Chapter 191: Marriage
Regarding Leng Chang Kong’s proposal, Xia Lu Nong said he would think about it.
Leng Chang Kong understood.
Xia Lu Nong really liked his home, enjoyed being with his brothers, and loved the base.
Deep down, he didn’t want to leave home for the Fireseed Base.
However, on the other hand, receiving an invitation from Leng Chang Kong to study at the Fireseed Base was an incredible opportunity.
If he missed this chance, he didn’t know when he would have such an opportunity again.
That night, Xia Lu Nong unusually found it hard to sleep. Cuddled in Kong Zhi’s arms, he stared at the ceiling in the dark, unable to fall asleep even late into the night.
Just as he was tossing and turning, a hand slipped out from under the covers, turning him over.
Xia Lu Nong looked up.
Kong Zhi lay facing him, his voice low in the quiet night, “Still thinking about the Fireseed Base?”
“Mainly feeling uneasy about the future.”
Kong Zhi stroked his back. “We’ll face whatever comes. With us together, what’s there to worry about?”
“I’m not afraid of anything else. I’m just worried that if we don’t adapt to the world’s trends and become complacent, our base will fall too far behind in the future.”
The waves of the times kept crashing one after another, and Xia Lu Nong worried that he might miss this tide because of himself.
Kong Zhi, hearing this, hugged him a little tighter. “I thought that was the job of Brother Xi Nian?”
Xia Lu Nong chuckled and gently bumped his forehead against Kong Zhi’s, creating a soft sound. “You can say whatever you want, but don’t imply that I’m meddling.”
Kong Zhi restrained Xia Lu Nong’s hand and lazily replied, “This is indeed Brother Xi Nian’s job; he’s just fulfilling his role.”
“That makes sense.” Xia Lu Nong sighed as he stared at the ceiling. “Then I’ll talk to my brothers about it tomorrow.”
Xia Lu Nong had a strong sense of boundaries and had never tried to interfere with the development of the base.
This was the first time he expressed concern about this issue.
When Yan Xi Nian heard him ask this question, he ruffled Xia Lu Nong’s hair. “Thank you for your valuable suggestion. Your brother and I are already working on it, so you don’t need to worry too much. If you don’t want to go, then don’t go. If there’s an opportunity, we can send someone else.”
Xia Lu Nong muttered, “I’m just worried that others might not learn well and miss the key points.”
Yan Xi Nian laughed, “Your very existence is a blessing for our base. Because of you, our base has already gained recognition. From now on, as long as we are here, you don’t have to carry every burden on your shoulders.”
Xia Huo Qu, on the other hand, stated calmly, “How long can humans live? Even if we become beastmen, our lifespans are still very limited. Why overthink it? With our abilities, we won’t have to worry too much about our future.”
Xia Lu Nong rubbed his forehead. “I’m just afraid our base will fall behind.”
“And what if we do fall behind? What if we don’t? We’ve never aimed to be at the top.” Xia Huo Qu replied. “Everything is already quite good, and there’s no need to worry too much about coexisting with the Fireseed Base.”
Xia Lu Nong also trusted the Fireseed Base.
Once the Fireseed Base was ready to reclaim its homeland, it would likely be governed by them, so there really wasn’t much to worry about.
After asking around and seeing how relaxed everyone was, Xia Lu Nong lost the desire to meddle. “Alright, I’ll go decline.”
Kong Zhi said, “Learning and declining aren’t mutually exclusive; perhaps we can discuss other things with the Fireseed Base.”
Xia Lu Nong exchanged glances with him and understood what he meant. “For example—asking them to set up their schools here?”
Kong Zhi nodded, praising him. “Great minds think alike; that’s what I was thinking too.”
Xia Lu Nong put down his hand, increasingly feeling that it was feasible. “If the mountain doesn’t come to me, I’ll go to the mountain. We have so many highly educated researchers in our base; we definitely have the resources to establish a comprehensive university.”
Kong Zhi said, “Then let’s go discuss it with Brother Huo Qu.”
“I think it’s a good idea. Opening a school won’t take much resources; we can have elementary, middle, high schools, and even a university—all in one package.”
Xia Lu Nong brought it up to Xia Huo Qu.
Xia Huo Qu replied, “We’ve been considering this for a while and are already planning it. It will take at least half a year to finalize.”
Xia Lu Nong’s eyes sparkled. “Will there be a university?”
Xia Huo Qu glanced at him. “If you want one, we can make it happen.”
Taking advantage of the situation, Xia Lu Nong decisively said to his brother, “Then I want one. Can you set it up for me?”
Xia Huo Qu agreed.
Xia Huo Qu acted quickly.
The day after agreeing to Xia Lu Nong, he indeed arranged a plan for the university town, which was posted on the bulletin board at the base in the mountains and on the plains below.
Yan Ming Qing, as a professor of agriculture, also received the news.
His assistants were envious. “Your brother really dotes on you.”
Xia Lu Nong said, “Well, he is my biological brother.”
One of the assistants grumbled, “Why do you even need to go to school? Your knowledge about plants is more profound than ours; why put yourself through that?”
Another assistant chimed in, “Exactly! If there’s something you don’t understand, just ask the plants. Why go through the trouble of studying?”
Yan Mingqing didn’t wait for Xia Lu Nong to respond and interjected, “Studying not only imparts knowledge but also trains your research mindset. Why shouldn’t you study?”
He then turned back to Xia Lu Nong seriously. “Studying is good; read more books. It will never be a disadvantage.”
Xia Lu Nong smiled. “I think so too.”
The news about the new seedling base establishing a school spread widely.
The plants also became aware.
The rose was a bit sour. “You won’t be here on the mountain much longer, and you’re going to school? Does that mean you’re leaving us here?”
“How could that be?” Xia Lu Nong replied. “Didn’t we agree to infuse you with abilities?”
The rose huffed. “Who knows if you’ll remember that in a few days?”
The other plants were filled with curiosity about the school.
They eagerly chimed in, asking various questions about the school.
The honeysuckle was the most familiar with schools, and most of the plants’ questions were directed at her.
The honeysuckle was always friendly, answering all questions in detail.
The plants gathered around her, listening for several days, asking enough questions to fill a basket.
One day, when Xia Lu Nong was infusing abilities into the plants, the branch of the prickly ash suddenly swayed, and it wrapped its branches around Xia Lu Nong’s arm, asking, “Can we also go to school?”
Xia Lu Nong was taken aback, looking at the prickly ash tree that had already grown over three meters tall. “Prickly Ash, do you want to go to school?”
The prickly ash shook its branches vigorously, affirming its desire.
Nearby, the cactus, rose, and grapevine all leaned in, swaying their branches. Even without directly saying it, their released pheromones showed their interest in attending school.
Xia Lu Nong turned to look at the other plants.
The other plants had no intention of opposing.
Xia Lu Nong smiled. “Alright, I’ll think of a way.”
The prickly ash held onto Xia Lu Nong’s clothing, gently swaying its branches. “The honeysuckle can be our teacher.”
Xia Lu Nong turned to the honeysuckle and said with a smile, “It’s a unanimous decision.”
The honeysuckle said, “If everyone is willing, I can do it.”
And so, things were settled.
The school at the New Seedling Base had not yet officially opened, but Xia Lu Nong’s small yard outside his home had already hosted its first tiny classroom.
Every day when Xia Lu Nong got up to water the plants, he would see some of them rolling out their pens and writing on specially made cardboard, completing their homework.
Months passed quickly, around March to April.
The school at the New Seedling Base opened.
From elementary school to university, it had everything.
However, whether in elementary, middle, high school, or university, each grade only had tens to hundreds of students, with middle school and university having only one grade each: first year of middle school and first year of university.
Xia Lu Nong and Kong Zhi re-enrolled in school.
The university at the New Seedling Base didn’t have separate majors, just a comprehensive curriculum—weapon use, ability use, group management, outdoor survival, etc.; they had to learn everything.
This era required university students to possess comprehensive qualities.
As for the special subjects that certain students wanted to learn, they could take elective courses themselves.
Though the Fireseed Base regretted that Xia Lu Nong didn’t go to their base, they were still very supportive of the school opening and even sent teachers over.
The directing course that Xia Lu Nong wanted to learn as an elective was taught by a teacher from the Fireseed Base.
This decision was the result of multiple compromises, and everyone was quite satisfied.
Xia Lu Nong was also very pleased.
Having been away from school for so long, he was delighted to be in class again.
Since the school had just opened, people were observing, and there weren’t many students.
Xia Lu Nong had only seventy-seven classmates in total.
This number included Kong Zhi.
With so few students, Xia Lu Nong basically knew everyone.
After confirming they were classmates, everyone started talking more, and their interactions gradually increased.
Xia Lu Nong also received confessions from several classmates.
Kong Zhi watched from the side, his face darkening every time he saw it.
Each time his face darkened, Xia Lu Nong would wake up late the next day.
After their home yard was filled with plants, they renovated the house again, thickening the walls and replacing the windows with double-glazed glass.
After learning, the plants had mastered the art of ignoring unwanted sounds; even if they heard something, they would do their best to overlook it.
Only the rose was sneaky, often giving Xia Lu Nong a lewd grin as he helped it with his ability.
One morning, when Xia Lu Nong was infusing abilities into the rose, it was laughing again.
The other plants were still asleep.
Xia Lu Nong looked around at the other plants that were not awake, feeling both amused and exasperated as he pinched the tip of its leaf. “Can’t you at least try to avoid it a little?”
The rose replied without hesitation, “That would be so boring?!”
Xia Lu Nong: “…”
This guy’s knack for enjoying the chaos was as strong as ever.
As Xia Lu Nong thought this, he pinched its leaf tip again, much like pinching someone’s ear. “If you keep watching me like this, be careful I might cut off my power.”
“That’s not acceptable! A promise is a promise; be careful not to go back on your word.”
The two exchanged a few playful retorts before seamlessly changing the subject.
The rose poked its branches to the left and right, and seeing that Kong Zhi was not around, it quietly said, “Are you really not considering switching to someone else? There are so many people pursuing you.”
Xia Lu Nong pinched its leaf tip again. “Is that even a sensible suggestion? Kong Zhi treats you so well and even goes out of his way to find you fertilizer.”
“I’m just making a suggestion; if it doesn’t fit, separating would be good for both parties.”
“There’s nothing unsuitable about it; he just lacks a sense of security.” Xia Lu Nong said seriously, “His love for me makes him think everything is good. He worries that anyone outside is trying to take me away. In fact, many people outside have confessed to him too, and I worry as well.”
The rose huffed a couple of times. “Feeding me dog food again.”
“I’m serious. Don’t worry about us; we’re doing great.” Xia Lu Nong said, stretching his back. “In another ten days or half a month, that’ll be enough for those people to give up.”
The rose waved its branches. “Alright, let’s not talk about you two anymore. Come and see my flowers.”
As it spoke, the rose brought over all its branches scattered around.
Each branch had several buds, and they were all about to bloom.
After Xia Lu Nong checked them one by one, he asked, “Why are you suddenly going to bloom? This isn’t your blooming season.”
The rose replied, “I’m blooming for you to see.”
Xia Lu Nong looked up in surprise and was about to express his confusion when the rose’s buds suddenly burst open before him, revealing dazzling pinkish-white flowers.
Xia Lu Nong was instantly captivated by the flowers.
Especially the largest one.
That flower bloomed right beside his face, and its center was not made of stamens but had a glimmer of metallic shine.
Xia Lu Nong focused closely and realized it was actually a ring.
Just as he was about to take a closer look, an arm reached out from behind, grasping the ring and holding it up to his face. Kong Zhi’s deep voice sounded beside him, “Would you like to get married and give each other a mark?”
Xia Lu Nong turned in disbelief to look at Kong Zhi behind him. “When did you plan this?”
“Yesterday, when that guy smiled at you.” Kong Zhi knelt on one knee. “Let’s get married?”
Xia Lu Nong stared at him for two seconds before suddenly kneeling on one knee in front of him, raising an eyebrow. “Where’s your ring?”
Kong Zhi took his hand and slid the ring onto Xia Lu Nong’s left ring finger, gently snapping his fingers.
The waiting rose immediately extended another branch, with another beautiful flower holding another ring.
Xia Lu Nong gently picked up the ring and placed it on Kong Zhi’s ring finger.
At the moment the rings were secured, the plants behind them moved in unison, blooming flowers and setting off fireworks.
Xia Lu Nong turned around to see his brother and Yan Xi Nian standing among the plants, both wearing encouraging smiles.
Xia Lu Nong smiled, reaching out to embrace Kong Zhi. “Let’s get married.”
“Mm.”
[The End]
Author’s Note:
Tomorrow, I should be able to start writing the extras, hehehe.
