Chapter 187: Are You Not Cold?

When Zhong Di and Shao Hong returned to the small farm, it was already ten o'clock in the morning.

The two of them hurriedly rushed to feed the chickens, ducks, geese, and the rest of the animals.

Currently, all the chores involving the care of the small animals were temporarily handled solely by Shao Hong and Zhong Di.

Originally, a few others had wanted to lend a hand, but Zhong Di refused to let them. The secret of the Scorching Sand Fairy Buds could not be exposed, not even to the slightest possibility.

The excuse he gave was that he was afraid those people wouldn't be accustomed to it and might make mistakes, plus the issue of the formula being leaked.

The others understood and thought it was completely reasonable.

If Zhong Di had barred Shao Hong from feeding the animals while letting someone else handle the watering duties instead, the suspicions would have run deep.

Now that the two of them were in charge of everything, no one would raise any questions.

"Zhong Di, would you like to check on the greenhouse again to see if there are any issues?"

"Sure, I'll go take a look when I have a moment. Why don't you go ahead with your other tasks!"

After replying to Shao Hong, Zhong Di went back to looking after the baby Pallas's cats.

Over this period, the Pallas's cats had grown considerably. Before long, Zhong Di wouldn't need to tend to them with such meticulous care anymore.

"Damao, that white patch of fur of yours has grown quite a bit lately."

Zhong Di stroked Damao's white fur with his hand. This white patch was quite peculiar; why was it gradually transforming from its previous grayish-black into white?

He had already made up his mind that once the white fur spread to a certain extent, he would rename Damao to Dabai.

Dabai, Dabai—what a delightful name.

"Ermao, Sanmao, you should take after your brother—no, wait, your husband! Look how hard he works at catching mice."

Zhong Di commended the three Pallas's cats.

Ever since the trade with the weasels began up until now, the mice on the farm had dwindled drastically, to the point where the transactions with the weasels had even been called off.

Whenever a few mice managed to be born, the Pallas's cats would immediately take care of them.

Ah, life without mice was indeed quite comforting. If you constantly saw mice scurrying about and wrecking your eggs every day, it really could drive you to fury.

Zhong Di left the guesthouse and took the opportunity to inspect its decoration, following his older sister's progress reports.

The renovation of the guesthouse, along with the kitchen, dining room, and utility room, would all be completely finished today.

To be precise, the utility room, guesthouse, and kitchen had been done for a while, but since they were grouped as a single project phase, they were waiting for the dining room to be finished so everything could be signed off together.

Stepping into the newly decorated guesthouse, Zhong Di was greeted by a rich, rustic charm. Walking in felt like entering a quaint countryside cottage, steeped in a pastoral atmosphere.

With just a single glance, Zhong Di was already struck by the urge to take a nap right here.

To cast aside all worries and sleep peacefully here, drifting off to sleep at night amidst the sound of chirping insects, waking up in the day to push open the window and gaze at the gorgeous scenery outside while listening to the cheerful twitter of sparrows, greeted by wafts of floral fragrance and fluttering butterflies...

Zhong Di closed his eyes, savoring the feeling intently.

Well, let it air out for a bit, and next time a customer doesn't want to go back at night, they can stay here.

As for pricing, Zhong Di planned to charge one hundred yuan per night—it couldn't be too expensive. The only rule was that Zhong Di would personally decide whether a customer was permitted to stay.

Regarding this point, Zhong Hui had initially raised doubts. Would any customers still be willing to stay under those conditions? After all, when people come here to spend money and want a room, having their stay depend entirely on your mood sounds rather unpleasant.

However, Zhong Di didn't care about that; whether anyone stayed or not was of no consequence to him.

His original intention in building the guesthouse was primarily so that his parents and older sister would have a place to stay in case of any extreme weather, rather than having no choice but to head back home.

He hadn't intended to make a fortune off this guesthouse anyway.

After inspecting the guesthouse, Zhong Di checked the kitchen and dining room, both uniformly styled in the same rustic aesthetic.

Don't assume rustic meant drab and covered in dust.

Not only did it look fresh, but it was also immaculate. Even the most hygiene-obsessed person would be hard-pressed to find a single flaw.

To prevent dust from blowing in due to the wind, extraction fans had been specially installed. Once the weather cleared, cleaning would be a breeze, and every little detail had been thoroughly considered.

Upon stepping into the utility room—goodness gracious—if someone hadn't told him it was a utility room, Zhong Di truly wouldn't have believed it.

It was a massive building partitioned into many small rooms, making it look more like a miniature factory workshop.

Each small room had the category of stored items written on it, such as fertilizers, farming tools, and so on.

After making a round, Zhong Di was thoroughly satisfied with the overall result; he practically had "I am very satisfied" written across his face.

Ah, these uncles really were reliable when it came to physical labor. And as for this blueprint, whoever designed it had hit his preferences right on the mark.

For the completion ceremony in the afternoon, Zhong Di hadn't planned anything grandiose—just a large table of dishes where everyone could eat, drink, and call it a day.

They were just putting up some buildings. Down in the inland provinces, that might call for a big celebration, but up in the Northwest region, there weren't that many rigid customs. Those who cared about formalities might throw a small gathering, while those who didn't might skip everything entirely.

Zhong Di was someone who didn't care for formalities; aside from being troublesome, it lacked any real meaning.

"Little brother, are you in?"

Just as Zhong Di was looking around the utility room, Sun Miaomiao's voice drifted in from outside the doorway.

Good grief, hearing her call him "little brother" like that gave Zhong Di a sudden wave of goosebumps.

However, Zhong Di had no intention of entertaining Sun Miaomiao's antics. She could call him whatever she liked; his personal choice was simply to ignore her.

How did she have the time today to actually visit his farm?

"I'm here," Zhong Di replied as he walked out of the utility room, which was located right in the corner of the homestead.

As soon as he stepped outside, Zhong Di was stunned by Sun Miaomiao's outfit.

It wasn't a stunning shock; it was a terrifying one. It was almost the end of September, yet she was dressed so scantily, wearing a skirt to boot. That truly took some guts.

A mix of white and pink with a gradient hemline, paired with a pair of moderately high heels—she was dressed for a breeze, alright.

Always exquisitely put-together, Sun Miaomiao was no exception today. Well, she always looked quite pretty whenever she visited.

It was just that Zhong Di currently had zero mood to pay attention to any of that.

"Hi, long time no see! I've missed you so much, did you miss me?" Sun Miaomiao seemed quite excited upon seeing Zhong Di and hurried over to greet him.

"Aren't you cold?" Zhong Di asked.

"Not at all! Look, I'm wearing anti-cold bare-leg artifacts. Haven't you ever heard of bare-leg artifacts?" Sun Miaomiao pulled at the fabric around her thigh, stepping closer so Zhong Di could see clearly.

"Alright, alright, I get it. Don't stand so close," Zhong Di retreated hurriedly.

So it turned out to be those fake-skin thermal tights. But dressed like this, her legs really did look bare, mostly because Sun Miaomiao's legs were already flawless and exceptionally smooth, making the illusion quite convincing.

Anyone else might not have even been able to tell!

"Jeez, what's wrong with getting closer! Hmph, and to think I even brought you good news today."

Sun Miaomiao looked rather indignant, her lips puckered into a pout. This Zhong Di was a total blockhead; this was completely different from what happened in television dramas.

To think she had dressed up so meticulously today, only for him to ask if she was cold? Was that something a normal guy would ask?