Chapter 2 - Who Loves Me In A Radius Of Ten Meters?
Chen Chen sighed inwardly. There were probably many similar treasures in this world, but their ordinary appearance concealed their true powers, making them useless from their birth to their destruction.
"If you were a piece of gra.s.s, I could grit my teeth and eat you. But you are feces, so I just can"t do it."
Chen Chen shook his head, ignored the pile of feces, and started experimenting with the other functions of the system.
Before he knew it, the sun had gradually gone down and it was now evening.
The tenant farmers returned home with their farm tools.
...
"System, find me the most handsome person within ten meters!"
"Host, please look in the mirror."
Hearing the system"s answer, Chen Chen took a look in the small bronze mirror at home, feeling quite satisfied.
After looking in the mirror, Chen Chen"s expression changed. He had been so busy today trying the system, he had forgotten to cook for his parents!
Just as he was about to anxiously wash the rice, his father, Chen Shan, and mother, Qin Rou, arrived home.
"Uh… Dad, Mom… I forgot to cook today," Chen Chen revealed, a little embarra.s.sed when he saw his parents" tired faces.
As soon as he said this, a loud voice suddenly came from outside the house not giving his parents a chance to reply.
"That"s okay, you can eat at your auntie"s house today."
The voice had come from a hefty auntie, who had just entered the room.
This auntie was their neighbor, Erya"s mom. Chen Chen called her Auntie Lee.
Chen Shan and Qin Rou sighed when they heard the words. They really weren"t in the mood to eat today.
The harvest season was fast approaching, but the upstream dike had a problem. All of the fields in Stone Village had flooded, so there was almost nothing left for this year"s harvest.
How was Stone Village going to pay the land rent?
Not paying the land rent these days was a big deal. The lightest punishment was a beating, being driven out of the farm, and turned into a refugee; the worst punishment meant you had to sell your children, be exiled for thousands of miles, and never be allowed to live in peace.
At that moment, Chen Shan suddenly spoke up, "Little Chen, why don"t you marry Erya?"
"Huh?"
Chen Chen was stunned when he heard this. Erya was only 14 years old. Although it was pretty common to get married at that age in this world, how could he, a good, young man with a socialist education, accept such a thing?
Furthermore, ever since he was young, neither of them had anything in common, so why get married if there was no romantic love present?
Erya poked her head out from behind Auntie Lee, her expression timid.
The tenant farmer"s daughter wasn"t pretty. She had healthy-looking tanned skin, and a build that was on the thinner side.
Seeing Erya"s expression, Chen Chen had an idea. Did the girl have a crush on him? Had she mentioned it to Auntie Lee?
Indeed, his temperament was very outstanding in this small village, so it would be normal to have a crush on him, but...
"System, who loves me in a ten-meter radius?" After experimenting with the system for a bit, Chen Chen was able to subconsciously ask this question in his heart.
"There are three targets."
Chen Chen"s heart lurched upon hearing the system"s answer. As expected, Erya had a crush on him!
Two of the three targets must be his parents. There were no parents who did not have love for their children.
As for the other one, who else could it be but Erya? Or could it be Auntie Lee…
"Being too outstanding was indeed a mistake..." Chen Chen murmured to himself, thinking about how to reject this not-meant-to-be crush.
At that time, the system began to locate the targets.
"Two targets are directly in front of you. As for the other target, walk two meters forward, then turn left five meters."
Hearing this prompt, Chen Chen was stunned.
Of course his parents were in front of him, but the other target"s location didn"t match where Erya was.
Subconsciously following the system"s prompts, Chen Chen arrived at the pigpen again and stood in front of the pile of pig sh*t.
He looked at Lao Hei, who was in the pigpen, while Lao Hei looked back at him.
Man and pig stared at each other with wide eyes. At this moment, Chen Chen had mixed feelings in his heart.
Lao Hei the pig actually loved him. It was so touching!
For some reason, he suddenly felt that Lao Hei, the black pig, had become gentle and good-looking, a kindness present in his eyes.
"Lao Hei, I didn"t take care of you for so many years for nothing! I can"t believe you"re a little human now. No wonder you can produce such extraordinary sh*t," Chen Chen said softly, walking to Lao Hei and patting his head.
"Hum..."
Lao Hei grunted twice, closed his eyes, and rubbed Chen Chen"s hand a few times, his expression showing enjoyment.
Chen Chen smiled when he saw this. His family had raised this pig for nearly ten years. It was normal for him to feel connected to him.
But if Erya didn"t like him, why did his father talk about him marrying Erya?
Thinking about this, he walked into the house again.
Inside, his parents were talking to Auntie Lee.
"When my family can"t pay the land rent, we can still give up a pig to help deduct the payment. But your family..."
His mom, Qin Rou, looked at Erya as she spoke.
Auntie Lee looked ready to cry.
The landlord of Stone Village was not very benevolent. If Auntie Lee couldn"t pay the land rent, they would most likely take Erya away and sell her to a brothel.
She was a widow and didn"t have much power. It had not been easy to raise Erya on her own for so many years. If Erya was sold, she would not survive for much longer.
Outside the room, Chen Chen had already guessed most of the matter.
Obviously, there was a problem with the fields of Stone Village, and they could not pay the land rent this year.
His parents were worried that Erya would be kidnapped and sold to a brothel, so they were offering to marry him to her.
Erya"s father had been kind to their family in the past, so his parents" decision was understandable.
In this world, ordinary tenants could never leave the village, and their only potential marriage partners were the few peers in the village. It was very likely that his parents had originally planned to make him marry Erya anyway.
If it was before, Chen Chen would probably have accepted his fate. However, now he was a system-enhanced person who would become immortal sooner or later. Did he need to commit himself to marriage to solve someone else"s problems?
It wouldn"t be fair to his status.
Thinking of this, he went directly into the house and said, "Dad, mom, is there a problem with the land rent? Don"t we we still have three days before it"s due? In three days, I will raise the money needed for rent. I can do it!"
"Land rent is more than a thousand coins, how can you..." Qin Rou stopped talking.
Chen Chen waved his hand and said, "Mom, do you remember the accountant at Hefeng Pharmacy, in the county? He said that I have a talent for numbers and wanted me as an apprentice. I will go find him, maybe I can advance some pay."
"But..."
"No buts, I"m sixteen now. I can"t be at home all day anymore. Also, Lao Hei is a good pig, don"t sell him." Chen Chen said with a smile, running directly towards the entrance of the village.
Stone Village was only ten miles from the county, so he would probably be there when it got dark.
"Little Chen! Maybe go tomorrow? It"s not safe at night!" his parents shouted with worry from behind him.
"It"s fine!" Chen Chen hollered, quickening his pace.
It was easier for him to do things at night. As for safety? What was there to worry about? He was broke! Why would anyone want to rob him?