Chapter 121: Mid-Spring

Chen Shu: 【File】

Chen Shu: Password 9527

Chen Shu: No rush, you can find a Martial Artist to engrave it and test its performance first, then we can talk about the money.

Chen Shu: /sleepy

Li Leitai received your file.

Li Leitai: Straightforward.

……

The first lunar month gradually passed.

The chill began to recede, and the weather grew warmer.

The first day of the second lunar month.

Spell Mathematics class.

Chen Shu sat by the window, propping up his chin and listening to the lecture attentively.

The spring sunshine was very comfortable. Chen Shu was only wearing a long-sleeved T-shirt. He had washed his hair in the morning, and it was quite flowing. The sunlight shone warmly on his face. He couldn't help but turn his head to look out the window. A centuries-old tree just happened to stretch its branches up, and a teacher's child was riding a small bicycle in circles below. In a daze, it felt as if the season of lush grass and singing orioles had already arrived.

"That's all for today's class...

"I'll assign some homework. Everyone open your textbooks to page five, questions two, four, and six, and page seven, test questions one and two. I hope everyone can find time to complete these questions after going back and send them to me on Flying Letter so I can understand everyone's learning progress."

You see, how annoying; even after getting into university, one still has to do homework.

Chen Shu didn't write down the homework because the class monitor was very diligent and would always copy the homework questions and post them in the class group.

"Two minutes left, you all can go!"

The tall mathematics teacher was the first to leave the classroom. Chen Shu also picked up his book and stood up. Turning the corner out of the door was the staircase. Following the stairs down, the branches outside the balcony became more lush with every floor he descended. By the time he saw the tree trunk, he had reached the ground floor.

Only then did the bell ring.

Yet he couldn't help but stop in his tracks.

The peach blossoms in the academy had bloomed.

Flowers blossomed one by one on the branches, which had only just sprouted new buds.

Can I go buy new tea in a while?

Chen Shu thought this to himself, then took a step again, heading toward the next classroom.

Of course, the kind of new tea you drink.

Afternoon.

Zhilan Garden.

Chen Shu stood before the gate of Qingqing Small Courtyard. With a flick of his finger, his Spirit Power pushed open the gate latch. He then pushed the door and walked in. A graceful figure was busy in the courtyard. She was carrying a very large watering can, giving the flowers and plants in the yard their first watering of spring with Spirit Fertilizer.

"Morning, Qingqing."

Chen Shu turned around and closed the courtyard gate.

"It's afternoon."

Qingqing glanced at him and continued to lower her head to water the plants.

Qingqing wasn't wearing much today either—a thin, form-fitting light gray knit top that outlined the curves of her full chest and slender waist.

The sunlight was somewhat dazzling but not scorching. The water poured from the sprinkler head shimmered, slowly being absorbed by the soil. Some water hung on the flower branches, and the flowers had also grown bud points, green and tender. Water droplets loved to linger on the bud points, shining in the sunlight.

A little white cat followed her around foolishly.

"They've sprouted."

"Mm."

"How long until they bloom?"

"Some are fast, some are slow."

"What about the fast ones?"

"This month."

"So fast?"

"With Spirit Fertilizer applied, they grow very quickly in spring."

"Oh..."

Chen Shu sat down to the side, stretched out his legs, and stretched his back, calmly admiring the scene.

The first round of watering had to be thorough, and fertilizer and medicine had to be added. These flowers were all large seedlings; a ten-liter pot of water was mostly used up on just one or two pots.

Thus, Ning Qing had to run back and forth.

Fortunately, she was very patient.

However, there was a faucet in the courtyard, and Ning Qing had also bought a hose and a sprinkler head. Once there was no need to mix fertilizer into the water later on, she wouldn't have to keep running back and forth with the watering can and bucket, which would be much more convenient.

"Hah~~"

Chen Shu yawned.

At this moment, Ning Qing turned her head, as if she couldn't stand his leisure, and said to him: "Bring that bucket over and help me mix the water. Add twenty grams of the Spirit Fertilizer I prepared to each bucket—that's the big glass jar—and ten grams each of the antibacterial and anti-pest medicine. Fill the water to two-thirds of the bucket."

The little white cat also turned its head and stared at Chen Shu.

"Sigh..."

Chen Shu sighed and stood up helplessly.

Following the instructions of his leader, Qingqing, he mixed a bucket of water for her. When she came over, he poured the water directly into her watering can. This bucket was fifteen liters, and two-thirds of it was just enough to fill the watering can in her hand, while he continued to mix the next bucket.

Watering like this was actually very troublesome and time-consuming.

But Ning Qing was very leisurely.

Chen Shu watched as she carried pot after pot of water to the flowers, then stood still, tilting the watering can to let the water sprinkle down evenly. Sometimes she would lower her head and quietly watch the water soak into the soil; other times she would look elsewhere, motionless, not knowing what she was thinking about.

Taozi sat upright beside her, lifting its paw from time to time to lick it.

The afternoon hours were slowly whittled away.

"Taozi."

"?"

Taozi turned its head to stare at Chen Shu, even tilting its head slightly.

"Come here."

Chen Shu beckoned to it.

Taozi watched him and pondered for a few seconds; perhaps thinking there was nothing else to do anyway, it glanced at Ning Qing again before slowly walking toward him.

Once Taozi drew near, Chen Shu reached out to stroke its little head. The fur on Taozi's body was finer and softer than that of an ordinary cat, feeling very comfortable to touch. Seeing it squint its eyes slightly, Chen Shu scratched its chin:

"Look."

"Woof~"

Taozi opened its eyes and peered at him.

Chen Shu used his palm to scoop a bit of light blue water from the bucket and placed it in front of Taozi. Meeting its puzzled gaze, he said, "Look, this water has had this Spirit Fertilizer added to it; it's so nutritious. If you give it to flowers, they'll grow like crazy and bloom into beautiful flowers. I also added these two types of medicine. After adding one, they won't get sick, and after adding the other, there won't be any little bugs. You should drink some too; if you drink it, you'll be healthy and strong and grow up fast."

As he spoke, he moved his hand closer to Taozi.

Taozi took two steps back, still sitting upright, and looked up, staring straight at him.

"Really!"

Chen Shu tried to convince the little thing.

But the little thing turned around and ran back to Ning Qing's feet. It stood up on its hind legs, gently tugged at Ning Qing's jeans with its paw, and turned its head to stare at Chen Shu.

Ning Qing also looked toward Chen Shu, her eyes devoid of emotion.

"It's useless..."

Chen Shu stretched again:

"Tattling is useless too."

Neither the person nor the cat paid him any mind.

A bit boring.

Chen Shu took out his Mobile Phone and saw that the class monitor had already sent the math homework problems to the group chat. He felt another headache coming on—he was so busy spacing out, where would he find the time to do this math homework?

"..."

Long press, forward.

Qingqing finally finished watering the flowers.

Afterward, she went to turn the soil in that small patch of empty ground in the corner, planted scallions and garlic, sprinkled some soaked cilantro seeds, and poured a little water-based fertilizer before putting the watering can and bucket into the side room. She took out her Mobile Phone, glanced at it, and asked Chen Shu:

"What did you send me?"

"Homework."

"What homework?"

"Spell Mathematics homework, help me do it."

"..." Ning Qing was silent for a moment, somewhat puzzled, "Why did I do your homework when I was little, do your homework when I grew up, and now that we are both in university, in different majors, and at different schools, I still have to do your homework?"

"Asking so many whys is so tiring, be a good girl, hurry up and write it."

"No!"

"Oh, I've been busy lately, I don't have time to do homework... Besides, didn't I just help you mix the water-based fertilizer!"

"Busy with what?"

"Earning money for the bride price."

"I don't accept a bride price, so the question arises—" Ning Qing looked at him calmly, "Whose bride price money are you earning?"

"Yours."

"Can't be bothered with you."

"Remember to do it for me."

"..."

Ning Qing washed her hands and walked back into the house.

Chen Shu followed her inside.

The little girl was holding a bag of potato chips in her arms, sitting properly on the sofa watching television. Her legs were pressed together, and she was wearing flip-flops, her little feet exquisite and cute, with crunching sounds coming from her mouth.

After her brother-in-law and sister walked in, she turned her head to face her brother-in-law, but her gaze remained locked diagonally on the television while she offered the potato chips to her brother-in-law.

"Brother-in-law, do you want some potato chips?"

Chen Shu reached out and took them, grabbed two pieces, and handed them back to her.

"Brother-in-law, what do you want to watch?"

"I'm not watching."

"Oh."

The little girl continued to eat her potato chips, watching the grievances and romances of the exotic beast family in the documentary, until her sister's voice sounded in her ear—

"Have you finished your homework?"

"?"

The little girl's delicate brows immediately furrowed tightly, and she acted as if she hadn't heard.

This woman was a bit detestable.

"I am asking you."

"I'm done!"

"What have you been taught during these few days of training?"

"Competition questions!"

"Have you learned Spell Mathematics?"

"I have always been learning it!"

"That's good."

Ning Qing acted as if she had not heard the dissatisfaction in the little girl's tone, withdrew her gaze, and asked no more.

On the contrary, the little girl savored this sentence, gradually feeling that something was wrong; her fair and delicate brows furrowed tighter and tighter, and she immediately turned to look at her sister, but by this time her sister had already turned and gone upstairs, so she could not discern anything from it.

The little girl was secretly vigilant, racking her brains.

But she could not figure it out no matter how hard she thought.

Fortunately, her brother-in-law was right there; the person in this world who understood her sister best was her brother-in-law.

So the little girl decisively turned her head, pinched the largest and most intact potato chip and handed it to her brother-in-law's mouth, watched him eat it, and earnestly asked: "Brother-in-law, what do you think my sister meant by asking if I had learned Spell Mathematics?"

"Crunch..."

Chen Shu chewed the potato chip and said against his conscience: "Perhaps she thinks this competition's questions will require using a relatively large amount of Spell Mathematics knowledge."

"Oh!"

So that was it.

I had wronged my sister.

The little girl continued watching television.

However, her purpose in participating in the National Spell Competition was to be specially admitted by an academy in Yujing, and since she had already been specially admitted, she did not take it to heart much; whether she took a ranking or prize money had nothing to do with her—she wasn't afraid of her brother-in-law knowing, but today at training, she had slept on the desk for an hour.

Chen Shu glanced at her and continued scrolling through short videos.

Imperial Capital Life: "Mid-spring has arrived, can the annual Blue Flower Festival be far behind? Are you ready to enjoy the jacaranda flowers with His Majesty?"

xx went sea-foraging and found seafood noodles;

Student Li tricked Santao into painting the walls of the house;

Yujing Youth: "Moonlight Nüxia strikes again? At 4:00 AM on the 30th day of the first lunar month, Yijingshijian, the police received a report from the public and discovered a corpse by the Qingyi River. After rushing to the scene, the police confirmed that the deceased was the superior of Zhao Haojiang, the ringleader of last year's drug trafficking case, and was also a Fifth-tier Practitioner registered with the Mengyue Sect. According to the residual Spirit Power fluctuations and combat traces at the scene, it is speculated that he encountered an unknown Sword Cultivator near the Qingyi River and Yudai Bridge at 1:00 AM and was defeated and killed. The battle lasted about twenty seconds, and the fatal wound was a piercing Sword wound to the head, similar to the habitual methods of Moonlight Nüxia."

Chen Shu had only one thought upon seeing this news—

Moonlight Nüxia is awesome!

He then continued to swipe up.

Picking mushrooms in the mountains...