VI
After finishing the tomatoes, Su Tang had Lu Shiyan set up trellises for the cucumbers.
"Cucumbers are vines. They need a trellis to climb." She explained as she handed him some bamboo poles.
Lu Shiyan took the poles and looked at the patch of ground. "How?"
"First, stick two poles in the ground, cross them into an X shape. Then lay one across the top, tie it tight with string."
Lu Shiyan did as she said, but his hands really weren't cut out for this. He tried three times to tie the string but couldn't get it tight.
On the fourth try, Su Tang couldn't stand it anymore. She stepped behind him and reached around to help him loop the string.
Her fingers touched his fingers.
Both of them paused.
Lu Shiyan's hands were cool, the knuckles defined, marked by years of holding pens. Su Tang's hands were warm, her fingertips calloused from physical work.
"Let me." Su Tang said softly, taking the string and tying it tight in a few moves.
Lu Shiyan stood beside her, watching her nimble fingers. "What did you do before?" he asked suddenly.
"Psychologist." Su Tang didn't look up. "At a big hospital, specializing in high-stress patients."
"Then why are you here?"
Su Tang's hands paused, then resumed tying. "Because I didn't obey."
"Didn't obey?"
"My mother wanted me to marry someone. I refused, so she exiled me here." Su Tang's tone was light, as if talking about someone else. "She thinks being a psychologist is worthless, better to marry well."
Lu Shiyan was silent. "Any regrets?"
"Regrets? About not marrying?" Su Tang laughed. "Why would I regret it? I'm fine now. Sure, this place is a little rundown, a little chaotic, but at least I'm doing what I love."
She stood up, brushed the dirt off her hands, and looked at the vegetable patch. "And I think I can make this place work. Once I turn this place into the best psychological healing center in the country, let's see what my mother says."
When she said this, her eyes sparkled.
Lu Shiyan looked at her and suddenly felt that this woman was different from anyone he'd ever met.
She didn't need others' approval. Didn't need money, didn't need power. She just wanted to do what she wanted, be who she wanted to be.
This kind of freedom was something he'd never had.
"You're confident," he said.
"Not confident. Stubborn." Su Tang smiled. "My mother says I've been stubborn since I was little. Once I set my mind on something, ten oxen can't drag me back."
"What's your mind set on?"
"Healing every patient who comes to me." She looked at him seriously. "Including you."
Lu Shiyan didn't reply. He just lowered his head and continued tying the string.
This time, he tied it tight, and got it on the first try.
VII
At lunch, Lu Shiyan's hand kept trembling.
Not obviously trembling, but a slight, uncontrollable quiver. His grip on the chopsticks was unsteady, and he dropped his food twice.
Uncle Wang saw this and laughed. "Oh! Mr. Lu, farming got your hands shaking?"
Lu Shiyan ignored him and kept eating.
"It's okay, it's normal at first." Uncle Wang reassured him. "When I first started farming, my hands shook for a week. Later I got used to it. Not only did they stop shaking, I even built some muscle."
He rolled up his sleeve to show off his arm. Though slightly sagging with age, it was clear he'd been fit when younger.
Lu Shiyan glanced at it and said flatly, "I don't need muscle."
"You need sleep." Su Tang appeared beside him and placed a bowl of soup in front of him. "Have some soup. Replenish your energy."
The soup was tomato and egg drop soup, made with the tomatoes they'd planted that morning? Of course not—those seedlings had just gone in the ground and would take months to fruit. This was from the market.
But Lu Shiyan took a sip and found it tasted pretty good.
"Thank you," he said.
It was very quiet, but Su Tang heard it.
She smiled and turned away.
Uncle Wang watched with great interest, leaned in, and said in a low voice, "Young man, Xiao Su is pretty good, isn't she?"
Lu Shiyan looked up. "What do you mean?"
"Nothing. Just think you two make a good pair." Uncle Wang winked. "One can't sleep, the other treats insomnia. One doesn't smile, the other smiles all day. One can't farm, the other can…"
"Uncle Wang." Lu Shiyan cut him off. "I'm here for treatment."
"I know. Treatment starts at the root." Uncle Wang shook his head sagely. "Your problem isn't in your head. It's in your heart. Fix the heart, the insomnia will fix itself."
"So how do I fix my heart?"
Uncle Wang thought for a moment. "Find someone to spend it with."
Lu Shiyan was silent, then lowered his head and continued eating.
Uncle Wang said nothing more, just watched him with a smile, like watching a good show.