Chapter 44: An Engagement

Chapter 44: An Engagement

This apricot tree was large, bearing numerous and sizable fruits; the two of them spent three days picking.

They took back two baskets each day.

Apricots don't last long after being picked; they ripen quickly. Initially, Tang Yuan planned to dry them into apricot slices for storage, but Grandma Feng said, "Peaches nourish, apricots harm, and plums can carry away the dead," implying that one shouldn't eat too many apricots.

Tang Yuan thought about it and decided, this being the first time she had picked so many apricots, to share them with the village children and women for a treat.

She kept one basket for her family to eat and dry into slices, while giving the rest away to earn goodwill.

In her previous life, she was a poverty alleviation cadre, and one of the key performance indicators was the reputation and feedback from those she helped.

Although there were a few people over eight years who took advantage and complained even when receiving assistance, saying the government wasn't doing enough and constantly reporting her for supposedly embezzling their subsidies, claiming she was cold and never visited their homes during follow-ups.

However, ninety percent of those she helped were grateful and praised her. Even after she moved elsewhere, they still sent her messages about their work and lives, thanking her for her dedicated help.

To gain influence in the village, she needed both authority and a good reputation. Currently, the authority lay with Tang Bingde, and the reputation came from the women's mouths.

Once the apricots were distributed, Tang Yuan immediately became known as "Sister Yuan" among the children, even those she had scolded before now fawned over her, saying, "Sister Yuan is beautiful and generous; she will definitely marry a good man."

Liu Laizi's mother would inevitably gossip, saying she shouldn't be allowed to go into the mountains to pick apricots without working, calling it false generosity.

The children didn't need adults to refute this; they immediately countered, "Sister Yuan gave up earning work points to get us apricots to eat. Isn't that generous? We wander around the mountains all day and couldn't find any apricots. How did Sister Yuan find them? This shows she has good fortune; she must have been guided by a fish spirit! You're just jealous, saying the apricots are sour because you can't have them. Ha, they're actually very sweet, like honey!"

Anyone who privately called Tang Yuan a "crazy girl" would face the children's disapproval. Sister Yuan was clearly sweet, not crazy.

Tang Yuan, pleased, promised to find more fruits like plums and peaches for them, making them even happier.

Of course, Tang Yuan hadn't been idle these past few days besides picking apricots; she had been guiding the team on preparing the seedling fields.

With wheat harvesting nearing its end, Tang Bingde began assigning strong laborers to plow the land.

Besides plowing the wheat stubble fields for corn, beans, and sweet potatoes, the most important task was preparing three to four acres for rice seedlings.

Rice could be directly sown in dry soil, but this method resulted in uneven germination. Most preferred to first grow seedlings and then transplant them to the main field.

Tang Bingde had no experience with rice paddies, so he entrusted this task to Dad Tang, who led Tang Aiguo and Tang Aidang along with five other young men.

Naturally, Tang Yuan and Feng Chen served as technical advisors and assistants.

Tang Bingde had already calculated that since the "fish spirit" said they could grow rice, it meant the spirit understood the process of land preparation, seed soaking, seedling cultivation, and transplantation.

Though he himself didn't understand, he was bold enough to entrust the task to the "fish spirit."

Indeed, under Tang Yuan's guidance, Dad Tang and his team performed excellently.

The three-plus acres of seedling fields were plowed smoothly and finely, without a single clod of earth, as if sifted.

According to Tang Yuan, this was a semi-dry seedling cultivation method, significantly different from the traditional water-based method used in the south.

For semi-dry cultivation, seeds were soaked to sprout, then sown in dry soil, and later irrigated with a small stream of water.

This prevented the root system from becoming overly weak due to lack of air, allowing the seedlings to grow stronger.

Once the seedling fields were prepared, Ji Hongyue arrived at Tangjia Village with three sacks of rice seeds.

This time, he was particularly impressive, arriving in a truck with two armed police officers accompanying him.

The journey was exceptionally safe.

Tangjia Village was relatively remote, situated near the mountains and without a national highway nearby, so trucks were rarely seen.

To see a truck, one had to climb over two hills to reach the highway connecting the commune to the county town.

Most children, and even many adults who had never left the commune, had no such opportunity.

As the truck entered the village, children chased it, shouting, "Big Liberation, Big Liberation!"

The villagers were excited, wondering why a truck had suddenly appeared.

Even the elderly who didn't work anymore hobbled over to see what was happening.

Soon, the truck stopped in front of the brigade office, and the tall door opened, revealing the handsome and dashing Cadre Ji jumping down.

Wow, in just a few days, Cadre Ji seemed like a new person, looking so impressive.

He was also accompanied by two police officers in blue and white uniforms for protection.

Upon arrival, Ji Hongyue sought out Tang Bingde, Tang Yuan, and Feng Chen, inviting the police officers and driver inside for water and rest.

At the end of the wheat harvest, Secretary Liu, who had recovered somewhat, was helping the accountant with the accounts in the office. Seeing Cadre Ji enter with others, he hurriedly welcomed them.

Ji Hongyue shook hands with Secretary Liu, expressing surprise and concern, "Secretary Liu, how are you? You look so haggard. What happened?"

And you've lost weight.

Secretary Liu coughed lightly, "Sorry, I caught a chill from the heavy rain a few days ago. Recovery is slow, but I couldn't stay idle once I felt better, so I came back to work."

Ji Hongyue praised him appropriately, showing the care and approval of a superior toward a subordinate, perfectly gauging the tone.

His time with Shen Jiaming had not been wasted.

Soon, Tang Bingde returned with Dad Tang and Tang Aiguo, and Tang Yuan and Feng Chen joined them.

After the initial greetings, Ji Hongyue proudly declared, "I've fulfilled my mission and bought the rice seeds for you."

Tang Bingde was very pleased, repeatedly thanking them and arranging to entertain the two public security officers and the driver.

Secretary Liu cleared his throat. "Captain Tang, leave this matter to me. Although I'm sick and can't get out of bed, I can still handle entertaining guests."

His words sounded nice, but in reality, he always had to be present whenever someone from above came. Tang Bingde was used to it.

Tang Bingde wasn’t good at flattering people, so it was better for him to do the entertaining.

Tang Bingde thanked and apologized to everyone for not being able to accompany them, as he needed to check on the seedlings.

The two public security officers and the driver didn’t mind at all.

Ji Hongyue also went with Tang Yuan and the others.

Ji Hongyue personally came to inspect their rice seedling field, thinking that since Tangjia Village had never grown rice before, they wouldn’t know how to plant it, and he would have to guide them step by step.

He had spent a few years in the fish and rice country of southern Jiangnan when he was young, so he knew all about growing rice.

But when he arrived and took a look, wow, Tangjia Village really had some capable people—the seedling field was perfectly arranged.

It seemed Tang Yuan really did know how to grow rice, but wasn’t she originally from Tangjia Village? How could she know how to grow rice if she had probably never even seen it?

Could it be...that the Fish Immortal taught her?

Tang Bingde didn’t seem like he knew how either.

Ji Hongyue thought he didn’t resemble the Fish Immortal.

But Tang Bingde, seeing Ji Hongyue’s knowledgeable manner, thought he looked very much like the Fish Immortal.

After inspecting the seedling field, Tang Yuan took Dad Tang and Feng Chen to soak the seeds.

Tang Aiguo and Tang Aidang could also learn from this process.

When soaking rice seeds, a certain amount of pesticide is added to prevent pests, such as Le Guo, [omitted], and Dichlorvos. If conditions permit, fungicides like Carbendazim are also used, and last year, Jinggangmycin was developed to treat rice sheath blight.

On the surface, Ji Hongyue was just a young man, but he was very considerate. Besides the rice seeds, he also asked Shen Jiaming to help procure pesticides.

At least locally, there was no Jinggangmycin, which he specifically brought along with the rice seeds. Additionally, he also brought Le Guo and Carbendazim.

Previously, Tangjia Village only had highly toxic organochlorine pesticides like BHC and DDT, mainly used for pest control in cotton fields, rarely for other crops due to their extreme toxicity.

Even so, every year, when applying pesticides to cotton, some commune members would fall ill, and sometimes after spraying, if it rained, the pesticide-laden rainwater would flow into the ditches and rivers, killing the fish!

This showed how toxic these pesticides were.

In fact, organochlorine pesticides were not initially developed for agriculture. In 1950, right after the founding of the People's Republic, the U.S. dropped many bacteria-carrying flies and spiders over China. The government quickly launched a sterilization campaign and urgently developed organochlorine pesticides.

Later, they were gradually used for agricultural pest control, but the downside was their high toxicity. Subsequently, organophosphate pesticides were developed, including [omitted], Dichlorvos, Methyl Parathion, Phorate, Monocrotophos, and Le Guo.

Some of these are still in use in the 2020s.

The ratio of soaking seeds in pesticides must be controlled precisely, and Tang Yuan taught this to Dad Tang.

Dad Tang learned quickly. After a few explanations from Tang Yuan, he remembered everything and got the hang of it quickly.

During plowing, Tang Yuan also taught him how to mix lime and soil to sprinkle into the fields to kill pests again.

The fields were also fertilized with fermented manure and humus, providing sufficient nutrients for the seedlings to grow.

Once the seedlings emerged and grew for fifteen to twenty days, they could be transplanted into the main fields.

During this period, they also needed to prepare the main fields.

Fortunately, Dad Tang had already led people to till the land and kill green plants for pest control.

Killing green plants involved gathering tender leaves of cottonwood, sophora japonica, and other green manures, mixing them with lime, and turning them into the soil, where they naturally decomposed into fertilizer and killed pests.

By the time of transplanting, the base fertilizer would be ample.

Since it was their first time growing rice, Tang Yuan made a detailed and somewhat rigid plan for them, instructing them to level the paddy fields, avoid low-lying areas, and divide the fields into sections with separate embankments for better water management.

They had plenty of time—about ten days—to plow and prepare the paddy fields.

After the seedlings were planted in the nursery field, Tang Yuan explained everything clearly to Dad Tang, and with Ji Hongyue supervising, there was nothing to worry about.

Tang Yuan and Feng Chen were going to the mountains to take a look.

They could also build a few paddy fields in the mountains.

Thinking about having a few fields that didn’t require paying grain taxes, Tang Yuan felt secretly pleased.

In those days, a significant amount of grain tax was required—25% of the yield—and another 15% had to be sold at a low price. With such low yields, it was impossible for the commune members to have enough food.

Why did the exaggeration campaign in 1958 lead to famine in 1959, 1960, and 1961?

It wasn’t because of real natural disasters; even if there were any, they wouldn’t have affected the entire country simultaneously. It was due to the exaggeration campaign.

Some grassroots officials got carried away, boasting wildly about yields of one thousand, two thousand, or even ten thousand jin per mu.

The government, considering the people, thought that with such high yields, they didn’t need to collect 25%, so they collected only 15%, expecting a more substantial grain reserve than before.

With a yield of 150 jin, 25% is less than 40 jin, but with a yield of one thousand jin, 15% is 150 jin.

How could the commune members have so much grain to hand over?

So they had to hand over all their grain.

What would they eat then?

So wouldn't you go hungry?

Back then, it was Tang Bingde who withstood the pressure and refused to engage in exaggeration, even if it meant enduring ridicule and criticism from his superiors, being called a pest, and accused of hiding grain yields, expressing dissatisfaction with the government, or deliberately holding back progress in catching up with Britain and surpassing America. Others claimed yields of two thousand jin per mu, while he only had two hundred jin. Was he not ashamed?

It was Secretary Liu who protected him, as Secretary Liu could see clearly that the grain yield was what it was.

The exaggeration came from county officials who did not work the fields. Any cadre who had worked in the commune or brigade would never dare say such things.

Yet there were always those who praised the county officials, leading to the spread of exaggeration.

But with Grandpa Yuan's hybrid rice continuously improving, along with more advanced and safer pesticides and fertilizers, modern society can indeed achieve yields of one thousand to one thousand six hundred jin per mu.

Of course, Tang Yuan wouldn't say this, lest she scare Tang Bingde into thinking she wanted to exaggerate yields.

After all, it couldn't be done now; time and technology were needed.

Tomorrow morning, Tang Yuan and Feng Chen were set to depart for the mountains. That evening, she and Grandma Feng prepared a delicious meal for everyone.

Ji Hongyue was quite dissatisfied. "Sis Yuan, I should go with you."

Tang Yuan: "Cadre Ji, you're here to observe and work. Please be professional."

What kind of cadre would supervise us?

We are just honorary members of the cooperative.

Ji Hongyue looked at Feng Chen.

Feng Chen completely ignored him.

Feng Chen certainly didn't want him to come along.

He insisted on sharing the same room and bed, making it so bright they didn't need lamps at night.

Tang Yuan wanted to give Dad Tang some extra instructions. She felt relieved when he answered her questions fluently.

Grandma Tang told her that the team would catch piglets in a couple of days, and they should get one first.

Additionally, she would buy a few ducklings and chicks, and two goslings from the villagers.

After dinner, as everyone was digesting their food in the courtyard, Mother Tang pulled Tang Yuan into her room to have a private conversation.

Mother Tang whispered, "Daughter, your Grandma Feng wants to arrange an engagement for you. What do you think?"

Tang Yuan widened her eyes. "Huh? An engagement?"

An engagement with the big shot?

No, the big shot doesn't show interest in women. You don't know that, right? Haha.

She didn't entertain the idea that the big shot would suddenly change his ways for her. She wasn't that narcissistic.

As for why she took every opportunity to take advantage of the big shot, well, cough, cough, since he didn't have a partner anyway, someone had to appreciate those muscles, right? Looking wouldn't hurt another woman, so why not look?

Grandma Feng wanted to arrange an engagement for her grandson, and Tang Yuan understood. Parents worry about their children's marriage, education, jobs, and having grandchildren...

As the saying goes, raising a child brings ninety-nine worries.

Grandma Feng was anxious and blamed herself for her grandson's bachelorhood, fearing she let down Feng Chen's parents and worried about him being alone. Even with a large family business, she still fretted. Without an heir, what was the point of all that wealth?

Tang Yuan knew her parents also wanted her to find a good partner.

But she... didn't have that intention.

She wasn't interested in marriage, but dating might be worth a try.

Of course, if the big shot needed a partner as a shield, she could consider it. It would be a win-win situation.

She didn't outright refuse but whispered, "I'll ask Feng Chen."

And she really went to find him.

Feng Chen was repairing baskets and various farm tools with Dad Tang in the courtyard, sharpening sickles and machetes, and preparing saplings to take into the mountains.

Tang Yuan winked at him, signaling that she had something to say.

Feng Chen immediately stopped his work, washed his hands, and walked over to her.

Tang Yuan waved him outside to talk.

The holiday of Dragon Boat Festival had passed, but the bundle of mugwort tied to the door frame still hung there, its unique scent refreshing each time they passed by.

Stepping outside, Tang Yuan closed the courtyard gate and whispered, "The moon is beautiful tonight. Let's take a walk."

This left Feng Chen bewildered.

In the past, Tang Yuan only discussed serious matters with him, never idle chatter. Why tonight?

His heart raced.

Half the moon peeked out from behind a veil of light clouds, clear and bright like half an orange slice.

It shyly watched over the young couple bathed in moonlight.

Tang Yuan cleared her throat and whispered, "That... Feng Chen, you know, Grandma Feng really wants you to have a partner."

Feng Chen's heart raced even faster, and his body felt a bit weak.

He hummed in agreement, "Yes, I've always wanted to."

His voice was low and hoarse, incredibly sexy.

Tang Yuan's ears tingled a bit, and she raised her hand to tug at her earlobe, chuckling, "How do you think I am?"

Feng Chen only heard a "thump, thump, thump," as if someone was drumming far away, yet it was deafeningly loud.

Oh, it was his heartbeat.

She was offering to be his girlfriend!

How could she be so good!

He hadn't even had the chance to show more of himself.

He was so excited he didn't know how to express his gratitude. He squeezed his fingers, trying to find the right words.

Tang Yuan burst into laughter, swaying her shoulders with her hands behind her back, "Haha, I was just teasing you."

The big shot had been silent all this time, making her feel quite awkward, as if she had forced him into being her boyfriend out of her own infatuation.

Feng Chen: "???"

It seemed like something had shattered in the distance.

It couldn't be his heart; although it wasn't thumping as loudly anymore, it certainly wasn't broken.

He then heard the girl laugh lightly again, "I know you don't like women and don't want to get married. But people need to adapt to their surroundings, especially in this era where no one can easily escape societal norms. You might not care, but Grandma Feng does. If you stay single and don't get married, Grandma Feng will definitely be sad. I don't want to get married either, but my parents won't agree. Even if they did, others would gossip, and they'd be too embarrassed to face anyone. So—"

She laughed again, looking up at Feng Chen's handsome face, and said softly, "Why don't we pretend to be engaged? We can make Grandma Feng and my parents feel relieved, and stop the villagers from talking. What do you think?"

Feng Chen wanted to say no, but also yes.

When did he ever say he didn't like women or didn't want to get married?

So she didn't want to get married either?

Pretending to be her boyfriend for now wouldn't be bad; maybe over time, it could turn real?

He didn't have many skills, but patience was his forte.

Thinking this, his slightly cracked heart quickly mended, beating strong and steady.

His face felt warm, and his ears were burning.

Tang Yuan, fearing he might refuse, immediately said in a feigned stern tone, "Don't think I'm after you or trying to take advantage of you. I genuinely want to make Grandma Feng feel at ease."

Feng Chen pressed his hand against his chest, "Alright, I agree. No need to explain further."

He nodded quickly, "Okay."

Afraid that saying anything more would be too late.

Tang Yuan giggled happily, "Don't worry, I won't cling to you. If you ever fall in love with someone else or feel that having a girlfriend is getting in your way, we can break it off immediately."

Feng Chen firmly replied, "We won't break it off."

Tang Yuan happily patted his tense arm, chuckling, "Deal!"

She didn't continue walking with Feng Chen but gestured for him to go home.

Of course, the countryside moonlight was beautiful, but the mosquitoes were relentless, swarming around them.

Who wouldn't be afraid?

They walked side by side, and when entering the door, Feng Chen paused to let her go first.

Tang Yuan ran to find Grandma Feng and Mother Tang.

Feng Chen, however, went to the haystack beside the door and pulled out Ji Hongyue, who had been eavesdropping.

Ji Hongyue pleaded quietly, "Brother Feng, spare me. I didn't mean to eavesdrop."

He thought he could overhear some gossip, but instead, he learned that they weren't actually a couple, and the silly girl was still setting boundaries with Feng Chen.

Haha, these two were so amusing.

Feng Chen gave a light hum.

Ji Hongyue immediately swore, "Rest assured, I won't compete with you for Yuan Yuan. I declare her my sister, and I'll be your brother-in-law. You're not allowed to bully her."

Tang Yuan might still be trying to clarify things, but Feng Chen's eyes betrayed him, hehe.

Feng Chen finally let him go, "You'll stay in my room and help take care of Grandma. Make sure the team plants the rice properly."

Ji Hongyue replied, "Big Brother Feng, don't worry. Your little brother will definitely do it."

After seeing Feng Chen's skill in hunting wild boars, Ji Hongyue, like Tang Aiguo, agreed to call him Big Brother.

Mainly because he sensed a powerful aura from Feng Chen that made it hard to act arrogant around him.

Tang Yuan and Feng Chen's promise to get engaged delighted Grandma Feng, who laughed and wiped away tears.

Holding Tang Yuan's hand, she promised, "Good Yuan Yuan, don't worry. Feng Chen must treat you well for life and never bully you. If he dares to bully you, tell Grandma, and I'll break his leg!"

Thinking of Tang Wu's miserable state, Tang Yuan quickly said, "Grandma, it won't happen. Feng Chen treats me very well."

Feng Lao Tai handed the key to her wardrobe and money box directly to Tang Yuan. "I'm getting old and forgetful. You keep these things for me."

Tang Yuan took them and smiled. "Alright, Grandma Tang. We're going into the mountains tomorrow; you can help me keep them safe."

She then reattached them to Feng Lao Tai's waist.

According to Feng Lao Tai's wishes, she insisted on buying several strings of firecrackers to set off for the engagement of Feng Chen and Tang Yuan, and also wanted to host two tables to invite Tang Bingde, Tang Zhonghe, Grandma Tang, and others to witness the occasion.

However, Tang Yuan preferred not to make it extravagant, just informing others about their engagement would suffice.

The engagement banquet could be discussed later.

They had no time for such festivities now; they needed to go plant rice first.

In the early hours of the next morning, Tang Yuan woke up, got ready, and set out with Feng Chen.

Feng Chen was so excited that he couldn't sleep at all, but it didn't matter since he could compensate with his daily practice.

This time entering the mountains was even easier for Tang Yuan because they were engaged, allowing Feng Chen to be more relaxed with physical contact.

For instance, in the past, when they encountered extremely steep sections, Tang Yuan would only be lifted over if she couldn't manage it herself.

Yes, he would lift her.

This time, whenever they faced a higher slope, he would carry or lift Tang Yuan over.

Yes, carry her—princess-style, face-to-face, one-armed around the waist...

All kinds of carries.

Even when a shallow depression in the valley could be crossed by rolling up her pants to her thighs, Feng Chen would still carry her over.

He didn't mind the trouble at all, carrying her across first and then returning to carry their luggage without any issues.

Even with this back-and-forth, it was faster than Tang Yuan crossing alone.

By afternoon, they arrived at the foot of Boulder Peak.

Instead of spending the night in the cave, they climbed straight over the mountain.

Feng Chen had already prepared safety ropes, fully equipping Tang Yuan. He could climb above while she followed below, or she could wait at rest points for him to pull her up layer by layer.

Tang Yuan, with ample time, also inspected the resting spots he had created.

As expected, the master was a master indeed, with his meticulous approach!

After climbing over the mountain, they descended to the cave as night fell.

First, they lit a bonfire to warm the cave and then started a fire to heat the bed.

With no one around for days, the bed would become damp.

The cave also had moisture bugs and centipedes that needed to be smoked out.

While doing this, they prepared dinner.

With the fire burning in the hearth, they checked the surroundings with torches to ensure no wild beasts had wandered in.

Once again, it proved to be a paradise. Even with heavy rain outside, here it was serene and peaceful.

Look, no rain entered the cave, and the fields in the valley... automatically turned into paddy fields.

Tang Yuan: "It seems this place used to grow rice. When it rains, it turns into a paddy field, and when the water level drops in autumn, it drains naturally, turning into dry land suitable for wheat."

The small lake formed from the water bubble had an automatic outlet. If the water exceeded that point, it flowed out, likely heading to other mountain streams.

There must be a magnificent and beautiful waterfall somewhere!

In just a few days, the valley was filled with blooming flowers, and the moon reflected in the lake, creating a shimmering beauty.

Tonight was their engagement night.

Thinking about it, Tang Yuan felt a little excited.

Though it was fake, she was engaged to the master.

Only they knew it was fake; everyone else believed it was real.

Hehe, she was taking advantage of the master.

The master thoughtfully set up their new room, hanging mosquito nets, sprinkling insect repellent, and tossing various herbs into the fire outside the low wall, filling the air with a pleasant scent.

Red-hot charcoal was picked out and placed in ceramic basins inside the cave to remove dampness.

Despite it being summer, the cave was cool, requiring blankets, making for a comfortable night's sleep.

The next morning, Tang Yuan woke up to the sounds of birds singing throughout the valley.

Dawn broke, and the early birds sang in harmony. The mountain breeze blew over the lake, through the flowers, and onto her face, bringing a gentle fragrance.

Tang Yuan: "Wow! Feng Chen, look, how beautiful! We have an entire valley to ourselves, hahaha."

Feng Chen's deep black eyes softened with tenderness.