NOVEL NEXT Chapter 39—Repayment
Chapter 39—Repayment
by Bocchan13
On the other side, Song Yu blew a raspberry at the ugly form Wang Cheng and Yu Ci had. They held their shovels and hoes awkwardly and didn’t know the correct postures for farming. He tsked.
“Your back is gonna get sore if you keep up that posture. Put more of your weight in your legs; use less of your waist and more of your core. You will get better results that way.”
Wang Cheng threw the shovel on the ground and cried out, “I’m so tired! How did you manage to do this field all by yourself??! It’s criminal!”
Song Yu rolled his eyes and continued to watch as Yu Ci and Wang Cheng made a fool out of themselves. It had been only two days since they left the gym and into Song Yu’s mansion. Song Yu’s vigilance was still up, so he designated a time for them to stay in their quarters. They couldn’t leave their rooms at night, and during the day could only be in the common rooms.
Song Yu watched their reactions as they surveyed the villa. Although, they looked quite relieved and thankful, there was no sense of greed or slimy passive aggressiveness. Song Yu still didn’t want to chance it, so he had Squinty Eyes guarding the doors to the stockpiled basement. Several ducks also followed.
With the added security of the spirit stone in Song Yu’s pocket, the first day was…for a lack of a better word: awkward. Song Yu was mainly an introvert, with zero conversational skills.
He didn’t think that a group of grown men would adhere to his ‘teenage curfew’, but surprisingly, they all obliged. He didn’t know what was going on in their heads, but ultimately gave up. He separated everyone into different rooms, Xiao Zi and Lu Jingxiu taking one bedroom, and Wang Cheng and Yu Ci getting their own bedrooms opposite each other.
Song Yu didn’t have the backbone to let Lan Zhou stay in his room, so he brought him to the secondary master bedroom right next to his. Both rooms led to the veranda and could be accessed through it, so it wasn’t like he was trying to seduce him!
That night, he prepared some pork bone soup, grilled fish, and an assorted vegetable stir fry with sweet and sour pork. Everyone mouths were drooling in happiness at this array of food. They all looked like eager dogs, tails wagging behind.
When Song Yu gave them the okay, Wang Cheng and Yu Ci soared around the table, taking in the large amounts of food. Lu Jingxiu was slower, but his chopstick game was no joke, as he swooped in whenever the tornadoes left to pick the best pieces and placing them in Xiao Zi’s bowl. Xiao Zi looked at Song Yu in embarrassment.
“Excuse these idiots; we haven’t had a good meal in a while. You shouldn’t have made all of this, we still have some rations.”
Song Yu shook his head.
“It’s okay. This is what I usually eat anyways, just slightly bigger for you guys. If you want to repay me, then you can.”
“What can we do?” Xiao Zi’s and the rest of their eyes brightened. They felt extremely uncomfortable taking Song Yu’s things. He gave them nice rooms with fresh water, some clothes (albeit a bit small), and delicious food. They really wanted to repay Song Yu. Their most treasured thing was Lan Zhou’s spirit stone that could detonate an entire city.
After that, they had no value. With Lan Zhou out of commission, Song Yu would not throw them out, but they didn’t expect him to give them anything. Not because he wasn’t a good host, but because anyone wouldn’t give free handouts, especially in the apocalypse.
Song Yu was thinking what things these four people could do. Xiao Zi was awake, but his spiritual power had been hit hard. He could barely heal a cut let alone Lan Zhou’s injuries. But he could abate the fever that ravaged him.
He was responsible to stay close to Lan Zhou and nurse him.
Yu Ci, Wang Cheng and Lu Jingxiu all had good and strong figures. Their uniforms were a little dusty, but still alright to wear, but they needed breathable cloth to work in the sun. Song Yu could only use his small sewing machine and make them crude shirts, using the pattern of the ones he purchased before the apocalypse.
They would not fit into his frame, especially Yu Ci, whose figure was similar to ‘The R*ck’. So he spent the better part of the night cutting and sewing new shirts and trousers for them. Although it was hastily made, it would still bear the farming they would do outdoors.
Song Yu absentmindedly cursed himself.
If you hadn’t brought them in here, then you wouldn’t have to sew a shit ton of shirts. Serves you right!
Shut up me! They won’t be here forever. When Xiao Zi is fully healed and can heal Lan Zhou, they will leave. They’re searching for their own home, not mine.
You really think they won’t want to stay? It’s crazy to think they will want to leave, even for a second. Once you taste the good life, you’re as good as gone.
Well, they have no choice but to leave! Lan Zhou will probably not put me in that position…he will leave if I tell him to.
*rolls eyes*
Song Yu argued with himself all through the night, pitching his ears out to hear if anyone had left their rooms. The rooms were sound proof, so any noise inside could not be heard. Squinty was guarding the basement, and he had Lan Zhou’s spirit stone.
Anyone who did anything would be a colossal idiot.
The second day, everyone gathered up early for breakfast. Song Yu made some rice porridge with chicken strips, layered with scallions. Everyone ate it heartily. Looking out the windows, Song Yu approached the subject.
“Every day I work outside in the fields, either picking, digging, or cultivating the soil for the next batch. My vegetables don’t get contaminated and are safe to eat. I would probably need Wang Cheng, Lu Jingxiu and Yu Ci to help with the outdoors. Xiao Zi, you are in charge of taking care of Lan Zhou. You also need to recuperate and not move around too much. You can stay in his room or in the side room. You can bring any of the books or the laptop with you.”
All of them nodded their head appreciatively. They were used to taking orders in the military, and responded well to authority. Song Yu had a similar aura to Lan Zhou, and despite Lu Jingxiu not respecting him in the beginning, after what Song Yu had done he was now thankful.
“Don’t worry Boss. Anything you need; let us help you.”
Song Yu nodded his head and proceeded to give them the clothes.
“I made these last night. I took a guess at your sizes, the sun will be hot today and I have spare straw hats. We will most likely finish in time for lunch.”
Yu Ci picked up the clothes and almost cried. Song Yu was so nice!
The trio got dressed and followed Song Yu to the equipment shed. Their eyes couldn’t analyze everything, but it felt like the apocalypse had not touched this land. Everything outside was shades of brown, gray, and red. But here…tall grass floating gently in the breeze, wildflowers scattered around, animals grazing in the field, and crystal clear lake with an abundance of aquatic animals.
This was simply…paradise.
Wang Cheng saw Derpy and waved at him, but the horse neighed and ignored him.
“How…how can this happen? Everything from the soil to the air, it feels like it had been purified.” Lu Jingxiu watched as a non-mutated butterfly flew past them. Song Yu’s heart jolted when he heard ‘purified’ but he otherwise shook his head.
“I don’t know. I was lucky. After my father kicked me out, I settled in A Country for a bit. When the zombie apocalypse happened, I followed my tour guide here. Apparently, he was a doomsday prepper. He was kind enough to shelter me, but got bitten when we went out looking for others.”
Lu Jingxiu nodded his head, but there was this niggling feeling that Song Yu wasn’t telling the entire truth. He wouldn’t probe him, and let Song Yu tell when he was ready.
They walked 10 minutes to the fields. Each field was 1 mu, each corresponding to a different agricultural yield. The rice paddy was on the farther end, so it wouldn’t flood into the next field. Song Yu had one mu of rice fields, and two for vegetables of various types.
Each harvest was in different stages, so when one was done, he could plant a new vegetable after setting the soil. He didn’t have much because his field was adhered to only himself and his animals, but he now had five new mouths to feed.
The first day, the trio was exuberant and didn’t let Song Yu do anything but watch. However the next day, their backs ached, fingers blistered, and their noses were sunburned. They couldn’t get up until almost midday, leaving Song Yu to work by himself.
On the third day, Lu Jingxiu said he would pick the ripe fruits and hurriedly made his escape, leaving Wang Cheng and Yu Ci to go along with Song Yu.
They weren’t lazy mind you, but they couldn’t understand how Song Yu could work so quickly and effectively, causing their morale to drop.
Wang Cheng toweled his face and sighed heavily.
“Song Yu, I got mad respect for you. Not to mention the other fields, you did all this by yourself. I wouldn’t have been able to do this!” Song Yu also wiped his sweat-soaked face.
“It just takes practice. You guys have actually done a good job halving my share. Tonight, we can have some good pickled radishes.”
Yu Ci whooped and continued to hoe and turn the soil. They had been working on a new patch, readying it for the next seeds.
“Tomorrow, we will start planting. The hard work is over, so now we just plant it, fertilize and water it.”
All of a sudden, Song Yu felt a gaze on him. Looking in the direction, he spied someone’s piercing gaze.
Heart beating quickly, Song Yu kept his eyes on the figure on the veranda, a small creeping feeling of happiness enveloping him.
Lan Zhou was awake.