Chapter 21: The First Extra Income

"Brother Yu, I'm here!"

Yu Gui had finished lunch not long ago and was resting in a rocking chair behind the storeroom door; seeing Hua Changxi arrive at this hour surprised him: "Sister Changxi, why have you come at this time?"

Hua Changxi smiled and said, "I feared delaying your affairs, Brother Yu, so I rushed over as soon as I finished my duties."

Yu Gui's eyes widened: "You've already finished your duties?" Cleaning five hundred medicinal herbs was no easy task.

Hua Changxi nodded: "Mm, finished."

Yu Gui marveled somewhat at Hua Changxi's capability, glanced at the sky, then asked, "Have you eaten lunch?"

Hua Changxi offered a shy smile but said nothing.

Seeing her like this, Yu Gui sighed deeply; considering she was still young, he rose and went to the adjacent room, soon returning with a paper parcel: "Take this and eat."

Hua Changxi took the paper parcel: "What is this?" Opening the parcel revealed a roasted chicken leg.

Yu Gui said, "I was saving this for my dinner; it's only because you're my sister that I'm giving it to you—I wouldn't give it to anyone else."

Hua Changxi swallowed her saliva, rewrapped the chicken leg, and handed it back to Yu Gui: "I cannot eat Brother Yu's dinner. Brother Yu, do not worry about me; I can endure hunger."

Yu Gui's expression stiffened; he pushed the paper parcel back: "If I give it to you, just eat it. Do you think your Brother Yu is someone who lacks for a mere chicken leg?"

Seeing his demeanor, Hua Changxi stopped being polite; smiling, she opened the parcel and began to eat.

The meals in the Labor Hall were plentiful and filling, but meat was scarce, served only once every ten days; needless to say, she truly craved meat.

While eating, Hua Changxi watched the others busy in the storeroom: "Brother Yu, everyone else is working while you rest here; won't they take offense?"

Yu Gui smiled proudly: "Sister, your Brother Yu is different from those people."

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

Pride appeared on Yu Gui's face: "The storeroom supervisor, Eunuch Yu, is your Brother Yu's father."

This was something Hua Changxi had truly not expected; surprise inevitably showed on her face.

At this moment, Yu Gui's gaze was exceptionally serious; he missed no change in Hua Changxi's expression, and seeing only surprise without any hint of contempt, he continued:

"Your Brother Yu is an orphan; before entering the Labor Hall, I was merely a beggar in Jingcheng whom anyone could bully."

"Since childhood, I knew that children without parents to care for them are the most base, so I found myself a father."

"With a father comes a backer; with a backer, I finally gained a foothold in this storeroom."

Yu Gui looked at Hua Changxi with a smile: "The reason you, Sister, can freely select medicinal herbs in the storeroom is that your Brother Yu chose his father well; without this connection, whatever herbs the storeroom assigned you, you would have to process them—how could you pick and choose?"

Hua Changxi had not expected Yu Gui to have such a background; after a moment's thought, she said, "Brother Yu, you are very formidable."

Yu Gui laughed: "Do you not think acknowledging a eunuch as one's father is shameless?"

Hua Changxi knew that mostly only eunuchs acknowledged older eunuchs as fathers; estimating that Yu Gui harbored reservations about this matter, she immediately said, "Why say such a thing? A eunuch is still a human being, and any human has the right to be a father."

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

Although no one in the storeroom dared to provoke him, he knew that everyone looked down on him in their hearts and avoided him whenever possible.

Even he himself felt some contempt for his own actions.

Usually, he consoled himself with the benefits gained from relying on Eunuch Yu, but today, Sister Changxi's words gave him a sudden sense of enlightenment.

Indeed, so what if he was a eunuch? A eunuch is merely a man with a defect; any man has the right to be a father, and serving as Eunuch Yu's son was nothing to be ashamed of.

Yu Gui's gaze toward Hua Changxi softened further; just for what she had said, his care for her over this period was worthwhile.

"Sister Changxi, no wonder you caught my eye; today, Brother will impart some life experience to you."

"When getting by in the Labor Hall, face is the least important thing; when it must be sacrificed, do not hesitate for a moment."

"Clinging to face while suffering terribly is a bloody lesson learned by countless laborers; let me tell you, losing face but gaining real benefit—that is what makes a winner."

Hua Changxi fell silent for a moment: "Can I not have both face and real benefit?"

Surviving was important.

Surviving with dignity was also important.

Yu Gui's eyes widened: "Sister, you are a bit greedy."

Hua Changxi chuckled and said nothing more.

Seeing that Hua Changxi had nearly finished eating, Yu Gui finally rose and led her into the storeroom.

There were over a hundred cartloads of medicinal herbs needing reclassification and arrangement; at this moment, more than ten laborers in the storeroom were working so hard they were sweating profusely.

Seeing Yu Gui lead a young lady inside, several male laborers immediately burst into laughter; their laughter instantly drew the attention of others.

"Shoo, shoo! This is my sister; what are you laughing at? Get back to work quickly."

"Brother Yu has a sister now; when will we find ourselves a sister too!"

Hua Changxi could clearly feel everyone in the storeroom sizing her up with ambiguous gazes; for the sake of the 'Annotations on the Hundred Herbs Classic,' she could only suppress her discomfort, repeatedly telling herself to endure it and it would pass.

Yu Gui did not care much about the male laborers' teasing; on the contrary, having a young lady wholeheartedly rush to help him made him feel extremely honored.

Thus, Yu Gui merely scolded them lightly with a laugh, without strictly forbidding it, though he was secretly observing Hua Changxi's expression.

It was only the year before last that he had become Eunuch Yu's son; while his life in the storeroom had indeed improved considerably over these two years, no young lady had ever voluntarily approached him before.

Therefore, when Hua Changxi appeared before him, intentionally currying favor and calling him 'Big Brother' at every turn, even knowing her motives were impure, he still found it gratifying.

He quite liked Sister Changxi's nature; it was just that she was too young.

Yu Gui looked at Hua Changxi again; the sister was beautiful and could converse well with him—perhaps he should wait a few years for her?

Amidst such wandering thoughts, Yu Gui led Hua Changxi to a pile of medicinal herbs.

After the laborers' laughter in the storeroom, Yu Gui felt it necessary to display his masculine strength before Hua Changxi, so he said, "Sister, perhaps you should not work; your Brother Yu has plenty of strength."

Looking at the bundles of medicinal herbs, Hua Changxi smiled and said, "Did I not come specifically to help Brother Yu? If I do not work, would I not have come in vain?"

Having spoken, without waiting for Yu Gui's response, she began moving the medicinal herbs according to their classifications.

Each bundle of herbs weighed at least a hundred jin, yet Hua Changxi lifted one bundle with each hand effortlessly, then carried them swiftly to their designated locations.

Witnessing this scene, the laughter in the storeroom gradually ceased.

Having grown up as a beggar, Yu Gui was extremely sensitive to changes in people's emotions; looking at Hua Changxi working hard with her head down, he keenly perceived that the earlier laughter had angered her.

Why was she angry?

Did Sister Changxi look down on him?

Thinking of this possibility, Yu Gui felt somewhat angry; after a moment of silence, he ultimately said nothing and joined the work.

Once the gazes lingering on her shifted away, Hua Changxi began transporting medicinal herbs while secretly tasting every herb she could reach.

[Annotations on the Hundred Herbs (Perfected): Tasted Herbs 1221/]

[Annotations on the Hundred Herbs (Perfected): Tasted Herbs 1222/]

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Watching the numbers change continuously, Hua Changxi's mood gradually shifted from gloomy to partly cloudy.

Just as everyone was transporting herbs, another laborer arrived, pulling more herbs into the warehouse.

Yu Gui and the male laborers of the warehouse had to go receive them; since the workload had increased again, none of the group were very happy, and they were all muttering curses under their breath.

"Sister Changxi, rest for a while; continue only after we return."

As soon as they left, Hua Changxi darted swiftly through the warehouse, tasting every herb she had not yet touched at maximum speed.

"Eh?"

Hua Changxi discovered a pile of withered medicinal herbs stacked at the far end of the warehouse; when she approached for a closer look, her pupils trembled violently.

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

Spirit Grass is a spiritual plant, and not an ordinary one at that.

Spirit Grass possesses no attribute, making it usable by all cultivators; it is the primary ingredient for refining Spirit Pills, and depending on its age, Spirit Grass can vary in grade, reaching up to fourth-tier spiritual plants at its highest.

However, if Spirit Grass is not stored properly, once removed from the soil, its spiritual energy dissipates rapidly, eventually turning it into withered grass.

Hua Changxi picked up a stalk of Spirit Grass; although withered, seeing the warehouse staff pile it up like miscellaneous waste still made her feel somewhat pained.

At that moment, Hua Changxi saw Yu Gui and his group returning to the warehouse, so she quickly returned to her original position and continued transporting herbs.

With Hua Changxi's help, Yu Gui, who would have otherwise been busy all night, finished his duties shortly after nightfall.

Seeing Hua Changxi exhausted and drenched in sweat, Yu Gui felt somewhat embarrassed, yet thinking again of her looking down on him, he felt very uncomfortable in his heart.

"Sister Changxi, thank you for your help; tell me, how would you like me to repay you?"

Yu Gui displayed no emotion on his face, still smiling cheerfully.

Hua Changxi smiled and said, "I am already very happy just to be able to help Brother Yu."

Yu Gui neither affirmed nor denied this, asking again with a smile, "You truly want nothing? Once you pass this village, there will be no such shop again."

Hua Changxi hesitated for a moment before speaking: "Brother Yu, I noticed quite a few withered herbs piled in the corner of the warehouse; are those herbs being discarded?"

A trace of disappointment flashed in Yu Gui's eyes: "Those herbs were discarded due to improper storage; someone specialized will come regularly to haul them away."

Hua Changxi said, "Brother Yu, I have never seen those herbs before; may I take some back to study them?"

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

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

Yu Gui thought about it and felt she had a point, yet in his heart he still passed judgment on Hua Changxi, believing she was approaching him with ulterior motives.

"Go ahead and choose; consider it your reward for helping me today."

"By the way, do not blame me for not reminding you: laborers are not permitted to take any herbs out of the Medical Bureau, not even withered ones."

After saying this, Yu Gui strode away.

Watching him depart into the distance, Hua Changxi frowned; she did not understand what she had done to offend him, since everything had been fine before.

Too lazy to overthink it, Hua Changxi hurried to the warehouse corner, picked out all the Spirit Grass—twenty-odd stalks in total; although withered, they should still retain some residual spiritual energy within.

Holding the Spirit Grass, Hua Changxi left the warehouse; as she departed, she did not see Yu Gui.

"Brother Yu is really something; Sister Changxi is leaving, and he does not even see her off," a person in the warehouse said, smiling cheerfully as they watched Hua Changxi leave all alone.

Holding the Spirit Grass, Hua Changxi glanced once more at the data: [Annotations on the Hundred Herbs (Perfected): Tasted Herbs 2524/].

Today's hard work had not been in vain; her gains were enormous.