Labor! Aaargh!

Kohaku and little Watermelon went into the village and spread the word, with downright explosive results.

The ancient village, quiet and peaceful until then, burst into life.

Men and women, young and old, poured out of their wooden houses in twos and threes, brimming with curiosity as they followed the paths toward the clearing at the village entrance.

For a thousand years, village life had stayed the same: work at sunrise, rest at sunset. There had never been any new entertainment, let alone free food or rare goods. Not a single villager wanted to miss a commotion like this.

The crowd split in two, instantly forming two very different scenes.

Most of the villagers fixed their eyes on the steaming ramen in the earthenware bowls. An unfamiliar savory aroma filled their noses, and their eyes shone with eager anticipation as they gazed at the smooth, springy noodles.

A smaller group had barely stepped out of the village before the new clothes displayed in the clearing captured their attention completely. They could not look away.

New clothes in all sorts of colors hung neatly on hooks, their shades soft and fresh.

The fabric had a softness the women had never felt before. Unlike their usual coarse hemp, which was heavy and chafed their skin, it was light and breathable.

Combined with the simple cuts carefully designed by Qian Wuhuan, the clothes looked sleek and lovely, a hundred times more refined than the village's monotonous hemp garments and animal skins.

A gentle breeze fluttered the hems. Simple as these cloth garments were, they looked especially fresh and elegant in the mountain light and shadows, instantly capturing every girl's love of beauty.

Everyone gathered around the two sides, sniffing the ramen's aroma while admiring the beautiful new clothes. Excited chatter rose all around, turning the village entrance into a bustling sea of voices.

Senku had prepared a huge pot of ramen well in advance, with plenty to go around. Its steaming fragrance filled the entire clearing.

He calmly portioned it into bowls and handed them out, watching the villagers eagerly accept their ramen, blow on it, and slurp down big mouthfuls. Amazement and satisfaction spread across their faces as they wolfed it down, praising it nonstop.

Seeing everyone fall for it, Senku could not stop his signature devious grin from spreading across his face, his eyes gleaming.

The bait had landed, and every fish had taken the hook.

Li Xiang, standing nearby, saw it all clearly. At just the right moment, she stepped forward and gave the delighted girls a sincere smile, her tone cheerful and easygoing.

"Ladies, all these new clothes are yours for free."

That single sentence made every girl's eyes light up with joy.

Who could turn down a soft, beautiful new outfit that cost them nothing?

Before their excitement could settle, Li Xiang gently shifted her tone, adding a small request.

"There's just one little condition. If you take some clothes, you'll need to do me a little favor, okay?"

With the lovely, gentle Li Xiang, who had personally made these gorgeous clothes, standing before them-and free clothes on offer-how could the village girls hesitate?

They all hurried to nod and agree, their eyes eager, without the slightest hesitation.

As far as they were concerned, lending a hand with a small favor in exchange for a gorgeous new outfit was an absolute steal.

Before anyone knew it, every villager at the entrance, whether a man with a belly full of ramen or a woman enchanted by the new clothes, had willingly come over to their side.

With the mood perfectly set, Senku cleared his throat, put away his smile, and turned a serious gaze on the noisy crowd.

"Now that you've eaten our ramen and accepted our free clothes..."

"There's no such thing as a free lunch, or something for nothing, right?"

A wicked grin curled his lips again, his voice sly.

"So-heh heh heh. You've taken our gifts and eaten our food, so now you owe us! Come on over and get to work!"

That punchable grin of a man whose scheme had succeeded left Li Xiang speechless.

She raised her arm and drove a well-aimed elbow into Senku, muttering helplessly under her breath.

"Rein in that smug grin, will you? Don't make it so obvious!"

After taking that elbow, Senku obediently toned down his expression.

With both delicious food and new clothes paving the way, there was no need for further persuasion. Not a single villager objected; everyone nodded in agreement.

A moment later, nearly eighty percent of the village's workforce sprang into action. Men and women, young and old, each took on their tasks and bustled around the site Senku had laid out, all throwing themselves into building the generator.

Li Xiang stood to one side, watching the grand sight of everyone working together, and could not help marveling to herself, her eyes full of awe.

"This really is spectacular..."

She murmured in wonder, her gaze full of emotion.

"I've only ever seen everyone mobilizing and working together like this in history textbooks."

Looking at those honest, yellow-skinned faces, she instinctively murmured with regret.

"It's a shame. The scenes in those books weren't quite the same as this..."

Those were fucking enslaved Black people!!!

"What are you standing around sighing about? No spacing out and slacking off! Get over here and work!"

Senku glanced back, spotted her lost in thought, and called her over without mercy.

Li Xiang covered her face, speechless, and answered lazily.

"Coming, coming! What's the rush? Honestly, you won't let me rest for even a second."

Complaints aside, she still hurried over and got to work alongside Senku, helping everyone move the construction forward.

The two led the whole village in an orderly effort. The generator's foundations gradually took shape, and everything progressed steadily.

But Li Xiang never forgot their most important task-treating Ruri.

While everyone was hard at work and things had settled into a steady rhythm, she slipped away from the construction site to brew Ruri's medicine on schedule.

Day after day, she used precisely balanced herbal preparations to keep the inflammation in Ruri's lungs under control and stabilize her longstanding illness.

Inside the house, a faint medicinal fragrance lingered. The last bowl of medicine prescribed for her condition that day had finished brewing in the pot.

The strong smell of medicine filled the wooden house, bitter and pungent enough to make a person's throat tighten just from smelling it.

Li Xiang carefully ladled out the medicine, let it cool until warm, and brought it to Ruri, who sat quietly resting. She gently reminded her,

"This is your last bowl of medicine today. Be good and drink it all."

Ruri nodded gently. Though she drank medicine every day and had long since grown used to its bitterness, a barely noticeable trace of apprehension still lingered in her eyes as she looked at the dark liquid.

This was her only hope of recovery. Without the slightest protest, she accepted the porcelain bowl in both hands, tipped her head back, closed her eyes, and poured the entire bowl of bitter herbal medicine down her throat in one go.

An intense bitterness instantly flooded her mouth, leaving the back of her tongue astringent and slightly numb. Still, she gritted her teeth and finished every drop without a sound.

Seeing her endure the bitterness softened Li Xiang's heart. She had already prepared a sweet fruit candy and gently slipped it into Ruri's mouth.

Its sweetness instantly melted over her tongue, perfectly balancing the lingering bitterness of the medicine. The gentle, refreshing sweetness swept away all her discomfort.

"You're doing wonderfully, Ruri."

Li Xiang bent down, looking gently at the girl before her.

"That medicine is so bitter, but you finish it every time without complaining. You're amazing."

With the candy in her mouth and its sweetness slowly spreading, Ruri relaxed completely.

She picked up the water beside her and drank it in small sips, soothing the lingering astringency in her throat. A faint flush returned to her pale cheeks, her expression eased, and her voice grew considerably lighter.

"It's all right, Li Xiang."

She smiled softly, joy shining in her eyes.

"My body feels so much lighter. My chest isn't tight anymore, and I'm coughing less. I feel so much better than before."

The daily herbal treatment had gradually brought her years of chronic pneumonia under control. The longstanding pockets of disease slowly subsided, and her bodily functions recovered little by little.

Li Xiang gently raised a hand and rubbed the top of her head.

"Keep at it a little longer. We'll soon finish making the antibiotic medicine for your condition, and then we can cure your illness for good."

"Get plenty of rest in the meantime. Make sure you don't catch a chill, avoid spicy foods and foods that cause excess internal heat, and take good care of yourself."

Ruri obediently nodded.