Hengzhou County would later become a famous jasmine-growing base. About eighty percent of the country’s jasmine would eventually be produced here.
At this time, however, jasmine had not yet been planted on a large scale in Hengzhou County. Still, some people had already begun trial cultivation the previous year, doing so with the quiet backing of the town tea factory.
According to Jiang Lianyue’s memories, even the Hengzhou County tea factory had only just begun producing jasmine tea.
Thinking of this, the corners of Jiang Lianyue’s lips lifted slightly.
Perfect, she knew how to make tea, and she was exceptionally good at it.
The original owner knew how to grow flowers. She knew how to process tea. Put the two together, and what did you get if not jasmine tea?
Having made her decision, Jiang Lianyue immediately took action. She found a straw hat and headed out.
She remembered clearly that the nearby towns of Fucheng and Xiaoyi were major jasmine-growing areas. Fucheng was very close to Hengzhou and not far from the machinery plant.
If she wanted to understand the current state of jasmine cultivation, a trip to Fucheng would tell her everything she needed to know.
After leaving the machinery plant’s residential area, Jiang Lianyue asked passersby where the Fucheng market was.
In Hengzhou County, aside from Hengzhou itself, which was the county seat, had several factories, a larger population, and was busy every day without a fixed market day, the other towns all held markets once every three days.
The market days of neighboring towns were staggered. One town would have its market today, another tomorrow, making it convenient for villagers to buy necessities and sell surplus produce.
“Today just happens to be Fucheng’s market day. Hurry up and go, you can still make it,” a passerby said warmly when he saw a pretty young woman asking for directions.
Jiang Lianyue thanked him with a smile and set off on foot.
From Hengzhou to Fucheng, one had to pass through a stretch of farmland.
After walking for more than half an hour, not long after leaving Hengzhou, Jiang Lianyue began to feel pain in the soles of her feet. Doing the math, she had walked at least ten thousand steps today. She was wearing the Warrior sneakers Jiang Chenglin had given her as a wedding gift, if she had been wearing the leather shoes the original owner bought herself, her feet would have been ruined by now.
She really needed to get a bicycle, Jiang Lianyue thought. With the original owner’s slender legs that barely ever left the house, she would cripple herself if she kept walking like this.
She found a rock by the roadside, sat down, took off her shoes, and massaged her sore feet. A wave of grievance suddenly welled up inside her.
Entering a book was bad enough, but why couldn’t she have transmigrated into some female lead from an elite family? Instead, she had become a cannon-fodder ex-wife, and a poor one at that. This was just miserable.
Her eyes stung. She sniffed and muttered a curse under her breath.
“Put-put—”
The sound of a tractor grew louder as it approached. Jiang Lianyue looked up and saw one coming down the dirt road from a distance.
It had rained a few days ago, and the road was still damp, so there was not much dust. Jiang Lianyue could not be bothered to move and lowered her head to keep rubbing her feet.
The tractor reached her, but stopped.
“What are you doing here?”
A familiar voice sounded above her head. Jiang Lianyue looked up and met a pair of star-bright eyes tinged with impatience.
Zhou Jiajing really was impatient. He had thought that after signing the agreement, Jiang Lianyue would have the sense not to appear in front of him again. And yet… less than twenty-four hours had passed, and she was already chasing after him.
So eager to go to the machinery plant and announce her status?
But when he noticed her slightly reddened eyes, Zhou Jiajing stiffened. Had she been crying?
Had his attitude toward her been too harsh?
The moment their eyes met, Jiang Lianyue’s gaze shifted to the tractor, her eyes lighting up.
She did not know where they were headed, but the back of the tractor was still empty. If things went well, maybe she could hitch a ride.
“I want to go to the Fucheng market,” Jiang Lianyue said, staring eagerly at the tractor driver.
Zhou Jiajing: “!”
He had assumed she was heading to the machinery plant to look for him. Finding out that she was not left him with a strange feeling he could not quite identify.
The tractor driver was a young man wearing a blue work uniform. He had thick eyebrows and big eyes and looked honest and simple.
Being stared at so expectantly by Jiang Lianyue, his dark face flushed slightly. His lips moved, but when his peripheral vision caught Zhou Jiajing standing beside her, he clamped his mouth shut.
Zhou Officer was polite to everyone, but his tone toward this young woman carried a hint of irritation. Perhaps he did not like her. It would be best not to say anything out of turn.
After Zhou Jiajing suppressed that inexplicable emotion and looked back at Jiang Lianyue, he realized she was not paying him any attention at all. Instead, she was smiling brightly at Xiao Qin. An uncomfortable feeling rose in his chest.
“The Fucheng market is far. Why didn’t you find a vehicle?” he asked.
To Xiao Qin, the remark sounded oddly intimate. He could not help glancing at the young woman bending down to put her shoes back on, silently guessing their relationship. He had heard that Zhou Officer had gotten married yesterday, could she be the one?
After putting her shoes on, Jiang Lianyue stood up and said honestly, “I couldn’t find one. I thought it wasn’t too far, so I walked.”
In truth, she did not know whether there were vehicles going to Fucheng at all. Though she was fairly familiar with the book’s plot and with Lingnan, she had no idea what public transportation existed in Hengzhou County at this time beyond bicycles. In later years, Hengzhou and Fucheng were barely distinguishable, almost blended together. She had not expected that they were still so far apart now.
Zhou Jiajing said nothing more and turned to climb back onto the tractor.
So he was just leaving?
Jiang Lianyue tilted her face up and looked at him with wide, hopeful eyes.
Was he not going to give her a ride?
Once seated, Zhou Jiajing turned and met her sparkling gaze. His heart trembled slightly. With a frown, he said impatiently, “Are you getting on or not?”
Jiang Lianyue broke into a grin. “Yes.”
She glanced over the back of the tractor, considering where it would be best to climb up.
“Sit here,” Zhou Jiajing said again.
Her gaze shifted to him. Seeing him point to the spot beside him, she froze briefly.
The seat at the front of the tractor was about sixty centimeters long. Two people could sit comfortably. Three would be crowded, but it was still possible.
She did not hesitate. Stepping up, she sat beside him and asked with a smile, “Are you heading to Fucheng as well?”
“Mm,” Zhou Jiajing replied, falling silent again.
Jiang Lianyue calmly turned her attention to the scenery. The road from Hengzhou to Fucheng cut through farmland. In March, the paddies had not yet been planted, leaving only dry, yellow stubble, there was not much to see.
Still, Jiang Lianyue watched with interest. In the future, most of these fields would be planted with jasmine.
Imagining the fragrance of jasmine spreading for miles, she curved her lips slightly. It would be a beautiful sight.
After all, they would be her money-making flowers, how could they not be beautiful?
The dirt road was uneven, and the three people on the tractor swayed with its movement. Zhou Jiajing sat in the middle. When Xiao Qin bumped into him on the left, it felt hard and solid. On his right, Jiang Lianyue was soft.
Zhou Jiajing stared straight ahead, expressionless, trying to ignore the faint floral scent and the soft contact at his side.
Seeing that Zhou Officer, who usually kept his distance from women, had allowed such a pretty young woman to sit beside him, Xiao Qin immediately understood her identity.
Since Zhou Jiajing did not introduce her, he did not dare ask. He focused on driving.
At least, I pretended to.
His eyes faced forward, but his ears were pricked.
Zhou Officer’s wife was really beautiful. They suited each other perfectly. No wonder they got married so quickly after meeting.
If he met such a beautiful woman, he would want to marry her right away too.
Still, since they were newlyweds, why were they not talking?
Xiao Qin listened and waited. By the time Fucheng came into view, he still had not heard another word between them. He could not help wondering, were they shy, or was their relationship bad? They looked like complete strangers.
Upon arriving in Fucheng, Xiao Qin stopped the tractor.
“The market will wrap up around five,” Zhou Jiajing said.
Jiang Lianyue paused. “Oh. Then I’ll come back around five thirty.”
In Lingnan, it got dark late. Even in spring, it would not be dark until after six. Five thirty was not late, and there would still be people on the road.
Zhou Jiajing’s face remained blank. “We’ll be back here around five thirty as well. Wait for us here.”
Xiao Qin’s ears twitched after being perked up for so long.
Oh, Zhou Officer was actually quite considerate of his wife.
They were planning to come back at four. Reaching this spot again at five meant they would wait here for half an hour.
And there was a ride back too. Jiang Lianyue immediately flashed a row of white teeth. “Okay.”
Her smile was radiant, completely different from her red-eyed appearance earlier. Zhou Jiajing’s sword-like brows knit slightly. He could not tell which version of her was the real one.
Jiang Lianyue hopped off the tractor and headed toward the Fucheng market.
The tractor chugged forward, circling around Fucheng Town and continuing on.
Zhou Jiajing quietly turned his head and glanced at the slender figure gradually walking away. A question surfaced in his mind, what was she going to Fucheng for?
If she wanted to buy groceries or everyday items, Hengzhou had everything. There was no need to come all the way here.
What did Fucheng have that Hengzhou did not, that made it worth the trip?
Zhou Jiajing kept his doubts to himself. Meanwhile, Jiang Lianyue entered the market and was fascinated by the bamboo baskets, hoes, and other items laid out on the ground.
Such an earthy scene felt like a memory from a very distant past.
She made a round of the market streets but did not see anyone selling flowers. After asking several people and getting only head shakes in response, she grew tired and stopped at a stall selling tangyuan.
She spent five cents on a bowl and casually asked the vendor, “Auntie, I heard jasmine flowers are sold here. Where would that be?”
The vendor, a woman around fifty, shook her head while wrapping tangyuan. “Never heard of that.”
Jiang Lianyue acknowledged it softly and lowered her head to eat.
The tangyuan were made of glutinous rice, about the size of a thumb, filled with a little toasted sesame and peanut mixture. Yellow sugar had been added to the broth. It was sweet, fragrant, and pleasantly chewy.
One spoonful of soup and one tangyuan at a time, she finished the bowl quickly.
Smiling, she said, “Auntie, your tangyuan are really delicious.”
The vendor beamed. “Then come eat more often.”
Jiang Lianyue nodded. “I will.”
After paying, she stood up to leave.
After she had taken a couple of steps, the vendor seemed to remember something and called out, “Miss, I heard from relatives in Xiaoyi Town that there’s a village next to theirs where someone planted a lot of jasmine. If you want, I can tell you where that village is.”
Jiang Lianyue turned back in delight. “Where is it?”
The vendor frowned and thought for a moment. “The village is called Nadu Village. The neighboring one is called… ah, I can’t quite remember.”
Jiang Lianyue thanked her and promised to patronize her stall often in the future.
The vendor waved her hand with a smile. “No need to be so polite.”
Having obtained the information she wanted, Jiang Lianyue relaxed. Seeing bamboo-woven items displayed on the stalls, she found them interesting and bought a basket and a winnowing tray.
When she saw someone selling lychees, Hengzhou County’s specialty, the early-ripening Sanyuehong, at eight cents a jin, she bought two jin as well.
Zhou Jiajing returned to the agreed spot before five. After waiting with Xiao Qin for more than half an hour, he saw Jiang Lianyue struggling over with a large basket in her arms and stepped forward to help.
Taking the basket, Zhou Jiajing raised his handsome brows slightly. He had thought it would be heavy.
Judging by how hard she looked to be working, he had assumed it weighed much more.
Holding the basket, Zhou Jiajing walked side by side with Jiang Lianyue toward the tractor. She glanced sideways at him, saw how relaxed he looked, and quietly pursed her lips. This body’s physical condition was really lacking. Starting tomorrow, she was going running.
Because Jiang Lianyue had bought quite a few things, Xiao Qin took a detour and drove the tractor directly to the entrance of the machinery plant’s residential area.
Since they were already at the doorstep, Zhou Jiajing did not bother returning to the plant. Carrying the basket, he went home with Jiang Lianyue.
Just as they reached the building downstairs, the aunt who had greeted Jiang Lianyue that morning spotted them and exclaimed loudly, “Oh my, where have you been? Why are you only back now? Little Sister-in-law Xu, someone came looking for you and waited a long time.”
She leaned closer to Jiang Lianyue and whispered, “They came on a bicycle. Just one look and you can tell they’re not ordinary people.”