Chapter 56: Having Too Loud a Reputation Is Not Necessarily a Good Thing

Xu Feng could understand Kobayashi Yukiko.

The young lady had previously lived a pampered life of luxury and privilege; let alone starting a fire and cooking, she had probably never even set foot in a kitchen more than a few times.

It was already commendable that she had the heart to try.

He put down the spoon in his hand, walked over to the stove, and squatted down beside her.

"Look here, this isn't how you build a fire." His voice was very gentle, without a trace of impatience.

He picked a few dry, thin twigs from the firewood pile, picked up the fire tongs, and rearranged the jammed firewood inside the stove to create some space.

"You see, this firewood has to be arranged like this—like building a house, you need to leave gaps in the middle so the air can get in. This is called the draft vent."

As he worked, he explained patiently like an encouraging teacher: "If you want the fire to burn brightly, it's just like a person; it needs to be able to breathe. If you stuff it tight and block it off, won't it just get suffocated and leave only smoke?"

Yukiko opened her big, curious eyes, listening in rapt attention. She had never imagined that there could be so many tricks to something as simple as tending a fire.

Xu Feng reignited the fire, watching the flame flare up with a "whoosh," casting a rosy glow over the entire stove opening. He handed the fire tongs to Yukiko.

"You give it a try. Remember, add them one by one, starting with the thin ones. Once the fire is steady, you can add thicker ones."

Yukiko cautiously took the fire tongs, imitated Xu Feng, clamped a thin twig, and slowly fed it into the stove mouth.

The flame immediately licked upward, igniting the dry wood.

"Right, just like that," Xu Feng encouraged from the side.

Encouraged, Yukiko's confidence soared.

She stared intently at the fire inside the stove, adding wood one piece at a time. Although her movements were still somewhat clumsy, they already looked much more proper than before.

Watching the fire in the stove burn brighter and the meat soup in the iron pot bubble and churn, a childlike, joyful smile bloomed on Yukiko's face. The delight of achieving a result through her own efforts was something she had never experienced before.

"Study hard," Xu Feng said, looking at her flushed face glowing in the firelight, feeling his own mood improve. "Once the mason builds the brick-bed this afternoon, we'll be relying on it for warmth and cooking this winter. If you still don't know how to start a fire by then, the two of us will just have to huddle together and chew on ice chunks."

His half-joking remark startled a sudden giggle out of Yukiko. She raised her head, her bright eyes shining in the firelight like a lake full of stars, gazing steadily at Xu Feng.

"Husband, thank you," she whispered softly.

What she was thanking him for wasn't just teaching her how to tend a fire.

It was also for giving her a home—a home where she could cast aside all her disguise and guard, and learn how to truly live.

Xu Feng felt a bit self-conscious under her gaze, cleared his throat, and stood up. "Alright, keep an eye on the fire and don't let it go out. The meat is almost ready, time to get dinner ready."

"Mm!" Yukiko nodded heavily, watching Xu Feng's tall back as he turned to fetch the bowls and chopsticks, the corners of her mouth curling upward involuntarily.

This ordinary life, wreathed in kitchen smoke, was truly wonderful.

Early the next morning, when Xu Feng pushed open the courtyard gate, quite a few people had already gathered outside.

Most of the villagers woke up early, and the shock brought by yesterday's mountain of game had not yet faded. Today, they saw Wang Erhu leading Fatty and the others loading the remaining game onto the village's only oxcart, preparing to haul it to town.

"Erhu, heading to town to sell meat again today?" a familiar villager greeted.

Wang Erhu straightened his chest. He had deliberately changed into a cleaner shirt today. Although there were still some bruises on his face, his spirit was fuller than ever before.

He relished the gazes of envy and admiration cast by the villagers; this feeling was even more intoxicating than smoking opium.

"That's right. The game Brother Xu hunted has to be sold quickly, converted into cash so we can build a house," Wang Erhu said righteously, as if he deserved a massive share of the credit.

"You brat, you're really showing promise now!"

"Following Xu Feng is the right move! You guys are what you call a powerful alliance!"

Flattery poured in endlessly. Fatty and Skinny Monkey were also floating on air, unconsciously straightening their backs as well.

Only Mute kept his head down, a trace of unease in his eyes.

Leaning against the door frame, Xu Feng watched this scene without a word.

He knew very well that with a person like Wang Erhu, beating him with fists would only make him submit temporarily.

You had to give him a little sweetness, a little undeserved fame, and let him roast himself over the fire.

Now the whole village regarded him as a skilled hunter and his "partner." If Wang Erhu dared to pull any more tricks, he wouldn't even need to lift a finger—the villagers' spittle alone would drown him.

"Master Xu." Seeing Xu Feng, Wang Erhu immediately收起 the smug look, trotted all the way over, and put the fawning smile back on his face. "Don't you worry, I guarantee we'll get a good price today, and every single cent of the money will be brought back to you."

"Go on then." Xu Feng nodded, sweeping his gaze over him. "Behave yourself on the road."

Wang Erhu felt an inexplicable tightening in his chest, and hurriedly bent his waist in agreement.

The oxcart creaked and rumbled away. Xu Feng returned to the courtyard, where Yukiko had just come out with a basin of newly washed clothes to hang up.

Today, she had changed into coarse cloth garments. Though plain, they could not conceal her slender figure and extraordinary temperament.

Nourished by last night, her brows and eyes carried less aloofness and more of a captivating charm.

"Husband, I just heard people outside saying they all thought... the game was hunted with Wang Erhu and the others helping out," Yukiko said softly while hanging the clothes, a trace of indignation in her tone.

"Let them talk." Xu Feng was turning over a small patch of wasteland in the corner of the courtyard. When he was turning the soil yesterday, he felt the texture was a bit off—it was acidic and heavily compacted.

The knowledge of the "agricultural expert" in his mind automatically popped up, telling him this was typical acidic soil, and nothing would grow well without amelioration.

"They're misunderstanding you like that, aren't you angry?" Yukiko asked, somewhat puzzled.

Xu Feng straightened up, dusted the dirt off his hands, looked back at her, and smiled. "Reputation is a good thing sometimes, and a burden at other times. Since Wang Erhu loves carrying this reputation, let him carry it. The louder his reputation, the less he'll dare to bare his teeth in front of me."

He walked over to Yukiko, glanced at the unhung clothes in her basin, and then looked at the pile of burnt firewood ash in the corner of the courtyard. "Yukiko, go scoop up all that wood ash and scatter it over this plot of land."

"Wood ash?" Yukiko was stunned. "Isn't that useless stuff?"

"Who said it's useless?" Xu Feng smiled mysteriously. "That's a treasure. This land is just like a person—if it has a bad temper, you have to stroke its fur the right way. It's 'acidic' right now, and wood ash is 'alkaline.' Give it some to 'eat' and neutralize it, and the vegetables we plant later will grow plump and big."

A theory that sounded unheard of at the time rolled off Xu Feng's lips as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Yukiko understood only half of it, but looking at Xu Feng's resolute gaze, she obediently nodded and went off with a dustpan.

Watching Yukiko conscientiously and evenly scattering the wood ash over the earth, Xu Feng felt a wave of satisfaction.

The skills given by this system might seem useless at first glance, but applied in places like this, they had a unique charm of their own.

Once the world was at peace later on, he would take this young lady, find a scenic place with clear streams and lush mountains, fence off a large plot of land, farm, raise cattle, and spawn a litter of kids. Just thinking about that kind of life was wonderful.

In the afternoon, Wang Erhu and the others returned from town.

The oxcart was loaded with green bricks and lime, followed by two veteran masons.

And every single cent of the money was handed over to Xu Feng.