Raising a Bun with a Daily Life System

Chapter 13: Zhào Zhāo

These people were all new faces; they were complete strangers. Yuan Xi looked at them for a while, then – without saying anything at all – he turned around and continued into the farm. 

As he entered the front door, the others followed him on his heels. 

Xiao Wu, a long-time worker in charge of housekeeping, looked like he had been waiting for Yuan Xi and greeted him. Upon seeing Yuan Xi, he said: “Uncle Wang went to the planting area early in the morning and said you were coming. Let me take you there.” 

Yuan Xi nodded, a little embarrassed. He got up early on purpose, but he was still late. He fixed the current time into his memory so he would not be late tomorrow. 

At this time, the six people from before also entered. The young man, who seemed to be the leader, brusquely asked: “Xiao Wu, who is this?”

Xiao Wu was surprised when he saw the young man. Then, with a wide smile on his face, he said: “Zhào-ge*, why are you here?” 

*哥 = gē = elder brother → while this is a familial term, you can also refer to friends as “brother” or “sister” in Asian cultures (like calling an older male friend “oppa” in Korea)

The young man called Zhào-ge looked at Yuanxi, then stared at Xiao Wu and threatened: “If I ask you a question, you should answer it! Why so much nonsense!”

Xiao Wu opened and closed his mouth. How could he be so unlucky to meet this bad guy*….? But there was no time to complain at that moment. He braced himself and said: “This Mister Yuan is a friend of our boss. He is a guest.” 

*冤家 = yuān jia = enemy; foe; opponent 

“Surname Yuan?” The young man’s thick eyebrows wrinkled and he looked at Yuan Xi fiercely: “You’re the kid who wants to take over the farm, right?” 

Yuan Xi still couldn’t figure out who this Zhào-ge was, but didn’t think it was important. The process of transferring the farm’s ownership was completed, so it was impossible to make any trouble. Sooner or later, he had to bear the responsibility himself, so he might as well take advantage of this opportunity….

Yuan Xi narrowed his eyes and replied with a smile: “That’s right, my name is Yuan Xi. I am the new owner of Qinghe Farm.” 

When he said this, Xiao Wu was shocked. He wanted to stop him, but could not. He was anxious because this guy surnamed Zhào had a hot temper; he worked hard and played hard, doing bad things all day long with a couple of other young people. 

He coveted Wang Qingnian’s farm for a long time. However, given his temperament, no amount of money could sway Wang Qingnian into transferring the farm to him. Moreover, Wang Qingnian was not soft. After so many years of working and all the connections he (WQN) made, he (ZZ) did not dare to provoke him. 

On the other hand, Yuan Xi was a newcomer. Zhào Zhāo was a reckless boy and naturally was quick to anger. 

Sure enough, as soon as Yuan Xi said that, the youth surnamed  Zhào became angry: “You, say that again!” 

Yuan Xi repeated himself with a smile, emphasizing the words “new owner”. This was a naked provocation. 

Xiao Wu was shocked. He was afraid of being implicated. Moreover, he was afraid that Yuan Xi would be beaten up and that he would have to take responsibility. He watched them draw out their weapons. He then happened to see his workmate Li Ren with his sharp eyes, and hurried to say hello. Li Ren was also a clever man and immediately understood the situation. He (LR) turned around and ran towards the planting area. 

He hoped Wang Qingnian would get there soon, and that nothing big happened in the meanwhile….

Translated by lazysoozan (@2323bloopboop) on bbmtls.wordpress.com

Over in the planting area, Wang Qingnian was waiting for Yuan Xi. Instead of meeting him, he received the news from Li Ren, and immediately became angry upon hearing it. That stinky boy dared to go wild on his head, what a bastard! He’s looking for a beating!

He put his work aside, got into the car, and rushed over in a hurry. Wang Qingnian became even more worried when he thought of Yuan Xi’s small stature compared to the proportions of other people. How could he face Yuan Yucheng if he (YX) was injured here! 

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became; and the more he thought, the more worried he became. Wang Qingnian wished he could fly straight over. 

Unfortunately, even with a car, the distance was not very close. Wang Qingnian regretted not arranging a few more people to guard the entrance. Let’s see who would dare to be wild then! 

While regretting and worrying, Wang Qingnian finally arrived and rushed to the entrance, angrily shouting: “Zhào Zhāo, you bastard, what are you doing?”

Originally, he thought that Zhào Zhāo, that stinky boy, would not dare to start anything. But, unexpectedly, he was still holding his fist. 

Wang Qingnian became even more angry. Yuan Xi’s small body would get hurt a lot when he was hit by those fists. 

He could only hate his old age; his legs and feet were not as light as they used to be. If he could, he would hit Zhào Zhāo, that stinky brat, with a flying kick. 

Unfortunately, he could only watch from afar at that moment. Taking a closer look…something seemed to be wrong?

The car sped quickly to the entrance. Wang Qingnian got out of the car and was stunned by the scene that greeted him. 

That bastard Zhào Zhāo, holding his fists, prostrated himself before Yuan Xi with a thump and shouted in a loud voice: “Master, please accept me as an apprentice!” 

Wang Qingnian: Σ( ° △ °|||)︴This, what rhythm is this? 

He looked at Yuan Xi standing opposite, with squinting big eyes and a smile upturning his mouth. The old god asked: “Impressed?” 

Zhào Zhāo raised his head and replied with sincerity: “I’m impressed! I’m totally impressed! It’s this young apprentice who has eyes but could not see Mount Tai, who did not even try his best when he challenged the Master. I truly deserve a beating, you should hit me hard!” 

Yuan Xi looked at Zhào Zhāo’s face, bruised blue and purple, and asked with a restrained smile: “Who said I was your master?” 

Zhào Zhāo’s face was surprised: “Master, master, you can’t leave me behind. Your martial arts are world-class and you have a chivalrous spirit. A great man rarely stoops to pettiness or harbors grievances for past wrongs. Take me as a student and teach me! I want to throw them to the ground just like that!” While speaking and gesturing, he looked presentable*.

*边说着边比划着，还有模有样的

After listening to his funny words, Yuan Xi finally couldn’t help laughing: “You, stop it, you’ve watched too many TV shows.” 

After that, Yuan Xi stopped paying attention to him. When he saw Wang Qingnian coming, he said: “Uncle Wang, it’s alright. Don’t worry.” 

Wang Qingnian carefully looked at this scene, which was beyond his imagination. Yuan Xi really was okay. What was wrong with this scene was that Zhào Zhāo’s little gang of bastards, which included all five of the young men, all rolled on the ground, whining and groaning in pain. Zhào Zhāo was also punched several times, but he was skinny and tough. Although he was bruised black and blue, he remained silent at that time. He also thickened his face and kissed up to Yuan Xi for fear that Yuan Xi would throw him away. That posture really showed the fervent desire to “worship teachers and learn art”. 

Translated by lazysoozan (@2323bloopboop) on bbmtls.wordpress.com

Seeing Wang Qingnian coming over, Xiao Wu’s grey complexion immediately cleared and was replaced by an expression of excitement on his face. He gathered around Wang Qingnian and could not restrain his excitement: “Boss, you didn’t see it, Yuan xiao-ge* is so strong that as soon as he (ZZ) reached out to punch him (YX), he (YX) grabbed Zhào-ge’s rushing fist and pushed back. He unexpectedly overturned that big guy, Zhào-ge! Oh, my God**, that power is truly not a boast***!

*元小哥 = Yuan xiao-ge → according to hinative, 小哥哥 refers to boys who the speaker thinks is cute and/or cool, while quora says 小哥 can be used when addressing a guy who is younger who the speaker wants to suck up to
** 妈呀 literally translates to “oh, mother!”, which is equivalent to the Western exclamation “Oh, my God!” 
***那力道真不是吹的

Xiao Wu excitedly danced again and said: “Then he turned around, did a swing kick, then kicked the five men on the ground! His movements were absolutely crisp and sharp!” 

Zhào Zhāo, the victim, also added fuel to the fire* to the side. He was a big man with a fierce face and a very sharp mouth. In order to please Yuan Xi, he added endless adjectives to the description, which amazed the unemployed graduate student, Yuan Xi. 

*添油加醋 = lit. add fuel and vinegar = fig. adding the trimmings; exaggerate embellishment to; add highly coloured detail to

The farce finally ended when Zhào Zhāo drove away the five young men who were rolling on the ground and followed behind Yuan Xi. 

Wang Qingnian was friends with the father of that bastard Zhào Zhāo, so they naturally did not drive him away. Yuan Xi had sharp eyes and could see the advantages*. Although that bastard Zhào Zhāo, that fiend in human shape, was fierce and aggressive, he had not yet done anything excessive. Okay…. Just a pretentious and incompetent jack-of-all trades**, he didn’t have the capital to do anything. 

*也看出些门道 = lit. some doorways are also visible
**那三脚 = lit. three-legged cat = fig. jack-of-all-trades, master of none

A group of people then got on the car. Zhào Zhāo knew that Yuan Xi was shadowing Wang Qingnian to learn how to manage the farm, and immediately bravely volunteered: “Master! This apprentice’s family also does the same thing and are still very knowledgeable. If you need anything, just let me know, and I promise to make you beautiful and bright.” 

Yuan Xi scoffed and threatened: “Call me Master again, and I’ll beat you!”

Zhào Zhāo, however, solemnly replied: “It’s not beating, it’s not beating. It’s a school exam, and the apprentices are on-call at any time.” 

Yuan Xi: …can’t hurt this martial arts enthusiast…

Hey, who didn’t have middle school 2nd year syndrome*? With this in mind, Yuan Xi went with him, but it was Wang Qingnian who burst Zhào Zhāo’s bubble: “You muddy boy, you know about farming? Going out all day and playing the gangster, when did your dad teach you how to manage a farm? Carefree brat, if I were your father, I would have beaten you so long that you couldn’t go out.” 

*aka chunnibyou, that embarrassing phase when you think you have special powers or that you’re cooler/more awesome/special than others
** 倒是王庆年给了赵昭一个爆栗 = lit. it was Wang Qingnian who gave Zhào Zhāo an exploding chestnut → I couldn’t find out if this was an idiom or slang online, but I figured it was the Chinese equivalent to “bursting someone’s bubble” in English

After Wang Qingnian said this, Zhào Zhāo immediately stiffened his neck and shouted: “Uncle Wang, you can insult me but you can’t insult my ideal! My dream is not to stay here. I want to practice martial arts, join the army, become a member of the regular army of the Federation, serve the Federation and guard the Galaxy!” 

“Nonsense!” Wang Qingnian remarked rudely: “You want to practice martial arts, you want to join the army, and you want to defend the Federation yet you just wander around on Blue Island with a bunch of gangsters?” 

This sentence hit Zhào Zhāo’s soft spot. He shrank his neck, peered at Yuan Xi, and whispered: “I… I… Didn’t I accumulate practical experience?” 

Yuan Xi couldn’t help being amused that such a big man had such a poor mouth. 

Seeing Yuan Xi laugh, Zhào Zhāo inevitably was in high spirits again. Trembling with courage and excitement, he shouted: “Now that I have found Master, I must stop fooling around and concentrate on learning art!” 

His declaration caused the others to burst into laughter. 

Zhào Zhāo was stupefied. Usually, if others dared to laugh at him, he would dare to beat them. But, at that moment, he was so embarrassed. 

Translated by lazysoozan (@2323bloopboop) on bbmtls.wordpress.com

A car full of people joked and chatted freely, and they soon arrived at the planting area. When they got out of the car, Wang Qingnian and Yuan Xi went ahead. Zhào Zhāo touched his nose and followed them, and several more long-term workers followed at the end. 

Without Zhào Zhāo’s interruption, Yuan Xi humbly consulted Wang Qingnian. 

Yuan Xi was inexperienced in managing a farm, but it was generally much simpler now than in the past. After so many years of development, human beings have made great progress in many fields, including agriculture. 

For example, consider the genetic modification of crops. Thousands of years ago, 1,000 jin* of wheat per mu of land made farmers happy enough to blossom. Now, the wheat yield has reached 5,000 jin per mu. Additionally, the yield of rice per mu has also increased more than six times. Furthermore, many varieties have also emerged through years of evolution and change. 

*jin = unit of weight, equal to 500 grams

Like rice the size of soybeans, a bunch of grape-like wheat, and even some kind of white-coloured fruit crop… But, these mutated crops still had many shortcomings. They were too big but not nutritious enough, or they were too expensive to grow, too expensive to promote, and so on… There were numerous problems. 

Another change that delighted Yuan Xi was that the maturation rate and life cycles of crops were drastically shortened. Because Blue Island was a planet with constant temperatures, and its revolution was similar to that of Earth, there were 12 months in a year but four growing seasons. 

With an average of three months required for a batch of crops to mature coupled with this doubling in production, Yuan Xi was deeply aware that there was a lot of land to eat and use in this society. 

After walking through a large area of wheat and rice fields, which occupied two-thirds of the planting area, Wang Qingnian told Yuan Xi: “All of these have already been prepared, and we’re just waiting for a good harvest in a month. There will be almost no mistakes. Come on, I’ll show you around.” 

Wang Qingnian had planted some strange things for the ancient people of Yuan Xi’s time in the last third of the planting areas. 

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The author has something to say:
Cough…This time, the protagonist is not a weak chicken. He goes up to the hall and down to the kitchen. He can raise children on the outside…hahaha