FID – Chapter 418

  Chapter 418: Spring Planting 

  Zhixia, I love you.

  I love you.

  In the bottom of her heart, Fu Yuzheng uttered these words to him over and over again.

  ”I love you, Yuzheng,” in the silence, Lu Zhixia parted his lips slightly and whispered to her.

  She pounced on him again, blocking all the words he was about to say.

  Enough. 

  It’s enough.

  It was enough for her to give her all to him, but it was still not enough.

  That night, Fu Yuzheng did not go back to her own courtyard.

  She slept in Liuyun Pavilion, in Liu Zhixia’s room.

  She waywardly cut off his time to review his books and tempted him to linger on her.

  She even took the initiative, indulged, and pestered him all night.

  The steamy loving canopy shook all night, and the thick carved wooden frame bed creaked constantly.

  The passionate flavor in the room continuously ignited sparks, kindled, and blew up.

  Inside the canopy, shadows rose and fell. Ragged panting and stoic whispering intertwined accompanied by primitive rhythms, the most primitive music.

  Time crept to the middle of March. Snow and ice just began to melt in the capital, but spring was already welcomed in the south with the sun shining.

  Xinghua villagers had begun to plant rice seedlings in their rice fields.

  The winery went on spring break, and the villagers plunged in their fields, working feverishly for the annual autumn harvest.

  Everyone was smiling, joyful and vibrant.

  Across the Qing River were the fields of the Xiapo villagers, which was also a lively scene at this time.

  Laughter and chatters were incessant, and they could be heard clearly across the river.

  ”They’ve risen to their feet over there, too, a sight you wouldn’t have seen in previous years.” Grandpa Liu turned his head in between rice planting to check out the bustle yonder and laughed.

  Grandma Liu also turned her head and sighed, “How can they compare with us in the early years? In the first few years, our side was booming, while the other side remained as it was a few years ago. People are lazy when they don’t have a goal in mind. They don’t even bother to take care of their fields and just get by.”

  ”You don’t say! I didn’t see them so diligent and lively before. Now, they laugh more happily than we do.” A villager next to them joked and shouted across the river, “You’re quite chatting happily. Are you discussing the monthly salary in a few days?!”

  ”We’re indeed talking about the monthly salary. It’s so far, yet you heard it. Do you have ears that reach around corners, ah?” Someone there also raised his voice to answer.

  On both sides of the Qing River, the sound of laughter boiled.

  The Xinghua villagers were well-off and weren’t jealous of the sight of others getting better.

  There was hope for life across the river. As days passed by, the more they savored it. They let go of their worries, and no longer cared about everything as much as they did before. 

  The relationship between the two villages was mended very quickly.

  Liu Yusheng was squatting on the ridge of the field, helping her family throw rice seedlings while listening to the awkward conversations of people on both sides of the river with a smile.

  After letting go of their worries, even the sky seemed wider and broader, and bluer when they looked up at the spotless sky.

  The new wineries would be in operation for a month soon.

  The monthly salary would be issued in two days, so the refreshed villagers worked harder than ever. Everyone was excitedly waiting for that day to come.

  With real money in hand, resting their hanging hearts would become more realistic. The more prospects they had in life, the more they strive for it, and the more conscientious they worked.

  Because of the spring sowing, Grandma Liu and the two womenfolk of the family went early to help, and then went back home to cook when meal times were almost there.

  Qian Wanjin and Xue Qinglian, the two people who were considered to be pampered, were not spared from the job and were dragged in to be strong men.

  If they didn’t know how to transplant rice seedlings, Grandpa Liu patiently taught them hand in hand. In short, he wouldn’t let them go ashore.

  Xue Qinglian was lazy, but the old man kept rattling his ear and bothering him. After weighing his two options, he chose to work.

  He worked slowly and only planted a row of seedlings after less than half an hour.

  The old man and the others didn’t mind, as long as he wasn’t idle.

  Qian Wanjin, on the other hand, was serious. He grabbed a handful of seedlings and planted them quickly. After planting a row, he looked up and saw that the seedlings he planted were all skewed up the horizon.

  This wasn’t helping but adding chaos. Grandpa Liu would help him pull out the crooked seedlings and reinsert them back into the right place.

  In the end, Grandpa Liu couldn’t resist driving him away, but he refused to leave. He stood in the paddy field, holding his waist and pretending. Then, he would pluck a leech off his leg and play with it: “Grandpa, Grandma, I tried my best. It’s not that I don’t want to work. It hurts me to see you guys so tired, so why don’t I help again?”

  ”Get lost this instant! The time it takes to fix those seedlings is enough for me to plant another three areas of land!”

  Xue Qinglian learned his trick.

  Damn, that’s how you loaf on a job, oh. Why didn’t I think of it?

  Thus, Xue Qinglian began to move in the shape of the field.

  ”Xue Qinglian, fix the crooked plants by yourself, before going home for the meal. Look at what you’ve done, Grandma and Grandpa will have to help you work again. Won’t they be tired? What other job do you know besides pharmaceuticals? How useless!”

  Xue Qinglian narrowed her eyes and glared at Qian Wanjin: Sod off! “Qian Wanjin, just you wait, I’ll get you later!”

  ”Lucky Nannan, look at him, besides concocting medicine, he only knows how to threaten people. He’s a waste of food at home. What’s the use of keeping him? Just drive him away!”

  As soon as these words fell, Xue Qinglian pounced on him. Qian Wanjin threw the leech back and fled.

  The two of them ran around the paddy field, but while running, they cleverly avoided the seedlings and stomped on selected grounds.

  Laughter from the surrounding area kept ringing throughout the whole Qing River.

  Liu Yusheng silently covered his face: These two douchebags.

  ”Grandpa, Grandma, father and mother, uncle and aunt, come and have a rest for now. Drink tea. Let Second Brother take Qian Wanjin and Xue Qinglian to do the planting. There’s not much left in the field, so there’s no need to rush.” Liu Yusheng ignored them and focused her attention on her family.

  Wei Hong also wiped her sweaty forehead and approached: “I’ll let them finish later. I’ll beat anyone who loafs around.”

  She clenched her fist – crack-click-click.

  The two slackers over there who were still chasing stopped in their tracks.

  It was impossible to express in a few words their feeling for being inferior in martial arts compared to someone.

  Xue Qinglian was the most suffocated. He could still drug Wei Hong and gain the upper hand before.

  Later, Wei Hong also took a Hundred Poison Pill, so his medicine was useless.

  He bent in front of Wei Hong.

  The Liu family was now a big pit in his eyes.

  Lucky Nannan tempted him with a potion until he was unwilling to leave. Once he stayed, he became the pure coolie of the whole Liu family.

  He was used everywhere, and they found something he was useful for if there wasn’t.

  He became a jack-of-all-trades and hardly had a carefree life-style.

  The Liu family really were capable. When they heard Liu Yusheng’s call, they put down their work, sat down by the ridge, and drank the tea she handed them leisurely.

  The spring sun was warm over their heads, and the water in the field was still cool, enough to chase away the heat from the work.

  In the air, the soil of the paddy fields mixed with the scent of the seedlings permeated a special fresh aroma.

  There was hope. There were prospects. Fire burned in their hearts, and that made their day.

  During the three-day spring holiday, the villagers rushed to finish their agricultural work. If they were slow, other villagers went to help.

  After the three days of enthusiasm, the next day was the day when the winery would start operating again, and at the same time, the pay day.