Chen Jingle nodded. "Yeah, I just pruned them today. The one planted in the ground had some of its branches snapped by the wind last night."
"Not bad. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were a professional gardener. Very impressive."
Chen Xiuyun had been smiling playfully, but after taking a closer look, her gaze grew serious. She subconsciously sat up from the recliner.
She majored in landscape architecture. Although her coursework didn’t explicitly cover floral and plant pruning, it did touch upon the basic principles. Bougainvilleas were very common in the south. The varieties might differ, but their habits were the same. The bougainvilleas in Chen Jingle’s courtyard were all exceptionally well-cared for. Every single pot was in full bloom.
The key was the pruning. Plant care was seventy percent maintenance and thirty percent pruning. Good maintenance ensured healthy growth, but good pruning ensured aesthetic appeal. Transforming an ordinary plant into a potted work of art required a meticulous pruning process. The craftsmanship on display in this row of bougainvilleas was impeccable. At the very least, it would take an experienced master gardener with a refined aesthetic sense to achieve such a standard.
It even made her doubt her own eyes. She wondered, "Could Chen Jingle really possess this kind of talent?!" She turned her head and shot him a look of astonishment. No matter how she looked at him, he seemed more like a literary youth than a horticulturist.
She thought, "How strange! Still, they were undeniably well-pruned."
Seeing her stare intently, Chen Jingle waved his hand. "Take whichever pot catches your eye."
Chen Xiuyun’s eyes lit up. "Are you serious? Then I won’t hold back! My office desk happens to be completely empty and could use a little greenery."
"Of course I’m serious. Think of it as a return gift for the mooncakes."
"Great, great, great!"
With a SWOOSH, Chen Xiuyun darted to the wall. She looked left and right before pointing a finger. "Then I want this California Gold. It’s so bright and cheerful. Is that okay?"
California Gold, as the name suggested, was an imported variety and a classic representative of the yellow bougainvillea family. It was hardy, easy to care for, beginner-friendly, and boasted a long blooming season. Some found it tacky; others found it pleasing to the eye. There was a popular saying: gold in the house brings smooth sailing in all matters.
This particular pot hadn’t originally produced many flowers, but Chen Jingle’s pruning had accentuated the blooms, making it look incredibly striking.
"Take it." Chen Jingle only gave it a passing glance and waved his hand. Not only did he have more of the same variety, but even if he didn’t, he could always propagate new ones from the pruned cuttings. It would just mean waiting a few more months.
"Thanks!" Chen Xiuyun happily accepted it. If she tried to buy this outside, it wouldn’t be easy to find one of such high quality. This was an absolute steal. She was thrilled!
She then asked Chen Jingle for a plastic bag to wrap the base of the pot, planning to put it in her trunk when she left later.
A short while later, Chen Jingle handed Chen Xiuyun a paper towel to dry her hands. "How’s the new campus? My classmate came over at noon, and we happened to talk about Teacher College’s new campus. He said they’ve set it up pretty well now?"
"It’s alright," Chen Xiuyun said. "Obviously, things weren’t perfectly in place at the start, but at least it has all the essentials. Plus, it’s not too far from downtown. There are direct buses, and a taxi ride isn’t long either. Aside from the lack of shops nearby, it’s no different from the old campus. In some ways, I actually think it’s better."
"True." Chen Xiuyun nodded. "I heard there are already a lot of street stalls outside the gates at night. It’s almost become a whole street of them. They might implement standardized management for it later."
"Is it really messy?"
"Yeah. Some of the stalls don’t handle their trash well, and some of the barbecue spots stay open really late. They’ve been getting complaints from nearby residents."
"They definitely need to address that. Business is business, but rules still need to be followed."
"When you have free time, you should come over to visit. I’ll show you around." Chen Xiuyun put on a ’I’ve got you covered’ expression, which made Chen Jingle chuckle.
"Sure."
"Don’t just say ’sure.’ Remember, Teacher College has a lot of pretty girls. It’s hot now, so they’re always wearing all kinds of short shorts, mini skirts, and tank tops! If anyone catches your eye, just tell me, and I’ll play matchmaker!" Chen Xiuyun beamed, her eyebrows practically dancing.
He thought, "Eww, how creepy!"
Chen Jingle just wanted to roll his eyes. "Give me a break. Do you remember that high school classmate of yours? You told Second Aunt you wanted to introduce her to me, only for us to find out she was already pregnant."
Chen Xiuyun laughed sheepishly. "That... wasn’t that just an accident? Alright, alright, it’s all in the past. Stop dwelling on it. I’ll definitely introduce you to a good one next time!"
"No thanks, I don’t need it!"
"Hey, you really are..."
Chen Jingle decisively changed the subject. "How’s your job going? Is it okay?"
At the mention of this, Chen Xiuyun immediately deflated. "Not very good. Look at my dark circles. It’s all from the stress and lack of sleep. The new semester starting up brought a ton of messy issues. The school leaders in charge are idiots too—they can’t do their jobs right, so they make us take the blame."
Chen Jingle could only smile. "The world is just a slapdash circus."
"Exactly! But so far, I haven’t run into any weird students who are exceptionally hard to communicate with, so my luck’s alright." Chen Xiuyun smiled again.
The two chatted for a while longer before Chen Xiuyun couldn’t help but yawn. She stood up. "Alright, my dad should be off work by now. I’m going to head to Grandpa and Grandma’s house to drop off their mooncakes before heading back to North City."
"Are you staying for dinner?" Chen Jingle asked.
"No, I ate before I came. I’ll just sit with them for a bit before leaving. From now on, whenever I don’t have classes on the weekends, I’ll try my best to come back."
"Alright."
Second Uncle lived with their grandparents, while Chen Jingle’s house was closer to the village entrance. They were about a hundred meters apart, with several households in between. The source of this chapter is novelping.com.
Chen Xiuyun waved goodbye. Taking her pot of California Gold, she drove off in her little red Nissan Tiida.
After she left, Chen Jingle closed the courtyard gate.
At that moment, Tiger Cub finally returned. MEOW MEOW MEOW, it cried. It was clearly hungry. Perhaps still a bit resistant to the fact that Chen Jingle could speak ’cat,’ it didn’t dare get too close.
Chen Jingle said in annoyance, "Oh, so you know how to come back? Why didn’t you answer me when I called you this afternoon? Come here and eat!"
After speaking, he called out to it in ’cat’ again.
Though Tiger Cub was still just as shocked this time, it slowly walked over, confirming that it was indeed its owner’s scent. Chen Jingle decisively grabbed it and aggressively rubbed its fur before serving its daily dinner.
He thought, "Wow, it really can eat! No wonder it’s so fat!"
Right then, the system notification for completing the dinner task rang out.
[What a good baby! Dinner task successfully completed. Reward: elimination of one acne scar.]
It was acceptable. He was visibly becoming more handsome, so what was there to be dissatisfied about?
"Are there any tasks for tonight?" Chen Jingle asked the system.
[After a hard day of studying, baby must be feeling tired. The system will not arrange any more study tasks for now. The evening is primarily for resting, though appropriate entertainment activities are also allowed.]
Chen Jingle frowned. "No study tasks, but what about other tasks?"
[For example, taking a bath, or going to sleep. These are all things that baby must pay attention to during a healthy growth process.]
"...Uh, taking a bath counts as a task?"
[Of course!]
"Then I want to take a bath right now. Can you assign me a bathing task?" Chen Jingle asked tentatively.
[Okay! It’s bath time. Smart babies learn to bathe themselves early on, so little Chen Jingle can definitely do it too, right?]