Chapter 35: Farming

As dinner time approached, the crowd gathered in the fields began to disperse. Qian’s eldest granddaughter and young grandson came to fetch her for supper.

"Coming right away," Qian told her grandchildren, picking up two radishes that Shao Kang had been wreaking havoc on. She peeled them and handed them to the pair.

The two children began to gnaw on the radishes while playing in the field. Simultaneously, their gazes were drawn to Wei Ting, who was sitting on the ridge of the field. Firstly, they had never seen Wei Ting before; secondly, they had never seen anyone so handsome. A child’s gaze is always blunt and sincere; if they wanted to look, they simply stared. Wei Ting did not mind, allowing the two children to inspect him with ease.

The little girl, named Qiuni, was nearly seven and quite shy and well-behaved. The little boy, Shuanzi, was three—at an age where he was nothing but trouble. Shuanzi began playing with Wei Ting’s cane, and when the adults weren't looking, he dragged it away and ran!

"You little rascal!" Qian’s expression changed drastically as she clenched her fists and trotted after her grandson.

After dragging the cane for a few rows, Shuanzi ducked into the Shao family’s vegetable plot. Fang helped catch him, pretending to be fierce. "You’re too naughty! Run again and I’ll sell you off!"

Shuanzi struggled out of her grip and dropped the cane, running toward Qian in fear. "Grandma! Grandma Fang wants to sell me!"

Fang was both annoyed and amused. She shouted to the panting Qian, "Stop running, I’ll send it over to you!" She then turned to her daughter. "Jinniang, take the cane over."

Shao Jinniang picked up the cane and glanced at the nearby Li family vegetable patch. Her mother’s intent was for her to return it to Qian, as it was Qian’s grandson who had caused the trouble. Yet, for some reason, Shao Jinniang’s eyes were immediately fixed on the young man on the ridge.

He was dressed in ordinary villager’s clothes made of unremarkable fabric, yet as he sat there, with his tall, upright posture and long legs, he exuded a quiet and unique aura. His features were exquisite, his profile perfect; Jinniang had never seen a man so handsome. She only wondered why he needed a cane.

"Why are you dazed? Go on!" Fang urged.

Shao Jinniang silently took the cane to the Li family’s plot, but instead of handing it to Qian, she returned it directly to Wei Ting.

"Thank you."

Wei Ting’s voice was magnetic, carrying an innate coldness and detachment. As a breeze blew past, it stirred the scent around him. There was no smell of sweat common to rural laborers on him, only a faint medicinal fragrance. Was he injured? Shao Jinniang glanced at his legs without making it obvious.

"Jinniang!" Qian, having finished lecturing her grandson, said with a smile, "Are you being courted? I reckon the suitors are about to wear out the threshold of your Shao house!"

This was the truth; Shao Jinniang was the prettiest and most reputable girl in the surrounding area, and there wasn't a man who didn't want to marry her. Shao Jinniang felt inexplicably flustered. "Not... not yet."

Qian continued, "Daya is the same age as you, and she’s already married!"

Shao Panya and Shao Jinniang shared the same surname and age—one from the 'Small Shao' family and the other from the 'Old Shao' family—so they were inevitably compared. However, from childhood, Shao Panya had never won. The other children in the village only wanted to play with Shao Jinniang, leaving Shao Panya with nothing but envy and jealousy. Later, Shao Panya started imitating Shao Jinniang, but being fat and ugly, she only ended up looking ridiculous.

Qian took Shao Jinniang’s hand and whispered, "Don’t worry. If someone like Shao Panya can find a handsome husband, yours will only be better!"

Shao Jinniang cast a subtle glance at the dashing man on the ridge and said nothing.

...

As the sun set, Shao Kang finished his day of farming lessons. Looking at the vegetable patch that had been ruined by Shao Kang, Qian was fuming, her eyes darting in anger.

Shao Kang coughed lightly. "I'll come back tomorrow."

Qian’s hair stood on end. He's coming back?!

...

The father-in-law and son-in-law returned home. Shao Diandian sat on a small stool by the door, gnawing on a roasted corn cob while watching three little ones poke an ant nest. Shao Erdan had gone to fetch water.

"Daughter! I'm home!" The moment Shao Kang saw his plump daughter, the gloom of being tormented by leafy greens all afternoon vanished instantly.

"Dad," Shao Diandian greeted him.

"Grandpa!" the three little ones also chirped obediently.

"Hey!" Shao Kang walked over with a beaming smile and squatted in front of them. "What are you playing?"

"Ants," said Dahu.

"Daya!" Shao Kang turned to Shao Diandian. "Help your husband up!"

Shao Diandian gave the man a flat look. "He has hands and feet, why should I help him?"

"Daya!" Shao Kang put on a stern face. When it came to the issue of his son-in-law, Shao Kang was always exceptionally principled.

Shao Diandian reluctantly walked toward Wei Ting, curled her lip, and extended two chubby fingers, pinching him lightly. Wei Ting saw her look of disdain, and the corners of his lips curled up as he leaned his entire weight onto her arm.

Shao Diandian was caught off guard and almost knocked over!

"Wei Ting!" she snapped.

Wei Ting took a deep breath and looked at Shao Kang with a melancholic expression. "Dad, Daya is bullying me."

Shao Diandian: "..."

Shao Kang’s face sank. "Daya, you cannot bully your husband!"

Shao Diandian gritted her teeth. *Learning to snitch, are we?*

She gave a charming smile. "Lean on me all you like. If you break, it's on me—just don't get suffocated like you did last time."

With that, she puffed out her small chest. *Come on, let's hurt each other!*

Wei Ting successfully recalled the experience of being suffocated in her arms, and his expression stiffened instantly.

"Heh!" Shao Diandian raised her head in victory and, with great consideration, helped the red-faced Wei Ting into the room.

...

Dinner consisted of pepper-scented crispy meat, juicy deep-fried eggs with pig intestines, stir-fried cabbage, shredded radish salad, and a pot of dough-drop soup. It was a nutritious meal with a balance of meat and vegetables. No matter how much Wei Ting and Shao Diandian bickered, he had to admit that her cooking was superb. Many dishes he would never have touched before were now things he couldn't stop eating.

Shao Erdan finished his last bite. "Sister, what are we eating tomorrow?"

Shao Diandian thought for a moment. "Pig brains?"

Wei Ting: "!!!"

That night, Shao Diandian came to remove Wei Ting’s stitches. The wound had healed beautifully, leaving only a faint line. Wei Ting had been stitched up before, but never as perfectly as this. Of course, as a man, he didn't care about scars. He was simply curious: how did a rural girl possess such exquisite medical skills?

Shao Diandian said, "That..."

"There's someone on the roof!"

Wei Ting covered her mouth with one hand and unleashed a palm strike with the other, extinguishing the candle on the table. The room plunged into darkness. Shao Diandian crouched on the floor, pressed between his legs in a highly awkward position.