Chapter 39: A Smelly New Check-In Spot
Only ten minutes had passed in the real world since Ning Xiyue had opened her system backpack with her consciousness, but the time she’d spent inside the classroom and the practice room added up to at least a full day.
It seemed that the flow of time inside the classroom was different from that of the real world — roughly at a ratio of 1:100.
With time passing so slowly in reality, that meant she would have far more time to study in the future, and she would never have to worry about not having enough time again.
This time ratio was truly amazing.
Ning Xiyue began wondering if there was a loophole she could exploit — could she sneak in other materials to study together?
She tried slipping the Herbal Medicine Illustrated Guide she’d stored in her space into the Household Weaving Guide and then launched the study video. Unfortunately, this time she couldn’t enter the classroom at all.
But when she tried the practice room, she was pleasantly surprised to find that she could enter — though she had to open both books at the same time for it to work.
This discovery was both shocking and delightful. It was basically a specialized study space now.
From now on, she would have over a hundred times more study time than anyone else.
Lastly, she tried it with some high school textbooks. The college entrance exam would be reinstated in two years, and while she still had the original host’s memories, she had already forgotten most of the high school knowledge after attending university. She wasn’t confident using it, so she needed to review it herself.
As expected, the high school books worked too.
Clapping her hands with joy, Ning Xiyue exclaimed, “Perfect! I won’t have to worry about not having time to study after work anymore.”
After making a 55-point basket in the practice room, she exited and returned to her body. Then she took a nap — she still had things to do in the afternoon.
Perhaps because she’d used a lot of mental energy, she slept until 3 p.m.
The older educated youths had already gone to work. Chen Yechu was gone too — she didn’t know where — and the others were busy outside as well. Only Ning Xiyue remained in the educated youth courtyard.
Carrying the bamboo backpack she had just exchanged with Aunt Qiuju, she headed out to wander around the brigade, collecting firewood and searching for new check-in locations at the same time.
As she passed a particularly smelly building, the system’s voice chimed:
Ding! [Daliu Brigade Pigsty check-in location detected. Does the host wish to check in?]
“…”
What on earth was it trying to make her check into this time?
“Educated Youth Little Ning, are you strolling around the brigade?” a woman behind the building — busy mixing manure — called out warmly.
“Hello, Auntie.” Ning Xiyue smiled and nodded. “Yes, I thought I’d take advantage of the free time to get more familiar with our brigade.”
“Then don’t come here first. This is where we raise the task pigs, and I’m mixing fertilizer right now. It stinks terribly — you don’t want to end up reeking all over.”
The auntie warned her while scooping pig manure with a ladle.
The educated youths from the city usually couldn’t stand the smell here.
She knew the captain placed great importance on this particular educated youth and hoped to win an advanced collective award thanks to her, so she was very polite when speaking to Ning Xiyue.
Sniffing the pig manure smell lingering in the air, Ning Xiyue said calmly, “It’s fine, Auntie. I heard from Aunt Qiuju that the pigs we raise here are the best, so I wanted to come take a look and learn.”
A location this unusual — and it even had a check-in spot — made her curious about what reward she could possibly get here.
The auntie was even happier hearing Ning Xiyue praise the pigs than if she’d been praised herself. She put down the ladle and stopped to chat.
“I’m not bragging — the pigs here were raised with my utmost care. None of the other brigades nearby have pigs as fine as ours.”
Excited, she walked over and pulled Ning Xiyue along.
“Come on, Educated Youth Little Ning, I’ll take you in and show you our big fat pigs. After we deliver the task pigs at the end of the year, if the pigs are raised well and meet the weight standard, we usually get to keep one or two. You educated youths will get some too — and oh, the meat is so delicious you’ll never forget it after one bite. Oh, and just call me Aunt Chunsheng.”
“Alright, thank you, Aunt Chunsheng.”
Ning Xiyue had been wondering how to get inside anyway — she couldn’t check in without entering the pigsty.
Happily, she followed Aunt Chunsheng into the brigade’s pig house.
And indeed, the pig housing was spacious and bright — even made of blue bricks and tiles. Among everyone in the brigade, the pigs definitely had the best accommodations.
“Our brigade is raising eleven pigs in total — one sow and ten boars. Seven of them are for the state quota, and the remaining three are for us to keep. Judging by their growth this year, we should definitely meet the quota and keep three, which means a prosperous New Year.”
Aunt Chunsheng introduced everything with pride — it was all thanks to her.
“Right now, each pig weighs about 130 jin (about 65 kg). After a few more months of feeding, they’ll reach 180 jin (about 90 kg) by the New Year.”
Ning Xiyue looked into the pigsty. Compared to the huge pigs in the future that weighed hundreds of kilos in just a few months, these pigs were lean. But even so, Daliu Brigade’s pigs were still the envy of others.
People themselves were barely getting enough to eat — let alone pigs. Most brigades’ pigs only reached 130–140 jin by the end of the year, and once the quota pigs were handed over, there wasn’t much left for the members.
If the Daliu Brigade could keep three pigs, they were truly well-off.
The thought of meat made her mouth water. Meat was what she craved the most in this era. Even the sight of it made her eyes light up — the dishes simply had too little oil.
She could fully understand Aunt Chunsheng’s pride and excitement.
Pointing to the luxurious pen at the very back, where a pig lay lazily, Aunt Chunsheng said excitedly:
“See that pig? That’s our sow. She’s already pregnant. Once we deliver the quota pigs, she’ll give birth to piglets — those piglets will be next year’s task pigs.”
Ning Xiyue looked over and saw a large, fat black sow lying there.
Ding! [Does the host wish to check in?]
Huh? A second reminder.
“Check in.”
Ding! [Check-in successful. You have obtained: one pregnant sow, one book on postpartum sow care, and three taels of fresh pork.]
Ding! [Since the reward includes a living creature, it has been automatically placed in your mustard space. A pigsty has also been provided.]
Ning Xiyue: “…”
She never would’ve thought that she’d check in and receive a living pig. Was the system trying to get her to deliver piglets, raise them, and then provide postpartum care too?
And the three taels of pork — was that supposed to be a sample tasting?
Still, meat was meat — even if it was just a little. She wasn’t complaining.
Then she noticed a refresh icon on the check-in location picture — which made her even happier.
That meant the location would refresh tomorrow and she could check in for meat again.
This was a new feature she’d discovered: some check-in points with special items could not refresh (like Aunt Qiuju’s tool shed — a one-time location).
But if there was a refresh icon, it was a permanent check-in location — and she could keep getting regular items from there. In this case, she could keep checking in for three taels of meat.
It might not be much, but at least she didn’t have to raise the pigs herself.
Ning Xiyue glanced inward at the pregnant sow in her space and quietly exited before asking Aunt Chunsheng, “Auntie, is there anything I should pay attention to when raising piglets?”
Seeing a well-educated city youth seeking her advice made Aunt Chunsheng proud and happy. She began sharing her knowledge enthusiastically:
“You must clean the pen regularly and keep it dry, or the piglets will easily get sick…”
Ning Xiyue gained a wealth of valuable experience — and tactically pulled out two pieces of candy to give to Aunt Chunsheng, showering her with compliments that made the older woman beam with joy.
“Educated Youth Little Ning, if you’re interested in pig-raising, feel free to come ask me anytime. You can visit the pigs often — the more time you spend here, the more you’ll learn.”
“Alright, thank you, Auntie.”
Aunt Chunsheng’s words were basically giving her a green light — she could come here directly to check in from now on.
