Song Wei had tasks to complete today, so she brought Heidan and the two wolf pups to find Lin Zhen.
While Lin Zhen was feeding milk to the wolf pups, Song Wei was outside in the yard, huffing and puffing as she dug into the soil.
“What are you doing this time?” Lin Zhen finally asked, curiosity evident in his voice.
Previously, after Song Jing’s visit, the unused room next door had been cleaned and repaired by them. Now, although unoccupied, Song Wei had found a new purpose for it.
She had placed rectangular bamboo frames in the room, and now she was filling them with soil mixed with fertilizer. The fertilizer was homemade, consisting of deer and rabbit manure, tree leaves, and black soil.
Song Wei, who couldn’t sit idle, was busy even in the freezing snow while others were staying indoors for the winter.
“I’m planning to grow some vegetables,” she said.
Lin Zhen was like a nanny, holding the two wolf cubs and running behind her, while little Heidan enthusiastically helped with the chores.
“Vegetables? In this freezing weather? Everything you plant will just die,” Lin Zhen said skeptically.
Song Wei shot him a glare. “I haven’t even started planting yet, and your mouth is already cursing them dead.”
Lin Zhen: … He was just stating the facts. Why was she getting mad?
“I know it’s too cold to grow vegetables outside, which is why I’m using the room instead,” Song Wei explained, her movements never stopping as she carried more soil inside.
“When we heat the kang in that room, it’ll warm the entire space. Once it’s warm enough, it’ll be like another season in there. The vegetables will grow just fine.”
Hearing this, Lin Zhen’s interest was piqued. “Will it really work? What are you planting?”
“I don’t know if it’ll work or not,” Song Wei admitted honestly.
Lin Zhen placed the wolf pups on the ground, letting them toddle along behind the adults. “Then why do you sound so confident?”
“Because I’m willing to try.”
While cooking wasn’t her forte, Song Wei was confident in her farming skills. With some knowledge from her past life, related books she had read, and the farming tips she’d picked up from the aunts in the village, she decided to experiment. Without access to greenhouses, she thought using a warm room might suffice.
“Alright, let’s see what happens,” Lin Zhen said, rolling up his sleeves. “What are we planting? I’ll help.”
Instead of discouraging her, he jumped in to assist.
“These are the seeds I collected from the village and bought in town,” Song Wei said, handing him a variety of seeds.
“Carrots, tomatoes, eggplants, green peppers, lettuce, bok choy, leeks…”
She collected a good collection of vegetable seeds. The room was spacious, so she set up 20 bamboo frames, each about half a meter wide and two meters long, neatly arranged in rows. When the ground space wasn’t enough, she and Lin Zhen built a wooden rack to stack the frames in two layers, maximizing the use of the room.
“If only we had a greenhouse, this wouldn’t be so troublesome,” Song Wei sighed.
It’s a waste of a room. Fortunately, Lin Zhen lives alone. Even when Heidan occasionally stayed over, he shared a bed with Lin Zhen, leaving the extra room available for Song Wei’s experiment. At the educated youth dormitory, her space was too small for such a project.
The two of them worked tirelessly the entire day, finally planting all the seeds.
After dinner, Song Wei prepared to head back to the dormitory. “I’ll come back in a couple of days to check on the plants.”
“Not tomorrow?” Lin Zhen asked.
Song Wei’s expression grew serious as she replied, “No, it’s not appropriate for me to visit you every day before we’re married.”
Lin Zhen seized the moment. “Then when are we getting married?”
Song Wei met his gaze. “I don’t know.”
Neither of them had experience in relationships, let alone marriage, and without elders to guide them, they were clueless about how to proceed with an engagement or wedding.
But Lin Zhen caught onto the key point in her response: Song Wei was willing to marry him.
Feeling as if he’d been hit by a wave of joy, Lin Zhen hobbled over to her on his injured leg. “So… you’re ready to marry me?”
Song Wei, ever straightforward, nodded. “Yes, I think it’s time.”
Without hesitation, Lin Zhen said, “I’ll talk to Great-Aunt tomorrow to choose a date for our engagement. Once my leg heals, we’ll get married immediately.”
For such an important day, Lin Zhen wanted to stand before her properly, giving her the dignity and respect she deserved.
Song Wei tilted her head, her bright, rosy face breaking into a smile. “Alright.”
Overwhelmed with excitement, Lin Zhen suddenly lifted her into his arms with surprising strength.
Perched on his arm, Song Wei laughed joyfully, her elevated view adding to the exhilaration. Snowflakes fell gently around them, creating a picturesque and serene atmosphere.
Nearby, Heidan and the wolf pups circled around them, cheering.
“Big Sister Song is going to marry Big Brother! She’ll be our new sister-in-law!” Heidan exclaimed.
“Awwooo!”
Even the young sika deer in the pen seemed to join the excitement with a happy cry.
The yard was lively and cheerful, but eventually, Song Wei had to leave.
Lin Zhen insisted on walking her back.
That night, as Lin Zhen lay on the kang, he found himself too excited to sleep.
He considered waking Great-Aunt to discuss wedding preparations but decided against disturbing her at such a late hour. Instead, he got up and retrieved his savings.
Over the years, he had saved over 3,400 yuan from mission bonuses, allowances, and compensation for his injury.
In this era, such an amount was a small fortune.
Lin Zhen vowed to make sure Song Wei wouldn’t feel slighted. He planned to renovate his house and ensure they had all the essentials, including the “three rounds and one sound” (bicycle, watch, sewing machine, and radio).
The next morning, Lin Zhen woke early, despite barely sleeping four hours. Braving the wind and snow, he headed to his Great-Aunt’s house to discuss wedding plans.
Meanwhile, at the educated youth dormitory, Song Wei and Su Fang were preparing breakfast when unexpected visitors arrived.
To Song Wei’s surprise, the entire Luo family, including their son-in-law, showed up.
Without hesitation, Luo’s mother-in-law reached for Su Fang’s food, her eyes blazing with greed.
“You wretched girl! Eating so well here while your husband is starving at home! Do you even have a shred of decency as a wife?” she barked.
Before her hand could grab the coarse bread, Song Wei grabbed a stool and swung it at her.
“What do you think you’re doing? Are you a thief just out of prison, coming here to rob us?”
The old woman yelped, barely dodging, though the stool still grazed her arm.
“What’s wrong with you? This is my daughter-in-law’s food, and it’s my right to discipline her. What business is it of yours?”
Song Wei smirked and bit into a steamed bun. “If you want to act shameless, don’t blame me for using harsh words.”
In the corner, Su Fang trembled, her face pale and body rigid. Despite her inner resolve not to fear the Luo family, her ingrained terror of them remained deeply rooted, manifesting uncontrollably like a waking nightmare.
Luo Dazhuang stormed over, grabbing Su Fang’s arm. “You dare not come home? You slut! Are you planning to run off with one of these male educated youth? I’ll kill you!”
Leave a Reply