A Loving Family

Around one in the afternoon, the sun was blazing, heat waves rolling through the air. It already felt somewhat like midsummer.

Li Wei rested for half an hour. More precisely, he determined the time by checking the changes in his status panel.

The moment his stamina recovered to 80 and his strength to 7, he grabbed his axe and headed straight for the east bank of the creek.

Yet he still felt awful. His entire body ached terribly, and his arms were so swollen that he could barely hold the axe.

Both hands were a bloody mess, with some spots even beginning to fester and inflame.

These were the sorts of conditions that would previously have made him hesitate and worry, but he could no longer spare them any thought.

Because he felt that something more important might happen next, that there might be greater benefits to fight for.

Or, taking a step back, he could not just sit by and watch his cheap mother live in that dark, damp shack every day. Building a small wooden house as soon as possible was only reasonable.

Bang!

The axe came down heavily without the slightest tremor. Pain twisted Li Wei's entire face, yet he gritted his teeth hard and made no sound, letting blood trickle down.

He was going all in.

Still, after chopping over the past two days, he had at least grasped the basic principles of swinging a logging axe. Both the effect and efficiency of his chops had undoubtedly improved greatly. Setting aside the pain in his palms, this was highly effective at conserving stamina.

Previously, he had wasted too much stamina on ineffective chops.

He could even begin to summarize certain patterns: how much force to build up, how high to raise the axe, how much strength to use, and how to coordinate his body as he brought it down.

He was truly focused, calculating every detail with all his mind and body.

He had no choice. It hurt too much, so he had to ensure every chop earned the greatest possible positive return.

The results were quite obvious. When he felled the first tree, he had used only 15 stamina. But by the time he felled the second, he had spent 20 stamina, his strength had fallen to 5, and his mild hunger had begun turning into moderate hunger.

At this point before, he would have been approaching complete exhaustion.

His efforts had only improved the outcome slightly. He was still a long way from felling a third tree.

But at this moment, Li Wei's resolve became incomparably firm. Gritting his teeth, even if he had to rest for a moment after every swing, he refused to give up.

He forcibly brought it down just before the sun set. By then, he was trembling so badly that he could barely stand.

Penny led the emaciated Old Ox across the creek. She looked at him with a somewhat complicated expression but said nothing, merely harnessing the log and dragging it back.

Li Wei sat there for a long while before finally hugging his axe and limping back to camp.

Phila had already finished cooking the Wild Vegetable Soup. She looked much more spirited, the red flames reflecting against her face and making her seem peaceful.

But just then, Li Wei suddenly shuddered.

The gray card in his hand appeared, then vanished.

A few lines of information silently flashed past.

[The house construction storyline initiated by Apprentice Artisan *** has reached the one-third progress milestone. Current progress: site selection complete, ground leveling complete, stone foundation piled complete, log stockpile complete.]

[Calculating rewards. Current total reward: 30 Construction Experience.]

[You felled ten logs required for house construction. You gained 10 Construction Experience.]

[Because you did not participate in transporting the logs, 1 Construction Experience has been deducted.]

[You currently have 10 Logging Experience and 9 Construction Experience.]

[Friendly reminder: Different types of work experience can be invested into the Farmer Card to upgrade it. Upgrade requirements are as follows—100 Farming Experience can upgrade a One-star Farmer Card to two stars. Alternatively, accumulating 200 Logging Experience or 200 Construction Experience can also upgrade the Farmer Card to two stars.]

[Friendly reminder: Due to the absence of the head of the household, internal family affairs are currently in a state of disorder. Ownership of this house will belong to you and Apprentice Artisan ***, with each party's share of authority determined by their level of participation.]

So that was it.

Li Wei shot Penny a shocked glance. She seemed to sense it too and swiftly looked back, but immediately turned away again, drinking her Wild Vegetable Soup with an unchanged expression.

At last, he understood. His cheap older sister Penny, like him, was not a native.

The only difference was that he had fused with a One-star Farmer Card, while Penny had likely fused with a One-star Artisan Card.

Furthermore, without a doubt, Penny was probably an experienced player compared to him.

Otherwise, it was difficult to explain how someone who looked so frail could earn 20 Construction Experience in less than two days.

After all, leveling ground, moving stones, and piling a foundation were not easy jobs either.

Li Wei very much wanted to ask, but in the end, he decided not to act rashly.

He had not forgotten the original warning: he was not allowed to reveal details that were incompatible with this world.

On the other hand, if Penny was not a native but a card player like him, then she should have guessed his identity long ago. Yet she had said nothing, which itself spoke volumes.

Besides, what was the core mechanism of this mission? They appeared to be a family, but was there really no competitive mechanism?

Just like how Penny had used the ox to help him transport the logs, yet had actually taken one point of his Construction Experience.

That had been far too easy to earn.

There also had to be other mechanisms in this mission.

For instance, Penny had cooked before. Could cooking experience be earned from that?

And even his cheap mother Phila—who could guarantee that she was a native? Who could be certain?

Bowlful by bowlful, Li Wei finished both bowls of Wild Vegetable Soup. He was still hungry, and his body was exhausted, but his mind was exceptionally alert. Just as he was trying to think of something to say to Phila, his cheap older sister Penny suddenly stood up, took out a small pouch, and walked over to him.

"I gathered a few medicinal herbs when I had some time today. The blood blisters on your hands are nearly rotting. Let me apply something to them."

She spoke gently, as though she truly cared about her younger brother.

But in reality, a message immediately flashed before Li Wei's eyes.

[Apprentice Artisan *** is selling healing herbs to you. Pay 1 Construction Experience to purchase them?]

Damn!

What a heartwarming scene between siblings.

Li Wei stared at Penny in shock and chose to confirm. He could not refuse.

It was practically like an upperclassman collecting protection money from a lowerclassman.

But he needed to pay that protection money, and he also needed to ensure his health as much as possible. If his hands continued to inflame, they might really fester.

The transaction succeeded. One point of Construction Experience was gone.

Yet Penny acted as if nothing had happened. Without pausing, she opened the pouch, mashed up several herbs, and carefully applied them to Li Wei's hands. He had no idea whether they would work.

"Sleep early. Let's try to finish building the house tomorrow."

Leaving those words behind, Penny naturally walked away. Li Wei was still deep in thought when several more lines of information suddenly flashed past.

[Apprentice Chef *** is requesting payment for food expenses from the past two days. Friendly reminder: All current food and part of this family's property belong to her. You must pay the fees. The itemized bill is as follows.]

[Crude Barley Porridge ×3: Pay 3 points of any experience.]

[Delicious Wild Vegetable Soup ×4: Pay 2 points of any experience.]

[You successfully paid 5 Logging Experience.]

What the hell?

Li Wei stared in utter shock at Phila, who was dozing beside the campfire. Good heavens, she was a player too.

Following that logic, did that not mean the cheap father who died yesterday had also been a player?

What a truly loving family.

Damn it, he had worked himself half to death these past two days, only to end up with 5 Logging Experience and 8 Construction Experience!

Li Wei finally realized that this seemingly simple mission was not simple at all.