Chapter 51: The Consequences of Eating Too Much Watermelon
Chapter 51: The Consequences of Eating Too Much Watermelon
Jiang Xia stared at him, her eyes sparkling like stars. Zhou Chenglei’s palms were a bit sweaty. “Jiang Xia, can we not divorce…?”
At that moment, Zhou’s mother and grandmother rushed in.
“Xia! Xia! Where are you? Are you okay?”
“Xia, are you alright? Xia!”
Zhou’s mother pulled Jiang Xia to her, pushing Zhou Chenglei aside. “Are you okay? Did they hit you? That trash, Pan Daidi! I won’t let her off!”
Grandmother was more tactful, smiling, “With Ah Lei here, you’re definitely fine!”
Zhou Chenglei said, “I came back too late.”
Jiang Xia smiled. “I’m fine, they can’t beat me.”
Zhou’s mother checked Jiang Xia thoroughly, finally relaxing when she saw she was unharmed.
Zhou’s mother then stormed out, yelling at the closed gate of the neighboring yard and throwing stones. “You crazy chickens, what the hell are you doing, @￥%%￥@, are you out of your minds? Thinking we’re easy targets? Come out here! Come and fight me! Want pearls? Are they yours? You damn @￥%%￥@, come out and fight! We’ll see who beats who, %&&￥%@￥%……”
Zhou’s mother’s insults were a rapid, non-repeating stream of words! She was so fast, and since she wasn’t from the area, she used her native dialect. Jiang Xia couldn’t even understand most of it, just a lot of chickens and colorful phrases.
Jiang Xia was amazed!
Grandmother chuckled. “Your mom can curse for half an hour without repeating herself. You should learn from her. In the village, you can’t afford to not know how to argue; otherwise, you’ll be taken advantage of. If someone bullies you, curse them back fiercely. Otherwise, they’ll think you’re an easy target and get even more aggressive next time.”
Jiang Xia blinked. “If I can’t curse, can I just fight?”
Grandmother laughed heartily. “Sure, why not? If someone hits you, hit back! Don’t be polite! Just don’t kill anyone! But if you can’t win, remember to run and get help. Don’t stand there and take it, thinking you’re a tough guy. A smart person knows when to retreat and get reinforcements. If someone from our village attacks, we all go together. If it’s from another village, we mobilize the whole village.”
Grandmother taught Jiang Xia how to fight.
Next door, Pan Daidi was yelling back from her yard, but she didn’t dare come out.
Zhou’s mother cursed for a full half-hour, only stopping when Pan Daidi fell silent, finally feeling satisfied.
Soon, Zhou’s father returned with several bundles of bamboo. He had heard from the villagers and asked Jiang Xia if she was hurt, showing his concern. He then advised, “The neighbors are mostly shameless. Next time we go out, remember to lock the gate and ignore anyone you don’t know.”
Jiang Xia nodded.
Lunch was made by Zhou’s mother, who didn’t let Jiang Xia help. Instead, Jiang Xia went to wash her hair.
Zhou Chenglei brought out a reclining chair for her to lie on while he washed her hair, making it much more comfortable.
After washing her hair and having lunch, Zhou Chenglei pulled a cart to buy some bricks and cement to build a platform for the hand pump.
He had intended to buy some tiles from the neighboring village to fix the roof of the storage room, but after the typhoon, many roofs had been blown off, and the tiles were unavailable. He would have to wait a few days.
The well cover had hardened, so they could start building the platform to install the pump.
Jiang Xia didn’t know much about it, but she had seen something similar in her old house. It was like a rectangular concrete pillar, and the hand pump would be fixed on top, reaching waist height, making it easier to operate.
Zhou Chenglei installed the hand pump, while Zhou’s father wove sun-drying mats.
Jiang Xia and Zhou’s mother peeled shrimp, sorting them by size. Peeled shrimp sold for more and dried faster.
Everyone was busy with their own tasks, and this warm, harmonious atmosphere was unfamiliar to Zhou Chenglei, but he enjoyed it very much.
He couldn't help but look up at Jiang Xia, who was peeling shrimp shells.
The setting sun slanted into the courtyard, and she sat in the shade, her hair tied into two braids with a few wisps framing her gentle, beautiful face.
Later that evening, after the family had finished dinner and taken their baths, Zhou Zhou lay on a lounge chair in the courtyard, playing.
Jiang Xia carried out a plate of watermelon and placed it on the round table next to the lounge chair, calling out to Zhou's father, mother, and Zhou Chenglei to come and eat.
The watermelon was a gift from Jiang Yang, and fortunately, it was fresh, so it hadn't gone bad after two days.
Zhou Chenglei was still building the grape trellis and hadn't finished yet. He responded, "You guys eat."
Zhou's father took a piece of watermelon and bit into it. "Sweet!"
Zhou's mother also took a piece. "It's sugary, it must be sweet."
Jiang Xia handed a piece of watermelon to Zhou Zhou and asked with a smile, "Is the lounge chair comfortable?"
"Very comfortable!" Zhou Zhou got up, took the watermelon, put on his plastic sandals, and ran over to Zhou Chenglei. "Uncle, have some watermelon."
She held the watermelon up high for Zhou Chenglei to taste.
Zhou Chenglei leaned down and bit into it, smiling. "Sweet!"
Then he took the watermelon. "You go eat."
Zhou Chenglei finished his piece in a few bites and threw the rind into the slop bucket.
Jiang Xia offered him another piece, but he declined and went to wash his hands by the well.
Zhou's father also finished his piece in a few bites, washed his hands, and went back to the room. He needed to get some rest; he wasn't sure if the waves would be too rough for fishing tomorrow.
Zhou's mother finished eating and cleared the table, telling Jiang Xia, "When you're done, put the rinds in the slop bucket for the chickens. They love it."
She threw the rinds into the slop bucket and called Zhou Zhou to go to bed, also reminding Zhou Chenglei not to stay up too late since they might need to go fishing tomorrow.
Zhou Chenglei responded.
After finishing her watermelon, Jiang Xia cleared the table and prepared to go to the bathroom before bed.
She took a flashlight and went to the outdoor toilet.
The house didn't have an indoor bathroom; there was an outhouse outside.
It was a very low, mud-brick outhouse, built a few meters from the house. She always went to the bathroom before bed, and to be honest, she was a bit scared, especially of snakes. But she was even more scared of needing to go in the middle of the night.
That night, Jiang Xia had a dream where she was searching for a bathroom. When she woke up, she realized she really needed to go.
She must have eaten too much watermelon before bed.
In the dim light, Jiang Xia regretted her greed from the night before.
Snakes could be around at any time, but she had to go to the bathroom.
She glanced at the man lying next to her. To get up, she would have to climb over him.
But the urgency was too much, and she couldn't hold it any longer.
She quietly sat up, carefully extending one foot to the side of his body, then reaching out with one hand to cross over him.
Zhou Chenglei had only just fallen asleep. In his drowsy state, he felt the movement but didn't pay much attention, as she often draped her limbs over him in her sleep.
But something felt off. He always slept lightly, and he could feel her breath on his face. He opened his eyes and saw Jiang Xia straddling him.
Jiang Xia had forgotten about her injured knee. As she crossed over him and knelt down, the pain in her knee made her collapse onto him.
Zhou Chenglei instinctively reached out to hold her waist, preventing her from falling off the bed.
In the dim light, their eyes met, but they couldn't see each other clearly.
But he held her, and she lay on top of him, their breaths mingling.
Zhou Chenglei's eyes darkened, and he instinctively tightened his arms around her, rolling over to press her beneath him.
(End of Chapter)
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