Witch Redemption

"Hmph, but don't you think that if you always read novels with your brain on, you'll soon run out of new enjoyment? The plots are repetitive, and the settings are sometimes the same, like putting new wine in old bottles or old wine in new bottles."

Indeed, as Hei Fa Yu Hui said, this may be the process of a newbie growing into an old one, and if you really delve into it, it's not a very happy thing.

Perhaps out of curiosity, Hei-haired Yu-hui asked again, "By the way, what are real KTVs like? Are there really rich kids who like to show off in KTVs? And what are military personnel usually like...?"

"No way. Many wealthy people are very low-key. They use designer brands without making a fuss. Those who choose to show off are usually nouveau riche. In reality, a KTV is just a place to sing and drink. Many small and medium-sized companies choose this kind of place for gatherings. In terms of the level of chaos, I personally think it can't compare to a bar. As for the military and high-ranking officials you mentioned, that's even more ridiculous. These days, anti-corruption is not a game. If someone is reported by the public, they can be removed from office in a heartbeat."

"Huh! Is that really true?"

Judging from Hei-haired Yu Hui's tone, could he really be taking novel tropes seriously? No way!

"Of course, novels are based on reality, but not all novels are based on reality. Some parts are exaggerated. You can read them, but don't get carried away and act on what you read in the novel one day."

Confusing the virtual with the real is a rather terrifying thing. Li Lan didn't disapprove of the enjoyment that Hei Fa Yu Hui and Leviathan were having, but he was worried that one day these two reckless ancient creators might have a change of heart and think that reading novels wasn't enough and that they would only be satisfied if they turned novels into reality. Wouldn't that cause trouble?

These high and mighty true gods, just to relieve boredom, can create a doomed alien world on the edge of the universe, and creating a few more would be an easy task for them.

"How could that be? We can still clearly distinguish between the virtual and the real, don't you think? Leviathan."

"Mmm," Leviathan had no idea what the people next to her were talking about; she was too engrossed in her novel. "Um, what were you guys talking about?"

"..."

I was a little speechless. Just when the atmosphere seemed a bit awkward, the sound of a car engine suddenly came from outside, followed by what seemed to be a lot of footsteps and arguing.

"Grandma is back, and it seems like someone else is coming over."

Hearing the somewhat chaotic arguing, Li Lan got up and looked out the window. She saw a gray-white minivan parked outside the yard, with a slightly overweight middle-aged man and Li Xiaolu's grandmother standing next to it.

It's unclear what they were arguing about, but finally the old man screamed hysterically, "Get out! Get out of here!"

The somewhat overweight middle-aged man, his face ashen, hesitated for a long time beside the van, but ultimately failed to catch up with the old man. He silently opened the van door and sat in the driver's seat, resentfully.

Li Lan noticed that a middle-aged woman was sitting in the passenger seat of the van, and behind her were two teenagers.

"Strange, what happened?"

...... ...... ......

Li Xiaolu's grandmother is a woman of few words who prefers to bury herself in her work.

Because her children have neglected her for many years, she not only suffers from low income and a poor quality of life while staying in the countryside, but also sometimes has significant psychological problems, lacking spiritual comfort and even harboring resentment for the rest of her life.

Of course, all of this changed quietly after four women claiming to be her granddaughters suddenly arrived at her home.

The younger women are named Li Sha and Li Weitan, aged thirteen and fourteen respectively. They should be in school, but they are currently out of school and staying at home. The older women are named Li Lan and Li Dai, aged eighteen and nineteen respectively. They failed to get into university after graduating from high school, so they have to work now.

To be honest, the old man really likes Li Lan and Li Dai. After all, they are both hardworking and often help out. Even when they go out to work in the fields, they never refuse. This makes the old man's workload more than three times easier than before.

As a rural woman with limited education, she was simply kind to whoever treated her well.

Therefore, over the course of several months, she gradually got used to this kind of life.

It is precisely because he is used to this kind of life and intuitively realizes that these four women are not his real granddaughters that he is so anxious today.

After all, the youngest son, who had been out of contact for many years, suddenly came back today, saying he wanted to stay in the countryside for a while.

It seemed like they were trying to escape their debts, and they even asked her, as a mother, if she had any spare money to lend to help alleviate her immediate crisis.

How could a farmer in the countryside have any money?

Using emotional blackmail against the elderly is like instantly igniting a powder keg in their hearts.

At that moment, an uncontrollable rage vanished without a trace after he opened the door, entered the house, and saw the fake granddaughter's concerned face.

"Grandma, what happened?"

Li Lan asked, sensing that something was off about the atmosphere.

"It's nothing, I just ran into someone involved in a pyramid scheme."

He casually told a lie, and then the old man went into the kitchen, saying, "Come on, I'll cook lunch!"

As an elderly person left behind in the countryside, if she is not diligent, she will not have enough to eat. Now, Grandma Li Xiaolu can't stay idle. She often takes the initiative to find something to do, otherwise she feels uncomfortable.

"I'll help."

Li Lan and Della also went inside.

To be honest, this rural building is quite dilapidated; it's a two-story bungalow with some cracks in the walls. However, given the elderly person's current financial situation, it's simply impossible to renovate the bungalow, so they have to make do with what they have.

"By the way, I've already asked Grandpa Ge in the village to inquire about those fields. I can only contact three households, and they all said it doesn't matter and we can use them as we please. As for the others that I can't contact, I guess they won't come back, and their household registrations have already been transferred out."

In the past, farmland in rural areas would be divided up every so often. In villages with more farmland, each person could be allocated one mu (a Chinese unit of area, approximately 0.165 acres), while in villages with less farmland, it would be one fen (another Chinese unit of area, approximately 0.065 acres).

These fields are not for sale; the government can reclaim them at any time if needed.

In recent years, with the large-scale outflow of rural population, much farmland has been abandoned and has not been redivided.

Li Lan is from the countryside. Although she has lived in a big city for many years, she can still guess what the situation is like.

"Alright, we'll find some time to take care of it. But as for crops, shall we just plant seasonal vegetables?"

Farming is actually quite particular. Each season has its own vegetables, and different vegetables require different levels of care. Among them, the easiest to grow are probably radishes, cabbages, and lettuce, which are also often inexpensive.

It's truly a bit of a sad story that two powerful witches, after being transported back to the present world, have been reduced to farming.

"Yes, there are many kinds to choose from. I'll go to town to take a look later." The old woman said happily. Whenever there was a harvest, she liked to ride her old bicycle to the town market with her crops to exchange for the money she needed to make a living.

After Li Lan helped wash the vegetables, she took out some cash when it was almost time.

Li Lan has been living in this place for almost half a year now. She respectfully calls the old woman "Grandma." Every month, Li Lan naturally doesn't hide any of her income and gives a certain amount to the old woman to help her make a living.

At first, the old man refused to accept the money, but Li Lan eventually realized his "self-esteem" and reduced the amount to just enough for his living expenses. Under the guise of taking care of Hei Fa Yu Hui and Leviathan, the old man reluctantly accepted it.

"Grandma, we probably won't be back the night after tomorrow. The store manager is organizing some kind of anniversary event, and we have to go and join in the fun."

During a break, Li Lan brought up the arrangements for Xisuo Dessert Shop again, which was considered an employee benefit: employees would go on trips in batches.

"Sure, but you must be careful when you go out. I saw on the news that there have been many..."

Over the years, the elderly man's favorite things to watch are not only anti-Japanese war dramas, but also legal programs like "Today's Talk." He has a common characteristic of people from the countryside: even though he is not very educated, he likes to talk about systems, laws, and morality.

"Haha, don't worry about that, I shouldn't be that unlucky."

Li Lan smiled. She understood what the old man meant. He meant that there were still many perverts in society, and since they were both girls and not bad-looking, they had to be careful of these kinds of people when they went out.

Also, you shouldn't drink company-provided alcohol indiscriminately, lest you cause trouble.

Li Lan dared not say that they were witches, whose physical abilities far surpassed those of ordinary people, the kind of people who could kill several people with a single punch.

In addition, witches are completely immune to alcohol; when it comes to alcohol tolerance, all kinds of alcohol are like water to them, so they have nothing to be afraid of anymore.

The old man was getting on in years and liked to repeat himself several times over. It wasn't until Li Lan repeatedly assured him that the old man stopped nagging and began to focus on the wok.

"Shub, Leviathan, dinner's ready!"

"You guys eat first, we'll be ready soon!"

"..."

Ten minutes later, Li Lan went into the inner room and dragged the two completely engrossed girls out. Only then did they reluctantly start eating chopsticks while staring at their phones.

"These two guys..."

Is this really the ancient creator? Is this the kind of decadent morality that the so-called "true god" possesses?

Li Lan felt that if she revealed their true identities, no one would believe her.

Chapter 10 Team Building Gathering

July 23, 2048 AD, was a hot summer day.

When people think of summer, the first place that comes to mind for travel is probably the beach, right?

Unfortunately, Li Lan and Della weren't into that kind of thing, and when the shop manager suggested going to the beach to cool off, they refused without even thinking about it.

The reason is simple: what kind of beach scenes often appear in anime?

The large beach, with only a handful of people, seemed to have been completely reserved by the main characters. Various beautiful women in different swimsuits were acting cute and charming, a feast for the eyes. Occasionally, there might even be beach volleyball activities.

But what is reality?

The reality is that all of the above scenarios exist only in a dream.

The real beach is actually a place where thousands of people rush in, regardless of age or gender, all like ants, crowded together everywhere. It's definitely a doomsday for people with agoraphobia.

Putting aside the fact that the visuals lack any poetic or artistic quality, even the numerous alluring beauties in some anime are fake.

Under the scorching sun, people covered in sweat revel in the sea, releasing the stress of daily life.

Despite the magnificent scenery, even the sea breeze was anything but refreshing, and the place was as noisy as a bustling city.

These were all beach experiences Li Lan had in her previous life. As a former couch potato, she was filled with unrealistic fantasies about reality. She was truly sorry, but in the end, she still had to face reality.

"Well, this money is for the activity expenses anyway. You two teams can discuss where you want to go."

This was the store manager's last resort; after all, it's impossible to please everyone, some people like a lively atmosphere, while others prefer quiet.

After discussion among all the staff, Li Lan, Della, and some other employees followed the boss's family to a relatively inexpensive amusement park in the city, where they could also have a picnic.

As for the employees, including the shop owner, they decided to take turns with Li Lan and the others a few days later to continue going to the beach to squeeze into the crowds.

At this time, it was approximately eight o'clock in the morning, and Li Lan and Della, who had already made preparations, had arrived in town to meet.

Speaking of which, store manager Liang Qiuyong's wife is quite a formidable person. I heard she's an extremely skilled driver who frequently drives a truck between multiple cities to deliver goods.

"Is everyone here?"

Seeing so many young people gathered around the white van, the middle-aged woman with slightly graying temples couldn't help but smile.

After a quick headcount, there were a total of eight people who went to the amusement park in the city. Besides Li Lan, Della, Zhang Lingyu (the wife of store manager Liang Qiuyong), there were also the store manager's son and daughter, as well as three colleagues from the same store, two men and one woman.

"Okay, let's go over today's schedule. We'll have a picnic at noon, then go to the wildlife park around 2 PM, then to the amusement park around 4 PM to ride the roller coasters, then have lunch at the Dingsheng Hotel at 6 PM, and then go to the haunted house at 8 PM..."

Wow, this is going to be an all-nighter!

Li Lan never expected that this brave proprietress would be so unrestrained.

"Okay! Let's go! Get in the car!"

The strong woman got on the vehicle first, and Li Lan and the others squeezed on after her.

Perhaps because her inhuman features were even more noticeable than Della's, Li Lan had prepared a women's sun hat in advance to slightly conceal her long, pointed ears. Additionally, perhaps due to a slight psychological resistance from men, Li Lan's overall clothing leaned more towards a masculine style.

Della always followed Li Lan's lead and stopped caring about dresses, opting instead for jeans and T-shirts, living like a tomboy.

Even so, these two unusually beautiful witches still became a striking sight inside the car, attracting a lot of attention.