Heart Laid Bare

When Zhao Danshi brought up Li Ping's work, Li Ping laughed. "I've only been here two months. I haven't even used up all my vacation time, and you're already sending me back to work?"

Zhao Danshi answered honestly, "Not exactly. I just think your work covers such a wide range. Won't it take some getting used to?"

"It won't. You and Dou Dou are here—how could I feel unaccustomed?" Li Ping looked at him, his low voice brimming with amusement. "Would you be willing to take our partnership to the next level?"

"Hm?" Zhao Danshi looked blank. "What kind of upgrade?"

"Like upgrading from business partners to a husband-and-wife shop."

Zhao Danshi's ears instantly turned red. He stammered, "S-Senior Brother, don't joke around."

"How am I joking?" Li Ping fixed his clear eyes on him and smiled. "The child has been born, I came here with you, and now our business is taking off, flourishing and climbing higher by the day. Wouldn't it be good for us to join forces?"

"It would be, but..."

Li Ping asked with a smile, "But what? You don't like me anymore?"

Zhao Danshi shook his head quickly, pressed his dry lips together, and felt his heart hammering. "I like you."

"Then that settles it." Li Ping lightly flicked his forehead. "If you have no objections, I'm declaring that we're together."

"...Mm."

"Alright, don't overthink it. I'm going back to sleep first. Good night."

Just as Zhao Danshi was thinking that they had succeeded in confessing their feelings yet were still sleeping separately, Li Ping lowered his head slightly and pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead. Only then did he smile faintly and turn to leave.

Even after he thoughtfully closed the bedroom door behind him, Zhao Danshi still touched his forehead, savoring that soft, warm sensation.

After a long while, Zhao Danshi leaped onto the bed and rolled around hard several times. Once he had calmed down a little, he slipped on his slippers and shuffled over to Dou Dou's little bed, staring at Dou Dou and grinning foolishly for a long time.

Dou Dou was already asleep. His fair little face was soft, his tiny mouth slightly puckered, and his eyes curved upward. His eyelashes formed a lovely arc, while his small belly rose and fell with every breath. He looked peaceful and beautiful.

This little brat was his!

He and Senior Brother had made him together!

And he and Senior Brother were together too!

Thinking of that, Zhao Danshi could not help grinning foolishly again.

He watched Dou Dou for a long time before reluctantly going back to bed.

But his emotions were too turbulent, and he tossed and turned for ages without falling asleep.

When he got up the next morning, the old man took one look at the faint shadows beneath his eyes and the silly smile on his face and was startled. "What did you do last night? Look at you."

"Hehehe." Zhao Danshi kept grinning. "Grandpa, are my dark circles really obvious?"

The old man snorted. "That stupid look is obvious too."

Zhao Danshi touched his cheek and skipped lightly over to knock on Li Ping's door. "Senior Brother, get up! Time to pick strawberries!"

Li Ping opened the door with a creak and asked with a smile, "You're that happy?"

Zhao Danshi glanced at the old man, who had his back to them as he brushed his teeth beside the well and drain, then replied quietly, "Of course I am. Senior Brother, you haven't forgotten what you said last night, right?"

"Don't worry. I haven't forgotten."

Having received that reassurance, Zhao Danshi happily went to brush his teeth beside him.

The old man asked, "How has your strawberry business been these past few days?"

"Pretty good. We sell however much we have." Seeing that the old man seemed hesitant, Zhao Danshi asked, "What is it?"

"Your cousin-in-law from Rongqi Village, remember him? He asked me to ask whether you sell strawberry seedlings. He said he wouldn't compete with you—he just wanted to buy some seedlings to grow for his family. Even if he sold them, he'd only take them to the market for ten-odd yuan a jin."

Zhao Danshi gave a derisive laugh. "You actually believe that?"

"I figured that even if he planted them, he couldn't grow them as well as you. He wouldn't be able to sell them at your prices anyway."

"That's true. Did you agree to it?"

"Not yet. How could I make the decision for you when you haven't agreed?"

"Then you'd better not agree. I bought these strawberry seeds specifically from a big company. They cost several thousand yuan per jin, and the company even provided a planting guide. If there are any problems, they'll give instructions over video calls. These strawberries are very delicate. Even if you gave him the seedlings, he wouldn't be able to grow them properly. Then he'd waste his efforts and might even blame you."

"They're that expensive?!" The old man was startled, then looked regretful. "Then forget it?"

Zhao Danshi smiled brightly. "Yes, forget it. Just tell him the truth."

The old man could only agree.

After hearing the entire exchange, Li Ping waited until the old man was not paying attention, curled his lips at Zhao Danshi, and silently mouthed, "Little liar."

Zhao Danshi wrinkled his nose and whispered, "I'm doing it for his own good. You know our strawberries grow so well thanks to Watcher and the Spirit Fertilizer it provides. Give someone a little favor and they'll be grateful; give them too much and they'll resent you. If we really gave him seedlings, who knows what trouble it might cause later?"

Li Ping affectionately put an arm around his shoulders. "I know. I was praising you."

"It sounded like you were scolding me." Zhao Danshi muttered. "Should we bring an extra foam box today? I saw quite a few more had ripened yesterday. We can probably pick another full box compared to yesterday."

The two went to pick strawberries. After an hour and a half, they had filled six foam boxes, seventy-seven jin in total.

When Zhao Chengjia came to collect the strawberries, he was startled. "Why are there so many today?"

"The weather is good, so the strawberries bore more fruit. Once this period passes and the plants get old, they won't produce so much." Zhao Danshi carried the boxes into his car, then brought a small basket out from the field. "Take these home to eat. You've been delivering strawberries for us for so long. Thanks for your hard work."

"Hey, how can I accept that?" Zhao Chengjia rubbed his hands. Zhao Danshi's strawberries were delicious, but they were ridiculously expensive. He had only bought one jin when they first came out, just to try them. After everyone at home had eaten a few, they were gone. It had only whetted their appetites, and they had never satisfied the craving. Whenever they heard about Zhao Danshi's strawberries now, they still wanted them badly.

"It's fine, it's fine. They're homegrown, not worth much." Before Zhao Chengjia could refuse, Zhao Danshi set the basket on the passenger seat.

When there had been fewer strawberries, with only four or five foam boxes, Zhao Danshi paid him nine yuan in delivery fees. Now there were more boxes, but he still paid nine yuan. He had to compensate him a little.

Zhao Chengjia scratched his head awkwardly. "Then thank you."

Zhao Danshi waved a hand and turned back toward the field with a carefree stride.

After Zhao Chengjia drove away, Zhao Danshi asked Li Ping, "Senior Brother, do you think the fruit shop can sell all these strawberries in a day?"

"They should manage about this much. Any more and they won't be able to sell them all. If there are extras, we can take them back and make candied fruit. We won't send those to the county." Li Ping smiled. "Then we can buy a food dehydrator. If other fruits are inconvenient to sell after harvesting, we can make them into candied fruit too."

"That works. Then we'll have our first batch of snacks for our Taobao store."

Though he said that, Zhao Danshi was still worried. After breakfast, he called the owner. "Boss Li, good morning. Have you eaten breakfast?"

"Yes, yes. I'm counting the goods right now. Once I weigh the strawberries, I'll transfer the payment to you."

"That's not urgent." Zhao Danshi smiled. "I'm mainly calling for a follow-up. How are the strawberries selling? Can you sell them all?"

"Basically, there's no problem. Most of the time, we sell out. Occasionally, it's fine to keep some and sell them with the next day's strawberries. But if there were several dozen jin more, we probably couldn't sell them all."

The owner was very enthusiastic toward Zhao Danshi. Just as Li Ping had said, the strawberries had become the signature product of his shop. Many customers came specifically for strawberries and bought other fruit along the way. Some thought the strawberries were too expensive and could not bear to buy them, so they bought several more jin of cheaper fruit instead.

After calculating it all, the owner found that his income was now roughly one and a half times what it had been before, with monthly profits exceeding ten thousand yuan.

"Alright. If the strawberries exceed eighty jin, I won't send you the extra. If you can't sell them all, tell me promptly. I'll keep them here to make candied fruit."

"Alright."

As soon as the owner hung up, he transferred the 1,925 yuan payment.

Zhao Danshi clicked his tongue. They were making more and more money now.

They would be picking baby corn on Saturday, so Zhao Danshi went to the market ahead of time to buy two large crocks. He and Li Ping washed them clean with boiling water and rice straw, then left them in the yard to dry.

He would not throw away the harvested baby corn. Instead, he planned to pickle it, and the large crocks were perfect for making pickled vegetables.

According to the recipe Watcher had given him, pickled baby corn was sour, spicy, fresh, and fragrant, especially appetizing in summer. Zhao Danshi planned to test the waters. If it worked, he could make it video content too, and later use baby corn as giveaway prizes.

Before Saturday arrived, fans finally gave feedback on the river snails he had mailed out.

They commented beneath Zhao Danshi's video of stir-fried river snails.

—I thought I was following a farming blogger. Who knew I was following a food blogger? Brother Danshi, please accept my kneel!

—Brother, do you know?! I barely got a few bites of the river snails you sent before those wolves in my dorm divided them all up! Divided them all up!!!

—These river snails are way too delicious! The color! The aroma! The flavor! Aren't you all jealous? [Image comment]

—I have an idea...

—I have an idea too...

—Brother, aren't you planning to open a river-snail snack shop? How about selling me the secret recipe? Please check your private messages.

—Seriously, were these really stir-fried by Brother Danshi? He's good-looking and his cooking is this good too. He sounds like someone from an idol drama.

—It would've been fine if you all had secretly eaten them, so why did you have to come give feedback? Watching with the video, my drool is practically pouring down like a waterfall! Do I have no dignity?!

—I'm already hungry from watching. I decided to lose weight, but my finger has already opened the food delivery app. Crying.JPG

Zhao Danshi read through the comments one by one, then hurriedly called out to Watcher. "Watcher, how much Bio-Energy have you received recently?"

"153.36 points. Half for you is 76.68, but you just bought Spirit Spring Water from me yesterday on credit. You still owe me 23.32 Bio-Energy."

Zhao Danshi: ...

After painfully reflecting on the matter, he turned to Li Ping. "Senior Brother, let's keep making videos, then quickly buy trending searches. Otherwise, if this keeps up, I'm afraid we won't earn any Bio-Energy at all, and our debt will only keep growing."

Li Ping smiled. "Don't worry. This is just an early investment. I guarantee we won't lack Bio-Energy later. Go ahead and buy Spirit Spring Water without worry."

Spirit Spring Water strengthened the body and made the whole family feel wonderful after consuming it. Zhao Danshi could not bear to stop using it. With such a Bio-Energy-consuming expense, he could only hurry up and earn more Bio-Energy.

Over the weekend, Blackie and the other four arrived at Zhao Danshi's house before seven-thirty as expected. Not only had they come themselves, they had also brought a basket of river snails.

Zhao Danshi laughed at them. "You came over, so why bring anything?"

Blackie came closer. "Uncle Danshi, how about we stir-fry river snails again today?"

"You're not charging money anymore?"

The five teenagers shook their heads in unison. "We definitely can't charge!"

Zhao Danshi patted Blackie's shoulder, swept his gaze over the five of them, and earnestly said, "Even if I'm not charging you, it still costs me labor and ingredients. Whether you get to eat river snails today depends on how you perform. If you work well, I'll stir-fry them for you at noon. If you don't, you can carry the basket home exactly as it is."

"No problem!" Blackie and the others thumped their chests confidently. "Uncle Danshi, what are we doing today?"

"You know how to break off baby corn, right?" Zhao Danshi beckoned them over. "Each of you take a shoulder pole and two baskets with you. Come on, I'll teach you."

Zhao Danshi and Li Ping led them to the edge of the field. Zhao Danshi broke off one ear of baby corn as a demonstration. "Like this. Carefully break off the baby corn. Don't damage the stalks, and don't damage the baby corn. Put the harvested baby corn into the baskets, then carry it back together later. Half a basket per person is enough. If you can't finish in one trip, make another. Don't overload yourselves."

"Uncle Danshi, what are the baby corn for?"

"To make pickled baby corn. Have you eaten it before?"

The teenagers shook their heads, their eyes shining with curiosity.

Zhao Danshi made a broad gesture and promised readily, "Work hard. If you're still working here when the baby corn is done pickling, I'll give each of you a small jar."

"Uncle Danshi, you have to keep your word."

"Uncle Danshi, we'll be waiting for your pickled baby corn."

"Of course. When have I ever lied to you? Go work now. We'll be working nearby. Call us once you're done harvesting."

Zhao Danshi wiped his sweat and watered the vegetable plot with Li Ping, while Zhao Wende pulled weeds.

Li Ping looked at the eggplants hanging heavily from the plants and said, "Looks like we'll have to find time to carry vegetables to the market to sell."

"Mm. Senior Brother, let's sell at the market for a while first. Once we have more varieties of vegetables, we can drive a truck into the county to sell them."

"Alright."

Zhao Danshi thought for a moment. "Actually, selling like wandering peddlers all the time isn't a long-term solution. Once we have some free time, why don't we open a fruit and vegetable shop directly in the county? We can have Zhao Chengjia deliver a load of goods every day, then hire someone to run it."

"That's a good idea. Next time we go to the county, let's see whether there are any suitable storefronts."

They were working in the fields, with open land all around them. The nearest people were at least ten meters away, so no one could hear them even if they lowered their voices.

Zhao Danshi said quietly, "Senior Brother, our vegetables really do grow well, and Watcher is quite useful. Do you think we should set up a company next year and hire people to farm for us? We won't be like those vegetable companies that make small profits through high sales volume. We'll honestly use the best seeds, put in enough labor, wait out the full growing cycle, then take the organic route and see if we can sell our vegetables to major supermarkets."

"That's a good idea. We can plan it out further." After nodding, Li Ping added with a smile, "See? There are plenty of things to do farming in the countryside. You don't need to worry that I'll find it boring."

Zhao Danshi scratched his head awkwardly and said softly, "I was only asking. I don't want you to leave."

Li Ping laughed and gently patted his back. "Student Zhao Danshi, you have to be honest about things. Whatever you're thinking, tell me directly, understand?"

"That's different. Before, you were only my Senior Brother, so it wasn't easy for me to tell you everything directly. Now you're both my Senior Brother and my boyfriend, so naturally I'll tell you everything and hide nothing from you."

"It's good that you have that awareness. Keep it up."

Blackie and the other young men were quick and diligent. They finished harvesting all the baby corn from the eight fen of land in just two hours.

Zhao Danshi checked their work and praised them. "Good job! Take these fifteen yuan and buy ice pops. We still have work to do, so take the baby corn back first, then remove the husks. Leave only the clean baby corn in the baskets. Be careful not to get the baby corn dirty, especially not with oil. Can you do that?"

"Guaranteed." Blackie accepted the money with a grin. "Uncle Danshi, if we finish husking the baby corn before eleven-thirty, what should we do with the remaining time?"

"Ask Grandpa, then go cut some bamboo. I want to build a fence around the pond. Take it easy and don't carry too much. Go home around eleven to rest. Don't overdo it. You can clip the river snails while you're there, and I'll stir-fry them when I get back."

"Alright, then we'll head back first."

"Wait, Grandpa might not be home. I'll ask Uncle Wende to go back with you." Zhao Danshi called out, "Uncle Wende, can you take Blackie and the others back to cut bamboo for the fence?"

Since the youngsters were heading back, Zhao Danshi did not want Zhao Wende, who was older, to keep working under the blazing sun here either.

Zhao Wende picked up his small hoe. "Alright, I'll go cut bamboo and build the fence with them."

Zhao Danshi and Li Ping continued working in the fields.

By the time the two returned, several bundles of bamboo had already been piled in the yard. The teenagers were cheerfully clipping river snails, while Zhao Wende used a machete to split the cut bamboo into strips. Once all the strips were ready, they would weave them like mats, using wooden stakes as warp threads and bamboo as weft, enclosing the entire pond.

The loquat trees were only in their first year, so even if they bore fruit, it would not be much. They were mainly building the fence to raise ducks. In another two years, when the loquats bore more fruit, the fence would effectively deter thieves.

"Why did you cut back so much? Everyone worked hard. We're having stir-fried river snails for lunch today, and tomorrow at noon I'll chop up pork ribs for everyone."

Chengtou made a request. "Uncle Danshi, do you still have cured pork?"

It was already mid-May, and most households had nearly finished their cured pork and sausages. Chengtou knew Zhao Danshi's family had made plenty and did not eat it often, so he asked with a glimmer of hope.

"Yes, I do. I'll make it for you today. How about stir-frying cured pork with freshly picked chilies and garlic shoots?"

Zhao Danshi's family had plenty of food, and they really had not finished the cured pork. There was not enough room in the refrigerator either, so he simply followed an old method: he sliced the cured pork into pieces about five millimeters thick, neatly packed them into jars, poured in peanut oil until the slices were submerged, and sealed the jars in a water bath.

Pork slices stored this way retained their original flavor. Even if they were eaten before the Lunar New Year, they would not pick up other odors.

The moment Chengtou spoke, it was like a drop of water hitting hot oil. The other teenagers immediately began chattering, accusing Chengtou of being sly.

Blackie jumped up and shouted, "Uncle Danshi, I want cold mixed century eggs!"

Zhao Danshi glanced at him. "We don't have any at home. If you want them, you'll have to run to the shop and buy them yourself."

Blackie answered crisply, "Alright!"

"Lu Xing, what about you?"

"I-I'm fine with anything."

Maolin and Zhenglian said that one wanted seaweed egg soup, while the other was fine with anything too.

Zhao Danshi satisfied each of their wishes and went into the kitchen to prepare the ingredients. The bone broth he had started simmering early that morning was already fragrant, and everyone watched Zhao Danshi's dazzling knife skills while painfully waiting amid the delicious aroma.

Zhao Danshi's cooking was superb. Forget the countryside—even in a major city, he would have been qualified to open a private kitchen.

Everyone at the table ate with loud enthusiasm. When they finished, the bowls and plates were as clean as if they had been washed. The teenagers passed dish after dish around, even mixing the sauce into their rice. Growing boys could eat their fathers poor—that saying was no joke.

After the meal, Blackie licked his lips and asked, "Uncle Danshi, can you cook fish? We saw lots of little fish in the stream. If you can cook them, how about we catch some to eat?"

Zhao Danshi's heart stirred. "What kind of fish?"

"All kinds, just miscellaneous small fish. If you'll cook them, we'll use a winnowing basket to scoop some up."

The others chimed in as well. "We'll catch them this afternoon, so it won't take up work time. Uncle Danshi, can you cook them for us tomorrow at noon?"

"Uncle Danshi, the fish in the stream are delicious. They're so fresh, without any fishy taste at all."

"Right! If they're fried crispy and stir-fried with chilies, I can eat four bowls of rice with those little dried fish!"

"I can eat five bowls!"

"What are you scooping for?!" Zhao Danshi knocked each of them on the head. "Working under the blazing noon sun—aren't you afraid of getting heatstroke? Get back to work. Once the fence is finished, we'll go scoop fish tomorrow morning."

Zhao Danshi had never used a dustpan to scoop fish himself, so this was a good chance to learn from the teenagers, lest he embarrass himself while filming.

"Alright, Uncle Danshi, don't go back on your word!"

With motivation driving them, the teenagers worked remarkably fast. What had originally been two days' work was finished in about half a day under Zhao Wende's lead.

A little after nine the next morning, the sweat-soaked teenagers came running over to find Zhao Danshi. "Uncle Danshi, let's take the dustpans and go scoop fish."

"What's the rush? Let me take a shower and change first."

Seeing that Li Ping was already preparing the camera and other equipment, Blackie asked curiously, "Uncle Danshi, are you really filming a video?"

Zhao Danshi smiled. "Of course. Do you think I'd lie to you? What, haven't you watched my videos?"

"We've watched them, but the you in the videos never really seems like the you standing here now."

"Yeah, it feels like we're looking at a completely different person."

"If it's being filmed for people to watch, of course I have to put in a little effort. How could I look like this?" Zhao Danshi went back inside to get changed. "Alright, take a break. Give me fifteen minutes, and we can go catch fish."

Zhao Wende called out, "Danshi, should I go pull weeds in the sweet potato field?"

"Sure, go ahead. If the sun gets too strong, come back as soon as you're done. Don't get heatstroke."

Zhao Wende nodded, picked up his carrying poles and baskets, and went to pull weeds. He could bring the weeds back and toss them into the pond to feed the fish.

After Zhao Danshi finished showering, he put on a finely tailored T-shirt and trousers. His whole bearing immediately became clean and refined, as though he had turned into another person, leaving Blackie and the others utterly amazed.