Farming to Defy My Fate 37

Chapter 37: Planting Sweet Potatoes

There was no ready-made path up the mountain, and the hill-like pile of sweet potato vines was not something Zhao An could carry alone. So he brought Qin Tong and Hai Bo with him to deliver the vines.

Fortunately, their lives had been quite good for the past six months. At the very least, they could drink soup made from large bones every day. Qin Tong had grown half a head taller, but because he had grown too fast, he looked a bit thin. Hai Bo, who had become a withered old man, had also regained his strength. Otherwise, the three of them, each carrying a large basket of sweet potato vines, might have died of exhaustion in the mountains.

Hu Sheng’s stronghold was hiding so many rogue soldiers and fugitives that Zhao An didn’t dare to bring anyone he didn’t trust. So he could only trouble Qin Tong and Hai Bo.

By the time the three of them arrived at the gate of Daqing Stronghold, the originally messy stronghold had taken on the orderly appearance of a military camp. In the middle were rows of wooden barracks. Outside were three hills that had just been leveled to be used as land. On the outermost perimeter was a wooden fence similar to a city wall, with a watchtower every thirty zhang.

Before Zhao An and his companions could get close, two men carrying wooden sticks walked over from a distance and questioned them, “Halt! What are you three doing?”

Seeing this scene, Zhao An couldn’t help but laugh. This really had the air of a bandit stronghold. After laughing, he directly put down the sweet potato vines on his back. “I’m your leader’s man. I’ve come to deliver good seeds to you. Hurry up and inform Hu Sheng to come out and receive us.” After speaking, he sat down on a large rock nearby. Although he had already delivered himself to their doorstep, he still wanted someone to come and get him for the last stretch of the road. He was just that willful.

“What man?” one of the younger gatekeepers asked, not quite understanding. He was pulled back by the older one next to him.

The two of them exchanged winks, and it was unclear what they had discussed, but then the younger one ran back to call for someone.

These gatekeepers were all Hu Sheng’s original subordinates, not the rogue soldiers who had just returned this time. Even though this older gatekeeper had never seen Zhao An in person, he had long been familiar with his name, so he didn’t dare to be negligent.

After Zhao An sat down to rest, the gatekeeper’s gaze couldn’t help but drift to him. So this is what the leader’s wife looks like. He was indeed a handsome person. No wonder the leader had fallen so deeply for him at first sight.

The gatekeeper didn’t have much time for his wild thoughts. Almost in the few breaths it took for the messenger to go back and find Hu Sheng, Hu Sheng ran out of the stronghold at his fastest speed. He was full of pleasant surprise when he saw Zhao An, completely devoid of the cold indifference he had shown when they first met, like a man who had been abandoned at home for a long time after his wife went back to her parents’ house.

But the first thing he said when he saw Zhao An was, “Why are you here?” Although his tone was full of pleasant surprise, the content was still enough to make one angry.

Zhao An shot him an annoyed glance. “If I didn’t come, would you have forgotten about me?”

“Ah~” Hu Sheng looked at Zhao An with a troubled expression. “I wanted to find you too, but I haven’t prepared the betrothal gift yet. No, it should be the dowry. I’m still missing a pair of wild geese. It’s too hot now, and there are no wild geese in the south. I’ve already asked someone to go to the northern frontier to find them.”

Zhao An looked at Hu Sheng and suddenly burst out laughing. “Why are you so silly?”

“I think so too,” Hu Sheng said, pulling Zhao An up from the rock. “I should have gone to find you sooner.”

Zhao An looked into Hu Sheng’s eyes, which were full of sincerity and guilt. He patted the dust off his clothes and pointed at the three baskets of sweet potato vines. “These are the improved sweet potatoes I’ve grown. Have someone take them to the fields and plant them after the sun sets tonight.”

Hu Sheng nodded and said to the gatekeeper next to him, “Have someone carry these sweet potato vines to a cool place. In the evening, have the A-squad plant them on the left mountain.”

Hai Bo and Qin Tong had seen the series of interactions between Hu Sheng and Zhao An. Hai Bo could only sigh.

Qin Tong, however, was a little excited. He saw this stronghold of several thousand people and remembered the terrifying memory of being escorted back to Zhaojia Village by a hundred soldiers in the first half of the year. His mood was much more at ease now. He felt that he had a stronger backing, and his hope of opening a shop in the county town next year had increased a lot.

Young people are always full of drive and more energetic. After seeing someone take over their baskets, he followed these people to wander around the stronghold.

But Zhao An could only follow Hu Sheng back to his room to rest. This time, he really lay down to rest, because he had carried seventy or eighty jin of sweet potato vines all the way from the foot of the mountain, and blisters had already formed on his shoulders.

He lay on the bed, closed his eyes, and fell into a deep sleep. Hu Sheng had also had the experience of getting blisters from a long-distance ride on his first time on a horse. After feeling that Zhao An was sound asleep, he opened his clothes and saw the red marks and blisters on both shoulders. His heart ached.

He reached out his hand for the first time, wanting to touch them, but then pulled it back. In the end, he gritted his teeth, took a silver needle, heated it over a fire, and helped him pop the blisters, then applied the best cooling and healing ointment.

When Zhao An woke up, the burning sensation on his shoulders was gone, leaving only a cool feeling. But why was this cool feeling and the herbal scent in the room so familiar?

At this time, Hu Sheng was no longer in the room. Zhao An only saw the jar of ointment on the head of the bed and suddenly blushed a little. Is this ointment so versatile?

When Zhao An came downstairs, he was surprised to see Hai Bo and Li Dake playing chess. Li Dake’s wife, Sister-in-law Zhang, was fanning herself and watching the game.

Seeing Zhao An come down, Sister-in-law Zhang beckoned to him. “We just had cold noodles with shredded chicken. We saved some for you. Come and eat.”

But he was not in a hurry to eat. “Where is Hu Sheng?” He thought Hu Sheng was not at home because he was busy with official business, but seeing Li Dake’s leisurely appearance, it was clear that there was nothing urgent.

Hearing this question, Sister-in-law Zhang covered her mouth and chuckled. “You young people are so clingy. Someone sent some supplies, and the General went to see them.”

Li Dake and his wife always called Hu Sheng “General.” Hearing that Hu Sheng had gone to see a guest, Zhao An didn’t ask any further and sat down at the table to eat the cold noodles.

After eating the cold noodles, Zhao An felt much more energetic. Just as Hai Bo and Li Dake finished a game, Hai Bo had lost miserably, his large dragon having been cut off, and he could only surrender.

Li Dake laughed triumphantly, then looked up at Zhao An, the meaning in his eyes self-evident.

Zhao An waved his hands repeatedly. “I’m not good at chess.” He had never played Go before. His understanding of the rules came from the original body’s memory.

Li Dake’s smile became even more wanton, like a weasel about to steal a chicken. “I’ll give you a nine-stone handicap. Are you in? It doesn’t matter if you lose. We’re not gambling.”

In the end, Zhao An couldn’t resist and sat down at the chessboard. But before he had even made a hundred moves, his defeat was already apparent. Just as sweat was beading on his forehead, Hu Sheng finally returned.

Zhao An immediately stood up. “I admit defeat. It’s getting late. We should have dinner, right?”

“Don’t go yet. Let’s finish this game,” Li Dake’s addiction was really strong. He even dared to pull Zhao An’s hand in front of Hu Sheng.

But Hu Sheng shot a glance at him. “Why don’t I play with you?” He immediately withdrew his hand in fear and said sheepishly, “It’s not easy to find two bad players. Can’t you let me have some fun, General?”

Zhao An turned his head and looked at Li Dake reproachfully. He clearly knew he was a bad player, yet he still wanted to bully him. It was simply too immoral.

Fortunately, Hu Sheng came over and patted his back. “Don’t mind him.”

Zhao An nodded in deep agreement. “Let’s eat quickly, and then go and watch them plant the sweet potatoes.”

“Why do you want to watch them plant sweet potatoes?” Li Dake knew that Zhao An lived in Zhaojia Village at the foot of the mountain. It wasn’t that he had never seen others farm. And since he could carry so many sweet potato vines up the mountain, he wasn’t a delicate person. He was a good young man.

He muttered again, “What’s so interesting about sweet potatoes?” Then he looked at Hu Sheng suspiciously, thinking that he was probably taking his little lover for a walk.

But Zhao An said with great solemnity, “The sweet potato vines I brought are the best improved seeds. We can’t let anyone steal them, so we have to watch them. Uncle Li, you have to help me keep an eye on them in the future too.”

But when he turned his head, he winked at Hu Sheng. What he wanted to say was that he was going to sprinkle some of his ability on these sweet potato vines. Although he couldn’t make the sweet potato vines grow quickly like he could with a single sweet potato, if he dispersed his ability into the air, it could still help the plants on this piece of land take root, so that these sweet potato vines, which had been cut for a whole day, wouldn’t fail to grow.

Hu Sheng clearly understood his meaning, but he reached out and covered his eyes. “Don’t look at me like that.” The words he didn’t say were, You’re too seductive like this.

Zhao An pushed his hand away and looked back at the three old people who had witnessed their interaction. He found that they had all looked away.

He could only clear his throat and change the subject. “What were you doing just now?”

This reminded Hu Sheng. He curved his lips and looked at Zhao An. “The wild geese from the north have been delivered. I’ll go to your house to propose marriage tomorrow.”