The narrow paths in the lotus fields could only accommodate one person at a time, so Yu Yao walked ahead, with Jiang Zhonglin following behind, keeping a half-meter distance between them.

Without turning her head, Yu Yao touched the lotus leaves on either side of the path and said, “Do you find young people annoying? Irrational and troublesome?”

Jiang Zhonglin quietly looked at his wife’s back and replied, “No, it’s my fault.”

He remembered that when he was younger, he used to get upset over similar things, but unlike Yu Yao, he wasn’t brave or direct enough to speak up. He was afraid of making Yu Yao angry or being laughed at. At that time, many people liked Yu Yao. She had ex-boyfriends and close male friends, and whenever he saw her chatting and laughing with them, he felt unhappy. He knew Yu Yao only had ordinary friendships with them, but jealousy is irrational and uncontrollable.

He didn’t express his unhappiness, and Yu Yao didn’t seem to notice. However, when they got home, Yu Yao sat him down on the sofa, faced him, and said, “Champion friend, you’ve successfully married me. You’re a winner in life. Be happy.”

Upon hearing this, he unexpectedly started smiling, feeling that his dissatisfaction was gently wiped away by Yu Yao. She was very good at sensing his emotions and solving problems smoothly. After feeling happy, he felt a bit down, ashamed of needing his wife to comfort him. He was three years younger than Yu Yao, and at that time, he was still immature, which embarrassed him. Young people always want to achieve maturity to prove or protect something.

At thirty, he established himself, shedding his youthful naïveté through hardship and poverty. At forty, he became grounded and steady, having accumulated experience through life’s trials. At fifty, he accepted many things and understood that force was futile. Now at sixty, he remained calm in the face of challenges, with knowledge and demeanor beyond reproach. Yet, even now, he couldn’t comfort Yu Yao from her current heavy yet fleeting unhappiness. Looking back at sixty, he found himself still unable to fulfill a simple wish from his twenties.

As Yu Yao walked, she realized she no longer heard footsteps behind her. She turned and saw Jiang Zhonglin standing still, looking at her with a hint of sadness. Her heart softened suddenly; she thought, how could this man, who was so good at making puppy eyes when he was young, be even more affecting now that he’s older? She had no choice but to walk back and take his hand.

“Forget it, I won’t hold it against you,” she said.

Jiang Zhonglin, rarely proactive, gently touched the hair near her cheek, his gaze soft.

“I really hope you can be happy.”

Yu Yao felt a lump in her throat, turned her head slightly, and tried to hold back her tears.

At that moment, a splash of water sounded, and a person with a basket on their back emerged from the lotus field, busy harvesting lotus seed pods. The worker, noticing the guests, warmly offered them some freshly picked lotus seed pods.

“These are freshly picked, very sweet. These young seed pods don’t have any bitterness in the lotus cores, so you can eat them directly without peeling.”

The worker explained that the farm not only grows lotus flowers, leaves, and seed pods but also lotus roots. Besides supplying the farm, they also sell these products. They also had fish ponds, orchards, and even two strawberry greenhouses where strawberries were in season.

Yu Yao perked up at this and asked, “Can we pick some ourselves?”

The worker smiled, “Sure, one basket per person is free. Anything extra will be charged. Just don’t waste them.”

Yu Yao thanked him, and following his directions, she and Jiang Zhonglin walked out of the lotus field and soon saw two adjacent greenhouses, one with the door closed and the other open, covered with a transparent material that looked like glass.

A middle-aged woman was guarding the entrance, deeply engrossed in a drama on her personal terminal. She was listening to a woman’s anguished scream, “You’re with me just for my money!” and a man’s angry retort, “Aren’t you with me just for my looks and figure?”

Yu Yao glanced at the screen and then at the woman. Realizing they were there, the woman quickly looked up, pointed to a small basket nearby, and said, “You can pick one basket for free. Extra will be charged.” Then she immediately returned to watching her show.

After taking two small baskets, one for each, Yu Yao and Jiang Zhonglin entered the large greenhouse. Inside, there were no other people, and as soon as they walked in, they could smell the sweet aroma of strawberries. The greenhouse was filled with rows of shelves stacked with plump red strawberries.

Yu Yao loved picking strawberries. She found it even more enjoyable than eating them. She carefully selected the prettiest and ripest strawberries. Seeing Jiang Zhonglin had picked only two, she wasn’t satisfied, washed them, and made him eat them.

“I’ll pick the strawberries. You carry the basket.”

Jiang Zhonglin, not wanting to upset her further, took the basket and stood by her side, watching as she picked.

By the time they had walked halfway through the greenhouse, both baskets were full. However, Yu Yao noticed that the latter part of the greenhouse contained white strawberries with a milky scent, reminiscent of strawberry milk. She tried one and found it very delicious. She noticed that more small baskets were provided in this area, clearly intended for visitors like her.