The season was limited, and the work in the fields still needed to be done.
Despite Shen Yun's delicate and frail appearance, he was surprisingly adept at farm work.
He had never plowed a field before, but when Su Xiaoqi mentioned hiring someone, he insisted on doing it himself.
After watching his elder uncle Zhao Dashan plow a section, he learned by observing.
Under Su Xiaoqi's doubtful gaze, he rolled up his trouser legs and entered the field.
Within two days, the fields were all prepared.
Next came sowing seeds and nurturing seedlings.
This was something Su Xiaoqi could handle.
She had pre-germinated grains and wheat in her spatial dimension. After sowing them in the tilled fields, they only needed to wait for them to grow.
Su Xiaoqi squatted on the field ridge, watching Shen Yun work.
His tall, slender figure was constantly busy, appearing particularly imposing in the setting sun.
Undeniably, he was a good man, capable of serving in court and working in the fields.
If she were to spend her life with him...
Ah, forget it. A lifetime was too long, and it was best not to make promises easily.
Besides, she still wanted to go home.
In the real world, there were people who loved her, and people she loved.
As if sensing Su Xiaoqi's gaze, Shen Yun suddenly turned his head to look at her and walked directly towards her.
Su Xiaoqi blinked and asked if he was done with the work.
Shen Yun leaned closer and gestured to his forehead with his mud-splattered hand, which was covered in sweat.
Su Xiaoqi understood, but she didn't habitually carry a handkerchief.
After a moment's thought, she casually took out the embroidered peony handkerchief that Zhao Xiaohua had given her from her spatial dimension. She leaned forward and dabbed his forehead.
Seeing her awkward movements, Shen Yun leaned closer.
The distance between them suddenly closed.
Their breaths mingled on each other's faces, warm and intimate.
Su Xiaoqi had been wiping his sweat with great seriousness, but Shen Yun's sudden proximity made her blush instantly.
She instinctively stepped back, but it was a narrow field ridge, barely wide enough for one person. As she retreated, she stumbled towards the paddy field behind her.
"Careful," Shen Yun exclaimed, grabbing her quickly.
Startled, Su Xiaoqi fumbled, her hands finding his neck, and their lips met precisely.
If the beginning was an accident, then its continuation was deliberate.
It was all because the soft and sweet scent of the woman in his arms was too captivating.
Unseen, the embroidered peony handkerchief used to wipe sweat was blown away by a mischievous breeze, falling into the nearby paddy field.
It floated with the wind towards the opposite field ridge, where a person was walking along the path.
Seeing the couple embracing intimately not far away, her heart pounded violently, and her slightly thick lips were bitten by her teeth, drawing blood.
She lowered her head, picked up the familiar embroidered peony handkerchief, her eyes filled with venom. With a cold snort, she turned and left.
A kiss seemed to dispel the earlier rift between them, restoring their harmonious relationship.
Su Xiaoqi was delighted.
Because her spatial dimension had been upgraded to level ten.
The paddy fields had expanded to five mu, the pond to half a mu, and she had unlocked new functions.
In the evening, while Shen Yun went to the Zhao family's old house to ask about farming, she lay in bed and explored it.
To her surprise, the new function she unlocked was breeding.
She first refreshed the chicken-raising function.
Su Xiaoqi licked her lips; her spatial dimension finally had meat.
Another day dawned, the spring breeze blew, and the spring air was vibrant. The adjacent field had just finished plowing, while Shen family's paddy fields were already showing a patch of green.
Then, they grew "rapidly," and within three days, they were ready for transplanting.
The villagers were all very curious about how they had nurtured their seedlings.
Zhao Chutou from the next field craned his neck and shouted:
"Brother Shen, what did you do? Why are they already growing?" His own grain seedlings hadn't even sprouted yet.
Shen Yun replied that he didn't know either.
It was his first time planting and nurturing seedlings.
Furthermore, he mainly did the manual labor; the main effort came from his wife.
His genuine ignorance was perceived by others as arrogance, which could easily lead to unpleasantness.
However, Shen Yun had always been indifferent and didn't care about such things.
Su Xiaoqi, seeing the envy in everyone's eyes, had an idea.
Just as she was thinking about how to bring it up, Zhao Liushun arrived with a limp, asking the question on everyone's mind:
"Brother Yun, where did you buy your grain seeds?"
In the years of famine, people couldn't even get enough to eat, let alone save seeds. Now that it was time to sow, they could only buy seeds with money.
Su Xiaoqi glanced around, noticing all the perked-up ears, and replied, "Bought them from the grain shops in the city."
Zhao Liushun lowered his voice, a hint of worry in his tone, "The growth is too good. I'm afraid someone might become jealous."
He had been walking around the village these past few days and had overheard gossip.
Even his elder and second brothers, and his elder and second sisters-in-law, couldn't help but mention it several times when he was home.
That's why he had specifically come to remind the young couple.
"They don't need to be jealous. If they want them, we can directly give them seedlings. Our fields aren't big enough anyway."
Su Xiaoqi deliberately raised her voice.
She had long noticed that the people working in the adjacent fields, while seemingly diligently working, were actually pricking up their ears to eavesdrop.
Hearing this, everyone was disbelieving.
Even Shen Yun looked at Su Xiaoqi with surprise.
Su Xiaoqi hadn't discussed this with him.
In fact, Su Xiaoqi had thought of it suddenly.
Instead of letting others envy their well-growing seedlings every day, why not share some with them?
Let everyone plant the high-yield grain varieties from her spatial dimension. It would be beneficial for everyone.
This way, there would be no disputes.
Su Xiaoqi looked meaningfully at Shen Yun, who immediately understood and also raised his voice:
"If Zhao Lizheng himself comes, we wouldn't mind sharing some with them."
While the three of them were chatting, the farmers eavesdropping on the field ridge had already packed up their tools and disappeared.
Soon, everyone gathered at the blue-brick, black-tiled courtyard of the village head Zhao Baoren.
Someone nosy explained the villagers' intentions to Zhao Baoren.
"I already knew about this. Since the scholar said he can give them to you, you should accept them. Why are you coming to me!" Zhao Baoren, while sipping his wine, seized the opportunity to play hard to get.
Normally, when there was nothing to do, they would say he was useless.
He had no special skills, and only through his beautiful eldest daughter becoming a concubine to the magistrate did he become the village head.
Now, he would show them his abilities.
It was indeed Shen Yun who understood propriety, always involving him, the village chief, in matters.
Zhao Baoren, while savoring the wine, became a bit intoxicated.
After much persuasion and pleading, he finally nodded and, fueled by the alcohol, went to the Shen family's residence.
Zhao Baoren's arrival was within Shen Yun's expectations.
Su Xiaoqi had prepared barley tea for the guest, which was perfect for sobering up Zhao Baoren.
After a cup of tea, Zhao Baoren stated his purpose: "You know the situation in the village. Everyone is at their wit's end.
They can't afford grain seeds. You scholars have ways. You've sown so much; you probably won't use it all..."
Before Zhao Baoren could finish speaking, Su Xiaoqi agreed.
"We can provide them with seedlings."
"That's wonderful! I knew your family was the most sensible."
Zhao Baoren grinned, revealing his large yellow teeth.
The Shen family was so thoughtful.
"We can provide them, but not for free," Su Xiaoqi stated, word by word.