Chapter 39: The Bitter Yam and Hidden Schemes

For these miners, receiving their wages was paramount. Moreover, with the Hundred Flowers Palace providing both food and lodging, they couldn’t have wished for a better arrangement.

Since the other party had instructed them to dig fifty meters first before further discussion, what else could they say? Their only option was to proceed with excavating fifty meters.

Thus, the second day passed in quiet diligence. A mere twelve meters were excavated throughout the entire day. Combined with the eighteen meters from yesterday, they had now reached a total of thirty meters. It seemed another two or three days would suffice to reach the fifty-meter mark.

At that point, it would become clear whether this Immortal Mu would find an excuse in advance or genuinely possess the ability they claimed. The truth would be revealed after fifty meters.

However, considering there was nothing of note even around the thirty-meter mark, it was unlikely that anything significant would appear at fifty meters either.

****

That evening, Ye Xiaozi arrived at the kitchen, filled with anticipation. Although yesterday’s meal had involved a massive portion of pink bean sprouts, she had felt a profound sense of expectation and care from everyone. Despite not having eaten much braised pork, she found herself reminiscing about the looks and sentiments everyone had shared with her the day before.

Even so, the mere thought of yesterday’s pink bean sprouts still made Ye Xiaozi feel a pang of unease.

However, as her gaze swept over the vegetable section, she immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Today’s vegetable dish was the exceptionally rare yam stewed with chicken.

Unlike the yams in Luo Bingli’s previous world, the yams here, though equally soft and glutinous when cooked, possessed no sweetness whatsoever. Instead, they were thoroughly bitter.

While the yam paired with chicken drumsticks was certainly an improvement compared to the pink bean sprouts, its inherent bitterness was often unbearable for most people.

Conversely, the chicken drumsticks stewed with yam were incredibly tender. This was perhaps the yam’s only virtue, aside from its spiritual energy.

Ye Xiaozi loved chicken drumsticks, and as a true carnivore, she also enjoyed them stewed with yam. Remembering the serving auntie who had given her so many vegetables yesterday, Ye Xiaozi swallowed hard and immediately entered with her rice bowl. ‘Even if it’s like yesterday,’ she thought, ‘the auntie wouldn’t possibly deny me even a single piece of chicken, would she? After all, yam is quite expensive—much more so than pink bean sprouts.’

Perhaps aware of yesterday’s events, all the young women who saw Ye Xiaozi moved aside. “Xiaozi’s here! Xiaozi, you go first!”

“Yes, yes! Xiaozi, hurry!”

“Xiaohei… Xiaozi, come quickly…”

In an instant, everyone yielded their positions, allowing Ye Xiaozi to reach the cafeteria auntie without obstruction. Frankly, this touched Ye Xiaozi deeply. If the auntie would give her a larger portion of braised pork later, she might be even more moved.

Her mouth watered uncontrollably as she gazed at the succulent braised pork and the other meat dish, pan-fried rabbit.

“Auntie, I…”

However, before Ye Xiaozi could finish her sentence, the serving auntie, upon seeing her, reacted as if she had spotted her own beloved daughter. She immediately scooped a large spoonful of braised pork.

Then, to Ye Xiaozi’s surprise, the auntie’s hand trembled violently, as if afflicted by Parkinson’s, ultimately leaving Ye Xiaozi with only two pieces of braised pork—even less than yesterday.

Afterward, the auntie extended her chopsticks, picked up the smallest piece of pan-fried rabbit, and placed it into Ye Xiaozi’s bowl.

She then took the large ladle again and, without the slightest tremor, scooped a generous portion of yam directly from the yam stewed with chicken, depositing it into Ye Xiaozi’s bowl.

This sight stunned not only Ye Xiaozi but everyone else present.

While they admired the auntie’s resolve, a surge of fear also washed over them.

For at that moment, Ye Xiaozi’s rice bowl contained only yam, completely devoid of chicken.

Seeing this, Ye Xiaozi burst into tears, her ‘little pearls’ streaming down her face.

Many of the surrounding young women gasped, realizing that the majority of the yam from the entire yam stewed with chicken dish had ended up in Ye Xiaozi’s bowl.

One might assume that because yam stewed with chicken was a vegetable dish, it would contain a lot of yam. However, yam, which held even more spiritual energy than pink bean sprouts, was a true Grade-1 spirit herb, whereas pink bean sprouts were merely close to Grade-1. Its presence here, apart from enhancing the chicken’s flavor, was primarily due to its notorious bitterness.

Consequently, yam was rarely added in large quantities to medicinal recipes, resulting in consistently low usage. Furthermore, yam was easy to cultivate and highly productive, which was why it occasionally appeared in the new recruits’ cafeteria.

Yet, this did not diminish its value. Therefore, despite yam stewed with chicken being a vegetable dish, the yam content was far less than the chicken. Looking into the pot now, only a large portion of chicken drumsticks remained, with very little yam left.

However, after recalling yesterday’s events, everyone thought for a moment before giving the serving auntie a thumbs-up. Then, enjoying the spectacle, they all turned to Ye Xiaozi. “Xiaozi! This is the cafeteria auntie’s love for you, and everyone’s love for you!”

“Yes, yes! Xiaozi, eat more! This way, you’ll grow even faster. By then, not only will you be the top of our district, but in three years, you might even become the top of all new recruits!”

“Is… is that so?”

“Of course! We’re rooting for you!”

“Wuwu… alright then!”

And so, Ye Xiaozi readily accepted everyone’s affection. Crying all the while, she ate every last bit of the agonizingly bitter yam. Though she was tempted to give up countless times, the thought of losing her free braised pork meal kept her going. Ultimately, Ye Xiaozi endured and swallowed all the yam.

****

Initially, Ye Xiaozi had planned to find a secluded spot to vent her frustrations. However, remembering yesterday’s incident, she ultimately refrained from doing so. Instead, she returned directly to her room, intending to quietly absorb the spiritual energy. While it might be uncomfortable for a while, it was certainly better than accidentally harming someone, causing a misunderstanding, and having the infamous name ‘Ye Xiaohei’ constantly spread around.

As soon as Ye Xiaozi entered her room, three heads immediately poked out from the distant bushes. These three were none other than the younger girls who had tried to bully Ye Xiaozi yesterday. Seeing her enter her room, wicked smiles spread across their faces.

“Hahaha, she’s finally back. Our twenty-minute wait wasn’t in vain.”

“Indeed! We’ll just wait by the door for her. As soon as she comes out, we’ll make Ye Xiaohei experience our suffering too.”

“Exactly, we must make Ye Xiaohei taste our pain.”

“Hehehehe…”

With that, the three beautiful girls let out the distinctive, sinister cackles unique to Soul Palace elders. Yet, being beautiful girls, their laughter lacked the chilling dread of those rough, grim men, instead possessing a curious, contrasting cuteness.