I awakened the cultivation panel.

Chapter 40 Middle Age Makes One Feel Powerless
Tomorrow is Saturday again, and Sister Xin and her family will be coming over.

Besides her and Lin Yuqing, her brother-in-law Lin Guofeng also came along this time.

Sister Xin complained a lot on WeChat about how Lin Yuqing was such a clingy person, always thinking about her uncle.

Chen Jingle was so confused that he scratched his head, not knowing what to say.

Being too popular with children isn't necessarily a good thing.

After thinking about it, I went to pick the fruit from both glutinous rice lychee trees in the afternoon.

The main concern is that these parts are already fully ripe, and I'm worried that the heavy rainfall in the next few days might cause the lychees to crack or rot due to excess water.

Anyway, there weren't many to begin with, and he would occasionally pick one or two to satisfy his cravings when he was tired from working in the garden.

After picking the fruit from both trees, removing the worm-infested and rotten ones, the total came to less than five pounds.

I'll eat some myself, and take the rest over tomorrow so everyone can try it.

As for the other two Osmanthus trees, since the diluted Moon Dew and Spring Breeze Dew were not applied much, it is estimated that we will have to wait a little longer, at least a week.

The taste and texture of the glutinous rice balls are undoubtedly top-notch, even better than Fei Zi Xiao (a type of glutinous rice ball), since they are drizzled with more diluted essence.

(Glutinous rice balls)

The two red-feathered chickens were dutiful and always stayed in the orchard.

In addition, they built a makeshift nest on the longan tree.

However, it did not lay any eggs.

With the two of them guarding the garden, no other birds dare to come and steal the fruit and vegetables.

You could say they were very diligent and conscientious.

"Not bad, not bad!" Chen Jingle was very satisfied with the two large birds.

Aside from being a little less intelligent and not as good at communication as Changmao, everything else is fine.

Every time I water the vegetables and fruit trees with diluted spring rain and dew, there's always a tiny bit left over, which I use to feed the two red-feathered chickens.

Although not many, the changes over the past few days have been significant. Now its fur is shiny, it looks exceptionally majestic, and even its size is considerably larger than that of its kind.

It feels like it's evolving into a falcon.

However, in terms of flight ability, they are far inferior to eagles and falcons.

Fortunately, its ferocity in the low-altitude domain is not bad.

……

The next day.

Chen Jingle got up late, and by the time he arrived at his grandparents' house, there wasn't much left for him to do, except perhaps fold some paper ingots for worshipping the gods.

Around 9 o'clock, Sister Xin and the others arrived, still in that Highlander.

After Lin Yuqing got out of the car, she reached out to Chen Jingle as usual, asking for a hug.

Amidst the teasing of the crowd, Chen Jingle cheerfully took the child, and then saw her brother-in-law Lin Guofeng, who had parked the car and come over to greet her.

He quickly replied, "Long time no see, Brother Feng!"

Lin Guofeng wasn't very tall, had a square face, and wore rimless glasses. He appeared to be a refined and gentle person, but you could tell from the calluses on his palms that he was a hard worker.

I currently work at the county power bureau in Jiangbei.

Because I joined the company relatively early, the competition wasn't as fierce as it is now. I was lucky enough to benefit from the last wave of the era's development, and now I'm a junior manager.

His personality is impeccable; he's very kind and easy to get along with.

On the first day of my visit, I had such a pleasant chat with everyone that I ate five bowls of rice.

"Yes, it's been a while. You've changed quite a bit."

Lin Guofeng grinned and gently punched Chen Jingle's shoulder.

Compared to before, I feel that my complexion has improved, and my skin and overall appearance have also changed significantly.

Even his height seems to be a little taller than before.

However, it's impossible to measure right now, so I'm not sure. I remember Chen Jingle was about the same height as him before.

Chen Jingle nodded: "It's alright. I'm eating well, drinking well, and sleeping well at home, so my energy and spirits are naturally much better."

"It's so comfortable not having to go to work."

Lin Guofeng was very envious.

Unlike him, he was exhausted. Although it was slightly better than in the township, being in a frontline position at the grassroots level was anything but easy.

It's fair to say that everyone has their struggles.

Seeing his daughter nestled obediently in Chen Jingle's arms, Lin Guofeng, the father, couldn't help but feel jealous: "Last night, when she heard that he was coming today, she didn't want to sleep all night. She really likes playing with her uncle, doesn't she?"

Everyone laughed.

Auntie quickly called out to everyone, "Jingle brought lychees this morning, saying they're glutinous rice balls. Everyone should try them; they taste even better than the Fei Zi Xiao lychees from last time."

"More lychees!"

Xin Jie's eyes lit up, and she rushed over immediately. She had a vivid memory of the Fei Zi Xiao (a type of rice noodle) from last time, and her mother said that this one was even tastier than Fei Zi Xiao, so she had to try it.

Lin Guofeng was also very interested. Last time, Chen Kexin only took a few home, saying she was saving them for her daughter, but he ended up eating half of them and couldn't forget them.

It's a pity that there are too few of them.

Upon hearing that it was happening again, my mouth immediately watered.

"This is glutinous rice cake?!"

Lin Guofeng took one, broke it open, and tasted it. He was immediately astonished, just like with the two Concubine Smile pills he had tasted last time.

"Yes."

Chen Jingle nodded, and he also took one and fed it to little Lin Yuqing.

Lin Guofeng exclaimed in surprise, "This tastes much better than the ones my uncle grows. How did you manage that?"

His hometown is also in the countryside, at the border of Guangdong and Guangxi, where there are more mountains and a lot of fruits such as lychees and tangerines are grown.

I've been eating glutinous rice balls since I was a child, but I've never tasted one with this quality and texture.

Chen Jingle laughed and said, "I can only say that the essence is concentrated. I wasn't home before and didn't spray any pesticides. I could only pick two or three catties from a whole tree. It's incomparable to those who take good care of their trees."

"Possibly!" Lin Guofeng nodded.

These lychees are definitely the best he's ever eaten. Just for these lychees, today's trip was worthwhile.

Lin Guofeng chatted with everyone while eating voraciously.

Chen Kexin patted his hand discreetly from the side: "Eat less, it's easy to get a sore throat."

Lin Guofeng didn't take it seriously: "So what if I get a sore throat? Let's enjoy ourselves first."

Chen Jingle chuckled and chimed in, "That's right, as long as you enjoy your meal, who cares if it causes internal heat or not."

"Yes, you understand me!"

Lin Guofeng gave a thumbs up.

Despite saying that, he was still very restrained, only eating a few before stopping. There are so many people in the family; he couldn't possibly eat them all, leaving nothing for the others.

Besides, my father-in-law's family has so much fruit; eating only lychees wouldn't be enough.

Today we're definitely going to have a big feast.

……

Chen Jingle carried Lin Yuqing and walked and talked with Lin Guofeng along the village road.

Men have a lot to talk about, and before they knew it, they had arrived at Chen Jingle's house.

Seeing the changes in Chen Jingle's yard, Lin Guofeng asked with great interest:

"Is this a sunflower?"

"Yes, double-flowered sunflower."

"It hasn't been planted for long, has it? How come it's growing so fast?" Lin Guofeng asked curiously.

Chen Jingle lied without batting an eye, blurting out, "Yes, we added enough fertilizer to the bottom, plus it's been raining these past two days, and it's the season for new shoots to sprout."

Lin Guofeng nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.

He works in the power industry and knows nothing about these things, but Chen Kexin does. However, she didn't come along and stayed at her father-in-law's house to chat with everyone.

"What are you growing along the base of your outer wall? Roses?"

"No, it's a rose. The most common roses in China are roses, and they're also the ones sold in flower shops. It's just that most people don't know the difference."

Chen Jingle explained: "This is Rouge, and over here are Pink Dragon's Gem and Florentina, all varieties suitable for the Lingnan region. Over there is the Zhanghongying bougainvillea."

"They all seem to be growing so fast."

"Well, I bought medium to large-sized seedlings, and with the rain these past few days, the fertilizer has been sufficient, so they've grown."

"..."

Lin Guofeng was very envious, and couldn't imagine how beautiful this little garden would be if it were fully developed.

It was a bit sunny outside, so I quickly opened the door and went inside.

Lin Guofeng hadn't slept well last night, and even walking this short distance made him feel a bit tired, so he quickly found a chair to sit down, supporting his back.

Seeing this, Chen Jingle subconsciously asked, "What's wrong? Is your back bothering you?"

A hint of embarrassment flashed across Lin Guofeng's face as he coughed lightly twice: "Yeah, I have a bit of lumbar muscle strain. I've been too busy with work lately, either sitting all day or standing outdoors all day, and I'm starting to feel the strain."

Chen Jingle nodded: "Sitting or standing for long periods of time can be quite harmful to the lumbar spine. Nowadays, most people have some minor health problems, so they can only rest more and go to the hospital for massage when they have time."

"Uh-huh."

Lin Guofeng nodded vaguely.

You can't very well admit that you're just getting old and not as strong as you used to be.

(End of this chapter)