The seasoned huntsman, Quint, rose at the break of dawn, swiftly splashed his face with icy water, and promptly set off on the path to the summer house.
Indeed, they refer to the greenhouse built by Ina as the "Summer House". Its climate is warm, almost indistinguishable from the summer on the Toriya Plains. Such a miracle amidst the harsh winter always made Quint silently give thanks to the saint.
First, he made his way to the Summer House to inspect his domain. The lettuce and radishes were his responsibility, but they were not planted side by side due to their different temperature requirements, thus they were distributed in different areas.
Quint started with the lettuce patch, its neighbors were beetroot and rapeseed. He first checked the soil; it was a tad dry on top, indicating it needed watering today. He straightened his back and glanced at the beetroot and rapeseed, quietly observing they haven't tended as well as his own lettuce.
Contentedly, he moved to the radish field. This area was slightly cooler than where the lettuce resided, making it suitable for cold-tolerant crops like radishes and cabbages. Quint picked up a stick he had stuck in the radish field, counting the notches on it. It was time to fertilize the radishes. With plenty of water and nutrients, the radishes grew quickly. Their lush green leaves peered out from the soil as the radishes below thrived, drawing nourishment from the earth.
Having completed his rounds of the vegetable patches he was responsible for, more and more clan members arrived at the Summer House, each performing their tasks—loosening the soil, applying fertilizer, catching pests. Ready to depart for breakfast, Quint donned his thick leather coat at the exit. Despite his attire, he couldn't help but shiver when he stepped out of the Summer House and was met with the piercing wind of the plains.
Breakfast was served at the wooden cabin of the saint. Many would pass the cabin on their way to the Summer House and take advantage of the opportunity to have breakfast. Not Quint, however. He needed to check on his vegetables first before he could sit for a meal in peace. Lunch would be delivered to the Summer House by the saint's mechanical puppet, sparing them from venturing out.
Today's breakfast consisted of barley and rice porridge, meat and onion pies, and steamed buns, accompanied by a few pickled vegetables like spicy radish and pickled doll peppers.
Quint picked up a chubby white steamed bun, tore it open, stuffed it in some spicy radish, and began to eat while standing. The saint's invention, this food called a "steamed bun", was soft, white, and more filling than white bread. Quint could easily eat off a whole one without any Side dishes.
But today, radishes were on the menu, the same ones he had a hand in growing, so Quint naturally wanted to sample them.
The sweet and crispy white radishes were cut into strips, air-dried, then pickled with salt and chili powder. Once pickled, they emerged a vibrant color, a golden yellow blushing with the red of chili oil. Quint took a generous bite; the crunchy texture was satisfying, the spicy flavor invigorating, all combined with the soft, delicious bun to instantly awaken his dormant taste buds.
"I wish I could work for the saint all my life," Quint thought, swallowing the last piece of the bun and heading back to the Summer House.
Together with his group, Quint watered and fertilized the lettuce and radishes. The sunlight, filtered through the magic crystal protective shield overhead, warmly poured down, causing beads of sweat to form on their foreheads. Maggi squinted up at the sky, a smile gracing his lips. "It's wonderful. I never thought there would be a day on the Toriya Plains when the winter sun would be more than just a cold, icy orb."
Mori rolled up his sleeves beside him, "Next time I'll have to leave a lighter piece of clothing here. Uncle Quint, all of this feels like a dream. We no longer have to face the snowstorm to go hunting, just this simple work and we won't go hungry?"
Quint attempted to keep a straight face, but the smile couldn't be suppressed. "All of this is the grace of the saint. We need to work more diligently for her, so she won't be disappointed in us."
Maggi, full of enthusiasm, chimed in, "Then I'll go get another bucket of water!"
Quint quickly stopped him, "Watering is not about quantity. Go move those fertilizers and tools over there."
After a while, the sound of tinkling bells approached, the mechanical puppet pushing a food cart came into view, a small golden bell on the cart jingling softly.
This was Ina's floating thermal food cart, spending 300 achievement points purchasing from a system shop. It came with a food-serving robot, one whose hand never trembled.
Although it seemed as if the mechanical puppet was pushing the cart, it actually floated slightly above the ground, powered by its own engine. That's why it could navigate through the muddy fields with ease.
"Let's eat." Quint waved his hand, and the people nearby immediately dropped their tools to line up in front of the food cart.
Lunch was pork rib stew with potatoes over rice, paired with a soup made of three kinds of mushrooms.
Mori held his bowl and squatted at the edge of the vegetable patch. He picked up a rib; each fiber of the firm meat oozed a salty and savory flavor. A gentle bite was all it took for the meat to come off the bone. The potatoes were soft, having absorbed the rich broth. Mori mashed the potatoes directly into the rice, its taste almost bringing tears to his eyes. After eating roasted potatoes for half the winter, he had never known potatoes could have such a wonderful texture.
If he had any doubts about the sudden appearance of the saint before, now, seeing the verdant vegetables growing in the snowfield and the unassailable Summer House amidst the harsh winter, any lingering doubts vanished, replaced with heartfelt gratitude.
The sun went down, signaling the end of the day's work for the Rize people. Ina could have provided lighting in the Summer House, but ever since she noticed these people arriving at Summer Hous at dawn, she worried that the devout and hard-working Rize people would overwork themselves. Hence, she decisively decided not to install lighting.
Quint stepped out of the Summer House into the night, his daily reward was 12 points. What did 12 points mean? The big, round bun he had for breakfast this morning only cost 1 point, and the more flavorful onion and meat pie was only 2 points for three. By this calculation, his work alone could feed two more people, something he wouldn't have dared to imagine in the past.
Quint was old and not as agile as in his youth, his eyes no longer sharp. He couldn't join the hunting party of his tribe, all he could do was till the most land each year, plant the most potato sprouts, and yet the harvested potatoes in autumn were not enough for his family of four to last winter.
Now, he was the team leader in the Summer House, and his daughter was raising Snow Cotton Rabbits in the rabbit hutch. At least they had no trouble providing for the whole family.
Upon returning home, he immediately spotted his granddaughter, Leslie, squatting in the snow and drawing something with a twig. "What are you doing, little rabbit?" he took out a warm coconut bread from his pocket and handed it to his granddaughter, noticing her little hands were red from the cold.
Leslie answered crisply, " sister Anty is teaching me to read!" As she was speaking, Anty rushed in from outside the gate, holding a slate in her hand, saying as she ran, "We write on this with charcoal, and wipe it off with snow when it's full."
It turned out that Anty when in the restaurant, was taught reading and arithmetic by Dusì during his free time. Afraid of forgetting what she learned, she decided to practice with Leslie, who was around her age. By teaching Leslie, Anty could also review what Dusì had taught her during the day.
Leslie broke off half the coconut bread for Anty, and after eating, the two girls ran off to the side with the slate, whispering to each other. Quint quickly brought over a candle, fearing they would strain their eyes.
When he entered the house, he saw his daughter Anna and brother Verben both wearing happy expressions. He couldn't help but ask curiously, "What happened?"
Anna came over and pulled his arm, "Uncle can work in the rabbit hutch too, the tribal chief just told me."
Quint was taken aback, "What?" Workers in the rabbit hutch were prioritized over those who originally went out to capture wild rabbits. The workforce would only increase, not decrease, as everyone wanted to stay in the rabbit hutch for stable work. It didn't make sense that they chose his disabled brother.
Anna's eyes turned red, "It's per the Saint's instructions. Families like ours... can receive care..." She choked up as she spoke. Verben, her uncle, lost an arm while hunting in his youth. In a snowstorm two years ago, Leslie's father went out to gather hunted game and never returned. In the days before the Saint arrived, their family of four struggled terribly. If not for the tribe's help, they wouldn't have survived.
Quint fell silent for a moment, then said with great sincerity, "Can Verben handle the job? We mustn't cause trouble for the Saint if he can't manage. I can support you all by myself."
Anna explained, "It's just cleaning the rabbit hutch, not any heavy work."
Quint nodded repeatedly, "Good, very good!"