Chapter 21: First Extra Income

"Brother Yu, I'm here!"

Yu Gui had only finished lunch not long ago and was resting on the rocking chair behind the warehouse door. Seeing Hua

Hua Changxi smiled and said, "I was afraid of delaying Brother Yu's affairs, so I hurried over as soon as I finished my chores."

Yu Gui stared, "You finished your chores?" Cleaning 500 medicinal herbs was not an easy task.

Hua Changxi nodded, "Mm, finished."

Yu Gui was somewhat amazed by Hua Changxi's capability; he looked at the sky and asked again, "Then have you eaten lunch?"

Hua Changxi gave a shy smile and said nothing.

Seeing her like this, Yu Gui let out a long sigh. Ultimately, out of consideration for her young age, he got up and went to the room next door. Soon, he came out holding a paper parcel: "Take this and eat."

Hua Changxi took the paper parcel, "What is this?" The paper parcel opened, revealing a roasted chicken leg.

Yu Gui: "This is what I saved for my dinner. It's only because it's you, little sister; I wouldn't give it to anyone else."

Hua Changxi swallowed her saliva, wrapped the chicken leg back up, and returned it to Yu Gui: "I can't eat Brother Yu's dinner. Brother Yu, you don't need to worry about me; I can handle being hungry."

Yu Gui's face stiffened, and he pushed the paper parcel back: "If I give it to you, eat it. Is your Brother Yu the type of person who lacks a chicken leg to eat?"

Seeing him like this, Hua Changxi didn't stand on ceremony anymore; she smiled and opened the paper parcel to eat.

The food in the Menial Hall was served in large portions to keep one full, but there wasn't much meat. They only ate meat once every ten days. Truth be told, she really was craving meat.

As she ate, Hua Changxi looked at the others busy in the warehouse: "Brother Yu, everyone else is busy, and you are resting here. Won't they have objections?"

Yu Gui gave a spirited smile: "Little sister, your Brother Yu and those people are different."

Hua Changxi asked curiously, "How are you different?"

A look of pride appeared on Yu Gui's face: "The warehouse manager, Eunuch Yu, is your Brother Yu's father."

This was something Hua Changxi truly hadn't expected, and a look of surprise could not help but appear on her face.

At this moment, Yu Gui's gaze was particularly earnest. He didn't miss any change in Hua Changxi's expression. Only after seeing that she had only surprise and no trace of disdain did he continue:

"Your Brother Yu, I am an orphan. Before entering the Menial Hall, I was just a beggar in the capital. Anyone could come and bully me."

"From a young age, I knew that children without parents to look after them are the lowest of the low, so I found a father for myself."

"Once I had a father, I had a backer. With a backer, I finally had a foothold in this warehouse."

Yu Gui looked at Hua Changxi with a smile: "Little sister, the fact that you can pick and choose medicinal herbs in the warehouse is because your Brother Yu recognized his father well. Without this connection, whatever medicinal herbs the warehouse assigned to you is what you would have to process; there would be no letting you pick and choose."

Hua Changxi hadn't expected Yu Gui to have such a background. She thought for a moment and said, "Brother Yu, you are very impressive."

Yu Gui laughed: "Don't you think that recognizing a eunuch as a father is a very shameless thing?"

Hua Changxi knew that most of the time, only eunuchs would recognize older eunuchs as fathers. Yu Gui likely had misgivings about this in his heart, so she immediately said, "Why would you say that? Eunuchs are also people, and as people, they have the right to be fathers."

This perspective on the matter was something Yu Gui had never thought of before.

Don't look at how no one dared to provoke him on this patch of ground in the warehouse; he knew that everyone looked down on him in their hearts and would avoid him if anything came up.

Even he himself felt some self-loathing in his heart.

Usually, he would comfort himself with the various benefits he gained from relying on Eunuch Yu. Today, Little Sister Changxi's words gave him a feeling of sudden enlightenment.

That's right, so what if he's a eunuch? A eunuch is just a man with a defect, and as a man, he has the right to be a father. Being a son to Eunuch Yu doesn't make him lose face.

The look in Yu Gui's eyes as he looked at Hua Changxi softened a bit more. Just for these words she had just said, the care he had shown her during this time was worth it.

"Little Sister Changxi, no wonder you caught my eye. Today, brother will pass on some life experience to you."

"Mixing in the Menial Hall, face is the least important thing. When it's time to let it go, don't hesitate for a moment."

"Being obsessed with face and suffering for it is the bloody lesson learned by countless menials. Let me tell you, losing face but gaining actual benefits—that is the winner."

Hua Changxi was silent for a moment: "Can I have both face and benefits?"

Staying alive is important.

Living with dignity is also important.

Yu Gui stared: "Little sister, you are a bit greedy."

Hua Changxi gave a hehe smile and didn't say anything more.

Seeing that Hua Changxi had eaten enough, Yu Gui finally got up and led her into the warehouse.

There were hundreds of carts of medicinal herbs that needed to be reclassified and stored. At this moment, in the warehouse, more than a dozen menials were working hard, sweating like rain.

Seeing Yu Gui leading a young lady in, several male menials immediately burst into laughter. As soon as they laughed, it immediately drew the attention of others.

"Go, go, go. This is my little sister. What are you laughing at? Get back to work."

"Brother Yu has a little sister now too. When are we going to find a little sister for ourselves!"

Hua Changxi could clearly feel that the people in the warehouse were all sizing her up with suggestive gazes. For the sake of the *Annotation of the Hundred Herbs Classic*, she could only suppress the discomfort in her heart, telling herself over and over that it would be fine once she endured it.

Yu Gui didn't really care about the teasing of the male menials. On the contrary, having a young lady run over to help him with all her heart made him feel like he had plenty of face.

Therefore, Yu Gui only scolded them with a laugh, neither light nor heavy, and did not strictly stop them, though he was also secretly observing Hua Changxi's expression.

Becoming Eunuch Yu's son was actually only a matter from the year before last. In these two years, his days in the warehouse had indeed been much easier, but no young lady had ever taken the initiative to approach him.

Therefore, when Hua Changxi appeared before him and intentionally tried to please him, calling him 'Big Brother' at every turn, even knowing her motives weren't pure, he was still pleased in his heart.

He quite liked Little Sister Changxi's personality, but the little sister was just too young.

Yu Gui looked at Hua Changxi again. The little sister was pretty and could talk to him on the same level. Should he wait a few years for her?

Lost in thought, Yu Gui led Hua Changxi to a pile of medicinal herbs.

After the laughter from the menials in the warehouse, Yu Gui felt it necessary to show his masculine strength in front of Hua Changxi, so he said: "Little sister, why don't you stop working? Your Brother Yu has plenty of strength."

Hua Changxi looked at the bundles of medicinal herbs and smiled: "Didn't I come here to help Brother Yu? If I don't work, wouldn't I have come for nothing?"

After saying this, without waiting for Yu Gui's response, she began to move the medicinal herbs according to their classification.

A bundle of medicinal herbs weighed at least a hundred catties. Hua Changxi just picked up a bundle in each hand, lifted them with ease, and then moved them to the designated location with flying speed.

Watching this scene, the laughter in the warehouse gradually disappeared.

Having grown up as a beggar, Yu Gui was very sensitive to people's emotional changes. Watching Hua Changxi, who was burying herself in hard work, he keenly sensed that the earlier laughter had made her angry.

Why was she angry?

Was Little Sister Changxi looking down on him?

Thinking of this possibility, Yu Gui felt a bit angry. He was silent for a moment, but ultimately didn't say anything and joined in the work.

Once the gazes lingering on her moved away, Hua Changxi began to secretly taste the medicinal herbs she could reach while moving them.

【Annotation of the Hundred Herbs Classic (Perfected): Tasting the Hundred Herbs 1221/】

【Annotation of the Hundred Herbs Classic (Perfected): Tasting the Hundred Herbs 1222/】

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Watching the data constantly change, Hua Changxi's mood gradually turned from overcast to cloudy.

Just as everyone was moving the medicinal herbs, more menials arrived to bring herbs into the warehouse.

Yu Gui and the male menials of the warehouse had to go and receive them. Because the workload had increased again, the whole group was not very happy and were all grumbling.

"Little Sister Changxi, you rest for a while. You can continue when we come back."

As soon as they left, Hua Changxi began to shuttle through the warehouse, tasting all the medicinal herbs she hadn't touched yet at the fastest speed possible.

"Eh?"

Hua Changxi discovered a pile of withered medicinal herbs stacked at the end of the warehouse. When she walked closer to look, her pupils shook directly.

Among that pile of withered medicinal herbs, there was actually Origin Spirit Grass!

Origin Spirit Grass is a type of spirit plant, and not just an ordinary spirit plant at that.

Origin Spirit Grass has no attributes and can be used by all cultivators. It is the main ingredient for refining Origin Spirit Pills. Furthermore, depending on its age, Origin Spirit Grass can have different grades, reaching up to a fourth-grade spirit plant.

However, if Origin Spirit Grass is not preserved properly, once it leaves the soil, its spiritual energy will rapidly dissipate, eventually turning into withered grass.

Hua Changxi picked up a stalk of Origin Spirit Grass. Although it was withered, seeing the people in the warehouse stack it up like miscellaneous items still made her feel somewhat heartbroken.

At this time, Hua Changxi saw Yu Gui and his group returning to the warehouse, so she quickly returned to her original position and continued moving the medicinal herbs.

With Hua Changxi's help, Yu Gui, who would have at least had to work all night, finished the chores not long after dark.

Seeing Hua Changxi covered in sweat from exhaustion, Yu Gui was ultimately a bit embarrassed, but once he thought about her looking down on him, he felt very uncomfortable again.

"Little Sister Changxi, thank you for your help. Tell me, how do you want me to thank you?"

Yu Gui showed no emotion on his face and was still smiling happily.

Hua Changxi smiled: "I am very happy to be able to help Brother Yu."

To these words, Yu Gui was noncommittal and asked again with a smile: "You really don't want anything? You won't find this shop again once you pass this village."

Hua Changxi hesitated for a moment before speaking: "Brother Yu, I saw a pile of withered medicinal herbs stacked in the corner of the warehouse. Are those medicinal herbs no longer wanted?"

A flash of disappointment crossed Yu Gui's eyes: "Those medicinal herbs were discarded due to improper storage. There will be specialized people coming to take them away regularly."

Hua Changxi: "Brother Yu, I haven't seen those medicinal herbs before. Can I take some back to study?"

Yu Gui suddenly laughed: "Little Sister Changxi, you came to help me, could it be that you were aiming for the medicinal herbs in the warehouse?"

Hua Changxi's expression changed, and she said angrily: "Brother Yu, how could you think of me like that? If I were really aiming for the medicinal herbs, why wouldn't I ask for some good ones? What use is there in taking back some withered ones?"

Yu Gui thought about it and felt it made sense, but in his heart, he still judged Hua Changxi, feeling that she was approaching him with ulterior motives.

"Go pick them out. Consider it the reward for helping me today."

"By the way, don't blame me for not warning you: menials are not allowed to take any medicinal herbs out of the Medical Department, not even withered ones."

After Yu Gui finished speaking, he strode away.

Watching him walk away, Hua Changxi frowned. She didn't know what she had done to offend him; everything had been fine just before.

Too lazy to think about it, Hua Changxi quickly went to the corner of the warehouse and picked out all the Origin Spirit Grass. There were more than twenty stalks in total. Although they were all withered, there should still be some residual spiritual energy inside.

Hua Changxi took the Origin Spirit Grass and left the warehouse. She didn't see Yu Gui when she left.

"Brother Yu is really something. Little Sister Changxi left, and he didn't even say he'd see her off." The people in the warehouse looked on with a smile as Hua Changxi left all alone.

Hua Changxi held the Origin Spirit Grass and glanced at the data: 【Annotation of the Hundred Herbs Classic (Perfected): Tasting the Hundred Herbs 2524/】.

The help today wasn't in vain; her harvest was huge.