Chapter 37: Far from the Hustle and Bustle

Of course, it's also possible that the ajumma, seeing a handsome young man early in the morning, was so happy that she gave him a little extra.

After eating something to fill his stomach, Li Shenxing walked to the seafood area, carefully selecting and buying two eels, a few flower crabs, and then went to the vegetable section to buy some ingredients and vegetables, a small bag of rice, and a bottle of oil.

When he left the market, he went back to the stall selling stir-fried rice cakes and bought a lot of fish cakes. The ajumma, seeing it was the handsome young man from earlier, warmly packed the fish cakes for him.

After buying everything, he retrieved his bicycle and rode home with the load.

Riding a bicycle with a large load back to the villa, Li Shenxing was a bit out of breath.

He put the bicycle at the door and walked into the villa with both hands full of bags.

He placed everything on the kitchen island, took out the soup pot, washed it, and carefully poured the fish cakes and fish broth into it, waiting for Hyo-ri to wake up so he could heat it up for her breakfast.

He first poured a glass of warm water to quench his thirst, then took off his coat and hat, rolled up his sleeves, and began to clean the eels and flower crabs, which would be their lunch.

Eels are rich in various nutrients, with benefits such as replenishing the body, nourishing the blood, removing dampness, and fighting tuberculosis. They are excellent nutritional supplements for those who have been ill for a long time, are weak, anemic, or have tuberculosis. The body of the eel contains a rare protein called Xiheluo, which has excellent effects in strengthening the body and invigorating the kidneys, making it a health food for young couples and the elderly. Eels are also rich in calcium, and regular consumption can increase blood calcium levels, making the body stronger. The liver of the eel is rich in vitamin A, making it an excellent food for those with night blindness.

Flower crabs have the following effects and flavors: salty, cold, and slightly toxic. They enter the liver and stomach meridians, nourish the tendons, invigorate the qi, regulate the stomach, aid digestion, dispel various fevers, unblock the meridians, and resolve blood stasis. They have certain therapeutic effects on blood stasis, jaundice, soreness and pain in the waist and legs, and rheumatoid arthritis.

Crabs are rich in protein and trace elements, which are very nourishing for the body. They also have anti-tuberculosis effects, and eating crabs is very beneficial for the recovery of tuberculosis patients.

.....................................................................................

Hyo-ri didn't sleep very well last night, so she woke up around nine o'clock today.

Slowly opening her eyes, Hyo-ri's first reaction was the same as Li Shenxing's: Where am I???

Sitting up and looking around, she realized this was their home on Jeju Island.

She stretched, threw off the blanket, put on her slippers, changed into a thick housecoat, and walked to the bathroom to wash up.

After washing up, Hyo-ri, feeling her slightly empty stomach, walked out of the bedroom.

She hadn't had much of an appetite yesterday, and after getting off the plane, she hadn't eaten much for dinner, so it was already digested.

Walking downstairs, she saw Li Shenxing lying in a recliner reading a book.

"Oppa, I'm hungry," Hyo-ri said pitifully, pouting, as she walked up to Li Shenxing.

"You must have been woken up by hunger," Li Shenxing said, getting up and pulling her into his arms, giving her a kiss on the lips. "I bought fish cakes for you this morning. I'll heat them up for you to eat."

"Wow! Fish cake skewers! I love them. Hurry, Oppa, heat them up for me quickly," Hyo-ri said, pulling on Li Shenxing's arm.

"Okay, okay, I'll do it right away."

The two went to the kitchen, and Li Shenxing turned on the stove and placed the soup pot on it.

After a few minutes, the fish broth started to bubble and boil. He turned off the stove and carried the soup pot to the dining table.

Hyo-ri had already prepared the bowls and chopsticks.

When he opened the lid, a fragrant aroma wafted out.

Hyo-ri, already hungry, became even hungrier and immediately reached for a piece of fish cake.

Li Shenxing quickly advised her, "Slow down, slow down. Be careful not to burn your mouth. Blow on it before you eat."

"All right, all right," Hyo-ri said, blowing on it a couple of times before putting it in her mouth, still blowing as she ate.

After finishing breakfast, Hyo-ri, feeling satisfied, hugged her stomach and lay in the recliner.

Li Shenxing, after cleaning up the dishes, came to sit beside her.

"Do you have any plans for later? We're going to have dinner at Grandma's place. I already called Auntie."

"Of course, we should visit Grandma and Uncle when we come to Jeju Island. It would be rude not to. As for the time between now and then, I haven't thought of anything good to do. How about a nap?" Hyo-ri asked, tilting her head.

"Who just eats and sleeps all day? You're not a pig," Li Shenxing said, half-laughing, half-crying. "How about we tidy up our yard? I saw this morning that it's overgrown with weeds."

"Weeding?" Hyo-ri tilted her head and thought for a moment. "But the lawnmower hasn't been used in a long time. Is it still okay to use?"

"What could go wrong? I'm here, aren't I? Come on, let's go check it out."

Li Shenxing pulled Hyo-ri up, and they walked together to the small shed next to the garage.

He unlocked the padlock with a key and opened the large wooden door as wide as possible.

"Let's let it air out a bit before we go in," Li Shenxing said, pulling Hyo-ri, who wanted to go inside.

"Okay, fine," Hyo-ri said, hugging Li Shenxing's waist and leaning against his chest. "What do we do after we finish weeding?"

Li Shenxing rested his chin on her head and asked, "How about we plan out the yard? That way, when we spend more time here in the future, we can follow the plan to tidy up the yard."

"That sounds good. Didn't you say you wanted to grow some vegetables? We can set aside a plot of land and surround it with stones. The playground doesn't need to take up this space; we can put it on the empty land next to the house."

"We can also plant a few citrus trees and some raspberries along the fence. We can eat them and use them to make wine."

After chatting for about ten minutes, they finally went into the shed.

They pulled out the lawnmower, which was covered with a tarp, and slowly removed the dusty tarp, revealing the lawnmower.

Li Shenxing checked it and found that he had maintained it well, with important parts coated with a thick layer of lubricating oil, so there were no major issues. He took a can of diesel and poured it into the lawnmower's fuel tank.

After trying to start it a couple of times, it worked, and he let the eager Hyo-ri push it out to mow the grass.

Li Shenxing went back into the shed and dragged out a larger machine. When he opened the tarp, it turned out to be a tiller.

After Hyo-ri finished mowing the grass, he followed behind, tilling the soil. This would bury the grass under the soil, where it would decompose and serve as fertilizer. Of course, this wasn't enough, but they could add some organic fertilizer when planting crops in the future.

For now, this was just routine soil maintenance.

After a while of farm work, both of them were covered in dust.

Closing the shed door, Li Shenxing picked up Hyo-ri, "Little kitty, let's go take a bath together."

"Hehehe..." Hyo-ri giggled, kicking her feet. "I don't want to take a bath with you, you big pervert!"

"If you don't want to take a bath with me, who do you want to take a bath with, hmm?" Li Shenxing asked, tickling her.

"Haha... Hahaha... I just don't want to take a bath with you..."

After taking a bath and changing clothes, Li Shenxing went to the kitchen to prepare their lunch.

He made a spicy flower crab soup with the flower crabs he bought and put the eels in the oven to bake.

[AD begins on the next page]

[AD ends on the next page]