Chapter 22

Chapter 22

During breakfast, Lu Maomao waited with a stomach in knots for Old Master Yu to question him, his nervousness so great that he barely ate. After all, he had only managed to hoe about two hundred paces of land that morning, a result he felt was hardly presentable. Lu Maomao kept stealing glances at Old Master Yu, worried about what the old man might think of him.

Would he think he was slacking on purpose and extend his farming time? Or would he think he wasn't taking it seriously and stop Xiaoyu from bringing him water? Or, more sinisterly, would he use Xiaoyu as a hostage, forcing him to earn time with Xiaoyu by completing a certain amount of work each day?

Lu Maomao's imagination ran wild, and the scenarios grew worse and worse.

Just as he was about to confess everything, Yu Changan tapped his head with chopsticks and said impatiently, "What are you thinking about? Hurry up and eat. You're making Xiaoyu bite his chopsticks too."

Lu Maomao turned to look at Yu Xiaoyu and saw his beautiful Little Fairy Boy staring motionlessly at the pickled vegetables on the table, his chopsticks clenched in his mouth, mirroring his own current posture.

Lu Maomao: "..."

Lu Maomao put down his own chopsticks, took Yu Xiaoyu's away, and fetched two white porcelain spoons. He placed one in Yu Xiaoyu's bowl and one in his own. "Xiaoyu, let's have a porridge-drinking race. Whoever finishes first wins, okay?"

"Okay."

Old Master Yu, unaware of what Lu Maomao wanted to say to him, continued eating his porridge and vegetables at a leisurely pace. Seeing Xiaoyu eagerly slurping his porridge to beat Lu Maomao, the old man closed his eyes briefly.

This Feifan, when would he teach Xiaoyu something good?

It wasn't until the table was cleared and the old master left without asking him anything that Lu Maomao realized he had been tricked by that wretched Yu Sui.

*His brother-in-law's men are just as bad as his brother-in-law*, Lu Maomao thought. At the same time, he felt annoyed. In the past, it was always the Cat King who intimidated others. Today, he had been frightened by a mere human.

Lu Maomao couldn't help but reflect on himself, vowing that such a thing would not happen again.

The old master was reasonable. Knowing it was his first time working the land, how could he possibly make excessive demands? He shouldn't think Old Master Yu was a slave driver just because he hadn't immediately agreed to let him study. Even if his brother-in-law was a slave driver, the old master definitely wasn't.

"Xiaoyu, let's go for a walk to help our digestion." Lu Maomao led the well-fed Xiaoyu away from the main hall.

Yu Xiaoyu followed Lu Maomao as they strolled slowly through the courtyard. When they reached his play area, Yu Xiaoyu tugged on Lu Maomao's arm and led him to the large banyan tree in the yard. "Cat, dig."

The rest of the courtyard was paved with bluestone, but there was a patch of earth about ten square feet under the banyan tree where its roots were anchored. Having just developed a fondness for digging, Yu Xiaoyu had set his sights on this soil.

"Then let's dig." Lu Maomao had Cui Xi fetch Xiaoyu's little hoe and rake. The banyan tree's roots ran deep, and with Xiaoyu's strength and simple tools, there was no risk of uprooting it. So, Lu Maomao felt no guilt as he squatted on the ground with Yu Xiaoyu to dig.

Having fun playing with Yu Xiaoyu, Lu Maomao was tempted to skip work for half a day—stay with Xiaoyu in the morning and go hoe in the afternoon. But just then, Yu Sui brought over the group of children from yesterday. Seeing Yu Xiaoyu digging with his exquisitely crafted miniature farming tools, the children swarmed around him, helping to clear leaves and move soil. In no time, the older girl from yesterday, catching Lu Maomao off guard, pushed him out of the circle.

Lu Maomao landed hard on his backside. He was about to loudly scold the girl and shoo away these children stealing Xiaoyu's attention when Yu Sui approached him, suppressing a smile. "Son-in-law, it's time to go to the fields."

"Xiaoyu wants me to dig with him," Lu Maomao said reluctantly. The rowdy children were rough; he wasn't comfortable leaving Xiaoyu to play with them. What if Xiaoyu got hurt?

He was only worried about Xiaoyu getting injured, not at all afraid of Xiaoyu being taken away from him.

"Young Master Xiaoyu has company now. While his attention isn't on you, Son-in-law, why not go finish what you didn't complete this morning? You can come back and play with Young Master Xiaoyu after you're done," Yu Sui persuaded.

"Old Master and Young Master Chang'an hope you can see things through to the end."

"Don't use the old master and my brother-in-law to pressure me."

"I wouldn't dare."

*As if you wouldn't dare. You just used their names as a shield this morning.* He, Lu Maomao, wasn't raised on threats. That trick might work once, but it wouldn't work again.

Nevertheless, Lu Maomao sprang up from the ground, dusted himself off, and left, looking back every few steps. By the time he left the residence, Yu Xiaoyu hadn't even noticed he was gone, which left Lu Maomao feeling quite dejected.

Was he no longer Xiaoyu's favorite cat? No, he was. Xiaoyu liked him best. It was all those children's fault, distracting Xiaoyu with their antics.

"Are those ugly kids carrying bamboo dragonflies on their belts?" Lu Maomao asked Yu Sui beside him.

"Probably."

Lu Maomao was internally frantic. *He and Xiaoyu hadn't even played with bamboo dragonflies together yet, and those kids got to do it first. How infuriating!*

"Fine, fine, stop nagging."

When Lu Maomao returned to the field, Yu Youqian was already waiting for him. Seeing Lu Maomao arrive, he handed him the hoe. Yu Sui exchanged a few words with Yu Youqian before leaving. Lu Maomao hoed for the entire morning, working in fits and starts, resting when tired and continuing when he felt better. Yu Youqian didn't dare to discipline him, simply squatting shirtless by the roadside to keep him company.

Xiaoyu hadn't brought water in the morning, so Lu Maomao held no hope for the afternoon. Yet, Yu Xiaoyu came with his entourage again. Even with new playmates, Xiaoyu's favorite was still, of course, Lu Maomao. When Lu Maomao was gone for too long, Xiaoyu started fussing to find him. So, Cui Xi and Nanny Shisong brought him out once more.

This time, however, they had a few little tails—several children singing songs and holding dogtail grass followed along.

"Cat, drink water."

Yu Xiaoyu had become quite adept at persuading people to drink. Not wanting to disappoint Xiaoyu's kind gesture, Lu Maomao took the bowl and drank a couple of mouthfuls.

"Cat, dig."

After Lu Maomao finished drinking, Yu Xiaoyu pointed at the patch of land Lu Maomao had just been hoeing.

"Xiaoyu, you want to see me dig? I'll dig for you right now."

Lu Maomao happily ran back to continue hoeing, only to be mocked by the group of children. "Son-in-law Lu, why is your strength so little? Didn't you eat enough?"

"Son-in-law Lu's strength isn't small. I think he just doesn't know how to use it properly."

"Huh? Isn't strength your own? Can't you use it however you want? How can someone not know how to use their own strength?"

Their childish chatter annoyed Lu Maomao greatly. "Shoo, shoo! What do you kids know? Go play somewhere else."

"We've all worked the land before, of course we know," two of the older children said.

Being critiqued by children was a humiliation like no other. Furious, Lu Maomao threw down his hoe, grabbed one of the children, and was about to spank him. "I'm a boy! You can't hit me!"

Lu Maomao reluctantly let him go. Seeing Lu Maomao was truly angry, the children scattered and ran off.

Yu Xiaoyu stayed a while longer until beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. "Cat, hot," he said to Lu Maomao.

"Then I'll take you back first."

Lu Maomao escorted Yu Xiaoyu back and returned immediately. He also found the weather hot, but having a task to focus on made it somewhat bearable.

Yu Youqian had thought Lu Maomao would slack off and not return after going back, but he hadn't expected him to come back so quickly.

They finished work and headed home at sunset.

Old Master Yu's inquiry, though delayed, eventually came. While waiting for dinner, the old master kindly asked after Lu Maomao, his voice gentle. "Feifan, you've worked the land all day today. You must be tired."

"I'm alright, Old Master."

Lu Maomao didn't take the opportunity to complain about the hardship, which pleased both Old Master Yu and Yu Changan. They then asked him, "What did you gain from today?"

Gain?

Aside from an aching back, sore shoulders, and pain in his hands and feet, Lu Maomao felt he hadn't gained anything particularly special. As for the hardships of farming and the preciousness of grain, Lu Maomao felt those were common knowledge and not worth mentioning.

"Old Master, I hoed two *fen* of land today. While hoeing, I only thought about finishing the task quickly. I didn't think about anything else."

The old master stroked his beard and nodded. "We toil at sunrise, rest at sunset. We dig wells for drink, plow fields for food. What has the emperor's might to do with me?"

This is largely the life of farmers—toiling from dawn to dusk with one's face to the soil and back to the sun, their thoughts and concerns throughout life revolving only around the land and grain. What do other matters have to do with them?

"That's a fine insight, Mao'er, close to the Daoist concept of returning to simplicity. If you cultivate a few more acres, perhaps your understanding of the Dao will deepen further." Yu Changan teased Lu Maomao with a roguish grin.

Lu Maomao glared fiercely at Yu Changan, itching to spit at him.

A major human taboo is this: before achieving success, do not discuss work, ideals, or future plans with others. Otherwise, you'll end up like him now, constantly being teased about it.

How did this big-mouthed brother-in-law manage to pass the imperial examination?

As if he didn't know what returning to simplicity meant. For us cats, returning to simplicity meant eating, sleeping, and basking in the moonlight—not farming.

In the evening, after bathing, Lu Maomao lay in bed and called up his farm system to harvest today's crops. He had gotten up too early in the morning and spent the entire day outside, leaving no time to check in. When he tapped "harvest," the still-green sapling instantly withered, and a box of whale milk appeared on the screen. "Congratulations, baby, for growing today's grand prize—whale milk! Remember to replenish your nutrients and grow taller!"

Ignoring the childish text, Lu Maomao sat up excitedly at the sight of the words "whale milk."

Whales—even as a spirit, he wouldn't dare provoke such colossal creatures. Now, he actually possessed a bottle of whale milk. Overjoyed, Lu Maomao forgot his exhaustion. He held the whale milk, sniffing it incessantly through the packaging. After a long while, he felt he'd learned its scent and contentedly stored it in the system's small warehouse. He planned to save these treasures to share with Xiaoyu in the future.

Before falling asleep, Lu Maomao couldn't help but think: if only farming the fields outside were as simple as the farm system. He even dreamed that he pressed a button, and hundreds of acres of land were plowed instantly.

But upon waking, reality remained unchanged.

Lu Maomao randomly selected a blind box seed to plant, hastily splashed his face with cold water, and headed to the fields with his hoe. Another day of abundant sunshine, uneventful life, and relentless toil.

On the third day, as Lu Maomao continued his struggle with the two acres of land, Yu Sui came looking for him. "Son-in-law, the clan leader and several clansmen have come to visit the old master. The young master asks you to return and meet the guests."

This 'ugly' cat was finally going to meet the Yu clan members. Lu Maomao dropped his farming tools and followed Yu Sui back.

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