"You're the same. We're in the same boat," Ye Yingfeng wasn't angry. He knew they were both in a similar plight, full of aspirations but with no way to realize them.
"Things will get better. At least we have heated kang beds this year!" Ye Zhinan was always an optimist. Seeing her like this, the two men didn't feel so down anymore.
"The kang beds are ready. You can try them tonight. If there's anything wrong, come and find me anytime." After saying that, Li Feilong didn't seem to be leaving. After hesitating for a long time, he said,
"My child has been taken care of by you many times. I really shouldn't ask for more, but the children in the village..."
"I've been meaning to discuss this with you too." Ye Zhinan had been researching this matter silently for a long time. She had even gone through all the medical books in the space.
"It's not just the children. Everyone here has an unbalanced diet. This can't be fixed overnight. It'll take some time to improve."
Li Feilong nodded frantically upon hearing this. "Miss Ye, what do you suggest?"
"I have a diet plan here. Let's start with the diet."
"But..." Li Feilong looked embarrassed.
Although food is the prime want of the people, in the northern border, it's already good enough to have enough to eat. To eat well is even more difficult.
"Don't worry. The ingredients here can all be sourced locally, and some can even be planted." Ye Zhinan had spent a great deal of effort. She had pre - germinated some vegetable seedlings in advance, just waiting for this moment to hand them over.
Li Feilong took the big bag of vegetable seedlings and wiped the sweat off his face.
"From now on, if Miss Ye needs anything, just let me know. I, Li Feilong, will go through fire and water for you."
Ye Zhinan quickly waved her hand. "It's not that serious. I might need your help in the future too!"
After seeing Li Feilong off, Ye Zhinan's mind was full of images of the green vegetable fields. Imagining the scene of the autumn harvest, a smile involuntarily curved her lips.
"What are you grinning about?" A familiar voice drifted over, and then a handsome face appeared in front of her.
"I'll treat you to watermelons in summer." Ye Zhinan couldn't wait to share this good news with Qin Yihuai.
In modern times, she would just send a message. Here, she had to rely on her own two legs, and she also needed good luck to find the person.
When would the mobile phone be invented? A pager would do too.
While she was daydreaming, a package was stuffed into her hand.
"A goose leg?"
"I heard you were drooling over a pile of goose feathers." Ye Zhinan shot a glare at Ye Yingfeng in the distance.
She didn't expect that a grown man could be so talkative! Ye Yingfeng had apparently become Qin Yihuai's inside man.
"What have you been up to lately? I haven't seen you for a long time." Ye Zhinan changed the topic to cover her embarrassment, but she found that the way the other person looked at her was getting more and more mysterious!
Did she care about his whereabouts? Or was it that a day apart seemed like three autumns? Qin Yihuai was a bit happy.
"The Cold Spring Festival is coming soon. The prefect is making arrangements for the festival and plans for next year."
Was he explaining his whereabouts? Ye Zhinan's heart skipped a beat. Thinking of the question she just asked, a blush spread across her face.
"I didn't mean it like that."
Qin Yihuai didn't care what she meant. He continued to report.
"I'll be very busy these days, so take good care of yourself. If you can't find me when you need something, go to Chen Zhenhai."
"Okay." Ye Zhinan had no chance to interrupt. She could only nod in agreement.
"And about that sandy land, I'll talk to the prefect." That land was not what he originally intended.
Hearing this, Ye Zhinan, who had been focusing on nodding, quickly stopped him.
"Don't touch my land. Otherwise, how can I treat you to watermelons in summer?"
Seeing Qin Yihuai's expression change, she quickly corrected herself.
"I mean, our family has a special status. There are so many pairs of eyes watching us!"
"Alright. Don't overwork yourself." After giving the instructions, Qin Yihuai made an excuse and left.
Chen Zhenhai quietly followed him and couldn't help but voice his doubts.
"Boss, I'm getting more and more confused. If Miss Ye likes watermelons, we can just find some for her. Why did you give her the land?"
"She likes it." What Ye Zhinan liked wasn't the land, but the happiness rebuilt with her own hands. Qin Yihuai understood her, so he would protect this original intention more carefully. So he made a major decision.
At night, Ye Zhinan lay on the warm kang bed, covered with the newly made goose - feather quilt. Her whole body was warm.
"Don't overwork yourself." Qin Yihuai's handsome face suddenly appeared in her mind.
Ye Zhinan suddenly sat up and looked out of the window. It was completely silent.
She did a sit - up and dived into the space.
She should keep herself busy. Otherwise, her mind would always wander.
"What should I plant in winter?" As she muttered to herself, she dug out some carrot, spinach, and garlic seedlings. Then she found some medicinal herbs, picked out a few books, and finally filled a big bag with chocolates. When she came out, she realized she had taken too many things.
So she put on her clothes and ran to the backyard. She randomly found some places and planted all the vegetable seedlings.
"Plant them first. When they grow, I'll just say they're wild."
"What wild things?" Han Xiangmei couldn't sleep because the kang bed was too hot. When she came out to get some fresh air, she happened to see the person squatting in the backyard.
Ye Zhinan was startled by her mother's voice. Seeing her mother's flushed face, she became worried.
"Are you not feeling well?"
"The kang bed is too hot. I can't sleep." Ye Zhinan had only thought about keeping warm and had ignored this situation.
So she quickly fetched a basin of water. "Put it in the room to keep the air moist. Otherwise, you might get a nosebleed."
As soon as she finished speaking, Ye Yingfeng ran out covering his nose.
"Did you guys get a nosebleed too?" Seeing that the two of them were okay, Ye Yingfeng felt relieved and went to take care of himself.
"This won't do. I have to find another way." The kang bed can improve the sleeping environment, but if she wants to balance the overall temperature in the room, she has to start from the whole situation.
Thinking of this, Ye Zhinan felt like she had opened up a new field. The road ahead was long and arduous.
But now she wanted to have a good sleep. She could worry about the future later.
That night, Ye Zhinan slept very well. The next day, after work, she carried a basket and went to find Lu Yanlai.
"I've brought watermelon seeds. Let's go and take a look at the land first!"
"These are watermelon seeds?" Lu Yanlai looked at the thing in her hand over and over again.
"I've treated these watermelon seeds. You just need to do as I say." As she said that, Ye Zhinan demonstrated. Lu Yanlai watched carefully. The two of them were so focused on their work that they didn't notice the little figure beside them.
"Ouch!" With a scream, the two of them looked over at the same time.
They saw Little Winter Melon (Xiaohu) fall in the field. A bruise immediately appeared on his leg.
"Didn't I tell you to stay at home? Why did you follow us?" Lu Yanlai was both anxious and worried.
Xiaohu knew he had made a mistake. Tears welled up in his eyes, but he didn't dare to cry out.
"I also want to help." Seeing the mother - son standoff, Ye Zhinan walked over.
"Let me take a look." She gently moved Xiaohu's leg to make sure the bones weren't injured. Then she comforted him gently.
"Xiaohu is too young to work in the fields."
"When can I start working then?" Xiaohu blinked his big eyes and asked seriously.
Ye Zhinan was at a loss for words. In modern times, children of this age only needed to have fun and eat well, but these two things were the most difficult here.