Chapter 42 (continued)

The red fox, on the other hand, was hiding properly in the bushes, but Qing Mengzhu dragged it out to listen to the lesson. Its furry face looked rather resigned to its fate.

Ming Chunxi listened to Qing Mengzhu's rambling from the side, a faint smile on her face.

Qing Mengzhu muttered a series of instructions, but in the end, the red fox got impatient and burrowed into the grass beside her, turning its back to Qing Mengzhu.

Qing Mengzhu glanced at Ming Chunxi, realizing she couldn't very well drag the red fox back for further "education," and had no choice but to temporarily abandon the plan.

I'll teach him a lesson next time I feed him jerky.

As for whether the two little guys can understand— Qing Mengzhu firmly believes they are intelligent and should be able to understand if you repeat it a few more times.

After releasing the shrimp, Qing Mengzhu inspected the pond again, making sure that all the protective netting that needed to be repaired had been repaired and the holes in the pond dam that needed to be plugged had been plugged. Only then did she return home with Ming Chunxi, still feeling a little uneasy.

It's already dark; we'll have to check back for the results tomorrow morning.

The two went home for dinner and fed the two dogs that had just come back from playing outside.

The Dharma Protector and Guard are already half-grown up and have their own dog friends in the village. They often go out to play in the afternoons.

Qing Mengzhu did not forbid them from going out, but simply intensified their training to refuse food.

Dogs already work hard enough guarding the house; we can't completely deprive them of their entertainment.

After finishing their meal and tidying up the kitchen and yard, Qing Mengzhu didn't want to go into the stuffy air-conditioned room, so she lit an outdoor mosquito coil and sat in the yard to cool off.

Ming Chunxi sat in another chair, reading an e-book by the light of the courtyard lamp.

Qing Mengzhu didn't want to read, so she took out her phone and started scrolling through it.

As soon as I turned on my phone, I saw a message from Zhao Hexi with an exclamation mark: [When did Ming Chunxi go to your place? You only called him and not me!]

Qing Mengzhu glanced at Ming Chunxi across from her, feeling slightly guilty, and then turned slightly to block her phone screen before replying to a message: [How did you know?]

Zhao Hexi: [He posted it on his WeChat Moments, how could I not know?!]

Qing Mengzhu exited the chat interface to check Ming Chunxi's Moments, and found that she had posted a picture of a sunset. She casually liked it and then returned to chat with Zhao Hexi.

Qing Mengzhu: [You can tell from just three sunset photos?]

Zhao Hexi: [I even managed to capture a corner of the mountain! Look at that mountain, and then look at the mountain behind your house? (smile. JPG)]

Zhao Hexi: [Feeling guilty?]

Qing Mengzhu was speechless: [Do you have built-in magnifying glasses in your eyes?]

Zhao Hexi: [Don't try to change the subject. Come on, how's it going for just the two of us?]

Qing Mengzhu: [Who's trying to change the subject? He's on vacation, has nothing to do, so he's staying with me for a few days. You're not on vacation either.]

Zhao Hexi: [Bullshit, I'm on vacation too, okay? It's a two-day weekend.]

Qing Mengzhu smiled and said, "[Then you should come too. Your bedding hasn't been put away yet. You can move in as soon as you arrive.]"

Zhao Hexi: [Oh dear, our time together has turned into a threesome. Will the academic genius sneak in and beat me up in the middle of the night?]

Qing Mengzhu: [Then I'll ask him for his opinion. If he says no, you can just stay home and stay put.]

Zhao Hexi: [...]

Qing Mengzhu looked up and told Ming Chunxi about Zhao Hexi's desire to come over and visit, and then asked for Ming Chunxi's opinion.

Ming Chunxi didn't mind having one more person.

Qing Mengzhu then invited Zhao Hexi.

Qing Mengzhu originally wanted Zhao Hexi to come over tomorrow morning.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Hexi immediately said that there was no need to wait until tomorrow morning, and that he could drive over now.

He's been constantly pressured by his family to go on blind dates, and he's been wanting to run away for ages. If he doesn't run away tonight, he'll get scolded for the rest of the night.

An hour later, a beaming Zhao Hexi appeared at Qing Mengzhu's door. "Mengzhu, genius, good evening!"

Qing Mengzhu: "Running so fast? Have you had dinner yet?"

Zhao Hexi stuffed the fruit she brought into Qing Mengzhu's hands. "That's right, if you run too slowly you won't be able to get away. I've already had dinner, but if you want me a midnight snack, I can still manage to eat it."

Qing Mengzhu: "You can cook it yourself. There are homemade chicken wontons in the freezer. Put in as many as you want."

Zhao Hexi: "Alright!"

With Zhao Hexi around, Qing Mengzhu's home became much more lively.

The next day, Ming Chunxi went to pick vegetables, Zhao Hexi went along as well.

This wasn't the first time they'd helped out in Qing Mengzhu's vegetable garden. Feng Ningxiang and the others all knew them. They chatted as they worked, and they finished exceptionally quickly.

Before seven o'clock in the morning, everyone had finished all the work.

Qing Mengzhu left the vegetables on the ridge to wait for Di Caiyong to come and weigh them, and then took Ming Chunxi and Zhao Hexi to see the lotus pond.

Upon seeing his lotus pond, Zhao Hexi exclaimed, "How come your pond has changed so much? There are so many more lotus leaves, and the lotus flowers are blooming beautifully!"

Qing Mengzhu was looking for shrimp in the pond when she heard this. She picked a lotus seedpod and handed it to him, then picked an even larger one and gave it to Ming Chunxi: "Take good care of it, and the pond will naturally change a lot."

Zhao Hexi was about to say something when he threw the lotus seed in his hand into his mouth. But as soon as he bit down, his words were cut short. "Holy crap!"

Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi looked over together.

Zhao Hexi: "Why do lotus seeds taste like this?"

Qing Mengzhu asked in bewilderment, "What's wrong with this taste? Is there something wrong with it?"

Zhao Hexi looked like she wanted to take the lotus seed out of her mouth to see if it was really a lotus seed. "No, that's right! It tastes like a lotus seed, but much better than regular lotus seeds."

Qing Mengzhu: "Freshly picked lotus seeds are naturally tastier than those that have been sitting in the market for a long time. Our family's lotus seeds are even better than those from other families, so they taste different."

Zhao Hexi's attention shifted again. He was about to tease Ming Chunxi about who the "men" in "our family" referred to, but when he turned and saw Ming Chunxi's expression, he didn't dare to say anything and could only rub his nose and say, "You're amazing. You grew the best-tasting lotus seeds with the clearest water."

Qing Mengzhu: "That is."

Zhao Hexi: "I think I see shrimp. Did you clean the pond specifically for raising shrimp?"

Qing Mengzhu: "No, I also added fertilizer to the pond and planted Hydrilla verticillata. It's purely because the water quality is good."

Whether raising shrimp or growing lotus roots, the water quality cannot be too poor; you need to add more organic fertilizer.

After monitoring the pond's water quality, Qing Mengzhu specially added fertilizer fermented with fertilizer fermentation powder.

The water is still so clear now, thanks to the residue of the Spirit Pearl Dregs.

It seems he made the right choice buying those two bags of Spirit Pearl Dregs; he'll buy more if he has the chance in the future.

After checking the shrimp and confirming that most of the baby shrimp released yesterday were still alive, Qing Mengzhu and the others finished handing over the vegetables to Di Caiyong and then went home for morning tea.

They ate breakfast when they left in the morning, but they didn't have lunch until noon. With more than six hours in between, they were very hungry, so they would usually have some tea and snacks when they came back from work.

The sun was already very strong and the temperature was quite high outside at this time.

Although Zhao Hexi longed to go fishing, Qing Mengzhu, fearing he would suffer from heatstroke, insisted on keeping him at home.

It's not good for three people to play mahjong, but it's alright to play cards while drinking tea in an air-conditioned room.

Finally, it was past four in the afternoon, and the weather wasn't so hot anymore. Zhao Hexi was itching to go fishing. "I'm going fishing. Can I help you herd the ducks out to release them while I'm at it?"

Qing Mengzhu: "Alright, go ahead, but don't fish too late. Remember to come back for dinner around seven."

Zhao Hexi excitedly made a gesture. "No problem, I'll go herd the ducks right now."

Ducks can dive underwater to catch fish, Qing Mengzhu specially herded the ducks back to herd in the backyard to ensure the safety of the shrimp in the pond.

When he has free time, he will drive the ducks to the ditches and rice paddies where the early rice has been harvested, so that the ducks can burrow in the mud and eat grass on their own, get some exercise, and stay healthy.

The ducks don't have a large range of movement, so herding them is relatively easy; you can even herd them while fishing.