Chapter 11: Starting From Scratch
"Completed Water Carrying Task, Constitution + 0.1."
"Completed Water Carrying Task, Constitution + 0.1."
"Completed Water Carrying Task, Constitution + 0.1."
Besides the first time which gave me 0.5, the next three times were only 0.1. It was really stingy, but the good thing is that every time the points were added, my body would get a "three-warmth treatment", and the pain in my shoulder would be relieved. That's how I managed to carry four loads of water... which is equivalent to three loads that Jiang Lili carried.
My current constitution has reached 6.8, barely enough to bear the pain of carrying water.
Unfortunately, after our teamwork, the tank is now full, and the opportunity to do the task is gone.
It would be great if I could increase my strength. 5 points of strength is really too low, even Jiang Lili is stronger than me, she can carry eight-tenths full buckets.
So, as soon as Chen Fan put down the shoulder pole, he said to Jiang Lili, "Is there anything else to do?"
In his eyes, even Jiang Lili's beautiful face no longer held any appeal. She was just a task-issuing NPC, and he was a cold, task-grinding machine.
Jiang Lili looked at him in surprise, "Aren't you tired?"
Chen Fan moved his shoulders and flashed a white grin, "I'm okay."
Now Jiang Lili really looked at him with new respect.
She had seen a few people who were weak and couldn't carry water, but those people would collapse to the ground after carrying one load and wouldn't be able to move. But Chen Fan, even though he couldn't carry much, had to carry half a bucket of water each time, but he insisted on carrying four loads, and he is still asking for work.
This spirit is something I should learn from!
Jiang Lili looked around, "The courtyard has been swept, the tables and chairs in the room have been wiped, the tank is full, you washed the dishes, I cleaned the vegetable garden yesterday..."
She lowered her head with a frown, "I can't remember anything else."
Chen Fan looked distressed, why is there no work left to do?
Forget it, you can't get fat by eating just one bite. There's still time, I'll level up eventually.
And judging by today's progress, that day shouldn't be too far away.
After washing his hands and face with a scoop of water, Chen Fan realized that he didn't even have a towel.
He not only didn't have a towel, he didn't have a toothbrush, a washbasin, clothes, nothing.
He was truly starting from scratch!
Seeing Chen Fan's dejected expression with his water-stained hand, Jiang Lili's eyes lit up. She turned and went into her room.
After a while, she came out and saw Chen Fan walking towards his room. She quickly chased after him, "Here."
Chen Fan turned and saw her holding two new towels, a toothbrush and a packet of toothpaste.
Jiang Lili saw that he wasn't taking them and pushed them toward him again, looking at him with a worried expression, "They're new, I haven't used them."
Chen Fan wanted to refuse. He ate her food because he was really hungry, and when Captain Yang and the others sent the rice, he could return it to her. But what would it mean to take her things now?
These things, not to mention the cost, but according to my understanding of this era, all manufactured goods are precious. I'm not close to her, how can I take her things?
But when he saw Jiang Lili's hopeful expression with a touch of anxiety, he thought of Captain Yang's words. He hesitated for two seconds, then sighed silently. He grinned and said, "I really need these things, I won't be polite. I'll return new ones to you when I earn... work points."
Jiang Lili finally smiled, she lowered her head and hummed, handing him the things.
Chen Fan reached out to take them. Just then, a voice came from the door, "What are you doing?"
Hearing the voice, Jiang Lili trembled. She almost dropped the things in her hands, and her head lowered even further.
Chen Fan quickly caught the things, turned around, and said with a calm expression, "Oh, Captain Yang is here."
Then he lifted the towel in his hand, "I don't have anything. Comrade Jiang Lili just happened to have spare towels and toothbrushes, so I borrowed them. I'll return new ones to her later."
Captain Yang walked over carrying a bag. He first glanced at Jiang Lili, then at the things in Chen Fan's hands, his expression finally softened. He even nodded at Jiang Lili, praising her nonchalantly, "It's good that Little Jiang is taking the initiative to help comrades."
Jiang Lili blushed. She paused for a few seconds before saying in a mosquito-like voice, "It's what I should do."
But Captain Yang didn't pay any more attention to her. He tilted his head at Chen Fan, "Let's talk in your room."
Then he walked into the room.
Chen Fan turned and smiled at Jiang Lili before following him in.
Seeing Chen Fan enter the room, Jiang Lili turned around, covered her mouth and laughed happily, and walked quickly back to her room.
...
Captain Yang sat at the table, put the bag on the table, took out his tobacco pipe and filled it with tobacco. He saw Chen Fan enter the room holding things, and said with a half-smile, "You two get along well, huh?"
Chen Fan's face fell. He first put the things on the table, then took the teacup and poured some water while saying, "Oh, Captain, you don't know. I don't even know how long it's been since I last ate. This morning, you had just left, and my stomach was rumbling with hunger. I really couldn't take it anymore. Then Jiang Lili came over and called me to eat, I couldn't hold back, so I went over and ate."
He paused, then quickly added, "But I didn't eat for free. I washed the dishes, and later I carried several loads of water."
Captain Yang frowned, "Keeper Huang didn't send rice to you?"
Chen Fan quickly nodded, "He did, he did. But he sent it when I had already finished eating. If you hadn't come, I was just about to return the rice to Jiang Lili."
He put the teacup next to Captain Yang's hand, then turned around and looked around, "Hmm? Where's the rice?"
It wasn't on the bed, he bent down to look under the bed, but it wasn't there either?
Captain Yang glanced at him, "You didn't put it there yourself?"
Chen Fan quickly straightened up, "I was about to carry water at the time, so I asked Jiang Lili to put it away. Oh, Keeper Huang was there too, he knows."
Captain Yang tilted his head and pointed to the wooden cabinet against the wall, "Open the cabinet below, see if it's in there."
Chen Fan quickly went over to the cabinet next to the bed.
This was a four-door wooden cabinet, a bit like a four-door refrigerator. The two doors on top were longer, but the bottom doors were square, less than half the size of the top ones.
He first opened the top ones, it was a three-tiered cabinet, empty and nothing was inside.
Captain Yang pursed his lips, "The bottom one."
"Oh."
Chen Fan quickly squatted down and opened the cabinet door. Inside was a large, undivided space, and the half-sack of white rice was inside.
They put the rice in the wardrobe?
Chen Fan looked at it with a puzzled expression, hugged the rice out, put it on the empty bed opposite him, opened it and showed it to Captain Yang, "Look, white rice."
Captain Yang didn't say anything, he just nodded to show he understood. Then he took out a small clay pot from his bag.
Then he took a puff of his pipe and said, "You just came, and you don't have any side dishes. Here, it's something I made at home, I won't charge you."
Chen Fan immediately straightened his face and bowed respectfully, "Thank you, Captain."
(End of Chapter)
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