Seems like I’ll have to be more careful in the future.
When Shen Chi returned, he immediately noticed the vegetable rack at the entrance of his home. As he walked in, he asked, "Where did that thing come from?"
"I had it made." Having no choice but to lie again, Lin Xiaoguai reaffirmed her earlier thoughts.
She never considered herself particularly talented at lying.
"And what about all that soil?" Shen Chi frowned, "Don’t tell me you dug it up and filled it yourself? Why didn’t you ask me to help with such heavy work?"
Lin Xiaoguai was at a loss for words and hesitantly said, "The soil was already in when the rack was delivered."
She acted as if even Shen Chi was beginning to suspect her, which jolted her into resolving not to be negligent anymore.
Fortunately, though Shen Chi was shrewd, he rarely applied it to daily life. Plus, Lin Xiaoguai was behind him, arranging bowls and chopsticks, so he didn’t see her guilty expression. Hearing her explanation, he just felt relieved and didn’t overthink it.
"Are you planning to plant flowers?" Shen Chi had just given it a cursory glance earlier and hadn’t really paid attention to what the green sprouts were.
"No," Lin Xiaoguai took off her apron, "I planted some vegetables so we don’t have to buy everything. The vegetable patch is too far away, and I don’t plan to till the land."
Shen Chi hadn’t intended for his wife to garden because...
"Do you know how to plant vegetables?" He secretly visited her every time he had leave before they were married, but had never seen her work the fields.
Lin Xiaoguai gave him a look, "Is growing flowers easier than vegetables?" In her previous life, she indeed didn’t know how to garden at that time.
Shen Chi touched his nose upon hearing this, of course growing flowers was harder. No matter how well you grow vegetables, they only sell for a little money per kilogram, but well-cultivated flowers can sell for tens of thousands per pot. However...
"Do you know how to fertilize?"
Lin Xiaoguai was about to say that she didn’t need to fertilize to grow good vegetables when she realized and said, "These vegetables are grown on the balcony, so I can’t use farm manure. I’ll use chemical fertilizer instead since I also need to buy it for the flowers, it’s not much of an expense." If necessary, she would just have to swap in the natural, harmless fertilizer she could buy from the exchange store with alien products.
Though Shen Chi felt it was a bit of a waste, he said since it was her suggestion, "Suit yourself."
"Oh, I have something to ask you, do you know Li Kun?" Lin Xiaoguai suddenly asked at the dinner table.
In her past life, she had studied various noble etiquettes out of interest and even adopted an unintentionally graceful and composed demeanor. However, Lin Xiaoguai wasn’t one to strictly abide by rules. Take "do not speak while eating" for example, she didn’t care much about it.
As long as one did not talk with a mouthful of food, causing saliva and food particles to splatter, she wouldn’t be harsh on table manners.
Shen Chi was even less concerned about that. After swallowing his food, he raised an eyebrow and asked, "Who mentioned him to you?"
Seeming like there was some hidden story?
Lin Xiaoguai pursed her lips and briefly explained her encounter with Liang Yuwei and Yu Xiaomiao, then added, "Xiao Miao’s attitude towards Liang Yuwei was strange, not friendly but not exactly hostile either. And Liang Yuwei, I always felt she shouldn’t be such... a mild person."
Shen Chi took a bite of braised pork and slowly said, "Li Kun is somewhat of a figure, shrewd and savvy. His capabilities are not outstanding, but above average. However, he has one flaw: he likes to engage in ’ladies’ diplomacy.’ I’ve heard people mention that the Liang Yuwei you met is quite resourceful; she ingratiated herself with the wife of a senior officer a couple of years ago, which is how Li Kun secured his current position."
"And he’s quite interesting. If he takes a liking to an unmarried junior officer, he’d like Liang Yuwei to play matchmaker. In this way, even though many don’t like him, he also has quite a good network of relationships."
Shen Chi’s smile was faint, "Otherwise, how could Li Kun, a technical officer who’s never been on the battlefield and whose professional skills aren’t particularly outstanding, reach the rank of Captain?"
He didn’t dislike those who were good at navigating politics, but only those who actually had the abilities. While Li Kun wasn’t utterly incompetent, he definitely wasn’t talented when it came to professional skills.
"Are you saying Liang Yuwei wants to ingratiate herself with me?" Lin Xiaoguai was stunned, then shook her head, "I don’t think so. According to what you’re saying, she should be adept in socializing, but her behavior today didn’t quite fit."
Someone adept at socializing wouldn’t say in front of others that their child might be mute. Also, when she was talking happily with Yu Xiaomiao, Yu Xiaomiao just stood there without joining in.
In her previous life, she had met several people with high social skills. Such people could naturally join a conversation and fit in during any awkward situations.
It was actually a misunderstanding by Lin Xiaoguai. People of this era were relatively straightforward and thin-skinned. Being like Liang Yuwei was already quite something.
"Is that so?" Shen Chi didn’t question Wanwan’s perspective; he had an extraordinary trust in her intelligence.
He thought for a moment, abruptly said, "Perhaps it’s discontent."
"What discontent?" Lin Xiaoguai was confused.
Shen Chi served her some mock chicken and explained, "There’s a project in the office this time. If I hadn’t been transferred over, it would likely be Li Kun’s responsibility. That Liang Yuwei naturally can’t be entirely friendly with you."
"Why would you be in charge of a project in the office?" Lin Xiaoguai asked curiously.
Though Shen Chi was now involved in some administrative work, it didn’t seem like an office project would be related to him.
"It’s not a very important project." Shen Chi hugged his son, who was trying to climb onto the table, "It’s rather formalistic. The only benefit is that it fosters familiarity with the office superiors, which is quite useful for personal networks. They put me in charge as a foundation for administrative work." (To be continued. If you work, your support on Qidian (qidian.com) by voting for recommendation tickets or monthly tickets is greatly appreciated. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)