After getting the seeds, Xiang Wanwan prepared to plant them immediately.
According to her previous plan, she marked off the far right corner of the yard for planting vegetables.
Looking at the compacted soil, she sighed deeply.
Such a big patch of land—just turning the soil alone would be exhausting.
But what choice did she have?
She had to do it!
Xiang Wanwan first went next door to ask Sister Wang if she had a hoe or something, explaining her plan to plant vegetables.
To her surprise, Sister Wang was even more excited.
“Wanwan, what a great idea! I’ve always wished we could grow vegetables here, and I didn’t expect you even brought the seeds.”
“I don’t have a hoe at home! Come on, let’s go borrow one.”
And so, they went out together to borrow a hoe.
Just a few dozen steps from their door, there was a house.
As they reached the yard entrance, they saw a woman hanging clothes outside.
Sister Wang smiled and called out, “Big Sister Sun, do you have a hoe we could borrow?”
Xiang Wanwan was a bit surprised.
When did they meet?
And judging by Sister Wang’s expression, they seemed to be quite familiar.
Seeing her confusion, Sister Wang whispered in her ear, “Her name is Sun Guihua. When I first arrived, she gave me directions. She’s a really nice person.”
“Her husband is Li Jun, looks like some kind of official too.”
So that’s how it was!
Xiang Wanwan looked at the woman in the yard and followed Sister Wang’s lead: “Hello, Big Sister Sun!”
“Oh, come in! Come in!”
“You must be Chief Lu’s wife, right? You’re as beautiful as a celestial being! Standing in this yard, it feels like the whole place has lit up.”
Sister Wang enthusiastically grabbed her hand and chimed in, “No kidding—I dare say Wanwan is the prettiest on this island.”
“Exactly!”
The two women chatted animatedly.
Xiang Wanwan couldn’t help but smile at their lively interaction.
No wonder they got along—they were both straightforward personalities.
Not forgetting her main task, Xiang Wanwan spoke up to interrupt, “Big Sister Sun, do you have a hoe? I want to plant some vegetables in the yard.”
Only then did Sister Wang realize why they had come.
“My memory is terrible—I forgot the main task.”
Sun Guihua laughed and nodded repeatedly. “Yes, yes! I didn’t expect someone with such delicate skin to know how to farm!”
“Chief Lu is lucky.”
“Of course! This girl is quite capable!”
Sister Wang couldn’t resist praising her too.
With hoes in hand, they returned to the yard to start work.
Xiang Wanwan first marked out the vegetable patch, then began turning the soil along the lines.
Sister Wang helped by clearing weeds.
Though the patch wasn’t large, the compacted soil made the work exhausting—they spent the entire afternoon taking turns.
After finishing, Sister Wang went home to cook.
Xiang Wanwan plopped down on the ground, wiping sweat from her forehead.
“I’m exhausted.”
Looking at the freshly turned soil, a satisfied smile spread across her face.
Thankfully, her hard work wasn’t wasted.
Once the soil had been turned and left to dry in the sun for a day, she could turn it again and finally plant the vegetables.
The thought of soon having unlimited vegetables filled her with energy.
Back in the living room, she sat in a chair, checking the time on the wall—Lu Jingnian should be back soon.
She decided to take a short nap, preparing the vegetables after he returned.
An hour later, Lu Jingnian stepped into the yard and saw the freshly turned soil. A faint smile tugged at his lips as he strode into the house.
Inside, he saw Xiang Wanwan sleeping with her head tilted on the chair.
He carefully put down his briefcase and walked over.
She was fast asleep, hair slightly messy, fair skin flushed with pink, lips slightly parted, making Lu Jingnian’s throat tighten slightly.
He gently picked her up and placed her on the master bed.
He removed his jacket, put on an apron, and went into the kitchen.
Xiang Wanwan was woken by the sounds of cooking.
She sat up abruptly, looking at the bed she was on, startled.
Lu Jingnian had carried her here?
Oh no, she had overslept.
Quickly putting on her shoes, she hurried to the kitchen.
At this point, Lu Jingnian had just finished the last dish. Seeing Xiang Wanwan with her messy hair, he spoke gently:
“Wash your hands and eat.”
“All right, thank you! You’ve worked hard.”
Lu Jingnian placed the plate on the table and naturally untied his apron.
“I see the yard is already set, so you worked even harder.”
The two exchanged a smile.
After eating, Lu Jingnian washed and tidied up again, while Xiang Wanwan went to freshen up.
She didn’t want a repeat of last night, with the power going out midway through washing.
After quickly finishing, she lay down on the bed.
Perhaps from the day’s labor, the moment she touched the bed, she fell into a deep sleep.
When Lu Jingnian finished and entered the room, he saw Xiang Wanwan sprawled out asleep. He quietly lay down beside her and pulled the blanket over himself.
A night without dreams…
Upon waking, Xiang Wanwan found a bowl of plain porridge and a small side dish on the table.
She hadn’t eaten meat for two days.
She felt ravenous—like she could eat an entire pig.
Supporting her chin with both hands on the table, she listened to the waves from the sea.
Suddenly, her eyes widened.
Of course! This is an island. No pork, but there’s seafood!
She could go tide-pooling!
Without hesitation, she grabbed a bucket and a metal shovel and headed for the beach.
She went to the beach near her home—only two or three people were there.
Xiang Wanwan was surprised.
Did people here not like seafood? Why were there so few?
She took off her shoes, placed them in the bucket, and began tide-pooling.
The visible catch on the beach was sparse—just a few small shells.
She searched further but still found nothing.
No wonder so few people tide-pooled here—there really wasn’t much to find!
If only she had X-ray vision to see under the sand where the good catches were.
Suddenly, an idea struck her.
Of course! She didn’t have X-ray vision, but she had her little spirit!
Xiang Wanwan looked around—no one was nearby.
She summoned her green spirit.
The little creature flew a circle around her, flapping its wings excitedly. It seemed to enjoy getting out and exploring too.
“Little one, can you help me find where the good stuff is on the beach?”
The green spirit zoomed off immediately, and Xiang Wanwan hurried after it.
After a short distance, it stopped on the sand.
“Here?”
The spirit nodded.
Seeing this, Xiang Wanwan put down her bucket and started digging.
After just a few digs, a cluster of clams appeared—plentiful and of decent size.
Xiang Wanwan could already picture stir-fried clams in her mind.
She swallowed hard and got to work.
After picking one batch of clams, she looked to the green spirit again.
It flew further and stopped. Xiang Wanwan followed, finding a cluster of small holes—breathing holes of razor clams, which she had seen before.
Where there were these holes, there would be clams below.
“You’re amazing, little one!” Xiang Wanwan cheered.
Knowing that clams disliked concentrated smoke, she had prepared in advance.
She dug away the top layer of sand, then sprinkled salt into the holes.
After sprinkling, water started to bubble up, and clams began to emerge.
Xiang Wanwan grabbed them and pulled—big, plump clams landed in her hands.
“Haha, they’re so fat!”
She happily continued sprinkling salt on the other holes. Soon, clams started surfacing like spring bamboo shoots.
She quickly pulled them all out.
In just a few minutes, her bucket was filled with dozens of clams.
Looking at her haul—almost a pound of clams and dozens of razor clams—it was enough for one meal.
Splash… splash… the tide receded.
Xiang Wanwan stood, watching the rolling waves, breathing in the fresh, salty sea breeze, feeling completely refreshed.