At the crucial moment, it was Feng Xing who found a colleague of his, whose hometown was in the northeast, and eventually had ten full bags of black soil shipped over from the northeast. The quality of that soil, once poured out, instantly eclipsed the random soil Zhuo Feng had sneakily dug up from the flowerbeds downstairs, which was barely better than mixed mud.
On a weekend evening at the end of August, the upstairs of the old apartment block was unusually lit. Feng Xing had set up a bamboo frame in the center of the balcony with a light bulb hanging from it; the electricity was pulled up from downstairs, and they even installed a corridor light in the hallway between the sixth floor and the rooftop.
To prevent water leakage to the floors below, the area of the rooftop to be cultivated was completely covered with a silver waterproof membrane, on top of which the soil was then evenly spread.
While sorting through books at home recently, Zhuo Feng found a manual on rooftop planting that she had purchased during her university days. It was a rooftop farming method personally experimented by a Japanese agricultural planter, which stated that the ideal soil thickness for planting should be at least ten centimeters and that the plants should be either low-growing or vine family. She also specifically purchased a batch of basic phosphate fertilizer from the flower and bird market and mixed it into the soil.
Xiao Xian had gradually become accustomed to the urban methods of planting. Cities are not like mountain villages; you can’t find rice straw to fertilize the fields, and besides, Zhuo Feng was currently in high spirits, so she had no plans to use "Space Liquid" to transform this rooftop vegetable garden.
The fresh scent of the soil on the summer night’s rooftop reminded Xiao Xian of her days in Ge Village.
Feng Xing carried over a plate of watermelon just taken out of the refrigerator, handing it to Xiao Xian and Zhuo Feng.
While watermelon from the fridge was quite refreshing, its taste could not compare to that of watermelon cooled with well water, which felt more natural. Thinking of this made Xiao Xian a bit wistful. When Zhuo Feng left Ge Village last time, she left her home telephone number. The village probably hadn’t had the phone lines installed yet; even if Xiao Xian wanted to contact Zhu Shijun, there was no way to do so. She thought about writing a letter so her grandfather would know about her situation in the city.
After taking a bite of the watermelon, Zhuo Feng cried out in delight, then said, "Xiao Xian, don’t worry. In a couple of months, when you come back from boarding at school, you’ll see a garden full of seedlings here, looking almost no different from Ge Village."
Xiao Xian paused for a moment, her thoughts drifting back from Ge Village. She then looked at Zhuo Feng clumsily holding a piece of watermelon with her awkwardly posed fingers, using the only two clean ones. Feng Xing chuckled on the side, suddenly understanding their earnest intentions. Both her aunt and uncle-in-law were trying to create a paradise like Ge Village for her in this bustling yet indifferent city.
"Don’t throw away the rind; we’ll dig a hole later and bury it to fertilize the field," Zhuo Feng, embarrassed by Xiao Xian’s gaze, took the watermelon rind to bury in the soil.
"By the way, there was a letter in the mailbox today, it’s for Xiao Xian. It seems to have been sent from Sacred Heart Middle School. Ah Feng, have you bought the athletic outfit for Xiao Xian? With her special admission for long-distance running, she’ll need to practice every day," Feng Xing still didn’t understand Zhuo Feng; the clothes she bought were usually all show and no substance.
"Running? Did I not tell you last time? Xiao Xian is not admitted for long-distance running; she’s a basketball special admit," Zhuo Feng also remembered, after she notified them of the good news on the phone that day, everyone was too busy feasting to bother mentioning the specifics of the special admission.
"Basketball? That’s great, Xiao Xian, does your village even have a basketball court?" Feng Xing really became curious about Ge Village, a ten-year-old girl coming from there was not only good at her studies but also knew a bunch of agricultural knowledge, and could even play a sport like basketball.
Xiao Xian shook her head. There were no basketball courts, but they did build a pig farm, which was by Uncle San Gouzi’s wife.
"What about the basketball hoop?" Feng Xing continued smilingly.
Shaking her head again, what basketball hoop? They had plenty of bamboo-woven baskets though.
Feng Xing choked a little, no basketball court, no basketball hoop, so how did she play basketball?
"Oh, Xiao Xian, your aunt forgot to tell you, after becoming a basketball special admit, you won’t be playing basketball alone, you’ll have to learn to play with others. With eleven people," Zhuo Feng finally remembered this detail that she had left in the corner of her memory.
"Ah Feng, it’s not one person, what you’re talking about is football, basketball is played with five people. There are positions like point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward, and center. A formal basketball game has a total of fifty-eight rules," Feng Xing became more and more enthusiastic the more he spoke; he was a die-hard fan of the NBA.