Chapter 22 Iru's Gift: Little Delraston Beast, Pickles, Iru...
As dawn broke, Lai got up early to fetch water for the melons and fruits in the garden that were not yet fully ripe.
The watermelons planted earlier have grown to the size of volleyballs, and each vine has been enclosed in its own space with wooden sticks. The sticks were added later; a while ago, a red rockbird escaped and pecked at two of the watermelons.
The flesh inside the damaged melon has already started to turn red, which is a real shame.
Also, the garlic in the field will have to be dug up after a while, otherwise it will easily rot in the ground if it rains.
After digging them out, there's no need to find thin hemp rope; just braid the garlic scapes directly into garlic braids, and then hang them to dry in the yard.
After drying, the garlic skins will become dry and can be stored for a long time, so you can save them to eat in winter.
"Brother, what are we going to do later?"
"We're getting a new animal this year, and we can't have it without a place to live. I'm planning to cut down some suitable wood and build a shelter to protect it from the wind."
The purchase of the Delraston beast has been finalized, and Lai plans to use this free time to build the shed first, so it will be more convenient when it gets cold and prevent it from freezing in winter.
"Should we ask Cousin Lamb for help?"
Lamb's great strength left a deep impression on Neil.
Linda couldn't bear to see her children go to dig tunnels, thinking they wouldn't earn much money in a day, so why let Lamb suffer there? She kept him at home, not letting him go out.
Lamb had just come of age, a time when he was full of energy and loved adventure, but he dared not disobey his parents.
He had no choice but to either hunt birds in the woods or fish in the river. Only after going hunting with Lai did things calm down for a few days.
After thinking about it, Lei refused.
"It's okay, I can manage on my own."
Before the sun got too strong, Lai took his tools and went into the woods to cut down trees.
I spent the whole morning cutting down a tree that was as thick as my thigh, and it took me some effort to cut it into sections and drag it home.
The tree is straight and over ten meters tall, with lush branches and leaves, enough to cut two pillars and several sticks.
While Lai was pruning the trees in the yard, Neil was cutting branches and bundling them up. They wouldn't get in the way hanging in the corner; they could be used as firewood in the winter.
Despite his young age, Neil is quite capable. He spent the whole morning following behind Rye, busy without ever complaining of being tired.
The temperature started to rise as noon approached, and people were sweating profusely from the sun. Ray took Neil back inside to rest and escape the heat, planning to continue cutting down trees in the afternoon when it wasn't so hot.
After working and resting for about a week, we finally built a basic structure.
Hagrid immediately informed Rye as soon as he received the news.
The seller lives quite far away, on the other side of Rosen town. His little Delraston was born this spring and has already been weaned.
He's still young, and very active; he needs to stay with his mother for a while longer to learn.
The seller already has two adult Delrastons, both still young, and doesn't need to raise another one. So they want to sell this little one to get some money.
That's a small male animal, very strong, so it's a bit pricey, costing one gold coin. One gold coin plus a few more would be enough to buy a calf, which is really not cheap.
After much haggling, Hagrid finally agreed on a price of eighty silver coins.
Hagrid has already asked someone he knows to check on the animal at his house, and it is indeed a healthy little beast. They just need to meet in town in ten days, go to the notary office to sign the necessary documents, and then he can take the animal away.
Ray completely trusts Hagrid; he just needs to pay the bills.
Hagrid also found him a reliable carpenter, where Ray ordered a wagon bed for eight silver coins. Because he specifically requested that the wheels be clad in metal, and that the axles and other important parts also be made of metal, he spent an extra six silver coins.
There were also miscellaneous items such as ropes for harnessing the cart, which I won't go into detail about. In total, it cost another four silver coins.
There's enough time; we can still repair the shed.
Lamb came over for a visit and saw that Ray was busy building a shed. Without saying a word, he went home to get his tools and came to help.
When Ray wanted to give Lamb a silver coin, Lamb complained that Ray didn't treat him like a younger brother.
Rye could only compensate him in other ways, making him all sorts of delicious food every day, which made Lamb quite happy and reluctant to leave. Lamb then worked even harder to help Rye with chores every day.
When he had some free time, Rye borrowed Hagrid's oxcart to retrieve the custom-made kimchi jars. He immediately tested them with burning paper; they were airtight and perfectly made.
The green peppers I bought had been kept fresh in the Guangtuan store. As soon as the jars arrived, Lai went to the woods to dig up some wild ginger. Together with carrots, mustard greens, cowpeas, and green garlic that he grew in his own garden, he made a whole jar of pickled vegetables.
If you turn it over frequently, it's ready to eat after soaking for 21 days.
The nitrate content of kimchi is highest between the second and twentieth day, and eating it during this period can easily lead to poisoning, so the timing needs to be strictly controlled.
While Lai was busy drying chilies, building sheds, and pickling vegetables, Iru's sick wife finally started to recover.
The medicine Blake prepared was indeed effective. After drinking the medicine for seven days, Nana was able to get out of bed and walk while holding onto the wall.
Yilu goes to work at the construction site every night and brings back the food he saves at the site during the day. He sleeps for a few hours and then goes out to find food for his wife and children.
The children take care of most of the household chores, and even the small vegetable garden that Yilu cleared and fenced off is well cared for by them.
Half a month later, Nana's health finally recovered, but she was still thin. Yilu didn't let her do heavy work and made the eldest brother watch over her every day.
The two newborn goblins were pitiful. Because their mother didn't have enough milk, they started eating all sorts of porridge very early on. They were thin, small, and weak.
Even so, Iru was already very satisfied.
His family was healthy, he had food every day, and kind villagers were willing to exchange their surplus seeds for him. For the first time, he felt that life could be so full of hope and so fulfilling.
After finishing work in the evening, Yilu returned home, took a quick cold shower, and went straight to bed. Nana thoughtfully carried the two children out of the bedroom.
I woke up feeling refreshed; it was already afternoon. Iru pulled out something hidden under the bed and stared at it blankly.
He can't keep this thing for long for the safety of his family.
Although this desolate mountain area is inhabited by goblins, there are bound to be some who are not clean. It would be bad if we found this thing in their house.
He genuinely wanted to settle down here. Rather than risk his life by possessing such a valuable treasure, it was better to give it to a reliable person, someone who could help his family in their most difficult times.
He only knew a handful of people. After much deliberation, Yilu made up his mind and went to the village before starting work.
After dinner, before it got too dark, Lai and Neil laid stones on the floor of the shed to finish their final work.
The shed was expanded outwards by knocking down the side walls.
There were no other houses nearby, and the village had no unified requirements, so people could basically renovate their own yards however they wanted. However, most people followed the principle of "good enough is good enough."
With Lamb's help, the shed was expanded and divided into two sections. One section was used to house the baby delrustons, and the other was used to enclose the red wildbirds.
The walls were sealed off with wood, with only a hole made on the bottom. A deep pit was to be dug outside the hole later to facilitate cleaning up the excrement.
The two were busy working when they heard voices coming from outside.
Is Mr. Victor home?
The hoarse, indistinct voice was unmistakably Yiru's.
“Neil, that’s enough for today. You go back to your room to wash up and rest. I’ll go see if Iru needs anything.”
"good."
Neil finished his work, went back inside, and lit a candle.
Iru watched as Lai stretched his arms and walked up to him. Lai's arms were a little sore from carrying stones.
"Iru, how is your wife?"
Iru was stunned, a feeling of indescribable emotion welling up inside him. The pressure of the past few days was finally relieved, and the goblin who had gone through so much hardship almost shed tears.
"Much better, I can get out of bed and walk now."
His voice was slightly choked, but because his speech was already somewhat unclear, Lai didn't recognize it.
"That's good. Is there anything I can do for you this time?"
"Actually, I came here to give this to you."
Iru pulled a small cloth bag from the inner layer of his clothes and poured a faintly glowing stone into his palm. In an instant, Lei felt a strong fluctuation of earth element.
Yilu handed him the item: a small, brown stone about the size of a green bean, round and translucent.
Lei cautiously probed it, and the abundant earth element inside was actively pulsating.
This thing... is not simple.
"This is?"
“An earth elemental stone,” Iru explained. “I found it by chance when I was still in the forest, and I wanted to give it to you.”
"I can't accept something so precious, you should take it back."
Lei refused and handed the elemental stone back.
Iru was a little anxious and refused to accept it.
“Please accept this. It’s a return gift for saving my wife. Without your help, my wife might have already passed away. This small elemental stone has limited energy and isn’t particularly valuable.”
Lai hesitated for a moment, then Iru continued.
“Our family has no magic and cannot use elemental stones. Keeping them around will only attract the covetousness of others. I think they might be more useful to you.”
Lai was indeed tempted by the elemental stone, but it wasn't entirely safe to accept something from someone else for no reason.
"I can't accept it directly. Can I exchange something for this elemental stone?"
Yiru was taken aback.
Have you prepared your food supplies for this winter?
Iru fell silent.
It's autumn now, harvest season, and the family can barely afford to eat. But what will they do when winter comes and the tunnel is finished?
With no gold coins and no food, and his five children still in their infancy, would they starve to death in the winter?
"How about I give you a hundred pounds of rye and fifty pounds of wheat after the grain is ripe? I also planted sweet potatoes and potatoes, and I can share some with you then. If you eat sparingly, you can barely get through this winter."
Because of the lack of advanced science and technology, the yield per acre is low, with only 400 to 600 pounds per acre.
The Leigh family owned little land and could only harvest less than a thousand pounds of grain a year at most. After deducting a third of the grain for taxes and unavoidable expenses, they would only receive a little over six hundred pounds.
They dare not sell even the smallest amount.
All year round, I can't earn anything, barely enough to eat, and I'm just busy working in poverty.
There's nothing we can do; there are only two people in the family now.
Iru knew about Lai's family's situation, and he had already given them a lot of food. After careful consideration, he finally agreed.
"After the harvest is over, I will find you around this time and transport the grain there under the cover of night."
“I’ll fetch it myself. It’s too obvious to the goblins if we do it at night. I’m afraid the other goblins will target us.”
"Okay, I'll let you know when the time comes."
The two reached an agreement: Iru went to work at the construction site, and Lai accepted the hard-won earth elemental stone, which was also the first elemental stone he owned.
A note from the author:
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