Chapter 528: A Joke
Chapter 528: A Joke
Not only was Zhou Chenglei doing this, but Jiang Xia also saw others doing the same.
Tian Caifua eagerly explained, "If you don't fill the screw hole, when you dig with a hoe, water will enter through the hole, and the sand will easily collapse, making it difficult to find the shellfish. So, before digging, everyone usually hoes the sand first to fill the screw hole."
Jiang Xia still didn't quite understand and felt it was a bit unnecessary, but there must be a reason why everyone was doing it this way.
The West Beauty Tongue was buried deep, and it took Zhou Chenglei and Tian Caifua three or four hoes to dig a pit about half an arm deep before reaching in to pull it out.
Moreover, it clung tightly, and Jiang Xia noticed that both Zhou Chenglei and Tian Caifua had to exert some effort to dig it out.
Zhou Chenglei handed the West Beauty Tongue he had dug out to Jiang Xia.
Jiang Xia took it and examined it, laughing, "I finally understand why it's called the West Beauty Tongue."
This little thing was shaped like a flower shell, but its shell was redder, and the semi-transparent meat it spat out was like a human tongue.
Flower shells could also "spit out their tongues," but theirs weren't as big as this.
Moreover, the West Beauty Tongue's "tongue" was semi-transparent and very beautiful.
Perhaps this was why someone named it the West Beauty Tongue.
Xishi was a beauty, so her tongue must also be beautiful.
A child held a West Beauty Tongue and stuck out her tongue, imitating its shape, asking her parents if it looked similar.
Jiang Xia, seeing this, also held up the small creature and stuck out her tongue, asking Zhou Chenglei, "Does it look like mine?"
Zhou Chenglei glanced at her pink tongue tip, lowered his head, and vigorously swung his hoe to expend the excess energy that had inexplicably surged within him. "No, your tongue is sharper."
"Then show me yours. Does it look like mine?"
Zhou Chenglei looked at her, "I'll show you when we get home."
Jiang Xia asked, "Why do you need to go home to stick out your tongue?"
Zhou Chenglei didn't respond and kept his head down, digging for West Beauty Tongues with all his might.
Jiang Xia suddenly understood, "..."
Indeed, an old man who had held back for too long couldn't be teased.
Zhou Chenglei dug for West Beauty Tongues with all his might, successfully catching up and surpassing the others. By the time they returned, he had dug out more than those who had arrived earlier.
Digging these things was exhausting; one had to use a hoe and then bend down to dig with their hands. Usually, after digging a pound or two, everyone would be tired.
Zhou Chenglei dug a good half-bucket, about five or six pounds' worth.
Zhou Chenglei's father had arrived earlier, but he had only dug a little over two pounds.
As for Tian Caifua, she had barely dug out about a pound.
Seeing Zhou Chenglei carrying a bucketful of West Beauty Tongues, the villagers couldn't help but exclaim, "Ah Lei truly has the strength! He's only been here for a short while and has already dug out so much. We've been here for so long and only managed to dig out a pound or two!"
"Young man, you've got a strong back! I dug a pound, and my back is killing me!"
Some of the women liked to tease, and seeing Zhou Chenglei effortlessly carrying a hoe and a bucket in one hand while pulling Jiang Xia, who had a big belly, with the other, they started joking, "Ah Lei, how's your back? Just look at how big Xia's belly is! Has our village had a triplet birth in many years?"
Jiang Xia's belly was enormous, much larger than that of an average pregnant woman, and many people knew about her carrying triplets.
Someone joked directly with Jiang Xia, "Xia, is Ah Lei's back strong?"
Another person chimed in, "Not strong enough, or how could Xia be carrying triplets?"
Everyone burst into laughter.
Jiang Xia had been walking around the village a lot, and she had heard these kinds of jokes before, so she just laughed it off.
She laughed heartily, "How can I compare to you aunties? You gave birth to an entire football team! The other day, I saw Uncle Yonghe and Uncle Cai carrying a nearly 300-pound pig, and they were walking with such a heavy load with great vigor! Their strength was still impressive! Their backs are truly strong!"
They thought Jiang Xia was shy, but they didn't expect her to have such thick skin and respond to their jokes.
Everyone burst into laughter again.
Then they began teasing the couple who had spoken earlier.
Such topics were always a test of one's thick skin; the thicker it was, the less awkward one felt.
Zhao Chenglei glanced at Jiang Xia.
Jiang Xia squeezed his hand and glared at him.
It was all because he had been swinging the hoe with such vigor, as if his energy was boundless.
Zhao Chenglei's lips curved up slightly, and he held her hand tightly.
That night, Jiang Xia's supper was a porridge and steamed vermicelli cooked with West Beauty Tongue.
It was exceptionally sweet and fresh, and if not for the fear of overeating, Jiang Xia would have loved to have a second bowl.
That evening, Zhao Chenglei fulfilled his promise from the afternoon, giving her a response and chasing her tongue relentlessly.
In fact, not only was Zhao Chenglei's waist strong, but his lung capacity was also particularly impressive.
Of course, it only felt long to Jiang Xia; Zhao Chenglei didn't feel that way. If not for Jiang Xia's current condition and occasional breathing difficulties, he would have lasted even longer, rather than stopping prematurely.
(End of Chapter)
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