Chapter 887: Monkey Business and a Promise of Honey

“You want honey, right? That’s what you’re saying with that move.” Xia Qing slowed her speech, trying to connect with the monkey, who was carefully using its tiny black hands to cling to her pants and climb upward.

This little monkey’s ally—the Bear Pack—had, in their territory, a fuse capable of blowing apart half the Fire Phoenix’s mountain—a legendary Glacial Crimson Vein Stone, called the Sacred Stone. With just one month left in Section Three, Xia Qing was determined to teach this monkey how to communicate, so it would understand it could trade the Glacial Crimson Vein Stone for honey.

Just a moment ago, Xia Qing had carried the honey jar to the kitchen. The monkey slowly turned its head and started to follow with those shaky arms. But before it made it into the kitchen, Xia Qing was back out, and the monkey changed course, ambling toward the two big basins filled with honey water.

But before the monkey got there, Old Goat and Er had already finished drinking all the honey-laced spring water and carried their food bowls back to the kitchen.

The monkey rotated its head between the empty basin in the kitchen and the honey water cup in Xia Qing’s hand, hesitated for a moment, then slowly crawled toward her.

Miming as she spoke, Xia Qing explained, “I know you always look clueless, but I’m not expecting you to smile like that sneaky wolf. Still, you can talk or gesture with your paws. This sign means ‘ok’—it means yes. Here, give it a try.”

The silly little monkey didn’t even glance at Xia Qing’s gesturing left hand; its eyes were glued to the honey water in her right.

Another hopeless foodie.

But foodies are easy to please, so that’s fine.

Xia Qing poured some honey water into the monkey’s small food bowl, downed her own in one gulp, then picked up the monkey and tipped the bowl to its mouth to help it drink.

If she didn’t help, the monkey would probably spill the honey water all over its overalls. Even though Xia Qing had installed a filtration system and now had plumbing, and Xin Yu had ordered a fully automatic washing machine and air conditioner, laundry still took effort—power from Old Goat pedaling, water that she had to haul from the river to the house.

So really, the less laundry, the better.

Slow as ever, the monkey gripped the little stainless steel bowl with both hands and didn’t waste a single drop of honey water.

Once the bowl was empty, its eyes lit up noticeably. Xia Qing could tell it genuinely loved honey. She gave it some pure spring water without honey, just so it didn’t end up with cavities. Last but not least, she made it swallow the medicine prescribed by her Idol—second round, worth thirty thousand credits.

When the Bear Pack and Wolf Pack handed off the monkey, they didn’t cover any medical bills. So now it owed Xia Qing seventy thousand in medicine, plus three hundred credits per day for care and food—its total debt already surpassed Little Fei Mao’s!

Before it leaves Section Three, it’ll have to repay some of that in labor. The rest, it’ll clear with supplies after it goes.

The next morning, just as light crept in, a strange noise sounded from the living room.

Xia Qing, still in the bedroom, hit the wall and slipped out of bed in an instant, ears straining to listen.

“Skrrr—”

Her enhanced hearing instantly recognized the sound of monkey claws sliding over the floorboards.

She relaxed, opened the door, and saw the monkey—supposed to be asleep in the hammock chair downstairs—stretching a tiny paw toward her fridge near the bottom of the stairs.

No doubt about it, this monkey had a keen nose. It had sniffed out the honey inside.

Xia Qing kept some foods that didn’t need chilling in the fridge, mainly because the Yi Stone inside helped preserve food for longer, and because the fridge could be locked to prevent snack thieves.

She walked over, scooped up the bare-faced little monkey, and scolded, “You want honey again? Go do your business first, then earn it with work!”

Xia Qing set the monkey outside, right by the south wall next to Old Goat’s and Wolfdog Number Two’s toilet spot. It’d have to take care of its own business.

Old Goat was munching grass, Er was off with a basket hunting bugs, and nobody knew where Little Fei Mao had gone—off searching for food somewhere, most likely.

Even if Old Goat and Er weren’t around, Xia Qing wouldn’t be worried leaving the monkey outside while she checked the territory. With her sharp hearing, sharp eyesight, and dead-on aim, anyone stupid enough to try monkey-napping would just wind up as bird food for Territory Eight.

She did her rounds in the territory every morning and night.

A four-meter-long green snake had slithered over the western barrier wall and squeezed through a gap in the iron mesh—that meant it was time to spray more antiparasitic.

Last month’s mung beans had sprouted, coming in strong. The sunflowers’ heavy heads drooped even lower, almost ready for harvest in a few days.

The rice seedlings, fertilized recently, looked sturdier than before. Clearly, Zhang Tao’s planting tips were working. The Green Lantern Cotton plants had more dropped blooms, so she’d need to check that soon.

The sweet potato leaves were chewed ragged—cutworm larvae, time to spray pesticide. Strawberries were rooting well along their runners, perfect for cutting and transplanting new starts.

Several breadworms in the wooden tray had turned into pupae overnight—she’d need to transfer those into a covered tray. The chicken house needed mucking out, too…

But all that work didn’t bother Xia Qing. She lined the chores up in order. She could finish in one morning.

She liked keeping busy. She loved stashing food in the storage room—it gave her a sense of safety. The years of disaster left her with a deep hunger and unease, and only a mountain of food could put her at ease.

When she stepped into the yard, she found the monkey—having finished its business—already crawling doggedly toward the front door. The lure of honey was stronger than even the fig tree on the east side.

“Quit crawling around, breakfast’s ready!” Xia Qing scooped up the monkey, brushed the dirt and grass from its fur, and placed the foraged basket under the eaves.

Inside the basket were pumpkin flowers, toon sprouts, sweet potato leaves chewed by bugs, and a dozen or so breadworms—just the sort of meal the Monk-faced Monkey enjoyed. If the monkey was still hungry after this, it would dig through the sheep shed straw for leftover wheat grains.

When afternoon brought the hottest sun, Xia Qing sat in the shade, teaching her temp worker 002—the monkey—how to harvest sunflower seeds from the flower head. Slow, easy work, perfect for monkey paws.

She’d barely finished teaching it when the sound of a helicopter grew louder from the south.

Old Goat and Er paid the noise no mind, used to it by now. Little Fei Mao, out scrounging, sprinted back and dove into Xia Qing’s protective suit pocket. The monkey kept pawing anxiously at sunflower seeds, then, wide-eyed and panicked, crawled straight for Xia Qing, looking for shelter.

Xia Qing couldn’t hide her excitement. “Old Goat! Er! Fei Mao! Monkey! Look! That’s my helicopter! Hear how smooth that engine is? Sounds way better than the others!”

Old Goat kept chewing and squinting, unmoved. Er grinned and wagged his tail. Little Fei Mao stayed hidden. The monkey just kept trying to scale Xia Qing’s leg.

This monkey had spent its whole life in the trees. Whenever it felt threatened, it’d treat Xia Qing like a tree and scramble up. Xia Qing just shrugged and plopped it on her shoulder.

The helicopter soared above the territory. Looking down at the patchwork of neatly tilled fields carved out from the Evolved Forest, Luo Pei felt a wave of satisfaction.

But as the helicopter dipped under 500 meters, he caught sight of Section Three—just a few tiny fields—and did a double take.

When he realized it wasn’t a child on Xia Qing’s shoulder, but a nicely dressed little monkey, Luo Pei couldn’t help but laugh.

“So that’s the monkey Xia Qing rescued from Hui Six’s poaching gang? The one they overdosed with sedatives? Looks like it’s settled in quite well!”