Siheyuan: tomb robbing? I am serious about hunting.

Light in the Cocoon, Chapter 2: The Stranger The next morning, the fog over Jiangnan's waterside village was thicker than the previous day, shrouding the entire village like a thick veil. The distant river was invisible, only the gurgling sound of water could be heard. The old locust tree at the village entrance was only a vague outline, and the occasional bird chirping from its branches carried only a short distance through the mist before quickly fading. Just then, the clatter of a car engine shattered the village's tranquility, growing clearer as it approached. Several elderly men at the village entrance, chatting casually on a stone pier, paused and looked in the direction of the sound. A dark green jeep slowly approached through the fog, its body coated in mud, evidently having traveled a long distance. The jeep stopped at the village entrance, the engine roaring away. The door opened, and a driver in gray overalls emerged first. He walked around to the back seat and opened the door. A young man stepped out of the car, wearing a crisply ironed Zhongshan suit. The dark gray, the material thick and sturdy, it stood out against the coarse cloth of the villagers. He was tall and straight-set, his nose perched on a pair of square-framed glasses, a rarity among the villagers. The lenses, cleanly polished, caught the morning light. After getting out of the car, he stretched, then glanced around with curiosity. The elderly residents at the village entrance gathered around, chattering. "Is this the technician from the County Agricultural Science Institute? He looks so young!" "He's so neatly dressed, a cultured man from the city." "I wonder if he can help our village raise silkworms better?" The man, overhearing the discussion, turned and offered the elderly a gentle smile. Just then, Lin Wanqiu hurried in from home. She had changed into a newer blue cotton shirt, tidying up the cuff patches as neatly as possible. She walked up to the man, paused, and looked at him somewhat awkwardly. The man stepped forward and extended his hand. His palm was clean, callous-free, his fingers long and slender, his nails neatly trimmed. "Hello, I'm Shen Zhiyuan from the County Agricultural Science Institute," he said in a clear, city-speaking voice. "Excuse me, are you Comrade Lin Wanqiu?" Wanqiu looked at his outstretched hand, feeling a little hesitant. Her hands, from years of working in the mulberry fields, were stained with mulberry leaf juice, and there was dirt between her fingers. Her palms were also covered in calluses, forming a stark contrast to Shen Zhiyuan's clean hands. She pulled her hand back, tucking it behind her back, and whispered, "I'm Lin Wanqiu. Come with me. I'll show you the mulberry fields." Shen Zhiyuan, not embarrassed, naturally withdrew his hand and followed Wanqiu to the mulberry fields. Along the way, Shen Zhiyuan stopped periodically to observe the crops along the roadside, asking what vegetables were grown in the fields and how long the mulberry trees had been planted. Wanqiu answered all his questions. After walking for about ten minutes, they were almost at the mulberry tree wrapped with plastic rope. Wanqiu had an idea and deliberately slowed down her pace, then turned a corner and went around the mulberry tree. She didn't want Shen Zhiyuan to see the mulberry tree. After all, the matter of the plastic rope and the newspaper corner had not been clarified yet, and she was afraid of unnecessary trouble. Unexpectedly, Shen Zhiyuan stopped halfway. He pointed to several mulberry seedlings on the edge of the field, frowning slightly: "Comrade Wanqiu, look at these mulberry seedlings. The leaves are a little yellow, and the branches are relatively thin. This is caused by insufficient soil fertility." He squatted down, pinched a little soil with his fingers, put it to the tip of his nose and smelled it, "The soil here is sandy and has poor water and fertilizer retention capabilities. Some river mud must be added to increase the fertility and water retention of the soil, so that the mulberry seedlings can grow well." Wanqiu stood aside, listening to Shen Zhiyuan's words, secretly admiring him in her heart. She had also felt that these mulberry seedlings weren't growing well, but she hadn't figured out why. Unexpectedly, Shen Zhiyuan saw it so clearly. She looked down at Shen Zhiyuan and noticed a scrap of paper sticking out of the pocket of his Mao suit, swaying gently in the wind. Wanqiu's eyes fell on the scrap of paper and she was stunned—there were lines drawn on it that looked like a greenhouse diagram, very similar to the one on the newspaper she had burned in the stove yesterday. Her heartbeat quickened. Could it be that Shen Zhiyuan also knew about the technology for raising silkworms in plastic greenhouses? But he was a technician at the county agricultural science institute. If he knew, why didn't he just tell her? Wanqiu was filled with confusion, but she didn't dare ask. She could only silently follow Shen Zhiyuan as they continued walking. The two of them spent the entire morning wandering the mulberry garden. Shen Zhiyuan carefully examined the growth of each row of mulberry trees and asked Wanqiu about the daily management of the silkworms, such as feeding schedules, temperature control, and pest and disease control. Wanqiu told him everything she knew, and occasionally raised some questions she encountered in the process of raising silkworms, and Shen Zhiyuan patiently gave answers. Before they knew it, it was lunch time. Wanqiu took Shen Zhiyuan back to the village and went to the home of the team leader Zhou Tiezhu. Zhou Tiezhu had already prepared lunch. On a small wooden table were three bowls of brown rice, a plate of stir-fried vegetables and a plate of pickles. There was almost no oil in the dishes. This was considered a good meal in the village at that time. Usually, most villagers only ate sweet potato porridge and steamed corn bread. Shen Zhiyuan looked at the brown rice in the bowl. The rice grains were a bit rough and mixed with some bran. He picked up the chopsticks, hesitated for a moment, and finally picked up a mouthful of rice and put it in his mouth. The rice was a bit dry and it made his throat uncomfortable. He chewed slowly, trying to adapt himself. Halfway through lunch, Shen Zhiyuan suddenly put down his chopsticks, looked at Zhou Tiezhu and Wanqiu, and asked, "Captain Zhou, Comrade Wanqiu, I just looked in the mulberry garden. The mulberry varieties planted in your village are relatively old. The leaf yield of this kind of mulberry tree is not high, and the nutritional value of the leaves is also average. Have you tried grafting to improve the variety? He had to give up. When he returned home, it was almost noon. His mother was cooking in the kitchen. When she saw Wanqiu coming back, she hurriedly said, "Wanqiu, wash your hands and eat. I cooked sweet potato porridge and steamed two steamed buns today." Wanqiu responded, washed her hands, sat down, picked up the steamed bun and started to eat it. The steamed bun was made of cornmeal, which was a bit rough and hurt her throat. There was no sugar in the sweet potato porridge, only a light sweetness of sweet potato. During the meal, her mother asked her about her trip to the warehouse to reconcile the accounts. Wanqiu briefly explained it and also mentioned that the technician from the County Agricultural Science Institute would be coming tomorrow. After listening, her mother smiled and said, "It's good that the technician is coming. You can learn from him.