Zhou Chenglei closed the door to the room directly.
He turned to look at Jiang Xia and cautiously probed, "Don't take what your sister-in-law said to heart. We're not divorced yet, this is your home."
Tian Caihua's words were harsh, but Jiang Xia wasn't really affected by them. What was she anyway?
Besides, Zhou Chenglei had immediately spoken up for her, so she didn't care at all. She didn't even need to say what she originally wanted to say to Tian Caihua, because Zhou Chenglei had spoken for her.
But now that Zhou Chenglei was saying this, Jiang Xia suddenly felt a little wronged for some reason.
She said calmly, "It's okay, I won't take it to heart. What your sister-in-law said is true. Back then, you didn't want to divorce me. I was indeed staying at your house, I..."
Suddenly realizing that her words were a bit emotional, Jiang Xia immediately stopped, "I'll move out as soon as possible. Thank you for your help during this time. I'm going to take a shower now."
Jiang Xia lowered her head, walked past him, and left.
Zhou Chenglei grabbed her and pulled her slightly.
Jiang Xia's back slammed against the wall, jolting slightly but not painfully.
Before she could react, Zhou Chenglei's body pressed down on her.
Jiang Xia's heart skipped a beat.
Zhou Chenglei's hands braced on either side of her, trapping her between him and the wall.
He looked down at her: "Jiang Xia, I was wrong."
Jiang Xia was completely trapped by him, her nostrils filled with the crisp ocean scent of his body and the fragrance of soap emanating from his sleeves. Her heart pounded, but she still looked up, trying to remain calm, and said, "Let me go first."
Zhou Chenglei looked at her, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly: "No. I won't let go for the rest of my life."
He had decided he would never let go!
He was determined to have her!
Jiang Xia's heart trembled, looking at him in disbelief.
Zhou Chenglei stared intently into her eyes, not missing a single emotion, and solemnly said, "Jiang Xia, can we not get a divorce?"
Their gazes met for a moment. Jiang Xia had never been in love before; she only knew her heart was racing, her mind went blank for a instant, and she was at a loss.
Zhou Chenglei straightened up, pulled her into his arms, buried his head in her neck, and murmured, "I'm sorry, I was wrong. Let's not get a divorce, okay?"
Jiang Xia hadn't recovered yet.
Zhou Chenglei's palms were sweating as he waited: "Say something, but you can't refuse!"
Jiang Xia snapped out of her daze, laughed angrily, and was about to say something when Zhou Zhou knocked on the door from outside: "Uncle, Uncle! Grandpa wants you to go and bring the bamboo back. Uncle..."
"Damn it!" Zhou Chenglei couldn't help but curse.
He was interrupted again!
"Pfft!" Jiang Xia couldn't help but laugh. Afraid that Zhou Zhou would get anxious, she pushed Zhou Chenglei away, "Go open the door quickly."
Zhou Chenglei pulled her back into his arms, holding her waist tightly and pressing his forehead against hers, their bodies pressed close together. "You have to promise me first."
His body was burning hot, and Jiang Xia's heart was pounding. "Open the door first!"
"Uncle, are you in there? Uncle, Aunt, Aunt, is Uncle in there?"
Jiang Xia quickly turned around and answered, "Yes, coming!"
She pushed him away forcefully and ran to open the door herself. "Coming, your uncle will go right now."
Jiang Xia turned back and gestured for Zhou Chenglei to hurry up and leave.
Otherwise, the people in the yard might hear them and think they were hiding in the room doing something!
Zhou Chenglei glanced at her flushed face and reluctantly walked out.
All he wanted was to keep his wife, why was it so difficult?
"Whatever," Jiang Xia didn't refuse, so it was taken as an agreement!
Zhou Zhou watched her uncle walk away with a dark face and felt a little scared.
She was naturally sensitive, and just sensing that her uncle's mood was off, she subconsciously took a few steps back, then timidly looked at Jiang Xia's face, afraid that she had done something wrong and upset her uncle and aunt.
Her aunt's face was so red, was she angry?
Her face would turn red when she went crazy before, how scary!
Jiang Xia stepped forward, patted Zhou Zhou's head, and smiled, "Zhou Zhou is so good, did Grandpa tell you to come back and tell your uncle? Your uncle was in a hurry to go out and bring the bamboo back, afraid that Grandpa would be waiting too long, after all, the sun is about to set."
Seeing the smile on Jiang Xia's face, Zhou Zhou felt a little relieved.
Jiang Xia picked up Zhou Zhou directly: "Tomorrow, your aunt and uncle are going to the city. What does Zhou Zhou want? Your aunt will buy it for you."
Zhou Zhou was completely relieved. Her aunt was still so gentle. She quickly shook her head: "I don't want anything. Aunt doesn't need to buy it for me."
Jiang Xia sighed, "Oh, is that so? If you don't say, then your aunt will just pick what she likes to buy. But I'm afraid you won't like it when I buy it."
Zhou Zhou panicked when she heard this, "I don't dislike anything. I like everything Aunt buys."
Jiang Xia smiled: "Okay, then I'll pick what I like to buy for you."
Zhou Zhou: "..."
Something seems off?
*
On the other side, Zhou Chengxin caught up with Tian Caihua: "What's wrong with you again? Why did you suddenly come home?"
Tian Caihua angrily said, "You treat people like younger brothers and sisters-in-law, running over to help them kill fish after dinner. Did they treat you like an older brother or me like an older sister-in-law? All I did was let slip that those two conches had pearls inside, and I don't know that shameless family actually had the nerve to come and ask for them back! Jiang Xia scolded me... and your good fourth brother also said something about me..."
Tian Caihua rattled off the whole story: "What kind of attitude are Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei showing? They said I didn't respect Jiang Xia. Do they even respect me as their older sister-in-law?"
Zhou Chengxin retorted irritably. He said, "I told you to apologize to Jiang Xia a long time ago, but you wouldn't go! She wasn't wrong about you; you really shouldn't have revealed your family's affairs. I've told you many times."
Tian Caihua became even angrier upon hearing this: "What did I say? That's a good thing, what kind of secret is that! I didn't reveal their dirty secrets. I didn't even tell anyone that they were planning to divorce! Who does Jiang Xia think she is? If it weren't for your fourth brother's household registration not being transferred back yet, they would have divorced long ago! How dare she lecture me! Once Zhou Chenglei's household registration is transferred back, they will divorce, and she won't even be considered Zhou's daughter-in-law! How dare she lecture me! She's giving her face! Even if they don't divorce, I'm still her sister-in-law!"
Zhou Chengxin also got angry: "What business is it of yours whether other people divorce or not? Why do you care so much?"
"Fine, I don't care about that! Whether they get divorced or not is none of my business! But do you know what? Your dad even gave Jiang Xia a share of the profits when he went to sea! That's too good for her! Next time your dad goes to sea, we'll go with him, and we'll get half the money too! You're your dad's son too, Jiang Xia can go with him, and so can we! Your fourth brother is stupid, taking a woman who's about to get divorced with him on a sea voyage, letting her hold onto all the money, and treating her so well! If it were me, I would have kicked her out long ago, why am I supporting her for nothing!"
"Enough! Shut up!" Zhou Chengxin roared, unable to stand her any longer, and strode past her to go home.
Tian Caihua saw that he was really angry, so she didn't say anything more and hurried home.
Wen Wan was extremely surprised, but couldn't help feeling a little excited.
It turned out that Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia weren't against divorce, but Zhou Chenglei's household registration hadn't been transferred back yet, so they weren't divorced yet.
She knew her dream was right, Zhou Chenglei would be her husband in the future.
But, Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia were about to get divorced, and he only took her on a sea voyage, and even gave her a share of the profits?
Was Zhou Chenglei being too good to her?
Wen Wan thought about Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei's current relationship and couldn't help but feel a sense of crisis.
They didn't seem like a couple on the verge of divorce at all; on the contrary, their relationship seemed to be getting better!
Wen Wan knew that people can easily develop feelings for each other after spending a long time together, especially men and women, and Jiang Xia was so beautiful.
No, Jiang Xia's husband was that abusive Wu Qizhi; she should go back to that abusive man.
She had to get everything back on track.
After Jiang Xia comforted Zhou Zhou, she told her to go take a bath while she continued to help salt the fish.
In autumn, they could be lightly sun-dried, but in summer, it was better to salt them before drying.
Fortunately, the sun and wind were strong these past two days. Hanging them up at night to let the skin dry, and then placing them on the hot roof tiles during the day, should dry them in a day or two. If not, another day would definitely make them dry.
A dozen or so people were still busy hanging the fish up one by one until nine o'clock at night.
Rows and rows of bamboo poles were laden with fish, a truly spectacular sight.
Jiang Xia was spreading newspaper on the ground to catch the salty blood dripping from the fish when Zhou Chenglei stopped her with a stone to prevent it from being blown away by the wind.
He said to Jiang Xia, "Almost done. I'll take care of the rest. You go take a bath first. Don't you need to wash your hair?"
Jiang Xia was very clean and washed her hair almost every day.
Hearing this, Zhou's mother said, "Yes, you should all go take a shower. We're going out to sea tomorrow!"
Zhou Chenglei replied, "We're not going out to sea tomorrow. My older brother and I have switched places. Jiang Xia and I are going to the city."
Wen Wan glanced at Zhou Chenglei upon hearing this. They were
going to the city? What for? Had their household registration been transferred back? Wen Wan couldn't help but speculate, her gaze suddenly falling on a circled area in the newspaper.
She paused, startled.
Zhou's mother said, "Then hurry up and take a shower too. You've all been busy all day. Xia, go take a shower quickly! Dry your hair before you sleep, otherwise you'll get headaches when you get old."
"Okay," Jiang Xia replied, and she and Zhou Chenglei laid out the floor. Since they had hired someone and Zhou's mother was watching over things, she didn't have to worry about the rest of the work. She went to wash her hair and take a shower.
Zhou Chenglei poured water for Jiang Xia: "I'll help you wash your hair."
This way, she wouldn't be so tired lying down.
Jiang Xia glanced at the group of strangers in the yard and directly refused: "No need. Go get the money to pay Mom's wages."
Zhou Chenglei had no choice but to go back to his room to get the money.
Wen Wan had been observing Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia, thinking Zhou Chenglei was a truly good husband and his mother a wonderful mother-in-law—they really couldn't miss out.
In this day and age, it was so hard to find such a good man.
Jiang Xia finished washing her hair and showering, then went back to her room; the fishy smell in the yard was too strong.
She sat at her desk, fanning herself with a large palm-leaf fan while drying her hair, intending to wait until it was dry before going to bed.
But she was truly exhausted today, having gotten up at four in the morning and worked until nine at night. By the time she finished washing her hair and showering, it was already ten. Jiang Xia, fanning herself, couldn't help but lean on the desk to rest, wanting to wait for her hair to dry before going to bed.
When Zhou Chenglei finished his work and showered, he found her asleep on the desk.
He touched her hair; it was dry. He carefully took the palm-leaf fan from her hand, placed it on the desk, and then gently lifted her up in his arms.
Jiang Xia is a deep sleeper. Because she worked many jobs in her past life and slept very little, she always falls into a deep sleep. However, being lifted up like this woke her, but she only glanced at Zhou Chenglei before closing her eyes and falling back asleep.
Zhou Chenglei walked to the bedside, knelt on one knee, and carefully placed her on the inside of the bed, but a little distance from the edge of the mosquito net.
Just as Zhou Chenglei was about to step back to get a palm-leaf fan, he noticed several mosquito bites on her fair arms and ankles, and even one on her face. Her fair skin made the bites particularly noticeable.
She hadn't woken up despite being bitten like that; she must be exhausted!
He felt a pang of indescribable emotion.
He got out of bed, took a box of Tiger Balm from the drawer, and applied it to her.
He also applied Tiger Balm to the wound on her knee; it was almost scabbed over, so he didn't need to use any other ointment.
After applying the Tiger Balm, Zhou Chenglei turned off the light and lay back down on the bed.
In the dim light, he turned to look at the woman beside him, and before he knew it, he couldn't resist lowering his head to gently kiss her forehead.
Jiang Xia unconsciously scratched her forehead, then rolled over, draping her arms and legs over Zhou Chenglei, and fell into a deep sleep.
Zhou Chenglei took her hand in his, thinking to himself: the countryside is not as good as the city; the lives of fishermen are risky and arduous.
But for her, he couldn't bear to let go.
He thought a lot that night, and it took him a long time to fall asleep.
This was only the second night in twenty-nine years, after discovering he was deaf in his right ear, that he had thought so much.
The next day, before dawn, Jiang Xia woke up. Zhou Chenglei was no longer in the room; whenever he wasn't at sea, he would always be running.
When Jiang Xia left the room, Zhou's mother had already cooked porridge.
Zhou's mother's breakfast was the same as always: sweet potato porridge. Today, however, there were a few tender ears of corn and two boiled eggs.
She said to Jiang Xia, "Take these ears of corn and two eggs with you when you go to the city today. I also filled two water bottles; is that enough?"
Jiang Xia smiled and replied, "Yes, that's enough."
Zhou's mother then instructed, "Remember to hide your money well. The bus is crowded; we don't know if there are pickpockets."
"Okay,"
Zhou's mother muttered, "When you're on the bus, keep an eye on things. If there's a seat, sit down; don't give it up, or you'll be stuck with nowhere to stand halfway through. Go brush your teeth, wash your face, and eat breakfast. After you finish, head out the door. Why isn't A-Lei back from his run yet? Doesn't he know he's going on a long trip today? He'll miss the bus if he's late."
As soon as Zhou's mother finished speaking, Zhou Chenglei ran into the house, covered in sweat.
Zhou's mother glanced at him and said irritably, "Hurry up and take a shower and eat breakfast. You're taking longer and longer to run these days. Have you been getting up an hour earlier than usual to run these past two days? Do you have so much energy you don't know what to do with it?"
Zhou Chenglei ignored his mother's nagging, brushed his teeth to calm down, and then filled two buckets with water to take a shower.
After breakfast, Zhou Chenglei brought out his old bicycle from the storage room.
Jiang Xia was carrying a basket to pack things.
When she saw Zhou Chenglei bringing out the bicycle, she asked in surprise, "Going by bicycle?"
She wanted to ask if it was close to the city by land, but the original owner had been there before, so she didn't ask.
"Yes. The production team's tractor is not available today," Zhou Chenglei replied.
As for taking the car, the last time he took her to the city by car, it was summer, and the car was crowded and smelly; she couldn't stand it and threw up.
He also had a little trick up his sleeve: going by bicycle meant it would just be the two of them, and no one would bother them.
"Then I'll bring out the other bicycle too." Jiang Xia's dowry included two bicycles.
Of course, one of the bicycles was part of Zhou Chenglei's dowry, but Jiang's parents didn't keep any. Instead, they bought another one for women, giving it all to the couple.
"No need, you can sit at the back of my bike."
Zhou Chenglei pushed the bicycle out of the yard, straddled it, one foot on the pedal, the other on the ground. Standing
nearly 1.9 meters tall, he could easily handle this bicycle, which was difficult for most people to ride.
It was quite a distance to the city; it was over 30 kilometers to the outskirts, and several kilometers to the city center.
The round trip would be 60 or 70 kilometers, which she definitely couldn't manage.
Zhou's mother also felt that taking a car was unsafe and prone to theft: "Riding a bicycle is better; you don't have to squeeze onto a bus, and it's more convenient."
There were no buses from the village to the city; you had to walk to the town to catch a ride, and there were only two buses in total, one in the morning and one at noon.
At this time, there was no concept of overloading; every bus was packed with people, and even those who couldn't squeeze in were forced to.
This gave the opportunist a chance. Zhou's mother had tried taking a bus once, and all the money in her pocket disappeared!
She was so heartbroken that she couldn't sleep for several nights.
From then on, she had a phobia of taking buses and would avoid going to the city unless absolutely necessary.
Zhou Chenglei said to Jiang Xia, "Get on!"
Luckily, she wasn't wearing a skirt today, and Jiang Xia jumped on easily.
Zhou's mother reminded her, "Be careful on the road, and get home early."
After Jiang Xia was seated, Zhou Chenglei pedaled hard, and the bicycle started moving.
Zhou Chenglei was a good rider; even though the village roads were full of potholes, the bicycle was relatively stable.
Moreover, Zhou Chenglei had tied a piece of wood to the rear rack of the bicycle the night before so that Jiang Xia wouldn't feel so uncomfortable sitting on it.
However, the road conditions were really bad, especially after the heavy rain; the whole road was full of potholes, and even with good riding skills, it would be bumpy.
If she fell off, it wouldn't matter if she got hurt, but she would definitely get her clothes and shoes dirty.
Jiang Xia's hands wrapped around someone's waist.
Zhou Chenglei's heart skipped a beat.
Zhou Chenglei couldn't help but glance down at the slender, snow-white arm wrapped around his waist: whiter than his white shirt.
The bicycle suddenly wobbled, and the arm around his waist tightened.
Jiang Xia, startled, instinctively clung tightly to his strong waist: "Watch where you're going!"
Zhou Chenglei quickly averted his gaze, steadied the bicycle, and dared not look around again, though he couldn't help but smile like a fool, pedaling furiously.
The dirt road was bumpy and uneven, the bicycle swaying left and right, Jiang Xia holding on tightly.
Upon reaching the town and onto the road to the city, the bicycle became much smoother, no longer bumpy, and Jiang Xia was much more comfortable. Just as she was about to let go, her arm was grasped by a warm, large hand.
Zhou Chenglei glanced around; there were no cars or other people ahead.
He slowed down, riding with one hand and gripping the hand on his waist with the other, softly calling, "Jiang Xia."
Jiang Xia's heart trembled slightly. She forced herself to calm down and responded softly, "Hmm?"
Her voice was so soft that Zhou Chenglei seemed to hear her reply, yet also seemed not to. But she didn't pull her hand away, which reassured him a little. He unconsciously tightened his grip on the handlebars. "We won't get a divorce."
Jiang Xia's hand was sore from his grip.
She instinctively tried to pull away: "It hurts!"
"Sorry." Zhou Chenglei quickly let go. Just as Jiang Xia was about to pull away, he quickly grabbed her hand again. "Is it okay?"
Jiang Xia asked, "Why?"
Then she heard his deep, magnetic, and charming voice reply, "I like you, I can't bear to part with you. What about you?" Did
she
like him?
Who wouldn't fall for a warm man like Zhou Chenglei after spending time with him? Jiang Xia thought to herself.
Jiang Xia couldn't deny the joy and flutter in her heart when she heard him say he wouldn't get a divorce yesterday.
Zhou Chenglei gripped the bicycle handlebars tightly, sweat beading on his forehead and palms, but she remained silent for a long time.
Zhou Chenglei regretted asking her if she liked him earlier, and quickly pressed on, "Jiang Xia, let's not get a divorce, okay?"
Jiang Xia didn't answer, but her other hand encircled his waist, her head resting against his straight back, and she nodded gently.
She had never been in love, but she knew what it felt like to be in love, and she was willing to follow her heart.
Zhou Chenglei slammed on the brakes, his feet firmly on the ground, stabilizing the bicycle.
Due to inertia, Jiang Xia's body lurched forward, but he grabbed her shoulders and pulled her up.
Zhou Chenglei turned around and pulled her into his arms, his voice soft but solemn: "Thank you!"
As long as she didn't leave, he would never abandon her.
Jiang Xia was held tightly in his arms, their hearts close together. She could feel his heart pounding strongly, reassuring yet thrilling.
She reached out and hugged him back.
Receiving a response, Zhou Chenglei tightened his arms around her!
"Beep beep..." A car approached from the other end of the road.
Jiang Xia was startled by the car horn and was about to push him away when Zhou Chenglei reached out and pulled her head into his arms: "Don't move, there's dust."
Jiang Xia didn't move, burying her face in his chest, afraid to look up.
She felt the car pass by them, felt her face burning, and felt a flutter in her heart.
Wen Wan, sitting in the car, was almost squeezed into a meat pie, but she still saw the two people embracing by the roadside!
She recognized them immediately—Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia!
She was shocked and angry; how could they be embracing?
The car swerved past them, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Once the dust settled, Zhou Chenglei released her and smiled, "We're off too."
Jiang Xia blushed, but she nodded calmly and sat back on the bicycle.
Zhou Chenglei couldn't stop smiling: "Hold on tight, I'm going to ride."
Jiang Xia reached out and hugged his waist.
Zhou Chenglei pedaled, and the bicycle started moving.
He released one hand, riding with one hand, and held her small hand on his waist with the other, their fingers intertwined, arms pressed together.
He carried her through fields, over mountains, and past villages.
The morning breeze blew in their faces; he could feel the warmth of her hand, and she could smell his fresh scent.
Neither of them spoke, yet they didn't feel bored.
The journey was longer than Jiang Xia had imagined, and they still hadn't arrived when the sun grew stronger.
Jiang Xia put on her straw hat and arm sleeves, taking excellent precautions against the sun.
Along the way, she admired the wide fields, the vast blue sky, the rolling mountains, the boundless sea, and his tall, straight back.
The two set off around 6 a.m., and Zhou Chenglei didn't dare to ride too fast.
Many of the roads to the city were mountainous, with uphill and downhill sections, especially uphill, making it quite strenuous.
But he seemed tireless, pedaling against the sun, carrying her all the way.
Jiang Xia admired Zhou Chenglei's stamina and understood why he hadn't let her ride with him.
They had been riding for over two hours and still hadn't arrived, but they should be close, as Jiang Xia saw a shipyard.
She tugged at Zhou Chenglei's clothes and asked, "Is this a shipyard?"
Zhou Chenglei was also looking at the shipyard; he had some savings and wanted to buy a ship, so he replied, "Yes."
Jiang Xia thought of the setting in the book: ship prices would start to rise at the end of the year, and rise rapidly, becoming more expensive year after year.
In the book, Zhou Chenglei's shipping business was very successful; he had made a lot of money before the price increase and had ordered two ships, which everyone thought was extremely lucky.
But when he bought the boat, the price had already increased by over a thousand, and that wasn't even a huge increase. After all, the price increases by several hundred every year, and even faster in a few years. In modern times, it's really not enough to buy a slightly larger fishing boat for going out to sea for ten thousand or a few thousand.
Jiang Xia asked, "How much does a boat cost now?"
Zhou Chenglei replied, "It depends on the size and configuration. Like the one at home, my dad bought it for the production team, it was secondhand, and it's been used for several years, and it still cost three thousand. The original price should have been six or seven thousand. Now it's probably even more expensive, maybe eight thousand or more. Boats are getting more expensive every year."
Jiang Xia asked again, "Do you want to buy another boat?"
Zhou Chenglei honestly replied, "I'm planning to."
He wanted to give her a better life as soon as possible. He originally wanted to wait until he had more money to buy a larger boat for going out to sea, but now he wanted to buy a smaller one first, so he could earn a little more every day.
Jiang Xia knew he was wealthy because he never hid his money from her: "Now that the reform and opening up has begun, ship prices should rise rapidly. If we have the money, I think we should buy one as soon as possible, or at least place an order. We should be able to pay the deposit, right? Let's go back and see how much money we have in total. Let's see if it's enough to buy a ship. I should have sold those two pearls too; they should be worth something."
Zhou Chenglei squeezed her hand, a smile spreading across his face: "No need. I still have some savings; the deposit should be enough."
"How about we go to the shipyard this afternoon? We swapped with my brother today, so we'll be at sea for the next three days, right?"
"Okay, whatever you say." Zhou Chenglei's lips curled slightly. He enjoyed discussing the future with her, and her views were very much in line with his own.
Another half hour passed, and they finally arrived in the city. It had taken more than three hours, and it was already past ten o'clock!
In the city, rows of buildings could be seen on both sides of the road, mostly three or four stories high, with some six or seven stories.
The city was much livelier than the town; people could be seen riding bicycles everywhere, and cars were also on the road.
Zhou Chenglei rode his bicycle into the military hospital.
Jiang Xia panicked when she saw that Zhou Chenglei had brought her to the hospital: "Are you feeling unwell?"
If you're not feeling well, why did you ride your bicycle for dozens of miles with her on the back?
"No, I brought you to get checked out. Don't you have cramps during your period?"
Jiang Xia: "..."
She never expected that he had brought her here to regulate her period.
"Menstrual cramps during puberty are generally hard to regulate." She had seen doctors in her previous life, but it only provided slight relief, and she would still be in excruciating pain if she wasn't careful. This body was much better now.
"Dr. Gao's medical skills are excellent." Zhou Chenglei stopped his bicycle.
"Oh." Jiang Xia jumped off the bike, but the moment her foot touched the ground, a piercing pain shot through her, and she almost fell.
Zhou Chenglei stretched out his long arm and caught her, pulling her into his embrace to steady her: "Be careful, don't rush to get off."
"My legs are numb." Jiang Xia leaned against him for a moment before regaining her balance.
Sometimes, after riding a bicycle for a long time, the soles of one's feet would feel numb when jumping off, probably due to poor blood circulation.
Zhou Chenglei quickly steadied the bicycle and squatted down to massage her legs.
Passersby couldn't help but stare at them.
Fortunately, the military hospital wasn't as crowded as other hospitals, but Jiang Xia still blushed: "It's alright, the numbness is gone."
In this era, couples and spouses were quite conservative; she had just noticed that couples walking on the street weren't even holding hands.
Zhou Chenglei massaged her for a while longer before standing up: "Let's go!"
As they walked, Zhou Chenglei introduced Dr. Gao to her.
The two arrived at the head of the obstetrics and gynecology department's office and knocked on the open door: "Dr. Gao."
Gao Jie heard the knock, looked up, and smiled when she saw the two of them. She gave Jiang Xia a friendly look, "Xiaxia is getting more and more beautiful!"
Gao Jie had seen Jiang Xia when she was little.
Jiang Xia smiled and called out, "Dr. Gao."
"Why are you being so formal? You used to call me Aunt Gao when we were little! Come, come in and sit down."
Jiang Xia immediately changed her address: "Aunt Gao."
Zhou Chenglei gave Jiang Xia a light hug, led her inside, and pulled out a wooden chair for her.
Jiang Xia sat down.
Gao Jie: "How many days has your period lasted? Is it completely over? Put your hand on the pulse pillow, let me take your pulse."
Jiang Xia put her hand on the pulse pillow: "It ended yesterday, it's been three days."
Zhou Chenglei: "Isn't that too short?"
He didn't know, but he remembered that female soldiers' periods were usually longer than three days.
"Three to seven days is within the normal range."
Gao Jie took Jiang Xia's pulse on both hands: "Your qi and blood are a little insufficient, and you have a slight cold uterus, it's very mild, it's okay, just eat less cold food. It's probably because your vagina is too narrow, so your menstrual flow isn't smooth enough, it will be better after you give birth."
After saying that, she looked up at Zhou Chenglei and joked: "Your body is good, you'll get pregnant easily, you can have a baby whenever you want. If you don't want one for now, don't forget to use the things I gave you a few days ago, especially since ovulation is in a few days, it's very easy to get pregnant."
Things I gave you a few days ago? Jiang Xia's comprehension was not bad, she guessed what it was, and couldn't help but blush, she stared at Zhou Chenglei.
Zhou Chenglei's face turned red.
Seeing Zhou Chenglei blush, Gao Jie couldn't help but tease, "Although the experience of using that stuff isn't that great, it's better than taking medicine. Taking medicine is bad for your health."
Zhou Chenglei: "..."
Dr. Gao, please stop talking!
Why are you so talkative?
Jiang Xiaying's fair face also turned as red as an apple.
Dr. Gao finally stopped teasing the young couple and stood up: "It just so happens that the sanitary napkins you asked me to order this morning arrived. I was wondering whether to take them home or not."
Gao Jie walked into the changing room.
Only the couple remained in the office, and it felt inexplicably awkward.
Zhou Chenglei couldn't help but glance at Jiang Xia, afraid she would be unhappy.
Jiang Xia coughed and asked Zhou Chenglei in a low voice, "Did you buy the sanitary napkins from Dr. Gao last time?"
Zhou Chenglei breathed a sigh of relief and replied softly, "Yes."
Jiang Xia understood; he probably searched all the shops in town and city but couldn't find them, so he had no choice but to come here.
Otherwise, who would ask a doctor to buy sanitary napkins?
Gao Jie came out carrying a medium-sized red, white, and blue plastic bag.
Jiang Xia exclaimed in surprise, "All sanitary napkins?"
"Yes, you can't buy these in our city; they're all imported, as you know. So I made sure it was a year's supply, and A-Lei asked me to order a year's supply for you too. This big bag of yours was only available because I had a friend in Beijing give it to me first."
Jiang Xia genuinely didn't know and hurriedly said, "Thank you, Aunt Gao, you've gone to so much trouble!"
Gao Jie waved her hand, "Don't mention it. It's just a matter of making a phone call to ask someone for help. It's not like you can't buy them if you want to."
Jiang Xia: "..."
She really couldn't buy them now.
Gao Jie added, "If only our country had factories producing sanitary napkins! But they're incredibly expensive, and with our country's living standards still not high, many women can't afford them. It'll probably be difficult, but they are definitely much more convenient."
Jiang Xia smiled and replied, "Imported ones are expensive, but domestically produced ones aren't so expensive. Now that we've reformed and opened up, under the leadership of the Party, our country will become increasingly prosperous and strong, and people's lives will definitely get better and better. Maybe every woman will be able to afford them in the future. Who knows, maybe the future golden age will be beyond our imagination."
Zhou Chenglei seemed thoughtful upon hearing this.
Gao Jie laughed, "Haha, yes, that's for sure, things will definitely get better and better!"
At this moment, a nurse rushed in: "Director Gao, a woman in labor is experiencing severe hemorrhage."
Gao Jie's expression changed, and she quickly stood up: "Please make yourselves at home."
With that, she grabbed her stethoscope and hurried out!
Zhou Chenglei picked up the red, white, and blue bags from the ground: "Let's go!"
Jiang Xia asked, "Did you pay? Should we give them to the nurses here so they can pass them on to Dr. Gao?"
Zhou Chenglei: "I paid last time."
"How much?"
"Not much."
Jiang Xia didn't ask any further. Even if it was expensive, she still needed it; those toilet paper packets would break!
After leaving the hospital, Zhou Chenglei took Jiang Xia to eat. He originally wanted to take her to a newly opened restaurant, but Jiang Xia insisted on eating at a state-run restaurant, so he let her have her way.
Jiang Xia finally got to taste the food and service of a state-run restaurant from her novel. The food was good, the service was good, and the portions were much larger than in modern times. The two ordered three dishes, spending less than five yuan in total. Zhou Chenglei usually eats four bowls of rice, but to finish the food, he only ate two.
After leaving the state-run restaurant, Zhou Chenglei asked Jiang Xia, "Is there anywhere you want to go?"
He couldn't visit his parents-in-law today; he'd forgotten it wasn't Sunday, and they both had to work.
Jiang Xia: "To the Municipal Daily Press."
Zhou Chenglei remembered her mentioning looking for a job a few days ago, so she wanted to work at the municipal publishing house?
The city wasn't close to the village, but it didn't matter. As long as they weren't divorced, she could work wherever she liked. Going to sea with him was too tiring.
Anyway, there was a dock in the city; once he bought his own boat, he could go to sea directly from the city.
Zhou Chenglei rode his bicycle to take Jiang Xia to the municipal newspaper office and accompanied her inside.
Jiang Xia casually asked a staff member if they needed a temporary translator.
Unfortunately, Jiang Xia was a step too late. The person said, "We don't need one now. A lady who spoke English very well was hired by the director."
Jiang Xia was a little disappointed to be late, but it didn't matter much. She smiled and said, "Thank you."
"You're welcome."
Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei then went out.
At this moment, the director in charge of foreign language book publishing at the publishing house finished interviewing Wen Wan, and the two came out together.
The publishing house director, seeing Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia's retreating figures, curiously asked a colleague, "What brings those two comrades who just left to the newspaper office?"
Their backs were simply too beautiful; one was handsome and upright, the other graceful and elegant. Walking together, they looked like a scene from a movie.
A staff member overheard and said, "Which couple? The woman is here for an interview..."
Wen Wan casually chimed in, "Is she here for a translation job interview?"
The publishing house director looked at Wen Wan: "You know her?"
Wen Wan smiled: "Yes, I know her. She's from the next village. She failed the college entrance exam three times before getting married; she's very ambitious."
The publishing house director instantly lost interest. She said to Wen Wan, "Try to translate this foreign language book as soon as possible; we're in a hurry."
"Okay, Director Zhang, don't worry, I guarantee I'll submit the manuscript on time. I'll be going now, and I'll come back in three days."
Director Zhang ignored her and headed straight for the printing department.
On the street,
Zhou Chenglei, riding his bicycle, asked the person behind him, "Is there anywhere else you want to go?" Jiang Xia replied
, "To the department store."
Zhou Zhou's clothes were all hand-me-downs from the Guangzong Yaozu brothers; although the styles were unisex, they were all very old.
Jiang Xia wanted to buy her a few outfits for school.
Zhou Chenglei then rode his bicycle towards the department store. He hesitated for a moment and then asked, "Want to work at a newspaper?"
Zhou Chenglei had decided that if she really wanted to, he would try to arrange it for her, as long as the publishing house had vacancies.
Jiang Xia said, "No, I just want to do some part-time work translating foreign language books. We can't go to sea every day, and when we're not at sea, it's boring at home with nothing to do."
The boat is shared by two families, and sometimes typhoons delay them for a few days, so the days they can actually go to sea are actually not many.
Moreover, the waiting time while trawls the nets on the boat is long, so you can still do translation work.
"Part-time work?" Zhou Chenglei seemed to understand, but not quite.
Jiang Xia then explained.
Zhou Chenglei understood; it was like the women in the village weaving fishing nets or making handmade plastic flowers—earning extra money.
It was just that his wife's part-time job was a bit more sophisticated.
Zhou Chenglei thought of the large bookcase covering an entire wall in Jiang's father's study, filled with many foreign language books; he wasn't surprised that Jiang Xia knew foreign languages.
The two returned to the department store, and Jiang Xia stopped at a children's clothing store to pick out clothes for Zhou Zhou.
Seeing Zhou Zhou reminded Jiang Xia of herself as a child, so she especially wanted to be kind to her. Jiang Xia
lowered her head, carefully selecting clothes, picking them up one by one to compare, looking at the outside, the inside, even checking the pockets.
She looked beautiful and gentle from the side as she carefully chose clothes.
Zhou Chenglei thought that if they had children in the future, she would definitely be a very gentle mother.
He remembered that Jiang Xia hadn't brought many clothes, so he looked around and then saw a suit hanging not far away—a blue floral shirt and a white skirt.
Clean, simple, and youthful, Zhou Chenglei immediately thought it suited Jiang Xia perfectly, so he went over.
Jiang Xia was still carefully choosing clothes for Zhou Zhou, and after finishing the clothes, she went over to carefully choose shoes and a backpack.
Zhou Zhou's backpack was also hand-me-downs from her older brothers; it was dirty, old, and patched.
In the end, Jiang Xia bought Zhou Zhou three sets of clothes, including a skirt, a crossbody backpack, a pair of cloth shoes, and a pair of leather shoes.
Zhou Chenglei had already returned to his original spot carrying a red, white, and blue plastic bag, and Jiang Xia didn't notice anything amiss.
Zhou Chenglei took the things she bought and stuffed them into the red and white bag. "Is there anything else you want to buy?"
"Buy some clothes for your parents?"
Zhou Chenglei nodded. "Sure, buy some for your parents too. We can bring them some next time we go back to see them. Let's buy clothes first, and we can buy the rest next time. The bicycle can't carry that much stuff."
"Okay."
So the two of them went to buy clothes for both sets of parents.
Jiang Xia asked Zhou Chenglei for his parents' sizes because she wasn't sure.
Then Zhou Chenglei also bought two cans of milk powder. Jiang Xia didn't like malted milk powder; she only drank it once and then refused to drink it anymore. He gave it all to Zhou Zhou, who loved it.
Jiang Xia assumed he bought it for Zhou Zhou and didn't say anything.
After shopping, Jiang Xia glanced at her watch; it was already past two o'clock. Cycling back would take more than three hours, and they still needed to inquire at the shipyard. She said, "Let's go, let's go to the shipyard."
"Okay."
Zhou Chenglei stuffed all the things into the red, white, and blue bag, placed it on the basket on the handlebars of his bicycle, and rode Jiang Xia towards the shipyard.
The city's shipyard was built on a secluded, sheltered coastline. Although remote, the road to the shipyard was excellent, as the shipyard frequently needed to transport large parts or equipment, and the city had specially built a road leading to it.
This was also why Zhou Chenglei had been willing to take a longer route, several miles more, to make Jiang Xia more comfortable.
The entire city only had this one shipyard, and it was also the largest shipyard in the entire province.
Upon arriving outside the shipyard, several black cars were parked.
After Zhou Chenglei explained their purpose, the talkative gatekeeper reminded them, "We have some foreign guests at the factory today. See those two cars? Those are theirs. Those foreigners are too difficult to deal with. They complain about this and that, wanting the best things but unwilling to spend more money. The factory manager is at his wits' end and doesn't know how long it will take. He probably won't have time to receive you right now. You'd better come another day!"
Jiang Xia glanced at the two cars; they hadn't seen them when they passed by that morning. The two had no choice but to go back first and come back another time.
They got on their bicycles and left.
The afternoon sun was strong, and the concrete road was scorching hot. Jiang Xia sat on the back of the bicycle, feeling drowsy.
Zhou Chenglei was about to ask Jiang Xia if she wanted some water when Jiang Xia suddenly leaned her head against his back, and the hands that were wrapped around his waist loosened their grip.
Zhou Chenglei realized that the person behind him had fallen asleep!
Zhou Chenglei quickly grabbed her hands around his waist to prevent her from falling, not wanting to wake her.
She had been working so hard these past few days, accompanying him to the sea to fish from dawn till dusk every day. Before, she rode in a car; after marrying him, she rode a bicycle. On the day they moved, her hands were so delicate that even holding a hoe caused blisters; now they had calluses.
Zhou Chenglei held her hands, which were clasped together on his stomach, with one hand, and gripped the handlebars with the other, pedaling steadily forward.
The concrete road surface was steaming under the scorching sun, waves of heat rising up.
Zhou Chenglei was covered in sweat, but he didn't dare let go of Jiang Xia's hand to wipe it, afraid she would fall off the bicycle, nor could he bear to stop to wipe it, afraid of waking her.
Large drops of sweat flowed into Zhou Chenglei's eyes, but he simply blinked hard to avoid the salty taste.
A car passed by them. Wen Wan, sitting by the window, clearly saw Jiang Xia sleeping soundly against Zhou Chenglei's back. Zhou Chenglei was covered in sweat, and the sweat dripped into his eyes, stinging them until tears welled up, but he didn't want to wake the person behind him.
Wen Wan suddenly felt sorry for Zhou Chenglei!
She had just gone to see Wu Qizhi and learned that Jiang Xia and Wu Qizhi had exchanged letters, which she now had.
Jiang Xia had genuinely wanted a divorce before; her letters were full of disdain for the Zhou family, for Zhou Chenglei and his family, and for the countryside.
Now that Jiang Xia knew Zhou Chenglei was the future richest man, she wouldn't divorce him!
Why should someone like that receive such good treatment from a man as good as Zhou Chenglei?
She rolled down the car window, leaned out, and shouted, "Brother Zhou, Sister Jiang Xia, it really is you!"
Jiang Xia was woken up by the noise. She sat up groggily, momentarily stunned, and glanced back. "I think I heard someone call me?"
"No, you misheard." Zhou Chenglei squeezed her hand. "Go back to sleep, we're not there yet."
Wen Wan shouted again, "Brother Zhou, Jiang Xia seems to have fallen asleep! Be careful she doesn't fall out of the car!"
Zhou Chenglei's face darkened!
Jiang Xia instinctively peeked ahead and saw Wen Wan lean out of the car, waving at Zhou Chenglei.
Jiang Xia's first thought was that she was courting death!
Sure enough, the road was narrow, and a car appeared at the bend ahead. When two cars meet, the car veers to the side of the road.
Then Jiang Xia saw Wen Wan crash into a tree branch!
Jiang Xia: "..."
It looked painful! She
really was asking for trouble!
She probably didn't even scratch her face or hurt her eyes. Someone
in the car
warned Wen Wan about the tree branch ahead and told her to sit up straight.
But it was too late!
Wen Wan instinctively turned her head upon hearing this, but before she could even see clearly, a clump of green shadow rushed towards her!
She felt someone whip her face hard with a branch!
Her head throbbed, and then she was pulled back into the car.
The driver roared, "Hey, are you brainless? Sticking your head out of the window? Don't you know how dangerous that is?!"
Wen Wan's head was throbbing, and her face stung from the branch.
The car was moving, and one of the branches was quite thick; the blow was almost as severe as being whipped with a branch.
In short, she was in a lot of pain!
Wen Wan felt a cut on her forehead and hurriedly asked the person next to her, "Is my face scratched?"
She was afraid of being disfigured.
Wen Wan knew she was beautiful and cared a lot about her appearance.
The old woman next to Wen Wan said irritably, "Scratched!"
Serves her right!
If she hadn't been afraid Wen Wan would be pulled out of the car and die, she wouldn't have bothered to pull her back!
I've never seen such a petty person. The car was crowded, and with her two grandsons on either side, she only had a slightly larger space. If a grandson accidentally bumped into her, she'd glare and tell them to keep their distance and not to overtake her.
Wen Wan frowned upon hearing this.
Someone couldn't help but say, "It's just a scratch, what's the big deal? If that old lady hadn't pulled you back, you would have been pulled off the bus! Next time, don't stick your head out. Luckily, it was just a tree branch; if it had been a rock, you'd have lost your head!"
The driver continued cursing.
Wen Wan was worried. A scratch on her face wouldn't leave a scar, but a scar would be ugly, especially since
she wasn't as pretty as Jiang Xia.
Annoyed, she retorted, "You weren't paying attention to the road, were you? Why didn't you warn me? I'm injured, and you, as the driver, are also responsible!"
So everyone on the bus sided with the driver and started arguing with Wen Wan.
In the end, she was forced off the bus!
Two
cars passed by, one after the other, kicking up a cloud of dust. Jiang Xia quickly buried her face in Zhou Chenglei's back, closed her eyes, and mumbled, "This is so dusty!"
Zhou Chenglei's eyebrows curved into a smile. The road ahead was also filled with dust kicked up by cars, so he simply stopped, raising his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead. "Want some water?"
He was very thirsty; his voice was a little hoarse.
"Wait a minute, it's too dusty." Jiang Xia noticed that Zhou Chenglei's shirt was soaked through, including where her face had been pressed against his back, and her hands, his hands.
Where their arms had touched, there was sweat; Jiang Xia's sleeves were damp and sticky.
She herself was also covered in sweat, despite wearing sun protection.
As the dust settled, Jiang Xia wanted to jump out of the car.
Zhou Chenglei quickly turned around and gently grasped her arm, reminding her, "Don't jump, be careful your legs go numb."
Jiang Xia remembered, didn't jump, stretched out her legs, and tiptoed down.
Zhou Chenglei stretched out his long arm and put it around her waist to prevent her from falling.
"It's not numb," Jiang Xia replied.
"Hmm." Once Jiang Xia had regained her balance, he let go of her, picked up the water bottle, unscrewed it, and handed it to her so she could drink first.
Jiang Xia took it and noticed the bottle was full of water; he hadn't drunk any from it the whole way.
After riding a bicycle for so long and sweating so much, how could he not drink water? He could
easily get heatstroke!
"You drink first," Jiang Xia said, handing him a drink.
Zhou Chenglei casually wiped the sweat from his forehead and face with the back of his hand: "You drink first, I'm not thirsty."
Jiang Xia didn't believe him at all, and directly shoved the spout of the water bottle to his lips, "Drink up!"
This time Zhou Chenglei didn't refuse, took it, and drank directly from the spout, his eyebrows full of smiles.
Jiang Xia watched his sexy Adam's apple bob up and down, then looked away, adjusted her straw hat, and glanced at the roadside. She hadn't expected to fall asleep, and sleep so soundly at that.
They had already traveled almost halfway!
Normally, falling asleep on a bicycle would be restless, and even a slight sway would wake her up.
But she slept very soundly.
Was it because his back was broad and reliable, and because he had held her hand tightly the whole way, that she was able to sleep so soundly?
Zhou Chenglei didn't want to drink too much; they only had this one kettle of water left, and there was still a long way to go, at least an hour and a half to go. He took two or three sips and handed it to Jiang Xia: "I've had enough."
Jiang Xia took it and noticed he hadn't drunk much: "Drink some more."
"That's enough, you drink, I'm used to it." She had even gone two days and two nights without water during missions before.
Jiang Xia had no choice but to ignore him and started drinking from the kettle.
Zhou Chenglei watched her tilt her head back to drink, revealing her long, graceful neck, her slender, smooth hands holding the kettle, so white they seemed to glow, even her fingertips were beautiful. He couldn't help but swallow hard, then looked away, feeling even more parched.
Jiang Xia took a few sips and handed it to him: "I'm finished, you can have some more."
Zhou Chenglei took it, took another sip, and screwed the lid back on.
Jiang Xia noticed his forehead and neck were covered in sweat, some almost flowing into his eyes, some running down his cheeks and onto his shirt collar, so she raised her hand and used her sleeve to wipe away the sweat.
Her sleeves were clean, washed daily, carrying her scent and a faint soapy fragrance—very pleasant.
Zhou Chenglei put down the kettle, his long arm around her waist, his eyes and brows full of smiles as he let her wipe his sweat.
After wiping, Jiang Xia met his gentle gaze, her heart skipped a beat. She forced herself to remain calm, casually sitting back on the back of the bike, her arms around his waist: "Let's go!"
Zhou Chenglei smiled, taking her hand and interlocking their fingers: "Okay."
He pedaled, and the bike started moving.
Soon, Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia passed Wen Wan.
Wen Wan's face was injured this time, and she was crying; she must look terrible. Not wanting Zhou Chenglei to see her and Jiang Xia to laugh at her, she didn't greet him.
Jiang Xia: "Why did she get off the bike?"
Zhou Chenglei hadn't even recognized Wen Wan's back, having never looked closely before, and asked, "Who?" He
even glanced back.
"Wen Wan!" Jiang Xia wanted to see her face, but she had her head down, her straw hat obscuring it.
"I don't know." Zhou Chenglei turned back uninterested, but fearing Wen Wan might catch up and greet him, he quickened his pace.
After all, she was being a bit too polite.
When the magnificent sunset painted the sky, Zhou Chenglei drove Jiang Xia back to the village.
At the village entrance, they encountered an ice cream vendor riding away on his bicycle. Jiang Xia wanted an ice cream; it was too hot.
Zhou Chenglei stopped him and bought her three—one for her, one for Zhou Zhou, and one for Zhou's mother.
Back outside the courtyard gate, just as Jiang Xia was about to jump off the bike, Zhou Chenglei turned and supported her arm: "Slow down, don't jump."
He tilted the bike slightly to make it easier for her to get off.
Jiang Xia, with the ice cream in her mouth, used one hand to support his arm as she got off, unable to resist giving his arm a squeeze—it was so strong!
Zhou Chenglei glanced at her, a smile in his eyes. He got off the bike, propped it up, and squatted down to massage her legs. "Are your legs numb?"
Zhou Paiwei, carrying a bucket of fish, happened to return from the dock and looked up at the sky speechlessly.
That's really enough!
Jiang Xia saw Zhou's father and quickly took out the popsicle from her mouth, "Dad."
Zhou Chenglei heard this, turned his head and called out "Dad" as well, then continued to massage her calves.
Jiang Xia pulled her feet back, her face a little hot: "It's not numb anymore."
Zhou Chenglei massaged for a while before standing up.
Zhou's mother had just finished cooking when she saw the three of them return to the door, and smiled: "What a coincidence, you're all back! I just finished cooking, quickly wash your hands and eat."
Zhou's father: "I'm full."
Zhou's mother looked at him in surprise: "Full? What did you eat?"
"Sacrificial offerings."
Isn't a memorial tablet supposed to eat sacrificial offerings?
Zhou's mother: "..."
What the hell are sacrificial offerings?
Zhou's mother thought of something and widened her eyes: "Old man, you didn't go and steal the sacrificial offerings from the ancestral hall, did you?"
On the way to the dock, you would pass by the ancestral hall, and people going out to sea would often go into the ancestral hall to pray for a smooth voyage.
"Am I that stupid?" Zhou's father rolled his eyes at her and carried the bucket of fish into the house.
As a father, the offerings he received were naturally from his son. His wife would eat them sooner or later anyway, and then she'd understand.
Zhou's mother found him utterly baffling.
Jiang Xia handed Zhou's mother an ice pop: "Mom, I bought this for you."
Zhou's mother ignored Zhou's father, waved her hand, and laughed, "I don't want one. I can't handle this stuff; it'll give me a stomachache. Only young people like this. Give it to Zhou Zhou!"
"There are two. Dad, do you want one?"
Zhou's father didn't like ice pops: "No."
Zhou's mother called out loudly, "Zhou Zhou, come out quickly! Your aunt bought you an ice pop, and she's also taking one to your great-grandfather."
Great-grandfather was Zhou Jie, his great-grandmother's grandson.
Zhou Zhou was writing in the room. Ever since Jiang Xia bought her a new desk, she'd been writing at it whenever she had free time. Hearing the noise, she ran out.
Jiang Xia gave her the popsicle: "One for you and one for Grandpa Zhou Jie."
Zhou Zhou took the popsicle and smiled, saying, "Thank you, Auntie."
Then she ran next door to find Zhou Jie.
Jiang Xia then said to Zhou's parents, "Dad, Mom, Lei and I bought you a set of clothes. Try them on after dinner to see if they fit."
Zhou Chenglei pushed his bicycle into the yard. Hearing Jiang Xia call him Lei, he glanced at her and raised his eyebrows slightly.
Zhou's mother's eyes showed surprise, pleased that her daughter-in-law still remembered her after her trip to the city, but she was also a little reluctant to spend the money. She smiled and said, "We have clothes to wear, why buy us clothes? You don't need to buy any next time. You don't have a new house yet, and you don't have children. There will be many more expenses in the future, so keep them for yourselves. Your father and I are getting old and won't have many clothes to wear."
"It's not a waste. Money is meant to be spent. Lei said you've worked hard these past few days, and seeing that your clothes were worn out, he specially went to the mall to buy you these." Jiang Xia tried to take the red, white, and blue bag off the bicycle.
Seeing this, Zhou Chenglei immediately took it down. It was a bit heavy, so he didn't let Jiang Xia carry it. He handed it to his mother, saying, "Mom, the clothes are inside. Take them in and look for them. Jiang Xia bought
them; I didn't think of these." Zhou's mother was completely unaware that her son was using her as a laborer. Hearing their conversation, she was even happier. Whether it was her son or daughter-in-law who thought of buying it, she was happy to be remembered by her children. She happily took the clothes and carried them into the house.
Zhou's father's lips twitched, and he looked up at the sky speechlessly.
His wife was too stupid; she had no idea that enjoying her son's offerings would make her a laborer!
Zhou Chenglei parked his bicycle.
Jiang Xia touched the dried fish hanging in the yard.
Zhou's mother saw this and said, "Your father and I took some to your older brother's roof to dry this morning. We haven't brought them back yet. They're about 80-90% dry; we just need to dry them for another day tomorrow."
"You still have to take them over there? That's too much trouble for you and Dad."
"What trouble! Your father isn't out at sea; he's bored out of his mind." After saying this, Zhou's mother took the red, white, and blue bag into the house, wisely leaving it unopened.
Jiang Xia washed her hands and came in, opening the package directly. She took out the milk powder and other items, then pulled out the clothes and two pairs of shoes she had bought for Zhou's parents. "Mom and Dad, I bought you an outfit. Try it on and see if it fits."
Zhou's mother liked the style at first glance, wiping her hands vigorously on her apron before taking it. "Oh my, this is so expensive! You could have just bought some homespun fabric. This polyester is too pricey."
"Mom and Dad, try it on and see if it fits. If it doesn't, I'll go to the city to exchange it for you in a couple of days." Jiang Xia then took out Zhou Zhou's schoolbag, clothes, and shoes and put them in her room.
Zhou's mother said happily, "I'll go try them on right now."
She urged Zhou's father to try them on quickly.
Zhou's father glanced at the shirt and trousers and calmly said, "What's the rush? Let's eat first." Zhou's mother came to her senses.
"Yes, let's eat first."
Dinner was a mixed fish stew, stir-fried fresh squid with chili peppers, and steamed eggs with dried shrimp.
The smallest shrimp from the dried shrimp were kept for family consumption. Since Jiang Xia had mentioned making shrimp steamed egg custard, Zhou's mother made it for her today.
However, it was Zhou's mother's first time making it, and the egg custard was overcooked, with many air holes, and had turned somewhat black, not golden.
She smiled and scooped a large spoonful for Jiang Xia.
Jiang Xia thanked her with a smile and ate contentedly.
Coming home to a meal was incredibly satisfying.
After dinner, Zhou's father quickly took a shower, changed into new clothes and shoes, and went out.
Zhou Chenglei cleared the dishes, and Zhou's mother went back to her room to change into new clothes before also leaving.
Jiang Xia had bought three sets of clothes for Zhou Zhou, and they all fit perfectly. She was braiding Zhou Zhou's hair when she asked curiously, "Where are Mom and Dad going so late?"
Zhou Chenglei: "Many people go to the big tree garden in the village to cool off after dinner."
Zhou Zhou added, "Uncle Qiang's house is nearby."
Jiang Xia understood; the two elders were showing off!
How adorable!
But it's already dark; will that affect the effect of their showing off?
It was indeed dark now, around 8 PM. Wen Wan got into an argument with the people in the car and was forced to get off halfway. She ran back to the village, her feet blistered. She
hadn't eaten all day; she was hot, tired, hungry, and thirsty. Her feet and face ached!
When she got home, no food was left for her, and everyone was asleep.
Wen Wan, her eyes red, drank a large bowl of water, then peeled two sweet potatoes and ate them raw.
She had to end this kind of life as soon as possible!
Wen Wan went back to her room, took out a mirror, and looked at herself. She found that the wound on her forehead was just a shallow scratch with some blood; it shouldn't leave a scar after it heals, but her left cheek was swollen and looked ugly.
She thought about how Jiang Xia had peeked out and hadn't reminded her, and she felt a little angry.
She took out the letter Jiang Xia had written to Wu Qizhi and locked it in the drawer. She'd find an opportunity to deliver it to the Zhou family tomorrow, letting Zhou's mother and Zhou Chenglei see her true colors.
While eating sweet potatoes, Wen Wan took out the foreign language book. It was a children's fairy tale. In her previous life, she had attended night school and earned a bachelor's degree. She had found a job at a foreign company, and to get a promotion and a raise, she had worked hard on her English.
Moreover, she had read the Chinese version of this fairy tale in her previous life; a children's book wouldn't be difficult for her.
Wen Wan was about to translate it when she thought of Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia's intimate behavior.
She put the foreign language book aside, took out Jiang Xia's letter, and then an old exercise book, starting to practice her handwriting by copying the letter's characters.
She was quite good at imitating other people's handwriting; she could pass for the real thing.
The longer she waited, the more things might go wrong. Since the two had agreed to divorce, she should let them divorce sooner rather than later!
Zhou
Chenglei washed the dishes and poured water for Zhou Zhou to shower. He asked Jiang Xia, "Are you washing your hair today?"
"Yes." She felt covered in dust from the road.
Zhou Chenglei said, "Shall I wash it for you?"
This time, Jiang Xia didn't refuse: "Sure!"
Zhou Chenglei enthusiastically went to get a recliner and poured hot water.
On a hot summer night, Jiang Xia lay on the recliner, listening to the cicadas and admiring the moon.
Zhou Chenglei sat in front of her, gently massaging her head while washing her hair.
When Zhou Zhou finished showering, she noticed Jiang Xia fidgeting and, worried about mosquito bites, ran back inside to get a large palm-leaf fan to swat away mosquitoes and fan her.
Jiang Xia smiled, "No need, Zhou Zhou, you can fan yourself."
Zhou Zhou: "I did fan myself."
Her aunt had been so good to her, buying her a new desk, a new schoolbag, new clothes, new shoes, and even milk powder. She wanted to do something for Jiang Xia.
Jiang Xia ignored her, but she suddenly felt like a queen and couldn't help but chuckle.
Zhou Chenglei: "What are you laughing at?"
Jiang Xia: "I just feel like a queen right now."
Zhou Chenglei's eyes lit up with laughter: "I'll wash your hair whenever I have time, so you can be a queen for life."
"Okay! You said it yourself, so you have to keep your word!"
"Yeah." He meant it.
After washing her hair, Jiang Xia went to take a shower.
It was already past eight o'clock, and Zhou's parents returned with smiles on their faces. Zhou Zhou had also gone back to his room to sleep.
After Jiang Xia finished showering and returned to her room, Zhou Chenglei handed her an iron box: "You keep this safe from now on."
Jiang Xia knew that Zhou Chenglei usually kept his money in this iron box.
She looked at him with a smile: "How much money is in it? Do you have any other hidden stashes?"
Zhou Chenglei honestly replied: "More than five thousand yuan, and I have ten yuan in my pocket."
Jiang Xia joked: "Isn't ten yuan too much? Men with money are prone to going astray."
Zhou Chenglei took out the ten yuan, opened the box, and put it in.
Jiang Xia grasped his hand: "Just kidding. You sell fish all the time, how can you not have money on you?"
Zhou Chenglei pulled her hand back down, holding it in his palm: "It's okay, I'm selling fish, not buying them. From now on, I won't carry more than one yuan on me. You can keep all the money; I'll ask you for it if I need it."
Jiang Xia looked at him seriously: "I'm really joking.
You can carry as much money as you want." Zhou Chenglei looked at her too, raising his hand to brush a stray hair from her forehead behind her ear: "I know, but I'm not joking. You're my wife, isn't it only natural that you manage my money?"
Zhou Chenglei's voice was very pleasant, like plucked strings, magnetic and charming. Coupled with the look in his eyes, the atmosphere became ambiguous.
Jiang Xia met his burning gaze, her heart racing. She subconsciously turned her head away: "You like it."
Zhou Chenglei's eyebrows and eyes were full of smiles. He pulled her into his arms, hugged her, and cupped her face in his hands, making her look at him.
Their eyes met, and Jiang Xia's heart pounded.
He suddenly bent down, lowered his head, and captured her lips with his.
Jiang Xia tilted her head back, closed her eyes, grabbed his shirt, and kissed him.
Both were beginners, unfamiliar and nervous, their hearts pounding.
He was gentle. He
explored cautiously, step by step.
As time passed, Zhou Chenglei's hands gripping her waist and the back of her neck tightened, becoming more and more forceful.
The veins in his arms bulged, the fine muscle lines showcasing his strength.
The height difference between them was too great; Jiang Xia was bent over by his weight.
Just when she felt her back was about to break, his arms swept over her and lifted her up.
Her feet suddenly left the ground, and Jiang Xia was startled, instinctively reaching out to hug his neck, her long legs hooking around him, clinging to him like a sloth.
Zhou Chenglei turned around, pressing her against the wall, the lines of his arm muscles smooth and clear.
Without the height difference, under the force and reaction of him against the wall, their hearts were very close, very tight.
Jiang Xia felt his strong, powerful heartbeat again, pounding against hers, as if both hearts were about to leap out of her chest.
They were clapping, colliding, greeting each other, at the same rhythm.
She didn't know how much time had passed before Zhou Chenglei laid her down on the bed, burying his head in the crook of her neck, his voice low and husky: "I'm going to take a shower, wait for me a bit?"
Jiang Xia kept her eyes closed, her lips burning, afraid to open them, too embarrassed to respond.
How could she answer? Answering
was wrong, not answering was wrong!
She really wanted to ask him why he hadn't finished showering before coming back to the room!
Zhou Chenglei took a deep breath before raising his head, glancing at her, his usually radiant cheeks flushed. She was breathtakingly beautiful!
His Adam's
apple bobbed, and he couldn't resist lowering his head to peck her cheek hard, making a loud "plop," before quickly standing up, opening the wardrobe, finding some clothes, and going out to shower.
Jiang Xia's face burned, her heart still pounding. She couldn't help but pull the thin blanket over her head.
She muttered to herself for a while, but her heart still pounded.
Just thinking about what was about to happen made her face flush and her heart race!
No, she had to calm down!
Realizing that lying there waiting for him to come back wasn't a good idea, Jiang Xia got out of bed and found something to do.
She went to the dressing table to put away the money box. She glanced at her watch—9:30?
It had been so long?
So he had held her against the wall and kissed her for an hour?
Jiang Xia's face burned. She opened the money box on the table. Stacks of ten-yuan notes filled more than half the box, and there was also a savings account with four thousand yuan in it. She had withdrawn three thousand yuan earlier, presumably for the dowry.
She put her own money in as well, and the box was almost full.
She put the money box back in its original place on the large cabinet so he could easily access the money.
This was the money Zhou Chenglei had saved from fifteen years of military service plus his recent fishing trips—money he had earned with his life and blood, and he was giving it all to her.
Jiang Xia glanced at the red, white, and blue bag in the corner, intending to put the sanitary napkins inside into a drawer in the cabinet.
She didn't have many things, and neither did Zhou Chenglei; two or three drawers in the cabinet were still empty.
She opened the red, white, and blue bag and took out her parents' clothes, only to find several more sets of clothes underneath, clearly belonging to a young woman.
One was a blue and white suit dress, perfect for the current weather.
Another was a light blue suit jacket paired with a blue floral dress and a white belt—probably a new autumn release.
Blue is a difficult color to pull off, but Jiang Xia had fair skin, a slender figure, and a full but not voluptuous physique, possessing an indescribable charm, lively and graceful, like a mermaid from the deep sea. She could carry off many colors, especially the blue of the ocean.
Even when she went out to sea, she wore a sailor-style T-shirt, looking stunning.
There was also a blue long-sleeved sailor shirt and green military pants, and a white long-sleeved shirt and black trousers—these two sets were for everyday wear.
Autumn hadn't even arrived yet, but Zhou Chenglei had already prepared three sets of autumn clothes for her. Jiang Xia smiled and put the clothes aside, planning to put them in the closet after washing them.
Then she slowly placed packs of sanitary napkins into the drawer, stacking them neatly, as if time was passing incredibly slowly.
She was a very organized person; her closet was always tidy, and her cosmetics were always arranged from highest to lowest.
Zhou Chenglei carried three buckets of water into the shower room. He showered at least twice a day, once after his morning run and once in the evening. Sometimes, if he wasn't at sea, he would shower again at noon. He usually used two buckets of water, but tonight, fearing it wouldn't be clean enough, he filled an extra bucket.
After showering, Zhou Chenglei even raised his arm to smell it before going out and quickly washing the clothes he and Jiang Xia had changed out of.
After hanging the clothes to dry, he went back inside. Just as he entered the living room, his mother came out of Zhou Zhou's room looking anxious. Every night before bed, she would check if Zhou Zhou was properly covered with a blanket.
Seeing Zhou Chenglei, his mother said, "Chenglei, Zhou Zhou seems to have a fever. Her body is very hot. Do you have any headache medicine? Did Xia have any leftovers from last time?"
Hearing this, Zhou Chenglei went into Zhou Zhou's room and touched his little niece's forehead.
It was very hot!
In the middle of summer, it's actually harder to detect a child's fever by touch than in winter, but Zhou Zhou's forehead was already burning hot.
“No, we have to go to the clinic. I’ll carry her.” Zhou Chenglei, wearing only a vest, planned to go back to his room to get a shirt.
It was so late, and there was no one left at the production team. Running around to find someone to open the gate and borrow a tractor would be too time-consuming.
He figured he might as well just carry his niece to town; it wasn’t far anyway.
Jiang Xia, who was in her room, had also heard Zhou’s mother’s words. She quickly changed her clothes, grabbed a hundred yuan, and opened the door. Zhou Chenglei, about to push the door open, saw her and paused: “Zhou Zhou has a fever. I’m taking her to the clinic.”
Jiang Xia: “I heard you. I’ll go with you, by bicycle. I’ll help her sit on the back. I’ve already brought the money.”
“Okay! I’ll go get some clothes.” Zhou Chenglei replied and strode into the room to get his clothes.
Jiang Xia went to get the bicycle.
Zhou’s father, who had been asleep, was woken up by the noise. Zhou’s mother told him to go and get Zhou Zhou up.
After putting on his shirt, Zhou Chenglei donned his special headlamp for illumination and then took the bicycle from Jiang Xia.
Zhou's father placed Zhou Zhou on the back of the bicycle.
Zhou Zhou was already groggily awake. He said to her, "Zhou Zhou, carefully spread your legs, don't let your feet get caught in the wheels, they'll break, okay?" Zhou
Zhou nodded groggily, clinging to Zhou Chenglei's back.
Jiang Xia also straddled the bicycle, one arm around Zhou Zhou, the other clutching Zhou Chenglei's shirt. She said to Zhou's father, "Dad, don't worry, I'll take good care of Zhou Zhou."
Zhou Chenglei asked Jiang Xia, "Are you seated?"
"Yes."
"Hold on tight, we're going!"
"Hold on tight."
Zhou Chenglei pedaled hard, and the bicycle started moving.
The road was bad, and it was dark, so Jiang Xia had to hold Zhou Zhou tightly to prevent her from falling off, and also keep an eye on her feet to prevent them from getting caught in the wheels.
Fortunately, the road to town wasn't far, taking less than ten minutes, but Jiang Xia was exhausted.
Zhou Chenglei stopped his bicycle in front of the health center, and Jiang Xia quickly got off. Zhou Chenglei turned around and helped her, saying, "Be careful, don't rush."
Jiang Xia hugged Zhou Zhou, saying, "You carry Zhou Zhou inside, I'll lock the bike."
"Okay." Zhou Chenglei then helped Zhou Zhou, and Jiang Xia instinctively reached for the handlebars to steady the bike.
Zhou Chenglei got off the bike, then immediately carried Zhou Zhou off and rushed into the emergency room.
"Doctor, the child has a high fever!"
It was the same old doctor and young nurse on duty again.
Jiang Xia quickly locked the bike and followed them in.
The old doctor immediately stood up, pushed a gurney over, and recognized Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia, unable to help but ask, "Your child? This time it's not another 37.1 degree fever, is it?"
Zhou Chenglei: "..."
Jiang Xia: "..."
Ten minutes later, Zhou Zhou had taken fever-reducing medication and was lying in a hospital bed with an IV drip.
Her fever was 40.1℃; fearing convulsions and brain damage, the doctor recommended an IV.
Jiang Xia asked the doctor for a roll of gauze, borrowed a kettle of hot water from a nurse, wet the gauze, and used it to wipe Zhou Zhou's forehead, armpits, and other areas to lower her temperature.
Zhou Chenglei, worried that Jiang Xia might get burned by the hot water, wet the gauze himself, wrung it out, and handed it to Jiang Xia to help wipe Zhou Zhou.
The young nurse, having nothing else to do, also came to help lower Zhou Zhou's temperature. Seeing the couple working together so seamlessly, she felt like the air was filled with pink bubbles.
Curious, she asked Jiang Xia, "Your daughter is so big already? The other day your husband was so nervous carrying you, I thought you were newlyweds."
Jiang Xia relaxed and smiled, "We are newlyweds. This is our niece, my husband's third brother's daughter."
Hearing Jiang Xia call him "husband," Zhou Chenglei couldn't help but glance at her, a smile spreading across his face.
"I knew it! You look so young and beautiful, only seventeen or eighteen, even younger than me. How could you have such a big daughter?"
The nurse was prone to daydreaming; she had just been wondering if the child was Zhou Chenglei's from his ex-wife, and Jiang Xia was his stepmother.
Jiang Xia: "I'm already twenty."
The nurse looked at Jiang Xia's skin with envy, "Twenty? The same as me, but you look younger. Your skin is so good."
Jiang Xia smiled, "We're about the same age. I'm just a little fairer. You should wear sunscreen when you go out..."
There weren't many patients in the hospital at night, so the nurse chatted with Jiang Xia, and somehow the conversation turned to their husbands' ages.
Jiang Xia: "My husband is nine years older than me."
Jiang Xia had seen their marriage certificate.
The nurse exclaimed in surprise, "Nine years older? That's almost thirty! Is he that old?"
The older man, Zhou Chenglei: "..."
Seeing the older man's face darken, the nurse was too scared to say anything more. "But I can't tell, your husband looks young, like he's twenty-five or twenty-six. Well, I have time to check on the patients now."
Then she ran off!
It's true that everyone was afraid of Zhou Chenglei when
he had a stern face. His expression was only gentle towards Jiang Xia.
Jiang Xia looked at Zhou Chenglei's dark face with amusement. The truth is, Jiang Xia had lived to 28 in her previous life, so naturally she didn't think Zhou Chenglei was old.
Seeing the smile in her eyes, Zhou Chenglei breathed a sigh of relief. His expression softened as he looked at her, asking, "Are you sleepy?"
Jiang Xia nodded, "A little. You sit on the bed, and I'll rest my head on your lap for a while while you watch the IV drip."
Jiang Xia wasn't actually sleepy; she had slept on the bicycle. But there was only one chair, so while Jiang Xia sat, Zhou Chenglei remained standing, refusing to sit even when offered.
Zhou Chenglei sat down at the foot of the bed, and Jiang Xia placed her hand on his thigh, resting her forehead on it.
Despite saying she wasn't sleepy, Jiang Xia fell asleep quickly.
She slept very well, always falling asleep instantly.
Seeing Jiang Xia asleep, Zhou Chenglei draped an extra shirt over her, then glanced at Zhou Zhou, who was sleeping under a thin blanket, and the IV drip still hanging—more than half full, probably not until midnight.
Zhou Chenglei withdrew his gaze, looked down at Jiang Xia's head, gently touched it, and then proceeded to tidy her hair, adjust her shirt, check for mosquito bites on her arms and ankles, pinch her delicate fingertips, and play with her braids... His sharp features
softened, his small gestures never ceasing, tireless.
Of course, he didn't forget to spare a moment's attention for Zhou Zhou and the IV drip.
The old doctor picked up a newspaper to cover his face.
"So hot!"
The nurse exclaimed, her eyes sparkling. "He really loves it! Men seem to be better when they're older!"
So the nurse took out some stationery to write to her boyfriend, sharing this scene with him, a soldier, so he could learn from it.
An hour passed quietly amidst Zhou Chenglei's tireless antics. The IV drip was empty, and Zhou Chenglei called the nurse.
Jiang Xia was also woken up. She looked up and noticed a dampness on her lips. Looking down at Zhou Chenglei's trousers, she saw a noticeable wet patch on his army green pants.
Jiang Xia: "..."
The nurse, oblivious, removed the IV, took out a thermometer, and read: "38.2 degrees Celsius." Jiang
Xia pulled Zhou Chenglei up and subtly shielded him.
Zhou Chenglei's eyes and brows were full of smiles.
The old doctor noticed Jiang Xia's subtle movements but said nothing. "The fever hasn't completely subsided, but it's low. Go home and give her plenty of water, eat light meals, take her medicine on time, and pay close attention. Children's fevers are prone to recurring, so go home quickly."
"Thank you, doctor." Zhou Chenglei picked up Zhou Zhou and said to Jiang Xia, "Let's go home."
The two walked out together, and the nurse whispered to Jiang Xia, "Your husband really loves you."
Jiang Xia didn't understand.
Zhou Chenglei didn't notice Jiang Xia following him and turned around.
The nurse smiled, "Go home quickly, be careful on the road."
Jiang Xia smiled, thanked her, and left the clinic with Zhou Chenglei.
They got home at 12:30, settled Zhou Zhou in, and the couple washed their hands and faces. It was already 1 a.m. when they went back to bed.
They had to go out to sea the next day, so they slept in each other's arms and didn't do anything else.
After sleeping for three hours, Zhou Chenglei got up and went out to sea. Jiang Xia didn't go, worried that Zhou Zhou might get a fever and that her mother wouldn't be able to handle it alone at home.
Jiang Xia didn't wake up until dawn. Zhou's mother had already finished all the housework and smiled at Jiang Xia, saying, "There's porridge and corn in the pot. Take care of Zhou Zhou; she took her medicine and breakfast at seven o'clock and went back to sleep. I'm going to the vegetable garden." Jiang
Xia smiled and agreed, and Zhou's mother went out carrying a load of chamber pots. Tian Caihua, who was watering the vegetables in the
vegetable
garden early in the morning, encountered Wen Wan, who was also watering the vegetables there.
The vegetable gardens of the two villages were separated by a dirt road.
Wen Wan called out to Tian Caihua, smiling as she handed her a stack of letters: "Sister Caihua, yesterday when I went to town, a man surnamed Wu asked me to deliver a letter to Sister Jiang Xia. I was planning to take it to her after I finished watering the vegetables, but I have to go back to herd the sheep later. Could you help me deliver it?"
Upon hearing "man," Tian Caihua immediately took the letters. "What man?"
"He said he's Sister Jiang Xia's high school classmate, surnamed Wu, and asked if I knew Sister Jiang Xia. Then he asked me to give the letter to her."
Early that morning, many women from both villages came to water their vegetables.
Everyone perked up their ears upon hearing "Sister Jiang Xia's high school classmate."
Pan Daidi heard it too and saw Zhou's mother approaching. She immediately exclaimed, "Could it be that male classmate who eloped with her back then? Is he going to write to her again, asking her to elope? Some people look like vixens; I knew she wasn't going to be faithful. She'd run off with another man sooner or later!"
Pan Daidi hated Jiang Xia to the core; regardless of the truth, she wanted to smear him with any slander she could find.
Wen Wan frowned upon hearing Pan Daidi's words: "Auntie, don't say that. Jiang Xia doesn't seem like that kind of person. This letter is just from an ordinary classmate, or perhaps it's something important."
Pan Daidi scoffed: "Pah, she is that kind of person! Flies don't land on eggs without cracks. Why don't any other men write to you, or to me? Only other men write to her!"
She's a slut, always dressing up beautifully to seduce people.
If she hadn't seduced her own son, would he have touched her? She was almost kicked to the point of infertility by that bitch! She was also beaten by Zhou Chenglei, criticized, had to pay compensation, and stayed in the hospital for almost half a month before recently being released!
She practically wished Jiang Xia were dead!
Zhou's mother came carrying a chamber pot; she was going to fertilize the eggplants today.
She hadn't gotten over the hatred from the last time the family came to her door!
She carried two full buckets of watered-down urine past, deliberately swaying as she passed Pan Daidi, spilling urine all over Pan Daidi's feet, soaking half her trousers and shoes.
She was wearing black plastic sandals, whether lucky or unlucky was hard to say.
The entire dirt road reeked of urine!
Pan Daidi jumped up in shock: "Ah! What are you doing? Are you sick?"
Some of the splashed urine even landed on Wen Wan's feet and trousers.
"My shoes!" Wen Wan screamed too; she only had one pair of shoes!
It was disgusting!
Wen Wan couldn't help but gag.
Zhou's mother said arrogantly, "Sorry, it was an accident! Who told some people to spew filth on the road? Now I'm covered in this filth!"
"What do you mean 'accidentally'? You did it on purpose! Who spewed filth? I'm just stating the facts! Your daughter-in-law is a vixen; men are even writing her love letters and sending them to her door!" Pan Daidi was furious and reached out to push Zhou's mother.
Zhou's mother, carrying two buckets of urine, looked ready to throw urine at anyone who dared to lay a hand on her: "What? Want to hit someone? Come on! You shameless bastard, you came to bully my daughter-in-law last time, I haven't even settled the score with you yet! And today you're slandering her again! Come on! Let's fight! I'll drown you in my urine! You dare to throw dirty water on my daughter-in-law! Come on! Let's see if I can drown you! You worthless bastard!"
Pan Daidi, seeing Zhou's mother carrying two buckets of yellowed old urine, didn't dare to provoke her.
"You're crazy! I'm too lazy to talk to you, no good deed goes unpunished! I wasn't wrong, these love letters are the evidence! Otherwise, do you dare to open them in public and show them to everyone?"
Open those letters in public? Wen Wan wanted to go wash her shoes, but she held back, a little expectant in her heart.
Of course, Zhou's mother wouldn't open those letters in public. She wasn't stupid: "I won't do something as tasteless as peeping at other people's letters! I'm not like you! You're covered in excrement and piss, and everyone else smells disgusting! I'm telling you, if you dare slander my daughter-in-law again, I'll splatter you with urine!"
Zhou's mother, carrying a chamber pot, pretended to charge at her!
"Pervert! Crazy! I'm just kindly reminding you to take good care of your good daughter-in-law, lest she run off with someone and you can't find her!" Pan Daidi ran away in fright!
It stank, it was disgusting!
Zhou's mother looked at Wen Wan. Wen
Wan felt a little guilty, but forced herself to remain calm: "I didn't know that delivering a letter would cause trouble for Sister Jiang Xia and Auntie. I'm really sorry, Auntie, please don't be offended. I'll be going now!"
After saying that, she also ran away!
Zhou's mother watched Wen Wan's back. This woman
is no good! If it was intentional, then she has bad character!
If it was unintentional, then she's not smart!
Luckily, she didn't let A Lei marry her.
Zhou's mother then looked at Tian Caihua.
Tian Caihua had long known that her mother-in-law was formidable, and seeing her aggressive approach,
she had already dodged away! When it came to arguments in the village, she was second to none!
She immediately handed the letters in her hand to Zhou's mother: "Mom, what should we do with these letters? Why don't you give them to Jiang Xia?"
Zhou's mother accepted the letter expressionlessly and stuffed it into her pocket.
She had some education as a child and could recognize a few characters, though she had learned traditional characters.
At least she could recognize Jiang Xia's name.
In the distance, Wen Wan stood washing herself in the stream, glancing up to see what was happening. She saw Tian Caihua give the letter to Zhou's mother, her goal achieved.
She knew Tian Caihua was a gossip, so she deliberately gave the letter to her in the morning when everyone was watering the vegetables in the garden.
This way, everyone in the village would see and hear it, and the story of Jiang Xia and Wu Qizhi's elopement would spread again.
Tian Caihua couldn't keep a secret, and she would inevitably tell Zhou's mother that Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei had agreed to divorce once the household registration was transferred back.
Furthermore, when Zhou Chenglei returned and saw the letters Jiang Xia had written to Wu Qizhi, filled with disdain for him and his family, and her love for Wu Qizhi, how could he bear it?
Even if he had some feelings for her, he would probably lose interest after reading those letters!
Of course, Jiang Xia's letter to Wu Qizhi didn't express any love for him. In it, she only asked him to help her get a divorce, explicitly stating that she didn't like him and that it was just a fake elopement. She promised to help him find a job after it was successful. However, she changed that letter.
She only changed that one; the other two letters were genuine, clearly replies to Wu Qizhi. Jiang Xia probably treated him as a pen pal and confided in him. Both letters were filled with disdain for the countryside and the Zhou family, expressing her desire to divorce and return to the city, and her wish to continue her university studies.
Wen Wan watched Zhou's mother nonchalantly carrying her chamber pot towards her vegetable garden, a faint sense of anticipation rising within her.
The calmer things seemed, the bigger the event was likely to unfold.
Suddenly remembering something, Wen Wan quickly climbed out of the stream. She needed to call Wu Qizhi; she had gone to the dock that morning and learned that Jiang Xia hadn't gone out to sea with Zhou Chenglei.
Zhou's mother carried the chamber pot to her vegetable garden, placing it aside to fertilize the vegetables in the evening. She worried that the morning's manure would scorch the vegetables in the strong sun.
She told Tian Caihua, "Give me the bucket after you've finished watering the vegetables."
Then she squatted down to weed the garden.
Tian Caihua was in no mood to water the vegetables. She glanced around, seeing everyone was in their own gardens, too far to hear, so she squatted down, helping with the weeding, and said, "Mom, there's something I don't know if I should say." "
Just spit it out!" Zhou's mother said irritably.
She knew her eldest daughter-in-law was someone who couldn't hold back her words.
"It's just that Fourth Brother and Jiang Xia have actually agreed to divorce..."
*
Zhou's mother finished tending the garden and returned home around 10:00 PM.
Jiang Xia was braiding Zhou Zhou's hair. She had washed all the new clothes she bought that morning. Zhou Zhou had a thin dress that dried quickly in the sun, so Jiang Xia had her change into it and then braided her hair.
Jiang Xia greeted Zhou's mother when she returned, "Mom."
Zhou Zhou also greeted her, "Grandma."
Her fever had subsided and she seemed a bit more energetic.
Zhou's mother placed the eggplants, green beans, and bitter melons she had picked on the kitchen windowsill and said to Jiang Xia, "Xia, come inside. I have something to ask you. Zhou Zhou, you sit here quietly."