Xu Yulan watched their retreating figures, her expression growing increasingly melancholic.

Er Gou was becoming more and more outstanding, and the number of girls he knew was also growing—each of them more talented and beautiful than the last. Meanwhile, she was past her prime. If Ergou were to get married in the future, then she would probably be...

At that thought, Xu Yulan let out a long sigh. However, after that sigh, the expression on her face became resolute. It was in that moment of sighing that she made a decision.

Tonight, when Liu Ergou gets back, I must take the initiative! I absolutely have to advance our relationship!

Thinking of this, Xu Yulan began to silently pump herself up.

"Come on, Xu Yulan!" she muttered to herself. "You can do it! It's just taking a tiny bit of initiative. What's the big deal? It's nothing!"

While Xu Yulan was encouraging herself, Liu Ergou and Liu Yunxi had already arrived at the wasteland.

Over at the wasteland, Feng Chunling had already used the electric tricycle to transport all the medicinal seedlings. She stood off to the side, fanning herself with a large straw hat. Today, Feng Chunling wore a floral shirt that seemed a bit rustic. The fabric over her chest was stretched taut, and its low neckline offered an unobstructed view. Most importantly, there was nothing underneath her collar.

Liu Ergou caught a glimpse and his eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

However, after just a few glances, he quickly shifted his gaze to the wasteland. At that moment, Hu Jing was holding a notebook, meticulously recording some data.

Seeing this, Liu Ergou cleared his throat softly.

"Ahem!"

His cough made both the note-taking Hu Jing and the fanning Feng Chunling look over.

"Er Gou, you're here!" Hu Jing greeted him with a happy expression.

Feng Chunling's voice followed closely behind. "Er Gou!"

Hearing their greetings, Liu Ergou chuckled. He walked over to Hu Jing and glanced at the notebook in her hands. It was filled with data that he couldn't understand, so after a brief look, he dismissed it from his mind.

When Feng Chunling saw Liu Ergou walking over, she eagerly moved toward him, completely forgetting that they weren't alone.

Seeing this, Liu Ergou coughed forcefully. "COUGH! COUGH! COUGH!"

"Auntie, it's too hot today. Why don't you just stay over there and talk to me!"

Feng Chunling, who was walking over, snapped back to reality upon hearing his words. She suddenly remembered that they weren't alone and hastily stopped in her tracks.

Putting on an air of nonchalance, she said, "You're right, Er Gou, it is very hot today! I heard that the workers in the factory get a high-temperature bonus. I wonder if we get one too!"

Liu Ergou naturally understood that Feng Chunling was changing the subject. He hurriedly pulled 500 yuan from his pocket and stuffed it all into her hands.

"Ah, good thing you mentioned it, I almost forgot!" Liu Ergou said, slapping his forehead. "Of course, there's a high-temperature bonus, but there are other perks too! Take this 500 yuan to the village's little supermarket and buy some chilled drinks and ice cream. Remember to bring them back and put them in the office fridge. Consider it a summer perk for you all!"

Feng Chunling nodded, took the money without a hint of hesitation, and left the wasteland.

Once Feng Chunling had left, Liu Yunxi began to discuss business with Liu Ergou.

"Ergou, the seedling cultivation is complete, but the weather is too hot. You must pay attention to the survival rate! Also, there's..."

Liu Yunxi launched into a long, rapid-fire spiel, not caring whether Liu Ergou could understand or not. He felt dizzy from the barrage of words, but he nodded and agreed anyway. Although he didn't grasp her professional jargon, he understood the gist of it. The message was simple: he needed to be more mindful and take extra care of these medicinal seedlings.

While they were talking, Hu Jing finished taking her notes.

Seeing that she was done, Liu Ergou and Liu Yunxi joined her in moving the seedlings into the recently built nursery. The herbs had just sprouted and weren't ready for direct planting yet; they needed to stay in the nursery for a while longer.

The three of them quickly finished their work.

「And then they left the wasteland.」

However, Feng Chunling, who was supposed to be buying ice cream and drinks, hadn't gone to the village supermarket. Instead, she had returned home. As soon as she got back, she started looking for Yang Mei.

Soon enough, she found her daughter lying lazily on her bed, leisurely eating snacks and playing on her phone.

Seeing this, Feng Chunling immediately rushed over, snatched the phone, and yanked Yang Mei off the bed without giving her a chance to speak.

Yang Mei, pulled to her feet, looked at her mother in confusion.

"Mom, what's wrong? Why are you back so suddenly? Is your work done?"

Hearing this, Feng Chunling stamped her foot and said irritably, "You silly girl! How can you be so carefree, playing on your phone and eating snacks! Don't you realize how dangerous your situation is?"

Feng Chunling's baffling words only confused Yang Mei further. Her eyes were practically turning into question marks.

"No, Mom, what do you mean? How is my situation dangerous? I haven't done anything illegal. What danger could I possibly be in?"

Seeing Yang Mei's clueless expression, Feng Chunling grew so frustrated she couldn't help but reach out and poke her daughter's forehead.

"You're driving me crazy! Does anything I say ever stick in that head of yours? Didn't I tell you to start a relationship with Ergou? To try and get with him, and better yet, get him under your thumb! So what are you doing now?"

When Yang Mei realized this was what her mother was upset about, she couldn't help but sigh.

"Ah, Mom, you can't blame me for this! The wasteland project isn't even properly running yet, so they don't need me. Besides, Liu Ergou is barely in the village—he's always out and about. How am I supposed to start a relationship with him!"

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