Chapter 274: Climbing the Rankings

Cheng Shuili listened patiently, and she became increasingly convinced that bringing her and Yu Bing to the manor was an absolutely correct decision!

But what she cared most about was: "When can these crops we just planted be harvested?"

Zhou Zhuxing had naturally calculated it; she raised her hand and rubbed her cheek with her wrist before answering: "This batch in Group A is the fastest, likely ready in about half a month, while the remaining two groups will take the normal time, roughly thirty days."

Thirty days?

Cheng Shuili nodded lightly, finding this number fairly satisfactory.

As long as it's not like reality with two harvests a year—if it were that, by the time the first harvest of daylilies came, they'd be cold.

Having obtained a satisfactory result, Cheng Shuili followed Zhou Zhuxing for another walk around the field, then returned to the vehicle feeling content.

Qi Wan Yi always does what she says; saying she'd make braised pork tonight means she'll make braised pork!

She hadn't made this dish in a long time; when Cheng Shuili received her own portion and smelled the aroma, moved tears immediately streamed from the corner of her mouth.

Paired with distinct grains of rice, this dinner was simply fragrant!

However, speaking of rice...

Cheng Shuili narrowed her eyes, trying to recall when she last bought rice.

It must have been a long time ago.

There's still some left?

She opened her private chat with Qi Wan Yi and asked the question.

【Wan Yi】: Don't worry... during this period, we should be unable to finish it.

The more I hear that, the stranger it sounds.

Counting the days, the bit of rice Cheng Shuili bought should have been eaten up by now.

If there were new rice, Wan Yi should just say so—what does she mean by talking like this?

Cheng Shuili furrowed her brows, feeling that this person was hiding something from her.

She had no real evidence; if asked why she thought that, it was probably just a woman's intuition.

When Cheng Shuili was about to ask again, Qi Wan Yi volunteered an explanation.

【Wan Yi】: During this period I've gotten several duplicate cards... I've used them all on rice—one card can be exchanged for 20 kilograms, which feels quite worthwhile.

Oh, that's how it is.

Cheng Shuili nodded, yet still felt a bit strange.

Just use it—what is the other party feeling guilty about?

Cheng Shuili frowned, then pulled up the chat log between the two of them, confirming that this person was indeed feeling guilty and couldn't help but twitch the corner of her mouth.

Qi Wan Yi stared at the chat box between the two of them, the longer she looked, the more embarrassed she felt.

Her relationship with Cheng Shuili has always been good.

Although the other party is the boss, getting along feels more like friends.

It's all Wan Yue's fault... causing this situation, a friend suddenly became a lifesaver, and Qi Wan Yi even felt somewhat unsure how to face Cheng Shuili.

She even said things like "Her life is now mine," which is particularly chuunibyou.

Actually, this isn't a big deal; what embarrasses Qi Wan Yi is that she just felt handling the duplicate cards herself wasn't appropriate and thought she should consult Cheng Shuili's opinion first.

But this is clearly her own property...!

Qi Wan Yi covered her face with her hand, unwilling to think further.

It's fine if you're not used to it; after getting used to being unused, you become used to it.

Cheng Shuili roughly understood what was going on.

The other party obviously felt that their relationship had changed, so their way of interacting should change too, right?

No need.

Cheng Shuili saved her because Qi Wan Yi possesses an ability that makes it hard for Cheng Shuili to let go.

If Cheng Shuili herself had Qi Wan Yi's miraculous cooking skills, she wouldn't have met this person, nor would she have made a special trip to the town's central hospital just for her.

So Cheng Shuili saved her not because Cheng Shuili is so good, but because Qi Wan Yi is worth it.

Cheng Shuili didn't say anything more.

Their chef is also a smart person; even if the decision‑makers are confused now, she'll eventually have a day when she can think things through clearly.

And until then, Cheng Shuili doesn't mind becoming her special‑status "lifesaver" in her heart.

For Cheng Shuili, these past few days have been fairly peaceful.

After Qi Wan Yi's injury healed, the meals immediately returned to normal levels.

Moreover, several team members have recently become diligent; for some unknown reason they suddenly wanted to climb the Mileage Ranking, reporting their daily progress in the group.

If it weren't for Cheng Shuili having Su Rui, this top‑tier beast of burden, plus her vehicle's speed being much higher than theirs,

their daily mileage would truly surpass Cheng Shuili's.

The further they went, the more supply crates they opened, and naturally the more monsters they encountered.

Ailin's training of these few people finally showed success.

Xinxue and Liang Shanbo—one is a net‑worm that only surfs the regional channel, the other a mascot that does a little of everything but does nothing well.

Putting it more bluntly, they're two combat‑useless wastes who, after following Cheng Shuili, adopted an avoidance‑war stance—but now they've actually started fighting monsters.

Each time the speaker kills a monster, they post an award‑acceptance speech in the small group.

"Thanks to the organization's cultivation! Thanks to Instructor Ailin's guidance! Thanks to Wuya Lao Da's summary of the bestiary! Your help and encouragement have given me infinite courage; I stand here today......"

The bestiary wasn't compiled by Cheng Shuili...

... it was Zhu Xuan and his team who compiled it.

But there's obviously no need to explain such a thing.

Moreover, Xinxue and her group always send voice messages, and Cheng Shuili's ears have literally grown calluses from listening.

She tugged at the corner of her mouth, somewhat unable to figure out what these young people were actually burning.

Cheng Shuili sighed, tomorrow... is the sixth day of acid rain.

That is also the opening time of the first team instance.

She stood up and stretched; although she was a bit curious, she really had no pressure at all.

Before, Cheng Shuili would worry about Xinxue and Liang Shanbo's safety issues, after all, in the instance, nobody can guarantee another person's safety 100%.

Even Cheng Shuili couldn't boast about this.

Now both of them have gotten their act together, she feels more relieved.

And these days, Cheng Shuili has indeed not been idle.

001, although intelligent, is ultimately a system product; its understanding of humans is truly lamentable.

Although Cheng Shuili had long been mentally prepared, when actually using 001, she still couldn't help feeling disappointed.

Rather than waiting for this AI idiot to constantly call Cheng Shuili to handle transactions, Cheng Shuili simply took charge of all processes requiring interaction with other players.

Thus, even the radio's battery didn't get a chance to be used.

These she can handle fine, but operating the workbench and shipping these two tasks must be handed over to 001!

Otherwise, Cheng Shuili's 60 energy stones would have been wasted for nothing.

Cheng Shuili recalled that these days had been unusually stable; the 8 am to 10 pm painful life, she still couldn't help raising her hand to cover her forehead.

No... can't frown.

It's already hard enough! If she frowns more and creates wrinkles, it would be too pitiful...

The hardship is real, and the earned game coins are real too!

Cheng Shuili wishes for more days like this; making money, being a bit tired is normal!