Life in a Simulation - Chapter 4

“Guihua, just throw the child away. We already have Ada. With two children, we can’t afford to raise them…”

The familiar words rang in his ears. Zhou Ming opened his eyes and saw the same scene from the last time he entered the game.

Looking at the somewhat familiar figures before him, countless memories flooded his mind. He recalled the sacrifices this poor couple had made for him. Even though Zhou Ming knew it was just a game, he couldn’t help but feel a lump in his throat and almost shed tears.

“Father, Mother, in this life, I will never let you suffer so much again!”

Zhou Ming made up his mind in silence, determined to change the fate of this impoverished family!

Time began to fly by once again. In order to win the race against time, Zhou Ming utilized every available moment to learn every skill he could master.

In less than three months, Zhou Ming was able to speak clearly and told his father, Zhang San, that there was a bamboo forest on the north side of Oxhead Mountain. Underneath the bamboo forest were several burrows of bamboo rats. These rats were easy to catch. All one had to do was seal off the other exits, leaving one hole. Then, insert a hollow bamboo tube into the hole, place wet straw inside the tube, ignite the straw, and blow smoke into the burrow. Soon, the rats, stupefied by the smoke, would be caught at the other exits.

That afternoon, as expected, Zhang San returned with five plump bamboo rats—two large and three small ones, including a nursing female with ample milk that was still alive.

The arrival of the five bamboo rats not only improved the family’s meal but also provided Zhou Ming with an additional source of milk besides his mother Guihua. His small stature grew faster than before.

“Master of the house, I’m afraid something has possessed our Zhang Ergou. I’m scared…” At night, Guihua whispered to Zhang San with a hint of fear.

The poorer and more remote the mountain dwellers were, the more terrified they were of things that couldn’t be explained by science. They often associated such events with “being possessed” or “ghostly attachments.” Some extremists might even invite a shaman to perform rituals on those believed to be possessed, subjecting them to ordeals like fire roasting or drowning to exorcise the evil spirits.

“What do you know, woman? Zhang Ergou is the reincarnation of a star spirit, sent to us by the heavens. Don’t you dare speak of this outside, or we’ll incur the wrath of the heavens and suffer the consequences!” Zhang San warned sternly, his face menacing, fearing that his wife might inadvertently spread the word.

Guihua shrank back, shuddering. She cast a complicated glance at Zhou Ming, who was sleeping soundly nearby. Her eyes held a mix of fear and an indescribable sense of anticipation.

At around one and a half years old, with the “special” care from his parents, Zhou Ming was able to walk. His gait was more agile than that of his three-and-a-half-year-old brother, and his behavior was unusually composed. The words he spoke often left people in awe.

For example, he told Zhang San that when planting beans in summer, reducing the number of bean seeds per plant by one-fifth compared to previous years would yield an extra fifty kilograms of beans per acre at harvest. Zhang San, skeptical but willing to try, planted half an acre according to this method and indeed harvested over twenty kilograms more beans in the fall.

When winter came and food was scarce, Zhou Ming had his mother Guihua take two handfuls of millet from the empty rice jar, place them outside in the snow, and set up a simple trap with a wooden stick supporting a winnowing basket. He scattered some millet under the basket and tied a hemp rope to the other end of the stick. In just half a day, he managed to catch over thirty sparrows.

Over three years, with Zhou Ming’s various clever tricks, no matter how great the difficulties, the poor family was able to get through them safely.

Even when his brother Zhang Da nearly drowned while fishing in the river, Zhou Ming’s timely intervention saved him from disaster.

At the age of six, on that familiar night, his sister was born. After an argument between his father and mother, his father still cruelly picked up the baby and walked towards the dark outside.

As he reached the door, his sleeve was forcefully grabbed by a pair of small hands.

“Zhang Ergou, let go of me,” Zhang San said sternly.

“Father, I can support my sister. I can take care of her!”

“How can you…” The words died in Zhang San’s throat. Looking at the small but earnest figure before him, he couldn’t believe that such words could come from his second son.

The baby sister was finally allowed to stay and was named Zhang Xiao.

The next day, among the group going to the mountain to weed, there was an additional six-year-old figure.

Clearly, two acres of thin land could not support a family of five. The only solution was to clear the forest and reclaim the land. They had to burn down a large area of forest, remove the tree stumps with hoes, level the land, and ridge it. After years of intercropping and fallowing, a piece of wasteland could be transformed into fertile arable land, a process that might require the efforts of an entire generation.

At the age of thirteen, without the help of large livestock, the Zhang family managed to expand their two acres of thin land into five acres. In addition, Zhou Ming used his agricultural and forestry skills to develop a half-acre orchard and a half-acre vegetable garden. With fruits and vegetables available all year round, he even sparked a wave of land reclamation in the village. Following the Zhang family’s example, the vast ownerless forests on the back mountain were turned into orchards and vegetable gardens.

After the age of fourteen, the family no longer had to worry about food and warmth. At fifteen, they built a larger and sturdier bamboo and wood house. His brother Zhang Da also reached marriageable age and had arranged to marry a girl from a neighboring village, who would move to Ox Village after the New Year.

After settling his brother’s marriage, Zhou Ming also needed to find a suitable life partner for himself.

A life partner carried significant weight in the game’s evaluation. Zhou Ming wanted to find a good wife to spend the rest of his life with.

Firstly, she had to be beautiful, gentle and virtuous, frugal and good at managing a household. Most importantly, she should be fertile and able to bear many children. After all, the number of offspring also affected the achievement points he could earn in the game. The more children, the better.

Looking at himself in the mirror, Zhou Ming nodded in satisfaction. At sixteen, he was not only handsome but also tall and strong, a real catch in the entire Ox Village!

Combined with his legendary reputation in the village, there were more than a few girls who had taken a liking to him.

However, the one who caught Zhou Ming’s eye was Wang Xiu, the daughter of the impoverished scholar Wang Xiucai from the east of the village. It was just a fleeting glance while washing clothes by the river, but her graceful and beautiful figure, shy and pretty face, and her fertile potential, coupled with her scholarly background, made Zhou Ming instantly decide that she was the perfect match he was looking for!

“I’ll get her, I definitely will!”

Wiping the drool from the corner of his mouth, Zhou Ming launched an unprecedented romantic offensive. He wrote love poems, sent gifts, told stories, poured out his heart, and made moonlit confessions. Within a month, he had completely won her over, and she vowed to marry no one but him, Zhang Ergou.

The scholar Wang Xiucai, who had always been particular about family backgrounds, naturally opposed the marriage. However, upon learning that his daughter’s heart and body had already been captured by Zhang Ergou, he had no choice but to reluctantly accept Zhou Ming as his son-in-law.

They had chosen an auspicious date to get married, but then came the news: Li Shouzheng’s second son, Li Wenhao, had also taken a liking to Wang Xiu. Despite already having a wife, he insisted on taking her as a concubine. After catching a glimpse of her, he was captivated and immediately sent people carrying eighteen boxes of red gifts to Wang Xiucai’s door, demanding to recognize him as his father-in-law.

“Nephew Li, it’s not that I’m unwilling. It’s just that my daughter already has a sweetheart. You should take these gifts back,” Wang Xiucai said, waving his hand in refusal.

“A sweetheart? Who? Who dares to take my woman, Li Wenhao?”

A layer of frost appeared on Li Wenhao’s face, and a cold, murderous glint flashed in his eyes.

“Do you know Zhang Ergou from the north of the village? He’s the one who stole my precious daughter,” Wang Xiucai said indignantly.

“Zhang Ergou!” Li Wenhao gritted his teeth, and the chilling killing intent on his face became even more evident, making Wang Xiucai shudder involuntarily.

In the blink of an eye, it was the auspicious day to bring his wife home.

The firecrackers in the brazier at the entrance had been burning for a long time, and the auspicious noon hour quickly passed. However, the sedan chair to welcome the bride had not yet arrived.

“Bad news, bad news! The bride, the bride has been kidnapped by the village head’s son, Li Wenhao, and his gang!”

An extremely urgent voice brought a bolt-from-the-blue piece of news.

The crowd was in an uproar, and Zhou Ming, dressed in his wedding attire, stumbled and almost fell to the ground.

“Li Wenhao, you dare to kidnap my wife? I’ll fight you to the death!!”

With new and old grievances rushing to his mind, Zhou Ming, consumed by rage, tore off his wedding clothes, rushed into the kitchen, grabbed a kitchen knife, and roared as he sprinted towards the village head Li Shouzheng’s house!

Life in a Simulation - Chapter 4

Comments for "Chapter 4"

Hate that cliffhanger, don’t you?

Announcement