Ye Mian had originally thought that since the village was likely uninhabited, she could dismantle some ruined walls for stone.
Unexpectedly, in the very first workshop-like courtyard she encountered, there were piles of grayish-white stones identical to the ones used for the house on her farm.
Glancing at the locked gate and then at the crumbling, dilapidated wall before her, Ye Mian decisively chose to have Da Hei charge forward and knock the wall down, opting for a “forced entry.”
As she approached the stones, a text box appeared.
[Would you like to pick up “Stone x10”?]
“Lucky!”
Having collected the stones, Ye Mian happily called for Da Hei to turn back. She then saw the man in black standing dazed at the village entrance, looking completely dumbstruck, unable to snap out of it for a long time.
Well… he must have seen her act of putting the stones into her warehouse.
The disappearance of the mutated tree earlier could have been rationalized as it simply vanishing, but now he could no longer deceive himself.
Since it wasn’t easy to run into another human—especially one who knew how to both farm and cook—Ye Mian was quite worried about scaring him away. Thus, she intentionally led Da Hei on a wide loop around him as they left the village, letting him understand that she intended no harm.
Afterward, she slowed her pace slightly to ensure he wouldn’t fall behind.
Returning to the farm without incident, Ye Mian glanced back. Seeing that the man in black had not only followed her but had even closed the distance, she couldn’t help but feel quite surprised.
Had he reached some sort of realization?
“Come in. You can head inside the house and take a look first.”
Then, it was just about time to prepare lunch.
Xue Kai nodded cautiously. “Alright, thank you.”
Ye Mian smiled, then turned her attention back to the text box notification that popped up only after she had entered the farm.
[House under automatic repair…]
Hmm? Automatic?
Thinking of something, Ye Mian looked ahead. She saw the wooden door she had pushed over earlier being reattached to the doorframe as if by magic. Then, it became brand new and smooth, as if it had been given a fresh coat of paint.
Coincidentally, the man in black had just reached the door.
This time, Xue Kai’s reaction wasn’t as extreme. He merely turned back to look at Ye Mian with a complex expression.
“This isn’t your skill, is it? Is it… a System?”
“Oh?” It was Ye Mian’s turn to be surprised. “You know about Systems?”
“…I know.”
It would be stranger not to know. In recent years, web novels had become so popular they were practically everywhere. Even people who didn’t read books would learn about them through short video adaptations. Consequently, almost no one was ignorant of the “System,” the most fundamental of “golden fingers.”
But that wasn’t the point. The point was that the girl before him speaking this way clearly meant she possessed a System, which meant she was a Protagonist!
There was absolutely no downside to following a Protagonist. Moreover, there was a chance he might share in the glory, hold his head high in the future, and slap the faces of those bastards.
Xue Kai clenched his fists, then spoke with a determined expression: “I’ll stay and help you. By the way, my name is Xue Kai—Kai as in ‘triumph’ (Kaixuan).”
As soon as he finished speaking, the system interface flashed, displaying a line of text.
[Employee 1: Xue Kai (Evolver), Initial Skill: Fortress, Specialties: Cooking, Farming, Loyalty: 78] (Details can be viewed under [Farm] – [Employees])
So, she had an employee now?
“Ye Mian—Mian as in ‘peaceful sleep’ (Anmian).”
Though she wasn’t sure how he knew about the System, it was good that he was staying. Thinking this, a smile touched Ye Mian’s face. “Then, without further ado, let’s go make lunch!”
“…Alright.”
Ye Mian led him to the kitchen, which had been restored to a clean, brand-new state. Although it still lacked many items, it should be functional enough. She then took out the purslane, mutated shiitake mushrooms, and seasoning from the warehouse.
Just as she had guessed, the moment they entered the farm, the “Polluted” status on the mutated mushrooms changed to “Purified,” meaning they were now edible.
“These are the ingredients for lunch, and this is the Universal Seasoning. There are some kitchen utensils in the utility room next door—see if you can use them. As for fuel, there are weeds and wood outside. Shall I go get some for you?”
Just wild greens and mushrooms?
Xue Kai couldn’t help but glance at Ye Mian, only to see her looking at him with great anticipation, seemingly already waiting to taste his cooking.
“No need. You go ahead with your work; I can handle this myself.”
“Fair enough.”
Thinking of the ground full of weeds that needed mowing, the need to quickly till some land to plant the vegetable seeds from the warehouse, and the fact that Da Hei had just evolved and was full of endless energy after eating his fill, she really had to put him to work. She indeed didn’t have any free time to help.
Ye Mian didn’t stand on ceremony with him. She went to the utility room, grabbed a scythe and a hoe, and headed out.
After handing the scythe to Da Hei and letting him go mow the grass, Ye Mian began using the hoe to dig out the roots of the weeds she had just cut, while also tilling the somewhat hardened soil.
During this time, Xue Kai came out to collect dried weeds and wood. He was no longer surprised to see Da Hei mowing the grass. As he passed Ye Mian, he even took a moment to instruct her on the correct posture and leverage for swinging the hoe.
Following his teaching, Ye Mian found that it was indeed less exhausting, and the soil seemed to become less dry and hard.
And while she didn’t know the extent of Xue Kai’s culinary skills, his speed was truly impressive. Just as Ye Mian was getting used to her new task of tilling the earth, several text boxes popped up in succession.
[Newbie Task 2 Completed: Experience +5, Points +5!]
[Newbie Gift Pack 2 has been automatically distributed!]
[Newbie Task 3 Completed: Experience +5, Points +5!]
[Newbie Gift Pack 3 has been automatically distributed!]
[Successfully completed the Newbie series tasks, obtained one Super Gift Pack!]
The house was repaired, and lunch was ready; there was truly no reason not to take a break.
Ye Mian didn’t stop to look at what was in the gift packs. She immediately dropped the hoe and turned to go inside for the meal.
Inside, Xue Kai was emerging from the kitchen carrying a blackened pot. Seeing Ye Mian, he remembered to remind her: “These ingredients seem to have undergone mutation; I’m not sure if they are safe to eat.”
“They are edible, don’t worry.”
Ye Mian washed her hands first, then sat down at the dining table, which had also become brand new. She took out her wooden soup bowl and spoon and served a bowl of soup from the pot.
“We don’t have extra utensils for now. You’ll have to make do and eat from the pot.”
Having said that, she looked at the full soup bowl before her.
Xue Kai had simply combined the two ingredients to make a basic soup. Whether it was because the ingredients were special, the boost from the Universal Seasoning, or his genuine skill, the bowl of soup actually looked quite appetizing in terms of color, aroma, and presentation.
The broth wasn’t cloudy; it was somewhat milky white. Though the fragrance was inviting, it wasn’t overly heavy. The bright green wild vegetables and the finely sliced mushroom pieces existed in natural harmony. Just smelling it was enough to know how delicious it would be.
To think she would actually have a day where she could eat pure, natural food!
Ye Mian was incredibly excited. Though she tried her best to maintain her composure, the sudden spark of light in her eyes after taking a sip of the soup betrayed her true feelings.
Xue Kai, sitting opposite her, had intended to say something, but seeing her eat with such happiness and bliss, a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment welled up in his heart. Without further chatter, he picked up the clay pot and began to drink.
The moment it touched his lips, even Xue Kai himself was stunned. How could he have cooked such a delicious pot of soup?!
The flavor of the broth was off the charts, but the tartness of the purslane combined with its crisp texture sent his taste buds straight to heaven. Following that, a bite of the mushroom slices revealed a delicate texture that surprisingly carried a hint of meatiness, leaving a long-lasting aftertaste.
“This is too delicious!”
After putting down the pot and exclaiming in amazement, Xue Kai felt a bit awkward. He felt like he was shamelessly praising his own work.
But Ye Mian didn’t think much of it. She simply nodded repeatedly in agreement and continued to hold her soup bowl, eating and drinking in large gulps.
Xue Kai scratched his head and then couldn’t help but smile. What a cook loves to see most is someone eating with great gusto, leaving nothing behind.
The dining table fell silent, leaving only the sounds of eating, drinking, and swallowing.
The foods Ye Mian used to eat were often difficult to digest, so she had naturally developed a habit of chewing thoroughly and swallowing slowly. A single bowl of wild vegetable and mushroom soup took her nearly half an hour of careful savoring to finish.
“Phew…” Putting down the spotless soup bowl with satisfaction, Ye Mian savored the aftertaste for a while before looking at Xue Kai, who had already finished and was waiting to say something to her.
“Alright, tell me why you were there alone.”
Previously, she had been focused only on tricking someone into coming back to work, so she hadn’t asked anything. On the other hand, it was to give him some time to adjust and accept the fact that he had nowhere else to go.
But now that he had officially become an employee of her farm, she needed to know his background.
Xue Kai paused for a moment, then didn’t hesitate much, speaking quite frankly.
“I’m the type of person who likes to plan ahead. Before the large-scale mutation event occurred, I realized something major might happen, so I stockpiled a lot of supplies and spent all my savings on an RV.”
“But my parents and my girlfriend weren’t lucky enough; they turned into mutants. While evacuating from my hometown, I kindly gave a ride to two high school classmates. Unlike me, they both awakened combat-type skills. Perhaps they resented me for only being able to protect myself while taking up a portion of the rations. Once we reached the highway, they tricked me into getting out of the vehicle on the pretext of searching for supplies in other cars, then knocked me unconscious from behind.”
“After that… I encountered you.”
“By the way,” Xue Kai suppressed the various emotions in his eyes, “my skill is called Fortress. It’s a purely defensive skill that generates four walls to block all damage, but it can only accommodate me. I can’t let others hide inside.”
“Hmm…” She hadn’t expected his experience to be even more tragic than “Ye Mian’s.” As for his skill, Ye Mian was actually quite satisfied with it. After all, this meant she could confidently take him out with her without having to worry about protecting him.
Ye Mian had originally wanted to ask him why his loyalty was only at 78, but considering they had just met and were still in the stage of getting to know each other, she figured this value was already quite high. She let it go and gestured to him instead: “What were you trying to say to me just now?”
Seeing that she neither asked if he wanted revenge nor expressed disappointment in the effects of his skill, Xue Kai had a subtle feeling, as if he had become a free-roaming NPC in some farming game.
After a pause, he spoke: “I just looked around and noticed we are lacking many things. So I was wondering if we should go back to that village to scavenge for some tools we can make do with.”
This employee of hers was truly considerate, already worrying about various trifles on his very first day.
Ye Mian pondered for a moment, then nodded while taking out the extra vegetable seeds she had just obtained from the warehouse and placing them on the table. “That works, but we’ll go later. First, clean up, then plant these vegetable seeds.”