The two little children woke up, surprised to find that the bed had been widened. They excitedly rolled around on the bed for a few rounds.
For breakfast today, they made lean meat porridge, and they also prepared lunch, taking along a pot of boiled water.
They planned not to return for lunch today and prepared to plant potatoes in the field, along with some wood ash, which took quite a bit of effort to gather.
After working for a while, they developed a good teamwork dynamic. Qu Qing dug the holes, Hua Zizhou placed the seeds in the holes, Jiang Zhu added the wood ash, and then Qu Qing covered the seed-filled holes. Meanwhile, little Qu Xin was imitating them by digging in the dirt, occasionally catching earthworms and waving them around, which made Qu Qing shudder.
The field was filled with the excitement of farming, and Qu Qing had to keep reminding himself not to overreact, he would get used to this eventually.
These damn soft-bodied worms.
After a while, the two kids got tired, so Qu Qing decided to let them play on their own. He also noticed that when Jiang Zhu first arrived, he seemed somewhat wary of Qu Xin’s unusual eyes. For the first couple of days, they barely interacted, but after rolling around on the bed together that morning, their relationship seemed to be gradually becoming closer.
Qu Qing thought this was a good opportunity for them to develop their relationship, so he taught them how to build sand castles with water and dirt. Of course, he strictly insisted on them to keep their clothes clean. However, in the end it didn’t seem to have the desired effect in the end.
Working in the field with Hua Zizhou while constantly looking down felt a bit boring, so Qu Qing started chatting with him. However, he did the talking, while Hua Zizhou listened quietly, and responded occasionally. This led Qu Qing to conclude that Hua Zizhou had a rather quiet personality.
At first, they chatted about everyday matters, such as what to eat for lunch, the firewood at home running low, needing to find a time to collect more wood, and the plan to open a small vegetable plot next to the front door to plant the new seeds they had bought.
Hua Zizhou always focused intently on his work, and seemed indifferent as he replied with single-syllable words like “uhm,” “okay,” or “yes.”
As a conversation partner, Qu Qing felt that he was rather inadequate. He wanted to elicit a different expression and response from Hua Zizhou, and suddenly had a brilliant idea to share a sensational truth that would shock the ancients.
“Hua Zizhou, let me tell you something. The ground we’re standing on is actually round, like a ball.”
Hua Zizhou suddenly raised his head, with his expression clearly one of disbelief. He opened his mouth to say that the world is obviously flat and square, but then suddenly remembered that Qu Qing was now the head of the family, and controlled his fate. He quickly closed his mouth and went back to his work.
It was obvious that he was hesitant to voice his rebuttal out of respect for Qu Qing’s authority. While planting potatoes, Qu Qing continued, “You see, I have evidence for what I’m saying. If you observe carefully, when standing on the mainland and looking at a boat coming back from the sea, the first thing you’ll see is the mast, and only then will you see the hull. If the earth weren’t round, how would you explain this phenomenon?”
After finishing, Qu Qing gestured with his left hand to represent a circle and used his right hand as a ship sailing in from the horizon to demonstrate.
Hua Zizhou was clearly intrigued by this. He unconsciously paused his actions and thought seriously for a moment, then responded a bit dejectedly, “I’ve never been to the seaside or seen a boat…”
“Hmm… that’s a very straightforward answer. At least you’re not trying to flatter me. But I’m definitely right. It’s okay if you don’t believe me now. When we have the chance in the future, I’ll take you to the seaside to see for yourself, and then you’ll know I wasn’t lying.”
In the future…
Hua Zizhou’s heart suddenly leaped with joy, and he nodded vigorously, even though he thought the so-called fact Qu Qing mentioned was false.
“Mm!”
With the most pressing food crisis resolved and due to Hua Zizhou fainting yesterday, Qu Qing felt it unnecessary to push himself so hard. After all, they could borrow a cow from the village chief in a day or two, so he decided to do what he could at a more leisurely pace.
Since it was inconvenient to go back for lunch, they had prepared their meal in advance. After finishing, Qu Qing relaxed in the shade of a tree, resting his hands behind his head, watching the clouds drift by and the occasional geese flying overhead, while deeply inhaling the scent of fresh grass.
It was completely devoid of the noise of a modern metropolis. Even though it was backward and filled with ignorance, it wasn’t without its advantages.
Seeing Qu Qing enjoy himself, the two little ones mimicked him by lying down and gazing at the sky, chattering in their childish voices.
Hua Zizhou went to wash the dishes, and when he returned, he found Qu Qing had already fallen asleep in the shade. Little Qu Xin turned his head to see him back and was about to call out, but Hua Zizhou made a “shh” gesture to stop him.
Only then did the two little ones notice that Qu Qing was asleep and immediately clamped their mouths shut, silently agreeing not to speak loudly again.
Hua Zizhou gently put down his things and cautiously approached the shade, sitting about a meter away from Qu Qing. He took a piece of candy out of his pocket, unwrapped it, put it in his mouth, and quietly put the wrapper back into his pocket. He hugged his legs, rested his head on his knees, and opened his eyes wide, gazing intently at Qu Qing’s sleeping face.
The sounds of the wind rustling the leaves and grass occasionally reached his ears, accompanied by the quiet whispers of the two children. The candy gradually melted in his
mouth, its sweetness spreading like a virus, sweetening his heart, making it impossible for the corners of his mouth not to curl up.
Jiang Zhu saw this scene and turned to Qu Xin, whispering, “I just thought your dad looks really beautiful.”
Qu Xin confidently lifted his chin and exclaimed in an exaggerated tone, “Of course! My dad has always been the most beautiful in the whole world!”
Jiang Zhu was taken aback by his unwarranted confidence and responded, “Forget what I said.” “What does ‘forget what I said’ mean?” Qu Xin tilted his head in confusion. “It doesn’t mean anything, you’ll understand later.”
Qu Qing slowly opened his eyes and noticed a small green leaf casting shade over his face. For a moment, he was stunned. Following the stem of the leaf, he saw a delicate wrist tightly gripping a branch—exactly the leaf that provided him shade.
Looking at the owner of the hand, he found Hua Zizhou sitting beside him, one hand holding the branch with leaves and the other blocking the sunlight from his eyes. The rest of him was completely exposed to the sun, staring blankly into the distance, as if lost in thought.
“Are you stupid?” Qu Qing sat up, looking at him. It was amusing that he knew to hold branches and leaves for others to stay cool but didn’t realize he should have moved to a shaded area himself.
Hua Zizhou seemed startled and turned his head. The branches and leaves in his hand fell to the grass. Realizing his attempt to please had backfired, he awkwardly picked up the fallen leaves and hid the thing behind him. After being blamed, he subconsciously apologized.
“S-Sorry… I really… am too stupid.”
Qu Qing thought that Hua Zizhou was indeed quite timid. Sometimes there was a strange language barrier. Sometimes, he felt it was smoother to communicate with Qu Xin and Jiang Zhu.
He turned to the two little children and said, “Qu Xin, Jiang Zhu, why don’t you both say something? Isn’t Zizhou a fool? He knows how to take care of others but doesn’t know how to take care of himself, always making people worry.”
Qu Xin frowned, clearly unhappy. He replied seriously, “Dad is not stupid…”
Jiang Zhu chimed in, “If he doesn’t know how to take care of himself, then that does seem a bit stupid.”
“I was wrong…” Hua Zizhou noticed Qu Qing’s back, as he seemed unwilling to pay attention to him, and felt a bit anxious, causing the three words to slip out naturally.
Qu Qing turned around, crossing his arms and looking at him. “Oh? Where did you go wrong?”
Hua Zizhou looked up, his gaze warm and resolute as he said each word carefully, “From now on, I will always listen to you. When I care for you, I will also take good care of myself and never make you angry again.”
The young man’s voice is gentle and soothing to hear.
Qu Qing’s heart suddenly sank, and his fingertips twitched uncontrollably. His expression froze for a moment before quickly shifting back to a big smile, although it seemed a bit forced.
He went over and rubbed Hua Zizhou’s head playfully, then let go in an instant, leaving behind a remark as he turned around.
“Hey, little brat, you’re still underage. Don’t go around flirting with people. I don’t need your care.”
Hua Zizhou stared blankly at his retreating figure.
Flirting… what is that?