Ling Hao expressed his thanks to the old party secretary’s wife as well, and the three of them walked back together. Wen Ya swung by the secretary’s home to pick up her vegetables, while Ling Hao headed straight back to his own unit.
The secretary’s wife packed a giant basket full of fresh greens for Wen Ya, telling her to come back and pick whatever else she craved anytime.
“Alright, thank you so much, Auntie! I’ll take my leave now.”
“Go on then, get back to settling in. Whenever you want veggies, just drop by and harvest some.”
“Will do!”
Back at her place, Wen Ya divided up the produce and brought a generous portion over to Ling Hao.
“Here, these are for you—from the trade I just made.”
Ling Hao didn’t stand on ceremony and accepted them readily. This gives me a reason to send things back to her next time, he realized, which means even more opportunities to interact.
Once Wen Ya returned to her unit, it wasn’t long before Liu Wu and his wife arrived, hauling her new furniture over on a handcart. Because Wen Ya was a young woman living alone, Liu Wu had deliberately brought his wife along to avoid any gossip.
The three of them unloaded the pieces, and Liu Wu helped set the heavy storage cabinets right where she wanted them. The place immediately looked infinitely cozier.
After thanking the couple, Wen Ya set to work organizing her new living space. For the first time, it truly felt like she had a home of her own. She even had her own water well now—it wasn’t particularly deep, but it yielded plenty for daily use.
Since her property sat right at the foot of the mountain, she walked up the lower slope to gather firewood. Spotting her heading out, Ling Hao picked up a bundle of his own and followed behind to gather kindling.
Next on her agenda was planting the courtyard plot. It was still early enough in the season to get some fresh greens in the ground, though she wasn’t sure if it was too late for cabbages and radishes. She made a mental note to ask Aunt Qin—the secretary’s wife—when she got a chance.
Tilling the soil, however, was a major headache. She had never done farm work in her life; back when she tended her spatial garden, she relied entirely on her mental focus rather than manual labor. She had never actually swung a farm tool.
She looked down at her delicate, fair hands and let out a soft sigh. Why do I feel like breaking into tears?
Realizing she couldn’t cultivate anything without proper equipment, she headed right back over to Aunt Qin’s home. When she emerged a short while later, she was carrying a heavy iron mattock.
Just then, Ling Hao stepped out to toss out some weeds—a flimsy excuse he had made up on the spot just to catch a glimpse of her, considering his yard was already spotless. Seeing her march back with the heavy mattock, he blinked.
“What are you doing with that mattock?”
“Tilling the soil.”
“You’re going to till the ground yourself?”
“Of course.”
“Do you need me to help?”
“No need, I can handle it myself.”
With that, she turned into her yard and got right to work. Naturally, she didn’t forget her heavy work gloves or her protective sun hat.
She hoisted the heavy mattock over her shoulder and brought it down against the packed dirt with all her strength. The earth barely registered the strike.
Again…
Again…
I refuse to believe I can’t do this! Once more…
One more time!
She finally managed to turn over a single patch of dirt. She paused, inspecting her palms through her gloves—they were already raw and red!
Could I just… not plant a garden? she wondered. But as soon as the thought crossed her mind, visions of fresh, delicious homegrown vegetables won out.
Just… one more…
Ling Hao, unable to watch her struggle a second longer, walked into her yard, took the mattock right out of her hands, and immediately began swinging it into the soil.
With his supernatural strength combined with the original body’s daily physical conditioning, heavy farm labor was effortless.
Wen Ya stood there, eyes wide as saucers. Where does he get that kind of power? That’s insane!
Recalling how the original host had helped his grandmother tend her vegetable patch, Ling Hao worked with practiced ease. He didn’t just till the hard earth; he neatly raised all the soil ridges as well. Without a single word of complaint, he plowed straight through both her front and back yards.
Wen Ya showered him with heartfelt thanks, hurriedly handing him a fresh towel and a cup of cold water.
Seeing her beaming smile warmed Ling Hao’s chest. Smiles suited her far better than stress.
“What are you planning to plant?” he asked, taking a sip.
“Aunt Qin said I could put in some leafy greens, Napa cabbage, and radishes.”
“I’ll plant the same, then. Mind if I borrow the mattock when you’re done?”
“Of course! Go right ahead. I’m going to grab the seeds—do you want some too?”
“Sure. How much are the seeds? I’ll give you the money in a bit.”
“Don’t be ridiculous—you just tilled my entire yard! Consider the seeds my way of saying thank you.”
“If you ever have any heavy lifting that needs doing, just call me.”
“Deal!”
Ling Hao carried the mattock back to his own side to till his plot, while Wen Ya retreated into her house and slipped into her spatial storage to retrieve the seed packets.
She carefully separated the seeds into small paper pouches, labeling each one clearly before walking over to Ling Hao’s house.
The two fell into a smooth rhythm: Ling Hao dug the planting holes while Wen Ya dropped in the seeds.
Once his garden was fully sown, they crossed back over to her yard and repeated the process.
With both plots completely planted, Wen Ya carried the borrowed mattock back to Aunt Qin’s home.
“Finished already?” the old woman asked, surprised.
“Yep, all done!”
“And here I was thinking about sending my third son over to help you turn the soil! You’re quite the capable young lady, finishing so quickly.”
“Oh, I can’t take the credit, Auntie. Educated Youth Ling saw me struggling and stepped in to do all the heavy tilling.”
“Well, would you look at that! He always wears such a stern, cold face, but he turns out to be quite warm-hearted.”
“Mhm, he’s a really good guy.”
“Are you two starting field work tomorrow?”
“Yes, we report in tomorrow morning.”
“I’ll be out in the fields tomorrow too. If there’s anything you don’t know how to do, just ask me.”
“Will do, Aunt Qin. I’ll head back now—don’t let me keep you!”
By the time she returned to her unit, it was time to prepare dinner. Considering how much heavy labor Ling Hao had done for her today, she decided to cook something special for him. A small pouch of seeds hardly felt like enough of a repayment.
She prepared preserved dried chicken along with a fresh pot of steamed rice, spooning a generous portion into dishes before carrying them over to knock on Ling Hao’s door.
Ling Hao was delighted to see her at his doorstep, though his face remained as impassive as ever.
“I made dinner and brought some over for you—as a proper thank you for helping me with the yard today,” Wen Ya said softly, feeling a little awkward. She had rarely interacted with men back in her past life and wasn’t quite sure how to navigate the conversation.
Ling Hao thanked her, took the food inside to transfer onto his own plates, and promptly returned her dishware.
After a brief exchange, Wen Ya went home to enjoy her own dinner.
Before turning in for the night, she set an alarm, terrified she might oversleep her first day of labor. Worn out from the day’s exertion—and feeling uneasy about sleeping alone in an unfamiliar house—she slipped into her spatial dimension to sleep. It just felt safer.
In truth, her worries were entirely unfounded. The moment Ling Hao saw her lights go out, he cast a invisible perimeter of spiritual force across her entire courtyard. The moment anyone stepped foot into her yard, he would know instantly.
Early the next morning, Wen Ya woke up, packed her gear, cooked a warm bowl of noodles for breakfast, and stepped out into the morning air—geared up and fully prepared for her first day of field work.