tacit agreement

Since the showdown with his father that day, Chen Bozhou has clearly felt a low pressure at home.

Village Chief Shen no longer reprimanded him in person, but he rarely spoke to him either. The atmosphere at the dinner table was always silent and depressing. Shen Boyuan tried to mediate several times, but with little success.

However, none of this shook Chen Bozhou in the slightest. He still went to the Yun family every day without fail, but he was more quiet when he left and came home, trying not to attract his father's attention.

All the pressure he was under outside turned into deeper tenderness and determination the moment he saw Yunwu.

The Yun family's courtyard became his only safe haven and the source of all his motivation.

That day, the two men were busy on their second newly reclaimed medicinal plot. This plot, located at the foot of the mountain behind, was larger than the first. The soil, improved by the mist and Shen Bozhou's composting throughout the winter, had become exceptionally fertile.

They have to transplant a new batch of medicinal herb seedlings before the continuous spring rains.

Chen Bozhou was responsible for digging neat pits with a hoe. He was strong and skillful, and the size and depth of each pit were almost the same.

Yunwu followed behind him, carefully placing the seedlings with their original soil into the pit, and then compacting them with fine soil. Her movements were so gentle as if she was placing some fragile treasure.

The sun shone warmly on the two of them, and in the fields the only sounds were the muffled thud of hoes breaking the soil and the rustling of new leaves in the wind. There were no many words between them, but their coordination was seamless.

After Chen Bozhou had dug a row of pits, he would naturally stop, look back at Yunwu's progress, or hand over a water bag; Yunwu would silently hand over a sweat towel when sweat broke out on his forehead.

"Take a break if you're tired." Chen Bozhou said softly, looking at Yunwu's focused profile.

He noticed that fine beads of sweat were oozing from the tip of Yunwu's nose, gleaming faintly in the sunlight.

Yunwu shook his head, his hands moving non-stop: "While the weather is good, let's finish planting as soon as possible." He paused, raised his eyes and looked at Chen Bozhou, with a hint of subtle concern in his eyes, "You...are you okay at home?"

Chen Bozhou was stunned for a moment, then he understood what he meant. It seemed that Yunwu knew more or less about the village rumors and his father's attitude.

His heart felt warm, yet also a little bitter. He tried to force a relaxed smile: "It's okay, my dad just can't get over it right away. He'll be fine after a while."

He didn't want to make Yunwu worry, and even more so, he didn't want to make him feel guilty about it.

Yunwu looked at his feigned composure and remained silent for a moment. Without further questioning, she simply lowered her head and more carefully smoothed the soil around a seedling, saying softly, "If it's because of me that you're in trouble..."

"It's not difficult." Chen Bozhou interrupted him with a firm tone. He put down his hoe, walked over to Yunwu, and looked him in the eyes seriously. "Yunwu, remember, I do everything because I want to, because I am happy. Being with you, I feel fulfilled and motivated every day. Nothing else matters."

His eyes were too passionate and honest for Yunwu to look directly at them. She could only turn her head slightly, but her ears turned red uncontrollably.

He gave a soft "hmm" as a response, but his hands became even gentler as he transplanted the seedlings.

Chen Bozhou knew that he was not good at speaking, so he did not force him. He just looked at his slightly red earlobes, and his heart felt as if it was gently brushed by a feather, softening.

He picked up the hoe again and continued digging the hole, humming an unknown tune. The tune was light and dispelled the stagnant atmosphere.

During a break from work, they sat on the edge of the field to rest. Chen Bozhou took out a pancake wrapped in oil paper from his pocket, broke off most of it and handed it to Yunwu.

Yunwu took it and ate it in small bites, his eyes fixed on the first medicinal field in the distance that they had cultivated together and was now lush and green.

"Once this batch of herbs matures, our income should be more stable." Yun Wu said softly, as if talking to herself, but also as if planning the future for Shen Bozhou, "Grandma's medicine must be available, and the roof of our house should be completely renovated..."

"Well, I'll do as you say." Chen Bozhou said, taking a big bite of the pancake and chewing it with relish. "When we have enough money, we'll expand the yard and build you a better medicine drying shed."

He spoke of "we" and planned for the "future" very naturally, as if it were a matter of course.

Yunwu listened without rebutting, but just ate the pancake quietly, but the corners of his eyes and brows softened quietly.

After resting, the two continued to work until the sunset, dyeing the sky into a gorgeous brocade, and then they planted the last seedling safely.

In the newly reclaimed medicinal fields, rows of tender green seedlings swayed gently in the evening breeze, brimming with vitality and hope. Chen Bozhou and Yunwu stood side by side on the ridge, gazing at the land they had poured their heart and soul into. Despite their exhaustion, they felt a sense of accomplishment.

"Let's go home." Chen Bozhou habitually wanted to take the tool basket from Yunwu's hand.

This time, Yun Wu didn't hand it over immediately. Instead, she looked at him and said softly, "Tomorrow...you don't need to come so early. Sleep a little longer."

This seemingly ordinary sentence stunned Chen Bozhou. This was the first time Yunwu had expressed her concern for him so directly, with a clumsy yet sincere care.

A huge warmth instantly surged through his body, dispelling all the gloom that had accumulated in his heart for days. He grinned, his smile brighter than the sunset glow in the sky.

"Okay." He nodded heavily, feeling as if he had drunk a big bowl of warm honey in his heart.

On the way back, both of them walked with a much lighter step than when they came. Chen Bozhou was still humming his tune, and the clouds and mist were still silent, but a silent, firm understanding flowed between them, more moving than any vows of love.

They all know that there may be storms ahead, but as long as they support each other and work together, there will be no difficulties that cannot be overcome.

This land they have cultivated together and this growing bond are their greatest confidence in facing the future.

At the Shen family's house, Village Chief Shen, standing at the gate, looked at his son's obviously relaxed and even smiling back from afar when he returned. Then he compared his son's silent and depressed state at home. In the end, he just sighed deeply, turned around and went back to the house silently.

That tense expression seemed to relax slightly.