Farming to Defy My Fate 35

Chapter 35: Improving Grain Seeds

Zhao An might have been a bit impulsive when he revealed his ability to Hu Sheng, but after he had spoken about his ability to force-grow plants, he felt as if a great weight had been lifted from his heart.

At the same time, a wave of fatigue washed over him. Although Hu Sheng had been gentle just now, and they had rested in the flower meadow for a long time, his inexperienced body still needed rest. Seeing Zhao An yawn, his red-rimmed eyes glistening with tears, Hu Sheng led him to his room.

His room was in this wooden pavilion. Inside, there was a two-chi wide bamboo bed. The rest were a bow and arrows, a saber, and a full suit of armor hanging on the wall. This was a room that had infinitely compressed personal enjoyment, a room belonging to a military commander.

He helped Zhao An sit on his bed. “Rest here for now. I’ll call you when it’s time for dinner.”

Hu Sheng had already slept once at Zhao An’s house today. The several thousand untrained people he had brought back hadn’t even set up their camp yet, so he couldn’t stay with Zhao An any longer. He had to go out and take command.

Zhao An had also seen those people just now and knew that Hu Sheng leaving them to find him this morning was already an irrational act. At this time, he was naturally even more unwilling to be a burden to him. He lay down, took Hu Sheng’s hand, and kissed it. “Go on. I’m really sleepy.”

The door closed. Zhao An opened his eyes and looked at the light coming in from the window. He yawned again, but he was mentally very excited and couldn’t sleep at all. His mind was constantly on the matter of improving grain seeds. He took out the small pouch he always carried in his sleeve and took out a strawberry seed.

The black strawberry seed was like a plump sesame seed. Zhao An held the seed in his palm, and soon, a strawberry seedling grew out of his hand. In a few breaths, strawberries grew on the vine. Finally, the vine withered, leaving only eight egg-sized, bright red strawberries. The brilliant color was like the purest pigeon’s blood ruby, making one feel it was delicious just by looking at it, and an enticing aroma filled the entire room.

He picked these eight strawberries, placed them in order on the wooden box by the bed, and then put one in his mouth. The taste was indeed as sweet as he had imagined.

He hadn’t actually cultivated them deliberately, but the strawberries from the first batch of seedlings he had found on the mountain in early spring were only the size of a thumb. Now, by selecting the best of the best, he could already produce strawberries the size of an egg. The number of fruits from these large strawberries would be reduced, and after one fruiting, the nutrients of the vine would also be completely absorbed. It couldn’t be planted continuously like in the spring to bear fruit multiple times.

After eating one strawberry, Zhao An carefully observed the remaining seven. He selected the three seeds he thought were the largest, then ate those three strawberries, leaving the remaining four for Hu Sheng to eat when he returned.

Having used up the last bit of his ability, Zhao An yawned again, feeling even more tired. He lay back on the bed, the sweet taste of strawberries lingering in his mouth. In his mind, he calculated how much he should raise the price when he sold these large strawberries to Ruyi House next year. He felt that fifty wen wouldn’t be too expensive, just as the top-grade rubies were dozens of times more expensive than the low-end ones, which was not much. As he thought, his mind gradually drifted away.

At this time, Hu Sheng had already come before the several thousand people. He had them all stand up, then had them line up to go to the nearby forest to cut a wooden stake each and nail it in front of them. He required them to only compact the earth within a three-chi radius of their own stake. This piece of land would be their temporary residence.

After these people had stopped moving around and settled down, Hu Sheng then led his men to number each of them, telling them to remember their own number.

Hu Sheng’s efficiency was already very fast, but by the time the whole afternoon had passed, he had only finished the numbering. When it was completely dark, none of the people had eaten yet. But Hu Sheng had to go back, so he left the responsibility of cooking to Ma Chuan, who had been following him. He still had a lot of prestige among these rebellious Miao people. Arranging some things for him to do would also help him submit sooner.

Returning to his own house, Hu Sheng found that Zhao An was still sleeping. He quickly went over and woke him up. “Ah An, wake up. Don’t sleep for too long, or you’ll have trouble sleeping at night.”

Zhao An opened his eyes in a daze. Seeing his lover by his side, he had originally wanted a sweet kiss, but as soon as he moved, he felt the urge to urinate. Nature calls; this kind of thing was inevitable. He wanted to be with Hu Sheng for a lifetime. Zhao An could only grit his teeth and ask with his head lowered, “I need to relieve myself. Can you take me to the latrine?”

“Hahaha.” Hu Sheng looked at Zhao An, whose ear tips were red, and took out the chamber pot from under the bed. “The latrine is outside. Use this for now.”

Zhao An took the chamber pot with three fingers and lowered his voice again. “Can you go out for a moment?”

However, Hu Sheng just turned his back. “I’ve seen what I’ve seen, and I’ve kissed what I’ve kissed. Don’t be embarrassed.”

Perhaps it was because he was really in a hurry, or perhaps Hu Sheng’s words had some effect. Zhao An stared at Hu Sheng’s back and untied his trousers.

After the initial urgency was relieved, Zhao An heard the gurgling of a small stream and saw Hu Sheng’s broad back. He felt even more embarrassed than if he had been stared at, and his whole face turned bright red.

Fortunately, Hu Sheng didn’t laugh at him anymore, and he also seemed not to have seen his expression. He naturally led him downstairs. The two of them got hot water from the kitchen to wash their faces, and then began to eat a pot of salted meat congee cooked by Li Dake’s wife.

The skill was not comparable to Hai Bo’s, but perhaps Zhao An was really tired today. His appetite was very good, and he drank two large bowls in a row. Only then did he remember the strawberries he had left for Hu Sheng upstairs. He ran up to get them and presented them to Hu Sheng as if offering a treasure. “Look, these are the strawberries I’ve improved. Aren’t they much bigger than the original ones? It only took me less than three months to improve this variety, and I didn’t even use my full strength. Give me half a month, and I can definitely force-grow sweet potatoes with a yield per mu that is double the current one.”

But Hu Sheng now only saw Zhao An’s rosy lips opening and closing. He remembered the vitality with which he had run up and down just now and suddenly asked, “Are you feeling better now?”

Zhao An also sensed the sudden change in atmosphere, but he still nodded, because he felt that this afternoon’s activities were indeed enough to make one want more. As expected, he heard Hu Sheng say in a deep voice, “In that case, it’s dark now. Let’s go upstairs.”