Lu Zhiyan’s ears flushed slightly as he said to the instructor in a low voice, “Instructor Chen, I want the old courtyard on the west side.”
Instructor Chen nodded and smiled, “Alright, thank you for your cooperation.”
Hearing this, Auntie Liu leaned over and tugged at Ji Nanxi, “Ji Nanxi, aren’t you being foolish? The newly built apartments have glass windows and are bright and spacious!”
“Auntie Liu, the new apartments are indeed bright, but the neighbors upstairs and downstairs are too close. You can’t even cook something without others noticing.”
Ji Nanxi smiled as she withdrew her hand, lightly tapping her lips with her fingertips, a hint of mischief in her eyes. “The old courtyard has a kitchen, and it’s independent and private. I can eat whatever I want without anyone criticizing. Don’t you think so?”
Lu Zhiyan took the keys from Instructor Chen and glanced back at Ji Nanxi. His gaze lingered on her delicate features for a moment before he said in a low voice, “Let’s go!”
Ji Nanxi waved cheerfully at Auntie Liu, her face beaming with a bright smile. “Auntie Liu, we’re heading off now!”
With that, she eagerly gathered her luggage and followed Lu Zhiyan’s steps toward the old courtyard.
The wind rustled the wild grass by the roadside, and her small leather shoes beneath her skirt tapped lightly on the gravel path, making a soft clattering sound.
Walking along, it had to be said that the distance between the buildings and courtyards was quite far.
The old brick walls were covered in dark green vines, and a few unknown wildflowers swayed in the wind at the base of the walls.
When they pushed open the wooden door of the old courtyard, they were greeted by the sight of front and back yards, along with a two-story old building that carried a sense of weathered heaviness.
Pushing open the main door, Lu Zhiyan frowned at the sight of the hall covered in cobwebs and turned to look for tools to make repairs.
Upon arriving on the island, they had a three-day break to settle into their new home.
Ji Nanxi spotted wild chives sprouting from the corner of the wall and suddenly grabbed Lu Zhiyan’s sleeve. “Husband, look!”
She pointed to the corner of the wall, her voice tinged with barely contained excitement. “There are wild chives in this yard. We can grow vegetables here!”
“Tomorrow, I’ll start clearing the land and planting!”
Ji Nanxi’s eyes sparkled like a child who had just discovered a new toy, her tone filled with determination.
Her mind was already racing with ideas of what to plant—greens, radishes, and her favorite strawberries. She envisioned turning the small yard into a mini farm.
Seeing such fertile land, Ji Nanxi’s flower-planting soul was completely awakened!
A flower planter at heart, a flower planter’s soul!
Where there’s land, there’s planting!
In the Interstellar era, planting was nearly impossible, with Mutated Plants and Mutated Star Beasts everywhere. Having a piece of land where something could grow was an incredible surprise!
Lu Zhiyan followed her pointing finger and saw a few wild chives growing vigorously in the soil at the corner of the wall.
Watching Ji Nanxi’s joyful expression, he felt an inexplicable sense of relief, hoping she wouldn’t cause any more trouble.
Suddenly, a “ding” sounded in Ji Nanxi’s mind once again—
[Hidden Mission: Clear and Cultivate Unused Island Land x1. Reward: Credit Points +10, Gene Enhancement Agent x3]
Ji Nanxi’s eyes lit up—this was an unexpected delight!
She quietly calculated in her heart that once she saved up enough Credit Points, she might be able to exchange for something even more amazing in the Dimensional Mall.
Lu Zhiyan looked at Ji Nanxi, his gaze darkening slightly. How did this pampered young lady from a wealthy family recognize wild chives?
He had heard from his grandfather that the elders of the Ji family doted on Ji Nanxi the most.
Since the Ji family had more sons than daughters, they cherished their only girl and spoiled her to the point where she never had to lift a finger.
Ji Nanxi had always excelled academically since childhood, so Old Master Ji made the decision to send her abroad for further studies.
She was a girl raised in pampered comfort, having never experienced any real hardship.
After the elders of the Ji family passed away, her grandfather took the initiative to arrange her marriage.
Marrying Lu Zhiyan was considered a military marriage.
As long as Ji Nanxi didn’t stir up trouble, her future would be secure.
After the marriage application was submitted, the military district leadership all knew that Lu Zhiyan was going to marry a wealthy heiress.
Those who didn’t get along well with Lu Zhiyan secretly waited to see him become a laughingstock.
After all, life in the military district was tough, and they believed Ji Nanxi wouldn’t last long before divorcing Lu Zhiyan.
Lu Zhiyan still remembered the stir Ji Nanxi caused when she first arrived at the military family quarters.
Ji Nanxi had delicate features and fair, cool-toned skin.
Dressed in a white dress and small leather shoes, her refined appearance stood in stark contrast to the simple environment of the military district.
During her month at the military family quarters in Guangdong Province, Ji Nanxi’s unreasonable and troublesome behavior, along with the chaotic life she and Lu Zhiyan led, truly made her the antithesis in the military district.
She formed a sharp contrast with the other military wives, who endured hardships and silently supported their husbands’ careers.
Suddenly hearing Ji Nanxi say she wanted to clear land for farming left Lu Zhiyan stunned on the spot.
He felt as if the sun had risen from the west!
Did Ji Nanxi even know how hard and exhausting land clearing and farming could be?
It was no simple task—first, the soil had to be turned, then leveled, and pests had to be guarded against. Every step was laborious.
Lu Zhiyan shook his head, not believing Ji Nanxi’s claim about clearing land for farming, and changed the subject. “I’ll go get the bamboo ladder! Let’s check how damaged the roof tiles are.”
With that, he retrieved a bamboo ladder from the corner of the yard, which creaked softly.
Lu Zhiyan planned to climb up to the roof to assess the damage and estimate how many tiles he’d need to buy the next day.
But as soon as he set up the ladder, Ji Nanxi darted up it in a flash.
“Get down!” Lu Zhiyan grabbed the hem of her pants. “I’ll fix the roof. You go sweep away the cobwebs.”
As Ji Nanxi looked down, she caught sight of Lu Zhiyan’s tense jawline, his skin glowing healthily under the sunlight. “Husband, will you catch me if I fall?”
With that, she pretended to jump down.
Lu Zhiyan’s arm instantly tensed, his knuckles turning white. “Don’t mess around! You could get hurt.”
But Ji Nanxi just smiled brightly, leaping down effortlessly and landing steadily before saying to him, “I was just joking. Don’t be so harsh!”
With that, Ji Nanxi picked up a broom and went off to sweep away the cobwebs.
Lu Zhiyan watched her lighthearted figure, his Adam’s apple bobbing slightly.
Ever since she suddenly hugged him yesterday, Ji Nanxi’s temperament had changed from before.
This version of Ji Nanxi seemed less unreasonable and sharp, and more playful and endearing.
As he watched her sweeping away the cobwebs, her skirt swaying gently with her movements, he felt an inexplicable itch in his heart.
After Ji Nanxi left, Lu Zhiyan climbed up the bamboo ladder, made some simple repairs to the roof, and estimated how many tiles he’d need to buy from the villagers for proper repairs the next day.
Half an hour later, when Lu Zhiyan came down from the ladder, he couldn’t find Ji Nanxi inside the house.
He went to check the backyard and found her actually repairing the stove.
Ji Nanxi was squatting on the ground, mixing mud and lime.
The lime, in fact, was from an Interstellar construction materials pack she had exchanged for 10 Credit Points in her Dimensional Mall. The fine lime powder was mixed perfectly in her hands.
Lu Zhiyan wiped the sweat from his brow, looking puzzled. “This old courtyard has been abandoned for at least half a year. Where did you get the lime?”
“The previous owner hid it, right where the woodshed used to be.”
Ji Nanxi lied without batting an eye, deliberately brushing her fingers against the back of his hand. “Husband, the mortar and lime are mixed! We can rebuild the stove now!”
Lu Zhiyan looked at the perfectly mixed mortar she had prepared, then at the speck of lime on the tip of her nose. “Ji Nanxi, you…”
“What about me?”
She tilted her face upward, her eyes reflecting his image. “Did you just realize how capable I am?”
After hearing her words, Lu Zhiyan turned his face away and continued building the stove, his voice so low it was almost inaudible. “…Yeah.”
This version of Ji Nanxi—he genuinely didn’t dislike her.
Hearing Lu Zhiyan’s response, Ji Nanxi froze for a moment before her eyes crinkled into a smile. Watching Lu Zhiyan’s focused back as he worked on the stove, a sudden resolve welled up in her heart.
The man the original owner didn’t want—she would take him.
This military marriage with Lu Zhiyan—Ji Nanxi would be the one to uphold it!