Wu Yong was not qualified to eat with Lu Taobao, so Shen Xiaoyan prepared food for him separately. She had him eat in the kitchen, which was also very warm from having recently had a fire.
After a few people finished eating, Shen Xiaoyan brought in frozen pears to thaw. Lu Taobao ate two more in one go before patting his full stomach and bidding farewell.
Zheng Wei gave him the remaining two bear paws and some greens, and finally saw him off.
He was lucky to leave, as all three spotted tigers were napping and he didn't see them. He was so glad he patted his chest and said it was a miracle.
After Lu Taobao left, Shen Xiaoyan and the other two went back to the room to take a nap. When they woke up, they took wooden boxes to dig soil behind the courtyard.
They didn't dig in the main courtyard because they planned to plant things in the spring. If they dug up all the soil, they would have to bring more in, which would be troublesome. So, they went outside to dig.
The snow had not yet melted. To dig, they had to clear the snow first, then shovel off the top layer of icy soil. The soil beneath was what she wanted.
Fortunately, Shen Xiaoyan had the immortal spring water. As long as she sprinkled some every few days, the vegetables would grow very quickly. Therefore, she didn't have very high demands on the soil quality. Otherwise, even if she succeeded in planting, the harvest would not be good, as the soil on the barren land was not fertile.
By the time all the boxes were filled, it was dark. They placed the boxes on the heated brick bed in the west room of the main house. The work for the day was over, and they would continue tomorrow.
After dinner, because they had sweated from working, Shen Xiaoyan boiled hot water, and the three of them took a bath.
After bathing, Shen Xiaoyan lay on the heated brick bed wearing only her inner clothes. After Zheng Wei got on the bed, he pulled down the curtain.
Shen Xiaoyan opened her eyes wide and looked at the enclosed small space. Feeling the warmth of the fur beneath her, she truly felt her life was like that of an immortal.
"Why are you so happy, Mimi?" Zheng Wei lay down next to Shen Xiaoyan and held her in his arms.
"Don't you think this is beautiful?" Shen Xiaoyan propped herself up, her eyes shining as she looked at Zheng Wei and asked.
Zheng Wei reached out and touched Shen Xiaoyan's face, looking at her intently, then affirmed, "Mimi is naturally the most beautiful."
Shen Xiaoyan blushed. Was that what she was asking about?
Zheng Wei naturally knew what Shen Xiaoyan was asking about, he just wanted to tease her. So, he put his arm around her and held her close again.
He nuzzled her cheek with his nose, saying, "What Mimi decorates is naturally the most beautiful."
Shen Xiaoyan's face grew even redder. Who said ancient people were rigid? This person speaks sweet words from the start. They couldn't be like her, a transmigrator, could they?
"Don't nuzzle me, it tickles!" Shen Xiaoyan said, her small hands constantly pushing Zheng Wei's head away.
"Where does Mimi tickle?" Zheng Wei said softly, his large hands caressing Shen Xiaoyan's neck and earlobes.
Shen Xiaoyan cursed him as a demon in her heart, but she could no longer speak.
A night of lingering affection went without saying. The next morning, the first thing Shen Xiaoyan did after waking up was to take a hot bath.
Because her skin was becoming better, she was now inevitably covered in bruises, making her look as if she had been subjected to some kind of punishment.
But in reality...
Shen Xiaoyan thought of last night, her face felt as if it were burning.
She scooped up some hot water and splashed it on her face, feeling a bit better. However, the smile that remained on her lips indicated that she was in an exceptionally good mood.
Her current body was only 15 years old. Although her birthday was in January, she would only be 16 even after the New Year.
Although people in ancient times generally had children quite early, she really didn't want to get pregnant and have children so soon.
Moreover, the coming year would be a very busy one. Her plans had not yet been implemented, so having a child now was not a good thing.
Therefore, after New Year's Eve, Shen Xiaoyan took a long-acting contraceptive pill from her space. This pill was taken once a month, which was quite convenient.
When Shen Xiaoyan was dressed and walked out of the room, Zheng Wei and Shen Xiaoming were carrying breakfast in.
Zheng Wei's cooking skills had improved rapidly. He could now make some simple side dishes, and boiling porridge was also not a problem. Therefore, when Shen Xiaoyan was reluctant to get out of bed, Zheng Wei would prepare breakfast.
Shen Xiaoyan ate the yellow rice porridge with dates, sneakily glancing at Zheng Wei from the corner of her eye. She felt that Zheng Wei was becoming more and more like a good house husband.
"What are you looking at? Eat properly," Zheng Wei reprimanded softly, but his eyes were full of tenderness.
Shen Xiaoyan chuckled, saying nothing, and ate her breakfast.
Finally, Shen Xiaoyan ate two sesame cakes, a boiled egg, and a bowl of yellow rice porridge, feeling full. Zheng Wei often said that Shen Xiaoyan's strength was so great, why was she full after eating so little? He ate three times as much as Shen Xiaoyan.
Shen Xiaoyan could only chuckle at this, never saying that her great strength was due to a cheat.
After breakfast, it was time to plant the seeds.
The two rooms on the west side had been heated last night. Shen Xiaoyan, holding the wooden box of seeds, walked into the west room with Zheng Wei and Shen Xiaoming.
There were a total of 20 boxes. After deliberation, Shen Xiaoyan and the other two decided to plant vegetable seeds in two boxes each, which would allow them to plant 10 varieties in total, and the quantity would not be too small.
This time they planted spinach, coriander, cabbage, garlic sprouts, cherry tomatoes, and one other item, which was red berries.
The first few were sprinkled with seeds, while the red berries were dug up from the original courtyard.
Since winter began, the leaves of those red berries had turned yellow and fallen off.
However, their roots were not dead. When it became warm again next year, they would sprout again.
Shen Xiaoyan dug up some roots from the edge of the field and planted them in the boxes, believing that they would sprout leaves again soon.
Coupled with her secret watering with immortal spring water, she would be able to eat red berries in at most a month, and they would surely sell for a good price.
Shen Xiaoyan remembered that in her previous life, people always said it was not good to eat off-season vegetables and fruits, but those were grown with fertilizer and pesticides. Her produce was pollution-free and natural, and with the irrigation of immortal spring water, there was no reason why it would be unhealthy.
The three of them spent the morning planting all the seeds, then watered them and maintained a moderate temperature in the room. Now, they just had to wait for them to sprout.
The weather today was very good, and the temperature was relatively high.
The two big tigers had recovered from their injuries. They took Hua Dian Dian hunting in the mountains every day. Sometimes Luo Luo and the four of them would also follow. At those times, it was always the quietest in the courtyard.
Just now, the two big tigers had taken their little ones and the class to the mountains, so the courtyard was unusually quiet.
Shen Xiaoyan walked around the corridor of the courtyard to aid digestion. Then she didn't know what to do.
Zheng Wei had taken Shen Xiaoming to the mountains, leaving her alone at home.
Returning to the room, Shen Xiaoyan passed by the desk and saw the Chu Ci on it. It was said that Zheng Wei had specifically bought it for her to study, but she had no interest in it. In the end, Zheng Wei would occasionally pick it up and flip through it.
She walked to the desk, picked up the Chu Ci, and went directly into the inner room.
She placed a cushion by the window, set up the low table, and then, with one hand supporting her chin, idly flipped through the book.