A night passed, and a new day arrived. But on this new day, knocking at the door woke Li Xing.
The pounding on the cottage door went on and on. Bang, bang, bang!
Along with the knocking came a young child's voice.
"Big Brother Li Xing! Are you there? I came to play with you! Are you there?"
Rubbing his bleary, aching eyes, Li Xing got up and walked to the door.
"I'm coming! Coming!"
When Li Xing opened the door, he saw Little Jerry with his right arm still raised in the air.
"Big Brother Li Xing... my, my dad told me to come... come play with you..."
Little Jerry shyly explained why he was there.
At that moment, Li Xing suddenly realized that he seemed to have taken on quite a task.
"Find somewhere to sit and wait for me a bit."
With that, he began washing up for the morning.
Little Jerry sat nearby, carefully watching Li Xing's every move.
After finishing everything, Li Xing came over to Little Jerry.
"Kiddo! Your dad told you to come play with me? Didn't he have anything he wanted to tell me?"
In response to his question, Little Jerry merely looked at him with wide eyes.
After thinking for a moment, he said, "My dad just told me to come play with you, and to watch carefully and learn!"
Hearing that, Li Xing slapped his forehead and muttered, "Just as I thought!"
He recalled hinting to Old Turner yesterday that he had received an education.
Sure enough, he couldn't get a "Miracle" for free. Having learned something, he had to teach Old Turner's son well.
It was a worthwhile deal!
And so, Li Xing began using his mornings to fill in the six- or seven-meter difference in height between the high ground and his cabin, using his Void Construction skill.
He built a wooden frame, then used the excess stone he had cleared away while leveling the high ground to fill the steps between the two levels. After compacting the earth to form a foundation, he laid the stone he had prepared in advance, one piece at a time, to make the steps! After consuming three times as much food as usual, Li Xing used Void Construction to bridge the height difference between the high ground and his cabin!
After noisily polishing off the last spoonful of rice at the bottom of the pot, he looked at the result of his work: the forty or fifty steps connecting the top and bottom of the high ground.
"Big Brother Li Xing, why did you make those smooth rocks so rough?"
As he explained the reason to the puzzled young Jerei on the steps, Li Xing took Little Jerry by the hand and walked up the newly laid stone steps to the high ground behind the cabin.
Having been to the high ground before, Li Xing now just wanted a good rest and a chance to empty his mind, but the young Little Jerry was very excited about the new surroundings.
And so, Li Xing lay down on the grass atop the high ground, telling Little Jerry, who was playing nearby, to be careful and not run off, while he recovered his mental and physical condition!
It had taken all morning and cost him four tool hammers to complete the first part of his plan.
If his body hadn't been growing stronger since he transmigrated,
he couldn't imagine how he could have completed such a project alone!
After getting up, he saw the excitement on Little Jerry's face as he played in the new surroundings.
"There's still a while before the blacksmith's shop opens. I might as well find something to do and relax!" After he said that, the image of internet fishing enthusiasts came to Li Xing's mind for some reason.
"Why don't I give it a try?"
He immediately got up and set to work, taking his last tool hammer and tinkering with the pile of lumber stored near the cabin. Since he couldn't find any bamboo, Li Xing had to make do with a wooden stick for a fishing rod, a chicken feather for a float, and hemp thread for the line. After hammering a thin nail a few times with his skill, he had a fishhook.
"Little Jerry, come here!"
As Little Jerry came hopping over, Li Xing told him his plan. "Your dad probably hasn't taught you to fish, has he? Today, I'll take you fishing. Once you've caught a fish, you can take it to your dad!"
Led by Li Xing, Little Jerry walked with him to the stone bridge west of town.
When they reached the bridge, Li Xing got everything ready, baited the hook, and cast his line.
Little Jerry watched the chicken feather floating on the water with delight.
"Big Brother Li Xing, when will the fish eat the bait?"
"Just wait for the chicken feather to sink!"
"Then when will the chicken feather sink?"
"It'll sink when a fish eats the bait!"
Little Jerry: ...
The long wait was a grueling task for Little Jerry, who was seeing fishing for the first time.
Gradually, he lost interest in it.
So Little Jerry went to play on the grass beside the bridge to pass the time.
As it was his first time fishing outdoors, Li Xing had naturally been prepared for a wait, but when Little Jerry wandered out of his sight, his newly settled heart began to grow restless.
"Now I finally know why nobody takes a kid fishing. I can't calm down at all!"
With that, he called Jerei over from the distance.
"Want to try it yourself?"
Hearing Li Xing's suggestion, Little Jerry put down the bunch of flowers he had just picked and responded with an eager, expectant look.
Li Xing handed Jerei the rod. "You remember the fishing techniques I taught you earlier, right?"
"I remember!"
After taking the rod and answering, Jerei quickly sat down in silence and went into fishing mode.
Seeing the serious look on the little fellow's face, Li Xing took out a few wooden boards and sat down beside Little Jerry at the edge of the stone bridge.
He took out the charcoal pencil he had prepared in advance, looked toward the center of town, and began drawing on the boards.
Before long,
"Big Brother Li Xing! I got one, I got one!"
Little Jerry's sudden shout snapped Li Xing out of his thoughts as he drew.
He turned to see Little Jerry holding the fishing rod, leaning backward with a tense expression.
Li Xing hurriedly took back the rod and pulled on the hemp line attached to the stick. Finding the right moment, he pulled up the line and the fish in one swift motion.
The two looked at the fish still flopping on the ground, then looked at each other and laughed.
"Well done, Jerei!" Li Xing said, stringing the fish on a rope made of grass. "This fish is pretty big. Once it's been taken care of, you can take it to your father and show him what you can do."
Little Jerry jumped up in excitement at that, then carefully examined his prize.
Li Xing put fresh bait on the hook and cast the line into the river again.
"Here, Jerei! Keep it up and try to catch a few for your Big Brother Li Xing too!"
Jerei excitedly took the rod and answered him with a smiling "Yes," then settled back into fishing mode.
Li Xing resumed drawing on the wooden board.
Less than a few minutes later,
"Big Brother Li Xing! Quick, quick, your fish is here!"
Interrupted again, Li Xing stared in shock at Little Jerry, who was leaning backward.
"Damn! Is this what they call beginner's luck?"
Li Xing stopped what he was doing and dealt with the fish they had caught.
Then, as before, he cast the line again and handed the rod to Little Jerry.
"Keep it up, Jerei! Try to catch one for your Uncle Angie Turner too."
With a "Mm!" Little Jerry returned to fishing.
Then, just as Li Xing had said,
"Big Brother Li Xing! Quick, Uncle Angie's fish is here too!"
Li Xing: ...
Damn it, I'm not putting bait on the hook this time. I don't believe beginner's luck can still catch a fish!
With that thought, Li Xing cast the unbaited hook into the river.
"Here, Jerei! Try to get one for your... Sister Lucy too."
"Okay!"
"Big Brother Li Xing! Quick, Sister Lucy's fish is here too."
Li Xing: ...
Why have all these fish turned charitable today? Are they sacrificing themselves to feed Buddha or what?
After dealing with the fish this time, Li Xing stroked Little Jerry's golden hair and said, "Jerei, take a word of advice from me. When you grow up, don't ride in vehicles that fly high in the sky. You don't have the affinity for it, you know?"
Little Jerry had no idea what his Big Brother Li Xing meant. Looking utterly confused, he simply nodded happily and got ready to fish again.
Seeing how eager Little Jerry still was, Li Xing gave up on drawing on the board.
He cast the empty hook out once more.
I don't believe another fish will willingly take the hook this time, Li Xing thought, but he encouraged Little Jerry aloud. "Keep up this pace, Jerei! Try to catch enough fish for all your little friends!"
Little Jerry happily agreed and continued fishing.
But it wasn't long before that young voice rang out again. "Big Brother Li Xing, quick..."
Li Xing: ...
He looked at his emergency stick, now covered in fish.
Li Xing raised his head and looked at Jerei Turner, who was still fishing.
"How many is that now~~"
At that moment, Jerei seemed to Li Xing to have the aura of a game character. Then Li Xing picked up the two bunches of wildflowers Little Jerry had gathered earlier and began weaving a flower crown!
When the crown was finished, Li Xing put it on Little Jerry's head.
As he watched Little Jerry fishing so intently that he forgot everything else, Li Xing followed the direction of Jerei's gaze and noticed something amiss.
Several figures in strange clothing weren't walking on the main road. Instead, they were skulking about in the woods beside it, looking for something.
"Those people don't look like they're from town!"
After muttering that, Li Xing continued helping Little Jerry with the fish he had just caught.
After dealing with the fish, Li Xing stood on the stone bridge and watched the figures in the woods across the river from town. He noticed they had covered their faces in broad daylight and instinctively sensed that they had come with ill intent.
"Big Brother Li Xing, what's wrong? Are we still fishing?" Jerei asked when he noticed the change in his big brother's expression.
Looking at the nearly ten fish on the emergency stick, Li Xing assessed the distance between himself and the people in the woods.
"No! I need to go see your Uncle Angie Turner."
Sensing Little Jerry's disappointment, Li Xing said, "Jerei, I know you're disappointed about the fish you haven't caught yet. But you need to understand that people can't have everything forever, just as the water in this river will always flow away.
"Don't let the things that slip away hold you back. Learn to be content. Only then can you enjoy the good things you've gained with an open mind."
Seeing Little Jerry's bewildered expression, Li Xing guided him further. "For you, right now, you should look forward to that proud moment when your friends receive the fish you caught, rather than feel disappointed about not getting things that didn't belong to you in the first place. Understand?"
Hearing Li Xing's guidance, Little Jerry immediately cast aside the worries that hadn't belonged to him in the first place.
"I understand, Big Brother Li Xing."
After answering, he happily shouldered Li Xing's emergency stick and ran toward the nearby town with the fish hanging from it.
Perhaps Little Jerry was too excited. Before long, he had carried the stick all the way to the town gate.
He turned and saw that his Big Brother Li Xing was still standing where he had been and hadn't come back yet. Raising a hand, he shouted, "Big Brother Li Xing! Hurry up! Uncle Angie and Sister Lucy can't wait anymore!"
Li Xing merely waved, then turned to look at the few suspicious figures by the river on the opposite bank.
The masked strongmen across the river also noticed Li Xing watching them.
Under Li Xing's gaze, one of them curled four fingers into his palm, leaving only his thumb extended, and dragged it across his throat in a warning and provocative gesture.
As a transmigrator, Li Xing naturally wasn't in the habit of indulging them! After giving them an internationally recognized friendly gesture, he spat into the river, turned, and left the stone bridge.
Among the masked men by the river,
"Boss, that guy just now didn't take us seriously at all. Should we go over and teach him a lesson?"
"Get lost! Do you know what we came here for? Do you know why we're wearing masks? If you want to die, don't drag the rest of us down with you. Let's hurry and move somewhere else to continue. Don't forget what we came here to do!"
The two stood in front of the blacksmith's shop.
Seeing that it was about time, Li Xing took a few fish off the emergency stick and asked Jerei a question.
"You know where Sister Lucy's house is, right?"
"I do! Big Brother Li Xing, look! It's right over there."
As he spoke, Little Jerry pointed to a house northwest of the blacksmith's shop!
After looking, Li Xing said to Little Jerry,
"Then go on. Remember to explain the situation to Sister Lucy! I'll come get you after I'm done helping your Uncle Angie!"
And so,
Li Xing watched Little Jerry carry his emergency stick with the fish tied to it and knock on Lucy's door.
After Li Xing saw Little Jerry speak with Lucy and hand over the emergency stick, Little Jerry pointed in his direction.
Lucy spotted Li Xing in the distance, and the two exchanged a brief glance.
Under Lucy's reproachful gaze, Li Xing pressed his palms together and raised them over his head, and she understood that he was asking her a favor.
And so, Little Jerry was led into Lucy's house!
Li Xing, meanwhile, began his work as a helper at the blacksmith's shop.