Chapter 7: Wasteland Blind Box "Underground... there's a corpse underground! Dad...
The next morning, Liu Yeshu was awakened by a knock on the door. The morning light was already bright, and she hadn't even heard a rooster crow. It seemed she had been tired the previous day.
The door opened, and it was Liu's mother.
"You must have been tired yesterday. Don't skip breakfast again. Come and eat."
Liu Yeshu was about to call her brother when her mother stopped her: "Ling'er has finished eating, come quickly."
Liu Yeshu stretched lazily in the sunshine. The morning was cool and quiet, and the morning light cast a faint golden glow on the dirt road in front of the door.
Father and Mother Liu lived in one room, and the remaining bedroom was cleaned up for the family to eat in, which was quite warm.
There was no table, and a bowl was placed on the rammed earth bed. In the bowl was millet porridge, and on top of the porridge was a golden fried egg.
After breakfast, Brother Liu cleaned the kitchen. Although he had done a rough sweep the day before, the dishes and chopsticks were inevitably covered in dust. Hearing his sister come in, he said, "Are you awake? Give me the bowl when you're done. I'll wash it and then go down to the fields with Father."
"I'll go with you." Liu Yeshu took a bite of the crispy edge of the fried egg.
Father Liu advised: "You don't have enough strength to dry out in the fields, so you don't need to come with us. Just rest at home."
"I'll hold the water bag for you." Liu Yeshu insisted.
Mother Liu said, "Let her go. It would be good for her to take the camels for some fresh air."
[Hello host! Please accept the system task: clear weeds and gravel with your family and open the wasteland blind box!]
There are blind boxes in the wasteland? This made Liu Yeshu interested, and she had to go with him today no matter what.
"Yes, you have to let me know where the field is. From now on, when you go to the fields, I will bring you lunch at noon." Liu Yeshu took the opportunity to add fuel to the fire and winked at Liu's mother.
Father Liu saw that he couldn't persuade him, so he nodded: "As long as you are not tired, it's fine. But don't let yourself get tired."
Heading west from Huangtun, there are fields of crops along the way, and hardworking villagers are already working in the fields, carrying loads of fertilizer on their shoulders.
"Is this the new Liu family member?"
"What a strong camel! Where did you get it from?"
"If you have relatives in the east part of the city, you can have camels too!"
"If you really have relatives in the east of the city, then it wouldn't be a big deal to remove your citizenship."
The familiar villagers in the field were making loud and unceremonious jokes, their words mixed with a bit of teasing and curiosity.
Father Liu walked in front without looking back, holding the camel's reins steadily. The camel's hump gleamed faintly in the sun. There were two baskets on his sides, each containing a machete.
Liu Yeling looked at his father's silent back, walked quickly beside the camel, stood on tiptoe from time to time, pursed his lips and reached out to gently touch the camel's rough hair.
"Don't listen to their nonsense, they are just a bunch of half-baked people who don't know anything." An old man who was resting on the side of the road suddenly spoke up, then turned around and cursed at the crops.
He wore a faded, coarse cotton shirt, the fabric stiffened by sweat and dirt, the chest open, revealing his bony chest. An old hemp rope was tied around his waist, and his trouser legs were rolled up to his knees, revealing his skinny calves, which were covered in mud and grass. He wore a pair of worn straw sandals, the soles worn down to a thin layer.
"Do you have much water? Lend me a sip."
Next to him was a wooden barrel with a few straw ropes hanging on the edge. A faint disgusting odor emanated from the barrel, but the old man didn't seem to care. He was wiping his sweat with a towel covered with yellow sweat stains.
Father Liu stepped forward and gave his water bag to the old man.
Liu Di smelled a foul odor on the old man, covered his nose and silently took a few steps back.
The old man chuckled and didn't mind: "Kid, you have to get used to the smell. I didn't get the cow dung from the government, so I picked it up from the dry toilet. Crops don't mind the smell of fertilizer."
Father Liu was curious and asked, "Old man, aren't you tired of working on all these fields by yourself?"
The old man wiped his mouth and spat on the ground: "It doesn't matter if it's tiring or not, it's all work destined for me. When I was young, I had my son to help me, but now I'm alone and have to support myself."
Liu Yeling widened her eyes and asked curiously, "Old man, where is your son?"
The old man looked a little sad, and his voice was lower. "My son went to the military camp to take a mission a few years ago, walked into the yellow sand, and never came back. I don't count on him anymore. These days, soldiers either lose their lives on the battlefield or get seriously injured. Now I just guard these few acres of land and grow as much as I can."
After he finished speaking, he drank a few more sips of water and said, "My son's mother died of illness before she could wait for him."
A heavy atmosphere filled the air. Although Liu Yeshu couldn't bear to ask any more questions, she still mustered up the courage to speak: "There's still a lot of barren land along the way. Why isn't anyone planting it?"
The old man cast his gaze towards the overgrown fields not far away. "These fields were originally reserved for soldiers. Some of them came back from the battlefield with broken hands and feet, so how could they even have the strength to work in the fields? They were lucky to come back alive. Now, they can only get relief food from the government, and the land has to be left to go to waste."
Father Liu nodded and exchanged a few more pleasantries. Just as he was about to set off with his camel, the old man's voice rang out behind him: "Come to think of it, I used to live in Huangtun. You've just moved here, so be careful. The people here don't like to see others get ahead of you, especially newcomers. They always like to bully them a bit."
Liu Yeshu stopped and looked back at the old man: "Old man, have you lived in a deserted village before?"
The old man nodded, a complicated expression on his face. "Yes, I took root in Huangtun when I was young. I worked hard on the land, but I could get by. But the people here are narrow-minded and can't stand others doing well. When our family first moved here, life was going well, but some people in the village didn't like us and often made things difficult for us. Later, my son went to the military camp, and I was left alone to guard these lands, and I was always bullied. Now I have moved to a military depot not far away. It's quiet there and no one bothers me."
"Then why are you back here now?"
The old man laughed heartily, his voice filled with desolation. "Where else can I go with my old bones? Military stockade is nice, but it's lonely, with few people to talk to. I still have to do some farm work myself, and I get used to it over time. Coming here today to visit my old farm is a way to find some time to think. As for you, if there's anything you don't understand about farming, feel free to ask me. I'm idle anyway, with no one to talk to, so I have to find something to do."
Father Liu bowed and said, "Thank you, old man. If there's anything we don't understand, we'll definitely ask for your advice. If you're free, please come visit us often and have a cup of hot tea."
A smile flashed in the old man's eyes, and he nodded slightly. "Okay, okay, even an old man likes to have some fun. But I don't want to bother with those people working in the fields next door. They're not careful with their words and have bad hearts. You better be careful not to let them take advantage of you."
Father Liu took the camel's reins again, and the three of them continued to move forward slowly.
The Qilian Mountains in the distance gradually became clear in the morning light, their peaks undulating like a giant dragon winding across the sky. The snow on the mountaintops reflected a faint silver light under the sunlight. At the foot of the mountain, the green fields gradually stretched forward, with lush vegetation.
Liu Yeshu followed her father and the camel with brisk steps, but she kept thinking about the old man's words. The barren land, overgrown with weeds and no one caring about it, appeared before her eyes.
Liu Yeshu looked up at the increasingly clear Qilian Mountains, the unique landscape of the Hexi Corridor unfolding before her. This vast land, boundless and boundless, boasted vast expanses of land and rich potential. Between the mountains and the land, winding rivers brought a touch of coolness. Though the fields before her were barren, she saw a vibrant future.
She pondered silently, and a bold idea flashed through her mind - if she could achieve a bumper harvest of grain with the help of the system, what would become of this land?
If we can really succeed in increasing grain production, we might be able to take over all these wastelands, put down roots on this land, and become the true owner.
Her heartbeat quickened. The system's support was her confidence and her advantage. If she could leverage this advantage to transform the wasteland into fertile farmland, it would not only help her family overcome their difficulties but also allow her to truly establish herself in this frontier land.
A gentle breeze blew by, and she closed her eyes, taking a deep breath of air that smelled of grass and earth. She felt the pulse of the earth, as if the land was telling her about its past and future.
When the three of them finally arrived at the wasteland, the scene before them made Liu Yeshu's heart sink.
The dark weeds had long since covered the original ridges of the fields, and rocks scattered on the ground were the remains of wind and frost.
Father Liu looked around, tied the camel to an old tree nearby, picked up a machete and started cutting the weeds.
Liu Yeling found a wooden stick and moved the larger stones aside. Sweat gradually seeped out of his forehead.
Liu Yeshu didn't want to be idle. Thinking of the "blind box" mentioned by the system today, she stood on a slope and looked around.
That piece of land should be different from the others.
After looking around, she couldn't find any particular plot that stood out, so she found a patch with the most weeds. She gripped her sickle tightly, bent down, and began to mow the weeds beneath her feet. The dry grass stems rustled softly under her sickle, and the weeds were cleared away bit by bit, revealing cracked soil and the rocks beneath.
"Dad, let me use the shovel."
As they dug deeper, a corner of grayish-white cloth appeared under the soil.
Her heart skipped a beat, she put down the sickle, and carefully used her hands to clear away the surrounding dirt and stones.
The soil was removed, and what was underneath the cloth gradually emerged.
The bones were still clearly visible, but the flesh had long since rotted away, leaving only a thin layer of skin and torn clothes.
Liu Yeshu took a deep breath, her hands froze, her heartbeat quickened, and cold sweat broke out on her forehead.
[Host! Congratulations on opening the Wasteland Blind Box! ]
She was frozen, not daring to turn her head. She only had the strength to roll her eyes. Her voice trembled slightly, "There's a body underground...there's a body underground! Dad, Ling'er!"
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