Chapter 159: Uncle, Mom Is Glaring at Me

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The Beach by the Fish Pond at the Small Farmstead

Two figures, one large and one small, happily stomped across the beach. Before long, they had covered the sand with footprints.

Razor clams, moon clams, and clams.

Using a shovel, Zhong Di dug up quite a variety of seafood. Although it would be better to catch as little as possible so the seafood could reproduce, Xiaoxi was here, so there was no need to hold back. They could have emptied the entire fish pond of seafood if necessary.

Moon clams usually left a small hole in the sand. Digging quickly downward toward the hole would turn one up.

As for razor clams and the like, every kind of seafood had its own method of capture. Zhong Di had even spent some time researching the subject.

“Uncle, there aren’t any shrimp!” Xiaoxi reminded him in her childish little voice.

“Don’t worry. Watch your uncle set a fish trap. In a little while, I’ll catch lots of shrimp for you.” Looking at the half bucket of seafood, Zhong Di felt they had gathered enough.

There were plenty of both shellfish and crabs, and he had even managed to catch an octopus.

This octopus was livelier than the one he had caught last time, which delighted Zhong Di. Could it really have adapted?

It had definitely mutated. Under normal circumstances, an octopus would never survive so easily, especially in a place like this.

Zhong Di set the fish trap.

He used only some scraps of steamed bread mixed with bone meal as bait. There was no need to use the most powerful bait just to catch a few shrimp.

Before long, he had filled the remaining space in the bucket with large freshwater prawns. They were naturally hardy, so there was no need to worry about catching too many or too few. If their numbers fell later, he could simply add more fry.

“Uncle, Xiaoxi wants red shrimp. These green ones aren’t pretty.”

Well, who would have guessed? Xiaoxi was a little beauty addict. Even when eating, she cared whether something looked attractive.

“It’s a magic trick. In a moment, I’ll turn them into red shrimp for you.” Zhong Di led Xiaoxi into the Garden of a Hundred Herbs, where he kept the equipment he usually used for barbecues.

This was not breakfast in the first place; they were here purely to have fun. Besides, no one expected to eat their fill. Barbecue was the perfect choice—eat while playing.

“Sis, want to have something with us?” Zhong Di and Xiaoxi were in the middle of eating when his older sister arrived, a stack of papers in her hands.

“No. Do you have any idea what time it is? It’ll soon be lunchtime. You’re eating seafood here now—will you still be able to eat later?” After saying this, Zhong Hui shot Xiaoxi a sharp look.

“Uncle, Mommy glared at me.”

“Sis, Xiaoxi is still little. It’s nothing. Don’t keep scolding her.”

Hearing the wounded note in Xiaoxi’s voice, Zhong Di immediately felt sorry for her. What was wrong with his sister? Why was she always treating the girl like that?

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“You little rascal. You’ve even learned how to tattle now.”

“Uncle, Mommy scolded me.”

“Sis…”

Zhong Hui: …

“All right, I’m not going to argue with you. This is the latest purchasing list. Take a look and see whether everything’s there or anything is missing.”

Zhong Hui decisively gave up struggling. As for disciplining Xiaoxi, she would talk about it after they went back—though she probably would not be very strict even then.

Xiaoxi was simply too lovable. It was impossible to bring oneself to be overly harsh with her.

Zhong Di took the matter quite seriously. He quickly peeled a large shrimp, placed it in Xiaoxi’s bowl, wiped his hands, and accepted the purchasing list.

The list was divided into five main sections.

The first concerned supplies for flower arranging. Today was Saturday, and tomorrow was Sunday—the farmstead’s first flower-arranging class would begin.

Zhong Di rapidly scanned the list. He had purchased the items in this section himself and had reported them to his sister, checking each batch whenever it arrived.

Hmm… Only the floral foam had yet to arrive. According to the note on the list, the parcel had already reached its destination and could be collected that afternoon.

In other words, everything needed for the flower-arranging class was ready. The class could begin smoothly the following day.

The second section concerned seedling cultivation.

Plug trays, growing medium, vermiculite, premium peat, perlite, and various vegetable seeds were all included. Everything except the vegetable seeds had yet to arrive…

Zhong Di was only momentarily stunned by the result before accepting it. Plug trays and growing medium were relatively heavy, so the seller had certainly shipped them by freight rather than ordinary parcel delivery.

The third section covered flowerpots and similar items, including two-tone pots, standard plastic pots, ceramic pots, and flowerpots in various sizes.

The fourth section concerned tropical fruit saplings. When placing the order, Zhong Di had specifically asked the seller to use the fastest shipping method. Judging by the list, they should arrive soon. Once they did, he could plant them immediately.

The fifth section consisted of all kinds of miscellaneous necessities. In short, the items were varied, but every one of them was needed.

His sister had listed everything with great clarity. It was all easy to understand at a glance. Looking at it, Zhong Di felt that she had truly been wasted when she and her husband were in business together.

She had the talent to slaughter a bull, yet they had used her only to kill chickens.

“All right. It’s very thorough. Nothing’s missing.” After reading the list, Zhong Di handed it back to his sister.

“Sis, sit down and eat something first. Keep an eye on Xiaoxi for a while. I’m going to check the greenhouse.” Looking at the purchasing list, Zhong Di knew it was time to inspect the greenhouse again. Once the fruit trees arrived, they would have to be planted immediately, and he needed to prevent any possible problems.

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“All right, go ahead. I’ll look after Xiaoxi for a while.”

After exchanging a few more words, Zhong Di headed toward the greenhouse.

Over the past few days, Shao Hong had finished preparing it. Zhong Di had not inspected the work himself, but he trusted Shao Hong to handle things properly.

The reason he wanted to take a look was that he himself had no peace of mind. It was not that he distrusted Shao Hong; he simply did not trust his own thoroughness.

What if something had been overlooked? Once the saplings were planted, dealing with the problem afterward would be much more troublesome.

Standing outside the greenhouse’s isolation chamber, Zhong Di could already feel heat pouring through the crack beneath the door. It was like the steam rising from a bamboo steamer full of buns.

Damn, it was hot.

The moment Zhong Di entered the greenhouse, a wave of heat rolled over him.

The whole place felt like a steamer. The hot air made him miserable, and before long, sweat poured from his body. The simple shirt he wore was soon half soaked.

Ever since the greenhouse had been cleaned, it had remained in a state of high-temperature steaming.

This kind of physical disinfection was not only effective, but also caused virtually no pollution.

Under normal circumstances, without high-temperature disinfection, one had to scatter fungicide over the surface of the soil and then flood-irrigate it.

If the greenhouse had already been used for planting and one wanted to plant again, scattering fungicide over the soil was not enough. It was also necessary to fumigate the place with a certain amount of sulfur powder.

Sometimes the fumigation was too intense, leaving the entire greenhouse an odd color.

High-temperature steaming was extremely suitable. It could kill most bacteria and fungi. Some heat-resistant spores and the like might survive, but not much else.

Zhong Di checked everything one item at a time…

Cleaning, soil preparation, alkali washing…

It seemed that everything had been prepared. Nothing had been neglected. Shao Hong had done an excellent job. All that remained was the high-temperature steaming.

Wait! No, that wasn’t right. He had the feeling that something was still missing.

Hmm… Zhong Di finally remembered what the hell the missing step was.

And it was a very important one.

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