Chapter 84

The tractor rumbled off into the distance.

In the strawberry planting area, a few rows away from Shen Mofeng, several divine beast cubs were busy picking freshly ripened, spiritually charged cream strawberries—this was their harvesting task for the day.

Each cub wore a child’s apron to prevent getting their clothes dirty while working. Their short arms, plump like lotus roots, held small bamboo baskets. Some baskets were half-full, while others had barely a handful of strawberries. However, their aprons were splattered with juice, showing large and small spots of red and pink. They had been picking plenty—only, most of it ended up in their little bellies.

Ye Chen was absorbed in learning to drive the tractor, leaving Shen Mofeng with nothing to do. He strolled casually towards the cubs, looking every bit like a famously idle and handsome young man in the village, the type who depended on his wife to work the fields and support him!

“Hi, Feng Feng Gege—” the divine beast cubs mumbled, their words barely clear.

Pulu cub’s cheeks were puffed up with strawberries, looking a bit nervous. Hou cub quickly chewed and swallowed, acting as if nothing had happened. Hundun cub, having overestimated its mouth’s capacity, had crammed in so many cream strawberries that juice dripped down its cheeks. Finally, it wiped its mouth, making everything disappear.

Shen Mofeng chuckled. “Go on eating. Don’t mind me.”

It wasn’t that he particularly liked children, but these divine beast cubs were so cute and well-behaved, with their soft, plump cheeks and sparkling eyes. Even someone who didn’t care for children couldn’t help but feel fondness for them.

“Can someone lend me a basket?” Shen Mofeng asked.

“I…will…lend” Xuanwu cub, who was closest, handed over a basket.

The basket was so clean it didn’t even have a single strawberry seed left in it. Shen Mofeng took it. “…”

That was quite a blatant case of sneaky eating.

Shen Mofeng squatted between the rows, picking strawberries, and casually asked, “Are there any bugs or worms in this field?”

“There aren’t any,” Hou cub explained, “Inside this realm, it’s different from the outside. As long as Chen Chen Gege doesn’t bring bugs in from outside, there won’t be any bugs in the field.”

Shen Mofeng: “Good.”

“Is Feng Feng Gege scared of bugs and worms?” Hou cub rested its chin on its hand.

“No,” Shen Mofeng scoffed lightly, “Just asking.”

Hou cub blinked and, in a sweet, childlike voice, started explaining to Feng Feng Gege, “Chen Chen Gege said that earthworms are ‘ecosystem engineers.’ Even though they look ugly, they can loosen the soil, which helps the crops absorb water and nutrients better, making things easier for farmers. So, we don’t need to be afraid of them…”

Shen Mofeng kept picking strawberries, listening half-heartedly to the cub’s childish talk, nodding absent-mindedly, “Mm-hm, oh, I see…”

Hou cub continued, “So, Chen Chen Gege said that next time it rains outside, he’ll bring in a pot of them to improve the ecosystem here.”

Shen Mofeng: “…”

Hou cub poked Shen Mofeng’s arm. “Feng Feng Gege, why do you have goosebumps? Are you cold?”

Shen Mofeng straightened up, listening intently.

The thoughts of the other divine beast cubs—

Feng Feng Gege is cold.

I’m hot as can be.

Better grab him a coat…can he fit into Chen Chen Gege’s coat?

The thoughts of Hou cub—

Hehe, Feng Feng Gege is such a scaredy-cat, hehe, acting all tough—so funny, gotta tell Chen Chen Gege…

“Hey.” Shen Mofeng tugged at Hou cub’s rabbit-like ear. “I can hear you.”

This little rascal—it looked the cutest, seemed the most sensible, but was also the sneakiest.

Just like Ye Chen!

“Ah!” Hou cub was startled and quickly pulled back its rabbit ears to cover them. “I forgot!”

Once again, the cunning Strategist Hou slipped up. With a gray, bunny-like face, it ran to the farthest strawberry patch away from Shen Mofeng to pick strawberries.

Shen Mofeng filled a basket with cream strawberries and snapped a photo.

Shen Mofeng v: Grown in my friend’s garden; guess how sweet they are.

Fans were left numb by the show-off, and even some who weren’t CP fans urged him to announce it to the world.

【So, did you go to Chen Chen’s house? Ahhhh!】

【Is it as sweet as your love?】

【Ge, why not just go public? I feel anxious just watching you; there’s no need to hide.】

【Go public +1, I guarantee I won’t unfollow; just a day’s worth of tears for love…】

After posting on Weibo, Shen Mofeng returned the basket to the Xuanwu cub. However, due to his idleness, he was soon caught by Bi An’an, who whisked him away to the mountain to do hard labor.

“Xiao Shen ah.” Bi An’an called out gently, resembling a kind grandmother.

Shen Mofeng was at a loss for words: “…”

He had met Bi An’an before but wasn’t familiar with her; she had respectfully addressed him as Teacher Shen back then…

“I see you can’t do anything else,” Bi An’an handed him a shovel. “Just dig a tree pit, 40x40x40, no need to be so precise, just estimate.”

The well-dressed Young Master Shen stood on the barren mountain, holding the shovel and looking around, almost a little pitiful.

“Quick, dig, dig,” Bi An’an, with two shiny, thick braids tied and a white headband to absorb sweat, smiled, revealing a set of white teeth that looked like a laboring woman from an 80s propaganda poster. “These small-leaf yews are useful; we need to hurry up.”

There was no escaping the hard labor of peeling bark for Ye, regardless of age or gender—everyone was equal before the landlord, all just laborers. Recently, Shen Mofeng had jokingly said he was going to work as a long-term laborer at Ye Chen’s house, and it had turned into an ironic prophecy…

Shen Mofeng stood the shovel aside, took off his restrictive coat, and instinctively looked for a hanger.

Bi An’an reached out her hand. “I’ll hold it for you.”

“Thanks.” Shen Mofeng handed her the coat.

The fabric of the coat appeared thin, but it was surprisingly heavy in his hands. The hem flowed and draped beautifully, exuding a refreshing, subtle scent reminiscent of cold springs.

“This piece must cost several tens of thousands, right?” Bi An’an exclaimed, tossing the coat onto the gnarled branches of the yew tree.

“…” Shen Mofeng fell silent for a moment, then swung the shovel and began digging earnestly. Without the coat, his broad shoulders and suddenly tightened waist were fully visible, and his legs appeared particularly long and straight, finished off with a pair of well-crafted short boots. Shen Mofeng pressed down on the shovel, applying significant force as the blade cut deeply into the soil. He then copied Bi An’an’s stance, using leverage to push the shovel handle down with all his might…

Soil flew up and splattered all over his face!

“Pfft!” Shen Mofeng stepped back a few paces, wiped his face, and spat out.

“Hahaha!” Bi An’an laughed, “You can turn digging a tree pit into such a mess—what a young master!”

“I…” Isn’t that because I learned from you? Shen Mofeng maintained a serious expression, picked up a cigarette, and continued.

After digging a row of properly sized tree pits, Shen Mofeng was drenched in sweat. He leaned against a Yun((Cloud) tree, resting on the ground as cloud and mist-like pine needles fell around him, drifting into his nostrils.

Next, Shen Mofeng lit the cigarette, lazily taking a puff while inhaling the tar and nicotine to clear his lungs.

He hadn’t rested long when a divine beast cub suddenly came running over.

This cub was a small girl, not much taller than Shen Mofeng’s calf. She had long black hair, and on her head were a pair of hard, curved large sheep horns—each horn was about the size of her face.

Shen Mofeng remembered that this was the Taotie cub, which had only recently taken shape. As the only little girl among the divine beast cubs, she was cherished by everyone and was affectionately nicknamed Tao Tao.

Tao Tao wore a short-sleeved shirt and overalls, carrying an adult-sized orange yarn bag slung across her shoulder. Her delicate shoulders bore a hoe twice her height, and she chirped, “Feng Feng Gege, An’an Jiejie! Uncle Li Li said we’ve mined enough today, so he sent me over!”

Shen Mofeng slowly exhaled a puff of smoke: “…” A little girl this small, mining?

It wasn’t that he underestimated the divine beasts; the few cubs he saw earlier were also divine beasts and seemed to possess strength comparable to that of human children their age.

“Then you can help dig the pit.” Bi An’an handed Tao Tao a shovel.

“Whoa!” Tao Tao thrust the shovel into the ground, bouncing up like a jumping bean. She stepped on the shovel’s edge, and the blade sliced into the soil like cutting tofu, quickly sinking into the ground.

“Eek—yay!” Tao Tao wrapped her little arms around the handle, applying steady force, and a full scoop of soil was lifted out.

It looked quite strenuous, and in terms of speed, she was digging faster than Shen Mofeng…

Shen Mofeng, whose pride had been crushed, could only think: “…”

With a burst of energy, Tao Tao dug several planting pits, then tossed the shovel aside and rubbed her little belly.

Taotie cub: Tao Tao is hungry and out of energy.

Taotie cub: Tao Tao has decided to snack!

Shen Mofeng’s ears perked up slightly as he stubbed out his cigarette, got up, and walked over to Tao Tao, pulling out a few pieces of candy from his pants pocket to present to her: “Want some?”

Tao Tao didn’t refuse and politely replied, “Thank you, Brother Feng Feng.”

But her inner thoughts were laced with disdain.

She thought those few pieces of candy weren’t enough to fill the gaps between her teeth…

Shen Mofeng felt chest pains.

Tao Tao opened her orange bag, which was slung at an angle across her body, and stuffed both her little chubby hands inside.

As she pulled her hands out, the mouth of the little yarn bag expanded to the size of a basin. Immediately after, she pulled out a rice cooker without a power cord.

Shen Mofeng stared at her, wide-eyed.

Tao Tao placed the rice cooker on the ground, then repeated the action, pulling out a large iron pot with a lid from her bag.

She actually carried a pot of rice and a pot of stewed meat with her!

The orange yarn bag was made from the chaotic fur that Ye Chen had accumulated over the past few months. Hundun Cub shed fur like an orange cat, and Ye Chen knew that this fur could be repurposed. Each time he bathed Hundun Cub and combed its fur, he would collect the fallen orange hairs into a small bag.

Moreover, upon learning that Chen Chen Gege wanted to make a small food bag for Tao Tao, Hundun Cub stealthily snuck into the bathroom one moonless night, resolutely shaving itself bald. This act propelled it into the top ranks of the “Spoiling Sister To Death Chart,” surpassing the mediocre performances of Pu Lu and Feng Huang.

Once the chaotic fur was gathered, Ye Chen followed online tutorials to soak and clean it, letting it air dry before using two brushes to fluff the fibers. Then he spun the fluff into a ball of yarn with a small spindle made by Li Li. The most challenging part—weaving the bag—was done by Bi An’an, resulting in a chaotic bag the size of a palm that could hold three cubic meters of stuff.

The day Ye Chen received the finished product, the first thing he did was put it on Tao Tao’s back.

“From now on, our Tao Tao can carry a few pots wherever she goes,” Ye Chen said, his eyes gleaming with fatherly love. “No need to worry about going hungry!”

The author has something to say:

Long-term Worker Shen has started farming for the landlord…

Long-term Worker Shen: In the old society, where the depths of water and the flames of fire abound, we can’t eat enough or dress warmly, and still have to work hard.  

Ye Bapi: That’s not true! I treat Long-term Workers so well, don’t say things like that!  

Long-term Worker Shen: There’s no way around it; my family is so poor that we can’t even afford to eat. I have no choice but to trade my labor for a full meal…  

Ye Bapi: ? Don’t come over here!!!