Chapter 140: Living Together, Never Seeing Each Other

Mu Nan Zhao, facing death and turning danger into safety, was originally a great joy.

But Gu Xixi's family had little celebratory atmosphere.

Because from that day on, Gu Xixi began to be busy.

While tending the fruit trees, there was also spring sowing.

Eight hired workers led by Chen Dafu continued to work for Gu Xixi this year, including tending winter wheat, spring sowing soybeans and sorghum, and managing the fruit trees, from early spring to late autumn, so both parties drew up a new contract.

Besides managing her own fields and the tea-tree experimental plot, Gu Xixi also had to oversee every household's Pinpo Guoyuan in the village.

After all, it was the first year for everyone, lacking experience, and they used a novel intercropping method; at the start, various big and small problems kept emerging.

One moment someone would call Gu Xixi to check the orchard, the next moment another would raise a different issue.

Gu Xixi became like a brick, moved wherever needed.

Fortunately, several families were very **, discovering problems they promptly sought advice humbly and could strictly follow Gu Xixi's instructions, so overall the situation proceeded as planned.

And Mu Nan Zhao's body also quickly improved.

He had a good constitution to begin with, and over the past six months he had consumed who knows how many good medicinal herbs from Lao Langzhong.

Once detoxified, it was like a phoenix reborn from ashes, the speed of recovery astonishing.

Only five days had passed when Mu Nan Zhao went out.

During this period of illness, many matters and many people were waiting for him.

Then Mu Nan Zhao and Gu Xixi each began to be busy with their own affairs.

They each left at dawn and returned home only after dark, one after another.

Each ate the meals left by Zhang Shen, then returned to their rooms and fell asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillow.

Even for several consecutive days, Gu Xixi and Mu Nan Zhao lived under the same roof yet never ran into each other.

Recently the temperature rose too quickly; Qin Dasao's family's indigo sprouted early, and Gu Xixi went in the evening to her orchard to instruct how to handle it, staying busy until the bright moon rose before returning home.

In the kitchen two winnowing baskets were covered, holding two identical meals.

Two sesame-salt soft flatbreads, one bowl of vegetables.

Gu Xixi looked and knew that Mu Nan Zhao had not yet returned tonight.

She took out one meal, too lazy to reheat, and ate it straight away.

Zhang Shen heard the commotion from inside the house, came to the kitchen, saw Gu Xixi wolfing down her food, and inevitably felt pity.

"Why do you keep coming back later and later?"

"Day after day like this, can your body take it?"

Gu Xixi laughed, "I'm still young; after eating my fill and sleeping a night I recover."

Zhang Shen sized her up and said, "You've gotten a bit thinner; tomorrow I'll weigh out several jin of big-bone meat and stew it for you."

She saw the other basket still covered and sighed, "One or two not coming home, our household is now like an inn—everyone only comes back to sleep."

Now that there are hired workers at home, Gu Xixi worries about Zhang Shen's daily cooking hardship, so she doesn't let her work in the fields.

Since Lao Langzhong came to Huachi Du Cun, his reputation has gradually spread, and he is often invited to see patients elsewhere.

Thus Zhang Shen stays at home the longest, inevitably feeling lonely.

Gu Xixi chuckled, "Once this period passes, we'll be able to relax a bit."

She also asked, "And Shitou? When he's at home he can always keep you company."

Zhang Shen said, "Shitou is still practicing calligraphy now, saying the teacher will have an exam tomorrow morning."

Gu Xixi started, she had been so busy lately she hadn't paid attention to other matters; knowing Mu Nan Zhao was also busy and often away from home, she had thought the village school had recently suspended classes.

Gu Xixi asked, "Chen Fang… hasn't he been going out a lot lately? Does he still go to the village school?"

"Yes," Zhang Shen nodded, "except on days off, he goes every day."

"After finishing lessons for the kids, he leaves and doesn't even return home."

Zhang Shen paused, looked at Gu Xixi doubtfully, and said, "How come you don't know?"

Gu Xixi ate while covering up, vaguely saying, "Oh, I've been busy lately, haven't run into him."

Zhang Shen worried, "They're not even married yet, and the young couple doesn't see each other nor miss each other—how can this be?"

She had originally wanted to bring up the old topic again, urging Gu Xixi to consider marriage soon.

But seeing Gu Xixi's weary expression, Zhang Shen swallowed the words back.

Never mind; for now there are too many things troubling Gu Xixi, so better to set it aside for the moment.

After another ten days, the Pinpo Guoyuan trees put out their first tender shoots.

In the orchard, the intercropped other crops grew well, and the chicks and ducklings also grew stiff feathers.

Several families' faces showed hopeful smiles, and they worked with greater vigor.

Gu Xixi received a letter.

Seeing that the envelope lacked a specific address, she knew the letter had been sent from the Northwest Army camp.

Gu Xixi handed the hoe to someone else, went to a secluded spot, and opened the letter.

The handwriting that met her eyes was messy and flying; she couldn't help but purse her lips and smile.

No matter how many times one looks at General Meng's handwriting, one cannot help but sigh, "seeing the letter is like seeing the person."

The letter's content is actually a receipt.

It specifically said that the Northwest Army's spring reclamation and planting had been declared completed.

The three crops—oats, alfalfa, and millet—were carried out strictly according to Gu Xixi's teachings, from planting area to sowing method and water/fertilizer use.

Meng Chengping also added two long paragraphs at the end, describing how his farming process several times turned the tide.

And to reassure Gu Xixi, he said that whether it was the Northwest Army's fields or her fruit trees, with him watching over them, there would absolutely be no mishap.

Gu Xixi finished reading the letter and fell into contemplation for a moment.

Oh no, seeing Meng Chengping say that, I'm even more worried, alright!

At that moment, a noisy clamor came from Qin Dasao's orchard.

Gu Xixi put away the letter and rushed over, seeing Qin Dasao clutching the old bachelor's clothes and yelling at him:

"You black-hearted monkey, stepping on my family's Bupleurum seedlings and still reaching out to break off my family's fruit tree sprouts, caught red-handed by me, and you still have the nerve to say you didn't see, as if everyone else is as blind and rotten-lunged as you!"

The old bachelor writhed like a twisted sugar candy, saying, "Who knows what you're planting on the ground? I thought it was just weeds growing in the woods! It wasn't intentional!"

Qin Dasao's eyebrows shot up, "Not intentional? Then you've been sneaking around my orchard lately, and you still claim you're not up to no good?!"

I think you just can't stand to see others do well, deliberately causing damage!

The older the people, the more of them came to see the excitement after hearing the noise.

The old bachelor glanced at the onlookers, straightened his back, and said, "Whoever caused the damage, if you have no evidence, don't spout blood to slander people!"

Let go, I only have this one good set of clothes; if you tear it, you'll have to pay for it!

Qin Dasao struck the old bachelor's feet with a stick, saying as she hit, "Isn't this evidence? The evidence is right under your feet—move aside! Move aside!"

The old bachelor, being struck, kept lifting his feet, and hurriedly jumped onto the empty ridge beside him.

This should be fine now, just a step, it won't kill.

The onlookers were fine, just watching the excitement; Qian Daxian was also here, also a fruit-growing household, and she also felt a bit wary.

Then you've been sneaking glances around lately—how do you explain that?

Qian Daxian is the village chief's wife; the old bachelor didn't dare openly oppose her, so he had to explain:

I'm just curious.

Everybody says these fruit trees won't grow, and even if planted they won't bear fruit, so I just wanted to see.