The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure
Chapter 456 - 454: Good Cop or Bad Cop?

Chapter 456: Chapter 454: Good Cop or Bad Cop?

Wang Yongzhu panicked, "Xiao Tiantian, after the inspection, you won’t leave me a single mycelium strand, right?"

The System is too cunning; one must always be on guard.

"Host, rest assured, these fungal threads are in the lab. While being inspected, they will also have any harmful bacteria removed from them..." Xiao Tiantian didn’t finish explaining.

The lab’s doors opened, and that mechanical voice sounded once more, "Upon inspection, these fungal threads are classified as B-category edible plant fungus. The mycelium quality grade is satisfactory."

Wang Yongzhu was stunned; the mycelium treated with Gene Evolution Liquid was just satisfactory?

After communicating with the Xiao Tiantian System and the lab, Wang Yongzhu came to understand that in this era, the grades of seeds were generally low, usually subpar or low-quality, and those that reached satisfactory were in the minority.

Seeds that reached the good quality grade had significant improvements in their growth cycle, virus resistance, yield, as well as in taste and nutritional value.

For example, if Yellow Pine Mushroom mycelium reached good quality, then one cluster could suffice for one hundred square meters of cultivation beds.

Moreover, the yield would increase by twice, there would be no need to worry about diseases, and the Yellow Pine Mushrooms grown from these threads would taste better and have increased nutritional value.

Wang Yongzhu hesitated a moment,; the Yellow Pine Mushrooms previously cultivated using Gene Evolution Liquid were larger than those picked in the mountains, looked better, and even had a longer shelf life.

That had already been surprising enough. If he managed to cultivate even better Yellow Pine Mushrooms, it would likely raise suspicion.

Especially since they had just offended some obscure Noble Patron from the Capital City, it was better to stay low-key.

With that thought, Wang Yongzhu tentatively asked, "Then, can the lab cultivate more satisfactory Yellow Pine Mushroom mycelium? I don’t need the good quality; satisfactory is fine."

Xiao Tiantian expressed frustration, "Host! You’re really not striving for the best! Now that you have this lab, what’s a good quality? We can even cultivate top-quality! To be harboring such a lab, yet only requesting it to cultivate satisfactory mycelium for you. Host, do you realize that this is a waste of resources?"

"Can you do it or not? Just answer the question!" Wang Yongzhu knew not to get entangled with Xiao Tiantian, to avoid derailing the conversation.

"Yes! Are you certain you want to cultivate satisfactory Yellow Pine Mushroom mycelium? If confirmed, please press the confirmation key, which will deduct 10 Points." Xiao Tiantian reverted to an official tone.

Wang Yongzhu pressed confirm.

Soon, the System panel changed to:

Current status of the host:

Clothing: Level 4, 0 points

Food: Level 4, 0 points

Housing: Level 4, 0 points

Transport: Level 4, 0 points

Available Points: 45 points (Points can be freely allocated to the above categories)

Buying Plant Neurotoxin last time deducted two points, the protective shield used up 10 points, and today another 10 points were spent.

Accumulating points is hard; spending them is as easy as water flowing.

About fifteen minutes later, Xiao Tiantian notified that the lab had already cultivated enough satisfactory mycelium, which was placed in the System’s space.

Wang Yongzhu signaled to extract all of it, and sure enough, a clump of Yellow Pine Mushroom mycelium appeared before her.

She wasn’t sure if it was an illusion or because she spent 10 Points, but Wang Yongzhu felt these mycelium strands looked somewhat thicker and fuller.

Looking at the time, it was too late to examine them further; she spread the fungal threads evenly across the cultivation bed.

Then she sprinkled a thin layer of pine needle compost over them.

Then, after spraying the diluted Gene Evolution Liquid to ensure everything was in order, Wang Yongzhu packed up her basket and left the cave.

Still feeling uneasy, she found a large rock about half a person’s height in the valley and moved it to the entrance of the cave, partially blocking it. This way, small animals couldn’t easily get into the cave.

Wang Yongzhu washed her hands clean in the water pool before heading back the same way she had come.

Once out of the cave, she restored the vines to their original state so that it didn’t look like anyone had passed through, then noticed that the sun was about to set.

Not daring to delay any longer, Wang Yongzhu hurried down the mountain at a fast pace.

By the time she reached the bottom of Qili Slope, it was already pitch dark.

Fortunately, Wang Yongzhu was prepared. She took out the flint, gathered branches from the pine and cypress trees along the way and tied them up; now, lit, they served as a torch.

Approaching Qilidun, she could already see a few torches lit at the mountain road entrance from afar, and figures moving around.

As she drew closer, she realized that standing at the mountain road entrance were none other than Old Granny Zhang and Jindou— who else could they be?

Old Granny Zhang and the others saw Wang Yongzhu and hurried to meet her.

Relieved to see Wang Yongzhu was all right, Old Granny Zhang, without saying much, pulled her home to have a meal first.

The family had been waiting, and seeing Wang Yongzhu return, they too felt at ease.

After the meal, they asked a couple of questions about Song Chongjin.

Wang Yongzhu simply stated that she had found that remarkable person who said Song Chongjin’s eyes could be cured. She had left him there for treatment, worrying about her family, and decided to come back first.

These days, she would go to the mountains to see Song Chongjin every day and just bring some food.

Old Granny Zhang gave Wang Yongzhu several scrutinizing glances but held back her words.

It wasn’t until everyone had gone to bed that Old Granny Zhang pushed open Wang Yongzhu’s door and the mother and daughter sat on the kang, speaking in hushed tones.

"Out with it, what exactly are you two up to? Are you hiding something from your mother? Your excuse might fool the others, but don’t think you can fool me!" Old Granny Zhang said sternly.

Wang Yongzhu chuckled, taking Old Granny Zhang’s hand and cuddling up to her, "I can’t hide anything from mother!"

Unable to help herself, Old Granny Zhang pinched Wang Yongzhu’s cheek, her stern facade melting away, "Quit buttering up your mother, out with it!"

Only then did Wang Yongzhu softly relay the matters she had discussed with Song Chongjin the day before, along with what she had done today.

Old Granny Zhang was initially startled, then slapped Wang Yongzhu’s arm, "You silly girl, how could you... how could you return the silver note to Song Chongjin? Are you out of your mind? Money is only secure when it’s in your own hands! Besides, though Song Chongjin’s eyes weren’t blinded by those two old scoundrels, it wasn’t for lack of them trying; he was just lucky to have an antidote! If there were no antidote, wouldn’t he have been poisoned blind?"

"Such heartless and malicious masters... I heard from their tone that it might involve some noble patron from the Capital City, and the noble patron’s wife. According to what city folks say, those two masters are traitorous servants who, behind their own master’s back, were scheming with the master’s wife to harm Song Chongjin. Is that right?"

Knowing she couldn’t hide anything from an astute person like Old Granny Zhang, Wang Yongzhu simply nodded.

"Such people, and yet Song Chongjin is still naively thinking of returning the silver note to them? Has the poison not blinded his eyes but rather addled his brain? People are trying to harm him, yet he actually wants to return the hard-earned silver we got back?" Old Granny Zhang was utterly baffled.

Wang Yongzhu had to explain that becoming someone’s student for a day was like having them as a father for life. If Song Chongjin really kept the silver, even if he was in the right, it would look bad if word got out in the future, tarnishing his and his descendants’ reputations.

If Song Chongjin returned all the silver, there would be nothing for others to criticize in the future.

Understanding dawned on Old Granny Zhang, "City folks truly make no sense. A master tries to kill his disciple, and yet the disciple is expected to treat him like a father? What a suffocating way to live! I get it now; it’s so that us, mother and daughter, play the villains, while Song Chongjin plays the good guy. Fine, as long as it’s good for you two, this old lady will play whatever role necessary!"

"Just remember, girl, we’ll let this go just this one time, but in the future, if that lad Song Chongjin always wants you to take the lead, to play the villain and offend people, you’d better not foolishly agree! Everyone wants a good reputation, and he needs his, but don’t you want one too? In this world, a woman’s lot is even harder; reputation is everything!" Old Granny Zhang changed the subject, reminding Wang Yongzhu.