Chapter 150: Linen Shirt and Linen Pants

The big guys guarding the selection stage glanced at each other, unsure what to do. Finally, the one standing closest jogged over. “Reporting, Brother Xing, Brother Tu has already gone back to the village.”

Dou Xing frowned. “Why did he go back now? The selection is about to start. I was counting on him to get up there and hype things up.”

“Uh, well…”

Why is Brother Xing still in the mood for this?

The burly man scratched his buzz cut, a puzzled look on his rugged face. “Aren’t you heading out this afternoon, Brother Xing?”

“Going where?”

“To the north with Brother Lou to hunt berserk beasts.”

Dou Xing snorted. “Ha! That Shentu guy probably thinks I’m heading out, so he’s happy he won’t have to eat those vegetables and ran off to slack.”

The big guy scratched his head and grinned, playing dumb.

Dou Xing shot him a sideways glance, lifted his chin arrogantly, and said, “Hmph, there aren’t many useful people left in the village. Brother Lou told me to stay here and hold down the fort, so I’m not going anywhere. Shentu’s getting happy for nothing.”

With that, he flung his coat and strode up to the stage. His men hurried to bring over a chair. Dou Xing sat down grandly, just waiting for Shentu to come back and see his twisted, furious face—just the thought of it made him happy.

A dozen young women huddled together. When they saw the smile curling on Dou Xing’s lips—cold and sinister—they all felt a chill run down their spines.

Terrified, they clung to each other, shivering, and didn’t dare dream of eating any more fruits or vegetables.

The big guys standing guard looked at each other, exchanging glances, all sighing in sympathy for their Brother Tu.

Meanwhile, Shentu, still completely unaware, had already returned to the village with Xu Le.

He laughed loudly, calling people over to help Xu Le carry things, then pulled out three items he’d bought with his own energy coins from the basket and asked, “Where’s the chief?”

“Same as always, in his own room. Brother Shi is guarding him,” a big guy replied casually, rubbing his hands as he stared hungrily at the bright red apples in the basket.

Shentu snorted. “You’re hopeless. Take this basket to logistics, give the vegetables to Peng Da for cooking, and then return the empty basket to Miss Yun. I didn’t have anything suitable to carry stuff, so I borrowed it from her.”

“Got it, got it. We’ll make sure to clean it up and return it to Miss Yun. Heh, if she gets more of these good things, we’ll ask her to sell us some.”

Shentu laughed and scolded him, shooing away the cheeky subordinate. Then he strode off on his long, sturdy legs, humming a tune as he went inside.

Inside the room, Yi Beimeng, who had been dozing off on the lounge chair after taking his medicine, suddenly opened his eyes. His narrow phoenix eyes narrowed, and a faint smile curled on his pale lips, as if he’d expected this all along. “That Shentu guy is here.”

Shi Yong frowned. Why did that kid have to show up now?

“Chief, chief, look what good stuff I’ve brought you!”

His voice arrived before he did, booming so loudly that the bugs in the rafters nearly fell off.

As Shentu burst through the door, Yi Beimeng sat up from the lounge chair. Shi Yong added two more pillows behind him, and Yi Beimeng leaned back with a smile, looking at Shentu with interest. “So, what good stuff did you bring back?”

“Hehe.” Shentu grinned, looked at the three items in his hands, and finally picked out the apple. “Chief, this is an apple—the very first one Miss Yun brought out. I thought it was really special, so I bought it for you to try.”

Yi Beimeng’s eyes lit up as he glanced at the bright red apple.

Up close, he could smell its sweet fragrance. Even though he’d just taken his medicine and had no appetite, he couldn’t help but salivate.

He glanced at Shi Yong and smiled, “Cut it into three pieces. Let’s all have a taste.”

Shi Yong and Shentu started to protest, but one look from Yi Beimeng’s unyielding gaze shut them up.

Shi Yong wiped his knife clean and, with a few quick chops, sliced the apple evenly into three pieces.

Juicy and fragrant, the apple’s nectar was about to drip onto the table, so the three of them quickly reached out to grab their share.

They puckered their lips to catch the juice, and with just one lick, all three were instantly captivated by the pure, natural flavor—no trace of artificial sweetness.

Even the usually stern Shi Yong looked amazed after his first bite.

As for Yi Beimeng, whose sense of taste was especially keen and who had a strong appetite, one bite was all it took for his hunger to return.

He quickly finished his third of the apple, leaving only the core and seeds, and finally stopped, still craving more.

Seeing Shentu still licking the apple core, he felt a pang of regret—if he’d known it was this good, he wouldn’t have shared.

He could’ve eaten five more apples just like that.

Not wanting to show his regret too plainly, Yi Beimeng shifted his gaze to the items Shentu was holding and asked, “What else do you have?”

Shentu paused, reluctantly put down the apple core, then ran out to wash his hands before coming back.

“And this—a set of linen shirt and pants. It might sound rough, but the fabric is actually really smooth, breathable, and comfortable. Miss Yun said it’s unique to her place, you can’t find it anywhere else. I thought, since you’ve been bedridden lately, you could use some comfy sleepwear, so I bought it for you to try. If you like it, I’ll go buy another set.”

Yi Beimeng smiled as he took the clothes and felt the fabric. It was indeed soft and smooth, perfect for sleeping.

Shentu might look rough, but he was quite thoughtful.

Seeing Shentu’s eyes shining with anticipation, Yi Beimeng cleared his throat and smiled, “Perfect, I was just in need of some sleepwear.”

Shentu grinned sheepishly, pleased.

“And the third item?”

“Oh, the third thing is this—green jelly stone.” Shentu pulled out a small, finger-sized, translucent green stone and cheerfully introduced it.

“Miss Yun said this green jelly stone is chewy, but the flavors vary—there’s mango, grape, peach, all sorts of fruity sweetness. But there are also spicy, bitter, and even stinky sock flavors. You don’t know what you’ll get until you open it—it’s all up to luck. So I bought this little one for 60 energy coins for you to try.”

It’s edible? Yi Beimeng was tempted, but thinking of his own luck, he hesitated.

He looked at the grinning Shentu and decisively said, “You open it for me.”

Thank you to everyone who tipped! Mwah~

Good night~~"