Chapter 139: When Did You Become So Kind

Old Li had no idea what he had eaten, but his stomach was cramping in pain.

Without stopping to greet anyone, he hurriedly jogged to the nearest outhouse.

A series of loud splutters followed, and by the time his legs were numb from squatting, he finally felt some relief.

Just as he was about to leave, he reached into his pocket—only to find that he had no paper.

Despair swept over Old Li. That was it. This particular outhouse was rarely used to begin with.

It was just his bad luck to be assigned to work near this spot.

“Is anyone out there? Can someone lend me some toilet paper?”

“Hey, anyone there?”

Old Li shouted for quite a while, but no one responded.

His mind started wandering, should he go out and try picking a few leaves to make do?

Deciding to try shouting one more time, he called out, “Hey, is anyone there?”

A faint, weary child’s voice finally responded from outside, “Yes!”

Old Li was overjoyed. “Bao’er, Grandpa Li forgot to bring—”

Before he could finish, a pink wad of toilet paper was shoved through the crack of the door. “Here!”

Just then, a voice echoed in Dabao’s mind: “Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing the task. Reward: one crispy fried chicken drumstick has been added to your backpack. It can be claimed anytime.”

Dabao wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but he could swear he smelled the fragrance of fried chicken.

Of course, it was accompanied by the overwhelming stench of the outhouse. Even with his nose covered, he felt so nauseated he nearly threw up.

Old Li, holding his nose, was about to comfort the child, but before he could get a word out—another round of squelching noises burst from inside.

Dabao turned and ran as fast as he could. He was afraid that if he delayed another second, he’d pass out from the stench.

He hadn’t expected his first system task to be this brutal. Dabao had already given up hope for any future missions.

Qiu Yinuo, who had been hiding far away, saw Dabao stumbling back and quickly scooped him up into her arms.

“Well? Did the drumstick arrive?”

Dabao sobbed pitifully, staring at his shameless mother in disbelief. Had this world of suffering really been meant for him alone?

“Bad mommy, I don’t love you anymore.”

“That’s okay. Mommy still loves you. Loves you so, so much.”

…

After Menghua handed out the drumstick, it took a stroll around the system plaza. Everywhere it went, people were talking about how terminal 3224, which hadn’t been active for six years, had finally opened today.

The key point was: 3224 had always been known for handling high-level missions for elite users, so why did it suddenly give out a low-level reward like a fried chicken drumstick?

No matter how much they speculated, none of it could dampen Menghua’s current excitement.

Now that there had been a first time, there would definitely be a second. As long as it served with sincerity and diligence, one day it would surely win over Boss Erbao.

By that time, it would definitely make a name for itself with a single move.

So far, no one had ever obtained the top-tier reward from the main system.

But if Erbao made a move, this wave was guaranteed.

With that in mind, Menghua decided to issue another new mission.

“Mission: Help Grandma collect the dried radishes. Reward: One golden pillow durian.”

Dabao, who was drinking water, suddenly choked. Couldn’t they just let him live? Would it kill the system to give him a break with a clean, stink-free task?

Qiu Yinuo’s eyes lit up as she looked at Dabao, her gaze practically saying: I want it. I want to eat that.

Back during the first mission, Dabao had cried so pitifully that Qiu Yinuo didn’t have the heart to admit she’d actually wanted the fried chicken drumstick for herself.

But today, when it came to this durian, she didn’t want to miss the chance. Since arriving here, she had only eaten fruits like apples, pears, cling peaches, and hawthorn berries.

She could barely even remember what durian tasted like anymore.

Dabao silently took a few steps back. “……”

That evening, when Cheng Hongying came home from the fields, she saw Dabao sticking his little butt out, diligently picking up dried radishes.

The way he worked so hard made Cheng Hongying adore him to no end.

“Grandma!”

Unlike other children, Dabao pronounced “grandma” especially clearly.

Every time Cheng Hongying chatted with others, she would proudly mention this.

“What is Dabao doing?”

“Help… grandma!” Dabao didn’t dare speak too fluently in front of Cheng Hongying, afraid he might raise suspicion.

Cheng Hongying sniffled emotionally. From this day on, she had yet another thing to brag about.

She quickly went to wash her hands. “Dabao, don’t move. Leave it there. Grandma will do it.”

Dabao refused haughtily, “No. Help… grandma!”

How could a little one barely a year old be so thoughtful?

Cheng Hongying hugged Dabao and kissed him hard twice. “You’re Grandma’s sweetheart. You’re way more dependable than your mom or your uncle.”

To be fair, Dabao hadn’t really done much, given his tiny size. There was only so much a little one like him could do.

Most of the dried radishes were collected by Cheng Hongying herself. She was afraid that if she slowed down even a little, Dabao would end up doing more.

“Ding! Mission completed. Reward: One golden pillow durian. It has been delivered to your inventory and can be claimed at any time.”

Qiu Yinuo, standing in the kitchen with a rice paddle in hand, glanced out and called, “Erbao, we’re having durian tonight! Have you ever tried it? It smells a bit, but it’s super sweet. You’re definitely going to love it. Big brother really worked hard.”

Erbao looked up at his mom, confused as to why a single durian could make her this happy.

That evening, the mother and her two sons ate the durian together in front of Menghua.

Its creamy texture was like ice cream, smooth and sweet.

As Qiu Yinuo stared at the durian seed, she murmured, “Isn’t it a bit of a waste not to grow durian in the space?”

Dabao licked the bit of pulp stuck to his lips. “How do you grow it?”

“Wait, I’ll go check the library. We still have the spiritual spring water and there’s a good chance we can make it thrive.”

Qiu Yinuo dove into the library, determined to find a book on planting.

She searched for a long while but came up empty-handed.

“Menghua, do you know where it might be?”

Menghua yawned lazily. “The library is yours, not mine. Why would I know where anything is?”

After saying that, it snuck a glance at the one most likely to know—Erbao.

But when Erbao shot it a cold look, Menghua quickly averted its gaze, frightened.

That one’s not to be messed with.

Qiu Yinuo had only asked casually and hadn’t really expected Menghua to help anyway.

Time ticked by slowly. Dabao had already sprawled out on the sofa, sound asleep in all directions, while Erbao was still flipping through other books.

Just as Qiu Yinuo turned her head, she spotted a book about durian cultivation. “Found it!”

She then noticed that Dabao had long drifted into a sweet dream, limbs spread out, little belly button exposed. She quickly grabbed a small blanket and tucked it over him.

Lifting Erbao into her arms, she said softly, “Erbao, no more reading. You’ll ruin your eyes if you keep this up.”

Erbao blinked, then went still in Qiu Yinuo’s embrace.

He closed his eyes, but his mind was running wild.

“Mommy’s holding Erbao to sleep.”

Menghua tilted its head as it watched Qiu Yinuo rocking Erbao to sleep while reading a book. It couldn’t help but wonder—Since when did this cold-hearted little boss become so soft?