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Chapter 32: Hands Full, or Feed Me?
Chapter 32: Hands Full, or Feed Me?
Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia walked side by side past Wen Wan.
Wen Wan watched the smiling couple with a thoughtful expression.
Jiang Xia actually beat up Wu Qizhi?
In her previous life, she had divorced Zhou Chenglei for Wu Qizhi, willing to follow him without a name or status.
What was going on today?
Could it be that Jiang Xia had also been reborn?
Knowing that Wu Qizhi was a domestic abuser, did Jiang Xia decide not to divorce and stay with the Zhou family?
If Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei didn’t divorce, what would happen to her?
Jiang Xia noticed someone pushing a bicycle with a large box on the back, covered with an old quilt. The person was calling out and ringing the bicycle bell: “Selling popsicles! Popsicles for sale!”
Seeing a child pulling their mother to buy one, Jiang Xia felt a sudden craving. She turned to Zhou Chenglei, “Do you want a popsicle?”
Zhou Chenglei glanced at her, then walked over to the vendor. “One popsicle, please.”
“Only the ten-cent ones are left.”
Zhou Chenglei freed one hand and took out a dime.
The vendor took the money and pulled a popsicle from the foam box embedded in the wooden frame, handing it to Zhou Chenglei.
Zhou Chenglei took it and turned to give it to Jiang Xia.
The popsicle was white and simple, matching its name perfectly.
Jiang Xia took it and bit into it gently. It was icy, sweet, and refreshing.
The tractor was nearby, and Jiang Xia walked over while eating her popsicle.
Zhou Chenglei carried the shopping basket and followed, positioning himself to protect her from any oncoming people.
They soon reached the tractor, where the cargo bed was already full, leaving no room for passengers.
Jiang Xia climbed into the seat next to the driver, where the canopy provided shade from the sun. She took off her straw hat.
Zhou Chenglei stowed the purchases and then went to start the tractor.
Jiang Xia watched as he inserted the Z-shaped spark plug into the slot, pressed the compressor, and gave it a few quick, forceful turns.
The tractor's engine then spewed a thick cloud of diesel smoke and rumbled to life.
Zhou Chenglei removed the spark plug, tucked it under the seat, and climbed into the driver's seat, driving the tractor away.
It was only a little past nine, but the summer sun was already intense, making the gray-white cement road shine. The tractor's engine purred as they drove along.
A cool breeze greeted them, and Jiang Xia bit into her popsicle, letting it slowly melt in her mouth. The icy sweetness traveled from her mouth to her stomach, a refreshing sensation.
Zhou Chenglei noticed her enjoying it and asked, “Is it cold?”
“Cold! Just look at the cool mist coming off it. Want one?” Jiang Xia held up her half-eaten popsicle to show him the cold mist, about to ask, “If you want one, why didn’t you buy another?”
Before she could finish, he glanced at the road and then leaned down to take a bite of her popsicle.
“Mm, it’s indeed cold.”
Cold and sweet.
“...”
Jiang Xia looked at the bitten popsicle and then at the focused man driving.
What a dog! How could he just eat it like that?
Zhou Chenglei’s lips curved up. After watching her hesitate for a moment, he reminded her, “It’s melting.”
At that moment, a drop of water started to drip from the popsicle. Jiang Xia quickly put it in her mouth and sucked it in.
Her body tensed, but then she remembered he had already eaten her leftovers twice.
Fine, it’s even now!
Zhou Chenglei’s lips curved slightly.
But Jiang Xia was still a bit embarrassed and said, “You finish it!”
Her tone was a bit fierce.
“Hands full, or you feed me?”
Jiang Xia: “...”
She wanted to throw it away.
“Don’t throw it, you’ll attract ants.”
The man seemed to read her thoughts and reminded her, "If you don't eat it soon, it'll melt."
Jiang Xia glared at him but still put the ice cream in her mouth. Feed him? No way!
When eating hot pot with colleagues and friends, someone might use their own chopsticks to pick food from the communal pot, essentially sharing saliva. Thinking this way, Jiang Xia felt more at ease eating the ice cream.
Zhou Chenglei’s lips remained curled in a smile throughout the ride.
Jiang Xia asked, "Is there a place to buy newspapers in town?"
"Yes," Zhou Chenglei replied.
Zhou Chenglei went to the supply cooperative and bought two cartons of cigarettes and a bottle of Maotai, along with a few newspapers. He then purchased a hand-cranked pump and a long hose, securing them on top of the tractor before leaving town.
Jiang Xia noticed that the tractor wasn’t heading home and wondered where Zhou Chenglei was going, but she didn’t ask. He had bought Maotai and cigarettes, probably to give as gifts.
Jiang Xia lowered her head and started flipping through the newspapers.
The tractor rumbled along, and soon they were out of the town center, surrounded by fields. The sky was a clear blue, and the rice paddies were a vibrant green under the sun.
Jiang Xia browsed through the newspapers, seemingly looking for something.
Zhou Chenglei asked, "What are you looking for?"
"Looking for a job, to see what can earn some money," Jiang Xia replied.
Zhou Chenglei fell silent. She was reading the city newspaper, so she still wanted to leave? Zhou Chenglei felt the sweetness of the ice cream turn to bitterness in his mouth.
Ice cream made with saccharin can do that, he thought.
Jiang Xia finally found a suitable part-time job and put the newspaper aside. Zhou Chenglei wanted to ask about it but didn’t dare to.
Jiang Xia said, "On a day when we don’t have to go out to sea, I want to go to the city. Do I have to go to town to catch a bus?"
Zhou Chenglei’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he struggled to speak. "Yes, there are no buses from the village to the city. I’ll go with you and take you to visit your parents while we’re at it."
He made up an excuse, afraid she might refuse.
"Okay," Jiang Xia agreed. She didn’t even know which door to enter at her original home, so having Zhou Chenglei take her back would be convenient.
Dust flew up as the tractor rumbled along, and the noise made further conversation difficult. They didn’t speak again.
The tractor had been on the road for two hours, and it was past eleven. They even stopped once to refuel.
Most of the journey was through fields. Jiang Xia saw two people in the blazing sun, one holding each end of a bamboo pole, sweeping it across the green rice paddies, creating waves.
She asked curiously, "Zhou Chenglei, what are they doing in the fields?"
Zhou Chenglei turned to look, then focused back on the road. "They’re pollinating the rice, which is part of the seed production process. That area is a rice breeding base. The male and female rice plants are of different heights, and by sweeping the bamboo pole, they can disperse the pollen from the male plants onto the female plants."
Jiang Xia understood immediately.
She examined the rice paddies closely. They were indeed different from ordinary fields, with the rice plants of varying heights and shades of green, like a striped green shirt.
Jiang Xia remarked, "It’s so hard work at midday. Can’t they do it when the sun isn’t so strong?"
Zhou Chenglei explained, "Rice flowers open between ten and two in the morning, and the flowering period is short. They have to work at midday to catch the flowers."
Jiang Xia sighed, "A bountiful harvest is never easy."
Zhou Chenglei didn’t speak, but he agreed wholeheartedly.
After another half hour, the tractor stopped in front of an orchard. "We’re here."
Jiang Xia looked at the man beside her. So, he had driven the tractor for so long because she suggested planting fruit trees in the courtyard last night?
(End of Chapter)
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