After spending five days clearing the several acres of wasteland, Qin Ke immediately selected the option to improve the soil. Squatting down, he pinched a bit of the earth between his fingers. Though there was no visible change on the surface, the soil beneath was no longer so sandy and now contained abundant minerals and organic matter.
Of course, this wasn't something Qin Ke could tell with his naked eye. The system mall's description explained it in detail—not only was the soil rich in nutrients, it also possessed a certain degree of water retention.
Once the soil was improved, the next step was choosing what crops to plant. These past few days, villagers had gradually begun preparing their fields, and all the surrounding villages planted rice. Since it was his first year, Qin Ke decided it was safest to follow local practice and focus on growing rice.
"If I exchange for rice seeds and cultivation techniques, that costs five points. I have five acres of land—does that exchange only cover five acres, or how does it work?"
If seeds were exchanged strictly according to acreage, then with only five acres, he would be losing out.
"The host need not worry. Rice seeds purchased for five points can be planted on up to twenty acres. Any surplus seeds may be stored in the system and retrieved later," the system replied, having anticipated Qin Ke's concern.
Qin Ke stroked his chin and continued, "Once I harvest the rice, that counts as completing the task. How many points do I get for completing one task?"
"Planting and successfully harvesting one type of crop counts as task completion. The system will reward ten points."
"Alright, last question. Can I go into debt?" Qin Ke clapped the dirt from his hands, stood up, and looked at the dark soil before him.
"Yes. The maximum credit limit is ten points, with a term of one year. If the task is not completed by the deadline, the host will be erased."
Qin Ke planned to reserve one acre for watermelons. While browsing the system mall, he had discovered that it offered not only staple crops but also seeds for various fruits and vegetables.
In the original owner's memories, watermelons didn't exist. Qin Ke had even asked Lu Youqing whether she had ever seen such a fruit. Worried it might simply be known by a different name, he carefully described its appearance and taste.
Lu Youqing looked at him strangely, thought for a long while, and then shook her head.
She had never spoken of her past or background, but from her everyday manners and bearing, Qin Ke could tell she came from a respectable family—possibly even an official household. If even she had never seen a watermelon, there were only two possibilities: either the fruit was extremely rare and enjoyed only by royalty and nobles, or it simply did not exist at all in this world.
Either way, it was good news. As long as he could grow watermelons, once summer arrived, he would certainly be able to sell them for a high price.
Thus, Qin Ke exchanged for rice seeds and watermelon seeds. His already meager points immediately dropped into the negatives. Along with the seeds came the corresponding cultivation techniques, which instantly flowed into his mind.
After digesting the knowledge, Qin Ke felt more confident. He hoisted his hoe and headed home at an unhurried pace.
These past few days, every morning after breakfast, Qin Ke carried his hoe to clear land and pull weeds. Lu Youqing still didn't like going out much, so she stayed home cleaning and washing clothes.
When Qin Ke returned in the afternoons, he repaired the house. It barely provided shelter from wind and rain, and both the walls and furniture needed fixing. During this time, Lu Youqing sat in the courtyard mending clothes. Though she was inexperienced with many household chores, her needlework was quite good.
Thinking of all this, a smile unconsciously crept onto Qin Ke's face. Life was harder and far less convenient, but compared to the fast-paced, high-pressure modern world, life here moved slowly, with much less stress.
Most importantly—most importantly—
Before Qin Ke could continue his thoughts, a sudden clamor of voices erupted ahead. Pushing through the gathered crowd, he saw a familiar figure surrounded at the center. His mind exploded with a loud bang. Dropping his hoe, he rushed forward.
"Ugly freak!"
"No wonder she always covers her face—so she's disfigured! I knew it. How could Qin Ke, that wastrel, have such good luck?"
"They say she was bought. Think about it—if there were nothing wrong with her, why would anyone sell her?"
…
Lu Youqing stood quietly in the middle of the crowd, the sharp, mocking laughter echoing around her. She lowered her head slightly, her gaze fixed on the ground, as if trying to isolate herself completely from the noise.
This was the scene Qin Ke saw when he charged in. He turned toward the instigator, clenched his fist, and swung.
Soft-skinned and delicate, Song Yaozu was no match for Qin Ke. One punch left his head spinning, and he collapsed to the ground.
Qin Ke immediately mounted him, fists raining down, blow after blow, aimed squarely at his face.
He had never been someone who resorted to violence. In his previous life, living alone, he had learned boxing and self-defense purely for safety. He never expected the first time he would truly use it would be now.
Song Yaozu couldn't even react. He could only instinctively cover his face with his hands. When the taste of blood filled his mouth, fear and panic surged through him.
"Are you crazy, Qin Ke?!"
Shock and confusion filled his eyes. He couldn't understand why Qin Ke had suddenly become so vicious, as if he were a completely different person. All he had done was pull off that woman's veil—he hadn't even had time to do anything else.
"Oh dear! Oh dear! They're fighting! Quick—pull them apart!"
The villagers finally reacted and rushed forward to intervene. Though they claimed to be stopping the fight, compared to Qin Ke—the village loafer who wandered around aimlessly—they naturally viewed Song Yaozu, the scholar, more favorably.
But just as someone reached out to grab Qin Ke's arm, Qin Ke turned his head.
The ferocious, murderous look in his eyes froze them in place. Their hands halted midair.
Seeing red, Qin Ke didn't care what anyone thought. In fact, from the very first day after transmigrating, he had noticed that as his soul merged with the body, his strength had become far greater than an ordinary person's. Otherwise, how could the original owner have so easily carried two full buckets of water?
Turning back, Qin Ke seized Song Yaozu's chin and stared at him with deadly intensity, enunciating every word:
"I'm warning you—wipe those filthy thoughts out of your head, and stay far away from our family in the future!"
"Do—you—understand?"
As he spoke the final words, Qin Ke deliberately leaned closer, as if a single refusal would cost Song Yaozu his life on the spot.
Facing Qin Ke's bloodshot eyes, Song Yaozu—nothing more than a coward with an empty shell—felt his legs go weak. He hurriedly replied, "I… I understand!"
"The Song family's here! The village head is here too!"
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Currently at chapter 66 for advance chapters
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