Chapter 395: Bound to the Birth System, Becoming a Winner in Life Chapter 396: Wasteland Gathering Daily Life (24)

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Protagonist:

Shen Yao

"I heard a giant snake suddenly attacked the plantation. Are you all right?"

When Cheng Qi ran home, Shen Yao was processing the rice stalks she had brought back.

Because she needed the detection needle on her wristwatch, she had taken the wristwatch off and gripped it in her hand, so she did not see the message Cheng Qi sent.

Seeing Cheng Qi so anxious that sweat covered his head, Shen Yao belatedly scratched her head a little.

"It's fine, I run fast, I took a car straight back," Shen Yao explained that she was lucky, and even picked more rice stalks than others.

Cheng Qi:...

Cheng Qi walked to Shen Yao's side, looked her up and down, and once he confirmed she was truly uninjured, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Let's not go to the rice plantation tomorrow; let's change to another place."

Shen Yao:...

Shen Yao still wanted to say she could keep going, this year's rice grains were plump and fragrant when stewed with rice.

But seeing Cheng Qi so nervous, forget it, forget it, she could go anywhere; there was no need to be neighbors with a giant snake.

"Corn or millet soybean plantation? We should eat some coarse grains too."

Shen Yao touched her chin, cleared a spot beside her and gestured for Cheng Qi to sit down.

Cheng Qi took off his wristwatch, took out the detection needle to help check the rice stalks she brought back, "Let's go to the corn plantation, the environment there is simpler."

"But how could you bring back rice stalks? And these are complete rice stalks that haven't been detected."

Shen Yao hehe laughed, "Taking advantage of the crowd in chaos, I secretly put some into the hemp sack I brought."

On the way back everyone was very nervous, no one checked when getting off the car, she just brought it back safely like that.

This wasn't Shen Yao exaggerating; she had a space and didn't need to do it herself, but everyone else without a space smuggled rice stalks this way.

Shen Yao saw several like-minded people; everyone tacitly didn't expose each other, anyway they were taking advantage of the base's cheapness, and they had no conflict of interest with them.

After listening, Cheng Qi looked helpless, but he didn't say Shen Yao was wrong.

He could only tell her to be more careful in the future, make small moves to avoid crowds, "Most base staff won't deliberately make things difficult for you, but inevitably some people want to do thankless business," so, don't get caught red-handed taking things from the base.

After all, the base wasn't truly wholeheartedly for them; at first the base secretly made small moves, and the relationship between the two sides was once very tense.

Later the base received guidance from a High Person, then gradually relaxed the proportion of some unimportant permissions, letting the people below eat their fill slightly, easing the overly tense relationship between the two sides.

"Rest assured, they definitely won't discover it," if they could really touch her space then they would be divine beings; the system was like a device whose energy was about to run out, constantly urging her to quickly take things out of the space, otherwise Shen Yao was reluctant to take all the rice stalks out.

The two of them worked, and soon finished detecting all the rice stalks on the ground.

The inedible ones were piled together to find a chance to throw into the wild; the edible ones were put into hemp sacks and sent to the storage room for preservation.

Shen Yao straightened her waist, turned around to cook dinner. Today was tiring; one shock after another consumed stamina. First take out meat to thaw and cut into strips, then soak some wood ear for later use.

Cheng Qi came over to help; the two in the kitchen, one cooking and one stir-frying, soon served the fragrant dishes.

After eating and drinking their fill, before sleeping at night they washed two apples, one each. Shen Yao touched her bulging belly and decided to temporarily not control her diet during this period; with high-intensity labor every day, she wouldn't get fat.

…………

"District Two Row Five Plot 88"

Shen Yao took the cornfield assigned to her and walked into it under the sun.

Around the cornfield was all wasteland, nothing at all, even weeds were pitifully few.

Because mutated corn had a bit of a domineering attribute, it very much liked to snatch other plants' nutrition, causing that around the corn plantation besides corn, there basically wouldn't be other produce.

"85, 86, 87, 88"

Finally finding the area divided for her, Shen Yao plopped down on the ground, fanning herself back and forth with a big hand.

The corn plantation was divided by corn quantity; basically two rows of corn, about 20 stalks in total.

One corn stalk grew at least two corn cobs; here it was by the standard of a 75-jin limit per person, Shen Yao could take back 150 jin.

But if Shen Yao's work was fast and good, she could apply to do more; for every extra ten jin, she could take one jin of it herself.

But those who could earn this money were all strong people who worked year-round; Shen Yao had thin arms and thin legs, looking fine alone, but placed together she appeared thin and weak.

Picking up the machete and chopping back and forth at the corn cobs, she soon pulled down corn cobs weighing over ten jin.

Same strategy as yesterday: chop down all the corn cobs around, then use the detection needle to check the rice grains one by one.

Such a workload was tedious and time-consuming, but the step was indispensable.

Drip drip drip

The wristwatch constantly made various different sounds; Shen Yao took advantage of the cover to rely on the system to cheat and pick out the edible rice grains.

Of course, the space was inevitably used by her; even though doing this made the system very afraid.

"Afraid of what? Can it perish with you?" At most find some small trouble; admit defeat and it can be solved.

System:...

"The Host is too ruthless," a resentful tone drifted out from the mechanical sound, scaring Shen Yao into a shiver, and she dropped the highly mutated rice grain onto the ground.

"If I'm not ruthless, you'll pit me to death. Wait until I go back and seal the space; just this moment, the Heavenly Dao Consciousness won't discover it."

The Heavenly Dao Consciousness didn't know how long it had existed; its time perception was more dull than ordinary humans.

Shen Yao quickly gathered the surrounding corn; at noon she carried it back, sat by the field and ate the lunch she prepared, then in the afternoon continued back to the field to work.

Without deliberately speeding up, Shen Yao maintained a steady frequency, handed in her mission quantity on time; after reaching the standard she directly got on the car to rest, living quite freely and unrestrainedly.

Back home at night it was another two people working overtime; Cheng Qi admired Shen Yao's methods of bringing things back, and mentioned two days of vacation, they could take a car together to the plantation.

Shen Yao:...

"Perhaps by then we can change locations, rent a carriage, and gather other food."

If Cheng Qi went to the planting garden, wouldn't that expose them? Shen Yao didn't want to expose her buggy space, and besides, there were limits on how many times they could go to the planting garden. Compared to a married couple both going to the planting garden to work for the base, it was more cost-effective to go to the wild and work for themselves.

Upon hearing this, Cheng Qi immediately used his wristwatch to apply for the upcoming carriage rental.

The Patrol Team's vehicles were always insufficient; even applying for one meant waiting in line for several days.

Cheng Qi thought back to when several families went to the pond to catch fish and dig lotus roots; it was indeed cost-effective.

"Let's invite Mom and Dad too. With more people, we can go farther, and the harvest will be richer."

Of course, the danger would increase, but who wants to eat nutrient agent, jerky, and dried vegetables every meal? The more food varieties stored now, the more comfortably they'll get through the cold season.

The young couple huddled together to discuss where to go. The base's northwest, northeast, southwest, and southeast could all be considered. They listed several good collection points and finally made their choice through elimination.

"If the rental time can be extended, we'll go to the wild slope on the east side. There we can hunt wild mountain goats and wild deer. They aren't very aggressive and are medium-to-large beasts, so the meat quality shouldn't be a major concern."

Hearing this, Shen Yao scratched her head and pointed to a flat plain behind the wild slope. "Is there a coal mine here?"

Cheng Qi glanced and said, "There is. Do you want to dig some back?"

Shen Yao hummed in agreement. "There should be some coal slag left around the abandoned coal mine. The temperature in the cold season is too low; let's see if we can use it."

If it couldn't be used, they'd just waste some time. If it could, they'd save a large amount of points. The cold season requires a lot of firewood and coal; the base would sell some, but not much—just enough to guarantee not freezing to death. They'd still need to buy from private shops or the black market.

Prices at private shops or the black market always fluctuated; certain seasonal items were unimaginably expensive.

Shen Yao and Cheng Qi had already secured the house in B District. For the coming period, their finances would be rather tight.

So save wherever possible. Shen Yao rested her chin on her hand and also planned to cut down several more trees during the carriage rental period, bring them back to dry as firewood. In short, they had to use their tools to the utmost.

Seeing Shen Yao analyze things so clearly, Cheng Qi supported her with firm words.

"Go back and rest. We have to get up early tomorrow."

"......"

Shen Yao went to the planting garden for several days straight until the storage room at home was piled full of grain. Only then were Cheng Qi's leave and carriage rental application approved.

Before they were approved, Cheng Qi contacted people from the Shen Family and the Cheng Family.

Share blessings, share hardships. They're all relatives; it's just a matter of lending a hand.

Seeing her birth mother Song Ling again, she inevitably heard Song Ling praise Cheng Qi for being capable.

The previous tricycle had been returned, and Shen Jiancheng had successfully been hired as base staff, waiting only to finish this busy period before starting work.

During this time, the Shen Family could be said to be sailing smoothly, except for Shen Yu's major problem of not having a partner.

"Younger sister, what do you think?" Older people love to play matchmaker. Cheng Ma thought the Shen Family relatives were decent and wanted to take things further.

"Nothing in particular. As long as the two kids are suitable, his father and I aren't picky."

Song Ling wasn't exactly lying. Shen Yu seemed to lack that particular inclination entirely; he wasn't interested in any type of girl.

Before going out with the Mercenary Team, Song Ling had asked the neighbors around to keep an eye out, and as soon as Shen Yu returned, she hurriedly pushed him into blind dates.

The result? Not a single one worked out, and she offended all the neighbors.

It wasn't that either side had problems; they just couldn't get along when together.

For this, Song Ling scolded Shen Yu for many days, and the anger in her heart had only just subsided.

Grabbing Cheng Ma's hand, she couldn't help but complain. Song Ling hoped Cheng Ma would help. She didn't care about ancestry, looks, or personality; she just wanted some sign of progress, otherwise she'd really start suspecting her son's orientation.

Shen Yao:......

Shen Yao hurriedly interrupted her mother's increasingly exaggerated remarks, seriously stating that Shen Yu just hadn't met the right person yet. Besides, there were plenty of marriageable girls at the base. Take it slow; things would work out eventually.

Song Ling:......

Song Ling knew she should take it slow, but she just couldn't help being anxious. Especially since all the neighbors' families were couples with children, while theirs was still alone. After finishing work every day, they had no motivation.

After listening, Shen Yao wanted to roll her eyes, thinking her mother really knew how to create trouble for herself.

Even married couples weren't necessarily guaranteed a good life. The more anxious you are, the more likely you are to make mistakes. The best approach was to take it slowly.

Cheng Ma clearly understood Song Ling's anxious mood. When Cheng Qi was single, she had been in that state, unable to control herself.

Now persuading Song Ling, Cheng Ma handled it with ease, also using examples from her own family and the surrounding neighbors to prove that 'this matter cannot be rushed.'

"I do have a few decent girls on my end. I'll send them for you to see. Then let Xiao Yu interact with them. If they get along, they can talk; if not suitable, just move on."

Cheng Ma sent the information to Song Ling via her wristwatch, then also mentioned the supplies stored at home.

Both were experienced hands from years of living. The two chatted from sauce vegetables all the way to staple food until the car they were sitting in stopped, and they fell silent.

Getting out of the car, what met their eyes was a dense forest. This place was quite far from the base's location, and driving took an hour.

"Is this the wild slope? Last time I came, I took the base's public bus, drove for two hours, and it jolted my bones until they ached."

Song Ling and Cheng Ma walked side by side, talking about their memories of the wild slope.

Shen Yao had a somewhat blurry impression of this place, but it had been a long time. She remembered that the varieties of mountain mushrooms and medicinal herbs here were relatively many; casually picking some could cover the trip's cost.

"Let's walk forward. First find a place to settle, then we'll talk about hunting."

They came here to catch wild mountain goats or wild deer, medium-to-large beasts. A complete corpse could be worth quite a few points.

If the captured beasts were edible, it would make the trip even more worthwhile.

Everyone moved forward, bypassing the woods to reach a cleared flat area.

There were still traces of fire on the ground; apparently someone had rested here briefly.

"Let's stop here. Put things down, and we'll see which direction to go."

Cheng Ba wasn't here this time, but Cheng Dage was. He had experienced a lot going out and understood the situation of the wild slope. He sent several terrain maps of the surroundings via his wristwatch, and Cheng Dage marked the places where medium-to-large beasts appeared with red circles.

"These are all recorded situations. We can choose somewhere close to here. Groups of three or two; if there's any movement, notify one another."

Cheng Dage also assigned the groups. He brought his wife Zhao Xue and Cheng Ma; Shen Yu, Shen Jiancheng, and Song Ling formed one group; Cheng Qi and Shen Yao formed another.

Three teams, three directions, all choosing places where the red circles were densest.

Shen Yao carried a crossbow, held a dagger, and had a machete in her back basket, truly interpreting what it meant for a poor student to have many toys.

Cheng Qi only brought the weapon he used in the Patrol Team, walking lightly and swiftly, making Shen Yao envious.

"Let me carry that for you?" Cheng Qi said helplessly; he wanted to help his wife share the burden, but his wife was unwilling.

"No, these are all self-defense tools," although they were a bit heavy, they could provide an extra portion of security when encountering danger, so she absolutely refused to give them away.

Cheng Qi: ……

"There's no danger here," any danger would have been dealt with by the patrol team long ago.

As long as the base bus can reach a collection point, it counts as a safe place; the base must guarantee the normal quantity of the population.