Chapter 21.3

When Zhao Pingtao arrived at Ye Huan’s place, she had just finished work.

Ye Yongzhen invited her home for a meal, but Ye Huan declined. “I’ll come tomorrow when Uncle’s back.”

It was her niece’s first visit, and Ye Yongzhen wanted to make a good impression. However, they didn’t have anything special to offer at the moment.

“Alright,” Ye Yongzhen said. “I’ll have your uncle go to town tomorrow to buy some ingredients. We’ll have a proper family meal.”

Chen Feng’e added, “It’s her first visit. We should at least make a bowl of braised pork.”

“Of course,” Ye Yongzhen agreed.

Just then, Zhao Pingtao arrived. Ye Huan excused herself to Ye Yongzhen and left with Zhao Pingtao to return to the camp.

…..

As they passed a courtyard, Zhao Pingtao noticed Ye Huan kept glancing at it.

“That’s Team Three,” he explained. “Those two rows of low buildings are greenhouses. They grow rare and valuable plants inside.”

The courtyard wasn’t enclosed by a wall, only a waist-high fence.

Inside, the yard was divided into plots of various sizes, each planted with different flowers: forsythia, peonies, pansies, rhododendrons…

In the lush, vibrant April, the courtyard had transformed into a sea of flowers.

Deep within this floral expanse stood two rows of tiled houses, their red brick walls punctuated by windows draped with straw curtains. Now, the curtains were lifted, revealing shadowy figures moving inside.

Beyond the houses, fruit trees flourished—pear blossoms and peach blossoms in full bloom, creating a misty, ethereal spectacle.

Drawn by the sight, Ye Huan asked Zhao Pingtao, “Can we go inside?”

“Sure, but we can only look around the courtyard,” Zhao Pingtao replied. “The greenhouse is off-limits.”

“I just want to see the courtyard,” Ye Huan said.

“What’s so interesting about this place?” Zhao Pingtao grumbled. “I’m already bored of it.”

Despite his words, he led Ye Huan into the courtyard.

Zhao Pingtao had no interest in anything inedible. While Ye Huan admired the flowers, he rummaged in his pocket for a long time before finally extracting a sunflower seed from a seam and popping it into his mouth.

He regretted having given away all his sunflower seeds earlier that morning. Otherwise, he could have squatted by the wall, cracking seeds while waiting for Ye Huan.

As he sucked on the seed, someone emerged from the greenhouse. Zhao Pingtao recognized him and called out, “Teacher Yang!”

After shouting, he quietly introduced Ye Huan, “This is Teacher Yang Chengren, the horticulturist from Group Three.”

Ye Huan followed suit, calling out, “Teacher Yang.”

Seeing Yang Chengren carrying a flowerpot, Zhao Pingtao hurried over to take it from him. “Teacher Yang, where should I put this?”

“It’s dead,” Yang Chengren replied. “Just toss it somewhere out of the way.”

The only out-of-the-way spot in the courtyard was by the fence. As Zhao Pingtao prepared to move the pot there, Ye Huan called out, “Let me see it.”

Zhao Pingtao carried the flowerpot over to show her. Ye Huan glanced at it. “It’s not dead yet. It can still live.”

Zhao Pingtao nearly dropped the pot. “But it’s completely withered! How could it still live?”

Besides, Teacher Yang had already pronounced its death sentence! Teacher Yang was a horticulturist—an authority on the subject!

“It’s definitely not dead,” Ye Huan insisted. “Look.”

She scraped at the stem near the roots. Zhao Pingtao leaned in for a closer look. Was there a faint hint of green showing through? Or was it just his imagination?

Unfamiliar with such things, Zhao Pingtao turned to Yang Chengren, seeking his expert opinion.

In Team Three, only Hu Chunsheng ranked higher than Yang Chengren. But now Ye Huan was challenging his expertise. He glanced at her over his glasses and snapped, “What do you know, girl? Can’t you see the whole plant’s dead? Toss it!”

With that, he stormed off in a huff.

Ye Huan was puzzled. She could sense the flower wasn’t dead and could still be saved. Why insist on throwing it away?

It was a beautiful Alpin Rhododendron, carefully nurtured to this size. Tossing it away would be such a waste.

She whispered to Zhao Pingtao, “Give me the pot.”

Zhao Pingtao lowered his voice too. “What are you going to do?”

“I’ll take it back to the compound, revive it, and return it later.”

Zhao Pingtao was speechless. Teacher Yang had declared it beyond saving. Could  Ye Huan, an amateur, really revive it?

It seemed Ye Huan was as stubborn as they came, the type who wouldn’t turn back until she hit a brick wall.

Still, since Yang Chengren was going to throw it away anyway, he might as well secretly help Ye Huan take it back to the compound. That way, she’d stop fretting over it.

Zhao Pingtao glanced around the courtyard, finding it empty. He carefully picked up the flowerpot and tiptoed out of the courtyard with Ye Huan.

Yang Chengren watched them through the window but didn’t stop them. He scoffed, “Still wet behind the ears, acting all high and mighty.”

Hu Chunsheng approached. “What are you muttering about?”

Yang Chengren recounted the incident to Hu Chunsheng as a joke.

He expected Hu Chunsheng to join him in mocking Ye Huan’s amateurish attempt, but Hu Chunsheng surprised him by saying, “If she can actually revive it, that would be a good thing.”

Hu Chunsheng’s words were merely lip service. He had already examined the alpine rhododendron and knew it was beyond saving.

Still, he felt a pang of regret.

The Alpine Rhododendron, often called the “Xi Shi of Flowers,” boasts large, vibrant blossoms and is a highly prized variety. Unfortunately, most specimens are wild, with few successful attempts at cultivation.

Last spring, they had introduced a batch of wild seedlings, hoping to cultivate them artificially. But within six months, all but one had died. They had hoped to save the last survivor, but even that one eventually withered.

A year’s worth of effort wasted—how could he not feel the loss?

Cultivating rhododendrons artificially is notoriously difficult. Managing to grow this one to such a size was already a technical breakthrough.

***

Ye Huan and Zhao Pingtao slipped out of the courtyard like thieves, only relaxing when they heard no commotion behind them.

Zhao Pingtao glanced at the pile of withered branches and leaves in the pot, still tempted to throw it away.

He barely restrained himself, but felt compelled to reassure his companion. “They were going to throw it away anyway. Just try anything—even if it doesn’t work, it’s not your fault.”

As he spoke, they spotted Bai Yin standing by the roadside, apparently waiting for someone.

Zhao Pingtao muttered, “What’s she doing here?”

Before he could finish, Bai Yin called out, “Ye Huan!”

She glanced at the flowerpot in Zhao Pingtao’s hands—it was odd, but none of her business. She didn’t greet him, just said to Ye Huan, “Ye Huan, thank you for speaking up for me.”

Among all those people, only Ye Huan had defended her. She was genuinely grateful.

Wang Guiying, that old shrew, was notoriously difficult to deal with. Without Ye Huan’s intervention, Bai Yin wouldn’t have known how to end the confrontation.

Before Ye Huan could respond, Zhao Pingtao blurted out, “Did you really throw Feng Shengli’s apples into the pond?”