After hearing Li Gangtie's explanation, Shen Yanming was truly speechless.
If he hadn't said that snakes were edible that day, would so many people have risked their lives?
Time passed day by day, and soon it was mid-August.
The temperature dropped back to 25 degrees Celsius. While everyone felt the coolness, they also realized that from now on, there would only be three seasons.
The seedlings that Ye Wengui arranged for people to plant have already sprouted and look quite robust. If they grow a little longer, we might be able to harvest the first crop by the end of the month. This shows just how resilient the mutated vegetables are.
After finishing their work outside, Shen Yanming and Bi Qiaoan rarely went out anymore. It was because that nurse named Xiaoqian always seemed to cause them unexpected encounters, which was incredibly annoying.
Shen Yanming even suspected that she might have planted a camera on him; otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence? What he didn't know was that his whereabouts were easy to ascertain. After all, there were only two or three locations, and they were all at fixed times.
Since Old Shen couldn't be driven away by scolding, he had no choice but to avoid the situation. Even Bi Qiaoan was speechless; this leech was sticking on pretty tightly.
Aside from the annoying things, there's also good news. Ji Kangyong and Qin Yiren's relationship has progressed rapidly. Although they haven't officially become a couple, they've already become very close friends who can talk about anything.
Ji Kangyong admired Qin Yiren's cool and generous personality, while Qin Yiren liked Ji Kangyong's gentle nature. The two hit it off immediately, but both had reservations and wanted to spend more time together to see how things went.
Ji Kangyong also gave Qin Yiren the scar removal cream he got from Shen Yanming. The girl was so moved that she cried on the spot.
After crying, she insisted on not using it, saying that keeping the scar was safer. Anyway, the other person wasn't attracted to her looks; she wanted to win them over with her personality.
After hearing this, Ji Kangyong let her have her way. Anyway, the things were just there, and she could use them whenever she wanted.
The temperature started to drop from mid-August, though not drastically. By the end of August, the temperature had fallen to around 20 degrees Celsius, and autumn had arrived.
After visiting Song Wennuan and Niu Niu, the couple went up the mountain behind the agricultural area.
The watermelons, pumpkins, and yam beans that Shen Yanming planted before all survived, but the fruits were very small.
Thinking that it was getting cold, Shen Yanming picked a watermelon and split it open with one hand. Surprisingly, the small watermelon turned red and was quite sweet.
He counted them and found there were over a hundred, which was quite a lot. He hurried down to find Ye Wengui.
Ye Wengui was completely bewildered after hearing this. He thought to himself that he had been to this mountain countless times, so how come he didn't know when watermelons had grown there?
"Really, I'm not kidding you, go check it out!"
Ye Wengui scratched his head, wondering if something earth-shattering had happened since he hadn't been up there for the past six months.
He called two guards, and together they searched through the weeds and hidden corners and found more than three hundred small watermelons.
Upon seeing this number, Shen Yanming was stunned. Could it be that someone else besides him had cast a spell on this mountain forest?
"Xiao Shen, you are truly our lucky star. If it weren't for you, this melon would probably have rotted before we even knew it."
Shen Yanming snapped out of his daze and asked, "Don't you guys usually go up there?"
Ye Wengui shook his head: "Where would I find the time? I'm incredibly busy every day. And even if I did get up there, I'd be on the main road. Who would be looking into those weeds?"
Shen Yanming felt a pang of frustration. He thought to himself that it was too obvious for him to spread the seeds outwards. But you all showed so little respect for his hard work. However, he only thought these words to himself.
"There are still quite a few pumpkins up there, but they haven't grown big yet. These kinds of pumpkins don't have high temperature requirements, so they can grow a little longer. Old Shen, if it weren't for you, we don't know how many we would have missed."
Shen Yanming forced a smile: "It's good that I can help everyone."
Ye Wengui patted his shoulder with satisfaction: "Thanks, I'll get the kids two watermelons when I get back."
Shen Yanming opened his mouth, but in the end he didn't refuse.
Temperatures continued to drop in September, reaching 15 degrees Celsius by mid-September.
In the agricultural area, the mature vegetables have already been harvested and stored in warehouses, either made into pickles or dehydrated into dried vegetables. Ye Wengui is closely monitoring climate change, waiting for the crucial moment to pull up the seedlings and plant wheat.
Shen Yanming and Bi Qiaoan went into the mountains right when the temperature dropped. This time, they not only went to find firewood, but also expanded their search to include mountain products.
However, they didn't find many mountain products; besides persimmons, hawthorns, and some mushrooms, there were only a few. But even that was enough to make people envious.
Their actions were kept secret, and before they knew it, they had brought another wave of attention to the mountains and fields. Fortunately, the weather had cooled down, reducing the number of snakes, insects, and rodents, so they didn't cause any major trouble.
The two continued collecting until mid-September, filling their living room and bedroom with firewood and gathering no less than 200 pounds of mountain produce. Of course, these items were mainly intended to help others.
In late September, the temperature dropped to 10 degrees Celsius. Ye Wengui made a decisive move, uprooting the vegetable seedlings and planting wheat on the entire plant.
The couple helped the agricultural area complete the autumn planting before leaving the guard team. They then harvested the radishes and cabbages planted outside and planted wheat.
As for the potatoes and sweet potatoes, it would be a shame to dig them up now, since they hadn't grown big enough yet. The two thought about it and decided to let them grow a little longer. They had plenty of food anyway, so it would be best if they could grow bigger; if not, they'd just have to accept it.
So the couple only cultivated one and a half acres of land outside. By the time they finished, it was already October.
The temperature is plummeting, just like last year, dropping by one degree Celsius every day. It's only just past mid-October that it's below zero. It's only because we planted mutated grains; otherwise, with this temperature, they might not have even grown.
The couple once again spent the winter at home with their daughters, An'an and Nuan'nuan, and the family of four seemed to enjoy the cozy atmosphere.
This year, Area A got heating, but in order to save energy, the boiler wasn't started until the end of October.
And the temperature wasn't set very high either. The indoor temperature was only around seven or eight degrees Celsius. But even so, it was still better than the houses in areas B, C, and D, which were not only drafty but also cold.
So when the first snow fell, Li Zhaozhao and his wife visited again.
Seeing that he seemed hesitant to speak, Shen Yanming didn't ask. It was only when Li Zhaozhao couldn't hold back any longer that he explained his purpose.
"Old Shen, I didn't want to either, but District D is really too far away, and the houses there are drafty. My parents are getting old, and I'm really worried about them living there. Could they spend the winter here with you?"
Shen Yanming was taken aback by the other party's intentions. He was stunned for a long time, unsure of how to begin.
I feel bad about refusing, but I can't accept it either. We have too many secrets; it's really not suitable for us to live with outsiders.
Seeing her husband in such a predicament, Bi Qiaoan volunteered to play the villain.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
