Chapter 0006: Zhang Ling's Conditions

"Come here, I won't hit you," Li Detian said, leaning on his crutch and chasing after Li Xiaobao around the tricycle. His demeanor made it clear he wouldn't let Xiaobao off easily.

"Oh, come on, Dad, Xiaobao must have his reasons for doing this. Don't hit him," Zhou Cuihua said urgently as she and Luo Guiying hurried to stop him.

"Reasons? What good can come from the unrealistic ideas filling his head? He doesn't properly farm our own land, and now he wants to grow medicinal herbs like others? Our Li family has been farmers for generations - do you think he understands anything about medicinal herbs or how to grow them?" Li Detian, infuriated by Li Xiaobao, sat down on a stool and gasped for air.

Zhou Cuihua sighed helplessly. Although she had supported Li Xiaobao before, in the end, Li Xiaobao really didn't know anything about farming, let alone growing medicinal herbs.

"Fine, you don't need to worry about my affairs. I'll handle them myself," Li Xiaobao said, feeling helpless.

"You, you unfilial child, fine, from now on I wash my hands of you," Li Detian exclaimed, stamping his foot and heading straight into the house, using his crutch.

Li Xiaobao spent all the money he earned from selling fish on seeds, which infuriated Li Detian. Indeed, Li Xiaobao knew it was because his father feared poverty.

Ever since his father's leg became incapacitated, their family's living standards had dropped a notch. Although Li Dabao worked outside, he never sent money home.

The entire family's income depended on Zhou Cuihua's earnings from farming and selling grain, which only amounted to a few thousand yuan a year. Therefore, eight hundred yuan was quite a significant sum for the entire family.

"Xiaobao, tell your sister-in-law the truth, are you really confident?" Zhou Cuihua asked, somewhat disbelievingly.

"Ah, sister-in-law, just believe in me this once, I won't go wrong this time," Li Xiaobao assured her earnestly.

"Alright then, I'll believe in you this once," Zhou Cuihua smiled faintly and went inside to persuade Li Detian.

In the evening, when no one was around, Li Xiaobao moved several bags of seeds from the cart into his room, and directly into the Five Elemental Space.

Seeing that the light in Li Xiaobao's room had gone out, Li Detian sighed helplessly. What he didn't know was that at this moment, Li Xiaobao was in his Five Elemental Space, fussing over his medicinal herb seeds.

Li Xiaobao had cleared a patch of land in his Five Elemental Space and began planting the seeds he had purchased.

Since he had previously considered growing medicinal herbs, Li Xiaobao had researched a lot online. Following the information he found on the internet, he quickly finished planting a bag of seeds.

"Not bad," Li Xiaobao said, satisfied with his work, clapping his hands. He then went ahead and planted the rest of the seeds.

Looking at the now empty bags, Li Xiaobao nodded continuously. However, a problem quickly stumped him: the seeds were planted but needed watering.

"I've got it!" A thought struck Li Xiaobao, and a large river in the distant Five Elemental Space slowly began to converge and flow toward him.

What was once a torrential river had become a small stream by the time it reached him.

Li Xiaobao looked at the stream flowing past his feet, trickling into the fields, and a line of frustration crossed his forehead; the stream was far too small. Still, he knew that this was because he hadn't fully mastered the Five Elemental Space.

Or perhaps, he might need a long time to completely understand the Five Elemental Space.

As the land was being watered continuously, beads of sweat slowly formed on Li Xiaobao's forehead, and he felt a wave of fatigue as the stream's flow grew even smaller.

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By the time he had irrigated all the land, Li Xiaobao was already so exhausted that he blacked out and fell asleep as soon as he came out of the Five Elemental Space and lay on his bed.

Early the next morning, worried about his medicinal herb cultivation, Li Xiaobao got up as soon as he heard Zhou Cuihua getting out of bed next door. Without disturbing anyone, he quickly entered his Five Elemental Space.

As soon as he entered the Five Elemental Space, Li Xiaobao was astonished to find that the medicinal herbs he had planted just the night before had sprouted already.

Excited by the promising growth of the herbs, Li Xiaobao hurriedly left the Five Elemental Space, thinking that as long as his plan was successful this time, he would invest more in the future. After all, he had the Five Elemental Space, what was there to fear?

"Xiaobao, what are you doing?" Hearing the noise in Li Xiaobao's room, Luo Guiying felt something was odd. Her son had been acting all secretive these past few days and had stopped sleeping in, getting up even earlier than Zhou Cuihua, who worked in the fields every day.

"Nothing, mom, I'm just hungry," Li Xiaobao quickly replied.

After breakfast, Li Xiaobao left the house.

"Xiaobao, where are you going?" Luo Guiying grew more suspicious as she watched her son, feeling that he had been acting out of character these past few days.

"I'm heading to the field," said Li Xiaobao, and with that, he was already out the door.

No sooner had Li Xiaobao stepped out than he was greeted by a bright sight: Zhang Ling was also heading to the fields with a basket in hand.

"Zhang Ling, good morning!" Li Xiaobao cheerfully caught up with her, not feeling the least bit embarrassed.

"Hmph!" Zhang Ling huffed coldly and hurriedly sped up her pace, obviously annoyed.

"Hey, Zhang Ling, who made you so mad?" Li Xiaobao hurried as well, following her and saying, "I'm going to the field too, let's go together."

"Li Xiaobao, stop right there, don't follow me," Zhang Ling said, puffing with anger.

"What's wrong? We're so familiar with each other, and besides..." Li Xiaobao looked at Zhang Ling with a sly grin and a knowing expression.

"You bastard Li Xiaobao, tell me, was it you who asked your aunt to propose to my family?" Zhang Ling glared at Li Xiaobao, her lips pouting.

"What? Propose?" As soon as Li Xiaobao heard this, he immediately remembered the incident from the night before last, when Zhang Ling brought a wristwatch to his house, which must have been misinterpreted by his mother.

He hadn't expected his mother to go to the Zhang family to propose so directly.

"No, it wasn't me who sent my mother," Li Xiaobao said, shaking his head.

"Coward, you dare to do it but not to admit it," Zhang Ling glared at him resentfully, not convinced by his denial.

Actually, Zhang Ling didn't dislike Li Xiaobao; after all, she was the first one in the village to attend a junior college, so she always held some pride. Though Li Xiaobao often played tricks, Zhang Ling knew he wasn't a bad person, and he wasn't bad-looking either.

A flash of insight crossed Li Xiaobao's mind; he felt Zhang Ling was hinting at something. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Then why did you give me the wristwatch the other day?"

"I... I saw you fall into the river that time, and your watch must have been ruined, so I bought you a new one. Moreover, I have already said that there is no possibility for anything between us," Zhang Ling stubbornly insisted.

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