Chapter 33: We Are All Your Family

Tang Xin, sitting next to Li Sheng, felt waves of cold air creeping over her, almost as if she were shivering. Although she had plenty of theoretical knowledge from her previous life, back then she had been wholly focused on her final year of high school, paying little heed to matters between men and women; in truth, she didn’t know much at all. Even so, she was unwilling to show weakness before Li Sheng, so she kept talking to mask her inner nervousness. “Oh, it all feels like a dream. Are we really married already?”

It truly did happen fast—there had been no formal engagement, just straight to the wedding. In fact, it had only been a little over a month since she’d arrived here. As she spoke, Tang Xin couldn’t help but sigh, “Time really does fly.”

Li Sheng only offered a faint smile. “I think it’s all right. Every day passes much the same.”

Tang Xin rolled her eyes inwardly. This man truly had not a single romantic bone in his body.

But then, Li Sheng looked at her and said, “But when the day finally came to marry my bride, I was genuinely happy. Tang Xin, I’m truly happy that you’ve become my wife.”

Because of her name—calling her “Xin Xin” felt too affectionate, and “Xiao Xin” a bit odd—Li Sheng, like his mother, simply called her “Tang Xin.” She didn’t mind; after all, names were meant to be used, and what she was called didn’t matter much to her.

Yet, Li Sheng, so earnest, looked even more handsome in her eyes. This was her man, the husband who would be by her side for the rest of her life. Tang Xin felt a happiness welling up from deep within.

“I’ve longed for this day for so long—to have my beloved, and a family I cherish.”

As for Tang’s father and mother, Tang Xin had already excluded her father from her list of family members.

Suddenly, Li Sheng reached out and gently took her hand. “From now on, we’re your family. We’ll always be by your side.”

Though Tang Xin always wore a smile, for some reason, Li Sheng thought she seemed lonely. Deep inside, her heart was lonely.

Tang Xin’s eyes widened suddenly. “Oh, Li Sheng, I didn’t know you could say such sweet things to charm a girl!”

Li Sheng raised an eyebrow, the corners of his mouth lifting. “Those aren’t sweet words. That’s the truth from my heart.”

Without warning, he scooped her up in his arms and strode toward the large bed. It was their wedding night—there were far more important matters at hand, yet they’d been chatting by the door all this time. Were they both fools?

For the two of them, this night was beautiful—destined to be a sleepless one.

Perhaps due to the exertion, Tang Xin slept soundly that night, despite her original intention to visit her Happy Farm before bed. In the end, she never made it. She’d thought she’d wait until everyone—especially the man at her side—had fallen asleep, and then sneak away to the farm. In reality, after their exertions, Li Sheng still had the strength to fetch water and help her wash, while Tang Xin fell fast asleep first.

Watching his wife sleeping, a sweet smile still on her lips, even Li Sheng’s usually stern face softened with a smile. How wonderful—to finally have a wife. He resolved that from now on, he would work even harder, to give her and his parents a good life.

She slept soundly until dawn, and when Tang Xin woke the next day, she felt a pang of regret. Her farm had not only a warehouse but also a processing workshop. Tang Xin had discovered that as long as she accumulated enough experience and produce, she could exchange them for workshop vouchers. Then, she could process wheat into flour or thresh rice into white grains—all without lifting a finger herself. Once upgraded, the workshop would even be able to turn out all manner of delicious dishes.

Thanks to her diligence over this period, Tang Xin’s farm now had twenty plots, each planted with various crops. She’d also discovered something magical about her farm—it seemed to adapt to the times. Unlike the old Happy Farm she’d once played, which could be upgraded to grow all sorts of fruits and vegetables from different eras, the crops she could plant here were all appropriate to this era—exactly what her rural life needed.

So far, she had planted and harvested white radish, carrot, Chinese cabbage, wheat, rice, corn, potato, sweet potato, eggplant, tomato, chili pepper, pumpkin, apple, and more. At first, radishes took ten hours to mature—the simplest crop. The later crops took longer and longer. The apples she was currently growing took thirty-six hours from planting to harvest, but Tang Xin was content. It was much better than in real life. She’d already harvested them once, yielding a total of 120 jin of apples.

It wasn’t much, but for a first harvest, Tang Xin was quite satisfied—there would be more in the future. She had already planted four apple trees. Best of all, during the apple harvest, her upgrade reward was a chestnut tree seed. She planted the chestnut tree beside the apple trees, and during her last trip into the space, she saw that the chestnut tree was already blooming. Chestnuts took longer to mature than apples, but that didn’t matter; by her next visit, she’d probably be able to harvest them. Chestnuts were wonderful—delicious whether eaten raw or cooked.

Tang Xin only regretted missing her trip to the farm for a moment. There would be other chances. For now, she needed to plan her new life as a wife.

Finding herself alone in the room, Tang Xin called out, and Li Sheng soon pushed open the door and entered. Even though they were newlyweds, Li Sheng was already in the habit of rising early. He’d been out working in the fields before returning. Now that Tang Xin was his wife, delicate and precious, he intended to take over all the farm work himself.

Seeing her new husband, sweaty and radiating the vigor of a real man, Tang Xin forgot all about any shyness. She hopped out of bed and greeted him sweetly, “Good morning, Li Sheng.”

In truth, the sun was already well up, and Tang Xin had slept late, but she smiled with an easy grace, not at all embarrassed. Li Sheng didn’t think she’d overslept either; after all, she’d worked so hard the night before—she deserved a little extra rest.

He spoke softly, “Mother saved you breakfast. Go out and eat when you’re ready.”

With that, Li Sheng left, and Tang Xin changed her clothes and followed him out. Fang, who had been bustling about outside, heard the commotion and brought in a bowl of millet porridge. Catching sight of Tang Xin, she beamed, “You’re up? Come have breakfast.”

How wonderful, to be greeted first thing by such beauty. Fang was finding her daughter-in-law more pleasing by the day. So lovely to look at—just seeing her put Fang in a good mood.