Lin Yi turned around and found himself looking into a pair of deep golden eyes.
Having grown used to seeing Lu Jinghan lying unconscious with a pale face and closed eyes, the man suddenly standing before him, vivid and alert, caught Lin Yi off guard.
He paused for a moment, then asked quietly, “How are you feeling? Any better?”
His voice unconsciously came out very soft.
Then he heard the man in front of him let out a short, quiet laugh.
Hmm? Lin Yi looked up, puzzled.
Lu Jinghan’s eyes still held a lingering trace of amusement as he looked down at him. “No need to be so cautious. Do you think I’ll be blown over by a gust of wind?”
Only then did Lin Yi realize there was no need to keep his voice so low, and he couldn’t help but laugh at his own foolishness. But the little exchange had already dispelled much of the awkwardness between them.
Lin Yi stepped back and motioned Lu Jinghan into the kitchen. “Come in. The medicine is still in the clay pot. Remember to drink it.”
Lu Jinghan bent slightly as he followed Lin Yi to the stove.
Lin Yi considered himself not short, but this man, when standing, was a full head taller than him, he even had to duck when entering the doorway.
Lu Jinghan stood beside Lin Yi, looking down at the medicinal broth in the clay pot, but he didn’t reach for it right away.
After a moment of thought, he said, “This medicine of yours…”
He had meant to ask what was in it, but Lin Yi clearly misinterpreted his hesitation and promptly reassured him, “The recipe has been improved today. It’s not bitter.”
Lu Jinghan: …
He didn’t know what to say for a moment. After a long silence, he stubbornly tried to clarify, “I meant to ask, what ingredients did you put in this medicine?”
“Oh?” Lin Yi didn’t expect that question. He turned to him, puzzled. “If you want to know, I can write down the prescription for you. But…”
But you probably wouldn’t understand it anyway. Lin Yi wisely swallowed the second half of the sentence.
Lu Jinghan shook his head. “I don’t need the prescription. Does this medicine have any special effects?”
What was there to ask about that? Lin Yi wondered to himself, but he answered honestly anyway. “Mainly to stop bleeding and promote wound healing. Mm… your wound was inflamed, so I also added a medicinal herb with anti-inflammatory properties.”
“That’s it?”
“That’s it.”
After Lin Yi finished speaking, he saw Lu Jinghan staring at him with a frown.
This man had deep, chiseled features. When he wasn’t smiling, he exuded an aura of authority unique to those in power, intimidating even without deliberate effort.
Lin Yi felt a bit uneasy. “Is there something wrong with the medicine?”
He believed the herbs he had chosen were fine, but after all, he wasn’t a pharmacology expert. Being asked like this, he couldn’t help but second-guess himself.
“No, no, nothing’s wrong.” Lu Jinghan snapped out of his thoughts, apparently realizing that his expression had been too serious. He made an effort to soften his demeanor. “The medicine is fine. I was thinking about something else… maybe I’m overthinking it.”
Lin Yi nodded and didn’t press further on what he had been thinking. Just as Lu Jinghan didn’t ask where the herbs had come from on this desolate Blue Star.
They maintained a certain appropriate distance, tacitly choosing to overlook each other’s secrets.
…
After Lin Yi left the kitchen, Lu Jinghan stood alone, looking down at the medicine in the clay pot.
He poured it into a bowl, remembering what Lin Yi had said, that the recipe had been improved and wasn’t bitter.
Not bitter? Lu Jinghan’s eyes flickered slightly. He raised the bowl and drank it in one go.
Sigh… It was still awful.
The next morning, still mindful of his bet with the refugee, Lin Yi arrived at the agreed meeting spot ten minutes early, carrying a bucket and a packet of seeds.
But clearly, someone had gotten there even earlier. The refugee who had made the bet with Lin Yi the day before was standing on the ridge of the field, looking around.
Besides him, Lin Yi swept his gaze discreetly, there were five or six refugees farming in the surrounding fields. “Farming” was a generous term, though. Their movements were half-hearted, and their eyes kept darting around, searching for Lin Yi.
The fish had taken the bait. Lin Yi chuckled inwardly, keeping a straight face as he walked over and greeted the middle-aged man waiting on the ridge. “Still sure you want to bet?”
“Who would turn down free seeds?” the middle-aged man replied gruffly, barely able to hide the excitement in his eyes.
As he spoke, he pointed to the field in front of them. “Perfect timing. This plot hasn’t been planted yet. Half will follow my method, and the other half will follow yours. In a few days, we’ll see who wins.”
Lin Yi nodded. The refugee before him was a bit greedy, but his proposed approach was fair enough.
However, Lin Yi’s goal wasn’t simply to win a bet.
He spoke slowly. “Uncle, there’s one more thing. For a bet like this, we should have some witnesses. Otherwise, when the time comes, there won’t be any proof…”
This suggestion played right into the other man’s hands. Before Lin Yi had even finished speaking, the middle-aged man eagerly shouted to the surrounding area, “Did you all hear that? Who wants to come and bear witness?”
Now the people who had been secretly eavesdropping finally had a legitimate reason to gather around. Several refugees who had been craning their necks immediately crowded over, chattering all at once:
“Brother Hong, of course we’ll help you out.”
“Don’t worry, with so many of us watching, you can’t go wrong.”
After the middle-aged man listened to them chatter for a while, he raised his hand to quiet everyone down.
He seemed to hold some status among the refugees, as they all fell silent and, together with the man, fixed their eyes on Lin Yi, eagerly awaiting his next move.
Lin Yi raised his hand and waved the packet of seeds in front of them. Their expressions immediately grew fervent. A chubby man standing next to the middle-aged man couldn’t resist reaching out to grab it.
Lin Yi pulled his hand back just before the man’s fingers touched the bag, leaving him grabbing at thin air.
The middle-aged man’s face darkened, and he slapped the chubby man’s hand away. Having failed to get what he wanted and ended up worse off, the chubby man didn’t dare to protest but could only whine, “Brother, I just wanted to feel it…”
Ignoring the small incident, Lin Yi smiled and said, “You’ve all seen it, my wager is right here. So you can rest assured now, right?”
The few refugees nodded absentmindedly. After Lin Yi put the seeds away, their gazes shifted to the bucket in his left hand, curious and faintly expectant.
If it came along with the seeds, it had to be something good, didn’t it?
Seeing their looks, Lin Yi reached over and lifted the lid off the bucket. The refugees nearby peered inside and let out disappointed sighs.
The bucket contained half a bucket of hot water. As soon as the lid was removed, steam rose thickly into the air.
Lin Yi tapped the rim of the bucket with his knuckle, drawing the refugees’ attention back to him. “Before planting, soaking the seeds in water for a period of time increases their survival rate and speeds up later growth.”
He extended his hand toward the middle-aged man. “Did you bring the seeds?”
The middle-aged man handed over the prepared seeds. Lin Yi opened the bag and poured all the seeds into the bucket. “What soaking requires—”
Before he could finish, the chubby man from earlier exclaimed in alarm, “Pfft, don’t try to fool us. Soaking seeds in water, won’t they just drown?”
Although the other refugees nearby didn’t speak, their expressions showed agreement.
Emboldened by their support, the chubby man grew even more self-righteous. “I think you’re doing this on purpose. Wasting so many good seeds like this, how are you going to compensate for that?”
As he spoke, his eyes kept darting toward the packet of vegetable seeds in Lin Yi’s hand, his greed practically oozing out.
Lin Yi paused and gave the chubby man a cold stare. While he was willing to explain things to the refugees, there was no point in wasting words on someone so clearly blinded by greed and looking to stir up trouble.
The chubby man didn’t expect that this seemingly gentle young man could be so intimidating when his expression turned cold. He flinched and shrank back behind the middle-aged man.
Fortunately, the middle-aged man stepped in to defuse the situation. He first gave the chubby man a harsh glare, then turned back to Lin Yi. “My younger brother doesn’t know any better. Don’t mind him. Since the bet is already set, I’ll follow your method for now. Whether it works or not, we’ll see the results soon enough.”
Lin Yi withdrew his gaze, his expression returning to its usual calm. He continued, “What seed soaking requires is water at forty-five to fifty degrees Celsius…” It then occurred to him that the refugees here might not have thermometers, so he rephrased—
“The water should feel hot to the touch but not scalding. That’s the right temperature. You can reach in and try it yourselves.”
Several of them curiously dipped their hands into the bucket and quickly pulled them back.
After making sure they had all tested the water temperature, Lin Yi went on. “The soaking time varies depending on the type of seed, ranging from a few hours to several days. Today, we’re planting wheat seeds, which have a naturally higher germination rate. Half a day of soaking will be enough.”
“In addition, soaking also serves to filter the seeds. Any seeds that float to the surface like this are not viable and can be discarded directly…”
…
Lin Yi spoke unhurriedly, explaining in detail for about two hours, covering the most basic methods of seed soaking and cultivation for the refugees.
The man who had made the bet with him listened attentively, and several other refugees who had gathered out of curiosity also stayed for the entire explanation.
In fact, Lin Yi felt there were still many points left to cover, but seeing that he had already been speaking for so long, he wrapped up for now. “That’s enough for today. Did you understand everything?”
The middle-aged man nodded. Originally, he had listened with disdain and skepticism, but as Lin Yi spoke logically and substantively, his earlier confidence began to waver.
But the bet was already made, and it was too late for regrets. So the man simply said to Lin Yi, “Once the seeds are soaked, I’ll plant them according to your method and see what happens.”
Hearing this response, Lin Yi nodded with satisfaction.
Although the middle-aged man was somewhat prideful, he wasn’t a bad person, and he was eager to learn.
Lin Yi left the bucket containing the warm water and wheat seeds with the middle-aged man and turned to leave. The refugees who had been watching gradually dispersed as well.
Only the chubby man, dragged away by his brother, kept twisting his head around to stare at the packet of vegetable seeds in Lin Yi’s hand, unable to let go.
These two brothers couldn’t be more different, Lin Yi sighed to himself.
After all that, the sun was already approaching noon.
On his way back, Lin Yi remembered that he hadn’t checked the streaming platform yet today, so he pulled out his wristband and logged into his account.
As he walked, he absentmindedly glanced at the screen.
The next second, he stumbled and nearly toppled off the ridge into the field.
What the?!