Chapter 9: I am a straight man with an unyielding will.

Xia Yi began to loosen the soil, preparing to plant the fennel and onion seeds. This 25 points of land had just sprouted potatoes which had made the soil soft and loose. Xia Yi spent a morning finishing the job, with the heaps of soil lining up side by side. 

“179, fennel and onion are not a main food. How am I gonna finish eating all these? It’s not like they sell well either.” 

System, “Host, the main system set the mission contents, I am just the one who announces them.” 

Xia Yi felt a little uneasy. Who knew if the main system would announce missions requesting some weird things after this? These systems were not to be trusted. They all seemed to have been infected by viruses. 

“179, why don’t you go and discuss with the main system and have some rice or wheat farming mission next time?” 

“This is not possible. Host. The main system does not randomly assign the missions. They are all written according to the results of numerous data studies and analyses. But Host, you can rest assured. Every mission requires only normal plants to be farmed.” 

System added. 

Xia Yi could only nod and said, “Alright. As long as you don’t request me to farm some ganoderma or herbs that bring people back from the dead.” 

System did not make a sound. 

Xia Yi was alerted by the reaction of the system, “Why are you not talking? You didn’t answer my question. Do you have something to hide?” 

“No, I lagged for a bit just now. The system nearly went down.” System replied with an unsteady voice. 

The weather was great for farming. There was no rain nor a hot sun. Gu Wen Zhu came to the farmland as well. The area he was going to farm was very large, he therefore did not plan to go home at noon. 

He was up before dawn and had made a few flapjacks. Despite the ones that had been eaten during breakfast, Gu Wen Zhu had taken a few from the remaining ones. Everything left was saved for Xia Yi’s lunch. 

The flapjacks smelled appetizing and tasted exceptionally good when they were fresh and hot. However, they had become cold and rigid at noon. Thinking of Gu Wen Zhu having to eat cold flapjacks after working for the whole morning, Xia Yi felt bad for him. So, he planned to make a pot of hot porridge and fry some preserved meat with salted vegetables to send to him. 

“179, how about we try this?” Xia Yi rolled up his sleeves and entered the kitchen, eager to try it out. 

“It’s possible. After the previous experience, I have already downloaded a few farmhouse food cookbooks. I’ve even looked up some tricks for starting a stove fire. I am ready.” System did not mess around at key moments. 

After an hour, smoke came out from the chimney on top of the roof, a delicious fragrance wafted from the kitchen. 

At noon, Xia Yi happily put a dish of preserved meat with salted vegetables and a bowl of porridge into the lunch box. Thinking that the food did not look good, Xia Yi pulled a few chopped scallions and spread them on the meat. He walked in the ridges carrying the lunch box, seeing Gu Wen Zhu’s busy figure from afar. 

Gu Wen Zhu spotted Xia Yi. He threw away the hoe and walked towards this way. 

“Quick, try it. Is it good?” Xia Yi opened the lunch box and passed the chopsticks to Gu Wen Zhu. He took Gu Wen Zhu’s flapjacks and broke them into pieces to soak them in the porridge. 

“It’s good.” Gu Wen Zhu ate voraciously. While eating, he extended his hand to wipe away the dust on Xia Yi’s nose, “Yi, how did you learn to cook?” 

“I saw it a few times and learned.” There was no chance for Xia Yi to tell that he was taught by 179. 

Gu Wen Zhu had gulped in the whole set of lunch, making Xia Yi feel very encouraged. He was beginning to have an interest for cooking that he had never had before. When he arrived home, he went directly into the kitchen to study all kinds of food.   

During night time, right after the last dish was out, the entrance had been pushed open. Gu Wen Zhu was back. He did not enter on arrival but stood in front of the kitchen door with a smile on his face, with his hands behind him. He stared at Xia Yi, not saying one word. 

Xia Yi felt awkward from the stare, and therefore eyed Gu Wen Zhu in confusion. He suddenly went around to look at Gu Wen Zhu’s back, then his sight met a pair of dark little eyes. 

Gu Wen Zhu was holding a small bamboo basket with a petit fluffy puppy in it. Its fur was soft and black. An endearing tiny nose stood in the middle of its face. Those bright eyes were staring at Xia Yi unmistakably. 

Xia Yi screamed in surprise and quickly scooped the puppy out. He used his finger to touch the tip of its nose. The puppy reached out its small paws to hug the finger and lick it, making a couple of cute bark. 

Xia Yi’s heart nearly melted. He asked in astonishment, “Where’s he from?” 

“Old Zhang’s dog gave birth a while ago. I told him to pick one and save it for me. Today the puppy is two months old, so I brought it back.” Gu Wen Zhu extended his hand to pat the dog too, his eyes, however, were looking at Xia Yi. 

Xia Yi hurriedly fetched a bowl of rice with potatoes. He smashed the potatoes, and added some meat sauce. He brought the bowl to the front of the puppy. The puppy sniffed it with its nose, then started taking big bites. 

“Slowly, it’s all yours.” Xia Yi crouched down to watch the puppy eat, his heart filled with joy. He had been wanting to keep a pet dog before the transmigration, but he was always afraid of not treating it well and made the dog suffer with him. This time getting to have it with Gu Wen Zhu was a form of wish fulfillment for him. 

“Zhu, why don’t you name the pup?” 

“Little Black?” After a thoughtful moment, frowning, he pronounced a name with a serious look. 

“It needs to be stronger.” 

“Big Black?” Gu Wen Zhu was thinking hard again. 

“We have a few dogs called Big Black in the village. If we have to call him back home to eat, all the Big Blacks won’t be able to tell who’s calling who.” 

“Black Skin?” Gu Wen Zhu looked at Xia Yi without confidence. 

…Why do you have to put the word “black” in it? What’s your obsession with it? 

At the end, Xia Yi named the dog, Kirin. 

“People in the village will make fun of a mutt called Kirin.” Gu Wen Zhu gazed at the happy eating mutt thinking, then he thought, ‘Screw it, Yi likes it. Let’s call it Kirin.’

“Kirin, Kirin, from now on your name is Kirin. You know that?” Xia Yi lifted the puppy and spoke. The puppy made a couple of cute sounds in response. 

Kirin had filled its belly and sniffed around in the house. It sniffed below the cupboard, intending to pee there with one of its hind legs up. Gu Wen Zhu straightly picked it up and took it outside. 

In the central room at night, the candles were lighting the room bright. Gu Wen Zhu sat on top of a pile of bamboo weaving a bamboo basket. His flexible fingers flipping the bamboo slices, the bamboo slowly took the formation of a round frame in his hands. 

Kirin went through the pile of bamboo slices merrily, barking, biting and digging. Xia Yi sat on the side watching Gu Wen Zhu weaving, sometimes using his hand to pet Kirin. 

Somehow, he began to pay attention to the side of Gu Wen Zhu’s face and was dazed. 

Gu Wen Zhu had a sharp face structure, strong and profound, with a prominent nose. His straight eyebrows slanting upwards going into the hair on his temples, looking incredibly handsome. 

Xia Yi felt his heart leaping. He went to the kitchen to look for a few pieces of charcoal in the stove. Seeing Gu Wen Zhu had not noticed, he started to draw the side of Gu Wen Zhu’s face on the ground. In the world that he came from, he was an artist with some fame. With a few strokes, a lively good-looking man in ancient clothes appeared. 

Let’s add the eyes… Zhu has a sharp outline around the eyes, the eyelashes are thick…those eyes are gentle… 

Then let’s draw the top of his eyebrows… the brows that slanted upwards… 

Followed by the lips… Zhu has thin lips… and the shape of his lips is sexy… 

“Host, I detected your heart racing.” 179 voiced out all of a sudden, Xia Yi nearly dropped the charcoal in his hand. 

“That’s because I haven’t been drawing for a really long time. I have become so exciting that I could not help it.” Xia Yi calmly replied. 

“Host. Why are you blushing?” 

“I said I was too excited. Why are you system asking me all these useless things? If you have nothing to do, just go scan around the side of the stream. Don’t interrupt me here.” Xia Yi was beginning to get angry out of embarrassment. 

“There is no way I am going to scan those people. Do I look like such a boring system? I just focus and stay by your side.” When Xia Yi mentioned this, 179 became slightly too excited and could not control itself, the temperature of its processor was climbing. 

“Right, it’s night, there’s nobody along the stream.” Xia Yi showed no respect and said coldly. 

Gu Wen Zhu noticed Xia Yi spending half a day drawing on the ground. Xia Yi would usually talk all the time. Yet, he did not make a sound tonight. In view of this, Gu Wen Zhu put aside the bamboo basket in his hands. He walked up then headed down to look. 

With a clearer view, Gu Wen Zhu now knew that Xia Yi was using the charcoal to draw. 

In the picture, there was a tall man weaving a bamboo basket. The man had been drawn in a delicate way with a face filled with life. Even the hair on the side of his face was drawn clearly one by one. There was a pile of bamboo slices on his side, an adorable small black puppy rolling among the bamboo. 

This was obviously he himself. 

Gu Wen Zhu’s face started to heat up as if he was having a fever. His heart pounding loudly. His fingers on both sides uncontrollably bent and his Adam’s apple contracted a few times. Gu Wen Zhu said, “It’s a nice drawing.” His voice sounded dry, then he cleared his throat and added, “Yi, this is a nice drawing of yours.” 

Xia Yi heard Gu Wen Zhu. He could not figure out why he did not have the guts to look up at him. He just kept his head down and made a sound to acknowledge it, unconsciously scratching the charcoal in his hand. 

The two stayed in silence for a while. Gu Wen Zhu gently took Xia Yi’s hand, straightened his fingers to open his palm. He took the charcoal, placing it onto the ground, then used one wet towel to repeatedly rub the dirt in his palm. 

Both of them did not speak. The air almost seemed like it had frozen. Xia Yi just watched Gu Wen Zhu rubbing his palm, with utterly confused emotions deep down. 

“Ruf. Ruf.” Kirin’s barf had broken the silence in the room, bringing Xia Yi ‘s focus back. He immediately took back his hand, mumbled, “I am going to bed.” Then swiftly went into the bedroom. 

In the dark, Xia Yi was lying in bed, dazing at the top of the bed, with a confused mind. 

“Host, you are weird tonight.” 179 was trying to use its voice to test him. 

“I am thinking about the picture just now. I haven’t finished drawing Kirin yet.” Xia Yi answered straight away. 

It was weird. Or else why would he not tell 179 about the fact that he was troubled by the awkward feelings just now?  

Oh, Xia Yi, don’t you start believing that you are a woman just because you are a ger in this perverted world. 

Remember this. You are a straight man with an unyielding will. 

Whatever. Don’t think about it. Sleep.