Three hundred yuan and I'll help you mow three acres in a day!

He could only wait until nightfall to see what special changes had come with the upgrade of his Tai Chi skills!

After quickly finishing the noodles—poorly cooked by his second aunt—Chen Anquan followed his second uncle along the edge of the pond, crossed the basketball court, made his way through a narrow lane between houses, and finally arrived at the home of Lai Zi on the other side of the village.

Before even reaching the front door, he heard the barking of several dogs, each with a distinct voice.

So, it was you lot making all that noise this morning when I was practicing Tai Chi in the distance!

“Stop barking! Get out of the way!” Second Uncle waved his hand and cursed at several big mongrels ahead.

The dogs, recognizing Second Uncle, didn’t growl at him, but they did snarl at the unfamiliar Chen Anquan.

“Enough!” At that moment, a deep, muffled old man’s voice rang out, and the barking ceased at once.

Standing at the entrance, Chen Anquan glanced at the number on the single-story house and realized it was a welfare home. He whispered to Second Uncle, “Is Lai Zi one of the Five-Guarantee recipients?”

“That’s right. No wife, no children.” Second Uncle didn’t bother to lower his voice, and his words carried into the house, prompting an angry shout from inside: “Who says I don’t have a wife! My wife’s beautiful! Prettier than yours!”

A thin, dark-skinned old man of sixty or seventy stormed out, glaring at Second Uncle. “You’re just upset you never saw my wife!”

Second Uncle laughed. “Your wife ran away, so it’s only natural you don’t have one.”

Lai Zi bristled. “Doesn’t matter, I still had one!” As he spoke, his uneven, yellowed teeth showed. “My wife was a college student, you know—class beauty, they say!”

Chen Anquan instantly understood. So this lifelong bachelor once had a golden memory: a college sweetheart who’d been the prettiest girl in her class. No wonder he bragged about it to anyone who would listen.

“Let’s not talk about that.” Second Uncle chuckled and pointed to Chen Anquan behind him. “This is my nephew, Anquan.”

Now Lai Zi turned his attention to Chen Anquan, instantly displaying the expression of a man freshly betrayed by love. He mumbled, “Jintang, are you sure he can harvest an acre of rice in a day? I told you, less than an acre, not a penny!”

As he spoke, his eyes swept from Chen Anquan’s head down to his bare toes.

Chen Anquan’s skin was tender and fair, a little chubby, his biceps soft and loose. Even after yesterday’s day-long exposure to the blazing sun, the flush on his skin couldn’t hide his “city kid” aura.

Second Uncle laughed again. “Don’t worry, if he doesn’t get an acre done, I won’t take a cent from you!”

Lai Zi closed his eyes and nodded slowly before fixing his gaze on Chen Anquan. “Boy, your uncle said it, not me. If you can’t do it, don’t blame me for being merciless.”

At that moment, Chen Anquan uttered something that made Lai Zi furious. “Uncle Lai Zi, can you pay me three hundred yuan a day?”

Second Uncle hurried to stop him, uncomfortable. “Anquan, we’re all from the same village, don’t make things difficult.”

“Three hundred, boy? You’ve got quite the appetite! With that, I could hire two people and get two acres harvested in a day!”

“Uncle Lai Zi, don’t worry. Today, I guarantee at least three acres. That means you’ll be making an extra hundred and fifty. If I exceed three acres, you’ll earn even more.”

“You ever harvested rice before?” Lai Zi’s face flushed as he looked over the greenhorn before him. “You realize even a mechanical harvester only does seven or eight acres a day? Us old hands, with years of experience, can maybe do seven or eight-tenths of an acre!”

“That’s right, Anquan, don’t be reckless,” Second Uncle chimed in.

Yesterday, Chen Anquan had helped him finish off the last three acres. He’d thrown out his back and still managed, with great effort, to do about seven-tenths of an acre. Zhao Di had helped too, managing about six-tenths. Chen Anquan had cut one and seven-tenths—still a far cry from three acres!

A whole day for one and seven-tenths acres was already the fastest he’d ever seen anyone harvest rice.

He admitted Chen Anquan was a prodigy, but three acres in one day was simply beyond human capability!

Chen Anquan’s gaze was unwavering as he looked at Lai Zi. “I mean it.”

“Alright then,” Lai Zi replied, “if you can’t finish three acres in a day, you won’t see a single penny from me!”

“It’s a deal!”

For Lai Zi, it was a win-win situation.

He led Chen Anquan along a narrow path for more than ten minutes until they reached his rice fields.

Standing atop the ridge, Chen Anquan looked out over sprawling golden fields—all belonging to Lai Zi.

“Uncle Lai Zi, just how much land do you actually farm?”

Lai Zi didn’t answer right away, but instead pulled a crumpled white cigarette box from his battered blue jacket, took out a cigarette, and stuck it between his lips. “Exactly three acres... I’m too old to handle more. Just enough to feed myself.”

As he spoke, he offered a cigarette to Chen Anquan, who took it and tucked it behind his ear.

Soon, Chen Anquan was ready to begin.

Before starting, he made sure to remind Lai Zi to prepare at least three sharp sickles and to provide lunch and plenty of water at noon.

With a sickle in hand, Chen Anquan leapt off the ridge and took his place at the corner of the field, ready to begin the harvest.

With a strength of 1.37 and a constitution of 1.22, he was a marvel—faster than anyone Lai Zi had ever seen.

But even at this pace, it seemed impossible to finish all the rice in one day!

Lai Zi puffed away, going through cigarette after cigarette until the battered box was empty. Then, grinning, he turned back toward home, muttering, “Looks like I’ll be saving that three hundred.”

For a man with no wife, no children, and no job, whose only income was from welfare, to save three hundred yuan meant he could visit the lively matchmaker more than ten times.

“Off I go...”

Meanwhile, Chen Anquan, absorbed in his work, was soon drenched in sweat. He kept a bottle of water on the ridge beside him.

The heat on his brow made his whole body burn, as if he were standing on hot coals.

The rice plants were rough, their leaves like saw blades, often cutting his arms and calves.

As he harvested at lightning speed, he kept an eye on his attribute panel.

And then, the numbers began to jump!