CHAPTER 421: CHAPTER 417 RAISING FLOWERS AND GROWING CROPS

Zhou Li went to the farmers’ market to buy scallions. He also saw coriander seeds for sale, so he bought a packet of those too.

After returning, he handed two volcanic rock flowerpots to Huai Xu, requesting, "Please help me go outside and bring back two pots of soil."

On the other side of the highway above the noodle shop lay farmland, much of it barren, which was very convenient.

Huai Xu took the flowerpots without a second thought.

But just as he was about to go and fill them with soil, he suddenly stopped as if he remembered something. His expression gradually turned serious, and he handed the flowerpots back to Zhou Li, saying, "I can’t do that. That’s stealing soil!"

"???" Zhou Li was bewildered.

"This is theft!"

"How can taking soil be theft? It doesn’t belong to anyone!" Zhou Li, utterly confused, asked, "What are you on about?"

"Then who does it belong to?" Huai Xu asked.

"It belongs to nature—"

Zhou Li trailed off mid-sentence, then had a sudden realization. So this Old Monster was setting me up! Could this Old Monster be holding such a grudge? It had been so long ago! As someone who rarely held grudges, Zhou Li found this mindset hard to understand.

At this moment, Huai Xu pricked up his ears. He initially thought Zhou Li was choking, but after waiting quietly for a few seconds without Zhou Li finishing his sentence, he felt a bit irked, as if something was missing. So, he pressed on, "Keep talking! Belongs to what?"

"Nothing..." Zhou Li said, taking the pots and turning to walk out, refusing to indulge him. "Never mind, I’ll go myself. Anyway, we’re both going to eat the scallions."

"Give them here!"

"Um..."

Zhou Li turned back and handed the pots to him.

「About five minutes later.」

Zhou Li had already planted the scallion bulbs. Since Tuanzi was very curious about the process, Zhou Li, wanting her to experience the growth of life, had let her participate—the one in the top-right corner was planted by her.

The coriander seeds needed to be soaked and treated before they would sprout well, so they weren’t planted right away.

Zhou Li then began watering.

Two demons, one large and one small, squatted in front of him, watching.

"How long will it take for them to grow?" Tuanzi asked in her clear, crisp voice, her bright eyes brimming with curiosity.

"It won’t take long," Zhou Li answered.

"Oh~~" Tuanzi responded obediently, a hint more anticipation in her eyes.

"But during this process, you need to take good care of them. Don’t keep touching them; let them grow up healthy and strong." Zhou Li was always very dedicated when teaching Tuanzi, as Lord Dumpling was a poor little thing whose previous owner hadn’t taught her much. "Especially when they first sprout, they’re very fragile. Lord Dumpling must protect them."

"Got it!!" Tuanzi earnestly replied. "Lord Dumpling will take good care of the scallions! I can’t let Huai Xu ruin them!"

"Right."

"This is so slow!" Huai Xu had grown numb to their kind of dialogue, automatically filtering it out. "Why don’t we just transplant directly from someone who’s growing scallions? These things are so cheap and don’t die easily. Wouldn’t we get to eat scallions much faster that way?"

"That wouldn’t be fun," Zhou Li said.

"Right! Fun!" Tuanzi echoed.

"You two are so childish..." Huai Xu muttered, the corner of his mouth twitching. "What a waste of such expensive flowerpots. You could buy so many scallions with that money."

"It’s for the experience."

"Experience~~"

"Hey—"

Huai Xu suddenly brightened up, an idea striking him. "I saw online that some people grow strawberries, and some grow watermelons. I wonder if anyone grows Hami Melons. Shall we buy some seeds and try planting them too?"

"Hami Melons have high climate requirements, which is why few people grow them," Zhou Li explained.

"Then let’s grow strawberries! And watermelons!"

"No! That’s too childish!" Zhou Li said expressionlessly.

"Too child...ish~" Tuanzi mimicked.

"Not childish!" Huai Xu protested.

"Watermelons are out of season, and a pot of strawberries will only yield a few fruits. Plus, you have to account for the cost of the pot, fertilizer, and the effort involved. It’s not worth it," Zhou Li said, still expressionless.

"Not worth it~"

"It’s for the experience!"

"..."

Zhou Li couldn’t hold back and laughed out loud.

A warrior can be killed but not insulted!

Huai Xu took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled, huffing, "I’ll plant them myself! I’ll definitely do a better job than you!"

Zhou Li continued to laugh.

It wasn’t that he doubted Huai Xu couldn’t grow these plants—after all, Huai Xu had lived for many years. Even though he couldn’t remember much, it was only natural that he had more skills than Zhou Li. He was just amused by Huai Xu’s demeanor.

Doing such things alone was different from doing them with a friend involved.

So Zhou Li clapped his hands, glanced at his watch, and said, "You go buy the seeds. They probably need to be soaked first. We can plant them tomorrow along with the coriander. I need to go to a class meeting now. Lord Dumpling, be good and stay home to watch TV. I’ll be back after the meeting."

Huai Xu responded with an "oh" and vanished on the spot.

Tuanzi also let out a cute "oh."

「Today was the day for a class meeting.」

Zhou Qianqian had announced it in class before the holiday.

Zhou Li rode his bike there.

Brother Nan was already sitting in the classroom with her roommates, waving at Zhou Li when he arrived.

Zhou Li went over and sat next to her.

A quick glance from the corner of his eye caught Little Cousin staring at him. Her face was naturally round like a baozi, but her cheeks seemed even plumper than usual today.

Zhou Li didn’t pay it much mind and whispered to Brother Nan, "I’ve planted the scallions."

"Did you plant a lot?"

"Filled up the new flowerpot."

"That’s quite a few. But wasn’t that volcanic rock flowerpot meant for flowers?" Brother Nan wondered. "It’s so expensive."

"Switched to crops instead," Zhou Li said.

Brother Nan chuckled. "I always thought that flowerpot was ugly, but you liked it so much... So, what will you do for flowers in the future? Make your own pots?"

"Right."

"Alright then. Once the scallions grow, if you two can’t eat them all, I’ll come over and make scallion oil for you."

"Great~~"

Zhou Li started to feel a little flustered, his mind racing with wild thoughts. If she came over to make scallion oil, would that mean spending another night at my place? As the saying goes, ’the first time is new, the second is familiar’—does that mean I could touch her again? Or, if I behave well, could my range of activities expand even further? I still vividly remember the feel of her touch from last night. It’s not convenient to describe in detail, but it was somewhat different from what I had imagined.

Suddenly, Brother Nan’s puzzled face appeared before him.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing..."

"Zhou Qianqian is here."

"Oh."

As usual, Zhou Qianqian asked Zhou Li to help look after her child, then she began to speak.

She started with the same old topics everyone had heard many times. Zhou Qianqian didn’t want to elaborate much, mostly just skimming over them.

"Next, I might have some bad news."

"As everyone knows, many universities implemented lockdown policies this semester, which you’ve all seen on TikTok. Our school has been relatively lax, only prohibiting outsiders from entering. Students from our school could still enter and exit normally with facial recognition." Zhou Qianqian paused. "This was because Caiyun hadn’t been severely affected by the pandemic until now. However, recently there have been two main concerns. First, the need for precautions against a rebound during autumn and winter. Second, there have been cases of individuals entering from abroad and illegal border crossings. Everyone is aware of these and understands the implications, so I won’t elaborate..."

"Therefore, the school has decided to re-implement the lockdown. Tonight, entry and exit are still possible. Starting tomorrow, you won’t be able to come and go as you please. The specific time for lifting the lockdown will be announced later."

"I know some of you live off-campus..." Zhou Qianqian intentionally glanced at Zhou Li. "From tomorrow on, you must all move back to the school. There’s no room for negotiation. Even the graduate students have moved back."

"And for those of you who are in relationships..."

Zhou Qianqian glanced again at Zhou Li and Brother Nan, then her gaze swept over the rest of the class. "I know you’re young. You might want to go out on dates, have a meal, or do other things to foster your relationships. But you’ll all have to bear with it for the greater good..."

The large classroom erupted into laughter.

Zhou Qianqian always spoke bluntly. She felt that everyone present was an adult, so there was no need to hold back. This was nothing; last time, when the school asked her to promote AIDS prevention, she had been even more explicit.

For Zhou Li, this was clearly bad news.

If I can’t leave campus... Many things would no longer be doable. Like making scallion oil. Or getting handsy. Could it be that Brother Nan and I would have to find a secluded corner on campus like other students? Even if Brother Nan could accept it, I couldn’t.

「The meeting adjourned.」

Zhou Li, holding Zhou Qianqian’s child, went up to the podium for the handover. He seized the opportunity to ask Zhou Qianqian, "How strict is the lockdown? What if a student really needs to leave for something important?"

"Why? Do you have something?"

"In a few days, yes."

"Can’t it be postponed?"

"It’s very important."

"What is it?"

"...I have to meet the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Capital," Zhou Li said after a moment’s thought.

"..." Zhou Qianqian smiled, though she was cursing inwardly. "I’ll say this upfront: I won’t sign leave slips for two people at the same time."

"That’s good to know."

It seemed leave could be granted after all.