C17 The Story of the Town Residents

"Oh, right. Make sure to come back to the hospital tomorrow. I'll remove the gauze from your face and replace it with a plastic mask. That way, it won't interfere with your eating or speaking."

The nurse remembered this detail and turned back to inform Liu Feng.

"Liu Feng, thank you," Zhong Yuyuan said, sitting on the edge of Zhong Yule's bed, her eyes shyly meeting Liu Feng's.

"It's nothing. Anyone in my shoes would have done the same. Don't worry about it."

Zhong Yule managed to turn her head slightly to glance at Liu Feng. There was no disdain in her eyes, though her gratitude wasn't overt. Instead, she turned to Wang Dali with thanks, "Brother Dali, I owe you one. If you hadn't been passing by today, who knows what might have happened."

"Heh, no need for thanks. It was Mr. Liu who messaged me to head to your place. And when I got there, I found him taking a beating," Dali said with a simple smile.

Hearing this, the Zhong siblings simultaneously turned their gaze to Liu Feng.

"I had just reached your doorstep when I sent Dali a stealthy text, sensing that trouble was inevitable," Liu Feng explained.

"I really can't thank you enough," Zhong Yuyuan expressed his gratitude once more.

"Let's not dwell on it. Jin Ya is likely to come back in a couple of days, and it won't be as easy to handle then."

"Sigh, it's my fault for getting us into this mess."

Liu Feng had been about to ask why he stole the money, but he reconsidered, recognizing it as a private family issue. If Yuyuan didn't want to discuss it, it was best not to pry.

"Here's my cell number. The signal's usually bad, but feel free to call or text me if anything comes up."

Having become entangled in their affairs, Liu Feng knew extricating himself wouldn't be straightforward. He resolved to do whatever he could to help resolve the situation.

"You two focus on healing up. I've got to take care of something, so I'll head out now. Dali, we should get going."

Liu Feng gestured to Wang Dali, and they both rose to leave.

Without a word, Zhong Yuyuan stood up, placed her hands on her knees, and gave a deep, respectful bow.

Liu Feng let out a resigned chuckle and waved goodbye.

The afternoon was slipping away, and there was still a mountain of tasks awaiting him, yet his stomach rumbled with urgency.

"Come on, Dali, let's grab a bowl of noodles first."

"Sounds good."

Climbing onto his motorcycle with Dali, Liu Feng could immediately tell the bike was struggling; the single-cylinder engine chugged along at full throttle, barely picking up speed.

'I really need to upgrade this old clunker when I have the cash,' Liu Feng mused.

At the noodle shop, they ordered a whopping ten bowls from Mrs. Wang. Liu Feng polished off four, while Dali tackled six.

"Dali, you've always been a big eater. Liu Feng, can you handle all that? And what happened to your face?"

"Don't worry about me, Mrs. Wang. I can hold my own. Just a little tumble on the bike, nothing to fuss over."

"Child, you've got to be more careful on that motorcycle. It's too risky."

"I know, I know, Auntie."

A warm feeling settled in Liu Feng's heart; Mrs. Wang's noodle shop always served up a side of familial warmth.

After the meal, Liu Feng dropped Dali off. Dali had wanted to stick around, but Liu Feng declined—the bike was just too sluggish with both of them on it.

"Master Jin is bound to stir up trouble again soon. I'll head back and strategize. You keep your eyes peeled the next couple of days, and hit me up if anything pops up."

With a few parting words of caution, Liu Feng left, his mind on Dali's safety.

Now it was time to head to the beach. He had arranged to meet Mr. Hai Wei there today to pick up some salted fish.

Pulling up to the seaside, Liu Feng parked the bike and knocked on the door of Hai Wei's wooden shack.

Silence.

He knocked again, and this time faint footsteps signaled someone inside.

"Who's there?"

"Mr. Hai, it's me, Liu Feng."

"Ah, the young rascal." Hai Wei swung the door open, his breath heavy with the scent of alcohol.

Liu Feng wrinkled his nose and asked, "Mr. Hai, have you been drinking?"

"Yeah, I had a bit to drink."

"Why are you drinking in the middle of the afternoon?"

"Just a casual drink. What happened to your face?" Hai Wei, clearly tipsy, noticed the bandage on Liu Feng's face and asked with a puzzled look.

"Ah, it's a long story. I'll fill you in some other time."

"What's the matter? Is there something you can't talk about?"

"No, it's not that. Let's drop it for now. I came to pick up some fish, Uncle Hai."

"Oh, the fish, right, right, right. Come on in."

With that, Hai Wei turned and shuffled back into his cabin, leaving Liu Feng no choice but to follow.

Hai Wei's cabin was cozy, with the living room and bedroom adjoined by a small wooden door. The stove sat outside under a makeshift awning. The living room was heavy with the scent of alcohol, and beer bottles littered the floor.

"Uncle Hai, how much have you had to drink?"

"Hehehe, not too much. Been at it since this morning..."

"Why are you hitting the bottle so hard?"

"Well..."

Hai Wei let out a sigh, but before he could continue, a voice echoed in Liu Feng's head.

"Ding dong. Host has triggered a new mission."

[Mission Name]: Village Story Mission: Hai Wei 1

[Mission Level]: Intermediate

[Mission Description]: This mission requires building a certain level of rapport with Hai Wei to be activated. It is part of a series of missions.

[Mission Details]: Discover the reason behind Hai Wei's daytime drunkenness.

[Mission Reward]: Intermediate Farming Equipment Upgrade Book x1, 3000 gold coins

Huh? I've triggered a mission? What in the world is this village story mission? It feels like I'm in a game, accidentally triggering an NPC's storyline.

But puzzling over this won't help. The system's rewards are what count. An Intermediate Farming Equipment Upgrade Book sounds promising.

"Show me the effects of the Intermediate Farming Equipment Upgrade Book," Liu Feng instructed the system.

[Intermediate Farming Equipment Upgrade Book]: Allows the user to upgrade any Basic Farming Equipment to Intermediate level without the need for materials or labor costs.

Not bad at all. It's exactly what I need in a pinch. Without any ore on hand, I can't upgrade my equipment, nor can I fix it if it breaks.

"How about it? Care to join me for a drink?" Hai Wei's invitation cut through Liu Feng's dialogue with the system.

To fulfill the mission, it looked like he couldn't avoid having that drink. But first, he needed to make a trip home; his chilies and sweet potatoes were due for watering.

He was out of extra gold coins to spend on the system's automatic watering service. It dawned on Liu Feng that an automatic watering system was exactly what he needed at this point.

He didn't even have to ponder it; he was certain the system's skill shop would carry it. It was, after all, the system—stocked with everything one could imagine for agriculture.

With that in mind, Hai Wei's task became a must-do. After all, 3,000 gold coins would likely cover the cost of a new skill.

"Sure, Mr. Hai, but you'll have to give me a moment. I need to swing by my place first."

"I'll be at home waiting for you." Hai Wei didn't inquire further, simply nodding in silent agreement.

"See you soon, Mr. Hai."

Liu Feng hoisted a small barrel of pickled fish into the back of his car. The barrel was a bit too large, preventing the trunk lid from closing properly.

Well, that would have to do, Liu Feng mused, as he fired up the engine and headed for the farm.