Chapter 35: Praying for rain

After three days of hard labor, Qin Li finally cleared the land of weeds. She stood back to admire the freshly tilled soil, a wave of pride washing over her. She could hardly resist the urge to post her accomplishment online for the whole world to see.

The seeds she had ordered from Alibaba had begun to arrive, and like a gardener brimming with enthusiasm, she scattered them over the land as if she were sowing magic. But as days passed, nothing sprouted. Not even a hint of green. The only thing growing was more weeds.

Frustrated, she grabbed Yan Sen by the arm. "Is there something wrong with this soil? Is it contaminated or something? Why won't anything grow?"

"Did you irrigate it properly?" Yan Sen asked.

Qin Li frowned. "I've been watering it every day."

"That's not irrigation," Yan Sen replied calmly.

"What is it, then?"

"Irrigation means soaking the soil deeply, not just sprinkling water on the surface," he explained.

Qin Li smacked her forehead, suddenly remembering Yan Sen's earlier remark about rain being the best method of irrigation. She looked up at the cloudless sky and groaned. "But where's the rain supposed to come from?"

Amused by her exasperation, Yan Sen teased, "You could always ask for rain."

"How?" Qin Li shot back, glaring at him.

"Send a signal to God," he said with a shrug, his tone light and teasing.

She rolled her eyes, realizing he was mocking her. But a sudden idea struck her. "Got any cigarettes?"

Yan Sen blinked, momentarily thrown off by her question, but he pulled out a pack from his pocket.

Taking the pack, Qin Li deftly pulled out three cigarettes and held out her hand again. "Lighter."

Still puzzled, Yan Sen handed it over.

Qin Li fumbled with the lighter, failing to ignite the cigarettes. She clicked it several times, to no avail, until Yan Sen finally intervened. "You have to inhale to light it."

Embarrassed by her fumbling, she retorted, "I don't smoke."

His faint smirk deepened, a mix of amusement and something else that made her heart race.

After finally lighting the cigarettes, she carefully dug three small holes in the soil, planting each cigarette upright with their tips smoldering.

"What are you doing?" Yan Sen asked, watching her strange ritual with curiosity.

"Praying for rain," Qin Li announced with a straight face before turning on her heel and walking away, leaving Yan Sen staring after her, bewildered.

Later, Yan Sen returned to the plot, hauling several bags of fertilizer. He spread the compost evenly over the soil, mixing it in with a rake. The land, though fertile, hadn't been cultivated in a long time and needed an extra boost.

As he worked, his gaze landed on the remnants of Qin Li's "prayer"—three cigarette butts standing upright in the soil like tiny markers.

He chuckled under his breath.

A short while later, Thomas wandered over, sipping a drink. Spotting Yan Sen, he ambled closer, eager for conversation.

"Careful," Yan Sen warned abruptly, gesturing to the ground.

Startled, Thomas jumped back, squinting at the dirt until he finally noticed the cigarette butts. "What kind of idiot leaves used cigarettes lying around?"

His gaze flicked to his brother. "Was it you?"

Yan Sen shook his head. "It was Qin Li."

Thomas frowned. "But she doesn't smoke."

"She wasn't smoking," Yan Sen replied.

"Then what's with the cigarette graveyard?"

"She was praying for rain."

Thomas stared at him, utterly baffled. "Praying for what?"

"Rain. For the crops," Yan Sen explained with a straight face.

Thomas scratched his head. "Even with my physics degree, I can't figure out what three cigarettes have to do with farming."

Yan Sen's lips quirked in a faint smile. "I told her to send a signal to God. So, she planted three cigarettes."

Thomas snorted. "What nonsense! Like that's going to—"

Before he could finish, a loud clap of thunder echoed across the sky.

Yan Sen extinguished a cigarette butt with his boot and said, "Seems like it worked."

Thomas waved him off. "It was going to rain anyway!"

But as Yan Sen walked back toward the house, he casually remarked, "There was no rain in today's forecast."

"It's really raining!" Qin Li exclaimed, standing on the balcony as a massive dark cloud drifted in from the distance. What had started as a playful gesture—planting cigarettes in the ground to "pray for rain"—now seemed almost magical. Heaven had answered her whimsy with a downpour.

The rainclouds swept over the valley with majestic drama, casting a shadow over the mountains while her immediate surroundings still basked in golden sunlight. The contrast was breathtaking: a curtain of rain advanced steadily, swallowing the landscape in mist.

As the storm drew nearer, the rumble of raindrops echoed across the farm's roof. Fat droplets began to fall, first sparse and tentative, then pouring in torrents. Qin Li felt a few cold splashes and darted back inside. Within moments, the temperature had dropped noticeably, and the air was crisp with the earthy scent of wet grass and… cow manure.

She stood by the window, mesmerized. The mountains were now shrouded in a dreamy veil of mist, as if the rain had conjured a fairyland. It was the kind of serene beauty that begged to be captured, but when Qin Li tried to photograph it, even her high-end phone camera fell short.

"I need a DSLR," she muttered to herself, vowing to upgrade her gear.

The rain ended as suddenly as it began, leaving the earth refreshed and glistening under a clearing sky. A double rainbow arched across the valley, vivid and ethereal. Qin Li ran out into the garden, her eyes wide with wonder. It was the first time she had ever been this close to a rainbow, the colors seemingly within reach.

Hearing footsteps behind her, she turned to see Yan Sen. Waving enthusiastically, she called out, "Quick! Take a photo for me!"

Yan Sen approached, taking her phone from her outstretched hand.

"Can you capture the rainbow too?" she asked.

He nodded, adjusting the angle. "Step left… a little more… perfect."

Click! The photo captured her with arms outstretched, as if embracing the rainbow, the vibrant colors arching behind her.

Qin Li glanced at the image and beamed. "It's perfect. Thank you!"

Yan Sen waved off her thanks, but she noticed his faint smile. Seizing the moment, she quickly snapped a few candid shots of him while he wasn't paying attention.

After the rain, the soil was soft and dark, richer and more fragrant than before. Qin Li crouched to inspect it, her curiosity piqued.

"Why does the dirt look so different?" she asked, sniffing the air.

"Because it rained," Yan Sen replied, his tone serious but playful.

Qin Li narrowed her eyes. "Really?"

He didn't answer, only chuckled, which made her stomp her foot in mock frustration. "I was asking a serious question!"

"And I gave a serious answer," he said, folding his arms with mock gravity.

Qin Li threw her hands up. She finally understood where Thomas's knack for nonsense came from—it was clearly a family trait.

The rain had brought out swarms of insects. Yan Sen opened the chicken coop, letting the chickens and geese roam freely. The yard came alive with the sound of flapping wings and contented clucking as the birds waddled out to feast on the bugs.

Yan Sen set about cleaning the chicken coop, pausing to collect a few freshly laid eggs, still warm to the touch.

"Why don't you keep ducks?" Qin Li asked, watching him work.

"I never thought about it," he replied.

"Duck meat is delicious, and you could make salted eggs and century eggs too," she said eagerly.

Yan Sen didn't respond right away, so Qin Li pressed, "Are ducks harder to keep than chickens?"

"Not really," he said with a shrug.

Qin Li's eyes lit up. "Then let's get one! Or better yet, a pair!"

Yan Sen raised an eyebrow. "Why just one pair?"

She clapped her hands. "Great! When do we start?"

He gave her a puzzled look. "Start what?"

"Catching ducks, of course!" Qin Li said, her enthusiasm bubbling over. "There are plenty of wild ducks near the lake. We could just scoop them up with a net!"

Yan Sen chuckled, shaking his head. "Wild ducks aren't for eating."

"Why not? In China, wild ducks sell for 200 to 300 yuan apiece!" she protested.

"They're not inspected for disease," he explained.

"But the wild boar you hunted wasn't inspected either," Qin Li countered.

"Flying birds and land animals aren't the same," Yan Sen said simply.

Still skeptical, Qin Li asked, "So where can we get live ducks? The supermarket only sells plucked ones."

"There's a local market in the nearby town every quarter," Yan Sen replied. "They sell livestock on the first day."

"When's the next market?"

"Soon. Just a few days."

Her eyes sparkled with excitement. "Are you going?"

He nodded. "We have too many chickens. I was planning to sell a few."

"Can I come with you?"

"Sure," he said. "If you want to."

That evening, as Qu Dani walked through the door, Qin Li grabbed her arm excitedly. "Dani, you have to recommend a DSLR camera for me!"

Qu Dani frowned. "Why do you need a DSLR?"

"I want to document every moment of the seedlings breaking through the soil. Every second of their growth!"

Qu Dani gave her an incredulous look. "You're insane."

"I'm serious!" Qin Li waved her phone in front of her friend. "The scenery here is breathtaking. Look, I took these photos of the rain this afternoon. But even my trusty iPhone couldn't do it justice!"

Qu Dani took the phone, scrolling through the images. As someone who had dabbled in professional photography for magazines, she had a critical eye for visuals.

"These shots are decent," she said, "but the resolution's too low. They're fine for your phone, but zoom in on a computer, and they're pixelated. You can't properly appreciate them."

"Exactly! That's why I need a DSLR," Qin Li said, nodding fervently.

"Fine. I'll recommend a good one—easy to use, portable, and not too expensive."

"Really? Thanks, Dani!"

Just as Qin Li was about to post her photos to her social media, Qu Dani stopped her. "Wait. Send the pictures to me first. Let me edit them, maybe add some filters. Trust me, they'll look a hundred times better."

Qin Li didn't really understand what filters could do, but she trusted Qu Dani implicitly and immediately sent the images over.

For the next half hour, Qu Dani worked on the photos, her legs crossed casually as she tapped away on her laptop. When she finally handed the phone back to Qin Li, the results left her stunned.

The photos were transformed. The colors were vibrant, the contrast sharp, and the mood ethereal. The landscapes looked surreal, as though lifted straight from a fantasy movie.

The most eye-catching edits were of Yan Sen's candid shots. In the pictures, he exuded a rugged charisma: his hair slicked back, his sinewy neck leading down to well-defined collarbones, and his toned arms flexing slightly as he handled a water hose. Even his posture was commanding, with long legs planted firmly and a taut waist framed by his movement. The spray of water and the scattering of chickens and geese around him added an effortless harmony to the scene.

"Dani, these are amazing! You made him look like a cover model for Men's Fitness!"

"He was already photogenic," Qu Dani replied smugly.

Unable to contain her excitement, Qin Li posted a carefully curated nine-photo collage to her social media, mixing scenic shots with the pictures of her and Yan Sen.

The post immediately exploded with reactions.

One comment read: "Who's the hunky foreigner, Qin Li? Is he your new man?"

Another asked: "Did you ascend to a heavenly realm? How can a place be this gorgeous?"

Yet another gushed: "Li Li, you're living the dream! Beautiful views, beautiful you, beautiful company."

Qin Li grinned as she scrolled through the comments, basking in the attention—until one unexpected message stopped her in her tracks.

It was from Sun Yi.

"Where are you?"

Her brows furrowed in disbelief. It had been ages since Sun Yi last contacted her, and now, out of the blue, he was reaching out? What had gotten into him? Was it the photos of the handsome Yan Sen or the idyllic scenery that struck a nerve?

Before she could decide how—or if—to reply, another message from him popped up:

"Did you spend the 500,000 yuan I gave you on some pretty boy?"

Qin Li couldn't help but laugh bitterly at his audacity. She typed back furiously:

"Excuse me, that money was mine, not a 'gift' from you. Also, he's not a pretty boy. He's leagues above you in every way."

She hit send, imagining Sun Yi's face turning red with anger. She knew his ego wouldn't let this slide.

Sure enough, another message followed swiftly:

"Have you slept with him? I can't believe you'd stoop to dating a foreigner. What does he have that I don't?"

Her patience snapped. With a cold sneer, she blocked him without replying.

"What does he have that you don't?" she muttered to herself. "Everything. He has everything you lack."