Chapter 178: Reflections
Xia Lu Nong and the others had a wonderfully joyful New Year.
After the celebrations, Leng Changkong and his group returned to the Fireseed Base with a large amount of supplies.
Xia Lu Nong and his team provided them with space bamboo tubes filled with various items, though from the outside, no one could tell. The base residents didn’t know that their base had already entered into deep cooperation with the Fireseed Base.
It was a peaceful spring.
After the New Year, a few spring showers fell, and the weather began to warm.
With the rising temperatures, green shoots began to appear outside.
New grass and buds sprouted in the fields, along the roadsides, and on the trees.
Xia Lu Nong and the others had entered the spring plowing stage.
Last year, they could only dig the fields bit by bit using manpower, but this year, they were able to plow the fields with oxen.
Thanks to He Shu Hui’s hard work, their oxen had grown strong enough this year to be put to work.
This made their oxen highly sought after.
Every family with fields in the base eagerly looked forward to borrowing them.
Eventually, everyone turned to Xia Lu Nong for his opinion.
Xia Lu Nong laughed cheerfully and said, “If they need them, we can rent out the oxen. They’re big enough now, and working them is no problem.”
His oxen had been fitted with nose rings and ropes the previous year, and had been raised to be very docile.
Although they hadn’t plowed fields before, with some guidance from experienced farmers, they should have no trouble.
The people who came to borrow the oxen were overjoyed and patted their chests, promising Xia Lu Nong, “Don’t worry, Xiao Nong. We’ll take good care of the oxen, and we’ll even plow your fields for you—you don’t have to worry about a thing.”
“Thanks, I’ll come with you later to find He Shu Hui,” Xia Lu Nong said. “Since the oxen are helping you plow, please make sure to feed them well. Give them something good to eat these next few days.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll give them the tenderest grass and even add beans to their diet.”
“If the oxen don’t stay healthy, we’ll cover the cost of their nutrition!”
“We’re relying on them to plow the fields—we’ll take care of them better than our own children.”
Xia Lu Nong wasn’t too concerned, but being cautious by nature, he added a few extra instructions.
Seeing how they all eagerly promised, he smiled and went with them to fetch the oxen.
On his way back, he ran into Kong Zhi.
Kong Zhi had been down in the plains all morning repairing machinery.
The first factory to open in the plains below the mountain wasn’t a paper mill or a chemical plant—it was a beverage factory.
Xia Lu Nong found this surprising, but everyone was thrilled about the opening of the factory.
As more of these luxury items became available, it seemed people’s spirits were being revived.
In between work, there were people back on the basketball and soccer fields, and square dancing had returned to the plaza.
Next to the square, along with people selling drinks, there were now even barbecue vendors.
It seemed like people’s focus had gradually shifted from survival to enjoying life.
Seeing Kong Zhi carrying a large, full bag back, Xia Lu Nong asked curiously, “What’s all this?”
“You like eating bamboo shoots, right? I passed by a bamboo grove, so I dug up a few shoots for you,” Kong Zhi said. “I’ll make you braised bamboo shoots with pork for lunch.”
Hearing this, Xia Lu Nong’s mouth watered. “Sounds great! I’ll go to the cafeteria to get some meat—bamboo shoots taste best with pork.”
Xia Lu Nong took the bamboo shoots to the kitchen and then told Kong Zhi about the people borrowing the oxen.
Kong Zhi replied, “The oxen are just sitting there, so helping others out is a good thing.”
“That’s what I thought too, so I agreed.”
The two chatted idly for a bit as they headed to the vegetable garden together.
Spring had arrived, and it was time to plant vegetables: eggplants, peppers, beans, cucumbers, tomatoes… The vegetables they grew themselves were far tastier than the ones they got from the base’s trade.
For this reason, even though they had enough supplies to trade for food, Xia Lu Nong and the others preferred to grow their own.
After all, good food is one of life’s great pleasures, and with life already being hard enough, they couldn’t give up on enjoying delicious meals.
They spent the entire morning busy with their tasks.
By the time they returned home for lunch, Xia Lu Nong’s brother and Yan Xi Nian had also come back.
Before they even entered the house, Yan Xi Nian’s voice rang out, “What’s for lunch? I could smell something delicious from afar!”
Xia Lu Nong teased, “Take a guess.”
“Well, there’s definitely some meat in there,” Yan Xi Nian said.
He entered, took a look at the pot of bamboo shoots, and said with a smile, “I didn’t expect today’s menu to feature seasonal ingredients—bamboo shoots are at their most tender in the spring.”
Xia Lu Nong couldn’t hide the pride in his eyes. “Kong Zhi dug them up this morning.”
“We’re lucky to have him, so we can enjoy this feast,” Yan Xi Nian praised, then got to the main point. “Xiao Nong, I have something to discuss with you.”
“Go ahead.”
Yan Xi Nian, calm and serious, said, “You’ve been growing the seeds sent by the Fireseed Base and have accumulated a lot of experience and data. Now that spring has come, our base is about to begin large-scale spring farming. I’d like to ask if you could give a lecture.”
Not only had Xia Lu Nong planted the seeds from the Fireseed Base, but he had also conducted multiple experiments, using control groups in various batches.
Yan Ming Qing had spent a lot of time discussing these matters with him recently, and both had learned a great deal.
Initially, Xia Lu Nong had only theoretical knowledge about farming, but through this specialized planting project, he had gained extensive experience and valuable insights.
Without hesitation, Xia Lu Nong responded, “I have no problem with that, but my experience is pretty specialized, so I’ll need Professor Yan to join me in giving the lecture.”
Yan Xi Nian agreed right away. “No problem. I’ll talk to him. It’ll be great to have you both complement each other.”
The two exchanged smiles, feeling a bit more relaxed.
Yan Xi Nian patted him on the shoulder and said, “Xiao Nong, you’ve been a huge help to us. It’s great having you here.”
Xia Lu Nong replied seriously, “This is our home. It’s not about helping or not helping. Besides, if it wasn’t for my brother and you bringing me here when I was unconscious, we wouldn’t be where we are now.”
Yan Xi Nian, moved by his words, said, “You’ve really grown up.”
Xia Lu Nong nodded. “I’ve been grown up for a while now. You and my brother should try to trust us more and start handing over some of the responsibilities.”
Yan Xi Nian smiled at him. “Though we never said it out loud, we’ve already been relying on you. Haven’t you noticed how much younger and less stressed your brother and I have looked this past year?”
This was true. When Xia Lu Nong had first woken up, Xia Huo Qu had been thin, pale, and brooding like a plant left in the rain.
After a year of recovery and conditioning, his abs were still defined, but his face had gained a bit of color, shifting his overall appearance from gloomy to more aloof, with an increasing air of authority.
Xia Huo Qu’s transformation wasn’t just due to eating well; his mood had also significantly lightened.
Xia Lu Nong felt a bit emotional. “You’ve both worked hard.”
“Let’s not talk about that now. I’ll go call your brother for lunch,” Yan Xi Nian said, patting his shoulder. “Everything is behind us now. Things will only get better from here on out.”
