The Fantastic Little Farmer

Chapter 20: Chapter 20: Almost Caught the Wrong Thief

Returning home, Zhang Yun buried his phone in a bag of rice. It was said that rice had excellent water absorption, though he didn’t know if it could actually dry the phone out.

It was still early. He couldn’t fall asleep at this hour, and being without his phone was truly a bit torturous. After watching TV with his dad for a while, Zhang Yun made an excuse about needing to guard the fish tonight, grabbed a flashlight, and headed out.

The rural village grew very quiet by 9:00 PM, and it was even quieter outside the village, with only the chirping of insects and the distant barking of dogs. As he walked, Zhang Yun pondered buying more fish fry. He hadn’t restocked earlier because he hadn’t figured out the root of the problem.

While walking through the farmland toward the mountain hollow, a sudden thought struck him. The ginseng had already proven its value and effectiveness, but there was still so much empty land in the Peach Blossom Spring Space. Why not bring in a few other things to plant?

The maturation period for rice was much shorter than that of ginseng. What would happen if he planted it for a few days? He decided to act on it immediately!

There was no one in the fields at night. Although dotted with starlight, it wasn’t exactly a pitch-black night, but nothing could be seen clearly without getting close. Not having to worry about scaring anyone, Zhang Yun dug up a few rice seedlings and entered the Peach Blossom Spring Space directly.

It was Zhang Yun’s first time entering at night, and he discovered that there was no difference between day and night inside. He had already stored some tools in there previously, so he quickly planted the seedlings. There was only a small pool of water inside, so he didn’t dare turn it into a flooded paddy field. He dry-planted them and then watered them, unsure if they would survive.

He had only come out out of boredom anyway. After planting the rice seedlings, he prepared to continue planting vegetables.

Uprooting a few rice seedlings wouldn’t have much impact, but it wasn’t appropriate to dig up other people’s vegetables—he would be cursed out if any went missing. Zhang Yun squinted in the dark to get his bearings and detoured to his own family’s vegetable patch. He didn’t hold back with his own crops, digging up one or two plants of every vegetable variety and transplanting them into the Peach Blossom Spring Space.

After watering the vegetables and coming back out, Zhang Yun took a shortcut toward the fish pond in the mountain hollow. As he passed a cornfield, he heard a strange RUSTLING sound!

The wind blowing through the cornstalks would produce a sound like rustling leaves, but they would all sway in one direction, creating a uniform noise. What he heard now was a completely different kind of RUSTLE...

Zhang Yun immediately turned off his flashlight, then tiptoed into the cornfield. He was bold enough to sleep alone in the small wooden cabin in the mountain hollow at night, so naturally, he wasn’t afraid of ghosts. Sensing that something was wrong just now, his very first thought was that there was a thief!

He had only found out about Li Bing stealing his fish yesterday at noon, so Zhang Yun’s hatred for thieves was currently at an all-time high! Therefore, no matter whose cornfield this was, and whether it was an outsider or a fellow villager stealing, he was going to uphold justice!

Zhang Yun moved stealthily, partly to avoid alerting the culprit, and partly because he wanted to get a clear look first. If it was an outsider, there was nothing more to say—he would just beat them to a pulp! But if it really was someone from the village, it wouldn’t be good to openly form a grudge; he would just scare them away to serve as a minor punishment and a major warning.

Walking about a dozen steps into the field, Zhang Yun could vaguely see two cornstalks rapidly swaying ahead of him. Someone was definitely picking corn!

He thought, ”You dog of a thief, watch how I deal with you!”

Zhang Yun gripped his flashlight, ready to blind the thief’s eyes with the beam as soon as he got close!

Wait a minute! Why was he hearing such strange sounds?

Heavy panting, low moans—why did it sound so much like a scene from an adult action movie? Zhang Yun suspected that he was hallucinating because of his pent-up heat.

Taking two more steps closer, he could make out the rough silhouette under the starlight. It really was an outdoor adult movie! The two cornstalks were being wildly shaken by a white figure grabbing onto them...

This... Zhang Yun felt incredibly awkward. Fortunately, he hadn’t made a sound or turned on the flashlight; otherwise, he would have terrified them.

In order not to startle the wild Mandarin Ducks, Zhang Yun, acting out of a sense of humanitarian care, held his breath and watched motionless. He waited until the cornstalks stopped swaying before quietly backing out and detouring around the cornfield.

For some unknown reason, Zhang Yun felt his entire body burning up. It was definitely still the lingering effect of the Mysterious Petals. He had originally intended to eat another petal while soaking in the pond, but the restless heat had flared up prematurely!

Since it was the dead of night, Zhang Yun had no reservations. He stripped off all his clothes, shoes, and socks, plucked a Mysterious Petal from the Peach Blossom Spring Space, ate it, and submerged himself in the fish pond.

He wished for peace, but his heart refused to settle... Even the colder nighttime water of the Shantang couldn’t extinguish the flames ravaging his body. His mind kept involuntarily flashing back to the sights and sounds he had just witnessed.

Professional adult movies featured carefully selected actors who fit aesthetic standards, proper makeup, and excellent lighting. They had first-person perspectives, close-ups, editing, and even a plot! Compared to that, what he had just seen was practically a low-quality livestream in the pitch dark. But perhaps because of the close proximity, the impact on Zhang Yun was far greater!

Zhang Yun also realized that once a person’s imagination ran wild, their thoughts would scatter into the realm of wild fantasy! For instance, as he recalled the scene he had just witnessed, his mind inexplicably intertwined it with images of Sister-in-law Xiuqin, and even the completely unfamiliar Ouyang Mingruo...

After tossing and turning in restlessness for a long time, Zhang Yun, afraid of physically polluting the fish pond, gritted his teeth and consumed another Mysterious Petal!

The combined effect of two petals quickly made him feel as if he were trapped inside a furnace. Even though his physical constitution had improved by an unknown magnitude, he still felt as though he was about to be roasted alive. Upon entering such a state, Zhang Yun was left with only a single thought: cool down! He completely lost any capacity for wild, lustful fantasies.

He stayed soaked like this until dawn. Only then did the efficacy of the two petals finally seem to have been digested and absorbed. Zhang Yun had endured a bitter, seemingly endless night, wanting nothing more than to fall asleep. Yet, when he finally stood up, despite not sleeping a wink, he was brimming with vitality, and his skin hadn’t even wrinkled from the water.

Because he was still in the water, Zhang Yun couldn’t fully test it, but he felt he had reached an entirely new level of strength! Unfortunately, there were only two Mysterious Petals left, and he had no idea if the flower would bloom anew...

Dawn broke early nowadays. Because the weather was so hot, many people also headed out early. Zhang Yun climbed out of the water. As coincidence would have it, just as he was walking up the slope from the pond’s edge, he spotted two acquaintances approaching!

It was little Sister-in-law Xiuqin!

Li Bing had frightened her. Yesterday, she had arranged to deliver the jade to Zhang Yun, so she had to come alone. But now, coming to gather herbs again, she had asked Auntie Pang to accompany her.

Zhang Yun had anticipated that someone might head into the mountains early, but Xiuxun had no idea that Zhang Yun had stayed here last night, much less that he would be skinny-dipping first thing in the morning!

Instantly, all three of them froze in shock!

”Oh my! So fair!” Xiuxun blushed scarlet, while Auntie Pang brazenly critiqued Zhang Yun’s back.

They had originally just been passing by on their way into the mountains. But now, seeing Zhang Yun coming up from a swim, Auntie Pang excitedly dragged Xiuxun over to the outside of the small wooden cabin.

”Are you feeling shy? Auntie Pang watched you grow up, so what’s there to be embarrassed about?”

Zhang Yun, of course, didn’t care about Auntie Pang. He was embarrassed because Sister-in-law Xiuqin was right there! Just now was truly... Did she blush? Did it seem like she was staring, too?

”Let’s go,” Xiuxun whispered, tugging at Auntie Pang. Zhang Yun was about to come out; how embarrassed would he be?

”We’ll go, we’ll go in a minute!” Auntie Pang said with a smile, then asked, ”Zhang Yun, have you eaten breakfast yet?”

Zhang Yun really wanted to say, ”It’s barely dawn. Am I supposed to eat raw fish out here?” But since she asked earnestly, he could only reply, ”Not yet.”

”Then you’re in for a treat today! We’ll let you taste Xiuxun’s steamed buns.”

He remained speechless. He thought, ”Sister-in-law Xiuqin’s steamed buns? I could eat a pair!”