Chapter 44: Rewards
Mo Ying took Lin Xu away and back to their home.
Letting go of her, he said, "You don’t need to explain much to them. Even if they choose to listen or not, that’s their business."
His words made her relax for a moment. She smiled faintly and shook her head. "Let’s just focus on getting things ready... tomorrow I’ll call Carpenter Gu to make a tall shelf to store food and other things."
Mo Ying nodded. Just as Lin Xu turned to go back inside, her body swayed. A wave of dizziness hit her, and she almost fell.
Mo Ying quickly caught her by the arm, his brows furrowing. "What’s wrong with you? Did you even eat today?"
Lin Xu steadied herself and muttered, "I... I only ate at noon."
His expression darkened, his tone sharp. "Are you stupid? Running around, worrying about the whole village, and you can’t even take care of yourself?"
Lin Xu frowned at his rudeness but didn’t argue.
Without another word, Mo Ying bent down and scooped her up, carrying her with ease. "Sit here," he ordered as he placed her on the wooden bench outside. "Don’t move. I’ll cook something for you."
Lin Xu let out a long sigh. "You don’t have to—"
"I said I’ll cook. Be quiet." His tone cut her off, leaving no room for refusal.
Not long after, the smell of warm rice filled the air. Mo Ying brought out a bowl of steaming congee and placed it in her hands. "Eat."
Lin Xu took a spoonful, the warmth easing the empty ache in her stomach. She blinked at him and asked, "For a man, you cook really well. How do you know how to cook like this?"
Mo Ying paused, his gaze distant for a moment, as if he was lost in thought. His jaw tightened before he finally answered in a low voice. "My mother was a good cook. I learned little by little from her."
His tone was flat, but there was something behind it, something Lin Xu couldn’t quite place. They were married yet they were basically strangers, so she didn’t have any right to put her hands in his business.
"The kids are already asleep... I’ll go to sleep with them." She said as she ate the last scoop of rice before standing up to leave.
Mo Ying wanted to say something but he stopped himself.
But before Lin Xu left, she said, her back still facing him, "Thank you... for trusting me, Mo Ying."
And with that, she left as he just stood there, a faint smile visible on his lips.
After Lin Xu left, Fuhan came out from the shadows as Mo Ying’s expression immediately became cold.
"Young master, I have news from the general."
"What did he say?"
"It seems like the ledger you had gotten from the Song family was fake... the real one is still with the Song family." Fuhan explained, and Mo Ying nodded.
"Keep an eye on the Song family, find out their security patterns... I want to know how heavily guarded they are and what part of their household has the most guards."
"Yes!" Saying that, Fuhan left immediately as Mo Ying just sighed. He wanted to get this mission over and done with as fast as he could, yet something in him still wanted to stay.
---
Entering into the kids’ room, Lin Xu saw that the boys and Yiling were already asleep. She smirked softly at the cute sight before her.
She only cared about one thing in this life, and that was the well-being of her children. Anyone else was irrelevant.
"Susu!" she called in a whisper.
A faint glow shimmered in front of her eyes as Susu’s cheerful voice rang out.
[Host has summoned Susu~ What do you need this time?]
Lin Xu crossed her arms. "Tell me my current balance."
[Balance: 486 taels.]
Her lips curved in relief. At least she still had enough. "Good. Now, bring out the list of food markets and their prices. I need to prepare for the mountain."
The golden screen flickered, and rows of items began to scroll before her eyes. Rice, dried meat, beans, salted fish, preserved vegetables, flour, oil, even dried fruits, all neatly listed with their costs.
Without hesitation, Lin Xu pointed one after the other. "Two sacks of rice. A jar of oil. A basket of dried meat. Preserved vegetables, enough for three days. And dried fish too. Add that."
[Ding! Purchase confirmed. Items have been sent directly to Host’s storage space. 122 taels deducted.]
She nodded, satisfied. "Now show me materials for shelter."
Another set of items appeared, bamboo poles, ropes, waterproof cloth, thick blankets, straw mats, and tools for setting them up.
Lin Xu carefully chose what she needed. "Bamboo poles, ropes, one large waterproof cloth, three blankets, and straw mats. That should be enough for a tent for all of us."
[Ding! Purchase confirmed. 89 taels deducted. Items stored in inventory.]
Lin Xu exhaled, her eyes softening as she glanced back at her children. "Good... at least now we won’t suffer when the flood comes."
[Host is becoming more reliable~ Susu is proud!]
Lin Xu rolled her eyes. "Shut up, you’re just taking my money."
[Hehe, but Susu takes it for your own good!]
Just as Lin Xu was about to dismiss the system, Susu’s voice chimed again, brighter than before.
[Host, wait! Since you used the Weather Prediction feature, you’ve earned three rewards!]
Lin Xu blinked, pausing midway as she tucked the children’s blanket properly. "Rewards?"
[Yes! Three rewards, carefully chosen for Host’s survival needs.]
A new golden screen appeared in front of her, and one by one, the rewards began to show.
[First reward: Survivor Instincts (Yet to be Activated).]
[When the Host activates this, all survival senses will sharpen, danger awareness, quick reflexes, and alertness will heighten for 24 hours. Use wisely, because once time runs out, it will enter a cooldown period of seven days.]
Lin Xu’s brows lifted slightly. "That... is actually useful."
[Second reward: Herb Identifier.]
[With this, Host can instantly recognize edible, poisonous, and medicinal herbs just by looking at them. No more worrying about mistakes in the wild.]
Lin Xu felt her lips twitch. "That will save me a lot of time."
[Third reward: Portable Spatial Well.]
[A small well has been added to Host’s storage space. It produces clean, fresh water endlessly. Limited to 50 liters per day.]
Lin Xu froze, staring at the golden text in disbelief. An endless source of water. In a survival situation, that was worth more than gold.
Her heart softened as she looked at her sleeping children again. At least now, no matter how bad things got, they wouldn’t go thirsty.
"...Susu, this time, you actually did something right."
[Hehehe~ Susu is always right! Host, don’t forget, the world may be cruel, but Susu will always make sure you and the little buns survive.]
Lin Xu exhaled deeply and let the golden screen fade. She pulled the blanket tighter around her children, then finally lay down beside them.
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