Er Gou, life in the countryside is so carefree!

When Li Mei returned to Xiushui Village from the town, she was a completely different person.

The aloof, beautiful technician who used to look down on everyone with a critical eye is gone.

Instead, there was a girl with a head full of questions and endless curiosity about Chen Ergou.

She couldn't understand how Chen Ergou could just press so lightly and make all the discomfort she had been feeling for days disappear.

This is something that science simply cannot explain!

Could it be that the "Dragon King Technique" that Chen Ergou mentioned is real?

Once the thought popped into my head, I couldn't suppress it anymore.

So, Li Mei abandoned her airs as a technician and stopped caring about her reputation, and started going to Chen Ergou's ten acres of land every day.

Chen Ergou was directing people to water the plants when he looked up and saw Li Mei had come again, still wearing the same work clothes, but her eyes were so eager that she was completely different from before.

"Chen Ergou, what...what method did you use that day?" Li Mei asked directly, her tone revealing an urgency she herself didn't realize.

Chen Ergou was secretly pleased, but feigned difficulty, dangling a blade of grass between his teeth and saying, "Technician Li, you're putting me in a difficult position. I've already said it's a family secret recipe; how can I just tell outsiders?"

"Then...then I'll become your apprentice!" Li Mei gritted her teeth, as if she had made a huge decision. "Teach me! I'll learn from you!"

Chen Ergou looked her up and down and chuckled: "Apprentice? Technician Li, with your delicate skin, can you even lift a hoe? Can you even distinguish between barnyard grass and rice seedlings? My skills can't be learned just by talking."

Li Mei blushed at his laughter, but her stubbornness flared up: "Don't underestimate me! What you can do, I can do too!"

"Oh?" Chen Ergou's eyes darted around, a mischievous thought forming in his mind. "If you want to learn a skill, you have to pass a test first. See that patch of land over there? The weeds are taller than the seedlings. Go help me weed it and let me see your sincerity."

He casually pointed to a corner of land that hadn't been properly tended and was overgrown with weeds.

Looking at the tangled patch of weeds, Li Mei took a deep breath: "Let's get rid of them!"

She actually rolled up her sleeves, picked up the hoe from the edge of the field, and clumsily began weeding.

The hoe was completely unruly in her hands; it either dug too deep and damaged the seedlings, or dug too shallow and didn't remove the weeds completely.

Before long, she was sweating profusely, her back ached, and she even had two blisters on her hands.

The villagers who had been hired nearby watched Zhi Le and whispered among themselves.

"Look at that city girl, she's no match for manual labor!"

"Ergou is deliberately making things difficult for them!"

Li Mei was both ashamed and angry, tears welling up in her eyes, but she gritted her teeth and didn't utter a sound of suffering or beg for mercy.

Chen Ergou watched from afar, and couldn't help but admire the girl's stubbornness.

For two consecutive days, Li Mei came to work on time every day. Although her work efficiency was pitifully low, her attitude was extremely serious.

Seeing that she wasn't just acting on a whim, Chen Ergou started occasionally giving her some pointers.

"Hey, stop, stop! That's purslane, it's edible, don't mistake it for a weed and pull it out!"

"That's not how you water! You have to water slowly along the furrows. If you just splash it like that, you'll wash the seedlings down!"

"Judging from the sky, it might rain later, so let's water less today."

What Chen Ergou taught her were actually just the most basic common sense about farming, with at most a little bit of the superficial knowledge about observing soil moisture and cloud changes from "The Dragon King's Secret".

But Li Mei treasured it and studied it very diligently, constantly taking notes in her notebook.

She discovered that the seemingly outdated experiences Chen Ergou shared often contained surprising accuracy.

Her opinion of Chen Ergou gradually changed from initial disdain and suspicion to curiosity, admiration, and even... a hint of inexplicable goodwill.

Zhang Qiaofen saw all of this.

That afternoon, the sun was blazing, and Li Mei's face was flushed red from the sun in the field, and she was drenched in sweat.

Zhang Qiaofen walked over carrying a can of chilled mung bean soup.

"Technician Li, take a break and have a bowl of mung bean soup to cool off in the heat." Zhang Qiaofen said with a smile, handing him a bowl.

Li Mei was a little surprised. She took the bowl and said softly, "Thank you... Sister Zhang."

Looking at her blistered hands, Zhang Qiaofen said with heartache, "Why are you doing this to yourself? Er Gou is just a mean-spirited person, but he's not a bad person at heart. Don't take him to heart."

Li Mei shook her head, her eyes resolute: "Sister Zhang, I really want to learn something real. Chen Ergou... he really is capable."

The two women sat on the edge of the field, drinking mung bean soup and chatting.

Zhang Qiaofen is gentle and speaks kindly; Li Mei is cold but simple-minded.

As they chatted, they found they got along very well. Zhang Qiaofen talked about interesting things in the village, while Li Mei shared her experiences in the city, and the atmosphere was very harmonious.

Looking at Li Mei's sunburned face, Zhang Qiaofen suddenly said softly, "Technician Li, you're a good girl, educated and good-looking. Er Gou... although he can be a bit of a rascal sometimes, he's also a responsible person. You two... are quite a good match."

Li Mei was drinking her soup when she heard this. She choked on her food, her face turning even redder. She waved her hands frantically, "Sister Zhang, you...you mustn't misunderstand! I just want to learn a skill from him, I...I didn't mean anything else!"

Zhang Qiaofen just smiled and didn't say anything more, but her eyes clearly showed that she saw through everything.

In the evening, Chen Ergou returned home after finishing his work in the fields.

Zhang Qiaofen had already prepared dinner, a gentle smile on her face.

"Ergou, wash your hands and eat."

As Chen Ergou washed his hands, he asked, "Sister-in-law, why are you so happy today?"

Zhang Qiaofen served him rice, sat down, and said, "I think Li Mei is a really good girl. She's a bit straightforward, but she's not malicious, hardworking, and educated. She's also pretty; she's a perfect match for you."

Chen Ergou was eating his rice when he heard this and almost choked.

He looked up at Zhang Qiaofen, somewhat confused: "Sister-in-law, what are you talking about? What do you mean by 'good enough' or 'not good enough'?"

Zhang Qiaofen rolled her eyes at him, a hint of reproach in her voice: "Still playing dumb with me? That girl comes all over you every day, what's she after? I think she's interested in you. Er Gou, you're not getting any younger, it's time to seriously find a wife. A city girl like Li Mei is hard to find even with a lantern, don't miss out."

Chen Ergou then realized that his sister-in-law was thinking of "playing matchmaker" for him!

He felt a warmth in his heart, but also found it a little funny.

He put down his chopsticks, walked over to Zhang Qiaofen, picked her up, and carried her to the kang (heated brick bed) in the inner room.

"Hey! What are you doing! We haven't finished eating yet!" Zhang Qiaofen exclaimed, pounding his shoulder.

Chen Ergou chuckled mischievously and whispered in her ear, "Sister-in-law, you're really thinking ahead. You're even planning to take me in as a concubine? Well, you'll have to satisfy your needs first! Otherwise, how will I have the energy to deal with the younger one?"

Zhang Qiaofen blushed with embarrassment at his outrageous words, burying herself in his arms, feeling both amused and annoyed.

"You rascal! Put me down right now!"

Inside the house, unusual noises soon broke out.