I am the god of this land.

06: Changes

Twenty minutes later, Li Ange came out carrying a large bowl of steaming soup. The aroma of pickled cabbage and fish slices wafted over on the evening breeze. Han Feng took a deep breath, his eyes lighting up.

"Come, come, try my cooking." Li Ange placed the bowl on the stone table and went back to get more bowls and chopsticks.

Han Feng picked up a piece of fish and put it in his mouth. The fish was tender and the sourness of the pickled cabbage was just right. The spiciness and freshness exploded on his tongue layer by layer. He was stunned. He picked up another piece and then looked up at Li Ange with an almost awe-inspiring gaze.

"What's wrong? Does it not taste good?" Li Ange stared at him anxiously.

"It's not that it's bad." Han Feng swallowed the fish and said seriously, "It's so delicious, An Ge. Are you sure this is your first time making it? You could open a shop with this skill."

Li Ange was stunned for a moment, then the tips of her ears turned slightly red, but she refused to accept it: "Come on, you're just starving, everything tastes good to you."

"It's really delicious." Han Feng picked up another piece of soup with his chopsticks, ladled out a bowl of soup, and drank it down. He felt completely soothed. "Did you pickle this cabbage yourself?"

"My mom pickled them; they've been soaking for over a year." Li Ange sat down opposite him, took a bite herself, and couldn't suppress the urge to smile. "Hmm...it's actually not bad. You know your stuff."

The two of them ate a hot dinner with pickled fish. Most of the big black fish was eaten. Han Feng ate three bowls of rice by himself, sweating profusely and with a round belly. Li Ange complained, "Eat slowly like a hungry wolf," while secretly pushing the best meat from the fish's belly toward him.

The leaves of the pomelo tree in the yard rustled in the evening breeze, and the last bit of light on the horizon faded away. Han Feng put down his chopsticks, let out a loud burp, and said sincerely, "An Ge, thank you. This meal was really satisfying, much better than the noodles I just cooked myself."

Li Ange paused as she was clearing the dishes, then rolled her eyes at him: "Stop talking nonsense and go wash the dishes."

After washing the dishes, Han Feng said goodbye to Li Ange at the gate of the courtyard. The evening breeze carried the lingering aroma of pomelo trees and pickled fish. He let out a satisfied burp and strolled back home along the bluestone path.

Pushing open the door, the room was pitch black. Moonlight leaked in through the cracks in the window, drawing a few thin silver lines on the floor. Han Feng didn't turn on the light. He went straight to the fish tank in the corner and squatted down. The lychee tree in the tank stood quietly in the moonlight, its leaves shining green, and a few bright red fruits hanging on the branches.

He stared at them for a while, and suddenly a thought popped into his head: the little carp and the few river shrimp he caught today, he couldn't keep them in a plastic bucket, could he? That bucket was too small, and it would be difficult for the fish to even turn around in it.

Han Feng turned and went out, grabbing two large handfuls of sand from the edge of the courtyard. He carefully scattered the sand into the fish tank, spreading a thick layer around the roots of the lychee tree. He then dug several holes in the sand with his fingers, one large one as a pond and several smaller ones as puddles. He then unscrewed a mineral water bottle and poured some water into the holes. The water seeped into the sand and gradually formed several sparkling little puddles, the largest of which was just big enough to hold half a fish.

He carried the plastic bucket over, and inside, a small carp was floating listlessly on the surface of the water, its gills opening and closing, looking like it was about to die. Han Feng quickly reached out and scooped it out, gently placing it into the "little pond" in the fish tank. Once in the water, the carp flicked its tail and seemed much more energetic, circling around in the puddle a couple of times, as if getting acquainted with its new home. He also carefully placed the few grayish river shrimp one by one into the small puddle, their whiskers twitching in the water, looking quite at ease.

Han Feng squatted in front of the fish tank, looking left and right. He felt that something was missing. The oasis was there, the water was there, and the fish and shrimp were there, but this was a desert oasis. How could it not rain?

He straightened up, cleared his throat, put his hands on his hips, struck a pose like a creator, and said in a deep voice to the fish tank, "This creator is in a good mood today and will bestow upon you a sweet rain."

After saying that, he felt a bit childish, but he still picked up the small spray bottle on the table and sprayed it into the fish tank a few times. Fine mist of water came out of the spout and drifted down onto the lychee tree leaves, onto the sand, and into the pond, creating small ripples.

"Alright, the rain's over." Han Feng nodded in satisfaction, put down the watering can, and said, "Fish and shrimp comrades, live your lives well."

The Creator himself made the rain; he was treated quite well.

He was about to go upstairs to find clothes to shower when he suddenly noticed a detail: the lychee tree was growing strangely. The trunk was already as thick as a child's wrist, and the canopy was lush and green, but why was it still so tall? In reality, one day is equivalent to ten years in the tank, so the lychee seed he planted yesterday would have grown for ten years by now, wouldn't it? A lychee tree that has grown for ten years would be at least two or three meters tall in the real world, but this one in the fish tank was at most a little over half a meter tall. The shape of the tree was compact and beautiful, but it was just too tiny!

Han Feng frowned and silently asked the fish tank in his mind: Why isn't this lychee tree growing taller? Is there some kind of restriction?

The fish tank's senses quickly surfaced, slowly and gently, like a cool, flowing stream: There are two reasons why the lychee tree hasn't grown taller. First, without a clear command from the Creator, the tree dares not grow excessively on its own. Second, although this tank space is independent and expandable, if it is allowed to grow wildly, its roots will cover the entire bottom of the tank, and its branches and leaves will crowd the entire space inside. At that time, the entire fish tank will only have one lychee tree left. Do you still want to do anything else?

Han Feng was taken aback for a moment, thinking to himself that the fish tank was quite considerate of him. He nodded and silently replied, "I understand, thank you for reminding me."

The fish tank didn't respond, but the lychee tree inside gently shook its leaves, as if nodding.

Han Feng stretched and went upstairs to take a shower. The hot water washed over him, and the spiciness of the pickled fish and the smell of sweat were flushed down the drain. He felt so comfortable, like he had been given a second skin. He dried his hair, changed into a clean white T-shirt, turned off the light, and collapsed onto the bed.

The moon outside the window had risen high in the sky, round and bright, like a clean white porcelain plate hanging on the deep blue sky. Moonlight spilled through the window frame and over the branches and leaves of the old loquat tree, spreading a thin layer of silver frost on Han Feng's quilt. In the distance, insects chirped in the valley, one after another, unhurriedly, as if providing a lullaby for this quiet night.

The shadow of the old loquat tree swayed gently on the windowpane. The wind blew in, and the roof tiles rustled. Han Feng turned over, drowsily thinking: What should I plant tomorrow... what should I plant tomorrow?

As he pondered, his eyelids drooped. The moonlight shone quietly on him, on the small fish tank in the corner downstairs, on the lychee tree and the little carp in the tank, and on this ordinary yet extraordinary night in Shimen Village.