Chapter 2147: The Amazing Daily Life of the Bountiful Farm 18

The bard's song awakens the morning, and the farm plunges back into busyness.

Lin Mian had no time for the dark circles under his eyes; he washed up hastily, put on his work clothes, and walked out of the wooden hut.

He mentally planned today's tasks, and his steps quickened unconsciously.

Jin Chen stood in the courtyard, holding a bowl of steaming hot porridge, and saw Lin Mian approach.

"Kunkun, have breakfast."

Lin Mian took the bowl, gulped a few mouthfuls hastily, then set it down: "Uncle Li will come to pick up the first batch of goods the day after tomorrow; we need to harvest as quickly as possible these two days and store the fresh produce in the warehouse."

Jin Chen immediately said, "You're too tired; I can help you speed up the harvest with magic."

Lin Mian's motion of holding the bowl paused slightly.

He lowered his eyes, shook his head, and said firmly, "No need; magic may be convenient, but it always feels like something's missing."

Jin Chen looked somewhat surprised at Lin Mian's busy back as he rose.

He keenly sensed something odd.

It's just harvesting; Lin Mian would never have refused before.

But though he was puzzled, Jin Chen didn't dwell on it, rolled up his sleeves alongside his wife, and got to work.

But with the sun high overhead, they not only had to busy themselves with harvesting, but also had other farm chores to do, and more importantly.

Jin Chen noticed that Lin Mian wasn't paying much attention to him.

This is a huge deal.

Jin Chen drove off Keluoni who insisted on singing a song in the field, grabbed Lin Mian's wrist, and said, "All right, Lin Kunkun."

"You're already exhausted today; leave the rest to me."

Lin Mian lifted his gaze, saw magic flickering in the planting area, and a hint of wistfulness flashed in his eyes.

He said nothing, merely set down his shovel silently and continued working with his head down.

Another day passed, noon arrived.

Sunlight spilled onto the front of the farm's wooden hut, and the air was filled with the aroma of spicy beef.

Jin Chen bustled in the kitchen, stir-frying beef in the pot; the scents of chili and Sichuan pepper mingled, whetting the appetite.

He also specially prepared a plate of refreshing fruit salad to cut the greasiness, as well as the fruit jam and wheat buns that the elves loved most.

Keluoni and Taila had long been seated at the table; Keluoni waved his chopsticks eagerly, a half‑baked bun still in his mouth, while Taila, though maintaining a composed demeanor, ate faster than anyone, her cheeks puffed like a squirrel hoarding nuts.

Lin Mian, however, was somewhat absent‑minded.

The black cat leapt onto Lin Mian's lap and rubbed its head against his hand.

Jin Chen noticed Lin Mian's silence, set down his chopsticks, and asked softly, "Kunkun, are you tired?"

Lin Mian lifted his head, glanced at Jin Chen, nodded, and did not deny it.

He voluntarily leaned against Jin Chen's shoulder and closed his eyes.

Jin Chen said nothing more, merely patted Lin Mian's back gently and said softly, "All right, lean on me and sleep a while."

——

Still something felt off.

Even if Jin Chen were slow‑witted, he still sensed something, but having asked twice, Lin Mian each time brushed it off with affectionate contact.

On the night before Uncle Li came to collect the goods.

The warehouse.

Jin Chen came to this place and indeed found Lin Mian napping here.

Although the evening's work was done, Jin Chen had waited for Lin Mian to finish washing up so they could talk properly; instead, after bathing, Lin Mian ran to the warehouse to take stock of the supplies.

He walked over, gently and carefully cradled Lin Mian in his arms, fearful of waking him.

Lin Mian's body gradually relaxed, leaning against Jin Chen's shoulder.

He entered the wooden hut, laid Lin Mian on the bed, and gently covered him with a blanket.

Lin Mian blinked open his eyes dazedly, saw Jin Chen standing at the bedside, and muttered hoarsely, "Jin Chen, you……"

Jin Chen sat on the bedside, innocent‑looking, and said, "I'm tired too; I want to sleep together with Kunkun."

Lin Mian shook his head. "No."

Jin Chen froze for a moment.

Lin Mian realized what he had said, came to his senses, turned his head to avoid Jin Chen's gaze, and unconsciously clenched the coarse‑blanket.

【Detected Villain Heartthrob Value +5, total 51!】

Jin Chen:?

Why did those words ultimately get swallowed back?

Without finding the cause, asking a third time would be useless.

It infuriated him.

"Hmph, then I'll sleep alone."

Jin Chen turned and walked away.

From the room came Lin Mian's soft sigh.

He got out of bed, pulled that story collection from the drawer, flipped another page, trying to find something.

After a long while, Lin Mian thought of that pair of lost green eyes, and couldn't focus on anything.

He went out and knocked on Jin Chen's door.

The wooden door swished open.

Jin Chen deliberately put on a stern face: "Even if you come over, I won't sleep with you."

Lin Mian merely stepped forward, wrapped his arms around Jin Chen's waist, and gave him a firm hug.

"Sorry." Lin Mian looked up at him, "Give me some time, but don't be upset."

Having said that, Lin Mian turned and went back to the room.

Jin Chen: "……ah?"

——

On the day the agritourism gathering's meal began, Lin Mian personally went to deliver the last batch of produce.

And Boss Song also came to the fruit orchard today to haul goods, while Jin Chen went over to watch the excitement.

At the fruit orchard entrance, two trucks were parked; Boss Song and Old Master stood beside them, directing workers to move the boxed fruit.

Jiang Ji laughed brightly, saying, "Boss Song, rest assured, this batch of fruit is absolutely as good as the ones we sampled before!"

Old Master leaned on his cane, narrowed his eyes at the fruit in the boxes, suddenly reached out and picked up an apple, bringing it close to smell.

"This taste…… seems a bit off?"

Qin Zong's expression shifted slightly, but he quickly covered it up: "Old Master, you're overthinking it."

He changed the subject: "This is the planting method my father taught; you should still remember it, right?"

Old Master grunted and said nothing more.

Jin Chen and Ling Gun Gun, up in the tree, locked eyes.

"Is Qin Zong's father in this village?"

【No way, the plot isn't like this…】

Before Ling Gun Gun could finish speaking, Jin Chen covered her mouth: "Wait, I get it."

The language of the dream and the two fruits from that stall finally connected in Jin Chen's mind, and he suddenly understood.

Jin Chen's figure vanished on the spot.

When he reappeared, he walked from the fruit orchard entrance carrying a basket filled with bright red tomatoes and various melons and fruits.

"Jin Chen?" Jiang Ji almost bit his tongue.

"What are you doing here!"

Qin Zong gets angry whenever he sees this person.

Jin Chen: "You didn't send those misshapen melons and jujubes to the farm before, did you? Tit for tat."

Old Master was drawn by that splash of red, tottering over to look: "These tomatoes… not bad quality!"

Boss Song also noticed the anomaly; the tomatoes and strawberries in Jin Chen's basket had glossy skins, with fresh fuzz still on the stems,

while the fruit in the orchard's boxes, though uniformly round and glossy, looked waxed and utterly lifeless.

Jin Chen took the opportunity to slip a farm strawberry into Old Master's hand: "Try this."

As Old Master bit into the flesh, the sweet‑tart juice mingled with the dew's sweetness and burst open; his cloudy eyes suddenly brightened.

Qin Zong's forehead veins bulged as he suddenly lunged forward to snatch Jin Chen's basket.

Jin Chen sidestepped, his fingertips lightly grazing the wooden crate on the truck.

Vines suddenly sprouted from the box's base, grew wildly, wrapped around the lid and flung it open with a crash—piles of fruit tumbled to the ground, skins intact but wherever they touched the earth they quickly blackened and rotted, black mist rising.