He watched Wei Caixia's disappearing figure and blinked.
Hou Fangguan came to his senses and realized what she had just said.
Pay me back?
A hint of disdain rose in Hou Fangguan's eyes; he would never pay back the money he had already spent.
There's no IOU, so how would anyone know it was him who borrowed it?
Thinking about it this way, Hou Fangguan felt at ease.
"Pah! What are you pretending to be, a virtuous and chaste woman? She practically offered herself up, who can you blame?" Hou Fangguan muttered, and strode quickly toward the main road in the village.
He needed to hurry back, otherwise he would miss the last bus and have to walk to town.
Meanwhile, the Chen family's courtyard was bustling with activity as everyone chatted.
Cao De drank two glasses of wine, his neck turned red, and the veins stood out.
"Ade, you can't hold your liquor?" Uncle Chen popped a peanut into his mouth and looked at him.
Cao De hiccuped, smiled and waved his hand, "I don't drink outside, I usually just eat rice and dishes at the table."
Aunt Chen nodded repeatedly as she listened, saying it was good that he didn't drink, because there were many heavy drinkers in the village who would beat their wives in the middle of the night.
“Drink according to your capacity, that’s good, that’s good…” Aunt Chen’s brother said, silently putting down the bottle he had picked up.
In Hai County, there is no custom of urging others to drink; people generally drink as they please.
The chubby girl pulled Lin Ziyan aside and whispered, "Ziyan, next time you make braised pork, I'll have Cao De learn how to make it, and then he can cook it for me."
It would be best if you also taught me how to make fried chicken cutlets and Sichuan-style boiled chicken.
Lin Ziyan's eyes crinkled into a smile as she readily agreed, "Sure, maybe I can even come over for a free meal sometime in the future."
"It's a deal," the chubby girl said with a satisfied smile.
All the dishes on the table today were cooked by Cao De, and they tasted really good; everyone praised them highly.
Fatty and Rongyan readily accepted any compliments from others about Cao De.
Aunt Chen glared at her daughter many times, but it was no use.
After finishing her meal, Grandma Lin went home, not wanting to join in the fun and stay to chat.
Jiaojiao and her second sister Xiaoxiao drank orange-flavored soda, reluctant to leave the table.
"I'll go to the shrimp farm tomorrow and keep an eye on things. You go check on the fish farm, otherwise Professor Shen's hair will turn white from worry."
I went to invite him over for dinner today, but he stayed at the fish farm and didn't come.
"I left some food in the kitchen. Shall we take it to the fish farm for him in a bit?" the chubby girl said, her face showing concern.
Lin Ziyan nodded, looked up at the sky, and saw that the sun was still shining brightly.
We ate the meal early, and it wasn't dark yet when we finished.
"Should we go now?"
"Otherwise, it will be difficult to walk after dark," Lin Ziyan suggested.
"Okay." The chubby girl suddenly stood up and walked quickly into the kitchen.
A short while later she came out carrying a black bag.
Aunt Chen wanted to ask, but her sister-in-law pulled her aside to talk, so she ignored her.
The chubby girl pulled Lin Ziyan out of the courtyard.
The two arrived at the fish farm, but the gatekeeper wasn't there. Instead, they saw Shen Hai wearing glasses and reading a book.
The golden rays of the setting sun shone on him, as if he were enveloped in a halo.
The sunset was reflected on the water, casting a red glow.
"What brings you two here?" Shen Hai took off his glasses, rubbed his forehead to relieve his fatigue.
The red spots on the yellow croaker gradually disappeared, but it still lacked vitality.
He's been watching over the fish farm these past few days, so he simply let the uncle who's guarding the fish farm go home for dinner while he watches over it.
"How will you get dinner if you don't come? Don't think I don't know you'll just grab a quick bite when you get back," the chubby girl retorted.
She'd gotten to know Shen Hai well enough to start behaving disrespectfully towards him.
The teacher's wife had to go to Beijing and wouldn't be back in the fishing village until before the Lunar New Year. Before she left, she specifically asked Fatty to keep an eye on the teacher's meals.
Shen Hai's lips twitched slightly, but when he saw her open the black plastic bag containing the lunchbox, his anger vanished instantly.
He thought to himself that having an apprentice was still somewhat useful; for example, now, they would even send him delicious food.
"Professor Shen, didn't you see the shellfish behind the fish farm?" Lin Ziyan asked from the side.
Shen Hai nodded, took a bite of meat, and then said, "I checked, the shellfish and crabs haven't had their medication changed."
He eats very quickly, finishing his meal in less than ten minutes.
"I'm going to move most of the yellow croakers to the new shrimp farm, and then..." Lin Ziyan told Shen Hai about her plan.
Simply staying here isn't a solution; we need to find the person who switched the disinfectant powder as soon as possible.
Shen Hai didn't ask any more questions and breathed a sigh of relief.
If the problem really lies with someone in the research team, then he will definitely investigate everyone in the team.
The problem is that if it's not within the team, then it will be very difficult to investigate...
…
After returning from the fish farm, Lin Ziyan went home to get her cloth bag and rushed to the He family's house.
She remembered what Lu Yunshen had said last time.
Lin Ziyan patted the cloth bag, inside which was a letter for him.
She walked into the He family's courtyard and saw Grandma Lan cutting flowers.
"Ayan, come quickly and help me bring these flowers inside." She smiled and waved when she saw Lin Ziyan.
The sky was a pale blue, and the pale moon could be clearly seen peeking out with half its face visible.
The pink roses emitted a faint fragrance, and Lin Ziyan held them in her arms, the scent filling the air.
Grandma Lan waved her hand, "I'll water them for a bit, you take the flowers inside first."
"Okay, I'll go in first." Lin Ziyan carried the flowers into the inner room, almost bumping into Lu Yunshen at the door.
He was holding a white ceramic vase in his hand. He quickly pulled her aside and then let go.
Lu Yun Shen dared not hold onto her hand, or his grandfather would chase after him and beat him if he saw it.
Lin Ziyan: "Give me the vase."
"Go into the study and wait for Grandma. I'll take care of these flowers." Lu Yunshen didn't give her the vase; instead, he took the flowers from her hand.
These flowers have thorns on their branches, making it easy to prick your hands.
Lin Ziyan raised an eyebrow and walked towards the study.
The warm orange light fell on her, casting her slender, elongated shadow on the wall.
Lu Yunshen smiled, took the flowers, and turned to walk towards the sink.
"Yun Shen, brew a pot of tea and bring it into the study in a little while." Grandma Lan gave him this instruction as she walked inside.
The evening class was added at the last minute because of a document.
Lin Ziyan paused for a few seconds when she saw the course title.
"Teacher, could this involve classified information?" she couldn't help but ask.
This title likely refers to the urgent warship problem that needs to be addressed.
“I reported it to my superiors, so it’s fine. They all know I’ve taken on an apprentice.”
"Feel free to speak your mind. I'm going back to Beijing for a meeting in a couple of days, so I'll take this opportunity to organize my thoughts." After saying that, Grandma Lan simply took out a document and handed it to Lin Ziyan.
She felt that some of Ayan's ideas were quite unique and worth discussing their feasibility at a meeting.
Lin Ziyan glanced through the documents and pursed her lips slightly.
If she actually voices her thoughts, will the higher-ups notice anything?
Lin Ziyan had to consider more.
Hou Fangguan's words today made her wary.
knock…
She snapped out of her reverie and looked towards the doorway. Lu Yun Shen walked into the study carrying a vase.
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