Chapter 6: Green Shoots, Grim Smiles
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Chapter 6: Green Shoots, Grim Smiles
The morning light had a strange texture—soft, yes, but watchful. Like the village itself was beginning to notice. Like it was slowly turning its weathered face toward the girl who had once been a ghost in her own home.
Shen Ci stood in the middle of her sprouting perilla beds, sleeves rolled, dirt under her nails, the ghost of a smile tugging at her mouth.
The leaves shimmered like jade coins in the sun.
Phase One: Grow.
Complete.
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A soft ding echoed in her mind.
[Skill: Micro-Ecosystem Design unlocked.]
[New Module: Companion Crop Optimization available.]
[Suggesting secondary crop: Chrysanthemum.]
She raised an eyebrow. "Really, now?"
The irony wasn't lost on her—planting chrysanthemums right after a black-market syndicate with the same name tried to buy her off. Cute.
But the system had a point. Companion planting could boost soil health, repel pests, and increase yield by thirty percent.
She made a note in her logbook, labeled it:
Revenge Gardening Plan.
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That afternoon, word finally spread.
Mrs. Huang, the woman who sold dried noodles and homemade gossip, showed up at the gate.
"Ci girl," she called, all fake cheer. "I heard you're growing again! Good, good. I always said your mother's hands had the blessing of earth. Maybe you got a bit of that, hmm?"
Shen Ci wiped her brow, leaned on her hoe, and gave her a look.
Mrs. Huang blinked. "I also heard you sold herbs to the city. Big money, eh?"
"Just getting by."
"Getting by with new shoes, fresh paint on the walls, and a delivery cart I've never seen before?"
Shen Ci smiled. "You're very observant."
Mrs. Huang preened.
"I could use an herb supplier for my eldest," she added. "He's got digestion problems."
"Bring me a stool sample and I'll think about it."
Mrs. Huang choked. "What?!"
"You want herbs, I need diagnostics. Fair trade."
And just like that, the woman shuffled away, muttering about "wild city girls with no manners."
But later that evening, a covered jar mysteriously appeared by the gate.
Shen Ci laughed so hard she nearly dropped her tea.
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Business picked up fast.
Too fast.
She had to train three village teens to help her sort, dry, and seal herbs. One of them, Xiao Du, was clever and quick—said he wanted to learn accounting.
She gave him a ledger and said, "Learn fast, or I'm paying you in compost."
He grinned like she'd offered him gold.
And maybe, in this village, she had.
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Her fame spread in whispers. Not loud, not bragging. But steady.
The girl who made money from weeds.
The one who talks to machines.
The one who said "no" to city men in dark coats.
They didn't know half of it.
Not yet.
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At night, she studied. Not schoolbooks—no, those had failed her once already.
Now it was soil science, micro-investment strategies, encrypted finance protocols, ancient agricultural texts, and one battered, dog-eared guide to medicinal brewing written by a monk with very poor handwriting and excellent recipes.
She infused perilla oil with chrysanthemum and mint.
She began small-batch distillation of herbal alcohol—just enough to test reactions.
She labeled the bottles with handwritten tags:
Stormproof
Bitter Truth
Liar's Cure
When the system asked for product classifications, she just wrote:
Experimental. Risk: Medium. Reward: Legacy.
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On the fourth night of the harvest moon, Shen Li returned.
Not smiling this time.
"Let's not pretend," she said, stepping into Shen Ci's yard without invitation.
Shen Ci didn't even look up from the tray of herbs she was sorting.
"Finally tired of playing cousin or just ran out of lies?"
Shen Li's voice dropped. "I know about the land. I know what's underneath it."
Shen Ci stood, brushed off her hands, and stepped close.
"You mean my land?"
"You don't have the power to protect it."
"No," Shen Ci said calmly. "But I'm not alone anymore."
Behind her, the door creaked open. Xiao Du stepped out, holding a gardening fork like a mini trident. Two other teens followed. One had a broom. The other just cracked his knuckles and smiled.
Shen Li's eyes widened.
"This is your army?" she scoffed.
"For now," Shen Ci replied. "But they're loyal. And loyalty, Shen Li, is something you'll never afford."
Her cousin left without another word.
And this time, she looked over her shoulder.
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That night, a new notice pinged from the system.
[Village Influence Level: 15%]
[New Opportunity Unlocked: Community Garden Project Proposal]
She read it twice.
Then whispered, "Now that's the kind of empire I want to build."
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End of Chapter 6
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