Chapter 32: Mountains and Rivers, Sunset, and Human Tenderness
Tao Xiaoxi's good intentions were clearly seen by two people in the Li family: Li Nanshan and Old Man Li. Old Man Li was even more frightened because of this and could neither eat nor sleep.
He couldn't understand what Tao Xiaoxi was trying to do.
He won't ask proactively.
In this way, Li Nanshan went from being a glorious worker to an equally glorious farmer. However, everyone knew that workers and farmers were not the same. The feud between the Li and Yao families began.
Because of Li Nanshan's layoff, their family's status as the richest family in Mantou Village is in jeopardy and they are in danger of being surpassed at any time.
Except for the second sister-in-law, the Li family members actually didn't want to bear such a false reputation a long time ago. However, this title was not given to them by themselves, and naturally they cannot remove it themselves. They will have to carry this heavy burden forward until the day they are completely crushed.
The eldest sister-in-law's belly gradually became more and more obvious, and her appetite also grew day by day. She was greedy for everything she saw and wanted to eat more. The Li family was now in a state of disarray, especially with the second sister-in-law who thought she was superior. Naturally, she didn't care about the eldest sister-in-law's greed. Whenever something was served on the table, she would first put it into her two sons' bowls, and then put it into her own bowl. Eating a meal in the Li family was like a struggle.
Li Nanshan naturally would not compete with them. He waited until everyone had finished eating before he came to the table. There was nothing left but some soup, which he ate with some hard steamed buns, and considered it his meal.
He clearly felt the embarrassment of his situation in the Li family. He had never been proud of himself, but because he was a formal worker with a decent salary before, he was respected by everyone. Now things have changed and even Da Mao and Er Mao dared to make fun of him.
Li Nanshan understood and accepted it, but he still couldn't help feeling depressed.
That day, after finishing his work, he did not go home to eat. Instead, he sat on the edge of the field, braving the scorching sun, chewing a piece of grass in his mouth, squinting his eyes and looking into the distance. There was a hint of confusion and helplessness in his eyes.
Only when he was alone did he dare to reveal this fear. Since he came back, he had not had a single day of rest, and he still felt a deep sense of guilt that was suffocating him.
"Comrade Li is so leisurely, enjoying the scenery here alone. Are you thinking about my suggestion?" Tao Xiaoxi walked over with a headscarf wrapped around her, covering herself tightly.
Li Nanshan was startled. He regained his composure and saw that it was her. He was surprised but also felt that it was reasonable. He spat out the grass in his mouth and replied, "Isn't your field empty?" The implication was that if you don't have any farmland, why are you here?
"That's exactly why I came to you. They say land is a farmer's life. Leaving my land uncultivated is like wasting my life. But I'm really not good at farming. How about I rent it to you?"
"Rent it to me? What do I need so much land for?" Li Nanshan smiled and didn't take it seriously.
Tao Xiaoxi sat down next to Li Nanshan and gave a serious suggestion: "Grow some Chinese medicinal herbs."
Li Nanshan hadn't been frightened by her just now, but this time he was really frightened. "Growing medicine? You really overestimate me. I really don't know how to do that."
"If you don't know how, I'll teach you. I tell you, you don't have to worry about what to plant. I'll give you seeds and medicinal seedlings, you just have to plant them." Tao Xiaoxi talked incessantly.
To Li Nanshan, he spoke eloquently.
"Who wants it?"
"I want it." Tao Xiaoxi looked at him with wide eyes.
"Thank you." Li Nanshan regained his composure and thought she was just using him to entertain herself.
"Li Nanshan, I'm not kidding you. Seriously, do you know how much I made selling herbs in the county town last time?"
"How much?"
"Thirty yuan, just for that one time!" Tao Xiaoxi held up three fingers in surprise, "and the pharmacy owner said he'd take as much as he wanted."
Li Nanshan frowned slightly, wondering how credible Tao Xiaoxi's words were.
"Come to my house in the afternoon and I'll give you some medicinal seedlings first." Seeing that he was hesitant, Tao Xiaoxi made the decision directly for him.
"Where did you get the medicinal seedlings?" Li Nanshan thought.
"Don't worry about this. My family has been practicing traditional Chinese medicine for generations. Planting a few medicinal plants is not a big deal."
"Why haven't I heard of this before?" Li Nanshan became more and more confused the more he listened.
"Think about it, in that era, lack of talent was considered virtuous, so who would dare to stand out? So now you understand why I was so patient in the past."
Li Nanshan frowned even tighter. He felt that what he said was all right, but when he thought about it carefully, it didn't make sense. It was like the plot in a book.
Tao Xiaoxi didn't want him to doubt her any further, so she just left after saying that.
"Grow some and try it out. It's not like you'll lose anything. Why not do this guaranteed profitable business? Don't you want others to laugh at you again?"
Tao Xiaoxi talked as they walked, and these words faintly reached Li Nanshan's ears, especially the last sentence, which finally moved him.
He had to put away his melancholy and be serious. A living person couldn't be killed by holding his urine.
As soon as Tao Xiaoxi returned home, he went into the space and pulled out about a hundred medicinal seedlings, waiting for Li Nanshan to come and take them.
She put the herbs in a cool place, sprinkled water on them, and covered them with hay. After Tao Xiaoxi finished all this, she was sweating. She suddenly felt that she was very great for doing such a thing to cheer up a man.
It's really scary when a woman falls in love. Is she probably in love?
Li Nanshan didn't eat lunch. After Tao Xiaoxi left, he ran to the foot of the mountain, scooped up the spring water with his hands and drank several mouthfuls, then returned to the field and continued to swing the hoe.
But Tao Xiaoxi's suggestion lingered in his mind. After waiting for a long time until the sun set and everyone finished work and went home to eat, he also put away his hoe and prepared to go home.
Just as he reached the other side of the river and was about to cross the bridge, he saw Tao Xiaoxi waiting for him under the locust tree.
Li Nanshan's heart beat faster, not because of the person in front of him, but because of the decision he made at that moment.
"Come and help me pick the locust flowers from this tree. People say that scrambled eggs with locust flowers are delicious, but it's too high and I'm a little scared." Tao Xiaoxi said to Li Nanshan, pointing at the locust tree.
Li Nanshan was still thinking about growing herbs, but Tao Xiaoxi didn't say a word. Could she really be joking?
"You help me pick the locust trees, and I give you the medicinal seedlings. We each get what we need, which just offsets the difference." Tao Xiaoxi said with a smile.
Li Nanshan also smiled and asked, "Which one do you want?"
"Here, there, I want them all." Tao Xiaoxi pointed to a few places at random.
Li Nanshan climbed up the tree and picked a large basket of locust flowers in a short while.
"That's enough, come down." Tao Xiaoxi said.
Li Nanshan came down swiftly and handed the basket to Tao Xiaoxi. "Where are the medicinal seedlings?"
"Come with me." Tao Xiaoxi picked up the basket and walked back.
The sun had already set, a faint golden hue tinging the mountains, forests, and villages, a gentler world. Li Nanshan followed Tao Xiaoxi, cautiously and meticulously, but Tao Xiaoxi was a completely different person, carefree and unrestrained, even carrying a basket with a lightness of spirit. Her good mood seemed to overflow from her chest, impossible to conceal.
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