Little Things in the Vegetable Garden
"There's even a web novelist here. Do you read online novels too?"
As Diana clung to Li Bai, she carefully avoided the vegetable sprouts on the ground when she landed.
She clearly recognized them, too.
This was just when they were sprouting. Stepping on them wouldn't stop them from growing, but it could easily leave them crooked and misshapen once they matured, affecting their appearance, one of the four qualities of color, fragrance, flavor, and form.
A few young hens had slipped out of the coop in the distance. They kept glancing furtively toward the vegetable garden, occasionally pecking guiltily at grains of sand or wild grass. The lush melons, vegetables, and wild greens had clearly tempted them, but the snake demon's aura emanating from the depths of the garden kept them from daring to approach. They clucked incessantly, unwilling to give up.
Insects were often stupid. They only dodged by instinct when danger was right on top of them. Chickens, ducks, and other poultry were a bit smarter; they could sense danger and fear from far away.
Even if they had a hundred more helpings of courage, these greedy, plump chickens wouldn't dare ruin the vegetable garden Sun Fatty had worked so hard to grow.
The chickens and ducks raised at the peacekeeping force's camp were under the Kitchen Squad's care. They fed them leftovers, and since the coop had been put together carelessly from shoddy materials, "jailbreaks" happened all the time. Some smaller, cleverer hens often sneaked out.
Still, it was no big deal. As soon as dusk fell or a cook blew the whistle, the escaped "convicts" would hurry back to their nests. The best way to catch poultry that liked to run around all day was to wait for them