Chapter 21: The Tree

Chapter 21: Chapter 21: The Tree

Xi Yunxui woke before sunrise.

It had become a habit she couldn’t seem to shake.

Even though the modern world had alarm clocks, phones and all sorts of devices designed to wake people up, her body still seemed to believe that dawn was the appropriate time to begin working.

She stretched lazily.

"Another day."

After freshening up and changing, Xi Yunxui left the staff quarters and headed toward the main residence.

The morning air was pleasantly cool.

The gardens surrounding the Huo residence looked particularly beautiful at this hour.

Flowers of different varieties bloomed along the pathways, while carefully trimmed trees stood in neat rows.

Xi Yunxui was admiring the scenery when she heard someone call her.

"Yunxui!"

She turned.

One of the gardeners was waving toward her.

"Come and help us for a while."

Xi Yunxui immediately walked over.

"Alright."

There were several gardeners working in different parts of the garden.

Some were trimming bushes.

Others were cutting dead branches from trees, while another group was collecting fallen leaves and plant debris.

Xi Yunxui quickly joined them.

She picked up a pair of gardening shears.

Snip.

One branch was cut.

Snip.

Another.

She worked efficiently, occasionally helping gather the trimmed branches into piles.

The gardeners gradually became impressed.

"Yunxui, you’re quite good at this."

Xi Yunxui smiled.

"I’ve done this kind of work before."

That was another thing she could confidently say.

Back in her previous life, there had been plenty of farming and gardening around her village.

It wasn’t unusual for her to help with plants.

After working for a while, one of the gardeners handed her a large basket filled with plant waste.

"Can you help take this over there?"

"No problem."

Xi Yunxui picked it up and walked away.

As she approached the disposal area, however, something caught her attention.

One of the gardeners was crouching beside a small plant.

The man’s expression was troubled.

Xi Yunxui stopped.

"What happened?"

The gardener looked up.

"Hmm?"

She pointed toward the plant.

"Why does it look like it’s dying?"

The gardener sighed.

"I don’t know."

He gently touched one of its leaves.

"I’ve tried everything."

"Everything?"

"Yes."

He began counting on his fingers.

"I added fertilizer."

He pointed toward the soil.

"I’ve been watering it regularly."

Then he pointed toward the pot sitting nearby.

"It was originally growing in a pot, but it wasn’t doing well, so I transplanted it into the ground."

He shook his head.

"But it’s still withering."

Xi Yunxui crouched beside him.

The plant’s leaves were pale and slightly curled.

She examined the soil.

Then she looked at the surrounding trees.

Finally, she gently touched one of the leaves.

"Hmm..."

The gardener watched her.

"What do you think?"

Xi Yunxui thought for a moment.

"Would it be possible to move it somewhere that gets more morning sunlight?"

The gardener blinked.

"Morning sunlight?"

"Yes."

She pointed toward the east.

"This plant seems to need gentler sunlight."

She looked toward the area where the plant currently stood.

"The afternoon sun here is stronger. If the plant is still in its growth stage, too much intense sunlight could affect it."

The gardener stared at her.

"You know about plants?"

Xi Yunxui immediately became slightly awkward.

Oops.

She had spoken too naturally.

She scratched her nose.

"I’m from the countryside."

She smiled innocently.

"So these things are fairly common where I come from."

The gardener nodded slowly.

"Oh."

That explanation seemed to satisfy him.

"Then where should we move it?"

Xi Yunxui looked around.

"Somewhere that receives plenty of sunlight in the morning but is shaded slightly in the afternoon."

The gardener followed her gaze.

"There might be a spot over there."

They eventually found a suitable location.

But there was one problem.

The plant was much larger than Xi Yunxui had initially thought.

The gardener crouched beside it.

"We’ll need to uproot it carefully."

Xi Yunxui nodded.

"Alright."

They began digging around the roots.

The soil was loosened gradually.

After several minutes, the plant was finally free.

The gardener wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Let’s carry it."

Xi Yunxui immediately bent down.

She wrapped both hands around the trunk.

Then—

She lifted.

Whoosh!

The entire tree came off the ground.

The gardener froze.

"..."

Xi Yunxui froze too.

She looked at the tree in her arms.

Then at the gardener.

The gardener’s mouth opened.

"Put it down!"

Xi Yunxui blinked.

"Why?"

"Put it down!"

He hurried over.

"It’s heavy!"

Xi Yunxui looked down at the tree.

Then she looked at him.

"It isn’t that heavy."

The gardener stared at her as though she had suddenly grown a second head.

"You’re holding it with both hands!"

Xi Yunxui gave an awkward smile.

"I’m stronger than I look."

The gardener was speechless.

Xi Yunxui, meanwhile, was internally celebrating.

The elixir really works!

She had noticed that her body felt different after taking it.

She had expected some improvement.

But she hadn’t expected this much.

Her muscles didn’t feel bulky or exaggerated.

Instead, her body felt lighter.

Stronger.

More energetic.

Even the fatigue she normally felt after working had almost disappeared.

So this is what having a healthy body feels like.

She carefully carried the tree to the new location.

The gardener and another worker quickly dug a suitable hole.

Xi Yunxui lowered the tree into it.

They covered the roots with soil and watered it.

The gardener stepped back and examined their work.

"It should be fine here."

He turned toward Xi Yunxui.

"Thank you."

Xi Yunxui smiled.

"You’re welcome."

At that moment—

[Ding!]

Xi Yunxui paused.

The familiar system notification sounded inside her mind.

[Positive feelings detected.]

[You have received 4 Affection Points.]

Xi Yunxui’s eyes widened.

[Current Affection Points: 7.]

She almost smiled.

Seven already?

She still remembered having only three points after purchasing the body-strengthening elixir.

Now she’d gained four more simply by helping someone with a plant.

Xi Yunxui glanced at the gardener.

He was still examining the newly planted tree with a satisfied expression.

She smiled.

Perhaps this system wasn’t as complicated as she had initially thought.

Helping people...

Doing her work well...

And earning rewards along the way.

Not bad at all.

She picked up her gardening shears again.

"Alright."

She looked toward the rest of the garden.

"There should still be work to do."

And with that, Xi Yunxui returned to work, completely unaware that the seemingly ordinary morning would soon bring another unexpected discovery.