Chapter 74: A Strange Scene

At first, the group was a bit puzzled by Zhong Di’s business model, but after thinking it over, they realized it was actually quite good. If Zhong Di were an ambitious man, he could easily use these resources to expand his commercial territory—but Zhong Di was someone who cherished a peaceful life, and with that understanding, they let the matter rest.

“Smell this—why does coriander always have such a strange, fresh scent? I feel like just sniffing it clears my head.” Lin Xiao picked up a handful of freshly cut coriander, inhaling deeply at her nose with obvious delight.

“Not me—I can’t stand the smell of coriander.” Su Rou, seeing Lin Xiao clutching a bunch of it, waved her hand in distaste. In her daily meals, coriander was the one flavor she despised most.

“Ugh… I think I see radishes over there. Let’s go pull some radishes.” They quickly shifted their attention, happily pulling up radishes and marveling at their unusual shapes.

“Look, what a huge caterpillar!”

“Ew, Su Rou, that’s disgusting! You’re picking it up with your bare hands—look, it’s still moving, and it has a little horn!”

Seeing the caterpillar in Su Rou’s hand, Lin Xiao hurriedly backed away.

“That’s what you get for making me smell your coriander just now.” Su Rou clucked triumphantly like a little hen.

“Hm, that’s a bean worm. I’ve eaten them before—you squeeze out the meat, mix it with flour, fry it in oil, and it’s delicious.” Yang Yi stood by, stroking his chin with one hand, eyes fixed on the caterpillar in Su Rou’s grasp.

“You’re so gross—here, you eat it!” Su Rou flung the fat caterpillar at Yang Yi.

“Come on, let’s take a group photo,” Gao Leqiang suggested, pulling a selfie stick out of his backpack.

“Where’s that fancy camera you just bought? Why didn’t you bring it?” Yang Yi eyed the selfie stick with some disdain.

“Don’t start—that’s my treasure! I’m saving it for when I get married to Lin Xiao. Come on, let’s take the picture.”

“All right, you two newlyweds stand in the middle,” someone teased. Watching Yang Yi and Gao Leqiang bicker, Su Rou felt a headache coming on—those two could argue anywhere.

“Wait, I’ll go get Zhong Di so he can be in the picture too.” Yang Yi dashed to the kitchen and dragged Zhong Di over for the photo.

Their chosen backdrop was a small patch of lush, vibrant baby bok choy, so green it seemed to glow.

They took several group photos together, then broke into smaller groups for more pictures.

“Su Rou, your turn with Zhong Di.” Lin Xiao’s eyes sparkled mischievously as she grabbed Zhong Di and nudged him next to Su Rou.

Su Rou naturally took Zhong Di’s arm and tilted her head, resting it gently on his shoulder. Their height difference was just right: Su Rou wore a flowing white dress, giving her an ethereal air, while Zhong Di, dressed in the most ordinary clothes and still dusted with fresh soil from preparing ingredients, was the only discordant note.

Lin Xiao, quick on the shutter, captured a beautiful pose—click.

“Um… I’ll go get things ready. You all have fun; dinner will be ready soon.” The sudden intimacy left Zhong Di a bit embarrassed. Even after stepping away, he could still sense the faint, natural fragrance from Su Rou, subtle and intoxicating.

“Go ahead,” Lin Xiao said, glancing at the dazed Su Rou.

Once Zhong Di had left, Lin Xiao hurried over, pulled out her phone, and showed Su Rou the photo.

“Not bad! You did great, very cooperative.” Lin Xiao’s photography skills were evident—the lighting was perfect, and Su Rou’s gentle smile was captivating.

“Go away.” Remembering her actions just now, Su Rou’s cheeks reddened with embarrassment.

“You said it—should I delete the photo then?”

“No—send it to me.”

Lin Xiao quickly sent the pictures to Su Rou, who opened her app, selected a few of the best, added a caption, and posted them.

Su Rou was naturally beautiful; even without makeup, she was more stunning than most internet celebrities, with a beauty that seemed entirely natural. Because of this, even though she rarely posted videos, she had tens of thousands of followers and was often approached by advertisers.

As soon as she posted, likes and comments poured in.

“Where’s our goddess off to now?”

“This place looks so beautiful!”

“Did you see that solo photo? Who’s that man beside her—makes me want to wring his neck!”

“Seriously, what’s going on? How can the goddess be so close to him?”

“I don’t know, I think that guy’s pretty handsome, just a bit plain in his clothes,” commented a female fan.

Seeing these, Su Rou grinned, the surrounding scenery paling in comparison. Noticing her expression, Lin Xiao felt a subtle pang—was she really doing the right thing?

In their circle, they knew well: one’s partner wasn’t always a matter of personal choice. The Su family was a major power in the northwest, and Su Rou’s father was thriving, destined for greater heights, not to mention the rest of the family. At best, Zhong Di was middle class—was there really any hope for the two of them?

…

Meanwhile, Sun Miaomiao was resting in her mother’s seed shop. The shop doubled as their temporary home: store in front, spacious and beautifully decorated living quarters in back.

This shop meant the world to their family, which was why they’d kept it open all these years. It held so many memories of Sun Miaomiao’s parents…

“Argh!” Sun Miaomiao shrieked.

“What are you yelling about?” her mother called from outside.

“I’m so mad! Mom, do you think your daughter is pretty?”

Dressed in pink pajamas and slippers, Sun Miaomiao walked up to her mother and asked softly.

“What do you look like—go back inside,” her mother scolded, concerned customers might see.

“Just answer me—is your daughter pretty or not?” Sun Miaomiao pressed.

“Of course you’re pretty—now get inside!”

Satisfied, Sun Miaomiao returned to her room and lay on her bed. She scrolled through the photos and short videos on her phone, eyes locked on Zhong Di and the infuriating woman beside him.

Just seeing that picture brought back memories of the woman who’d barged into the garden that day.

“No, I need to go check things out.”

“Wait—maybe it’s nothing. Don’t act impulsively. I’ll tidy myself up tomorrow and head over.”

Decision made, Sun Miaomiao closed her app, opened her messenger, and sent Zhong Di a message. The chat window still displayed the photo from that day—sun-kissed skin, defined abs…

Meanwhile, Zhong Di and Shao Hong quickly finished prepping a table full of dishes and called everyone to eat.

“Zhong Di, got any liquor? Bring out a bottle.”

“Only the cheap stuff,” Zhong Di replied, realizing he should have stocked better alcohol. He’d thought the regular stuff would suffice, but clearly, that was a mistake. None of his guests were short on money. He’d completely misjudged his clientele—he never should have stocked such cheap liquor.

“That’ll do—come on, let’s drink.” Zhong Di fetched a few bottles and told his sister to buy better brands next time—some Maotai or Wuliangye, at least. That would be a significant investment.

The meal was delicious—Shao Hong cooked, while Zhong Di and the others ate and drank, all quite content, though the liquor was a bit rough.

By the time it was fully dark, dinner was over and they called for a designated driver.

“Take it slow on your way home!” Zhong Di waved them off; no one had drunk much, and apart from a slight buzz, everyone was fine. Lin Xiao and Su Rou hadn’t drunk at all.

“Here, have some tea,” Shao Hong handed Zhong Di a glass of water.

Feeling a bit dizzy, Zhong Di agreed—next time, no matter what, he wouldn’t drink like that again. Of all of them, only Zhong Di drank in one gulp; if he’d sipped slowly, the amount wouldn’t have been much, but drinking so fast was rough.

He downed the water in one go, then patted his head.

“How much did that dinner cost tonight?”

“Thirteen thousand, at a thirty percent discount!” Zhong Hui, back from buying liquor, replied. After a few trials, they’d set a menu and marked the prices.

They kept busy a bit longer, and then Zhong Hui left for the night, heading to the house in Lingjing Village since it was too late to return elsewhere.

Once she’d gone, Zhong Di and Shao Hong went to top up the sheep’s water and feed.

“Zhong Di, what’s that?” Shao Hong suddenly noticed several dark shapes heading toward the garden.

“Pallas’s cats—they must be here for water.”

Zhong Di placed the leftover water on the ground and retreated with Shao Hong into the house.

It had been a long time since the Pallas’s cats had come for water since the last incident. Perhaps the disturbance had finally faded.

He wondered how the Forestry Bureau was managing the Pallas’s cat population.

They watched quietly as the three cats entered the garden and made their way to the water bucket. After a while, Zhong Di noticed something odd—of the three, two seemed to be guarding the one in the middle, which was limping, clearly injured. Zhong Di realized that must be why they’d come for water.

Others might not know, but Zhong Di did—the water, mixed with desert sage buds, had healing properties. Perhaps the cats had discovered this before, which was why they’d brought the injured one.

At that moment, three grayish-yellow weasels squeezed under the wire fence and entered the garden, dragging a rabbit with them. One weasel carried an egg, while another stood upright on its hind legs, staring at Zhong Di.

Woof! Woof!

Yusheng barked twice, as if greeting the weasels.

The three Pallas’s cats turned to look as well, creating a strange and surreal tableau.