After Chubby curled up beneath the eaves, the presence inside the house withdrew, as though nothing had happened.
The entire courtyard was quiet, perfect for an afternoon nap.
That was also why Lu Ao's sense of happiness had remained so high ever since he started keeping dogs.
Song Zhou went to work that afternoon.
Lu Ao went to check on the vegetables in the fields.
The eggplants, long beans, and other crops planted in spring and summer had long since been pulled up by the roots, leaving no trace behind.
Now, he had scallions, ginger, garlic, cabbage, mustard greens, Chinese cabbage, radishes, potatoes, and a small amount of chili peppers growing in his fields.
The weather in November had already turned quite cool, and ordinary people needed to wear jackets.
The crops in the fields were no longer as lush and vigorous as they had been in summer.
They were still growing well, but unlike in summer, they did not stretch out in an endless sea of green that filled one's vision at a glance.
Lu Ao went to fertilize the vegetables.
The fertilizer was fermented goose manure and rice straw.
This batch of goose manure had been fully fermented. Lu Ao had used it once some time ago, and the crops had adapted well to it. There were no signs of fertilizer burn, nor had there been infestations of root-knot nematodes or other pests.
Lu Ao carefully buried fertilizer beside every crop.
Chubby lay on the ridge between the fields to keep him company, its pointed ears twitching from time to time as it listened to the sounds in the distance.
In the more distant wasteland, Lu Ao's geese led their goslings around the fields, eating wild vegetables, wild grass, insects, and earthworms.
Chubby grew a little bored waiting