Fruit Farmer In A Cultivation World

Sen Lin sat by the spirit plants he had planted. It had already been two weeks since the first snowfall and he had developed a habit of staying by the winter sunflowers for an hour or two every day.

At first, it was because he was worried the plants would get buried in the snow. But after a couple of days, he continued to sit out in the cold and watch the plants even after being sure of the plants ability to shake off all snow.

Sen Lin did this despite the cold because he felt a mystical sensation whenever he stayed close to the spirit plants. He couldn't quite put it into words but it was something similar to the sensation he felt when he had placed his thumb on the contract with Lin Tu.

The difference was that while the contract made him feel like some sort of energy was being sucked out of his body, staying near the winter sunflowers made him feel the opposite – as if he was absorbing a new kind of energy.

He didn't understand what it was but he didn't pay it much mind. Watching the snow-covered world gave him an immense sense of satisfaction.

After all, the horizon painted for a beautiful vista that was hard to come by.

It was a completely white world. Even the leaves of the spirit plant were white as snow.

He was initially curious about how the leaves made any food as the lack of green color meant no chlorophyll, but after thinking about how there was no sun, he stopped wondering about things that he wouldn't get an answer to.

The winter sunflower was growing healthily and that was more than enough for him.

Sen Lin got up and walked to the barn. He woke up the sleeping Blacky and spoke, "Come on Blacky. Time to get to work. All the gourds are almost empty. If we don't move now, we won't have any water to drink by tomorrow."

The donkey brayed lazily to express dissatisfaction but got up after a few more words of persuasion.

One donkey and one man walked out of the barn. Leaving a trail of footprints on the soft powder below, the pair stopped by a stream.

Sen Lin filled up the gourd containers and loaded them onto the pannier strapped to Blacky. This chore, which used to take him hours previously, had been reduced to a short 15 minutes trip back and forth after he turned the giant gourds into containers.

Of course, the pannier was another indispensable item for this improvement in quality of life.

Just as he was enjoying the satisfaction that came with his foray into the world of handicraft, a timid voice spoke from behind.

"Excuse me, could you make way for me if you're done?"

A young girl, maybe around 10 years of age was standing with a clay pot resting on her hip. Her limbs were thin, and her cheeks were sunken.

Her black hair barely covered her neck and she wore an oversized jacket that reached all the way down to her knees.

Sen Lin smiled politely and made way for the girl. She navigated past Blacky and stood by the stream, filling the pot she'd brought with her.

"Are you the new resident staying at the red house by the fat tree?"

Sen Lin asked even though he was sure of it. He knew everyone who lived in Red Rock village. This was the first time he was seeing the girl in front of him and that could only mean one thing.

She was the one staying at the red house that was usually abandoned. Before every winter, some homeless people would come to the village and settle down in the abandoned houses under the city lord's order.

This was also how he had ended up settling in Red Rock village after losing his parents seven years back.

Looking at her reminded him of his younger self. If it weren't for some kind hearted villagers, he'd have either starved or frozen to death.

The girl looked at him warily but replied after a short pause. "That's right. I'm living there with my grandpa. There are also two strong uncles who I know that settled down in other empty houses near the village center."

Listening to her put emphasis on her second sentence, Sen Lin realized what she was up to immediately. Back when he was living on the streets, he'd used this trick more times than he could count.

There were times he was member of some gang, times when he was a city guard's adopted son, times when he was the brother of some hooligan. Of course, all of these identities were made up to dissuade others from entertaining bad ideas.

"I see." Sen Lin wore a disarming smile. "I am Sen Lin. If we go by proximity, I guess I'm your only neighbor. We're the only ones who live up this hill."

Sen Lin thought the girl would put down her guard but she grew even more wary of him. Looking at her alert gaze, he concluded it wouldn't be a good idea to talk to her more.

He bid her goodbye and turned around. But before he could walk too far, he heard a panic filled voice.

"How could this be… it was fine until yesterday."

Sen Lin turned around and saw water leaking from the bottom of the pot. It was a tiny hole and could be fixed without much trouble. But for the young girl, it was too big of a problem.

She stood there in despair.

Sen Lin could understand. Back when he had moved into a temporary house, there was only a single set of utensils in the house. And as a homeless person who got a house to move in to for winter, that was already something to be grateful for.

Watching her do her best to hold back her tears, he approached her slowly. "Come with me. I'll help you patch the pot."

She hesitated for a moment before agreeing.

Sen Lin led the girl to his house and filled one of his old pots with water. He wanted to give it to her send her away but seeing how expectantly she was looking at the broken pot, he led her to his room.

He cooked a tiny amount of rice into a thick sticky porridge and mixed it with ash before using the mixture to seal the hole.

"If you have broken pots, you can fix them with this mixture of rice paste and ash. It'll be as good as new once it dries. Place the pot by the hearth when you get back since you can't sun dry it in winter."

The girl nodded to show she understood.

"Here, you can use this pot until yours gets fixed."

The girl took the old pot Sen Lin had filled earlier as well as the one he just fixed. She looked up at him for a while before opening her mouth, "You're a good person mister. I'll be sure to pay you back."

Sen Lin chuckled after listening to the precocious girl's words. Just a few minutes earlier, she had tried to scare him off with her two "strong uncles" living down at the village but now she was completely different.

Judging by how soft she was, he could tell that her grandfather took good care of her.

"Sure. Remember to pay me back with interest."

The girl flinched at his words. The reply must have been something she had never expected.

She didn't stay any longer. Making an excuse about her grandfather getting worried, she left with hurried footsteps.