Chapter 42

In addition to the gift box, the old man also bought more vegetables from him.

Qing Mengzhu is currently short of Star Coins but not too worried about cash. However, the fact that the vegetables can be sold is a good thing.

Qing Mengzhu happily sold a lot of vegetables and gave away a lot more. The old man who received the vegetables was also very happy.

That day, Ming Chunxi sent a message to Qing Mengzhu, saying that she had finished her work and had a week off, and wanted to come over to rest for a while, asking if Qing Mengzhu was free.

Qing Mengzhu pleasantly surprised: [You're free! You can come whenever you want, and stay for as long as you like.]

Ming Chunxi: [I'll come tomorrow morning and stay for a week.]

Qing Mengzhu immediately agreed: [No problem, the weather will be nice tomorrow, I'll air out your bedding again. You just need to come over tomorrow, no need to buy anything.]

When Ming Chunxi came over, he would always bring all sorts of things, including but not limited to electronic products, handicrafts, snacks, and supplements. Qing Mengzhu to receive the gifts, but also felt a sense of disappointment that he was too polite and that their relationship was somewhat distant.

Ming Chunxi: [Okay, no.]

Qing Mengzhu: [See you tomorrow!]

Ming Chunxi said it was early morning, and when he drove to Qing Mengzhu's house, it was just past eight in the morning.

Qing Mengzhu was picking chili peppers with Feng Ningxiang and the others in the field. The vegetables hadn't been weighed yet when he received the call. He quickly told Ming Chunxi to go inside and rest first, as he wouldn't be home for another hour.

Ming Chunxi agreed, telling him there was no need to rush.

Qing Mengzhu rushed as fast as she could, finally finishing her work in the fields around nine o'clock, and rode Qing Pingdun's little tricycle home.

Ming Chunxi came out of her house wearing casual pants and a short-sleeved shirt, looking like a college student, which made Qing Mengzhu a little dazed.

Soon, Qing Mengzhu came to her senses and turned to smile at Ming Chunxi in the sunlight, "Wait a minute, let me dry the chilies first."

Ming Chunxi nodded. "I'll help you."

Although Qing Mengzhu's old house only has two floors, it is still quite difficult to move things from downstairs to the roof.

He needs to dry vegetables almost every day, and it's too tiring to carry them up and down by hand, so he bought a small crane.

Now, moving chili peppers only requires one person to place them on the hook downstairs, and another person to take them down from the hook on the roof, which is much easier.

In the past, this operation was always performed by Qing Pingdun and Qing Mengzhu, but today Ming Chunxi took the initiative to take over Qing Pingdun's position. "I'll do it."

Qing Pingdun glanced at Qing Mengzhu's expression on the rooftop, and seeing that he didn't object, said, "Then I'll head back now?"

Qing Mengzhu her hand and said, "Go back now, you must be tired this morning too."

Qing Pingdun chuckled, "Of course."

After Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi finished drying the chilies, they went to wash their hands.

Qing Mengzhu was about to take Ming Chunxi to the living room to enjoy the air conditioning and chat when, unexpectedly, after washing her hands, Ming Chunxi stood in front of the breeding pond in the yard. "These are the shrimp larvae you were talking about?"

Qing Mengzhu also came over to take a look. "Yes! We've been raising them for a while now, and the shrimp larvae are almost finished with metamorphosis. Once they turn into baby shrimp, I'll transfer them to the pond."

A few days ago Qing Mengzhu cleaned up the tea seed cake in the pond. Now, the pond is mainly left to dry until the saponins in the water are metabolized. Then, the shrimp that have grown to a certain size can be transferred to the pond for further rearing.

The body structure of baby shrimp is similar to that of adult shrimp, and they already look very much like small shrimp.

They swam around in the breeding pond, snatching the soy milk and egg yolks that Qing Mengzhu poured out, and occasionally they would surface.

Ming Chunxi looked at it and said, "It's very well cared for, and it's very lively."

Qing Mengzhu: "That's because a batch died before, and the remaining batch has been selected through a process of natural selection."

Ming Chunxi looked at the large, dark mass of shrimp in the breeding pond. "Have many died?"

Qing Mengzhu: "About 30%. Most of them die in the period right after they hatch, but I gradually got the hang of it and it got much better."

Ming Chunxi knew he had wanted to raise shrimp for a long time. "You seemed to be under a lot of pressure during that period?"

Qing Mengzhu: "It's alright. I already have a profitable project, so the shrimp farming part isn't in a rush. What about you?"

Qing Mengzhu turned her head, her Ming Chunxi, her voice softening involuntarily. "Have you been under a lot of pressure lately? You look thinner, and you haven't been out chatting much."

Qing Mengzhu last chatted with Ming Chunxi on July 2nd, and now it's July 19th. The two haven't talked for half a month. Every time he clicks into the chat box, he sees Ming Chunxi's Moments are completely silent, and then quietly exits.

He didn't want to cause Ming Chunxi any trouble.

Ming Chunxi's throat bobbed. Looking at Qing Mengzhu before him, he originally wanted to say "It's alright," but the words that came out were. "A little."

Qing Mengzhu's eyes widened slightly, seemingly unsure how to comfort him. After a two-second pause, she raised her hand and patted his shoulder. "Why don't you rest here for a while?"

Ming Chunxi's gaze was gentle. "Okay."

Author's Note:

See you this afternoon!

Chapter 42

Ming Chunxi's vacation style is different from others.

He disliked fishing and had little interest in mountain climbing, preferring only mechanical labor—such as farm work.

Qing Mengzhu originally wanted to invite him to rest at home for a while, read some books, go hiking, and stroll around the village. However, after he arrived, he worked with her from dawn till dusk.

Ming Chunxi didn't mind, only saying that she had just finished leading a big project and her brain was overloaded, and now she didn't want to work on it anymore, she just wanted to move her body.

The two rarely joked around like this. Qing Mengzhu stared at him and asked, "Is it really that exaggerated?"

Ming Chunxi: "It's true, I've lost some muscle."

Qing Mengzhu's gaze swept over his body, and she said truthfully, "I can't tell at all."

Ming Chunxi: "It all depends on the embellishment of clothing."

Qing Mengzhu withdrew her gaze, not believing a single word Ming Chunxi said.

Summer clothes are so thin that Ming Chunxi moves even slightly, the clothes will stretch against his muscles, and Qing Mengzhu can even see the undulations of his muscles.

Based on what she witnessed, Qing Mengzhu was certain that Ming Chunxi's figure hadn't changed at all; if anything, it was just body fat loss.

He may have been too tired lately and needed to exercise to maintain his energy, so he lost a lot of body fat and his muscle definition became more and more pronounced.

Qing Mengzhu changed the subject. "Chen Yi said the baby shrimp can be released into the pond now, and I plan to release them into the pond this evening."

Ming Chunxi: "Should we ask him to come over and help us set it off?"

Qing Mengzhu: "No need, just put them in. I've already adjusted the water quality in the pond, so there shouldn't be any problem."

Ming Chunxi nodded. "I'll go with you."

In the evening, they scooped the baby shrimp out of the breeding pond, put them in two buckets, and drove directly to the edge of the pond.

Fearing the shrimp would die if they stayed in the bucket too long, Qing Mengzhu didn't do much. She and Ming Chunxi carried the bucket around the pond, splashing the shrimp into it as they went.

They poured a bucket of shrimp into a pond, and in less than ten minutes, all the shrimp were gone.

Theoretically speaking, a pond of 600 to 700 square meters is enough for these shrimp to move around in. The water is also deep enough, and a large number of lotus flowers are planted in it, so the shrimp have enough hiding space and are not easily harmed by natural predators.

In reality, Qing Mengzhu had no idea how many shrimp he would harvest a few months later after pouring those two buckets of shrimp in.

As long as the shrimp can grow and reproduce, he'll be doing alright. If they can't grow, he'll have to consider raising other kinds in the future.

Qing Mengzhu felt uneasy. She circled the pond and, seeing the otters and red foxes nearby, specifically instructed them, "I've released the shrimp. Please keep a close eye on them. If there's a good shrimp harvest, I'll share some with you. If there aren't any shrimp left, then none of us will have anything to eat."

The otter was soaking in the pond, its little head sticking out, its big eyes staring blankly at Qing Mengzhu, its expression bewildered, as if it hadn't understood at all.