There are no days off when doing farm work.
When things get busy, you can be working from dawn until dusk for an entire month.
Every year from March to June is peak season for the pig farm.
Winter is the peak season for pork sales, and the price is higher than usual, so pigs have to be raised starting in spring, and then slaughtered in winter.
Zhou Fuguang left early and came back late, busy to the point his feet barely touched the ground.
But Zhou Jingrui was a kindergarten senior who enjoyed weekends off.
Aunt Feng had to cook and also look after Jingrui, and Qin Baozhu couldn’t be counted on at all.
So the very idle Jiang Zhi volunteered to come over and watch Jingrui.
Of course, the reason Jiang Zhi was suddenly so attentive was because a few days ago, Jiang Canran had discussed with her parents about sending her to a chicken farm more than ten kilometers from town to feed chickens.
The roads in Dejing Town were all stone roads—hard to walk. If she went to work over there, she wouldn’t be able to come home every day and would have to live at the chicken farm.
She had just gotten a new boyfriend and didn’t want to be separated from him. So she wanted to behave well these days, hoping that Jiang Canran would change his mind.
And so she came to the Zhou household to “perform.”
When Qin Baozhu woke up and went downstairs, she saw Zhou Jingrui and Jiang Zhi at the doorway, both sticking their butts out as they fixed a snowman.
Lately the weather had warmed, and most of the snow had melted. The snowman she and Jingrui had built earlier was now missing limbs.
So the two of them were trying to patch up the half-melted snowman.
As she walked closer, she could hear Jingrui chattering.
“This piece of snow has to go here, or it won’t look like the one my mom made.”
“We’re out of potatoes. Go find two sweet potatoes.”
…
Jiang Zhi dusted off her hands and stood up to go to the kitchen to find sweet potatoes. She turned around—and saw Qin Baozhu leaning lazily against the door frame with her arms crossed, looking at them.
Jiang Zhi sucked in a breath.
She had to admit, Qin Baozhu was raised well by Zhou Fuguang.
Wrapped in a white fox-fur coat, her long wavy hair cascading lazily over the fur, her ink-black eyes bright and clear under the reflection of snowlight, her lips crimson—at first glance she looked even more seductive and exquisite than the actresses on movie posters.
Even when she was muddleheaded and silly, Jiang Zhi had always found her stunning. Now that Qin Baozhu had recovered, her demeanor and expression were completely different from before—more refined, more distant.
Her upturned cat-like eyes had a natural sense of arrogance and spoiled confidence that made Jiang Zhi instinctively resentful and annoyed.
“Hmph.”
As she walked past Qin Baozhu, Jiang Zhi deliberately let out a heavy huff.
She really didn’t know what Brother Zhou saw in her.
Other than her looks, she wasn’t even comparable to Teacher Liang Xiyue.
“?”
A giant question mark popped up in Qin Baozhu’s mind.
What now?
What is she mad about this time?
She didn’t think she’d done anything today.
Qin Baozhu rubbed her chin. She felt that all the women Zhou Fuguang knew were inexplicably strange.
“Mama!”
Zhou Jingrui called her.
Qin Baozhu walked over, and Jingrui’s cold little hands grabbed hers.
“Our big snowman is melting.”
Qin Baozhu looked at the ugly little snowman, thought for a moment, and comforted him: “Then next winter we’ll build another one.”
She said it casually.
But Jingrui became happy.
Next year.
They’d build one next year.
With his mom.
Zhou Jingrui had finished his homework, so he had nothing to do.
Zhou Fuguang didn’t allow him to watch too much TV.
After Qin Baozhu woke up, she watched a bit of a drama but lost interest.
With Jiang Zhi around, Aunt Feng went home for a while.
The three of them sat at the doorway, bored out of their minds.
Jiang Zhi had nothing in common to talk about with a child, and even less to talk about with Qin Baozhu.
She started missing her boyfriend.
But she was here to look after the child today.
If she went off to meet Deng Yuan and left Jingrui at home with Qin Baozhu—and if Jiang Canran heard about it—she’d probably be sent to the chicken farm tomorrow.
Jiang Zhi turned toward Jingrui. “Ruirui, how about we go to the town convenience store and buy some bubble gum?”
Jingrui had long grown tired of staying home. Hearing they were going to buy snacks, he looked up at Qin Baozhu with sparkling eyes. “Mama, let’s go walk around town!”
Qin Baozhu also wanted to get familiar with Dejing Town. Normally Aunt Feng guarded her like a thief and didn’t allow her to go out alone.
So Qin Baozhu asked Jiang Zhi, “Do you have money? I only have fifty cents.”
Jiang Zhi rummaged through her pocket and pulled out five yuan.
In a small town like this, junk food cost only a few cents per pack.
Five yuan was a fortune.
Qin Baozhu’s eyes lit up.
Damn.
Stingy Zhou Fuguang. He gave her so little spending money that she couldn’t even afford to treat Jingrui to a bowl of noodles.
Qin Baozhu stood up, hands in her pockets. “Let’s go. You’re treating.”
Jiang Zhi didn’t really believe Qin Baozhu only had fifty cents.
After closing the door, she asked, “Brother Zhou didn’t give you household money? You’re not lying to me, right?”
Qin Baozhu stretched lazily, shot her a sideways glance, and said blandly, “If I’m not lying, will you give me your five yuan?”
Jiang Zhi still didn’t believe her.
She didn’t know exactly how much Zhou Fuguang and Jiang Canran had earned from the factory these years, but the Jiang family’s life had drastically changed within six years.
Zhou Fuguang wasn’t just good at making money—he was generous. During holidays, he gave factory workers bonuses and gifts.
He paid far more than the factories in nearby towns.
How could such a generous Brother Zhou possibly shortchange Qin Baozhu’s allowance?
Suspicious, Jiang Zhi asked, “What if you’re lying to me?”
“If I’m lying, I’ll give you all of my allowance. If I’m not lying, then you give me the five yuan.”
Jiang Zhi: … Why does it feel like she really wants my five yuan?
Qin Baozhu called Jingrui over.
“Ruirui.”
Jingrui bounced over happily.
“Mama! What is it?”
Qin Baozhu said, “Tell her how much pocket money your dad gives me every day.”
Jingrui looked embarrassed and whispered to Jiang Zhi, “Mama’s pocket money is fifty cents a day. Same as mine!”
Jiang Zhi: “…”
Qin Baozhu won the bet and was delighted. She held out her hand at Jiang Zhi. “Give me the money!”
Jiang Zhi handed it over and watched Qin Baozhu tuck the money into her pocket like precious treasure.
Like a little money grubber.
Jiang Zhi was at a loss for words.