Chapter 736

Chapter 736

Spoiled by Affection

At that time, Lin Nannan, who was solely focused on keeping her activities secret, didn't know what to say when Lu Hang asked...

Should she say that she hadn't thought of it back then, only wanting to collect plants on her own and making sure no one found out to avoid difficult explanations?

Now, the situation had completely changed. What she was doing now had the whole country's backing. Otherwise, she probably wouldn't have been able to collect even one percent of what she had.

It wasn't an exaggeration—it was the truth.

For example, fruit trees like apple trees could be found everywhere, but apples from different regions varied in appearance and taste, not to mention other plants. So, her return had unexpectedly turned out to be a happy accident.

"I wasn’t sure at the time, I just wanted to give it a try. Given my situation back then, taking Du Du with me would have put her in danger. Since she was going to stay in Beijing for school anyway, I thought it would be good for her to adapt, so I asked my mom to pick her up." She struggled to explain, thinking about what excuse she could use to convince him if Lu Hang grew suspicious.

"Mm, don’t worry. I’ll go to Beijing to see her once I’m done with work. If the holiday is long enough, I might even bring her back." Lu Hang didn’t make a big deal of it. Having made it through over two years apart, this was nothing he couldn’t handle.

His urgency stemmed solely from concern for Lin Nannan’s safety.

As long as she was safe, he had no complaints about her returning to her hometown. After all, he was busy too and couldn’t properly accompany her and their child. Besides, she was doing it for work.

When it came to work, their unspoken understanding was to support each other and not interfere in matters they didn’t understand.

Expecting him to press further, Lin Nannan was relieved when he let it go so easily. But then she frowned and said, "If you bring Du Du back, I might not have time to spend with her. Even Lu Yuan is too busy to go back now."

This made Lu Hang curious. "Why mention A Yuan? What exactly are you all so busy with?"

He knew his sister was studying agriculture with Mr. Hu, but why was she now working with his wife?

Lin Nannan thought for a moment and said, "It's nothing really. We’re just gathering plants from all over the country for me to compile into a master compilation. It’s not just A Yuan—Mr. Hu is involved too."

Considering the scale of the work, Lu Hang instinctively asked, "That probably can’t be completed in just a year or two, can it?"

"Hard to say!" Lin Nannan replied.

Lu Hang was quiet for a moment before making himself feel better, "Well, at least it’s happening in our hometown. That’s still better than disappearing for two years."

Seeing him console himself, Lin Nannan couldn’t help but laugh. "What would you do if I disappeared for another two years?"

"What could I do? Just wait!" Lu Hang replied without hesitation.

"Wouldn’t you think about getting a new wife?" Lin Nannan teased.

His decisiveness pleased her.

At least she knew he always supported her work.

Hearing this, Lu Hang scowled. "Lin Nannan, don’t think you can get away with being sassy just because you’re not by my side. There will come a time when your research is done."

Since their marriage, his heart had never wavered. Even when Lin Nannan stayed away with their child for over two years, his feelings remained unchanged. All he wanted was to protect their relationship and grow old together. So, even though he knew Lin Nannan was joking, he couldn’t help feeling a little upset.

"Sorry, I know you’d never think that way. I’m just being spoiled by your affection!" Lin Nannan quickly apologized, knowing better than to provoke a man bottling up his anger.

Her use of "spoiled by your affection" made Lu Hang speechless.

"I forgive you, but I don’t want there to be a next time," Lu Hang said between clenched teeth.

"Okay, I promise there won’t be a next time," Lin Nannan promised right away.

Lu Hang understood what Lin Nannan was doing and was relieved to know she was safe. After chatting a bit more, he hung up the phone.

Both of them had been unaware of each other's situations and had been worried, but without knowing where the other was, worrying was pointless.

Now, knowing that both were safe, they felt relieved, and their moods improved.

On his end, Lu Hang was figuring out when he could visit his daughter. Meanwhile, Lin Nannan noticed changes in the plants brought by Zhuang Guohua. The leaves that should have withered were showing slight changes—almost imperceptible unless observed carefully, but to the trained eye, the clues were there.

Lin Nannan didn’t promise she could save them, but she took charge of the endangered plants.

Instead of rushing to use repair solutions, she carefully documented the characteristics of each plant, shared details about their environment and the issues they faced, and systematically identified the problems. Eventually, she found that two of the plants had suffered from overprotection—they'd been babied too much, which ironically harmed them.

She moved the potted plants to a different spot and let them grow naturally. Surprisingly, the wilted, nearly dead plants started coming back to life.

Zhuang Guohua couldn't believe his eyes.

"Why?" he asked, confused.

Seeing his dismay, Lin Nannan let out a soft sigh and said, "You thought these were endangered plants that needed extreme protection, but overprotecting them deprived them of their natural growing conditions..."

"Impossible! We know how important the environment is and have always made it a priority," Zhuang Guohua argued.

"But you only focused on the ideal conditions, forgetting that all plants need to tough it out through wind and rain to grow stronger," Lin Nannan replied. Her words left Zhuang Guohua silent.

She was right. They had only considered what was beneficial—knowing the plants preferred sun over shade, that strong winds could break weak stems—so during storms, they moved the plants to sheltered areas. They thought they were protecting them, but it was actually harming them.

"Anything, even a child, can be hurt by overprotection. I know you’re afraid of loss, but how long can such protection last? Only by going through storms and getting plenty of sun can they truly adapt and thrive."

Lin Nannan’s words were immediately supported by Mr. Hu. "She’s right. Overprotection, even if it keeps them alive, defeats the purpose."

Zhuang Guohua was struck by this insight. Feeling both guilty and relieved about their mistake, he quickly asked, "Are the others affected for the same reason?"

If so, they might all be saved, and his mission could be accomplished.

"Some are due to similar reasons, while others are diseased and need medication. This can’t be rushed; it must be done gradually," Lin Nannan explained. Her words reassured Zhuang Guohua, making him believe she could save them.

Lin Nannan took special care of the valuable plants, while the common ones, though less important to others, were crucial to her. She was extremely busy, and if not for others keeping an eye on her, she might have forgotten to sleep entirely.

Knowing Lin Nannan’s tendency to neglect herself when busy, Yin Xu arranged everything to ensure she didn’t harm her health. Thanks to him, Lin Nannan maintained a regular routine and diet, and though busy, she didn’t lose much weight.

As time passed, the endangered plants bounced back under Lin Nannan’s dedicated care. After obtaining samples, she stopped worrying about what would happen to them.

She was willing to let go, but Mr. Hu wasn’t.

When Zhuang Guohua prepared to take the revived plants back, Mr. Hu said to him, "They’ve adapted here. Who knows how they’ll do when taken back? What if they can’t adjust? Will you bring them back again?"

This left Zhuang Guohua in a dilemma. He had delayed his departure for this very reason, but with his superiors urging him, he thought he could complete the mission and return. Now, he worried about how the plants would readjust.

"If I don’t take them back, I won't have anything to show for it," Zhuang Guohua said anxiously. What he took with him, he felt obligated to return.

Lu Yuan, hearing that Zhuang Guohua was leaving, came rushing over. Seeing him determined to go, she said nothing and turned to leave.

Noticing this, Lin Nannan shot a look at Mr. Hu, who understood immediately.

"What's there to explain? We're the ones who saved them here, so half of these should rightfully be ours. Once they've divided, you can take them back." Mr. Hu shared his original plan with him and waited for his response.

"How long will that take?" Zhuang Guohua paused and immediately asked.

"Have we been treating you badly that you're in such a hurry to leave?" Mr. Hu couldn't help but ask.

Zhuang Guohua hesitated for a moment, then said, "No, it's just that I have something going on at home, so I thought once the task was completed, I could return."

Mr. Hu frowned and said, "How can you consider this task completed? Unless you go back just like that. And if there's something going on at home, you can go handle it and then come back."

"Can I really come back?" Zhuang Guohua was genuinely surprised, the delight in his eyes impossible to conceal.

"If you don’t want to come back, no one is forcing you!" Seeing his change in attitude, Mr. Hu knew he had the intention and replied with some pride.

Hearing this, Zhuang Guohua grew anxious and hurriedly explained, "After all, I don’t belong here. I’ve stayed so long and learned so much—I’m just afraid that once I leave, I won’t be able to come back. It’s only because I’ve been thick-skinned enough to stay this long."

Others who came only stayed a few days before leaving; no one else remained as long as he did.

"Then, do you want to stay here?" Mr. Hu suddenly asked.

Zhuang Guohua was stunned, took a deep breath, and then asked, "Are you planning to assign me here?"

"Yes. Since you show some aptitude, if you’re willing, what you can learn will depend entirely on your ability. We won’t hold back, but if you’re unwilling, there’s nothing we can do," Mr. Hu said.

"I’m willing!" Without a second thought, he blurted out. But then, remembering something, he hesitated and said, "Won’t this make people think I’m trading these precious plants for a chance to stay here?"