The homeowner was quite nice; before leaving, they turned over the soil in both the front and back. Now there's nothing in the ground except for a few rose bushes in the corner. Shu Yan plans to go back to the flower market to see what kind of easy-to-grow and beautiful flowers there are.
You should reserve a small plot of land to grow some scallions and chives. These are essential for stir-fries and noodles, and they're easy to grow. It's also convenient to grow some and pick them to eat.
As for vegetables, firstly, she didn't have the time, and secondly, Shu Yan felt she couldn't grow them herself.
What do you plan to plant?
Shu Yan was writing and drawing on a piece of white paper when she suddenly heard Fang Zeyu's words. She turned her head to look at him and said, "I don't know yet. Plant some flowers and plants."
Seeing a small patch of land in the corner, I suddenly remembered that strawberries are relatively easy to grow. I'll plant a couple of plants in that corner, and they'll soon grow into a large patch.
"What kind of flowers do you want to plant? A colleague of mine has a wife who loves growing flowers, and she has a lot at home. I can help you get some seedlings and seeds." Fang Zeyu thought that if they didn't have any, he would just buy some.
"I don't know either. I definitely have to choose the kind that's easier to grow. I can't come here often, and I don't want them to die because no one is taking care of them."
The houses here all have walls about 1.5 meters high in the backyard, and Shu Yan thinks that the flowers that climb the walls must be beautiful too.
"Don't worry, I'm right next door, I can look after you." He was just wondering how to spend more time with Shu Yan.
Shu Yan glanced at him, neither agreeing nor refusing.
An old lady sitting by the door, enjoying the cool air, listened intently to their conversation. As soon as Shu Yan entered, she quickly waved to Fang Zeyu and whispered, "Do you two know each other?"
“I know her. Haven’t you met her before? She’s the one who invited me to her house for dinner last time.” Fang Zeyu pulled up a chair and sat down, enjoying the breeze. Thinking of Shu Yan, he couldn’t help but smile.
"Although I'm getting old and my eyesight isn't as good as it used to be, you can't fool me. The girl from last time looks completely different from this one." The last one was much fatter.
“It really is her, she’s just thinner than last time, and her skin is much fairer,” Fang Zeyu patiently explained to the old lady.
The old lady fell silent. Judging from Fang Zeyu's expression when he spoke of Shu Yan, he knew that Shu Yan cared about her. But the problem was that Shu Yan had two children.
“Xiaoyu, although I’m not your biological grandmother, I treat you like my own grandson. I know you’ve always been a good kid. You were wronged before, but now the truth has come out. A few days ago, an old friend came to ask me if you were planning to get married. She has a relative who’s 32 years old this year. She was engaged to someone, but the man went abroad and kept putting it off. He came back two years ago and broke off the engagement, which is why it’s been delayed. That girl is really great. She graduated from high school and works as a teacher at an elementary school. She has a permanent position, is good-looking, and has a respectable job. If she weren’t older, her doorstep would be worn down by suitors. If you want to get married, I’ll ask my old friend to put in a good word for you.”
"Grandma, don't bother, I have someone I like." Fang Zeyu said, both amused and exasperated.
The old lady was silent for a while, hesitated for a long time, and finally couldn't help but say, "But they're next door. They're married and have children. Xiaoyu, you can't make a mistake."
Fang Zeyu smiled slightly, "She's divorced and single now."
“But…but she has two children.” The old lady naturally sided with Fang Zeyu.
“I’m not young anymore, and I’ve been through so much. I thought I’d be alone for the rest of my life, but I never expected to meet someone I like. If she weren’t divorced, I definitely wouldn’t bother her. But she is divorced, and we’re both single. It’s like fate brought us together. Both of our children are very well-behaved, and I’m genuinely good to them. Sooner or later, they will accept me.”
"Being a stepfather isn't easy." The old lady had lived to such an old age; she'd seen all sorts of people and things. Being a stepfather or stepmother wasn't easy either. If she was too strict? People would say, "He's definitely a stepfather, so harsh on the child." If she was too lenient? People would say, "He's definitely a stepfather, he doesn't care at all."
These are all minor issues. Everyday life has its ups and downs. What if she has a conflict with the child? Wouldn't the mother have to side with the child? What would Fang Zeyu do then? Their relationship would be worn down little by little. If they have another child, wouldn't the mother worry that the stepfather would be biased and favor his own child? There would be even more conflicts then.
"By the way, how old is she this year? In the past, the one-child policy was very strict. Anyone who had two children would be arrested and forced to have their tubes tied. Did she have her tubes tied too?" If she did, then Fang Zeyu could not have his own children. In the minds of the older generation, no matter how well a child is raised, it is not as good as one's own.
This was the second time Fang Zeyu had heard it; the first time was when Mao Weiping said it.
"What's this about biological parents? Aren't I my parents' biological child? And what happened? I haven't thought that far ahead. If the kids treat me well in the future, I'll be happy. If they don't, so be it. I've earned enough for our retirement over the years. After they get married and have their own families, Shuyan and I will travel. Now that the country is open, we can travel all over the country, and maybe even all over the world in the future." Fang Zeyu was very open-minded.
As for whether being a stepfather is easy or not, he didn't get together with Shuyan just to be a stepfather. He became a stepfather because he liked Shuyan. Because of Shuyan, he will try his best to be a good stepfather and not make things difficult for her.
The old lady sighed; she could tell from his words that he had made up his mind. She wasn't his biological grandmother, and she had said everything she could, only hoping that Shu Yan truly wanted to live a life with Fang Zeyu.
The next day, Shu Yan went to the flower and bird market to look at flowers. After walking around, she bought two camellia plants, one climbing rose, some sunflower seeds, and some henna seeds.
I chose henna because I heard it can ward off snakes, and it's really super easy to grow. Just put the seeds there, and it will sprout and grow on its own. Even if it withers, it will grow again the following year. You don't need to worry about it at all.
When she got home, the two children had just been picked up from school at noon by their aunt. This year, because they had invited their aunt, they didn't eat lunch at school. Their aunt would pick them up every day at noon, and after Shuyan and the children ate, they would go to the backyard to plant something together.
"Each of you plant one camellia tree, then you can weed and water it, and it will grow into a big tree and bloom with beautiful flowers." Shu Yan dug holes with the children.
"Mom, can it really bloom?" Tianbao asked curiously.
"As long as you water it regularly and weed it, it won't bloom."
"I'll come and water it every day from now on," Tianbao raised his hand.
“Then I’ll come and weed it every day,” Jingjing added.
"You can't dig like this. You need to dig this pit deeper, otherwise it won't be easy for her to survive." The 1.5-meter wall only reached Fang Zeyu's shoulder, so he could see Shu Yan's situation clearly.
Shu Yan glanced at the hole she and the children had dug; it was indeed a bit shallow, but the person selling the saplings said it was fine if it was a little shallow.
Fang Zeyu jumped over, bracing himself against the wall. "Let me dig."
The two children looked at Shu Yan.
"Then why don't we ask Uncle Fang to help dig the hole?" Shu Yan asked the two children.
Jingjing didn't say anything, but Tianbao happily handed the hoe to Fang Zeyu, "Okay, okay, Uncle, dig deeper so the flowers don't die."
"Okay." Fang Zeyu rubbed his hands together, picked up a hoe, and dug a hole deeper than theirs in a few strokes. "Alright, let it in."
Fang Zeyu had experience in farm work and was quite skilled in this area. He taught them how to plant things better, as well as how to water and weed. Shu Yan occasionally helped by handing them things and watched him interact with the children.
Jingjing, who was initially somewhat resistant to him, has unknowingly become much closer to him and occasionally even asks him questions.
"Alright, the flowers are planted. Next, let's plant some scallions." Fang Zeyu knew that Shu Yan wanted to plant scallions on the patch of land next to them.
"I haven't bought these seeds yet." Shu Yan looked around but couldn't find any scallion seeds.
"What do you need? Just dig some up from my place. These things are easy to raise and grow quickly."
Fang Zeyu broke off a handful of scallions from his side. Seeing that the two children were eager to try, he went home and got two small hoes for them, so they could plant them together.
Fang Zeyu was the main force behind it all. The two kids were just planting for fun. He planted a whole patch of plants, and the two kids only planted a few.
Shu Yan brought over a bucket of water and asked the two children to water the plants.
Jingjing had done farm work with her mother before and did it quite well, but this was Tianbao's first time working in the fields.
"Oh dear, you can't even water properly. You can't water the scallions directly; you have to water the side." Jingjing went over to teach her younger brother how to water the plants, while Shuyan watched with a smile.
"I have some tomato seedlings over there, do you want to take a couple and plant them?" Fang Zeyu asked.
"Tomatoes? Sure!"
Tomatoes are easy to grow and produce a lot of them. You can eat them raw or use them in soups.
Fang Zeyu climbed over the wall and pulled up four tomato seedlings. As soon as he got there, Tianbao went to plant them with him. Tianbao now idolizes Fang Zeyu. Jingjing is a little timid, but she didn't object.
Fang Zeyu was quite surprised. He had prepared himself for both children not to reject him and was even ready to fight this battle for a long time. He didn't expect that neither of the children would reject him. He couldn't help but glance at Shu Yan.
"The mung bean soup is ready, come and eat." The eldest aunt came to the backyard to call them to eat. She was surprised to see Fang Zeyu. When did he come in? There was no sound at all.
"Auntie, this is Fang Zeyu. He lives next door, so we'll be neighbors from now on." Shu Yan washed the children's hands and said to Fang Zeyu, "You've helped me for so long, so I'll treat you to some mung bean soup."
"Then I won't stand on ceremony." Fang Zeyu really didn't stand on ceremony. He went in, got his own bowl and chopsticks, and slurped down two big bowls of mung bean soup.
The eldest aunt glanced at Shuyan, and seeing that she didn't object, went to the side to serve mung bean soup to the two children.
She was widowed young and is very sensitive to these matters. These two seem suspicious at first glance. As someone who has been through it all, she knows best the hardships a woman faces raising a child alone. If she could find another one, that would be quite nice.
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