Chapter 5: The Secret of Blueberry's Eavesdropping
Chapter 5: The Secret of Blueberry's Eavesdropping
When Chen Wang woke up the next day, his first reaction was to run to the strawberry patch.
The heart-shaped strawberry was perfectly ripe, its pink skin glistening like a plump rouge ball. Even more surprising, there were three smaller strawberries surrounding it, all identically heart-shaped, but with a turquoise undertone.
"It seems this variety really recognizes people." He smiled and scratched Wangfu's head, then turned to the warehouse to look for the rapeseed fertilizer water that Lin Xiaoman had sent. Just as he unscrewed the bottle cap, he heard familiar footsteps coming from the courtyard gate. He looked up and saw Lin Xiaoman walking towards him, holding a green booklet in his hand.
"Have you received the Agricultural Benefit Handbook?" Chen Wang went forward.
"Well, I brought you one by the way." Lin Xiaoman handed him the manual, her eyes first fell on the strawberry patch, and when she saw those heart-shaped strawberries, her eyes lit up instantly, "They're bearing fruit again!" She squatted down and looked at it carefully. Just as her fingertips were about to touch the fruit, she suddenly remembered the strange thing that happened yesterday, and quietly put her finger back.
Chen Wang handed the boiled water to her and said, "You didn't finish your explanation yesterday. What is the origin of this plant?"
Lin Xiaoman took a sip of water and hesitated for a moment before speaking: "My grandfather once said that the land in our village is very special. Occasionally, 'spiritual plants' will appear, which can grow according to people's wishes. But this is the first time I have seen such an obvious one..." She pointed to the heart-shaped strawberry, "Do your seeds have a special origin?"
Chen Wang then talked about helping the old man push the cart and took out an empty cotton bag from his pocket: "This is all I have left. The old man said it can help me realize my dream."
Lin Xiaoman took the bag and touched it, a flash of understanding in her eyes: "This cloth is old coarse cloth, the same as the bag left by my ancestors in my attic." She was about to say something else when her cell phone suddenly rang. After answering the call, her expression changed slightly, "Okay, I'll be right there."
"What's wrong?" Chen Wang asked.
"The village committee said a company wants to come to the village for large-scale planting and may need to requisition some land." Lin Xiaoman put away his phone and frowned. "Your backyard happens to be within the planning area. I need to go and see the specific plan."
Watching her hurriedly leave, Chen Wang felt a strange sense of weight in his heart. He looked down at the farmer's benefit handbook in his hand. The words "Rural Revitalization" on the cover were particularly eye-catching. But if the land was expropriated, wouldn't his orchard, these magical plants, and the reason he could see Lin Xiaoman every day be gone?
Wangfu seemed to sense his depression and rubbed his head against his palm. Chen Wang sighed and turned to the corner of the backyard—where the last few colorful seeds were planted, with thin blue-purple buds just emerging. He had deliberately saved them for last.
For the next two days, Lin Xiaoman didn't come back to the backyard. Chen Wang heard from Grandma Zhang that she had been helping villagers verify land ownership documents, working late every day. He wanted to go see her, but he didn't want to disturb her work, so he watered the plants several times more each day and stared blankly at the plants.
On the morning of the fourth day, Chen Wang discovered that the blue-purple bud tip in the corner had grown considerably. The leaves were slender, spindle-shaped and covered with a layer of white frost. It turned out to be a blueberry seedling. Even more surprising, the tip of the seedling had already formed small buds, the pale pink buds like a string of miniature bells.
"It's growing so fast." He squatted down to observe. Just as his fingertips touched the leaves, he heard footsteps behind him. Turning around, he saw Lin Xiaoman. There was a faint dark blue under her eyes, obviously she hadn't rested well.
"Are you done?" Chen Wang quickly stood up.
"Well, the preliminary plan is out. Your land won't be expropriated for the time being." Lin Xiaoman smiled, but her eyes were dull. "But the conditions offered by the company are very generous, and many villagers are swayed." She walked over to the blueberry seedlings, squatted down and examined them for a while. "Are these blueberries? They've sprouted."
Chen Wang noticed that her hands were shaking slightly. Just as he was about to speak to comfort her, he saw the blueberry seedlings suddenly shake gently, and the buds popped open. The pale pink petals overlapped, emitting a faint fragrance.
"This is just in time." Lin Xiaoman was stunned for a moment, and finally a genuine smile appeared on the corner of her mouth. "It's as if she knows I'm in a bad mood and is blooming flowers to comfort me."
Chen Wang looked at her smile, and the haze in his heart instantly dissipated. He suddenly remembered the strawberries from before and said tentatively, "Would you like to try something else? The tomatoes are already red."
He picked the reddest star-shaped tomato and handed it to Lin Xiaoman. As soon as the tomato touched her fingertips, the deep blue lines on its skin suddenly lit up, revealing a small image—the silhouette of her helping him build the scaffolding a few days ago. Although blurry, she could clearly make out the two of them, side by side.
"This..." Lin Xiaoman covered her mouth in surprise, "There's our shadow on it!"
Chen Wang was also stunned. He hadn't noticed this function before. The two of them huddled together to stare at the tomato, so close that he could smell the herbal fragrance in her hair. Chen Wang's heartbeat began to accelerate uncontrollably.
At this moment, the blueberry seedling suddenly shook again, and a small green blueberry fell down, landing right in Lin Xiaoman's palm. She subconsciously put it in her mouth and took a light bite.
At this moment, Chen Wang suddenly heard a clear voice in his mind, with a tired but gentle tone: "It seems he didn't eat breakfast again today. I have to go to Grandma Zhang's house later to buy two steamed buns for him."
Chen Wang suddenly looked up at Lin Xiaoman. She was frowning in confusion: "Why are these blueberries tasteless..." Before she finished speaking, she was suddenly stunned, her eyes full of shock.
Chen Wang's heart skipped a beat—did she hear something too? He was about to speak when he saw Lin Xiaoman's face suddenly flush. She turned and walked quickly towards the gate. "I, I have something else to do. I'm leaving now!"
Watching her almost fleeing back, Chen Wang touched his burning face, the voice still echoing in his mind. He squatted down, picked up a blueberry that had fallen on the ground, hesitated for a moment, and put it in his mouth.
This time, he heard his own voice, a little nervous and happy: "She seems to like me too. Should I ask her to visit the old orchard next time?"
Chen Wang instantly understood—these blueberries could actually allow people to hear each other's thoughts! He looked at the blueberry seedlings, where two green blueberries were still hanging. When the sun shone through them, the surface of the fruit was covered with a fine light.
He pulled out his phone, took a picture of the blueberry seedlings, and saved it in his "Orchard Diary," captioning it: "The blueberries that eavesdrop on secrets, and... her feelings."
At this moment, looking at the vitality of the garden and thinking about Lin Xiaoman’s blushing cheeks just now, a seed in my heart is slowly sprouting.
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