Chapter 121: The Married Couple Actually Slept in Separate Rooms (3)  

However, in He Donglai’s heart, it felt as if a heavy stone had been thrown into his once calm mind, causing ripples that spread outward, unable to settle for a long time.  

As soon as Song Qingqian left, He Donglai immediately stepped forward, striding toward the table.  

He reached out in a hurry, eager to see what was inside the lunchbox.  

But just as his hand extended, it suddenly froze in mid-air.  

The next second, He Donglai’s figure disappeared in a flash—only to reappear just as quickly.  

Because he had moved too fast, his steps seemed a bit unsteady.  

When he returned, his palms were wet, dripping with water.  

Only after drying them with a clean towel did he carefully pick up the lunchbox with both hands.  

Upon opening it, he saw a large duck leg, coated in a rich soy sauce glaze.  

It glistened under the light, emitting an enticing aroma.  

The strong, fragrant scent of sesame oil filled the air.  

Just from the smell alone, it seemed delicious.  

He Donglai’s eyes lit up in disbelief, a brightness that not even his glasses could conceal.  

He understood Song Qingqian well.  

His wife was a pampered young lady who had never lifted a finger to do household chores. Since childhood, she had never cooked and had likely never even stepped into a kitchen.  

Because she didn’t know how to start a fire or use a stove, when she first arrived on the island, Song Qingqian had been eating cold mantou the entire time.  

She didn’t even know how to boil water.  

For days, she had only been drinking cold water.  

In the end, she developed acute gastroenteritis.  

She had curled up in bed, pressing her hands tightly against her stomach, cold sweat covering her forehead.  

When He Donglai found Song Qingqian, she was in such a feeble state, barely clinging to consciousness.  

At that time, He Donglai had just arrived on the island as well. The military unit was bustling with activity, leaving him no time to care for Song Qingqian.  

On top of that, their marriage was complicated.  

He knew that Song Qingqian had been forced into marrying him against her will, with no other choice.  

Because of this, He Donglai had no idea how to show concern for her.  

In the end, their relationship became completely frozen.  

It wasn’t until Song Qingqian stayed locked in her room for an entire day and night that He Donglai realized something was wrong.  

When he opened the door and went in, he found Song Qingqian unconscious from the pain.  

Only then did he finally understand how she had been living during those days.  

To ensure that she could take care of herself properly, He Donglai had no choice but to teach her some survival skills—how to start a fire, how to cook, how to boil water.  

Though Song Qingqian remained silent, she had quietly learned everything.  

At last, she could take care of herself and wouldn’t fall ill again.  

Only then did He Donglai feel reassured.  

However…  

Song Qingqian’s cooking skills were still lacking.  

At best, it was just slightly better than an inedible disaster—enough to keep herself from starving.  

So He Donglai was almost certain that this fragrant, delicious-looking duck leg in the lunchbox was definitely not made by Song Qingqian.  

Could it have been her?  

A slender figure flashed through He Donglai’s mind—Jiang Rou.  

Not long ago, He Donglai had received qingtuan from Jiang Rou.  

When he brought it back to Song Qingqian, it was the first time since their marriage that he had ever seen her so happy.  

She squinted her eyes, the corners of her lips lifting slightly—almost like a smile.  

But as she smiled, the corners of her eyes reddened.  

It had been Qingming Festival, after all. Holidays always intensified longing for family.

Song Qingqian thought of her grandfather and the rest of her family. She wondered whether they had qingtuan to eat.  

Tears slowly welled up in her eyes.  

He Donglai did not disturb her and chose to leave quietly.  

In the courtyard, the one who knew how to make qingtuan was Jiang Rou.  

Then, the person who had made this sesame oil duck leg could only be Jiang Rou as well.  

He Donglai pondered—had Song Qingqian been in contact with Jiang Rou?  

Had Song Qingqian gone out to see her, or had Jiang Rou taken the initiative to visit?  

Regardless of the situation, it meant that Song Qingqian had finally made her first friend in this courtyard.  

At this thought, the corners of He Donglai’s lips lifted slightly in silence.  

Holding the lunchbox with both hands, he took another deep breath of its aroma.  

Then, he carefully closed the lid, holding it with great care before turning around and heading back to his bedroom.  

He Donglai walked to the left—completely opposite the direction of Song Qingqian’s room.  

Only upon closer inspection would one notice that He Donglai’s living space was different from the other rooms in the courtyard.  

He had partitioned a small bedroom from the living room.  

Song Qingqian stayed in the larger bedroom, while he took the smaller one.  

The couple had been married for over half a year, yet they were sleeping in separate rooms!  

—  

The next day.  

In the early morning, a light rain had fallen but quickly stopped.  

As a result, the morning temperature was slightly lower than in previous days.  

The air carried a dampness from the dew.  

But as soon as the sun rose and the sea breeze blew, the air became fresh and crisp again.  

Droplets of dew clung to the green leaves, sliding down their surfaces before hanging at the very tips, refracting colorful rays of light.  

In the Zhou family courtyard.  

Nourished by the spiritual spring water, the pea shoots planted a few days ago had grown vigorously, blooming with purple flowers. Their tender green tips were now ready to be eaten.  

The cucumber vines were also growing wildly, climbing up the fence and reaching the top of the courtyard wall, their broad green leaves stretching out.  

Bright yellow blossoms had begun to bloom among them.  

Cucumbers grew quickly, and their flowers signified that fruit would soon follow.  

To ensure a good harvest, some additional care was still needed.

The first step was thinning the leaves.  

The lower leaves of the cucumber vine that touched the ground, including any wilted or side leaves, needed to be removed. Even those that had already bloomed had to be picked off.  

This helped keep the base of the cucumber vine loose and well-ventilated, preventing pests and diseases from spreading from the soil.  

At the same time, doing this promoted the growth of the root system, making it stronger and more robust.  

Once the cucumbers started growing, they would be larger and more abundant.  

The second step was manual pollination.  

Since Jiang Rou’s cucumbers were grown outdoors, where there was wind and bees, natural pollination was possible.  

However, natural pollination could be uneven, causing the cucumbers to grow crooked or even fail to develop properly.  

Combining natural pollination with manual assistance was the best approach.  

Jiang Rou carefully searched among the small yellow flowers, first identifying a male flower.  

It was easy to distinguish between male and female cucumber flowers.  

The male flower stood alone.  

The female flower, on the other hand, had a small swelling beneath the petals—a tiny, segmented nub.  

This little nub would eventually grow into a cucumber, so female flowers could not be plucked.  

Next, Jiang Rou took some duck feathers that she had removed earlier while making the sesame oil duck. She trimmed a few feathers and tied them to the end of a small wooden stick.  

This became a makeshift brush.  

Then, she dipped the feather brush into the pollen of the male flower before gently brushing it onto the stigma of the female flower.  

And just like that, pollination was complete.  

Holding the feather brush in one hand and a delicate flower in the other, Jiang Rou was about to begin when she suddenly felt a gaze on her from behind.  

Her hands froze mid-action.