FID – Chapter 434

Chapter 434: King of Nanling’s Manor Vegetable Garden

  Qian Wanjin began shooting terms and demands, and then asked Xue Qinglian to figure out the medicine that best suited his requirements: “I want the kind of medicine that can poison a tea tree until it’s half dead. Also, the concocted tea from its leaves is undrinkable, but can’t kill people. Find it for me quickly. If there’s none, get up and study it for me.”

  ”Qian Wanjin, you think I’m here to be your exclusive pharmacy, huh?!”

  ”No, ah, aren’t we friends?”

  ”Only out and not in friends, get out!”

  ”Who’s only out but not in? I’ll send you a roast chicken later. Hurry up, I need it urgently!”

  Xue Qinglian wanted to tear Qian Wanjin apart.

  Where there was this scourge, there was no peace.

  While Qian Wanjin was making a fuss about Xue Qinglian’s work, the servants of the manor brought back a pile of farming tools to the royal residence.

  Hoes, iron scrapers, small shovels, and several small cloth bags.

  The family was sitting in the hall in boredom when the stuff was brought over

  The four elders sometimes sipped tea and stood up from time to time to walk around.

  They were plain uncomfortable.

  They weren’t uncomfortable in the royal residence. Their discomfort stemmed from having nothing to do. Even a servant nearby was there to refill their tea cups. This was a tough day. 

  Stretching their hands out to dress and eating read-cooked meals; passing the days in this manner was akin to just eating and waiting for death, in the eyes of the elderly.

  It was no fun.

  Hence, when they saw those brand-new farming tools, they felt exceptional familiarity.

  Grandpa Liu went forward to pick up a farming tool and gently rubbed it in his hand: “They are all new. Farming tools are not cheap. Axiu, ah, why did you buy so many farming tools?”

  ”Don’t tell me you brought them home for us, did you? It’s inconvenient to bring this pile of farming tools all the way home. Besides, there are all kinds of utensils and tools at home. It’s a waste of money to buy new ones.”

  After the two elders rebuked Feng Qingbai one after the other, he said with a smile, “These are indeed for Grandpa and Grandma, Uncle and Aunt Liu. If you’re bored, you can do some farming, then wait for the crops to grow.”

  ”Farming?” The four elders spoke in unison, their faces full of astonishment.

  The most wealthy and honorable people in Nanling were gathered in the boundary of the capital. No one here cultivated land.

  That was why they hadn’t thought of it just now.

  Now Feng Qingbai was telling them that they could farm. Where were they going to farm?

  ”You can cultivate the backyard, and the other vacant courtyards. Those several cloth bags contain green vegetable seeds.”

  Grandma Liu was frightened. “Can we really plant here? This is the royal residence. If people come to the door and see the vegetables planted in the yard, won’t they laugh at you?”

  Looking at the granny’s bright eyes, Feng Qingbai laughed: “No. Besides, the King’s residence has a number of servants. The usual expenses are also hefty. With Grandma’s planting and growing vegetables, it can also reduce the burden on the residence’s food.”

  ”You don’t say!” Grandma Liu slapped her thigh. “I saw that there were dozens of servants in the residence yesterday. With so many people around, the expenses must be high everyday. Well then, Grandma will plant vegetables for you. The vegetables I plant are delicious, and they grow fast. I have a vegetable patch at home in the village, and the old ladies there would come together every day to pick some. We can’t eat all of them.”

  Liu Yusheng secretly wiped the cold sweat on her forehead. In order not to puncture her grandmother’s confidence, she’d better prepare spiritual spring water again.

  It would be used to water the vegetables.

  On the first day that Liu Zhixia entered the examination hall, the masters and servants of the King of Nanling Manor all started to work to till land for vegetable planting in various open areas of the manor.

  April in the capital was still early spring, and some cold chill still hadn’t faded in the spring warmth. Everyone sweated profusely.

  The manor servants worked with fear and trepidation throughout, along with stiff arms and legs.

  It was for no other reason except fright.

  Firstly, they were terrified that the guests who came to the residence rushed to plant vegetables in the manor, but the King himself indulged them.

  Secondly, they were frightened because their King also carried a hoe hands-on, and when he didn’t perform well enough, he got a beating from the grandpa and grandma.

  They spent the day as if they were living in a nightmare; everything seemed surreal.

  With something to occupy the elders, their attention was diverted, and they no longer had spare time to worry about Liu Zhixia.

  Day after day, they excitedly plowed the soil in the King’s residence.

  Nine days later, the partly human, partly ghost-looking Liu Zhixia stepped out of the Tribute Academy, but when he returned to the residence, he found that the original neat and beautiful garden was gone. What greeted his eyes were newly sprouting greens.

  The flower beds, tree beds, and back gardens all became vegetable patches.

  Even the place on the rockery where orchids grow in artificial grooves were plucked and planted with rapeseed.

  At least one hundred taels-worth of the finest boat orchids were thrown at the foot of the rockery and became a pile of dried grass.

  Liu Zhixia almost passed out.

  Feng Qingbai can really indulge!

  The four elders looked proud and pointed their fingers at the vegetable patches, “Look, they’re growing well, right? This time, we planted the fast-growing bok choy and little greens. In another ten days at most, we can pick them for the table.”

  Liu Yusheng nodded and boasted, “Is there still a need to talk about my family’s craftsmanship? The best vegetable grower in the whole Xinghua Village is our family. If we claim second, nobody will dare to claim first.”

  ”This is no exaggeration. Which family in our village has never eaten the dishes planted in our field? They all say they are delicious. They don’t taste the same as those planted by other families!”

  Liu Zhixia, “…” So he’d been staying in the examination hall alone to fight hordes of troops and horses, but his grandparents and parents didn’t worry about him a tiny bit? Their concern was all invested in planting vegetables?

  He was no better than a handful of cabbages.

  Fu Yuzheng looked at Liu Zhixia’s forlorn appearance, pursed her lips and snickered. However, she also felt distressed about his weariness. “Grandpa Liu, Grandma Liu, Uncle Liu, Aunt Liu, why don’t you let Zhixia bathe and change his clothes first? We can eat later, and then let him rest for a while afterwards. We also have to go to the examination hall to read the results tomorrow.”

  ”Go, go, go. Yuzheng, please take care of Zhixia while we work on the field. These vegetables are like crops. They have to be served carefully for them to grow better.”

  ”En.” Fu Yuzheng nodded with a blush and dragged Liu Zhixia away.

  Behind her, Liu Yusheng quietly gave her grandmother and mother a thumbs up when the two had left: “Grandma, Mother, this excuse is particularly good. Look at Big Brother holding the beauty. It’s as if he’s walking with the wind!”

  The two women immediately looked towards Liu Zhixia’s back.

  ”Aigoo, he’s indeed forging ahead with the vitality of a tiger, yet he still put on that serious front. He can really pretend!”

  ”Zhixia has no other skills, but he also can pretend. Otherwise, how could he pit Zhiqiu for so many years?”

  Liu Dalin interjected, “You all don’t understand thoroughly. Men know men best. He’s been taking the exam for nine days without seeing her. The bastard must be holding evil intentions in his stomach! Look at how impatient he is!”

  Absence made the heart grow fonder; he knew that very well.

  Liu Zhixia, in front of several people, heard their comments and almost staggered.

  Were they indeed his biological grandma and dad?

  The woman in front of him increased her pace.

  Liu Zhixia, “…” He wiped his face.

  He initially had no such thought. He just crawled out of the examination hall and had no energy to do anything else.

  Now, he thought about it.

  Some servants around who initially wanted to offer their help on the vegetable patches evaded and walked away, not daring to step forward.

  Everyone felt bashful to the comments of the elders of the Liu family.

  The Liu family elders were having a little dirty talk, right?

  Liu Dazhen didn’t have that consciousness. He just spoke about the issue matter-of-factly.

  The moment his mother and wife grabbed his ears each, and his father in front of him waved a small branch, he reacted.

  Aigoo, his daughter was still next to him. How could his mouth utter such talk so bluntly?!