These lands had probably been abandoned for many years, and had become quite fertile. Last year, they didn't require much care, and the harvest was good. Mr. Shen still had high hopes for these precious farmlands.
Shen Wuqiu nodded, then thought for a moment and said, "It's quite hot outside right now, so let Dad stay indoors as much as possible to avoid heatstroke."
“Your dad is such a stubborn mule, how could I possibly listen to him? What do you want to eat?” Su Yunzhi complained for a moment, then turned to her and asked, “We had millet porridge for breakfast, and there’s still some left. If you don’t want to eat, I’ll make you something. If you’re not picky, you can have some to fill your stomach first. I’ll make lunch after I’ve dried the bayberries.”
"I'll just have some millet porridge."
"Alright, the porridge is in that clay pot." Su Yunzhi saw that she went to the kitchen by herself, so she didn't follow. She continued to spread out the bayberries and chatted with her: "Speaking of which, your dad seems to be in much better health than before he got sick."
As Shen Wuqiu listened to her talking to her, she brought out the porridge. "He doesn't look like a sick person now. Is Xu Si better? Wu Jun and I both said we should take him to the hospital for a check-up, but he doesn't want to go."
Upon hearing this, Su Yunzhi seemed to remember something, looked around, and then whispered to her, "From the first time your father had surgery to the relapse, the doctors at the provincial and municipal hospitals all gave the same result: that it was in the late stage and there was no point in treating him anymore. That's why your father called you. But after you came back, your father's condition improved day by day. He told me that after Wangcai gave him that thing that looked like a piece of red jade, he felt his body getting better and better. Isn't that amazing?"
Shen Wuqiu paused in his porridge-drinking motion, as if he had just remembered this matter—no wonder that cat wouldn't let her father give her that thing back then; it turns out that the cat was using this thing to treat her father's illness.
Seeing that she didn't react, Su Yunzhi looked up at her and asked, "What's wrong? Is the porridge not to your liking?"
Shen Wuqiu snapped out of her daze and shook her head. "Where's Lingyu?"
She jumped to a topic so quickly that Su Yunzhi couldn't keep up for a moment. She paused for two seconds before saying, "I thought you hadn't gotten up yet, just like me. I saw that everyone was sleeping late yesterday, so I didn't wake you up for breakfast."
"Oh, I didn't notice either. Maybe they're not up yet," Shen Wuqiu said dismissively, taking a couple of sips of porridge before asking, "Have you seen Wangcai?"
Speaking of cats, Su Yunzhi suddenly remembered, "I was just about to tell you this. I got up early this morning and saw Wangcai lying sprawled on the sofa. She looked listless and had no energy. She wouldn't eat the dried fish I offered her. Your dad was saying that she might be sick."
Shen Wuqiu lowered her eyes and ate her porridge. After swallowing a mouthful, she glanced at the sofa and asked, "I don't see her there anymore. Did she run out again?"
"It just lay there stiffly all morning. Whenever anyone tried to tease it, it would cover its eyes with its paws. It looked quite cute. After your Aunt Dai and the others had breakfast, I don't know how they managed to coax it, but it listlessly followed them away."
Now that her parents had left, Shen Wuqiu was no longer worried. She nodded and asked, "Did Aunt Dai and the others say they were going to do something?"
"He said he was going home for a visit and told you to rest assured and take care of your pregnancy, and not to worry."
Shen Wuqiu subconsciously touched her stomach, then put the empty bowl back in the kitchen. "By the way, Auntie, where is my aunt?"
Su Yunzhi: "Your cousins are back, so your aunt went back home and said that her family would come over for dinner tonight."
With Zhao Jiujiu and Daiying, those two argumentative sisters, not around, the house is much quieter.
With the sudden quiet, Shen Wuqiu felt a little uneasy. She wasn't one to stay idle, so after lunch, she decided to discuss building a house with her father.
When he heard that she wanted to build another house in the village, Mr. Shen was very happy. However, when he heard that she planned to build it in Huashan, he was a little unhappy. "Our current foundation is good enough. Why build the house in Huashan?"
“My mother’s rose garden is over there. I’ve been there before. Although there aren’t many houses there, the scenery is beautiful. I love this kind of peaceful environment. I also asked Shen Yan. It’s hard to get approval for a land foundation now, but the land foundation for Huashan should be approved.”
Mr. Shen originally thought that her decision to build a house was just a whim, but he didn't expect that she had already done a lot of work behind the scenes. On the one hand, he was proud that his daughter didn't need anyone to worry about her, but on the other hand, he was a little annoyed, feeling that he, as her father, hadn't been of much use. He didn't know what to say for a moment, and after a while, he said, "The land for Huashan is also halfway up the mountain. Isn't that inconvenient?"
“Now that the roads in the village are all open, there’s nothing inconvenient.” Shen Wuqiu had no intention of changing the site of the foundation. The reason she wanted to build a house on Huashan Mountain was because it was located halfway up the mountain, far from the village, making it a good base for raising kittens.
Huashan is named after the fact that it used to be a natural camellia field. Two families used to live on the mountainside, but then a wildfire broke out and the natural camellia field turned black and barren. Although the fire did not spread to the two families, they eventually moved away.
After the wildfire, Huashan was overgrown with weeds for several years. So, Mr. Shen asked the village for the lease rights to several hundred acres of land burned by the wildfire and planted roses nearby.
It's probably because Shen Wuqiu's mother took good care of it that this rose bush has been growing well for so many years, and the fresh flowers and buds have brought in a lot of income.
Mr. Shen said angrily, "What's the use of a road? There's no village or shop in sight, it's inconvenient to even visit someone."
Shen Wuqiu wanted to avoid the inconvenience of visiting other people's homes, and she didn't want to confront him directly. "We won't demolish this old house. You and Auntie can live wherever you want."
Mr. Chen continued irritably, "That hillside has no water or electricity. When you build a house there, you'll have to get electricity and water pipes installed. Do you think the village will care about that?"
Shen Wuqiu hadn't thought about these things, but she was determined to build the house there. Even if things didn't go well, she would still have a group of inhuman creatures around her who could be of some use. She would build the house first and then figure things out. "Things will work themselves out. I'll discuss it with you first, and then I'll communicate with the village."
I disagree.
Seeing his stubbornness, Shen Wuqiu was too lazy to say anything nice. "Oh, then I'll let you know that I'm planning to build a house in Huashan."
Mr. Shen was so angry that he was fuming and glaring, but he couldn't do anything about it, so he had no choice but to leave in a huff.
In Shen Wuqiu's view, as long as one does not strongly oppose it, it is equivalent to agreeing.
So, they happily went to research what kind of house to build.
In the evening, Zhao Jiujiu brought her family over, and brought a whole truckload of goods, literally a small truckload.
Fortunately, Zhao Jiujiu also brought three strong laborers, Song Jue and his son, otherwise, with the elderly, weak, women and children of the Shen family, it would have taken them half a day to move all the stuff in this small truck.
Shen Wuqiu looked at the goods on the truck and didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Does my aunt think my family is going to open a supermarket?"
“We have a lot of family members, and it’s inconvenient to go to the city. I have to take advantage of the crowds to carry more back home.” Zhao Jiujiu was afraid that she would go upstairs to help, so she pulled her upstairs. “Come on, your aunt bought you something nice. Let’s go upstairs and take a look.”
When Shen Wuqiu saw her mysterious look, he had a bad feeling. "What good stuff?"
Zhao Jiujiu simply pulled her upstairs, saying, "You'll find out soon enough."
Once upstairs, Zhao Jiujiu eagerly pulled her into the room, even locking the door behind her. Then, she took out a beautifully packaged gift box from her handbag.
Upon seeing the sapphire blue velvet box, Shen Wuqiu assumed it was some valuable jewelry and refused to accept it. "What is this?"
Zhao Jiujiu forcefully shoved the item into her hands, saying, "It's a good thing, anyway."
Seeing her expression, Shen Wuqiu felt a little uneasy. She wanted to open it to see what it was, but as soon as she started, Zhao Jiujiu stopped her, saying, "You should open it yourself later."
Shen Wuqiu became even more curious after hearing her words, "Why do I feel like my aunt is making fun of me?"
"You're wronging me," Zhao Jiujiu glared at her. "I was only thinking of your best interests."
The word "**" was emphasized in particular.
"...What happiness?"
Zhao Jiujiu looked knowing. "I heard it all last night."
Shen Wuqiu instantly exploded, "What did Auntie hear?"
Zhao Jiujiu glanced at her and said, "I really didn't know you were so capable of causing trouble. I think Lingyu's voice is all hoarse..."
Shen Wuqiu's face immediately turned red. "How did Auntie hear that?"
Zhao Jiujiu was a little embarrassed and pretended to cough. "It's because I was playing mahjong too much and my throat was sore when I woke up. I went downstairs to get some water and heard some noise as I passed by your door... I couldn't help but listen..."
Chapter 71 A Repressed Passion
"..." Shen Wuqiu didn't know how to react. Looking down at the gift box in her hand, she suddenly felt it was a hot potato. She took a few deep breaths before managing to feign nonchalance, "Auntie, you must have misheard. You know perfectly well that Lingyu and I have always been..."
"Alright, I know you're just embarrassed." Zhao Jiujiu interrupted her. "Your aunt has been through this too. You young people are full of energy and passion, so it's understandable that you have a rich nightlife. But you're pregnant now, so you should be more careful."
Having such a bold aunt who "listens even when she's being disrespectful," Shen Wuqiu had no choice but to abandon her modesty and shyness, and simply went all out: "How long have you been listening, Aunt?"
Zhao Jiujiu: "It hasn't been long. I'm getting old, and my feet and legs go numb after standing for a short while."
"..." Everything from last night flashed through her mind. Shen Wuqiu took a deep breath, silently opened the exquisite gift box in her hand, looked at the cute little clouds and carrots inside, then silently closed the gift box, pretending to be calm, "Yes, thank you for the gift, Aunt."
Seeing this, Zhao Jiujiu simply laid it all out again, "Although you were the one who took the initiative, I figured it was quite tiring, so I bought you this thing. It has both external and internal uses, which will save you some effort and prevent you from harming the fetus."
Shen Wuqiu lowered her eyes, her face expressionless, and said, "Hmm."
Zhao Jiujiu sized her up for a moment. "You were the one who took the initiative, weren't you? Last night, she was the one who was meowing and whining because of you, wasn't she?"
"..." Shen Wuqiu held back for a moment, "...It didn't meow either..."
"Oh, it's just a cat in human skin, all it does is meow." Zhao Jiujiu didn't think her description was hurtful at all. Remembering something, she leaned closer to her and whispered ambiguously, "I didn't expect our little Qiuqiu to be such a repressed person. It's quite impressive that your aunt is looking at you in a new light."
Thinking back to the serious-sounding flirtatious remarks she had heard last night, and the cat's low moan that sounded like it was about to cry, Zhao Jiujiu still got goosebumps—her niece was really ruthless.
Shen Wuqiu didn't care about saving face and nodded generously, "Yes, I'm sorry for making you laugh, Aunt."
Her natural and poised demeanor made Zhao Jiujiu feel a little uncomfortable. She glanced at her and asked, "Are you angry?"
"How could that be?" Shen Wuqiu exclaimed dramatically. "I should thank my aunt for reminding me that our house is so poorly soundproofed."
Zhao Jiujiu, "It wasn't that bad. I pressed my ear against the door and only managed to hear a vague sound..."
After saying that, Zhao Jiujiu belatedly realized what she had said. As the saying goes, a guilty conscience needs no accuser. It was a bit much to deliberately eavesdrop on other people's private conversations. Shen Wuqiu was not intimidated, but Zhao Jiujiu was a little intimidated first. "Well... I'll go down and see if everything has been unloaded."
Shen Wuqiu nodded her chin. "Okay, Auntie, go ahead. I'll take a look at the little toys you gave me."
"...You'd better take it easy, I've heard this thing is pretty stimulating."
After saying that, Zhao Jiujiu left with a flushed face.
Hearing the door slam shut, Shen Wuqiu breathed a sigh of relief and then quickly threw the things in her hand onto the bed as if throwing away a hot potato.
Damn it.
My aunt is really too fierce.
Thinking back to her wanton behavior last night, Shen Wuqiu couldn't help but get goosebumps. She rubbed her face vigorously, but couldn't stop her wandering thoughts. Her eyes fell on the gift box on the bed, and she couldn't help but pick it up and open it.
The pink little cloud felt very smooth to the touch. She had never seen this kind of thing before. To be honest, if it weren't for the carrot, she would never have thought anything of it in a bad way.
She held the thing in her hand and fiddled with it for a while, then quickly found the start button.
When the hidden button is pressed, the little cloud slowly vibrates in the palm of your hand. The gentle vibrations tickle your palm, which is a bit novel but not something you'll want to linger over.
Honestly, it's not as good as a certain cat's little pink tongue.
For Shen Wuqiu, this thing wasn't fun. As for the carrot... well, she didn't seem interested at all.
So she closed the box again, intending to accept her aunt's kindness and walk towards the trash can with the box.
Just as I was about to throw it down, another idea popped into my head, so I pulled my hand back from the trash can and instead tossed the box into the bedside table.
Last night's wedding night gave her a novel and joyful experience; listening to her partner sing in the middle of the night was quite enjoyable.
Shen Wuqiu bit her lip, quickly pushed the drawer inside, and hid the two small toys.
My aunt is right, she is indeed quite reserved and secretly passionate.
In order to be able to freely enjoy our nightlife as a couple, it seems that building a house needs to be put on the agenda as soon as possible.
*****
It took the Song family father and sons a long time to unload all the things from the small truck that Zhao Jiujiu delivered. Su Yunzhi was busy making dinner and didn't have time to tidy up, so she just left them piled up in the hall.
Over the course of their time together, the two families have grown much closer. In addition, since Zhao Jiujiu's two sons, Song Jingxing and Song Jingzhi, rarely visit, this dinner was naturally quite sumptuous.
Because of her close relationship with Zhao Jiujiu, Shen Wuqiu's cousins didn't treat her like an outsider.
"Mom said you were pregnant, and neither my brother nor I believed it. But now that I see your big belly, I have to believe it. Sigh, I haven't even found a girlfriend yet, and I never thought you'd be a mother." Song Jingzhi is a month younger than Shen Wuqiu. Although he has been abroad for many years, he takes after Zhao Jiujiu and is a talkative and enthusiastic person. Even though they haven't seen each other for many years, they are not estranged.
Speaking of this, Zhao Jiujiu rolled her eyes, "How dare you say that? You're not a kid anymore, and you're getting all worked up about finding a partner."
Song Jingzhi immediately dragged his brother into the conversation, saying, "Stop nagging me all the time. I'm two or three years older than Qiuqiu, and I still haven't found a girlfriend."