Unparalleled medical and martial arts skills, saving the CEO's fiancée at the start.

The Seventh Uncle soaked the packet of seeds that Aygul brought back that very night.

He divided the seeds into two portions, soaking one portion in warm water and wrapping the other in a damp cloth, placing them beside the stove.

He said this is called "germination," and he learned it from an old herbalist in the south.

Aygul squatted beside him watching him work, occasionally reaching out to flip the wet cloth.

Seventh Uncle found her in the way and sent her to sleep.

Aygul didn't leave; she just sat at the kitchen doorway.

Ye Chen got up to use the toilet in the middle of the night and saw that the kitchen light was still on. Seventh Uncle and Ayiguli were sitting on either side of each other, separated by a bundle of damp cloth. Neither of them spoke, like two old cats guarding their den.

Three days later, the seed broke open and a tiny white sprout emerged.

Seventh Uncle was so happy he paced around the courtyard, saying, "It's alive! This thing can live!"

Su Qinghan came out of the medicine hut and took a look. She said happily, "Don't be too happy yet. It's easy for it to sprout, but difficult for it to take root. This thing is from elsewhere. Whether it can adapt to the soil and water depends on how it is after it is planted."

Seventh Uncle said, "Then let's go to the fields. The new field on the south slope is just empty."

Aygul said, "You can't plant it on the south slope. This grass likes shade and has to be planted in a shady place. My cousin planted it under a tree next to the medicinal herb field."

Seventh Uncle scratched his head and said, "Then it's by the ditch on the north slope. There's a row of old locust trees there that can block out the sun."

Su Qinghan nodded: "Let's try planting on half a plot first. If it survives, we can expand the planting area."

On the day the seeds were sown, Ayiguli dug the trench herself.

She didn't use a hoe, but a small shovel, squatting on the ground and digging inch by inch.

The ditch wasn't deep or straight; it was crooked and twisted, just like her.

But after placing each seed, she gently pressed the soil down with her hand.

Seventh Uncle, watching from the side, couldn't help but say, "You're more attentive than your adoptive father."

Aygul paused for a moment, didn't look up, and said, "He taught me all of this."

Seventh Uncle then fell silent.

Ye Chen stood on the edge of the field, watching Ayiguli squatting by the ditch and slowly moving forward.

Her silhouette resembled a blade of grass bent by the wind and then straightened up again—not tall, but deeply rooted.

After planting, Ayiguli watered the plants twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening.

The water was drawn from a mountain stream, and she carried it with an old tin kettle, making trip after trip, without finding it troublesome.

Jiang Ruoxi offered to connect a hose for her, but she shook her head: "A hose won't get the water through. The grass roots are shallow; it needs to seep in slowly."

Jiang Ruoxi didn't try to persuade her any further, but simply had someone from the company send over two pairs of non-slip rain boots.

Aygul accepted it and wore it the next day.

Ye Chen once asked her, "Are you planning to stay here and guard this place forever?"

Aygul said, "I guess I have to wait until it sprouts, otherwise I won't feel at ease."

Ye Chen said, "That will take seven or eight days."

Aygul said, "Seven or eight days is seven or eight days."

On the seventh day, the first sprout appeared in the ditch.

So small as to be almost invisible, finer than a grain of rice, and so pale as to be almost white.

Aygul squatted by the ditch for a long time, then stood up, walked into the medicine hut, and said to Su Qinghan, "It's alive."

Su Qinghan was grinding herbs and didn't even look up when she said, "Hmm, we can water it less tomorrow. Too much water after it sprouts can easily cause root rot."

Aygul nodded, turned and left.

Ye Chen watched from the side and felt that the conversations between Aygul and Su Qinghan were getting shorter and shorter, but more and more similar.

Half a month later, the "moonflower" had grown to half an inch tall.

Seventh Uncle squatted by the ditch and looked at it for a long time. He said, "This thing looks like grass, but it smells a bit like the mugwort we have here. Take a sniff."

Ye Chen leaned closer and smelled it. Sure enough, there was a very faint bitter fragrance, not exactly the same as mugwort, but it was quite similar.

Su Qinghan also came to see it once.

She plucked a small leaf, put it on the tip of her tongue, smacked it, and then spat it out, saying, "It can be used in medicine to stop coughs and relieve asthma. It's somewhat related to mugwort. I'll try using it in medicine after the autumn harvest."

Aygul didn't say anything after hearing this, but she ate half a bowl more at dinner.

After autumn arrived, the moonflowers bloomed for the first time.

The flowers are extremely small, a pale grayish-white, growing in clusters, mixed in with the weeds, and are almost invisible unless you look closely.

But as evening falls and darkness descends, the flowers emit a very faint silver light, like moonlight shattering on the leaves.

Aygul sat by the ditch at dusk, gazing at the silvery light, motionless.

Ye Chen walked over and squatted down beside him.

Aygul said, "The people there call it 'moon flower' because of this. My cousin said it's best seen at night."

Looking at the tiny specks of light, Ye Chen said, "They look like fireflies in the mountains."

"Quieter than fireflies," Aygul said.

The two of them didn't say anything more, and just squatted by the ditch watching.

Big Yellow ran over to join in the fun, but was gently pushed away by Ayiguli.

When it was time to harvest herbs in the fall, Ayiguli picked a small handful of moonflowers from that patch.

Not much; after drying, it's only a small handful.

She divided it into three portions: one for herself, one to send to her cousin in Central Asia, and one to Su Qinghan.

Qinghan put the small packet of dried flowers into the top shelf of the medicine cabinet and said, "We don't need it for now. We'll prepare the medicine next year when we plant more."

Aygul didn't ask why, she just nodded.

Before winter arrived, Ye Chen sat in the courtyard polishing his sword.

Aygul came out of the house, holding the short knife in her hand, and sat down next to him.

The two of them wiped their own surfaces.

Ye Chen asked, "Now that you're back, are you leaving again?"

Aygul thought for a moment and replied, "I'll go next spring to see my cousin and check out that land. I'll stay for a month or two and then come back."

Ye Chen said, "Aren't you tired of running back and forth?"

Aygul said, "We don't have to make a fuss. We have things to do on both sides. That side is the medicinal herb field, and this side is our home."

Ye Chen flipped the sword over and continued wiping it.

He said, "Okay, let me know in advance when you're going, and I'll book the tickets for you."

Aygul hummed in agreement.

At night, Ye Chen and Jiang Ruoxi lay in bed.

Jiang Ruoxi said, "Guli is much more relaxed now than before."

Ye Chen said, "She has found her own way of life. She doesn't have to follow us all the time, nor does she have to keep up with her adoptive father's past. She grows, harvests, and sends medicinal herbs. With these give and take, she feels at ease."

Jiang Ruoxi turned over, looked at the ceiling, and said, "You're right. A person needs to have their own land, even if it's only half a acre. As long as it's cultivated by oneself, one will have peace of mind."

Ye Chen reached out and turned off the light, saying, "Go to sleep. We still have to go to Baizhi Valley tomorrow. Seventh Uncle said it's time to harvest the angelica on the south slope."

Jiang Ruoxi hummed in agreement and pulled the blanket up a little.

Outside the window, the autumn moonlight was faint, falling on the stone steps in the courtyard like a thin layer of frost.

It looks just like the silvery glow that moonflowers emit at dusk.

Quiet and unassuming, yet it brings a sense of peace to the heart.