Chapter 60: The Argument
Chapter 60: The Argument
Wen Wan’s voice was so loud that everyone in the courtyard turned to look at her.
Zhou Chenglei hadn’t let go of Jiang Xia, and both of them turned to face her.
Wen Wan’s face was flushed, but she thought that with so many people around, Zhou Chenglei wouldn’t dare refuse her. She asked, “Big Brother Zhou, can I go out to sea with you tomorrow?”
Jiang Xia raised an eyebrow and looked at Zhou Chenglei.
Zhou Chenglei replied, “I’m not going out to sea tomorrow.”
Wen Wan’s smile faltered. “Oh, really? What about the day after?”
“Why?” Zhou Chenglei didn’t agree immediately.
Going out to sea was dangerous, and without a compelling reason, he wouldn’t take the risk.
“I still need to earn enough for my tuition. I want to go fishing to make some money. Big Brother Zhou, I’ll split the money I earn from selling the fish with you. I won’t be taking advantage of your boat.”
Zhou Chenglei refused outright, “No, you can fish from the rocks by the shore.”
Her reason wasn’t convincing enough.
The sea was unpredictable, and going out to sea was very dangerous. If something went wrong, it could be a matter of life and death. He didn’t want to help someone only to end up hurting them.
Besides, what would she do on the boat? If she couldn’t catch any fish, he couldn’t help her either.
Zhou Chenglei was willing to help, but this wasn’t the kind of help he was offering.
Wen Wan tried to force a smile, but it looked like she was about to cry. “But the fish by the shore are hard to catch, and they’re small. I can’t make much money.”
Zhou Chenglei didn’t say anything; it wasn’t his problem.
“Big Brother Zhou, I only need ten more dollars. Just this once, the fish in the sea are bigger. I’ve seen Sister Jiang Xia catch so many…”
“You’re not her.” Zhou Chenglei replied casually, then turned and pulled Jiang Xia back into the house, not wanting to waste any more time on this.
Wen Wan: “…”
What did he mean by that?
Aunt Tang, who had been listening, said, “A-Lei, it’s not easy for Xiao Wan. She’s working hard to pay for her own education. Can you help her?”
Zhou Chenglei’s mother liked Wen Wan. She was diligent and ambitious, and Zhou’s mother also wanted to match her with her nephew. “A-Lei, our boat is big enough. Take Xiao Wan with you!”
Zhou Chenglei still didn’t agree. “It’s not convenient.”
He pulled Jiang Xia back into the room.
Jiang Xia suddenly remembered a scene from the book. In the story, Wen Wan went around the docks, begging people to take her out to sea. Her father had a bad toothache and wanted to eat abalone to reduce the inflammation. Her stepmother knew she had money and asked her to buy it, but the protagonist didn’t want to spend the money, so she decided to go to the island to find abalone.
The abalone by the shore had all been picked clean by the villagers, but the isolated islands in the sea were less visited and still had plenty.
However, the author’s setting was that the villagers were superstitious and believed it was bad luck to take women out to sea, so no one would help her.
Zhou Chenglei’s father eventually helped her, and after that, the protagonist often went out to sea with Zhou Chenglei’s family during the holidays, and their relationship gradually developed.
Jiang Xia was pulled back into the room by Zhou Chenglei.
The room had a threshold stone, and she was so deep in thought that she tripped.
Zhou Chenglei caught her. “What were you thinking about?”
Jiang Xia shook her head. “Nothing. You pulled me in here. What do you want to say to me?”
“I’m not going out to sea tomorrow. I’ll take you to the city.” Zhou Chenglei walked to the cabinet and took out the money from today’s fish sales.
Jiang Xia didn’t understand why they were suddenly going to the city. She asked, “To see my parents?”
What day was it tomorrow? Could it be one of the original protagonist’s parents’ birthdays? Not having the original protagonist’s memories was a hassle.
“It’s not for that. There are other things to do. If there’s time, we can visit your parents.” Zhou Chenglei handed her a thick stack of money. “This is the money from selling the fish. Keep it.”
“Why so much?” Jiang Xia took it and counted carefully. “More than a thousand dollars? For me?”
“Yeah, it’s yours.”
“Why are you giving me so much? I only want my share from today. You’re giving me the money from the days you and your father went out to sea? No, I didn’t go out the last two times.”
Zhou Chenglei wanted to give her the money to manage, but since she was so clear about it, he said, “Just take it for now! We’re going to the city tomorrow. If you want to buy anything for your family, you can use this.”
“I don’t need that much.”
Zhou Chenglei replied, “Just keep it for now. I’ll get you some water to wash up. I need to help my father cut bamboo soon.”
Mr. Zhou had gone to cut bamboo, as they needed to hang up the golden pomfret to dry, and they didn’t have enough bamboo at home.
Zhou Chenglei opened the door and stepped out, only to find Tian Caihua standing just outside.
Zhou Chenglei frowned. If his hearing wasn’t so bad, he would have noticed someone approaching earlier.
“Is there something you need, Sister-in-Law?” His voice was a bit cold.
Jiang Xia quickly stuffed the money into the drawer and turned to stare at Tian Caihua, her face stern.
What kind of manners are these?
Caught red-handed, Tian Caihua didn’t seem the least bit embarrassed. She wasn’t trying to eavesdrop on purpose, so she spoke calmly, “I just got here. I came to talk to you about something. My brother and I have some business to attend to the day after tomorrow, so we can’t go out to sea. I was hoping we could switch days. We’ll go out tomorrow, and you can go the day after. How does that sound?”
The business was a lie. She just thought tomorrow was a better day for fishing than the day after, so she wanted to switch.
She had noticed that whenever it was Zhou Chenglei’s turn to go out to sea, the days were always particularly good.
Zhou Chenglei replied, “Sure.”
It worked out well for him, as he planned to take Jiang Xia to the city the next day to see a doctor and get her body checked.
Her period had only lasted three days, and he wasn’t sure if that was normal. He remembered that female soldiers usually took several days off for their periods, though he hadn’t paid attention to the exact number of days. But it was more than three, and she looked particularly pale during those days.
After a moment’s thought, Zhou Chenglei added, “Sister-in-Law, next time you come to see me, please announce yourself and knock on the door. Don’t just stand outside silently.”
Tian Caihua was irritated. Did he really consider her his elder sister-in-law? She retorted, “I said I just got here, and you opened the door! Do you think I was eavesdropping?”
Jiang Xia snapped, “Besides not eavesdropping, please don’t go around telling everyone about our family matters. Last time, you told the neighbors about the pearl from the sea snail, and they all came to our house to try and take it!”
Tian Caihua was furious. What kind of attitude was this from Jiang Xia?
Who did she think she was, acting so superior in front of her?
She sneered, “What family matters? Did I say it was your family’s business? Is this your house? Don’t forget, you and A-Lei agreed to get divorced! You’re just staying here temporarily! What right do you have to interfere with what I say or do? Do you really think you’re still part of the Zhou family, or are you just hanging around because A-Lei gives you all the money he earns from fishing, and you can’t bear to leave him…?”
Zhou Chenglei barked, “Sister-in-Law!”
Tian Caihua was startled and looked at Zhou Chenglei.
Zhou Chenglei’s eyes were cold, and his voice was low and icy, “Sister-in-Law, we are not divorced. Jiang Xia is my wife, and this is her home. The money I earn is hers, and it’s right that I give it to her. Please show her some respect, or don’t blame me for not treating you as my elder sister-in-law.”
Those words were harsh and left no room for argument.
He didn’t want to argue with his elder sister-in-law, but her words were too hurtful.
Tian Caihua was livid. No one respected her, no one treated her as the elder sister-in-law, and now she was supposed to respect Jiang Xia?
She sneered, “Fine! She’s your wife, I get it. I was wrong, okay? I was wrong, and she won’t hang around. She doesn’t even want to stay with a fisherman like you. She was just asking about when your household registration would be transferred back so she could get a divorce! You’re the only one who treats her like a treasure, giving her all the money you earn from fishing. You’re a fool! Rest assured, I won’t say a word about your family’s business in the future!”
With that, Tian Caihua stormed out, her face dark with anger.
She was fuming! No one respected her!
In the courtyard, she didn’t even bother to clean the fish. She shouted at Zhou Chengxin, “Zhou Chengxin, come home and work!”
Without waiting for the confused looks from the others, she stormed back home.
The courtyard was large, and the thick stone walls muffled the sound, so no one inside the house heard the argument, especially since they hadn’t been shouting too loudly.
Zhou Chengxin was bewildered.
Mrs. Zhou frowned and said to her eldest son, “Go back! Maybe there’s something urgent.”
Zhou Chengxin was worried and quickly washed his hands before rushing out.
Wen Wan watched Tian Caihua leave and then glanced at the house. She sensed that Tian Caihua and Jiang Xia had a falling out. She clutched her stomach, “I suddenly feel a bit sick. I need to go to the bathroom.”
She washed her hands and left.
In the room, only Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei remained.
(End of Chapter)
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