Therefore, for a university student like Little Niu, mentioning hours and minutes casually isn't surprising.
Then Xu Yun took over Little Niu's axe, and they began to chop the reeds energetically.
Over five hours later, the sky was already dark.
The reeds were cut down and dried.
Xu Yun and Little Niu each carried a large bundle of reeds back, and when they returned to the garden house, it was estimated to be close to seven.
Little Niu swiftly opened the door, lit an oil lamp first upon entering, and then, with Xu Yun, laid out the reeds properly.
Next, he took a cattail-filled quilt from a storage cabinet and placed it on the reed mat, completing Xu Yun's little nest.
"Phew..."
Xu Yun wiped the sweat off his forehead and asked,
"Mr. Newton, it's so late, should we still go to Mr. William's house for dinner?"
Little Niu shook his head at him, left the living room, and returned shortly with a basket containing bread:
"We're having this tonight."
Xu Yun examined the pieces of bread, recognizing the familiar marks and asked thoughtfully,
"These breads are...?"
"Took them from my uncle's place. We take them from them once a week. Have a hot stew for lunch at their house, and some water with the bread for dinner."
With that, Little Niu casually handed a piece of bread to Xu Yun:
"This one is for dinner, no more than this,"
After Xu Yun took the piece, Little Niu took out two slightly larger pieces for his own plate.
Xu Yun: "..."
At this moment, he understood what those silly readers from his past life thought when they saw him throw out a paper—truly, it was you.
Looking at the bread in his hand, Xu Yun suddenly thought of something else:
"Mr. Newton, since the bread is from Mr. William's place, then what about the windmill grinding you mentioned before...?"
Little Niu swallowed a small piece of bread with some difficulty and glanced at him:
"Of course, it's to help my uncle's family grind flour. We eat their bread and drink their soup every day, so we have to do something, right?
Besides, this estate too, in just over a week it will be apple harvest time, and you'll need to help then.
If we can sell some apples, life might get a bit better afterward.
If we can't sell them...
At this, a rare hint of worry appeared in Little Niu's eyes:
"I can manage, but my uncle's family might have trouble; there are six of them."
Hearing this, Xu Yun looked at Little Niu with a bit of surprise.
Although he knew the relationship between Little Niu and William was good, he didn't expect it to be this close?
To have Little Niu take the initiative to do things is quite an achievement—even in a game.
No wonder when William passed away, Little Niu rushed back from Switzerland at four in the morning to mourn...
The two of them continued eating the bread quietly.
After a while, Little Niu suddenly said,
"Fat Fish, time to sleep."
By this time, it was dark outside, and Xu Yun couldn't judge the exact time, estimating it might be around seven-thirty.
Sleeping at this time would be quite early for modern people, but in the productivity-limited 17th century, a considerable number were already asleep at this hour.
Moreover, the nearly whole day of chopping wood, walking, and cutting reeds left Xu Yun's body exhausted.
So he quickly agreed,
"No problem, Mr. Newton, I think I'll just..."
Before Xu Yun could finish his sentence, Little Niu blew out the oil lamp with a whoosh.
Xu Yun: "..."
No brushing teeth, no washing face, no washing feet, not even changing clothes.
What a miserable night.
Yet with Little Niu's character, there obviously wasn't going to be another chance to clean up.
Therefore, Xu Yun sighed and crawled into his simple bed.
....
That night, Xu Yun did not sleep well, a question lingering in his mind:
Why did no one ever tell me...
Newton snores!!!!
.....