Chapter 199: Has Xia's Health Improved?
Chapter 199: Has Xia's Health Improved?
Jiang Xia opened the cloth bag, revealing a large stack of Great Unions, neatly arranged within.
She counted fifty-six stacks, totaling fifty-six thousand.
"Why so much?" Jiang Xia exclaimed in surprise.
"We went further out, and with the fish finder, we earned over five thousand each day. On the first night, we made almost five thousand. The second day..."
"The day before we returned, there were signs of an impending storm, and the waves were huge. There was an abundance of good catch, so we sold the entire boatload at the pier, which fetched a higher price than selling to fish transport ships. We made over ten thousand, and that's how we earned this much."
Of course, Zhou Chenglei offered high wages, a hundred per person per day. Including Zhou Yongguo, they hired six people in total, and there were bonuses and red envelopes, bringing the total payout to ten thousand. Each person received over fifteen hundred, which was considered a high wage.
It was more than what the villagers with small wooden boats earned in a month of fishing.
Jiang Xia had experienced the rough seas and knew how it felt to be in the midst of towering waves, as if about to be engulfed and capsized. The thought made her heart race: "In the future, when we receive news of a typhoon, come back as soon as possible."
Their boat was well-equipped, receiving notifications from the maritime radio station and capable of sending distress signals.
"Okay, I will," Zhou Chenglei reassured her, hugging her tightly and giving her a kiss.
How could he bear to take risks when she was waiting for him at home?
His teammates urged him to take advantage of the high waves and abundant fish, suggesting they stay out longer before the typhoon arrived.
He was tempted, but thinking of her possible anxiety at home, he decided to return.
His teammates were surprised, as this wasn't his usual style.
But he had promised to give her a stable and happy life.
Jiang Xia asked again, "Do all the boats that go out to sea earn this much?"
"Not always. When the sea is calm, there aren't many fish, and encountering schools of fish isn't easy. Some boats go out for twenty days and don't earn as much as ours. But there are also larger boats that return from the nearby waters of the Island Nation, making over two hundred thousand in less than a month."
Zhou Chenglei held Jiang Xia in his arms and picked up the photos on the table, flipping through them as he shared the details of their ten-day fishing expedition and the news he had heard.
Jiang Xia wasn't much of a talker, so most of the time, Zhou Chenglei spoke while she listened.
Zhou Chenglei coaxed her to speak more, wanting to hear about her daily life while he was away. He loved the sound of her voice and longed to know her routine.
The gentle evening breeze blowing through the window matched the softness of Jiang Xia's voice. Unknowingly, he held her close and talked for over an hour.
This was the night Zhou Chenglei spoke the most in his entire life, feeling that the past twenty-nine years combined didn't amount to the words he spoke that night.
But every day at sea, lying on the boat and gazing at the starry sky, he yearned to talk to her, to tell her about the day's catch, to hear her voice, and to know what she was doing.
That night, he shared with her all the thoughts he had during those ten nights apart, expressing his longing in every way he could.
Gentle, passionate...
Unwilling to let go of day or night.
The next day, they didn't need to go out to sea, so they could be a little more carefree and do as they pleased.
The following morning, Jiang Xia woke up very late.
She had only slept for three hours the night before, and just before dawn, they had another intimate moment. By the time it was over, it was already past eight o'clock. She should have gotten up, but she was exhausted and didn't want to move, so she drifted back to sleep.
Zhou Chenglei, however, was already awake. At some point, he brought in a bowl of porridge and fed it to her. After she finished eating, she fell asleep again.
This time, she slept for four hours, waking up in the afternoon.
Zhou Chenglei was no longer in the room. Jiang Xia reached under her pillow and pulled out her watch to check the time—1:05!
She had even missed lunch!
Jiang Xia's face turned red; sleeping until this hour broke her record in both her lifetimes!
She heard faint voices coming from outside.
The sound of Li Xiuxian's voice indicated that Zhou Chengsen and Li Xiuxian had returned to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival together.
Tomorrow was Mid-Autumn Day.
She quickly got out of bed.
Just then, the bedroom door was gently pushed open, and Zhou Chenglei walked in. Seeing that she was awake, he quietly closed the door, approached, and hugged her, giving her a kiss, "Are you hungry?"
Jiang Xia glared at him, "What do you think?"
Zhou Chenglei couldn't bear the look in her eyes.
Her eyes were too beautiful, and glaring at him had no impact; instead, it was captivating.
Zhou Chenglei couldn't resist and didn't want to resist.
After being apart for so many days, he had held back last night, fearing she couldn't handle it.
Holding her waist, he gave her a deep afternoon kiss.
Jiang Xia struggled to breathe from his kiss before he finally stopped.
Both of them were slightly breathless.
"Let's change clothes first, then go out and eat something." His voice was hoarse, but he didn't let go of her.
"Mhm." Her voice was soft and she didn't move, still lying down.
She mainly lacked the strength.
Zhou Chenglei naturally wouldn't push her away first; instead, he hugged her, allowing her to lean on him, waiting for her.
The two of them didn't move, quietly embracing each other for a while before Jiang Xia pushed him away, "Are there many people in the courtyard?"
Zhou Chenglei nodded, "Yeah, Second Brother and Second Sister-in-Law returned early, and Great-Grandmother and the others also came over. They're all busy slaughtering chickens, geese, ducks, and fish. We'll have dinner together tonight."
Jiang Xia couldn't help but close her eyes as she thought of the scene when she left, "You go out first."
Zhou Chenglei smiled and gave her a light peck, "Yeah, I'll go and warm up some food for you. There's porridge and rice, or do you want some seafood fried rice? I've already peeled the crab meat and shrimp."
Jiang Xia was indeed hungry, "Okay, no need to fry too much. I also want a bowl of porridge."
"Okay." So, Zhou Chenglei went out to make her some seafood fried rice.
Jiang Xia went to get some clothes to change into.
Her body still bore his marks, so Jiang Xia put on a collared shirt to cover them.
As she combed her hair, she couldn't resist holding the mirror to carefully examine her neck, fearing that any marks would be visible to others.
After dressing up and ensuring everything was in order, Jiang Xia finally stepped out.
In the courtyard, Great-Grandmother, He Xinghua, Li Xiuxian, Tea Caihua, and Zhou Mu were busy slaughtering chickens, geese, ducks, and fish.
Jiang Xia also noticed a few blue crabs and flower snails in a bucket, stone snails in a wooden basin, and many seafood items in a bamboo basket. There were also several baskets of vegetables and fruits placed in the corner."
All of these were for tonight's dinner.
Tomorrow was Mid-Autumn Day, and everyone knew that Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia planned to spend the evening in the city with Jiang Fu and Jiang Mu to celebrate the festival. Therefore, the families decided to have a Mid-Autumn reunion dinner a day early and enjoy the moon together.
He Xinghuan saw Jiang Xia come out and smiled, "Is Xia's health better now? If you don't feel well, sleep a little longer."
Great-Grandmother smiled at Jiang Xia, who was blushing, as if she knew everything.
Jiang Xia: "..."
Jiang Xia avoided Great-Grandmother's X-ray-like gaze and guessed that Zhou Chenglei must have told everyone something. She forced a smile and said, "Much better."
Zhou Mu was plucking goose feathers and smiled, "There's food in the pot, go and eat."
"Okay." Jiang Xia quickly walked away!
Li Xiuxian's mouth twitched. Her mother-in-law was too kind!
She slept so late, and her mother-in-law didn't say a word to her!
What discomfort? She was just lazy. She rarely returned to the village, but she knew that Jiang Xia would sleep until late morning every day as long as she didn't go out to sea.
Li Xiuxian was a teacher and couldn't stand such laziness. It was no wonder she failed the college entrance exam three times.
Jiang Xia was so lazy, sleeping until late morning every day, and she still wanted to take the college entrance exam next year?
She would only embarrass herself if she passed!
(End of Chapter)
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