Chapter 4 - Three: Compost Is Treasure

Chapter 4: Chapter Three: Compost Is Treasure

The next morning, Lin Yue woke before the sun.

Not because she was hardworking.

At least, that was what she told herself.

She woke because someone was knocking on the door.

Bang.

Bang.

Bang.

"Miss!"

Lin Yue opened one eye.

Bang.

"Miss!"

She pulled the blanket over her head.

"She’s dead."

Silence.

Then Qiao’er’s frightened voice came from outside.

"Miss?"

Lin Yue sighed.

"I’m alive."

The door opened immediately.

Qiao’er rushed inside.

"Miss! The chickens are missing!"

Lin Yue sat upright.

"What?"

"The chickens!"

"How many?"

"All three!"

Lin Yue’s sleepy expression vanished.

She jumped out of bed.

"General?"

Qiao’er looked close to tears.

"I think he escaped."

Lin Yue grabbed her boots.

"That’s impossible."

"Why?"

"Because General has too much pride to escape."

Qiao’er stared.

"Miss, he’s a chicken."

"Exactly."

They rushed outside.

The courtyard was quiet.

Too quiet.

Lin Yue looked toward the chicken enclosure.

The wooden gate was open.

The three chickens were gone.

She stared.

Qiao’er clasped her hands.

"What do we do?"

Lin Yue crouched beside the gate.

There.

A few feathers.

Fresh dirt.

A tiny footprint.

She smiled.

"They went this way."

Qiao’er blinked.

"You can tell?"

"Of course."

"How?"

"General walks like he owns the place."

Qiao’er looked at the tracks.

"They all look the same to me."

Lin Yue followed the trail toward the back wall.

A few moments later, they found the chickens.

Two were pecking peacefully beneath a tree.

The third stood on top of a stone.

Its chest was puffed out.

It looked offended.

Lin Yue pointed.

"There."

Qiao’er ran toward it.

"General!"

The rooster immediately turned around and ran.

"Stop!"

General did not stop.

He sprinted across the courtyard.

Qiao’er chased him.

Lin Yue stood there with her hands on her hips.

"Traitor."

General escaped beneath a broken wooden fence.

Qiao’er finally caught him after several minutes.

She returned, breathless, holding the furious rooster under one arm.

Lin Yue looked at him.

General looked at Lin Yue.

Neither spoke.

Finally, Lin Yue sighed.

"You’re lucky your job is showing off feathers, not squeezing out breakfast."

General crowed.

"That’s not a yes."

He crowed again.

Qiao’er whispered, "I think he’s insulting you."

"I think so too."

The Problem With Farming

After the chicken crisis was resolved, Lin Yue returned to the garden.

The first shoots had appeared.

Tiny.

Green.

Fragile.

She crouched beside them.

"Good morning."

Qiao’er stared.

"Miss... are you talking to vegetables?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"They can’t answer back."

Qiao’er considered this.

"That makes sense."

Lin Yue carefully inspected the soil.

The plants looked healthy.

But the soil was poor.

Not terrible.

Just depleted.

The courtyard had probably once been used as a garden, but years of neglect had allowed weeds to take over. Organic matter had accumulated in some places while other areas had become hard and compacted.

Lin Yue needed fertilizer.

Unfortunately, fertilizer cost money.

She had two copper coins left.

She looked at the garden.

Then at the chickens.

Then at the pile of weeds they’d pulled yesterday.

Then at the kitchen scraps.

Her eyes brightened.

"Qiao’er."

"Yes?"

"Bring me the weeds."

"The weeds?"

"Yes."

"And the vegetable scraps."

"Why?"

"Compost."

Qiao’er frowned.

"Is that food?"

"For the soil."

"Then why not buy fertilizer?"

"Because we’re poor."

Qiao’er looked embarrassed.

Lin Yue patted her shoulder.

"Don’t worry."

She pointed toward the pile of weeds.

"Poverty is simply an invitation to become creative."

Qiao’er wasn’t sure that was how poverty worked.

But she followed orders.

By noon, they had built a small compost pit behind the kitchen.

Lin Yue layered:

dry leaves,

green weeds,

kitchen scraps,

old straw,

and a little soil.

Qiao’er watched.

"That looks disgusting."

"It will become beautiful."

"How?"

"Time."

Qiao’er looked doubtful.

Lin Yue smiled.

"Everything useful takes time."

She covered the pile.

"There."

"That’s it?"

"For now."

Qiao’er looked at the tiny mound.

"You’re telling me rubbish will become fertilizer?"

"Yes."

"How long?"

"Several weeks or months, depending on the conditions."

Qiao’er stared.

"You’re willing to wait that long?"

Lin Yue laughed.

"Farming teaches patience."

Then she paused.

"Unfortunately, I’m not very patient."

Qiao’er smiled.

That was the first time she had seen her mistress admit to a weakness.

The Golden Space

That afternoon, Lin Yue entered her golden space.

The transformation was subtle.

But it was there.

The little green plant had grown taller.

The tiny spring flowed more clearly.

And along the edge of the original ten-square-meter area, faint golden lines had appeared.

Lin Yue touched one.

A message appeared.

[Development progress: 3%.]

[Current condition: Basic cultivation.]

[Next expansion requirement: Establish a sustainable external cultivation system.]

Lin Yue frowned.

"Sustainable external cultivation system?"

She thought about it.

That sounded less like a quest and more like an exam.

She looked at the plant.

Then at the soil.

Then at the spring.

The golden space wasn’t simply rewarding her for planting things.

It wanted her to develop systems.

She smiled.

"So you’re making me earn it."

The space remained silent.

Lin Yue narrowed her eyes.

"Fine."

She rolled up her sleeves.

"I accept."

The First Harvest

Five days later, something wonderful happened.

The radishes were ready.

They weren’t large.

They weren’t particularly beautiful.

But they were hers.

Lin Yue pulled one from the soil.

A small red-and-white radish emerged.

She stared at it.

Qiao’er stared too.

They looked at each other.

Qiao’er’s eyes filled with excitement.

"Miss!"

Lin Yue held up the radish.

"Our first harvest."

Qiao’er clapped.

"We did it!"

Lin Yue laughed.

They harvested seven radishes.

Seven.

She lined them up on the table.

It looked almost ridiculous.

But Lin Yue felt strangely proud.

In her previous life, she had filmed herself surviving in forests.

Millions of people had watched her build shelters and find water.

But this was different.

These seven radishes represented something else.

They were proof that she could build a life here.

Not merely survive.

Live.

A Very Small Business

Lin Yue washed the radishes.

Then she inspected them carefully.

Fresh.

Clean.

No insects.

Good color.

She nodded.

"We’re selling them."

Qiao’er nearly dropped the basket.

"Selling?"

"Yes."

"There are only seven."

"Then we’ll sell seven."

"But who will buy them?"

Lin Yue smiled.

"Someone hungry."

They walked to the market.

Qiao’er carried the basket.

Lin Yue carried a small wooden sign.

On it she had written:

FRESH RADISHES

Underneath:

CHEAP

Qiao’er stared at the sign.

"Miss."

"Yes?"

"Couldn’t you write something more elegant?"

"Like what?"

"Fresh and delicious?"

Lin Yue considered it.

"No."

"Why?"

"Because they’re radishes."

Qiao’er sighed.

They found a quiet corner near the vegetable stalls.

Lin Yue placed the basket down.

A woman passing by stopped.

"Radishes?"

"Yes."

"How much?"

Lin Yue gave her a price slightly below the market rate.

The woman examined them.

"They’re fresh."

"Harvested this morning."

The woman bought three.

Three copper coins.

Lin Yue stared at the coins in her palm.

Qiao’er stared too.

"We made money."

Lin Yue smiled.

"No."

Qiao’er blinked.

"We made a profit."

She separated the coins.

"One coin represents recovered cost."

"The second is our operating money."

"And the third is profit."

Qiao’er looked impressed.

"Miss knows everything."

Lin Yue coughed.

"Not everything."

She pointed toward the vegetable stall.

"I still don’t know how that man managed to sell wilted cabbage at twice the price."

Qiao’er looked.

The cabbage seller was shouting.

"Fresh! Fresh! Fresh!"

Lin Yue shook her head.

"Confidence is apparently another agricultural technology."

The Unexpected Customer

They were preparing to leave when a young man approached.

He wore plain clothes.

But his posture was too straight.

His boots were too clean.

And the small jade ornament at his waist looked expensive.

He glanced at the basket.

"Are these yours?"

Lin Yue nodded.

"Yes."

"How did you grow them?"

Qiao’er looked nervous.

Lin Yue smiled.

"With seeds."

The young man stared.

"That isn’t what I meant."

"I know."

He almost smiled.

"You’re the Fourth Miss from the eastern courtyard?"

Lin Yue’s expression changed slightly.

"Yes."

"I heard you were sick."

"I recovered."

"I heard you were abandoned here."

Lin Yue glanced at the basket.

"It’s peaceful."

The young man looked at her.

Most people in the household would have complained.

She didn’t.

Interesting.

His eyes moved toward her hands.

There was soil beneath her fingernails.

He looked genuinely surprised.

"You farm yourself?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

Lin Yue answered without hesitation.

"Because vegetables don’t grow themselves."

For a moment, he couldn’t respond.

Then he laughed.

It was quiet.

Warm.

Unexpected.

Lin Yue looked at him more carefully.

"Who are you?"

Before he could answer, a servant came running from the street.

He stopped beside the young man and bowed deeply.

"Young Master Shen."

Lin Yue raised an eyebrow.

Young Master Shen?

The man turned toward her.

"Shen Rui."

He introduced himself simply.

"Eldest Young Master of this household."

Lin Yue blinked.

Her elder cousin brother.

The one everyone had been talking about.

The one who had supposedly been away for years.

Shen Rui looked at the basket of radishes.

Then at the dirt on her sleeves.

Then at the small wooden sign.

He smiled.

"Fourth Sister."

Lin Yue looked at him.

"Yes?"

"I believe you have made your first business partner."

She frowned.

"Partner?"

He pointed at the basket.

"I’ll buy all of them."

Lin Yue’s eyes narrowed.

"You don’t need four radishes."

"I don’t."

"Then why?"

Shen Rui smiled.

"I’m curious."

Lin Yue studied him.

She didn’t trust curious men.

Curious men asked too many questions.

But he was offering money.

She considered it.

"Double price."

Qiao’er gasped.

Shen Rui laughed.

"Agreed."

Lin Yue handed him the basket.

Four radishes.

Eight copper coins.

She looked at the money.

Then at Shen Rui.

He smiled.

She smiled back.

Neither of them knew that this tiny transaction would become the beginning of something much larger.

Back Home

That evening, Lin Yue counted her money.

Two copper coins left from yesterday.

Eleven from the radishes.

Total:

Thirteen copper coins.

She placed them neatly into her account book.

Qiao’er leaned over her shoulder.

"Miss, what will we buy?"

Lin Yue thought carefully.

"Seeds."

Qiao’er groaned.

"Again?"

"Of course."

"Not meat?"

"Not yet."

"Clothes?"

"Later."

"Candies?"

Lin Yue looked at her.

"Definitely later."

Qiao’er smiled.

Lin Yue divided the money.

Seeds.

Wood.

Rope.

A small clay jar.

And one copper coin kept aside.

Emergency fund.

She closed the ledger.

Then she entered the golden space.

The tiny plant had grown again.

A second leaf had appeared.

The golden boundary shimmered.

[Development progress: 5%.]

Lin Yue smiled.

Outside, she had earned her first profit.

Inside, her little world had grown another step.

She looked toward the darkness beyond the golden boundary.

There was still so much space.

So much possibility.

Lin Yue placed her hands on her hips.

"One day," she whispered, "I’ll fill all of this."

The golden space remained silent.

But somewhere beneath the soil, a tiny golden root began to spread.

And far away in the main residence, Shen Rui placed four ordinary radishes on the dining table.

His mother stared at them.

"Where did you get those?"

Shen Rui calmly picked one up.

"The Fourth Miss."

The room went silent.

Someone dropped a teacup.

"The Fourth Miss?"

"Yes."

"She grows vegetables?"

Shen Rui took a bite.

Crisp.

Fresh.

Sweet.

He nodded thoughtfully.

"She does."

Then he smiled.

"And I think she intends to grow much more than vegetables."