Whatever you want, 40 is not young anymore.

  As soon as he arrived at Sun Langzhong's thatched cottage, he saw Zhen Mingsu's apricot tree from afar and ran over excitedly. He grabbed Zhen Mingsu's arm and called out in a sweet and intimate voice that made Fei Long and the others feel envious: "Brother Zhen, you're here!"

  Zhen Ming's face turned cold and his hairs stood on end as he stared at her with a vigilant expression.

  Although Xing Er's cute and lovely appearance is far from her usual sly and cunning self, the impression she gives people has always been that of a spoiled and arrogant girl. Zhen Ming had never seen this side of her before, and he was so taken aback by her adorable expression that he was momentarily stunned and couldn't react.

  "Zhen gege, are you staying for dinner today? I'll cook something delicious for you!"

  "What do you want?"

  Xing'er didn't mind Xun Ming's tone at all, tightly hugging his arm and pressing her small, budding chest against him without reservation. She looked back at Fei Long and the others following behind Xun Ming, then turned to ask: "Brother Xun, what are they doing here?"

  Fei Long hastily said with a smile from behind: "Xing Er sister, Zhen Ge asked us to come and work."

  This time, Xing Er didn't stop Fei Long from being overly familiar, and instead said with a smile: "Oh, then you all should stay for dinner too. I'll get Yue Er sister to stir-fry some more dishes. Zhen Gege, come with me..."

  At this moment, Fei Long was also stunned, and he stared at Zhen Ming with a bitter face, for a while not knowing what had happened, that this reckless Xing Er would have such a big change.

  Xing Er didn't think there was anything wrong, pulled Zhen Ming's hand and ran into the courtyard, shouting: "Yue Er sister, Zhen brother is here!"

  Zhen Mingsu followed her into the house, and Yue'er, who was weak in body, lifted the door curtain and walked out from the inner room. Seeing Zhen Mingsu, a hint of surprise flashed across her face, and she walked up to him with a gentle smile, curtsying deeply before him.

  Zhen Ming guessed that Sun Langzhong must have told her about the ten taels of silver, and hastily helped her up, laughing: "If you're going to be so polite to me, I really won't dare come again in the future. I still want to eat more of your cooking..."

  Although her face was covered with a white veil, the moon's face still blushed, and she dared not look at Zhen Mingshu, whispering: "Brother Zhen, if you like to eat the dishes made by Moon, Moon will make them for you every day."

  "It's still your voice, Brother Zhen, that sounds reassuring. I'll take you up on that without hesitation. When you're feeling better, don't forget what you said today?"

  The moon nodded with a red face.

  At this time, Xing Er also sweetly called out from the side: "Zhen Gege..."

  "Wait, I'm a bit scared, what do you want?"

  Apricot suddenly stomped her foot, but in the end, even she couldn't help but burst out laughing.

  Zhenming ignored him and turned to Yue'er, saying: "I heard Mr. Sun say that you've always wanted to raise some fish, so I brought some people today to dig a pond for you, and then you can raise whatever you want."

  The moon heard this and immediately beamed with joy, asking incredulously: "Really?"

  "I've already found a laborer for you, take me to see where the pond should be dug, and we can start work at any time."

  ……

  The pond is dug very large, with an area of one hundred square meters, enough to raise hundreds of fish.

  After digging for two or three hours, Fei Long and his fellow villagers were all lying on the ground, panting heavily, while Zhen Ming was still swinging his hoe steadily, without a hint of fatigue.

  The moon was exposed to the scorching sun, and she went back and forth several times to serve them tea, water, and food. After finishing, she stood silently on the shore, staring at Zhen Mingshu's appearance of wielding a hoe, until Zhen Mingshu discovered her standing on the shore, and she slightly blushed, hastily turned around, and returned to the house.

  Watching the scorching sun slowly rising into the sky, Fei Long turned his head and took a glance at Zhen Ming Su, asking with some jealousy: "Zhen Ge, aren't you fond of that Tofu Xishi? Why are you flirting with Yue Er again? She's a good girl, you can't toy with her..."

  "Stop it!" Zhen Ming bitterly put down his hoe and said with a helpless expression, "Did your one eye see me provoke her or play with her? Can you use more civilized language?"

  "Why did her gaze at you change then." Fei Long's tone carried a hint of sourness.

  "They can't treat me like their own brother."

  "Older brother, dear older brother, aren't they the same?"

  Zhen Ming sighed and said with a bitter smile: "You like her yourself but don't go confess to her, instead you're relying on me now."

  Fei Long's face turned red with embarrassment, and his whole body began to tremble: "I just think that Moon Girl is a bit pitiful, I want to be good to her."

  Zhen Ming looked him up and down with a bitter expression, clicking his tongue: "With that body of yours, who would even look at you?"

  "I'm going on a diet starting now!" Fat Dragon blurted out.

  Don't take fate too seriously, just keep digging.

  Fei Long gathered in front of Zhen Ming, with a flattering face and said: "Brother Zhen, why don't you teach me how to make Moon Girl happy? As long as you can make Moon Girl smile at me, I'll do whatever you want."

  Zhen Ming shook his head bitterly: "Don't come to me with this kind of thing, if I had any luck, I wouldn't have ended up like this today."

  The fat dragon suddenly ran out of energy.

  Zhen Ming couldn't help but say, "This pond is actually Moon's long-held wish. If you behave well, she might even leave a good impression on you."

  Fei Long's face, which had been showing signs of fatigue, suddenly cleared up. Without saying another word, he picked up the shovel and started digging with all his might. His fellow villagers, who had been resting and were about to come forward to help, were pushed out of the pit by him. As he dug, he said: "You all go back first, I can handle this little bit of work on my own!...Zhen Ge, you go rest for a while over there! You really are something, calling so many people over for such a small amount of work?"

  "Can you go?" Zhen Ming asked with a bitter and puzzled expression.

  "Go!"

  "Don't force it."

  "Not at all!"

  ……

  Fei Long has heatstroke.

  He fainted into the pond he had dug nearly a third of.

  As everyone lifted him onto the shore with all their might, he was spitting out white foam, his eyes rolled back, and his hands were still waving the hoe.

  Having no other choice, Zhen Ning reluctantly left him in the woodshed of Sun Lang's house to spend the night, and took the others back into town.

  It was already 10 o'clock at night when I arrived home.

  Took a cold shower, decocted a dose of medicine and drank it down, then went to the courtyard to practice Tai Chi for a while, stretching out the tired muscles and tendons from a day's work, and activating the medicinal effect.

  He inadvertently looked up and his gaze stopped at the small pavilion on the roof that could accommodate one person, he was stunned for a moment, then shook his head and turned into the house.

  After a while, he came out of the house again, went up to the roof and looked far away in the direction of Zhang's residence. The house was divided into a newly renovated main house and a dilapidated side house.

  In the courtyard, a slender and busy figure is airing white gauze used for filtering soybean dregs.

  The houses around had all gone dark, and the whole area was quiet, with only her family's courtyard having a faintly lit oil lamp.

  ;