Chapter 100 - 96: [Building Card] Fish and Shrimp Ditch
He decided to give it a try, but not to go overboard.
If his theory was wrong, he could still eat the resulting porridge for breakfast, so it wouldn’t be a waste.
He poured some rice into the pot, then added water.
Next to the stove was a large wooden ladle, over a meter long. There was a lot of water and not much rice. He looked at it and felt like something was missing.
He slapped his forehead. ’Of course, how could I forget the wild vegetables!’
He went to the farmland and picked some purslane. Xiao Xuemei had given it to him earlier. There wasn’t much, so he had planted it in the ground.
After a few days, the purslane was looking much healthier, though it didn’t seem to have grown many new leaves.
After washing the wild vegetables, he returned to the porridge shed and added them to the pot.
Then he stirred vigorously.
He cooked it over a high flame for nearly thirty minutes. The rice in the pot had long since burst open and become slightly thick. A few chopped vegetable leaves floated sparsely on the surface. The broth was so clear he could even see his reflection when he leaned over.
Qin Ziwen thought to himself, ’This porridge... isn’t it a bit too thin?’
Could such a watery gruel really attract any refugees?
"Sir, spare a mouthful of food."
"Master! You’re a lifesaver!"
From the side, two people scrambled out from who knows where. They approached and fell to their knees with a THUD.
They were dressed in rags, their hair was a mess, and their faces were covered in dust. It was impossible to tell how long they had gone without food.
"Here, eat." Qin Ziwen ladled a bowl of porridge for each of them from the pot.
They drank it down with loud GULPS, finishing it in seconds.
After they had their fill, they curled up on a straw mat on the ground nearby.
Qin Ziwen glanced at them, then tapped the side of the pot with the ladle. "Can you work?"
The two of them scrambled to their feet. "Just give us the order, sir."
"Go dig for some iron ore." Qin Ziwen pointed to the iron mine not far away.
The two refugees froze, exchanged glances, and then headed toward the iron mine with long faces.
Seeing that they didn’t disappear even after leaving the porridge shed’s vicinity, Qin Ziwen grew thoughtful. ’It seems that unlike the tavern, the refugees attracted by the porridge shed aren’t confined to its immediate area.’
A short while later, the sound of striking metal came from the mine pit. The CLINKING and CLANKING went on for a bit before abruptly stopping.
Qin Ziwen went to take a look and found the men had vanished without a trace. All that was left were two pickaxes lying on the ground and a few pieces of mined iron ore.
’Looks like these refugees can’t handle heavy labor. They work for a moment, then get lazy and run off.’ Qin Ziwen understood now. If they couldn’t even handle mining, they would probably flee at the first sign of danger if he took them out hunting or into battle.
They were only good for making up the numbers and putting on a show.
Looking at the thin porridge left in the pot, Qin Ziwen ladled it out. ’This will have to do for breakfast.’
After he had scooped out all the porridge, two more refugees walked into the shed.
Finding no one there, they looked around. One of them walked over to the large iron pot and peered inside. Seeing the empty pot, he muttered something, then turned and left. As they walked away, their figures gradually vanished on the spot.
After breakfast, Qin Ziwen went up the mountain with Deng Guang and Du Yu.
They had walked this path several times already. It passed through the leopard’s hunting grounds.
But this time, they didn’t see the leopard.
Arriving outside the cave, Qin Ziwen prepared to enter, but Du Yu stopped him. "Sir, there are unknown dangers deep in the cave. Please, let me go."
Qin Ziwen readily accepted his advice.
Soon, Du Yu came out and handed the Card to Qin Ziwen.
Qin Ziwen took the [Building Card] Fish and Shrimp Ditch.
He then handed it over to Deng Guang.
As soon as Deng Guang got the Card, an unstoppable grin spread across his face. Good fortune certainly put a spring in his step.
Walking behind Deng Guang, Qin Ziwen suddenly thought of something.
Li Tieshan and the Beaked Eagle couldn’t touch Cards, so why could Du Yu?
’Is it because they were summoned with a Recruitment Card, or is there another reason?’
Qin Ziwen asked Du Yu, "Did you feel anything strange when you held the Card?"
Du Yu hesitated. "Sir, are you talking about the voice that appeared in my mind when I took it? It told me this was a Building Card."
"Just ’Building Card’? Nothing else?"
"That is correct, sir."
Qin Ziwen figured that either the people recruited from the tavern were special, or Du Yu himself was special.
’Once I recruit someone else from the tavern, I can test it again to be sure.’
When they returned to the Gated Community, they saw a crowd of people gathered in twos and threes from a distance, watching something.
’They still dare to gather like this at a time like this?’
The three of them silently skirted around the crowd.
Back home, he went to his bedroom and looked down from the window.
In the open space at the center of the crowd, two people were wrestling and fighting on the ground.
The crowd was pushed aside as a group of people arrived. They separated the two brawlers and led them away, while also dispersing the onlookers.
That evening, after dinner, Qin Ziwen was about to practice with his Bow when Deng Guang came to his door asking for help.
He was planning to rearrange his living room, but some of the furniture was too heavy for him to move alone.
Qin Ziwen happily agreed. Deng Guang was probably getting ready to use the Card and needed to clear some space for it.
Conveniently, he was also curious to see just what kind of structure this Fish and Shrimp Ditch was.
Arriving at Deng Guang’s place, Qin Ziwen saw that he had already moved the TV stand, the floor-standing air conditioner unit, and some stools, leaving only a few of the heavier, larger items.
"I was going to ask you and Dr. Zhao, but Shuhuan said the doctor wasn’t home," Deng Guang said with a cheerful laugh. He wasn’t the showy type, so he had only invited Qin Ziwen’s and Zhao Pu’s families.
"He’s probably busy," Qin Ziwen said, rolling up his sleeves. He and Deng Guang worked together to move the sofa that was against the wall.
He noticed Deng Guang moving some unwanted items into a small room, clearing out the entire area along the living room walls.
Qin Ziwen asked, "Where should we put this sofa?"
Deng Guang was conflicted. He wanted to throw it away but couldn’t bear to part with it, yet keeping it would take up space.
"Just put it in the middle for now," Deng Guang finally said, pointing to the center of the room.
In the end, Deng Guang’s living room looked very strange. The middle was piled high with furniture and appliances, but a complete circle along the walls had been left empty.
Deng Guang took out the Card. It transformed into a ray of light in his hand and merged with the surroundings.
When the light faded,
a ditch running along the base of the wall appeared before their eyes. It looked like a small trench from the edge of a field, filled with water, stones, and some aquatic plants and moss. It had become a complete, self-contained ecosystem in the form of a small stream. Miraculously, the little ditch formed a closed loop.
There was no telling where the water inside came from.
After activating the Card, Deng Guang’s eyes went a little vacant, as if he were looking at something only he could see.
Qin Ziwen looked at the small ditch with interest. ’Could this Fish and Shrimp Ditch be a place specifically for raising small fish and shrimp?’
Just then, a line of text appeared before his eyes: [Activating Insight... Checking permissions... Insight successful.]
[Level 1 Fish and Shrimp Ditch: Level 1 Lush Water Plants, Level 1 Aquatic Animal Growth Boost]
Qin Ziwen’s eyelid twitched. ’I can even use Insight on other people’s buildings.’
He silently apologized to Deng Guang in his heart; he hadn’t meant to pry.
KNOCK KNOCK. There was another knock at the door. Xiao Xuemei went to open it.
Zhao Pu couldn’t help but complain the moment he walked in. "Sigh, there’s always so much going on with the Mutual Aid Association. Someone even got into a fight today."
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