Pastoral Daily Life

Lu Lingxi’s expression was sincere, his eyes full of trust and gratitude. When Yan Yue was looked at by him like this, he felt his emotions stirring but he could not show it, so he could only suppress his excitement and nod slightly, saying casually, “No need to be so polite, just call me Yan Yue from now on.”

Lu Lingxi curled his eyes in a smile, the corners of his mouth turning upwards as he obediently said, “Big Brother Yan.”

The young man’s voice was clear and bright, and the sound of “Big Brother Yan” was like a kitten scratching Yan Yue’s heart. His heart itched, wishing for the young man to call him like that a few more times. Luckily, he had not lost his head yet, so he swallowed the words that almost came out of his mouth when he met the boy’s clear eyes.

From the time Yan Yue got up to leave to the time Lu Lingxi walked him to the door, Dahei’s eyes followed Yan Yue. When Yan Yue left with empty hands, Dahei turned his head to look at the spring orchid on the table and plopped back down on the floor.

Lu Lingxi sent Yan Yue away and turned around to squat beside Dahei, flicking his finger on Dahei’s head and saying affectionately, “Little villain, don’t think Big Brother Yan didn’t see your reaction.”

Dahei whimpered twice, aggrieved; Lu Lingxi stroked his head in amusement and said softly, “This spring orchid must be used to pay back to Big Brother Yan when it is well raised and sold. Now there is still a shortage of 100,000, and Dahei’s chicken legs. Tomorrow we will go to that flower market to see, maybe we’ll repeat today’s good luck.”

Dahei squinted his eyes and rubbed against Lu Lingxi’s palm, giving a low bark.

Yan Yue didn’t go far from Tiny Garden and parked the car at the side of the road. The corners of his mouth curled up unconsciously as he remembered the boy’s last call of “Big Brother Yan”. The mobile phone on the passenger side suddenly rang, interrupting the charm in Yan Yue’s heart. He frowned irritably, suppressing his impatience when he saw it was An Jie, and picked up the phone.

“Hello? What’s wrong?” At this hour, it should be two in the morning on An Jie’s side. He wouldn’t call in the middle of the night without an urgent matter.

“Boss, Professor Susan’s office has just been robbed.” An Jie didn’t beat around the bush and dropped the bombshell directly.

Although Yan Yue didn’t like seeing a psychologist much, his problems couldn’t be solved on his own. Sometimes the insomnia was so bad that he had to go to Professor Susan. At An Jie’s words, Yan Yue’s eyes turned cold and he smiled icily, “What was stolen must be client information.”

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“Not bad.” This was exactly the point that An Jie was worried about.

An Jie had lived abroad since he was a child, so he considered it normal to see a psychologist. Who didn’t have a bad mood and didn’t need guidance at times? But the situation in China was different; perhaps because people didn’t know much about it, psychological disorders were often portrayed as similar to mental illness. An Jie suspected that someone was behind the incident and was worried about Yan Yue’s situation.

The coldness in Yan Yue’s eyes deepened. Professor Susan had his past counselling records. No matter who did this, Yan Hai or Yin Ya, they were smart. But… this matter also worked to his benefit. He was still thinking about how he could stay in the country for a long time; this situation was exactly what could give him an excuse.

Habitually tapping on the steering wheel, Yan Yue said solemnly: “Don’t worry about this, let them go. Take care of the company’s affairs, focus on Dezhi Investment, and come back to China to find me after a while.”

Dezhi Investment was an investment company that Yan Yue privately owned and controlled, and it had taken shape when Yan Yue was still studying. After he graduated and took charge of the overseas branch of Hopewell Group, he used the opportunity to develop Dezhi Investment into a sizable investment company using the momentum of Hopewell Group. Whether you might have said that Yan Yue had no trust in Yan Shihui or something, he was never comfortable leaving his future in the hands of others and believed in his own hard work.

The break-in to Professor Susan’s office was only the first step in this matter. He supposed that rumours of his psychological problems would soon spread throughout Hopewell Group. The key to the whole thing was the attitude of his grandfather and father, and who his father would send abroad would determine his next step.

Yan Yue thought the whole thing through and there was not much anger in his heart, he just felt ridiculous. Although he had just left Lu Lingxi, he was a bit impatient to meet him again. The emotion was too intense. If he were rational as usual he could still control it, but at this moment, Yan Yue was somewhat unwilling to suppress it.

Yan Yue’s return surprised Lu Lingxi very much.

“Big Brother Yan?”

This sound of “Big Brother Yan” was like a touch of spring sunshine, and the frost that had unconsciously built up in Yan Yue’s heart instantly melted away cleanly.

“What’s wrong?” Lu Lingxi looked at Yan Yue with a puzzled expression.

Yan Yue was a little embarrassed. He was worried that Lu Lingxi might have mistakenly thought he was concerned about the IOU. Yan Yue glanced at the strange pot of flowers on the floor and immediately said calmly, “I remembered something after I left. My grandfather likes these flowers and plants very much. I want to buy a pot for him.”

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Lu Lingxi smiled, “What kind does Big Brother Yan want to buy?”

Yan Yue looked fixedly at Lu Lingxi’s smile and said meaningfully, “Whatever you pick is good.”

Lu Lingxi did not notice the subtle meaning of this statement and seriously explained to Yan Yue that keeping different flowers would have different health effects on people. Some flowers had a light fragrance and could be placed in the bedroom to relieve tension and calm the mind, which was good for helping insomniacs to fall asleep. Some flowers had a clearing effect on the liver and calming the eyes, and had an analgesic and soothing effect on some chronic diseases of the elderly. In addition to different flower fragrances, the flowers varied in colour and it also had different effects. Brightly coloured flowers would lift people’s moods, while elegantly coloured flowers would give people a comfortable and refreshing feeling. Giving flowers looked simple, but it was actually a big deal.

Lu Lingxi was very serious when he talked about flowers and plants, and his face was very soft when he mentioned them. Yan Yue looked at the young man’s profile in fascination, and his gaze gradually became hot. Only when Lu Lingxi turned around did he avert his eyes. Recalling what the young man had just said, Yan Yue replied, “Then let’s have one pot for insomnia and one pot in a more elegant colour.”

Lu Lingxi carefully chose a pot of geraniums and a pot of mother-in-law’s tongues for Yan Yue. He specifically advised Yan Yue that geraniums could soothe anxious and frustrated emotions, relieve stress and were very effective for insomnia.

Yan Yue nodded and decided to keep the pot of geraniums in his bedroom.

That night, Lu Lingxi went home in Yan Yue’s car. Yan Yue had spent the afternoon at Tiny Garden under the banner of getting advice on how to raise flowers well and insisted on giving Lu Lingxi a ride home in the evening to show his gratitude.

Lu Lingxi couldn’t refuse and agreed. His impression of Yan Yue was getting better and better in his heart.

When he returned home, Wang Shuxiu had already gone to work. When Lu Lingxi entered, he first took Dahei and wiped his four paws, then squatted on the ground, stroked Dahei’s head and joked, “Don’t tell Mom about the IOU, it’s enough that we both know. This is a little secret that belongs to the two of us. Come on, give me your paw.”

When he finished speaking, he extended his right hand, and Dahei who squatted in front of him quickly lifted his left paw and placed it on Lu Lingxi’s hand. This was a new little game Lu Lingxi and Dahei had invented. Lu Lingxi smiled and pulled Dahei’s furry dog paw and shook it, saying seriously, “Dahei, you promised, if you go back on your word you will be punished by not eating chicken legs for a month.”

Dahei gave a low bark and Lu Lingxi smiled and hugged him, “I know, Dahei is not a dog who doesn’t keep his word, right?”

Dahei barked again, seemingly satisfied.

After the two of them had eaten dinner, Lu Lingxi connected the hose and prepared to water the tomatoes in the backyard. After a day’s absence, some of the tomatoes that had been the size of marbles yesterday reached the size of a fist. The green skin had a slight tinge of red and looked ready to be harvested soon.

These tomatoes were growing so fast that Lu Lingxi was actually a little apprehensive, not knowing if they were edible or not. He did believe that the panel would not harm anyone, but he just had some doubts in his mind. It would be best to wait for these tomatoes to ripen and find somewhere to test them to see if there were any problems.

He was planning quite well when he turned his head and saw Dahei crook his neck and swallow half of the reddened tomato in one bite.

Lu Lingxi: “……”