After finishing breakfast, Shen Wuqiu followed Uncle Zheng to West Mountain.
Over at West Mountain, Shen Xianghua was already directing two excavators at work.
Seeing Shen Wuqiu approach, Shen Xianghua had the excavators continue operating while he jogged over to greet her.
The previous osmanthus tree pits haven’t been filled yet, and we aren’t sure if you’ve selected the waxberry tree saplings, so we just started work from the upper section.
Shen Wuqiu glanced over at the nearest osmanthus pit. Lacking experience, she couldn’t gauge how large a pit the waxberry saplings provided by the village would actually require, so she said, Leave these osmanthus pits alone for now. I’ll make a trip to the village later to figure it out. Let’s clear the weeds and plow the land up top first anyway. Rain needs to fall before we plant.
That was my plan as well. Shen Xianghua walked ahead, gesturing for Shen Wuqiu to follow.
Uncle Zheng and the others were tactful enough to realize the uncle and niece had matters to discuss, so they didn’t tag along.
Once they had put some distance between themselves and the others, Shen Xianghua lowered his voice to ask Shen Wuqiu, This plot of land on West Mountain has always been managed by your sister-in-law’s second brother and his wife. Now that your dad has asked Old Zheng to help manage the orchard, how do you plan to arrange things for them?
The sister-in-law’s second brother and his wife that Shen Xianghua referred to were Su Yunzhi’s second brother, Su Weimin, and his wife.
Shen Wuqiu glanced back. No wonder Su Weimin had been there earlier.
Her return had brought one thing after another, and she simply hadn’t had the bandwidth to think about these details yet.
Do they understand orchard cultivation?
Without speaking too bluntly, Shen Xianghua smacked his lips together before answering, Aside from a peach orchard your dad tried out here in West Mountain years ago, all the other land he contracted was used for commercial timber. Earlier, the couple was responsible for the China fir trees over at Tiezi Ridge. Once a batch of seedlings was sold, those trees didn’t require much looking after. Then your dad handed West Mountain over to them to manage. Over the years, the trees they’ve tended haven’t run into any mishaps, but as for whether they actually understand fruit cultivation, I really couldn’t say.
Shen Wuqiu thought it over. I’ll arrange their work later. For now, let’s have Uncle Zheng and the others take the lead in getting the fruit trees planted.
That works too. I only brought this up because I wanted to make sure you weren’t caught off guard, in case poor work arrangements later on end up stirring up unnecessary gossip.
Shen Wuqiu smiled. I know you’re looking out for me.
Seeing that his good intentions hadn’t been mistaken for meddling, Shen Xianghua felt an extra surge of appreciation for Shen Wuqiu. He patted his chest and assured her, Don’t you worry. As long as I can help out, I certainly won’t hold you back.
Shen Wuqiu had previously worried that the clan elders would look down on her as a young woman and make things difficult for her, but it turned out she had been overthinking it. Her enthusiasm for farming and building her career soared accordingly.
Throughout the morning, Shen Wuqiu busied herself on West Mountain alongside Uncle Zheng and the crew.
When lunchtime arrived, she caught a ride back on the food-delivery tricycle.
Since West Mountain was far from home and the commute wasted too much time, someone was specially assigned to deliver meals to Uncle Zheng and the others during busy stretches like this.
Knowing she was coming home to eat, Shen Father refused to let Su Yunzhi and the others start lunch early, stubbornly waiting until she returned before letting anyone touch their food.
Su Yunzhi was deeply displeased by this. Sitting at the dining table, she started up with her snide remarks again. It wouldn’t be a big deal for us to eat a bit earlier or later, but your dad is an invalid; his three daily meals really should be kept to a strict schedule.
Annoyed by her incessant chatter, Shen Father snapped, All day long, you’re the one with the most to say.
What, am I not even allowed to say a couple of words now? Su Yunzhi slammed her bowl and chopsticks down heavily onto the table, casting a sidelong glare at Shen Wuqiu. It looks like this house has completely run out of room for me.
Turning a deaf ear to the dining table drama, Shen Wuqiu focused entirely on shoveling down her food. After quickly finishing a bowl of rice, she looked up and announced, I’m done eating.
She had spent ages running her mouth only for the other person to ignore her completely and walk away the moment she finished. The more nonchalant Shen Wuqiu acted, the angrier Su Yunzhi became. Right, I don’t have the good fortune certain people enjoy, sitting pretty without lifting a finger and still having everything handed to them on a silver platter.
Even Shen Father couldn’t stand listening to this anymore. He slammed his chopsticks hard onto the table. Can’t you ever finish when you’re eating a meal?
Su Yunzhi opened her mouth to retort, but Shen Wujun reached out from the side and gave her a tug. Do you ever plan on letting people eat in peace?
It would have been fine if Shen Wujun had stayed silent, but his intervention only fueled Su Yunzhi’s anger toward this unfilial son. You ungrateful little brat! All you know how to do is eat and play video games all day long. No wonder you’re entirely useless.
Meow!
Just as Su Yunzhi was hitting her stride in the scolding, the white cat finally returned home, bounding in with an upbeat chirp.
All day long, all you know is yowling, such bad luck. In the heat of her anger, the sight of the irritating cat only made Su Yunzhi more furious. Reaching out, she blindly grabbed the glass water cup off the table and hurled it straight at the cat.
Almost instinctively, Shen Wuqiu leaped toward the white cat the moment the cup flew through the air.
The air seemed to freeze for a split second.
The family members seated at the table stared in rigid horror at the trajectory of the flying cup.
Ultimately, the cup grazed the back of Shen Wuqiu’s hand before hitting the floor, striking her knuckle sharply enough to send a distinct wave of numbness through her entire hand.
Cats naturally possess lightning-fast reflexes, let alone a white cat carrying the bloodline of an ancient divine beast. She hadn’t even bothered to pay attention to the cup Su Yunzhi threw.
Except she hadn’t expected the human before her to pull such a stunt.
And so, she froze.
With a loud crash, the glass shattered against the floor, sending shards scattering everywhere. The crisp cracking sound acted like a reset button on a paused world.
The white cat was the first to snap back to her senses. Before anyone else could react, she lunged furiously at Su Yunzhi, leaping right onto her head and clawing at her hair.
Ah, Junjun, hurry up and pull this thing off me. Su Yunzhi had never witnessed such a terrifying scene and screamed in absolute terror on the spot.
Jie…
Qiuyqiu, are you alright?
None of the bystanders had ever seen anything like this, and instant chaos erupted in the room.
The numbing ache finally fading, Shen Wuqiu gently flexed her hand before calling out softly to the white cat, Miaomiao, stop messing around.
Hearing her voice, the white cat immediately ceased her clawing, though she remained perched right on top of Su Yunzhi’s head.
Shen Wuqiu walked over and extended her hand. The white cat hopped right down into her arms, her blue eyes still glaring viciously at Su Yunzhi.
Still shaken, Su Yunzhi caught sight of the white cat in Shen Wuqiu’s arms. Overwhelmed by a mix of grievance and anger, heavy tears began streaming down her face. You all saw it! This beast actually had the nerve to climb all over my head. I’m drawing the line right here today. Either she leaves this house or I do.
With a dark expression, Shen Father looked at Shen Wuqiu, a flicker of hard-to-detect guilt in his gaze. Qiuyqiu, did it hit you?
I’m fine, don’t worry about me. Unwilling to put Shen Father in a difficult spot, Shen Wuqiu lowered her head and took a deep breath. I’m sorry for giving you a fright, Auntie.
I told you ages ago not to bring this filthy creature home. Now I finally understand, you brought her here just to curse me.
Even Shen Wujun couldn’t stomach these mean-spirited words anymore. Why on earth did you go throwing things at her out of nowhere? Why doesn’t she scratch anyone else except you?
Fine… Su Yunzhi burst into loud wails. You ungrateful little wretch!
The two men present felt thoroughly embarrassed by her outburst, especially Shen Wujun. What are you crying for? The moment my sister comes back, you start acting like this. Do you want the whole village to come watch the circus?
With that, Shen Wujun moved to pull Su Yunzhi back to her room.
Shen Wuqiu’s lips parted, but for a moment, she didn’t know what to say.
Sitting beside the dining table, Shen Father looked utterly helpless. Since you find it impossible to tolerate Qiuyqiu, why don’t you leave? I already had the apartment in the provincial capital renovated for you, specifically so it would be convenient for Junjun’s work.
Hearing this, Su Yunzhi panicked. Shen Xiangle, what is that supposed to mean?
Qiuyqiu has to take charge of these lands, and I don’t have any other property to leave her. You surely aren’t going to make her live in this rundown two-story shack, are you?
So the two of you, father and daughter, are trying to chase me out?
Am I chasing you out? Or are you trying to chase Qiuyqiu out?
Am I chasing her out? It’s her cat…
If you can’t tolerate her cat, isn’t that just failing to tolerate her?
Speechless for a moment, Su Yunzhi collapsed back into her chair. After a long silence, she muttered, I’m not leaving anyway.
Shen Father replied firmly, Qiuyqiu isn’t leaving either, and neither is her cat. If you want to live a normal life here, stop stirring up so much drama.
Knowing Shen Father’s stubborn temperament, he was easygoing when unprovoked, but once pushed past his limit, ten bulls couldn’t drag him back. Su Yunzhi knew when to yield. She had lived in this house for so many years and couldn’t bear to leave, especially since she couldn’t bear to leave Shen Father. Yet, nursing a heavy sense of grievance, she lowered her head and choked out a sob, I only threw the cup because I lost my temper for a second. Didn’t I get attacked by this cat for nothing?
Listening to Su Yunzhi’s subdued tone, Shen Wuqiu felt a sudden urge to laugh. In that instant, she realized her stepmother wasn’t quite as hateful as she’d thought. She’s very smart. If Auntie treats her well from now on, she’ll definitely grow to like you too. I’m sorry about what happened today.
Averting her face, Su Yunzhi let out a soft huff, though she didn’t say anything further.
Without pressing the matter, Shen Wuqiu told Shen Father she was heading upstairs and scooped up the white cat.
Back in her room, Shen Wuqiu glanced at the back of her hand, which was red and swollen, and turned to stroke the white cat’s head. You shouldn’t be so reckless next time.
Meow. The white cat extended the tip of her tongue to lick back and forth across the back of her hand, pausing every now and then to look up at her with an expression that clearly looked like she was feeling heartbroken for her.
The more Shen Wuqiu looked at her, the more adorable she found her. Unable to resist, she pressed her forehead gently against the cat’s. It’s fine, you don’t need to worry about it. But as for you, you’re forbidden from sneaking out to mingle with stray cats anymore. If you end up bringing home a litter of kittens later on, I am definitely not raising them for you.
Looking deeply offended, the white cat protested, Meow!
Thinking it over, Shen Wuqiu added, I heard that once female cats get fixed, they settle down and stop running off all the time. Once I’m done handling these matters, I’ll take you to get neutered.
The white cat immediately broke free from her arms and yowled, Meow!
Yelling at me won’t help. Who told you to run off and not stay home?