sowing

The warmth brought by the box of snacks from Shen's mother quietly soaked into the hearts of the two young people like spring rain.

In the next few days, the atmosphere in the Yun family courtyard was unprecedentedly relaxed.

After Grandma Yun tasted the soft, glutinous and sweet mung bean cake, a smile of emotion appeared in her cloudy eyes, and she kept muttering, "Sister-in-law Shen is so thoughtful."

That morning, before the dew had settled, Chen Bozhou came to the Yun family excitedly.

Not only was he holding the farm tools in his hands, he was also carefully holding the light blue cloth bag containing the evening primrose seeds, as if he was holding some rare treasure.

Yunwu was watering the herbs in the corner of the yard. Seeing him come so early, her eyes fell on the cloth bag in his hand, and she understood a little bit.

"The weather is nice today," Chen Bozhou walked over to him, his face full of excitement. "Let's sow the flower seeds? Let's plant them in... well, how about that empty space under your window? There's good sunlight over there, and it can get some sun in the evening."

He pointed to the small, neatly-kept patch of land beneath the window of the hut, where some debris had been piled, but he had cleared it out and loosened the soil a few days earlier. Clearly, he had already planned this.

Yunwu put down the water scoop, looked at the land, then looked at Chen Bozhou's sparkling eyes, and nodded gently: "Okay."

The two of them took a small hoe and a watering can and came to the window. Shen Bozhou was eager to dig a hole, but was gently stopped by the clouds and mist.

"Wait a minute," Yunwu squatted down, picked up a handful of soil with her fingers, rubbed it between her fingertips, and then leaned in to smell it. "The soil is okay, but it's not fertile enough. Although Xiyan is not picky about the soil, it will bloom better if there is enough base fertilizer."

As he spoke, he stood up and went to the compost pile in the corner behind the house. He used a shovel to get some well-rotted, black, oily fertilizer soil and spread it evenly on the open space. Then he used a small hoe to carefully mix the fertilizer soil with the original soil.

His movements were meticulous and focused, as if he was completing an extremely important work.

Chen Bozhou watched from the side without intervening, but followed his every move with gentle eyes.

He liked to see the clouds and mist concentrating on the plants. It made him feel that the person in front of him had a natural and peaceful connection with the land and life.

"Okay." After mixing the soil, Yunwu stood up, with beads of sweat oozing from his forehead.

Chen Bozhou quickly handed over the hand towel, then picked up the blue cloth bag and awkwardly tried to untie the rope: "How do I scatter these seeds? Can I just scatter them directly?"

"Give it to me." Yunwu took the cloth bag, untied the rope, and poured the tiny dark brown seeds inside into his palm.

He did not sow the seeds immediately, but carefully observed the quality of the seeds, picked up a few and put them to his nose to smell them.

"The seeds are good, they're new this year." He quietly judged, then looked at Chen Bozhou and patiently explained, "Don't plant them too densely, otherwise the seedlings won't grow. Spread them evenly, and it's best to leave a two-finger-wide gap between each seed."

As he spoke, he demonstrated, and with a slight shake of his wrist, the tiny seeds fell evenly from between his fingers as if under a spell, and were spread in a sparse and dense pattern on the freshly prepared soil.

The sunlight shone on his focused profile and slightly trembling wrist, as if coating them with a soft halo.

Chen Bozhou followed his example and reached into the cloth bag to pinch a handful of seeds. He carefully hovered his hand above the ground and tried to shake his fingers.

However, he couldn't control the strength well, and the seeds were either clustered together or scattered too far away, appearing messy.

He frowned in annoyance: "Why can't I spread it well..."

Yunwu looked at his clumsy yet serious expression, and a barely perceptible smile flashed in his eyes.

He reached out his hand, gently held Shen Bozhou's wrist, and guided his movements: "Relax your wrist, use light force, like this..."

His fingertips were slightly cool, and they covered Shen Bozhou's warm wrist, bringing a clear touch.

Chen Bozhou's heart skipped a beat, all his attention focused on that point of contact. Following the force guided by the cloud, he gently shook his fingers. This time, the seeds were indeed much more evenly distributed.

"Yes, that's it." Yunwu let go of his hand, his voice still calm.

Chen Bozhou felt the warmth lingering on his wrist where he had touched it. He calmed himself down and continued to imitate Yunwu, carefully spreading the remaining seeds bit by bit.

After sowing the seeds, Yunwu took a fine sieve and sifted a very thin layer of fine soil, gently covering the seeds. "The soil can't be too thick, otherwise the sprouts won't emerge," he explained, his movements as gentle as if he were covering a baby with a blanket.

Finally, he filled a watering can with clean water, pointed the spout toward the sky, and let the water sprinkle evenly on the land that had just been sown like a drizzle, until the soil was completely moist, but there was no water accumulation.

"Okay." After doing all this, Yunwu straightened up, looked at the land where hope had just been sown, and breathed a sigh of relief.

Chen Bozhou followed his example, carefully putting the watering can away, then stood beside him, looking at the brown earth side by side. In the sunlight, the moist soil glowed with a dark sheen, as if it contained infinite vitality.

"The next step is to wait for them to sprout?" Chen Bozhou asked, his tone full of anticipation.

"Yes," Yunwu nodded. "If we're quick, we'll see green in seven or eight days. Keep the soil moist, but not too waterlogged."

"Don't worry, leave the watering to me!" Chen Bozhou immediately patted his chest and promised. Then, as if remembering something, he looked at Yunwu with bright eyes. "You said, when they bloom, it would be nice for us to sit here in the evening, smelling the fragrance of the flowers and looking at the stars."

His words painted a picture of tranquility and beauty, filled with boundless longing for the future. Yunwu listened, her gaze still fixed on the land, but the corners of her lips curved slightly.

"Yeah." He replied softly.

There were no more words, but the tacit understanding and common expectations between the two were more reassuring than any promise.

They packed up the tools together and carefully put away the remaining half bag of flower seeds for future use.

The morning sun grew warmer, casting the figures of the two on the newly sown land. Chen Bozhou looked at the quiet profile of Yunwu beside him, then looked at the land beneath his feet that nurtured hope together, and his heart was filled with a great sense of satisfaction and happiness.

He knew that what they planted was not just a bag of flower seeds, but also a confirmation of their feelings for each other and the expectation for a common future.

He was willing to just do this, with the person beside him, one hoe and one shovel, one flower and one tree, slowly, to manage their future years like this flower field that was about to break through the ground, full of vitality and fragrance.

And all this has just begun.