He felt complicated about Zhu-Maorong, who had gone from a promising individual to a porter. The change in status was difficult for him to accept, but the reality of the situation forced him to embrace it. Thus, he resigned himself to being a porter.
Meanwhile, Ye Tiancheng found the villagers' behavior utterly baffling. They were like opportunistic opportunists, only loyal as long as there was something to gain.
As soon as they saw a change in his fortunes, they abandoned him, turning their backs on him. They decided to take measures against Ye Tiancheng, blinded by their immediate self-interest. Ye Tiancheng, however, could not afford to be delayed in his pursuit of making pineapple cakes.
"I don't have time for your nonsense. Any further delay will affect my grand plan to make money. If you want to abandon me, feel free to go to the Feng family. I know that fellow is behind this. Now, this young master has to get busy. Do as you please..."
Hou Dabao was disappointed by Ye Tiancheng's abrupt departure, as he seemed to disregard her feelings entirely. She wished he would prioritize appeasing the villagers and continuing his business here, otherwise, his interests would suffer. He was reluctant to lose his position as village chief, and even more so, the substantial income from selling three to four hundred yuan worth of fish daily.
To him, it was significant, but to Ye Tiancheng, it was merely a small sum.
If he succeeded at the agricultural conference, he would gain even greater benefits. Therefore, he wouldn't be concerned about minor losses, as he already possessed some capability and was not bothered by immediate setbacks. He was playing the long game, aiming for bigger rewards and wouldn't be swayed by trivial gains.
"If the village chief is willing to come with me, I guarantee you will live in wealth and prosperity. You're still clinging to an income of three to four hundred yuan a day? I truly question your vision."
Ye Tiancheng said this because he was worried that He Dabao might stir up trouble.
These villagers were blinded by greed, and if he continued to nag them, they would become extremely dissatisfied. At that point, he wouldn't be able to continue as the village chief.
Without the villagers' support, he would be a chief in name only, a mere figurehead. Therefore, without their cooperation, he wouldn't be able to accomplish anything.
"For me to leave with you? How is that possible? My family is all here. You, on the other hand, are a lone wolf, able to pack up and leave at any moment." Hou Dabao certainly wouldn't choose to leave.
"Since Hou says you don't want to go, there's nothing more to say. I am absolutely determined to leave." Ye Tiancheng had no other thoughts. He responded with firm resolve. Seeing Ye Tiancheng's determination, Hou Dabao was furious. On one hand, she was angry that Ye Tiancheng wasn't willing to negotiate properly; on the other hand, she was angry that the villagers showed no respect. Ye Tiancheng had treated them so well before, and now, when someone else wanted to interfere, they wouldn't offer him any support. She wondered what their hearts were made of. If their conscience were valuable, everyone would be good. Because conscience is worthless, people only recognize profit, not conscience.
"It's useless to say anything now. They only recognize money, not conscience. So, if you have a conscience, you should lead by example and follow me." Ye Tiancheng, seeing Hou Dabao's expression, knew what she was thinking and tried to persuade her.
Hou Daohua ignored Ye Tiancheng's persuasion and said with a serious expression, "Alright, young man. If you want to leave, then leave. I am the village chief of this village, and I choose to bear the consequences with them."
Seeing Hou Dabao's resolute stance, Ye Tiancheng felt it was pointless to continue talking. He could only leave.
Therefore, before waiting for the village chief's decision, Ye Tiancheng had to successfully refine the pineapple cakes, sweet potato cakes, and other items. He planned to refine one type per day.
After dedicating himself fully and going through a period of exploration, he finally succeeded in making the pineapple cakes.
At this moment, Wang Xiaomiao returned from an errand. The fragrant aroma from the room made her mouth water. She quickly rushed into the house to see what Ye Tiancheng was doing. She saw the fragrant pineapple cakes on the table. The smell was so enticing that her stomach rumbled.
"Not bad! The aroma of pineapple cakes is unheard of. How did you make them?" Wang Xiaomiao said, reaching out with her delicate hand, picking up a piece of pineapple cake, and popping it into her mouth.
Seeing her eating style, Ye Tiancheng suspected she wasn't a woman at all but rather a man. She hadn't even washed her hands before grabbing food, and he worried she might get diarrhea.
"Why are you looking at me strangely? Do you think I'm so beautiful that you want to marry me?" Seeing Ye Tiancheng's wolf-like gaze, she found it peculiar.
"I think you're overthinking it. I have no such intentions." Ye Tiancheng replied, intending to convey his lack of interest. However, what was said without intent was taken to heart. Wang Xiaomiao didn't believe Ye Tiancheng was that innocent. At his age, not being interested in women was abnormal. Once a man reaches puberty, he will have thoughts of a "dream in a celestial realm" at night.
This was because women like her sometimes secretly watched inappropriate content. Although they publicly stated it was unacceptable, everyone knew it was human nature.
Ye Tiancheng was unaware that Wang Xiaomiao was secretly watching such things. Ye Tiancheng had never seen such things. As a proper man, how could he secretly watch such things? From his childhood, teachers had taught him to stay away from such things and to be a dignified man. A dignified man is one who doesn't think about these wicked things, not at all. From beginning to end, he shouldn't think about them. Those who think about such things are evil and bad.
"Look at you, being so serious. Are you saying you want to do that?" Suddenly, Wang Xiaomiao's serious demeanor made Ye Tiancheng very displeased. At her age, men who are more mischievous are more loved by women. If you're not mischievous, you're not lovable, and you won't receive love.
"I really don't know what you're thinking. Are you very, very bad?"
"At the very least, in high school, I went to an internet cafe with girls and watched inappropriate things. In this world that is already so corrupt, you pretend to be incredibly pure, which is annoying. I'm telling you the truth; I don't want to hide my true self." Wang Xiaomiao was completely open with Ye Tiancheng, even revealing such shameful things. This showed that she considered Ye Tiancheng a confidant with whom she could discuss anything.
"Regain family affection and return to oneself, reaching the peak of the Spirit Refining realm." Ye Tiancheng suddenly remembered the online novels he had read where cultivators severed their emotions and desires. He blurted out these words, which were quite inexplicable. Wang Xiaomiao rolled her eyes, pouted, and stopped talking to him. She grabbed a few pineapple cakes and sauntered out.
Seeing her swaying backside as she left, he felt a prickle in his scalp. He thought to himself, "This girl is truly experiencing the stirrings of young love."
At this age of budding romance, she naturally desired a man's intimate touch to bloom like a flower. This is youth and passion.
If men didn't watch such things, how would they know how to procreate the next generation? If people were truly as the books described, not thinking or desiring, then it would be terrible, and there would be no people in this world.
If everyone didn't think about wicked things, and doing so was considered wicked, then how would people reproduce?
This, of course, was not something Ye Tiancheng was considering. He just wanted to live his own life. What he felt was right was right, and what he felt was wrong was wrong.
Although this way of thinking was somewhat self-willed and arrogant, youth is about constantly making mistakes and correcting them. Youth is wonderful; it's an age of aimless striving.
Ye Tiancheng continued to make sweet potato cakes.
However, he failed on the first and second attempts without exception, as it was much more difficult than making pineapple cakes. He was not discouraged but persisted. By midnight, he had achieved some success, making small, cute, and kawaii-looking items. These were very suitable for young girls, as they were high in sugar content, aiding digestion and strengthening intestinal motility. They were very effective for children with poor appetites. Therefore, he planned to promote these pastries to young girls. Of course, the last type was nut-based pastries.
"It's time to sleep now. It won't be fun if you collapse from exhaustion." A voice said to Ye Tiancheng. Hearing the voice, Ye Tiancheng couldn't help but smile. In his opinion, if a dignified cultivator like himself could be worn out by staying up late, he wouldn't be a cultivator at all, but worse than an ordinary person.
After staying up all night, he still hadn't finished the dried fruit pastries, which made Ye Tiancheng a bit discouraged. After all, he hadn't made much progress in an entire night, and he had almost used up all the materials he bought yesterday.
The great green snake in his sea of consciousness watched Ye Tiancheng's futile despair and couldn't help but laugh. "There's a milk-berry tree on the back mountain. Its fruits are already ripe. If you use them to make pastries, they'll be delicious, sweet and sour, and very suitable for young boys."
"Why do young boys like sweet and sour things? And why do girls like sweet potato cakes?" Ye Tiancheng was a bit puzzled.
"Why ask me? Who am I supposed to ask? It's human nature. You can only let it take its course; you can't change these rules. I think you should understand." As the mountain god, the great green snake didn't know either, so Ye Tiancheng knew even less.
Since he heard there were milk-berries on the back mountain, which were free materials, he naturally had to go.
Free things were naturally the best raw materials. The endless supply of raw materials on the back mountain provided Ye Tiancheng with infinite resources. Therefore, at this moment, he was no longer worried about Feng Huaiyuan's family ruining his plans.
"I never expected you to be this kind of person; you've truly opened my eyes." The divine stone couldn't believe Ye Tiancheng liked free materials. Even so, he should have some dignity and not act like a complete fool, appearing superficial and lacking a grounded approach. However, he was only twenty-two or twenty-three years old and lacked the demeanor of an adult. He hadn't reached the age of thirty or forty, so he lacked that steady composure. He was like a grown-up, and youth is an age of aimless striving; you can do whatever you want, make mistakes whenever you want, because you can afford to.
By the age of forty, one finally realizes they don't have much time left to live, understands how much they have wasted, and learns to cherish everything. That's why most girls like older men because older men know how to cherish.
The greater the pressure on a person, the greater their responsibility. The greater the responsibility, the greater the desire to break through to a higher realm. Therefore, pressure cannot crush a truly mature person. However, Ye Tiancheng could not be considered mature, but he understood the importance of striving and being positive, using his strength to prove himself. Although this might be a bit extreme, everyone in this world likes it.
It doesn't matter if it's destruction or existence; it's all for self-affirmation.
"For him now, this is how it is. It's best to let nature take its course. Don't interfere too much. You and I are merely observers or assistants. The subjective will lies with him. I don't know if you understand or not." At this moment, the great green snake said to the divine stone, as he was very dissatisfied with what the divine stone said. The divine stone hadn't expected the great green snake to say such things, as if he had lived for tens of thousands of years, but his insights were not as profound as a mere mountain god's.
"What ability do you, a great snake, have to speak to this venerable one? I am one of the six divine artifacts, Nuwa Stone. Haven't you seen the fragment of Fuxi on him?"
"My eyes are not blind; of course, I see it. But what does that prove?"
"It proves he is a very powerful person. Don't you think so?"
"Forget it, let's not argue. It's meaningless to argue back and forth. I'm going to take a nap." He had also rested yesterday and needed to sleep during the day. He didn't understand if this stone was very fond of sleeping.
Meanwhile, Ye Tiancheng found the legendary milk-berries on the back mountain.
The milk-berry trees covering the mountainside gave him a great feeling. He had eaten these things in his childhood. They were very sour and astringent, but he still liked them. In those days, rural areas were very poor, and there were almost no candies. These wild fruits became their childhood food and pastries.
Seeing these wild fruits, from green to red, filled Ye Tiancheng's heart with memories.
"This is full of memories, my childhood, hahahaha." Ye Tiancheng couldn't help but laugh heartily. For him, there were many things he didn't understand why they were like this. The older one gets, the more one misses the precious things of childhood, like slides constantly flipping through his mind.
"Perhaps you don't know what precious means, or perhaps you know what precious means but don't cherish it. But all of this will fade with time, and you will be incredibly regretful. That's why you humans call it 'humanity.'" At this moment, the divine stone could no longer tolerate Ye Tiancheng's childlike gaze and spoke to him.
"Isn't that nonsense? You're not human; you're just a stone with human consciousness. You call yourself Nuwa Stone, but I think you're like a stone by the latrine, smelly and hard." Ye Tiancheng didn't forget to retort to this divine stone, making his nonsensical words his topic of contention.
Therefore, he was very, very depressed. Being spoken to like this by a young man in his early twenties, his mood was indescribable. He simply continued to play dead and sleep his nap.
Ye Tiancheng collected a full basket of "first love" milk-berries from the back mountain and returned home to make pastries with them.
But he also experienced several failures. Finally, with the guidance of the great green snake, he successfully made a pastry that was ancient, with a history of over 5,000 years.
Finally, he succeeded. He stretched his back, yawned deeply, and prepared to go back to sleep.
But just then, the village children seemed to have smelled the aroma of these milk-berries and ran to his door. Ye Tiancheng shared a piece with each of the little boys.
These little boys scattered and ran away happily, having received delicious treats. Seeing the backs of these children, Ye Tiancheng couldn't help but recall the saying, "Young boys love milk-berry pastries..."
"It seems the mystery of life lies here. Some things are unclear, yet you know them."
"Isn't that nonsense? There are many things you know but can't say, and things you can say but don't know. There are many, many such things," the great green snake said to Ye Tiancheng. "That stone, although it has lived for tens of thousands of years, it doesn't understand many human affairs, especially the subtle, delicate emotions between people. As a mountain god, I receive people's incense and know the psychological state of people when they make wishes. I know because I've seen it often."
"However, everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. You can't say it has lived in vain. At the very least, it's like a historical library. I can find a lot of information I don't know within it. Hahaha, it's so convenient, better than a computer search engine, more comprehensive and convenient. As long as I talk to it, I can find the information I want."
Hearing Ye Tiancheng's words, the divine stone immediately woke up and furiously cursed him. "You brat, how dare you turn me into such a thing? I am the Nuwa Stone, a genuine one of the six divine artifacts!"
"You're just a stone from a big latrine, what are you so proud of? If you anger me, I'll throw you by the toilet and let you experience the nourishment of the five grains' cycle, and then you won't be so proud anymore." Ye Tiancheng was very dissatisfied because this guy liked to undermine him sometimes, unlike the great green snake who wholeheartedly helped him.
Hearing Ye Tiancheng's words, the divine stone was instantly stunned. He knew that "the cycle of the five grains" was just a euphemism; the real term was "latrine." Such a place was too dirty and smelly. If he went to that place, he could die! If his Nuwa Stone were constantly soaked by the latrine, its divine power would disappear, and it would completely turn into an ordinary stone.
"I thought you were fearless, but it turns out you have something to fear! Hahahaha." Seeing that the divine stone was afraid, Ye Tiancheng burst into laughter. Hearing Ye Tiancheng's words, the divine stone no longer dared to scold him, fearing that he would be thrown by the toilet and be subjected to the stench.
Because dirty things could contaminate divine power, the longer the time, the more the divine power would disappear. A stone without divine power would be like a pebble, with no special qualities whatsoever.
Therefore, he was very afraid that Ye Tiancheng would do this. Ye Tiancheng was just joking with him, of course, he wouldn't throw the precious divine stone by the latrine.
"Then I can go to the大会 now. Completing the task a day in advance makes me feel very relaxed. What should I do with this day?" Ye Tiancheng was contemplating this when he suddenly heard a noise outside the door. He instinctively looked over and saw Su Muxian arriving.
Su Muxian looked at Ye Tiancheng, finding him in a state of intoxication, and asked curiously, "What are you doing in this state of self-intoxication?"
"Of course, everything is done. I have a day to kill and don't know where to go to play. Do you have any good suggestions?" Ye Tiancheng looked at Su Muxian and saw a happy expression flashing on her face, like a woman about to fall in love, her complexion rosy, like the spring sunshine.
Su Muxian approached him, propped her chin with her fair hand, thought for a long time, and then clapped her hands in approval. "Then let's go to the Water Village to play. It's very fun there."
"Isn't that a place to eat? What's fun about it?" Ye Tiancheng felt it wasn't a place to play but rather a place to eat.
"Yes, if we go now, we'll just make it in time for lunch. After lunch, we can go somewhere else to play." Su Muxian looked at Ye Tiancheng expectantly, hoping he would agree. Ye Tiancheng felt she had something on her mind and wasn't really going to eat; it was likely a Hongmen Banquet.
Seeing Ye Tiancheng pondering his decision, Su Muxian, worried he might discover something, grabbed Ye Tiancheng's hand and pulled him out the door.
"You need to clarify first, is it a Hongmen Banquet or something similar? I don't want to be a scapegoat." Ye Tiancheng was deliberately joking. In reality, Su Muxian had invested so much money in him that he couldn't repay her even with ten favors. Without her, he wouldn't have been able to slap Hou Mingzhu in the face. Therefore, he owed his current achievements to her, and he would never forget the one who dug the well.
Ye Tiancheng's thoughts were naturally purposeful and reasoned. His greatest concern was provoking people beyond his current capabilities and control. Of course, Su Muxian would never let Ye Tiancheng handle things he couldn't manage. The reason she asked him to go was entirely to shirk a responsibility.
Recently, a young master had taken a liking to Su Muxian and was relentlessly pursuing her. Today, they were scheduled to have dinner at the Water Village. Su Muxian did not want to go, but the young master had insisted, using his family's influence to pressure her.
This family was slightly superior to the Su family. Even a slight superiority would create a crushing advantage. The Su family dared not take it lightly and could only let Su Muxian handle the matter.
Su Muxian, of course, did not like this rich young master. She preferred men like Ye Tiancheng. Therefore, when she had a problem, she would seek Ye Tiancheng's help. A man like him was an ideal husband and a reliable man. Once he promised something, he would fulfill it even if it meant going through fire and water. Any woman would be captivated by such a man who kept his word.