Slacking Off or Not Slacking Off

Rustle, rustle.

Ye Shuang shoveled, stepped, and pried, working with the girls beside him to gradually deepen and widen the small pit. Not far away parked a truck filled with saplings that had been prepared in advance.

"It's so hot," Tang Keke complained, feeling an ache in her waist. Sweat had slightly dampened the girl's back, clearly outlining the straps of her undergarments.

"Ugh, it's so hot here too, I'm covered in sweat." Tang Keke wiped beneath her chest with a handkerchief, feeling miserable and sticky.

"After all, the weather in Haizhu City... has actually always been quite hot," Ye Shuang said. Even during the rainy season, as long as the sun came out, the temperature would climb very quickly.

"Why am I not sweating?" An Shiyu asked from the side.

Tang Keke deadpanned at the short-haired girl who was slacking off under a parasol. "You tell me."

Meanwhile, Bai Yuyou and Taozi were diligently digging the soil. Compared to Bai Yuyou, Taozi appeared exceptionally energetic, working silently stroke after stroke.

"Are you tired?" Ye Shuang asked the girl beside him.

"Not tired," Bai Yuyou shook her head. Seeing the sweat on Ye Shuang's forehead, she took a handkerchief from her pocket to wipe it for him, then neatly folded it and put it back into her skirt pocket.

"Ye Shuang, why are we making two piles of dirt?" Bai Yuyou asked curiously at this moment.

"When planting trees, you need to separate the topsoil from the subsoil. When backfilling, you have to put them back the way they were," Ye Shuang explained, then continued working.

They had to plant about three trees today, so they wouldn't finish in time if they moved too slowly.

"Wow, there are rocks in here, it's so hard!" Tang Keke's hoe had just struck a rock, making the web between her thumb and forefinger go numb.

"Pry it up, take it slow."

Ye Shuang and the others dug for nearly twenty minutes, but the pit still didn't meet the planting requirements.

"Ah, I'm exhausted!" Tang Keke shouted.

"So useless," An Shiyu remarked, sitting on a small stool nearby, even holding a slice of watermelon in her hand.

"I really don't want to hear that from a slacker like you!" Tang Keke said angrily. "And why haven't you done a single lick of work this whole time?!"

An Shiyu gave a blank stare and took a bite of watermelon. "Why should I work?"

"You!" Tang Keke puffed out her cheeks, but Bai Yuyou held her back. Otherwise, she probably would have charged over demanding a one-on-one fight, only to end up getting thrashed by An Shiyu.

In terms of combat power, Tang Keke only had 1.5 Alices, making her a total weakling.

"Who said I only know how to slack off?" Having finished her melon, An Shiyu slowly stood up. "Busty girl, do you know the biggest difference between humans and animals?"

"What?"

"It's the ability to use tools," An Shiyu said lazily.

"Don't we have shovels and hoes right here?" Tang Keke muttered. Who didn't know that?

"Traditional tools are weak." An Shiyu clapped her hands. Right then, a flash of yellow emerged from the bushes not far away. Under Tang Keke's shocked gaze, a small excavator just drove right out.

"..." Tang Keke was a bit dumbfounded.

No, why on earth was this thing here?!

At this moment, An Shiyi was sitting in the driver's seat of the excavator. Not only that, but she was even wearing a safety helmet on her head. Paired with her lazy little face, she looked indescribably cute.

"Why is there one of these on the mountain?" Ye Shuang couldn't help but comment.

"Ninjas, amazing right?"

That phrase sounded a bit familiar.

An Shiyi skillfully operated the excavator. With the movement of the mechanical arm, she dug a suitably sized pit in just a few minutes.

"Does this count as breaking the rules?" Tang Keke was speechless, but doing this completely defeated the purpose of Arbor Day, didn't it?

"Why don't you check the rules?" An Shiyu said from the side, crossing her arms. "The school allows it."

"How is that possible?!" Everyone took out their phones to check the class group chat.

In the last line of the requirements—

5. Students may use any tools to complete the tree planting activity, including but not limited to (shovels, hoes, excavators, Gundams, electric drills, Pokémon...)

Tang Keke: "..."

Did some strange things get mixed in?

Taking another look at the posting time.

Ten minutes ago.

"Hey, this was just added in, wasn't it?" Tang Keke now seriously suspected that An Shiyu had used her status to make all the teachers post this.

"Is that a problem?"

"..." Tang Keke was left speechless.

However, thanks to the two fishes' excavator, the pit problem was quickly resolved, leaving many students nearby staring in disbelief.

"Hey, hey, hey, driving an excavator is totally cheating, right?" a student who was sweating profusely from digging complained.

Hearing this, Chao Yiyu, who was sitting in the driver's seat, propped up her cheek and yawned. "Cheating? You could have brought one up too, did you just not want to?"

"Who in their right mind brings an excavator?!"

"Exactly! Everyone else is so tired, why do you guys have it so easy!"

"Excuse me, classmate, could you help us dig a bit?"

"Miss, could we borrow this excavator for a bit?"

The students all spoke at once, but most of them expressed a desire for the excavator.

"Xiao Yi, do you want to help the others dig a few holes too?" Seeing so many eager faces, Ye Shuang asked An Shiyi.

"Xiao Yi..." An Shiyi paused for a few seconds upon hearing this, then mumbled around the lollipop in her mouth, "Fine, I was getting bored anyway."

With that, the excavator slowly moved next door.

After the pit was dug, Ye Shuang brought the saplings back. The root system was wrapped in a film to protect its moisture. Tearing it off to let the roots spread out meant it was ready for planting.

"Alright, let's backfill the soil." Ye Shuang held the sapling steady and began to fill the dirt back in order. Moreover, the school had distributed some fertilizer that could be added in together.

When the sapling stood firmly in the soil, Ye Shuang and the others couldn't help but cheer, "Done."

"Let's leave our names." Ye Shuang took out a small wooden sign and wrote his own name and the other girls' names on it one by one.

Finally, he chose a spot neither too close nor too far and stuck the wooden sign into the dirt to secure it.

"Ye Shuang, how big can this grow?" Bai Yuyou stood beside him, curious.

"How big..." Hearing this, Ye Shuang reached out and rubbed the girl's head.

"We've done our best. As for how big it can grow, it ultimately has to walk that path on its own."

"Only by enduring the trials of spring, summer, autumn, and winter, as well as scorching suns and hurricanes, can it thrive and grow."

Bai Yuyou stayed quiet for a moment upon hearing this, then nodded gently. "Mhm."