Chapter 110 The Goblin's Plans, the Elder's Conversation, and Ray...
Yinping Village is more prosperous than other small mountain villages. Their village has a specialty called "Yinping" fish, which is very delicious.
Even when dried, the meat is still very chewy and becomes more fragrant the more you chew it, which is highly praised. It has even been sold as far away as Eton.
Therefore, they paid more for the tunnel construction, with each person receiving a full silver coin per day.
For twelve hours of physical labor a day, a reward of one silver coin is actually quite appropriate.
Yiru earned a total of forty-six silver coins. He spent a lot of them on buying an iron pot, and then on other odds and ends of daily necessities and seasonings. He was left with only half of the silver coins he had earned.
He planned to save these silver coins to buy flour as his staple food. He would survive on this food until the autumn harvest.
By hunting and helping out in Laiyna to earn some money, we should be able to get through this winter smoothly.
After tidying up the house in the morning, the goblins arrived one after another. They were quite envious of Iru's lush vegetable garden and neat cobblestone path.
"Kay is really something! You took such good care of the house while you were away!"
A clever goblin praised Kaiyi in front of Iru, and Iru smiled and only responded with a few words.
What they were thinking, Irumaqing, was simply that they wanted him to take good care of them.
The goblins quickly gathered, and Yiru coughed twice, and the living room, which had just been filled with pleasantries, soon returned to silence.
He cleared his throat and began to speak.
"Everyone worked hard on this trip, but they all earned a lot of silver coins."
In the past, we goblins were like rats in the street, hated by everyone. We were always hungry and cold, living in dark, damp caves. What kind of lives did we lead?
Upon hearing Iru's words, the goblins immediately recalled their past lives.
At that time, they struggled to make a living in the Great Forest of Eton. Later, the forest became turbulent, and high-level magical beasts would occasionally go berserk, leaving them with no way to escape the forest.
Along the way, loved ones kept dying or falling seriously ill, forcing them to be abandoned in place...
"However, we are also lucky to have met the villagers in the small mountain village, which is why we are living the life we have now. Although there were some unpleasant things at the beginning, they are all in the past now. We must look forward and not be trapped in the past."
"So what should we do?"
A goblin raised a question. A dozen pairs of eyes were fixed on Iru.
Yilu already had a plan in mind, and spoke slowly and deliberately.
"I think the first thing we need to do is solve the problem of food."
Yiru's words were accepted by everyone.
"Everyone has already experienced a winter here, and everyone knows how they spent last winter."
Some of the goblins present had gone with Iru to help Laiyi in the fall, and they fared well through the winter, at least not going hungry. But others had survived by hunting and eating grass roots and tree bark.
Their expressions varied, but they all absolutely agreed with what Iru said.
"You can see the vegetables I planted in front of my door. These are some preparations I made for winter."
“It’s not the season yet, and everyone has some spare money. I suggest that everyone buy some seeds and plant more vegetables and grains that are easy to store and keep you full. This is also a way to ensure our own well-being.”
The goblins began to look at each other in bewilderment.
They have lived a nomadic life for generations, and I have never seen many goblins who have considered settling down and farming, and they don't know how to farm either.
"We'll do whatever you say. We're already a blessing from heaven for being alive this long."
The eldest goblin spoke up; he held some prestige within the group, and everyone echoed his sentiments. And so, the matter of clearing land for farming was settled.
"There's one more thing."
Yilu placed the money bag that the team leader had given him yesterday on the table.
"Everyone helped when the cave collapsed. I didn't open this money box yesterday; it was still tied in a tight knot. Today, in front of everyone, I opened it and divided it. If there's any extra money, we'll give it all to Karu to help him recover from his injury. He broke his left arm and can't hunt easily. Does anyone have any objections?"
Iru looked around and, seeing that no goblins spoke up, assumed they had all agreed. He cut the knot with his knife and poured out the silver coins inside.
There were a total of thirty-five silver coins. Each goblin received two coins, leaving seven coins. Iru gave the remaining coins to Karu.
"Keep the money to buy grain and seeds, and use it wisely."
Iru said to Karu, and Karu nodded.
"After you all go back, clear the land in the backyard. It doesn't need to be too big, just enough for your own use. I'll figure out the seeds. Wait for my news."
"yes."
The goblins chatted for a while longer, and the fairly formal meeting ended in a cheerful atmosphere.
The various utensils that Iru brought back had been neatly packed away, and the little wooden house finally did not seem so empty. He was particularly satisfied with the iron pot on the stove.
"Yiru, what are these stones in the bag?"
Nana showed him the package containing the stones on the table, and Iru's eyes flashed.
"Good stuff, put it away, don't let the kids find it and play with it. I need to go to the village in the next few days..."
-------------------------------------
The weather is getting hotter every day, but it just won't rain.
The wheat seedlings in the field had grown quite tall, but there were also many weeds. Lai Yi, wearing a straw hat and carrying a hoe, worked in the field for several days and finally managed to clear the weeds from the family's fields.
In the era before pesticides, there were no good methods; the only way was to rely on manpower to keep the land clean and prevent weeds from affecting the growth of crops.
The uniquely designed new farm tools quickly attracted the attention of the villagers.
He didn't want to be too conspicuous, so when someone asked, he would say that it was something Temuqi had just come up with.
The three-pointed hoe quickly became popular in the village. Compared to weeding by hand, this farm tool really saved everyone a lot of effort.
As the villagers kept talking, the weather finally changed. A fifteen-minute thunderstorm brought plenty of water to the hungry seedlings.
The showers didn't last very long, but the rainfall was extremely heavy, soaking the ground several centimeters deep.
It was also a coincidence that it rained when the water was most needed.
With such a good start, I hope the days to come will be smooth sailing.
The elder muttered to himself.
"dad."
"Hmm? What's wrong?"
Barnett looked at his son, Kari.
"Those who went out said that the goblins saved many people when the landslide occurred."
"Yes, I know about that. What do you want to ask?"
"The villagers' attitudes toward the goblins have changed somewhat."
"Isn't this great?"
The cardholder looked conflicted.
"But they are goblins."
"So what if they're goblins? They eat and sleep just like us."
“Dad, that’s not what I meant. I meant that the church’s attitude toward the goblins is obvious to all. Our villagers are getting so close to the goblins that we’re afraid it will attract the attention of those with ulterior motives.”
"well."
Barnett sighed and asked Kari a question.
How do you think other races view us humans?
"Weak, but numerous."
Kari was telling the truth.
"If it weren't for the fact that the holy war caused heavy losses to other races, and that our human ancestors seized the opportunity to work hard, we might be nothing more than slaves to other races now."
Barnett continued.
“These are not peaceful days either. Monsters are rampant, demons are restless, and conflicts between various races are constant. Especially for us living in the borderlands, we live a precarious existence, and we have already exhausted all our strength to have the life we have now. Why should we make things difficult for each other?”
"You see everyone in the village living peacefully and comfortably now, but maybe the next moment this place will become ruins."
Barnett, seemingly oblivious, made a comment.
"Dad, what do you mean?"
“It’s not my idea, it’s your own. I’m old and might die any day now. The future of the village depends on you young people.”
Barnett left, leaving Kari behind, looking thoughtful.
The rain shower nourished the earth, and the seedlings in the vegetable garden seemed to have gained nutrients to promote growth after the rain, and they grew taller all at once.
The cucumber vines climbed up the wooden frame, some growing crookedly and lying on the ground, their leaves splattered with mud. These crooked cucumber vines needed to be reinforced again, and Lai started tearing up tattered old clothes inside the house.
The puppy's tail wagged wildly as it chased after Ray's bare feet and nibbled at them.
Their baby teeth are already quite strong, so they can easily gnaw on the meat off bones.
The air was damp after the rain, and the living room felt chilly, so Lai relit the fireplace. Tata lay leisurely on top of the fireplace, wagging her tail.
He hated going out on rainy days because it would get his white fur wet.
"Brother, I want to go mushroom picking later. Helen will definitely go too. With the rain and thunder, lots of mushrooms must have sprouted in the woods."
"Okay, but you need to wear more clothes and a straw hat, and come back early."
"Okay, okay. Thank you, brother!"
Neil ran back to his room upstairs and put on some thick clothes.
They quickly got ready and were about to leave.
Seeing that the rain had stopped and the dark clouds in the sky had mostly dispersed, Ray let Neil go outside.
"If it thunders, don't hide under a tree. Stand in an open space. Don't wander too far while playing. Come back quickly after playing for a while."
"Brother, I'm going to pick mushrooms."
Neil emphasized.
"Okay, call Helen and the others, don't go alone. Never mind, I'll go with you."
Ray made a move to get up, but Neil quickly waved his hand to refuse.
"No need, brother. You stay at home, and I promise I won't run around."
After all, he was a teenager. Reflecting on his behavior, Ray realized that he had indeed been treating Neil like a child who still needed to be taken care of.
"Go."
"Okay, I'm leaving!"
Neil left happily, while Ray returned to his seat and continued working.
He seemed to care about this young boy, hoping to watch him grow up healthy and have his own warm little home.
This wasn't out of a sense of responsibility for taking over this body, but rather an emotion called "family affection."
He lived alone for ten years, his emotions dulled by the nine-to-five routine; he grew indifferent to his parents' neglect during his childhood and their subsequent demands for money; and finally, he became numb after witnessing the apocalypse and seeing too much selfishness and betrayal.
This rebirth is not about replacing someone else, but more like a fresh start, a redemption for myself...
"Woof woof woof! Woo woof, woof woof."
The puppy's barking interrupted Ray's thoughts.
Judging from the sound, it seemed to want to go out and take care of some "major dog business". Lei picked up the two puppies with his left arm, opened the back door, and took them to the small warehouse where firewood was stored.
The ground was wet after the rain, and every step you took left you covered in mud. The puppies are naturally lively, and if they were let out on their own, they'd definitely get covered in mud. The warehouse has a roof, and the ground is dry; we can just shovel it out later.
After the puppy was put down, Zuo Wenwen looked around again, chose a spot, and quieted down.
"Woof!"
"Woof!"
After releasing them, Lai carried them back into the house, one in each hand.
Just two hours later, there was a noise at the door; Neil had returned.
He looked rather disheveled; his pants had a hole in them and were covered in mud. His hands and clothes were also dirty, but he had a big smile on his face.
"Brother, Helen and I picked so many Elton mushrooms!"
Lei chuckled.
"Did you go roll around in the mud?"
"No, I just tripped and fell."
Neil took off his dirty shoes, pants, and shirt by the door. He took the towel that Ray handed him and dried himself off.
"How did you scrape your knee?"
Lei got up and went to the room to get the medicine and bandages.
"Brother, I can apply the medicine myself."
"It's okay, I'll help you."
Ray let Neil put his leg on his leg, applied medicine to him, and bandaged him up.
After applying the medicine, Neil chased away the two puppies that were fiddling with the basket and poured the mushrooms into the aluminum pot that Lai had brought.
A pot full of mushrooms, still damp with rainwater.
"I'll help you sell the mushrooms tomorrow morning, and you can keep all the money as pocket money."
"No, brother, I want you to eat it!"
Neil has his own little stubbornness.
When Neil brought back the Elton mushrooms last year, he discovered that Ray loved them, so he decided to save them all for his brother.
“Brother, Elton mushrooms can’t be kept overnight, otherwise they will lose their unique aroma.”
"Alright then, next time you pick some, I'll bring it to the market right away."
Lei compromised.
Okay~
"There's hot water. Go put on some clothes first, then wash your hair. Rainwater isn't clean and can cause lice."
"ah?"
The words of advice just came out of his mouth; these were the words his grandmother often said to him when he was a child.
Lai was taken aback. He hadn't thought things through and forgot that the rainwater here wasn't as toxic as it is in modern times.
"It's alright, go quickly."
"oh oh."
Neil tidied himself up and watched as Ray used a knife to cut off the bad parts of the mushrooms.
The mushrooms were soft yet slightly chewy, making them a relaxing treat to prepare. Neil saw that Ray had already finished cleaning them, so he didn't get involved.
“Brother, Helen said her parents plan to send her to town to learn a trade after the semester ends.”
"Hmm, isn't this better?"
"I have no idea."
Neil's face showed a hint of confusion and melancholy.
"It should be good, right? Some girls in the village stay at home until they get married."
"Um."
Is this all they can do?
Ray understood what Neil meant.
"No, they have many choices too, they just lack some opportunities. You'll understand later."
"Brother, I really want to grow up quickly."
Lei pressed down Neil's sticking-out ahoge (cowlick).
"Go out and have fun more, don't stay at home and overthink things."
"oh."
-----------------------
Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2024-01-22 21:05:26 and 2024-01-24 14:50:44!
Thank you to the little angels who watered with nutrient solution: Tsurumi An (10 bottles); Xiao Aiya (2 bottles);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
