Chapter 4: Planting, Harvesting Potatoes

“Since this is a gift from the gods, then there’s nothing to be afraid of. Let’s split the stuff among the three of us,” Xiao Ling’er followed up on Xiao Yuhao’s words.

“I don’t want anything. Big sis, you and Mom can divide it,” Xiao Yuhao replied.

As soon as he said that, Xiao Ling’er immediately objected, “No way. Since it was given by the gods, and there happen to be three items, it’s definitely one for each of us.”

“Big sis, are you dumb? There’s clearly more than just three items. How can you say there are only three?” Xiao Yuhao looked at her like she was an idiot.

“This brat… I just praised you, and now you’re like this?” Xiao Ling’er grumbled inwardly.

“Yuhao, didn’t you see how the items were placed? Each one was spaced apart. So why were those two things placed together?

That’s why I think they must be a set. Besides, that iron lump kind of looks like a weapon,” she explained.

After she spoke, Xiao Yuhao gave her a complicated look.

Xiao Ling’er’s heart skipped a beat and she asked tentatively, “Wh-What’s wrong?”

“Big sis, are you done pretending?” Xiao Yuhao asked.

“Huh?” Xiao Ling’er looked confused.

“You used to play dumb so Grandma wouldn’t sell you off to a wealthy family as a servant girl.”

When she heard that, memories flashed in Xiao Ling’er’s mind—

In the original host’s family, there were still grandparents, a first uncle’s family, and a younger uncle’s family.

The younger uncle worked as a runner at a restaurant in town. Later, he married the manager’s daughter, and their fortunes soared along with his new connections.

Two months ago, the younger uncle took the grandparents and the first uncle’s family to flee the famine with his wife’s family.

As for why the original host’s family didn’t go with them? It was simple—they were seen as burdens and were abandoned.

Thinking of this, Xiao Ling’er explained, “I pretended to be stupid before because I was afraid of being sold. But now that we’re on the run, I can’t act dumb anymore. I need to protect you and Mom.”

Xiao Yuhao was touched to the point of tears, “Big sis, I’m not that young anymore. I can help protect you and Mom too.”

“Protect, protect Ling Ling and Hao Hao,” their slow-witted mother echoed.

“Alright, we’ll protect each other!”

After that, Xiao Ling’er took out the Strength Pill from the box and popped it into Mu Xiya’s mouth, then took out the Speed Pill and gave it to Xiao Yuhao.

Finally, she picked up the gun and the box of bullets and began studying them carefully. After figuring out how to load the bullets, she pointed the gun at a tree outside the temple and fired.

“Pfft.” The sound was barely audible.

Curious, Xiao Yuhao ran over to check the tree and found a small hole in it. His eyes widened in disbelief as he muttered,

“It really is a weapon, and a really powerful one too.

It truly is a gift from the gods. There’s nothing like this in our entire Biyun Continent.”

Then Xiao Yuhao turned serious, warning Xiao Ling’er and Mu Xiya:

“We can’t tell anyone about this, no matter what. Otherwise, someone will definitely try to steal it.”

“Mm, I know!” Xiao Ling’er nodded in agreement.

“Mm, I know too!” Mu Xiya also nodded seriously, mimicking her daughter.

“Let’s go. From now on, Big Sis will protect you and Mom!” Xiao Ling’er said, standing up. Xiao Yuhao and Mu Xiya stood up too.

After just a few steps, Xiao Yuhao suddenly noticed something strange. He realized he was walking much faster than usual.

“Big sis, Mom, I think I’m walking faster now!” he exclaimed excitedly.

“Want to try running a bit?” Xiao Ling’er suggested.

“Okay!” Xiao Yuhao agreed, then darted away like the wind and zipped right back, just as fast.

“Big sis, really, I… I’ve really gotten faster!” Xiao Yuhao was so excited he started stuttering.

“Good, that’s great. This way, if you’re in danger, you’ll have a better chance of running away.”

Xiao Ling’er praised him, then turned to look at Mu Xiya with curiosity. “I wonder what kind of special ability Mom will awaken?”

“Yeah, I’m curious too. What change will Mom go through?” After the excitement, Xiao Yuhao also wondered what kind of surprise awaited their mother.

“It’s fine, no rush. We’ll find out eventually. Right now, we should get going,” Xiao Ling’er said, though she already suspected her mother’s strength had increased.

“Yeah, we should get moving. It’s just… the village chief and the others have already left,” Xiao Yuhao said, a little downcast.

“So they’ve left, that’s fine. We’ll travel on our own,” Xiao Ling’er replied casually.

“But… but…” Xiao Yuhao seemed anxious.

“You think if we traveled with them, and we ran into danger, someone would help us?” Xiao Ling’er asked gently.

Xiao Yuhao thought for a moment, then shook his head like a deflated balloon. “No, they wouldn’t.”

“Exactly. So going with them wouldn’t do us any good,” Xiao Ling’er pointed out.

“But if we’re with a group, it might reduce the dangers outside…”

“And how do you know there won’t be another scumbag like Erlai among them?” Xiao Ling’er’s tone turned sharp as she stared straight at him.

Xiao Yuhao was instantly speechless. He couldn’t be sure there wasn’t another person like Erlai hiding among the others.

“So since danger is everywhere, wouldn’t it be better for the three of us to travel freely?”

Seeing that Xiao Yuhao couldn’t argue back, a faint, subtle smile appeared on Xiao Ling’er’s lips.

“Besides, what if the gods give us food again? If we’re with others, how would we take it without causing a scene?”

Xiao Ling’er’s words startled Xiao Yuhao. That’s right! They still had the gods on their side. Big sis is right—traveling alone is better.

From that moment, the three of them officially began their journey as refugees!

However, despite walking the whole day, the gods didn’t bless them with any more food.

Xiao Yuhao was a bit disappointed, but he also understood they couldn’t rely on the gods forever.

So, along the way, he focused on searching for food and water, though all he managed to find was a bit of soft tree bark.

By nightfall, the trio didn’t dare sleep by the roadside and instead headed into the mountains. Though there were dangers there too, Xiao Ling’er felt humans were more dangerous than animals.

Eventually, they settled in a cave. There were no signs of large animal droppings inside, so it seemed safe for now.

Xiao Ling’er glanced at the bark in front of her and twitched at the corners of her mouth. Dear lord… if I eat this, I probably won’t be able to go to the bathroom.

She opened her system panel and was delighted to see the potatoes had ripened again—it was already the fourth harvest.

She clicked “Harvest” and got two potatoes. Since each planted potato yielded two, and one had to be replanted, she now had five potatoes in total.

She immediately clicked “Plant” again. All in all, she’d harvested four potatoes that day. Sigh… this land has such low productivity.

Still, something is better than nothing. Xiao Ling’er, being naturally optimistic, didn’t dwell on it.

She discreetly poured the water from her flask into her space, then refilled it with a full bottle of spiritual spring water.

Then she checked the current placement of the food output and was pleasantly surprised to see one of the storage spots was her travel bag.

Nice! That’s perfect—placing it in the bag is safer, more convenient, and much harder for others to discover.