Chapter 185: 185 digging a reservoir
Because she was too hungry and ate too quickly, after half a bun, Yuanyuan couldn't eat anymore. She put down her chopsticks, genuinely envying Tan Shaoting, watching him keep eating without any discomfort.
"Yuanyuan, why aren't you eating?"
"I ate too fast. You eat; I'll have some before bed, but I won't eat now."
Only after Tan Shaoting was full did they put everything away.
"Yuanyuan, how about I clear out the yard later? Even if it's just winter melons, we should plant something."
Yuanyuan understood what Tan Shaoting meant. Lying on the brick bed in her cotton clothes, she was really exhausted, feeling like her shoulders were sore.
However, she still had to start a fire, otherwise, she couldn't sleep, so she got up, put on her coat, and went out to start a fire.
Outside, Tan Shaoting was setting up a greenhouse; the winter melon seeds needed to sprout.
At night, they each had a cup of Spiritual Spring Water; Yuanyuan went to sleep, and Tan Shaoting practiced his skills.
Although there was no way to advance now, Tan Shaoting still persisted. He knew this was likely due to the Heavenly Dao's restraint here, but he was already very satisfied with this.
The next morning, they had pancakes and eggs, which were filling.
Everyone's enthusiasm was not as high as the previous day, but the pace was still good.
After moving five meters, the benefit of the crane became apparent. However, the person must now be two meters underground to lift it; otherwise, it wouldn't come up.
Feng Baoshan approached Tan Shaoting and asked him to make another crane.
Anyway, they did as much today as they did yesterday.
For this pace, Feng Baoshan was quite satisfied.
Today, each person got one more cornbread.
Yuanyuan and her companion didn't eat again, but while making the crane, Yuanyuan gave Tan Shaoting a few pieces of chocolate. He didn't really like eating it, but it was quite filling.
No one knew how big this reservoir was going to be. Ten days later, half of Yuanyuan's one hundred acres had already been dug out. However, there were no signs of stopping, even though they finished work a little earlier in the evenings.
Although they couldn't plant on the fields, every household still planted some vegetables in their yards; otherwise, what would they eat?
The Zhao Family siblings wanted to plant three acres of sweet potatoes in the field, and Yuanyuan also opened up three acres in her own land to plant sweet potatoes.
"Xiao Li, let's plant some potatoes too."
"Yuanyuan, how many potatoes do you plan to plant?"
"Let's also go for three acres."
"Alright, we'll do the same. But do you have enough seed potatoes?" Zhao Yanli asked, a little embarrassed.
"Don't worry, I'll give you a hundred pounds of potatoes, it will be enough. If not, I have more here."
"You two aren't at home much, so there's less consumption."
"Haha, what's that logic? We eat out, so that costs money."
"But these days, spending money doesn't necessarily mean you can buy food, right?"
Yuanyuan nodded, "That's true."
Every household used their mornings and evenings to tend to their own land. Anyway, it's impossible to do large-scale cultivation right now; they can't even go out except for sweet potatoes and such, which can be watered with household water.
It's possible here. At least the drinking water hasn't stopped, which is a very good thing.
Their storage bottles had been filled when they were abroad. Achieving a good harvest of sweet potatoes and potatoes was doable; after all, with the addition of the winter melons in the yard, the water was sufficient.
However, they didn't dare overdo it, since everyone came here to work. Although the sweet potatoes and potatoes were planted on Tan Shaoting's land, it was better to be cautious.
Both yards had winter melons planted, as they were quite high yielding.
Every day, they dug the reservoir, and everyone got several shades darker from the sun; even Tan Shaoting became a bronze color. This, instead, drew attention from families with young daughters.
Everyone here knew that the two of them, both teenagers, were living together for convenience. Because Yuanyuan was young, even though she was quite tall now, her face still looked innocent.
So many families with daughters felt that it was just two kids struggling to get by together and didn't think much more of it.
Tan Shaoting was smart, capable of making cranes, hardworking, and diligent. Where could one find such a good young man?
So, were many young girls trying to get close to Tan Shaoting?
Yuanyuan had no idea, until after finishing work one day, Zhao Yanli, with a sullen face, talked to Yuanyuan about it.
After hearing her, Yuanyuan burst into laughter.
"You're overthinking. Tan Shaoting and I are just partners helping each other out. Besides, how old am I? I'm only thirteen. Xiao Li, you don't need to worry about that."
"Yuanyuan, you've been living with Tan Shaoting for three years now. Do you really not have any other thoughts?"
Yuanyuan smiled at Zhao Yanli, "You're overthinking it. I'm still young and see myself as a child.
Besides, I have no plans to start a family. Isn't just getting by on my own great?"
"What kind of thinking is that? That's not right.
You know, someone has already proposed to my brother. I secretly checked out the girl. She looks alright, not very pretty, but quite capable.
My brother didn't agree, maybe because he wasn't interested.
Yuanyuan, I'm telling you, that thinking isn't right, you should still consider starting a family."
"It's too early to think about that now. I just want to do what I love and live a good life. The rest I don't consider."
Tan Shaoting was not far behind them, chatting with Ma Changshun, and he heard what the two girls said.
Being single in both lives, he never had plans to start a family. But after hearing what they said, he suddenly thought that marrying Yuanyuan might not be so bad.
In this lifetime, it wouldn't be like those superficial couples he had seen in his previous life, lacking long lifespans. So, there probably wouldn't be a day of boredom. Trying might not be a bad idea?
"Yuanyuan, if you really don't have those intentions, you should live separately. You're a young woman now; you should avoid impropriety."
Yuanyuan amusingly looked at the little girl her age teaching her and nodded with a smile.
However, living separately from Tan Shaoting wasn't very realistic. She knew Tan Shaoting needed to use her Spiritual Spring Water for his practice, so leaving wasn't an option. But this couldn't be talked about.
Forget it, let others think what they want. If you always care about what others think, how's that living a life?
"Yuanyuan, don't be indifferent, don't take it lightly. Has yours come?" Zhao Yanli asked more quietly.
Yuanyuan froze for a moment, feeling rejuvenated, working so hard every day that she had actually forgotten about that issue.
"Have you got it?"
"Mhm, have you not gotten it?"
Yuanyuan nodded quietly.