her child has managed to gather 20 little brothers. How impressive.

At the end of this scene, Main line Task 3 changed to 【Completed】.

Shen Cheng looked at her wealth: Mainline 2 and 3 had brought her a total of 30 gold coins. What should she buy?

She glanced at her child and felt that his injured hand was still bothering him. There happened to be a 【Universal Healing Ointment】 in the system store for treating external injuries, priced at only 10 gold coins. She clicked on it and bought the medicine first.

A cool sensation suddenly rushed over Li Weilan’s hand.

He was startled and gently turned his arm. His arm, which was in pain and useless just a moment ago, was now completely healed?

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