"Secretary Tian, the water truck is back," Jiao Dajun hopped off the tractor and limped towards Tian Mengyao.
"Uncle Dajun, you go ahead and be busy. I'll water the medicinal herbs we just planted over there." Tian Mengyao hopped onto the tractor and skillfully operated it.
Soon, she drove to the edge of the field, about fifty meters away from the others. Seeing that no one was paying attention to her, Tian Mengyao secretly took out the Tongtian Pot from her chest.
"This Xiao Fan, I told him to use it sparingly. There's only a little left." She shook the Tongtian Pot, listened for a moment, and said unhappily.
But having some was better than none. Tian Mengyao climbed onto the truck bed, quickly opened the lid of the water tank, and then inverted the Tongtian Pot.
Drip, drip!
The mysterious green liquid dripped into the water, drop by drop. Compared to the water in the entire tank, the green liquid was pitifully small, dissolving into the water as soon as it dripped in.
"I wonder how effective it will be." Tian Mengyao only put the Tongtian Pot away after it was completely empty and no more drops could come out. She stared at the massive water tank in a daze.
"Secretary Tian, what are you busy with? Do you need any help?" The villagers, unwilling to let the delicate Tian Mengyao do the heavy lifting, enthusiastically came to help.
"I need to water the fields. You all can lend a hand." Tian Mengyao called for everyone to work together, carrying buckets of the mountain spring water, now with added ingredients, to the fields.
The dry, clear spring water was poured onto the young banlangen seedlings by the hardworking villagers with ladles. Tian Mengyao stared intently at the tender green leaves, filled with anticipation.
---
In the afternoon.
Lin Fan treated over a dozen patients and finally had some free time, sitting on the armchair to rest. The big bone noodles at noon were delicious, and he felt a bit too full, his stomach constantly bloated. Tian Mengyao had also said that this was just an appetizer, and after the farm work in the mountains was done, she planned to host a three-day banquet for everyone to eat to their heart's content. Thinking about this, Lin Fan couldn't help but laugh. Tian Mengyao was indeed good at currying favor. The compensation from Wang Quezi was actually being used to treat everyone. But it didn't matter to him; he didn't care about such trivial matters.
"Xiao Fan, are you there?" Xia Xue's voice came from outside the door. She walked into the clinic with a joyful expression.
Lin Fan quickly went to greet her. "Sister-in-law, why are you here?"
"Look at you, what did I tell you at noon?" Xia Xue charmingly rolled her eyes.
"You said... to eat less and come home early tonight." Lin Fan glanced at the setting sun. "Isn't it too early?"
"It's already four-thirty, not early at all." Xia Xue said cheerfully, "I've cooked. Come home with me quickly. Today is our last day staying at Song Yue's house, and we need to thank her properly."
Lin Fan stood there, realizing that his sister-in-law had mentioned moving out several times in the past few days. Although he had repeatedly advised against it, saying that newly renovated houses needed to be aired out for a while to prevent strong odors that could be bad for health, Xia Xue was eager to move. She ignored everything and busied herself moving things back.
"Sister-in-law, we're moving into the new house tonight?"
"Yes! I've already tidied up your room. It's been airing out since morning, and there's absolutely no smell you mentioned."
"Oh." Lin Fan didn't expect this day to come so soon.
They arrived at Song Yue's house and pushed open the courtyard gate. Song Yue was sitting in the living room. The dining table in front of her was filled with fragrant delicacies, but she looked as if her soul had left her body, sitting there blankly, motionless.
As soon as Xia Xue entered, she heard a child crying and was surprised. Was no one home? That was impossible! Song Yue was clearly at home when she left.
"Xiao Yue, are you home? The baby is crying." Xia Xue called out and walked quickly into the living room.
"Kuang!" The door was pushed open forcefully. Song Yue's delicate body trembled, as if waking from a dream.
"Sister Xue'er, you're back."
"Xiao Yue, what are you doing? The baby is crying, and you're not going to check on her." Xia Xue thought for a moment and seemed to understand Song Yue's thoughts. She sighed, feeling helpless.
"Oh..." Song Yue suddenly stood up and hurried towards the bedroom. She didn't notice the stool in front of her and almost tripped.
"Be careful." Xia Xue quickly helped her.
"I'm fine, I just... I didn't sleep well last night and I'm a bit sleepy. Sister Xue'er, I'm really fine." Song Yue emphasized twice that she was alright, but her forced smile made people feel uncomfortable.
"I'll go see the baby." She righted the stool and quickly walked into the bedroom.
Lin Fan stood in the courtyard, hesitating whether to go in. He knew Song Yue was upset and didn't know how to face her.
"Sister Xue'er, the rice is cooking in the kitchen. Go check on it so it doesn't burn dry," Song Yue called out loudly while coaxing the child.
"You, always forgetting things." Xia Xue replied and walked into the courtyard.
Lin Fan's expression was awkward. "I'll go look."
"You don't know how to cook, what do you know?" Xia Xue passed him and entered the kitchen.
Lin Fan lingered, knowing that Song Yue must be waiting for him inside, with many things to say. However, the more it was like this, the more he feared meeting Song Yue.
"Sister-in-law, let me help you." Lin Fan still lacked the courage to meet Song Yue alone and turned towards the kitchen.
The large pot for cooking rice was lifted, and steam rose with the aroma of rice. Xia Xue scooped the rice into a basin with a wooden spatula.
"There's a handful of peanuts buried in the stove fire. I saved them specifically for you. You don't like them fried or boiled, only roasted over the charcoal fire."
"Mm." Lin Fan, unsure of what to do, sat on the small stool by the stove and used a fire poker to rummage through the ashes.
Xia Xue slowly and steadily scooped the rice into the basin. After a long hesitation, she finally spoke, "Xiao Fan, when it's time to cut, cut it."
"Ah?" Lin Fan's hand trembled, and the hot roasted peanuts fell onto his leg.
"Do I need to make myself clearer?" Xia Xue's bright eyes held both resentment and helplessness.
"I..." Lin Fan was so scared he couldn't speak. He had always thought that his affair with Song Yue could be kept a secret. Even if his sister-in-law found out, she wouldn't expose him directly. This situation was completely unexpected.
"What, are you blaming me for saying it out loud?" Xia Xue retorted impatiently. Lin Fan shook his head gently, feeling a mixture of emotions.
"If you feel bad about it, give Song Yue more money. That should compensate her," Xia Xue suggested.
Lin Fan looked up. "Sister-in-law, you don't blame me?"
"What's the use of blaming you? You've already done it, what else can I do?" Xia Xue said indifferently.
"..." Lin Fan didn't know how to respond.
"Alright, let's not talk about these unhappy things. Help me take the rice over." Xia Xue's face was stern as she handed the rice basin to Lin Fan.
"Oh, okay." Lin Fan looked at Xia Xue, who was pretending to be angry, and felt a warmth in his heart.
*Smack!* He kissed Xia Xue on the cheek, took the rice basin, and ran off.
"You rascal!" Xia Xue touched her face and scolded him with a smile.