The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure
Chapter 308: Stop Messing Around!

Chapter 308: Chapter 308: Stop Messing Around!

Song Chongjin walked in the middle, instructing Wang Yongzhu to follow behind. Within a short time, they reached the winding mountain trail. The person ahead had already let out a few low groans, probably from kicking a stone or bumping their head, each refraining from crying out in pain, only issuing a hissing sound.

Wang Yongzhu was doing fine, carefully watching her step, when suddenly a hand reached out of thin air, grabbed hers, and held on tight.

Just as she was about to resist, she heard Song Chongjin’s voice, "I’ll hold your hand and guide you."

The scorching palm, almost burning hot, started to sweat within a short while where their hands met, becoming damp and uncomfortable for Wang Yongzhu. She tried to pull away a couple of times but couldn’t shake it off; instead, his grip tightened even more.

"Stop messing around! Watch your step!" Song Chongjin’s voice was very low.

Wang Yongzhu really felt like kicking him—messing around my ass! Can’t you see I’m fine on my own?

But as the people behind them caught up, they urged in hushed tones, "Walk faster, or we’ll fall behind."

Wang Yongzhu had to restrain herself and, feeling indignant, decided to give Song Chongjin’s palm a fierce pinch with her nails.

She felt Song Chongjin’s muscles tense and then his grip became even tighter.

Being dragged along by Song Chongjin, she stumbled and bumped into his back several times. If it weren’t for her quick reactions, her nose would have been smashed. Had she not been afraid of being overheard, Wang Yongzhu would have cursed out loud.

It’s deliberate, isn’t it?

Finally, just before Wang Yongzhu completely lost her temper, they arrived at a bend upstream of the river.

They could vaguely hear people talking nearby, likely the villagers upriver keeping watch over the water, and they could see the faint glimmer of firelight.

The newcomers from Qilidun squatted down.

This spot was downwind, so as long as they didn’t make too much noise, they wouldn’t be discovered.

The main issue was the abundance of mosquitoes and the stifling heat, which was utterly unbearable.

Wang Yongzhu wasn’t sure if it was because she had consumed Genetic Liquid, but it seemed like the mosquitoes were even more interested in her blood. At home, she could use mugwort to repel them, but out here in the wild, with the fear of discovery, it felt like mosquitoes were constantly buzzing around her ears. Every so often, she felt a painful itch on her hand—she knew she had been bitten by a mosquito again.

What kind of bullshit Genetic Liquid is this, claiming to be immune to all poisons? How about we start by repelling these pests first?

Not wanting to end up with a face swollen from mosquito bites by morning, Wang Yongzhu finally managed to silently shake off Song Chongjin’s hand, and at the same time, she summoned the System, "Xiao Tiantian, does the system shop have any mosquito repellent or something?"

The Xiao Tiantian System performed a search, "Host, there are mosquito repellent products available in high, medium, and low grades, with varying prices. Which one do you want?"

As it displayed the shop page to Wang Yongzhu.

Now with spare Points, Wang Yongzhu glanced quickly and selected a Mosquito Repellent Cooling Sunscreen Set that cost ten Points, made of a Dragon Pearl. The description said that wearing this pearl would protect the user from mosquitoes, snakes, rodents, and the like. Wearing it in the summer would also provide heat relief, cooling effects, and even sunscreen? Most importantly, the Dragon Pearl had a long service life—it was practically a one-time purchase for lifelong benefits.

That sounds pretty miraculous, right?

Wang Yongzhu, never one to be petty with money, immediately decided and bought the Dragon Pearl.

As the Dragon Pearl came into her possession, the System’s notification rang in her ears, "Host has purchased one Dragon Pearl, deducting 10 Points."

The mental System panel updated accordingly:

Current host status:

Clothing: Level 2 with 0 points

Food: Level 2 with 0 points

Shelter: Level 1 with 0 points

Transport: Level 1 with 0 points

Available Points 20 Points, (Points can be freely allocated among the above options)

Wang Yongzhu didn’t bother to care; after all, points were now only useful for upgrading Xiao Tiantian, and to her, they were otherwise useless.

However, the moment she grasped the Dragon Pearl, she instantly felt the oppressive heat around her dissipate, and even the incessant buzzing of mosquitoes in her ears seemed to vanish without a trace.

The darkness concealed Song Chongjin’s complexion well, along with the redness at the tips of his ears.

His palm felt empty, the slender warmth within it slowly fading away.

Song Chongjin clenched his fists, recognizing that he couldn’t be too hasty, and he turned his head trying to discern Wang Yongzhu’s features in the darkness, only to see her bowing her head, unsure if she was shy or angry.

As he moved a bit closer, he felt that the temperature around Wang Yongzhu seemed to be lower than the surroundings, though he wasn’t sure if it was his imagination. The troubling buzzing of mosquitoes, which had been so persistent just a moment ago, now seemed to have disappeared completely.

Even the croaking of frogs nearby suddenly ceased.

The stillness around was unsettling.

Not only Song Chongjin noticed this odd silence, but also the villagers upstream who were guarding the water. They realized something was amiss, shouting loudly, "People! Quick, come here, those stealing water from downriver have arrived—"

In the quiet night, their voices carried far.

The Lizheng’s son made a decisive call, "While there are few of them, let’s rush up and tear down the dam—"

With that, he led the younger men from Qilidun, their cries swelling as they charged forward.

Wang Yongping was nearly at the forefront, and before Wang Yongzhu could react, Song Chongjin was the only one left by her side.

"Why aren’t you going?"

"I’m waiting for you—"

Wang Yongzhu hesitated for a moment, then bolted toward the crowd, with Song Chongjin closely following.

When they got to the dam, a chaotic fight was already underway.

Guarding the dam were only three or four strong men, and dozens of men from Qilidun descended on them, knocking the guards unconscious first.

The others didn’t bother to speak. They were desperately trying to dismantle the crude dam with shovels and hoes.

The dam was constructed from several tree logs laid across with weeds stuffed in along with mud to solidify the structure.

The shovels and hoes were almost useless; too many weeds ensnared the tools, and despite the efforts of several robust young men, they had managed to clear only a hole wide enough for a single person.

At this pace, they feared the villagers upstream would arrive before they could break through the dam.

When their large forces arrived, their efforts would all be in vain.

Everyone understood this, but what could they do? The two villages had clashed countless times over this water dispute.

This unusually sturdy dam must have been prepared to thwart this very tactic.

Wang Yongzhu didn’t rush to act. Instead, she walked along the top of the dam, stomping her feet here, inspecting there.

Song Chongjin didn’t lend a hand either, merely following behind Wang Yongzhu.

One particularly hot-headed and irritable man couldn’t hold back: "Who brought a woman? Is this a place for women to play? Can’t you see that everyone is busy, and you’re just aimlessly wandering on the dam? Whose troublesome wife is this? Get out of here—"

Mid-sentence, he caught sight of Song Chongjin following behind and immediately grew frantic: "Song Chongjin, you son of a bitch, are you even from Qilidun anymore? Your family doesn’t own any land, so you’re not in a hurry, right? Are you even human? Our Song Family took you in and raised you for over a decade, and now we’ve raised an ungrateful wretch, spit—"

He threw his shovel aside, ready to charge and fight.

Song Chongjin let out a cold laugh. Before he could speak, Wang Yongping rushed over from the side and slammed the man with a punch: "Song Laowu, open your damn eyes! Watch your damn mouth when you talk, or I swear I’ll break off one of your arms!"