“Yuanbao, what are you doing?” A gentle voice floated from behind Xia Chen as he crouched over his seedling tray. Xu Helai, ever eager, had come to visit once more.

Xia Chen remembered Xu Helai’s gift of fruit. In return, he’d forced himself awake the next morning, despite his drowsiness, to give his old coat to the boy. 

The kid had been reluctant, but Xia Chen’s mock anger had won out. Now, whenever Xu Helai found something good, he would run to Xia Chen, sweat beading his brow, his sweet dimples flashing. Xia Chen could never refuse such warmth.

Xia Chen could be harsh with naughty kids, but such a well-behaved boy melted him. Soon, he included Xu Helai under his protection, sharing half of his food and drinks. Even Xia Chen’s parents turned a blind eye.

“Don’t call me Yuanbao,” Xia Chen said without looking up. He was focused on the seedlings he had cultivated.

To complete a random task, Xia Chen had spent two silver taels on a rice seedling cultivation book from Xia Tongban. Three silver taels for a whole agricultural book was one thing, but two taels just on seedlings? It was simply a rip-off.

Still, following the book’s instructions, Xia Chen had his big brother build him a seedling tray. Now, he’d planted the best rice seeds he’d cultivated inside it.

His father had asked about it, and Xia Chen, with innocent eyes, had explained, “Mother said that little babies need careful tending to grow strong. I’ll wait for them to grow a bit before planting them in the fields.”

The elders chuckled and rolled their eyes, but they let him do as he pleased.

“If not Yuanbao, what should I call you?” Xu Helai’s good temper shone through; he wasn’t upset at being ignored.

Xia Chen stood, dusting off his hands. “Call me Big Brother Xia.” He figured he wouldn’t lose much by being called ‘big brother’ by someone shorter than him.

Xu Helai refused. “I’m older than you, so how can I call you brother? You should call me big brother.”

Xia Chen’s eyes widened. This kid was getting bold; he’d misjudged Xu Helai’s meekness.

“Then I’ll call you Xu Birdy!” Xia Chen teased deliberately.

Xu Birdy was a nickname village children had given Xu Helai. In a village where kids were called things like “Baby Dog” and “Egg Poop,” Xu Helai’s name stood out. Somehow, with his sweet nature, he’d offended the village brats, and they disliked playing with him.

“Yuanbao can call me whatever you want.” Xu Helai didn’t get angry. Instead, he smiled, dimples flashing, looking too good-natured to have a temper at all.

Xia Chen deflated. How could he be angry with someone like this?

“Close your eyes and open your mouth.” Xu Helai obeyed, and a sweet and sour fruit plopped into his mouth.

He closed his mouth, hesitant to chew. “You should eat it yourself. It’s a waste to give it to me,” he said quietly.

“I gave it to you, so eat it. Don’t waste words. You might not even get any in the future,” Xia Chen mumbled.

Sadly, his strawberry harvest had been small, and he hadn’t eaten many. They were all given to his nephews and this kid. He always thought that since he had eaten so many delicious things in the past, it didn’t matter if he ate a little less now. He was still a baby himself, yet he was living like an old father… Still, this kid wasn’t even willing to call him “brother.”

Xu Helai’s dimples deepened at Xia Chen’s words. He knew Yuanbao was sharp-tongued but soft-hearted. He was a very, very good young master, unlike any other he’d met.

“There are more and more fruits in the mountains. Last time, I even saw a nest of rabbits. Master said that after I practice more, I’ll be able to catch up to them. Then, I’ll catch rabbits for you to eat.”

“Eat them yourself. Look how skinny you are.” Xia Chen moved his tray aside to wash his hands. Xu Helai followed. “Also, don’t come looking for me in the mornings anymore.”

Xu Helai stopped, his smile fading. After a moment, he asked softly, “Is it because I come too early? I can come after my morning lessons.”

“No, that’s not it. What are you thinking?” Xia Chen patted his head to reassure him. “I’m going to study in the county town. I’ll have to wake up early too.”

Father Xia initially sent Dong’er to study at the home of an old scholar in town. The old scholar was known for his strict discipline, but Dong’er didn’t learn anything and even became resentful toward the scholar.

This time, Father Xia searched for a scholar with a kind and gentle approach. His eldest grandson was strong and could endure harsh treatment, but his youngest son was delicate. He worried a strict scholar might cause his son harm.

His search led him to a newly arrived scholar named Meng who had opened a private school in the county. Since Scholar Meng was new, few people knew of his teaching abilities. Moreover, his young age—not yet thirty—cast doubt on his experience compared to the older scholars, leading to a lack of students.

When others learned of Father Xia’s interest, they warned him that Scholar Meng had a soft temperament and never beat his students, instead relying on copying books as punishment. They doubted the effectiveness of such methods.

No beating? That’s great! Father Xia immediately took a liking to this Scholar Meng. After meeting Scholar Meng and finding him amiable and kind, he enrolled his two sons and agreed on a date to bring them to the school with the tuition.

Hearing that Xia Chen was going to study, Xu Helai felt relieved. He didn’t care so long as Xia Chen didn’t dislike him.

Xu Helai knew the village children resented him. They all called him a bootlicker because he wore Yuanbao’s old coat and ate the rice porridge and steamed buns that Yuanbao shared with him. Those were things they wanted but couldn’t get, so they disliked him out of jealousy.

But he didn’t get along well with Yuanbao because of those things. Yuanbao was his only friend, the kindest, most beautiful young master he’d ever known.

“Then I’ll come find you after you finish school,” Xu Helai said with a smile. “I should head back now.”

“Wait.” Xia Chen ran to the kitchen, returning with two steamed buns wrapped in cloth. He offered them to Xu Helai.

After seeing the kid off, Xia Chen slipped into the privacy of his room and entered the system space.

“Tongban, I’m begging you, please give me some fertilizer.” Xia Chen was worried to death. Planting in the space had been a breeze—aside from some tiring digging and harvesting, everything was practically a game. He’d sleep, and the crops would be ready in the morning. Sometimes, he wouldn’t even see how they looked while growing!

This time, however, he needed to cultivate the seedlings outside his space to show his father the fruits of his labor. Only now did he realize the true challenges of farming. 

Too much water rotted the seeds, too little and they wouldn’t sprout. His space had let him pour water carelessly, yet everything had thrived. After planting so many fields, he’d begun to think of himself as an old hand.

His painstakingly gathered seeds were few and precious. After all, the Gathering Technique could only be used a handful of times each day, and the success rate was frustratingly low. He’d even stopped using it on corn, thinking that he could first cultivate the seedlings, which might still be in time for planting season and allow his father to see the results.

[The System Store can provide “Crop Fertilization Techniques.” Does the host need to purchase it?] 

“No, I don’t want it!” Xia Chen refused instantly. After the corn seeds and seedling guide, he barely had three silver taels left. More spending would leave him with nothing for emergencies.

“Trying to swindle my money again. I won’t let you succeed,” Xia Chen muttered, tapping open the main interface to check his experience points.

[The system is only providing solutions to the host’s requests. In fact, the host can’t afford this book.] Xia Tongban’s sarcasm was barely veiled now.

“How is that possible? Could it be more expensive than the agricultural book?” Xia Chen didn’t believe it. He still had three silver taels.

Xia Tongban fell silent, then displayed the price. Xia Chen gaped at the gleaming gold ingot symbol. “Three gold! You daylight robber!”

This was even pricier than the corn seeds—the most expensive item he’d ever encountered in the store.

Xia Tongban was not the least bit guilty: [Upholding the principle of honest transactions, this system never cheats people. All goods are definitely worth more than their price.]

“A fool would believe that. You’re a wicked system.” Xia Chen turned away from the obscene price. Even if he became wealthy, he wouldn’t let Tongban swindle him out of three gold taels for some fertilizer book.

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