Word Spirit Farming System

“One should keep their word.“

Cheng Yun was taken aback when he heard the words, looked at Cheng Bao’er, and then at Yang Hongjin. After a while, he said, “What do you mean?”

Cheng Bao’er shrank his neck under his sharp gaze, and gestured with his hands in the air, hurriedly explaining, “I mean… Brother Yang now speaks quite, quite normally, right?”

His voice became quieter as he spoke, and Wang Liang, who was sitting next to them, patted his back to encourage him and continued his words, “I feel the same way. When I first started learning woodworking with the master, he used to speak in short bursts of words. But now he can speak long and coherent sentences.”

Cheng Yun was stunned. He turned his head to look at Yang Hongjin, who was still staring at them with a silly expression. But Wang Liang’s words made him deeply think.

His heart couldn’t help but beat faster, and he had to make an effort to suppress his expectations. After experiencing several failures, he didn’t want to be defeated by reality again when he saw hope.

He recalled Yang Hongjin’s recent behavior, and indeed, as Wang Liang had said, he spoke fluently and expressed himself well.

From the perspective of Wang Liang and Cheng Bao’er, who had limited contact with Yang Hongjin, they could immediately notice the changes. But for Cheng Yun who had been with Yang Hongjin all this time, the gradual changes were masked before his eyes, and he couldn’t see the difference.

Was it really like that? Could it be true?

Cheng Yun kept asking himself in his mind, but he couldn’t find an answer at the moment.

Seeing the three of them looking at him, Cheng Yun made an effort to control his emotions, casually changed the subject with a casual remark, and let everyone start eating.

During the meal, Cheng Yun didn’t taste the food and kept observing Yang Hongjin’s behavior discreetly. But that guy didn’t notice and continued to enjoy his meal as usual, even picking vegetables for Cheng Yun.

Perhaps feeling that they had said something wrong and made the atmosphere a bit awkward, Wang Liang and Cheng Bao’er quickly left after finishing their meal.

Once they were gone, Cheng Yun couldn’t hold back and immediately tested Yang Hongjin’s reaction.

“Idiot, tell me what you saw when you went to join in the fun today.”

Yang Hongjin and Cheng Yun were standing together, washing the pots and dishes side by side. He listened to Cheng Yun’s words and asked in confusion, “What does wife want to know?”

Cheng Yun pursed his lips, pondered for a moment, and said, “Anything is fine. Just tell me.”

So Yang Hongjin repeated it again.

This time, it was the second time he talked about it, so his tone was not as excited as before. “When I arrived, everyone had already returned. Butcher Wang led the team, and Big Brother was also in the team. They caught many animals, including a big cow and two big pigs. The pigs were black and different from the ones we used to see in town. They had a lot of fur.”

Yang Hongjin brought a basin of clean water and continued to wash the dishes and chopsticks as he spoke. “They called the village chief to preside, and Butcher Wang contributed the most, so he got the biggest portion. They said that piece of meat is worth a lot of money when sold!”

“What about Big Brother?” Cheng Yun listened attentively and asked at the right time.

“Big Brother also got a good share.” Yang Hongjin thought carefully. “A big cow leg and two big birds. I heard everyone say that if you take the beef, you can’t take the pork. Big Brother said beef is more nourishing, so he brought some back for his family. He even cut a bit to bring to us, but now it’s at Aunt Wang’s husband’s place!”

Cheng Yun was amazed by what he heard. Later, when he was helping Yang Hongjin take a bath, they talked about something else. Although that guy behaved as usual, like a lively and clueless five or six-year-old, he spoke logically and coherently, just like a normal person!

He kept this discovery in his heart and finished tidying up the house in a daze. When he lay in bed with the lights off, the dark room amplified his senses. Only at this moment did he realize how fast his heart was beating.

Did the Speech Spirit work? Is this the effect of the two-tenths Speech Spirit?

He recalled the previous times he used the Speech Spirit, Yang Hongjin’s behavior seemed to be the same as before. Moreover, it had been a while, and he couldn’t pinpoint any differences during that time.

Later, because he had already concluded that the Speech Spirit was ineffective, Cheng Yun didn’t think about it anymore. It wasn’t until today when Cheng Bao’er mentioned it that he realized there was indeed something different.

So does this Speech Spirit have any follow-up effect?

Cheng Yun pondered, and it seemed that the first time he used the Speech Spirit was similar. The planted crops immediately sprouted, but afterwards, they seemed to grow at a faster pace than other crops’ normal growth cycle because of the effect of the Speech Spirit.

In other words, the effect of the Sppech Spirit not only worked at the moment but also had an impact on subsequent development!

Cheng Yun’s heart thumped rapidly. He turned over and lay on his side, facing Yang Hongjin. That guy was sleeping soundly, hands placed on both sides, like a wooden puppet, not even snoring. It was only at this moment that he didn’t seem like a person with intellectual issues.

Cheng Yun moved closer, then moved closer again, until his body was pressing against Yang Hongjin’s arm.

In the darkness, he gathered courage. He rested his chin on Yang Hongjin’s shoulder and tentatively reached out, holding Yang Hongjin’s arm. Seeing that he was still sleeping peacefully, Cheng Yun relaxed.

In a soft murmur, he spoke to himself, “Idiot, are you really better now?”

Even though Yang Hongjin was fast asleep, Cheng Yun continued speaking.

“They all say you have improved a lot, but why don’t you feel it?”

“How much do you remember of the things I’ve said to you in the past? How much do you understand?”

“After you completely recover… Will you still stick to me like before? You probably won’t, right?”

“Will you think I’m a strange person? After all, I don’t belong to this era…”

“… Will you still continue to like me like you do now?”

Cheng Yun muttered to himself. He originally expected to be the happiest when Yang Hongjin recovered completely. However, at this moment, he realized that he was filled with uneasiness when faced with this situation.

The inner turmoil and conflicting emotions pulled him in different directions, and he couldn’t determine which side he leaned towards.

After that day, Cheng Yun closely observed Yang Hongjin’s behavior and actions. The changes were very subtle, easily missed if one wasn’t attentive.

For example, in the past, as soon as the food was served, Yang Hongjin would eagerly put it in his mouth and only complain about being burnt afterward. But now, he would blow on the food to cool it down before placing it on Cheng Yun’s lips.

However, this could also be a gradual learning process, and Cheng Yun couldn’t be certain.

Another example was when Yang Hongjin felt wronged in the past, he would pout and shrink behind Cheng Yun, constantly calling out “wife.” But now, he wouldn’t allow himself to feel wronged in the first place. Even if he rarely felt wronged, it would still be because of Cheng Yun, and whenever Cheng Yun looked serious, Yang Hongjin would affectionately approach him, trying to make him happy.

Spoiling the child too much, Cheng Yun thought.

While comparing these observations, Cheng Yun thought of several changes, only to refute them one by one. He didn’t know if it was his personal bias or excessive caution, but the conclusion was that there didn’t seem to be significant changes.

The only noticeable change was the one discovered by Cheng Bao’er and the others—the logical thinking and verbal expression of the simpleton had indeed become more meticulous. Sometimes, Cheng Yun couldn’t even outwit him.

For instance, now…

Cheng Yun: “You made an appointment with Wang Liang yesterday to teach him woodworking. One should keep their word, and he will be here soon.”

Yang Hongjin pouted discontentedly and said, “But wife didn’t say yesterday that he was going to Yueqiong Tower.”

“Well, I didn’t know it would become urgent like this,” Cheng Yun glanced outside and continued, “Li Fan is already waiting outside. He said there’s an important matter to discuss. Be obedient and stay at home with Wang Liang to finish making that table. I’ll be back soon.”

“No! I want to go with my wife! The apprentice should listen to their master. This is what Chef Ye said. He’s my apprentice, so he should listen to me!”

Cheng Yun sighed, amused and exasperated at the same time. “If Wang Liang comes later and finds that you’re not here, wouldn’t it be breaking your promise?”

“Wang Liang lives next door. I’ll go and talk to him.” Yang Hongjin said as he stood up and turned to run, but he reminded Cheng Yun while running, “Wife, wait for me at home. I’ll be back soon. You promised to take me with you everywhere you go. One should keep their word!”

Cheng Yun smiled wryly. This kid actually used his own words to counter him. However, seeing how Yang Hongjin couldn’t bear to be away from him, Cheng Yun felt relieved.

In the end, Cheng Yun took Yang Hongjin with him to Yueqiong Tower.

Liu Wen had urgently summoned him for the newly introduced hot pot.

“The master has been rushing to make them. We will have twenty pots for the first batch, enough for the new branch I’m opening,” Liu Wen took out a map of Nanming City and pointed to a location in the middle of the main street, “This is the location of the first branch of Yueqiong Tower. The previous tenant of that shop was also running a restaurant but decided to move to the capital city after making enough money. As soon as I received the news, I secured the location.”

Cheng Yun looked at the map. There were rice shops nearby, a shop selling official salt, and even a yamen. There was another smaller restaurant a few shops away. The location seemed quite good.

Liu Wen continued, “The weather is about to cool down completely. I want to open the shop as soon as possible. We won’t make major changes to the interior, just some simple renovations. The restaurant has three floors, and I plan to have seven or eight tables on each of the first two floors. The top floor will have private rooms. This way, the first batch of pots will be just enough. In the future, that area will be dedicated to a hot pot restaurant, not serving regular dishes. What do you think?”

Cheng Yun listened to his plan and thought everything sounded good. “No problem at all. Once it is promoted, it will definitely make money.”

“Great, that’s great,” Liu Wen patted his chest, relieved.

After discussing all this, Liu Wen started to have the Yueqiong Tower staff prepare lunch, leaving Cheng Yun a bit puzzled.

Cheng Yun asked, “Why did you urgently call me here today?”

“Oh, right.” Liu Wen had Li Fan bring out a document and handed it to Cheng Yun, saying, “I was planning to discuss this with you after lunch, but since you asked, take a look at it now.”

Cheng Yun took the document and was stunned, “Terms for the new store’s partnership?”