After inspecting the twenty small pits, Zhang Yuxi continued, "Bury fifty to eighty percent of the entire plant in the soil. The roots must be completely covered, and you need to pack the soil around them firmly. If there are any leaves on the part that will be buried, prune them off beforehand, or they'll rot in the ground."

They carefully took out the tomato seedlings, inspecting them one by one. As everyone began planting, Zhang Yuxi walked among them with her book, looking like an examiner patrolling an examination hall.

"Si Bao, pack the soil a little tighter. Yes, that's right, but not too hard!"

"Mmm, Er Bao and San Bao are doing a great job. Awesome!"

Once all the seedlings were planted, Zhang Yuxi continued to read from the book.

"Add stakes or cages for the tomatoes to support their vines. You should install the stake or cage right when you plant. If you don't, you must add them within fourteen days at the latest."

The others were rendered speechless.

Zhang Yuxi then added, "If you enjoy hands-on projects, you can also try making your own tomato cages."

Lin Feng stood up to take a look. "If it's simple, we can finish it today."

The cages were indeed simple to make. Lin Feng clapped his hands together and declared, "This is easy! I'll handle it. We have the materials at home!"

And so, everyone except for Zhang Yuxi got busy. Working together, they finished the cages in no time.

Zhang Yuxi then turned to Si Bao. "Si Bao, for this next part, I suggest you get a pen and paper. It's about the watering schedule!"

Si Bao scampered into the house and returned with a pen and paper.

"Listen carefully. After the first week, water them once every seven to ten days. Initially, you'll water each plant with 500 milliliters of warm water daily. Pour the water directly at the base, as watering the entire plant can increase the risk of disease. To prevent mold and fungal diseases, please water them in the morning. Remember this: water in the morning!

"Alright, after ten days, you can reduce the watering frequency. As the plants grow and the weather gets hotter, increase the amount of water accordingly. You should water them two to three times a week, using three to four liters each time to ensure the soil stays moist."

When she finished, Zhang Yuxi looked up. "Did you get all that down?"

Si Bao nodded. "All written down!"

After a whole afternoon of effort, the tomatoes were finally planted. Lin Feng washed his hands at the sink in the yard, smiling. "Starting today, the tomatoes are under Si Bao's care! Whether we get to eat any tomatoes depends entirely on your skill!"

With a grave expression, Si Bao replied, "I promise to complete my mission! I'll make sure everyone in the family gets to eat the tomatoes I grow!"

Lin Feng's expression turned just as serious. "Good. Remember your duty!"

"Yes, sir!"

Zhang Yuxi covered her mouth to hide a smile. "Alright, alright, hurry inside and rest for a bit. You're all sweaty from the hard work!"

But Si Bao protested, "We haven't watered them yet."

Zhang Yuxi reminded him, "Water them at the roots, don't pour it all over the plant!"

"I know, Mom!"

Once that task was done, they turned their attention to the pepper seedlings Lin Feng had brought back. He had chosen sweet bell peppers, which the kids liked, so he figured he might as well plant some. He had also bought twenty seedlings, and this task was assigned to Er Bao.

"Come on, after dinner, we'll get back to work!"

To save time, Lin Feng made noodles for dinner. Afterwards, the family returned to the yard to plant the sweet peppers.

The yard was brightly lit. Holding a fan, Zhang Yuxi began giving instructions. "Leave 25 to 38 centimeters between each row of peppers, and 30 to 45 centimeters between each plant."

Lin Feng and Xiaowen measured out the spacing. "All set!"

Zhang Yuxi inspected their work and said, "Plant them just below the surface. Space the seeds about one centimeter apart and cover them with a little more soil."

With the experience from before, the group planted the seedlings deftly. Even the impetuous Si Bao planted his with surprising skill.

Zhang Yuxi smiled. "Er Bao, remember this. Peppers need frequent watering. You must make sure the soil stays moist enough."

The family was exhausted. The next morning, Lin Feng woke Si Bao. He and Er Bao scampered out to the yard to water the tomatoes and peppers.

Lin Feng had thought about it the previous night and decided against planting cowpea seeds. Buying seedlings would be much easier. So, the next morning after breakfast, Zhang Yuxi went out to see what seedlings she could bring home to plant. By noon, she had bought eggplant, cowpea, and cucumber seedlings. She drove to a large greenhouse to buy them, and on the way back, she also picked up some rose bushes that were suitable for planting.

The family worked hard all day, and by the time they finished, the day was over.

"I'll call someone tomorrow to have the fruit trees from our old yard transplanted here," Lin Feng said, suddenly remembering something. He stood up and walked outside. "I also bought some mint to plant in the yard for Feifei."

「A week later.」

All matters had been settled. Lin Jiajun called to ask how his son was doing.

"He's doing well," Lin Feng said with a smile. "We've been quite busy these past few days, so he hasn't had any time to go out."

Lin Jiajun was naturally curious. "What have you all been busy with?"

"This past week, we tidied up the yard and planted a garden," Lin Feng explained. "Xiaowen usually does his homework at home or helps us in the yard, so he has no time to go out."

Lin Jiajun was very pleased to hear this. "Excellent, excellent! Just let him keep staying with you. And the chores, make him do all the chores!"

Lin Feng didn't really feel right about ordering Xiaowen around like that. However, this summer vacation, they had already started teaching their own kids to wash the dishes. Breaking a dish or two was inevitable, but they couldn't forbid the children from learning just because they felt bad about a broken bowl.

Every day after watering the vegetables, whenever he had free time, Lin Feng would take the kids to the amusement park, the local park, or the flower and bird market for an outing.

During his stay with the Lin family, Xiaowen fell into a very regular routine and got along great with the quadruplets. A week later, he had finished all of his summer homework, which amazed even himself.

A friend called him. "Lin Xiaowen, you been helping out at the store? Haven't seen you pop up in the group chat!"

"I've been doing my homework," Xiaowen replied distractedly.

"Summer vacation is so long! You should have played first and done your homework later! How much have you finished?"

"I'm all done."

"Holy shit, for real? You finished all that homework?"

"Is that a problem?"

All of Xiaowen's close friends had similar grades, and the amount of summer homework their teacher assigned was based on academic performance. Since Xiaowen's grades were average, he had a considerable amount of homework.

"No problem, dude. Hey, let me borrow your answers for a bit."

Xiaowen gave a faint smile. "Forget it. Do it yourself. I worked hard on this."

"Come on, that's not cool! Just let me take a peek."

"Write it yourself. It's not like you don't have your own hands and brain! I have to go, I'm busy!"

"Damn it!"

After hanging up, Xiaowen was silent for a moment. He recalled how Lin Feng had asked him to bring fruit to the quadruplets earlier that day. San Bao had been in her music room, practicing the violin over and over again, her little face a mask of concentration.

Xiaowen hadn't disturbed her. He just left the fruit and went on his way.

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