Chapter 88 – Sichuan Pepper
Xia Lu Nong had rarely thought about ideals or social responsibility since waking up, as those concepts seemed too distant when people couldn’t even fill their bellies.
It all felt too unrealistic.
But at that moment, he truly realized that, even though his brother and Yan Xi Nian hadn’t shown it overtly, a sense of responsibility still weighed on their hearts.
In this difficult environment, his brother and Yan Xi Nian still held on to their sense of duty to their family and country.
Xia Lu Nong couldn’t stop thinking about this even as he went to bed.
For the first time, he felt proud of his brother, and for the first time, he began to think more deeply about the value of his own powers.
Tossing and turning in bed for half the night, he woke up the next morning with heavy dark circles under his eyes.
When Kong Zhi passed by and saw him, he glanced over. “Were you out stealing something?”
“No, just couldn’t sleep,” Xia Lu Nong replied with a big yawn. “I was tossing and turning for hours last night.”
Kong Zhi, his voice slightly drawn out, said, “Tossing?”
Xia Lu Nong was taken aback by the teasing tone and, realizing the odd look on Kong Zhi’s face, immediately became frustrated. “What are you thinking about?”
“I didn’t think about anything,” Kong Zhi said indifferently, withdrawing his gaze. He gave Xia Lu Nong a light push. “Go brush your teeth.”
Xia Lu Nong felt like he’d just punched a pillow and grumbled in frustration, “Fine.”
As he went to grab his toothbrush and cup, his brother also came in, and they went outside together to brush their teeth.
Standing side by side under the eaves, Xia Lu Nong remembered something and nudged his brother lightly. In a low voice, he asked, “Hey, doesn’t it feel strange for us to live separately like this?”
“Hmm?” Xia Huo Qu replied without looking up.
“I mean, the two of us living apart,” Xia Lu Nong whispered. “Shouldn’t we brothers live together and let Kong Zhi and Xi Nian live together?”
Xia Lu Nong glanced at his brother, feeling a bit miffed that his brother had moved next door, almost like someone had “stolen” him.
Xia Huo Qu paused mid-motion. “Did you have a fight with Kong Zhi?”
“No,” Xia Lu Nong quickly denied, honestly saying, “It just feels weird, like there’s gossip going around the base.”
Xia Huo Qu asked, “How do you feel about living with Kong Zhi?”
“Great,” Xia Lu Nong said. “He’s very considerate, doesn’t talk much, but he’s reliable and dependable. Why?”
“Then there’s no need to change things. Who lives with whom in neighboring houses doesn’t matter. Don’t worry about the gossip around the base. People who say such things aren’t worth paying attention to.”
Xia Huo Qu added casually, “If you ever get a headache, Kong Zhi can even play the flute for you.”
Thinking about it, Xia Lu Nong realized he was right, nodded in agreement, and dropped the subject.
Feeling more at ease, he finished brushing his teeth, washed his face, and went into the kitchen to cook.
He had just checked the fields yesterday, and everything was fine, so there was no need to go today.
After breakfast, the four of them stayed at home and sorted through the peanuts.
This batch of peanuts was about to be sent for oil pressing, and they needed to pick out any debris or moldy peanuts beforehand to avoid contaminating the oil.
There was no shortcut to sorting peanuts.
The four of them could only sit in the living room and pick them out one by one.
After a full day of sorting, Xia Lu Nong’s back ached, and at dinner, he said, “I can’t do this anymore. Once we’re done tomorrow, let’s go out and do something. Brother, didn’t you find a peach grove? Let’s go pick peaches. The ones you brought back last time were pretty tasty.”
The peaches Xia Huo Qu had brought back last time were long gone, and Xia Lu Nong was craving them again.
They could pick more this time, and if they couldn’t eat them all, they could bake some into dried fruit in the bread kiln, making a nice snack for winter.
Xia Huo Qu pondered for a moment.
Xia Lu Nong pleaded, “There’s nothing else to do at home anyway. Let’s go have a look. Maybe we can even find some mushrooms or something.”
Xia Huo Qu replied, “Why do you always have your mind set on going outside?”
“It’s so boring at the base! I’ve already finished all the novels on my phone,” Xia Lu Nong said. “I’ve also watched most of the movies I downloaded. Plus, we just built a new house, and we need to earn more grain to give to Aunt Zheng every month. Now is the time to make more money.”
As if his own words weren’t enough, Xia Lu Nong gently kicked Kong Zhi under the table, signaling him to back him up. “Kong Zhi, don’t you agree?”
Kong Zhi pulled his foot back and responded with a simple “Mm.”
Xia Huo Qu asked nonchalantly, “Have you forgotten how Yan Ning Wang and the others were running for their lives from the bees, screaming like mad?”
Xia Lu Nong quickly flattered him, “That was them! You and the others are so skilled, there’s no way something like that would happen to you.”
He put down his chopsticks and began counting, “Brother Xi Nian is super fast, you have great endurance and pretty good speed, and as for Kong Zhi—well, he can just fly up into the sky, and the bees won’t be able to catch him.”
Xia Huo Qu lifted his chin slightly. “And what about you?”
“Me? Oh, that’s easy. I have Kong Zhi! I’m so light, he can just carry me and fly up too,” Xia Lu Nong replied confidently.
Xia Huo Qu remarked, “You’re a fully grown adult now, even with your pouch already developed, and you still dare to say you’re light?”
Xia Lu Nong sighed, gripping his chopsticks but staying silent.
Later, when he was alone in his room, he even locked the door and secretly transformed back into his beast form to check his pouch.
That lump of flesh was indeed large and soft.
Even though it was a real organ and not just extra fat, he couldn’t help but feel depressed about it.
Seeing him so downcast, Kong Zhi said to Xia Huo Qu, “If you and brother Xi Nian are too busy, I can take Lu Nong out myself. Staying at the base does feel like a waste of time.”
Yan Xi Nian added, “It’s not that we’re too busy, we’re just teasing him. We’ll go tomorrow. We need to help rearrange the queue for the oil pressing anyway, and it should be ready by the day after tomorrow.”
Xia Lu Nong’s eyes lit up at these words, and his expression visibly brightened with joy.
Xia Huo Qu glanced at him. “Look at you, getting all excited!”
Who cares if he got excited? He was just happy to be able to get out of the base for a bit.
Xia Lu Nong’s face was filled with happiness.
The next morning, he woke up extra early, humming as he prepared breakfast and even made some packed lunches for the trip since they wouldn’t be back in time for lunch.
While eating breakfast, Xia Lu Nong remembered something. “Brother, I recall people saying that there’s Sichuan pepper around here?”
“There are wild Sichuan pepper trees in the mountains. Do you want to pick some while we’re there?”
Xia Lu Nong shook his head. “Brother, what do you think about digging up a few Sichuan pepper plants and bringing them back?”
“Hmm?”
Not only did Xia Huo Qu look up, but Yan Xi Nian and Kong Zhi also lifted their heads in curiosity.
Xia Lu Nong gestured with his hands to explain, “Now that we’ve built a second floor, the outside is still wide open without any fencing. Anyone passing by can see everything in our yard. So why don’t we plant a hedge around the house?”
“Are you suggesting we use Sichuan pepper trees as a wall?”
“Yes! They have thorns, and if we plant them, it’ll also be convenient for cooking. Whenever we need Sichuan pepper for a fish or meat dish, we can just step outside and pick some.”
After finishing his explanation, Xia Lu Nong asked, “What do you guys think of the idea?”
Yan Xi Nian raised the most important question. “How tall can Sichuan pepper trees grow?”
“I have special abilities, right? I can make them grow to about two or three meters, no problem. And if they grow too tall, we can just trim them,” Xia Lu Nong explained. “Actually, if we don’t plant Sichuan pepper, we could plant something else, but pepper trees are practical, useful, and they look good. Plus, if we end up with more than we need, we can sell them at the market or trade them with other bases for supplies.”
Xia Lu Nong rattled off several benefits, clearly eager to plant those pepper trees.
Kong Zhi chimed in, “I have no objections.”
Yan Xi Nian laughed, “Neither do I.”
Xia Huo Qu remarked, “You’re always coming up with new ideas on a whim.”
Xia Lu Nong tried to convince his brother, “But planting Sichuan pepper is a really good idea! Let’s give it a try.”
Xia Huo Qu responded, “Not every place has Sichuan pepper seedlings. Let’s go check first. If we can’t find any, then forget it.”
“Deal! We’ll definitely find some—right now they’re bearing fruit. Kong Zhi can spot them easily from above.”
Xia Huo Qu shot him a glance. “Kong Zhi is being modest and quiet, but here you are, bragging on his behalf.”
Xia Lu Nong grinned. “Of course! I know his abilities very well.”
He paused and added, “Actually, bamboo would work too, but the hills are already full of bamboo, so it wouldn’t be very cost-effective.”
Yan Xi Nian agreed, “Forget the bamboo, it would block the sunlight.”
“We could also plant flowers,” Xia Lu Nong suggested, “but flowers have the same issue as bamboo—they’re not as cost-effective. If we really can’t find Sichuan pepper, then we can think about that.”
Yan Xi Nian concluded, “If all else fails, we could just build a wall and fence in the yard.”
Xia Lu Nong cheerfully laughed, “Sure! In that case, our two families will truly become one, haha!”
