Chapter 30 Little Brother? Iru's Whitewashing, Tunnel Completion...
At dawn, the distinctive bird calls rang out from outside the courtyard gate, and the big yellow dog began to bark wildly.
Lai got up in the dim light, put on his coat, and carried out three bags of grain and a bag of vegetables from the living room.
Iru stood outside the courtyard wall waiting for Lai.
He was no longer the same person Ray had seen before. Although his clothes were tattered, they were at least presentable.
These clothes were old clothes he had traded with villagers for wild birds.
"There are 60 pounds of grain and a bag of vegetables here, and another 90 pounds of grain will be delivered tomorrow morning."
"good."
Yiru dipped his palms into the bag of wheat grains, then cupped them in his hands, feeling the joy of the grains slipping from his palms.
This was the first time since he was born that he had truly had so much food.
Their family's living conditions were average.
When he was little, sometimes he wouldn't eat for days. He would often scavenge scraps of meat left over from monsters to eat. Even scraps of meat were a rare treat for the family, and they would have to compete with other small carnivorous animals for them.
As Yilu requested, the wheat grains were not ground into flour; they still contained bran.
"Shouldn't the remaining grain be ground into flour?"
"No need, this will do."
Iru didn't want to bother Ray with such trivial matters anymore. His Common Tongue was getting better and better.
"Let's go, someone will get up if we stay any later."
Lei picked up the two bags and carried them on his shoulder.
Two figures, one tall and one short, carrying bags, gradually disappeared into the dim morning light.
Although they took a detour around the main road, neither of them spoke within the village area until they stepped onto the main road leading out of the village, at which point they relaxed.
How are your wife and two children?
When he mentioned his wife and twins, Iru's expression became relaxed.
"Nana is all better now, but I think she still needs to eat more meat. The children have been following your diet for over a month and have gained a lot of weight, but they cry even more. Thank you so much!"
Lei was a little embarrassed.
Huh? You've been eating chicken cakes all month? You'll get tired of it, won't you?
He quickly snapped out of his thoughts.
"No need to be so polite, the things you gave me are definitely worth more than these."
“No, it’s not the same. Your generosity towards the goblins is incomparable to that of a small stone.”
Iru's emotions were somewhat agitated, so Lai immediately changed the subject.
"You can go fishing for fish and shrimp in the river; those are very nutritious. Don't just feed your child steamed egg custard; you can add vegetables, shrimp, and other foods to it."
"well."
Iru nodded to indicate that he understood.
The two walked for nearly thirty minutes before finally reaching the barren mountain. Oh no, it's now called "Becca Mountain".
In the goblin language, "Beka" represents hope.
The barren mountain is not completely barren; it also has many trees and plants.
There's nothing of value on the mountain (that can be sold for money), but when you go up the mountain to collect firewood, you can always find some human remains from a hundred years ago. There was even a suicide by hanging there more than ten years ago.
With all these factors combined, gradually even the people gathering firewood on that side disappeared, and it became the barren mountain it is today.
Lei stopped at the foot of the mountain.
Iru hid the bag that Lai was carrying in a secluded cave, and planned to return to retrieve the remaining two bags after taking his own bag home.
"This contains brown sugar. Use it to boil bird eggs for your wife to drink; it's good for her health."
Iru accepted the oil paper package handed to him by Lai with both hands.
"Thank you, thank you."
Iru bit her lip, struggled with the decision for a while, and finally made up her mind.
"Ray, let me be your servant, and I will offer you all my loyalty. Even if the devil devours my heart, it cannot shake my resolve at this moment."
Iru's sudden outburst caught Lei off guard.
Most of what he did in the early stages stemmed from his attention to Iru's unique personality and his compassion for pregnant women and children.
The reason for this was the elemental stone that Iru gave him.
"You don't need to do this. Isn't it better to be free and unrestrained?"
"As a goblin, I can never be truly free, no matter where I am."
Iru's mood began to decline.
"I've been to many places and know a lot about the outside world. I can also hunt, dig tunnels, and carry heavy loads. Keep me here; I'm very useful."
Iru tried his best to sell himself to Laiyi.
For Ray, who lived in modern society and had received human rights education, slavery was unacceptable from the bottom of his heart. He would never agree to Iru's request.
“Listen, Iru, I will never make you my servant.”
"Is it because I'm a goblin?"
Iru was disappointed, but still stubbornly asked.
"No, whether I make you my servant or not has nothing to do with your status or race."
"In the ideas I've been taught, everyone is born equal. Regardless of race or status, everyone should enjoy the gifts of life equally."
"No, Ray, you're wrong."
Iru shook his head.
"There is no such thing as equality here. One's status and social standing are determined from birth. Elves, dragons, and demons are born with magic, and wherever they go, their outstanding appearance makes them the center of attention. Humans, on the other hand, have only a one percent chance of awakening magic, and goblins are despised by all races from birth."
"Nobles are born nobles; they enjoy the glory and wealth brought by their families from birth. Commoners, on the other hand, can only struggle to make ends meet."
Lai couldn't refute it; Iru's words were correct given the current context and the limitations of our understanding.
He really wanted to say something like, "Are kings and nobles born with a special destiny?" He also wanted to tell Yilu that he was wrong, that we are all born equal.
But he was just an ordinary person with no ambition, and he couldn't offer anyone any promises or hopes.
"well."
Lei sighed deeply.
“Iru, you don’t need to be my servant.”
Iru's expression completely collapsed.
"Perhaps I can hire you."
A wave of surprise washed over Iru, giving him a sense of anticipation.
"You can come to me with any work you need; I will always follow you."
After saying this, Yiru bowed deeply.
"I'm going back to Iru first. Be careful."
"Yes, sir."
Iru stared blankly at Laiyi's retreating figure.
Is it equal?
At this moment, this word took deep root in Yilu's heart, until it found the right soil to sprout and bear fruit...
Lai strolled back, lost in thought as he walked. Along the way, he encountered many villagers, men and women, heading towards the tunnel in opposite directions, a sight quite unusual compared to the norm.
Then Lei remembered that Neil had told him at dinner yesterday that the tunnel would be completed today and he wanted to come here this morning to see the excitement.
"Brother, here! Here!"
With little Luna perched on Lamb's shoulders, she stood out conspicuously in the crowd.
Ray walked over.
"You're here so early?"
"Yeah, Luna kept asking to see what was going on, so I just brought her along."
Hearing Lamb's words, especially in front of the handsome uncle, the little girl immediately became anxious.
"Uncle, you're so embarrassed! It was my uncle who dragged me here!"
Lamb coughed lightly to cover his mouth.
"Little Luna, didn't you say yesterday that you were going to come with your uncle?"
"Hmph! But I haven't even had a full meal yet, and you've already brought me here!"
"You eat too slowly. Didn't I bring you a piece of bread to eat?"
"It's too hard!"
Luna turned her head away and ignored Lamb, leaving Lamb somewhat embarrassed.
"Brother, are you here to watch the fun too?"
“I set a trap nearby and came to check it out this morning.”
Lei made up a random excuse to gloss over the matter.
"Brother, when can we go to the mountains again?"
Lamb brought up the old story again and resumed his obsessive hunting.
"Okay, next time for sure, next time for sure. I'm leaving now, Neil is still waiting for me at home."
After saying that, Lei flew away as fast as he could.
After returning home, Lai started preparing breakfast.
Oatmeal porridge, small steamed buns, a small plate of kimchi, and two quail eggs.
When Lai prepared breakfast, Neil had already washed up and was sitting properly at the table, waiting to eat.
Neil has gotten used to eating the Chinese food that Lai makes, and he's not a picky eater; he can even handle spicy food. He'll try a bite of anything Lai makes.
“Neil, let’s go to the tunnel after we finish eating. A lot of people have already gone there this morning.”
"They're here so early? Brother, let's hurry up too."
The two brothers quickly finished their breakfast, locked the door, and headed towards the tunnel.
When they arrived, several layers of people had already gathered outside the tunnel. People from all three villages had come together; it would be strange if there weren't many people.
Ray wasn't short; he could see inside by standing on tiptoe. But Neil couldn't; he hadn't started growing yet.
After all, he was getting on in years, and Ray couldn't carry him like Lamb carried Luna. Neil and Ray told each other, then climbed up a big tree by the roadside.
Every large tree near the tunnel was affected, with four or five children, and even some adults, sitting under each one. The scene was as lively as a temple fair.
A deep pit has been dug in front of the tunnel entrance.
Barnett and an elder from another village sprinkled wheat, salt, sugar, and wine into the deep pit.
"alright."
"rise!"
A shout rang out. Eight shirtless, burly men lowered a stone statue, facing the road, straight into the pit.
The villagers who had gathered then spontaneously formed a line, walked around the stone statue, and each grabbed a handful of soil and threw it into the deep pit.
Lai was at the end of the line, and it wasn't until it was his turn that he could see what the statue looked like.
The stone statue is shaped like a lion, with its eyes wide open in anger, looking into the distance.
"The carvings on it depict Sphinxes, the nemesis of dark creatures. They are fierce and warlike, with their own fixed territories. They can ward off evil."
Afterwards, Hagrid explained to Ray, Lamb, Neil, Luna, and the other younger members of the family.
Not only on this side, but also on the other side of the tunnel, there is a similar stone statue buried.
The tunnel is over 200 meters long and has two atriums at the front and back for lighting.
After seeing the courtyard, Lai was genuinely impressed by these goblins; they had managed to dig tunnels to such an extent. It was a real shame they weren't working for a construction crew.
The stone statues were buried with soil, and a stone road was paved along the direction of the tunnel using the old method. The tunnel, which had taken hundreds of people's efforts, was finally completed.
This is another major event since the village was founded. The date and the names of the three villages were carved on the tunnel walls by craftsmen on the spot, so that future generations would remember this important moment.
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Author's note: Happy~
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