When Yang Xi first arrived in Bear Country, he turned down the job arranged by the agency because he wanted to take his time and explore on his own. The labor agency had been quite reliable, and since he had paid the full fees and his visa was valid for three years, it meant he could stay in Bear Country for a full three years. He did not want to be tied down by work just yet; he wanted to walk around and see the place first.
Yang Xi witnessed many famous structures, such as the Cathedral of the Holy Road, whose soaring spires and exquisite decorations were truly breathtaking; the Kraenla Palace, whose lavish halls and grand majesty instilled a sense of awe; and the National History Museum, which showcased Bear Country's long history and cultural heritage.
These buildings varied greatly in architectural style, exuding a foreign charm entirely different from the architecture back home. In addition, Yang Xi visited Bear Country's largest national university, where elite students from all over gathered.
Here, he learned that the majority of the population practiced Eastern Orthodoxy, one of the three major branches of Christianity, which emphasizes orthodoxy and apostolic succession. Yang Xi did not have much personal interest in religious beliefs, but he respected everyone's individual choice.
Because Yang Xi was fluent in the language of Bear Country, he experienced no difficulty whatsoever in communication. Moreover, as a citizen of Huaxia Country, he felt the conveniences brought by the friendly relations between the two nations. Wherever he went, people welcomed him with great warmth, especially those drawn to his handsome appearance and exceptional communication skills. This friendly atmosphere made Yang Xi feel very warm and comfortable, while also deepening his affection for the country.
"Take a look, Xiali. If you had come with me, I would have reached the place we both wanted to go. Now that I'm on my own, won't you blame me a few years from now for leaving you behind?" Ji Cheng muttered to himself.Yang Xi walked alone through streets and countryside. It was said that Bear Country was very unsafe at night, but Yang Xi simply loved the nocturnal tranquility. Walking alone at night, he felt no fear whatsoever. Tonight, he was once again strolling alone through the streets of Gorod when two punk-looking thugs cornered him from front and back with switchblades. "Hey, Asian kid, hand over the cash and we'll spare your life," one of them said, licking his lips. "Otherwise, we'll sell you to a brothel," they spoke in the Bear Country language.
"Oh, so it's a robbery? I've got plenty of rubles right here," Yang Xi said, pulling out several stacks of banknotes.
The two punks could practically drool at the sight. "I think we've changed our minds. We want more than just this money. You must be a filthy rich guy from Hua Country. We're going to tie you up and make your family pay a hundred million in ransom, hahaha," said the short, fat, bearded man blocking the path ahead.
"If you've got the guts, come and take it. Tie me up then," Yang Xi said with a slight smile.
The bearded man advanced toward Yang Xi with his switchblades. As he drew close, he threw a punch with his empty left hand aimed straight at Yang Xi's eye, trying to intimidate him. Leaving aside his status abroad, Yang Xi was now a top-tier martial artist even back home; the only ones who could compare to him were elite special ops personnel executing top-secret missions.
Yang Xi dispatched the two men with a few quick moves, snapped one of each of their arms, and strolled away. These two men were notorious low-level gangsters in Gorod whose trade was robbery, rape, and human trafficking. Had Yang Xi known they were such heinous criminals capable of every imaginable evil, he would definitely have taken their lives.
In the suburbs, Yang Xi had rented a large house from a young woman whose husband had gone off to war. Living alone in a two-courtyard house without a man around had made her rather frightened, so Yang Xi rented one of the courtyards along with a hundred mu of fertile farmland for just one hundred thousand rubles a year—the equivalent of a little over eight thousand Huaxia yuan.This was no pressure at all for Yang Xi. With several hundred thousand rubles in hand and over two million yuan in his bank account, he was far from short of money.
The landlady here was named Agnes. Thirty years old, she possessed a tall, graceful figure, long legs, and an elegant posture, radiating confidence and charm in every gesture. Her features were as exquisitely carved as a sculpture, with a high bridge of the nose and deep eyes like azure lakes—clear and mysterious—framed by long eyelashes that fluttered gently like butterfly wings. Her skin was as white as snow, seeming to emit a soft glow in the sunlight, and her thick, lustrous hair cascaded down like a golden waterfall. Her smile was like the warm spring sun, bright and melting hearts in an instant. Her temperament was uniquely her own, combining the unrestrained passion of a Western woman with the elegance and subtlety of an Eastern woman.
Yang Xi had looked at many places and found none of them to his liking, but when he found this woman's house, he fell in love with it immediately. The interior decoration style was very similar to houses in Huaxia Country; according to her, it had been renovated for her by craftsmen from Hua Country.
Agnes had a very long last name that followed her first, which Yang Xi simply ignored because he could never remember it. After all, he would likely only be a passing visitor here for three years, so there was no need to develop any deep attachments.
Yet Agnes was unusually warm toward every time she saw Yang Xi, inviting him over to eat at her place every other day. Her parents lived far away in the city of Samara, and her husband had gone off to fight on the front lines, as the war between Bear Country and Ukraine was currently raging intensely. Whenever she mentioned her husband at the front, Agnes looked deeply worried.
"Yang, you have such a strong body. Why aren't you going to fight?" Agnes asked.
"Ah! Why on earth would I go to fight?" Yang Xi replied, feeling rather depressed. What a bizarre notion—just because someone was strong meant they had to go to war? You had to have a reason to fight in the first place, and a compelling one at that. If this were a war between Huaxia Country and Little Rizi Country, Yang Xi would undoubtedly be the very first to charge onto the battlefield.
"Oh, I forgot you aren't a citizen of our country. In our country, a strong man like you who refuses to go to the battlefield would be looked down upon," Agnes added.
During these past few days, Yang Xi spent his days working on the farm, stringing up network cables, setting up a local area network for his own house, and then heading to the market to buy a laptop for thirty thousand rubles.
The nights were no longer so boring; with the laptop, he could browse websites and purchase various seeds, making things much more convenient.
Almost every evening, Agnes would come over to invite Yang Xi to dinner or invent some other excuse, like asking him to help fix a water pipe, while from time to time deliberately brushing against his muscles and whispering teasing remarks.
Yang Xi felt quite speechless—these European women really were too casual. Not wanting to get involved, he declined many of her subsequent invitations, and whenever he simply couldn't refuse, he maintained a proper distance from her.
Agnes was a smart woman and quickly sensed Yang Xi's aloofness.
"Yang, I just want to cure my loneliness; I don't need you to take responsibility," she said boldly.
"I'm not interested. Go find someone else! In our country, doing that to a soldier's wife would be considered a desecration and punishable by law," Yang Xi replied.
"Don't forget, this isn't your country. You can be casual. Don't you people have a saying: 'When in Rome, do as the Romans do'?"
"Let me be completely clear: I don't like you, and I have no interest in you," Yang Xi said, before starting up the tractor to plow the fields. He had no wish to keep tangling with her; compared to dealing with such a casual woman, Yang Xi preferred the quiet solitude of his own company.