Chapter 17: The Poor Bamboo and the Professional Excavator

Something was definitely amiss.

Was there another favor they wanted from her?

Lin Mo glanced at the ruddy-faced Lynx Chief. It seemed the ginseng rootlet was incredibly potent; he had been at death’s door yesterday, but today his voice was full of vigor.

Could it be that the Chief was greedy and wanted more ginseng? Was he trying to bribe her with a small fortune? After all, even emperors sought immortality and longevity, let alone an old lynx whose time was nearing its end.

However, in Little She Qiu’s words, the Chief was a compassionate elder. When food was plentiful, he shared it with the elderly and the orphaned cubs. Currently, the Lynx Tribe lacked water, and this food was likely their entire winter ration. Sacrificing the tribe for personal gain didn’t seem like something the old Chief would do.

Lin Mo frowned slightly. “Saving you was She Qiu’s plea. He has already formed a contract with us; there’s no need for any other gifts.”

“A contract?” The old Chief was shocked; he clearly didn’t know.

He beckoned, and She Qiu ran over, the pale gold fur on his forehead shimmering in the sunlight. The Chief stroked the cub’s head affectionately and bowed slightly to Lin Mo. “Then I shall leave Little She Qiu in your care.”

She Qiu squinted his amber eyes comfortably and purred. “Meow!”

Wait, it feels like a parent dropping their kid off at daycare! Do Mo Jin and I look like a preschool? I’ve made a tactical error! Lin Mo thought.

The Chief’s eyes flickered as he licked his dry lips. “These gifts are a plea for you to save the entire Lynx Tribe.”

Lin Mo shook her head. “These things aren’t of much use to me.”

She didn’t like salted jerky, and she didn’t need the herbs, salt stones, or furs. She could buy better versions of all of those in the Mall.

The Chief’s eyes widened. “Useless? Do you not need furs for winter? Little She Qiu said you only have one iron pot and no dried meat at all.”

Lin Mo’s lip twitched. So, in She Qiu’s eyes, her family was so poor they only owned a single giant pot? Well, she wasn’t that poor—except for the lack of a bed, chairs, and blankets…

Okay, she was poor.

If she wanted to furnish the place, buying tools and working day and night with Mo Jin would take at least half a month. Plus, she had to hunt for food. She didn’t know when winter would arrive, but a tent wouldn’t stop a freezing current. She needed more money than just what the livestream provided.

She settled her mind; a plan began to form. She smiled at the Chief. “I know what you lack most. I can help you, and I don’t need these goods.” She couldn’t bring herself to take their winter rations.

The Chief’s ears twitched. “I can help you build a well. You’ll be able to draw water from the ground,” Lin Mo said, raising a finger. “Only one condition: once it’s done, you must help me build my house and furniture.”

“Deal!” the Chief exclaimed excitedly. “The Lynx Tribe is strong, but we’ve lived in caves for generations—we don’t know how to build houses.”

“That’s simple. I’ll teach you.”

Lin Mo checked her “Bee” earnings.

Yesterday’s Peak Traffic: 300 people. Followers: 100. New Follower Bonus: 200. Total: 500 Coins.

She was thrilled! She had enough for all the tools. She planned to spend half and save the other half for Mo Jin. Since the livestream was a team effort, Mo Jin deserved an equal share.

She lingered on their photo for a moment, an unconscious smile on her face, before entering the Mall. She spent about 200 coins on saws, hoes, buckets, shovels, ropes, nails, and hammers. Thinking of the cute panda from her dream, she also bought some fresh bamboo shoots as a treat.

When she finished the order, she realized Mo Jin was standing beside her, looking at the screen. Lin Mo hurriedly hugged the bee to her chest. “I… I just bought some tools for the well!”

Mo Jin’s gaze darkened slightly. She felt Lin Mo was hiding something.

“I checked—we made 500 coins yesterday. I spent half on tools and saved half for you. Buy whatever you want,” Lin Mo said. She suddenly felt like a wealthy patron giving an allowance to a “kept” lover. Wait, am I keeping a giant panda?

Mo Jin remained indifferent. “I don’t need to spend money. Buy whatever you think is necessary.” Her voice was soft, lacking its usual edge.

For a split second, Lin Mo felt they were like a newlywed couple discussing household purchases—Mo Jin being the husband who didn’t know the price of rice and oil, leaving all the decisions to her. Her face flushed.

The tools arrived an hour later. Lin Mo distributed them and began searching for groundwater. Near the cabin, she found a patch of lush mugwort—a sure sign of water. She set the lynxes to digging.

Two lynxes used hoes while another shoveled. Lin Mo supervised others in sawing timber into thick planks, carving mortise and tenon joints to create the well’s structural lining.

By the time she finished the lining, she saw they had only dug about ten feet. Too slow, she thought. We won’t finish by dark.

“Teacher, is there a problem?” Lynx Bai asked, noticing her sigh.

Lin Mo sat on a rock, popping a wild berry She Qiu had found into her mouth. “No problem, just too slow. Don’t you have any… professional excavators among the spirits?”

The berry was tart and sweet; Mo Jin would like it. “She Qiu, go pick more for me to take back,” she ordered.

Lynx Bai scratched his head. “Professional excavators? Oh! A mother and son pair of pangolins live near our caves. They might be able to help.”

Lin Mo choked on her berry and coughed violently. She wiped her eyes. “You have pangolins here?” She thought they were nearly extinct!

“Yes,” Bai answered honestly.

“I’ve never seen a pangolin. Let’s go find them.”

Lin Mo washed the remaining berries in the stream. With the berries and the fresh bamboo shoots she’d bought, she hoped Mo Jin would be pleased. “Wait for me, I’ll be right back after I drop these off,” she told Bai, heading toward the cabin to find her partner.