LAVW – Chapter 115 Cultivating While Asleep – Era of Niu Niu

Hesitating for just a moment, Shi Qian and Chen Niu found themselves facing the person who gave Wang Si’an a headache.

The man was short but sturdy, looking like he was in his thirties or forties, with very dark skin.

“Old Wang! Not fair, huh? Such a good cow, and you say it’s gone?” The newcomer’s fiery eyes fixed on Shi Qian. “Don’t be stingy. I’m not picky. This one looks fine to me.”

Shi Qian’s cow: ?

This one really won’t do.

“Xiao Wang, I told you, don’t bother me. We all know the rules. Just because we share a surname doesn’t mean I can agree with you. Don’t mess around.” Wang Si’an, seeing that neither Chen Niu nor Shi Qian was backing down, introduced him: “Chen Niu, this is Wang Anlei—two more ‘shi’ than Wang Anshi. He’s from the Agricultural Institute below.”

“This student, the cow belongs to him too, not me. Don’t get any ideas about the student, or next time I won’t let you come.”

“Hello, Brother Xiao Wang.” Chen Niu picked a relatively safe way to greet him.

With two Wangs present, it really wasn’t easy to address either one casually.

Wang Anlei sighed: “I’m in the wrong.”

“Chen Niu, do you know what day it is today?”

Shi Qian listened carefully and thought about it, but really couldn’t figure out what special day it might be.

It couldn’t be—today’s the day we met? Such a cheesy question, surely not.

Chen Niu thought for a moment and shook his head honestly, showing he had no idea.

Wang Anlei: “The Beginning of Spring has passed; this is the perfect time to start planting for the new year!”

“You agricultural school students must want to improve and research in this field, preparing to take an unusual path in the future—”

“Stop, stop, stop!”

Wang Anlei’s words were cut off by Wang Si’an.

Adjusting his glasses, Wang Si’an said, “Hey, Wang Anlei, you vocational school kid, think you can compete with our university grads?”

Wang Anlei, small in stature, was displeased: “Just because the general is short, does the whole army have to be short too? That’s not how it works.”

“Chen Niu, don’t listen to his nonsense. Listen to me instead.”

“Practical experience is the most important. Learning while working in the fields is absolutely the best method! Take your cow and come practice with me.”

Chen Niu declined politely: “Thanks, Brother Xiao Wang, but probably not needed for now.”

He prided himself on his unusually extensive farming experience.

“But mine isn’t ordinary fields—I’m growing hybrid rice! Do you know about hybrid rice?”

Now Chen Niu was genuinely interested and started chatting with Wang Anlei.

Shi Qian munched on grass, listening to Wang Anlei go on about everything from seeds to fertilizer to pesticides, showing it all to Chen Niu.

Chen Niu was tempted, but still said: “No.”

He gave a reason that sounded absurd to anyone else: “Qian Niuhua still has classes at school.”

In truth, it was true—Shi Qian had picked a few electives, learning while playing. Only Chen Niu knew the full truth.

Wang Si’an didn’t believe it either, but he knew Qian Niuhua was smart and, influenced by Chen Niu, was already treated like a child.

So he spoke up: “Qian Niuhua is Chen Niu’s responsibility, like a little brother. He’s still young—how could you let a child work?”

Chen Niu showed his agreement.

Wang Anlei didn’t understand: “Isn’t that wasting the cow’s strength?”

Shi Qian immediately knew this was another ill-intentioned person—just interested in his body, though in a different way.

—Wang Anlei clearly wanted him to work.

Having just finished his farming career, how could Shi Qian possibly go back?

He swallowed his mouthful of grass, strode forward with a breeze in his steps, eyes wide, staring fiercely, and went straight up to Wang Anlei.

Getting close, he exhaled through his nostrils.

“Moo—”

Say that again?

Wang Anlei, already short, was startled by the low-headed, terrifying gaze of the yellow cow. The words on his lips rolled back down and he swallowed them, showing only a bit of grievance on his face.

Shi Qian was about to withdraw successfully when Chen Niu tugged his tail: “Qian Niuhua, don’t scare him.”

Shi Qian turned back with a resentful look: “Moo moo.”

Don’t steal my thunder.

For some reason, seeing Chen Niu control him gave Wang Anlei courage again, and he continued chatting with Chen Niu.

Wang Si’an also spoke fairly: “What he’s doing is relevant to the profession and has some merit, but you just started school. Learning is the most important thing to focus on. Build a solid foundation—the future is long.”

Seeing he couldn’t convince Chen Niu, Wang Anlei painted a tempting picture:

“If I do this well, I could even take you to meet top experts!”

“With your experience, once you graduate, all the major institutes will compete for you.”

Chen Niu didn’t agree outwardly, but he was tempted in his heart.

On the next weekend, he carefully sent a letter to Beijing. Chen Niu was preparing to check out the Agricultural Institute where Wang Anlei was.

“Qian Niuhua, play at school yourself. If you’re hungry, go to Teacher Wang. If he’s not there, come home to eat. I’ve hidden the key for you here.” Chen Niu gave him instructions and hid the key.

Shi Qian gave him a reproachful look: “Moo moo?”

You’re really not taking me?

Tired of wandering the school every day, Shi Qian didn’t mind playing elsewhere. Going out didn’t necessarily mean working.

But judging by the current situation, Chen Niu would almost certainly be persuaded to work by Wang Anlei. Shi Qian would just watch him sweat and toil while doing nothing himself.

That guy Wang Anlei—this is like dancing the sword to hit Pei Gong!

And it was a straightforward path, leaving Chen Niu powerless.

Also—Shi Qian was curious about the Agricultural Institute.

He followed behind Chen Niu, one person and one cow, walking toward the school’s outskirts.

Chen Niu patted his head: “Qian Niuhua, you really want to come with me?”

Shi Qian nodded.

Then Chen Niu gave him a muted hug, which made Shi Qian very annoyed.

You can hug my head, fine, but don’t lock my neck too, okay? I have trauma!

When the person and the cow stood in front of the simple Agricultural Institute, a few strands of regret inevitably floated in Shi Qian’s mind.

It looked so poor—was this really a place for research?

Wang Anlei sprang up from the distant fields, shouting as he ran over.

He had been bent over, wearing a dull gray outfit, like a small bush suddenly coming to life.

As he got closer, Shi Qian thought—maybe his name should be Wang Anyao, or Wang Ansen, names that suited his temperament better than the three-stone one.

Wang Anlei’s muddy legs didn’t stop him from grinning: “You really came!”

Chen Niu felt this was getting even more unreliable, but since they were here, he still got pulled into work by Wang Anlei.

Wang Anlei was all talk, but an honest man at heart. He told Chen Niu about everything in agricultural science. For the three most important farming essentials—seeds, fertilizer, and pesticides—he had decent supplies, different from what Chen Niu had seen before.

Returning to rural life, Shi Qian adapted quickly, feeling a warm sense of familiarity wash over him.

As for being called to work by Wang Anlei? It didn’t look like they were that busy, so he decided to explore the surroundings first.

Thus, the person went to work while the cow wandered around, leaving everyone at the agricultural institute wide-eyed and distracted by this unpredictable arrangement.

When asked, Chen Niu just said: “This is normal. He’s the youngest here, still a kid.”

If it weren’t unavoidable, no one wanted their child working so hard.

Chen Niu felt the same way—he was happy to help, and that was enough.

Since Chen Niu was willing, there was nothing anyone else could do. A “big kid” weighing over a thousand jin, without even a rope, who would dare force him?

Every day, Wang Anlei watched the roaming and eating big yellow cow, drooling. If he had one of his own, how fast would the fieldwork go?

Shi Qian looked back at him, thinking this ordinary world was even more “fraught with danger” than the cultivation world.

More and more people seemed to care about him.

But handsome as he was—how could that be his fault?

After a few trips to the agricultural institute with one person and one cow, other students inevitably noticed. Even though Chen Niu had warned them ahead of time, a group of eager classmates still followed him into the fields.

Wang Anlei felt like he had struck gold. His own resources were limited, and even the agricultural school teachers looked down on them, warning not to flirt with the students.

He had only wanted to lure Chen Niu for the cow, yet unexpectedly, he ended up benefiting in ways he hadn’t planned.

Pull one radish, and a whole bunch comes along!

“Thanks, classmates. I can’t offer much here, but at least there’s food.”

The more people, the livelier it got. Shi Qian became a supervisor in the fields, yelling at anyone who wasn’t working.

After lunch, seeing the work progress accelerate, and the test fields and supplies prepared ahead of schedule, Wang Anlei was delighted. He even pulled out his flute and taught everyone to play.

“I learned this when I used to herd cows. A herdsman must have a flute—it gives the proper feeling.”

Chen Niu played surprisingly well, picking it up quickly.

Wang Anlei added: “See? This is the natural talent of a herdsman!”

Shi Qian came up behind him, reaching for the flute, exposing that he wasn’t interested in cows at all.

By evening, a problem arose. Usually, only Chen Niu came, and they could squeeze him in. But tonight, with more people, there wasn’t enough space.

No choice—they had to split the boys off, and Shi Qian stayed in the cow shed.

Shi Qian had stayed there before, and it was clean. Rolling out old quilts and thin cotton clothes, the young men slept on dry straw that smelled of hay and plants.

Shi Qian still had to eat grass, quietly working on his own on the side.

One of them laughed: “Qian Niuhua, come sleep! We don’t mind you.”

Shi Qian looked at them, thinking: Actually, I do mind that you haven’t washed.

After eating, Shi Qian lay down at the edge, cuddling up with Chen Niu.

When the moon was high, Shi Qian woke up again and went outside to absorb the moonlight.

After a while, Chen Niu, for some reason, also woke up.

He stepped out of the cow shed and, under the moonlight, looked at Qian Niuhua standing there. The faint sound of flute music from the day seemed to echo in his ears, and he remembered the poem Wang Anlei had recited slowly that afternoon:

“Grasslands stretch six or seven miles,
Flute plays three or four notes in the evening breeze.
Returning home full after dusk,
No need to take off the raincoat, sleeping under the moonlight bright.”

The only difference—Qian Niuhua was standing, definitely not asleep. Yet in the bright moonlight, the scene perfectly matched the poem.

Chen Niu approached and asked: “What’s on the moon, Qian Niuhua, that keeps you so excited to look every day? Are you looking at Chang’e or the Jade Rabbit?”

No response.

He came closer, examining carefully.

Qian Niuhua had fallen asleep while standing.

If Shi Qian had been awake, he would have said—technique improved again, now you can cultivate while asleep.