Ye Zhinan spoke in a light tone, but there was an undeniable sadness in her eyes and brows.
Zhao Qingfeng couldn't do much to help. He could only walk over and comfort her softly.
"At least we've already achieved most of our goal. I believe things will get better in the future."
Ye Zhinan forced a smile, nodded, and urged him to go home quickly.
Seeing that the night was about to turn darker, she knew that the most crucial part of the experiment was yet to come.
The insufficient light in the early stage had led to a too - low temperature inside the greenhouse. This was excusable, after all, the fabric itself was substandard, and she couldn't expect too much.
Next, she had to determine whether the wax oil could maintain the temperature.
"The wax oil is too thick. If you want to meet the standard you mentioned, you should use tung oil," a voice suddenly came from behind. Ye Zhinan trembled all over and quickly stood up from the ground.
The night was dim, but even by the voice, she could tell who it was.
"Tung oil is inexpensive and easy to collect. Every household can spare some for the greenhouse by making a few fewer umbrellas. Moreover, its light - transmittance is better than that of wax oil."
Seeing that Ye Zhinan didn't respond for a long time, Qin Yihuai poured out his research on his own.
Ye Zhinan slapped her forehead. Suddenly, her mind was enlightened, and a new train of thought opened up.
She used to be a young lady who never left home, so she knew very little about the materials at hand.
Even though she often used oil - paper umbrellas, she never thought of the magic of tung oil.
All she had on hand was white wax. No matter how thinly it was applied, the color of the solidified wax would more or less affect the light.
If tung oil was used instead, the light - transmittance would indeed be better.
"How did you come up with this idea?" Her eyes sparkled like stars hanging in the sky, making it hard for one to look away.
Qin Yihuai frowned slightly. His expression changed a bit. He cleared his throat and tried to calm himself down.
"A few days ago, I casually asked about the window paper pasted in the supply area. I just happened to think of this."
Ye Zhinan nodded. Sure enough, practice makes perfect.
Seeing that Qin Yihuai still had a cold face, she leaned over and offered him a piece of candy flatteringly.
"I don't know why you're angry, but eating a piece of candy will make you feel better. Supplementing sugar is good for your wound to heal."
She admitted that what she said later was just nonsense to make Qin Yihuai accept her kindness.
Qin Yihuai surprisingly didn't refuse. He peeled the candy wrapper and popped it into his mouth.
The sweetness spread in his mouth, as if it was seeping into his heart.
His eyebrows relaxed a bit. He quickly chewed and swallowed the candy before speaking.
"The problem of the oil is solved. The remaining one is the fabric..."
Ye Zhinan had a piece of candy in her mouth. Her speech was slurred, but she rushed to explain to him.
"I've already asked Aunt Zhao to figure out a way to make the cloth thinner. There will be results soon."
Qin Yihuai nodded slowly. Actually, he had a better solution in mind, but he just lacked the conditions.
An idea flashed through Ye Zhinan's mind. Finally, she hesitated to speak.
"What's your opinion on the mountain bandits?"
Before Qin Yihuai could answer, Ye Yingfeng's shout came from behind.
The two quickly distanced themselves from each other, afraid of being misunderstood by her elder brother.
"It's cold outside. You'd better go back first," Qin Yihuai left only this sentence and then turned around and left the field gracefully.
Ye Zhinan was left alone in the vast field. Before long, Ye Yingfeng rushed over.
"I saw someone here just now. Where did they go?"
Hearing his words, Ye Zhinan noticed that he was carrying a hoe in his hand, clearly coming to fight.
Her eyelid twitched. She quickly calmed her elder brother's emotions.
"No. Maybe you were seeing things."
She coaxed and deceived Ye Yingfeng back to the yard. Before leaving, she checked the simple thermometer in the greenhouse. The result was not bad.
When the siblings got home, Han Xiangmei happily invited them to have dinner.
During the meal, Han Xiangmei's topic always revolved around Zhao Qingfeng, and she would praise him from time to time.
"In my opinion, the eldest son of the Zhao family is really a trustworthy person. It's a pity that the Xu family is blind and wasted such a good marriage."
As Han Xiangmei spoke, her eyes glanced at Ye Zhinan from time to time, and she would nudge Ye Zhinan with her elbow.
Ye Zhinan hated it most when her mother tried to match - make people randomly. At most, she and Zhao Qingfeng were just friends. Where did all these messy romantic feelings come from?
"Our Nannan is still young. I know you're concerned about her marriage. Just wait a little longer," Ye Shenyan advised kindly. If it were in the past, the Zhao family would indeed be a good choice.
However, they had been exiled. Although they were in the same boat, their fates were all hanging by a thread. One never knew when the thread would break and life would end.
He would rather entrust Ye Zhinan to a rural farmer to live a stable life in the second half of her life.
He didn't want her to be frightened every day and live a precarious life in others' schemes.
Ye Zhinan gave her father a grateful smile. But then she noticed that Ye Yingfeng had a wound on his shoulder.
"Where did you get this wound?"
She leaned over and could barely see it clearly in the dim candlelight.
The wound seemed to be cut by a knife. It was quite deep. Even if the bone was not exposed, it was really serious.
"It's okay. I just ran into those mountain bandits on the way back. These damned people are really heartless."
Han Xiangmei stood up from the chair and leaned over to check Ye Yingfeng's wound, but her eyes were glaring at Ye Shenyan.
It was obvious that she was waiting for the father and son to speak up on their own.
Ye Shenyan frowned slightly. He looked at his eldest son in disappointment and finally sighed.
"We were fine when we went there, and we also met the employer. Maybe we were already targeted. When we were on the way back in the wilderness, we were robbed."
Ye Yingfeng was panicked and quickly added.
"Fortunately, I'm good at kung fu. Don't think I'm injured, but I didn't let them have an easy time either!"
Seeing him grit his teeth and hold on like this, Ye Zhinan felt uncomfortable.
She never thought that the few taels of silver they brought back were actually protected with his life.
At night, Ye Zhinan went to Ye Yingfeng's room to apply medicine to him. Her hand paused slightly, and she slowly said,
"Brother, have you ever thought about suppressing the bandits?"
Ye Yingfeng turned around and stared at his younger sister in surprise.
He suddenly felt that Ye Zhinan seemed different from before.
Or perhaps he, as an elder brother, had never really known her.
"Why do you think so?"
Ye Zhinan pursed her lips and repeatedly played with the glass bottle in her hand.
"If we leave behind future troubles, it's like wild grass that can't be completely burned out. It will grow again when the spring breeze blows. Only by eliminating the root can we achieve complete peace."
Ye Yingfeng forced a smile. He placed his big hand on Ye Zhinan's head and ruffled her hair hard.
"But have you ever thought that if we completely eliminate the wild grass, although it seems that it won't grow again, what about the creatures that rely on the grass to live?"
She rarely heard her elder brother say such profound words. She sat there blankly and couldn't come to her senses for a long time.