Cen An turned his head just in time to see Su Rui, nose red, digging into the spicy rabbit dish with his chopsticks.

…Who was it that said this dish smelled inedible?

Su Rui didn’t notice the gaze, his expression serious as he held his chopsticks aloft, searching for meat amidst the fiery red pot.

Alright, at first, he really did think this dish was inedible. Silver Moon Wolf had a keen sense of smell to begin with—the aroma alone nearly knocked him out, let alone eating it.

But then, once it was cooked and served, as Su Rui ate the braised rabbit, that tingling, spicy, pungent aroma kept burrowing its way into his nostrils…

So he couldn’t resist taking a bite, and before he knew it, he was hooked.

Cen An shook his head and picked up a piece of the spicy rabbit meat with his chopsticks.

Rabbit meat really is best when it’s spicy and numbing!

The rabbit meat, cut into small pieces, had been stir-fried until all the moisture was gone. It was coated in chili peppers and seasonings, delivering a numbing, spicy, savory, and fragrant flavor… and the more you chewed, the more delicious it became!

Cen An hadn’t eaten spicy food in days, and he let out a hiss, too. He grabbed a flatbread, tore it in half, stuffed it with the spicy rabbit meat, and began eating heartily.

Then he grabbed a big forkful of crisp baby bok choy. It was easily the most satisfying meal he’d had since arriving in this world.

Su Rui followed suit, stuffing his flatbread with spicy rabbit meat. He even got creative, pairing it with braised rabbit meat too, eating with such gusto his appetite was completely reawakened.

Two large pots brimming with meat, vegetables, and flatbreads—together weighing over ten pounds—left Cen An full after just three meat-stuffed flatbreads. The rest had all gone into the dog owner and his pup’s stomachs.

Even the broth was wiped clean by Su Rui with his flatbread.

Cen An stared at the pot, now utterly devoid of even a speck of oil.

Once both human and dog were full, they prepared to take their leave. True to his principle of “taking humans under his wing,” Su Rui pinched off the last few grains of wheat before departing.

To protect the wheat flour from pests and moisture, Cen An whittled two wooden cylinders on the spot and stored them carefully.

The large spice package Su Rui had found still contained plenty, and along with the four rabbit skins, he gave it all to Cen An.

Cen An carefully stored everything away. He then grabbed a basket, picked twenty small bok choy, and headed for the small market.

Tian Yuan had mentioned yesterday that everyone was busy in the morning, and the afternoon was when the little market was most crowded.

But since he was hunting, he didn’t come every day, so today’s stall was left to Cen An alone.

Before he even reached the entrance of the little market, he heard someone say, “You finally showed up!”

Cen An looked up to see Qu Yue rushing over breathlessly. “We’ve been waiting forever!”

Behind her, besides Zhao Wu, several young people followed. One of them, a boyish-faced youth, approached with unabashed familiarity. “So this is Brother Cen? Where are the baby bok choy? Let me see them.”

Cen An glanced questioningly at Qu Yue.

Qu Yue whispered, “Your bok choy is selling like hotcakes. Selling it at the small market is too time-consuming. I hooked you up with the Ability Squad. Sell it to them.”

The people who came today were all trustworthy members of the team and the ones closest to Captain Liao. Because they frequently visited Captain Liao, they learned early this morning about the possibility of his abilities returning, and also about Cen An’s miraculous bok choy.

Any ability user would want something like this.

The group had sought out Qu Yue and his husband early that morning, but Qu Yue had sensed Cen An’s reluctance to have visitors at his home. She’d insisted they wait at the small market instead.

Cen An understood immediately. He nodded and set down his basket.

The baby-faced youth promptly lifted the rat-skin cover, revealing the vibrant, tender bok choy beneath.

Though they looked unremarkable, Cen An plucked one, tore off a few leaves, and offered, “You can try some.”

The ability users pounced like rabbits, munching on the greens.

“Damn, this actually works!” one exclaimed. “Feel it? My powers feel calmer!”

“Me too…”

“Really? I don’t feel anything.”

“Get lost, kid! You’ve only awakened for a short while—you haven’t even absorbed a few crystal cores yet!”

The baby-faced one beamed with delight. “This is the real deal! Sister Qu and Brother Zhao didn’t lie to us! Brother Cen, how many more of these bok choys do you have?”

Cen An thought for a moment. “Eighty left.” Actually, there were over ninety, but he needed to keep some for himself.

Babyface leaned in, grinning. “Brother Cen, I’ll pay one crystal core per bok choy. Sell them all to me?”

Cen An was surprised. “You? All of them?”

“Not exactly,” he chuckled. “We’ll split them. There are five of us here, plus two who couldn’t make it—seven total. Hmm, come to think of it, eighty might not be enough to go around… Brother Cen, surely this won’t be the only batch of baby bok choy? When will the next shipment arrive?”

Beside them, Qu Yue, who hadn’t been interfering with Cen An’s business, raised her hand to slap him. “Get lost! You sly fox! Wang Lie, what are you prying into? If you want to buy, buy. If not, tough luck—others are waiting in line!”

Wang Lie scrambled backward. “Sister Qu, spare me! I won’t ask! I won’t ask anything! I’ll buy! I’ll buy right now!”

Cen An found it rather amusing. There was nothing particularly sensitive about this. “The next batch of vegetables should be ready in about seven days, though it might not be baby bok choy.”

Wang Lie smacked his lips. “That’s fine too, as long as it’s useful.”

The bok choy was tasty, but what they valued most was its ability to soothe their abilities.

Cen An remained silent. His next crop would be white radishes. The reason was simple: the higher the vegetable grade, the more experience it provided, and the faster the farm leveled up.

His entire livelihood depended on the farm system, so naturally, faster leveling was better.

With both sides showing good faith, the deal was quickly sealed. Wang Lie and his group pooled eighty crystal cores, and Cen An borrowed a small cart from Qu Yue’s family to deliver the eighty bok choy plants to them.

This left Cen An with 118 crystal cores in hand. After setting aside 100 to buy white radish seeds, 18 remained.

…Somehow, he became poorer.

Cen An had planned to browse the small market this afternoon with nothing else to do. But seeing his remaining balance, forget it—time to head home and work.

First, buy the white radish seeds.

He grabbed his hoe and planted the seeds.

【Congratulations! You gained 8 EXP】

【Congratulations! You gained 8 EXP】

This was the perk of high-tier vegetables. Planting a single seed of bok choy only yielded 5 EXP, but a single white radish seed gave 8 EXP.

After planting the entire plot, Cen An earned 1200 EXP.

A light tap of the finger: 【White Radish: Maturity Time 5 days 4 hours】

Opening the system panel again:

【Farm Name: Harvest Farm

Level: 1

EXP: 2700/5000

Wealth: 18 Crystal Cores

Land Owned: 1

Fish Pond: Unlockable with 1000 Crystal Cores

Livestock Shed: Unlockable with 3000 Crystal Cores

Backpack: Axe x1, Hoe x1, Pickaxe x1, Iron Sword x1, Baby Bok Choy x15, rat Meat x22】

Once this batch of white radishes is harvested and the next planted, he’ll be able to level up.

Cen An brought out today’s mountain haul: 【Wood x60, Hay x30, Tree Sap x18】

Additionally, there was a bundle of herbs for tanning hides and wild wheat already ground into flour.

The rat pelts hadn’t been processed for so long, but there was no rush. He first took the wood and tree sap to begin crafting wooden barrels and basins.

6 wood plus 4 tree sap could make 1 wooden barrel; 4 wood plus 3 tree sap could make 1 wooden basin.

Cen An made two wooden barrels and two wooden basins in one go, then went to the spring at the foot of the mountain to fill both barrels with fresh water.

Looking at the buckets in the corner of the hut, he mused that he’d need to get a water jar eventually…

With water secured, Cen An took his last 4 iron ingots and forged a kettle.

Now he wouldn’t have to boil water in the big iron pot anymore—it always tasted like pot-scrubbing water.

He placed the kettle over the fire to boil as darkness fell outside.

By the bright, searing light of the flames, Cen An began processing the rat and rabbit skins.

He didn’t know how animal hides were treated in his past life, but the method Tian Yuan taught him was fairly straightforward.

Cen An awkwardly finished processing the first rat skin.

The finished rat skin had smooth, glossy fur, a pleasant grassy scent, and felt warm and soft to the touch.

How to put it? It felt even more comfortable than when it was still on the sharp-toothed rat’s back.

Cen An perked up and worked nonstop, processing the remaining twenty-plus rat skins. He didn’t even skip the four rabbit skins he’d gotten today.

Animal hides could be crafted into useful items. Cen An possessed not only equipment recipes but also patterns for ordinary garments.

However, given the current temperature, wearing animal hides seemed unnecessary.

After pondering, he selected eighteen rat hides to make a mattress pad. Then, combining four rabbit hides with four more rat hides, he crafted a fur blanket.

He worked with such enthusiasm that he lost track of time. By the time he finished, darkness had long since fallen outside.

He boiled two pots of hot water, used the newly made wooden basin to take a thoroughly satisfying bath, and then crawled into bed.

After sleeping on haystacks for who knows how many days, his rickety bamboo bed finally had a proper bedding set.

The furry hides brushed against his skin, warm and soft, somewhat like the feel of a puppy’s fur.

Ah, come to think of it, they were made of the same material after all.

Cen An drifted off to sleep, wrapped in the cozy warmth of his bed, lost in irresponsible thoughts.

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

The following days brought a steady rhythm to Cen An’s life. He’d eat breakfast early, then head to the mountains to gather supplies, returning only after sunset.

Through this diligent work, the wood and hay in his home quickly piled up, stacking high enough to reach halfway up the walls of his small, ramshackle hut. He also gathered plenty of common foods like ground fruit and soy sauce fruit.

However, other materials remained elusive.

His current needs were considerable: First, he required stones and lime to build a hearth in the center of the house. This would eliminate the daily chore of sweeping ashes, requiring only occasional cleaning.

Second, he needed clay. Wooden buckets held too little water; he planned to make a water jar for the house.

Additionally, he hoped to locate a bamboo grove. After all, bamboo served as the raw material for many tools—fishing rods, traps…

But wishing was one thing; finding was another. That afternoon, Cen An emerged from the mountains two hours earlier than usual, intending to visit the small market. Even if he couldn’t find what he needed to buy, he could gather some news.

As luck would have it, the moment he emerged from the woods, he ran into an acquaintance.

After a few days apart, Tian Yuan had tanned even darker. When he smiled, only a mouthful of pearly white teeth was visible across his sun-kissed face. “You looked like you might be around, so I came to see. I haven’t seen you in days—have you sold out all your vegetables already?”