The Ger's Contract Marriage [BL]
Chapter 110: More Shopping

Chapter 110: More Shopping

Xu Feng could barely resist the temptation to examine the seeds he had just purchased. Among them were the peculiar ice seeds he had come across during his previous visit to the Yilin Seed shop.

They had a bizarre appearance, as if a child had drawn chaotic blue and purple scribbles on a somewhat unhealthy looking seed. It seemed like even more of an oddity compared to the other seeds in the haul around it.

The first time he had seen these seeds, Xu Feng had been suspicious, suspecting that someone might be trying to scam the shopkeeper’s son for a quick profit. However, with the knowledge he had acquired about the concept of immortal bloodlines and with his hard working imagination, he was now about 80 percent convinced that he was in some sort of cultivation world.

Maybe it was a realm suffering from a diminishing supply of aura, but whatever the case, the seeds looked to be authentic.

In addition to the strange ice seeds, there were also seeds with unfamiliar origins and unique colors. Xu Feng wasn’t entirely certain whether he could successfully cultivate these plants in his greenhouse, but he was ready to give it a try. His wood based abilities should come in handy, as long as the seeds remained viable.

Xu Feng felt a sense of excitement as he thought about the possibility of successfully sprouting these strange seeds. Even if just one seed were to sprout, it would be a major step away from complete failure.

However, he decided to keep his theories and suspicions to himself for now. Revealing his thoughts wouldn’t make sense unless he had some actual results to show.

Besides, he realized that he would need to justify his discoveries if he were to share them with Xuan Yang and Xuan Jian. The two men were more knowledgeable about Donghua and Dongzhou than he was, and he couldn’t simply present his wild thoughts without any evidence.

He had a unique advantage with his wood based abilities, and while he wasn’t carefully hiding it, he wasn’t ready to reveal it either.

The fifty taels of silver he had spent on the seeds was a considerable amount of silver, especially considering that he had no source of income. He had been somewhat prodigal in his spending habits lately.

The second batch of seeds he purchased was a mixed bag, consisting of various strange seeds with unusual characteristics. While some appeared promising and plump, still full of life, others seemed entirely useless and more than a bit withered.

Xu Feng couldn’t help but wonder about the shopkeeper’s son, who seemed to spend money recklessly. Perhaps he could help both himself and the shop owner’s son by successfully cultivating these seeds.

Xu Feng inquired with the store clerk, gathering information about another seed store mentioned by the shopkeeper. He decided to consider visiting it later to purchase more unusual seeds, but for now, he would be relying on the clerk to keep an eye out for any colorful and unique seeds.

After parting ways with the shopkeeper, Xu Feng and Erlang headed to a potter to order simple clay pots for the seeds. He hoped to visit Beiyin in the spring to obtain more intricate pots, perhaps ones with drainage holes at the bottom. For the time being, any pot would do for his purpose.

The idea of visiting a carpenter had crossed Xu Feng’s mind, but after spending so much time outside, he decided to postpone that plan until spring. Xu Feng realized that he would need to make time to visit a carpenter and a potter in the future.

Beiyin had many specialties to explore than Yilin town, and he looked forward to exploring its offerings.

Although he was a recluse, living in Donghua was a chance to explore ancient towns and culture. All things he could do in moderation, exploring the mountains was more important to him.

Instead, they turned their attention to the other two bookstores in Yilin. Xu Feng was ready to share a significant portion of his budget to purchase books.

The ancient bookstores in Yilin were fascinating, filled with scrolls and carefully bundled ancient books. The experience of browsing these ancient tomes worked to invigorate Xu Feng a little bit more, giving him the energy to continue his quest, ignoring his tiredness.

The last time they came out, he couldn’t push past his exhaustion with two little girls in tow, but this time the allure of books, and seeds had done the trick. Easily too.

They discovered an abundance of books, and poor Erlang had to carry them all. Even though his energy was likely waning too and his arms were growing weak, he handled the books with great care.

Xu Feng noticed Erlang’s attentiveness, and it seemed that the boy understood what Xu Feng valued. However, the extra gentleness he showed toward the books was a bit curious. It was almost a bit like reverence.

As they made their way through the bookstores, Xu Feng brought up a question that started to nag at him, "Do you know how to read?"

Erlang’s response was a modest "No." Where would he have learned to read? Who would have taught him?

Observing Erlang’s body language and careful handling of the books, Xu Feng asked another question, "Do you want to learn?"

This time, Erlang was visibly shocked, his fidgety movements almost causing the books to slip from his grasp. "That’s too much," he stammered.

Undeterred, Xu Feng continued to press on, "Do you?"

Erlang hesitated for a moment but then replied with a shy "Yes."

Xu Feng nodded with a thoughtful smile.

Although they were technically only a year apart in age, for some reason, Xu Feng couldn’t help but see Erlang as a big hearted and big bodied younger brother.

If Erlang wanted to learn to read, Xu Feng was willing to make time to teach him. It would be good practice for him as well.

He would need to cover basics, and make sure he was able to sit for the primary scholar’s exams. Xuicai was the first title, and the easiest. While he had the base level knowledge, he had never used any of it, nor did he know just how much Xu Zeng’s father had taught him.