Chapter 13 Lack of Romantic Understanding

Chapter 13 Lack of Romantic Understanding

It was a bit hot, so Shen Zhixia opened the door to let in some fresh air. She also washed the dishes on the table. Just as she finished cleaning up, Zhang Weihong from next door burst in.

"Xiao Shen!" Zhang Weihong clutched a package of oil paper in her hand, her face flushed with excitement. "The army has distributed seeds! Green beans, cucumbers, and tomatoes. I specially saved some for you."

She placed the oil paper package on the stone table, then took out a crumpled piece of paper from her pocket. "Look, this is the allocation list. I heard these are all new varieties."

Shen Zhixia was somewhat surprised. Her fingertips gently traced the oil paper package. Before she transmigrated into the book, she was a student at the Academy of Agricultural Sciences and had grown vegetables herself, and she had grown them quite well.

Although she quite enjoyed growing vegetables, she still declined, saying, "Sister Zhang, I can't accept this. If you give me the seeds, you won't have enough for yourself."

"Don't be so polite with me!" Aunt Zhang said, holding her hand with sincerity. "I've been growing vegetables in my yard all along, so I don't need that many seeds. Your yard, on the other hand, is quite empty, so you can grow more vegetables."

She pointed to her own yard, where the cucumber vines on the bamboo trellis were lush and green, much more robust than those of other yards.

In this era of food scarcity, many people would grow some vegetables in their yards. Shen Zhixia had only been there a short time, and her yard also had a plot of land that was still empty.

Shen Zhixia smiled and nodded, then unfolded the allocation list and examined it carefully.

"These tomato seeds are a hybrid variety, which has a high yield but is susceptible to waterlogging."

As she looked around, she said, "My land is still barren. I need to build raised ridges first, and then dig drainage ditches. Beans can be intercropped with corn, which can provide shade and fix nitrogen. I might need to ask you for help then."

Her voice was soft yet firm, as if she had returned to her school days. When she was in college, her graduation project was to grow corn. She had worked hard for a year, and the corn was growing very well. Unfortunately, a greedy junior picked it and cooked it, and her graduation project was ruined.

Zhang Weihong listened intently, then suddenly slapped her thigh: "That's right! Now that you mention it, I understand. Xiao Shen, I thought you were from the city and didn't know how to grow vegetables. I didn't expect you to know so much."

Her eyes sparkled. "It seems that when I grow vegetables, I'll have to ask you for advice."

Shen Zhixia said earnestly, "Although I grew up in the city, I still learned how to grow vegetables. I am no different from those working women in the fields. It's just that they work in the fields, while I learn theoretical knowledge."

Zhang Weihong nodded. She had been worried that Shen Zhixia, being a capitalist's daughter, wouldn't be able to get along with them. It turned out that Xiao Shen and she were the same. No wonder they hit it off so well.

Shen Zhixia then humbly added, "Of course, I'm just talking theory; I can't compare to a farmer who's spent his whole life working the land. There's still a lot I need to learn about growing vegetables."

After Zhang Weihong left, Shen Zhixia put the seeds aside. If she wanted to plant vegetables, she had to loosen the soil in the yard first. She also saw that there were weeds in the soil, so she had to remove them.

Shen Zhixia said she would wait for Huo Chenzhou to return.

This wait lasted a very long time.

He got off work especially late today.

In the end, she fell asleep without realizing it.

It was completely dark outside.

Shen Zhixia vaguely heard someone taking off their clothes next to her, and the bed sank as someone lay down to sleep.

As she regained some consciousness, she scooted closer to the man and snuggled into his arms, her hands reaching out to touch him all over.

"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell again?"

In the darkness, Huo Chenzhou's voice was particularly hoarse. He immediately grabbed Shen Zhixia's arm, preventing her from making any movement.

Dissatisfied, Shen Zhixia stretched out her foot to kick him again, but her foot was also suppressed.

"Stop it..."

The man patted her back, pulled her hand away, and then moved his body back to the edge of the bed, far away from her, as if she were a bacterium.

Shen Zhixia: "?"

She was furious.

She refused to believe that Huo Chenzhou hadn't understood her hints during the day. She had even specifically asked Huo Chenzhou to come back earlier, but now he was so far away from her.

Since that was the case, she turned her back and went to sleep, fuming.

This man is so clueless about romance.

One day, she'll make this guy kneel down and beg her to sleep with him, hmph!

The next day, Shen Zhixia forgot about the unhappy things from the previous night. She had been observing for many days, and her first attempt at starting a fire was a success. She cooked a large pot of porridge.

She wondered if it was just her imagination, but she felt that the rice from that era was especially fragrant, a flavor that was not found in later generations.

When Huo Chenzhou returned in the afternoon, Shen Zhixia told him about the seeds: "When you have time, could you turn over that patch of land in the yard? I'm planning to plant some vegetables."

"good."

Huo Chenzhou agreed readily, as if he wouldn't offer any opinions no matter what Shen Zhixia did.

He actually felt that growing vegetables had nothing to do with Shen Zhixia, and that Shen Zhixia definitely wouldn't like growing vegetables.

She guessed it was just a passing interest.

But as long as Shen Zhixia wants to do it, he will support her.

After finishing his meal, Huo Chenzhou went to the backyard. He rolled up the sleeves of his military uniform, revealing the firm muscles on his forearms. As he wielded the hoe, his bronze skin gleamed healthily in the sunlight.

He deliberately changed into a faded old shirt, the collar wide open, revealing the old bullet scar below his collarbone, like a pale centipede crawling on his wheat-colored skin.

Shen Zhixia sat under the eaves enjoying the cool air, her gaze unconsciously falling on him. His shirt was already soaked through, clinging tightly to his back, outlining the smooth lines of his back. Every time he exerted force with his waist and abdomen, his arms were as steady as a rock, the hoe was deeply driven into the soil, and then he flipped it over, bringing up the grass roots hidden underground.

As the sun began to set, Huo Chenzhou finally straightened up and wiped the sweat from his brow with his sleeve.

Shen Zhixia beckoned to him, and he came over. His collar was soaked with sweat and turned dark gray, with irregular sweat stains on his front.

She handed him an enamel mug filled with warm water.

Huo Chenzhou unbuttoned the top two buttons, revealing his prominent Adam's apple, which rolled up and down as he swallowed, looking somewhat sexy.

"Let's not do anything today, there's no rush to plant vegetables anyway," Shen Zhixia said softly.

Huo Chenzhou turned to look at her, his gaze sweeping over her lower abdomen. A smile appeared on his face. He suddenly tilted his head back and gulped down several mouthfuls of water. His Adam's apple bobbed rapidly, and the water slid down his jawline into his collar, forming a bright streak at his collarbone.

He was looking forward to the birth of this little life, so he wouldn't touch Shen Zhixia during her pregnancy. Even if the doctor said it was safe, he had to be careful and absolutely couldn't let any accidents happen.

This is his and Shen Zhixia's first child, and he can't let anything happen to the child.

He will ensure the child is born safely and then raise the child to adulthood.