Chapter 51: A Hint of Embarrassment

Chapter 51: A Hint of Shyness

"Cucumbers, right now?" Lin Xiaopu's eyes lit up. "Alright, alright! Let's eat them raw!"

He Guixiang chuckled, "You two little foodies."

Lin Shu raised an eyebrow. "Yes, yes, Xiao Pu and I are both foodies. So, who gave birth to us two little foodies? One of you, Dad or Mom, must be a big foodie to have produced us. Right, Xiao Pu?"

Lin Xiaopu immediately piped up, "Exactly! The big foodie has to be either Dad or Mom."

He Guixiang was thoroughly amused. She laughed heartily for a good while, holding her side. "Alright, stop fooling around. If you want to eat, then eat. These cucumbers were originally meant for you two by Aunt Lin. Your dad and I are just benefiting from your share."

After Lin Shu had repeatedly urged her to eat, He Guixiang no longer refused. If her children wanted to share their food, she would gladly embrace the role of the "big foodie."

Lin Shu, not one to stand on ceremony, went to the kitchen, fetched a small basin of water, and washed the cucumbers. She set one aside and broke the other into two halves—one noticeably larger, the other smaller. Teasingly, she held them out to Lin Xiaopu. "The stem end is bigger, but it's slightly bitter. The other end is shorter but plumper and crispier. If you had to choose, Xiao Pu, which would you pick?"

Lin Xiaopu's face flushed red. She knew it was a trick question. Seeing her older sister smirking, she stomped her foot in mock anger. "You're setting me up again, Sis! If I pick the longer one, that means I'm greedy and not thinking of Mom. If I pick the shorter one, that means I'm selfishly taking the better part and leaving the worse for Mom. No matter what I choose, I'll get the blame. You're so mean, Sis!"

Lin Shu burst out laughing. "You're too clever for me to fool!" Then she handed both halves to her. "So, Xiao Pu, what should we do?"

Lin Xiaopu immediately passed the two halves to He Guixiang, saying with a sly, clever look, "I'm not choosing. I'll give them to Mom and let Mom choose. That way, no matter what Mom picks, I'm not to blame."

He Guixiang watched her daughters banter affectionately and casually picked the end with the stem. "Since you're the little one, you can have this shorter piece."

Lin Xiaopu took the crispier half and giggled. "Mom, you should learn from Sis—always saying the sweetest things, instead of saying the opposite of what you mean, even when you have good intentions. I know you just want me to have the better piece."

He Guixiang smiled without responding, then turned to Lin Shu. "If you really want to grow cucumbers, A Shu, you should consult properly with Aunt Lin. They're not as easy to grow as you might think."

That was why few households in Sweetwater Village grew cucumbers. Vegetables like greens and radishes were much simpler—anyone who wasn't a lazybones could keep them alive with regular watering.

But other crops were different. Take cucumbers, for example; He Guixiang knew of several families who had tried and failed to grow them.

Cucumber seeds sprouted quickly, but the plants were difficult to manage later on. A slight neglect could cause them to wither and die, or the vines wouldn't bear many cucumbers.

Each family's backyard vegetable patch was only so big. If you planted one thing, there was less space for another. Since cucumbers were hard to grow, people naturally switched to easier crops.

"Mom, I don't just want to grow cucumbers. I also want to plant peas, broad beans, and luffa..." Lin Shu counted on her fingers.

Lin Xiaopu, who had been munching on her cucumber, stopped eating and looked up eagerly. "Sis, do you know how to grow all of those?"

"I have a rough idea of their habits. We can try—who knows, maybe they'll grow!"

Lin Xiaopu gushed with blind admiration for her sister. "If Sis says she can grow them, she definitely can! Mom, let's buy seeds! Let Sis plant everything!"

He Guixiang also trusted Lin Shu's capabilities and nodded. "Alright, when we go to the market tomorrow, A Shu, buy whatever seeds you want. And if there are any other little things that catch your eye, go ahead and get them. I have money saved up."

Lin Xiaopu exclaimed, "Wow! Mom is so generous!"

He Guixiang patted her head. "When have I ever been stingy?"

Lin Shu smiled gratefully. "Since you're offering, I won't hold back tomorrow at the market." She was glad to have the chance to buy a few extra things. Her mother wasn't the type to act generous without the means—if she offered, it meant she had indeed saved quite a bit.

"Oh! I just remembered—I promised to fetch water for Brother A Ye. Aunt Lin's visit distracted me. Mom, Xiao Pu, I'm going to take water to him. I'll be back soon—"

Before she could finish, Lin Shu had already dashed off.

The emptied bamboo tube was refilled by her. It had holes drilled and a straw twine attached, making it portable. Holding a bamboo tube of water in one hand and the fresh, green cucumber in the other, she hurried off to find Zhou Ye.

Just as she stepped out of the courtyard, she bumped right into Zhou Ye, who was approaching the gate.

Zhou Ye had already heard the light, brisk footsteps as he neared the courtyard gate, and he knew exactly who it was from the sound. He should have sidestepped, but for some reason, his mind wandered, and in that moment of distraction, Lin Shu, walking swiftly, couldn't stop in time and collided with him.

Lin Shu stumbled backward, nearly falling on her bottom, but Zhou Ye grabbed her arm to steady her, releasing her only when she regained her balance. "Are you alright?"

"I-I'm not." Lin Shu rubbed her nose, which had been aching from the impact. This man was built so solid—even with his usual lack of food, he had grown a body full of firm muscles. The collision had brought tears to her eyes.

Hearing her say she was not alright, Zhou Ye fell silent, unsure how to respond.

But seeing her eyes, slightly moist as if she had been hurt by the collision, he felt a pang of regret for not moving aside in time.

"Next time, I'll move aside," he said.

"I was just joking, I'm not blaming you. Besides, you caught me, didn't you? If you hadn't grabbed me in time, I would have fallen flat on my back. But I won't thank you—after all, if I hadn't run into you, I wouldn't have almost fallen." Lin Shu huffed.

Zhou Ye grunted in agreement. "You make a fair point."

Thinking he should say something more, he added, "The fish pond is almost done. I came to ask if you'd like to take a look? The next step is to divert the mountain spring water. You mentioned using bamboo tubes to guide the water. I cut bamboo of various thicknesses this morning—see if any are suitable. If not, I can go to the back mountain to cut more."

"So fast?" Lin Shu was delighted. Earlier, when she went to find Zhou Ye to discuss the market trip, she hadn't ventured beyond the stone path and hadn't seen the progress on the fish pond. She hadn't expected that in such a short time, Zhou Ye had even finished planting all the Acorus gramineus?

He must have been nearly done earlier but hadn't mentioned it. Seeing that she hadn't brought water for a while, he had come to find her.

She quickly said, "A Ye, you've worked hard! The bamboo in the courtyard is enough for now; no need to cut more. By the way, I was just about to bring you water. But you came at the perfect time."

As Lin Shu spoke, her gaze swept over his clearly washed hands. Perhaps thinking he still had work to do, he had scrubbed the mud off his hands but hadn't cleaned the dirt under his fingernails thoroughly.

Over the past few days, Lin Shu had come to understand his habits: he wouldn't wash up completely until after a day's farm work was done, going to the river for a cold bath and meticulously cleaning his hands and feet, leaving no trace of dirt under his nails.

Zhou Ye was rough in some ways but not entirely. He couldn't compare to those pampered young masters, but among the farmers who made their living from the land, he was certainly the most particular one.

"A Ye, your hands aren't clean. Go wash the dirt under your nails—I have something good for you to eat." Lin Shu smiled, hiding the cucumber behind her back.

Zhou Ye had actually seen it but pretended not to. He looked down at his rough, large hands, thinking about how her gaze had swept over them and noticed the grime under his nails, and he suddenly felt self-conscious.

Seeing him turn to leave, Lin Shu quickly called out, "Silly, wash them here in the courtyard. Are you really going to run to the back of the house?"

Over there, Lin Xiaopu spotted Zhou Ye and called out, "A Ye, this cucumber is so delicious—crisp and refreshing!"

Lin Shu:...

Her little sister's mouth was really quick.

She had no choice but to bring out the cucumber she had hidden behind her back. "Here, a cucumber from Aunt Lin. After you wash your hands, we'll share it!"

Zhou Ye moved his lips, wanting to say, "You eat it all, I don't want any," but seeing her smiling eyes, the words wouldn't come out.

He grunted in acknowledgment and noticed a small basin of clean water by the stove, likely used for washing the cucumber. The water was still clear.

If it were anyone else, they might have eaten the freshly picked cucumber without washing it, thinking it wasn't dirty. Only Lin Shu was so particular.

Thinking of this, and recalling how her gaze had lingered on his dirty, rough hands, he felt a sudden sense of self-consciousness.

Zhou Ye hurried over, squatted down, and used the water in the basin to carefully scrub his hands, spreading his fingers to clean out the grime hidden under his nails.

Lin Shu had wandered over at some point, glanced at his hands, and said, "Your nails look a bit long. Want me to trim 'em for you later?"

Zhou Ye's fingers, submerged in the water, trembled slightly. He mumbled back, "I can do it myself."

Once he was sure all ten fingers were thoroughly clean, Zhou Ye finally stood up. He had initially intended to wipe his hands on the hem of his clothes but hesitated and refrained, instead just giving his hands a good shake.

Lin Shu had already broken the cucumber in her hand into two halves. Repeating the trick she'd pulled on Xiao Pu earlier, she now presented the two pieces to Zhou Ye, asking him to choose one.

Lin Xiaopu immediately came over to see what was up, crunching on her cucumber with a grin as she reminded him, "A Ye, you better choose carefully. If you pick the end with the stem, you'll get more to eat, but if you choose the other end, it'll taste better."

Without missing a beat, Zhou Ye chose the larger end. Before Xiao Pu could even tease him, he broke his half of the cucumber into two pieces again, handing the front section back to Lin Shu and keeping only the very tip for himself. "I'll just have a taste," he said. "You can have the rest."

Lin Xiaopu was completely floored, speechless.

Wait, how could he do that?

Wasn't A Ye supposed to be the simplest, most honest guy around? How did he manage to pull off such a clever move?

She glanced at her older sister and, sure enough, Lin Shu was beaming with delight!

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Author's Note: Thank you, dear readers, for the nutrient solutions! Feeling all your love—so happy I could spin around in joy~