Chapter 23

Early in the morning, Wang Yong went to the orchard and secretly watered the fruit trees in the courtyard with some spiritual spring water. The jujubes and chestnuts were about to ripen and be harvested, and the apples were in the fruit enlargement period. At this stage, the fruits changed every day, and watering them with spiritual spring water wouldn't make the changes too sudden.

After watering, he went to the chicken farm to check on the chicks. In just over ten days, the chicks had clearly grown a lot, each one strong and lively. These little guys strolled around slowly like little old men, walking here and there, as if they were very curious. A small grasshopper flew over and landed on a nearby blade of grass. One of the chicks instinctively rushed over, stretched its head, and pecked at the grasshopper. Unfortunately, the grasshopper had already noticed the enemy and, with a light jump, landed on another blade of grass. Before the chick could get close, the grasshopper spread its wings and flew away, but it didn't fly far, landing on another nearby leaf. This time, the chicks' large group discovered it, and the chickens became excited. Each one flapped its little wings and rushed over in a flurry.

The little insect spread its wings again and landed not far away. The chicks rushed over again, and the insect flew away once more, landing... In the process of the chickens chasing the insect, more insects were disturbed in the grass. The insects flew around, and the chicks chased them, making the bamboo grove lively for a while.

After watching these energetic little guys, Wang Yong went to his two vegetable greenhouses, which were currently his greatest concern. These vegetables were grown from seeds produced in the small world, watered with spiritual spring water. Although Da Wei had said he would buy all the vegetables, what if the vegetables from the small world were vastly different from those grown in the greenhouses?

With doubts and worries, Wang Yong entered one of the greenhouses. This greenhouse had four types of vegetables: cucumbers, tomatoes, green beans, and eggplants. After half a month of growth, the seedlings had grown to about one and a half meters high along the bamboo poles, and many had even bloomed. The growth rate was much faster than ordinary varieties, which made Wang Yong hesitant to water them with more spiritual spring water. The current issue was pollination after flowering. Generally, greenhouses used artificial pollination. However, Wang Yong thought this method was too labor-intensive. Yesterday, he planned to bring a wild beehive from the small world when more flowers bloomed. Using bees for natural pollination was simple and effective, and it would also be a selling point when selling the vegetables. After all, in today's society, people value green and healthy products. Using bees instead of chemical or artificial pollination would be much healthier.

Seeing so many flowers already blooming today, Wang Yong decided to bring the beehive in today. Entering the small world, he selected a prepared beehive, and with a thought, the beehive was already in the greenhouse. Upon entering the new environment, the bees immediately swarmed out of the beehive to check the situation. They quickly inspected the entire greenhouse, found no threats, and returned to protect the queen and the drones. Some worker bees began to collect nectar in the greenhouse. Seeing this, Wang Yong put his worries aside, carefully exited the greenhouse, and went to the other one.

This greenhouse grew leafy vegetables: cilantro, celery, scallions, bok choy, lettuce, and leeks. Managing this greenhouse was simpler, as leafy vegetables didn't require artificial pollination. The growth period for leafy vegetables was much shorter than those that needed to flower and bear fruit. The fast-growing lettuce, leeks, and scallions were almost ready for harvest. In just half a month, although the growth period was much shorter than ordinary vegetables, the appearance was still good. The lettuce was fresh and crisp, the leeks had grown to about 30 centimeters tall with fresh, green leaves pointing to the sky, and the scallions were densely packed, growing to over 30 centimeters. Normally, scallions should be transplanted to grow taller and stronger, but Wang Yong thought that since these were not large scallions, why should they be so tall and strong? Smaller and tender scallions were more delicious and fragrant. So he planted more scallion seeds in the reserved transplanting areas, staggering the planting times to stagger the market release and reduce risks. However, since Da Wei had agreed to buy all the vegetables, this staggered planting could extend the supply period.

Seeing the vegetables growing well in the greenhouse, Wang Yong was in a great mood and decided to go home and make something delicious to reward himself. Unexpectedly, as soon as he entered the house, he saw Auntie sitting in the living room watching TV. Seeing Wang Yong, Auntie immediately started scolding him: "You! You're such a grown-up, yet you're so forgetful. You never lock the door when you go out. What if someone comes in and steals your things? And you're the village chief? You have no sense of security at all."

Wang Yong grinned and said to Auntie, "Auntie, what's the big deal? No strangers ever come to my place. Besides, I'm just following the national call!"

"Don't be cheeky and argue with me. When did the country ever call for people to leave their doors unlocked? You're just making excuses," Auntie glared at Wang Yong.

Wang Yong immediately retorted, "There's a song that says it, and it's broadcast on the radio and TV every day! Listen, it's coming again."

Outside, the village's loudspeaker played a pleasant song:

"My front door is always open, waiting for you with open arms..."

"See? My front door is always open, waiting for you with open arms. Isn't it clear that we should leave our doors open?" Wang Yong said smugly. "This song is so appropriate, I should be rewarded!"

Auntie smiled and poked Wang Yong's forehead with her finger, "You're more cunning than anyone else, but why don't you use it for good? How long has it been since you last contacted Yuan Yuan? You should call her tomorrow and take her out to the city, maybe to a park or for a meal. Don't stay cooped up at home all day. If Yuan Yuan is taken by someone else, you'll have no one to cry to."

Wang Yong fell silent at Auntie's words. He did have a good impression of Tian Yuan Yuan, but the key was that he didn't know how to date girls. The failure of his last relationship had left him lacking trust in love and confidence in himself. As he had told his friends: "It's not that I don't want to love, or that I'm afraid to love, but I'm afraid that love can also be a kind of hurt." He knew he was awkward and didn't understand romance, couldn't speak sweet words, and didn't understand women's hearts. Although he wasn't short of money and had a powerful uncle in the capital, he was more cautious about his love life because of this. He wasn't afraid of being deceived, but he was afraid of hurting the other person, especially if it was someone he truly liked. So his feelings for Tian Yuan Yuan were complex. He wanted to say something but didn't know how, and he wanted to love but was afraid to. Every day, he could only dream about a happy life with Tian Yuan Yuan. In reality, Wang Yong admitted to himself that he was a coward in love.

Seeing Wang Yong's silence, Auntie, who understood her nephew's character, said, "Yuan Yuan is just like you, shy. Dating is a normal thing, why be so shy? Dress up nicely tomorrow and go to the city to chat with Yuan Yuan. Young people need to spend time together to understand each other. Not even a phone call? I've already met Yuan Yuan's mother. She knows your situation and is very open-minded. She said that as long as you two get along, they will respect your decision. You need to work hard, Yuan Yuan is a good girl. She's beautiful and kind, and Auntie likes her a lot. Don't disappoint Auntie! Get to know each other for a while and then get married. You two are not young anymore. People your age have already had children in kindergarten."

Wang Yong was surprised to hear that Auntie had already met the parents, which in the countryside meant the families had already agreed to the marriage. He hadn't expected Auntie to be so efficient. Under Auntie's guidance, Wang Yong listened to her instructions for the next day's date with Yuan Yuan. Seeing Wang Yong agree to go to the city to meet Yuan Yuan, Auntie finally put the matter to rest and pulled over a cardboard box. Two fluffy little puppies were sleeping together inside.

Wang Yong looked at the two little puppies and said to Auntie, "Auntie, so soon?"

Auntie smiled, "A few days ago, you said you wanted to raise a dog. Gao Qiang's dog in the village had a litter of puppies, and I asked for two. Xiao Ming didn't want to give them to me at first, but when I said it was for you, he generously gave you another one. Here, one black and one white, two puppies, and they have a companion. You can feed them some porridge or soup; they can already eat."

Wang Yong was delighted to see the two fluffy little puppies. He thought about how he had taken care of Xiao Ming, who almost came to his place every day after picking jujubes with his grandfather. Yesterday, he had given Xiao Ming a pair of chicks from the chicken farm, and today, Xiao Ming had given him two puppies in return. Xiao Ming was quite good at keeping accounts.

After Auntie left, Wang Yong took the two puppies, named Xiao Hei and Xiao Bai, into the small world. After a few days, they would definitely grow stronger and more spirited. As soon as they entered the small world, the two sleeping puppies twitched their noses and slowly opened their eyes. They tried to crawl out of their small nest, but it was too high, and they couldn't get out. Xiao Bai kept calling out. Wang Yong, finding it amusing, was about to help the puppies out of the nest when Xiao Hei walked around the nest, ran to a corner, and stood there. Before Wang Yong could react, Xiao Hei ran to the opposite side and, just before hitting the cardboard wall, pounced. Although he didn't jump out of the nest, he knocked the box over. The two puppies immediately cheered and ran out onto the grass, curious about everything in the small world.

They sniffed the green grass with their little noses, and Xiao Hei, the mischievous one, even took a bite. Finding it unpalatable, he spat it out and barked at Xiao Bai, as if telling him not to eat it. Xiao Bai was more reserved, quietly lying on the grass and watching Xiao Hei run around. Soon, hearing Xiao Hei's call from the river, Xiao Bai slowly walked over. Xiao Hei had already jumped into the river, drank some water, and was splashing around. This was a small tributary of the river formed by the spiritual spring, with very shallow water, only about ten centimeters deep. Since dogs are naturally good swimmers, Xiao Hei was having a great time. Xiao Bai drank some water by the river and then became interested in the small river shrimp in the grass. He kept reaching out with his little paws, and in a short while, he had caught a dozen or so shrimp, each about a centimeter long. Watching the shrimp jump around on the grass, Xiao Bai pounced and played with great enthusiasm.

Seeing Xiao Bai having fun, Xiao Hei ran out of the water, drenched, and charged at the shrimp on the ground. The bold little guy spotted a larger shrimp, about two or three centimeters long, and pounced. The shrimp jumped and landed on Xiao Hei's paw. The shrimp's claws clamped onto Xiao Hei's leg, causing him to yelp in pain. He used his other paw to hit the shrimp, knocking it off his leg. The shrimp wriggled on the ground, but before it could escape, Xiao Hei pounced again, pinned it down with his paws, and bit it to death.

The taste of the shrimp seemed to suit Xiao Hei's taste, and he ate it with relish. However, they were still too young, and although rural dogs are easy to raise, they couldn't eat everything like city dogs. For now, they could only drink milk or porridge. Thinking of this, Wang Yong found a broken bowl in the kitchen and mixed a bowl of milk for the two puppies.

Entering the small world, the two puppies noticed Wang Yong and looked at him with big, curious eyes. They lay still, watching him. When Wang Yong put the bowl on the ground, the puppies, smelling the milk, relaxed and ran over happily. They stuck their heads into the bowl and drank the milk greedily. In no time, the bowl was empty. Their bellies were so full that they were almost touching the ground. The two puppies, now completely trusting Wang Yong, who had fed them, climbed onto his legs. Wang Yong squatted down, picked them up, and held them in his arms. The puppies sniffed for a while, then flipped over, snuggled together, and fell asleep again.

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