Reborn as a Cube Man in the Late Ming Dynasty

The next day, Tian Niu sobered up and came out from the inner room.

The courtyard was a mess last night, but now it's all tidied up. The tables and chairs are back in their places, water has been sprinkled on the ground, and even the lingering smell of alcohol has faded considerably.

After breakfast, he rushed to the ice factory.

As I walked, I always felt like I was being watched.

At first, he didn't pay much attention to it, but after walking for a while, he realized that whenever the people on the road saw him, their eyes would stop on the top of his head.

Envy, curiosity, and a touch of inexplicable respect.

Tian Niu raised his hand and touched the top of his head, remembering that he was now a person with a celestial position, and a little pride rose in his heart.

But being stared at by so many eyes all the time can get uncomfortable after a while.

He simply hid the hat on his head.

Sure enough, his gaze softened considerably, and Tian Niu breathed a sigh of relief, quickening his pace.

Upon arriving at the ice factory gate, the gatekeeper stopped him: "Have you obtained your celestial office?"

Tian Niu nodded, and the hat reappeared. The gatekeeper glanced at the hat and then said politely, "Alright."

He then took out a booklet, asked about the applicant's place of origin, and after registering the information, pointed to the box next to him and said, "Before you go in, take a pickaxe and a wool sweater."

Tian Niu did as he was told. He opened the box and found two neat rows of pickaxes, with thick wool sweaters stacked underneath.

He picked up a pickaxe, put on a wool sweater, and then followed the people inside.

As soon as he stepped inside, a blast of cold air hit him, making him shiver.

It was much colder inside the ice factory than outside. Piles of ice surrounded the area, and the cold air seeped up along the ground, seeping into your trouser legs.

"It's so cold~" Tian Niu shivered.

The person next to him laughed and said, "You'll get used to it."

Tian Niu walked up to the ice, carrying his pickaxe. The pickaxe head gleamed faintly. He swung it and brought it down hard on the ice. With a crack, the ice split open.

Strangely, the broken ice did not scatter and collapse, but instead formed a neat, square piece.

Tian Niu was taken aback. Someone nearby said, "This pickaxe has magical powers; it won't shatter the ice."

He looked down at the pickaxe handle in his hand.

This pickaxe is enchanted with Precision Harvesting, Durability 2, and Experience Repair, and was given to it by Bai Li who possessed a human.

They don't need to carry the dug-out ice.

The funnel was already set up nearby, so all you had to do was throw the ice cubes in, and they would fall through the funnel into the box below.

The work wasn't too strenuous, just a bit cold, but otherwise it was bearable.

After working for a while, everyone gradually became familiar with each other, and when they took a break, they would gather together to chat.

One of them said with a hint of pride, "This ice we dug wasn't for nothing."

Tian Niu asked curiously, "What exactly is it used for?"

The man chuckled, "Send them to Hell to build the highway. Once the road is open, it'll be convenient to go to any county. Just walk out of Hell, whoosh, and you'll be there!"

"There's also a train to Licheng. I heard it's almost halfway done. Once it's open, I definitely want to go and see Licheng."

"Me too."

Just as they were talking animatedly, someone called for dinner, and everyone put down their pickaxes.

When it was time to eat, the ice factory prepared noodles, and chicken and chicken pies were placed on the table.

Without any hesitation, everyone took their seats.

Someone picked up a piece of chicken and sighed, "It's so much better to work for the government. This meal alone would have cost a lot of money if we ate out. Hmm, it's sweet."

After lunch, I worked all afternoon.

It wasn't until it got dark that someone came to let us know we were done for the day.

Tian Niu finished packing and was about to leave when someone called out to him, "Leave the pickaxe behind, put it in that box over there."

Tian Niu and the others did as instructed.

Once all the tools were collected, everyone dispersed.

As night fell, the ice factory gates were tightly shut. The boxes containing tools from the daytime were opened, the pickaxes were taken out again, and the hoes and shovels used by the farmers who had changed jobs that day were also taken away.

All these tools were loaded onto donkeys and transported out of Hancheng.

Outside the city, the patrol inspector was already waiting with a group of men.

The torches crackled and popped, illuminating the surroundings.

The group was dressed in leather protective gear and had weapons in hand.

The inspector personally checked the goods before allowing his trusted confidant to lead the donkey and follow. Under the cover of night, the procession headed deeper into the city.

The guard asked, "Sir, why insist on coming out at night? Can't we kill those monsters during the day?"

The inspector glanced at him: "During the day, Young Master Bai's immortal realm is suppressed, and the demons don't show themselves. But at night, it's a different story."

"Then why not wait until daytime to kill them?"

The inspector said in a deep voice, "News has come from Licheng that once Young Master Bai's immortal realm expands further, new monsters will emerge. They will even attack people during the day. It's better for us to start training now than to be caught off guard and helpless later."

The guards suddenly realized what was happening.

Just then, a rustling sound came from the darkness ahead.

The inspector raised his hand: "Be on alert."

A spider suddenly darted out, and the crowd surrounded it. As the blades flashed, the spider struggled and collapsed to the ground in no time.

An experience orb rose from the corpse. The guards led the donkey forward, opened the chest, took out an iron pickaxe, and brought it close to the experience orb.

The points of light were drawn in and disappeared into the pickaxe.

Everyone's spirits lifted. They continued killing, continued absorbing, filling one tool before moving on to the next. This process was repeated until all the tools were repaired.

The inspector then ordered the group to return to their quarters. The group, leading their donkeys, turned back towards Hancheng.

……

Meanwhile, Tian Niu returned to the yard, where his wife had already set the food on the table.

He noticed a large pile of chicken on the table: "Why did you buy so much?"

The wife laughed and said, "Yesterday, many farmers received divine titles, and flour was already cheap, but now it's only half the price it used to be."

It's said that Licheng also sent some redstone devices over. As long as you install them according to the blueprints, they'll be ready to use, and chicken will be cheaper.

There aren't enough chickens yet; they need to be raised for a while longer. Beef and lamb haven't been touched yet. In another two weeks, the price will definitely drop further.

Tian Niu was pleased to hear this.

Previously, people from Licheng, Heyang and Baishui counties had to be sent to Hancheng to help maintain production. With the distribution divided among several counties, the number of people who could come was ultimately limited.

Now, some villagers in Hancheng have switched to other jobs, production has gotten back on track, and prices have naturally fallen.

The family was eating around the table when the eldest son came in from outside.

He stood by the table for a while, hesitated for a long time, and then spoke: "Father."

Tian Niu looked up: "What's wrong?"

The eldest son took a deep breath: "I want to join the army."

The wife was pouring wine for Tian Niu when she heard this, her fingers trembled, and the wine spilled onto the table.

Tian Niu glanced at the wine stain on the table, quickly reached over, and sucked it clean.

We should waste as little as possible.

His wife, disregarding all that, hurriedly said, "No, you can't go. What kind of soldier are you? Don't you know how fierce those monsters outside are?"

And then there are the bandits, they're completely unreasonable. If they really target you, they'll use any means necessary. Our family has only just started to have a few days of peace. If something happens to you, how will your mother live?"

The eldest son clenched his fist: "It is precisely because there are monsters outside that I must go."

"Kill them, and we won't have to live in fear when we go out anymore. Besides, war is bound to break out outside sooner or later, and when the government troops come, we can't just stay hidden in the Immortal Realm forever."

His wife shook her head repeatedly: "No! You should learn stonemasonry from your father; you can still obtain a celestial position that way."

Serving in the army is too dangerous. Let's just stay in Hancheng. Even if they're fighting all over the place outside, they won't dare to invade the Immortal Realm.

Seeing his mother's unwavering attitude, the eldest son knew further words were useless and looked at Tian Niu: "Father!"

Tian Niu remained silent for a while before looking up and asking, "You really want to go? You're not going to be a stonemason anymore?"

"Yes." The eldest son replied without hesitation, "I want to join the army. Not for any other reason than that I don't want to be left helpless when monsters, bandits, or government troops from outside come to our doorstep."

Tian Niu stared at him: "Afraid of dying?"

The eldest son gritted his teeth: "I'm not afraid. A man who's afraid of death isn't a real man."

Tian Niu picked up his wine bowl and drank it all in one gulp, then slammed the bottom of the bowl on the table: "Good. My son isn't a coward. If he wants to go, then go."

The wife's face turned pale instantly: "Honey!"

Tian Niu waved his hand: "The kids are grown up now. It's good for them to go out and see the world. They can't be like me, stuck in Hancheng their whole lives, never having been anywhere."

He glanced at his sister, silently took the wine pot from her hand, and poured himself a drink.

The meal ended quietly.

It was late at night, and the couple lay in bed, the wife tossing and turning, unable to close her eyes.

She asked in a low voice, "Why do you insist on letting him go out? It's so dangerous outside."

Tian Niu glanced at the moon outside the window: "If he wants to go, let him go. Things are different now than before; the treatment of soldiers is much better than it used to be. With his talent, if he really wanted to learn stonemasonry from me, he'd probably have to endure another ten years or so before he could get a chance to enter the stone academy."

His wife, her voice trembling with tears, whispered, "But he has such a hard life. He used to go hungry and endured so many years of hardship with us. Now that we've finally had a few good days, we can't let him go out and die before he's even had a few years of peace."

"You're still letting him go?"

Tian Niu closed his eyes: "We can't wait that long. That guy outside will notice this place sooner or later. If a fight breaks out, who knows what will happen? He's not interested in stonemasonry, let him be."

No one spoke again inside the room.

Only the wife's sobs drifted intermittently through the darkness.

Tian Niu sighed, turned over, and pulled his wife into his arms.