Chapter 301: Chapter 301: They Probably Threw Up?
Sunlight streamed through the glass ceiling, allowing Shen Yibin to see the state of the farm clearly without turning on any lights. He crouched down at the edge of the farm for a closer look and was stunned. ’This trick really worked!’ The various seedlings, which had looked so wilted yesterday, were now swaying in the breeze, looking exceptionally full of life.
To put it another way, yesterday the seedlings had looked like a gaming addict who’d pulled three all-nighters. But now, they looked like Russell Westbrook warming up to score a triple-double—visibly bursting with energy. Just looking at them made Shen Yibin feel more energetic himself. He reckoned he could run at least an extra lap during his morning workout today.
He didn’t know if they had recovered because they’d had a night free from the noise of the renovations, or if playing music had actually worked. Shen Yibin still found it hard to believe that music could revitalize plants. ’They don’t have ears, so how could they listen to music?’ He leaned more toward the theory that they had recovered simply because the noise pollution was gone for the night.
’Wait, something isn’t right.’ If that was the reason, why were the sunflower seedlings still wilted? And why did the tomato seedlings seem to be growing crooked? The discovery startled Shen Yibin, and he began to examine the seedlings carefully once more.
He discovered that compared to yesterday, all the seedlings had changed in slightly different ways. The sunflowers were still a bit wilted. The tomato and eggplant seedlings seemed to be growing crooked. The corn, soybean, and cucumber plants looked a little thinner, as if they weren’t getting enough nutrients. Meanwhile, the butterfly weed, cineraria, China asters, and morning glories had not only regained their vitality but were also thriving; they looked much taller than the day before. As for the watermelon and peanuts, they had merely perked up, with no other significant changes.
’What could be the reason for this?’ Shen Yibin was baffled. They had all listened to the same Bandari music, so why was there such a huge difference between the seedlings? He crouched by the farm, pondering it for a long time, but came to no conclusion.
’Ugh, I’ll stop thinking about it. I’ll make breakfast first. Maphario and Hah’Er should be awake after I eat, so I’ll let it take a look then.’ Shen Yibin gave up his investigation, got up, and went back to the second floor to start preparing breakfast.
After breakfast, Hah’Er clutched its skateboard and stared expectantly at Shen Yibin. Maphario, perched on Hah’Er’s head, was also full of anticipation. It seemed that going for a ride was the only thing on Maphario’s mind, and it wouldn’t remember to check on the seedlings until they were done.
’Oh, alright. The seedlings probably won’t have any issues for a little while.’ So Shen Yibin took the two of them out to the park for their workout. After they ran a few laps and returned to the shop, Maphario immediately scurried down from Hah’Er’s head and ran to the farm to check on its beloved plants.
"SQUEAK! SQUEAK!" Seeing the plants in this condition, Maphario became frantic, squeaking nonstop as it leaped around the seedlings. It watered them, fertilized them, and even caught and crushed a bug that had appeared from nowhere. But despite its efforts, the plants still looked the same by noon. To make matters worse, the noise from next door had started up again, and the seedlings looked even more wilted.
"How did they end up like this? The seedlings for flowers like butterfly weed and cineraria are doing fine, so why have the tomato and sunflower seedlings gotten worse?" After seeing a customer and his new pet out the door, Xia Shixuan also came over to the farm’s edge, crouching down to investigate.
"It can’t be a watering or fertilizing issue. If it were, Maphario would’ve figured it out long ago. Besides, they were all growing fine before," Shen Yibin said, scratching his head in frustration. "It shouldn’t be the noise, either. Yesterday, they all had the same reaction to it. Why is there such a huge difference in their response when they’re all listening to the same music?"
"The same music?" Xia Shixuan seemed to have latched onto something. "Boss," she guessed, "you and I definitely don’t have the same taste in music. Do you think it could be the same for these plants?"
She pointed at the seedlings and continued, "For example, maybe the butterfly weed, cineraria, China asters, and morning glories enjoy listening to Bandari. The music puts them in a good mood, so naturally, they grow better. The watermelons and peanuts don’t like it as much, but they don’t hate it either, so they only recovered their spirits. Then look at the tomatoes and eggplants—to them, Bandari’s music is even more irritating than the noise, which is why they grew crooked. See the direction they’re leaning? It’s as if they’re trying to escape the music."
’She might be right.’ The tomatoes and eggplants were indeed leaning away from the center, which was exactly where Maphario had dragged the phone yesterday. If they had feet, they probably would have run even farther.
"Then what about the corn, soybeans, and cucumbers?" Shen Yibin asked, pointing at the seedlings that had grown thinner.
"Uh, Boss, have you ever felt like throwing up after listening to a really terrible song? I think they probably got sick listening to the music, so now they’re a bit malnourished," Xia Shixuan said, her imagination running wild.
If the members of Bandari could hear this, they would have tears streaming down their faces. Other artists’ music might make a person sick, but their music could make a plant throw up. That was an accomplishment unrivaled anywhere in the world.
"Really?" Shen Yibin was skeptical. The explanation was just too bizarre; he found it hard to accept.
"Well, we can test it. It’s not like we have any other ideas, right?" Xia Shixuan shrugged, pulling her phone from her pocket and opening her music app. "Let’s just play some different music for the plants and see how they react."
Xia Shixuan thought for a moment, then selected an album and hit play. A moment later, the majestic sounds of a symphony filled Shen Yibin’s ears.
"It’s a symphony by Wagner." Seeing that Shen Yibin didn’t look like someone who would recognize it, Xia Shixuan added an explanation. "Since they don’t like Bandari’s soothing and ethereal music, I figured I’d switch to something a bit more epic."
"SQUEAK!" Maphario seemed to perk up when it heard the new music. It hopped over, trying to reach for Xia Shixuan’s phone.
"Here, use mine!" Shen Yibin took out his own phone, selected the same piece, and hit play. He then placed the phone in front of Maphario.
Maphario dragged the phone over to the tomato plant and began circling it, carefully trying to keep the music from reaching the neighboring eggplant.
’Don’t tell me these plants are actually picky about music?’ Shen Yibin was dumbfounded all over again.
