C13 Planting Plants

After examining various seeds, Situ Yu discovered that only the ginseng seed contained a faint energy, nearly imperceptible. The other seeds seemed devoid of any usable energy.

Ke Lianna was eager for Situ Yu to get started on the garden. Though he had planned to plant the seeds the next morning, the little girl's urgency swayed him. He fetched his tools and seeds from the storage room and headed to the courtyard. There, he tilled the soil, dug holes, and sowed the seeds, taking special care with the ginseng. He finished by planting the orchid seedlings in pots. By the time he was done, night had fallen.

"Is Ke Lianna around?"

"Hmm? What do you need?"

"Make sure all the plants we just sowed are secured. Keep a close eye on the ginseng and the three orchids. The rest just need a bit of attention; we'll see if they even grow."

Ke Lianna replied cheerfully, "No problem, I've got this. The main brain will execute the host's commands."

"Confirmed, catalysis initiated," the main brain responded in a mechanical tone.

"Insect Insect, you can give orders directly to the main brain too. No need to call on me for everything. Just summon me when there's something tasty to eat."

With that, she scampered off, delighted to return to her play.

As darkness enveloped the yard, Situ Yu washed up and headed to the kitchen to prepare his dinner. His routine was simple: eat, shower, and toss his clothes in the washing machine. Living alone had its perks.

The night passed quickly, and at the crack of dawn, his phone rang with an unfamiliar number. Answering it, he learned that the broadband installation technician he had requested was on their way. Due to the sweltering heat, the technicians worked mostly in the cooler hours of the morning and evening, taking a break during the midday heat.

Situ Yu didn't linger in bed. He got up, freshened up, and opened the door. After whipping up a quick breakfast, he was ready just as the technician arrived, right on schedule.

He briefed the technician on his requirements, and the work began: pulling wires, drilling holes, and making connections. The installation proceeded without a hitch.

Once everything was set up and tested, Situ Yu signed off, and the technician departed.

Situ Yu then connected his computer to the newly installed network, opting for WIFI, and synced his phone as well. He was now up to speed with the latest tech trend.

Seated at his computer, Situ Yu's initial impulse was to scour the internet for those risqué materials. Despite an extensive search, he came up empty-handed, save for a deluge of advertisements ranging from local dating services to speculative games.

Having been tempted and disappointed twice, he abandoned the pursuit, recognizing the deceit. With a sigh, he navigated to a new webpage to look up orchid prices.

His search revealed a broad spectrum of prices, from the modest to the exorbitant, aligning with market hearsay. Yet, as an outsider to the trade, Situ Yu was clueless about assessing the quality of orchids and reluctantly abandoned the idea of valuing his own.

Next, he turned his attention to ginseng prices. He had purchased various wild ginseng seeds for about a dollar apiece. His findings suggested that century-old wild ginseng could fetch up to 1.5 million yuan, while those several decades old varied from tens to hundreds of thousands.

Unsure of the ginseng's overnight growth, he fetched some tools from the storeroom and headed to the yard, indifferent to the other plants. Fixating on one ginseng plant, he was tempted to unearth it and assess its size.

That's when Ke Lianna, the little loli, burst out, exclaiming, “Insect, what are you up to? It's barely grown overnight, and you're ready to dig it up?”

“What's the harm? I just want to check its size and then I'll replant it,” Situ Yu replied.

With a simple "oh," Ke Lianna scampered off again.

Situ Yu carefully excavated around the ginseng, lifting it with a clump of earth. He gently brushed off the dirt, his earlier impatience subsiding. He realized he didn't expect the orchids to grow quickly. At last, he unearthed a small ginseng, about as thick as a two-centimeter chopstick.

It looked rather miniature and charming. After admiring it, he reburied the ginseng and patted the soil back into place. He then turned his attention back to his orchids.

The orchids were thriving, yet they didn't seem to be growing as quickly as the previous batch.

"Ke Lianna, can I ask you something?"

"What's up?" Ke Lianna bounced out, her thick ponytails swishing behind her, exuding her usual air of elegance.

"Ke Lianna, have you noticed these orchids aren't growing as fast as the last ones?"

With a look that could freeze a reptile in its tracks, Ke Lianna explained, "The Star Core is still at a low level, so it's emitting very limited energy. When you plant so many things at once, the energy gets dispersed. Of course, the growth rate suffers."

Situ Yu nodded in understanding, then turned his attention back to the vegetables, startled by their rapid growth. "How did these grow so quickly?"

Ke Lianna, outdone by the situation, responded, "Take a look at them. They're mostly water, with some fiber and common elements. There's no energy content. It's not surprising they grew fast."

The vegetables in both plots were fully mature.

"Main brain, let's stop the catalysis on these vegetables. No more acceleration."

Continuing could mean they'd start seeding. And who wants to eat old vegetables?

"Partial catalysis canceled," the main brain responded.

Ke Lianna, eyeing the ginseng, licked her lips—a gesture not lost on Situ Yu, who asked with curiosity, "You're interested in these?"

"Yes! They're full of biological energy. Eating them could help replenish some of my own."

The little loli's excitement was palpable, but then she sighed, her head drooping, "But they were catalyzed using my energy."

Essentially, she had infused them with her own life force.

Ke Lianna's face was a portrait of regret as she squatted and traced circles in the dirt.

Seeing Ke Lianna's forlorn expression, Situ Yu reassured her, "Don't worry. Once we sell these ginsengs, we'll be able to get you plenty of ores to munch on."

At that, Ke Lianna's ears perked up, and she skipped off toward the house, full of cheer, leaving Situ Yu wondering what she was up to.

Situ Yu admired the vegetables in the yard and casually plucked two for lunch.

Once inside, he set about washing and preparing the meal. Later in the afternoon, Hee Qingshui rang to check if he was free. Situ Yu confirmed he had no plans, and they decided to meet for an evening stroll through the shops.

The day was sweltering, so Situ Yu stayed indoors, partly to help the plants grow, partly because there wasn't much else to do, and partly to research biology and mineral pricing online.

The more he read, the more daunting the figures seemed. By market estimates, the cost exceeded two million yuan—an alarmingly high number.

"Ke Lianna, I have a question," he called out.

"What is it?" Ke Lianna appeared, her large eyes fixed on Situ Yu.

His heart nearly melted under her gaze. Her adorable expression was irresistible. To steady his racing pulse, he quickly asked, "You mentioned needing 100 tons of iron and lead, right?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Could we use scrap metal or the ores instead?"

"Of course, it's all the same to the Devour Chain—they're just elements. Plus, using the ores might be even better. The mainframe scanned the planet and found additional elements in the ores, which are superior to pure iron."

Relieved, Situ Yu scribbled some calculations on paper. He estimated that 400,000 yuan should cover the little loli's dietary needs for this phase.

With no further need for her, the little loli faded into a wisp and vanished.

Situ Yu spent the rest of his time online, absorbing information to ensure he wouldn't be outsmarted by the little loli in the future.

As dusk fell, Hee Qingshui's call came through. "I'm free now. Are you busy?"

"Not at all. Shall we head out now? I'll wait for you here."

"Sure, I'm on my way."

He ended the call, locked his front door, and headed for the noodle shop.

Outside the noodle shop, Hee Qingshui scanned the direction of Situ Yu's home, anticipation etched on her face like a young woman awaiting her beau. Her father watched her with a grin; his little girl was all grown up. Shaking his head with amusement, he stepped back inside.

Five minutes later, Situ Yu came into view.

Hee Qingshui approached him with a bright smile and said,

"Come on. Let's go shopping."

Truth be told, the village had only a handful of shops, hardly enough for a proper spree. But Situ Yu, bless his heart, didn't understand the complexities of a woman's shopping ritual. He trailed her from store to store, exchanging one item for another, experiencing for the first time the daunting endurance of a woman on a mission. He toyed with the idea of making a run for it.

But he didn't dare; the consequences would be too great. Hee Qingshui could start her tirade at dawn and not let up until dusk, only to resume the following day. The only escape was to appease her. Otherwise, the relentless nagging would be inescapable.

As the seconds ticked by, Situ Yu felt like the hours were stretching into years. He followed Hee Qingshui, laden with bags that, to his surprise, contained his own clothing. She hadn't bought much for herself.

It seemed her mission today was to revamp his wardrobe, a task she undertook with questionable efficiency. A couple of items should have sufficed. After all, with his athletic build and charming looks, he was a natural at wearing anything stylishly. A purebred hunk, no less—born to be a mannequin. No need for such fuss, as if he were produce to be haggled over at a market.

Two hours later, Situ Yu was finally released from his shopping servitude when Hee Qingshui received a phone call.