After Transmigrating Into a Book, She Struck It Rich in the Eighties #401-600
Author: 渐进淡出
Date: 2026-03-14T11:21:13+00:00

Chapter 401: Something Seems a Bit Off

He Shunyu, the sister-in-law of Li Xiuxian, approached Jiang Xia. She placed her hand affectionately on Jiang Xia’s shoulder and smiled at Chenglei. “Chenglei, this must be your wife, right? On your wedding day, my side of the family happened to have a celebration as well, so I didn’t get the chance to meet her.”

Chenglei glanced subtly at the hand on Jiang Xia’s shoulder. It looked heavy, and more importantly, it was a bit oily—likely because she had just been gnawing on some bones and hadn’t wiped her hands clean. He stood up and said to Jiang Xia, “We didn’t get to toast Sister-in-law at the wedding, so let’s make up for it now. A toast to our relative-in-law. I’ll drink wine, and you drink tea.”

Jiang Xia took the hint and stood up, moving to Chenglei’s side to face He Shunyu. She smiled and said, “I’ll toast you with tea instead of wine, Sister-in-law.”

The two of them raised their cups to He Shunyu.

He Shunyu clinked her cup against theirs and looked at Jiang Xia with a smile. “Chenglei, your wife is truly beautiful! Not only is she pretty, but she’s also so capable. I heard she’s fluent in many foreign languages, right? You two went to the Canton Fair to work as translators and made a fortune, didn’t you? That’s amazing! I don’t even know what the Canton Fair is! Xiao Xia, exactly how many foreign languages are you fluent in?”

Jiang Xia replied, “Actually, I’m just like everyone else. I’m only truly fluent in one language—our mother tongue. I wouldn’t say I’m ‘fluent’ in the others.”

“See, that’s what an education does for you; you’re so well-spoken! You and Chenglei really are a perfect match. You both have so much talent. Chenglei has only been back from the military for a short time, and he’s already become a ten-thousand-yuan household, ranking third in the entire city! He’s been on TV and in the newspapers! You’re the most capable person in this whole area!”

Chenglei didn’t have much patience for these social niceties, nor did he want Jiang Xia to stand for too long. He put his arm around her and guided her back to her seat.

Father Zhou spoke up, “He only got third place because the truly wealthy people didn’t bother joining in. What talent does Chenglei have? Xiao Xia is the talented one; his skills don’t even compare to hers.”

“Father Zhou, you’re too humble!” He Shunyu remarked.

Just then, the server brought out the soup. Chenglei picked up Jiang Xia’s bowl to serve her. “Sister-in-law, the fish soup at this restaurant is quite good. You should try some while it’s hot.”

To prevent He Shunyu’s heavy hand from landing on Jiang Xia’s shoulder again, Chenglei kept his arm draped over the back of Jiang Xia’s chair after he sat down.

He Shunyu laughed. “No rush, it just came to the table and it’s still piping hot. I’ll try it in a bit.”

She continued, “Xiao Xia, Xiao Xian mentioned that Father Zhou brought back a lot of small dried fish from his distant seas voyage to make those seasoned snacks. Do you have enough hands to help? I happen to be free and could lend a hand. As you know, I usually handle large-scale banquets and wedding feasts for the villagers. I won’t say my cooking is world-class, but it’s certainly decent enough.”

Upon hearing this, Tian Caihua immediately cut in, “No need to ask! We’ve already hired everyone we need! Even if we hadn’t, my own family’s sisters-in-law have been wanting to come!”

The underlying meaning was: You couldn’t even get a spot if you waited in line!

Jiang Xia followed up smoothly, “The decision of whom to hire is made by my partner since she’s the one handling the daily operations. I only help out occasionally, so I don’t make the calls on that.”

Even when it came to hiring Aunt Fen, Jiang Xia had consulted He Xinghuan first. Only after she said Aunt Fen was good did Jiang Xia go to hire her.

After all, they were the ones who would be working together most of the time. Hiring someone He Xinghuan didn’t like would only cause unnecessary stress. If He Xinghuan wasn’t happy with someone, Jiang Xia wouldn’t hire them.

He Shunyu didn’t like Tian Caihua. They were from the same village and had never gotten along since they were children.

Ignoring Tian Caihua, she turned back to Jiang Xia. “Your new house is almost ready Move into, isn’t it? When are you holding the housewarming feast? I…”

Tian Caihua interrupted again, “Don’t even think about that! An uncle from our village is a head chef, and we’ve already asked for his help! He’s helping Chenglei out of the goodness of his heart, for free!”

He Shunyu shot Tian Caihua a sharp look.

Mother Zhou said with a smile, “Sister-in-law, if you’re free on New Year’s Day, come over with your family for a meal. Bring everyone.”

Mother Zhou had asked a fortune teller to pick two auspicious dates for the move. One was New Year’s Day, and the other was on the Little New Year.

The Little New Year was too late.

She had initially worried that they wouldn’t be ready by New Year’s Day, but everything was prepared now.

Furthermore, New Year’s Day was a public holiday, so the second brother’s family and Jiang Xia’s parents would all be free. Thus, they settled on that date.

Coincidentally, Big Brother’s new ship was also scheduled to be delivered that day—a double celebration!

Unable to push her agenda further, He Shunyu smiled and said, “We’ll definitely be there! Well, I’ll head back to my table and have some soup now.”

“Alright,” Mother Zhou replied pleasantly.

After lunch, the family returned to the village.

Jiang Xia got off the tractor at the entrance of the production team and called Jiang Dong.

The Winter Solstice happened to be Jiang Dong’s birthday.

She called Zhang Fuyan’s house directly.

Last Sunday, she had tried calling Jiang Dong at the research institute, but he wasn’t there. He wasn’t at his school dormitory either. Finally, she had called Zhang Fuyan and found him there.

Today, she simply called Zhang Fuyan first.

Sure enough, Jiang Dong was with her.

Jiang Dong said happily, “Thanks, Sis! I received the birthday gift you and Brother-in-law sent! Thank you! It’s way too expensive, though. You don’t need to spend so much money in the future. And that shop you bought for me… I’m not going to open a business. Don’t buy me such pricey things from now on.”

“If it’s useful, it’s not a waste of money. You can keep it to collect rent; that shop is bound to be valuable in the future.” Jiang Xia had sent Jiang Dong a computer. She had asked Zhang Rong to buy it and mail it directly to him.

It was only during her last call with Jiang Dong that Jiang Xia realized the storefront Chenglei had bought previously was also a birthday gift for Jiang Dong, rather than something Jiang Dong had wanted to buy himself.

Jiang Xia felt like the two of them were hiding something from her, but she couldn’t get anything out of them when she asked. She had asked Zhang Fuyan as well, but she had also feigned ignorance.

Eventually, Jiang Xia stopped prying. She would find out sooner or later.

“Sis, are you moving into the new house on New Year’s Day? I’ll come back then.”

“How many days off do you have?”

“One day. I’ll take an extra day of leave.”

“Alright then!” Jiang Xia reminded Jiang Dong to eat some glutinous rice balls and longevity noodles before asking him to hand the phone to Zhang Fuyan.

Jiang Xia and Zhang Fuyan had much more to talk about—mostly with Zhang Fuyan doing the talking.

She asked Jiang Xia how to make dumpling skins.

The two talked for nearly twenty minutes before hanging up.

In the capital:

Jiang Dong couldn’t help but comment, “Every time my sister calls you, she seems to have an endless supply of things to talk about! With me, she only says a few words and then hangs up!”

His sister had spoken to him for two minutes, but she had talked to Xiao Yan for nearly twenty.

The difference in treatment was too much!

Zhang Fuyan replied, “That’s because you have nothing to say. Xiaxia isn’t a woman of many words to begin with. When I’m on the phone with her, I’m the one doing all the talking. Besides, I was asking her how to wrap dumplings; of course we had a lot to discuss.”

Jiang Dong felt slightly wronged. “I have plenty I want to say to my sister, but every time I start talking, she tells me to write it in a letter. Lately, she just tells me to give the phone to you.”

Zhang Fuyan teased, “That’s because you talk too much nonsense, and long-distance calls are expensive.”

Jiang Dong: “…”

Did he really talk that much nonsense? Did he?

Zhang Fuyan was truly struggling with the dough!

She wanted to make dumplings and longevity noodles for Jiang Dong, but she had been kneading the dough all morning to no avail.

“Xiaxia just told you to eat glutinous rice balls, right? Let’s have those today instead. We have peanuts at home, so I’ll make a peanut filling. We’ll have peanut glutinous rice balls and skip the dumplings.”

“Fine.”

An hour later, Jiang Dong finally sat down to his feast of glutinous rice balls and longevity noodles.

He looked at the glutinous rice balls, which were as large as eggs, and couldn’t help but ask, “Are these actually cooked through?”

“They’re cooked! Look, these longevity noodles turned into a paste because I boiled them too long, which proves things shouldn’t be cooked for eternity. Hurry up and try one.”

Jiang Dong looked at the bowl of noodles and thought she might have a point.

So, he scooped up one of the massive glutinous rice balls and took a bite. The texture felt a bit off… “It seems like…”

Before he could finish his sentence, a cloud of white “smoke” puffed out of his mouth as soon as he opened it!

Zhang Fuyan’s face was instantly covered in dry flour!

Jiang Dong: “…”

His sister’s instructions must have been wrong!

Chapter 402: Interest

After their meal, the family piled onto the tractor to head home.

Zhou Ying and Zhou Zhou began discussing the upcoming New Year’s Day arts performance at their school.

Zhou Ying said, “I have to perform a dance on stage. I’ve been practicing every day after school. Does your school have performances?”

Zhou Zhou replied, “We have them too. I’m also going to dance. In our class, some people are dancing, some are singing, and others are performing skits.”

“Your class has that many acts? Our class only has a dance!”

Second Sister-in-law said, “Zhou Zhou’s school is just a village elementary school. There are only one or two classes per grade. The whole school only has about ten classes in total. If every class didn’t prepare several performances, the show would be over in no time. What would be the point of watching that?”

Zhou Zhou remained silent after hearing this; she hadn’t realized that was the reason.

Jiang Xia turned back to ask the two children, “So, do you like dancing, singing, or performing?”

The winter break was approaching, and it was nearly time to sign Zhou Zhou up for some extracurricular classes. Zhou Zhou seemed to have quite an interest in music.

As soon as she heard the question, Zhou Ying shouted, “I like dancing!”

Zhou Zhou said, “I like singing, but I don’t really like dancing.”

Back on Children’s Day in June, she had been very envious seeing others dance, but now that she was actually performing on stage, she found it was just okay—not that much fun.

Jiang Xia asked further, “Is there anything else you like? What about drawing? Or the piano? Do you like those?”

Zhou Zhou replied, “I like drawing, and I like the piano. Piano music sounds so beautiful!”

Mother Jiang had given Jiang Xia some cassette tapes of piano music. Jiang Xia had left them by the radio and played them a few times, and Zhou Zhou had thought they sounded wonderful.

“What’s a piano?” Zhou Ying asked.

Zhou Zhou explained, “It’s a musical instrument. It’s black and very big, and the songs it plays are beautiful! Da-da-da-da, da-da-da…”

Zhou Zhou hummed the melody of A Comme Amour.

Jiang Xia wasn’t surprised. Zhou Zhou had an excellent memory; she could sing a song after hearing it only once.

However, there probably weren’t any singing classes in town right now. She would just have to buy more tapes for Zhou Zhou to listen to.

Zhou Ying was puzzled. “…Da-da-da-da… what’s so good about that? It doesn’t even have lyrics.”

“I can’t sing it properly,” Zhou Zhou said. “When we get home, I’ll play it for you. Once you hear it, you’ll think it’s beautiful too.”

“Alright!”

Jiang Xia asked Chenglei, “Do you know if there are any piano teachers in town?”

Before Chenglei could speak, Second Sister-in-law chimed in immediately. “There are! There’s someone who teaches! I heard there’s an old lady in town who came back from studying abroad; she knows piano. She only started taking students this year; she didn’t dare to take them before. I’ve even seen people from the city specifically drive their children to our town to learn from her. I heard her lessons are very expensive. But she charges some students one yuan per lesson and others two yuan. She only charges the town students the lower price. I heard those two students from the city are charged five yuan per lesson! For a one-hour session.”

Tian Caihua clicked her tongue in shock. “Five yuan? That’s way too expensive!”

Second Sister-in-law said, “Isn’t it? I don’t know if she’s playing favorites, seeing the city students’ parents driving them there in cars and decided to charge them more.”

Jiang Xia shook her head. “Probably not. It’s likely based on the level of difficulty.”

Even in modern times, piano lessons were never cheap. Jiang Xia had once heard a senior university professor say that when she was a child, she studied under a professor-level educator for ten yuan an hour. Associate professors charged eight yuan.

Even in later decades, piano lesson prices remained high. Different grades meant different prices, and one had to account for the teacher’s skill level. Prices varied wildly between teachers.

That old lady in town was likely very skilled; otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to charge five yuan a lesson.

Jiang Xia planned to ask Zhou Zhou privately once they were home if she truly wanted to learn.

Second Sister-in-law asked Jiang Xia, “Xiao Xia, are you thinking of sending Zhou Zhou to learn piano?”

“Mhm,” Jiang Xia replied. “But it depends on whether Zhou Zhou wants to.”

Second Sister-in-law then asked Zhou Zhou, “Zhou Zhou, do you want to learn piano during the break?”

Zhou Zhou shook her head. It was so expensive; she didn’t want to.

Second Sister-in-law smiled and said, “If you want to learn, you can go with your sister! When the holidays come…”

Zhou Chengsen interrupted, “When the holidays come, Zhou Zhou can stay with her sister in town. Your Second Uncle will take you both to learn the piano together, how does that sound?”

Second Sister-in-law: “…”

She had originally planned to send Zhou Ying back to the old house for the winter break so she could learn English from Jiang Xia.

Zhou Ying immediately cheered, “Great! Zhou Zhou, come stay with me in town! We can learn piano and English together!”

Zhou Zhou shook her head again. “I only like listening to it; I don’t want to learn.”

Hearing this, Zhou Ying pouted. “Then I won’t learn either.”

Second Sister-in-law: “…”

She was truly going to be exasperated to death by her daughter’s lack of ambition!

Jiang Xia didn’t say anything more, deciding to ask again when the break actually started. Right now, Zhou Zhou was likely scared off by the price. If Zhou Zhou was truly interested, Jiang Xia would naturally find a way to let her learn.

After the Winter Solstice, the sun was bright every day. There was little wind, and it felt warm and pleasant.

For the past two evenings, Zhou Chengsen and Second Sister-in-law had been returning to take the two men from the Li family out to sea.

The couple would return to the village only after eating. They went out to sea at five thirty in the evening and didn’t return until four o’clock the next morning. They only went back to town to sleep after selling the fish.

They both took the morning off work these past two days to catch up on sleep, only going into work in the afternoon.

While their night hauls were quite good—earning thirty or forty yuan the first day and seventy or eighty the second after deducting fuel and labor—the grueling schedule was too much. After two nights of staying up, Second Sister-in-law couldn’t take it anymore, and neither could the Li father and son.

Turning night into day was far too miserable!

Li Qingmin was the first to speak up. “We’re familiar with the rhythm now, so A-Sen doesn’t need to take us out at night anymore. We’ll go out during the day instead. We’ll get up at four thirty in the morning and follow A-Lei and the others. I really can’t handle the night trips; I’m too exhausted!”

Li’s father agreed. “Night trips won’t work. We’re too sleepy. And during the day, the house is too noisy to get any sleep at all.”

Zhou Chengsen nodded. “Fine. You can go at night or during the day; just pick a time.”

And so, on the third day, the father and son finally appeared at the pier punctually at four thirty to head out to sea with Chenglei and Big Brother.

Every day following the Winter Solstice, Chenglei was out at sea from dawn until dusk.

Jiang Xia was also very busy at home.

More than 2,500 kg of small fried fish had to be processed, and Jiang Xia helped with the packaging every day.

Previously, she had helped keep the fire going, but after tending the stove from morning to night, the smell of oil smoke had ruined her appetite. She stopped tending the fire and instead took responsibility for weighing and packaging with Mother Zhou.

While everyone else worked from dawn to dusk, Jiang Xia worked for one hour and rested for the next. During her hour of rest, she would lie in the courtyard soaking up the sun to get some calcium while listening to her Korean language tapes.

Or, she would sit under the grape arbor doing translations, working through Gaokao practice problems, or drawing fabric patterns for the textile factory.

Thanks to the countless handwritten posters and drawing assignments from her previous life, Jiang Xia’s drawing skills were quite good.

Aunt Fen and He Xinghuan carried a large basin of finished fried fish over to Mother Zhou for packaging.

As they returned to the house next door, Aunt Fen couldn’t help but remark, “Xiao Xia is so diligent and ambitious. I’ve never seen her go out just to play.”

The village had many new brides; some were hardworking, others were lazy. In the village, “hardworking” for a new bride usually meant doing the housework: laundry, cooking, cleaning, raising chickens, and tending the vegetable garden. If one did all that, they were considered diligent.

Doing those tasks wasn’t easy, but no matter how much housework there was, there was usually a large block of free time every day to chat with neighbors or play cards. The more industrious ones would weave fishing nets to make money while they chatted.

But someone like Jiang Xia? Aside from Zhou Guohua’s wife, they had never seen anyone like her.

He Xinghuan replied, “If she wasn’t so diligent, how could she earn so much money? The God of Wealth doesn’t look after lazybones.”

“True.”

The days passed in a busy blur until it was the day before New Year’s Day.

Chapter 403: Moving to the New House

On New Year’s Day, the auspicious time to move into the new house was three o’clock in the morning.

The family went to bed at eight o’clock the night before and woke up promptly at two-thirty. After brushing their teeth and washing their faces, everyone carried a symbolic item to move from the old house to the new one.

The customs for entering a new residence were different from what Jiang Xia had seen online in her past life.

Father Zhou was the first to enter, carrying a cage of chickens into the house. Two oranges, a red envelope, and some longan leaves were tied to the chicken cage.

Mother Zhou followed him, carrying a load of water on a shoulder pole. Two oranges and a red envelope were likewise tied to the buckets. Longan leaves and oriental arborvitae leaves were placed in the water.

Chenglei followed with a load of crates. One side was filled with rice, and the other with paddy. Red envelopes, oranges, and arborvitae leaves were also placed on top of the grain. In his hands, he carried two round bamboo trays without holes, one large and one small, which also had oranges and red envelopes hanging from them.

Jiang Xia carried a load with two baskets. Inside were an abacus, a steelyard scale, a mirror, a ruler, apples, seeds for five types of grain, coins, candy, pork, an oil lamp, pastries, and such, as well as two pairs of new trousers for the couple.

Lastly, Zhou Zhou carried two stalks of sugarcane, which also had red envelopes tied to them.

In short, no one could enter the house empty-handed.

Following custom, the items brought by the mistress of the house, Jiang Xia, were the most varied, though fortunately, they weren’t too heavy. The heaviest items, the grain, were carried by Chenglei.

As the family walked out of the old house, they saw Zhou Bingqiang’s family approaching, each also carrying a load of things. Everyone was using flashlights to light the way.

Wen Wan shone her light toward Jiang Xia, glancing at what she was carrying. Seeing that their items were almost the same, she figured the customs were identical. However, since their new house was further away, Wen Wan’s shoulders already ached from the weight!

At this moment, no one greeted each other; according to tradition, they weren’t supposed to speak.

Each family opened their respective courtyard gates and entered their houses.

The family entered in a line. As soon as Chenglei moved inside, he set down his load and turned back to take Jiang Xia’s baskets. “Is it heavy?”

“Not at all,” Jiang Xia replied. “It’s only a distance of ten or twenty meters. It’s just a few steps. I wouldn’t mind even if it were heavy!”

She would be willing to endure such a load many times over for a move like this!

Chenglei was thinking about the apartment in the city. When they moved there, Jiang Xia would still have to carry a load like this up the stairs, which wouldn’t be as convenient as it was now. He felt these rituals were unnecessary.

The customs for moving in varied from place to place; one just needed to bring items with good meanings. Whatever kind of life one hoped to lead in the new home was reflected in what they carried during the move.

But his father and mother insisted on this. Jiang Xia had also agreed to follow the local customs. If they had listened to him, Jiang Xia wouldn’t have had to carry so much. He would have had her hold an apple in one hand and a piece of candy in the other. He only hoped she would be safe and healthy this lifetime, and that her days would be as sweet as candy.

Mother Zhou said with a smile, “Alright, now that we’re inside, it’s fine. Xiao Xia, go back to your room and get some more sleep!”

Father Zhou took the oil lamp Jiang Xia had brought in and placed it at the ancestral shrine. Then he picked up the two pieces of pork and the pastries and said to Chenglei, “You can go back to sleep too! Your mother and I will finish setting everything up. A-Lei, take the baskets Xiao Xia brought in and put them in your room. Leave them there for three days.”

“Okay,” Jiang Xia replied.

She looked at Zhou Zhou. “Zhou Zhou, are you going back to your room to sleep? Are you brave enough to sleep alone on the third floor?”

Zhou Zhou nodded. “I am!”

“Come on then, Auntie will take you up.”

Chenglei picked up the load of baskets and went upstairs with Jiang Xia and Zhou Zhou to return to their rooms.

Jiang Xia first saw Zhou Zhou to her room. “Are you sure? Do you want to sleep on the second floor instead?”

Zhou Zhou looked at Jiang Xia, puzzled. “I’m sure! Why wouldn’t I be?”

Jiang Xia was just worried the little girl would be scared, but seeing she truly wasn’t, she let it be. “Then I’ll stay here until you fall asleep before I go down.”

“No need, Auntie, you should go sleep too! If you stay and talk to me, I’ll be even less likely to fall asleep.”

Jiang Xia: “…Alright then, I’m going down to sleep.”

“Okay.”

Jiang Xia left Zhou Zhou’s room, leaving a bedside lamp on for her. The lights in the hall and on the stairs were also left on.

Once Jiang Xia went downstairs, Zhou Zhou couldn’t help but look around her room. She touched the mattress, the bedside lamp, and the duvet cover.

This bed was so comfortable! The duvet was beautiful, too, with such a cute pattern! The desk lamp was also very pretty.

Zhou Zhou tucked herself under the covers. She was a bit excited and couldn’t sleep, so she rolled around for a while. But she was a child after all; after playing for a bit, she closed her eyes and fell asleep shortly after.

Chenglei came up fifteen minutes later to check on her. Seeing she was asleep, he turned off the light and went downstairs to bed.

At seven o’clock the next morning, Tian Caihua, Great-Grandma’s family, and the uncles and aunts from the village arrived to help. Li Xiuxian also returned early to assist.

The chef for the day was Uncle Dong. Usually, when people in the village held celebrations, they asked him to take charge of the cooking. Zhou Bingqiang had tried to hire him first, but he had refused and came to help Jiang Xia’s family instead.

The braised pork belly needed to be stewed first. Uncle Dong said, “Find two people to peel the taro first. I’m going to start stewing the pork.”

Having said that, Uncle Dong went to process the meat.

He Xinghuan immediately said, “I’ll do the peeling!”

Tian Caihua added, “Second Sister-in-law, you should help peel the taro too!”

Li Xiuxian’s face darkened. Tian Caihua was doing this on purpose. She knew very well that Li Xiuxian was most afraid of peeling taro; every time she did, she’d have an allergic reaction and her hands would itch intensely. “I can’t. I get an allergy every time I peel taro.”

Tian Caihua was indeed doing it on purpose. She had expected Li Xiuxian to refuse and immediately said, “Then you and Great-Grandma go clean the chickens! I’ll do the peeling.”

Compared to cleaning chickens, Tian Caihua preferred peeling taro.

Li Xiuxian: “…”

She didn’t like cleaning chickens either. When plucking feathers, the smell of them being scalded by boiling water was foul! Besides, cleaning chickens was the most troublesome task. She only wanted to wash vegetables or do the dishes.

But she had arrived late. People were already washing the vegetables and dishes. Those simple, clean tasks were already taken.

Zhou Chengsen said, “Come over and help me hold the chickens; I’ll kill them.”

Li Xiuxian had no choice but to bite the bullet and help Zhou Chengsen. By the time they finished the dozen or so chickens, the skin on her hands was wrinkled from the water, and she smelled of chicken droppings and wet feathers.

Just as Li Xiuxian wanted to go inside for a drink of water and a rest, Tian Caihua spoke up again, “Second Sister-in-law, hurry and clean the fish! There’s no time; Uncle Dong is about to start frying them! It just so happens only you two are free!”

Zhou Chengsen replied, “Alright!”

Li Xiuxian: “…”

Very well. In just one morning, Tian Caihua had successfully made Li Xiuxian end up smelling fishy and foul!

Tian Caihua was delighted. When the second branch moved into their new house, she had been the one stuck cleaning the chickens and fish. Today, she finally got her payback!

Close to noon, two brand-new green Jeeps pulled up outside Jiang Xia’s new house.

The one in the front didn’t even have license plates yet.

Jiang Dong jumped down from the vehicle.

Chapter 404: The Wedding Gift

Jiang Dong got out of the car and walked to the vehicle behind him to open the door for Mother Jiang and Zhang Fuyan.

Mother Jiang had been the one driving that car.

Zhang Fuyan had sat in the back car with her instead of accompanying Jiang Dong in the lead vehicle.

By the time Jiang Dong reached them, Mother Jiang had already opened her door and stepped out.

Jiang Dong then helped Zhang Fuyan out of the car. She had only recently regained the ability to walk after her injury.

Jiang Dong had purchased two cars. The one he had driven was intended as a housewarming gift for his sister and brother-in-law. The car behind it was his own, which Mother Jiang had driven so they would have a vehicle to use when they eventually returned to the city.

The three of them stepped out of the cars and went to the back to retrieve the housewarming gifts.

Father Jiang and Mother Jiang had prepared quite a lot, and the trunks of both Jeeps were stuffed to the brim.

The two Jeeps had attracted the attention of the villagers from the moment they entered the village. A pack of children had even been chasing after them, running all the way behind the vehicles until they stopped.

Today, there were two housewarming parties happening in this alley at the same time. With so many relatives and friends visiting and villagers gathering to help, it was as lively as could be. Consequently, the alley was packed with onlookers watching the spectacle.

Mother Jiang was dressed today in a black cheongsam-style dress topped with a rose-red overcoat and slender high heels. The black and white cheongsam was elegant and dignified without being too flashy, and when paired with the dark red coat, she looked both festive and sophisticated.

Zhang Fuyan wore a white down jacket over a black turtleneck, paired with a trendy red checkered wool pinafore dress. A red scarf was wrapped around her neck, making her look stylish, fashionable, and full of youthful energy while still fitting the festive occasion.

Jiang Dong wore a deep gray sweater under a black overcoat, with a red scarf draped around his neck as well. Mother Jiang had prepared the scarf for him, complaining that his outfit wasn’t festive enough and insisting that a bit of red would brighten things up.

Father Jiang had one too, but he was busy with a rural inspection and outreach event today and couldn’t make it yet. He would only be able to come after work.

The way the three of them were dressed and their overall aura were clearly different from the villagers.

People watched them from a distance, whispering and huddled in small groups.

A distant relative of Zhou Bingqiang’s family asked from next door, “Who are they? Didn’t someone say Guohua’s wife’s family was coming? Is this them? Are they really that rich?”

“No! Wen Wan’s family are sheep farmers. They don’t have this kind of style. This is Chenglei’s wife’s family.”

Having heard that Wen Wan’s family had arrived, Wen Wan, Zhou Guohua, and Zhou Bingqiang’s couple had all come out to greet them, just in time to overhear this conversation.

Wen Wan: “…”

The person continued, “Aside from Zhou Yongfu’s house, how could Zhou Bingqiang’s family have such wealthy relatives?”

Zhou Bingqiang: “…”

Why wouldn’t I have wealthy relatives? He thought. His eldest aunt had married someone in Hong Kong and returned every Lunar New Year with bags full of gifts. In terms of net worth, Jiang Xia’s family couldn’t possibly compare to his aunt from Hong Kong!

Not wanting to argue with them, Zhou Bingqiang invited Wen Father inside.

Just then, someone else remarked, “That car doesn’t have a license plate yet and it’s decorated with a big red flower. It must be a housewarming gift from Jiang Xia’s family, right?”

“Looks like it. Why else would they drive two cars here? They’re both brand new, but only one has a plate.”

“Tsk, they’re truly rich. I thought Zhou Chenglei was wealthy enough, but it seems Jiang Xia’s family is even richer.”

“Isn’t that obvious? If Jiang Xia’s family isn’t rich, who is?”

Wen Wan stared at the two brand-new Jeeps. The one in front indeed had no license plate and was adorned with a big red flower; it certainly looked like a gift.

Wen Wan couldn’t help but glance at the things Wen Father and her stepmother had brought.

Two baskets containing a bit of rice, two bottles of liquor, a rooster, two strips of pork, some pastries, about sixty-six centimeters of fabric, and likely a ten-yuan red envelope.

And that was it!

They hadn’t even bought a decent quilt to hang as a festive banner!

Her face burned with shame. Everything they had brought put together wasn’t even worth more than a single tire on that Jeep.

Zhou Bingqiang glanced at the Jeep and then looked away. It wasn’t that he wasn’t envious, but this was simply something he couldn’t compete with.

He had known for a long time that Jiang Xia’s family background was extraordinary. Back when Jiang Xia was constantly clamoring for a divorce, he had mocked her, saying she was a canary used to fine grain who couldn’t stomach coarse tea and simple food. He was certain she could never survive in the countryside and would eventually run back to her “castle.”

He never expected that within less than a year of her marriage, she would turn a mud-brick house into a castle. There was no comparison—none at all.

As for the gifts Wen Father had brought, for a housewarming, the gifts from the wife’s side were usually like this; there was nothing technically wrong with it. Only families that were exceptionally well-off or particularly doted on their daughters would prepare something more substantial.

The Wen family raised over twenty sheep, and winter was the best time to sell them, so their income wasn’t bad. However, the woman with Wen Father was only Wen Wan’s stepmother. How could she bear to give too much? These gifts followed the basic etiquette, with nothing missing that was supposed to be there.

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife said with a fake smile, “Let’s go inside!”

Bringing such a measly amount of stuff, so stingy, yet they have the nerve to stand there and watch the excitement! Aren’t they afraid of making fools of themselves?

Wen Wan felt extremely embarrassed and turned to go inside as well. From now on, they shouldn’t expect her to help her natal family with anything!

Only Zhou Guohua remained enthusiastic, taking the baskets from them with a smile. “Dad, Mom, Big Brother, Little Sister, please come in!”

Wen Father smiled and agreed, looking over his daughter’s new house. “This house is well-built.”

Wen Wan’s stepmother secretly rolled her eyes at Wen Wan, then turned back to call her own daughter. “Get inside!”

Wen Wan’s younger sister, Wen Rou, was gazing at Jiang Dong as if she had seen a god. “You go ahead, I want to look at the cars.”

She watched as Jiang Dong began unloading items from the back of the Jeep.

At that moment, Zhou Chenglei, Jiang Xia, and the rest of the Zhou family all walked out together.

“Mom, Jiang Dong, Fuyan, you’re here!” Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei stepped forward with smiles.

Father Zhou, Mother Zhou, and the others also offered their greetings. “My in-laws, Jiang Dong, Xiao Yan.”

Tian Caihua was the most boisterous. “Oh, my in-laws are finally here! Quick, come inside! Come inside! Where is Father Jiang? Has he not arrived yet?”

Mother Jiang smiled as she greeted everyone. “I’m sorry we’re so late. Xiaxia’s father has some business to attend to. He hasn’t finished work yet and will come by later.”

Jiang Dong was already lifting some festive banners Mother Jiang had prepared. When he heard Jiang Xia’s voice, he immediately set them down and turned to give her a quick hug. “Sis! I’m back!”

Zhou Chenglei: “…”

Jiang Dong only hugged her for a second before letting go. He looked at Jiang Xia’s belly, which was still flat. “How come my nephews and nieces haven’t changed at all?”

He had almost finished getting the strollers ready!

Mother Jiang gave him a tug and a glare. “Get over here and move the things.”

Why does he have such a big mouth? If you don’t know what to say, don’t say anything! Children could be very sensitive about such talk.

Jiang Dong rubbed his nose and hurried to move the gifts.

Jiang Xia laughed.

Zhang Fuyan gave Jiang Xia a hug and handed her a red envelope. “Happy housewarming! May your family prosper and your home be filled with wealth! I’ve also prepared a gift for you; it’s in the car. Jiang Dong will bring it in for you in a bit.”

Jiang Xia didn’t take the red envelope but kept her arm around her. “Why a red envelope too? There’s no need for that; it’s the thought that counts! Please, don’t be so formal.”

Jiang Dong chimed in, “I told her there was no need and that my sister wouldn’t take it, but she insisted on bringing it anyway.”

Zhang Fuyan glared at Jiang Dong. “You are you, and I am me! Am I the type of person to attend a banquet without giving a gift?”

She then teased Jiang Xia, “Take it! I’m planning on moving into a new home eventually, and I expect you to pay me back double! If you don’t take it, aren’t you cutting off my path to wealth?”

She made a joke out of it and shoved the red envelope directly into Jiang Xia’s pocket.

Jiang Xia stopped refusing, thinking she could just return the favor later. She joked back, “Then it’s settled! I’ll take it and I’m never giving it back!”

“Then give it back to me! I’m losing out!”

“No way! Once it’s in my pocket, it’s mine!” Jiang Xia laughed, linking arms with her to lead her inside.

The rest of the Zhou family followed, helping carry the various gifts into the house.

Chapter 405: Gifts (Part 2)

Mother Jiang had brought everything that was expected—missing nothing and choosing only the highest quality and largest portions for every item.

In addition to the standard items required by tradition for good luck, she had prepared many extra gifts. The trunks of both Jeeps were packed to the brim.

Each member of the Zhou family carried armfuls of gifts as they walked into the house.

This scene sparked another round of whispering and gossiping among the villagers:

“Is that a large bundle of woolen blankets? You can tell at a glance they’re high-quality; even the packaging looks expensive!”

“Why did she buy two bundles? I suppose it must be for ‘good things coming in pairs.’”

“The writing on that other bag is all squiggles like chicken scratches—definitely imported. I wonder what kind of quilt it is.”

“Probably silk duvets. Silk duvets are the most expensive.”

“Is that an electric rice cooker? They even bought one of those. Cooking will be so much easier from now on.”

“That wine is Maotai.”

“I have no idea what’s in those stacks of boxes and crates.”

“Me neither, I can’t tell, but with packaging that nice, it’s bound to be something good.”

…

Once everything was unloaded from the two vehicles, Mother Jiang handed a set of keys to Chenglei. “A-Lei, come with me to move these cars somewhere else so the truck can pull in. We need to unload the refrigerator and the washing machine.”

Chenglei had originally planned to buy a refrigerator himself, but Father Jiang had insisted long ago that he would be the one to provide the refrigerator and washing machine when they moved into the new house. He had already placed the order and paid; he had even shown the couple the receipt to make sure they believed him.

Jiang Xia hadn’t really wanted a washing machine. She felt that if it wasn’t a fully automatic one, it wasn’t worth buying, as semi-automatic machines were often more of a hassle than hand-washing.

However, since it was already bought and given with a heart full of love from her elders, the couple naturally wouldn’t dampen their spirits and acted very pleased.

“Alright,” Chenglei took the keys and went to park the Jeep in the nearby open lot.

Mother Jiang drove the other one and followed him.

Watching Mother Jiang behind the wheel, Wen Rou’s eyes brimmed with envy. It turned out a female comrade could drive too!

And a woman driving looked so elegant!

After the two cars were moved, the delivery truck pulled in.

When the villagers saw the washing machine and refrigerator being carried down, their jaws dropped!

They bought a refrigerator and a washing machine!

“Chenglei really hit the jackpot by marrying Jiang Xia! If my son could bring home a wife like that, I’d treat her like a princess!”

“Stop dreaming! Does your son have Chenglei’s talent? When Jiang Xia got engaged to A-Lei, he was a regimental commander. Would she have married him otherwise?”

“Jiang Xia is the unlucky one! Her family is so well-off and she’s so beautiful; she clearly could have married much better! She flew down from a high branch into a muddy field—a phoenix turned into a common pheasant. No wonder she was making such a fuss about a divorce at first.”

“Chenglei isn’t bad himself. If he didn’t have talent and money, he wouldn’t be able to keep her now. And why aren’t you mentioning how she jinxed her husband? How long were they engaged before Chenglei went deaf and lost his rank as regimental commander?”

“I don’t think she’s a jinx. If anything, I think Jiang Xia brings prosperity to her husband. Ever since Chenglei married her, earning money has been as easy as scooping water from the ocean.”

“If Chenglei weren’t making money, would Jiang Xia stay? She only stopped mentioning divorce because she saw him making a thousand or more every time he went out to sea.”

“You’re just sour because you can’t have what they have. What a load of nonsense! Jiang Xia is capable in her own right. The money she made at the Trade Fair as a translator is enough to last her a lifetime. She probably makes more than Chenglei!”

“Then why didn’t she divorce him then?”

“You’re hilarious! What couple doesn’t have a fight so bad they think about divorce? She’s already married, and no one forced her into it, so why must she divorce? In my opinion, the reason she made such a fuss back then wasn’t because she wanted a divorce—she just wanted a family division!”

“That sounds about right. She hasn’t made a peep since the family division. Tsk tsk, city folk really are something else!”

“Jiang Xia is definitely something! Tian Caihua used to talk bad about her everywhere, but look at her now, praising Jiang Xia every single day. With that mouth of hers, when have you ever heard her praise anyone else…”

…

Such were the village women who had nothing better to do than gossip behind people’s backs. Give them a single scene, and they could spin a whole epic.

After their chatter, they followed the crowd into the Zhou house to continue watching the excitement.

Inside, Jiang Xia was leading Mother Jiang, Jiang Dong, and Zhang Fuyan on a tour of the house.

When Zhang Fuyan saw that the rooms on the second floor had a view of the ocean, she couldn’t help but exclaim, “The scenery from your house is too beautiful! How can it be this pretty? Even I want to move in!”

It hadn’t rained for nearly two months, so the seawater was a refreshing, deep blue.

Looking out from the bedroom window, the sunlight, the beach, the blue sky, the white clouds, the ocean, and the sea gulls all blended together into a single, pristine picture—clear and breathtaking.

Even Mother Jiang was moved. “Waking up to a view like this every day would surely put anyone in a good mood.”

Jiang Xia smiled. “Mom, Xiao Yan, if you like it, stay the night. You can see the sunrise over the ocean tomorrow. I can even take you out to sea this evening to watch the sunset.”

Mother Jiang laughed. “I have to work tomorrow!”

Zhang Fuyan wanted to, but she said regretfully, “My flight is tonight. I have to get back to school tomorrow.”

Hearing this, Jiang Dong said, “Sis, we’ll come back during the holidays.”

Jiang Xia smiled and said, “Alright. But the sea only stays this blue when the weather has been good for a while. If it rains, the water gets murky and isn’t nearly as nice.”

“I hope the weather is good during winter break, then.”

After finishing the tour, they were chatting on the roof when Chenglei saw more guests arriving. He said, “Xiaxia, Grandpa, Grandma, and the uncles are here. I’ll go down to meet them. You stay here and talk with Mom.”

He then addressed Mother Jiang, “Mom, have a chat with Xiaxia. I’ll be down for a bit.”

Mother Jiang quickly said, “Xiaxia, you go too! We can enjoy the view on our own. There are a lot of guests today, and I’m not an outsider. You two should go take care of the other relatives and friends; I’ll look after things on our end.”

Zhang Fuyan and Jiang Dong also urged her to go greet the guests.

Since Jiang Xia hadn’t met Mother Zhou’s side of the family yet, she said, “Mom, Fuyan, Xiao Dong, why don’t you go sit in the living room on the second floor or in my room? I’ll go greet A-Lei’s grandparents.”

“Go ahead! It’s only right!”

So, the couple went downstairs together to welcome Mother Zhou’s side of the family.

Jiang Xia was walking down the stairs a bit too quickly, so Chenglei took her hand. “Slow down, they haven’t arrived yet.”

Jiang Xia slowed her pace.

Because Chenglei had spotted them from a distance while on the roof, the two of them made it downstairs, informed Mother Zhou, and the whole family went out together to meet them.

Mother Zhou’s family lived in the neighboring city. They had to take the earliest bus and had traveled for over five hours to get there.

Mother Zhou and Father Zhou went forward with smiles. “Dad, Mom, Big Brother, Auntie.”

The three brothers and their wives also stepped forward. “Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle, Auntie.”

Grandpa and Grandma looked up at the tall multi-story building and beamed. “Is this the new house A-Lei built? Good, good!”

Mother Zhou’s parents were both still alive and in their eighties, but their health was still quite robust.

The two elders doted most on Chenglei, the grandson who had left home at a young age. Therefore, despite their age, they had come for Chenglei’s wedding and insisted on coming today as well. No one in the family could talk them out of it.

Chapter 406: Had a Change of Heart?

Jiang Xia smiled as she took Grandma’s arm, while Chenglei supported Grandpa, and together they led the way.

Chenglei’s Uncle, Second Uncle, cousins, their spouses, and their children followed in a grand procession into the house.

Auntie and Second Auntie followed close behind. Seeing Jiang Xia affectionately holding their mother-in-law’s arm, the two women exchanged a knowing glance.

When the couple first married, Jiang Xia didn’t have a single kind word or a pleasant expression for any of their family members.

Back then, the sisters-in-law had worried the bride might feel lonely and went to the bridal chamber to keep her company. However, she had been cold and dismissive, wearing a long face as if everyone there owed her millions.

Because of that, everyone in the family knew Chenglei had married a pampered daughter from the city who looked down on her poor relatives.

They hadn’t expected her to be so warm and welcoming this time.

The elder cousin, Li Qiuyue, and the second cousin, Li Qiuying, walked at the very back. The younger sister leaned into the older one’s side, watching Jiang Xia ahead of them. She whispered, “Has our little cousin-in-law had a change of heart? Didn’t she used to walk around with her nose in the air?”

“Don’t talk nonsense! She had just married into the family back then. She was probably just shy and nervous around strangers,” the elder sister replied softly.

The second cousin didn’t say anything more. Her elder sister loved to lecture; one more word and she’d be in for a sermon, so she didn’t bother arguing.

Tan Yudai, the wife of Chenglei’s eldest cousin, overheard them. She turned back and whispered, “That’s only because A-Lei is rich now and can hold his head high. She wouldn’t dare look down on us anymore. Just look at this big house A-Lei built—look how grand it is!”

The three of them looked over the three-story Western-style house and the vibrant, flower-filled courtyard. Even though many people were currently working in the yard—with basins of meat, vegetables, and dishes waiting to be washed, and the ground scattered with vegetable leaves, chicken feathers, and goose feathers—one could still see how beautiful and unique the courtyard would be when it was clean.

In short, it was obvious at a glance that this house had cost a fortune to build.

Once inside, Tan Yudai saw the interior furnishings and became even more convinced that Jiang Xia’s change in attitude was solely because Chenglei was now wealthy.

Jiang Xia led Grandma into the house and helped her sit on the sofa, then went to find more chairs to make sure everyone had a seat.

There were so many people that the sofa couldn’t possibly hold them all.

While Jiang Xia moved chairs, Tian Caihua and Li Xiuxian were also busy helping.

Zhou Chengsen and Zhou Chengxin were occupied with serving tea to everyone.

After Chenglei helped Grandpa sit down, he took the chairs from Jiang Xia’s hands. “Let me do it. You should sit for a bit.”

Waves of guests had been arriving all day. Jiang Xia had to receive gifts, give return gifts, and welcome guests; she had hardly sat down all morning.

“It’s fine.” Chenglei’s maternal family had traveled hours by bus to support them; they had to be looked after properly.

The sofa area was packed, so some people went to sit in the dining room. Jiang Xia went over there to pour tea for them.

She greeted everyone, handing out cups of tea one by one. Finally, she held a cup out with both hands to Tan Yudai. “Big Cousin-in-law, have some tea.”

Tan Yudai didn’t reach out to take it.

“Just put it down!” She glanced at Jiang Xia and gave a somewhat sarcastic chuckle. “I’m surprised you even know I’m your big cousin-in-law. I thought you didn’t recognize me!”

“I only called you that because A-Lei did. There’s nothing more to it,” Jiang Xia replied calmly.

Tan Yudai: “…”

What was that supposed to mean?

Before she could respond, Jiang Xia moved on and handed the tea to Li Qiuyue next to her. “Big Cousin, have some tea.”

Tan Yudai: “…”

Li Qiuyue smiled and took it with both hands. “Thank you. You must be exhausted after being busy all day. Quick, sit down and rest. Don’t worry about the tea anymore, or A-Lei will start worrying about you.”

Jiang Xia smiled. “I’m not tired. Even if I were, I’d be happy because you all traveled such a long way to join us.”

Seeing her sister-in-law accept the tea made Tan Yudai even more displeased.

This was a slap to her face!

When Chenglei got married, they had come for the wedding, and Jiang Xia hadn’t given them a shred of respect. Had she forgotten that?

Tan Yudai had just wanted to vent a little bit of her frustration!

She hadn’t expected Jiang Xia to still be so blunt, refusing to even hand her the tea properly!

With that “young lady” temper, was she not afraid that Chenglei would eventually grow tired of her?

Jiang Xia then poured a cup for Li Qiuying. “Second Cousin, have some tea.”

Tan Yudai shot her a look.

Li Qiuying pretended not to see it and hurried to take the cup with both hands. “Thank you, Xiao Xia.”

Tan Yudai: “…”

Chenglei had been keeping an eye on Jiang Xia the whole time. After finishing with the chairs, he walked over and took the teapot from her hands. “I’ll do it.”

Tan Yudai seized the opportunity. “A-Lei, I haven’t got a cup yet! I don’t know if I said something wrong and offended your wife just now, but she stopped giving me tea.”

Chenglei focused on pouring the tea, pretending not to hear her. Once he finished with the remaining younger relatives and children, he said, “Anyone who doesn’t have tea yet, come and get a cup. Please forgive the poor hospitality.”

After speaking, he took Jiang Xia’s hand and led her back to his grandparents.

Tan Yudai, who had been completely ignored: “…”

Next time they had a celebration, they shouldn’t expect her to attend.

Relatives like this weren’t worth keeping in touch with!

Auntie and Second Auntie did a loop of the first floor, inspecting all the rooms. They came out smiling. “A-Lei, this house you built is truly beautiful. The layout is excellent! It’s even better than the one Ah Xin is living in.”

Second Auntie added, “When your second cousin builds a house in the future, he should use this layout as a reference. It’s so comfortable! Great natural light and ventilation. The rooms are big and bright, not like our old house with those tiny windows where every room is pitch black! You can’t see a thing without turning on the lights. And there’s even a bathroom inside the bedroom—it makes it so convenient to get up in the middle of the night. What a great idea!”

Grandpa remarked, “Houses in the old days were all built that way. This is a new era with new ways of building, even putting the toilets inside the house.”

Mother Zhou smiled and said, “Xiao Xia was the one who suggested this layout. She said it provides better privacy, and having a bathroom in the master bedroom means you don’t have to run outside at night, especially in the dead of winter.”

“What bathroom? There’s a bathroom in the bedroom? I have to see this.” Grandma stood up. “A-Lei, Xiao Xia, come, show me your room.”

Chenglei and Jiang Xia stood up to support her.

The others had been wanting to look around anyway, so they all stood up to explore.

Just then, someone shouted, “The feast is starting! We can start the feast now!”

Chenglei said, “Grandpa, Grandma, let’s eat first. You can look around slowly after lunch.”

Zhou Chengsen said to Chenglei, “Big Brother and I will look after Grandpa and the others. You go arrange for Xiao Xia’s family to eat!”

“Alright.” Chenglei nodded. He went up to the second floor to ask Mother Jiang and the others if they wanted to eat now.

Mother Jiang replied, “We’ll wait for Xiaxia’s father to arrive and eat together.”

Chenglei said, “Then I’ll bring some pastries up for you to tide you over.”

“No need, we’re not hungry. Go on and get busy!”

Chenglei turned to his wife. “Xiaxia, don’t go back downstairs. Stay here with Mom for a bit and chat.”

“Okay.” Jiang Xia did want to sit for a moment. She had been busy since she woke up and had hardly had a chance to rest.

At that moment, someone downstairs shouted again, “A-Lei, more guests have arrived!”

Chenglei went to the balcony to look. “It’s Great-Uncle and his family.”

Great-Uncle was a relative from Chenglei’s late grandmother’s side.

As the saying goes, “Like thunder in the sky, so is the maternal uncle on earth.”

His seniority was very high.

Jiang Xia had no choice but to stand up again and go with Chenglei to welcome them.

After greeting Great-Uncle, Great-Aunt, and their children and getting them settled inside, Jiang Xia was just about to drink some water when she heard, “A-Lei, more people! And they came in a Jeep again!”

“There’s a small truck too!”

Chapter 407: Why Are You Here, Sir?

This time, it was Chenglei’s comrades-in-arms who arrived.

Zhang Rui and Zhang Rong, along with Jiang Yang, Yang Bin, and a few others.

Chenglei hadn’t planned on a major celebration, only inviting relatives and fellow villagers, so he hadn’t expected them all to show up.

The couple smiled as they welcomed everyone inside.

Zhang Rong punched Chenglei playfully on the shoulder. “Moving into a new house and you didn’t even tell your Second Brother! Are you even treating me like a brother?”

Zhang Rui also wanted to give the regimental commander a punch, but he didn’t dare.

Jiang Xia laughed. “Today is New Year’s Day, and we were afraid business at the mall would be too good, so we didn’t want to keep Second Brother from making money. We were actually planning to host a dinner for everyone in the city in a while. But this is perfect; now we can receive gifts twice. We’re coming out ahead, right?”

Jiang Xia turned and smiled at Chenglei as she said the last part.

Chenglei rested his hand on the small of her back to give her some support and looked at the men. “I bought a house in the city too. Next time, make sure you bring gifts of this caliber again.”

Chenglei pointed to the vinyl record player and the refrigerator they were carrying.

The vinyl player was a gift from Zhang Rong, while the refrigerator was a joint gift from Jiang Yang and the others.

“It’s over! We’re at a total loss! I don’t know anything, I’ve walked into the wrong house today, and I’m leaving right now! Ah Rui, let’s get out of here!” Zhang Rong and Zhang Rui played along, lifting the record player and pretending to turn around and leave, making everyone burst into laughter.

“Jiang Yang, you brat, you set us up! You’re buying the next refrigerator all by yourself!”

…

The group chatted and laughed as they entered the house.

After they were settled, Father Jiang arrived.

He had gotten off the car at the village entrance, letting the driver head home for the day, while he and the Old Chief walked into the village together.

Since it was time for the banquet, the two had already entered the courtyard before someone finally recognized Father Jiang and shouted, “A-Lei, your father-in-law is here! Xiaxia, your dad is here!”

The couple and the Zhou family rushed out.

“Dad.”

“Relative-in-law!”

Father Jiang smiled and shook hands with Father Zhou. “I’m sorry for being so late.”

Father Zhou chuckled. “Not late at all. You’ve arrived just in time; the banquet is about to start.”

“Then I’m in luck!” Father Jiang smiled and looked at Chenglei. “Look who I brought with me. Don’t you recognize him?”

The moment Chenglei saw the elderly man, he instinctively straightened his back. He whispered, “Why are you here, sir?”

Jiang Xia didn’t recognize the man and was trying to guess how to address him.

The old man glared at him. “I can’t come? I’m here to see if you’ve tarnished my reputation! This was my first time acting as a matchmaker.”

Jiang Xia realized who he was then, but she still didn’t know the proper form of address.

Chenglei instinctively glanced at Jiang Xia and pulled her closer. “Xiaxia and I both want to thank you for acting as our matchmaker back then.”

He was especially grateful.

He felt he had been quite lucky in his life, but his greatest stroke of luck was being able to marry Jiang Xia.

Father Jiang couldn’t help but remind his dazed daughter, “Are you so happy to see the Elder that you’ve forgotten your manners? Hurry up and call him Grandpa!”

Jiang Xia smiled. “I was just afraid the Elder would come to settle accounts with me. Thank you, Grandpa, for arranging the match between A-Lei and me. I was in the wrong before and caused you a lot of worry!”

Father Jiang and Elder Zhang shared a bond forged in life-and-death situations.

Many years ago, Father Jiang had saved Elder Zhang’s life, which was why Elder Zhang had agreed when Father Jiang asked him to be a matchmaker.

Otherwise, Elder Zhang never concerned himself with such matters.

Now, seeing that the gaze Chenglei turned on Jiang Xia was so tender it could practically melt, and that the couple clearly had a strong relationship, Elder Zhang felt somewhat relieved.

That specific mission shouldn’t have been Chenglei’s to begin with. Chenglei had volunteered for it, and the Elder felt he never should have agreed to dispatch him. He had been regretting it ever since.

He was truly both regretful and angry.

A moment of soft-heartedness on his part had cut short this brat’s bright future!

Father Jiang smiled and said, “Didn’t I tell you they were doing very well? And yet you didn’t believe me!”

“This kid has a permanent poker face, looking every day like someone owes him a fortune. I was just afraid he’d bully Xiaxia and scare his wife away!”

Jiang Xia took the opportunity to joke, “I was a little scared at the beginning, actually…”

Chenglei gave her a light squeeze.

Elder Zhang felt he had found a kindred spirit and said triumphantly, “See, I was right! With that ice-cold face of yours, you’d make a child cry just by looking at them. In the future, when you have children, if you keep acting so stiff, the kids probably won’t even let you hold them. It’s a good thing I played matchmaker for you, otherwise, how could you have ever found a wife?”

Chenglei looked helpless. “The food is already on the table and the weather is cold. Let’s go in and eat first! We can talk more once we’re full.”

Father Zhou had already deduced Elder Zhang’s identity and hurriedly said, “Yes, yes! Relative-in-law, Elder, please, let’s go eat.”

As Elder Zhang walked in, he smiled at Father Zhou and said, “Comrade, you’ve raised a fine son!”

Father Zhou led them toward the main table, laughing. “It doesn’t matter if the son is good or not, as long as the daughter-in-law is good! I have to thank you, Elder, for finding such a wonderful wife for A-Lei. Xiaxia is truly great. This child is exceptionally good…”

Chenglei spoke briefly with Jiang Xia and then went upstairs to call Mother Jiang and the others down for dinner.

Father Zhou brought the guests to the main table.

When the group at Zhang Rui’s table saw who was coming, they all hurriedly dropped their chopsticks and stood up, heels clicked together, almost saluting!

“Sit down and eat. What are you standing up for?” Elder Zhang barked at them.

Everyone immediately sat back down, picked up their bowls and chopsticks, and began shoveling food into their mouths with perfectly synchronized movements.

Jiang Xia: “…”

The people at the other tables: “…”

Father Zhou invited Father Jiang and Elder Zhang to sit with a smile. “Elder, Relative-in-law, let’s eat!”

He hadn’t even finished explaining how wonderful Wealth-bringer was yet.

The moving banquet consisted of thirty tables and lasted until evening.

The main table and the adjacent table where Zhang Rui and his group sat were the ones that lingered the longest.

Throughout the meal, Father Zhou spent his time praising how wonderful Jiang Xia was, thanking Father Jiang for raising such a fine daughter and marrying her to Chenglei, and thanking Elder Zhang for matching Chenglei with such a great girl.

Since there was no alcohol at this table, Father Zhou wasn’t drunk, but everyone felt like he was!

Jiang Xia was starting to feel quite embarrassed.

The meal lasted for over two hours.

If Jiang Dong and Zhang Fuyan hadn’t needed to catch a flight, and if Elder Zhang hadn’t had a flight of his own, the meal likely would have lasted even longer.

After seeing off all the relatives and guests, Chenglei arranged for his maternal relatives to stay the night.

His maternal grandparents, both uncles and their wives, Big Cousin and her husband, and Second Brother and his wife were all staying in the guest rooms of the new house.

Big Cousin-in-law’s family and the second female cousin were assigned to the old house by Chenglei. To avoid making them stay there alone, Zhou Chengsen and Second Sister-in-law stayed in their original rooms in the old house, leaving only Zhou Ying and Zhou Zhou to sleep in the new house.

He did not assign anyone to stay in the room he and Jiang Xia shared in the old house.

That place held too many beautiful memories for them.

That bed was also their wedding bed.

Chenglei had a very strong sense of personal space; he didn’t like others staying in the room where he and Jiang Xia slept, nor did he like others sleeping in their bed.

If that bed hadn’t been secured with so many nails that it was difficult to disassemble, he would have moved it to the second floor of the new house.

Even on the second floor of the new house, Chenglei hadn’t arranged for anyone to stay, so he hadn’t even set up beds in the guest rooms there.

Since the maternal family was large and had many children, and the old house couldn’t accommodate them all, Tian Caihua took several of the children back to her house to stay.

Mother Zhou asked Chenglei, “Why did you send Big Cousin-in-law’s family to the old house but let the others stay in the new house? Big Cousin-in-law’s face was as black as thunder!”

Father Zhou added, “That arrangement wasn’t quite right. You should have arranged it according to seniority.”

Chenglei replied, “Big Cousin-in-law didn’t accept the tea Xiaxia poured for her.”

Father Zhou: “Oh, then the arrangement was fine. It’s a pity we couldn’t fit a bed for her in the bathroom.”

Mother Zhou: “…”

Chapter 408: A Heavy Gift

At the old house.

The eldest cousin, Li Guilin, asked his wife, “Did you do something? Why would Chenglei arrange for us to stay here?”

In all things, there was an established order of seniority.

With a darkened face, Tan Yudai snapped, “What could I have done? Forget about us being arranged to stay here—they didn’t even give me a single cup of tea! This is clearly a lack of respect! It’s not like it’s the first time you’ve felt it, right? Last time, when Chenglei got married, your mother, your sister, and I went to greet Jiang Xia. Did she even acknowledge us? Didn’t you see with your own eyes how she completely ignored us?”

Li Guilin hesitated. “…But Chenglei isn’t that kind of person. Normally, he wouldn’t do something like this. Are you sure you didn’t do something?”

Tan Yudai retorted, “What could I have done? I just asked Jiang Xia if she remembered me. If you don’t believe me, ask your daughter—she heard it too! Jiang Xia must have arranged for us to stay here, and Chenglei just went along with it. They’re husband and wife; haven’t you heard of the power of pillow talk? Jiang Xia probably found out that I once intended to introduce my younger sister to Chenglei.”

Li Guilin: “…”

Was that it?

An introduction had been attempted, but hadn’t Chenglei rejected it back then?

Was such an old story really worth holding a grudge over?

Women were truly petty! They would dwell on the most trivial, “sesame seed and mung bean” size matters for a lifetime!

“Whatever, don’t fuss with her. Go to sleep early; we have to get up early tomorrow to catch the bus back.”

With that, he turned over, pulled up the covers, and went to sleep.

Tan Yudai, however, couldn’t fall asleep.

Her younger sister still carried a torch for Chenglei. When the family tried to set her up with others, she looked down on all of them. At twenty-four, she still refused to marry.

It was truly frustrating!

At the new house, Mother Zhou was in her room organizing the return gifts for her family.

Father Zhou came out after his shower and saw the floor covered with woven sacks. He asked, “One bag per household?”

Now that the children were grown, Mother Zhou’s siblings had long ago undergone family division.

“Yes,” Mother Zhou replied.

“Which one is for Guilin’s wife?”

Mother Zhou pointed to the sack with the most seaweed.

Father Zhou went over and rummaged through it, finding that Mother Zhou had packed a large bag of seaweed and a package of the cheapest fried fish.

Father Zhou was satisfied, but the weight was too light; it was too obvious.

He said to Mother Zhou, “How can you give such a light gift?”

After saying that, Father Zhou walked out.

Mother Zhou: “…”

Soon, Father Zhou returned carrying two bags of things. He stuffed them into the sack and then lifted it to gauge the weight.

Hmm, not bad. It’s finally a ‘heavy gift’!

Mother Zhou asked, “What did you put in there?”

Why did she think one of the bags felt like sand?

“Sea snails shells and sand.”

Mother Zhou was speechless. “Why would you put sand in there? This… this is too much! What will my mother think?”

Father Zhou said, “Don’t worry. Mom mentioned before that she wanted to take some sand back to sprout bean sprouts. I’m just having Guilin’s wife help carry it back for her.”

Mother Zhou: “…”

After Chenglei finished arranging things for his relatives, he returned to the room. Jiang Xia was still sitting at the dressing table, counting the gift money received today and balancing the accounts.

She carefully recorded how much gift money each family had contributed and what items they had sent. These were all social obligations that would need to be reciprocated in the future.

“Go take a shower first. Stop worrying about that; aren’t you tired?” Chenglei went to the wardrobe to get some clothes.

“In a second. I’m afraid I’ll forget after I sleep, so I’m recording it now.” Jiang Xia put the notebook and money away and looked at him. “When did you guys order the cars?”

Jiang Xia already knew from Jiang Dong that those two Jeeps were ordered by Chenglei. He had paid a 20,000 yuan deposit for two, and Jiang Dong had paid the remaining balance of over 40,000 yuan.

“After you took the motorcycle to town.” He really didn’t feel comfortable with her riding the motorcycle, so he thought about buying a car. Then, he happened to receive a call from Jiang Dong saying he wanted to buy one too.

So, he ordered two.

Chenglei took their pajamas into the bathroom and then walked back out.

Jiang Xia closed the drawer and stood up. “Where did that 20,000 yuan come from? Did you take it from Second Brother Zhang?”

Chenglei wrapped his arms around her waist, letting her lean against him, and leaned down to kiss her. “No. During the Canton Fair, I closed deals with two foreign businessmen, but they didn’t pay right away. They only paid after the fair ended and even placed follow-up orders for dozens more units. I used the commission from that to place the deposit.”

The factory had originally said they wouldn’t be able to deliver the cars until after the New Year, around April at the earliest. That was right around the summer solstice.

He had planned to give it to Jiang Xia as a birthday gift.

He hadn’t expected Zhang Fuyan to help by getting the factory to divert two extra cars from the capital, allowing them to get the vehicles early.

So it was the final payment from the Canton Fair; no wonder she hadn’t known.

Jiang Xia glared at him. “You guys bought cars without even consulting me? You didn’t ask which model I liked, or let me test drive them and pick? What if I’m not used to driving it?”

Chenglei kissed her again. “It wouldn’t be a surprise if we consulted you. I know you like Jeeps; Xiao Dong said you liked them, too. If you’re not used to it, I’ll teach you.”

When she had ridden in Zhang Rong’s Jeep before, she had clearly liked it.

Furthermore, while a Jeep looked taller and more aggressive than a sedan, it offered a better field of vision while driving, making it easier to handle in the village.

Jiang Xia added, “I do like Jeeps, but I also like the kind of sedan my dad has. Should we buy one of those too?”

Chenglei kissed her and picked her up in his arms. “We’ll buy a sedan next time. Now, it’s time to bathe and sleep. I’ll take you for a spin tomorrow.”

He carried her directly into the bathroom.

Having a bathroom and a toilet attached to the room was truly convenient.

He took a hot bath with her and coaxed her to sleep. Only after the bed was warm and cozy did he go back for a quick cold shower.

He had never felt like the days were so long before. There were still over six months before the babies would be born; this period was direct torture.

The next morning, after breakfast, Grandma and Grandpa’s family prepared to head back early.

Mother Zhou had prepared return gifts for each household. Besides what was required by custom, she also gave various dried seafood items like fried fish, dried shrimp, dried oysters, and savory small dried fish as return gifts for them to take back, each packed in a large woven sack.

All the relatives received fried fish, but because Grandma’s side lived so far away, they were given much more.

Jiang Xia had also prepared a 500 yuan red envelope for each of her grandparents, along with a set of clothes and some health supplements. She tucked the red envelopes directly into the pockets of the clothes to prevent the two elders from refusing the gift.

Additionally, she prepared a large snack gift bag for each of the children.

The items were all packed in woven sacks, and from the outside, they all looked like the same large bags.

However, Tan Yudai couldn’t help but feel that her family’s bag was different from the others.

Father Zhou smiled and said to Mother Zhou’s mother, “Mom, didn’t you say you wanted to take a bag of sand back to grow bean sprouts? I packed a bag for you to take.”

Grandma smiled. “Good.”

Then Father Zhou looked at the several woven sacks and said, “I forgot which bag I put it in. Whoever sees it when you get home, just give it to Mom!”

Mother Zhou tried to get her parents to stay a while longer. “Uncle, Aunt, stay here for a while. I’ll send you home after the New Year.”

In their region, people did not address their parents as “Father” or “Mother” but used the dialect terms for “Uncle” and “Aunt.”

The two elders both waved their hands. “We won’t stay. It’s almost the New Year; we have to go back.”

Father Zhou, who didn’t speak their dialect, said, “Grandpa, Grandma, just stay here for a while with peace of mind. The weather is cold now, and there’s no work to do back home anyway.”

Jiang Xia also smiled. “Grandpa, Grandma, stay for a few more days. Once you get bored or whenever you feel like going back, Chenglei can drive you home. It’s very convenient.”

Mother Zhou nodded. “Exactly!”

Because they lived far away, Mother Zhou only made it home once or twice a year, and she wanted the chance to show some filial piety.

“We won’t stay. There’s work to do at home. When Xiao Xia gives birth, we’ll come back to see the babies.”

The two elders had already heard from Mother Zhou that Jiang Xia was pregnant with triplets, and they had been so happy they couldn’t sleep half the night.

With all their children and grandchildren married and settled with careers, and four generations living under one roof, they had no more unfulfilled wishes; they were completely content.

No matter how much they were urged, the two elders refused to stay. Chenglei and Big Brother Zhou Chengxin drove the family to the city to catch their bus.

Chapter 409: On Purpose

There were too many people for a single tractor to carry.

Chenglei drove the Jeep, while Big Brother Zhou Chengxin drove the tractor to see them off.

Jiang Xia sat in the front passenger seat. In the back row sat Grandpa, Grandma, Big Cousin, and her three-year-old son.

The very back row was occupied by Uncle and Auntie, as well as Second Uncle and Second Auntie, each of them holding a grandson.

This Jeep had a soft-top design and was intended for dual use as a passenger and cargo vehicle. Since the family already had a tractor, Chenglei hadn’t bought the specific passenger-cargo hybrid model, so this one had two full rows of back seats.

Chenglei was thinking ahead; once their three children were born, a family of seven would need enough seats to go out together.

In terms of pure comfort, Father Jiang’s sedan was definitely a smoother ride. However, for the rugged village roads, a vehicle with a high chassis like a Jeep was much easier to drive, especially on rainy days.

Grandma patted the car seat and smiled. “I never thought I’d get to sit in such a nice car in this lifetime. My life feels complete now!”

Jiang Xia laughed. “How can it be complete? you haven’t even been on a plane yet. Why don’t you stay, Grandma? I’ll take you to fly in an airplane.”

Grandma smiled. “Next time. Next time I’ll go with you.”

“It’s a promise, then!…”

Amidst the chatting and laughter, the Jeep drove smoothly and slowly to the city train station. The tractor hadn’t arrived yet.

Chenglei pulled over to the side of the road and asked Jiang Xia to wait in the car with them. He went inside to collect the tickets; he had called the Station Master yesterday to ask him to set some aside.

By the time Chenglei returned with the tickets, the tractor had just arrived.

He first helped Jiang Xia out of the car, and then together they helped Grandpa and Grandma down. Afterward, he helped everyone carry their luggage into the train station.

Inside the waiting room, Chenglei distributed the tickets.

He handed the last one to Tan Yudai. “I’m sorry, Tan Yudai. With the end of the year approaching, train tickets are very tight. The seated tickets were sold out, and there weren’t enough to go around, so I had to buy you a standing ticket.”

Tan Yudai: “…”

He was definitely doing this on purpose.

Jiang Xia shot a glance at Chenglei. When it came to annoying someone without giving them a reason to complain, he was a master.

Grandpa didn’t think much of it. “It’s already nearing the end of the year; being able to get any ticket at all is great. We only managed to get five seated tickets when we came here.”

“That’s right! Being able to get this many seated tickets is already very good! Here’s the money for the tickets, A-Lei, take it.” Auntie pulled out some money and offered it to Chenglei.

Chenglei didn’t take it. “No need. It didn’t cost much. Don’t mention it, Auntie.”

Auntie stuffed the money directly into Jiang Xia’s hand. “Take it. We can’t let you pay for our tickets.”

Because Chenglei had booked the tickets in advance and knew the train schedule, they didn’t have to wait long before the train arrived. Chenglei supported Grandma and helped them carry their luggage onto the train.

The moment Grandma stepped onto the train, Jiang Xia slipped the ticket money into Grandma’s pocket. “Grandma, keep a close eye on your luggage. There are red envelopes tucked inside the clothes A-Lei and I bought for you.”

As soon as she finished speaking, she stepped back and left the train.

Grandma: “…”

The train soon pulled out of the station.

The three of them didn’t leave until the train had disappeared into the distance.

Zhou Chengxin drove the tractor straight back to the village. Chenglei took Jiang Xia to a recently built road where there was almost no traffic to teach her how to drive.

Jiang Xia knew how to drive and even had a license in her past life, but she hadn’t driven in a very long time. Chenglei was worried she would be rusty, so he wanted her to get some practice.

Jiang Xia was indeed unfamiliar with cars from this era. Moreover, she had learned on an automatic in the modern world, while this was a manual.

Chenglei gave her a detailed explanation and then questioned her once to make sure she remembered everything. After confirming she had it down, he adjusted the seat, moving it back a bit so Jiang Xia could sit in front of him to drive.

The two of them squeezed into the driver’s seat together.

He really didn’t feel safe letting Jiang Xia drive on her own, so this was the only way.

Jiang Xia was indeed a bit clumsy at first; the engine stalled once as soon as she started it.

But once she got the car moving, she drove quite well.

However, Chenglei remained tense the entire way.

After driving for quite a distance and seeing that Jiang Xia was comfortable, Chenglei said, “Alright, pull over. I’ll drive us back!”

Even in the middle of winter, he was so nervous that the back of his shirt was soaked with sweat.

Jiang Xia pulled over to the side. “I’ll drive back. You sit in the passenger seat.”

Chenglei wanted to refuse, but thinking that this stretch of road had no cars or pedestrians, he decided it wouldn’t hurt for Jiang Xia to practice a bit more. He said, “You can only drive on this highway. I’m taking over for the village roads.”

This highway had just been paved and was almost empty, but the village roads were full of potholes and uneven ground, not to mention the people and dogs that would dart out at any moment. Chenglei wasn’t willing to risk it.

“Okay.” Jiang Xia knew he was worried and agreed.

Once Chenglei was settled in the passenger seat, she started the car and made a U-turn to head back.

From the way she handled the turn, it was clear her driving skills were actually quite good.

Jiang Xia asked him, “Well? My driving isn’t bad, right?”

Chenglei nodded. “Mm.”

“Are you relieved now?”

“No.” Chenglei suspected he would never be able to truly feel at ease letting her drive alone in this lifetime. “In the future, if you need to go anywhere, just tell me. I’ll drive you. If I’m busy, I can hire a driver.”

Jiang Xia didn’t even want to talk to him anymore.

Luckily, she was an emotionally stable person. Otherwise, she might have stomped on the gas just to show him how good her driving really was.

By the time the two of them returned to the village, it was time for school to let out. There were many children in the fields and on the village roads.

Zhou Zhou, Zhou Jie, and the three brothers including Wenzu were walking through the fields. When they saw the Jeep, they immediately started running and shouting, “Uncle! Uncle! Uncle!”

Jiang Xia saw them and reminded Chenglei, “The kids are calling you. Stop the car and let them in.”

Chenglei brought the car to a halt.

Excitiedly, the children ran up onto the small road.

Jiang Xia smiled. “Hurry up and get in!”

“Yay!” The four children climbed into the car under the envious gazes of a crowd of students, and the Jeep sped away.

Inside the car, Wenzu said, “Uncle, Zhou Zhou said she wants to go for a joyride. Drive us around!”

Zhou Zhou: “…”

“I’ll take you to the city to play when I’m free during the holidays.” Chenglei understood their excitement, but there were too many children on the road right now with school letting out.

The children erupted in cheers of delight.

Everywhere the Jeep passed, the children walking home from school were green with envy. Some children recognized Wenzong and his brothers and even ran after the car.

Wenzong felt incredibly grand. “When I grow up, I’m going to buy a car like this too!”

Wenyao, Wenzu, and Zhou Jie all chimed in, “I’m going to buy one too!”

Jiang Xia took the opportunity to say, “Then you’ll have to study hard!”

Wenzu argued, “But you don’t need to study much to go out to sea and fish. I can make money fishing to buy one later, just like Uncle!”

Everyone said he looked like his Uncle.

“…”

Jiang Xia looked at Chenglei: Look at the fine example you’ve set.

Chenglei was amused but also a bit annoyed. “Don’t say you’re doing what I did. When did I ever stop studying? I have a university degree! And this car wasn’t bought with money from fishing.”

Wenzu countered, “But Uncle, you didn’t get into university by taking an exam. You fought your way in!”

Chenglei: “…”

Chapter 410: Setting Sail

As all the guests departed, the celebratory atmosphere drew to a close, and the mundane rhythms of daily life returned.

The weather remained fair, perfect for going out to sea and fishing.

At four thirty in the morning, when Zhou Chenglei was getting out of bed with the utmost care, Jiang Xia woke up.

She reached out to grab his hand, leaning her head toward him and gripping his wrist firmly.

Zhou Chenglei lay back down under the covers and pulled her into his arms. “Go back to sleep for a bit.”

Jiang Xia shook her head against his chest. “I want to go out to sea today too.”

As she spoke, she made a move to get up.

He held her tighter, tucking the quilt around them both. “Then sleep for one more hour. I’ll wait for you.”

“No need, let’s get up! I’m not sleepy. Dad and Big Brother are all waiting.”

She had gone to bed early the night before, around eight o’clock, so after nine hours of sleep, she was fully rested.

Jiang Xia sat up.

The two of them got out of bed together, freshened up in the bathroom, and went downstairs for breakfast.

Father Zhou was already eating. When he saw Jiang Xia come down, it was as if he saw a golden light shimmering around her; his eyes brightened instantly!

Father Zhou asked with a beaming smile, “Xiaxia is going out to sea today too?”

“Good morning, Dad,” Jiang Xia greeted him with a smile before saying, “Since today is the first time going out to sea in the New Year, I wanted to go along and see.”

Father Zhou chuckled. “Good, it’s good to go out together!”

On the first trip of the New Year, having the Wealth-bringer along meant they would be prosperous from the beginning of the year to the very end!

Father Zhou then called out to Mother Zhou, “Old woman, why don’t you come out to sea today as well!”

If the whole family went out together, the New Year would be even more prosperous!

Mother Zhou heard this and replied, “That works! Oysters are fat this season; it’s a good time for me to go and pry some oysters.”

Mother Zhou finished her breakfast quickly and then went to pack some food for lunch to bring onto the boat.

Since Jiang Xia was going, lunch had to be something warm. In the dead of winter, eating cold food could easily cause an upset stomach.

Just as the family finished breakfast, the first branch of the family coincidentally walked over.

Tian Caihua arrived carrying a box of pan-fried sweet potato pancakes. Seeing that Jiang Xia was actually up, she said in pleasant surprise, “Xiaxia, you’re going out to sea today?”

Jiang Xia nodded. “Yes!”

Tian Caihua handed the sweet potato pancakes to Jiang Xia. “I fried these for you to eat. Take them to the boat.”

Today was the first day her family’s new ship was going out to sea. It was wonderful that Jiang Xia was coming along!

Jiang Xia took them and thanked her.

Mother Zhou had also finished packing a basket of food, so Jiang Xia placed the sweet potato pancakes inside the basket.

Zhou Chenglei took the basket and hung it on the motorcycle. He would take Jiang Xia to the pier first on the motorcycle.

As Jiang Xia rode on the back of Zhou Chenglei’s motorcycle out of the courtyard gate, she saw Zhou Chengxin and three unfamiliar faces.

The three of them greeted Zhou Chenglei and addressed Jiang Xia as “Sister-in-law” or “Sister Jiang Xia.”

Jiang Xia smiled and said, “Morning.”

Zhou Chenglei acknowledged them as well, then said, “Big Brother, I’m going to the pier first to buy diesel.”

“Alright, we’ll walk over there now.”

Once Zhou Chenglei had driven the motorcycle a distance away, Jiang Xia asked him, “Who are those three? Are they from our village?”

“One is my Big Brother’s classmate, Zheng Guoqiang; they grew up together. The other two are Big Sister-in-law’s younger brothers.”

Zhou Chengxin’s new ship had been delivered on New Year’s Day, and he needed to hire people for the crew.

Zhou Chengxin had invited an old primary school classmate from a neighboring village. This classmate had just returned a few days ago from working in the neighboring city and had brought back some local specialties for him.

Zhou Chengxin learned that his classmate planned to stay in the city next year to find work rather than traveling far away. His wife wasn’t happy about him working elsewhere unless she could go with him.

However, bringing a wife and child along meant spending money on rent, and schooling for the child was a hassle. There wasn’t much profit in it, so he planned to stay in the city to find work.

When Zhou Chengxin found out, he invited him to go out to sea. Tian Caihua also invited her two youngest brothers, Tian Caisheng and Tian Caijin.

Tian Caihua hadn’t wanted to hire people from her maiden family because she was fed up with them.

But her eldest brother was constantly asking when the boat would be ready, saying he wanted to come and help her at sea.

She was truly tired of her eldest brother!

After discussing it, the couple decided to simply hire Tian Caihua’s two younger brothers. After all, several of her brothers didn’t have steady jobs and worked odd jobs everywhere; it wouldn’t look right if they didn’t hire even one of them.

Furthermore, Tian Caihua’s maiden family was quite poor. These two younger brothers weren’t married yet and lacked enough living space, so they had to be helped one way or another.

Otherwise, the villagers would say Zhou Chengxin lacked a sense of social obligation.

By hiring the two younger brothers, even if Tian Caixing found out, there was nothing he could do. As the eldest brother, he couldn’t very well steal jobs from his own younger brothers.

When Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei arrived at the pier, they were five minutes later than usual.

Since Father Zhou and the others had to walk, they would be even later.

Li’s father and Li Qingmin had already arrived and had been waiting for a full fifteen minutes.

Li Qingmin couldn’t help but complain to his father, “They talk about going to sea on time every day, but today they’re this late! It’s fine for them to be late, but God forbid we’re even a minute behind.”

Li’s father replied, “That’s enough. Why do you have so much to say? If you want to follow others out to sea, don’t you have to accommodate their schedule? Go and start the boat!”

With a dark expression, Li Qingmin went to start the engine. He had been waiting for ages, shivering in the biting north wind.

Father Zhou chuckled as he greeted Li’s father, “You’re early today, relative.”

Then he stepped onto his younger son’s boat.

Li’s father asked, “Aren’t you joining us on the same boat today?”

Father Zhou waved his hand. “Not today. We plan to go pry some oysters today. Are you coming?”

Hearing this, Li Qingmin spoke up immediately, “We’re not going for oysters. You go ahead; we’ll trawl in the vicinity.”

Prying oysters was not only likely to cut your hands, but oysters weren’t as valuable as fish.

Father Zhou nodded. “Alright. You’re familiar with the route now anyway. If you’re earlier than us in the mornings, no need to wait; just head out first!”

Li’s father said, “It’s better if we all go out together.”

Even though they had been following them for several days, the sea was vast. How could the way be so easy to recognize? If they went a bit further out, they still felt a bit panicky, mainly fearing they might unknowingly enter a prohibited fishing zone.

Father Zhou let them be.

Now, the Zhou family had a total of three boats going out.

Father Zhou asked his two sons how they wanted to arrange things.

In any case, wherever Jiang Xia sat, he would follow. He was going to be on the same boat as the Wealth-bringer.

Tian Caihua immediately grabbed Jiang Xia’s arm. “Xiaxia, since we’re all going out together anyway, come on my family’s new ship! Chenglei, if you’re worried about Xiaxia, you come and pilot our new ship! Let your Big Brother pilot your boat instead.”

Zhou Chengxin: “…”

Tian Caihua thought this was a brilliant idea and continued her arrangements. “How about this! Chenglei and Dad will pilot our new ship. Chengxin and Qiangzi, plus my sixth brother, will take Chenglei’s boat. The family’s old boat can be handled by Yongguo, Kangping, and my seventh brother. Mom and Xiaxia can both sit on my family’s new ship!”

Zhou Chengxin: “…”

What kind of madness was Tian Caihua up to now?

Zhou Chenglei refused directly. “No need. Let Big Brother pilot the new ship. I’ll take the family’s old boat. Xiaxia is coming with me; she’ll want to sleep on the lounge chair when she gets tired.”

Tian Caihua had forgotten that Zhou Chenglei had modified both his boat and the family’s old boat to accommodate fixed lounge chairs and fishing rods, making it easy for Jiang Xia to lie down and rest or fish. Their new ship didn’t have any of that.

She gave Zhou Chengxin a look of utter disdain. “Why didn’t you put a lounge chair on the boat!”

Zhou Chengxin: “…”

Chapter 411: The Great Ebbing Tide

In the end, each family took their own boat out to sea.

Zhou Chengxin took Zheng Qiang and Tian Caihua’s two younger brothers on the new ship.

Jiang Xia’s family took their own old boat.

Zhou Yongguo and Zhou Kangping took the boat Zhou Chenglei had bought later.

Four boats, maintaining a safe distance between them, set out into the dark ocean simultaneously.

As for the family’s old boat, the two brothers would now share it, each taking a turn for a day. Today it was Zhou Chenglei’s turn, and tomorrow would be Zhou Chengxin’s.

Father Zhou no longer divided the earnings from this boat with the two brothers. Nowadays, he frequently took the big ship out for a distant seas voyage.

He wasn’t short on money either; every time he went on a distant seas voyage, his youngest son would give him several thousand—never less than five thousand per trip.

Most importantly, he didn’t have much to spend money on. His youngest son covered everything: food, clothing, housing, and travel.

Once the boat had traveled far enough, Father Zhou asked, “Xiaxia, do you want to fish?”

A pregnant woman always had the best luck; if not now, then when?

In a few months, when “Wealth-bringer’s” belly got even bigger, she wouldn’t be able to go out to sea anymore.

Hearing this, Jiang Xia replied, “Sure!”

Zhou Chenglei glanced at Jiang Xia and intended to call his father over to take the wheel.

Father Zhou spoke first: “Don’t bother calling me. My hearing isn’t good today; I won’t hear you even if you shout!”

I want to fish with Wealth-bringer!

Zhou Chenglei: “…I wasn’t calling for you, I was calling for my wife! Xiaxia, it’s not light yet. Sleep a bit longer, then fish when you wake up.”

Father Zhou: “…”

That brat!

Jiang Xia smiled and said, “I got plenty of sleep last night, so I’m not tired. I’ll nap at noon.”

Father Zhou glared at his son: Hmph, my daughter-in-law is still the best!

Father Zhou handed the fishing rod to Jiang Xia. “Xiaxia, help me cast the line.”

Jiang Xia accepted it with a smile, helped Father Zhou cast his line, and then handed it back to her.

Mother Zhou smiled and said, “I’ll take the wheel. A-Lei, go set the net!”

“Alright.”

His mother was still the best!

Mother Zhou went over to steer the boat, while Zhou Chenglei went to cast the net.

Once the net was out, he came to sit by Jiang Xia’s side to accompany her while she fished.

As before, he acted as Jiang Xia’s assistant. He didn’t fish himself, simply watching over her.

When the weather was hot, Jiang Xia could reel in a fish every ten minutes or so. Now, nearly twenty minutes had passed without a single bite.

However, Father Zhou wasn’t in a hurry. Fishing in winter was always more difficult; to stay warm and guard against the cold, fish often retreated to deeper waters. Furthermore, as the temperature dropped and the seawater got colder, fish were less inclined to open their mouths to feed.

But with Wealth-bringer around, it was only a matter of time before they hit the jackpot!

Jiang Xia remarked, “I guess there aren’t many fish in this part of the sea today.” It had been so long without a single fish taking the bait.

No sooner had the words left her mouth than Father Zhou got a bite.

It was a long and thick sand eel. In the dim light, Jiang Xia thought it was a snake at first glance and was startled, instinctively leaning closer to Zhou Chenglei.

“It should be a sea eel, not a snake,” Zhou Chenglei said.

Father Zhou reeled it in and hauled the fish onto the boat, laughing heartily. “It’s a sand eel. Not bad! It should be nearly 1.5 kg, almost 2 kg!”

Father Zhou unhooked it and placed it in a bucket.

At that moment, Jiang Xia’s rod also had a bite.

She pulled it up with some effort, and with Zhou Chenglei assisting, it turned out to be a flatfish—and a sizeable one at that.

Father Zhou took a look and smiled. “Nice! This fish is valuable. It should sell for eight or ten dollars.”

He secured his own rod and brought a dip net over to help.

Together, father and son hauled the flatfish, which weighed over 5 kg, onto the boat.

Just as they got the flatfish on board, Father Zhou had another bite on his side.

This time, he reeled in a Black Sea Bream weighing about 1 kg.

Not bad either!

Black Sea Bream are relatively cold-resistant and are a common encounter during winter sea fishing.

It could sell for two or three dollars as well.

Another twenty minutes passed, and Jiang Xia had another bite.

It was another snake-shaped fish!

Jiang Xia: “…”

She handed the fishing rod directly to Zhou Chenglei.

Zhou Chenglei took it and reeled the fish in. “It’s a Red Cornetfish, not a snake.”

Jiang Xia recognized it now; she had encountered one before. The Red Cornetfish was also known as the flutemouth fish. Because its entire body was red, people in some places called it the Red Cornetfish.

This specimen was quite large, both thick and long, weighing about 1.5 kg.

Father Zhou glanced over and laughed. “Impressive. Even a rare fish like this was caught by Xiaxia. This fish is delicious as sashimi!”

Red Cornetfish were uncommon, and those who knew their fish loved using them for sashimi.

After Zhou Chenglei unhooked the fish, he asked Jiang Xia, “Still want to fish? Do you want to take a break?”

They had been fishing for nearly an hour, even though they had only caught two.

There was still an hour before they had to pull the net, and there was nothing else to do, so Jiang Xia nodded. “Let’s keep fishing!”

However, during the next hour, neither Father Zhou nor Jiang Xia caught a single fish.

Father Zhou put away his rod. “Forget it, let’s stop fishing and pull the net.”

The ‘get rich’ posture was wrong today. Today’s fortune definitely isn’t in fishing!

Jiang Xia stopped as well and stowed her rod.

The sky was already bright. In the distance, the boats from the first branch and the second branch were already pulling in their nets.

Zhou Chenglei and Father Zhou went to haul the net.

Bursting net, bursting net! Father Zhou chanted silently to himself as he pulled.

A bundle of fish broke the surface. Compared to previous “bursting nets,” this bundle only weighed around 100 to 150 kg, which wasn’t much compared to the usual 200 or 250 kg.

Zhou Chenglei emptied the fish onto the deck by himself.

At the sight of the large fish on the shuttering, Father Zhou broke into a smile. “It’s not about the quantity; quality fish are what matters!”

This haul was almost entirely Yellow Sea Bream, and they were all 500g or larger, not the smaller 300 to 350g ones.

The price of Yellow Sea Bream was slightly lower than that of Genuine Porgy, but it was still a valuable fish.

Moreover, besides the Yellow Sea Bream, there was an exceptionally large flatfish! It was nearly 1.5 meters long and weighed an estimated 25 to 30 kg.

A flatfish this large should sell for sixty or seventy dollars.

The remaining Yellow Sea Bream and miscellaneous fish and shrimp would probably sell for another hundred or so, by Father Zhou’s estimate.

This single net was worth 170 dollars.

In winter, for inshore fishing, such a harvest was excellent!

Including the fish they had caught by rod, they could just barely earn 200 dollars today.

Father Zhou said cheerfully, “A-Lei, you continue to trawl. I’ll sort the fish. Xiaxia, you take a break.”

Just then, Mother Zhou spoke up. “Where have I steered us? It feels like we’re almost at the shore?”

Mother Zhou knew how to steer a boat, but she was unfamiliar with the ocean, and without realizing it, she had lost her way.

Zhou Chenglei stood up to take a look. “It should be the bay to the north. Today is probably the day of a spring tide.”

Hearing this, Father Zhou looked into the distance. “It’s near the mangroves. The tide is likely receding heavily. A-Lei, you take the wheel. Don’t trawl a net yet; head further out before you drop it!”

Jiang Xia asked curiously, “A spring tide? Does a spring tide mean we can go beachcombing?”

Mother Zhou sounded excited. “Yes! When the tide goes out at this beach, there are plenty of good things to find! I just didn’t know when the spring tide would fall. Head over there; I’m going down to beachcomb.”

“I’m going too,” Jiang Xia added.

Zhou Chenglei: “It’s still early. Let’s wait for the water to recede a bit more and expose more of the beach before we head down. We’ll trawl one more net first. You should rest a bit; you can go down to beachcomb once you’ve refreshed yourself.”

This particular stretch of beach required a boat to reach for beachcombing, so they didn’t have to worry about the good stuff being picked clean by others if they were a little late.

Chapter 412: The Boat is Broken?

Zhou Chenglei took the boat out to trawl another net.

Jiang Xia, Father Zhou, and Mother Zhou worked together to sort the fish. After they finished, she lay down on the lounge chair to rest for a while.

The sun had been up for some time. It was now past nine in the morning, and the warmth of the sunlight, combined with the gentle sea breeze as she drifted on the azure ocean, was incredibly comfortable.

The tide was expected to be fully out around noon. If she wanted to go beachcombing, she wouldn’t be able to take a nap then, so Jiang Xia closed her eyes, intending to catch some sleep now.

She originally thought she wouldn’t be able to drop off, but she fell asleep in no time. Mother Zhou covered her with one of Zhou Chenglei’s jackets.

With Jiang Xia asleep, Zhou Chenglei let the net trawl for a bit longer to give her more time to rest.

When she woke up again, Jiang Xia smelled the delicious aroma of food. Mother Zhou was cooking seafood rice noodles.

Jiang Xia lifted her hand to check her watch; it was eleven-thirty. She had actually slept for two hours.

“Haven’t you pulled up the net yet?” Jiang Xia asked.

“Getting ready to.” Perhaps it was because the tide was receding in this area, but Zhou Chenglei felt like the engine’s drone sounded a bit different.

During the interval between low and high tide, the fish in the sea tended to be more active—perhaps they were afraid of being left behind on the beach by Mother Ocean.

Zhou Chenglei went to help Father Zhou haul in the net.

Mother Zhou had already finished cooking the soup noodles on the coal stove and served a bowl to Jiang Xia. “Xiao Xia, come eat something first. Don’t mind them.”

Jiang Xia went over, took the large bowl overflowing with seafood, and began to eat.

Nothing is fresher than soup noodles made with seafood just pulled from the water. When it comes to seafood, the focus is entirely on that single word: fresh. This was why seafood brought back by small fishing boats often tasted better than that from large vessels; small boats went out and returned on the same day, while large boats drifted at sea for many days.

Jiang Xia ate while watching them haul the net.

This haul was quite heavy. After trawling for over three hours, the two men were struggling to pull it up. A long, massive bulge of fish was vaguely visible in the water, likely weighing over 500 kilograms.

Seeing this, Mother Zhou quickly set down her bowl to help. Without a hoist, the two of them might not have been able to pull such a massive load onto the deck.

It took thirty minutes of exertion before the three of them finally managed to drag the fish onto the boat. Once the fish were poured out, it was certain they had stumbled upon a massive school again!

It was a school of blue round scad.

Father Zhou said with a chuckle, “What great luck! Even the people out at night with seine nets probably didn’t catch this many. This haul of blue round scad must be over 500 kilograms.”

Blue round scad liked to travel in schools and were attracted to light. Just like Pacific mackerel, they were the main target for local fishermen using lights and seine nets at night. Of course, they were also one of the primary targets for trawlers.

Zhou Chenglei often encountered schools like this when he went out to sea, but it was Jiang Xia’s first time. She quickly finished her bowl of noodles and told them to go eat while she started sorting the fish.

The three of them hurried to eat, knowing they would be busy afterward; the deck was covered in fish waiting to be sorted.

Aside from the blue round scad, this haul was quite varied. There were plenty of white shrimp, and the other miscellaneous fish included Spanish mackerel, mullet, yellow sea bream, black sea bream, and quite a few silver croakers.

The Spanish mackerel and mullet were quite large, most weighing over 1.5 to 2 kilograms. The yellow and black sea bream were smaller, around 300 to 350 grams each.

Jiang Xia spotted a Leopard Coral Grouper that was still lively and jumping, so she immediately grabbed it and put it in the live well. These wild-caught fish were extremely valuable in modern times, and they weren’t cheap now, either.

As Chinese New Year approached, the price of fish rose daily. There were only twenty days left until the new year, and Zhou Chenglei planned to harvest and sell all the fish in the net cages two days before New Year’s Eve.

Zhou Chenglei held a large bowl of noodles and sat beside Jiang Xia. While he ate, he fed her the seafood she liked.

“I’m full, you don’t need to feed me,” Jiang Xia said, turning her head away from a large shrimp held out to her. “You eat.”

“Eat more, or you won’t have the strength for beachcombing later.” Zhou Chenglei insisted, holding the chopsticks and the shrimp in front of her.

They had eaten breakfast early, and beachcombing was an exhausting task. How could she have the energy if she didn’t eat her fill?

Jiang Xia yielded and took a bite.

Only then did Zhou Chenglei slurp some noodles and eat a shrimp himself. After Jiang Xia finished that, he fed her a small octopus—just the right size for a single bite.

Shrimp, squid rings, small octopus—as long as it was something Jiang Xia liked, he would feed it to her, occasionally even giving her a sip of the hot soup.

The couple shared a single bowl. Zhou Chenglei sat with his back to his parents, using his body to shield Jiang Xia, trying his best to keep them from seeing what they were doing.

Father Zhou looked at the young couple in the distance and beamed with a knowing smile.

Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing just because you’re using your back as a shield!

Isn’t that just secret feeding? A new posture for bringing in luck!

Father Zhou also picked out the shrimp from his bowl and placed them in Mother Zhou’s bowl. Give her more, more luck!

Due to the era they were born in, they had been a couple since their teens. His old wife had accompanied him through everything, suffering through hardships, hunger, and exhaustion for decades, rarely getting to eat meat. Now that they were old, they could finally live a life where they could eat meat in large portions. He didn’t have to worry about saving it for the children for fear there wasn’t enough; if there wasn’t enough, they could simply cook more.

Mother Zhou smiled. “Alright, that’s enough for me. No need to give me more; you eat up.”

The two elders finished their meal quickly and went to sort the fish.

Once Zhou Chenglei felt Jiang Xia was full enough, he stopped feeding her. He quickly finished two large bowls of soup noodles and two sweet potato pancakes before joining the sorting.

In the distance, Li’s father saw that Zhou Chenglei’s boat had been stopped in the middle of the sea for quite some time. He said to his son, “I wonder if our relative’s boat has broken down. Let’s go take a look.”

Li Qingmin replied, “They have so many boats out together. Even if it is broken, it’s not like there are no other boats to help them. What are you worried about? Let’s keep trawling! We haven’t caught much today, and we just lowered this net. Look, isn’t Zhou Chengsen’s boat heading over there?”

Li’s father disagreed. “I can’t just ignore it. Let’s head over.”

On the other side, Zhou Chengxin had also noticed that Zhou Chenglei’s boat had been stationary for too long. He hauled in his net and headed over to see if the boat was damaged.

Then he saw them all standing there sorting fish. Was the boat really broken? Usually, one could sort the fish while continuing to trawl.

“Why have you stopped here? Is the boat broken?” Zhou Chengsen called out loudly.

Father Zhou chuckled. “No, we’re going beachcombing over at North Bay in a while. There’s a spring tide coming, so we’re just sorting the fish first.”

Tian Caihua felt a pang of envy when she saw the deck full of fish. “You caught so many!”

Damn it, she was starting to wonder if Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia knew some kind of incantation to lure the fish into their nets! Otherwise, how could their luck be so good? To think, they had trawled two nets that morning and only caught about 150 kilograms in total. Everything they had didn’t even equal one of Jiang Xia’s hauls!

It was all the fault of that jinx, Zhou Chengxin! If they had let Jiang Xia onto their new ship, today would have definitely been a grand opening with a full harvest.

Just then, the boat from the second branch arrived. Li’s father asked loudly, “Relative, is the boat broken?”

Father Zhou laughed. “No, we’re just resting for a bit and sorting fish here.”

Li Qingmin was stunned when he saw the boat full of fish! “Where did you trawl for those?”

It had been dark earlier, so he hadn’t seen where they had gone.

Father Zhou asked, “We’re planning to go beachcombing at the bay to the west. There’s a spring tide. Are you all coming?”

Zhou Chengxin shook his head. “I’m going to keep trawling.”

Beachcombing was something people did when they didn’t have a fishing boat or couldn’t go out to sea.

Li’s father asked, “Is it close?”

Father Zhou replied, “It’ll take about half an hour to get there.”

The area they had been trawling was now quite far from that particular beach.

Upon hearing this, Li Qingmin shook his head. “Then forget it. We’ll just stay here and trawl.”

Propelling the boat for over half an hour just to go pick up some cheap clams and blood clams was exhausting work, and they wouldn’t even earn back the cost of the fuel.

Tian Caihua declared, “I’m going!”

She didn’t want to stay with Zhou Chengxin! She wanted to stay with Jiang Xia!

Beachcombing, beachcombing—who knew? Maybe instead of sea life, they were picking up gold.

Chapter 413: Today’s Joy is Brought by Beachcombing

The three boats went their separate ways, and Zhou Chenglei headed straight for West Bay.

When they arrived, a vast stretch of the beach was exposed. It was much larger than what they had seen that morning!

In the distance, a few people were already beachcombing. Several boats were anchored nearby, though they were less than half the size of their own. They were likely villagers from the surrounding coastal areas or fishermen from another province.

Jiang Xia saw some of them bent over digging, while others were using hoes to turn the sand.

Once the boat was securely anchored, Zhou Chenglei brought out a ladder and lowered it. He went down first, then held the ladder steady to help Jiang Xia descend.

Mother Zhou gave Jiang Xia a steadying hand from the boat.

The ladder was something Zhou Chenglei had custom-made specifically to make it easier for Jiang Xia to get on and off the boat. Although he could have caught her if she jumped, the impact of the landing might be too much, and he didn’t want to risk hurting the baby.

When she was halfway down, Zhou Chenglei simply picked her up and carried her toward the shallow water. He was wearing a pair of chest waders and wasn’t afraid of getting wet. Jiang Xia was only wearing water boots.

After Jiang Xia was safely on the beach, Tian Caihua climbed down the ladder. She was also wearing chest waders and waded straight through the water.

Mother Zhou followed her down, and Father Zhou was the last to leave the boat after handing the tools to Zhou Chenglei.

Jiang Xia looked out over the beach. Where the tide had fully receded, the sand formed endless ripples that looked like frozen waves, a testament to the power of the receding water.

Tian Caihua walked into the shallow water, looked down, and let out a startled cry, “Scallops! So many scallops!”

At a glance, three or four scallops could be seen with their shells slightly open in the sand beneath the shimmering water. It was clear just how many scallops were on the beach today!

Tian Caihua didn’t even bother with her tools; she just bent down and started pulling them up!

Jiang Xia didn’t know how to spot the scallop eyes yet. She walked over and asked, “How can you tell there are scallops there?”

Just as she spoke, she saw a spot in the sand squirt water!

Jiang Xia walked over and saw the scallop eye. Once you had seen one, it was impossible to mistake it. She could see the scallop slightly open, with a bit of meat visible at the surface of the sand.

She bent down and poked it with her finger, and the shell immediately clamped shut.

Avoiding the sharp edges of the shell, Jiang Xia dug out the sand on both sides and pulled hard. She thought it would be easy, but at first, it didn’t budge. The creature fought back, burrowing deeper and creating a tight vacuum seal.

She grabbed the shell and gave it several firm shakes before finally pulling it out.

There was another one nearby. She pulled that one too!

Another one was just a step away!

She kept pulling! There were so many!

Pull, pull, pull!

The scallops were buried vertically in the sand, with their mouths facing up and their pointed ends facing down. They really were like pulling radishes out of the ground!

Because they were “planted” so deep, and there was water at the bottom of the holes, pulling them out of the sand created a “swooshing” sound. It was an incredibly satisfying and therapeutic sound to hear!

She pulled again!

Another big scallop!

There were also some spicy snails, blood clams, and cowries scattered around. She gathered them all and put them in a pile.

Zhou Chenglei came over to her with a bucket, his tools, and a chair. By then, Jiang Xia had already pulled up over a dozen scallops and gathered a small mound of snails.

Zhou Chenglei cautioned her, “The edges of the scallop shells are sharp. Don’t dig at them with your bare hands, or you’ll cut yourself.”

“I know, I’m wearing gloves,” Jiang Xia said as she tossed a freshly pulled scallop into the bucket.

“You can use the hoe to dig them out, like this.” Zhou Chenglei raised the hoe, gave the sand next to a scallop a light strike, and then hooked it. The scallop came out together with the sand.

It had exactly the same effect as when you pull up a radish, and mud comes out with it.

“This one’s huge!”

Jiang Xia bent down to pick it up. She compared it to her water boot, then to Zhou Chenglei’s. “This one is so big, it’s almost as large as your shoe!”

The beach probably hadn’t seen such a low spring tide in a long time, so the scallops were quite large.

“It’s the best season for them right now. They’re at their fattest, and the adductor muscles inside are thick and large.” Zhou Chenglei demonstrated a few more times, digging out several scallops before handing the hoe to her. “Use the hoe so you don’t have to bend over as much. You dig them out, and I’ll pick them up.”

He bent down and quickly tossed the scallops into the bucket.

The hoe was relatively light with a long handle, so Jiang Xia didn’t find it tiring at all. Plus, she could lean on the handle for support while standing.

“Okay.” Jiang Xia took the hoe and started prying up scallops.

Zhou Chenglei picked up what she dug and dug some more himself.

Jiang Xia wasn’t as experienced as him; she only knew there was a scallop when they were visible. He, however, could spot the hidden ones just from the faint traces on the surface of the sand. He also dug directly whenever he saw snail eyes.

Scallops were everywhere, and so were various sea snails. The snail eyes of spicy snails and sand snails were visible all over the place. In some spots, three or four snails were clustered together in a single nest.

The whole family was having a wonderful time! Today’s joy was truly brought by beachcombing.

Jiang Xia even spotted a razor clam hole. She took some salt and sprinkled it into the opening; a moment later, the razor clam popped out.

Razor clam holes were common, but catching them was a bit of a hassle. Digging for scallops was much more efficient, so she focused on getting as many of those as possible.

Jiang Xia then noticed two identical round holes about fifteen centimeters apart. The openings were quite large. “Zhou Chenglei, what’s in these holes? It’s not a sea snake, is it?”

Zhou Chenglei glanced over. “No, those two holes are connected. It should be a mantis shrimp burrow.”

He stepped on one of the holes and stomped a few times. With every stomp, water squirted out of the other hole. After three or four stomps, a mudskipper came flying out.

Jiang Xia: “…”

Zhou Chenglei quickly grabbed it and put it in the bucket.

“I thought you said it was a mantis shrimp burrow?” Jiang Xia asked.

Zhou Chenglei replied, “The mudskipper must have been visiting the mantis shrimp’s house.”

Jiang Xia burst out laughing. Seeing her smile, Zhou Chenglei laughed too.

Then Jiang Xia spotted a pair of flower crabs “fighting” in a small tide pool. They were a decent size, so she quickly crouched down to grab them.

“Watch out for their claws.”

“I know. I’m an old fisherwoman now.”

Zhou Chenglei laughed again.

Jiang Xia expertly avoided their raised pincers and tossed both of them into the bucket. There was a scallop in the same tide pool, so she dug that up too and threw it into the bucket Zhou Chenglei was carrying.

Zhou Chenglei also reached down and picked up a large fan shell. Then he dug up another scallop.

A few steps later, he spotted a long-legged octopus and snatched it up! Then another scallop!

Jiang Xia saw a shrimp stranded on the sand. Thinking it was dead, she poked it with her hoe. It suddenly sprang to life and started jumping away, and she quickly gave chase to catch it.

She saw a star-shaped mark in the sand and reached down; sure enough, it was a small starfish.

Another scallop, dug! It was so plump!

A cluster of spicy snails, gathered!

…

Today’s beachcombing was a scallop to the left, a blood clam to the right, a clam in front, and a spicy snail behind.

After just half an hour, the couple had already filled three buckets with scallops.

Zhou Chenglei asked Jiang Xia, “Are you tired? Want to take a break?”

He had brought a bamboo chair and a wooden board down with him earlier.

“Not yet. I’ll rest after an hour.” Jiang Xia noticed a small tide pool squirting water.

She quickly crouched down and reached into the sand to dig it up, but she never expected to pull out such a big fellow!

Jiang Xia cried out in surprise.

Chapter 414: A Strange Smell

Zhou Chenglei had been right by her side, and when he saw Jiang Xia jump back in fright, he reacted instantly.

He dropped the bucket in his hand and caught her.

The moment Jiang Xia was pulled into Zhou Chenglei’s arms, she grabbed his arm and tried to pull him away. “A snake!”

It was thick and round, struggling in the mud, and it had even tried to bite her!

Knowing she was deathly afraid of snakes, Zhou Chenglei simply scooped her up in his arms before turning his gaze toward the small puddle. A thick mud dragon was struggling in the sludge.

“It’s not a snake; it’s a mud dragon,” he said. He supported her with one arm while gently stroking her back with his other hand, watching the mud dragon writhe and try to burrow into the sand.

A mud dragon? What on earth was that? Jiang Xia looked over. The thing was covered in mud; she could only see its slightly pointed head. It was shaped exactly like a snake, with a thick, long body.

When she had touched it earlier, she was certain it was a snake. It certainly looked like one!

Father Zhou came running over at that moment. “What happened?”

Jiang Xia shifted slightly, signaling for Zhou Chenglei to put her down.

Zhou Chenglei let go, setting her on her feet, but he kept hold of her wrist. He could feel her pulse was still faster than usual; she was clearly still shaken. He took her hand and held it, their fingers interlocked.

“It’s nothing. Xiaxia caught a mud dragon and thought it was a snake. It gave her a fright.”

“A mud dragon? You actually found a mud dragon? These things are rare and hard to come by! They are incredibly nourishing!” Father Zhou squatted down and quickly grabbed the mud dragon before it could hide.

He held it up by the head in front of them, grinning broadly. “This one is fat! These things are worth a lot of money! Highly nourishing!”

“…”

Jiang Xia silently took a step back and asked Zhou Chenglei, “What are the effects of a mud dragon?”

Father Zhou answered cheerfully, “Mud dragons are exceptionally good for the bones and muscles. They work wonders, especially for the lower back. One bowl of mud dragon medicinal soup is perfect for relaxing the muscles and stimulating blood circulation.”

The mud dragon belongs to the eel family, and its scientific name is the Bengal eel. It has a conical head, a reddish tail, and a somewhat fierce temperament.

The people in this region believed that mud dragons could strengthen bones and muscles. Anyone with a fall, an injury, or a fracture would want to drink a bowl of mud dragon soup or wine infused with it.

Mother Zhou and Tian Caihua walked over as well.

When Tian Caihua saw the thick mud dragon in Father Zhou’s hand, her eyes widened. “That mud dragon is huge. It must weigh about 1.5 to 2 kilograms, right?”

Father Zhou laughed. “Just about! We’ll stew a medicinal soup tonight! The whole family can have some to nourish themselves.”

Zhou Chenglei suggested, “Let’s use it for infused wine instead.”

If they made soup, his mother would definitely insist he drink it. He really didn’t need any “waist nourishment” lately.

Moreover, Jiang Xia was pregnant, so it wasn’t suitable for her to drink a medicinal soup that was too potent. He had also heard that women often suffered from back issues after giving birth, and his mother frequently complained of a localized backache. If they infused it in wine, his mother and Jiang Xia could have a small glass whenever their backs felt uncomfortable in the future.

“Infused wine works too. I’ll go to town to buy some herbs for the infusion,” Father Zhou said happily.

Jiang Xia thought of Zhang Fuyan, who was always getting injured. She figured that once the wine was ready, she should set aside a bottle for her to help strengthen her bones and muscles.

Tian Caihua’s lips twitched. Her own father suffered from chronic back pain and had been asking her to find a mud dragon to make soup for him. However, she hadn’t come across one for over half a year. She had seen someone catch one at the pier before, but someone else had bought it before she could.

She eyed the mud dragon. Since it was so big, surely it would be fine to give half to her parents?

Jiang Xia bent down to pick up a fan shell at her feet. “Let’s go. Let’s keep looking to see if there are more mud dragons.”

Zhou Chenglei asked, “You’re not afraid anymore?”

Jiang Xia replied, “It’s not a snake, so why should I be?”

She was still a little afraid, to be honest. If she were told to catch it or clean it herself, she wouldn’t dare touch it. But he was right there, wasn’t he?

Hearing this, Tian Caihua also focused her search on the small puddles.

The family continued forward, picking things up here and digging things up there.

With so many scallops around—and all of them worth money—they had to forage with all their might and gather as many as possible.

During a spring tide, kilometers of the beach were exposed. One could only imagine how many treasures were hidden there!

Jiang Xia bent over and casually picked up oysters, blood clams, and clams, tossing them into the bucket. Then, she spotted a pair of crab eyes.

She hooked it out with her hoe. It was a flower crab about the size of Zhou Chenglei’s palm.

Zhou Chenglei pressed its shell down with his shovel and picked it up.

They continued picking, catching, and digging!

The scallops here had likely grown for a year or two; every single one was huge, quickly filling the buckets to the brim!

One bucket was soon full. Then another.

The blood clams, clams, and spicy snails were also large. Zhou Chenglei ignored the small ones and only picked the ones that were big enough.

After half an hour, Zhou Chenglei asked Jiang Xia, “Are you tired?”

“Not tired.” Who would get tired so quickly when there was money to be picked up? Jiang Xia felt she could keep going for another thirty minutes.

“Pick for fifteen more minutes, then take a rest,” Zhou Chenglei said, checking his watch.

“Okay.”

Thirteen minutes later, Zhou Chenglei quickly walked back and brought over the bamboo chair and a wooden board.

He placed the board on the sand and then set the bamboo chair on top of it. This way, when Jiang Xia sat down, the chair legs wouldn’t sink into the sand, and she would sit more steadily.

Jiang Xia picked up one last scallop, walked over, and sat down to rest.

She sat there basking in the sun, watching the others forage non-stop. Watching them made her want to join back in!

Forget it, she shouldn’t look. She picked up her water flask and took a drink while gazing out at the sea.

In the distance, by the mangroves, thousands of seabirds were circling, likely pecking at the fish and shrimp exposed on the beach.

The afternoon sun was a bit intense. With the sun evaporating the moisture, the beach had a bit of a scent. Particularly on a beach like this that had just recently receded, still covered in sea mud—it wasn’t exactly a pleasant smell.

Jiang Xia didn’t mind it at first. If you live by the sea, you can’t be picky about the smell; you have to accept the odors along with the ocean’s bounty.

But as she sat there, she began to notice a faint, peculiar scent drifting from nearby.

Lately, she had noticed her sense of smell becoming increasingly sensitive. It was much sharper than before, and she could pick up even the slightest odors. She could smell things that even Zhou Chenglei couldn’t detect.

It smelled a bit like wood. Jiang Xia didn’t think much of it, assuming it was coming from the wooden board under her chair.

A moment later, a breeze blew past, carrying a waft of fragrance.

This time, she was certain it wasn’t the wood beneath her feet.

Jiang Xia turned her head to look at a large log not far away, which was draped with some sea grass and a few pieces of kelp. She suspected the scent was coming from the sun baking the kelp and sea grass, so she ignored it and went back to watching the sea and the others happily digging for scallops.

However, that scent kept wafting over, making it impossible to ignore.

She wasn’t sure if smelling it too much was a good thing or not.

Jiang Xia stood up, moved her chair, dragged the board along, and changed her seating spot.

Zhou Chenglei had been keeping a portion of his attention on Jiang Xia the whole time. Seeing her move her chair, he walked back to her side. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, just a strange smell. I’m moving a bit further away to sit.”

Zhou Chenglei reached out to take the bamboo chair and the board, carrying them further away before setting them down. Jiang Xia walked over beside him and sat back down.

Zhou Chenglei walked toward the cluster of driftwood. He suspected there might be dead fish or shrimp there and, worried Jiang Xia would still smell it, intended to cover it with sand.

Jiang Xia looked at that log, suddenly feeling that something wasn’t right.

Chapter 415: The Great Log

Jiang Xia stood up quickly and chased after Zhou Chenglei, pulling him along as she ran toward the object. “Smell this wood!”

Zhou Chenglei: “…”

The two of them arrived before the massive log. Jiang Xia used her hands to clear away the seaweed and kelp draped over it.

She lowered her head and took a sniff.

It was so fragrant!

Excited, Jiang Xia tugged at Zhou Chenglei’s hand. “Smell it! Smell how fragrant it is.”

Once the seaweed was removed, Zhou Chenglei could smell it, even though the wood was still encrusted with sea mud and sand.

He recognized it immediately.

It was agarwood.

He just didn’t know the quality yet.

He pulled out a small knife and shaved off a sliver; amber-colored resin seeped out.

He used a lighter to burn the wood shavings, and a wisp of white smoke rose.

A faint fragrance mingled with the scent of sea mud wafted toward them, filling the air with a rich aroma.

It was the unique scent of sinking agarwood. Quite good.

Jiang Xia looked at him expectantly. “Is it agarwood? It’s agarwood, right?”

Zhou Chenglei nodded. “Yes.”

Jiang Xia beamed!

With such a large piece of agarwood, how could she not smile?

But her smile quickly faded.

As she cleared away the sand and seaweed, she said, “I wonder how long this thing has been soaking in the seawater. It hasn’t rotted, has it?”

Zhou Chenglei was also cleaning it. “It shouldn’t have. The fragrance smells very pure.”

Jiang Xia also felt the scent was very pleasant. (She completely forgot how she had been so disgusted a moment ago that she wanted to sit further away.)

“Should I call Dad over to help carry it to the water’s edge to wash it clean before we hoist it onto the boat?” After saying this, Jiang Xia shouted toward Father Zhou, “Dad! Dad! Come over here for a second!”

Hearing Wealth-bringer’s call, Father Zhou turned around and saw Jiang Xia waving.

Good heavens!

Today’s fortune-making moment had arrived!

Wealth-bringer waving was more effective than a Lucky Cat waving its paw off!

“I’m coming! What’s up? Did you find some treasure?”

Jiang Xia nodded. “Dad, come help move this log.”

A log?

Could there be some hidden secret inside the wood?

Had someone hidden gold inside it?

Or had she stumbled upon a piece of Golden Silk Phoebe?

Wealth-bringer really was Wealth-bringer. Never mind having the golden touch!

Now she even had the touch to turn wood into gold!

“I’m coming!” Father Zhou quickly dropped his bucket, wishing he could run at the speed of light!

Mother Zhou also heard Jiang Xia calling Father Zhou, but she didn’t understand what there was to move regarding a log.

It wasn’t like they were going to haul a thick log home just to grow wood-ear mushrooms, right?

Or perhaps there was some good catch underneath the wood!

Tian Caihua also thought they had found something good under the log.

If they found another mud dragon, she would ask Jiang Xia for one to take back to her parents’ house so her father could make some infused wine.

Tian Caihua picked up her scallops as she walked over to take a look.

Father Zhou reached Jiang Xia’s side, sized up the log carefully, and whispered, “We’re lifting this? What’s the secret with this wood?”

Jiang Xia: “Dad, smell it.”

Father Zhou leaned in close to the wood and took a deep breath of the “aura of wealth”!

There was a fragrance!

The scent of gold really was different!

“So fragrant! What kind of wood is this?”

“Agarwood.”

Agarwood?!

Such a massive piece of agarwood?!

Agarwood trees took forever to grow. He had seen an agarwood tree that had been planted for twenty years and wasn’t even as thick as his arm.

Besides, a grown agarwood tree didn’t necessarily become agarwood.

This piece was thicker than his waist; it must be a century-old specimen.

Father Zhou couldn’t help but press his face against the massive log and sniff the agarwood from top to bottom, from one end to the other!

Fragrant!

It was truly fragrant!

It smelled exactly like money!

Zhou Chenglei: “…”

Zhou Chenglei said, “Dad, let’s carry this to the water’s edge, wash it off, and see if the seawater damaged it.”

Father Zhou glared at him. What a jinx! “If you don’t have anything good to say, don’t say anything! It definitely isn’t damaged! Would it be this fragrant if it were?”

If something Wealth-bringer found was ruined, then it wouldn’t have been Wealth-bringer finding it, but his eldest daughter-in-law!

He had already confirmed it from end to end; it was saturated with the scent of money!

It was incredibly fragrant!

“Let’s go! I’ll take this end, you take the other. Hurry, wash it clean and get it on the boat before the sea mud corrodes it.”

Father Zhou studied the agarwood, looking for a place to grip. He cautioned Zhou Chenglei, “Lift it carefully. If you scrape off a piece, I’ll skin you alive!”

“…”

Zhou Chenglei didn’t bother arguing with his father. Finding an easy leverage point, he braced the massive log with both arms.

Father Zhou also lifted his end. It was quite heavy!

He estimated it was about fifty to a hundred kilograms!

Father and son struggled to carry the log toward the water’s edge.

Tian Caihua walked over and asked, “Where are you taking that log?”

They surely weren’t taking it home to burn as firewood just because it was big?

Father Zhou replied, “This is agarwood! We’re taking it to the water to wash it.”

Agarwood?!!!!

Tian Caihua’s eyes scanned the massive log from top to bottom, then from bottom to top!

She had never seen agarwood before, but she had heard of it!

She heard agarwood was incredibly expensive!

With the log being this large, how much would it be worth?

Waaaah, she had seen this log earlier too!

She had even picked up a scallop, a shrimp, and a few sea snails right next to it!

Why hadn’t she noticed this huge log was agarwood?

It was too heavy. Father Zhou said to Zhou Chenglei, “Stop a moment. Put it down. I need a rest.”

They had been digging for scallops all the way and had unknowingly wandered nearly one kilometer away from the water’s edge.

Mother Zhou saw them moving the log toward the water and ran over. “What’s going on? You want to bring this log home? You’re not seriously planning to use it for growing mushrooms, are you?”

Father Zhou panted slightly. “I’d love to use it for mushrooms, but I’m afraid I can’t afford to! This is agarwood!”

Mother Zhou: “…”

Agarwood?

“This whole big piece is agarwood?”

Father Zhou chuckled. “It should be. I’ve smelled it; it’s fragrant from head to toe! Take a sniff.”

Mother Zhou had never seen agarwood either, only heard of it. She stepped forward to take a whiff.

Mother Zhou sniffed hard. “It does have a bit of a scent, but the smell of sea mud is very strong.”

“That’s why we’re taking it to be cleaned! Hurry, come help.”

So Mother Zhou and Tian Caihua also rushed to help carry it.

The four of them worked together to move the massive log to the seaside and set it down. Mother Zhou climbed onto the boat to get a brush.

Father Zhou said, “Don’t use a brush! Use a cloth! A clean cloth, and make sure it doesn’t smell like fish.”

“Okay!” Mother Zhou replied and climbed onto the boat.

She found two clean cloths and tossed them to Father Zhou. “Only these two rags are clean.”

“That’ll do.” Father Zhou caught them and handed one to Zhou Chenglei.

The father and son began to scrub the log.

Father Zhou saw Zhou Chenglei scrubbing vigorously and couldn’t help but say, “Are you scrubbing your own skin or something? Why are you using so much force? That’s enough, move aside! Your mother and I will do it!”

If he scrubbed off a layer of bark, he was scrubbing off a layer of gold! Did the boy not understand that?

It made Father Zhou’s heart ache just watching!

Mother Zhou got off the boat. “I’ll do it, I’ll do it. You go back to picking up scallops!”

It worked out perfectly, as her back was aching from the beachcombing anyway.

Zhou Chenglei gave the rag to his mother and walked back to the beach to continue collecting scallops.

Tian Caihua also went back to her task. Even if she didn’t find any agarwood, she had to bring back some scallops.

As she always said, while others were beachcombing, Jiang Xia was just picking up gold.

Jiang Xia saw Zhou Chenglei walking over and waved at him. “Zhou Chenglei, come look at this hole!”

Chapter 416: Foreign Species

Jiang Xia discovered a large hole. It looked a bit like the rat holes she often saw in the fields, so she was a bit afraid to peek inside.

She had heard that snakes and rats often shared the same nest, and she was terrified there might be a snake inside.

Jiang Xia tugged on Zhou Chenglei’s hand. “What kind of hole is this? A rat hole?”

Zhou Chenglei naturally took her hand and glanced at it.

“A crab hole.”

He crouched down to look inside, and sure enough, there was a large mud crab. “There’s a crab.”

Jiang Xia also crouched down, hunching over and tilting her head to look in. “That’s a huge mud crab!”

In modern times, a wild mud crab of this size would cost two or three hundred yuan.

“Mhm.” Zhou Chenglei took a shovel and dug away the sand at the entrance.

Mud crabs were very nourishing. He planned to catch it and steam it for her dinner tonight.

Jiang Xia hadn’t eaten crab in a long time. Though crabs were considered “cool” in traditional medicine, eating one or two occasionally wouldn’t hurt.

Jiang Xia crouched beside him, watching intently.

Inside the hole, the large mud crab raised its two massive pincers, standing guard in full battle array!

But then, a pile of sand fell, burying it completely!

After clearing the entrance, Zhou Chenglei used the shovel to scoop it out, tossing it to the side.

The mud crab immediately scrambled away, pincers raised high.

“Let me catch it!”

Hearing her, Zhou Chenglei used the shovel to flick a bit of sand over the crab’s eyes, blocking its vision.

Jiang Xia immediately reached out from behind, grabbed its shell, and lifted it up.

Once the mud crab’s vision cleared, it waved its pincers again.

Jiang Xia dropped it into her mesh bag.

The couple continued forward, picking up scallops and sea snails.

As before, one person used a hoe to pry them loose, and the other leaned down to pick them up.

Zhou Chenglei also spotted a bone eel’s burrow, but fearing Jiang Xia might be scared, he didn’t catch it and simply led her away.

Jiang Xia didn’t see it and remained blissfully unaware.

As they searched, Jiang Xia noticed a green mussel attached to a piece of driftwood.

She picked it up. “Zhou Chenglei, look, what’s this?”

Zhou Chenglei glanced over. “A mussel.”

In the north, they were called “sea rainbows.” They were an introduced species that people in the north had already started farming. They were primarily for export and sold very well.

He had heard they were easy to raise and had a high yield.

However, Zhou Chenglei had never seen them in the waters around here before.

Jiang Xia pulled the mussel off the driftwood.

The mussel had byssal threads that clung tightly to the wood. Jiang Xia had to use some force to pull it off before tossing it into the bucket.

“Do you think this mussel drifted over from the northern seas, or is it possible they’ve started growing in our local waters?”

Zhou Chenglei replied, “We’ll have to see if there are many on this beach. If there are, they’re likely growing nearby.”

They continued walking and found two or three more mussels.

Zhou Chenglei noted, “It seems our local waters are indeed growing mussels.”

“Mhm. Next time, let’s go check the reefs around the nearby islands.”

Jiang Xia had an idea. She wanted to collect some mussel spats, rent a stretch of beach in the village, and set up wooden stakes to farm these mussels.

Mussels had an incredible reproductive capacity, releasing millions or even tens of millions of eggs at a time.

They could be harvested in just one year.

Moreover, she could build oyster stakes—raising oysters on the upper level and mussels on the lower level.

“Alright.”

After another half hour of foraging, Zhou Chenglei worried about the tide. They still had to hoist that piece of agarwood onto the boat. He said, “Let’s stop here for today. I’m afraid the tide will come in soon.”

“Okay.” The window between low and high tide was only a few hours; it was likely nearly time for the water to return.

One could challenge the mountains, but never the sea. Since no one could accurately predict the exact moment the tide would surge, beachcombers had to keep a constant eye on the water line.

Once the tide started coming in, they had to leave immediately.

While the tide hadn’t turned yet, it would be too late if they waited until the water reached them to head back to the boat.

Zhou Chenglei tied the bags of scallops together with rope and carried them using his hoe as a shoulder pole. In his other hand, he carried the bamboo chair and the wooden board.

He brought these things to the boat first. Once finished, he returned to the beach to carry Jiang Xia back on board.

Then, he and Father Zhou worked together to hoist the massive piece of agarwood onto the boat.

Mother Zhou and Tian Caihua also helped. After quite a bit of effort, the family finally managed to get the giant log onto the deck.

As they were hoisting the wood, the tide was slowly beginning to rise.

Once the wood was secure, Zhou Chenglei went to the cockpit to steer the boat away.

Father Zhou and Mother Zhou continued cleaning the log.

Tian Caihua helped as well.

The cleaner they got it, the more money it would fetch. They were desperate to wash it until it was spotless.

Jiang Xia was hungry and sat nearby to eat.

The wood was mostly clean now. Without the smell of sea mud, the fragrance it emitted was even more pleasant.

Since they had traveled quite far out this time, it took over two hours for the boat to return to the pier.

It was the time when a hundred boats returned to harbor, and the pier was as bustling as ever.

After Zhou Chenglei docked the boat, he took Jiang Xia home first. He needed to get the tractor to transport the wood home.

Father Zhou and Mother Zhou stayed at the pier to sell the fish.

The boats of the first and second branches, as well as Zhou Yongguo and Zhou Kangping’s boats, had also returned. They were still at the pier and could help move the fish to the purchasing station.

When Zhou Bingqiang saw the giant log on their boat, he couldn’t help but laugh. “Yongfu, you hauled such a big log back? Are you planning to use it to grow wood ear mushrooms?”

Father Zhou replied with a look of immense pride, “You hit the nail on the head! I did bring it back to grow wood ear mushrooms. But these are golden wood ears—gold as in money!”

Some other villagers joked, “Yongfu, is your house out of firewood? If you’re short on fuel, just come to my place and take some! I have plenty of wood. Why waste the effort dragging a log out of the ocean? It’s so heavy, the fuel cost for the boat alone is a loss!”

“Didn’t you just finish your new house? There should be plenty of wood left over from pouring the floor slab, right? Is that not enough for you?”

“Haha, you’re also right! My house is short on ‘fortune’—very short! So the sea sent ‘good fortune’ my way! Once this fire of wealth is lit, things are going to be roaring!”

Returning from their first trip to sea of the New Year with a giant piece of “wood” felt like a wonderful omen to Father Zhou.

The coming year was bound to be prosperous! A roaring fire of wealth! A steady stream of fortune was coming their way!

Li’s father jumped onto the Zhou family’s boat. He leaned down and took a sniff of the giant log. He looked at Father Zhou in disbelief. “In-law, did you really fish up a piece of agarwood?”

He had found it hard to believe his eyes, but that scent was unmistakable!

Father Zhou said with a chuckle, “I knew you had an eye for quality! While we were beachcombing today, A-Lei’s wife accidentally found this giant log on the beach. Who would have thought it was agarwood?”

Zhou Bingqiang: “…”

Li’s father: “…”

“You found this while beachcombing?” Li’s father couldn’t help but ask.

Father Zhou laughed. “That’s right!”

Li’s father: “…”

If he had known, he would have gone beachcombing too!

Tian Caihua was feeling incredibly sour. She had been picking up scallops right next to this log and hadn’t realized it was agarwood. She had missed it completely!

In her bitterness, she wanted others to feel just as miserable as she did. “That’s right! It was just lying there on the beach. We saw it before we even got off the boat! None of us knew it was agarwood. It was only when Xiao Xia sat down next to it to rest and caught the scent that we realized! You’re really something, in-law, to recognize it as agarwood at a single glance.”

If she was going to be miserable, everyone should be miserable. If she was going to have regrets, everyone should have regrets!

She felt like she had personally missed out on a million yuan!

Hadn’t Li’s father worked at a timber mill before?

If he had gone along to beachcomb, he surely would have recognized it as agarwood at first sight, right?

Chapter 417: Money

When Tian Caihua said that, Li’s father felt even more regretful.

He had worked in a lumber mill before; if he had gone beachcombing, he definitely would have recognized that it was agarwood at a single glance!

Li Qingmin was also full of regret. Why hadn’t he followed them to go beachcombing?

If he had gone, such a massive piece of agarwood would have been theirs!

How much would a piece of agarwood this size even be worth?

Zhou Bingqiang was also in disbelief. He jumped onto the boat to see if it was real, even leaning down to sniff it. There was indeed a fragrant scent, quite different from ordinary wood.

Looking at this gargantuan piece of agarwood, Zhou Bingqiang began to deeply question his life!

He had never seen agarwood before, but he had heard it was incredibly valuable.

When would Zhou Yongfu’s absolute stroke of luck finally turn toward him?

Zhou Yongfu and Zhou Chenglei were already rich enough, weren’t they? Beginning this year, shouldn’t it be his family’s turn to make a fortune?

The villagers swarmed onto the Zhou family’s boat to catch a glimpse of the agarwood and smell it to see if it truly carried a fragrance.

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife couldn’t help but stealthily reach out to touch it.

Mother Zhou saw her hand—which had just been sorting fish and was covered in scales and filth—and couldn’t help but say, “Don’t touch it! No touching, only looking. Everyone, just look. It took us ages to wash it clean! Thank you!”

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife pulled her hand back, feeling disdainful in her heart. It’s just a piece of wood. So precious! Can’t even touch it!

At that moment, Zhou Chengxin finished selling his fish and boarded the boat.

Seeing him, Tian Caihua quickly pulled him over. “Come over and look at this agarwood. Smell it. Carve its appearance and scent into your brain! Don’t you dare forget it, even in your dreams! Don’t let a treasure pass you by next time you see it in the sea or on the beach just because you don’t know what to pick up!”

Tian Caihua said this to Zhou Chengxin, but she was also saying it to herself.

The other villagers felt her words made perfect sense, so they scrutinized the wood closely and leaned in to sniff it.

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife took the opportunity to shout, “Ah Hua is right! Everyone, come and take a good look! If your eyes aren’t good, take a sniff and get to know it! If you run into it in the sea next time, you won’t miss out on hauling it in thinking it’s just ordinary wood. Everyone, learn what agarwood looks like—a tiny piece is worth more than a fish!”

It would be best if everyone came up and touched it, rubbing it until it stank.

Touch that agarwood until it became “stink-wood” so they couldn’t sell it!

With so many people, she didn’t believe she was the only one who wanted to touch it.

With so many people boarding the boat, some indeed couldn’t resist reaching out.

Father Zhou hurriedly shouted, “Don’t touch! Don’t touch! No touching! I just washed it clean! Don’t get the smell of fish on it! Just look, everyone, but don’t touch. If it doesn’t sell, we’ll lose money!”

Mother Zhou simply started ushering people off. “Alright, that’s enough looking! There are too many people; the boat is going to sink! Everyone, make way! We need to move the wood off the boat!”

Zhou Chengxin, Father Zhou, and Tian Caihua also began clearing the crowd.

It wasn’t until Zhou Chenglei drove the tractor over that the villagers finally disembarked, no longer obstructing them from moving the massive log.

Of course, some stayed behind to help with the heavy lifting.

A group of people worked together to move the agarwood off the boat and onto the tractor.

The tractor’s trailer wasn’t long enough; half the log hung out over the edge.

Father Zhou sat in the trailer, holding the log down to prevent it from falling off.

Mother Zhou and Zhou Chengxin stayed behind to sell fish.

Even after the tractor had driven far away, people were still asking Mother Zhou where the agarwood had been found.

Mother Zhou didn’t keep it a secret, telling them it was found in the western bay. She also mentioned that the western bay had a spring tide today, and they had collected many scallops.

When people saw the bags upon bags of scallops, each one exceptionally large, they all expressed interest in going to check it out tomorrow.

Some families who didn’t own boats asked Mother Zhou if they were going out to sea tomorrow, hoping to hitch a ride.

Mother Zhou didn’t agree impulsively, only saying, “I don’t know if we’re going out tomorrow. I don’t know if A-Lei is going to the city to sell that agarwood.”

Only then did the crowd back off.

Wait until there was no one left around Mother Zhou, Li’s father finally handed the money earned from this fishing trip to Mother Zhou. “My in-law, here is the money from this trip. It’s twenty-two yuan, six jiao, and seven fen in total. We’ve already taken our ten yuan in wages. Keep this and give the rest to A-Sen later!”

Mother Zhou took it with a smile. “Alright, thank you, in-law. You worked hard today.”

Then, Li’s father rummaged through the fish in his bucket to show Mother Zhou. “I’m taking this bucket of miscellaneous fish home to eat. We’ll be heading back now.”

Mother Zhou glanced at it and smiled. “Go ahead. Next time, keep one or two larger fish to take home. These are too small.”

“No need, these are enough. We’re off!”

“Alright, go back and get some rest early!”

And so, Li’s father and Li Qingmin departed.

When the father and son arrived home, Li’s mother immediately stepped forward to ask, “What fish did you catch today? How much did they sell for?”

Li’s father gave a stack of money to Li’s mother.

Their daughter had said that any money from the fish the two of them caught by hand would belong to them, as a gesture of her filial piety.

Li’s mother happily took the money and began counting.

Li Qingmin’s wife also asked him, “And you? Didn’t you catch any fish?”

Li Qingmin pulled out a stack of money and gave it to her. “No need to count. I caught three Spanish mackerel today, one of which weighed 5 kg. I also caught a Genuine Porgy and a few sea bass. They sold for sixteen yuan and eight jiao total. Dad and I get eight yuan and four jiao each.”

Li Qingmin’s wife couldn’t help counting it anyway. Including the five-yuan daily wage, it was thirteen yuan and four jiao. She smiled. “Not bad!”

They could earn over ten yuan every single day!

These days out at sea were simply too profitable!

Li Qingmin felt smug. Of course it’s not bad. They had picked out the most valuable fish and claimed they had caught them with hooks, so the money from those sales belonged to them.

Li’s mother knew about this as well, but she felt no guilt in taking the money.

They had married their daughter to Zhou Chengsen, and now father and son were working from dawn to dusk to help them out at sea and make money. Their daughter and son-in-law didn’t have to do a thing to get all that money.

Wasn’t it only right that the father and son took a bit more for themselves?

It was already generous of them not to demand half the total profit.

Li Qingmin’s wife asked, “How much did Xian-mei and the others earn today?”

Li Qingmin replied, “Over twenty-two yuan.”

Li Qingmin’s wife exclaimed, “That much!”

That was nearly ten yuan more than them.

Li Qingmin’s wife couldn’t help saying, “Once we save up enough money, let’s buy a boat of our own and go out to sea ourselves!”

Li Qingmin had the same plan. “Yeah, so be frugal and save the money.”

Hearing this, Li’s mother felt a spark of inspiration. She said to Li’s father, “Next time, take a few more fish and say you caught them. Anyway, no one will know if those fish were caught in the trawl net or by hook.”

Li’s father shook his head. “We can’t go too far.”

Taking a few good fish every day and claiming they were caught by hook was his limit.

Otherwise, if the in-laws or their son-in-law found out, it would be bad!

After all, who could guarantee they caught high-quality fish every single day?

Today, they had spent the whole day fishing but only caught two sea bass and some worthless small fish. If they had sold only those, they would have barely made a yuan.

With so many people at the pier, Li’s father didn’t dare make his actions too obvious.

Chapter 418: Transferring Schools

Dinner was held at Great-Grandma’s house. Knowing that Jiang Xia’s entire family had gone out to sea, He Xinghuan had prepared dinner for all of them.

The spread included braised pork, steamed sea bass, shrimp, and mixed fish stew.

Mixed fish stew was a staple in almost every household in the village, eaten nearly every day because it was both cheap and delicious. When someone lacked an appetite for rice, they could always mix the savory broth from the stew into their bowl to make it easier to eat.

Jiang Xia had brought along a woven sack of scallops, as well as large buckets of clams, spicy snails, and blood clams.

The scallops were steamed with minced garlic and vermicelli, while the rest were simply poached to be eaten dipped in soy sauce.

The scallops today were particularly plump, with exceptionally large adductor muscles that were both fresh and sweet. After being split in half and steamed, Jiang Xia ate ten of them along with the vermicelli. She didn’t eat much rice, finishing only half a small bowl.

During the meal, Great-Grandpa asked, “Next semester, I plan to have Zhou Jie transfer to the primary school in town. Should Zhou Zhou transfer as well? I can pick her up and drop her off along the way.”

Great-Grandma added, “The teachers in town teach better than the ones in the village. The village teachers conduct their classes in the local dialect, whereas the town teachers speak Mandarin.”

Great-Grandpa interjected, “Well, not every teacher there uses Mandarin.”

Hearing this, Jiang Xia replied, “We’ll think about it and discuss it.”

They had to go home and see if Zhou Zhou was willing. If Zhou Zhou wanted to go, she could certainly transfer to the town school. As for the commute, Jiang Xia intended to handle the drop-offs and pick-ups herself; she didn’t want to trouble Great-Grandpa and Great-Grandma with that daily responsibility.

People are naturally prone to inertia; even when caring for one’s own children, there are times when one wants to slack off, let alone when caring for someone else’s.

After finishing dinner and returning home, Jiang Xia asked Zhou Zhou if she wanted to transfer to the primary school in town.

Zhou Zhou shook her head. “I don’t want to.”

“Why not?”

“It’s too far. Every time Sister Yingying comes back, she looks so busy and rushed when it’s time for school.”

Jiang Xia: “…”

That was because Zhou Ying was a particularly slow eater, and Li秀娴 was constantly nagging and rushing her, which made it seem hectic. The trip to town only took about fifteen minutes; it wasn’t far at all.

“Auntie can pick you up and drop you off. When Auntie is busy, you can go to school with Zhou Jie.”

“I don’t want to go. The school in town gives so much homework. Sister Yingying stays up so late every day doing it. And since she’s been studying in town, I’ve seen her struggle with math problems that I already know how to do! She doesn’t even know how to spell the pinyin for some words that I already know. It looks like the teachers in town are about the same.”

If there was anything she didn’t understand, she could just ask her Auntie and Uncle. In her eyes, her Auntie was more capable than any teacher. Besides, she got full marks on every exam now; transferring to the town school wasn’t going to get her a hundred and one percent.

What was the point of transferring?

Zhou Zhou didn’t want to transfer, nor did she want her Auntie to have to drive her every day.

By attending school in the village, she could walk there herself. The school was right next to the rice fields and vegetable patches. On the way home, she could pick wild flowers, catch fish, or dig up sweet potatoes. Sometimes, classmates would even break off pieces of sugarcane from their family’s fields to share with them. It was so much fun!

The village school gave very little homework, which she could finish during recess. Once she got home, she could herd the cows, geese, and ducks while roasting sweet potatoes and flying kites. She could even go to the beach to pick up sea snails and clams to roast and eat. How could life be better?

Mother Zhou spoke up, “It’s fine if she doesn’t go. It’s not like she’s going to university; isn’t primary school the same wherever you go? The town school and the village school aren’t that different. The teachers are at the same level.”

Seeing that Zhou Zhou truly didn’t want to go, Jiang Xia let it be. Zhou Zhou had a shy disposition; forcing her into a new environment with new classmates would mean she’d have to start over and adapt all over again, which might not be a good thing.

“If you don’t want to transfer, then you won’t. Have you finished today’s homework?”

“I finished! I did it all at school. I’ve already memorized the English words and sentences too. Auntie, listen and see if I made any mistakes.”

“Alright.”

Zhou Zhou recited them seriously.

When she finished, Jiang Xia patted her small head, praised her with a smile, and corrected a few pronunciations. Then, she told her to hurry and take a shower before bed, as it was nearly eight o’clock.

In this era, nine o’clock at night was already considered quite late. In a fishing village, most fishermen who needed to go out to sea were already asleep.

The next day, Jiang Xia woke up on time as usual, intending to continue joining the fishing trip.

Father Zhou had washed that piece of agarwood with fresh water again last night, fearing the salt in the seawater would be bad for the wood.

Zhou Chenglei planned to wait for it to dry completely before taking it to the city and asking Zhang Rong to send it to Hong Kong to be sold.

When Jiang Xia got out of bed, Zhou Chenglei was already gone from the room.

She put on her clothes and checked the time under the light; it was only four twenty-five.

Where had he gone so early?

Jiang Xia brushed her teeth and washed her face, then went downstairs. Seeing Mother Zhou, she asked, “Mom, where’s A-Lei?”

“He went with your father to catch octopuses.”

“Is there a spring tide happening here too?”

“Yes, many people from the village went. They should be back soon.”

In the middle of the night, Mother Zhou had heard many villagers walking past on the road, heading out for beachcombing and saying there was a spring tide.

Upon hearing the news, Father Zhou and Zhou Chenglei had both climbed out of bed and headed out. No matter when the spring tide occurred—even in the dead of night—the villagers would get up to go beachcombing.

The tide rose and fell every day, but it was only at the beginning and middle of the lunar month that the recession was particularly pronounced. The timing of the tides wasn’t fixed and changed every day.

During a spring tide, the water recedes very rapidly, leaving many shellfish behind on the beach before they have a chance to escape. This is why beachcombing during a spring tide yields such a bountiful harvest.

Furthermore, with every rising and falling tide, the gifts the ocean brings to humanity are always different.

Night is the time when octopuses come out to forage, so the chances of catching them while beachcombing at night are much higher.

Since the two men had to go out to sea today, Mother Zhou stayed behind to prepare breakfast instead of going beachcombing himself.

Mother Zhou estimated that the same beach from yesterday would still have a strong receding tide, and she planned to join the boat today as well.

“What time did they leave?” Jiang Xia had been exhausted from the previous day and had fallen into a deep sleep at nine o’clock, completely unaware of their departure.

“A little after midnight. They should be back any minute.”

Not long after Mother Zhou spoke, the father and son returned carrying a bucket and two large mesh bags full of scallops.

Both buckets were half-filled with octopuses.

Jiang Xia was surprised. “So many? And these octopuses are so big.”

Father Zhou said with a chuckle, “We were lucky and caught a lot. Others only got about a dozen.”

Mother Zhou smiled. “Take them onto the boat in a bit. I’ll clean and dry them while we’re out. You two, hurry up and wash your hands for breakfast.”

The ones they caught tonight were all long-armed octopuses. Once the internal organs were cleaned and they were spread out on bamboo mats to dry, they would remain quite large.

There were over a hundred octopuses in these two buckets. Once dried, they would be kept for Jiang Xia to promote hers milk production after she gave birth. Cooking three or four a day would last her a month.

Furthermore, their family had been using clay pots to catch octopuses continuously. Over these past few days, Mother Zhou had already dried 5 kg of fried fish.

Since their clothes had gotten wet from beachcombing, Zhou Chenglei and Father Zhou quickly changed, ate their breakfast, and then prepared to head out to sea.

While they were eating, Mother Zhou ran out to call Great-Grandma and Tang Ping’s mother to come along for beachcombing.

When the family arrived at the pier, they were half an hour late. Li’s father and Li Qingmin were already there waiting.

Ever since they discovered how much money could be made from fishing, the father and son were eager to set out earlier and earlier.

Because of the beachcombing opportunity today, Li’s mother and Li Qingmin’s wife had also come along.

Yesterday, Zhou Chenglei and the others had picked up several large bags of scallops, which were worth over ten yuan! Besides, scallops were delicious, and many people loved them.

Li’s father asked Father Zhou with a smile, “Relative, are you all going beachcombing again today?”

Father Zhou chuckled. “Yes, we are.”

After waiting for over half an hour, Li Qingmin was getting a bit impatient. “Why are you guys getting later and later!”

Zhou Chenglei glanced at him indifferently. “Did anyone ask you to wait?”

Li Qingmin: “…”

Chapter 419: The Reef Island

The four boats sped toward the pitch-black depths of the sea at their highest speeds.

Yesterday, Zhou Yongguo and Zhou Kangping had gone out to feed the fish; today, they didn’t need to, so they followed Zhou Chenglei to the western waters to fish.

The second branch’s boat intentionally stayed at the very back, trailing from a distance. Since they were angling, they didn’t want the Zhou family to see exactly what kind of fish they were hauling up.

After traveling some distance, the four boats began to maintain a safe gap as they cast their nets and started working.

They trawled as they moved toward the western waters.

Since the timing of the low tide wasn’t fixed, they headed over to check the area first.

Zhou Chenglei was at the helm, while Father Zhou went to catch up on some sleep. He fell into a deep slumber the moment the boat started moving. He had been woken up at midnight by the crowd of villagers heading out for beachcombing and had only gotten about three hours of sleep. He wasn’t in the mood for fishing today and prioritized sleeping.

Jiang Xia, Mother Zhou, Tian Caihua, Great-Grandma, and Zhou Kangping’s mother (Second Great-Aunt) worked together to clean the octopuses. With so many people, the hundred or so octopuses were quickly finished. They chatted in low voices.

Before they knew it, dawn broke, and the sun rose.

Zhou Chenglei steered the boat to the same area they had visited for beachcombing the day before.

Since the low tide hadn’t started yet, they decided to haul in the net first. Zhou Chenglei woke Father Zhou, and the father and son worked together to pull it up.

Jiang Xia took over the steering.

Great-Grandma watched Jiang Xia expertly handling the boat and couldn’t help but walk over. Looking at Jiang Xia at the helm, she smiled and praised, “Xiao Xia, you’ve learned to sail so quickly?”

The others followed her over to avoid getting in the way of Father Zhou and his son.

Mother Zhou smiled and said, “Xiao Xia is a fast learner at everything. She’s even planning to learn how to operate the large boat during the first lunar month while A-Lei is free, and then take the exam for her license.”

Tian Caihua asked in surprise, “Xiao Xia, you’re planning to get a license for the large boats?”

Jiang Xia nodded. “Yes, that’s the plan.”

She had already finished reading the complex materials for the Gaokao and was now studying for the boating license.

Hearing this, Tian Caihua couldn’t help but say, “We don’t fish in the first lunar month. Just for the sake of learning the large boat, how much fuel will you waste in a day? Besides, Xiao Xia, why do you need a license for the large boat? It costs a lot of money to take the exam. Even if you get it, it won’t be of much use. Anyway, A-Lei has one. As long as you know how to drive, it’s fine.”

In the village, who actually had a license to go out to sea? Zhou Chengxin had gotten one, but it just sat there unused!

Jiang Xia replied, “We’ll see when the time comes! I figured I’d have free time in the first lunar month. If it’s easy, I’ll take it; if it’s too hard, I’ll forget about it. I was originally planning to get a motorcycle license, so I thought I might as well get the boating license too.”

Jiang Xia felt that since they had a large boat at home, having a license was good preparation. If she ever went on a distant seas voyage with Zhou Chenglei and something happened to him, she would still be able to sail.

Plus, she knew that for any license, the earlier you take the exam, the easier it usually is.

Tian Caihua thought a motorcycle license was more practical. “A motorcycle license is more useful, though even that isn’t essential. Are you going to get a driver’s license for cars too?”

Jiang Xia said, “I already have a driver’s license for cars.”

Tian Caihua: “…”

She didn’t even have a motorcycle license, yet she already had a car license? As expected of a young lady from the Jiang family.

Great-Grandma smiled and said, “It’s good to get licenses! With a license, you don’t have to fear anything. Just think about how we need a letter of certification even to stay in a guesthouse in the city! A-Lei also told Yongguo to use the first lunar month to get a license, and maybe get a tractor license too.”

Second Great-Aunt added, “That’s right, A-Lei also told Kangping to go for his license during the days they aren’t out at sea in the first lunar month.”

Hearing this, Tian Caihua felt she should tell Zhou Chengxin to get a license for the large boat as well. As for herself, she didn’t want to waste the money on the exam, but learning how to operate it would be useful. She said to Jiang Xia, “Xiao Xia, when you learn to sail the large boat, call me. I’ll learn with you!”

Learning with Jiang Xia now would save on fuel costs, and she’d be able to sail when they eventually got their own large boat.

Zhou Chenglei also intended for Zhou Chengxin to learn and get a license, so Jiang Xia agreed, “Sure!”

Mother Zhou saw the father and son struggling a bit with the net and went to help. Great-Grandma and the others followed to see if they could assist.

Soon, a large bag of fish was hauled onto the deck.

Zhou Chenglei poured out the catch. It mainly consisted of small yellow croakers, yellowfin seabream, sea bass, and other small fish, along with a large Greater Amberjack and some blue-spotted Spanish mackerel weighing a few kilograms each.

In this region, blue-spotted Spanish mackerel was the tastiest and most expensive among Spanish mackerels, and that large Greater Amberjack alone was worth dozens of yuan.

Small yellow croakers weren’t as expensive as large ones, but their price was decent now. With the end-of-year price hikes, they could sell for 70 to 80 fen per 500 grams.

Tian Caihua: “…”

Another single haul that earned as much as her family’s boat made in a day.

She looked toward her own fishing boat but didn’t see many fish in their nets.

Great-Grandma said happily, “This is a great haul. So many big fish, and lots of small yellow croakers too.”

Second Great-Aunt asked, “That Greater Amberjack must weigh 25 kg, right?”

Great-Grandma pulled up a small stool to help sort the fish. “Should be about that.”

Second Great-Aunt also sat down to help. When riding on someone else’s boat for beachcombing, it was only right to help with the chores.

Tian Caihua sat down as well. Today, both their boats were earning money together. She didn’t expect to out-earn Jiang Xia’s boat; she’d be satisfied if her boat earned just as much. Yesterday, the two boats of the fourth branch had made over 1,500 yuan total!

Father Zhou went to steer while Zhou Chenglei cast the net again, and Jiang Xia joined everyone in sorting the fish.

With so many hands, the task was finished in half an hour.

Zhou Chenglei steered further out. He remembered a reef island dozens of nautical miles away. He wanted to see if there were any mussels on that reef island.

Since it was a rocky island, the boat couldn’t get too close to avoid hitting the reefs. Zhou Chenglei called Jiang Xia over and asked her to use the binoculars to see what was clinging to the rocks.

He had bought these binoculars a long time ago at a high price.

Although mussels have a slight green tint on their edges, when they grow in large clusters, they look black from a distance, similar to the color of the rocks. You can’t tell what they are without getting close.

Jiang Xia looked through the binoculars for a while and smiled. “It really looks like mussels.”

Zhou Chenglei said, “After hauling this net, I’ll drop Mother and the others off at the beach for beachcombing, then I’ll come back to check.”

Jiang Xia replied, “Okay.”

Two hours later, it was time to pull the net.

This haul consisted mostly of leatherjackets. They weren’t worth much, but there were so many that they could still fetch dozens of yuan.

After hauling the net, Zhou Chenglei and Father Zhou steered the boat toward the beach from yesterday. Everyone rushed to sort the fish.

By the time they reached West Bay, a large stretch of the beach was exposed—not as much as yesterday, as the tide was still going out. But it was enough to begin.

Zhou Chenglei moored the boat and let everyone off first.

Jiang Xia stayed on the boat; she and Zhou Chenglei were going back to the reef island they had just spotted.

Chapter 420: Schools of Fish

Rocky Island was exactly as its name suggested—an island comprised primarily of reefs and jagged rocks.

From a distance, the entire area appeared as a sprawling stretch of rocky shoreline.

There was an isolated island positioned further out from the beach, looking like a giant prone upon the surface of the sea.

Jiang Xia could only spot a few patches of green vegetation at the island’s highest point—the very peak of the reefs; everything else was bare stone.

Jiang Xia lightly nudged the man beside her with her elbow and asked, “Doesn’t that little island look like a giant wearing a green hat?”

Zhou Chenglei: “…”

Given her imagination, Zhou Chenglei was actually starting to worry about her Gaokao essay.

Zhou Chenglei circled Rocky Island once, searching for a suitable place to moor. He didn’t bring the boat too close before securing it.

Jiang Xia looked at the exposed reefs and the ones submerged beneath the water; there were countless mussels suctioned onto the rocks.

He said to Jiang Xia, “I’m going into the water. If you’re tired, you can take a nap on the boat.”

Even setting aside the fact that it was the dead of winter, Jiang Xia’s current physical condition was not suitable for diving.

Jiang Xia nodded. “Alright.”

Sleeping was out of the question. How could she sleep soundly while he was out in the ocean alone? She had to keep an eye on his situation in the water from time to time.

She would just rest on the lounge chair, eat some fruit and snacks, and read a book to pass the time.

Zhou Chenglei warmed up, threw a large bundle of straw ropes onto the reef, then changed into his diving suit and jumped into the sea.

These straw ropes were used to collect mussel larvae.

Zhou Chenglei climbed onto the reef, took one end of a straw rope, found a protruding rock underwater, tied the rope to it, and then moved a heavy stone to pin it down.

Otherwise, under the constant scouring of the seawater, the straw rope would easily loosen and be washed away by the waves.

After securing one end, he held the rope and swam forward around the reef, encircling the rocks that were covered in mussels.

Every few meters, he would find a stone to weigh the rope down to prevent it from being swept away.

Once Zhou Chenglei had fixed one straw rope in place, he continued with another.

He had brought six straw ropes in total. By the time he had secured all of them, over an hour had passed. Then, he began harvesting the mussels.

Since he was already in the water, he might as well gather some to take home for a meal.

The mussels were packed tightly together, suctioned onto the rocks. No one had come to harvest them here, so they were densely clustered.

To save time, Zhou Chenglei used an iron shovel to scrape them into his mesh bags, piece by piece.

He didn’t bother picking up the ones that fell into the sea. He simply targeted the areas where the mussels were largest.

In no time at all, he had filled a large mesh bag.

He tied it to the rope Jiang Xia lowered from the boat so he could hoist it up directly once he returned to the deck. Then, he moved on to the next bag.

During a spring tide, the water recedes quickly and rises just as fast. Since they were in the middle of the sea, the tide came back even quicker.

By the time Zhou Chenglei had filled two mesh bags, the tide began to rise.

However, with Jiang Xia on the boat, Zhou Chenglei didn’t have to worry. He shoveled one more bag before climbing back on board.

After removing his diving gear and getting dressed, he hauled the several bags of mussels onto the boat.

Jiang Xia squatted down, looking through the three large mesh bags of mussels, and smiled. “They’re so plump. We’re in for a treat tonight.”

Zhou Chenglei replied, “I wonder if they’ll taste good.”

He had never eaten these things before.

Jiang Xia laughed. “They should be delicious.”

Of course, Jiang Xia personally felt that mussels weren’t as tasty as oysters. She thought mussels had a stronger fishy smell and weren’t as sweet as oysters, but the textures were different. Mussel meat was firmer, and fresh mussels were quite good regardless.

Furthermore, once dried, they became sun-dried mussels, which could be used in congee or soups to enhance the umami and aroma.

Zhou Chenglei went to start the engine. “You should sleep for a while. I’ll steer the boat.”

He could tell at a glance whether Jiang Xia had slept or not. He knew exactly what she looked like when she woke up. Her complexion would be more ruddy than before she slept, bearing a faint, tender pink hue. It was very beautiful.

“I’ll sleep later.” Jiang Xia was indeed tired, but she planned to wait until after Zhou Chenglei cast the nets.

Zhou Chenglei weighed anchor and steered the boat toward the beach where Father Zhou and the others were beachcombing, wanting to see if they had boarded their boats yet.

Since the other three boats were all beachcombing in that same area today, Zhou Chenglei didn’t need to worry about his parents not having a ride.

Knowing she was the type of person who would fall asleep the moment she relaxed and lay down, Jiang Xia didn’t sit in the lounge chair. She stood beside Zhou Chenglei, watching him steer.

Zhou Chenglei simply pulled her into his arms, letting her lean against him.

After the boat had traveled some distance, just as Zhou Chenglei was about to cast the net, Jiang Xia spotted countless seagulls circling over the distant sea.

She immediately pointed in that direction. Since she didn’t know the cardinal directions, pointing was the foolproof method!

“A school of fish!”

Wherever seagulls circled over the ocean, there was bound to be a school of fish.

“I’ll take the helm; you go cast the net.”

Zhou Chenglei looked over. It appeared the school of fish would move toward them with the tide.

He handed the controls to Jiang Xia and went to cast the net.

A trawl net wasn’t the best choice at this moment; a seine net would be ideal, but this boat wasn’t equipped for seine fishing. If two boats were together, they could have managed it.

Zhou Chenglei opted for a flow net. Once finished, he returned to steer.

Jiang Xia used binoculars to watch the fish being snatched up by the seagulls. “It looks like Golden Pomfret or Silver Pomfret.”

Zhou Chenglei took the binoculars and glanced through them. It was indeed one of the two.

They were still some distance away, giving Zhou Chenglei enough time to maneuver.

Jiang Xia watched as Zhou Chenglei steered the boat toward the flock of seagulls, making a wide circle to surround the area where the birds were flying.

Then, he cut the engine, giving the fish time to swim into the net.

Only when he saw most of the seagulls lingering in one spot did he start the fishing boat again and continue forward.

Zhou Chenglei said to Jiang Xia, “I’m going to use the winch. Just keep driving forward. Don’t go too fast; just maintain this slow speed. It takes time for the fish to get caught.”

“Okay.”

Jiang Xia sat in the pilot’s chair and took the helm.

Zhou Chenglei pulled the net up, hooked it onto the winch, and began hauling it in.

Because it wasn’t a trawl net, it wasn’t one massive bag of fish; instead, the net came up with individual Golden Pomfrets entangled throughout it.

This school of Golden Pomfret was quite plump, each fish weighing around 350 to 400 grams.

Since it was still early, Zhou Chenglei tried his best to untangle them one by one and toss them into the crates.

However, there were too many fish caught in the hanging net. He couldn’t possibly keep up, so he just did what he could, taking them off one by one.

The seagulls were relentless, diving down to snatch fish directly from the net. Some even had the audacity to steal fish straight out of the crates.

Had he known they would encounter a school of Golden Pomfret, he would have called his parents over; that would have made the work much faster.

Before long, the boats from the first branch, the second branch, and the rest of the family were drawn over by the flock of seagulls.

The three boats pulled up near Jiang Xia’s vessel.

Tian Caihua watched Zhou Chenglei operating the winch, seeing the Golden Pomfret hanging all over the net. Her eyes widened. “You’ve run into another school of fish?”

If she had known, she wouldn’t have gone beachcombing! Today on the beach, there were mostly octopuses and clams. There weren’t many octopuses, and while there were plenty of clams, they weren’t worth much money!

Seeing them encounter a school of Golden Pomfret, Li Qingmin’s wife couldn’t help but whisper to him, “Do you think those two did it on purpose? Leading us to the beach while they go out to catch Golden Pomfret for themselves?”

Chapter 421: You Are Different

Upon hearing this, Li’s father said, “What nonsense! They aren’t fortune tellers. How could they have known a school of Golden Pomfret would be there in advance? It was just good luck!”

“That’s not necessarily true! Maybe they have a secret way of baiting the schools, and they’re just staying away from us on purpose because they don’t want us to know.”

Deep down, Li Qingmin actually agreed with his wife. He had always suspected that Zhou Chenglei had some special method for luring fish. Otherwise, why would his catch be greater than everyone else’s every single time they went out to sea?

Li’s mother added, “I suspect there’s a secret as well. Look at how he didn’t want to take you out to sea at first—he wouldn’t even wait for a moment. Now, he’s late every day and tells you to go out on your own without waiting for him. He’s probably afraid you’ll learn his fishing techniques.”

Li’s father couldn’t speak to that.

However, he did know that different fish required different catching methods. Zhou Chenglei was knowledgeable and well-traveled, so it wasn’t impossible for him to know something others didn’t.

“Whether he has a method or not is his business. It’s only natural not to want outsiders to know.”

Li Qingmin’s wife pursed her lips, looking disdainful. “Wasn’t it said that Li Xiuxian’s brother-in-law is the most capable and loyal? That he’s helped his brothers so much over the years? Fine, we’re outsiders, so it’s okay if he doesn’t tell us! But what about Zhou Chengxin? What about my brother-in-law, Chengsen? They are his own brothers, yet I don’t see him sharing his fishing secrets with them, either! He only cares about making his own family rich. They’re so wealthy they’re practically dripping in gold!”

Li’s mother noted, “The first branch is doing alright. They were allocated a fishing boat and go out to sea together, splitting the profits fifty-fifty. They can earn quite a bit. Right now, your sister is the only one who’s poor. No wonder she’s anxious.”

Li Qingmin’s wife complained, “When they had the family division, Chengsen shouldn’t have said he didn’t want anything! Xiuxian shouldn’t have agreed, either. They should have at least gotten a share of the boat!”

Li Qingmin added, “Not taking the boat was a loss.”

Li’s father said crossly, “Enough. Our relatives by marriage already gave them a large sum of money to buy a house in town. Besides, Chengsen and Xiuxian both have jobs, whereas Chengxin and Chenglei don’t and have to rely on fishing to make a living. Right now, the couple’s jobs are respectable and stable; that’s good enough.”

“Furthermore, even if Chengsen had been given a share of the boat, he wouldn’t have time to go out fishing. How would the money be split then? Stop filling Xiuxian’s head with such things; it will only affect their relationship as husband and wife.”

Since Li’s father had put it that way, the three of them fell silent.

Li Qingmin’s wife thought to herself, Affect their relationship? Poverty is what affects a relationship! Haven’t you heard that ‘a poor couple finds everything difficult’?

On the other boat, Father Zhou was overjoyed to see his youngest son and daughter-in-law encounter another school of fish.

See! Just look at that!

Fortune really followed wherever Wealth-bringer went!

Earlier on the beach, he had only managed to gather a bucket of clams, half a bag of scallops, and about a dozen octopuses before the pickings went slim!

He didn’t want to stay on a boat without Wealth-bringer.

He said to Zhou Chengxin, “Pull closer to Chenglei’s boat. I’m going over to help sort the fish.”

Then he called out to Jiang Xia, “Xiao Xia, stop the boat for a moment so we can pull alongside!”

Jiang Xia complied and brought the boat to a halt.

Zhou Chengxin maneuvered his boat closer.

Father Zhou used a long-handled iron hook to pull the two vessels together. Mother Zhou supported Tian Caihua, while Great-Grandma and Second Great-Aunt stood up and hopped over to Jiang Xia’s boat.

Finally, Father Zhou helped Mother Zhou jump across before pulling in the pole and jumping over himself.

As soon as they arrived, they started working, plucking the fish one by one from the nets and tossing them into crates.

With so many people around, the seagulls didn’t dare get too close, save for a few exceptionally bold ones.

Seeing a seagull daring to steal a fish right under his nose, Father Zhou lunged for it. “You dare steal? If I catch you, I’ll take you home and turn you into stew!”

Of course, the seagulls were far too agile, and Father Zhou caught nothing but air.

It was already past three o’clock in the afternoon when the four fishing boats began their journey back.

The other three boats continued to tow their nets on the way back.

Jiang Xia’s boat was piled high with nets, so they didn’t trawl. They would be lucky if they could finish sorting all the fish before reaching the pier.

After five o’clock, the four boats returned to the village pier one after another.

Since tomorrow was Sunday, Li Xiuxian and Zhou Chengsen had returned from town.

Zhou Chengsen was waiting at the pier to help receive the catch.

Li Xiuxian wasn’t there; Chengsen had sent her home to cook.

When Chengsen had returned home and found that Mother Zhou and Jiang Xia were both out at sea, he had bought some seafood at the pier and sent her back to the old house to prepare dinner.

Li Xiuxian wasn’t happy about it, but she had no choice. She merely insisted that Chengsen invite her father and brother over for dinner as well.

As the boats docked, Zhou Chengsen first walked over to his parents’ boat to greet them, then to Zhou Chengxin’s boat, and finally to his own family’s boat to greet his father-in-law’s family.

His family’s boat was the last to dock.

Li’s father said with a smile, “There was a massive low tide today, so your mother and sister-in-law went beachcombing with the boats. Because everyone was busy beachcombing this afternoon, no one hit the trawl nets, so today’s catch is smaller. We only trawled twice in the morning and once on the way back.”

As he spoke, he began moving the fish off the boat.

Li’s mother added, “That’s right. Neither of your family’s boats trawled this afternoon. Only Chenglei’s boat was trawling.”

Zhou Chengsen didn’t mind. He chuckled and asked, “Did Mom and Big Sister-in-law find anything good today?”

Li Qingmin’s wife pointed to the clams in the bucket. “We only gathered a small bag of scallops, half a bucket of clams, and a few octopuses. They aren’t worth much if sold, and there isn’t even enough for one meal if cooked. Angling would have been better. Oh, by the way, this bucket is the fish Dad and Qingmin caught.”

Her tone was noticeably eager.

Zhou Chengsen looked down.

One bucket contained half a bucket of clams and a few octopuses. The other bucket contained two sea bass, a Spanish mackerel, two rabbitfish, and two yellowfin seabreams.

The largest Spanish mackerel weighed seven or eight kilograms and was worth about eight or nine yuan.

That one bucket of fish could be sold for about ten yuan.

Then he glanced at the crates of fish on the boat.

They were mostly miscellaneous fish of little value. There were a few more valuable Spanish mackerels, but they only weighed about one or one and a half kilograms each—not very large. There were also a few Golden Threadfin Breams and yellowfin seabreams.

The whole lot would probably sell for around thirty yuan. After deducting the labor for two people and the fuel costs, they would likely only net seven or eight yuan in profit, which was less than what they made from angling.

He smiled. “Big Brother’s luck is quite good to have caught such a large Spanish mackerel.”

Li Qingmin quickly said, “That’s only because Mom and your sister-in-law were both angling today. Usually, it’s just me, and I don’t have such good luck.”

Zhou Chengsen nodded. “That’s normal. Whether angling or trawling, it’s all down to luck. It fluctuates.”

Li Qingmin forced a smile. “Isn’t that the truth! It’s all luck! The trawling was better yesterday; we made over twenty yuan. Today, because we didn’t trawl in the afternoon, and because Chenglei went out more than half an hour late this morning, we had to wait for him, so we were delayed!”

Zhou Chengsen laughed. “Is that so? Then don’t wait for him next time. Just head out at exactly five o’clock every morning! You and my fourth brother are different. He’s sailing his own boat, so he can head out whenever he pleases. His schedule is more flexible than yours.”

Li Qingmin: “…”

Was that a snide remark about him being nothing more than a hired hand?

Chapter 422: Unbelievable

The worst thing a person can do is fail to recognize their own place and status.

One should act according to their position.

Zhou Chengsen threw a few sharp remarks at Li Qingmin before heading over to Zhou Chenglei’s fishing boat to help unload the catch.

Crate after crate of Golden Pomfret was carried off the boat. It was another day that left everyone else green with envy and resentment.

While Golden Pomfret wasn’t as expensive as Silver Pomfret, with this much volume, even at a lower price, it would still fetch a massive sum of money!

Besides, with the end of the year approaching, drying them into fish jerky would make them a highly sought-after commodity.

Jiang Xia was about to head down the boat to line up at the purchase station when she saw Zhou Chengsen come aboard. She greeted him with a smile, “Second Brother.”

Zhou Chengsen smiled and nodded in response, then asked Zhou Chenglei, “Are you drying all these Golden Pomfret into jerky, or selling them directly?”

In previous years, his fourth brother would always give away quite a lot of dried fish. He didn’t know if he still planned to do so this year.

Zhou Chenglei replied, “Drying them.”

Since it was the end of the year, he needed to give gifts to many people. Overly expensive gifts weren’t appropriate, but local specialties showed heart. Being from a fishing village, dried fish was their signature local product.

Mother Zhou added, “Then I’ll go find some people to help clean the fish.”

Zhou Chenglei turned to Father Zhou. “Dad, why don’t you go back and drive the tractor over?”

“Alright, I’ll go.” Father Zhou moved one last crate of fish off the boat and headed back to get the tractor.

Li Xiuxian had already finished cooking at the old house. Seeing Father Zhou return to get the tractor, she left the food warming in the pot and hopped onto the tractor to head to the pier.

She wanted to see if today’s catch was substantial.

Upon arrival, she immediately spotted Zhou Chengsen on Zhou Chenglei’s boat, hauling fish.

Her heart stifled.

Was there no work for him to do on their own family’s boat?

She trudged through the sand, her footsteps uneven, toward their boat. She crossed paths with Zhou Chengsen as he was carrying a crate of fish down. Suppressing her anger, she asked, “Is all the fish from our boat sold already?”

Zhou Chengsen replied, “Not yet, I think. Dad and Big Brother are still unloading.”

Li Xiuxian snapped, “Then what are you doing over here?”

It was truly infuriating!

Was there really no work at home? Why was he so eager to help others with theirs?

Zhou Chengsen said, “Our boat didn’t have much of a catch today. If I did all the unloading, what would they have to do?”

Li Xiuxian: “…”

Zhou Chengsen set the fish on the ground and immediately turned back to the boat to continue hauling.

With a daily wage of five yuan per person, they were paying out ten yuan every day. Was ten yuan that easy to earn?

That was why he hadn’t helped unload his own boat—he had rushed over to help his brother instead.

Big Brother had hired plenty of people, and their catch wasn’t that large, so they didn’t need help. Only A-Lei, with a boat full of fish, truly needed the extra hands.

Moreover, if he didn’t help A-Lei, his parents would have to do more work. He wasn’t just helping his brother; he was helping his parents.

Li Xiuxian watched him return to the boat and lift another crate. she felt like she would have a heart attack sooner or later.

She couldn’t bear to watch.

She walked toward her own boat.

Li’s father and Li Qingmin had already moved all the fish off and were planning to carry them to the purchase station.

Li Xiuxian was about to climb onto her boat. “How much fish is left on board?”

Li Qingmin answered, “None! That’s it!”

Li Xiuxian looked at the few loads of fish on the ground in disbelief. “That’s it?”

Forget comparing it to the fourth branch! These few crates weren’t even half of what the first branch’s boat had brought in!

Li Qingmin explained, “Yeah! We only threw the trawl net three times today, so the catch isn’t much.”

Li’s father added, “The three families went beachcombing together this afternoon, so we didn’t trawl. We only trawled for an hour on the way back. The time was too short, so that haul didn’t have much.”

Li Qingmin grumbled, “It wasn’t like all three families went beachcombing together. A-Lei and his wife didn’t join us! They went trawling instead, which is how they got so much Golden Pomfret.”

Li Xiuxian said crossly, “Zhou Chenglei and his wife knew to go trawling, so why didn’t you? What can you even find beachcombing!”

Li Qingmin replied, “Everyone agreed to go beachcombing together. Who knew that once we reached the spot, only the in-laws got off the boat while they took their own boat out to trawl!”

Li’s father interjected, “Alright! Stop talking! Your mother is waiting in line at the purchase station. Hurry up and carry the fish over! It’s almost our turn!”

Li Xiuxian glanced over and saw that they were indeed almost at the front. “Mom went out to sea today too?”

Li’s father picked up a load of fish and started walking. “Yes, your mother and your sister-in-law went out to go beachcombing today as well.”

Li Xiuxian picked up the smallest load and followed them.

When they reached the purchase station, the family sold the fish.

Li Xiuxian looked at her mother and sister-in-law holding 11.87 yuan, and then at the 29.40 yuan in her own hand. She was stunned.

Out of her 29.40 yuan, ten yuan was for her father and brother’s wages, and that was even before factoring in the cost of fuel!

“How much did we spend on fuel today?”

Li Qingmin answered, “We topped up fifteen yuan today. We went near the mangroves to the west today, which is further away, so we added a bit more. There should still be quite a bit of fuel left.”

In truth, they had only added fourteen yuan worth, but since he claimed it was a yuan or two more, who would know? Even if she did know, would his sister really nitpick with him over it?

Li Xiuxian counted out twenty-six yuan and handed it to Li Qingmin. She was left with only a little over three yuan!

It was simply unbelievable!

Her father and brother were making more than the boat owners?

Seeing her daughter’s dark expression, Li’s mother smiled and said, “Today, your father, your brother, your sister-in-law, and I went beachcombing together. We picked up a lot of scallops, sea snails, and octopus, and sold them for over ten yuan! Plus, your brother had good luck today and caught a large Spanish Mackerel. We made over twenty yuan in a single day—we wouldn’t have dared to even dream of that before!”

“You’re the filial one, knowing how to take care of your family. You gave your father and brother high wages and even let them keep the money from the fish they caught themselves. Unlike your second sister, that heartless girl, who gives your father and me five yuan a month like it’s some grand act of charity!”

Li Xiuxian was in no mood for this and couldn’t listen to any more. She said directly to Li Qingmin, “Brother, I don’t object to you taking Mom and Sister-in-law out beachcombing, but don’t skip the trawling because of it. I didn’t buy this boat just to go beachcombing! Look at Jiang Xia and her husband; they knew to let my father-in-law and mother-in-law go beachcombing while they went to trawl themselves. If you want to go beachcombing, it’s not like you can’t do it on the beach in the village.”

Li Qingmin was a bit displeased upon hearing this. “It was your father-in-law, your brother-in-law, and the oldest brother who all said we were going beachcombing today. That’s why we went!”

Li Xiuxian was about to say something else when Li’s father quickly cut in, “You’re right. We won’t delay the trawling for beachcombing next time. Yesterday’s income was good, and Mother Zhou is holding onto that money.”

There were people all around them, and Li Xiuxian didn’t want to start a public scene; she couldn’t afford the embarrassment. “I’m going to see if my brother-in-law needs help.”

With that, she walked away.

She didn’t even invite her own family over for dinner!

She was too furious! Her chest actually ached from the anger.

She looked toward Jiang Xia, who was selling fish not far away, and walked toward her.

Jiang Xia and Great-Grandma were chatting and laughing with the purchase station staff about something.

Next to her feet were crate after crate of fish. While others had to lug their fish to the large scales at the front of the station, the staff had brought the scales directly to Jiang Xia to weigh her catch.

Having helpful in-laws really made a difference. Seeing how her in-laws supported her, wasn’t Jiang Xia living a comfortable life?

Her mother-in-law took care of three or four meals a day at home, while her father-in-law helped them with distant seas voyages, trawling, and beachcombing.

Whether it was big money or small change, those two were helping the couple earn every bit of it!

Li Xiuxian now regretted agreeing to let her brother keep the money from the fish he caught.

Her whole family had spent the entire afternoon beachcombing, only caring about their own pockets, with no regard for whether she lived or died!

Chapter 423: A Daughter’s Status Rises with Her Father’s

Jiang Xia and Great-Grandma were currently haggling with the staff at the purchase station. Because they had two crates filled with all sorts of miscellaneous fish they hadn’t bothered to sort, pricing them was proving difficult.

It was mostly Great-Grandma doing the shouting, while Jiang Xia stood by with a smile, watching the show.

Great-Grandma poked through the fish in the crates with her hand while shouting her price, “Five yuan and eighty cents!”

Master Jin countered, “Five yuan and seventy cents!”

“Why are you offering less and less?” Great-Grandma barked. “Five yuan and ninety cents—are you taking them or not? If not, forget it!”

If they weren’t still busy frying those 1,000 to 1,500 kilograms of anchovies, she would have taken these home to dry and turn into spicy mixed dried fish herself!

Master Jin sighed. “And you’re asking for more and more! Fine, fine, five eighty it is. Five eighty for both crates. Deal? If not, forget it! I’m tired of talking!”

Jiang Xia interjected, “That won’t do. This crate is clearly several kilograms heavier. Let’s make it twelve yuan for the two crates combined. How about it? Look, my family brings you hundreds or even 500 kilograms of fish every day. Most of the time, my husband doesn’t even haggle; he just takes whatever price you offer, right?”

“Fine, fine, fine. Have those Groupers you’re raising grown big enough? Can they be sold by New Year’s Eve? Remember to bring them here to the purchase station when the time comes. Don’t go sneakily sending them off to the City Pier.”

The Zhou family had been buying precious fish like Grouper and Genuine Porgy from the villagers to raise in net cages for a long time now. After all these months, they likely had several hundred of them.

These fish sold incredibly well on New Year’s Eve. Sometimes the price could double or even triple. Moreover, demand far stripped supply. Many people were pulling strings and using connections just to reserve a good fish for their New Year’s reunion dinner.

At a time like that, one wasn’t just selling fish; one was trading in social favors.

Jiang Xia smiled and said, “Since Master Jin has spoken, just tell my husband how many you need when the time comes. I’ll see if I can set a few aside for you. Two restaurants in the city have already placed orders.”

Master Jin was speechless. Even city restaurants had pre-ordered?

Master Jin pulled out a stack of cash to settle the account with Jiang Xia. It came to a total of 265 yuan, 67 fen.

They had only hauled in two nets this morning. The first net fetched a great price because of a large Greater Amberjack and 100 kilograms of small yellow croaker. The second net consisted mostly of leatherjackets, which weren’t worth much, but the sheer volume brought in over seventy yuan.

They weren’t selling the Golden Pomfret or the mussels. Nor were they selling the scallops, octopuses, and various sea snails Father and Mother Zhou had found while beachcombing. Thus, making over two hundred yuan was already a significant amount.

Jiang Xia said, “Master Jin, let’s just round it up to 266 yuan. Consider those thirty-three cents a treat for Great-Grandma and me to buy some candy.”

Master Jin agreed readily, “Fine! Just remember to bring the good fish to me!”

Master Jin, who was usually a stingy man who wouldn’t part with even half a cent, handed Jiang Xia 266 yuan.

Great-Grandma only kept about eight or ten small scallops and about 0.5 to 1 kg of the smallest sea snails. She had given all the octopuses she found to Mother Zhou, and she sold the large scallops and sea snails for 8 yuan and 32 fen.

Master Jin said, “I’ll round that one for you too—eight yuan and thirty cents!”

Great-Grandma cursed with a chuckle, “Bullshit! What ‘round up and down’? With me, you only round up! Pay up! I want every single cent!”

Li Xiuxian had walked over intending to ask Jiang Xia something, but she overheard Master Jin—who was usually so arrogant—speaking so amicably to Jiang Xia. Usually, when she ran into Master Jin and greeted him, he wouldn’t even acknowledge her.

Because of her father, Jiang Xia was respected wherever she went. A daughter’s status really did rise with her father’s! In the future, her Yingying would be just like Jiang Xia.

Watching Master Jin count out a large stack of “Great Unity” ten-yuan bills for Jiang Xia made her feel even more bitter. They all went out to sea together, yet what she earned wasn’t even a fraction of Jiang Xia’s! Even Jiang Xia’s “loose change” from the rounding was over five yuan!

However, hearing that Great-Grandma had earned over eight yuan just from beachcombing made her slightly less suspicious of her own family. If Great-Grandma could make over eight yuan alone, then it was normal for the four of them working together to make ten or twenty.

Li Xiuxian approached Jiang Xia and smiled. “Xiao Xia, finished selling the fish? I’ve finished cooking dinner, we can head back to eat.”

Jiang Xia greeted her and then looked toward where their boat and tractor were parked. Zhou Chenglei and the others had already loaded all the Golden Pomfret onto the tractor. She said, “Alright, let’s head back. Great-Grandma, you should take the tractor back too!”

“Fine, I’m too lazy to walk.” It would take over ten minutes to walk back from the pier.

With Great-Grandma around, Li Xiuxian found it hard to ask her questions. After all, domestic scandals were not to be aired in public.

Zhou Chenglei came over to pick up Jiang Xia and drove her away on the motorcycle.

Dinner had been prepared by Li Xiuxian, and Jiang Xia realized that her sister-in-law’s cooking was… quite an experience. Seafood was supposed to be delicious even when simply poached, but she managed to boil the shrimp until they were tasteless and lacked any freshness.

The steamed fish was also poor—too salty, and the meat wasn’t tender; it was overcooked and tough. The other dishes were also far too salty.

After a few bites, Jiang Xia couldn’t help but drink a large glass of water.

Fortunately, when Zhou Chenglei returned, he steamed some scallops and poached some clams and spicy snails. Everyone scrambled for those, but there wasn’t quite enough. Aside from the poached shrimp, almost no one touched the dishes Li Xiuxian had made.

Li Xiuxian didn’t eat her own cooking either, focusing instead on the dishes Zhou Chenglei had prepared.

After dinner, the people Mother Zhou had hired arrived to clean the fish. The cleaning was done at the old house.

Zhou Chenglei told Jiang Xia to take Zhou Zhou back to the new house first to bathe and sleep. He stayed behind to help clean the fish.

Li Xiuxian immediately said, “I’ll take Yingying back for a bath too. The weather is cold, I need to help her so she doesn’t catch a chill.”

Zhou Chengsen countered, “Just let Yingying follow Xiao Xia over there. You stay here with me and help clean the fish!”

Li Xiuxian was speechless.

Zhou Chengsen then said to Jiang Xia, “Xiao Xia, take Yingying with you. She can bathe herself.”

Jiang Xia replied, “Alright.” She then called Zhou Zhou and Zhou Ying to head back to the new house for their baths and bed.

By the time Mother Zhou and the others finished cleaning the fish, it was already nine o’clock. Mother Zhou and Zhou Chenglei planned to clean up the courtyard before heading back to the new house.

Zhou Chengsen said to them, “Mom, Fourth Brother, you go back and get some sleep. I’ll handle the cleaning here. The two of us will just stay here tonight. Our old bedding is still here anyway, so there’s no need to move things back and forth.”

Li Xiuxian froze. Stay at the old house? Was the new house not comfortable enough? It was such a hassle to use the bathroom here in the middle of the night!

Zhou Chenglei added, “Xiao Xia has already prepared the beds and blankets in your room; they’re all clean. You can just go over and sleep without moving anything. Bathing isn’t as convenient here as it is over there.”

Zhou Chengsen waved a hand. “Sleeping anywhere is the same. I’ve already boiled a pot of hot water, so it’s not inconvenient. You guys go on back. Your second sister-in-law can bathe first, and I’ll finish up the cleaning.”

“Alright.” Zhou Chenglei didn’t press further and left the courtyard to him.

The food tonight had been too salty, and Jiang Xia likely hadn’t eaten her fill. He wanted to go back and make her some eggs steamed with milk and a bowl of seafood noodle soup.

Li Xiuxian blurted out, “I’m going to find Xiao Xia to ask her something!” She then followed Zhou Chenglei and Mother Zhou back to the new house.

When Li Xiuxian reached the second floor, Jiang Xia had just come out after her bath.

Earlier, Jiang Xia had been worried about Zhou Ying, fearing the girl might stay in the bath too long, catch a cold, or suffer from carbon monoxide poisoning. Flueless gas water heaters had that drawback, even though she had made Zhou Chenglei install it outside the bathroom. In winter, if one bathed for too long, oxygen deprivation from the steam and fumes was a frequent occurrence.

Jiang Xia asked while drying her hair with a towel, “Second Sister-in-law, what did you want to see me about?”

Chapter 424: The Pregnant Woman’s Meal

Second Sister-in-law came in and immediately spotted the hair dryer on Jiang Xia’s dressing table. It was an imported model—another appliance that might cost more than a month’s salary for some people.

Even with money, such imported goods were hard to come by, requiring foreign exchange certificates.

Foreign exchange certificates were the hardest to obtain; even Zhou Chengsen didn’t have any.

Jiang Xia must have had wonderful parents to not lack such things.

But Second Sister-in-law was mistaken. Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei had worked as part-time translators at the Canton Fair, and several factory directors had given them many coupons: grain coupons, cloth coupons, oil coupons, industrial coupons, and foreign exchange certificates of various denominations.

Jiang Xia planned to keep a few sets as collectibles, giving one set to each of their future children.

“What did you need, Second Sister-in-law?” Jiang Xia asked again.

Second Sister-in-law looked at Jiang Xia and froze for a moment.

“As pure as a lotus emerging from water, as radiant as a hibiscus unfurling its petals”—wasn’t that describing Jiang Xia?

So some people really could look as fresh and elegant as a lotus after bathing.

“Second Sister-in-law?” Jiang Xia called again.

She still wanted to dry her hair!

Second Sister-in-law snapped back to attention. “Um, have you been going out to sea these past two days?”

Jiang Xia nodded. “Yes.”

Second Sister-in-law asked, “Then did you see how my Big Brother and my father were doing with their fishing?”

Jiang Xia said, “Pretty good. Your father-in-law has solid boat-handling skills.”

“Are there many fish in the sea lately? Is it easy to catch them?”

Jiang Xia replied, “It’s a bit harder than when the weather was hot. Sometimes you can’t catch a single one in half an hour.”

“Did you happen to notice how many fish my Big Brother and my father caught, and what kinds?”

Jiang Xia said, “Their boat either trailed far behind us or fished in a different area. I didn’t really pay attention.”

“Did A-Lei notice?”

Jiang Xia said, “I don’t know, but he’s usually busy steering the boat and doesn’t have time to watch what others are doing.”

Second Sister-in-law felt a bit annoyed hearing this. What Jiang Xia said was obvious—she’d already asked her in-laws, and they said they hadn’t paid much attention either!

Didn’t they know to keep an eye out for her?

“Xiao Xia, I have a favor to ask of you and Fourth Brother. Could you and Fourth Brother help me by keeping an eye on what kind of fish my father and brother catch in the future? When they sell their fish, could you also watch how they do it?”

Jiang Xia understood her intention immediately and said directly, “It’s no trouble, but we don’t have time to watch. Sorry!”

Second Sister-in-law: “…”

What a blunt refusal!

Jiang Xia could have explained or refused more tactfully, but she felt it was useless to explain to someone like her—whether she was tactful or not made no difference. So she didn’t bother wasting words and simply shooed her away. “Second Sister-in-law, is there anything else? I need to dry my hair and go to sleep.”

She hadn’t taken a nap at noon today and just wanted to dry her hair quickly and get into bed.

They said a mother’s sleep habits could influence her child’s sleep patterns.

With that, she plugged in the hair dryer and started the “humming” sound as she dried her hair.

Second Sister-in-law: “…”

How rude.

She turned and left.

Zhou Chenglei was in the kitchen on the first floor, making milk-steamed egg and seafood soup noodles for Jiang Xia.

Second Sister-in-law walked out into the hall and caught the aroma wafting from the kitchen, instantly feeling hungry.

She hadn’t eaten her fill at dinner.

She walked into the brightly lit kitchen.

The new house had two kitchens. One was built in the old style with an earthen stove, mainly for burning firewood and straw.

The other used a gas stove. Jiang Xia had designed it to look almost like a modern kitchen, with cabinets, a countertop, and an island.

The two kitchens were side by side, and a floor slab had been poured above them, which could be used for drying things.

This more modern kitchen was very convenient for making late-night snacks. Using the gas stove meant not worrying about too much ash falling into your hair.

Zhou Chenglei was making the late-night snack in this kitchen.

Second Sister-in-law asked, “A-Lei, making a late-night snack? Throw in a couple more noodle cakes! I’ll call your Second Brother over to eat with us. He must be hungry too.”

She was hungry as well!

Dinner had been rushed. She had originally salted the fish and planned to pan-fry it, but then thought it was too troublesome and worried there wasn’t enough time, so she switched to steaming it. She forgot she’d already added salt and added it again, plus soy sauce, making it too salty.

The fish hotpot was the same—she’d already added salt at the beginning but forgot, then added it again after it was done, only remembering when she started eating.

The main reason was that she was too eager to go to the pier to check, so she’d been a bit hasty with dinner.

Zhou Chenglei placed a noodle cake into boiling water. “This is a pregnant woman’s meal. If Second Brother is hungry, he can make his own, and while he’s at it, make one for me too.”

“…”

Second Sister-in-law watched him cook the noodles.

Beside him was a bowl of cooked seafood: sea cucumbers, scallop meat, sea snail meat, and shrimp.

A pregnant woman’s meal?

Since when did seafood tossed noodles become a meal only for pregnant women? Couldn’t ordinary people eat it?

Just add two more noodle cakes and toss them together!

If you’re not willing to share that bit of seafood, just say so.

She turned and walked back to the old house.

Zhou Chenglei tossed the noodles, took out the milk-steamed egg, placed everything on a tray, locked the courtyard gate, and carried it all upstairs to Jiang Xia.

Jiang Xia had just finished drying her hair. She came out smelling the aroma and smiled. “It looks delicious.”

“Eat more.” Zhou Chenglei saw she was dressed lightly, went into the room, and draped a coat over her shoulders. “What did Second Sister-in-law want?”

“She wanted us to help keep an eye on what kind of fish her father and brother usually catch.” Jiang Xia picked up a plump piece of sea cucumber and fed it to Zhou Chenglei.

Zhou Chenglei opened his mouth and took it. “Don’t bother with her. Who has time to watch that for her? My Second Brother knows what he’s doing.”

“Mm, I refused.”

Once out at sea, everyone’s boats scattered like fish released into the ocean.

Staying close together wasn’t good for trawl net operations. What if you weren’t paying attention and the fishing net got tangled in another boat’s propeller?

Setting aside the risk of capsizing, even without capsizing, it would be a huge hassle.

Recently, Zhou Chenglei had been trawling farther and farther out because more and more boats were showing up in his usual fishing grounds.

Probably because everyone saw him returning with full holds every day and assumed those waters were rich with fish, so they all headed there.

Now he preferred to spend a little more fuel rather than crowd with others.

The couple both understood Second Sister-in-law’s intentions and tacitly avoided discussing her further. Zhou Chenglei put his arm around Jiang Xia, placing his hand on her abdomen to bond with the baby. “Is it good?”

“It’s delicious.” Jiang Xia picked up a scallop’s adductor muscle and fed it to him.

They were alone on the second floor, so Zhou Chenglei simply lifted Jiang Xia onto his lap and fed her himself.

The two intimately shared a bowl of seafood noodles—she took a bite, then he took a bite.

The seafood soup noodles were savory and tasty, while the milk-steamed egg was smooth and sweet.

One noodle cake’s worth of seafood tossed noodles and a bowl of milk-steamed egg—it wasn’t a huge portion. After they finished, they weren’t overly full, nor would they go to bed hungry.

After brushing her teeth, Jiang Xia lay back in bed, feeling warm and content all over, and quickly fell asleep.

In the middle of the night, a cold front arrived. The waves were too high, so they couldn’t go out to sea.

Second Sister-in-law had planned to go out to sea today and make some good money.

And now they couldn’t go again!

Was heaven working against her?

This cold front was quite strong. By noon, it even started to rain.

Zhou Chengsen worried the village roads would be muddy tomorrow and that it might rain in the morning. So in the afternoon, when the rain stopped, he suggested heading back to town.

Actually, after half a day of rain, the road in the village was definitely a muddy mess. Riding a bicycle, the wheels would easily slip—she’d fallen several times before. Even if she didn’t fall, her clothes would get filthy, covered in mud. Second Sister-in-law couldn’t help but glance at the Jeep parked in the garage.

Chapter 425: A Fall

Second Sister-in-law really didn’t want to return to town and wash thick cotton clothes and pants, so she said, “Why don’t we go back tomorrow morning? Just have A-Lei drive the Jeep to take us back to town.”

Zhou Chengsen: “You can go back tomorrow, but Yingying and I are going back now.”

It was freezing cold. Without going out to sea or working, who would want to climb out of a warm bed early in the morning?

Fourth Brother was willing. He himself felt embarrassed.

With that, he lifted his daughter onto the bicycle, put his daughter’s school bag on his back, and rode off.

Second Sister-in-law: “…”

Unbelievable!

They were all family, and Zhou Chenglei was his younger brother. On a rainy, cold day, wasn’t it normal for him to drive them back to town once or twice?

If she were Zhou Chenglei or Jiang Xia, and she had a Jeep, she would have offered proactively!

Zhou Chengsen left, and Second Sister-in-law, having no choice, quickly got on her bicycle to follow.

Perhaps it was because she was angry, or perhaps she was just unlucky, but as she rode along the village road, her wheel slipped, and she fell.

She was fine, but her clothes got dirty!

Zhou Chengsen heard it, looked back, then lifted his daughter off the bicycle, had her stand in a clean spot on the side, and went back to help Second Sister-in-law up.

Second Sister-in-law brushed him off directly and got up herself. “I told you to go back tomorrow morning! You just had to go back now, are you happy now?!”

Zhou Chengsen: “I said you could go back tomorrow. I’m going back today. I didn’t tell you to follow!”

Why trouble others when you can do something yourself?

Second Sister-in-law: “…”

This time, Second Sister-in-law was so angry she started crying.

If he and his daughter left first, how could she have the nerve to ask Zhou Chenglei to drive her alone?

The husband and wife entered another cold war.

The rain continued for three consecutive days, and the weather grew colder with each passing day!

Winter with rain was truly too cold. Combined with gusts of sea wind, Jiang Xia didn’t even want to step out of the courtyard gate.

The doors and windows inside the house were tightly shut, and the curtains were drawn. Sitting by the window translating, Jiang Xia still felt a draft.

Zhou Chenglei, however, still went out for a run whenever the rain paused, and came back to take a cold shower.

The water now was pumped from the well to the rooftop tank, and then flowed out from the tap.

The water quickly lost its warmth after leaving the well, becoming ice-cold and bone-chilling when it came out of the tap.

Mother Zhou was unwilling to use it, preferring to fetch water from the well.

Zhou Chenglei, however, directly turned on the shower for his bath.

And he didn’t even catch a cold.

She really admired him beyond words!

There was no indoor heating here in winter, and it was so cold inside that people couldn’t sit still.

These past few days, the family had been gathered around a brazier for warmth, or more accurately, the women were gathered around a brazier for warmth.

The men had all gone to the old house to work on drying the fried fish.

Mother Zhou: “This winter is exceptionally cold; it’s never been this cold before. The trees on your Grandma’s mountain are probably covered in rime ice.”

They lived by the sea, so it wasn’t as cold as inland.

Mother Zhou’s maiden home before she married was truly cold.

Jiang Xia was learning to crochet sofa cushions from Tian Caihua. Hearing this, she said, “Then when we go to Grandpa and Grandma’s for New Year’s greetings, won’t we have a chance to see rime ice?”

The cowhide sofa felt cold on the bottom the moment one sat on it; Jiang Xia couldn’t stand it and felt that sofa cushions were necessary.

Tian Caihua happened to have bought a lot of yarn. It wasn’t wool but very soft, inexpensive, and durable, making it practical for sofa cushions.

Mother Zhou was sewing children’s clothes: “That only happens if the weather is cold enough during New Year’s.”

The room was filled with the aroma of roasted sweet potatoes.

Jiang Xia had just tossed a few sweet potatoes into the brazier to roast and eat.

They were incredibly sweet!

Mother Zhou was worried Jiang Xia would get too much internal heat from eating too many, so she was brewing goji berry chrysanthemum tea in the stove.

These past few days, Zhou Chenglei, Father Zhou, and Big Brother were all at the old house, drying fried fish and burning the canopy of the tractor’s driver’s seat.

After the drying room was built, it finally came in handy. Otherwise, with so many days of rain, the Golden Pomfret caught earlier would probably have been ruined.

Mother Zhou was somewhat relieved that Zhou Chenglei hadn’t listened to her back then and insisted on building those two drying rooms. Otherwise, hundreds of jin of Golden Pomfret would have been wasted.

Jiang Xia heard Zhou Chenglei say he also wanted to weld a detachable iron frame for the tractor’s bed. Then, with a rainproof cover, it would be like a small truck or a dual-purpose cargo Jeep.

That way, when delivering fried fish to the city on rainy days, he wouldn’t have to worry about them getting wet.

Currently, there weren’t any strict regulations on modifying tractors.

As she was thinking of Zhou Chenglei, he walked into the courtyard, carrying two buckets of seafood and a basket of green vegetables.

When he went to retrieve the net, he also stopped by the garden to pick vegetables.

Jiang Xia put down her yarn, walked out, took the straw hat from his head and his removed raincoat, and hung them in the garage: “You went netting again? Aren’t you cold?”

Recently, because of the cold weather, the family’s lunch and dinner had been hotpot, seafood hotpot.

Otherwise, before the next dish was cooked, the previous one would be completely cold, and the food eaten would have no warmth.

Shrimp and crab were fine, but steamed fish, for example, became particularly fishy when cold.

Zhou Chenglei saw that Jiang Xia was eating less meat, focusing only on big mouthfuls of steaming hot rice fresh from the rice cooker.

So he thought of having hotpot.

Therefore, even with continuous rain, Zhou Chenglei went to the seaside to cast a net every day, setting out some clay pots to catch a variety of seafood to bring home for hotpot, ensuring Jiang Xia had fresh seafood daily.

“Not cold, I’m not afraid of the cold.”

Jiang Xia looked at his red nose, ears, and hands from the cold. He was definitely cold!

Jiang Xia loved seafood hotpot and never got tired of it, but she didn’t want Zhou Chenglei to brave the icy rain to set nets.

They didn’t have to eat seafood hotpot; they could have mutton hotpot.

Jiang Xia said, “Doesn’t the neighboring village sell sheep? Why don’t we go buy a sheep tomorrow? Mutton stew is also quite delicious.”

One sheep could last for several days, and now they had a refrigerator to store it.

This way, he wouldn’t have to go out to sea every day to set nets just so she could have fresh seafood.

Mutton is nourishing and best eaten in winter. Zhou Chenglei hadn’t thought of it before. As soon as he heard it, he walked back to the garage, picked up his raincoat, put it on and donned his straw hat: “I’ll go find Uncle Wen to order a sheep right now.”

If he ordered it now, Wen Father could slaughter the sheep in the afternoon and deliver it in the evening, so they could have mutton hotpot for dinner.

Jiang Xia: “No, what’s the hurry? We have so much seafood today, enough for two days. It won’t be too late to order it tomorrow or the day after when it’s not raining.”

“It’s fine, I’ll go order it first.” Zhou Chenglei tossed out this remark and rode off on his bicycle.

Jiang Xia: “…”

Her original intention was to prevent him from overexerting himself, but it turned out he exerted himself even more.

In the evening, when the rain stopped, Wen Father brought a sheep over in an iron cart.

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife walked out of the courtyard, preparing to pick vegetables from the garden, and saw Wen Father delivering a sheep.

She grinned, loudly calling out, “Relatives by marriage!”

Then she turned and shouted into the house, “Xiao Wan, our relatives by marriage are here! He’s brought a sheep to nourish your body!”

Wen Wan, who was translating in the living room, hurried out upon hearing this: “Dad, it’s so cold, why did you butcher a sheep?”

Wen Father said awkwardly, “No, this is the sheep A-Lei ordered. I’m just delivering it to him.”

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife: “…”

Wen Wan: “…”

She knew it; how could her dad be so good!

Mother Zhou rushed out at this moment, smiling and saying, “You’re here! Hurry and bring it inside! This is what A-Lei bought to nourish Xiao Xia’s body!”

Wen Wan: “…”

Chapter 426: Rewards

Jiang Xia came out holding the money and handed it to Wen Father with a smile. “Uncle Wen, it’s 62 yuan and seven jiao in total, right? Please count it.”

Wen Father took it with a smile and counted the notes. “That’s right. A-Lei also pre-ordered three sheep and some goat milk from me. I’ll deliver the milk once every two days, around five o’clock in the afternoon. Just let me know a day in advance when you want those three sheep slaughtered and delivered.”

“Alright, sorry for the trouble, Uncle Wen. We’ll let you know ahead of time.” Jiang Xia knew Zhou Chenglei had ordered the three sheep—one was for the family to eat, and the other two were intended as gifts.

Zhou Chenglei walked out and helped Wen Father carry the mutton into the courtyard.

Zhou Chenglei had bought a whole sheep, so besides the mutton, there were also things like offal.

Mother Zhou, beaming with joy, carried the basin of offal inside.

Jiang Xia followed her back into the courtyard.

Wen Wan was sizing Jiang Xia up.

A gust of cold wind blew through the courtyard, fluttering Jiang Xia’s down jacket open.

Jiang Xia quickly pulled her coat shut.

When she was sitting by the stove inside earlier, she hadn’t felt the cold, so she had unzipped her jacket to make it easier to sit and knit the sofa cushions. She had come out in a hurry and forgotten to pull it back up.

Wen Wan clearly saw that Jiang Xia’s lower abdomen was already slightly bulging.

Every time she encountered Jiang Xia, she paid particularly close attention. Consequently, Wen Wan noticed the change in Jiang Xia’s figure at a single glance.

Her waist seemed to have thickened by a full circle, and her complexion was rosy and healthy.

Meanwhile, because she herself had been vomiting up everything she ate for the past two months, Wen Wan had lost a significant amount of weight. When she looked in the mirror, her face appeared sallow due to malnutrition. Even at four months pregnant, her belly was only as big as Jiang Xia’s.

But Jiang Xia should have conceived later than her!

Could it be that Jiang Xia had gotten pregnant even earlier?

That shouldn’t be possible. If Jiang Xia had been pregnant earlier, there was no way Zhou Chenglei would have let her go to the Canton Fair to serve as a translator.

The reason Jiang Xia was showing so early was mainly that the Zhou family was nourishing her too well.

Living here, Wen Wan saw Mother Zhou washing vegetables and meat by the well every day.

They had fish and meat for every meal.

Just now, her father even mentioned that Zhou Chenglei had ordered three sheep and a supply of milk.

No wonder Jiang Xia had died of a hemorrhage during a difficult labor in her dream. It must have been because she ate too much heartously during pregnancy, making the baby too large.

She wondered if Jiang Xia’s difficult labor had been life-threatening.

In her previous life, she had been short-lived anyway.

Wait, her own expected due date seemed to be around the same time Jiang Xia had her accident in the previous life.

Could this be the will of heaven?

Thinking of this, Wen Wan no longer envied her. She turned around and walked back into the house.

Soon, Wen Father came out carrying his wooden boards and basins.

After placing the boards and basins on the iron cart, he pushed it to the courtyard of Wen Wan’s home. He smiled and said, “In-laws, Xiao Wan, I’m planning to slaughter a sheep to sell at the town market on the next market day. I’ll bring 1 kg of mutton over then for you to nourish your bodies.”

Wen Wan heard this from inside the house but didn’t come out.

Back when she was unmarried and living at home, she had tended to those sheep for a long time, yet her father could only spare 1 kg of meat for her now!

She didn’t even want it! She wasn’t that desperate; she could afford it herself.

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife, feeling she had lost face earlier, said with a forced smile, “Thank you, relative! Oh, by the way, save a whole sheep for us for the New Year too! Our family thinks we’ll slaughter a whole sheep this year as well.”

When they moved into the new house, their dishes hadn’t been as impressive as Zhou Yongfu’s, and the whole village had been gossiping about it behind their backs!

There would be a deity procession during the New Year, and she didn’t want to be outdone again.

Wen Father agreed with a smile, “Alright, I’ll give you a bit of a discount when the time comes.”

A whole sheep? He really couldn’t afford to give one away for free. He still had to save up to build a house and wanted to have a son to take care of him in his old age. After all, a stepson was still a stepson, not his own flesh and blood.

And having a son would cost a huge sum of money.

In the evening, in the Zhou family courtyard.

Zhou Chenglei was portioning the mutton while Jiang Xia was washing vegetables.

The children returned from school and ran up to Jiang Xia, holding their student handbooks and certificates. “Auntie, I got full marks in both subjects!”

“Auntie, I got full marks in math!”

“Auntie, I got second place in my class and fourth in the entire grade!”

“Auntie, I got tenth in my class. I’m also a Merit Student and an Outstanding Young Pioneer!”

“I’m a Merit Student too!”

“I’m a Merit Student, an Outstanding Young Pioneer, an Outstanding Class Monitor, and a Labor Activist! I have seven certificates!”

…

Each child scrambled to report their results first.

Zhou Chenglei, worried they might knock her over, warned them, “Don’t bump into your Auntie!”

Jiang Xia laughed as she clumsily juggled the handbooks, certificates, and exam papers they pressed into her hands.

Wenyao asked, “Auntie, you said if any of us got full marks, you’d buy us game consoles. Do you remember?!”

Jiang Xia smiled. “I remember!”

Wenzu chimed in, “Auntie, Zhou Zhou got two perfect scores! My Big Brother got one! Does that mean we can buy three game consoles?”

Jiang Xia looked through their handbooks and certificates, smiling. “Yes, we can buy three. We’ll buy as many consoles as there are perfect scores.”

Zhou Zhou had scored 100 in both subjects, and the grades for the Guangzong Yaozu brothers were all quite good, showing much more progress than their midterms.

Wenguang achieved a perfect score in math. Although Wenzong didn’t have a perfect score in any single subject, he ranked second in his class and fourth in the grade.

Wenyao was second in math, and his total score was within the top ten of his class.

Jiang Xia had previously promised them that if anyone got a perfect score, she would buy them a game console.

The brothers had worked much harder this semester.

No one had gotten a perfect score during the midterms, and their grades had been mediocre—just above average. Even Zhou Zhou only started getting full marks on every quiz after the midterms; she had missed a perfect score on her midterms by just a point or two.

They had all made great strides by the finals!

As expected, “under a heavy reward, there must be brave men!”

The brothers all let out a cheer upon hearing the news.

Wenzu tugged at Jiang Xia’s hand. “Auntie, can you ask Uncle to drive us to the city tomorrow to buy them?”

If they asked their Uncle, he might not agree, but if their Auntie asked him, he definitely would.

Jiang Xia considered that it might rain tomorrow, which would prevent them from going out to sea anyway. She had also finished her book translation, and Zhou Chenglei needed to go to the city to buy gifts. He also had to go to the post office in town to pick up packages; he had received several calls from his former brothers and friends who were sending him local specialties and reminding him to pick them up.

She smiled and said, “Alright. Wake up early tomorrow. We leave at eight o’clock sharp. We won’t wait for latecomers.”

The children cheered again.

Jiang Xia left them to it. Having finished washing the vegetables, she went to slice fish fillets to prepare the hotpot ingredients for dinner.

The Guangzong Yaozu brothers turned their attention to their grandfather, grandmother, and parents to demand rewards.

This was the first time in years they had achieved such good results; they had to squeeze out every reward possible. Who knew if they’d manage it next time?

Only Wenzu put his arm around Zhou Zhou and pulled her aside.

His brothers were foolish to ask their mother for rewards; it was better to look for Zhou Zhou!

Zhou Zhou had two perfect scores!

“Sister, you have two perfect scores, so you can buy two game consoles. Give me one, and we can compete against each other. If you win, I’ll buy you candy! If you lose, you don’t have to give me anything!”

“I don’t want candy, I want New Year’s red envelope money. If I win a round, you give me one cent. If I lose, I don’t give you anything.” Zhou Zhou wasn’t stupid. There was plenty of candy and chocolate at home; she had treats to eat every day whether he gave them to her or not.

Though her Auntie didn’t let her eat too much and made her rinse her mouth after eating sweets, saying her permanent teeth were coming in and too much sugar would be bad for them.

Wenzu agreed readily, “Deal!” As long as he got a console of his own, he wouldn’t have to beg his parents or brothers for a turn!

Tian Caihua was cleaning a chicken. When her sons swarmed around her, she said bluntly, “Didn’t your Auntie reward you with game consoles? What else do you want? That’s it! I’ll give you extra chicken legs tonight!”

They were having mutton hotpot at the main house tonight, and Tian Caihua had brought a large capon from home to add to the meal.

Wenguang was unhappy. “Mom! You’re being too stingy! Last time you said a perfect score would get us a ten-yuan reward! And if we placed in the top ten of the class, we’d get rewards based on rank—ten yuan for first place, nine yuan for second… You’re breaking your word!”

Wenyao and Wenzong chimed in, “When we do poorly, we get a beating and a scolding. When we do well, there isn’t even a cent as a reward!”

“It’s like this every time. I’m not even going to try next time!”

Tian Caihua hadn’t actually expected them to succeed. Zhou Chengxin had also promised rewards, and she knew he would definitely follow through.

The grandparents would give them something too!

If everyone gave them something, those boys would suddenly have dozens of yuan. What did children need that much money for?

“Isn’t this chicken a reward? Are you going to eat it or not? If not, forget it!”

The brothers turned away with dark expressions to find their grandparents!

If Mom wouldn’t give anything, Grandpa and Grandma would surely feel sorry for them!

And sure enough, Father and Mother Zhou readily agreed!

Happiness +1.

Then they went to their Dad!

Happiness +2.

Finally, they went to their Uncle!

Because their Uncle was certain to give a reward, regardless of what the others did.

Their Uncle was the most clear-cut regarding rewards and punishments.

When punishing, he had a thousand ways to make you want to go down on your knees and beg for mercy. But when rewarding, he was very generous.

Happiness +3.

Chapter 427: The More They Called, the Further He Went

The next day remained overcast, but at least it wasn’t raining first thing in the morning.

After breakfast, at 7:50 AM, Zhou Chenglei went to the garage in the backyard to start the car.

Since they had planned to buy a car for a while and already owned a tractor, the backyard of their house had three built-in rooms. These could be used for storage or as a garage.

Once the engine was running, he went back inside to grab the translated manuscripts and put them in the back of the car.

Since they were taking many children with them this time, they wouldn’t be bringing fried fish as gifts; even if they wanted to, there wouldn’t be enough room.

Zhou Chenglei only took the New Year’s gifts intended for Editor-in-Chief Fan and Zhang Rong.

He planned to drive the tractor to the city tomorrow to deliver goods and, while he was at it, mail out the New Year’s gifts for his former comrades and old superiors.

After everything was loaded, Zhou Chenglei drove the car to the front yard for Jiang Xia and the children to board.

He brought the car to a halt and got out to help Jiang Xia inside.

Wen Wan was inside her house reading. Hearing the engine, she quickly opened the window for a look and saw Zhou Chenglei helping Jiang Xia into the car.

A group of children were excitedly chirping and scrambling as they vied to get in.

Are they planning to take the kids to the city for some fun and hand in the translation manuscripts?

At this thought, Wen Wan hurriedly shouted, “Big Brother Zhou! Are you going to the city?”

Thud! With a single move, Zhou Chenglei shut the front passenger door. He then walked around to the back to check if the rear doors were properly closed, shutting them one by one. He didn’t hear Wen Wan calling him at all.

He went straight back to the driver’s seat, pulled open the door, and got in.

Wen Wan rushed out onto the balcony and yelled, “Big Brother Zhou, please wait! Big Brother Zhou, could you give me a lift?”

The Jeep had already driven away into the distance.

Wen Wan: “…”

Mother Zhou, on the other hand, had heard her. She was in the kitchen cooking feed for the chickens, but even though she heard it, she ignored her.

That car wasn’t a public bus, and there were barely enough seats for the children as it was. Where was the room for her?

Besides, were their families really on such good terms?

They had just had a fight not too long ago.

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife chased after them to help Wen Wan call out, “A-Lei, wait! A-Lei!”

The children in the car were being so noisy they were practically lifting the roof off. Combined with Zhou Chenglei’s poor hearing, he couldn’t hear a thing!

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife grumbled, “The more we shout, the further he goes. Is he a dog or something?”

The road leading out of the village was still nothing but mud. Even though Zhou Chenglei was used to driving in all sorts of conditions and tried his best to keep the ride steady, the road was so muddy that it was still quite bumpy.

He said to his nephews, “In the future, if you want your Auntie to take you out, don’t ask on rainy days. Your Auntie can’t handle roads this muddy.”

The brothers quickly replied, “Okay.”

As they passed through the town, Zhou Chenglei detoured to Zhou Chengsen’s house, intending to pick up Zhou Ying.

However, after knocking for a long time, no one answered.

Second Brother still had to work, but since the primary schools had already held their closing ceremonies and the teachers were on break, he assumed Li秀娴 and Zhou Ying would be home.

Zhou Chenglei went back downstairs and drove off.

As the Jeep traveled down the road, people couldn’t help but stare.

Jeeps were a rare sight in town.

When they passed Zhou Chengsen’s workplace, Jiang Xia said, “Go in and ask Second Brother where Yingying and Second Sister-in-law are. We can go find them.”

Zhou Chenglei parked the car by the roadside and went into Zhou Chengsen’s office to find him.

He returned quickly. “They went back to her parents’ home last night.”

Jiang Xia said, “Then let’s set off!”

The Jeep drove smoothly all the way to the city. The main roads were easy to travel on and there were no other cars. It only took them over thirty minutes to arrive after leaving the town.

It was raining in the city. Zhou Chenglei had Jiang Xia and the children stay in the car while he personally took the New Year’s gifts and the manuscripts to Editor-in-Chief Fan.

When Zhou Chenglei came back out, besides carrying a large box of foreign books and magazines to be translated, he was also holding a large bag of New Year’s gifts from Fan Lili.

Jiang Xia watched as Zhou Chenglei put the books in the back. Once he got in the car, she took a clean towel to wipe the water off his hair and clothes, asking, “Why did you take so many foreign books? When is the deadline?”

Zhou Chenglei took the towel to wipe himself. “There’s no rush to translate these. We can turn them in slowly after the Spring Festival when the publishing house reopens.”

There was no need to go out to sea during the first lunar month, and with the frequent cold fronts lately, they would have plenty of free time at home. Thus, Zhou Chenglei had taken all the books the publishing house needed translating!

Translating this entire box would earn them two thousand yuan. It would ensure they still had an income during the first lunar month.

Most of the books in the box were in English, so it wouldn’t be too taxing for Jiang Xia.

After leaving the publishing house, Zhou Chenglei drove them to the mall.

Since it was raining, he stopped the car at the entrance, got out first, and went to the back with an umbrella. He helped the children out one by one, and finally helped Jiang Xia down.

“Go into the jewelry store and wait for me. I’ll go park the car.”

Otherwise, waiting at the mall entrance would be cold with the strong wind.

Jiang Xia was afraid the children wouldn’t be able to sit still in the jewelry store, so she said, “I’ll take them to buy gifts first.”

“Alright.”

Jiang Xia then took the children to buy game consoles.

Zhou Chenglei watched Jiang Xia go inside before driving to a parking spot.

She had said that anyone who scored a hundred would get a game console, so Jiang Xia only bought three.

Then, for those who had placed in the top of their classes, they were allowed to pick one other thing they liked.

Zhou Wenyao chose a spark gun. It was made of tin, had flint inside, and when the trigger was pulled, it would make a sound and the muzzle would light up red!

Zhou Wenyao had seen someone in his class playing with one. He said all the kids in the city were playing with them lately, and they were really cool!

Consequently, Zhou Wenzong and Zhou Wenzu both chose spark guns as well.

Jiang Xia asked Zhou Zhou, “Are you sure you want two game consoles?”

Zhou Wenzu winked at Zhou Zhou.

Zhou Zhou nodded. “Yes.”

She didn’t like guns, and she already had dolls and plushies, so there wasn’t anything else she wanted.

Jiang Xia also bought each of the children a plastic rubber band gun as an extra gift.

Zhou Chenglei had asked Zhou Chengsen and learned that Zhou Ying had also ranked in the top ten of her class. Knowing that Zhou Ying loved dolls and had wanted one for a long time, Jiang Xia picked out the most beautiful doll to give to her.

By the time Zhou Chenglei found them, they had just finished picking everything out. Jiang Xia paid for the items and then bought each of them a new set of clothes for the New Year before taking them to the jewelry store to find Zhang Rong.

The children stayed on the sofa playing with their game consoles while Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei spoke with Zhang Rong.

Zhou Chenglei handed a small piece of agarwood he had sawn off to Zhang Rong. “Could you please help me ask around if anyone wants to buy agarwood?”

Zhang Rong took the small piece from Zhou Chenglei’s hand in surprise and sniffed it. The scent was fresh, slightly floral, and had a cool note to it. The fragrance was clear and penetrated deep, making one feel refreshed and relaxed.

He didn’t know much about agarwood, but he felt this was definitely high-quality.

Even the agarwood bracelet his old man owned didn’t smell this good.

“Did you dredge this up from the sea again?”

Zhou Chenglei replied, “No, I found it on the beach.”

Zhang Rong: “…”

Was there even a difference?

Sigh, he didn’t want to be a manager anymore; he wanted to be a fisherman!

“When I have some free time, I’m definitely going out to sea with you guys!”

He wanted to dredge for jade, pick up pearls, and find agarwood!

Zhou Chenglei said, “Just call and let me know in advance whenever you want to go out.”

“Will do.” Zhang Rong sniffed the small piece of agarwood again. “This scent is truly excellent! Could it be imported agarwood? Maybe it got knocked off a ship during a storm? If so, there’s definitely more than just one piece.”

Zhou Chenglei replied, “I don’t know.”

“It has to be! I’m going to look for agarwood too! The price of agarwood has been rising all year, just like the stock prices in Hong Kong!”

Jiang Xia smiled and asked, “Do you know the current price of agarwood?”

Chapter 428: You Certainly Have a Big Imagination!

Zhang Rong couldn’t give a precise answer to Jiang Xia’s question either. He could only say, “I just know that the price of agarwood has been rising steadily for the past two years, but I haven’t paid much attention to the current market rate. I’m actually planning a trip to Hong Kong soon, so I’ll look into it then.”

Jiang Xia also knew that starting from the 1980s, the price of agarwood skyrocketed, likely peaking sometime after the year 2000.

However, it was impossible for her to keep that wood for so long. She had no place to store it, nor did she know how to properly preserve it.

Jiang Xia smiled and said, “Then I’ll have to trouble you, Second Brother.”

Zhang Rong waved his hand. “Don’t mention it! It’s no trouble at all. I have to head over to Hong Kong anyway, so it’s just along the way!”

Jiang Xia explained the condition of the agarwood. “That agarwood was soaked in seawater. We don’t know exactly how long it was in there.”

Zhang Rong took another sniff. “I understand. That will certainly affect the price, and any buyer will definitely run tests. But judging by the scent, I don’t think it was submerged for long. The fragrance is clear, cool, and elegant—very pleasant with no off-odors. Looking at the color, the wood should be of a good age. If you picked it up on the beach, there must be sand and silt, right? Try to wash it as clean as possible.”

Jiang Xia replied, “It should be over a hundred years old. My parents-in-law washed it very thoroughly and dried it in the sun.”

“Alright. Whenever you’re free, bring it over. I’ll take it to someone who can evaluate it.”

Zhou Chenglei added, “The piece is quite large. It weighs about 150 kg.”

Zhang Rong: “…”

He needed a career change!

He absolutely had to change professions!

Finding a massive treasure every few days—who could resist such temptation? Finding just one of these meant ten years less of hard work. Find a few more, and one could just retire immediately.

Zhou Chenglei said, “Take this small piece with you and ask about the quality.”

If the quality was exceptional and the price was still rising, it might be worth holding onto for six months or a year before selling. But if the quality wasn’t top-tier, there was no need to go through the hassle; selling it locally would be much the same. Transporting it would incur shipping costs, and a lot of back-and-forth effort wouldn’t be worth it.

Zhang Rong understood his reasoning. “Alright, I’ll ask some experts. If the quality is high, we’ll arrange for a ship to take it over through official channels. I’ll call and let you know when the time comes. You can transport it by boat to the City Pier; otherwise, having a ship go out to your village to pick up the cargo would cost extra in freight fees.”

“Sounds good.”

Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia both thanked him. The couple chatted with Zhang Rong for a while longer and learned that his trip to Hong Kong was specifically to attend an auction. The jade bracelets, pendants, and hand strings carved from their piece of imperial green jade were all featured in this upcoming auction.

Therefore, if the agarwood was of high enough quality, he could easily bring it to Hong Kong and find a buyer there directly.

As noon approached, Zhou Chenglei invited him out for lunch.

Zhang Rong had other matters to attend to in the afternoon, and seeing that the couple had so many children with them, he declined. They could eat together any time; their friendship didn’t depend on a single meal.

After the couple left, they took the children to eat and then returned to the mall to buy some wine and gifts. Finally, they headed over to the shipyard’s employee housing to look at the apartment they had purchased.

The building had already been handed over. Since it was their first time there, they collected the keys from the security guard.

The apartment came with simple renovations: water and electricity were installed, and the walls were whitewashed. The lower half of the walls were painted green, a common style of the time. The floors were made of the newly trendy “washed stone,” mostly green in color, and the windows were iron-framed.

This was a benefit provided by the shipyard this year due to their high profits. Factoring in how busy the employees were, the shipyard had provided these basic renovations uniformly—a perk not found in other work units.

Those who found the uniform renovation too simple and had the money and time could renovate it again before moving in. Those without the time or money could simply move their furniture in and start living there.

Several families had already moved in impatiently.

Zhou Chenglei asked Jiang Xia, “Do we want to renovate it again?”

Jiang Xia shook her head. “Let’s not fuss with it. We’ll just buy some furniture. It looks quite fresh and clean as it is.”

The main selling point was the layout. They had been given one of the units with the best natural light. Seeing as Factory Director Zhou and Director Xu lived on the floors below them, it was clear how good this specific unit type was.

The only drawback was the height. It was on the sixth floor, which was a bit tiring to climb, and it was also the top floor.

What Jiang Xia liked most was that the rooftop was divided into public and private areas. There was a public section and a private rooftop exclusive to the top-floor residents of their unit type, separated by a low wall and accessible through a door in the stairwell.

This meant they could use the rooftop however they pleased. They could grow vegetables or flowers; the planting beds and flower trellises were already built.

This particular apartment was originally intended for Director Xu. However, when Director Xu’s mother came to see it once, she realized she couldn’t handle the climb!

Before the housing was assigned, she hadn’t realized how exhausting climbing to the sixth floor would be. Now that she’d done it, she knew better.

She regretted it instantly!

As an elder, she had to go up and down every day to buy groceries, cook, and pick up the children from school. She would have to make at least four round trips on those stairs daily!

Naturally, the old lady wasn’t happy. Was climbing that high intended to work her to death?

Out of necessity, Director Xu swapped his unit for one on the second floor to make things easier for his mother.

In many shipyard families, the elders stayed home to do housework and care for the children, so the lower-floor apartments were much more sought after.

Jiang Xia’s apartment faced southeast and had three bedrooms, a kitchen, and a bathroom. It also had two balconies—one off the kitchen and one off the master bedroom.

Being on the sixth floor, it offered a decent view. Moreover, it was close to the city center, and the neighbors were all shipyard employees. The overall social environment was bound to be good, especially since the top leaders of the factory lived there as well.

It was much like the neighborhood where Father Jiang and Mother Jiang lived—exceptionally clean. Bicycles were parked neatly, and even if someone forgot to lock one, nobody would steal it. The stairwells were spotless, though it wasn’t clear who did the cleaning.

Zhou Chenglei was fine living anywhere. He wasn’t picky about renovations as long as the place provided shelter and was kept clean and tidy. However, he wanted Jiang Xia and the children to live comfortably. “I’ll take some measurements and see what size sofa we should buy.”

Jiang Xia planned to stay in the city for the later stages of her pregnancy, so the furniture had to be bought in advance and be comfortable.

The housewarming ceremony was set for the night of the Little New Year, which was coming up fast—only about ten days away.

“Alright.” Jiang Xia looked around the living room, thinking about how to decorate.

The living room here was much smaller than the one back home, so they couldn’t buy an oversized sofa. Furthermore, there wasn’t a dedicated dining room, so they would have to buy a coffee table that could double as a dining table, plus a folding round table for when the whole family came over.

The bedrooms weren’t as large as the ones in the village house either, so simple solid wood beds would be best.

After Zhou Chenglei got a general sense of the room dimensions, he called the children to leave.

The children were beyond excited, running wildly through the rooms.

Zhou Jie exclaimed, “Little Nephew, you’re amazing! You bought a place in a skyscraper in the city!”

This was the tallest building he had ever seen, and you could see so far!

Jiang Xia laughed. “If you study hard, you can buy a house in the city in the future too.”

Zhou Jie hadn’t settled down yet. According to Great-Grandma, his recent exam results were dead last in his class.

Zhou Wenzu added, “I’ll definitely study hard so I can buy a house right next to Auntie’s!”

Otherwise, if Uncle and Auntie moved to the city, they wouldn’t get to see them anymore!

Zhou Jie thought Zhou Wenzu was being silly. “When I grow up, I won’t study and I won’t go out to sea to fish, but I’ll still be able to buy a skyscraper.”

Zhou Wenzu asked curiously, “How?”

Jiang Xia also looked at him with curiosity.

Zhou Jie declared, “I’m going to marry a Niece-in-law! Then I’ll have everything! Just like Little Nephew!”

He’d have a car, he’d have a big boat, and he’d have a new house! Grandma said his Niece-in-law brought prosperity to her husband!

Jiang Xia: “…”

Zhou Chenglei: “…”

Heh, you certainly have a big imagination!

Chapter 429: The Skies Clear

After leaving the employee housing, Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia went to buy a full set of furniture, including a sofa, bed, wardrobe, coffee table, and desk.

They didn’t buy as much as last time, but it still cost over 6,000 yuan, even at the cost price.

Once the purchase was finalized, they scheduled the delivery for the following day and headed back home.

Back in town, Zhou Chenglei stopped by the post office to pick up some packages. It turned out there were seven or eight of them, each one a large woven sack.

With so many packages, there was no way to fit them all into the car. Zhou Chenglei only took one for now, leaving the rest to be picked up tomorrow when they returned from the city.

Jiang Xia knew he had received several calls, so when she saw him bring back only one sack, she assumed he had packed everything together. After all, this sack was exceptionally large. “Will it fit in the back? Do you need to put some things in the front with me?”

“No need, it’ll fit.” Zhou Chenglei rearranged the items in the back, hoisted the sack inside, and returned to the driver’s seat to head home.

As soon as they arrived, the children couldn’t wait to rush inside to continue playing video games, not even bothering to take their new clothes.

Only Zhou Zhou remembered to help unload the car.

Zhou Chenglei called out, “Come over and help move things! And take your own clothes!”

The boys hurriedly helped move the items and grabbed their clothes before racing back to their games.

Zhou Zhou, Zhou Wenzu, and Zhou Wenguang each had their own game consoles. Zhou Wenyao, Zhou Wenzong, and Zhou Jie were each pestering one of them, begging for a turn. They were willing to “cede territory and pay indemnities,” signing all manner of “unequal treaties” just for a chance to play!

Jiang Xia glanced at them. Seeing that they were getting along and not fighting, she left them to it.

Tian Caihua had also come over. These days, she enjoyed spending her free time here knitting sweaters. Seeing that Jiang Xia had bought more clothes for the brothers, she decided to knit a few more sweaters for Jiang Xia and the baby she was carrying.

Zhou Chenglei brought out the sack of specialties sent by his former comrades. Inside was a large Jinhua ham, two jars of sauce duck, and plenty of tea, lotus root powder, and dried radish.

Zhou Chenglei spent the entire evening packing various items to send back in return: fried fish, seasoned small dried fish, dried golden oysters, dried abalone, shrimp, dried sweet potato, sweet potato starch, and tea. He packed ten sacks in total.

The next day, Zhou Chenglei used the tractor to haul over 500 kilograms of seasoned small dried fish to the city post office to be mailed out.

When he returned, he brought back several more large woven sacks. There was yellow wine, ginseng liquor, various other spirits, walnuts, wood ear mushrooms, dried mushrooms, silver ear mushrooms, dried daylilies, cordyceps, cured rabbit, cured duck, pine nuts, melon seeds, red dates, sweet potato starch, kudzu powder, tea seed oil, candied fruits, fried dough twists, apples, and an assortment of tea and dried vegetables… everything one could imagine!

His friends had truly been incredibly thoughtful.

Jiang Xia helped him put everything away properly, worried that if they weren’t stored correctly, they might turn moldy and go to waste.

“I was thinking of going to the market at the end of the year to buy New Year’s goods, but now there’s no need,” Jiang Xia said, looking at Zhou Chenglei. He had effectively robbed her of the joy of New Year’s shopping.

In her past life, even when she was all alone, she would buy plenty of New Year’s goods and decorate the house to make it look festive.

Zhou Chenglei packed the tea leaves into a canister. “When the time comes, I’ll go with you. You can buy whatever you want.”

“We should buy more meat then, though the refrigerator is almost full. I want to have braised goose and sauce-braised bones for New Year’s.”

“I’ll stew a goose tonight.”

And tomorrow morning, he would go buy some large bones to make the sauce-braised bones. There was no need to wait for the New Year.

The rain fell continuously for six days, finally clearing up on Saturday afternoon.

When Jiang Xia woke up from her afternoon nap, it was already three o’clock. Seeing the sunlight streaming through the window, she immediately said to the man sitting at the desk translating, “I want to go to the beach for a walk and soak up some sun.”

If she didn’t get some sun soon, Jiang Xia felt like she was going to turn moldy herself!

It had been so cold and damp. Even the clothes were hard to dry; Zhou Chenglei had to come up with a method using a rack over a charcoal stove to dry them.

Zhou Chenglei capped his pen, grabbed a coat for her, and accompanied her out.

Jiang Xia looked out the window and saw the water receding. “The tide is going out.”

Zhou Chenglei grabbed his fishing nets and beachcombing tools. He planned to set the nets now and retrieve them in the evening; that way, they could have a fresh catch for dinner.

The two of them headed out together.

In her own room, Wen Wan had grown tired of reading and had fallen asleep at her desk, even drifting into a dream.

It was all Jiang Xia’s fault for taking all the books that needed translating from the publishing house. Because of that, Wen Wan had no way to earn money and could only resort to reading.

Wen Wan stretched. As soon as she looked up, she saw Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia leaving their courtyard with their tools to go beachcombing.

She immediately stepped out onto the balcony to look at the sea. Sure enough, the tide was going out.

Even though it hadn’t receded much yet, it had rained for so many days that many people were already eagerly heading to the beach to gather sea snails and shellfish. Quite a few people were also setting out their nets.

Wen Wan thought back to her dream.

She immediately went to wake the snoring Zhou Guohua. “The sun is out and the tide is low. Hurry up and get up to go beachcombing.”

Zhou Guohua frowned in pain. “Alright, just a minute. Let me sleep a bit longer. My head hurts… feel my forehead and see if I have a fever.”

His head was swimming. He had been setting nets every day recently to catch fresh fish for Wen Wan to nourish her body, and he must have caught a cold from the rain.

Wen Wan touched his forehead with a look of slight disdain and quickly pulled her hand away. “No fever. It’s probably just a hangover from drinking with your brothers last night. Get up! If you don’t go, I’m going by myself!”

Zhou Guohua had no choice but to endure the discomfort and climb out of bed. “I’ll go wash my face first.”

Wen Wan shot him a contemptuous look.

Every morning at seven, she would get up to read in her room and see Zhou Chenglei returning with a bucket of fish. Rain or shine, he went out every day to set his nets and catch fish to nourish Jiang Xia’s body. Sometimes, she even saw him in the kitchen making late-night snacks.

And Zhou Guohua? He only went when she nagged him! Yet his mother still claimed she didn’t care enough for her husband!

She was pregnant with Zhou Guohua’s child and had been nauseous for two months. Only recently had her appetite returned. Not only did Zhou Guohua not think to buy her mutton to nourish her, but he even had to be prodded to catch a few fish. All he wanted to do was hide under the covers and sleep in.

During these rainy days, the family had been eating dried fish every day, and she was starting to feel nauseous again.

Then she looked at the courtyard next door!

Zhou Chenglei got up early every day, went out with his nets, and brought back a bucket of seafood. He went out again around noon and once more in the evening to ensure Jiang Xia had fresh fish for every meal.

Mother Zhou was constantly cleaning chickens, geese, and ducks! At every mealtime, the scent of meat drifted into Wen Wan’s room.

Comparisons were truly odious.

Every day, watching Jiang Xia being pampered and cherished by Zhou Chenglei and the rest of the Zhou family, Wen Wan felt a deep pang of regret. After she was reborn and saw Jiang Xia about to elope with that man named Wu, why hadn’t she helped Jiang Xia leave immediately?

Her dreams had given her hints! She was supposed to have married Zhou Chenglei!

Fate had allowed her to witness Jiang Xia’s elopement; it must have been a sign for her to facilitate it! But she hadn’t helped, and she had missed her chance.

Lately, she had been thinking that if she ever got another opportunity, she wouldn’t miss it again—including the chance to make money.

She had already missed out many times because Jiang Xia always beat her to the punch. She wouldn’t let it happen again!

Chapter 430: Making a Grand Entrance as a Loving Couple

Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei arrived at the beach together.

The path down to this part of the beach was quite steep and difficult to navigate. The terrain was a mix of sand and rocks, making it easy to slip.

Since the ground hadn’t fully dried yet and had been churned into a bit of a muddy mess by the villagers, it was even harder to walk on.

Jiang Xia lifted her foot cautiously, preparing to head down.

“I’ll carry you.” Zhou Chenglei caught her hand, then bent down and effortlessly swept her up with one arm.

Before Jiang Xia could even say it wasn’t necessary, he had already hoisted her up!

With a bucket in one hand and Jiang Xia in the other, Zhou Chenglei made his way down with steady, confident strides, covering the distance in just a few steps.

Father Zhou had come to the beach as soon as the sun came out. He figured that after being quiet for so many days, the beach should have some good finds.

As it turned out, aside from clams, there were only more clams.

Clams were fine, though; they were delicious, and both his wife and Wealth-bringer loved eating them.

He had gathered half a bucket along the way, which was enough for a meal tonight, so he planned to head over to the sea trench and the tidal flats to catch some mud dragons.

Then, he spotted the couple walking along the edge of the shore, framed by the overgrown weeds.

His younger son was talking, and Wealth-bringer was laughing.

Laughter was good! A laughing home brings in a fortune!

He decided not to go to the other side and instead waited for them to come down so they could gather clams together.

Bah! He corrected himself. Not gathering clams—gathering treasure!

Father Zhou watched them walk leisurely toward the shore, chatting and laughing. He saw his younger son easily pick up Wealth-bringer with one arm and leap down the slope onto the sand in just a few strides.

Making a grand entrance as a loving couple!

The sunlight reflected through the remnants of the dark clouds.

The beach was bathed in a brilliant, golden glow.

The tanned Father Zhou grinned, revealing a flash of white teeth: The gold has arrived!

He decided that if he didn’t dig up some treasure today, he wouldn’t go home.

Zhou Chenglei landed steadily on the sand while holding Jiang Xia. Only then did he set her down, supporting her waist until she was steady. Once she was balanced, he took her hand and led her forward.

After several days of rain, their shoes collected a thick layer of mud with every step on the upper beach.

It would only become more comfortable once they reached the area touched by the seawater.

This side of the beach was relatively manageable; the other end was a literal quagmire.

One step there, and someone with short legs would sink in up to their mid-thigh.

However, the mud was full of mud dragons, so many people had gone there to catch them.

Zhou Chengxin and Tian Caihua had gone to that area.

The two of them saw Father Zhou standing there, grinning from ear to ear.

Jiang Xia asked with a smile, “Did Dad find some treasure today?”

Father Zhou was jubilant. “Just about.”

With Wealth-bringer here, wasn’t finding treasure only a matter of time?

Zhou Chenglei asked, “Are you planning to head home, Dad?”

“Go home? What for? I’m not going back yet; my bucket isn’t full!”

He hadn’t made any money for so many days. Today, he was going to earn a literal boatload!

Zhou Chenglei left him to his own devices and led Jiang Xia forward.

Father Zhou followed close beside them.

He was afraid that if the treasure was too big, they might need his help.

Jiang Xia glanced at the clams in Father Zhou’s bucket. Every single one was exceptionally large. She smiled and said, “The clams Dad picked today are so big. They look delicious; we’re in for a treat tonight.”

Father Zhou chuckled and said, “If you like them, I’ll pick some more.”

You two find the treasure, and I’ll just handle the clams.

The family walked toward the distant low tide line, chatting and laughing.

Wen Wan and Zhou Guohua arrived hastily at the edge of the beach on their bicycle just in time to see Zhou Chenglei carrying Jiang Xia down to the sand.

She rolled her eyes. Here we go again!

Admittedly, the way down from here was full of jagged rocks and sea sand, and it was quite steep.

Someone unaccustomed to the path could easily take a tumble.

Jiang Xia was a delicate city person who had only been married into the family for a short time; it was only natural that she wouldn’t be used to the terrain and would need someone to lead her. That was understandable.

But in an era of such simple and conservative social customs, to actually have the nerve to let a man carry her down… she clearly had no sense of shame!

Even in modern times, few couples would have the gall to do that in public.

It was enough to make one nauseous!

Wen Wan hopped off the back of the bicycle and walked quickly toward the small path leading down to the beach.

Zhou Guohua parked the bike, grabbed his tools, and hurried to catch up with her.

“Xiao Wan, wait! The path is slippery, let me help you.”

“No need!” She wasn’t like Jiang Xia—pampered, spoiled, and full of affectation.

She looked toward Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei, and at that moment, a scene from her dream appeared!

In the dream, Jiang Xia, Zhou Chenglei, and Father Zhou were gathering clams together by the sea.

While Zhou Chenglei was searching for clams and crabs in the water, a wave delivered a mass of something directly in front of him.

Wen Wan grew anxious and quickened her pace. Consequently, she lost her footing. A sharp pain shot through her ankle, and she nearly fell.

Fortunately, Zhou Guohua caught up and grabbed her just in time. “Are you okay? Did you twist your ankle?”

Once someone has sprained an ankle, they are particularly prone to a second injury.

“I’m fine!” Wen Wan was terrified that Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia would find that thing first. She tried to step down impatiently, but a piercing pain throbbed in her ankle.

“Hiss!”

Seeing this, Zhou Guohua said, “You definitely twisted it. Let me take you home!”

His own head was still throbbing, and he just wanted to go home and lie down.

“No, I’m not going home! I have to… today…”

Wen Wan remembered Zhou Bingqiang telling her not to try and steal other people’s good luck even if she dreamed about it, so she changed her tune. “I want to get some sun! After being cooped up at home for so many days, I have to get some sun today. Besides, the sun is good for the baby.”

Zhou Guohua could never win an argument with her, so he relented. “Then let’s just sit up here for a bit and enjoy the sun. Don’t go down there.”

“No, I want to eat clams. I want to go pick clams.”

“How can you pick them with a twisted ankle? I’ll go!” Zhou Guohua said helplessly.

Wen Wan saw that Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei had already reached the water’s edge, and her heart grew more and more frantic. “I can do it. Just carry me down.”

It was quite steep here, and she couldn’t hop down on one leg.

As long as Zhou Guohua carried her down and then supported her, she could hop along.

Wen Wan’s eyes were locked onto Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei. “Hurry up!”

Zhou Guohua had no choice. He set down the bucket and picked her up with both hands.

“Can’t you carry me with one arm? Use the other hand for the bucket?”

“I’m afraid I’ll drop you if I use one arm.” His head was spinning, and his body felt completely drained of strength.

Wen Wan felt a flash of disdain. “Just hurry!”

Zhou Guohua turned his head to watch his footing as he descended, his legs feeling weaker with every step.

Wen Wan twisted her head to look in Jiang Xia’s direction. “Can’t you go faster?”

She saw a white mass floating in the distant sea!

“Faster! Faster!”

Driven by her nagging and seeing they were almost there, Zhou Guohua picked up his speed.

Then, his foot slipped.

He landed hard on the ground!

Afraid that Wen Wan would get hurt, he didn’t dare move his hands to brace himself against the ground!

His buttocks took the full force of the impact, bearing the weight of both people!

And beneath him were hard rocks!

Zhou Guohua felt as if his bones had shattered; the pain was agonizing!

“Xiao Wan, are you okay? Are you hurt? Does your stomach hurt?”

Wen Wan wasn’t injured, but she felt a wave of lingering fear. She certainly didn’t want to suffer a hemorrhage!

She was furious!

“How can you be so useless?” Zhou Chenglei had carried Jiang Xia down in just a few steps with one arm!

She braced her hands against him and scrambled to get up.

Zhou Guohua gasped!

“Xiao Wan…” he managed to choke out. “Xiao Wan…”

Wen Wan didn’t even look at him. She stood up and saw that the white mass in the sea was getting closer and closer to Zhou Chenglei!

Wen Wan panicked. “Get up! Run to the water and grab that white clump! Quick!”

The pain was so intense that Zhou Guohua broke out in a cold sweat. “I… I think I’ve injured my spine.”

Wen Wan: “…”

Wen Wan honestly didn’t know how a person could be so utterly useless. Seeing that object nearing Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia, and having no desire for Jiang Xia to find it, she screamed at the top of her lungs:

“Help! Help! Somebody help!…”

Chapter 431: Rotten Wood?

On the beach, Zhou Chenglei held Jiang Xia’s arm as they waded through the shallow seawater.

Jiang Xia was busy raking for shellfish.

In the areas without water, most of those gathering were the elderly and children. The younger adults were all further out in the water, using rakes.

The seawater was murky, making it impossible to see where the sea snails were, but one could feel them with a single stroke of the rake.

Once a snail was hooked, all they had to do was bend down and pick it up.

Of course, Jiang Xia was only responsible for the raking. Once she found something, she left it to Zhou Chenglei to pick it up.

The couple worked in harmony—one raked happily, while the other, seeing her joy, picked them up just as happily.

Truth be told, since no one had been to the beach for a few days, there were quite a lot of clams and spicy snails, as well as a few white clams.

The amount of clams and spicy snails the couple gathered quickly surpassed Father Zhou’s haul.

Father Zhou was off by himself in a dry area, head down, seriously looking for “treasure eyes.”

“Fortune, come to me!”

“Wealth, come to me!”

“Gold, come to me!”

“Silver, come to me!”

“Money, come to me!”

He muttered a line with every single one he picked up.

Perhaps even the God of Wealth found him too nagging.

At that moment, a wave washed a lump of milky-white substance toward Zhou Chenglei.

Zhou Chenglei initially thought it was sea foam or styrofoam. Fearing it would get near Jiang Xia, he intended to kick it away, but once he saw what it looked like, he stepped forward and picked it up by hand.

Jiang Xia also thought it was trash, but after Zhou Chenglei picked it up, her nose—now more sensitive than a dog’s—caught a faint, refreshing fragrance with a hint of woodiness.

Was this a piece of rotten wood, or something someone used to grow mushrooms?

Father Zhou came running over. One look and he got excited. “I knew I’d find treasure today!”

Hearing this, Jiang Xia took a closer look.

She still didn’t recognize it.

There were truly many things from the sea she didn’t know. “What is this? Is it worth a lot?”

It looked a bit like a stone, and a bit like sun-bleached, weathered dog poop found by the roadside.

Except a dog’s would be miniature, while this was XXXXXXXX L-sized!

Father Zhou chuckled and said, “This is the legendary sperm whale poop! Floating gold of the sea!”

Jiang Xia: “…”

Was this the imperial incense that appeared so often in ancient historical novels?

Zhou Chenglei gave her a definitive answer: “Have you ever heard of ambergris?”

How could she not have heard of it?

When she used to read historical romance novels, she had seen this incense mentioned countless times.

Out of curiosity, she had even looked it up online and learned that the stuff was actually the intestinal secretions of a sperm whale.

Back then, she had wondered how those ancient emperors would feel if they knew they were smearing fish excrement on themselves every day, or burning and inhaling the scent of poop. Granted, it was processed.

As Zhou Chenglei was about to put it in the bucket, Father Zhou immediately said, “Give it to me!”

Zhou Chenglei handed it over.

Father Zhou took it, cradling it in both hands. He lowered his head and sniffed. “Fragrant! So fragrant!”

It was the scent of money!

If the quality of this stuff was good, it was worth more than gold!

Father Zhou was about to let Jiang Xia have a sniff when she heard someone shouting for help. She turned her head and saw Wen Wan waving her arms frantically on the shore.

“Wen Wan is calling for help.”

Zhou Chenglei’s hearing wasn’t as sharp, so he hadn’t heard her, but he saw her when he followed Jiang Xia’s gaze.

Father Zhou heard it too. Since he had already found his treasure, he didn’t mind doing a good deed for the day.

Good deeds accumulate merit and blessings, leading to rolling wealth.

“It’s Guohua and his wife. Let’s go see what’s wrong. I’ll go first; you help Xiao Xia and come slowly.”

Father Zhou handed the bucket to Zhou Chenglei and ran off after dropping those words.

Other villagers heard the shouting as well and ran toward them one after another.

Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei also walked over quickly.

By the time they reached the spot, Wen Wan had already been helped onto the shore by two village women.

Father Zhou and another villager were trying to help Zhou Guohua up, but he couldn’t stand at all.

Seeing his condition and fearing he might have injured his spine, Zhou Chenglei told them, “Don’t move him yet! I’ll go get a bed board and bring the tractor to take him to the hospital.”

The men stopped touching Zhou Guohua.

Zhou Chenglei pulled Jiang Xia along to head home and get the tractor.

Everyone began asking how Zhou Guohua got hurt.

The women supporting Wen Wan also asked how he had been injured.

“He slipped and fell by accident.” Wen Wan’s attention was entirely on the two buckets Zhou Chenglei was carrying. She gave a distracted reply.

They still found it!

Even screaming her lungs out hadn’t stopped them!

Wen Wan was starting to suspect that Zhou Guohua was a stumbling block and a hindrance on her path to wealth.

Asking him to take her out to sea had been a mistake from the start.

Zhou Chenglei led Jiang Xia back home.

They walked at a brisk pace, but not too fast.

A bone injury was painful, but not life-threatening.

On the other hand, it wasn’t suitable for Jiang Xia to walk too quickly.

Once they returned home, Zhou Chenglei urged her to rest. He then went next door to inform Zhou Bingqiang and his wife, telling them to prepare a bed board and pillow, along with some a change of clothes, while he went to start the tractor.

When Zhou Bingqiang’s wife heard that her son was injured and unable to move, her face turned white with fear!

Zhou Bingqiang was also panicked, but he remained more composed. “Quick, take apart the bed! Get a pillow!”

No household kept an extra bed board lying around; they had to dismantle a bed on the spot.

By the time the couple carried the bed board, hugged the pillow, and brought out the luggage bag, Zhou Chenglei had already driven the tractor out of the courtyard and was waiting for them in the alley.

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife grumbled, “Doesn’t your family have a Jeep? Wouldn’t the Jeep be faster? Are you just too stingy to drive it?”

Jiang Xia was wrapping a scarf around Zhou Chenglei’s neck. Hearing this, she snapped, “We only have the tractor. Do you want it or not? If not, call an ambulance yourselves! A-Lei, get down!”

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife: “…”

Zhou Bingqiang had already placed the bed board onto the tractor and quickly said, “I’m sorry, your Aunt is just too worried! Thank you for the trouble!”

Then he turned to his wife and urged, “Hurry up! The Jeep has seats; he can’t lie flat in there.”

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife hurriedly climbed onto the tractor.

Jiang Xia rolled her eyes at her. “So many complaints. Do we owe you something? You’re constantly causing trouble for others! Last time you already caused Zhou Chenglei to get injured, and we haven’t even settled that account yet!”

Zhou Chenglei squeezed Jiang Xia’s hand. “Go back inside. I’ll be back soon.”

Jiang Xia smiled at him. “Drive the tractor carefully. No need to rush; safety is more important!”

Zhou Chenglei nodded. “I know.”

With that, Jiang Xia stepped aside to let the tractor pull away.

Zhou Chenglei drove the tractor off.

Watching Jiang Xia, Zhou Bingqiang’s wife couldn’t help but mutter inwardly: That rich young lady really has a violent temper. Only the Zhou family would put up with such a princess’s attitude!

She had seen it over these past few days—the whole family practically served her like she was a princess.

Tsk, they’ve married an ancestor into the house!

Then she thought of Wen Wan.

Wen Wan wasn’t much better. At least Jiang Xia usually did some housework—washing vegetables, cooking, and cleaning.

Wen Wan was simply lazy and gluttonous!

She spent every day reading and translating, doing no chores at all. If asked to cook, she’d claim the smell of cooking oil made her vomit.

Comparing the two, Jiang Xia was slightly better. Besides, Jiang Xia’s maiden family was powerful and influential.

Wen Wan’s family was so stingy they wouldn’t even send over two jin of mutton. Instead, they sent a sheep’s head and a sheep’s heart!

It was truly frustrating!

Chapter 432: Does Walking Need Teaching?

Jiang Xia returned to the courtyard. Mother Zhou excitedly pulled her into the kitchen, lifted the cloth covering a bucket, and whispered, “How did you find it?”

This thing was worth a fortune! It was more expensive than gold!

Jiang Xia smiled. “While A-Lei and I were digging for clams in the sea, a wave washed it right in front of him.”

Mother Zhou beamed. When luck was on your side, money really would be delivered right to your feet for you to pick up!

“I’ll take this up to the roof first.” Mother Zhou excitedly wrapped the item in cloth and ran up to the rooftop.

Now, all the valuable items in the house were locked in the room on the rooftop. That room had a door, and there was another door at the top of the stairs that was also kept locked. Consequently, outsiders couldn’t get up there unless they climbed the walls. But at such a height, surely no one would be able to climb up?

Mother Zhou went up every day to check on the family’s “heirlooms.” The items were all arranged neatly on shelves, and she had to take a look at them every single day just to feel at ease.

Jiang Xia glanced at the time; it was five o’clock. She began rinsing the rice to cook. She wasn’t sure what time Zhou Chenglei would be back.

Just as Jiang Xia put the rice into the electric cooker, Zhou Chenglei, Tian Caihua, and Zhou Chengxin returned together.

Zhou Chengxin had good luck today and caught three mud dragons, so he came over to give one to his parents.

Seeing that the tractor hadn’t been driven back and Father Zhou was nowhere to be seen, Jiang Xia understood what was happening. “Did Dad take them to the health clinic?”

Tian Caihua chimed in, “What health clinic? They insisted on going to the city hospital!”

Zhou Chenglei went to wash his face and hands. “Dad said he would take them. A few uncles from the village went along too. Uncle Qiang wanted to go to the city hospital, and Dad was afraid they would be out very late and delay going out to sea tomorrow, so he offered to drive. I also gave Dad the keys to the new house; he can sleep there tonight.”

The new house was fully furnished. Blankets and clothes for the family were already prepared. The kitchen had a gas stove, an electric cooker, utensils, oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar—everything except fresh ingredients. It wouldn’t be a problem for his father to sleep there, and he could just eat out.

Jiang Xia said, “If they’re going to the city hospital, wouldn’t it have been better to take them to the town health clinic first and then call an ambulance? That would avoid secondary injuries. He was in so much pain he couldn’t even stand; who knows what the situation is?”

Zhou Chenglei replied, “They don’t have that kind of awareness. Auntie Qiang said waiting for an ambulance takes too long and she was afraid Zhou Guohua wouldn’t be able to bear the pain.”

Zhou Chenglei didn’t mention that Auntie Qiang also said calling an ambulance was too expensive.

But Tian Caihua spoke up: “That’s what she said, but wasn’t it really because she didn’t want to spend the money? Auntie Qiang said ambulances charge a fee and are very expensive! Last time Wen Wan called an ambulance for a few hundred meters, they charged two yuan.”

Jiang Xia was speechless. No matter how expensive it was, could it be more valuable than a person? Their family wasn’t lacking that little bit of money.

Besides, ambulance fees were meant to prevent people from abusing medical resources, calling them regardless of whether the situation was serious or not. Jiang Xia had friends who were nurses in her modern life and knew that some people would call for an ambulance, but as soon as they heard it cost money, they’d cancel.

Moreover, every time an ambulance was dispatched, several people—a doctor, a nurse, and a driver—were serving just one person. If they weren’t on a call, the doctor could see several patients at the hospital, and the nurse could give injections to several others. It was only normal to charge a bit more for such personalized service.

Their family earned quite a bit, and Wen Wan made plenty from her translator work. Could they not even spare ten or eight yuan? Even if it were dozens of yuan, she could earn it back by translating a single book! Furthermore, it couldn’t possibly be that expensive.

Jiang Xia felt these people were unreliable. “We should have just lent them the tractor. Uncle Qiang knows how to drive one, right?”

If they got to the city and found the injury was severe, what if they blamed Father Zhou for driving the tractor unevenly?

Zhou Chenglei understood Jiang Xia’s concern. “I told them Dad’s rheumatism has been acting up these past few days—that his hands, feet, and back are hurting, so he wasn’t fit to drive. So, Uncle Qiang drove the tractor himself.”

Zhou Chengxin added, “He should be the one driving. He has more experience with tractors than Dad.”

Tian Caihua added, “Wen Wan even suggested let A-Lei drive! She said A-Lei must have driven all kinds of vehicles in the army and would drive the tractor steadily! Hmph, the nerve of her! She’s married, yet she’s still trying to hook other men! I think she just wanted A-Lei to accompany her to the hospital! Don’t think I don’t know! Xiao Xia, you should be careful. I think she’s always peeking at A-Lei!”

Ever since the last time Wen Wan rode on the back of Zhou Chengxin’s bicycle to return to the village, Tian Caihua had labeled her a loose woman who liked to covet other people’s men.

Then again, the Zhou brothers were all handsome and tall; many women in the village couldn’t help but steal a few glances. Tian Caihua was always on guard!

Zhou Chengxin protested, “What nonsense are you talking?”

How could she say such things? Wasn’t she just creating trouble for his brother and sister-in-law?

“I’m not talking nonsense! I have eyes! It makes me sick hearing her call him ‘Big Brother Zhou’ in that cloying tone! Are you enjoying it? Still protecting her? What’s the matter? Haven’t had enough of her hugging your waist yet?”

Tian Caihua gave him a sharp pinch!

Zhou Chengxin: “…”

Great, now he had drawn fire to himself! The more he tried to clarify, the worse it got! He shouldn’t have opened his mouth!

Zhou Chenglei glanced nervously at Jiang Xia, afraid she would misunderstand.

Jiang Xia tilted her head at him. “Why are you nervous?”

Zhou Chenglei said, “I’m nervous about you!”

What else would he be nervous about? He wasn’t nervous about anything else, only her!

Jiang Xia: “…”

Tian Caihua: “…”

Zhou Chengxin: “…”

After accidentally being fed a mouth of “dog food,” Zhou Chengxin called Tian Caihua to go home to avoid disturbing the couple, leaving the mud dragon behind.

As the two walked out of the courtyard gate, they saw Zhou Chengsen riding his bicycle back. He greeted them.

Tian Caihua asked, “Is Second Sister-in-law not with you?”

“She took Yingying to her mother’s house to play for a few days,” Zhou Chengsen replied.

Tian Caihua found this surprising. Li秀娴 had never stayed at her maternal home for so long before. Had the couple had a fight? She was eager to gossip, but unfortunately, Zhou Chengsen wasn’t the type to say much.

Whatever. Tomorrow they were going out to sea; she’d see if Li Xiuxian came back then.

That night, Father Zhou didn’t return to the village until eleven o’clock.

Fearing the sound of the tractor would wake the family, he stopped the tractor near the entrance of the alley and planned to walk home.

Wen Wan asked, “Uncle Zhou, why did you stop here? Aren’t you driving it in?”

She had a sprained ankle and it was hard to walk!

Father Zhou replied, “I’m not. It’s late; driving in will wake everyone up.”

Wen Wan whined, “But my ankle is sprained. How am I supposed to walk?”

“Do I need to teach you how to walk? Isn’t your mother-in-law right here? Can’t she support you? Or you can crawl back on all fours, or hop back on one leg.” Father Zhou switched on his flashlight, shining it on the road. “Are you coming or not? If not, I’m heading back first!”

During the doctor’s consultation, Uncle Qiang’s wife had already learned that her son had broken his pubic bone because he was carrying Wen Wan down to the beach!

She desperately wanted to leave Wen Wan to her own devices, but Wen Wan was carrying her grandson, so she couldn’t just ignore her.

Uncle Qiang’s wife supported her with a dark face, saying crossly, “Let’s go!”

Wen Wan couldn’t help but tear up, doing her best to hop back on one leg.

Chapter 433: Borrowing the Car

The next day, many boats set out to sea from the pier as early as four o’clock.

After resting for so many days and with the Lunar New Year approaching, everyone wanted to seize the time to earn extra money for the festivities.

Zhou Chenglei also woke up early to go out to sea.

Although the rain had stopped, it was still very cold, especially in the morning. Jiang Xia didn’t go out to sea today because Mother Zhou said they were making roasted rice cakes.

Jiang Xia woke up at half-past six. It wasn’t even light yet, and she was roused by the sound of Zhou Bingqiang’s wife shouting next door.

She was yelling quite loudly, seemingly berating Wen Wan, calling her a jinx.

Arguments were a common sound in the village.

It was either a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law fighting, sisters-in-law bickering, neighbors quarreling, or parents shouting at their children.

Someone would argue because a daughter-in-law slept in!

They would argue because an older cousin snatched a younger cousin’s toy!

They would argue because one family’s chicken pecked the vegetables in another family’s garden!

…

In short, anything could spark a row, and it was usually the same few families. Jiang Xia had grown accustomed to it.

It was just that today, the noise was too close and a bit too early.

She got up, brushed her teeth, washed her face, and went downstairs to see Father Zhou eating breakfast. “Dad, what time did you get back last night?”

Jiang Xia had gone to sleep at nine o’clock. When Father Zhou arrived home, she was fast asleep and completely unaware.

Zhou Chenglei had gone downstairs to open the door for him. He had been waiting for Father Zhou, intending to wait until eleven o’clock before sleeping. Just as he was about to turn in, Father Zhou had returned.

Father Zhou smiled. “I got back at eleven last night.”

Jiang Xia asked casually, “Is Zhou Guohua okay?”

“The doctor said he broke his pubic bone. Fortunately, there was no displacement and not many bone fragments, but he’ll need to recuperate for three or four months before he’s better.”

Father Zhou had never even heard of a ‘pubic bone’ before.

He truly learned something new last night.

Recently, when Jiang Xia had free time, she would look through the medical books about pregnancy that Zhou Chenglei had obtained from Dr. Gao.

She happened to know that the pubic bone consists of two bones located at the front of the pelvis. They are two small pieces connected by ligaments and fibrocartilage tissue; this area is called the pubic symphysis.

During childbirth, the gap at the pubic symphysis widens to allow the fetus to pass through smoothly.

During pregnancy, hormone secretion is high. To adapt to the fetus’s development, the pelvis also expands and widens. If too much force is used during delivery, it can lead to pubic symphysis separation or even ligament damage.

If recovery is poor, it can lead to problems such as pubic pain, back pain, abdominal pain, uterine prolapse, urinary leakage, and loss of figure.

Jiang Xia stopped reading after that part—she was planning to have three in one go!

She decided to wait until after giving birth to properly study how to recover.

She used to hear colleagues who were already mothers complain about constant back pain after having children.

Jiang Xia went to the kitchen to get breakfast. Mother Zhou was already there roasting rice.

Jiang Xia had never made roasted rice cakes before; this was a traditional food from Mother Zhou’s maternal village.

Mother Zhou hadn’t made them for many years.

In previous years, they barely had enough to eat and had to add sweet potatoes to their rice or eat sweet potato porridge. Where would they get the spare rice to make rice cakes?

Life was better this year. Now they ate plain white rice instead of sweet potato rice, so she planned to make some for the children.

Furthermore, she planned to make 25 kg of rice cakes and 15 kg of almond cakes to give as gifts during the New Year.

The almonds were a New Year’s gift sent by one of Zhou Chenglei’s old comrades.

Jiang Xia held a bowl of millet and sea cucumber porridge, sitting on a small stool helping to watch the fire while she ate her breakfast.

Today they were making the roasted rice cakes first. Roasting 25 kg of rice until it was cooked and fragrant was no easy task. Mother Zhou roasted it in three batches.

The rice had to be roasted to a light golden brown, not too charred, so that the resulting rice cakes would be fragrant. After finishing the first pot, Mother Zhou’s arms felt a bit weak.

Father Zhou came over to help, and the two elders roasted one pot each.

Just then, Zhou Bingqiang’s wife walked in and said with a smile, “What are you making? It smells so good!”

Mother Zhou asked, “Making some roasted rice cakes. Is something the matter?”

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife smiled. “Isn’t Guohua still in the hospital? He needs to stay there for a while. I wanted to trouble A-Lei to drive me to the city to bring those two some changes of clothes and some food.”

Father Zhou replied, “A-Lei went out to sea.”

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife said, “If not today, then tomorrow! With the New Year approaching, the buses to the city are packed every day. I’m afraid I won’t be able to squeeze on with all these things.”

Jiang Xia said, “He’s not free tomorrow either.”

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife persisted, “Then the day after!”

Jiang Xia said directly, “He’s not free the day after tomorrow either. He won’t be free at all lately; there’s a pile of chores waiting to be done at home. Auntie Qiang, you should check when the production team’s tractor is available.”

Hearing this, Zhou Bingqiang’s wife said, “None of you are free? Then lend me that Jeep! I’ll have my Guohong drive me. He can also take Wen Wan to the hospital to change her bandages; she twisted her foot, and it’s inconvenient for her to ride the tractor, otherwise we wouldn’t trouble you. Don’t worry, my Guohong knows how to drive.”

Jiang Xia countered, “She twisted her foot, not her backside. Why is it inconvenient to sit on a tractor?”

“I can lend it to you, but give me two hundred yuan first! One hundred for gas, one hundred for the rental fee. Additionally, go buy an insurance policy and get a lawyer to write a letter of guarantee stating that you will take full responsibility for any accidents and that the owner is not liable, because the owner does not agree to the loan! Also, you must guarantee to replace it with a brand new car; if it’s scratched or dirty, I want a new one. Once you have prepared all those things, you can borrow it!”

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife: “…”

She had never seen someone so unreasonable and thick-skinned!

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife left.

Jiang Xia heard her grumbling and swearing as she went back next door, even scolding Wen Wan.

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife continued her tirade as she went to her garden, and soon the whole village knew what Jiang Xia had said.

Of course, Jiang Xia didn’t care about any of that; it was better that they knew.

To make roasted rice cakes, the rice had to be roasted, and then peanuts and sesame seeds had to be roasted as well. Rice cakes with crushed peanuts and sesame are even more fragrant.

However, cakes with peanuts don’t keep as long as those without, so Mother Zhou only made 5 kg with peanuts.

Tian Caihua roasted the peanuts and sesame and brought them over.

Once the rice was roasted, Father Zhou took it to the milling station in the neighboring village to grind it into powder.

When it was brought back, it was added to boiled syrup, and the peanuts and sesame were stirred in. Then, the mixture was put into specific cake molds, pressed firmly, and tapped out. This was why it was also called “knocking rice cakes.”

The tapped-out rice cakes were moist because of the syrup, so they had to be placed one by one into an iron wok and dried over a low flame.

The resulting rice cakes were fragrant and sweet, but they were a bit hard.

Actually, not just a bit—they were incredibly hard!

Jiang Xia tried one and nearly chipped her tooth!

She joked, “These could be used as teething biscuits for children!”

If you didn’t have good teeth, you really couldn’t bite through them.

But they were truly fragrant and delicious. Aside from the brown sugar syrup, nothing else was added.

Jiang Xia and the children were responsible for tapping the rice cakes, while Tian Caihua, Father Zhou, and Mother Zhou handled the drying.

The stoves in both the old house and the new house were in use.

Later, Great-Grandma and He Xinghuan smelled the fragrance and came over to help.

They were busy until Zhou Chenglei returned from the sea, finally finishing the work.

Jiang Xia handed him a rice cake stamped with the character for ‘Good Fortune’. “I made this, try it.”

Zhou Chenglei took it and put it in his mouth. With a loud crunch, it was exceptionally hard!

“It’s good.”

The harder it was, the better it tasted.

Chapter 434: Wise After the Event

Zhou Chenglei crushed the rice cake with a few loud crunches, finishing it in seconds. He brushed the crumbs from his hands and pulled out a stack of money, handing it to Jiang Xia. “The money from today’s catch.”

Jiang Xia took the bills and realized it was less than half of what they usually brought in—only two hundred and eight yuan, seven mao, and eight fen. “Is there not much fish in the sea today?”

The combined income of two boats being only two hundred yuan was something they hadn’t experienced in a while.

“You call that ‘not much fish’? You earned over two hundred yuan and you’re still complaining?” Li Xiuxian walked into the courtyard, looking utterly exhausted. “We’re the ones who caught nothing—I mean absolutely nothing! We only sold our catch for two yuan and fifty fen!”

They had set out to sea at five o’clock sharp and cast the net four times. Every single time, the net came up empty!

They didn’t earn enough to cover the fuel, let alone the workers’ wages. Today, they had lost over ten yuan!

It was truly a case of the servants being better off than the masters; her father and brother earned more in daily wages than the boat made. She really shouldn’t have offered such high wages to begin with.

Tian Caihua asked Zhou Chengxin, “How much did our boat sell for today?”

Zhou Chengxin replied, “Forty-two yuan. Luckily, A-Lei saw that the trawl net wasn’t catching anything. After one haul with no luck, he stopped and told us to try longline fishing and shrimp traps. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have even made those forty yuan.”

There were many fishing methods: bottom trawling, gillnets, seine nets, and longlining were the most common.

Longlining was specialized for catching large fish.

Gillnets were mainly used for migratory fish.

Seine nets were for schools of fish.

The Zhou family was used to trawling, but whenever the trawl nets came up empty, Zhou Chenglei would switch tactics, trying longlining or setting out shrimp and crab traps.

Li Xiuxian grumbled, “None of you explained that clearly. I don’t understand these things.”

She had assumed that if the trawl nets didn’t catch anything, longlining wouldn’t catch anything either. Besides, the weather was so cold—she figured the shrimp would be too lazy to crawl into the traps.

She didn’t understand it, and they hadn’t explained it well enough, and Zhou Chengsen wasn’t even on their own boat to help!

Zhou Chengsen snapped, “Was it not clear enough? I told you there were no fish for the trawl net and to try longlining! Do you really think you’re the type of person who listens? Don’t overestimate yourself! You’re just someone who’s wise after the fact! You never change!”

The “wise after the fact” Li Xiuxian: “…”

She was absolutely fuming!

It was bad enough that Zhou Chengsen didn’t stay on their own boat and went to help Zhou Chenglei instead. If he had stayed on their boat and insisted on using the longline, would she have said anything?

In the end, when did she ever not listen to him after a fuss?

And yet he still criticized her!

Father Zhou, seeing that his son and daughter-in-law were on the verge of a shouting match, intervened. “It’s dark already. Isn’t Yingying still at her maternal grandparents’ house? Aren’t you two going to pick her up?”

If they were going to argue, they shouldn’t do it in this house.

This new home was full of harmony, and its fortune was flourishing! They should go argue at her mother’s house instead!

Zhou Chengsen stopped paying attention to Li Xiuxian. He emptied his half-bucket of fish into a wooden basin, keeping only a few rabbitfish and 500g of shrimp that his daughter liked. He said to his parents, “Mom, the rabbitfish are quite plump today. I kept a lot; here’s half for you.”

Li Xiuxian: “…”

They hadn’t made any money, yet he was generous enough to give away so much fish!

Jiang Xia was about to wash the rice for dinner. “Second Brother, aren’t you eating here? I’m starting the cooking now.”

“No. we still have to pick up Yingying. I’m not sure if we’ll eat over there or not.”

Li Xiuxian thought to herself: “…” Her mother’s side probably hadn’t cooked enough for them.

Zhou Chengsen added, “A-Lei, Xiao Xia, we’ll be staying at the old house for the duration of the winter break.”

Jiang Xia said, “We’re family; there’s no need to speak of ‘borrowing.’ The rooms here are all prepared. The New Year is coming soon; you should just move in here. It’ll be more lively, and Yingying and Zhou Zhou will have each other for company.”

Zhou Chengsen declined. “It’s the same wherever we stay. It’s just across the way, so it’s just as lively. I’m too lazy to move everything.”

Li Xiuxian was lazy. The moment she came back, she’d find ways to avoid work. If they lived with his parents, she would expect his mother to do everything for her!

Her winter break was so long, and he hadn’t even started his own break yet.

She wanted to come back now to go out to sea with her father. If she stayed this long, was she planning to have others wait on her every day? Who could stand that?

In the past, when they only came back for a few days during the New Year, Big Sister-in-law already had a lot of complaints. Back then, they had no choice, and he couldn’t just not come home for the New Year, so he had to do more of the housework himself to keep the peace.

Now that they could live separately, it was better to do so.

Zhou Chengsen had originally wanted to save more money next year to build a house in the village so they wouldn’t have to stay with his brothers when they returned. Now, he would have to delay those plans for a year or two.

Zhou Chengsen washed his hands. “We need to go get Yingying now. We’re leaving.”

Jiang Xia quickly called out, “Second Brother, wait! A-Lei also brought back a Red Seabream and a few kilograms of shrimp. Take some with you!”

Jiang Xia poured out some fish and shrimp for him.

Zhou Chengsen waved her off. “I have enough! No need!”

He glanced at Li Xiuxian. “Let’s go. We’ll pick up Yingying and have dinner at your parents’ place while we’re at it.”

Li Xiuxian: “…”

She followed him irritably!

Go to her parents’ house to eat the cold wind, more like! Clearly, they were going back to the old house to cook for themselves!

Zhou Chengsen didn’t wait for her response and turned to leave. Li Xiuxian followed.

Sure enough, once they left the courtyard, Zhou Chengsen headed straight for the old house. Once inside, he said, “From now on, we’ll cook our own meals after coming back from the sea. Don’t go bothering my mother and the others.”

If he wasn’t afraid of her being lazy around his parents, Zhou Chengsen wouldn’t have bothered saying anything to her. He hadn’t started his break yet; he was only back to get his wife and daughter settled.

“I’m going to get Yingying,” Li Xiuxian said as she walked out, ignoring him!

What did he mean by “bothering”? In the future, when the two elders couldn’t move anymore, wouldn’t she be the one expected to care for them?

Otherwise, why was it that the parents-in-law could help Tian Caihua for all these years, and now they were helping Jiang Xia, but they couldn’t help her? Why did she have to do everything herself?

If they didn’t help her now, they shouldn’t expect her to take care of them later!

Zhou Chengsen didn’t stop her and began cleaning the fish to cook dinner. He didn’t have the energy to deal with her.

His work already required him to be careful and meticulous; he didn’t want to come home to her nagging and cleaning up her messes.

As soon as Li Xiuxian stepped out, she ran into Tian Caihua.

Tian Caihua smiled and said, “Second Sister-in-law, I’ve been raising that pig of yours separately for twenty days now. When we slaughter the New Year pigs in a few days, remember to pay me at the rate of 500g of pork per day, alright!”

Li Xiuxian: “…”

The next day, Zhou Chenglei didn’t head out to sea until six o’clock. He took the opportunity to deliver the agarwood to the City Pier.

Jiang Xia had woken up and accompanied him. She happened to have a shopping list for Zhang Rong, asking him to bring some things back from Hong Kong.

At seven-thirty sharp, they saw Zhang Rong at the City Pier.

Zhang Rong was taking a large ship to Hong Kong this time. As he watched several sailors hoist the massive log onto the ship, he asked Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia, “Are you guys short on cash lately?”

Zhou Chenglei looked at Jiang Xia. She was the one in charge of the money.

Jiang Xia shook her head. “Not for the time being.”

Zhang Rong stopped talking to Zhou Chenglei; he knew that asking him was pointless since he’d just defer to his wife. He spoke directly to Jiang Xia.

After listening, Jiang Xia smiled and said, “I trust you, Big Brother. Take that money and invest it!”

“It’s my first time investing in this, so I can’t guarantee we’ll make money. We might lose everything. But the market has been very good these last two years, and I expect it to stay that way for a while.”

Jiang Xia knew for a fact that it would remain good for several years. She said seriously, “I know. There’s no such thing as a guaranteed profit in this world. Go ahead and buy with confidence, Big Brother! Don’t they say a woman has great luck when she’s pregnant? If you’re unsure, just call me and I’ll pick one at random for you.”

Zhang Rong laughed. “Alright! I’m heading out then. I’ll be back before the Minor New Year.”

“Have a safe trip.”

Chapter 435: Six Tables

The days passed in a busy blur amidst the freezing winter until Minor New Year arrived.

The auspicious time for the move was set between three and five o’clock in the morning. Zhou Chenglei woke up at one o’clock in the middle of the night to help Father Zhou load their belongings onto the tractor.

Mother Zhou checked every single item, terrified that they might have forgotten something.

“It’s almost time. Go wake up Xiao Xia and the children.”

“Mhm.” Zhou Chenglei glanced at his watch. It was one forty-five. He went upstairs to wake Jiang Xia, Zhou Zhou, Zhou Ying, and the brothers—Guangzong and Yaozu—so they could all set off together.

Zhou Chenglei had to drive to the pier after daybreak to pick more people up. Since he was worried there wouldn’t be enough seats if everyone went at once, he took the boys with him first.

For the housewarming in the city, they didn’t intend to invite the entire village. They only planned to invite the immediate family and Great-Grandma’s household.

Beyond that, Zhou Chenglei originally only wanted to invite Zhang Rong, Dr. Gao, and Editor-in-Chief Fan for a meal at a restaurant.

However, since the house they bought was a unit allocated by the shipyard, Factory Director Zhou and Director Xu had to be invited. When the directors of the textile factory, the plastic factory, and the machinery factory heard the news, they all insisted on coming as well.

With Father Jiang there, it was inevitable that they would find out.

In the end, the factory directors and deputy directors who were eligible to participate in the Canton Fair all attended. Even some of Father Jiang’s friends and colleagues joined them.

Father Jiang was delighted that his daughter was moving into a new house, so he had extended the invitations.

This time, Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei did not accept any gift money from anyone.

They held a lively banquet of six tables at Jufu Restaurant.

Although it was only six tables, the guest list stunned both Xu Wenan and the owner of the Fuman Restaurant across the street.

Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia went from table to table, offering toasts of wine and tea to everyone.

Li Xiuxian sat there, watching everyone speak to Jiang Xia with warm smiles and addressing Zhou Chenglei with tones of admiration and respect.

At this moment, she felt deeply that she and Jiang Xia were truly different.

Zhou Chenglei was still the same Zhou Chenglei. Even though he had retired from his previous post, his past achievements would always be etched into the hearts of certain people.

Those who truly admired him would always do so; they wouldn’t change their attitude because of a change in his status. This was true for the old gentleman who visited last time, and it was true for many of the people present today.

In this circle, Zhou Chengsen’s status amounted to nothing.

And she herself was even less significant.

It didn’t matter if her profession was respectable and earned her the esteem of students and villagers. It didn’t matter if her husband’s job was respectable enough to make her feel superior at school, or that her colleagues envied and flattered her.

Once they were in the city, she was nobody.

Zhou Chengsen was nobody as well.

After the meal, Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei personally saw everyone off, doing their best to attend to Father Jiang’s colleagues and friends as well as their own relatives.

Once the guests had left, Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia went to settle the bill. Xu Wenan quoted them a figure.

Jiang Xia frowned. “That’s not right. You undercounted.”

Xu Wenan smiled and said, “This is a congratulatory gift from the restaurant. It’s a fifty percent discount. I wish you both a grand housewarming. May your family prosper and your home be filled with wealth.”

Jiang Xia directly handed him the amount they had agreed upon when booking the banquet. She had already negotiated the price then; she didn’t need another discount now.

Jiang Xia smiled and said, “Thank you, Manager Xu. My husband and I appreciate the gesture. However, we aren’t accepting gifts or gift money for today’s celebration. We just wanted to share the joy and have everyone enjoy themselves. So, we’ll take the sentiment, but please, no discount. Thank you! The food was delicious today. We’ll be back next time. We should head out now!”

After setting the money down, Jiang Xia walked out with Zhou Chenglei.

The family was still waiting outside for them. Father Jiang and Mother Jiang were there as well.

Father Jiang was smiling as he chatted with Father Zhou, Zhou Chengxin, and Zhou Chengsen.

Mother Jiang was laughing with Mother Zhou, Tian Caihua, and Li Xiuxian.

Jiang Dong had driven Zhang Fuyan and Editor-in-Chief Fan and his wife home.

Jiang Xia already knew that Zhang Fuyan’s parents had returned to the country and would be spending the New Year in the capital. They had come to visit Zhang Fuyan’s maternal grandparents and stay for a few days before the holiday.

Presumably, they also wanted to personally understand her family’s situation.

Zhang Fuyan had mentioned that her parents would have another work reassignment next year. They would likely be stationed abroad for the next three to five years and wouldn’t return unless it was for official business.

As parents who couldn’t stay by their child’s side to take care of her long-term, it was natural for them to be particularly concerned about the person she was dating. Coming in person to see what the other family was like was completely normal.

When Father Jiang saw Jiang Xia walk out, he stepped forward and took her coat from Zhou Chenglei’s hand. He held it up and said, “The wind is strong outside. Put your coat on before you go out.”

Jiang Xia was still feeling a bit warm and hadn’t put it on when Zhou Chenglei asked her earlier, but she complied now. “Dad, did you and Mom drive here? Should I have A-Lei take you home first?”

“No need. Jiang Dong will be back to pick us up in a bit.”

Mother Jiang also stepped closer and asked, “You have to stay in the city for three days, right?”

“Yes, three days.”

Mother Zhou had said that for a housewarming, one must stay in the new house for three full days for good luck.

Mother Jiang continued, “Editor-in-Chief Fan invited both our families to have dinner together the day after tomorrow. Xiao Yan’s parents are going back to the capital the day after that, and they’ll be going abroad after the New Year. They probably won’t be back for several years, so they want the parents of both sides to meet before they return to the capital. Will you and A-Lei be free then?”

Jiang Xia looked at Zhou Chenglei.

They seemed to have an appointment with Second Brother Zhang that day.

Zhou Chenglei replied, “We’re free.”

The parents of both sides were meeting.

Barring any accidents, this dinner would essentially serve as Jiang Dong and Zhang Fuyan’s engagement banquet. Nothing else was more important than this.

Mother Jiang added, “Xiaxia, come to the mall with me tomorrow to buy some greeting gifts for Xiao Yan’s family?”

“Sure,” Jiang Xia agreed. “Is Jiang Dong going too?”

“He’s not. He, Xiao Yan, and her parents have planned to go hiking in the neighboring city.”

Her son had stayed in the capital after his vacation started just to wait for Zhang Fuyan’s parents so he could meet them first. The day after he returned home, he had dragged her to the mall to buy gifts to visit Xiao Yan’s grandparents!

And now, he was driving them around every day to have fun.

Mother Jiang hadn’t realized her son was so filial.

She had never enjoyed such devoted attention from him. Her son was practically becoming someone else’s!

Jiang Xia could tell Mother Jiang was feeling a bit jealous, so she said, “It’s because you and Dad raised him well by leading by example! Look how well-mannered Jiang Dong is. It’s rare for Xiao Yan’s parents to visit, so he should definitely fulfill his duties as a host. Otherwise, they might think we are cold, rude, or don’t value them enough.”

Jiang Xia spoke with Jiang Dong and Zhang Fuyan on the phone every week and they wrote frequently, so she knew Jiang Dong only returned the day before yesterday because he was waiting for Zhang Fuyan’s parents to arrive so he could pay his respects.

Normally, Jiang Dong also went with Xiao Yan to visit her paternal grandparents.

On the second day after Xiao Yan’s parents arrived here, he had gone to visit her maternal grandparents’ family. Jiang Dong had told her everything. He did this because he knew Zhang Fuyan’s parents were away from home for long periods; he wanted them to see his sincerity toward her so they could feel at ease while abroad.

Father Jiang felt his daughter was more sensible than her mother. “Xiaxia is right. This is exactly what Jiang Dong should be doing. Comrade Xiao Yan’s parents only come back once in a blue moon. If Jiang Dong didn’t do these things, what family would dare marry their daughter to him? With Comrade Xiao Yan’s qualities, is she lacking for good suitors? Or could she not find someone better than Jiang Dong?”

Hearing this made Mother Jiang feel much better. “I didn’t say anything, did I? Why are you two going on like this? You’re making it sound like I’m unreasonable. Didn’t I just ask Xiaxia to help me buy gifts tomorrow?”

Father Jiang laughed. “No one’s blaming you. The reason Xiaxia and Jiang Dong are so sensible and polite is because they learned from you. It’s your influence. Whenever I need to send a gift, isn’t it always you who handles the hard work? You always prepare everything perfectly. Now, you need to give Jiang Dong some good advice on how to host Xiao Yan’s parents. They’re leaving in two days, so we can’t let the Jiang family lose face.”

Mother Jiang was completely cheered up now. It was true that she needed to oversee things. What did Jiang Dong know about such matters?

Father Jiang and Jiang Xia caught each other’s eyes and shared a smile.

Chapter 436: Growth Stocks

The next day, Jiang Xia accompanied Mother Jiang to go shopping for greeting gifts.

The two first went to the jewelry store.

Zhang Rong received them personally and invited them into his office.

Mother Jiang smiled and said, “Wait a moment. Let me look at what’s displayed in the cases first.”

Zhang Rong asked with a smile, “Auntie, who are these gifts for?”

Jiang Xia replied, “They’re for Xiao Yan, and also greeting gifts for her parents.”

Zhang Rong understood immediately.

He knew Zhang Fuyan, though they weren’t close. Zhang Fuyan hadn’t grown up in the capital, and with a twelve-year age gap between them, they hadn’t moved in the same social circles. He was actually closer to Zhang Fuyan’s older cousin.

Seeing Mother Jiang carefully selecting items at the counter, Jiang Xia took the opportunity to change the time for their appointment the next day.

“No problem. If you don’t see anything you like in these cases, we can head to the office in a bit. I’ll bring out some of the high-end pieces for you to see.”

“Thanks, Second Brother.”

“No need to be so polite. Those three stocks you picked…” Zhang Rong gave her a thumbs-up and continued, “It’s a good thing you told me not to buy that other one.”

A friend had told him last night that the stock he had originally favored hadn’t grown much and had even dropped. However, the three Jiang Xia had picked were all rising steadily.

Especially the one she had actually bought; it was only one dollar per share when she entered, and in just these few days, it had already risen to two dollars.

“Sister-in-law, how did you know that one was a growth stock?”

Jiang Xia knew it because she had been a venture capitalist in her previous life and had studied this specific period during her graduate studies. But she couldn’t say that. “Didn’t I say a good pregnancy brings good luck? Since I’m carrying triplets this time, and you gave me four options to choose from, I just eliminated the one that didn’t look right to me and picked one of the remaining three at random.”

Zhang Rong: “…”

Did she think he was a three-year-old who was that easy to fool?

However, since she wasn’t talking, Zhang Rong was tactful enough not to ask further. “My friend plans to sell when it hits three dollars a share. Of course, if it doesn’t reach three dollars and starts showing a downward trend, we’ll sell quickly.”

Jiang Xia said, “No rush. I have the luck of triplets, and that’s definitely enough for three years of good fortune. There’s no need to rush to sell. Let it rise slowly; it won’t be too late to sell in three or four years.”

Zhang Rong: “…”

Sell in three or four years?

Did she think she was carrying “Fortune-Bringing Children” who could perform the ceremony of Bringing in Wealth? Did she think the stock was like her children’s weight, increasing every day until they reached adulthood?

Now Zhang Rong truly believed she hadn’t been fooling him earlier.

She really had just picked one that looked pleasing to her eye; she truly didn’t understand the market at all.

Would anyone who actually understood stocks say something like “let it rise slowly and sell in three or four years”? Even a stock market god wouldn’t be that bold.

As his friend said, “Anyone can buy, but those who know when to sell are the real experts.” Many people knew how to buy, but because they didn’t know how to sell and grew too greedy, they ended up losing everything.

Zhang Rong didn’t really understand either; he was still learning. He felt that Jiang Xia understood nothing at all. Her decision to buy was likely just based on her trust in him, her Second Brother.

Zhang Rong was touched by her trust, but he also felt immense pressure. He was terrified she would lose money! After all, stock investment carried high risks. While the rewards were high, it was also possible to lose everything and go bankrupt.

If it weren’t for the recent bull market, he wouldn’t have encouraged the couple to buy in.

Mother Jiang didn’t find anything she liked in the display cases and came over to ask Zhang Rong, “I want to buy pearls. Do you have any better stock?”

“We do. This way, Auntie. Let’s head to my office so you can take your time looking.”

In the end, Mother Jiang chose a pearl necklace for Zhang Fuyan’s mother and a pearl bracelet for Zhang Fuyan.

Pearls looked beautiful on older women.

Mother Jiang also bought a pearl bracelet for Jiang Xia in the exact same style as Zhang Fuyan’s. Since it looked particularly good on Jiang Xia, Mother Jiang had decided to buy an extra one for her daughter.

Giving pearls also carried a good meaning, symbolizing that their family would treat Zhang Fuyan like a “precious pearl” in the future.

Mother Jiang also intended to give Zhang Fuyan a jade bracelet. She had one that her mother-in-law had passed down to her, intended for the daughter-in-law of the family to be handed down through the generations. She would give it to Zhang Fuyan later, so there was no need to buy one.

Since tomorrow was only the first time the two families were meeting, it wasn’t appropriate to give a jade bracelet immediately.

After leaving the jewelry store, the mother and daughter went to the Friendship Store to buy a watch for Zhang Fuyan’s father.

As they passed a shop selling imported food, Mother Jiang asked, “Should we buy some food or health supplements as well?”

Ye Xian was crouching behind the counter organizing items. Hearing Mother Jiang’s voice, her movements stiffened. She lowered her head, pretending to be searching for something intently.

Then she heard Jiang Xia say, “Xiao Yan’s parents have lived abroad for years; they probably aren’t lacking for things from the Friendship Store. We don’t need to buy food here. Isn’t her mother a local? I’ll bring some dried seafood from home and prepare some homemade snacks for them to take back to the capital. If they can’t finish them, they can even take them abroad.”

Mother Jiang thought that made sense. “Then we won’t buy imported goods. Let’s go buy some tobacco and alcohol instead. Do you have something to wear tomorrow? Let me buy you an outfit. How about that one? It would definitely look good on you.”

Mother Jiang pointed to a dress in the mall.

One of the greatest joys of having a daughter was being able to dress her up beautifully.

Jiang Xia took Mother Jiang’s arm and continued walking. “I have clothes. I haven’t even worn the ones you gave me last time. A-Lei also bought a lot of new clothes and put them in the new house; I have enough to last until the weather gets warm. Besides, I’m not the protagonist tomorrow—Xiao Yan is. Why should I dress up so much? As long as I look decent, it’s fine.”

Jiang Xia truly didn’t lack clothes. Regarding the new house, aside from buying the furniture, Zhou Chenglei had handled everything himself.

The wardrobe was full of clothes he had bought for her. They were all new, washed, and ironed, ready for her to wear whenever she stayed there.

Her belly was starting to grow now. Pants that fit last month were tight this month. She’d likely need a new size every month from now on, so buying too many clothes was pointless.

Once the shopping was done, Mother Jiang said to Jiang Xia, “Shall we go get our hair done? The New Year is coming, and it’s the perfect time for a perm. You should get one too. Perms are very trendy this year. I’ve wanted one for a long time, but your father kept nagging about it. Yesterday, I saw many women at his workplace had perms, so when I mentioned it again, he finally stopped complaining.”

Jiang Xia shook her head. “I won’t. I don’t know if the perming chemicals are toxic; I’m afraid they might be bad for the babies.”

She was even using skincare products sparingly now.

Mother Jiang was surprised. “That can’t be right, can it? It’s applied to your hair, not eaten. Could it be toxic? Besides, so many people get perms and they’re fine.”

She had spent so much puffing herself up to Old Jiang before he finally relented; she didn’t want to be scared off now!

“I just find the chemical smell too strong. It makes me feel unwell.”

Mother Jiang: “…”

Hearing Jiang Xia say that, Mother Jiang was almost afraid to get one herself!

Jiang Xia added, “Mom, if you want to get one, you still can. Doing it once or twice a year isn’t a problem. A tiny bit of toxins won’t have that big an impact on an adult’s body. I’m only being careful because the babies are still so small, and I don’t even know if they’re fully formed yet. They’re probably just three lumps of meat weighing maybe fifty or a hundred grams each; I’m afraid of affecting their development.”

Mother Jiang: “…”

The way Jiang Xia described it made Mother Jiang think of her three grandchildren as three pieces of pork!

She lightly slapped Jiang Xia’s hand. “Don’t talk nonsense!”

What “three lumps of meat”!

She nearly scared her to death!

“Is Mom still getting her hair done?”

“I’m not doing it!”

Now that she’d been told it was toxic, did she dare?

Jiang Xia suggested, “We can buy some tools and do it ourselves at home. We won’t use chemicals to set it; we’ll just make temporary curls.”

Mother Jiang asked, “How do we do it ourselves?”

“We’ll try. If we buy some rollers and leave them in for half a day, it should hold the shape. Come on, let’s go find where they sell hair rollers.”

Ye Xian waited until the mother and daughter were far away before she stood up.

What did she mean by “Xiao Yan is the protagonist”?

Are Jiang Dong and Xiao Yan getting engaged?

Chapter 437: Came and Went

After buying the hair curling tools and setting spray, as well as a boar bristle round brush of the kind used in hair salons, Jiang Xia and Mother Jiang returned to the Jiang family home to do their hair.

Jiang Xia helped Mother Jiang by taking small sections of her hair and rolling them upward from the ends with the hair rollers.

When Father Jiang returned home from work that evening, he saw both mother and daughter with their hair covered in pink plastic loops.

He laughed and asked, “Are you two doing your hair at home? Why didn’t you go to a hair salon?”

Mother Jiang countered, “Didn’t you say you didn’t like it?”

Father Jiang wouldn’t admit it. “When did I ever say I didn’t like it?”

Mother Jiang didn’t bother arguing with him. Previously, he had grumbled that she wasn’t a sheep, so why get a perm? He’d called it neither fish nor fowl!

Seeing that it was getting late and the hair had been set for four or five hours, Jiang Xia figured Zhou Chenglei would be coming to pick her up soon. She helped Mother Jiang remove the rollers, then used a brush and a blow dryer to style it, making the curls look more natural.

Once finished, Jiang Xia asked Father Jiang, “Dad, does it look good?”

Father Jiang, who was sitting there reading the newspaper, looked up and smiled. “It looks good. Even better than service from a hair salon. You could open your own shop with those skills.”

Mother Jiang was already beautiful and well-maintained; she looked to be in her thirties. With the new curls, her temperament seemed even better—more noble and elegant.

Mother Jiang kept looking at herself in a small hand mirror. She also thought it looked great, much better than the frizzy, “exploded” perms the women on the street had!

“Xiaxia, let me help you take yours down so we can see the effect.”

Jiang Xia was already removing them. “I can do it myself.”

At noon, Mother Jiang had helped her roll the back sections, and her scalp still hurt from the tugging.

Father Jiang set down his newspaper. “Let me.”

His wife used to hurt their daughter every time she combed her hair when she was little, making the girl cry. From childhood until she grew up, he had been the one to comb her hair, right up until his daughter learned to do it herself.

Mother Jiang asked, “Do you even know how to take them out?”

“I’ll learn as I go.” Father Jiang took one of the rollers Mother Jiang had just removed and studied it for a moment, figuring out the mechanism.

Then, with a focused expression and gentle movements, he carefully helped Jiang Xia remove the rollers from her hair. Jiang Xia didn’t feel a hint of pain and relaxed.

As evening fell, Zhou Chenglei drove over to pick up Jiang Xia. When he saw her with her long hair cascading down like ocean waves, he froze for a moment.

Jiang Xia smiled. “Well? Does it look good?”

Zhou Chenglei stared at her and nodded blankly. “It looks good.”

Jiang Xia laughed and took his arm. “Let’s go!”

While driving home, Zhou Chenglei couldn’t help but glance at Jiang Xia several times.

That night, after her shower, he held her face and kissed her tenderly. Her smooth, natural waves spread beautifully across the entire pillow.

He ran his fingers through her long hair, which felt softer and finer than the sea spray. “Keep your hair like this from now on.”

Jiang Xia’s hair was quite long, reaching her waist, so she had styled it into romantic, gentle waves. It made her look soft and beautiful, trading a bit of the youthful vibrance typical of one’s prime for a touch of alluring grace.

She was breathtakingly beautiful.

Zhou Chenglei kissed her for a long time, full of tenderness and lingering affection.

The next morning at six o’clock, before the sun had risen, Ye Xian arrived downstairs at the Jiang residence.

She saw that Father Jiang and Mother Jiang’s cars were there, as was Jiang Dong’s bicycle. Beside them, there was also a brand-new Jeep, though she didn’t know who it belonged to. Regardless, no ordinary person could live in this courtyard, so seeing such a car didn’t surprise her.

She waited downstairs.

Just then, another Jeep drove into the courtyard.

Ye Xian looked over curiously and saw Zhou Chenglei’s cold, handsome face in the driver’s seat. She immediately ducked out of sight.

Jiang Xia didn’t notice anything; she was looking down, tidying her clothes.

Zhou Chenglei glanced briefly in the direction where Ye Xian had vanished. He withdrew his gaze, parked the car, and got out. He went to the passenger side to help Jiang Xia out, then led her upstairs.

Jiang Xia had come so early to fix Mother Jiang’s hair; after a night’s sleep, the styling wouldn’t look as good.

After Zhou Chenglei saw Jiang Xia inside the house, he made an excuse about forgetting something in the car and went back downstairs.

Jiang Xia found it a bit strange; he wasn’t usually a forgetful person. But Jiang Dong was already shouting, “Sis, hurry and help Mom!”

He had been caught by his mother first thing in the morning to help with her hair! She wouldn’t even let him go for his morning run; he had to finish rolling all her hair first. He was going crazy!

Jiang Xia didn’t think much more of it and went over to help.

Zhou Chenglei searched the area downstairs but didn’t see that figure again before returning upstairs.

When he walked back into the Jiang home, Jiang Xia asked, “What did you forget?”

Zhou Chenglei looked at Jiang Dong. “When I was driving up earlier, I saw Ye Xian. I went down to look around, but she was gone.”

If he had found Ye Xian, Zhou Chenglei would have just handled it. Since he couldn’t find her, there were too many variables; he had to speak up.

Jiang Dong was stunned. “Who?”

Mother Jiang frowned. “What is she doing here?”

Father Jiang looked at Jiang Dong.

Meeting his father’s gaze, Jiang Dong hurriedly said, “It has nothing to do with me! I had no idea. I haven’t seen her in a long time! I definitely haven’t been in contact with her privately.”

If his brother-in-law hadn’t mentioned her, he would have forgotten her entirely. His days were now occupied by his research institute’s new project, his coursework, coordinating production with manufacturers, and Xiao Yan. He couldn’t think of anything else.

He didn’t have a single moment of private time except for sleeping.

His time with Xiao Yan consisted of picking her up and dropping her off at school every day and getting her meals. Once her foot healed and she could walk, he took her running in the mornings. The rest of the time, he was buried in work!

The reason he had returned so late for the holidays was also that he hadn’t yet found a direction for the research topic his professor had given him. He wanted to study it more and wait for the frames for the swivel wheels and strollers to be finished. It wasn’t entirely to wait for Xiao Yan’s parents—though that was a major part of it.

Fearing Ye Xian would ruin the upcoming meeting between the two families, Mother Jiang warned Jiang Dong, “If you see her, don’t pay her any mind!”

“I know!” Jiang Dong replied.

Father Jiang looked thoughtful. Had she left because she was afraid of being spotted by A-Lei? Or was she hiding?

Where had Ye Xian gone?

Ye Xian had actually left; she wasn’t hiding. She had achieved her purpose, so she departed.

After leaving the courtyard, Ye Xian found a public telephone and made a call.

The phone rang a few times before being picked up. Hearing the voice on the other end, Ye Xian said, “I saw his sister and brother-in-law. I’ve already left.”

The person on the other end said something unknown, and Ye Xian nodded. “Yes, he saw me as well.”

“I’m certain.”

“Bood, I understand. Thank you.”

Ye Xian hung up, paid the fee, and left.

Eventually, she really had fallen for Jiang Dong.

Even though she had initially only targeted him, using his kind heart and soft ears to design a situation where she was deeply embarrassed so he wouldn’t turn down her confession on the spot. Then she had spread rumors to make everyone think they were dating. Later, she deliberately misinterpreted his silence as consent, leading them to become a couple step by step.

But throughout their time together, she had truly come to love him! Jiang Dong, however, had never fallen for her. He was never proactive in seeking intimacy and never initiated the physical gestures typical of lovers; he only cared for her out of a sense of responsibility. Whenever she tried to get close or cling to him, his subconscious reaction was to pull away.

That was why she lacked security, which led her to do those things.

But in the end, hadn’t Jiang Dong betrayed her as well? By being with Zhang Fuyan, he had betrayed her sincerity. He was the reason she couldn’t continue university, the reason her brother was locked up, and the reason her family blamed her.

Then he couldn’t blame her for what came next.

Chapter 438: Tri-chorionic Tri-amniotic

At half-past ten, the family dressed neatly, took their greeting gifts, and headed out.

Jiang Xia was quite skilled with her hands. She had packaged the sea cucumbers, abalone, large shrimp, rice cakes, and almond cakes into exquisite gift boxes. This made the gifts appear even more sincere, generous, and appropriate.

Among the gifts Zhou Chenglei had sent out previously, there were a few intended for people of significant importance. She had packaged those as well. For the sake of long-distance transport, she even had Zhou Chenglei nail wooden frames around them for protection.

Zhou Chenglei felt it was largely unnecessary, but he enjoyed preparing these things with Jiang Xia, so he went along with her. He did whatever she said and bought whatever she told him to prepare.

Watching his sister package everything so beautifully, Jiang Dong was deeply moved. He gave Jiang Xia a quick hug. “Sis, why don’t you get married one more time? I’ll prepare another wedding gift for you, and I’ll make sure the packaging is especially beautiful!”

Zhou Chenglei: “…”

Was this creature known as a ‘brother-in-law’ always this annoying?

Father Jiang raised his foot as if to kick him. “What nonsense are you talking!”

Jiang Dong quickly dodged and ran out. “Mom, I’m going to pick up Xiao Yan first! You guys take Brother-in-law’s car!”

With that, he hurriedly opened the door and ran downstairs.

Jiang Dong drove to pick up his future parents-in-law, while Zhou Chenglei drove Father and Mother Jiang to the restaurant first.

This time, they went to Fuman Restaurant.

Zhang’s father and mother were well-traveled, enlightened, and polite. Father Jiang had also studied abroad and was a veteran; he was truly a man of both letters and arms. Zhang Fuyan’s grandparents were also kind and gentle elders.

Both families were respectable and well-educated people, and the meal proceeded with pleasant conversation.

Zhang’s mother was someone who truly valued appearances. She was a beauty-lover to her core and enjoyed dressing up, though she usually tried not to make it too obvious. Today, seeing the looks of Jiang Xia and Mother Jiang—including their hairstyles and outfits—she felt they hit every one of her aesthetic preferences perfectly!

Throughout the meal, she pulled Mother Jiang and Jiang Xia aside to discuss many beauty secrets.

Editor-in-Chief Fan laughed and said, “It looks like you’ve finally found a kindred spirit.”

Zhang’s mother joked, “I haven’t just found a kindred spirit; I’ve found my long-lost daughter! Fuyan must have been someone I picked up from the street. Xiaxia is clearly my biological daughter!”

“Haha…”

Everyone laughed.

Mother Jiang smiled and took a sip of water. Father Jiang looked at Jiang Xia with a face full of smiles.

His daughter was wonderful, of course. Without his daughter, it wasn’t even certain if his son could have married such a good wife!

After the gathering ended, Zhang’s mother was already affectionately holding Jiang Xia’s arm, having seemingly forgotten about her own daughter.

Zhang Fuyan had been a tomboy since childhood with a very boisterous personality, much like a boy. She loved sports, hated wearing dresses or braiding her hair, and preferred short hair when she was little. She had improved slightly as she grew older, at least willing to wear a dress to play the part of a “good girl” or a “lady” when meeting elders to avoid being lectured. However, most of the dresses bought for her remained tucked away.

Having a daughter but spending little time with her, Zhang’s mother naturally wanted to pour all her affection onto Fuyan. She had longed to dress her daughter up like a princess, but her daughter wouldn’t cooperate. Her vast, ocean-like maternal love had simply nowhere to settle.

Jiang Xia was exactly what she imagined a daughter should be like, fulfilling all her fantasies.

Mother Jiang also affectionately took Zhang Fuyan’s arm as they walked out. Zhang Fuyan had a bright and cheerful personality, just like her son, and Mother Jiang liked her very much. However, she couldn’t help but worry that her silly son was too simple. Zhang Fuyan was much shrewder than him, and she feared her son would be eaten alive by her after they married. Then again, having a shrewd daughter-in-law who could keep her son in line might be a good thing.

Outside the restaurant, Jiang Dong drove Zhang Fuyan and her family back.

After the family watched Jiang Dong’s car disappear into the distance, Zhou Chenglei went to get their car.

Mother Jiang said, “I’m going to use the restroom.”

She had been feeling the urge for a while but had held it in to avoid being impolite.

Jiang Xia said, “I’ll go with you.”

“No need, I’m not a child. In your condition, you should just stay by your father’s side.”

Father Jiang took his daughter’s hand. “Your mother can go in by herself. Are you and A-Lei heading back to the village in a bit?”

“We’re going back tomorrow morning. We’re going to the hospital for a prenatal checkup soon, and we have an appointment with Second Brother Zhang in the afternoon.”

As soon as Father Jiang heard about the prenatal checkup, he said, “I’ll go with you.”

Jiang Xia smiled. “Alright!”

So, when Zhou Chenglei drove the car over, Mother Jiang had finished.

Zhou Chenglei got out of the car to help Jiang Xia inside. Father Jiang had already opened the door, holding his daughter’s hand with one hand and placing the other over the doorframe to protect her head as she climbed in.

Seeing this, Zhou Chenglei went to help Mother Jiang into the car instead. Then, they all went to the hospital together to find Dr. Gao.

Ultrasound Room

Mother Jiang and Zhou Chenglei both went inside. Father Jiang waited anxiously outside.

“Look, these are the babies’ heartbeats. They all look very good.”

Inside, Zhou Chenglei and Mother Jiang stared at the monitor without blinking, watching the fetal heart rate monitoring. Mother Jiang couldn’t really understand what she was seeing. In her day, there were no prenatal checkups when she was pregnant.

Zhou Chenglei, however, looked at the previous charts almost every night before bed and could understand a little now. At the very least, amidst the gray haze, he could make out where the three children were.

Gao Jie pointed them out to them. “This is a baby’s head, and this is also a baby’s head…”

Mother Jiang pointed at the screen. “Is this the third baby’s head?”

“No, that’s a butt.”

Mother Jiang: “…Why is this child sticking their butt out!”

Gao Jie and the ultrasound doctor just smiled and didn’t contradict her. Jiang Xia, on the other hand, couldn’t make out anything at all and was completely lost.

…

Outside, Father Jiang listened and stared at the curtain, wishing he had X-ray vision to see which grandson was so precocious that they were already sticking their butt out.

Gao Jie asked her colleague to print the results.

Zhou Chenglei used some coarse straw paper to help Jiang Xia wipe the gel off her abdomen. “Doctor, could we have two copies printed?”

“Sure.”

“Thank you.”

Soon (though it felt like an eternity to Father Jiang), the group came out.

Gao Jie smiled at the anxious Father Jiang. “The heartbeats for all three babies are very good. For now, they seem to be developing well. Keep it up. Make sure the nutrition stays consistent—eat more fish, meat, and eggs, and get plenty of sunshine.”

Gao Jie gave her usual set of instructions, which were roughly the same for every pregnant woman.

Father Jiang beamed. “Thank you for your trouble, Dr. Gao.”

Zhou Chenglei gave one of the ultrasound prints to Father Jiang.

Father Jiang took it and stared at the dark, blurry image. “Where are the kids? Just these three circles? Which is the head, and which is the butt? Which one was sticking their butt out?”

He couldn’t find them at all!

Mother Jiang immediately pointed them out to him. “This is the head, and this is the butt! This one is sticking its butt out!”

Zhou Chenglei: “…”

His mother-in-law had it completely backward.

Gao Jie smiled and corrected Mother Jiang.

Father Jiang teased her, “You watched for so long and didn’t understand a thing!”

Mother Jiang insisted, “The babies must have moved! They’re mischievous!”

Gao Jie only smiled without a word.

Father Jiang, who still couldn’t see anything, looked at the three circles and sighed with emotion, “The three of them look so much alike!”

He couldn’t tell who was bigger or smaller, which was a head or a butt, or where the hands and feet were. But to him, they all looked the same!

“…” Gao Jie said with a chuckle, “Xiaxia is pregnant with tri-chorionic tri-amniotic triplets. When the three children are born, they might all look different.”

The four of them turned to look at Gao Jie simultaneously.

Father Jiang asked, “What do you mean?”

Chapter 439: Luck is on Their Side

Trichorionic triamniotic refers to triplets formed when three separate eggs are fertilized by three separate sperm at the same time.

Each child has their own chorionic membrane and amniotic sac. In other words, they each have their own placenta and live in their own “rooms,” growing without disturbing one another.

Gao Jie explained it simply to them with a smile. “So, when the three children are born, they will be just like ordinary siblings. They might look alike, or they might not. Their genders could also differ. It could be two boys and one girl, or one boy and two girls. Of course, it’s also possible they’ll all be boys or all be girls.”

Mother Jiang laughed. “In that case, there’s a high probability of having both boys and girls, which would perfectly balance out the family, wouldn’t it?”

Gao Jie smiled. “There is a very good chance.”

As a parent, she understood the universal wish for both a son and a daughter.

Zhou Chenglei borrowed a few more medical books from Dr. Gao, and then the family left the hospital.

Zhou Chenglei first took Father and Mother Jiang home before going to meet Zhang Rong.

Then, the couple went with him to officially sign the five-million-yuan investment agreement.

Zhang Rong brought them to the office of Mr. He, the contractor.

After everyone exchanged greetings and chatted for a while, Mr. He, who had urgent matters to attend to, asked Zhou Chenglei, “Would you consider investing 2.5 million in the Commercial Trade Building and the other 2.5 million into our construction company? A shareholder in our company happens to want to transfer a portion of their shares, and it’s worth exactly 2.5 million.”

Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei glanced at each other.

Zhou Chenglei saw the sparkle in Jiang Xia’s bright eyes. Withdrawing his gaze, he looked at Mr. He. “Thank you for your kindness, Mr. He, for giving us such a rare opportunity. We will follow your guidance: 2.5 million into the Commercial Trade Building and 2.5 million into the construction company.”

Zhang Rong was envious. “This truly is a rare opportunity. I almost regret signing my contract so early!”

Mr. He hadn’t expected the two of them to make a decision so instantly without even needing to discuss it.

He felt a bit of regret himself! He had actually only mentioned it in passing because he had already made an appointment to discuss it with someone else after the New Year.

But the words were already out, and since Zhou Chenglei was Zhang Rong’s brother, he had to give Zhang Rong “face.”

He could only smile and say, “Believe me, you will thank me later for buying these shares!”

Jiang Xia smiled. “We are already very grateful to Mr. He for giving us such a great opportunity.”

Mr. He gave a wry smile. They truly should be grateful; he would have to turn down another friend now. If Zhang Rong hadn’t been there, he could have found an excuse to brush them off, but Zhang Rong held more weight than that other friend. He couldn’t afford to offend him.

And so, Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei invested 2.5 million into the construction of the Commercial Trade Building and 2.5 million into the contractor’s construction company.

This was actually better. Both sides would yield dividends, and the dividends from the construction company would undoubtedly be higher.

In the future, this construction company would become very famous, handling many large-scale engineering projects.

In an era of rapid economic development where major cities were constantly under construction, the future of a construction company capable of building a commercial trade skyscraper was beyond doubt.

Jiang Xia was delighted that she had accidentally become a minority shareholder in a future listed company.

Zhou Chenglei carefully read through both contracts word by word. After confirming there were no issues, he handed them to Jiang Xia for her signature.

On the way back, Zhang Rong sighed to the couple, “I truly feel like the two of you have luck on your side!”

Originally, they were only going to invest all five million into the Commercial Trade Building. Yet, as soon as they arrived, they encountered a major shareholder in the construction company who desperately needed to transfer shares, and the amount happened to be exactly 2.5 million.

It was like a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse!

No, it was more like picking up a hen that lays golden eggs.

In truth, most people wouldn’t have dared to accept such an offer without thinking it over.

Had they said they needed to go home and think about it, the opportunity would never have fallen to them.

But this couple had the guts.

The moment they heard it, they shared a single look and agreed without hesitation.

Thus, such a stroke of luck landed right in their laps.

Zhang Rong had signed his investment contracts long ago, and his remaining money had been spent on stocks. Even if he wanted to seize this opportunity, he didn’t have the cash.

All he could do was watch with envy!

Jiang Xia laughed. “I told you, good pregnancy brings good luck! Since I’m having triplets, the luck is doubled and tripled.”

Zhang Rong agreed, “Then it truly is luck multiplied!…”

Zhang Rong then recounted his experience selling the agarwood in Hong Kong.

When he arrived in Hong Kong, he had just started asking around about the market for agarwood when a friend told him that a big boss was urgently looking for high-quality, century-old sinking agarwood at a high price—it had to be at least a hundred years old.

His friend used his connections to get in touch with that big boss.

The boss brought along specialists to inspect the wood.

The experts studied it for two days before concluding that the piece was over a hundred years old. It was a rare, high-quality piece of sinking agarwood with excellent texture, perfectly meeting the boss’s needs.

Supposedly, it even exceeded the boss’s expectations, as he offered 30,000 upfront.

Zhang Rong and his friend were shocked on the spot.

They had expected to sell it for around 20,000, but the opening bid was already 30,000.

Zhang Rong then wanted to inform the buyer that the agarwood had been salvaged from the sea and soaked in saltwater; after all, he didn’t want to be dishonest.

He started, “This agarwood was from the sea…”

Before he could finish, the other party thought he was dissatisfied with the price. They cut him off, saying they knew it was an “overseas” import and that they needed it urgently. They immediately added another 2,000, stating it was their final price.

Seeing this, Zhang Rong realized the agarwood was likely extraordinary.

It was probably much older than a hundred years, or the quality was beyond imagination. After all, their experts had studied it for two days.

He intentionally waved his hand and said firmly, “No, 2,000 is too little. I won’t sell! This agarwood is more than just a century old…”

The boss, looking rushed and impatient, added another 5,000, saying that if he wouldn’t sell for that, then forget it!

Sensing the situation, Zhang Rong naturally continued to test them and refused to sell.

The boss even made a move to leave, but fortunately, Zhang Rong held his nerve.

Finally, the price reached 50,000. The other party was truly unwilling to add any more, so Zhang Rong finally nodded and said “OK.”

Only then did he tell them that the agarwood had been hauled up from the sea, but it hadn’t been submerged for long before being rescued.

The buyer tried to lower the price then, but Zhang Rong refused—not a single cent less. Take it or leave it.

The agarwood was definitely fine; otherwise, their experts, who had studied it for two days, would have noticed.

In the end, the boss still bought it.

Then there was the jade. Although Jiang Xia had kept one “imperial green” jade bracelet, the remaining two bracelets were of collector’s grade. One was an imperial green bracelet, another was an imperial green necklace with a pendant, plus a pair of earrings and a ring. Each piece glowed with a vibrant green—truly collector-level jewelry. Zhang Rong auctioned them as a complete set, specifically targeting top-tier wealthy socialites.

It didn’t disappoint; the set sold for two million.

He had thought the bracelet that wasn’t “full imperial green” wouldn’t fetch a high price, but the wives of two wealthy businessmen both took a liking to it. Apparently, the two women had a grudge and kept outbidding each other out of spite. This led to a price Zhang Rong could never have imagined: 900,000.

After deducting processing costs, commissions, taxes, and other fees, Jiang Xia ended up with over 2.5 million in hand.

In any case, Jiang Xia had Zhang Rong help her invest all the remaining money—including the proceeds from the agarwood—into stocks.

In short, Jiang Xia now possessed significant assets but very little liquid cash.

She still owed the shipyard several hundred thousand yuan.

However, Jiang Xia wasn’t worried. Liquidating a portion of the stocks next year would be enough to pay the final balance.

Or perhaps she wouldn’t even need to touch the stocks. If she let Zhou Chenglei participate in the Spring Canton Fair, he might just earn enough to cover the remaining payment.

Chapter 440: Not Here to See Jiang Dong

Early the next morning, Father Jiang picked up some items from the cabinet and said to Mother Jiang, “I’m heading to work. I’ll drop these bags off for Xiaxia on my way.”

The bags were filled with Xiaxia’s favorite snacks and several cans of milk powder.

Didn’t Dr. Gao say yesterday that Xiaxia’s nutrition must keep up?

After Father Jiang returned home yesterday, he had cycled to the mall himself to buy milk powder, her favorite snacks, and some fruit for Jiang Xia.

It was convenient having his daughter live in the city; he could check on her even before work.

However, since his daughter was returning to the village today, he had bought quite a lot.

Hearing this, Mother Jiang said, “I’ll take them over in a bit, or just let Jiang Dong do it. Don’t you have a meeting this morning?”

“It’s fine. It’s still early, there’s enough time.” Father Jiang really wanted to see his daughter.

If he waited for his wife or son to deliver them, he was afraid it would be too late and his daughter and son-in-law would have already left for the village.

His wife always took a long time to get dressed and ready before leaving.

And Jiang Dong usually woke up late during the holidays.

Just then, Jiang Dong stepped out of his room. “Dad, I’ll go! I’ll go see my sister off while I’m at it.”

“Then let’s go together.”

Jiang Dong stepped forward to take the bags and a thermos from Father Jiang’s hands.

The thermos contained the Codonopsis and Astragalus chicken soup that Father Jiang had simmered last night.

The father and son left the house together.

Ye Xian had arrived below the Jiang family’s building again early this morning.

She saw Father Jiang’s driver already parked downstairs, waiting for him.

She hid and didn’t show her face, keeping her distance.

She only stepped out once she saw Father Jiang’s car drive away.

Not long after, Mother Jiang also hurried downstairs.

Mother Jiang didn’t see Ye Xian at first. It wasn’t until she started the car and waited a moment that she instinctively glanced at the rearview mirror and spotted Ye Xian.

Mother Jiang: “…”

She actually dared to come looking for her son again?

She immediately opened the door and got out of the car.

Seeing Mother Jiang get out, Ye Xian immediately bolted.

Mother Jiang chased after her, searching the area, but couldn’t find her.

Fortunately, Jiang Dong had left with his father.

Mother Jiang was worried that Jiang Dong might run into Ye Xian when he returned, but she had a meeting to attend and was running late.

She had no choice but to hurry back to her car and drive away.

After watching Mother Jiang drive off from a distance, Ye Xian also left.

She hadn’t come to see Jiang Dong.

She had come for Mother Jiang.

Or rather, she had come to ensure Mother Jiang saw her.

The person from before had told her not to let anyone else see her; it was enough if only Mother Jiang saw her.

Coming every few days, hiding in different spots, and making sure to leave as soon as Mother Jiang spotted her.

The goal was to make Mother Jiang nervous and ensure she had no peace of mind.

As for Jiang Dong?

That person had said that during the Spring Festival, Jiang Dong would have a high school class reunion. That would be the time to see him.

At the shipyard employee housing, Zhou Chenglei checked to see if the windows, appliances, gas cylinder, and balcony door were all closed.

After confirming everything was secured, he picked up the luggage bags and led Jiang Xia out the door.

Zhou Chenglei took out his keys to lock the door and then held Jiang Xia’s hand as they walked downstairs.

Father Zhou, Mother Zhou, and Zhou Zhou were already waiting downstairs.

As soon as the couple reached the bottom, they saw Father Jiang and Jiang Dong chatting with Father Zhou and Mother Zhou.

Seeing them, Jiang Dong immediately called out, “Sister, Brother-in-law!”

Zhou Chenglei acknowledged him and then greeted, “Father.”

Jiang Xia asked in surprise, “Dad, Xiaodong, why are you here?”

Father Jiang smiled. “I brought some food for you to take home. I have to get to work now. Relatives-in-law, please be careful on the road. A-Lei, drive slowly. Xiaodong, help the relatives-in-law carry things to the car and see them off.”

Zhou Chenglei replied, “Dad, don’t worry, I’ve got it.”

Jiang Xia waved to Father Jiang.

Father Jiang greeted Father Zhou, Mother Zhou, and Zhou Zhou once more before getting into his car and leaving.

Jiang Dong took the luggage bag from Zhou Chenglei’s hand and put it in the car. “Is there anything else upstairs?”

Jiang Xia replied, “No more.”

Besides books, this luggage bag contained the milk powder and various food items Zhou Chenglei had bought.

Jiang Xia then said to Father Zhou and Mother Zhou, “Dad, Mom, Zhou Zhou, get in the car. It’s cold outside.”

Zhou Chenglei had already opened the car door.

Jiang Dong picked up Zhou Zhou and put him in the car. “Zhou Zhou, during the Spring Festival, you must come to the city with Auntie to play with your Uncle.”

Zhou Zhou agreed, “Okay. Uncle, come to our house to play when you’re free, too.”

Jiang Dong patted Zhou Zhou’s head. “What a good boy. There’s lots of good food in the bag. If you get hungry on the road, just grab some.”

“Okay.”

Jiang Xia pulled on Jiang Dong’s sleeve. “I have something to tell you.”

Jiang Dong said goodbye to Father Zhou and Mother Zhou in the car before closing the door. “What is it?”

“Did you see Ye Xian today?”

Jiang Dong: “…No.”

Jiang Xia was still a bit uneasy. “What will you do if you run into her?”

Jiang Dong felt helpless. “If I run into her, I’ll just pretend I didn’t see her! I promise not to pay her any mind, don’t worry.”

She had almost caused his sister to have a miscarriage; would he still talk to her?

If he did, his brother-in-law would probably cut ties with him!

Jiang Xia told him, “If you see her, no matter what she says or what the situation is, get away quickly. If there’s an emergency, run and call the police. Let the police help her; don’t try to help her yourself, understand?”

Jiang Dong nodded. “I know. Don’t worry, get in the car!”

His brother-in-law was already holding the door open, waiting for her.

Jiang Xia said, “You get in, too. We’ll drop you off first.”

Jiang Dong replied, “No need, I’m running back. I haven’t done my run yet today.”

Jiang Xia knew that Jiang Dong and Father Jiang ran every day, so she didn’t push it. “Then we’re leaving. Be careful on the road.”

Jiang Dong placed his hand on her head. “Alright, get in.”

Zhou Chenglei helped Jiang Xia into the car and closed the door. He then said to Jiang Dong, “We’re heading back now. Take care of Mom and Dad, and don’t be fooled by women again.”

Jiang Dong: “…”

Was he really that stupid?

He never made the same mistake twice.

Jiang Dong watched the car drive away before starting his run home.

Halfway there, he saw his mother’s car and waved.

Mother Jiang stopped the car. “Get in! Come to the factory with me to help move some things.”

Once today’s shift was over, Mother Jiang would be on holiday. All the fabric and inventory in the factory needed to be properly stored. Since many people would be setting off fireworks and crackers during the Spring Festival, she was worried about fire hazards.

Jiang Dong was drenched in sweat. “Let me go home to shower and change first. Mom, you go ahead, I’ll drive myself there in a bit.”

Mother Jiang got out of the car and pushed him inside. “What shower? What changing? You’ll just get dirty moving things anyway. Get in! Don’t be even more fastidious than a woman, showering so many times a day!”

Jiang Dong: “…”

Wait, he had just finished a run and was covered in sweat. If he didn’t shower and change, his clothes would get stuffy and smell!

But Mother Jiang was afraid he would see Ye Xian if he went home, so she wouldn’t let him back!

In that moment, Mother Jiang wished school would start sooner so she could send her son back to the capital and lock him in the research institute under Zhang Fuyan’s watchful eye.

As Zhou Chenglei drove, Jiang Xia closed her eyes, planning to go back to sleep for a bit.

Zhou Zhou leaned against the window and saw a breakfast stall selling savory pancakes. He asked curiously, “What’s that?”

Hearing this, Jiang Xia opened her eyes to take a look.

“Those are savory pancakes. Zhou Chenglei, pull over for a second. I want to eat one.”

Zhou Chenglei found a safe spot to pull over. “I’ll go buy them.”

Father Zhou said, “I’ll go.”

As he spoke, he pushed open the door and got out.

Father Zhou walked back to the stall and bought four savory pancakes. As he turned to walk back to the car, someone grabbed his clothes and called out to him.

Chapter 441: Misunderstanding

Father Zhou turned around and saw that the person pulling him was the wife of one of his fellow villagers: “Aunt Dong, what a coincidence?”

Aunt Dong’s eyes were red as she said, “Yongfu, do you have any money on you? Can you lend me five hundred yuan? When A-Dong was slaughtering the New Year pig, he was kicked by the pig. When he fell, his head hit the whetstone, and he hasn’t woken up yet. The doctor says he might need surgery, and I’m worried it will cost a lot. I didn’t bring much money with me, and I’ve been waiting here for ages without catching a ride back to the village to borrow some.”

Father Zhou didn’t have that much money on him; he only had about a dozen yuan. All the money was in the car. He said, “Wait for me, I’ll go to the car and get it.”

Father Zhou pointed to the vehicle parked not far away.

Aunt Dong also knew that when Zhou Chenglei’s new house was completed, Jiang Xia’s family had sent a Jeep as a gift, so she followed him over.

Zhou Chenglei had already seen the situation in the rearview mirror and stepped out of the car. “Aunt Dong.”

Aunt Dong managed a forced smile. “A-Lei.”

“What’s wrong?” Zhou Chenglei asked directly.

Father Zhou explained, “Your Uncle Dong was kicked by a pig while slaughtering the New Year pig. When he fell, he hit his head and might need surgery. I’m going to give your aunt some money.”

“Old lady, give me five hundred yuan.”

Jiang Xia had already gotten out of the car with her bag. There happened to be exactly one thousand yuan in her bag, plus some loose change. She took out a stack of Great Unity notes and handed them to Aunt Dong. “Auntie, here is one thousand yuan. Take this for now. If it’s not enough, tell me, and I’ll go back home to get more for you.”

If it was brain surgery, one thousand yuan probably wouldn’t be enough.

Aunt Dong’s tears couldn’t help but flow. She certainly wanted to borrow a thousand, but she had been too embarrassed to ask, fearing they wouldn’t lend it. “I will definitely pay you back as soon as possible.”

Just earlier, she had seen Zhou Bingqiang’s wife in the hospital and asked her for a loan. The woman claimed she had no money, refusing even when Aunt Dong lowered the request from five hundred yuan to one hundred.

Jiang Xia said, “There’s no rush for that. Saving a life is what’s important.”

Uncle Dong’s family had been a huge help when they moved into their new house. The whole family had come early that morning. Uncle Dong served as the head chef, and his youngest son worked as his assistant; the two of them worked all day.

Aunt Dong and her two daughters-in-law had also helped for the entire day.

Jiang Xia didn’t know about the rest of her family, but she herself hadn’t done much for them, other than going out to sea to fish with Uncle Dong once. Yet, their entire family had turned out to help her.

Mother Zhou also got out of the car and added, “That’s right! There’s no rush; saving a life comes first. Once A-Dong is better and has recovered his health, it won’t be too late to pay us back slowly.”

Father Zhou said, “Your aunt and I will go see how A-Dong is doing. A-Lei, you guys head back first.”

Jiang Xia replied, “Let’s go together. We should check on Uncle Dong too.”

Jiang Xia wanted to see if there was anything she could do to help.

If the situation was truly serious, although Jiang Xia didn’t know any authoritative doctors personally, she believed Father Jiang or Dr. Gao would likely know someone.

Zhou Chenglei said, “Get in the car. The hospital has a parking area.”

So, they all got into the vehicle.

Soon, they entered the hospital together. They couldn’t see Uncle Dong because he was in the intensive care unit, where family members weren’t allowed.

Uncle Dong’s three sons and two daughters-in-law were all waiting outside.

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife was also there.

Jiang Xia heard her saying, “I can lend you five hundred yuan, but you have to put that boat up as collateral. If you don’t pay me back on time in six months, that boat becomes mine. Your boat is old, broken, and small; it’s not even worth five hundred yuan if you sold it. I’m only helping you and lending you the money because we’re fellow villagers.”

None of Uncle Dong’s family spoke; no one was in the mood to talk.

However, if they didn’t have enough money, they would have to sell the boat.

While their boat was indeed a bit old and worn, even a “rotten boat has three catties of nails”—it was worth at least six hundred yuan.

If they had the time to refurbish it and give it a fresh coat of paint, it could even sell for seven hundred.

But that boat was the tool their entire family used to make a living. Unless they were at a complete dead end, how could they bear to sell it?

Aunt Dong said, “Sister-in-law Qiang, thank you. But we don’t need to borrow from you for the time being. A-Lei’s wife has already lent it to us.”

Uncle Dong’s family was surprised to see Zhou Chenglei and the others, and they greeted them.

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife’s expression soured when she saw Jiang Xia and her family.

How did they get here?

And they beat her to it by lending the money? Does that mean the boat wouldn’t be hers now?

Aunt Dong gave the one thousand yuan Jiang Xia had given her to her eldest son, Zhou Guoguang. “This is the one thousand yuan your Uncle Yongfu’s family lent us. In the future, when you have the money, you must pay them back immediately.”

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife: “…”

They lent a thousand yuan?

What a fake display of generosity!

By comparison, they made her look like a petty villain!

Zhou Guoguang took the money, his eyes red as he thanked them. “We will definitely pay it back as soon as we can.”

The other two brothers also chimed in, “We’ll pay it back as soon as we have the money.”

Father Zhou said, “Don’t worry about it.”

Zhou Chenglei asked Zhou Guodong, “Is Uncle Dong’s doctor here? I want to ask about his condition.”

Zhou Guodong replied, “I’ll take you there.”

So Zhou Chenglei followed him to find the doctor.

Jiang Xia and Father Zhou followed as well.

Zhou Chenglei walked right beside Jiang Xia, shielding her to prevent people passing by in the corridor from bumping into her.

Driven by curiosity, Zhou Bingqiang’s wife also followed them.

In the office, two doctors were studying Uncle Dong’s scans. Jiang Xia vaguely heard the term “subarachnoid hemorrhage.”

Zhou Guodong asked the doctors if those were Zhou Yongdong’s scans.

“Yes, the scans are out. Given your father’s condition, he needs surgery…”

The doctor pointed at the scans and explained a lot of details.

Zhou Chenglei asked, “Is the success rate of the surgery high?”

“Thirty percent.”

Zhou Guodong’s heart sank. “Only thirty percent?”

“If he doesn’t do it, there’s not even a thirty percent chance.”

Zhou Guodong: “…”

Jiang Xia asked, “Will there be any complications after the surgery?”

The doctor replied, “There will definitely be some.”

Zhou Guodong: “…”

“What kind of complications?”

“His movements might be stiff, and his vision might also be affected…”

Hearing this, Zhou Bingqiang’s wife thought to herself: If it costs so much money for only a thirty percent success rate and leaves him with complications, wouldn’t it be better not to do it at all?

…

After leaving the doctor’s office, Zhou Chenglei went out to find a public telephone and made a call.

Jiang Xia didn’t go out; she found two chairs and sat down with Zhou Zhou.

When Zhou Chenglei returned, he brought water bottles for Jiang Xia and Zhou Zhou.

Shortly after, an elderly doctor in his fifties with salt-and-pepper hair and a refined appearance arrived, accompanied by two other doctors.

“President Gao,” Zhou Chenglei greeted him.

President Gao introduced the other two doctors to Zhou Chenglei: “This is Director Pan from our hospital, and this is Dr. He. Both are highly experienced experts in this field.”

“Director Pan, Dr. He.” Zhou Chenglei shook hands with each of them.

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife squeezed forward, mimicking Zhou Chenglei by extending her hand and smiling. “President Gao, Director Pan, Dr. He, hello! I’m A-Lei’s aunt! Thank you for the trouble this time.”

Seeing her beaming smile, President Gao was slightly surprised, but he still reached out to shake her hand and nodded politely. “Hello. In that case, let’s go inside first and see what the situation is with your husband’s scans!”

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife: “…”

Chapter 442: Lunch

With so many people around, Zhou Chenglei didn’t explain further to avoid embarrassing President Gao.

He went straight into the office with President Gao, Director Pan, and the others.

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife tried to follow them inside to explain herself, but Jiang Xia directly grabbed a handful of her hair.

Wincing in pain, Zhou Bingqiang’s wife spun around. “What are you doing?”

Jiang Xia expressionlessly pulled a few stray strands of hair off her brooch. “Your hair got caught on my brooch when you tossed your head just now.”

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife’s face paled. A whole clump of hair had been pulled out—no wonder it hurt so much. “Your brooch…”

Jiang Xia said, “My brooch is very expensive; I paid over two hundred yuan for it. I need to see if it’s broken. If it is, you’ll have to compensate me.”

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife was speechless. “…”

“What does that have to do with me? How could a few strands of hair break it? I don’t believe you! What time is it? I need to go see if Guohua has finished his discharge paperwork!”

Leaving those words behind, Zhou Bingqiang’s wife vanished in a flash.

As she passed the billing counter, she saw Zhou Bingqiang settling the bill and immediately ran over. She arrived just in time to hear the cashier say, “Thirty-six yuan, seven jiao, and eight fen.”

She smiled at the cashier and said, “My nephew knows your hospital’s president! He knows President Gao, Director Pan, and even Dr. He! They’re all together right now. Comrade, could you give us a discount?”

The cashier replied expressionlessly, “Even if you were the president’s mother, you wouldn’t get a discount.”

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife: “…”

Half an hour later, Uncle Dong’s surgery was scheduled for the first slot tomorrow morning, with Director Pan as the lead surgeon.

Director Pan’s surgical schedule for today was already full.

Once Uncle Dong’s affairs were settled, Jiang Xia asked Aunt Dong and the others, “Is anyone heading back to the village? You can catch a ride with us; there are three or four seats left.”

Zhou Chenglei added, “I’ll come by to see Uncle Dong tomorrow morning too, so I can drive you back here then.”

Since Uncle Dong was having surgery, someone from the family had to be there.

Zhou Guodong looked at Aunt Dong. “Mom, Big Brother, Second Brother, you guys go home and rest for the night. I’ll stay here.”

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife came running back at that moment and couldn’t wait to say to Zhou Chenglei, “A-Lei, are you heading back to the village now? That’s perfect. My Guohua is being discharged today, and the bill is paid! Wait a moment and take us back too! Strong Man went to the ward to get him. They’ll be ready any second.”

Father Zhou asked in surprise, “Guohua still hasn’t been discharged after all this time? Didn’t they say he was being discharged last time?”

A bone injury wasn’t something that healed in a day or two, but one couldn’t stay in the hospital until they were fully recovered. How long would that even take?

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife complained, “Don’t even mention it! Remember when he fell and the doctor said he had a fever? Well, it turned into pneumonia. He was so feverish he was delirious. He had to stay another week, which is why he’s only getting out today. A-Lei, did you drive the Jeep? Wait for us and take me and Guohua home!”

Her tone was completely entitled!

Mother Zhou naturally and bluntly refused: “Sorry, there’s no room. We have to take Aunt Dong and her family back.”

Father Zhou asked, “Shouldn’t Bingqiang have borrowed the production team’s tractor to pick up Guohua?”

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife said, “He did bring the tractor, so Aunt Dong and Guoxing, why don’t you all take the tractor? I’ll accompany Guohua in the Jeep. The Jeep seats have cushions; Guohua has a bone injury, so it’ll be more comfortable for him. Besides, isn’t that back row of your Jeep quite spacious? It’s perfect for Guohua to lie down.”

The sheer audacity! Jiang Xia smiled and said, “A tractor allows you to lie down flat too! Just put a mattress down and some quilts, and it’s basically a mobile king-sized bed. As for my car, if Auntie Qiang wants a ride, it’s five hundred yuan per seat. Do you want to take up all three seats in the back? That’ll be fifteen hundred yuan upfront.”

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife: “…”

“You’re clearly bullying me!”

“Not at all. I’m not forcing you to sit there. This is a clearly marked price for a voluntary transaction.”

After saying that, Jiang Xia didn’t give Zhou Bingqiang’s wife another look. She turned to Aunt Dong’s family and suggested, “Aunt Dong, it’s best if you take turns caring for him. Two people stay today while the others go home to rest, then swap tomorrow. That way, everyone gets rest and Uncle Dong is well-attended. Given his condition, he’ll likely be hospitalized for a while.”

Zhou Guoxing thought this made sense. “Mom, Second Brother, Third Brother, you guys go back first. My wife and I will stay tonight, and you can come back tomorrow morning.”

Both Zhou Guoxing and Zhou Guoye shook their heads. “I’ll stay. You guys go back. Mom, you go back too.”

Aunt Dong had been up for a day and a night, and they were afraid she wouldn’t be able to hold out.

In the end, the family decided that Aunt Dong and Zhou Guoye’s couple would take the car with Jiang Xia’s family.

Zhou Guoxing’s couple and Zhou Guodong stayed behind.

Watching the Jeep drive past them, Zhou Bingqiang’s wife, sitting on the tractor, couldn’t help but spit on the ground!

“What’s so great about having a car? Sooner or later, my family will buy one too. Not just a car, we’ll buy an airplane and a cannon!”

Zhou Guohua, lying on the tractor, had been listening to her drone on about Jiang Xia for ages. He couldn’t help but say, “Mom, that’s enough! An airplane and a cannon? What would you even do with a cannon?”

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife snapped, “Blow up the neighbors’ house!”

Zhou Guohua was almost moved to laughter by the absurdity.

He stopped bothering with her, knowing his mother was just talking nonsense to vent her frustration.

When Jiang Xia’s family arrived back at the village, it was already past eleven in the morning.

Guangzong, Yaozu, and the other boys, along with several village children, were out in the fields herding geese and cattle.

Seeing the Jeep return, the children immediately ran over and shouted, “Auntie! Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle! My mom has finished cooking. She wants you to come over to our house to eat!”

Jiang Xia rolled down the window and said with a smile, “Alright. We’ll drop our things off at home and be over in a bit.”

Zhou Wenzu shouted back, “Great! I’ll go tell my mom you’re back then.”

The brothers hurriedly herded the geese and cattle toward home.

Zhou Chenglei stopped at the village entrance to let off Aunt Dong’s family, then drove the car home.

As the car pulled into the alley, Li Xiuxian was sitting at her courtyard gate holding a bowl, eating lunch while chatting with Pan Daidi’s eldest daughter-in-law.

Seeing the Jeep drive in, her first instinct was to go inside, but Zhou Ying rushed forward excitedly with her bowl in hand. “Auntie and the others are back!”

Li Xiuxian quickly pulled her back. “Don’t run in front of the car!”

Zhou Chenglei drove steadily. After entering the village, he drove slowly to avoid any children, dogs, or chickens that might suddenly dart out. His speed was even slower as he turned into the alley, so he was able to brake smoothly even when Zhou Ying rushed out.

Avoiding the mother and daughter, Zhou Chenglei parked the car next to their gate.

He got out and went to help Jiang Xia out of the car.

Once the family was out, Li Xiuxian asked with a smile, “Dad, Mom, why are you back so late? Have you eaten? I didn’t think you were coming back this morning, so I didn’t cook for you. I’ll go make something now!”

Father Zhou said, “No need. We’ll just eat at Ah Xin’s place. Ah Hua has already prepared food.”

Li Xiuxian smiled. “Alright then, eat there for lunch today. You can eat at my place next time.”

Father Zhou replied, “We’ll see.”

After standing around the hospital for half the day and the tiring car ride, Father Zhou was exhausted and went inside first.

The family took their belongings into the courtyard, washed their hands and faces, and then headed over to the first branch’s house for lunch.

Jiang Xia never went to someone else’s house empty-handed. She packed a tin of malted milk, a tin of powdered milk, some snacks, and about a dozen apples and oranges to take with them.

Zhou Chenglei took the items from her and carried them as they walked out together, closing the courtyard gate behind them.

Li Xiuxian saw the things Zhou Chenglei was carrying. “…”

Sure enough, her brother-in-law had always been biased toward Guangzong, Yaozu, and the boys. He was willing to buy them anything!

Chapter 443: Heart-Piercing Words

Returning from the first branch’s home after lunch, Jiang Xia heard Zhou Bingqiang’s wife next door berating Wen Wan.

She was cursing her for not knowing how to cook and making her wait until she got home late to start the meal. She added that if Wen Wan hadn’t caused Zhou Guohua’s injury, they wouldn’t have had to go to the city to pick him up.

Wen Wan was remarkably patient; Jiang Xia didn’t hear her utter a single word in response.

In the end, it was Zhou Guohua who couldn’t bear it and spoke up for Wen Wan. Zhou Bingqiang also lost his temper, and the house next door finally went quiet.

Jiang Xia washed her face, changed her clothes, and lay down for a nap, thinking that life was going to be quite lively from now on.

In the evening, Zhou Chenglei returned carrying a bucket of fish.

Seeing three large seabass in the bucket, Li Xiuxian said, “A-Lei, you netted so many seabass? You can give me one; Yingying loves them the most!”

Today, her maiden family was slaughtering the New Year pig, so the boat hadn’t gone out to sea. There were no fresh fish or shrimp at home. Since it was just her and Yingying for dinner, she was too lazy to go to the pier to buy any.

Zhou Chenglei replied, “How about Second Sister-in-law takes all the fish and cleans them? Didn’t you say you’d come to the old house for dinner next time? Let’s make it tonight! With these three fish, we can pan-fry one, braise one in red sauce, and steam one. We can use the smaller mixed fish for a fish pot. Oh, and remember not to put too much salt. It was too salty last time. If it’s too salty again, people might think Second Sister-in-law did it on purpose.”

Li Xiuxian: “…”

She was the only one at home; he wanted her to cook for the whole family?

“Well… I’m feeling a bit unwell this afternoon. Let’s do dinner another day. How about the twenty-ninth? Your Second Brother will be back then. I really don’t feel great today, it’s not convenient.”

“Fine!” Zhou Chenglei picked up the bucket and carried all the fish straight into his house.

Yingying was currently playing with Zhou Zhou. Nine times out of ten, she would be eating and sleeping at their house anyway.

Why would he leave a fish for Li Xiuxian?

Li Xiuxian: “…”

The next morning at six o’clock, the two brothers, Zhou Chenglei and Zhou Chengxin, went to the city with several members of Aunt Dong’s family.

Jiang Xia didn’t go. Today was already the twenty-eighth of the lunar month.

As the saying goes, “On the twenty-eighth, wash away the filth.” She stayed home with Mother Zhou and Zhou Zhou to do a deep clean.

They hadn’t lived in the new house for long, so cleaning was simple—just wiping the windows and furniture, mopping the floors, washing the pillowcases and sheets, and airing out the quilts.

Zhou Chenglei had told Jiang Xia not to touch the sheets and pillowcases, saying he would wash them when he got back in the afternoon.

Since they had more than one set of bedding, Jiang Xia wasn’t worried about them not drying in time, so she left them for him.

While Jiang Xia, Mother Zhou, and Zhou Zhou handled the new house, Father Zhou went to the old house.

The old house needed cleaning too, and Father Zhou climbed onto the roof to check for leaks.

Fixing roof leaks at the end of the year was something almost every household did.

Li Xiuxian was scrubbing the stove while Yingying was wiping the kitchen cabinets.

Li Xiuxian was feeling irritable; she hadn’t even started on the house in town yet!

She blamed Zhou Chengsen. He refused to live in a perfectly good new house and insisted on staying in the old house, forcing her to clean up after others.

She hated cleaning the stove the most. “I’m honestly fed up. I’ve never seen anyone so filthy. This stove is covered in a layer of grease and dust, and they never wiped it clean. Can those small fried fish they made here even be eaten? And the firewood is stacked in such a mess.”

Zhou Ying listened and thought for a moment before saying, “Mom, that grease and dust on the stove was probably from your cooking these past few days, right? I saw Great-Aunt and Aunt Fen cleaning the kitchen very thoroughly after they finished making the small dried fish. The firewood was stacked neatly, and the floor was swept clean! I even saw them come over to make the fish and have to wash the stove you got dirty before they even started.”

Li Xiuxian: “…”

“Mom, they go out to sea every day. Where would they find the time to wash the stove daily?”

Zhou Ying replied, “But when Grandma and Auntie come back from fishing and finish cooking, they still find time to clean the stove.”

Li Xiuxian: “…”

Having a daughter!

Having a daughter!

She was like a stubborn stake in her heart!

She was absolutely infuriating!

Just like her father, always taking the side of outsiders!

Poking right at her mother’s sore spots!

This was exactly why she said she needed to have a son.

But Zhou Chengsen didn’t want another child!

Li Xiuxian planned to go secretly and have her IUD removed. Once she was pregnant, Zhou Chengsen wouldn’t be able to refuse.

Zhou Chenglei didn’t get home until evening, just as Jiang Xia and Mother Zhou finished cooking.

He washed his hands and face and changed his clothes before coming down to eat.

Jiang Xia asked, “How did Uncle Dong’s surgery go?”

Zhou Chenglei said, “The surgery was a success.”

The family was relieved to hear that.

Father Zhou asked, “Did the doctor say when he might wake up?”

Zhou Chenglei replied, “He’ll probably wake up in about ten days to two weeks. The doctor said nothing is certain; it depends on the patient’s recovery. Some patients wake up sooner, some later. He’s not out of the danger zone yet and is still in the intensive care unit.”

Mother Zhou said, “I hope he gets well soon!”

Father Zhou added, “Indeed.”

The next day was the twenty-ninth. Zhou Chengsen returned to the village early in the morning.

He could have come back after work last night, but he planned to clean up the house for the New Year, so he waited until this morning.

Today was the day the second branch slaughtered their New Year pig.

Zhou Chenglei waited for Zhou Chengsen to return, and the three men—father and sons—went over to the first branch’s area together.

Jiang Xia didn’t go, but she cautioned them to be careful.

Father Zhou said, “Don’t worry, we’ll be careful. What happened to A-Dong was just an accident.”

Mother Zhou added, “Be careful anyway. Tighten the ropes well.”

“We know.” The three men left.

At Great-Grandma’s house, they were frying oil puffs, oil dumplings, egg twists, fried dough twists, and other treats today.

Jiang Xia and Mother Zhou brought glutinous rice flour, wheat flour, eggs, and other ingredients over to join the frying.

During these few days, every household was busy making various snacks.

“Of all festivals, the New Year is the foremost.” After a year of hard work, regardless of how much money they had made, every family did their best to celebrate the New Year well.

Jiang Xia spent the morning frying snacks and the afternoon grinding rice batter to steam New Year cakes, prosperity cakes, radish cakes, and other treats, keeping busy all day.

Then, at midnight that night, the four men of the Zhou family went out to sea.

Zhou Chengsen didn’t call the Li family father and sons, as the main purpose of this trip was to help his brothers harvest fish.

When they reached the waters where the net cages were placed, the father and sons, along with Zhou Yongguo and Zhou Kangping, took turns diving into the sea. They hauled all the marketable fish from the net cages onto the boat and kept them in the live well.

By the time they finished harvesting the fish from the net cages at Pearl Island, it was already after five in the morning. They then sailed to Abalone Island to harvest all the fish from the underwater net cages there.

Once all the fish were collected, they headed straight to the city pier to sell them.

When fresh, lively Leopard Coral Groupers, Mouse Groupers, Red Seabream, Large Yellow Croakers, and Groupers appeared at the city pier, the entire crowd was shocked.

“Where did so many expensive fish come from?”

“They aren’t farmed, are they?”

“They probably caught them and kept them specifically to sell today.”

“Hey, comrade, how much for 500g of Red Seabream?”

“How much for the Mouse Grouper?”

“Comrade, I want these Leopard Coral Groupers!”

…

People scrambled to buy them.

Zhou Chenglei set aside twenty fish for Jufu Restaurant, twenty for Fuman Restaurant, and twenty for Master Jin. Those he set aside were all between 400g and 500g.

There were still over two hundred fish left, and even the smallest Large Yellow Croaker weighed 750g.

They sold them one by one, without weighing, setting a starting price and letting the highest bidder take them.

They had farmed them for so long, diving daily to feed them—all for this day!

Chapter 444: Happy New Year

Zhou Chenglei and the others each had a large bucket of live fish in front of them.

A crowd of people surrounded them, scrambling to buy.

Finding such fresh grouper was still relatively rare.

Fish always tasted better the fresher it was.

In the city, wages were higher and there were more wealthy people. For a New Year’s Eve dinner, they were quite willing to spend eight or ten yuan to buy a high-quality fish for a better meal.

Consequently, many people crowded forward, eager to make a purchase.

Father Zhou used a mesh bag to scoop up a Red Seabream weighing about 900 grams and shouted loudly, “A Red Seabream, about 900 grams! Minimum four yuan. Who wants it? Only one left! The very last one! Eating Red Seabream for the New Year brings luck and profit, great luck and prosperity, and a surplus year after year. May you earn a bucket full of wealth!”

“Four yuan, I’ll take it!”

“Four yuan and one jiao, I want it!”

“Four yuan and two jiao, over here!”

…

In the end, this Red Seabream was sold for five yuan and five jiao.

The others were hawking their wares just like Father Zhou.

Zhou Chengsen held up an abalone. “Abalone! Eight-head abalones, starting at one yuan each! Who wants them? To the highest bidder! Eat abalone for the New Year, and I guarantee you’ll have a surplus every year!”

Jiang Dong held up a lobster and shouted, “Lobster! A scalloped spiny lobster, over 500 grams, only ten yuan! Who wants it? To the highest bidder! Only one! Just one! Eat large shrimp for the New Year, and you’ll have the spirit of vitality in the coming year and live as long as the Southern Mountains!”

Earlier, Zhou Chenglei had told Jiang Dong to come to the pier around ten o’clock on New Year’s Eve morning to pick up some seafood to take home for their dinner.

Jiang Dong had arrived at nine, so he simply stayed to help them shout and sell.

There were a huge number of people at the pier today to buy seafood. Over two hundred fish were snatched up in less than two hours.

Once the fish were sold, Zhou Chenglei packed a large lobster, six four-head abalones, a Large Yellow Croaker, a Mouse Grouper, several kilograms of prawns, several kilograms of golden threadfin, a large Spanish mackerel, fresh squid, and octopuses into two buckets for Jiang Dong. “Take these home for your family. We’re heading back too.”

“This is too much!” Jiang Dong was reluctant to take so much.

How could they finish two whole buckets?

Zhou Chenglei replied, “Eat the live ones today and put the rest in the refrigerator to eat slowly. Hurry back! I’m leaving too; your sister is waiting for me to come home and eat.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Dong immediately said, “Then hurry back, Brother-in-law!”

Sigh, his sister was married now, so there was one less person at their family’s New Year’s Eve dinner this year.

Jiang Dong carried the two large buckets of fish back to his vehicle and left.

On the way back, Zhou Chenglei dragged a net behind the boat just in passing.

Unexpectedly, he netted about a dozen kilograms of shrimp, dozens of kilograms of golden threadfin, several Spanish mackerels, a few Yellowfin Seabreams, some squid, and an assortment of miscellaneous fish.

Zhou Chenglei quickly divided the fish. These wouldn’t be sold; they were all kept to be put in the refrigerator to eat slowly.

When they arrived back at the village pier, they handed the remaining twenty fish over to the purchase station.

All the fish from the net cages had been sold.

A total of 276 fish had been sold for 1,484 yuan. Additionally, the abalones sold for over 200 yuan, and the single lobster sold for 15 yuan.

Zhou Chenglei and Zhou Chengxin each took 500 yuan. They gave Father Zhou 300, Zhou Chengsen 100, and Zhou Yongguo and Zhou Kangping 40 each.

Zhou Chengsen refused his share and gave it to Father Zhou.

He usually didn’t do anything for the business and had only come to help tonight, so how could he take money?

The father and sons couldn’t wait to get home.

Smoke curled from the chimneys of every household. Both far and near, the “crackling” sounds of fireworks and firecrackers could be heard everywhere.

It was the children playing with firecrackers and fireworks in the fields, on the village roads, and in front of their houses.

In the new house, Jiang Xia was the head chef while Mother Zhou, Tian Caihua, and Second Sister-in-law assisted.

On such a big day, even Second Sister-in-law couldn’t find an excuse to be lazy.

Jiang Xia had assigned her the heavy tasks of cleaning chickens and geese early that morning.

When the Zhou men arrived home with the fish, they immediately joined the New Year’s Eve dinner preparations.

Zhou Chengsen handed a bucket of seafood to Second Sister-in-law. “Process these.”

Second Sister-in-law rolled her eyes at him but said nothing.

Who wants to start a fight on New Year’s Eve and face a year of bad luck?

Zhou Chenglei washed his hands, went to Jiang Xia’s side, and took the spatula from her hand.

After Zhou Chengsen gave the fish to his wife, he went back to the old house to change his clothes before returning to help clean the remaining fish.

Zhou Chengxin was ordered by Tian Caihua to go chop firewood.

One couldn’t use a knife on the first of the month, and since they were using a lot of firewood for today’s cooking, they needed a good supply ready.

Father Zhou, meanwhile, gathered the children to help post the Spring Festival couplets.

He was responsible for putting up the couplets for the first branch’s house, the old house, and the new house.

After the couplets were up and Mother Zhou finished her prayers to the gods, Father Zhou set off a long string of firecrackers.

The New Year’s Eve dinner began amidst the continuous sounds of exploding firecrackers from all directions.

The dinner was incredibly lavish.

There were steamed abalone with minced garlic, boiled fish, steamed Large Yellow Croaker, poached shrimp, scalloped spiny lobster with minced garlic, braised pork, braised goose, mutton stew with carrots, white cut chicken, braised squab, steamed egg with sea cucumbers, sautéed shrimp with pine nuts, peas, and carrots, eight-treasure rice, spicy fried squid, stir-fried crab with New Year cakes, and lettuce with minced garlic.

A total of sixteen dishes.

While eating, Jiang Xia said to the children, “Whoever can name the auspicious meaning behind these dishes will get a reward from Auntie! For every correct meaning, you get a red envelope.”

Several children instantly began competing, pointing at the dishes in front of them and shouting.

“This one is Bringing in Wealth (steamed abalone with minced garlic) and Good Luck and Prosperity (boiled Red Seabream slices)…”

“This is Ten Thousand Taels of Gold (steamed Large Yellow Croaker) and Flowers Blooming for Prosperity (poached shrimp arranged like a peony)…”

“Spirit of Vitality (six scalloped spiny lobsters) and Good Luck at the Forefront (braised pork)…”

“Great Luck and Prosperity (white cut chicken) and Abundance of Wealth (shrimp with pine nuts, peas, and carrots)…”

“Flourishing Day by Day (steamed egg with sea cucumbers) and Rising Higher Year After Year (New Year cake with crab)…”

…

The children racked their brains for auspicious words while glancing at the New Year blessings posted around the room.

Finally, only the mutton stew with carrots and the lettuce with minced garlic remained.

Father Zhou pointed at the last two and asked, “What about these two? Whoever names these, Grandpa will give them a big red envelope!”

The children started looking at the blessings again, trying to remember what was written on everyone’s door couplets.

Zhou Zhou thought for a moment and said, “Full of Jubilation and Harmony Breeds Wealth!”

Father Zhou said happily, “Haha, well said, Zhou Zhou! Grandpa will give you three big red envelopes in a bit! The New Year is here! A family should be full of jubilation and harmony. May we strike it rich in the New Year!”

Then, Father Zhou gave everyone a piece of lettuce.

The lettuce had been washed whole and cut into a few large pieces; it looked harmonious and was a vibrant, dripping green.

For the New Year, Father Zhou didn’t have many wishes other than for his children to be in perfect harmony.

If they were harmonious, united, and full of joy, then they would have everything!

…

After dinner, the family sat in the house watching TV.

The adults gave New Year’s red envelope money to the children one after another.

Jiang Xia gave an extra red envelope to anyone who had just named the symbolic meanings of the dishes.

Whenever Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei gave a red envelope, a string of auspicious words would tumble out of the children’s mouths.

Finally, when Zhou Wenzu really couldn’t think of anything else, he blurted out, “May Auntie make a great fortune in the New Year and give birth to a son soon!”

“Hahaha…”

The sound of happy laughter in the house never stopped.

Father Zhou and Mother Zhou gave red envelopes to every child, and to the adults as well.

When Second Sister-in-law received the envelope from the parents, she found it was a thick stack. If every bill was a Great Unity, there had to be several hundred yuan in there!

She said with a beaming smile, “Thank you, Mom and Dad. Happy New Year to you both, and I wish you good health!”

After the red envelopes were handed out, Zhou Chenglei pulled out a large bag of fireworks and took Jiang Xia and the children to the beach to set them off.

There were already quite a few adults and children on the shore setting off fireworks and firecrackers.

Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei stood to the side, watching the children play.

The fireworks of this era weren’t particularly brilliant, but the sound of laughter was exceptionally loud.

Amidst the laughter, Zhou Chenglei took advantage of the moment when no one was looking to quickly kiss Jiang Xia.

“Happy New Year.”

“Happy New Year.”

Jiang Xia quietly took his hand, their fingers interlocked.

Chapter 445: It Moved

After playing with fireworks on the beach for over an hour, it was nearly nine o’clock by the time they returned home.

Zhou Chengxin and Tian Caihua took their children back to their house to bathe and go to bed.

Not far from the courtyard, Tian Caihua turned to her sons and asked, “How much New Year’s money did Grandpa and Grandma give you?”

The brothers answered all at once with different numbers.

“Five yuan.”

“Ten yuan!”

“Two yuan!”

“Two yuan!”

Tian Caihua: “…”

These little rascals were starting to lie!

They even dared to lie to their own parents!

“Your wings have grown strong, haven’t they? Daring to lie to your mother! Grandpa and Grandma gave you all ten yuan each, yet you dare say five, two, or one! Only the second oldest is being honest!”

Zhou Wenguang retorted, “That’s because you trick us out of our New Year’s money every single year!”

“Exactly! You trick us every year!”

“How is that tricking you? I’m keeping it safe for you!” Tian Caihua then asked, “How much did your Uncle and Auntie give you? No lying now. Next year, when the little brother in your Auntie’s belly is born, your parents will have to give back just as much.”

The children answered in unison this time, “Ten yuan.”

“Both Uncle and Auntie gave ten yuan?”

“Yes, Uncle and Auntie both gave ten yuan.”

“And what about those red envelopes your Auntie rewarded you with while we were eating?” Each child had received two or three of those.

“Those were two yuan each.”

Tian Caihua couldn’t help but click her tongue. Jiang Xia was truly generous.

“What about Second Uncle and Second Auntie? How much did they give?”

“Second Uncle gave two yuan, and Second Auntie gave fifty cents.”

That was the same as previous years. Tian Caihua had also given Zhou Ying fifty cents.

However, this year Zhou Chengxin had given Zhou Ying and Zhou Zhou five yuan each for their New Year’s money.

Because she had more sons, Tian Caihua usually made quite a profit on red envelopes from Li Xiuxian. Even though she earned a bit less this year, she was still in the black!

Moreover, if Zhou Chengsen found out that Zhou Chengxin had given Yingying five yuan, he would surely make up for it next year.

Although Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia’s children hadn’t been born yet this year, she had basically “earned” over a hundred yuan from the couple for free.

Even if Jiang Xia had her babies next year, there would only be three of them. Tian Caihua had four sons, so she would always come out ahead in the red envelope exchange every year!

Tian Caihua said happily, “Where’s the money? Hand it all over to me, and I’ll keep it safe for you.”

The children immediately became indignant.

Zhou Wenguang said, “Liar! Every year you say you’ll keep it safe, and in the end, it all goes into your pocket! When we ask for money to buy things, you won’t give us a single cent! I’m not giving it to you this year; I’m keeping it myself.”

“Yeah, you confiscate our money every year! I’m not giving it over this year! I want to keep it safe myself.”

“I’m not giving it either! I’ll keep it myself.”

“Me neither! I’m keeping it!”

Tian Caihua said testily, “The only reason you even get red envelopes is because your father and I give them to other people! Hurry up and give them to me. What do you need all that money for?”

In the past, the two elders gave the grandchildren two yuan each. This year, they had more money, so the gifts were larger.

Tian Caihua was asking because she and her husband had received a massive five hundred yuan red envelope each from Father and Mother Zhou, totaling a thousand yuan.

Between the two of them, they had received two thousand yuan from the elders.

It was far more than the money they had given the elders as an filial offering for the New Year.

They had only given the elders five hundred yuan for the holiday; thinking about it made them feel a bit embarrassed.

“No!” As soon as the children heard her, they sprinted home to hide their money.

Tian Caihua went chasing after them.

Zhou Chengxin said, “Let it go. The kids are getting older; let them keep their money.”

Tian Caihua snapped, “Let it go? Why should I? What does a child need that much money for? They’ll just waste it all!”

This was only the money from family members, yet each child had forty or fifty yuan in their hands. That was equivalent to a full month’s salary for an adult!

How could she let them just hold onto it?

At the new house, Li Xiuxian saw that Zhou Chengsen was sitting as still as a mountain and became anxious. “Shouldn’t we go back to bathe and sleep too?”

“You go back first. I’m going to ring in the New Year.” Zhou Chengsen wasn’t in a hurry. The old house was just across the road. After the first branch went home, he continued to sit in the living room and watch television with his parents. He planned to wait until midnight to welcome the New Year before going back to sleep.

Li Xiuxian couldn’t sit still any longer. She said to her daughter, “Yingying, it’s getting late. Mommy will take you back to bathe and sleep.”

Zhou Ying replied, “I’m sleeping here with my sister tonight. I’ll bathe here.”

Li Xiuxian insisted, “It’s New Year’s Day; you should sleep with your parents. Be good! It’s late and you’ll catch a cold bathing by yourself. Mommy will help you.”

“No!”

It was cold outside, and the later it got, the colder the bath would be. Mother Zhou also feared her granddaughter might catch a cold on such an important day, so she said, “If Yingying wants to sleep here, let her. You can just help her bathe here.”

Li Xiuxian thought that was fine. She actually wanted to find out how much New Year’s money the elders, Jiang Xia, and Zhou Chenglei had given Yingying.

Tonight, the two elders had given her and her husband two thousand yuan, which was a pleasant surprise!

As for how much Tian Caihua would give, she didn’t have high hopes. It was bound to be fifty cents!

While bathing Zhou Ying, Li Xiuxian learned that the grandparents and Jiang Xia’s couple had each given ten yuan, and Zhou Chengxin had given five. She was very pleased.

All together, it was over fifty yuan—nearly a month’s salary for her.

However, the thought that Jiang Xia would have three children next year made her unhappy again.

When that happened, not only would the first branch be “losing” money on red envelopes every year, but her household would as well. As for the money they gave to Zhou Zhou, it was always an outgoing expense with no return.

Thinking of this, Li Xiuxian felt an even more urgent desire to have a son.

She wanted to have triplets or quadruplets too, so she could surpass both of her sisters-in-law at once.

At midnight, the three Zhou men set off several long strings of firecrackers. After welcoming the New Year, it was finally time to sleep.

When Zhou Chengsen finished his bath and returned to bed, Li Xiuxian said, “Mom and Dad gave me a huge red envelope today. I didn’t expect there to be so much money inside. We only gave them two hundred for the New Year. You should find a chance to give that money back to them.”

Zhou Chengsen glanced at her and grunted an acknowledgment. “Mm.”

With that, he pulled up his own quilt to go to sleep.

The couple currently slept under separate blankets.

Li Xiuxian proactively crawled into his quilt, leaning against him and hugging him.

They hadn’t shared an intimate moment in a long time—about two months?

She was starting to miss it, and if this cold war continued, how could she get pregnant next year?

Zhou Chengsen said tonelessly, “Just sleep. I’m tired.”

He had been cleaning the house until late the night before last, had gone out to sea in the middle of the night yesterday, and had stayed up until midnight today to welcome the New Year. He hadn’t slept much for three nights in a row, and his head was throbbing with exhaustion.

Li Xiuxian: “…”

With a dark expression, she crawled back into her own quilt.

The sound of firecrackers outside continued in intermittent bursts. Jiang Xia was kept awake by the noise and sat propped up against the headboard, reading a book.

Zhou Chenglei came out after his bath and after drying his hair. He took four red envelopes he had prepared long ago out of the drawer and handed them to Jiang Xia.

Jiang Xia took them. “Who are these from?”

“From me,” Zhou Chenglei said. “For you and the babies.”

Jiang Xia smiled. “I didn’t prepare any New Year’s money for you.”

Zhou Chenglei sat on the bed, his eyes full of tenderness. “I don’t need any. I’ll prepare them for you all; there will be some every year from now on. The children will have them, and so will you.”

Jiang Xia smiled and rubbed her belly. “Babies, Daddy gave you New Year’s money! Grandpa and Grandma did too. I’ll keep it safe for you for now and give it to you when you grow up. You need to grow big and strong!”

Zhou Chenglei also smiled and placed his hand on Jiang Xia’s abdomen.

Suddenly, his body stiffened.

Jiang Xia froze for a moment.

The couple looked at each other.

Jiang Xia asked, somewhat uncertainly, “Did they move?”

Zhou Chenglei was even less sure. “I think so?”

Just then, the skin of her belly moved gently again. Zhou Chenglei felt as if something had brushed against the inside.

To Jiang Xia, it felt like something was crawling within her.

But!

“It moved! It really moved!” Jiang Xia’s face was full of pleasant surprise, her voice slightly trembling with excitement.

Zhou Chenglei beamed and nodded heavily.

They really moved!

It was such a miraculous feeling!

He leaned down and gently kissed the spot where he had felt the movement. “Babies, I’m Daddy! Happy New Year!”

Jiang Xia gently caressed her belly. “Babies, I’m Mommy. Happy New Year!”

Zhou Chenglei tried to coax the children. “Babies, did you hear Mommy and Daddy saying Happy New Year? If you heard us, move again?”

However, her belly showed no further reaction.

Zhou Chenglei didn’t give up. “Babies, can you hear me? It’s Daddy.”

Still no reaction.

Jiang Xia said, “Let me try!”

She picked up the red envelopes. “Babies, look! This is the New Year’s money Daddy gave you!”

Then, it moved again!

Zhou Chenglei: “…”

So, were his children not only lazy little pigs who liked to eat and sleep, but also little money-grubbers?

Chapter 446: The First Day of the New Year

The first rays of sunlight of the new year peeked through the blinds, and Zhou Chenglei opened his eyes.

Last night, he and Jiang Xia felt fetal movement for the first time, both a little too excited to sleep.

Even Jiang Xia, who usually falls asleep the moment she lies down, couldn’t sleep.

Zhou Chenglei, with his overflowing energy, was even less likely to sleep.

Later, worried she wouldn’t rest well and would be low on energy, he kissed her for a long time until he coaxed her to sleep.

Then, still too excited to sleep, he played with the baby.

But the baby never responded to him again.

Zhou Chenglei glanced at his wife, who was still sleeping soundly in his arms, and didn’t move.

He was holding her as he slept, and he was afraid of waking her if he moved.

Jiang Xia was lying flat, her neck resting on his arm, her head slightly on the pillow, tilted to the side, her forehead pressed against his jaw. Her shallow breaths puffed against his neck, and she was in a deep sleep.

Zhou Chenglei was sleeping on his side. With his long arms, one long arm avoided the baby and held her. The arm she was using as a pillow was bent, his forearm and large palm covering her.

Their legs were intertwined, and he held her whole body in his embrace.

One of Jiang Xia’s hands rested lightly on his arm, the other loosely gripping his wrist.

Completely enveloped by him, breathing in his clear, sea-like scent, she slept exceptionally peacefully.

She showed no signs of waking until nine o’clock.

It was the first day of the New Year, with nothing to do, so Zhou Chenglei lay still, accompanying her as she slept, waiting for her to get enough rest.

All night, Jiang Xia had been sleeping with her head on his arm.

Zhou Chenglei could sleep in one position without moving until dawn.

Jiang Xia was not like that; she liked to move around and always tossed and turned.

One moment she’d sleep on her left side, the next on her right, then flat on her back.

Sometimes her small face would be buried in his shoulder, sometimes her back would be pressed against his chest.

When hot, she’d kick off the covers; when cold, she’d snuggle under the blanket, shrinking into his arms.

This meant Zhou Chenglei woke up in a different position every day, always holding her in a different posture.

When they first got together, he would wake up every time she moved.

Now he was used to it and wouldn’t wake up anymore.

After getting used to it, even in his sleep, he would subconsciously hold her, embrace her, and protect her, allowing her to find the most comfortable sleeping position in his arms.

Zhou Chenglei looked at Jiang Xia’s serene sleeping face, thinking about every detail of her sleep.

Time passed unknowingly.

Zhou Chenglei woke up at seven, but Jiang Xia didn’t open her eyes until nine-thirty.

She was still a little groggy, lifting a hand to rub her eyes: “What time is it?”

“It’s still early.” Rubbing her eyes wasn’t good, so Zhou Chenglei pulled her hand down, held it, not letting her rub, and leaned down to kiss her.

…

Thus, the couple began the first day of the new year with expressions of affection.

When Jiang Xia came downstairs, it was almost eleven-thirty. She had skipped breakfast and could go straight to lunch.

On the first day of the New Year, the Zhou family home customarily ate vegetarian. Mother Zhou was by the well, washing vegetables.

Jiang Xia felt a little bad: “Mother, what are you cooking? I’ll do it.”

Zhou Chenglei was still upstairs washing bedsheets.

Mother Zhou smiled: “No need, you eat breakfast first, it’s warming in the pot. We don’t have many dishes to make today, our family is eating vegetarian today. Do your relatives by marriage have this custom? My family didn’t, I only started doing it after marrying in.”

Out of 365 days a year, the Zhou family only ate vegetarian on the first day of the New Year.

And on this day, no knives were used, no sweeping was done, and no bathing occurred.

Jiang Xia wasn’t sure if her family had the custom, so she just smiled: “Vegetarian dishes are delicious, I’ll make a few tasty ones.”

Jiang Xia first went to the kitchen and ate a fried broad bean cake Mother Zhou had made, then drank a bowl of lotus seed, lily, and yam porridge before starting to prepare lunch.

Although they were eating vegetarian, Jiang Xia still planned to prepare a rich spread of vegetarian dishes.

Five people, six dishes – for a smooth and prosperous new year.

So Jiang Xia took charge of the cooking, with Mother Zhou assisting, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law preparing lunch together.

Zhou Chenglei came down quickly and also came to help.

After Mother Zhou cleaned all the ingredients, she left the couple busy in the kitchen.

She went to the adjacent kitchen to make a dish of Arhat’s Delight, which the family ate every year and Father Zhou loved.

Jiang Xia stir-fried a ‘Lotus Pond Moonlight’ (a vegetable dish), Zhou Chenglei deep-fried some sweet potato balls, Jiang Xia made a cold tossed wood ear mushroom salad, and Zhou Chenglei made a sautéed cabbage with chili and also stir-fried some shredded potatoes.

Wen Wan sat by the window, watching the couple laugh and chat as they cooked in the kitchen.

Such a married life was what she yearned for.

She turned her head to look at Zhou Guohua, who was lying in bed recovering from his injury, and a suppressive feeling rose in her heart.

Because of his injury, his mother cursed her every day!

And even called her a jinx!

Hmph, if she didn’t tell Zhou Guohua in two years that he would have an accident, his son would be a cripple.

Still calling her a jinx!

When the dishes were almost ready, Mother Zhou told Zhou Zhou to go find his grandfather to come home for dinner.

Zhou Zhou responded and ran out.

Jiang Xia asked: “Where’s Father?”

Zhou Chenglei: “He’s probably watching others play cards.”

Mother Zhou: “He’s watching others play cards. He’s either at the convenience store or Uncle Gui’s house. These are the two places in the village where people play cards every year.”

Everyone in the house woke up relatively late today. They had gone to bed late last night, and there was nothing to do today, a rare leisure. Father Zhou even slept until half past ten before getting up, then went to the village to watch others play poker and mahjong.

During the New Year, migrant workers from the village returned, and everyone with free time would get together to play cards or mahjong.

Father Zhou didn’t play cards or mahjong because Mother Zhou disliked it, and he also disliked it.

But on the first day of the New Year, there were no relatives to visit and no need to go out to sea. With nothing to do, he would go watch others play cards and chat with the villagers.

Zhou Zhou had only been out for a short while when he returned with Father Zhou.

Mother Zhou: “Where have you been? Dinner is almost ready, and you didn’t even think to come back.”

Father Zhou chuckled: “Didn’t I come back? I went to Brother Gui’s house to watch others play mahjong. My luck was good today; my relatives by marriage pulled me along and I stayed a bit longer.”

Mother Zhou glared at him: “You played cards?”

Zhou Chenglei also looked at Father Zhou.

Father Zhou chuckled: “No, my relatives by marriage lost several times, so they asked me to draw cards for them. They said I’ve had good luck recently, the best in the entire production team, so I drew a few hands for them, and unexpected, I really was lucky. Every time I drew, they won.”

Others who saw this also asked him to help them draw cards, and Father Zhou became a hot commodity.

However, Father Zhou didn’t help everyone, only Li Xiuxian’s father, as he was a relative by marriage.

Father Zhou washed his hands and helped carry the dishes: “Let’s eat quickly, my relatives by marriage asked me to come help them after dinner.”

Mother Zhou carried the bowls and chopsticks into the house and immediately disagreed: “What’s there to help with? Don’t get addicted! Don’t you dare play yourself!”

Father Zhou carried the rice cooker into the house and promised: “No, I won’t do anything I’ve promised you I wouldn’t do. I’ll just help them draw cards, I won’t play.”

Mother Zhou trusted Father Zhou; at least for decades, he had always kept his promises to her.

Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia also carried two plates of dishes into the house together.

Upstairs in the adjacent house, Wen Wan heard their conversation, thought of something, and curled her lips into a smile.

If Jiang Xia’s father knew he had a relative by marriage who got arrested for gambling, wouldn’t he feel ashamed?

Tomorrow would be the day to visit her parents’ home, right?

Chapter 447: Fortunately, Wealth-bringer Invited Him to the Temple Fair

Speaking of playing cards during the New Year, Jiang Xia recalled some details from the original book.

There was a plot point where Father Zhou would help Li’s father draw cards and kept winning. Someone lost so many times that they grew resentful and, after leaving, made a phone call.

As a result, everyone involved was hauled away for a night of “education.”

Of course, in the book, this didn’t happen on the first day of the Lunar New Year; the story needed time to build up to it.

Since it was such a minor detail, Jiang Xia couldn’t remember the exact date it was supposed to happen.

Regardless of which day it was, it was best if Father Zhou simply didn’t go!

Thus, during the meal, Jiang Xia suggested, “Dad, don’t go out this afternoon. A-Lei said he’d take me to the temple fair for a stroll, and Mom is coming too. Let’s go as a family! What’s so fun about watching people play cards? Besides, during the New Year, the authorities are quite strict about these things, aren’t they?”

Jiang Xia had heard Zhou Chenglei mention before that the authorities would come to monitor and arrest people during the New Year.

Zhou Chenglei also didn’t want Father Zhou to go. Watching was one thing, but helping people draw cards was just asking for trouble.

He added, “Today is the first day of the Lunar New Year. Let’s head to the temple fair to look around and offer some prayers for favorable weather and a good harvest all year round.”

Even though Zhou Chenglei wasn’t one for superstition, this hit Father Zhou’s priorities perfectly!

This was a major matter! They definitely should go and pray.

Father Zhou immediately agreed, “Alright, I’ll go tell our relatives by marriage after we eat, then I’ll go with you. The whole family will go! Wife, you come along too.”

There was a temple near the town that had only been renovated last year. There would likely be a lot of people visiting this year, making it very lively.

Mother Zhou replied, “Sure.”

So, Father Zhou hurriedly finished his meal and went out to inform Li’s father.

As Wen Wan sat in her hall eating, she saw Father Zhou pass by her courtyard gate. She ignored him and continued eating with her head down.

After finishing, she set her bowl down and said, “I’m going out to buy some things.”

Then she walked out.

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife was so angry her face turned dark. She had cooked the meal for her to eat, yet the girl couldn’t even bother to clear her own bowl.

Just as Wen Wan stepped out, she happened to encounter Jiang Xia, Zhou Chenglei, and Mother Zhou as they were heading out with Zhou Zhou.

Wen Wan’s gaze landed on Jiang Xia’s stomach. Why was it growing so fast?

Even her own five-month pregnancy wasn’t that large.

Zhou Chenglei held Jiang Xia by the waist as they walked toward the old house to ask the Second Brother and his wife if they wanted to join.

If they weren’t going, they would at least take Yingying with them.

After Wen Wan had walked some distance away, she heard Zhou Chenglei ask Zhou Chengsen, “Second Brother, Second Sister-in-law, do you want to head to the temple fair for a stroll?”

Zhou Chengsen had just finished eating and was reading the newspaper. He replied, “Let’s go! Call Big Brother too, I’ll go get him.”

“Okay.” Zhou Chenglei intended to find Father Zhou to make sure he didn’t get dragged into anything.

Li Xiuxian took Zhou Ying and set out with them first.

When the family reached Uncle Gui’s house, Zhou Chenglei went inside to call for Father Zhou, fearing someone would keep him there.

Soon, Zhou Chenglei came out alone.

Jiang Xia asked, “Where’s Dad?”

“He likely went ahead to wait for us at the temple fair.”

Jiang Xia nodding, “Then let’s go!”

As the family passed the production team office, Jiang Xia glanced inside and saw someone standing by the telephone. However, the person quickly ducked out of sight.

Jiang Xia only caught a glimpse of a hem of clothing; it looked like Wen Wan’s.

A strange feeling arose in Jiang Xia’s heart, but she continued walking.

Zhou Chenglei also threw a glance over. He had always been sensitive to people and things that seemed shady or evasive.

When the family reached the village entrance, they found Father Zhou waiting for them.

Jiang Xia felt relieved.

Seeing Li Xiuxian, Father Zhou said, “Second daughter-in-law, go and get your father to come to the temple fair with us! He’s over at Uncle Gui’s playing cards. It’s the Lunar New Year—such an auspicious day, why spend it gambling? Wouldn’t it be better to walk around the temple fair and get some good fortune? I just asked him to come, but he refused. You’re his daughter, go and try to convince him! Walking through a temple fair on New Year’s is good for changing one’s luck!”

Li Xiuxian replied, “He didn’t even listen to you just now; he definitely won’t listen to me. Don’t worry about him, let’s go.”

Her father loved gambling more than anything, and his luck was usually decent, so how could anyone drag him away? Even her mother didn’t bother him because he tended to win.

Li Xiuxian pulled Zhou Ying along and kept walking.

Father Zhou didn’t say anything more. After all, he had only felt uneasy because of Wealth-bringer’s words, but in past years, the authorities hadn’t really been that strict on the first day of the New Year.

Everyone was on holiday today.

And so, the family walked toward the temple.

The temple fair was near the town, only about a ten-minute walk. Since Jiang Xia needed the exercise, Zhou Chenglei didn’t drive, instead holding her hand and walking beside her.

After Wen Wan finished her phone call at the production team office, she making a point to stop by the convenience store to buy something, so as not to arouse suspicion about her call.

Zhou Li was on duty at the production team today, and Wen Wan knew she wouldn’t talk, so she felt secure.

Wen Wan stayed at the convenience store for a while, pretending to be interested in a conversation and chatting with the others before heading home.

On her way back, she thought about Zhou Chenglei’s family going to the temple fair. Worried Father Zhou might have actually gone there, she decided to stop by Uncle Gui’s house to see if he was there.

To her surprise, she ran into Zhou Bingqiang’s wife.

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife also liked to gamble and had come with another woman from the village.

The woman beside Zhou Bingqiang’s wife saw Wen Wan and pulled her in with a smile. “Xiao Wan, are you here to play too? Perfect, we need a fourth!”

Wen Wan stammered, “…No, I’m just here to find my father!”

“Your father is inside too! Come on!” The woman was strong and dragged her inside with a firm grip.

Wen Wan couldn’t break free and was forced into the house and pushed into a chair. She stood up immediately, intending to leave, but at that exact moment, the authorities arrived.

Jiang Xia and the family returned to the village after an hour or so of walking around.

As they passed the convenience store, they found it buzzing with excitement.

Jiang Xia heard someone saying, “Someone must have reported it. How else could they have been so precise? They went straight to Agui’s house as soon as they arrived!”

“Someone probably went to the production team to use the phone, right? Just ask Zhou Li!”

“Zhou Li said no one went to make a call! If someone did, wouldn’t she have told everyone? Zhou Bingqiang’s wife and Wen Wan were both caught!”

“Which black-hearted soul would do such a thing on New Year’s Day? May their sons be born without assholes!”

…

Father Zhou’s heart hammered in his chest. He stepped forward and asked, “What happened? Why is everyone so worked up?”

Someone replied, “The card players were all rounded up. This group at the convenience store was caught, and even the group at Agui’s place was taken!”

Father Zhou: “…”

Good heavens!

Fortunately, Wealth-bringer had invited him to the temple fair!

Jiang Xia was stunned. Wen Wan and Zhou Bingqiang’s wife were both arrested?

Had she misjudged her?

Jiang Xia’s first instinct had been to suspect Wen Wan of reporting the gambling.

Because she had seen her on the phone at the production team office.

Li Xiuxian’s face went pale. “What about my father? Auntie, did you see my father?”

“Your father was caught too!”

Li Xiuxian: “…”

If she had known, she would have listened to her father-in-law and dragged her father to the temple fair!

Li Xiuxian looked toward Zhou Chenglei.

But Zhou Chenglei was already leading Jiang Xia away.

He had zero interest in these matters.

Li Xiuxian scrambled to catch up.

Surely Zhou Chenglei would have a way to help, wouldn’t he?

Chapter 448: I Can Do That

Zhou Chengsen grabbed Li Xiuxian.

Li Xiuxian turned back to look at him.

Zhou Chengsen said in a heavy voice, “Your father will be fine. So many people were taken in together; they’ll be released soon. There’s no need to trouble A-Lei to find someone to help.”

Zhou Chengsen felt it was better to leave him in there to learn a lesson!

It wasn’t worth owing someone a favor over such a trivial matter!

Li Xiuxian shook off his hand. He wasn’t the one whose father was arrested, so of course he wasn’t worried!

“A-Lei!” Li Xiuxian shouted.

Jiang Xia turned around, and Zhou Chenglei followed suit.

Li Xiuxian stepped forward quickly. “A-Lei, you know a lot of people. Can you help find someone to get my father released?”

Zhou Chenglei refused flatly, “I don’t know anyone who has the power to release people.”

Li Xiuxian pressed on, “How could you not? You could just have a word with Xiao Xia’s father! Xiao Xia, please help me by speaking with your father.”

Jiang Xia wore a serious expression. “I can do that! If our relative is willing to write a self-criticism letter to be published in the newspaper and perform a self-criticism over the radio to repent publicly—using himself as a warning to the whole city never to do it again, with a penalty of one thousand yuan for any future offenses—then I can certainly speak to my father.”

Li Xiuxian: “…”

Zhou Chengsen nearly laughed. He asked Li Xiuxian, “Is your father willing?”

Li Xiuxian: “…”

This was unbelievable!

She was livid!

If they didn’t want to help, they should just say so!

If she did what Jiang Xia suggested, how could she ever show her face at work again? All the teachers at the school already knew her father had been arrested.

To prevent her from bothering his son further, Father Zhou spoke up, “In this situation, they’ll just keep them overnight for a bit of education and then let them go. it won’t be long. You can go pick him up tomorrow morning.”

Li Xiuxian naturally knew he would be released tomorrow. People in the village had been arrested before and were always let out the next morning, but all their money was always confiscated! There was no getting it back!

“But what about the money? Isn’t that money gone for good?”

Jiang Xia looked at her. “The money? Second Sister-in-law, are you worried about your father or the money?”

Tian Caihua laughed. “Of course she’s worried about the money!”

Li Xiuxian stammered, “…Of course I’m worried about my father!” But she also hoped to get the money back.

Zhou Chengsen couldn’t take it anymore. “If you’re worried about your father, pay one or two thousand yuan as a fine for serving the people, and he should be released early. Want to pay? I’ll take the money and go pay it. After all, so many villagers were locked up together; it’s hard to find someone to release just your father individually. Paying a fine is different; that counts as making amends through action and showing self-reflection. Let’s go! I’ll go with you to pay it right now!”

He had wanted to save her some face, but he couldn’t help it when she insisted on throwing it away herself.

Zhou Chengsen tried to pull her away.

Li Xiuxian: “…”

In the end, Li Xiuxian did not take out any money to redeem her father, which didn’t surprise Jiang Xia at all.

The family stopped worrying about the matter and continued celebrating the New Year happily.

The second day of the Lunar New Year was the day to visit the bride’s family.

This was Jiang Xia’s first time returning to her maiden home since the wedding, and Mother Zhou had spent the previous evening packing many New Year gifts for her to take back.

Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia got up early. They loaded bags of items into the car, then dressed Zhou Zhou in new clothes, tied her hair beautifully, and brought her along for the visit.

Zhou Chenglei drove the Jeep out of the alley, then got out to help Zhou Zhou into the back seat. After closing that door, he opened the passenger door and helped Jiang Xia into the car.

“I’ll sit in the back with Zhou Zhou.”

Zhou Chenglei insisted, “Sit in the front with me.”

The front passenger seat was comfortable; he had specifically customized it when he ordered the car to ensure it was extra cozy.

Zhou Chenglei helped Jiang Xia into the car.

Zhou Chengsen and Li Xiuxian came out just then with Zhou Ying.

Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia greeted them.

Li Xiuxian’s expression soured when she saw the bags piled in the back of the car.

When a new bride returned home for the first time, the gifts were usually prepared by the mother-in-law. When she had married into the family, the things she took back to her parents’ house hadn’t been nearly this plentiful.

Zhou Chenglei said to Zhou Chengsen, “We’re heading out now.”

Zhou Chengsen nodded.

Zhou Chenglei walked around the front of the car, got in, and drove off.

Zhou Chengsen then picked up his daughter and put her on his bicycle, riding off without waiting for Li Xiuxian.

The couple was in the middle of another cold war.

Despite the cold war, Zhou Chengsen wasn’t so tactless that he would skip visiting his parents-in-law. This was basic human decency. He also had to set a good example for his child. One couldn’t live life purely based on their own whims and emotions.

The Jeep drove down the village road.

Jiang Xia saw many villagers carrying baskets and leading their children to visit relatives. Some were on bicycles, with one child sitting in front, an adult riding, and another person on the back carrying one child and holding another.

Four people squeezed onto a single bicycle.

Yet, everyone was beaming with smiles. They had all put on their newest clothes, though most were still drab greys—just a bit cleaner and darker than usual, looking “half-new.”

As the Jeep left the village, Jiang Xia saw a group of about twenty people, including Li’s father, Wen Wan, and Zhou Bingqiang’s wife, walking back toward the village.

When Wen Wan saw the Jeep, she lowered her head, wishing she could shrink it into her collar!

It was too humiliating! She didn’t want Jiang Xia to recognize her. More importantly, she didn’t want Zhou Chenglei to see her! She had never been so disgraced!

However, the other villagers didn’t find it humiliating at all. They smiled and proactively greeted Zhou Chenglei as if they had done something honorable.

Zhou Chenglei originally intended to roll down the window, but seeing everyone’s eyes fixed on Jiang Xia, he simply honked the horn as a gesture of greeting.

Wen Wan wanted the ground to swallow her whole.

Didn’t these people feel any shame? How could they have the nerve to greet anyone?

After the Jeep passed, a woman who had pulled Wen Wan along yesterday—effectively landing her in the cage with the rest—said enviously, “Zhou Chenglei really married a good wife!”

The men present, many of whom were around Zhou Chenglei’s age or slightly older, agreed wholeheartedly. They chimed in, “You’re telling me! Marrying a good wife like that saves you decades of hard work!”

“Exactly! He’s got the big boat, the car, the house—all because of her. No need to struggle anymore!”

“The key is that the wife he married is a beauty! The best-looking woman in the whole village is Zhou Chenglei’s wife.”

“She’s got the looks, the figure, the family background, and the talent! Why haven’t I met anyone like that?”

“With your gambling habit? You want a woman with looks, figure, background, and talent? You should just treasure the wife you have for being willing to marry you!”

…

Amidst the chatter and laughter, the distance between the car and the group grew further.

Wen Wan looked back, watching the car head toward the city.

It felt as though they were different people on entirely different life trajectories. They were heading toward prosperity and success, while she was regressing further back!

She had actually ended up mixed in with this group of people!

She didn’t understand how she had ended up with this crude, uneducated, and unambitious crowd. Was it because she married the wrong man?

She shouldn’t have married so quickly. And she certainly shouldn’t have gotten pregnant with Zhou Guohua’s child.

Marriage was like a second birth; marrying the right person was crucial. She should have married a man like Zhou Chenglei.

When she came back, she should have followed the guidance of her dreams and held onto Zhou Chenglei tightly from the very start. She had known all along that he was a good man.

If only she could be reborn again!

Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei arrived at the Jiang house with Zhou Zhou.

Mother Jiang opened the door and welcomed them inside with a smile.

Father Jiang and Jiang Dong came out of the kitchen, both wearing aprons. They had been up early preparing Jiang Xia’s favorite dishes.

Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia smiled. “Dad, Jiang Dong.”

Jiang Xia crouched down, holding Zhou Zhou, and taught her to address them as Grandpa, Grandma, and Uncle.

Zhou Zhou gave a small, timid greeting, looking a bit shy.

Jiang Dong pulled off his apron and stepped forward with a laugh, scooping Zhou Zhou up and lifting her high into the air. “Uncle is going to take you to light some fireworks!”

Chapter 449: Returning to Her Mother’s House

Jiang Dong took Zhou Zhou downstairs to play.

There was a park downstairs with a small hill inside. Jiang Dong had secretly snatched Mother Jiang’s pastry board to use as a sled. He took Zhou Zhou to the park and they slid down that little hill repeatedly, not returning home for lunch until eleven o’clock.

After finishing their meal, Jiang Dong took Zhou Zhou to the city’s pedestrian street for a stroll.

They ate their way from one end of the street to the other. He bought her a bamboo dragonfly, a paper flip-flower, some maltose candy, and all sorts of other snacks and toys.

That night, Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei stayed over at the Jiang house.

The next day was the third day of the Lunar New Year. Since people generally didn’t go out to visit relatives on the third day, Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei stayed another night to spend more time with Father and Mother Jiang, planning to head home on the evening of the third.

That night, Zhou Zhou slept with Jiang Xia.

Zhou Chenglei slept in Jiang Dong’s room.

Zhou Chenglei couldn’t fall asleep no matter how hard he tried. He was worried that Zhou Zhou might accidentally kick Jiang Xia in her sleep.

Furthermore, Jiang Xia was just like a child herself, tossing and turning constantly while she slept.

With two “children” sleeping together, how could he possibly feel at ease?

Zhou Zhou, however, slept very soundly in Jiang Xia’s arms.

Her Auntie smelled wonderful, just like sweet candy.

Jiang Dong asked Zhou Chenglei, “Brother-in-law, can’t sleep?”

“Mm.”

Zhou Chenglei recalled seeing Ye Xian last time and asked him, “Has your former girlfriend come looking for you again? Have you seen her?”

Jiang Dong: “…”

Was he trying to make sure Jiang Dong couldn’t sleep just because he couldn’t?

Why did he have to bring this up every few days?

“No.”

Zhou Chenglei added, “This is a critical year for your father. Be careful in everything you do, and don’t let others lead you into a trap.”

“I know.”

Was he really that unreliable?

His mother had nagged him every single day before the New Year. Now, in the middle of the holiday, his brother-in-law was lecturing him in the middle of the night.

Zhou Chenglei didn’t say much more.

A person grows through their own experiences and setbacks; it isn’t something that happens just because the people around them say a few words.

Early the next morning, after breakfast and once the sun had come out, it was Father Jiang’s turn to take Zhou Zhou out to play.

Inside the government kindergarten, there was a slide. It was a concrete structure with a surface made of washed stone, making it very smooth and sturdy.

Father Jiang spoke with the security guard at the gate and took Zhou Zhou inside.

Many elderly residents of the residential compound would bring their children here to play.

Several children were already playing inside.

Father Jiang gave each of the children a red envelope.

Zhou Zhou had never played on a slide before. Throughout the morning, she went up and down dozens of times with the other children without ever getting tired of it.

Father Jiang looked like any ordinary grandfather, sitting there chatting with the other seniors from the residential compound while keeping a watchful eye on his granddaughter.

This was the first time in Zhou Zhou’s memory that she had visited her “Grandpa” and “Grandma” during the New Year.

In previous years, her older brothers and sisters would all go to their own maternal grandparents’ houses, leaving her to play at home by herself.

She hadn’t realized that going to Grandma’s house could be so much fun and so happy. No wonder her brothers always liked going to their maternal grandparents’ homes during the New Year.

In the afternoon, Father Jiang saw that Zhou Zhou still wanted to play, so he took her back again.

After waking up from her nap, Jiang Xia grabbed the camera and headed over with Zhou Chenglei.

When Jiang Xia saw that long slide, she noticed how sturdy it looked—it wasn’t like modern plastic versions.

She felt a bit of an itch to try it herself.

Father Jiang saw through his daughter’s thoughts with a single glance. “Don’t even think about it. Wait until after the baby is born, then you can bring them here to play!”

She was about to be a mother, yet she was still so playful.

Zhou Chenglei took Jiang Xia’s hand and said nothing.

As evening approached, Father Jiang took Zhou Zhou home first because she needed to use the restroom.

Zhou Chenglei said to Jiang Xia, “Why don’t you sit on my lap and I’ll take you down?”

Jiang Xia was shocked. “But there are still other kids around.”

Zhou Chenglei didn’t say a word. He pulled out some red envelopes and gave them to the remaining children, telling them to go to the convenience store to buy some treats. This effectively cleared the area of the remaining kids.

Then, he carried Jiang Xia up and they slid down together.

The couple played two or three times before the children came running back. The kids were stunned to see the two adults hugging each other as they went down the slide.

Blushing, Jiang Xia grabbed Zhou Chenglei and ran, but the smile on her face was impossible to suppress.

Seeing her so happy, Zhou Chenglei’s eyes sparked with warmth and joy.

The following evening, Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei headed home after dinner.

Tomorrow, they had to visit relatives at Zhou Chenglei’s Great-Uncle’s house.

They had arrived with bags of gifts, but they were leaving with even more.

Jiang Xia asked Jiang Dong, “Xiao Dong, do you want to come back to the village with us? We’re going to A-Lei’s maternal family home the day after tomorrow, and we can go up the mountain to dig for bamboo shoots.”

Mother Jiang immediately urged him, “Go! You have nothing to do at home anyway. Your father and I won’t have time to look after you starting tomorrow!”

Zhou Chenglei glanced at Mother Jiang.

Jiang Dong was speechless. How could she say he had nothing to do? He had brought back many professional books that he hadn’t finished reading yet!

Besides, during this winter break, he had already learned how to cook several dishes that Xiao Yan and his sister liked; he was perfectly capable of taking care of himself.

However, Jiang Dong was still a young man who loved to have fun and wanted to go digging for bamboo shoots with his sister. With his sister not at home this New Year, the house felt a bit lonely. He hesitated, saying, “But I have a class reunion to attend on the evening of the sixth.”

Mother Jiang asked, “Didn’t you just attend a reunion right after you got back?”

Jiang Dong replied, “That was for middle school. The one on the sixth is for high school.”

Mother Jiang asked again, “Will Ye Xian be at the high school reunion? Didn’t you two first meet at a high school reunion?”

Although she hadn’t seen Ye Xian the past few days—likely because she had gone home for the holiday—Mother Jiang was afraid that if Jiang Dong stayed home, he would eventually be pestered by her again.

Nowadays, she didn’t even dare let Jiang Dong go downstairs to take out the trash!

Mother Jiang only had these few days of free time to watch over Jiang Dong. Starting tomorrow, both she and Old Jiang had work schedules and wouldn’t have time to mind him.

Father Jiang and Jiang Xia both glanced at Mother Jiang.

Jiang Dong: “…”

Here she goes again!

“I don’t know. We didn’t go to the same high school.”

Jiang Dong didn’t even know Ye Xian during high school, but she had attended his high school reunion because one of his classmates brought a cousin, and that cousin brought Ye Xian along.

That was the first time he had met Ye Xian, but she hadn’t left an impression on him.

It wasn’t until the second time they met, when he was taking the train to the capital for school, that they happened to be in the same carriage. Ye Xian had taken the initiative to greet him, and at the time, he couldn’t even remember who she was. It was only when she mentioned the reunion that he remembered there was such a person, but he hadn’t paid any attention to what she looked like, so he felt a bit embarrassed.

Mother Jiang said, “Didn’t you attend a high school reunion during the summer break? Why do you need to attend so many in one year? Once a year is enough. Don’t go to this one! Go play with your sister and brother-in-law! There are a lot of people on your sister’s side, and one car won’t be enough to fit everyone. You drive there so you can help transport some people.”

Father Jiang had originally wanted to tell Mother Jiang not to meddle so much—the boy was grown now, yet she was forbidding this and that.

Even if he ran into Ye Xian, so what? She wasn’t some kind of monster; what was there to fear?

But hearing Mother Jiang’s final point, Father Jiang said, “It wouldn’t hurt for Xiao Dong to go have some fun with your sister and brother-in-law.”

Jiang Dong nodded. “Fine! Then I’ll go with Sis to visit relatives and dig for bamboo shoots.”

Jiang Dong also thought about how he might run into Ye Xian at the reunion and decided he didn’t want to go anymore. It wasn’t that he feared Ye Xian; he just didn’t want Xiao Yan to be unhappy.

As for his high school friends, he could just invite the few he was close with out for a meal or keep in touch via letters. It didn’t matter if he missed the big gathering.

Jiang Xia said, “Then pack a few clothes and come home with us!”

“Okay!” Jiang Dong went to pack his bags.

After Father and Mother Jiang saw their daughter and son-in-law off and returned home, Father Jiang asked Mother Jiang, “Did you see Ye Xian again these past two days?”

Chapter 450: The Past

Mother Jiang said, “No, I’m just worried that while we aren’t home, she’ll come looking for Jiang Dong.”

Father Jiang replied, “So what if she does? Don’t let her influence you! I don’t think she’s looking for Jiang Dong; she’s looking for you. If she wanted to find him, she would have seen him long ago! He goes for a run every single day.”

Mother Jiang was stunned. “…Why look for me?”

Father Jiang couldn’t guess the real reason either. He didn’t know if she just wanted to see them, planned to seek revenge, was being used by someone else, or had some other motive he couldn’t imagine.

“Maybe she just wanted to see you, or maybe she wants revenge. Perhaps she’s being manipulated, or it’s something else entirely. Regardless, you’ve let her make you nervous these past few days. Even if she finds Jiang Dong, so what? What are you afraid of? He has a good head on his shoulders. Don’t let her use you.”

Ye Xian should never have harmed Xiaxia.

Xiaxia was Jiang Dong’s bottom line. Any hope Ye Xian had of reconciling with him was gone.

Father Jiang wasn’t worried about Jiang Dong; he was worried about Mother Jiang.

Mother Jiang: “…”

That seemed to be the case!

Why was she so nervous? What was there to fear?

On the way home, Jiang Xia went to ride in Jiang Dong’s car.

Zhou Chenglei didn’t approve.

However, Zhou Chenglei’s disapproval usually carried little weight. He was helpless against Jiang Xia and always ended up giving in to her wishes.

Highly uneasy, Zhou Chenglei drove in front to lead the way.

How long had it even been since Jiang Dong got his driver’s license? He didn’t even get to drive much at school. On top of that, it was getting dark, and the road was uneven.

How could he possibly feel at ease?

But Zhou Chenglei knew Jiang Xia had something to say to Jiang Dong, so he let her finish her talk first.

Driving behind his brother-in-law’s car, Jiang Dong felt very frustrated. “Sis, does Brother-in-law usually drive this slowly when he takes you out?”

This snail’s pace—a bicycle could go faster than him!

“No, he’s probably afraid you won’t be able to keep up.”

Jiang Dong: “…”

Did he think he was a pig? How could he not keep up with this? Even if he were a pig walking on four legs, he’d be able to keep up!

“Sis, if you have something to say, say it quickly. When you’re done, go back to Brother-in-law’s car!” Jiang Dong couldn’t take it anymore.

Jiang Xia asked directly, “Has Ye Xian looked for you?”

Since Jiang Dong and Jiang Xia shared everything, he answered, “No, but Mom spotted her two or three times. Mom is just too tense; she’s been nagging me about it every day. You have no idea how much she rambles!”

While his sister was away, his mother’s “chanting” skills were all directed at him. Life was too hard!

Jiang Xia filtered out the nonsense. “Could it be that she’s making Mom nervous on purpose?”

“…”

Jiang Dong asked, “Why would she do that?”

Jiang Xia suggested, “Revenge?”

Jiang Dong: “…That sounds like something she would do! But if she wants revenge, why go for Mom and not me?”

Jiang Xia said, “There are many possible reasons… First, tell me how you and Ye Xian met.”

Jiang Dong replied, “Haven’t I told you before?”

Jiang Xia said, “…Pregnancy brain lasts for three years; I’ve forgotten some parts. Tell me in more detail. I want to know the specifics, starting from the first time you met.”

In the original story, Ye Xian was one of the primary reasons for the Jiang family’s downfall. The timeline for that disaster hadn’t passed yet, so Jiang Xia couldn’t afford to be careless.

Thus, Jiang Dong recounted it for her once more. “The first time I met her was at a high school reunion. She was a friend of my classmate’s cousin. I didn’t pay much attention to her then. Later, when I took the train to the capital for university, we were in the same carriage. I didn’t even recognize her, but she called out my name…”

During the several days of travel, Ye Xian had talked a lot. It had distracted him from his books, but his good upbringing forced him to respond, so they talked the whole way.

When they got off, he politely helped her with her luggage. Thanks to her talkativeness, she knew their schools were close to each other. Clad in a heavy cotton coat, she couldn’t squeeze onto a bus. Seeing that he was about to take a taxi, she ran over and asked if they could share.

Thinking her school was near his, he agreed.

Seeing that her shoes were practically falling apart, he didn’t ask her for money and dropped her off directly at her school.

The next time they met was at a noodle shop he frequently visited; he was eating with a roommate.

The classmates around her actually misunderstood and thought he was her boyfriend.

Taking advantage of a moment when others weren’t looking, she apologized in a low voice. She explained that it was because her roommates saw them getting out of a taxi together and misunderstood their relationship. She claimed she had already explained things, but they didn’t believe her.

At the time, Jiang Dong had simply said it was fine as long as things were clear.

Then, because the other tables in the noodle shop were full, his roommate invited Ye Xian and her friends to sit at their table.

After finishing the noodles, when it came time to pay, Ye Xian’s money was gone. That time, it happened to be her turn to treat her roommates.

She secretly asked to borrow money from him, saying she was afraid her roommates would think she was doing it on purpose. She also claimed she had lost her living expenses for the entire semester. She asked him to settle the bill first and said she would pay him back once she earned money from a part-time job.

Since she was a friend of his classmate’s cousin and a fellow hometown local, and seeing that she was clearly from a poor background—literally red-eyed and on the verge of tears from losing her money—Jiang Dong paid the bill. The amount wasn’t much, and he even lent her twenty yuan.

As a result of that incident, even his roommate began to think Ye Xian was his girlfriend.

He explained that she wasn’t—that they were just from the same hometown. Seeing his serious expression, the roommate believed him.

But after that, he started seeing Ye Xian everywhere—the library, the canteen, the noodle shop. It felt as if they were intentionally going everywhere together as a couple. Eventually, everyone around them thought Ye Xian was his girlfriend, and even a senior professor (who was his father’s teacher) happened to run into them.

Later, on Ye Xian’s birthday, she invited people from two dormitories to celebrate. He intended to clear things up in front of everyone. However, Ye Xian confessed her feelings in front of the whole group. While he was still thinking of how to reject her, someone immediately shouted, “Silence is consent!” and “Jiang Dong is just shy.”

Ye Xian then rushed forward, grabbed his arm, and kissed him. Smiling shyly at the crowd, she said, “Thank you all for being witnesses!”

The crowd went wild!

He was completely stunned! He never imagined Ye Xian would be so bold.

Then, Ye Xian shyly ran off to play with her roommates, and he never found another chance to speak clearly.

Jiang Dong had originally thought about finding her in private to talk, but upon returning to his dormitory, he received a call from his mother. She said his father’s teacher had called his father and mentioned in passing that he was seeing someone at school, asking if it was true.

His mother told him to be careful about his conduct issues. It was fine to date seriously, but he shouldn’t behave like a hooligan or ruin a girl’s reputation since the whole world already knew about it.

Afterward, Ye Xian was always busy. Every time he went to find her to clear things up, he couldn’t see her. He never got the chance. Meanwhile, everyone became even more convinced that he liked Ye Xian because he was going to her school to find her every day. The misunderstanding only grew.

In his desperate search to find Ye Xian and settle things, he stumbled upon her being bullied in an alley. He stepped in and rescued her.

After it was over, Ye Xian clung to him and sobbed uncontrollably. Just then, his father’s teacher and several students happened to walk by and saw them.

At that point, even jumping into the Yellow River wouldn’t have washed him clean.

Jiang Dong then thought about how Ye Xian had kissed him in front of so many people, and now they were hugging. If he rejected her now, would it count as behaving like a hooligan? Would it be a conduct issue?

So, he stopped trying to clarify and started taking care of her as his girlfriend.

As Jiang Dong reached the end of his story, he suddenly froze, as if struck by a thought.

Chapter 451: Wishful Thinking

After listening, Jiang Xia asked, “Are you close with that high school classmate who took Ye Xian to the reunion?”

Jiang Dong wasn’t surprised that Jiang Xia asked this. “Not really, just an average classmate. Neither good nor bad. We were in the same class in high school. I was always first in the grade, and he was always second.”

With a slightly cold expression, he answered the question his sister hadn’t yet voiced: “His uncle—his cousin’s father—is in the same workplace as our father. His mother is the vice manager of the garment factory. Wait, you know him and his cousin too, don’t you? Weren’t you always dislike those siblings since we were kids?”

Jiang Xia didn’t know them at all!

“Yeah, I don’t like them!” Seeing that Jiang Dong understood her point, she didn’t say much more, only adding, “Think carefully about the people you and Ye Xian both know. Cut ties with whoever you need to, and be careful with the rest.”

“Yeah,” Jiang Dong replied.

Jiang Xia suddenly asked, “The way you’re dating Xiao Yan isn’t also because of…”

Jiang Dong grew anxious. “No! Sis, don’t talk nonsense! I really like Xiao Yan!”

He now knew the difference between a relationship based on responsibility and one based on genuine affection.

When he was dating Ye Xian, he was afraid of her closeness. Whenever she initiated any intimacy, he instinctively wanted to pull away.

When he was busy with experiments, they wouldn’t see each other for ten days or two weeks, and he wouldn’t miss her at all.

But now, he loved Xiao Yan’s closeness. Whenever she drew near, his heart would go thump-thump. He wanted to see her every day, and even when he couldn’t, he wanted to hear her voice.

He would think of Xiao Yan when he ate and when he slept. Whenever he had a free moment, she filled his mind; his heart was set on her.

Just being by her side made him happy.

Jiang Xia: “…”

“Alright, fine, I won’t say it. What’s the rush?”

Met with his sister’s teasing gaze, Jiang Dong felt a bit embarrassed. He honked the horn and brought the car to a stop.

“Sis, Brother-in-law is driving too slowly. Why don’t you go sit in his car? If this keeps up, we won’t get home even by dawn!”

Ahead of them, Zhou Chenglei immediately braked and hopped out. In a second, he reached the passenger side of the rear car and opened the door, looking at Jiang Xia. “Do you want to come sit in the front?”

Jiang Dong: “…”

He knew it! His brother-in-law was driving like a snail just because he wanted his sister to accompany him!

Brothers-in-law were truly an unlikable species sometimes.

Jiang Xia glared at him. “You were driving like that just for this, weren’t you?”

Zhou Chenglei reached out both hands to help her out. “I was worried Jiang Dong couldn’t keep up. He only recently learned to drive and doesn’t have much skill.”

Jiang Dong: “…”

“Brother-in-law, please close the door. I’m going to practice my driving skills now!”

That was too much! Who was he looking down on?

Zhou Chenglei put his arm around Jiang Xia’s waist, which had thickened quite a bit, stepped back a few paces, and closed the car door.

Jiang Dong drove off immediately!

Zhou Chenglei led Jiang Xia back to his own car.

He felt more at ease taking care of his own wife himself.

Once back beside Zhou Chenglei, Jiang Xia shared her suspicions with him to see what he thought.

Zhou Chenglei said, “Let Jiang Dong figure it out and handle it himself. We’ll help if he runs into trouble.”

On the fourth day of the New Year, Jiang Xia’s family went to visit Great-Uncle.

Jiang Dong acted as the driver for the group.

The car Zhou Chenglei drove carried Jiang Xia, Zhou Zhou, Zhou Ying, and the four boys—Guangzong, Yaozu, and the others.

The children were all scrambling to sit in the car belonging to their Uncle and Auntie.

Consequently, Jiang Dong’s car carried Father Zhou, Mother Zhou, Tian Caihua, Zhou Chengxin, Zhou Chengsen, and Li Xiuxian.

Along the way, Tian Caihua and Li Xiuxian kept asking about things at the university in the capital and how Jiang Dong had managed to get in.

Li Xiuxian looked at the handsome Jiang Dong and said with a smile, “Xiaodong, my cousin is very beautiful and has a gentle personality. How about I introduce her to you?”

Zhou Chengsen interjected, “Give it a rest! Xiaodong already has a girlfriend.”

Jiang Dong was stunned for a moment. On the day of his sister’s housewarming, he had come with Xiao Yan. He didn’t expect his sister’s Second Sister-in-law to still say something like that.

He smiled and said, “I do indeed have a girlfriend. You’ve met her, Sister-in-law—it’s Comrade Xiao Yan.”

Li Xiuxian knew Jiang Dong had a girlfriend, of course, but she wanted to keep the good fortune within her own circle!

She added, “It’s just dating, it’s not like you’re married. You can see a few more girls and then pick the best one to marry!”

Zhou Chengsen retorted, “You’re right. Back when people were introducing girls to me, why didn’t I know to tell my mom to let me see a few more? So I could pick the best one!”

Li Xiuxian: “…”

Tian Caihua sneered. A toad lusting after swan meat!

Trying to set up her cousin with Jiang Dong?

Was her cousin even worthy?

Pure wishful thinking!

An hour later, they reached the village where Great-Uncle lived.

As Jiang Dong drove past the village entrance, he stared at the characters carved into a stone and hesitated.

Could this be Ye Xian’s village?

He remembered Ye Xian saying her village was called Ye Village.

He asked, “Are we going to Ye Village?”

Father Zhou replied, “No, we’re going to Leiwu Village, just a bit further in. There are many villages in this area—some surnames are Ye, some are Xu, some are Lei, some are Tan. There are quite a lot.”

“Oh.” It didn’t really matter either way. If it was, he would just mention it when he called Xiao Yan.

Ye Xian stepped out of her house to pick vegetables in the garden when she spotted two Jeeps in the distance.

Her first instinct was that Jiang Dong had come to find her.

But how could it be Jiang Dong?

He wouldn’t have any relatives to visit around here.

She was curious which neighbor had such prestigious relatives that they would arrive in two Jeeps for a visit.

But it was only a fleeting curiosity, and she didn’t pay it much mind.

Zhou Chenglei’s Great-Uncle had planted a small plot of green-skinned sugarcane this year.

In the past, they only grew a few stalks in the vegetable garden to satisfy the children’s cravings, but they had planted more this year.

Most of it had been sold, but they had specifically left two rows.

Every year when the Zhou family visited, Great-Aunt would bring the children to the sugarcane field to cut some to eat.

They didn’t really have anything else special to entertain them with.

So, this year was no exception.

This was the first time Jiang Dong had seen a sugarcane field. Row upon row of sugarcane stood like bamboo, or perhaps like soldiers in a neat formation. He found it quite novel.

Great-Aunt cut down several stalks and chopped them into sections to distribute.

She first handed them to Jiang Dong, Jiang Xia, and Zhou Chenglei. “You probably haven’t eaten the sugarcane I grow, have you? Hurry and try some. I specifically saved the best ones for you. This year’s cane is exceptionally sweet.”

Li Xiuxian glanced at Great-Aunt.

In previous years, whenever Great-Aunt distributed sugarcane, she always gave it to their family of three first.

The three of them accepted the sugarcane with both hands and offered their thanks.

Holding the sugarcane, Jiang Dong asked Jiang Xia in a low voice, “How do you eat this without peeling it?”

Ever since they were young, the sugarcane they ate had always been peeled beforehand.

Jiang Xia bit down directly on the skin. With a forceful tug of her hand—zip—a long strip of the sugarcane skin was peeled away.

Jiang Dong: “…”

His sister was so down-to-earth; she really followed the local customs!

Jiang Dong had no choice but to follow her lead and use his teeth.

But this green sugarcane was so hard!

Jiang Dong found it difficult to bite through, but the juice he got from just a small bite was incredibly sweet.

Having been left until now to be eaten, the sugarcane was fully matured and therefore exceptionally sweet.

Zhou Chenglei bit off the skin of his own piece and handed it to her, swapping with her.

Mother Zhou also grew some, and Jiang Xia loved eating green sugarcane.

Green sugarcane was tastier and lighter than black sugarcane. It wasn’t that black sugarcane wasn’t sweet, but the sweetness of the green variety was cleaner; you’d know the difference once you tasted both.

However, green sugarcane was more “cooling” in nature than black sugarcane. Since Jiang Xia was pregnant, Mother Zhou told her not to eat too much.

Even though it was hard, Jiang Dong ate three pieces in a row and reached for a fourth.

Jiang Xia warned him, “Don’t eat too much at once. Wipe the corners of your mouth clean after you’re done, or you’ll easily get sores.”

Jiang Dong, who had just taken a bite of a new piece: “…”

Why didn’t you say so earlier?

Ye Xian quietly approached, hiding in the cassava field. She watched Jiang Dong gnawing on sugarcane, her eyes full of shock.

It really was Jiang Dong!

Was Jiang Dong actually related to the people of Leiwu Village?

Chapter 452: Refusing to Help

Ye Xian did not show herself to Jiang Dong. After confirming his presence from a distance, she turned to leave.

She needed to make a phone call to find out exactly what kind of relatives Jiang Dong had in Leiwu Village.

Having only been dating Jiang Dong for a few months, Ye Xian knew nothing about the Jiang family or their affairs, and Jiang Dong never spoke to her about them. Her classmates had known she was dating him, yet none of them had ever told her about his family background.

The person on the other end of the line said, “I don’t know. Just ask around in the village. Two Jeeps entering the village? There must be a lot of people talking about it!”

“Should I go see Jiang Dong then?”

“What’s there to see now? If you see him now, he’ll think you’re haunting him. It won’t be too late to see him on the night of the sixth.”

“Alright.”

Ye Xian agreed, feeling a sense of anticipation for tomorrow night.

The children were eating sugarcane. Great-Aunt kept chopping more, and Zhou Chenglei joined in to help her.

Jiang Dong also hurried over to assist.

Great-Aunt said with a smile, “A-Lei, you haven’t eaten the sugarcane Great-Aunt grows in many years, have you?”

“It’s been over a decade,” Zhou Chenglei replied.

After joining the military, he hadn’t spent a single Lunar New Year at home.

Great-Aunt chopped down an entire row of sugarcane and tied them into two large bundles. “I specifically saved this row for you. Take these two bundles home. Xiao Xia loves them.”

Zhou Chenglei demurred, “We don’t need that many. I’ll just take two stalks.”

“Take more. You haven’t had any in so many years, consider this making up for lost time. One bundle is for you to eat, and give the other to Xiao Dong to take back for your father-in-law and mother-in-law to taste. These two rows were grown using peanut cake fertilizer; they’re exceptionally sweet.”

As soon as Jiang Dong had arrived, he had secretly slipped two red envelopes to her and the old man, each containing 100 yuan.

Xiao Xia had given them red envelopes as well, also 100 yuan each.

In the past, whenever A-Lei came home on leave, he would always visit and give them 20 or 30 yuan.

Great-Aunt had nothing grand to give them in return, so she could only give them as much sugarcane as they could carry.

Great-Aunt gave Zhou Chenglei two full bundles, whereas she only gave the first and second branches two or three stalks each. From the two rows of sugarcane, only a few stalks remained, which were saved for other relatives who might visit.

After chopping the sugarcane, Great-Aunt took them to dig up cassava.

Li Xiuxian and Tian Caihua followed behind, each holding two stalks of sugarcane.

Li Xiuxian stared at the two bundles of sugarcane Jiang Dong was carrying on his shoulder.

Great-Aunt’s favoritism was far too obvious!

She whispered to Tian Caihua, “Great-Aunt is so pragmatic! It’s like we aren’t even her relatives!”

Tian Caihua retorted, “I saw Xiao Xia and Xiao Dong give Great-Aunt and Great-Uncle a thick red envelope each. What did you give?”

Li Xiuxian remained silent.

Great-Aunt had a patch of cassava, and she dug up enough to fill several large woven sacks—one for each family.

The field was uneven, so Zhou Chenglei focused on holding Jiang Xia’s hand as they walked, carrying nothing.

Jiang Dong, however, had the two bundles of sugarcane tied together on one shoulder and a woven sack of cassava in each hand.

If his father had let him slack off on his training for even one day, he wouldn’t have been able to carry all this!

Was his brother-in-law only bringing him along to act as manual labor?

After finishing lunch at Great-Aunt’s house, the family prepared to head home.

Great-Uncle and Great-Aunt had raised two sons, and their two nephews (referred to as cousins) each had two or three sons of their own, not counting the daughters who had married out.

Consequently, Zhou Chenglei had a small army of cousins here, and drinking was inevitable during the meal.

They had to set out five tables just to seat everyone.

The adults and children sat separately, as did the drinkers and non-drinkers.

Zhou Chenglei was accustomed to not drinking when he had to drive, so he used an ear ache as an excuse to abstain.

Even though he wasn’t drinking, they still sat him and Jiang Dong at the main table. No one blamed him for not participating; the group of cousins and uncles was incredibly hospitable toward him.

Since that table was all men, Jiang Xia sat with the cousins’ wives.

Among the various daughters-in-law, everyone was most enthusiastic toward Jiang Xia, especially the Eldest Cousin’s wife.

Tian Caihua leaned into Jiang Xia’s ear and whispered, “Eldest Cousin’s wife wants you to help her daughter find a match. Her oldest daughter, Zhen, just graduated from middle school last year. They wanted to ask you during the housewarming party, but you were too busy, and she couldn’t find an opening.”

Halfway through the meal, Eldest Cousin’s wife indeed spoke up. “Xiao Xia, my eldest daughter, A-Zhen, graduated from middle school last year. Do you know any young men you could introduce her to? My requirements aren’t high: just someone steady and hardworking with a good temper. Ideally, he should work in a government unit, and if he’s from the city, that would be even better.”

Hearing this, Great-Aunt interjected, “You want someone from the city with a unit job, and you call those requirements ‘not high’? Look at our family’s situation. Xiao Xia, don’t mind her. Just find someone steady, hardworking, and kind-tempered. Those city boys from the units won’t look twice at us! Someone from the village or town is fine.”

Eldest Cousin’s wife was frustrated to death by her mother-in-law. If she wanted a girl from the village, she could have asked Tian Caihua; why ask Jiang Xia?

Didn’t Tian Caihua know the village boys better than Jiang Xia?

Did this old woman even want her granddaughter to have a better life?

Her daughter was beautiful, the prettiest girl in the village. Naturally, she wanted to find her someone good, someone with a stable job, so she wouldn’t have to worry for the rest of her life.

Only those with unit jobs received pensions when they retired. Plus, there was always the chance to get the daughter a job within the unit too. Once she retired, her children could even take over her position! Then many generations would never have to worry about work.

Mother Zhou thought of Zhou Guodong. “There’s a young man in our village who is very hardworking and filial. His family even has a small boat. They’re a bit poor right now because his father was kicked by a pig while taking it to be slaughtered and had to be hospitalized. They’ve racked up some debt, but since they have a boat, their future won’t be bad. He’s a truly good man! Good-tempered and diligent! He’s handsome too, about 1.7 meters tall. It’s just that his father is still in the hospital. Once his father is discharged, shall I introduce him to A-Zhen?”

Zhou Kangping was also a good man, but given his leg disability, Mother Zhou felt it wouldn’t be appropriate to suggest him.

Great-Aunt agreed, “That sounds good! They can meet.”

“What’s good about that?” Eldest Cousin’s wife snapped. “The father had to borrow money for the hospital and is buried in debt. I’d be terrified that my daughter would have to help pay it off if she married him!”

Great-Aunt shook her head. “A marriage should be between families of equal standing. If our family is too far below theirs, she’ll only be bullied and looked down upon later.”

Eldest Cousin’s wife countered, “Who doesn’t have to put up with some attitude after marriage? Isn’t it better to marry a man of status?”

She was still set on a husband from a government unit. “Cousin, let’s forget about the one you mentioned. No need to see him. Xiao Xia, please try to find someone with a unit job. A country boy or a city boy, it doesn’t matter, as long as he has a stable unit job.”

In this era, most people married through introductions from relatives, friends, or neighbors. Very few married for love on their own.

Many couples married after only meeting a few times, hardly knowing each other.

Jiang Xia wasn’t surprised that someone was asking her to play matchmaker; that was the nature of the social environment.

She glanced at Lei Yuzhen at the opposite table. The young girl was fair-featured and quite pretty, though her skin was a bit dark from farm work, which was common for village children.

However, she had only just graduated from middle school, meaning she wasn’t even eighteen. Furthermore, Jiang Xia had no interest in being a matchmaker.

Jiang Xia didn’t mince words and gave a direct, smiling refusal. “Eldest Cousin’s wife, you’ve asked the wrong person. I don’t know many people, and I haven’t heard of anyone around me looking for a partner. Besides, I’m a poor judge of character. I’m afraid I’d make a bad match and create a resentful couple—I’d never forgive myself. So, I don’t do introductions for anyone. Please don’t come to me for matchmaking. I see that Yuzhen is still young; take your time looking, and I’m sure you’ll find a great match for her.”

Chapter 453: Brother-in-law’s Wimpy Side

Upon hearing Jiang Xia’s words, Eldest Cousin’s wife said, “She didn’t start primary school until she was nine, so she’s eighteen this year. That’s not young! She’s already graduated from middle school, so she’s old enough to start dating. If you won’t introduce anyone, then ask your brother. He must have plenty of high school or university classmates who aren’t married yet, right? If the conditions are good, it doesn’t matter if she has to marry far away. Though, someone from this city would be best. Do your father or mother have any colleagues with sons looking for a wife? As long as they have a job in a government unit, it doesn’t matter if they’re a dozen years older than A-Zhen. Isn’t A-Lei a lot older than you? He’s more than ten years older, right? Look how much he dotes on you! Older men know how to take care of people! As long as they can earn money and look after the family, it’s fine!”

“…”

Zhou Chenglei was sitting right behind Jiang Xia. Hearing this, he immediately turned his head to look at her.

Who was over a decade older! His age on the household register was recorded as two years older than his actual age, so even then, he was only nine years older than Jiang Xia.

In reality, he was only seven years older.

The way Eldest Cousin’s wife put it, someone who didn’t know better would think he had lied to make himself look younger on his registration!

Sure enough, when Jiang Dong heard this, he couldn’t help but look at him and whisper, “Brother-in-law, is the age on your household register actually younger or older than your real age?”

Being seven years older was already a bit much, but over a decade? Even Jiang Dong would find that distasteful!

No wonder his brother-in-law’s cold expression was a perfect match for his own father’s!

Zhou Chenglei: “…”

Ignoring Jiang Dong, he turned back and spoke directly to Eldest Cousin’s wife. “Eldest Cousin’s wife, Xiaxia doesn’t know how to matchmake for people. She’s young; what does she know about these things? You should find someone with more experience. Don’t put her on the spot. Neither we as a couple nor my parents-in-law do this kind of thing. Even Jiang Dong finds his own dates. You should look for someone with experience!”

Jiang Dong immediately nodded in agreement. “That’s right, Eldest Cousin’s wife. I found my own partner too.”

Eldest Cousin’s wife: “…”

He was a university student, and at the most famous university in the country at that, with a good family background. Of course it was easy for him to find a good partner.

How could he understand the difficulties faced by poor families like theirs?

But since it had been put that way, Eldest Cousin’s wife couldn’t say anything more.

She had thought that having a powerful and wealthy relative would help her daughter secure a good marriage, but she hadn’t expected them to be so unwilling to help!

Second Cousin’s wife waited for them to finish before asking her sister-in-law, “Eldest Sister-in-law, are you really not going to consider the person Cousin’s wife introduced?”

“I won’t consider it.”

“Then I’ll introduce him to my eldest niece.”

“If you like.”

Second Cousin’s wife then turned to Mother Zhou. “Cousin’s wife, my own niece is twenty this year. Is that young man you mentioned really as good-tempered as you say? How about introducing him to my niece? My niece is very hardworking and filial. She’s a good girl, and her looks aren’t bad either; her family is just a bit poor.”

Mother Zhou remembered seeing the niece during a past visit. She seemed pretty enough, pleasant to look at, with a round face that suggested good fortune. She asked, “Is the niece you’re talking about A-Ling?”

“Yes, Xu Ling, from Xu Village. My brother and his wife had seven children, and it hasn’t been easy raising so many. All seven of them went to school, so the family is a bit poor, but my eldest niece is truly filial and very capable. Once you see her, you’ll know she’s quite pretty.”

“Then after the New Year, I’ll ask my sister-in-law. There are three brothers in that family, and all three are quite good. The wives the two older brothers married are also decent and easy to get along with. It’s just that their father got injured this time and borrowed money from our family, but we aren’t in a hurry for them to pay it back…”

Tian Caihua also loved playing matchmaker and chimed in to help sell the idea. “They have a boat in the family, so what’s there to fear about marrying in? With a bit of luck, a debt of a thousand or so could be paid off in a month.”

Several of them began discussing the matter enthusiastically, while others added a few comments here and there.

Everyone loved talking about these topics.

Jiang Xia didn’t interrupt, focusing solely on eating.

During the meal, Zhou Chenglei looked at Jiang Xia dozens of times. Seeing her eating with such gusto and finishing a fair amount of food, he finally felt at ease.

The lunch, filled with eating and drinking, didn’t end until after three in the afternoon.

Over the past few days, Jiang Xia had seen too many people heading home from visiting relatives while tipsy.

In this era, although there was no such thing as “drunk driving” laws, Jiang Dong had drunk a small glass of wine, so Jiang Xia absolutely refused to let him drive.

Jiang Xia wanted to drive herself.

Zhou Chenglei hadn’t expected Jiang Xia to be so strict, not even letting Jiang Dong drive after just one small glass.

If he had known, he wouldn’t have let Jiang Dong drink!

But there was no medicine for regret.

And so, he drove his vehicle in front, carefully leading the way.

His speed was even slower than the last time.

Jiang Xia watched as every single person on a bicycle passed her, each one turning their head to look at her.

This snail’s pace was incredibly frustrating!

She hadn’t even driven this slowly when she was first learning.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Jiang Dong chuckled. “Sis, you need to practice more. Look how nervous you’re making Brother-in-law!”

Jiang Xia didn’t say a word.

Once they reached the main road—a gravel path that was relatively level—Jiang Xia jerked the steering wheel and overtook him.

She took the lead.

Jiang Dong: “…”

Zhou Chenglei: “…”

Everyone in the car instinctively reached for something to hold onto and braced themselves.

In truth, Jiang Xia wasn’t driving that fast; one couldn’t go very fast on these roads anyway.

She was going between 30 to 50 km/h, never exceeding 60 km/h.

It was about the same speed Zhou Chenglei had been going on the way there.

But everyone was terrified!

They were all spooked by her sudden overtaking maneuver just now!

They were afraid she would just floor the accelerator and go flying off regardless of anything.

Jiang Dong gripped the handle on the ceiling tightly: Brother-in-law, hurry up and get back in front to lead the way!

He didn’t dare sit in his sister’s car anymore!

The way his sister drove was way too reckless!

Zhou Chenglei was even more terrified, but he didn’t dare overtake her back. He could only follow behind at a steady pace.

With great difficulty, they finally reached home. When Jiang Dong got out of the car, his legs felt like jelly.

I’m never drinking again!

Zhou Chenglei quickly parked and went over to help Jiang Xia out of the car, his face slightly pale.

Jiang Xia asked, “How was my driving?”

Zhou Chenglei: “…Very good.”

Jiang Dong glanced at his brother-in-law’s wimpy look.

Jiang Xia smiled. “Right? I think I drive very well too. Tomorrow when we go to Grandma’s, I’ll drive. Xiao Dong, you sit next to me.”

Zhou Chenglei: “…”

Jiang Dong glared at his brother-in-law!

Jiang Xia turned to look at Jiang Dong. “You don’t think I drive well?”

Jiang Dong: “How is that possible? Your skills are better than Brother-in-law’s. Super steady! I felt so comfortable and at ease riding in your car!”

Zhou Chenglei: “…”

Satisfied, Jiang Xia handed the keys back to Jiang Dong and walked into the house.

Zhou Chenglei walked over to Jiang Dong’s side. “Don’t give the keys to your sister tomorrow. The journey to Grandma’s is long and the mountain roads are dangerous. Don’t let her drive.”

Jiang Dong stuffed the keys directly into Zhou Chenglei’s hand and then shouted toward Jiang Xia’s retreating back, “Sis, I gave the car keys to Brother-in-law! If you want to drive tomorrow, just ask him for the keys.”

Zhou Chenglei: “…”

What was the point of having a brother-in-law like this?

The next morning, the Zhou family members were early, loading bags of items into the car.

Zhou Chenglei handed the keys back to Jiang Dong.

Jiang Dong asked pointedly, “My sister isn’t driving?”

Zhou Chenglei said, “No. Your sister didn’t sleep well last night; she doesn’t have enough energy.”

“Why didn’t she sleep well?” Hearing this, Jiang Dong looked at Jiang Xia with concern.

She looked perfectly fine! Not at all like someone who hadn’t slept well.

“The village dogs were too noisy,” Zhou Chenglei said, before going to help Jiang Xia into the car.

“The dogs last night were indeed a bit loud.” Many people in the village kept dogs, and barking could often be heard at night. Jiang Dong hadn’t been used to it on his first night either.

But was barking really the reason Jiang Xia hadn’t slept?

Jiang Xia quietly pinched Zhou Chenglei’s arm.

This man had gone too far last night!

It wasn’t just that she hadn’t slept well!

She couldn’t even lift her arms; they felt sore the moment she tried.

Zhou Chenglei took the opportunity to help her fasten her seatbelt and, while everyone wasn’t looking, he stole a kiss.

Jiang Xia: “…”

Zhou Chenglei stepped back as if nothing happened, his eyes bright and full of spirit.

He took two baskets from Mother Zhou’s hands and placed them in the car, then ushered everyone to get in.

This time, the children scrambled to sit in Jiang Dong’s car, leaving the adults to take Zhou Chenglei’s.

The two vehicles set off from the village toward Grandma’s house at the same time.

Even by car, it would take longer than the train—about five or six hours.

They headed north, crossing city after city. The scenery along the way was nothing but mountains after mountains.

It made one marvel at the vastness and diverse beauty of the motherland’s landscapes.

In Ye Village, Ye Xian had also dressed herself up beautifully and left the house to catch a ride to the city.

Chapter 454: Afraid of Nothing

On the sixth day of the first lunar month, Ye Xian did not see Jiang Dong at his high school reunion.

She waited outside for the entire afternoon. It wasn’t until dark, when the reunion ended and everyone dispersed, that she realized Jiang Dong was never coming.

She didn’t know any of Jiang Dong’s classmates, so she randomly approached a male student to ask.

The guy glanced at her. “No idea. I heard he suddenly had to go visit some relatives and couldn’t make it. Who are you? Why are you looking for Jiang Dong?”

A thought struck Ye Xian. Wanting to cause some trouble for Jiang Dong, she said, “I’m his girlfriend.”

Many students couldn’t help but look her over upon hearing this. Of course, they were mostly just curious about what Jiang Dong’s girlfriend looked like.

After saying her piece, Ye Xian turned and left.

She didn’t care if Jiang Dong would be angry when he found out! Nor did she care if Zhang Fuyan would fight with him because of it. If they got angry, fought, and broke up, that would be even better!

What did she have to fear now?

Her studies were gone, her future was gone—everything was gone! What else was there to be afraid of? She feared nothing!

Since they had pushed her into a corner, then no one should expect to have a good life! Everyone might as well go down with her!

If it weren’t for the fear of getting caught, Ye Xian would have even considered using her status as Jiang Dong’s “girlfriend” to borrow money from his classmates just to spite him to death!

After leaving, Ye Xian went back to the Jiang family’s apartment building to check the situation.

Sure as she expected, Jiang Dong’s Jeep was gone, and neither Father Jiang nor Mother Jiang’s cars were there.

The parents were probably at work. Jiang Dong was likely still following his sister around to visit relatives.

Jiang Dong was still the same old Jiang Dong; one phone call from his sister and he’d come running eagerly to be her driver. When she was dating him, he listened to his sister in everything. He had no idea that Jiang Xia was just bossing him around and taking advantage of him!

If it weren’t for Jiang Xia, she and Jiang Dong wouldn’t have broken up.

Ye Xian went to make a phone call.

The person on the other end didn’t expect Jiang Dong to suddenly skip the reunion either. Their original plans were now in disarray.

The person said, “I’ll think of another way to get someone to invite Jiang Dong out. You saw Jiang Dong yesterday; what kind of relatives are the Jiangs and those people? Are they close? Go back and see if Jiang Dong stays the night there.”

Ye Xian replied, “They aren’t the Jiang family’s relatives. They’re just some poor relatives of his brother-in-law’s family.”

Ye Xian had actually managed to find this out. In the neighboring villages, everyone belonged to the same production team. If any household had impressive relatives, the town gossips would know. Thus, it was easy for Ye Xian to find out whatever she wanted.

The person on the other end was very interested in these “poor relatives” and asked, “How poor? Is the family in any trouble?”

Ye Xian was speechless. These days, which family in the village wasn’t poor? Which family didn’t have troubles?

Still, she analyzed the reasons for their poverty. Being someone who loved to gossip, she shared quite a bit.

“Their daughter is very beautiful. Many people have come to her door offering to introduce suitors, but she rejected them all. I heard she wants to find a husband for her daughter who has a job in a government unit. But the daughter only graduated from middle school and has no job. Who in a government unit would want her? People with government unit jobs want wives who also have government unit jobs and good careers!”

“Don’t be so sure. A girl’s beauty is her greatest asset.”

It seemed she had found another way.

Jiang Xia’s family arrived back home on the afternoon of the seventh.

Father and Mother Jiang weren’t home, and since they officially started work on the eighth, Jiang Dong would have been home alone. Instead, he stayed behind in the fishing village to help with the chores.

People didn’t go out to sea during the first lunar month, but that didn’t mean there was no work to do.

The weather this New Year wasn’t cold and the days were clear, so Zhou Chenglei planned to use this time to set up the wooden stakes for farming mussels.

In the afternoon, Zhou Chenglei went to the production team to rent a small stretch of the beach for a trial run.

Early the next morning, Zhou Chenglei took Jiang Dong to the city to buy timber. Along the way, he dropped off the gifts they had received from Great-Uncle and Grandma—sugarcane, cassava, dried bamboo shoots, fresh bamboo shoots, taro, mushrooms, shrimp crackers, dried sweet potato, and tea seed oil—at the Jiang family home. The small utility room was quickly filled with bags of goods.

Jiang Dong left a note and then went with Zhou Chenglei to buy the wood.

In the afternoon, the two of them hauled a large tractor-load of wood back home.

When Zhou Chengsen saw them, he came out to help. “Why did you buy so much wood?”

As he spoke, he stepped forward to help unload.

Hearing the commotion, Li Xiuxian walked out of the courtyard and asked curiously, “A-Lei, what are you buying all this wood for?”

Zhou Chenglei replied, “I bought it to try farming mussels.”

Jiang Xia walked out at that moment as well. “Second Brother, do you want to join us? Big Brother and Great-Grandpa’s family are planning to do it too. Farming these isn’t too much trouble. We’re just renting a patch of the tidal flats in the village to raise them.”

Zhou Chengsen said, “I’ll think about it.” He needed to see if it really wasn’t a hassle.

The last time Zhou Chenglei had brought back a bucket of mussels, Li Xiuxian had tried them. She didn’t like them much; they were too fishy. She couldn’t help but say, “Those things aren’t even tasty. If you farm them, will anyone buy them? Are they easy to sell? People around here might not be used to the taste.”

Jiang Xia replied, “We don’t know yet. We’ll only know after we try. We don’t even know if they’ll survive; we’re just testing it out. After all, they’re an introduced species and we’ve never farmed them before.”

Li Xiuxian: “…”

If they didn’t even know if they would survive… Li Xiuxian knew that Zhou Chenglei hadn’t made a profit from the fish farming yet; the investment had been too high.

“Then forget it. It sounds like it’s better to just go out to sea and fish. The fish in the sea don’t cost any money.”

Jiang Xia ignored her.

Over the next few days, Zhou Chenglei, Father Zhou, Big Brother, Zhou Yongguo, Zhou Kangping, and Jiang Dong used the low tide to go to the beach and plant the wooden stakes.

Zhou Chengsen had already started work, but when he returned in the afternoons, he would go down to help, mostly to see if the project was feasible.

That particular stretch of the beach was rich in algae and plankton and got plenty of sunlight, making it suitable for green mussels to grow.

The men would take the boat out in the morning to set ropes to collect mussel larvae. After returning, they would wait for the tide to go out before heading to the beach to plant the stakes. In the evenings, they would braid straw ropes.

A few villagers saw them planting stakes on the beach and walked down out of curiosity. “Yongfu, what are you all doing? Planning to plant stakes for a net to catch fish?”

Father Zhou chuckled. “A-Lei is planning to plant some stakes to farm mussels.”

“Mussels? What are those? Never heard of them.”

Father Zhou explained, “It’s a type of shellfish from abroad. The shells are a bit green, and they’re quite delicious.”

Someone laughed upon hearing this. “A-Lei really is capable. First fish farming, now farming some foreign mussels! He sure knows a lot! No wonder you’ve become prosperous so young!”

Father Zhou said, “Do you all want to try? If you do, you can join us. Just buy some wood to make the stakes.”

Everyone immediately waved their hands. “We’re not doing it. We don’t have the skills for that.”

The group watched for a while before leaving. Once they were further away, someone remarked:

“He really has too much money with nowhere to spend it. He’s starting another wild scheme.”

“You can’t say that. Didn’t A-Lei make a killing on the fish he raised before the New Year? He sold them for over a thousand yuan!”

“Profit my foot! He lost money! Look at how he rented two large stretches of sea, built all those net cages, and bought anchors to secure them. How much money did he put in? How much did he actually make? Look at Zhou Bingqiang; he followed them into fish farming and lost everything! He gave up later, and even lost his rent money! I bet anything Zhou Chenglei won’t renew the lease next year! Making a thousand yuan a year sounds like a lot, but it’s not even enough to cover the rent for two sea areas!”

“Fish farming is one thing; at least we’re familiar with it and can keep them alive. But farming some foreign mussels! Hah, never even heard of them. Who knows if those mussels will even survive in our waters!”

“Hard to say. After all, the fish aren’t the same in every stretch of sea. But since the ocean is all connected, maybe it’ll work.”

“Young people are bold. They’ll try anything! Once he crashes and burns, he’ll learn to be more practical!”

…

Because they were planting the stakes on the beach near the village, many villagers were discussing the matter. Every kind of opinion was voiced.

In reality, the money made from the deep-sea net cages this year truly wasn’t enough to cover the rent.

With Zhou Chenglei’s “unprofitable” fish farming fresh in their minds, many people were saying they had more money than sense and were just messing around again.

Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei didn’t care. They went about their business completely unaffected.

The group worked hard for seven days before they finished planting two hundred stakes.

Even Jiang Dong, who usually had delicate skin, worked until his hands were covered in blisters.

Tomorrow was the Lantern Festival. In the afternoon, Jiang Dong would head home to spend the holiday with his parents.

Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia planned to go back with him. Jiang Dong would return to the capital after the Lantern Festival.

Jiang Xia wanted to have a reunion lunch with Father Jiang, Mother Jiang, and Jiang Dong tomorrow, and then return home in the evening to eat with the Zhou family.

Chapter 455: Well-Informed

In the evening, the three of them returned to the Jiang family’s building. After parking the car, they walked together into the residential compound.

Halfway there, Jiang Dong ran into a classmate.

The classmate said, “Jiang Dong, did you not tell your girlfriend you weren’t going to the class reunion? She even went to the restaurant to look for you.”

Jiang Dong was stunned. “That’s impossible. My girlfriend is in the capital.”

Jiang Dong’s classmate was surprised. “Huh? She told everyone she was your girlfriend. Is it possible she came back from the capital to give you a surprise?”

“No way. I talk to her on the phone every day.” Jiang Dong guessed the person must be Ye Xian. “That person is no longer my girlfriend. Next time you see her, don’t believe anything she tells you. And if there’s a class reunion or you see other classmates, please let everyone know that she isn’t my girlfriend. Thanks.”

Jiang Dong was truly angry!

Wasn’t this a blatant attempt to ruin his reputation?

He was afraid that Ye Xian would use the title of his girlfriend to go to his classmates and do something shady.

However, not every classmate had a telephone at home. It would be difficult for Jiang Dong to notify everyone and set the record straight.

“She isn’t? I thought I saw you walking with her once.”

Jiang Dong felt that even jumping into the Yellow River wouldn’t wash him clean!

He was both anxious and furious!

“Of course she isn’t!”

Jiang Xia helped explain, “That person is likely Ye Xian, Jiang Dong’s previous girlfriend. Jiang Dong broke up with her a long time ago. She has no relationship with him now.”

“I see. I understand then. I’ll be going now; I need to buy some things.”

“Alright.” After explaining clearly to the classmate, the three of them went home.

Entering the house, Jiang Dong asked Jiang Xia, “Sis, do you think I should organize another class reunion just to clarify things? I almost want to place an announcement in the newspaper to clear my name!”

Father Jiang and Mother Jiang were in the kitchen cooking.

Seeing them return, Father Jiang brought a dish out to the dining area. “What’s this about a newspaper announcement?”

Jiang Xia explained how Ye Xian had claimed to be Jiang Dong’s girlfriend in front of his classmates.

Mother Jiang laughed out of anger. “She’s acting like someone with nothing to lose!”

Father Jiang said, “Just make sure you explain it clearly to Xiao Yan so she doesn’t misunderstand. Ye Xian probably wouldn’t dare do anything extreme; if she actually does something illegal, we can just call the police. Don’t let her upset you, especially Xiaxia.”

Father Jiang guessed that her move was merely intended to cause trouble for Jiang Dong and intentionally damage the relationship between Jiang Dong and Zhang Fuyan. She likely wouldn’t and couldn’t do much more than that.

“Dinner is ready. Wash your hands and let’s eat!” Father Jiang said.

Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei went to wash their hands and helped bring out the dishes.

While washing her hands, Jiang Xia offered a reminder: “The biggest worry is that she might approach Jiang Dong’s classmates to arrange jobs for her family members, and then they might use Dad’s name to do things at work.”

In the original story, Jiang Dong had helped all of Ye Xian’s family members find jobs. They had used Father Jiang’s name to commit various acts that ultimately harmed him.

Right now, Father Jiang was at a critical point in his career. A single misstep could stall his progress or worse. The opposition would achieve their goal without needing a life-or-death struggle.

After all, many things in reality were already different from the book.

Father Jiang thought of something and looked at Mother Jiang. “Isn’t your factory currently hiring? Keep an eye on the new recruits.”

Mother Jiang didn’t quite agree with Jiang Xia. “Who would give away a job opening to someone else? Several workers in our factory are retiring, and the family members of the current staff are all trying to take those spots. I heard siblings are fighting tooth and nail over them! Why would they give them to an outsider? A job is a lifetime’s livelihood.”

Father Jiang replied, “It never hurts to pay closer attention to the performance of new employees.”

Mother Jiang recalled that one of the people who came for an interview today looked a bit familiar. Upon inquiry, she confirmed the girl was indeed Zhou Chenglei’s cousin. Coincidentally, when Jiang Dong and Jiang Xia went to visit relatives, it was her house they went to. The girl had even mentioned giving a large bundle of sugarcane and cassava for her and Old Jiang to try.

Mother Jiang saw that there was indeed a large bundle of sugarcane at home. She also recalled seeing the girl at her daughter’s housewarming, so she had arranged a job for her.

Mother Jiang looked at Zhou Chenglei and said, “A-Lei, your cousin came for a job interview. Her math is actually quite good, and she knows a bit of bookkeeping. I saw she was quite sharp, so I plan to have her start in procurement. I’ll have her learn from an experienced buyer.”

Jiang Xia asked, “Which cousin?”

Zhou Chenglei also looked at Mother Jiang.

“It must be the cousin from your Great-Uncle’s house. Lei Yuzhen? Is she your cousin?”

Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia exchanged a glance.

Jiang Xia nodded. “Yes. How did she end up interviewing at the garment factory?”

“She said she heard from people in the village that the city garment factory was hiring, so she came with some other villagers. The factory didn’t need that many workers, so I only hired A-Lei’s cousin.”

Jiang Xia remarked, “I didn’t even know the garment factory was hiring. The people in their village are certainly well-informed.”

Zhou Chenglei looked at Jiang Dong.

Jiang Dong looked back at him. “What is it?”

“Is Ye Xian from Ye Village?”

Jiang Dong: “…How did you know?”

Zhou Chenglei: “I guessed. Why else would I ask you?”

“I think she is, but I’ve never been there. I only heard her mention it. Are you suspecting that Ye Xian told her about the hiring at my mom’s factory?”

“Yes.”

Mother Jiang was dumbfounded. “No way? That’s A-Lei’s cousin. I didn’t think much of it when I hired her.”

If she hadn’t been Zhou Chenglei’s cousin, how could she have arranged for her to work in procurement? She might not have even given her the job at all!

How great of a job was procurement? It was a position where all the fabric suppliers would try to butter you up!

Zhou Chenglei said, “It’s just a suspicion. Mom, please help me keep a close eye on her.”

Mother Jiang said, “…Maybe I should just find an excuse to fire her?”

It felt like placing a bomb right next to her; she’d be constantly worried it might explode.

Father Jiang said, “What if it’s not the case? If you fire her, won’t that offend people? Let’s not make it so the relatives can’t face each other. Since you’ve already hired her, just pay more attention. Don’t let her be used by others.”

Mother Jiang felt a headache coming on.

Father Jiang glanced at Mother Jiang but said nothing more.

Disciplining children should be done in public, but correcting a spouse should be done in private.

After the family finished dinner, Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei had to head back to the village.

As Jiang Dong stood downstairs watching them drive away, someone called out to him just as he was about to head back up.

It was Tan Jie, his classmate and good friend from primary school through high school.

Tan Jie had come specifically to find Jiang Dong. “Jiang Dong, let’s get together tonight with He Yong and the others. You didn’t make it to the last class reunion, so how about the few of us gather tonight?”

Jiang Dong replied, “Not this time. I have a flight at six-thirty tomorrow morning. I have to head to the airport around four o’clock tonight. I haven’t even packed my bags. Let’s get together next time I’m back!”

“Well, forget it then; we’ll meet next time.” Tan Jie let it go, then added, “Oh, by the way, your girlfriend went to the restaurant looking for you at the last class reunion. I have to say, you sure know how to pick them—she’s quite pretty!”

Jiang Dong had a headache. “She isn’t my girlfriend. My girlfriend is in the capital!”

“Huh? No way! Then why did she say she was your girlfriend?”

“She isn’t. We broke up! What time are you guys meeting tonight? And where? I think I’ll drop by for a moment to set everyone straight, so they don’t all keep thinking she’s my girlfriend.”

“Six o’clock tonight, a private room at Fuman Restaurant. We’re all having a meal together.”

“Fine, I’ll head over then. You guys start eating; don’t wait for me. I’ll go after I finish dinner with my parents.”

Chapter 456: He’s Still the Ruthless One!

Dinner at the Jiang household was served early, finishing before half-past six.

After eating with his parents, Jiang Dong prepared to head out.

Father Jiang asked, “Where are you going so late? You have such an early flight tomorrow; shouldn’t you get some sleep tonight?”

“I’m going to meet up with Tan Jie and the others for a bit. I’ll be back soon, definitely before eight o’clock.”

Father Jiang gave him a word of caution. “If you drink tonight, don’t drive. Your sister was right—drinking makes people a bit excited, and it’s easy to speed.”

At noon, Father Jiang had wanted to have a drink with his son-in-law, but the son-in-law said Xiaxia wouldn’t let him drive after drinking. Jiang Xia had only mentioned it once, but Father Jiang agreed wholeheartedly with his daughter. He didn’t push his son-in-law further, otherwise, his daughter would have had to drive them home, and he wasn’t comfortable with that.

So, it was only during dinner that the father and son shared a couple of drinks.

Father Jiang believed a man should build up his tolerance, so he would occasionally drink with his son.

His son-in-law’s tolerance, however, was excellent—seemingly bottomless. Father Jiang had never seen him drunk; anyone who tried to test his limits always ended up passing out before him.

“Alright.” Jiang Dong set down his car keys, picked up his bicycle keys, and walked out.

When Jiang Dong arrived at Fuman Restaurant, the owner recognized him as Jiang Xia’s brother and immediately came forward to greet him.

Ever since that engagement banquet, the owner had etched every family member’s face into his memory.

“Junior Jiang, are you here alone? Or are others coming? Do you need a private room?”

Jiang Dong smiled. “My classmate booked a room here for dinner. His name is Tan.”

“Oh, I know the one. It’s the private room right at the front. I didn’t realize they were your classmates; I’ll give you all a discount.”

“Thank you,” Jiang Dong replied with a smile. He walked over, knocked on the door, and pushed it open.

Most of the people in the room were Jiang Dong’s best friends from junior high, with only a few being mere acquaintances.

One of those acquaintances was Wang Yang, the person who had brought his cousin and Ye Xian to the class reunion last time.

Seeing Jiang Dong enter, Tan Jie immediately beckoned him over. “Quick, come sit! You’re late, so you have to take a penalty cup.”

The other classmates joined in the clamor. “You said you’d come to the last class reunion but stood us up! You definitely have to drink a penalty cup today.”

“One cup? Not enough! It has to be three!”

“Three isn’t enough either. You have to toast every single one of us. You’re always flaking on us!”

“Exactly, one cup for everyone!”

…

Wang Yang didn’t say anything, nor did he look at Jiang Dong, choosing instead to talk to the person next to him.

Everyone knew he wasn’t close with Jiang Dong.

Tan Jie picked up a clean, unused glass from the table and poured some liquor for Jiang Dong.

Seeing the clean glass, Jiang Dong laughed. “Three cups is too much. I have to catch a flight back to the capital tonight, so just one. I’ll drink properly with you guys next time I’m back. I already had two cups with my dad at home; if I drink more, I won’t be able to get up in the middle of the night.”

Tan Jie, being Jiang Dong’s closest friend, helped him out. “He has a flight to catch, so let’s let him off easy. One cup is fine, but next time we meet, he has to drink ten penalty cups.”

Jiang Dong took the glass and downed it with a smile. Soon, someone brought up the topic of Jiang Dong’s girlfriend.

Jiang Dong took the opportunity to clear the air and explain the situation.

After clarifying things and chatting for a while longer, he stood up to take his leave.

At that moment, another classmate stood up, picked up the bottle, and poured another glass for Jiang Dong. “I have to leave too. I’ll join Jiang Dong in a toast to everyone. Happy New Year, and may you all have a bright future!”

Hearing this, everyone picked up their glasses and stood. “Come on then! Happy New Year and a bright future!”

Jiang Dong had no choice but to follow suit and finish the glass.

After putting down the glass, he left.

The classmate left with him.

As the two of them walked out of Fuman Restaurant, Jiang Dong suddenly felt a wave of dizziness while stepping down the stairs.

The classmate quickly supported him. “Are you drunk? Let me help you back into the restaurant to sit for a bit. Have some tea to sober up before you head home.”

Jiang Dong’s head was indeed spinning, so he nodded.

The classmate led Jiang Dong back inside.

The owner of Fuman Restaurant felt his heart jump and his legs go weak. He hurried over to help. “What happened? Is he drunk?”

Jiang Dong gripped his hand. “Dizzy… feels like I’m drunk.”

The classmate added, “Must be, though he only had two cups. I’ll take him to a private room to sleep it off for a bit, then I’ll call his family to pick him up. You go ahead and get back to work, owner! I’ll look after him.”

“Alright.” Hearing this, the owner let go of Jiang Dong and hurried off.

By the time Jiang Dong entered the private room, he had lost consciousness entirely.

The classmate laid him down and closed the door. “I’ve brought him here like you asked. What are you planning to do? Don’t get me in trouble. Jiang Dong just said it—you aren’t his girlfriend anymore! You two broke up!”

“Don’t worry, I’m just taking a photo. She’s Jiang Dong’s girlfriend; they only broke up because his mother didn’t approve of them. Once I show a photo to his mother, she won’t be able to object anymore.”

“I don’t care what you do. I’m leaving!” The classmate hurriedly left the room.

As he was about to head home, the owner of Fuman Restaurant called out to him. “Some other people at your table are drunk too. Go check on them! We can’t have them all passed out with no one to pay the bill.”

He pushed the student back into the room and shut the door from the outside.

Jiang Xia received a call from the owner of Fuman Restaurant at seven-thirty.

Zhou Chenglei took the call. When he returned, he said to Jiang Xia, “Jiang Dong is drunk at Fuman Restaurant. I’m going to go check on him.”

Jiang Xia asked, “Why would he be at Fuman Restaurant?”

“A class reunion.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xia went to the wardrobe to find her clothes. “I’m coming too!”

Zhou Chenglei knew that if he told her directly, she would insist on going; she wouldn’t be able to rest at home if she stayed. He had made sure to get all the details during the call.

“It’s fine, you don’t need to worry. Jiang Dong is okay. The restaurant owner has already called the police. Law enforcement will be there within three minutes. I’ll go check it out and wait until dawn to take him to the airport. Otherwise, Dad will be up all night, and it won’t be safe for him to drive.”

“Don’t worry, go to sleep early. I’ll come straight home after I drop Jiang Dong at the airport. By the time you wake up, I’ll be back.” Zhou Chenglei kissed Jiang Xia on the forehead.

Jiang Xia replied, “Fine, I understand. Drive carefully. After you get Jiang Dong back to my dad’s house, get some sleep there. Don’t worry about me; I’ll make sure to get a good night’s rest.”

Zhou Chenglei smiled. “Good.”

Zhou Chenglei drove into the city.

By the time he arrived, Jiang Dong was already awake and giving a statement.

Father and Mother Jiang were also there.

When Father Jiang saw Zhou Chenglei arrive, he instinctively looked behind him. Seeing that Jiang Xia wasn’t there, he breathed a sigh of relief.

“Why are you here? Xiaxia doesn’t know, does she?” If his daughter knew, how could she sleep? With her being pregnant, a lack of sleep was not good.

“Mhm, Xiaxia is asleep.” Zhou Chenglei didn’t feel like explaining too much.

He only ever had the patience to give detailed explanations to Jiang Xia.

Father Jiang felt relieved.

After listening to the officials’ questions, Zhou Chenglei said with a cold face, “The way they acted… wouldn’t this count as attempted rape? This is a very serious matter.”

The officials: “…”

Jiang Dong: “…”

The group of classmates: “…”

Ye Xian was utterly shocked!

Was he crazy?

She had only intended to have Jiang Dong slumped over her to take a photo. She was the one with her clothes disheveled, not Jiang Dong!

Father Jiang’s mouth twitched.

His son-in-law really was the ruthless one!

Chapter 457: No Escaping the Manure

Zhou Chenglei arrived home the next morning at a little after eight o’clock.

Jiang Xia was in the courtyard chopping greens. An old hen was nearby, leading a brood of chicks as they foraged for food.

Hearing the sound of the vehicle, Jiang Xia walked out.

Once the vehicle was parked and Zhou Chenglei stepped out, she approached him and asked, “Are you tired? Did you stay up all night?”

Zhou Chenglei looked at Jiang Xia’s complexion; she didn’t look as well-rested as she had yesterday morning.

He supported her—her belly growing larger by the day—as they walked into the house. “I’m not tired. I got some sleep. I made it home by ten last night and went to bed, then got up at four to take Jiang Dong to the airport. What about you? Did you sleep poorly last night?”

“It was okay. I just got hungry in the middle of the night and had to get up for a couple of boiled eggs.” Jiang Xia felt like she was getting hungry much faster now, but if she ate too much, she felt a bit short of breath.

Zhou Chenglei gently squeezed her hand. “Did you get up and cook them yourself?”

“No. Mom knew you weren’t here and was worried I’d be hungry, so she boiled them before she went to bed. She even kept them in a thermos filled with hot water so I could have warm eggs.”

It seemed a bowl of bird’s nest with milk wasn’t enough to keep her full through the night. Zhou Chenglei said, “I’ll make you some noodles for a midnight snack tonight.”

“No need. Let’s see if I’m even hungry tonight first. You know I sleep like a log; usually, I sleep right through until dawn without waking up.”

Zhou Chenglei chuckled.

Jiang Xia asked again, “Have you had breakfast? I saved some for you. I’ll go get it. I woke up early today and made egg pancakes.”

“I had a little something around four, but I could eat more. I’ll get it myself, you stay seated.” After helping Jiang Xia sit down, Zhou Chenglei washed his hands and went to fetch his breakfast.

Father Zhou had gone to the beach, Mother Zhou was in the garden, and Zhou Zhou had gone to school since the term had started. Only the couple was home. As Zhou Chenglei ate the pancakes, he filled her in on what had happened.

Jiang Xia sat there continuing to chop the greens for the chicks as she listened.

Once he finished, Jiang Xia sighed, “Jiang Dong actually used his head this time.”

“Mhm. A lesson learned is a lesson earned.”

This time, before Jiang Dong had even set out, he had written a note. The moment he felt dizzy, he knew something was wrong. So, when the owner of Fuman Restaurant came to help him, he grabbed the man’s hand and secretly passed him the note, telling him to call the police.

Because of this, the owner called the police immediately. He also detained the classmate, locked everyone in the room, and had the servers watch the windows from outside to make sure no one destroyed any evidence.

Jiang Xia was happy for Jiang Dong’s quick thinking. She smiled and said, “He was probably scared into being smart.”

Zhou Chenglei finished off the fragrant egg pancakes Jiang Xia had made, Pairing them with some sweet potato porridge. He thought to himself: How could he not be scared? After being set up so many times, even a pig would learn how to protect itself.

There were still two weeks left in the first lunar month. During that time, Zhou Chenglei accompanied Jiang Xia to take her boat license test and her motorcycle license test. She passed both on the first try and just needed to wait half a month to pick up the actual licenses.

The day after she finished her exams, it started to rain—a persistent, drizzling rain that didn’t stop. Jiang Xia hadn’t seen the sun in ten days.

On rainy days, going out to sea was impossible. However, the Start of Spring had arrived, and every household was busy preparing their seedling nurseries.

In the fields, villagers could be seen everywhere wearing conical hats and transparent plastic bags as makeshift raincoats, plowing the land.

Whether they would have enough to eat for the second half of the year depended on this crop of early rice. Furthermore, they had to pay the public grain tax. No family dared to delay or wait for better weather, as no one knew when the rain would stop.

The night before, Zhou Chenglei had removed the trailer from the tractor and replaced the tires with steel wheels. This morning, right after breakfast, he took advantage of a brief pause in the rain to drive out to the fields to plow.

Jiang Xia had never seen how a tractor plowed a field and really wanted to go watch. But with the constant rain, the roads were slippery and her belly was large, so she didn’t go join the excitement. Instead, she stayed home to work on her translations.

A brazier was burning in the room. The weather wasn’t particularly cold, but the constant rain made the house feel very damp, especially on the first floor. Burning the brazier kept the house dry and comfortable.

Li Xiuxian and Zhou Chengsen returned around nine o’clock.

The couple walked in with Zhou Ying.

Yingying shouted happily, “Auntie, I’m back! Where’s my sister?”

“She’s upstairs doing her homework,” Jiang Xia replied with a smile, then greeted Zhou Chengsen and his wife.

Yingying immediately ran upstairs.

Zhou Chengsen asked Jiang Xia, “Did Mom and Dad go to the fields?”

“Yes. They started preparing the seedling nurseries today, so they’re all out there.”

Li Xiuxian asked, “Is A-Lei out plowing with the tractor?”

“Yes.”

Li Xiuxian breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that. Does that mean I don’t have to go plow the fields?

Zhou Chengsen said to Jiang Xia, “Xiao Xia, your Second Sister-in-law and I are going to the fields. Could you please look after Yingying for a bit?”

“Sure.”

Li Xiuxian spoke up: “Isn’t A-Lei already plowing with the tractor? We don’t really need to go, do we? Let’s just stay home and cook for them when they get back!”

It was raining, and she really didn’t want to go to the fields. This miserable weather would get her clothes filthy, and they wouldn’t dry easily. After hanging for a few days, they’d smell like mildew.

Zhou Chengsen replied, “The tractor plows it, but it still needs to be leveled and prepped before we can sow the seeds. It’s fine if you don’t go to the fields, but while I’m out there prepping the nursery bed, you should wash the vegetables at home, then go to the latrine to collect the manure. Carry a few loads to the field as base fertilizer so we can sow the seeds directly tomorrow.”

Jiang Xia added, “Second Sister-in-law, you don’t need to cook. I’ll handle it. Mom and Dad already mixed the manure with wood ash last night. You can just pack it into woven sacks in a bit and take it over on the cart. That way, you can take the loads for all three families at once.”

That would save Zhou Chenglei from having to load it when he came back.

Li Xiuxian: “…”

Jiang Xia really knows how to boss people around!

Li Xiuxian said to Zhou Chengsen, “I think I’ll just go to the fields with you and help prep the nursery bed first. It’s raining; if we prep it together, we’ll get it done faster, and you won’t have to be out in the rain for as long.”

Zhou Chengsen didn’t bother arguing with her. He went back to the old house to grab his tools and hurried to the fields.

In the fields, Zhou Chenglei was driving the tractor. He plowed his own family’s nursery beds and did the same for the beds belonging to Zhou Chengxin and Zhou Chengsen.

By the time Zhou Chengsen and his wife arrived, Zhou Chenglei had just finished plowing for all three families.

The land at Great-Grandma’s house also needed plowing. Zhou Chenglei lent the tractor to Zhou Yongguo, telling him to pass it to Zhou Guodong once he was finished.

Lately, people in the village had been coming to his door every day asking him to plow their fields with the tractor.

He didn’t have the time to earn that money himself.

Although one could make money hauling goods and plowing for others with a tractor, he could earn far more in a day doing translation work.

So, he gave the tractor to Zhou Guodong to use for the villagers, letting him earn the money while they split the proceeds fifty-fifty.

The land plowed by the tractor still needed to be organized into raised beds before sowing. With Big Brother’s wife and his parents helping, his own land was already prepped. They were now working on Second Brother’s plot, and Zhou Chenglei picked up a hoe to help.

Just then, Zhou Chengsen and his wife arrived.

Zhou Chengsen said to his parents, “Dad, Mom, A-Lei, Axiu and I will take it from here. You guys take a break.”

Mother Zhou replied, “No need. I’ll rest when we’re finished. Since we’ve already started, let’s just get it done.”

Mother Zhou was strong and didn’t mind doing a bit more work; after all, it was for her own sons.

Besides, with the tractor having plowed the field this year, it was much easier to level. She was used to the work and didn’t find it tiring.

Father Zhou said to Zhou Chengsen, “The two of you should head back and bring the manure over. We’ll spread it on the fields once we’re done leveling.”

Zhou Chengsen nodded. “Alright.”

Li Xiuxian: “…”

Fine! There’s just no escaping the manure duties!

Chapter 458: Fever

Jiang Xia was washing some pork ribs and getting ready to chop them for marinating when Zhou Chenglei returned with Zhou Chengsen and his wife.

Zhou Chenglei was covered in mud, especially his pant legs. Seeing Jiang Xia washing the ribs, he said, “I’ll chop those in a moment. Just leave them there.”

He first went to the corner of the yard to turn on the tap, washing the mud off his legs and hands.

“It’s fine. Go change your clothes so you don’t catch a cold,” Jiang Xia replied, continuing her work.

Although her belly was already as large as someone six or seven months pregnant, the babies were well-behaved. Jiang Xia didn’t suffer much discomfort, so she was still able to handle simple household chores like cooking.

However, Zhou Chenglei and Mother Zhou basically never let her do it. They would always watch the time and come back to cook.

Zhou Chenglei quickly finished washing his hands and feet, then came over and took the knife from Jiang Xia. “I’ll do it.”

Jiang Xia went to the side, grabbed a handful of fine bran to rub the pork grease off her hands, rinsed them clean, and then started washing the vegetables. “Go change after you’re done chopping.”

“No rush. My clothes aren’t wet, just a bit muddy. Go sit down for a bit.”

Jiang Xia countered, ” I’ve been sitting all day; I sit every day. Dr. Gao said I need to do more work and can’t just stay sedentary.”

Zhou Chenglei glowered at her. “Dr. Gao just told you to walk more, not to do manual labor. Don’t take his words out of context.”

Jiang Xia glowered right back!

Zhou Chenglei had no way to win; he couldn’t out-stare her. Her eyes were much Prettier than his, and being glared at by her only made him want to kiss her.

He simply lowered his head and started chopping the ribs.

During her last prenatal checkup after her exams, Dr. Gao had learned that she spent every day sitting and reading or working as a translator, doing no chores or farm work at home. He told her she needed to move around more every day. On rainy days, she could walk up and down the stairs, otherwise, she wouldn’t have the strength when it came time to give birth.

Jiang Xia looked delicate and fragile, and Dr. Gao was worried she wouldn’t have enough stamina when the time came.

After all, it was hard enough for others to give birth to one, and she was having three all at once.

Zhou Chenglei was also frightened after hearing that.

He knew exactly how much physical strength Jiang Xia had.

She had the strength of a kitten!

He didn’t know how much strength was needed for childbirth.

But when Big Sister-in-law gave birth to his eldest nephew at home with a midwife, he had heard her blood-curdling screams from outside.

The midwife kept telling her not to scream, or she wouldn’t have the strength left to push.

Even someone as sturdy as Big Sister-in-law was worried about running out of strength.

What would Jiang Xia do?

Zhou Chenglei pursed his lips and finished chopping the ribs in a few swift motions, as if the smoother the chopping went, the smoother Jiang Xia’s labor would be.

Jiang Xia took them over and marinated them with seasonings. “There’s also some fish,” she told Zhou Chenglei. “Kill the golden threadfin from the refrigerator as well. Marinate those too; we’ll pan-fry them later.”

“Alright.” Zhou Chenglei went to get the fish.

Zhou Chengsen and Li Xiuxian couldn’t find any woven sacks for the fertilizer at the old house, so they came over here to fetch some.

Li Xiuxian watched the couple cooking together in the kitchen with such affection—Jiang Xia giving orders and Zhou Chenglei doing the work—and she felt a pang of bitterness.

They were both intellectuals, and both had married into the Zhou family.

Jiang Xia’s life was simply too comfortable.

Zhou Chengsen grabbed a woven sack and glanced at Li Xiuxian. “Aren’t you moving?”

Li Xiuxian: “…”

See? This one only knew how to make her work!

Inside the low-ceilinged latrine, Li Xiuxian wore a headscarf and used a cloth to cover her nose and mouth while holding the sack open. Zhou Chengsen shoveled the fertilizer into the woven sack.

Farm fertilizer was actually a mixture of human and animal waste combined with wood ash.

While there were chemical fertilizers and urea available these days, everyone still preferred farm fertilizer for the base fertilizer.

For thousands of years, the villagers here had farmed and fertilized this way. It had raised generation after generation, and no one found it dirty.

But Li Xiuxian had felt it was disgusting since she was a child. She never did this kind of work at her parents’ home, yet at her husband’s house, she was forced to do the filthiest and most revolting tasks.

Li Xiuxian shot a glare at the silently working Zhou Chengsen.

He was the most useless, most annoying person of all!

He didn’t know how to protect his own wife!

If he was too embarrassed to ask his Big Brother to help haul the fertilizer, he could have asked Zhou Chenglei.

Zhou Chenglei was his younger brother; as the older brother, shouldn’t the younger one do whatever he was told?

She had even arranged easy tasks for him, like staying home to cook, and she had taken the initiative to buy the groceries. Yet he still didn’t know how to choose the easy path.

Marrying a man like this was nothing but a life full of grievances!

If she had known back then, she would have married someone from the town.

But Li Xiuxian endured it. The couple had been in a cold war for a long time, and even the New Year hadn’t been pleasant. She just wanted to end the cold war as quickly as possible.

Because of the cold war, Zhou Chengsen hadn’t touched her.

She had already secretly gone to have her IUD removed.

She had to hurry and get pregnant, otherwise, how could her child be around the same age as the ones Jiang Xia was having?

The two of them hauled a cart of fertilizer to the fields.

Tian Caihua said with a smile, “Thanks, Second Sister-in-law! The seedling bed is just ready! You guys hurry and spread the fertilizer, then go home for dinner!”

Li Xiuxian felt like she wouldn’t be able to eat lunch at all.

Sure enough, after spreading the fertilizer, she lost her appetite.

She went back to the old house to wash her hair and shower, spending over two hours scrubbing.

At night, Li Xiuxian showered for another hour before she finally felt the smell of fertilizer had been washed away.

She glanced at the person on the bed.

Zhou Chengsen was already asleep.

Li Xiuxian smelled her own skin; it was fragrant.

She slid into Zhou Chengsen’s quilt and hugged him.

Zhou Chengsen didn’t know if it was because he had been caught in the rain, but his head throbbed painfully. Feeling like he was coming down with a fever, he had taken a packet of headache powder and gone to sleep. Being woken up now, his head felt heavy and dizzy. He turned his back to her. “Go to sleep. We have to get up early tomorrow to sow the seeds. Once that’s done, we’ll go back to work in town. Don’t expect my family to help us with this work anymore; we’ll farm our own land this year.”

Li Xiuxian: “…”

If Zhou Chengsen hadn’t been coming home every day after work to help their daughter with her homework and sleeping in the same bed as her every night, she would have suspected he had someone else outside!

Otherwise, they hadn’t had a marital life for four months—didn’t he have needs?

He might not have needs, but she did.

Was it really necessary to be angry for this long?

Besides, she wanted to have a son.

Li Xiuxian proactively pressed against him.

Zhou Chengsen moved away. “My head hurts so much, I just want to sleep.”

Li Xiuxian: “…”

She was so angry she turned her back to him immediately!

Early the next morning, Li Xiuxian got up and returned to town on her own, ignoring everything else.

When Zhou Chengsen returned from the fields, Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei were just coming downstairs.

Since it was raining, Jiang Xia wouldn’t let Zhou Chenglei go out for a run. Instead, he ran up and down the stairs inside and did push-ups and other exercises.

Seeing Zhou Chengsen looking pale, Jiang Xia asked, “Second Brother, aren’t you feeling well?”

“My head hurts a bit.”

Zhou Chenglei stepped forward and felt his forehead. “You have a fever. I’ll take you to the health clinic to get checked out.”

Mother Zhou came out of the kitchen carrying wheat and bean cakes. “Why did you go to the fields if you have a fever? Have some breakfast first, then go to the health clinic.”

“It’s nothing. I’ll just take a packet of fever-reducing powder after breakfast. Yingying, are you done with breakfast? Let’s go back to school!”

“Finished!” Zhou Ying hurried to put on her school bag.

Zhou Chenglei said, “It looks like a high fever; your forehead is burning. You should go get checked. I’ll drive you, and I can drop Yingying off at school on the way.”

So, the brothers quickly finished breakfast. Zhou Chenglei drove Zhou Ying to school and told her to find her mother after school let out. Then, he took Zhou Chengsen to the health clinic.

It was the same old doctor as before. The doctor glanced at the thermometer: 39.8°C.

He looked up through his reading glasses at Zhou Chenglei and pointed at Zhou Chengsen. “This is the one you should have carried in here in a panic. You didn’t carry this one, but last time, when it was 37.1°C, what were you doing carrying her in so frantically!”

Zhou Chenglei: “…”

He had never met a doctor with such a good memory!

Chapter 459: Sweet

After Zhou Chenglei took Zhou Chengsen to see the doctor, he accompanied him to his work unit to request a leave of absence before bringing him directly back home.

Li Xiuxian had to work and wouldn’t have time to look after him anyway.

Besides, the couple had likely quarreled again; otherwise, Li Xiuxian wouldn’t have rushed back to town so early in the morning.

Zhou Chenglei stayed out of their marital affairs as he neither wanted to nor could interfere, but he could certainly manage taking care of his second brother while he was ill.

Once Zhou Chenglei had settled Zhou Chengsen at home, he headed back to the fields to continue working.

Father Zhou had already finished sowing the rice seeds.

The seeds had been sprouted in advance to ensure a high germination rate.

He was currently working with Big Brother Zhou Chengxin to insert bamboo strips into the ground to support the plastic film.

The weather wasn’t quite warm yet, and the temperature fluctuated significantly between day and night. With occasional cold fronts, they needed to cover the seedlings with transparent plastic film for warmth to prevent them from freezing.

The three of them—father and sons—covered the three seedling beds with film, marking the completion of the nursery phase.

From then on, they only needed to check the growth every day. When the weather was warm during the day, they would lift both ends of the film to create openings for ventilation. At night, they would cover them back up to keep the warmth in.

Once the seedlings grew to a few centimeters high and the weather turned warmer, the film could be gathered and put away.

In the evening, Mother Zhou went out and gathered a large bundle of various medicinal leaves, boiling a large aluminum pot of water for Zhou Chengsen to soak in.

While Jiang Xia was helping in the kitchen with dinner, Mother Zhou couldn’t help but grumble to her, “I’m not sure if I should cook for your second sister-in-law and Yingying.”

Jiang Xia didn’t know if they were returning either, so she said, “Just cook a bit more rice! If there’s any left over, I’ll use it to make fried rice for a late-night snack.”

Jiang Xia now had to eat a night snack every evening before bed. A bowl of milk and bird’s nest was no longer enough for her; without some solid food, she would always wake up hungry in the middle of the night.

Recently, Zhou Chenglei had often been getting up in the middle of the night to cook noodles for her.

Jiang Xia didn’t want him to work so hard at such an hour, so she preferred to eat her fill before sleeping. By being full before bed, she wouldn’t wake up hungry, and she could get better rest.

In the end, Li Xiuxian did not return.

She had learned from Zhou Ying that Zhou Chengsen had a fever. When school let out, she had hesitated over whether to return to the village to care for him.

However, a misty rain was falling at the time. She feared that if she took her daughter back in the rain, the girl might catch a fever too, so she stayed put.

Regardless, Zhou Chengsen’s parents and brothers were all at home; he wouldn’t lack for care.

A grown man with a fever didn’t need much looking after anyway, as long as someone cooked for him.

So, Li Xiuxian and her daughter stayed in town.

Zhou Chengsen’s fever lasted for three days before finally breaking.

On the day his fever subsided, the weather finally cleared up.

Mother Zhou wanted him to rest at home for one more day before going back to work, but he went anyway. However, he planned to return directly to the old house in the village after work rather than going to the house in town, fearing he might pass his cold to his daughter.

When the sun finally came out, Jiang Xia’s mood improved instantly!

It had been raining for nearly a month, making her feel as gloomy as the overcast sky.

Two days later, once the roads had dried out enough so that one’s shoes wouldn’t get caked in mud with every step, Zhou Chenglei took his camera and accompanied Jiang Xia for a walk through the fields.

There, Jiang Xia saw the vast, boundless fields covered in Chinese milk vetch. The small purple flowers were in full bloom, with bees buzzing around as they collected nectar.

Blue sky, white clouds, and an endless sea of purple flowers—it was a breathtaking sight.

Milk vetch was a green manure crop; eventually, the fields would be plowed, turning the plants into the soil to provide natural nitrogen fertilizer.

Zhou Chenglei helped Jiang Xia into the middle of the field. “Stand right here, I’ll take a photo of you.”

Jiang Xia smiled. “Alright.”

Zhou Chenglei took over a dozen photos of her in quick succession.

A villager passing by saw them taking pictures and asked with a smile, “Want me to take one for you two?”

Zhou Chenglei handed the camera over. “Thank you, Auntie Xiang.”

“Don’t mention it!” Auntie Xiang took the camera and asked how to use it. Once the couple was positioned, she snapped two photos and handed the camera back.

Jiang Xia smiled and said, “Auntie Xiang, let’s take one of you too. We’ll give you the print once we develop them.”

Auntie Xiang hadn’t expected such a treat. She beamed, “Really? Thank you!”

After Zhou Chenglei took Auntie Xiang’s photo, she looked at Jiang Xia’s belly and smiled. “You must be about seven months along, right?”

Jiang Xia chuckled. “Not yet, only five months.”

Auntie Xiang studied her belly again. “Five months and it’s this big? You must be carrying twins! I see the shape is quite pointed; ten to one, they’re boys! You’re so lucky! Two sons in one go.”

Jiang Xia simply smiled. “We don’t know if they’re boys or girls. Either is fine with us.”

Auntie Xiang insisted, “They’re definitely boys. My eyes are very sharp; I’ve never been wrong! After you give birth, if your milk doesn’t come in well, come find me. I’ll clear the ducts for you. I have a very good technique! Several women from the production teams came to me for help when they didn’t have enough milk. Since you took a photo for me, I’ll do it for free! I won’t charge you a cent! I usually charge others two yuan a session.”

Jiang Xia laughed. “Alright.”

Auntie Xiang had other lactation massages to perform, so after a few more words, she hurried off.

Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei continued their walk.

Watching the bees flying to and fro in the fields, Jiang Xia suddenly craved honey. “The babies say they want some honey.”

“…”

Zhou Chenglei was now accustomed to Jiang Xia’s sudden cravings.

That afternoon, Zhou Chenglei found some wood and began nailing boxes together.

When Jiang Xia came downstairs after her nap and saw this, she asked curiously, “What are you doing with all that wood?”

Zhou Chenglei looked up at her. Seeing she was dressed warmly enough, he went back to sawing. “Making some beehives. The water in the mug is honey water. I just mixed it, it should be ready to drink. Taste it and see if it’s sweet enough.”

Hearing this, Jiang Xia went inside, picked up her enamel mug, lifted the lid, and took a sip. It was so sweet!

How could it not be? She had mentioned wanting honey in the morning, and she could drink it right after her nap!

Even bitter gourd juice would taste sweet to her right now.

She held the mug to Zhou Chenglei’s lips to give him a sip. “Are you planning to keep bees?”

Zhou Chenglei took a sip. “Mhm.”

There were many flowers in the fields this season, and plenty of bees. Soon the rapeseed flowers would bloom, followed by the fruit trees everyone had planted. It was the perfect time to attract and raise bees.

Jiang Xia loved sweets, and honey was far more nutritious than candy.

If he raised them well, the children could drink it too in the future.

The children would likely take after her and enjoy sweet things.

Jiang Xia asked curiously, “Do you know how to raise them?”

Zhou Chenglei had never done it before and didn’t want to make any promises. “I’ve seen others do it, so I’m giving it a try. I don’t know if I’ll succeed.”

Jiang Xia had watched plenty of beekeeping videos in her past life, so she was full of confidence. “You’ll definitely succeed.”

When Zhou Chengsen returned from work and saw Zhou Chenglei nailing boxes, he picked up a hammer to help.

Zhou Chengsen hadn’t been home for a week. Li Xiuxian, thinking he must be seriously ill and feeling uneasy, had brought Zhou Ying back to check on him.

To her surprise, as soon as she arrived, she saw Zhou Chengsen looking energetic and helping Zhou Chenglei nail boxes. Her face darkened with anger.

Chapter 460: Just the Way I Like It

Both Zhou Chenglei and Zhou Chengsen turned their heads to look at the person appearing at the courtyard gate.

Zhou Chenglei said flatly, “Second Sister-in-law.”

Jiang Xia also greeted her, “Second Sister-in-law, you’re back.”

Zhou Chengsen didn’t say anything, his gaze fixed only on his daughter.

Zhou Ying ran into the courtyard and climbed directly onto Zhou Chengsen’s back. “Papa, are you all better? Does your head still hurt?”

She had missed her father terribly; her mother was always scolding people at home. Her mother had even torn up one of her notebooks! Her mother was too scary; she was frightened to death!

Zhou Chengsen steadied himself, reaching back to hold his daughter steady. He smiled and said, “I’m better. It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

Li Xiuxian’s face was dark. She turned around, pushed her bicycle away, and went straight into the old house.

He’s better, yet he stays in the village and won’t come home. What is that supposed to mean?

She was alone in town, having to go to work, take care of her daughter’s three meals, and help with homework. Did he have any idea how hard that was? If it weren’t for the fact that the weather was good and they could go out to sea tomorrow, she would have gone straight back to town!

Zhou Chengsen ignored Li Xiuxian as well. He said to his daughter, “Go play with your sister. She went to the fields to look for tadpoles. Papa needs to finish nailing this box.”

Zhou Ying gave a cry of agreement, scrambled off his back, and ran out.

Just then, Zhou Zhou, Zhou Wenzu, and Zhou Jie returned, carrying a broken enamel cup filled with about a dozen small tadpoles, which they poured into a wooden basin to raise.

The four children squatted there, staring at the tadpoles as they swam around. They chattered away, guessing how long it would take for them to grow legs and turn into frogs.

The decoy hives were finished—three of them in total. Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia took them to the old house to undergo carbonization.

Zhou Chengsen didn’t feel like going over there just for he and Li Xiuxian to glare at each other in mutual loathing, so he stayed behind to cook.

Zhou Chenglei took some straw, firewood, and small pieces of honeycomb from the kitchen of the old house. The honeycomb pieces were items he had asked for when he went to the neighboring production team’s beekeeper to buy honey and beeswax.

Zhou Chenglei lit the straw and wood and threw them into the hives.

Seeing them starting a fire there, Li Xiuxian felt her temper flare. “What are you doing starting a fire here? Go do it in the fields! You won’t have to clean it up later! Doing it here just makes the courtyard filthy!”

Zhou Chenglei didn’t even look at her. “Is it making your courtyard dirty?”

Jiang Xia also didn’t look at her. “I just like starting fires in our courtyard. Does Second Sister-in-law have a problem with that?”

Li Xiuxian: “…”

Were these two ganging up to bully her?

She turned and marched into the house.

Once the fire was roaring, Zhou Chenglei reached out to Jiang Xia. “Give me the honeycomb.”

“Throw it in the fire?” Jiang Xia asked.

“Mhm.”

Jiang Xia threw the pieces into the flames herself, and thick smoke began to billow out. After the fire and smoke had scorched the inside of the box for a while and the wood surface turned black, Zhou Chenglei laid the wooden box on its side and poured out the burning wood. Then he used the fire to char the outside of the box as well.

To put it simply, carbonization was using fire to blacken the surface of the wooden box. Bees preferred darkness, so a carbonized wooden box was more to their liking. Furthermore, carbonization removed odors from the wood and provided disinfection and sterilization. Carbonized hives were also more durable.

After the carbonization was complete, Zhou Chenglei wiped some salt water on the inside of the hive.

Meanwhile, Jiang Xia went to melt the beeswax Zhou Chenglei had bought to bait the bees. In this season, there were many bees in the fields, and the loquat trees in Great-Grandma’s backyard were in bloom. Lately, bees were seen gathering nectar every day.

Jiang Xia had also planted flowers in the courtyard, so bees visited from time to time. As she boiled the beeswax for a short while, it attracted two bees that came flying over.

Zhou Chenglei then smeared the melted beeswax inside the wooden box. He applied a bit more near the lid and the entrance of the hive.

Today was cold, so the beeswax solidified quickly. Once it was applied, Zhou Chenglei used yellow mud to seal any holes or cracks in the hive. He had seen others use cow dung for this, but he chose yellow mud.

Then, he installed the hive directly in a cool spot under the eaves in the backyard of the old house. Bees liked quiet and disliked heat; they preferred environments that were warm in winter and cool in summer. The eaves behind the house protected them from wind and rain, were cool in the summer, and had fruit trees nearby—making it a perfect spot for a beehive.

Zhou Chenglei had nailed three hives in total. The other two would be taken to the small hill tomorrow morning to bait more bees.

The next day, after Zhou Chenglei finished his run, he headed out with the two beehives. Jiang Xia wanted to see too, so she followed him.

There weren’t really any mountains in their village. What they called a “small hill” was just slightly higher terrain overgrown with trees.

In Jiang Xia’s eyes, “This shouldn’t be called a mountain; it should be called a small woods.”

Zhou Chenglei pulled her along. “The villagers are used to calling it a mountain. It’s like at Grandma’s place—they call the riverbank the ‘beach.’”

Jiang Xia remembered when they visited Zhou Chenglei’s Grandma during the New Year. His cousin had said he would take them to the “beach” to gather clams and catch fish, and she had been surprised that there was a sea there. After climbing over the river embankment and walking down to the water, she found the “beach” his cousin spoke of. The only similarity was that both had sand. Even the water wasn’t the same.

Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei scouted for a suitable place to set the hives.

Zhou Chenglei asked her, “Are you scared?”

“No.”

This small hill was also the village’s treasure trove of feng shui; the villagers’ ancestors resided here, protecting their descendants. Nearby were dry lands planted with vegetable gardens, sweet potatoes, and peanuts. No wonder Tian Caihua said she didn’t dare come here to pick vegetables after dark.

Jiang Xia reckoned she wouldn’t dare come here at night either. But during the day, she wasn’t afraid.

Zhou Chenglei found a spot under a large tree and nailed the wooden box down. As he hammered the wooden supports into the ground, he said, “Once, when I was so badly injured that everyone thought I couldn’t be saved—that I wouldn’t make it or ever wake up—my father found this treasure trove of feng shui for me.”

Jiang Xia: “…”

“You will live to be a hundred,” Jiang Xia said, helping him by holding the hive as she assisted.

“Mhm. I’ll live a long life together with you.” He wanted to stay by her side until they were both a hundred.

Once the hive was installed, they placed a board and some branches on top to provide insulation and keep out the rain. When they were finished, the couple went to the woods near the fields to install the last hive.

By the time they finished all of this, it was already past nine o’clock.

After returning home, Zhou Chenglei called for Father Zhou, Zhou Yongguo, and Zhou Kangping to go out to sea together.

The boats of the first branch and second branch had already set out around four o’clock in the morning. Everyone was impatient for the first trip out to sea after the New Year.

Some people in the village had braved the rain to go out much earlier, and some had even gone out to sea throughout the first lunar month. That was how it was when a family was desperate for money and wanted to earn more.

While Uncle Dong was hospitalized, Zhou Guodong and his two brothers had taken turns going out to sea even during the first lunar month. During the New Year, many people visited relatives and bought seafood to entertain guests, making the prices much higher than usual. To earn enough for their father’s medical treatments and to pay back debts, the three brothers hadn’t rested during the holiday, taking turns at sea every single day.

Zhou Guodong was also a very grateful person. Knowing that the Zhou family hadn’t been going out, he brought over fresh fish and shrimp every day upon his return.

Fortunately, Uncle Dong had woken up twenty days after his surgery and had been discharged the day before yesterday to recover at home. His speech was no longer fluent, sounding somewhat stuttered, and his limbs on one side weren’t as agile as before. However, with gradual exercise, he could still walk. He just couldn’t go out to sea or do heavy labor like before.

Since Uncle Dong was out of the hospital but needed a slow recovery, Mother Zhou began looking into an arranged match for Zhou Guodong. The two families had agreed to a blind date meeting today.

Jiang Xia thought that since they weren’t going fishing today but were instead heading to the island to retrieve the ropes used for collecting mussel juvenile shells, she wouldn’t join them. She couldn’t help much with that anyway, and she didn’t want to get in their way on the boat.

So, Jiang Xia stayed home to help with the cooking.

Chapter 461: Matchmaking

Around ten o’clock, the Second Cousin’s wife—who was the daughter-in-law of Mother Zhou’s Great-Aunt—arrived with her niece.

The two of them brought a chicken, a goose, a basket of goose eggs, a bag of fruit, and a large bag filled with homemade shrimp crackers and sugar rings.

Mother Zhou exclaimed, “Why did you bring so much? We already came home with a mountain of things last time we visited you.”

The Second Cousin’s wife smiled and said, “A-Ling prepared most of it. I only brought a basket of goose eggs so I could come here to mooch a meal.”

Xu Ling was an honest girl. She said a bit stiffly, “My mother prepared it, not me.”

Mother Zhou joked, “You’re being too polite! There’s no need to bring anything to my house. If you keep being this formal every time you visit, I won’t even need to raise my own chickens and geese anymore!”

The Second Cousin’s wife laughed. “Then I’ll have to come by more often to mooch food from you, Auntie.”

“Please do! I’d be happy to have you.”

Jiang Xia brought some fruit, nuts, candy, and biscuits to the coffee table and invited them to eat.

The Second Cousin’s wife looked at Jiang Xia’s belly. “It seems so much bigger than when I saw you during the New Year. I remember my belly wasn’t even as big as Xiao Xia’s when I was pregnant with Jiawen.”

Mother Zhou held up three fingers and whispered, “She’s carrying triplets.”

The Second Cousin’s wife was stunned.

Xu Ling also looked at Jiang Xia’s belly in surprise.

After her initial shock, the Second Cousin’s wife smiled. “A-Lei is a lucky man!”

Mother Zhou beamed. “He’s lucky because he married such a wonderful wife.”

Jiang Xia simply smiled in response.

She took a moment to observe Xu Ling. The girl had regular features; while she wasn’t as exquisitely beautiful as Lei Yuzhen, she was quite pretty in a clean, refreshing way—the kind of person who became more attractive the longer you looked at her.

Just then, Zhou Guodong and Aunt Dong arrived.

Aunt Dong called out from outside, “Guihuan, are you home?”

Mother Zhou immediately stood up and walked out. “I’m here! Come on in.”

Zhou Guodong carried a large bucket of fish and shrimp into the courtyard.

Mother Zhou asked, “Why did you bring fish? Our family is also going out to sea today.”

Zhou Guodong replied, “We just got back from the sea. It’s fresh, so I brought some for you to try, Auntie.”

“Come inside and sit!”

The two of them entered the house together.

Mother Zhou introduced them with a smile. “This is my cousin-in-law, and this is her niece, Xu Ling. This is my Second Sister-in-law, and this is my nephew, Zhou Guodong.”

When Zhou Guodong entered, both sides immediately noticed each other.

At that moment, Zhou Guodong and Xu Ling stole a quick glance at one another.

Xu Ling lowered her head immediately after one look, her face flushing slightly.

Zhou Guodong didn’t dare look for too long either. He shifted his gaze away after a single glance, his ears turning red.

Mother Zhou said with a smile, “A-Ling, do you want to take a walk by the beach? You could pick up some sea snails to take home.”

Aunt Dong took the cue and smiled. “Let A-Dong take you! He’s the best at finding snail burrows. A-Dong, why don’t you take A-Ling for a walk?”

Zhou Guodong looked at Xu Ling. “Shall I take you for a walk by the beach?”

The tide hadn’t even gone out yet, so there were no sea snails to be found. Zhou Guodong simply couldn’t bring himself to lie about the snails.

Xu Ling looked up at him briefly and said with a blush, “Okay.”

The two of them, both blushing, headed out.

Once the young people were gone, Mother Zhou began arranging lunch. She said to Aunt Dong, “Why don’t you and Guodong eat here today? I’ll kill a chicken.”

Although this was a matchmaking meeting, the Second Cousin’s wife was still a relative who had traveled a long distance. Naturally, they had to prepare a proper meal.

Aunt Dong replied, “There’s no need to kill another chicken. I already cleaned a chicken and a duck this morning, and I even bought a piece of pork. I’ll go grab them.”

Her family had gone through such hard times and owed so much money, yet these people were still willing to come for a matchmaking meeting. Aunt Dong felt they were good people worth associating with, so she took this meeting very seriously. She had caught the chicken and duck last night and prepared them early this morning, waiting for ten-thirty to arrive.

Furthermore, since Mother Zhou was putting so much effort into introducing someone to her son, she couldn’t let Mother Zhou bear all the expense and labor.

Aunt Dong hurried home to fetch the meat.

Mother Zhou still prepared to kill a chicken and a goose.

Xu Ling had brought a chicken and a goose as gifts; it wouldn’t be right to return them whole, but it also wasn’t right to keep everything. She had to send back half of each.

Having spent a New Year in the village, Jiang Xia was now familiar with the local customs.

If someone brought a chicken, you had to return half or a quarter of it.

If the person stayed for a meal, you returned a quarter; if they didn’t, you returned half. This was the way of reciprocity.

And so, Mother Zhou and the Second Cousin’s wife set to work cleaning the poultry together.

Jiang Xia helped by washing the vegetables.

With the others gone, the Second Cousin’s wife finally spoke up. “Isn’t Yuzhen working at your mother’s garment factory now, Xiao Xia?”

Jiang Xia nodded. “That’s right! Is she settling in well? Is the work too hard?”

The Second Cousin’s wife replied, “She’s settled in fine. Why wouldn’t she be? It’s not hard at all! She loves that job! Apparently, she’s even started dating a guy from the city. I heard his family is very wealthy. When Yuzhen came home last week, she had new clothes, a new watch, and even a new necklace. She said her boyfriend gave them all to her.”

As she spoke, the Second Cousin’s wife hesitated.

She had a nagging feeling the man might be a fraud. Her older sister-in-law was so desperate to catch this “golden turtle” of a son-in-law that she urged Yuzhen to arrange a meeting between the families, but the man kept making excuses to avoid it.

If he really liked her that much and was willing to give her so many expensive things, shouldn’t he be eager to marry her and bring her home?

She was worried he was just a smooth talker playing with her for fun.

However, seeing how happy her sister-in-law and Yuzhen were, she didn’t dare speak up, fearing she might be wrong.

Jiang Xia noticed her hesitation and asked, “What’s the boyfriend’s name? I can see if I know him.”

“I heard Yuzhen calling him A-Cheng, but I don’t know which ‘Cheng’ it is. Xiao Xia, do you know him? Is this A-Cheng fellow reliable?”

Since Jiang Xia was from the city, she might know if the man was trustworthy.

Jiang Xia genuinely didn’t know him, so she could only say, “There are many people called A-Cheng. I’ll keep an ear out and see who it might be.”

The Second Cousin’s wife sighed with relief. “I’ll have to trouble you then. For a woman, marriage is like a second birth; it’s always better to investigate thoroughly beforehand.”

Mother Zhou agreed wholeheartedly. “That’s true! It’s better to be sure.”

Jiang Xia also felt she should look into it when she returned to the city.

Now that Ye Xian, Wang Yang’s sister Wang Mei, and the other classmate were in jail, who was still in contact with Lei Yuzhen?

Besides, the position of a purchasing agent was one where it was easy to make extra money on the side.

She needed to find out if there was anyone named “A-Cheng” involved.

A moment later, Aunt Dong arrived carrying a large basin filled with chicken, duck, and pork, along with a basket of green vegetables.

They stopped talking about the previous topic.

Mother Zhou said, “Why did you bring so much food? I have plenty here.”

Aunt Dong smiled and said, “If there’s more, we’ll just eat more! You should also try the vegetables I grew.”

An hour later, Zhou Guodong and Xu Ling returned together. They hadn’t found any sea snails.

However, the two were clearly more comfortable with each other.

They joined in to help with the cooking.

Aunt Dong watched Xu Ling work. She was quick and efficient, and her hands were clearly accustomed to farm work. It was obvious she was a hard worker, which left Aunt Dong very satisfied.

The Second Cousin’s wife also quietly observed Zhou Guodong. She saw that he was skillful with a clever, and he had washed his hands thoroughly before starting work. It was clear he was both clean and diligent.

The Second Cousin’s wife was also very pleased.

Jiang Xia noticed that during lunch, Zhou Guodong used his chopsticks to pick up a serving of a dish Xu Ling wanted but was too far away for her to reach. Seeing this, she knew there was definitely potential for a match between them.

Chapter 462: Hiring Again

At noon, Zhou Chenglei and Father Zhou also returned home for lunch.

They had gone out to sea specifically to harvest the mussel juvenile shells.

Harvesting was much easier than placing them out, and this was already their second harvest. The first batch they had set out had already been brought back and was now wound around wooden stakes for cultivation.

This batch was larger, but they managed to finish the harvest just before the midday meal.

After eating, Zhou Chenglei, Father Zhou, and the others had to go back to bind the harvested mussel juvenile shells onto the wooden stakes.

Today was a major ebb tide; the water was receding quickly and far out. They had to seize the time to wind the ropes, which were covered in juvenile mussels, around the stakes.

Since Zhou Guodong had nothing else to do, he went along to help. He wasn’t scheduled to drive the tractor to plow the fields for the villagers until 3:00 PM.

Second Cousin’s wife, Aunt Dong, and Xu Ling helped clear the table and clean up.

Once the cleaning was finished, Aunt Dong headed home first; Uncle Dong had mobility issues and needed her care.

Second Cousin’s wife and Xu Ling were also ready to head back, so Mother Zhou walked them out.

Because of the low tide, Jiang Xia also wanted to see how the mussels she had started raising earlier were growing, so she joined them.

On the way, Second Cousin’s wife asked Xu Ling, “Well? What do you think of him?”

She thought he looked quite good—not a man of many words, but attentive.

Xu Ling felt a bit shy and said sheepishly, “He asked me to go to the market with him the day after tomorrow, and I agreed.”

This meant both sides had taken a liking to each other and felt they could try dating.

Second Cousin’s wife smiled and said, “Then date for a while and see. You only know a person’s true nature after spending time together. Interact with him a few more times. Anyway, you’re only twenty; there’s no rush.”

He looked good now, but things like temper and character weren’t immediately obvious; those would only gradually reveal themselves through time. After all, some men treated outsiders and family very differently.

Some were gentle, polite, and considerate in front of others, but were bad-tempered and cold toward their own wives—or worse, verbally and physically abusive. Marrying such a person was the greatest fear.

Jiang Xia added, “That’s right. You’ll only know if you’re a good match after spending time together. Just date for now. If it feels right, then settle down.”

Jiang Xia also felt Zhou Guodong was a good man—steady and hardworking—but one had to be cautious when choosing a partner. It was never a mistake to spend some time getting to know each other first.

Mother Zhou agreed, “Yes, only commit if you feel it’s right after dating. Take the time to really understand him.”

“Mhm,” Xu Ling replied.

Mother Zhou intentionally led them past Zhou Guodong’s house so Xu Ling could see it.

It was a tiled house built half of stone and half of mud bricks, the same size as the Zhou family’s old house. A loquat tree grew in the courtyard.

“This is his house. They haven’t had a family division yet, so the whole big family lives together. But his two sisters-in-law are both easy to get along with. At least they seem that way to me. You should keep an eye out for yourself later.”

If they decided to date, Xu Ling would inevitably have chances to visit his home, and she could observe these things for herself. After all, Mother Zhou got along with everyone, but that didn’t mean Xu Ling necessarily would.

“Okay.” Xu Ling glanced at the house. It was similar to her own, but her family didn’t have such a large courtyard.

Nowadays, almost every family had a house like this. Few could afford a multi-story building; there were only a handful in the entire village.

Moreover, not everyone could be like the Zhou family, owning a three-story building with so many rooms they couldn’t even fill them all.

Xu Ling considered these things. Her family was also poor, with several sisters squeezed into one room.

Seeing her looking at the house, Second Cousin’s wife said, “As for the house, as long as a couple is hardworking, you can earn money and eventually have everything. Look at your Sister Xiao Xia; didn’t she live in the old house when she first married? It’s because the two of them are exceptionally hardworking—one doing work as a translator and the other going out to sea—that they earned enough for such a large building, a tractor, a car, and a boat.”

Jiang Xia: “…”

She felt it wasn’t just hard work; it was mostly good luck.

“Your uncle and I didn’t have a house when we married either, and we hadn’t split from the family. Don’t we have our own house now? As long as the man is good, that’s what matters. If a couple is of one heart, nothing else compares! Don’t be greedy for vanity. If you marry someone too rich, you’ll just end up swallowing your pride! Having a work unit is good, of course, but those with government units might not look at us. We don’t have work units ourselves, after all.”

She certainly didn’t agree with her eldest sister-in-law’s way of thinking.

However, Lei Yuzhen now had a proper job in the city as a buyer for a garment factory. Her sister-in-law boasted that fabric and accessory suppliers were scrambling to give her things and treat her to meals. With such a good job, perhaps she really could find a wealthy partner in the city.

Second Cousin’s wife truly wished the best for her nieces, whether they were from her own family or her husband’s.

Jiang Xia remembered that Father Zhou was going on a distant seas voyage the day after tomorrow. Since the business license for non-staple food processing had been approved, Jiang Xia intended to have Father Zhou buy more small dried fish and use local middlemen to buy them in bulk.

Because of this, two or three people would never be enough to handle the workload. She wanted to hire someone else in advance.

Last year, the sales from the three-flavored fried fish combined with the big rush before the New Year had brought in over 13,000 yuan. Each partner had received over 6,000 yuan.

Lord Hou had said to keep producing this year; he would take as much as they could make.

Jiang Xia planned to scale up production significantly.

Not just small dried fish, but also jellyfish, shredded squid, and other items could be made into snacks. Jiang Xia intended to slowly transition from a small food workshop into a small food factory.

Of course, a food factory wouldn’t happen overnight, and she didn’t have that much capital yet. But even a workshop needed one or two more employees.

She had noticed earlier that Xu Ling was quick with her hands and paid great attention to cleanliness in the details, making her a perfect fit for the food industry.

She said to Xu Ling, “I’m planning to hire someone to make fried fish in a few days. Xiao Ling, if you don’t mind the hard work, you could come and help. There’s a one-month probation period with a salary of 60 yuan. After probation, it’s 80 yuan a month.”

Xu Ling’s eyes widened. “I’m not afraid of hard work!”

A salary of 60 yuan a month was over ten yuan more than what Lei Yuzhen made!

Jiang Xia asked, “The only thing is your village is a bit far from ours. Do you have a bicycle?”

Second Cousin’s wife couldn’t help but be happy for her niece and hurried to say, “Xiao Xia, don’t worry. Her house is a bit closer than mine; it’s only an hour and a half walk!”

“I don’t have a bicycle, but I won’t be late! Don’t worry, Sister Xiao Xia! What time does work start in the morning? I’ll definitely be on time!”

“Generally, it’s from 8:00 AM to 11:30 AM, and 1:30 PM to 5:30 PM. It’s about seven or eight hours a day.”

Actually, the working hours weren’t fixed. When Aunt Fen and He Xinghuan worked together, they would start after finishing their housework around 7:00 AM. In the past, they even worked nights to finish frying the fish as quickly as possible, but if they worked over eight hours, Jiang Xia would pay Aunt Fen double.

Sometimes when there wasn’t much fish, the work would be done in an hour or two. Jiang Xia would still pay a full day’s wage.

However, since she planned to run it as a small food workshop, she would be hiring more people, so things naturally needed to become more regular.

“Then I definitely won’t be late!” She could leave at 6:30 AM and arrive in less than an hour and a half by foot. “Once I get my first paycheck, I’ll buy a bicycle, and I’ll be even earlier.”

Jiang Xia smiled. “Then in a few days, I’ll send word to let you know when to start.”

In this era without telephones, if you needed to find someone, you either went yourself or looked for someone from their village at the market to pass along a message.

“Okay!”

Chapter 463: Following the Trend

The tide had not yet fully receded, still reaching about waist-deep. Zhou Chenglei, Father Zhou, and several others were in the water, winding hemp ropes covered in mussels around wooden stakes, connecting them from one stake to the next.

In time, these mussels would grow along the stakes until they covered them completely, while the ones on the ropes would continue to grow or eventually drop off.

One could already see that the first batch of transplanted mussels was showing signs of spreading. This proved that this particular stretch of sea was indeed suitable for their growth.

Seeing the mussels spreading across the wooden stakes, Father Zhou was delighted. “They sure grow fast.”

Zhou Guodong marveled, “I never expected them to just live like this. You don’t even have to feed them.”

Zhou Chenglei replied, “Do you want to try farming them too? If you do, it’s best to go to the production team and lease a section of the sea as soon as possible.”

Father Zhou added, “Exactly! Do you have the guts to farm mussels with us? I can’t guarantee you’ll get filthy rich, but you’ll definitely make money! Look at my eldest daughter-in-law; even she followed suit and leased 13.3 hectares of the beach to farm them.”

This was the path to fortune discovered by Wealth-bringer. If it didn’t make them rich, it would certainly make them prosperous—there was no doubt about it!

Zhou Guodong looked at the mussels spreading over the stakes in the water, feeling a bit hesitant.

Father Zhou continued, “Today is a major ebb tide. Once the villagers see that these things can actually be farmed, some are bound to follow the trend. The beach is limited. If you’re late, you’ll have to find somewhere else further away, and it won’t be nearly as convenient.”

Normally, the tide didn’t recede this far.

Zhou Guodong understood this, but his family still owed Zhou Chenglei so much money. Where would he find the funds to lease the sea and buy wooden stakes?

Seeing his hesitation, Zhou Chenglei said, “I’m not in a hurry for the money. I’ll give you back the three hundred yuan you just paid me. Take it to lease a section of the sea. Once you earn money in the future, you can pay me back then.”

Father Zhou chimed in, “That’s right! Just pay it all back once you’ve made a profit. If you want to do it, decide quickly. Otherwise, all the good spots will be snapped up by others. There’s really no rush for the money. Once they’re grown and ready for sale, you won’t have to worry about paying us back. And if you really can’t pay, you can just transfer the lease back to us to clear the debt. You’re so young—what are you afraid of? You’ll make the money back.”

Zhou Guodong was already tempted, and hearing this settled his resolve. “Leigo, then I’ll wait a while longer to pay you back. I’ll go lease the sea area now.”

Zhou Chenglei handed the three hundred yuan back to him. “Three hundred yuan is enough to lease 6.6 hectares. When you go, help me lease an additional 13.3 hectares as well. I’ll go settle the payment in a bit.”

Although the coastline was long, it was still finite. Zhou Chenglei was helping his second brother lease the area. Even if his second brother didn’t want to farm it, Zhou Chenglei wouldn’t mind managing the extra 13.3 hectares himself.

“Then I’ll go lease the beach right now.”

Zhou Chenglei nodded.

Zhou Guodong headed off immediately. Just as he reached the shore, he saw Jiang Xia and Mother Zhou walking toward him.

After the two women had seen off the aunt and niece, they had headed down to the beach.

Zhou Guodong greeted them and said, a bit sheepishly, “Sister-in-law, I’m planning to learn mussel farming from Leigo. I’ll pay back the money later; I’m going to lease a patch of the beach first.”

Jiang Xia smiled. “That’s fine. Go on then!”

Currently, mussel farming was well worth the effort.

After thanking her, Zhou Guodong ran off toward the production team office.

Mother Zhou carefully supported Jiang Xia as they walked down to the beach. Zhou Chenglei, noticing Jiang Xia’s figure on the shore, immediately ran over. He took Mother Zhou’s place and held Jiang Xia’s arm.

Jiang Xia teased, “You sure ran over fast.”

He had run straight from the water.

Zhou Chenglei didn’t answer. Now that her belly was large, it wasn’t convenient to carry her, so he supported her firmly, watching her every step. He only let go once she was standing on solid sand.

The tide had already receded halfway, exposing half of the wooden stakes they had planted earlier. The mud was thicker in this part of the beach. Not wanting to be a burden, Jiang Xia said, “I’ll just stand here. I won’t go further out, so don’t worry about me.”

Mother Zhou asked, “How are the mussels doing? Are they alive?”

Zhou Chenglei replied, “They’re alive. Some have already started growing anchoring threads.”

Upon hearing this, Mother Zhou wanted to see for herself. She said to the couple, “I’m going over to take a look.”

Jiang Xia told Zhou Chenglei, “You go ahead and get back to work too. Today’s tide is fast to rise and fast to fall. I’ll come over once the water has receded completely.”

Zhou Chenglei naturally wouldn’t leave her alone. “No rush, I’ll be finished soon. Let’s gather some snails to take home for dinner.”

Holding Jiang Xia with one hand and a bucket in the other, Zhou Chenglei began looking for snail eyes to gather sea snails.

After a short while, as the tide receded further and further, villagers began arriving one after another.

Some villagers saw Father Zhou and the others working on the wooden stakes. As they passed Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia, one asked, “A-Lei, did those things you’re farming actually survive?”

Zhou Chenglei replied, “Some of them did.”

“They really lived? I’ve gotta see this!” Upon hearing this, the man immediately ran over to check.

Others couldn’t resist and went over to join the spectacle as well.

The villagers gathered around Father Zhou, staring at the mussels on the stakes. “They’re really alive? You actually managed to keep these things alive?”

Father Zhou chuckled, “Why would I lie to you? Can’t you see for yourself?”

With Wealth-bringer’s luck shining on them, what wouldn’t survive?

“Yongfu, is this stuff easy to raise? How much does a 500-gram portion sell for once they’re grown?”

Father Zhou replied, “Whether it’s easy or not, see for yourselves. I don’t think it’s that hard, but everyone’s luck is different. Even with vegetables, some people grow them well while others can’t keep them alive. I don’t know the price yet since they aren’t grown, but I heard that in other places, these are for earning foreign exchange through exports. They should be worth a few cents per 500 grams, I reckon? I’m not sure; I haven’t sold any yet.”

“A few cents? That’s so cheap. I thought imported stuff from abroad would be more expensive.”

Father Zhou countered, “They’ve got shells, brother! How heavy is that shell?”

“How much did these wooden stakes cost you?”

“Do you really not have to feed them? You just let them grow in the sea?”

…

Several people were intrigued and couldn’t stop prying for information from Father Zhou. He happily answered everything he knew, though he added a disclaimer at the end to deflect responsibility.

The main message was: If you want to follow suit, go ahead, but if they don’t grow and you lose money, don’t blame me!

After all, buying wooden stakes and buoys cost a fair bit of money. While ropes could be twisted at home, those weren’t durable and tended to rot, meaning they’d likely have to buy proper rope eventually anyway.

Because of the major ebb tide, many people had come for beachcombing. Most were curious about whether Zhou Chenglei’s experiment had survived, so more and more people gathered to watch and ask questions.

Some even proactively started helping with the work.

Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei continued gathering sea snails as they made their way toward the group. Once the tide was fully out, there would be even more bounty at the base of the stakes.

Earlier, Jiang Xia had asked Zhou Chenglei to circle the base of the stakes with netting, hoping to trap some shrimp and crabs as the tide went out. It would also prevent any mussels that fell from being swept away by the current.

“You go do your work. I’ll gather things with Mom. Don’t worry about me.”

Mother Zhou added, “Yes, I’ll keep an eye on Xiao Xia.”

“Then be careful,” Zhou Chenglei said, knowing he really did have work to finish.

“I know,” Jiang Xia replied.

The nets at the base of the stakes were indeed full of treasures. Jiang Xia immediately saw two or three shrimp by the net and quickly bent down to pick them up.

There were so many shrimp today! Every few steps, she found a few more. Scattered along the edges of the nets were shrimp of all sizes, and occasionally a crab. There were also blood clams and other clams.

Jiang Xia and Mother Zhou were having a wonderful time. Today’s beachcombing joy was brought to them by the shrimp!

The villagers who had just finished inspecting the mussels saw the mother and daughter-in-law frantically picking up shrimp and grew envious. Regardless of whether mussel farming made money, setting things up this way made beachcombing incredibly convenient!

The two of them had gathered 250 grams of shrimp in practically no time at all.

Unfortunately, this was someone else’s leased sea area and their nets, so the villagers didn’t feel right about picking things up there.

…

As evening approached, the fishing boats returned to harbor.

Li Xiuxian got off her boat, intending to go home and cook. She saw several people from the production team walking out and heard them complaining.

“We were a step too slow! All the good beach spots have been leased!”

“I wanted to follow along and start farming a long time ago, but I was afraid they wouldn’t live. If I’d known they would survive, I would have leased a patch before the New Year.”

“I was scared too. Who knew they’d be gone so fast?”

Li Xiuxian’s heart skipped a beat. “Uncle, what are you leasing the sea for?”

“To learn mussel farming from A-Lei! You’re A-Lei’s sister-in-law, surely your family is doing it too? How many nautical miles did you lease?”

Li Xiuxian: “…”

Chapter 464: Both Wanting and Fearing

Li Xiuxian went to the production team to rent a section of the sea, only for the staff to tell her, “There are no suitable areas left to rent. They’ve all been taken.”

“The entire coastline is rented out?” Li Xiuxian could hardly believe it.

Since when had the villagers become so bold?

“Yes, people in the village are renting dozens of mu, 6.6 hectares, or even 13.3 hectares at a time. Everything that can be leased has been leased. We haven’t surveyed the remaining areas yet, so we don’t dare lease any more for now.”

Li Xiuxian couldn’t help but pry. “Who in the village rented them?”

The staff member recognized Li Xiuxian and knew she was Zhou Chengsen’s wife. Zhou Chengsen used to work for the production team before being promoted to the town level because of his high education. However, he had a bit of bad luck when someone snatched his job placement.

That person didn’t have as high an education as Zhou Chengsen, nor was his work performance as good. He had assumed Zhou Chengsen was just a low-level worker with no backing, unaware that the man’s brothers were formidable.

His brother’s father-in-law was also a powerful figure.

In the end, Zhou Chengsen became that person’s direct supervisor.

Of course, these were all things she had heard. Since Li Xiuxian asked and it wasn’t a secret, she told her who had rented the sea areas.

“Your Big Brother and your brother-in-law both rented plots. Your brother-in-law rented the most. Then there’s Zhou Yongguo, Zhou Guodong, Zhou Kangping, Zhou Guohua, Zhou Zhenbang…”

Li Xiuxian’s face was dark by the time she left the production team office.

Everyone around Zhou Chenglei had rented sea areas. Even Zhou Yongguo and Zhou Kangping, who worked for Zhou Chenglei, had rented plots. Only her family had nothing.

Zhou Chenglei had called upon everyone close to him, proving he was confident. He had persuaded everyone around him, but he couldn’t even be bothered to explain a bit more to her, his own Second Sister-in-law.

At that moment, Tian Caihua had just finished selling her fish and was walking up, preparing to head home.

Seeing her, Li Xiuxian asked, “Big Sister-in-law, are you all following A-Lei and the others in farming mussels?”

Tian Caihua beamed. “Of course!”

She had decided long ago: whatever Jiang Xia did, she would do too!

If it weren’t for the fact that Jiang Xia’s clothes would make her own fat bulge out here and there, she would want to dress exactly like Jiang Xia!

Li Xiuxian asked, “How many mu of the beach did your family rent?”

Tian Caihua replied, “13.3 hectares!”

Li Xiuxian gasped. “That much? But I don’t see that many wooden stakes planted. Don’t you think 13.3 hectares is too much?”

Tian Caihua said smugly, “This is just the beginning. Of course we start small to see how it goes. If we plant too many wooden stakes at once and it doesn’t work out, wouldn’t we lose money even on the wood?”

Xiao Xia had said that just because they were starting to survive now didn’t mean they would grow to full size. Therefore, they shouldn’t spread themselves too thin to avoid heavy losses.

They would use wooden stakes first to see if this area of the sea was suitable for farming. If they could truly keep them alive and succeed, they would visit other farms to buy professional equipment.

Jiang Xia had mentioned that if they succeeded this time, they could try floating raft cultivation. That way, the mussels wouldn’t be affected by being exposed to the air during the rising and falling tides.

However, they had found a stretch of sea that was only exposed during a major ebb tide. Usually, even at low tide, the water was shallow but deep enough to ensure the mussels remained submerged.

A major ebb tide only happened twice a month, and never for very long. Unless they hit a period of scorching sun and the exposure lasted too long, the impact should be minimal.

Besides, they hadn’t encountered a major ebb tide during peak midday sun in their area yet.

“6.6 hectares is already a lot. Aren’t you afraid of losing the money for the lease on 13.3 hectares, Big Sister-in-law?”

Tian Caihua knew exactly what she was trying to do. She put on a boastful expression. “I’m not afraid. I can afford the loss.”

Li Xiuxian: “…”

That “wealthy and arrogant” look was absolutely sickening!

Someone who didn’t know better would think her family was loaded!

Tian Caihua flaunted her wealth, and seeing Li Xiuxian’s face change color gave her a sense of satisfaction!

She walked away, whistling a tuneless melody.

Humph, she certainly wasn’t going to tell her that there was no way they would lose money!

How could they lose with Jiang Xia around?

Last year, they had made several hundred yuan just from farming fish.

Actually, her family hadn’t put much capital into the fish farming—just the cost of two net cages and some welding rods. Zhou Chenglei and his wife covered the rest.

However, Zhou Chengxin did most of the daily work, like feeding the fish and cleaning the cages.

It was essentially Zhou Chenglei providing the money while they provided the labor, splitting the profits fifty-fifty.

This year, they hadn’t technically earned back their initial investment yet, but they had only been farming for about six months last year. This year, they would have a full year of harvests. Furthermore, they still had some fish over 500 grams left, along with smaller fish and a few Giant Grouper. The Giant Grouper could grow quite large, so they planned to raise them until they weighed dozens of kilograms before finding a chance to sell them for a premium price.

Now, everyone in the vicinity knew their family bought precious fish like grouper. If anyone caught one while fishing, they would bring it to them. Next year, they would surely have even more fish to sell.

Was there any worry about not making back the capital?

Li Xiuxian rolled her eyes at Tian Caihua’s retreating back. Look at her, acting so high and mighty!

Zhou Chengsen also finished selling fish and was walking home.

As he passed her, he didn’t even ask why she wasn’t home yet.

She grabbed him. “Go to the production team and ask about renting a sea plot. Several people in the village have rented areas to farm mussels. We should rent one too.”

Zhou Chengsen glanced at her and said flatly, “Didn’t you say before that farming those things wasn’t as good as fishing?”

Li Xiuxian replied, “I thought they wouldn’t survive before, but hasn’t A-Lei’s lot survived now? Hurry up and ask. We’ll rent a plot to farm mussels too.”

Zhou Chengsen countered, “You already asked and they said there are none. Will they magically have one just because I ask?”

Li Xiuxian argued, “You’re more familiar with the people at the production team! I did ask, but the staff said everything available has been rented. They won’t know if there’s any more suitable sea area until after the survey. You used to work there, and with them…”

Zhou Chengsen interrupted her, “I’m not going. I’m not as thick-skinned or shameless as you.”

Li Xiuxian: “…”

Having said his piece, Zhou Chengsen didn’t bother with her anymore and headed home carrying a bucket of miscellaneous fish.

Li Xiuxian chased after him. “Do you know that Big Brother, Zhou Yongguo, Zhou Kangping, and Zhou Guodong have all rented plots? We’re the only ones who haven’t. A-Lei called all of them…”

Zhou Chengsen stopped and looked at her coldly. “What? You think A-Lei didn’t call me? He asked me several times! I only refused because I listened to you! Are you bringing this up now because you want to blame A-Lei? Blame yourself! This is all your own making because you wanted to make money but weren’t willing to take the risk!”

Li Xiuxian: “…”

Returning from the beach, Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia went to the production team office to call home, asking if Mother Jiang had been keeping an eye on Lei Yuzhen’s situation.

Jiang Xia told Mother Jiang what she had heard from Second Cousin’s wife at Great-Aunt’s house and asked if she knew someone named A-Cheng.

Hearing this, Mother Jiang said, “I don’t know any A-Cheng or A-Chi, but don’t worry, I’ve been keeping an eye on A-Lei’s cousin. It’s normal for fabric and accessory suppliers to send small gifts to purchasing agents. As long as she doesn’t take kickbacks or collude with the suppliers to inflate prices and defraud the garment factory, there’s no major problem.”

Then Father Jiang took the phone and said warmly to Jiang Xia, “Your mother and I know what we’re doing. You just focus on nurturing the fetus and don’t worry about us.”

Hearing this, Jiang Xia didn’t say much more, only adding, “Then I’ll come home to see you both on Saturday.”

Father Jiang sounded a bit regretful. “Your mother and I are both going on business trips this week. I have to go to the capital for a meeting; this trip will last about a month. Your mother won’t be home until next week.”

“Then I’ll wait until Mom is back to visit her. Dad, be careful on your way to the capital.”

“I will.”

The father and daughter spoke for a while longer before hanging up.

After the call, the couple headed home. Zhou Chenglei then went to the old house to find Zhou Chengsen.

Chapter 465: Going to the Market

At the old house, Zhou Ying had just finished her shower, and Zhou Chengsen was washing his daughter’s clothes.

Li Xiuxian was in the kitchen cooking.

Zhou Chenglei walked in carrying a bucket of mussels. He greeted Zhou Chengsen and his wife and then said to Zhou Chengsen, “We gathered these at sea today. Try some, Second Brother and Second Sister-in-law.”

Zhou Chengsen smiled. “These mussels are quite plump. Ever since we had them last time, I’ve been thinking about having them again.”

“That’s perfect then. Steam them while they’re fresh and eat up,” Zhou Chenglei said. Then, getting straight to the point, he added, “I’ve helped you rent two hundred mu of the sea area. Do you want to cultivate mussels, Second Brother?”

Li Xiuxian had been listening intently from the kitchen. Hearing this, she immediately shouted, “Yes, we want to! A-Lei, did you really help us rent two hundred mu?”

Zhou Chenglei nodded. “Yeah, I had Guodong go and rent it today.”

Last time, he could see that his second brother wanted to start farming them, which was why he had Zhou Guodong rent an extra two hundred mu today.

In the village, there were about a thousand mu of sea area suitable for mussels. He had rented three hundred mu, Big Brother had rented two hundred, Great-Grandma’s house had one hundred, and Kangping had also rented one hundred. There wasn’t much left to begin with, and he was afraid that if his second brother decided to farm later, there would be no area left to rent. So, he simply spent the money to secure a plot.

“Thanks!”

Zhou Chengsen had been helping Zhou Chenglei with the mussels and paying close attention. He knew that cultivation was just a bit troublesome in the early stages and required some investment, but the later management was simple. There wasn’t much to do other than occasionally patrolling the sea to check on them. He truly did want to start farming.

He knew that his brother was always reliable and understood him best.

Since Zhou Chengsen had been acting as if he were deliberately going against her lately, Li Xiuxian was afraid he would change his mind. She ran out and said, “I’ll get you the money right now. How much is it in total?”

Zhou Chenglei replied, “Six hundred yuan.”

Li Xiuxian paused when she heard the number. “I only have one hundred yuan on me right now; I didn’t bring that much cash back with me. Can I give you a hundred for now?”

Six hundred yuan far exceeded Li Xiuxian’s budget. She had only planned to spend two or three hundred yuan to give it a try.

She couldn’t help but wonder—could Zhou Chenglei have rented too much and, fearing a loss, decided to pass two hundred mu off to them?

Zhou Chengsen countered, “I’ll give it to you in a bit.”

He had already planned to rent a sea area for mussels this time, so he had brought the money. However, his hands were wet from washing clothes. He would bring the money over once he was done.

“No rush. You can give it to me next time. I’m heading home for dinner,” Zhou Chenglei said and walked back to the house across the way.

After Zhou Chenglei left, Li Xiuxian felt uneasy again. She looked at Zhou Chengsen, wanting to say something, but in the end, she didn’t dare.

She was afraid the cold war between them would never end.

Bodhisattva bless us, those mussels must survive, and they must make us a lot of money!

The next day remained clear and sunny. Father Zhou was to depart for a distant seas voyage tomorrow.

Mother Zhou planned to go to the market to see what vegetables were for sale, as she needed to stock up for the boat.

This was the lean season. Because it had rained too much recently, the green vegetables had all rotted in the fields, and the newly sown seeds hadn’t grown yet.

Melon-type vegetables had only recently been planted.

No household had many green vegetables to eat; the most common things on the table were sweet potato leaves and water spinach.

When Jiang Xia heard about the trip, she wanted to browse the market as well.

So, early in the morning, Zhou Chenglei drove the tractor, taking Jiang Xia and Mother Zhou to the market.

There weren’t many vegetables or fruits at the market either.

However, someone was selling fresh bamboo shoots, and Jiang Xia bought them all. She then bought some taro, jicama, and radishes.

Most of the items at the market were surplus products brought in by villagers to sell for extra cash.

Jiang Xia bought almost all the taro, jicama, radishes, Chinese yams, fresh bamboo shoots, and potatoes available in the entire market.

Before the New Year, many people had sold everything they could to get money for the holiday, so there weren’t many edible melons available.

After buying those fresh, storable vegetables, Jiang Xia worried it might not be enough. She said, “Let’s go buy some dried wood ear mushrooms, mushrooms, and dried daylilies.”

“Alright!” Zhou Chenglei led Jiang Xia forward.

As they walked, they heard a motorcycle horn being pressed down hard without letting go.

The ear-piercing sound caused people in the market to move to the side and look back, including Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei.

Once the path cleared, the motorcycle drove forward, and Jiang Xia saw Lei Yuzhen sitting on the back.

Zhou Chenglei noted, “It’s Lei Yuzhen.”

At first glance, Jiang Xia really hadn’t recognized her.

She looked like a completely different person compared to how she appeared during the New Year.

Her style of dress had changed; she was wearing makeup and lipstick, which was why Jiang Xia hadn’t recognized her at once.

The man driving the motorcycle was a young man in his early twenties. He wore a black leather jacket over a floral shirt, and his hair was slicked back and shiny, looking quite greasy.

This must be Lei Yuzhen’s boyfriend, “A-Cheng.”

Jiang Xia glanced at A-Cheng but didn’t recognize him.

Lei Yuzhen spotted Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei immediately. She patted her boyfriend and pointed at them. “That’s my cousin and cousin-in-law! My cousin-in-law’s mother is our garment factory manager. Drive over there; I want to say hello.”

When A-Cheng heard this, his gaze fell on Jiang Xia, and he instantly sized her up from head to toe.

She was a beauty!

A-Cheng drove the motorcycle up to Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei.

Lei Yuzhen said with a smile, “Cousin, Cousin-in-law, you’re here at the market too! What a coincidence!”

Jiang Xia nodded with a faint smile. “It is a coincidence.”

Lei Yuzhen introduced him proudly. “This is my boyfriend, A-Cheng. He’s from the city. He said he’d never seen what a town market was like, so I brought him to see. A-Cheng, these are my cousin and cousin-in-law.”

In reality, that wasn’t why she was there. She had heard from her mother that her second aunt’s niece and that Zhou Guodong were coming to the market today. She had specifically asked her boyfriend to come so she could see what Zhou Guodong looked like.

Her second aunt didn’t think A-Cheng was good enough? Well, she wanted to see just how great this Zhou Guodong was!

At the same time, she wanted Xu Ling to see her boyfriend so there would be a comparison.

A-Cheng grinned. “Cousin, Cousin-in-law, nice to meet you.”

His eyes lingered on Jiang Xia.

Even though she was pregnant, she was still so breathtakingly beautiful.

Her figure was fantastic!

It was his first time seeing a woman who still looked so good while heavily pregnant.

It was a pity she was married so early.

If she weren’t married, wouldn’t it be amazing to trick this rich young lady into his hands?

Zhou Chenglei’s eyes swept over him with a cold, piercing glare!

A-Cheng inadvertently caught Zhou Chenglei’s gaze. His heart skipped a beat in fear, and he quickly smiled. “Well, we won’t disturb you two then. We’re heading off!”

Jiang Xia nodded. “Fine.”

A-Cheng immediately rode the motorcycle away.

Jiang Xia waited for the motorcycle to vanish before asking Zhou Chenglei, “Do you know that A-Cheng?”

Zhou Chenglei shook his head. “I don’t. I’ll ask around.”

Zhou Chenglei thought about Father Jiang going to the capital for a month on business and Mother Jiang having to travel for work as well. He felt a bit uneasy.

“Mhm,” Jiang Xia replied.

Chapter 466: Candied Lotus Seeds and Candied Lotus Root

The motorcycle disappeared into the crowd as Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei continued walking forward.

Days drifting at sea were hard and monotonous, so Jiang Xia wanted to buy as much good food as possible to ensure everyone ate well.

She prepared plenty of relatively expensive dry goods, such as wood ear mushrooms, dried daylilies, and shiitake mushrooms.

Meats like chicken, duck, goose, pork, beef, and mutton, as well as rice, flour, grain, and oil, all had to be well-stocked. Mother Zhou said she would handle those purchases.

They already had chickens, ducks, and geese at home. They would be slaughtered early tomorrow morning and put into the ship’s cold storage.

As for meat, they only needed to buy pork and some beef if available. As for the mutton, a sheep had already been ordered, and Wen Father had been notified to deliver it to their home before nine o’clock tomorrow morning.

Jiang Xia was in charge of the shopping, while Zhou Chenglei was in charge of the carrying.

Zhou Chenglei held a large woven sack in one hand and draped his other arm around Jiang Xia’s shoulders to protect her as they wove through the crowded market where chicken and goose feathers flew through the air.

Not far away, there was a stall selling beef. Mother Zhou had likely already bought the meat, but Zhou Chenglei spotted two pairs of bull horns. One pair was quite beautiful, so he bought them.

Jiang Xia asked, “What are you buying those for?”

Zhou Chenglei kept it a secret. “You’ll find out when the time comes.”

Jiang Xia didn’t press him further.

At the other end of the market, Zhou Guodong and Xu Ling were also looking around.

When Xu Ling saw a stall selling candied treats, she said, “I’ll buy some candied lotus seeds and candied lotus root to take back for my younger brother and sister to eat.”

The two of them walked up to the stall.

The stall was filled with bags of candied winter melon, candied kumquat, candied lotus root, candied lotus seeds, candied coconut ribbons, and other sweets.

Xu Ling pointed to the candied lotus root and seeds, which were coated in a layer of white frosting, and said, “I’d like a total of 250g of candied lotus root and candied lotus seeds.”

Although there were many varieties of candied treats, they weren’t cheap. Xu Ling chose the flavors her siblings liked best.

Zhou Guodong pulled out money to pay the stall owner. “Weigh out 500g of the candied lotus seeds and lotus root, and pick out another 500g of the other varieties.”

The stall owner took the money and asked, “Are you buying these together or separately?”

Zhou Guodong said, “Together.”

Hearing this, Xu Ling hurriedly said, “No need, you buy yours and I’ll buy mine.”

The stall owner asked again, “So, do you want them packed separately?”

Zhou Guodong said, “No need, just pack them together.”

Xu Ling said, “Actually, pack them separately!”

Seeing them pull back and forth like that and noting their shy expressions, the stall owner immediately knew they were dating. She smiled and said, “Then I’ll just pack them together.”

She then took it upon herself to start packing and weighing the candied treats.

Xu Ling looked at Zhou Guodong. “I can buy them myself.”

She felt too embarrassed to let him pay for her.

Zhou Guodong said, “It’s fine.”

Seeing how embarrassed Xu Ling was, the stall owner laughed and said, “It’s better to buy them like this! Exactly 500g of candied lotus root and candied lotus seeds is perfect. 500g is ten ounces—a symbol of perfection. Half lotus seeds and half lotus root makes a perfect pair. You two just came out and came to my stall to buy these; it’s a very auspicious sign! Once you take them back, you two will surely have a harmonious union for a hundred years, be blessed with children soon, and have a sweet life together!”

Xu Ling’s face instantly turned bright red! Even though her skin was slightly tanned, it was clearly visible.

She was so embarrassed that she unconsciously dug her toe into the ground, nearly scuffing a hole in her clean but worn-out black cloth shoes.

She had only bought the candied lotus seeds and root because her brother and sister loved them.

Zhou Guodong was also a shy person, and his ears began to burn upon hearing those words.

He hadn’t thought that far ahead. He had simply asked her out. She had walked here, but since he had ridden his bicycle, he naturally had to see her home later.

Since he was taking her home, it wouldn’t be right not to stop by and say hello. He couldn’t go for his first visit empty-handed, so when he saw her buying the sweets, he took the initiative to pay.

The two took the weighed bag of sweets from the stall owner and continued walking. Then, they ran into Lei Yuzhen and A-Cheng, who had been riding the motorcycle around the market for quite a while.

Lei Yuzhen knew Xu Ling.

During the busy farming season, Xu Ling would often come to the Lei family home to help out her second aunt.

Sitting on the motorcycle, Lei Yuzhen shouted loudly, “Sister Ling, are you browsing the market?”

After speaking, she glanced at Zhou Guodong.

He was pushing a bicycle and wearing a white shirt that looked half-new.

To be honest, he was quite good-looking and tall, probably over 1.7 meters. He was taller and better-looking than her own boyfriend.

However, pushing a battered bicycle wasn’t nearly as flashy as a motorcycle.

As she rode around the market on the motorcycle, she had drawn countless envious gazes.

Xu Ling looked over and took a moment to recognize Lei Yuzhen. She smiled and said, “Yuzhen.”

Lei Yuzhen climbed onto A-Cheng’s shoulder to introduce him. “This is my good friend and my second aunt’s niece, Sister Xu Ling. We grew up together. Sister Ling, this is my partner, A-Cheng.”

A-Cheng looked Xu Ling up and down. She looked average, barely passable, but her skin was too dark and her frame was too large. Her hands were too rough to look at, and she was so poor her shoes were falling apart.

“Hello,” he greeted her indifferently before looking away, uninterested.

A-Cheng turned his head, searching for Jiang Xia. Jiang Xia was still the most beautiful!

She was a rare beauty.

That skin of hers looked so delicate it could break at a touch, so supple. He wondered how it would feel to take a bite. Just thinking about it made the lower half of his body tighten.

Xu Ling also introduced Zhou Guodong to Lei Yuzhen. “This is Zhou Guodong, from my cousin’s village.”

Lei Yuzhen smiled and said, “Hello.”

Zhou Guodong smiled back. “Hello.”

Lei Yuzhen looked at Xu Ling again. “Sister Ling, did you walk here? Are you done shopping? I’ll have my partner give you a ride back. It’s on the way anyway.”

Xu Ling smiled. “No thank you, we’re not done yet.”

Lei Yuzhen didn’t push it. “Then we’re off! A-Cheng is coming to our house in a bit, so we still need to go to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative to buy some malted milk, canned goods, cigarettes, and alcohol. Bye!”

Xu Ling nodded. “Goodbye.”

Then she said to Zhou Guodong, “Let’s go!”

The two continued forward.

The motorcycle drove off as well.

As A-Cheng rode, he said to Lei Yuzhen, “What good things could the town’s Supply and Marketing Cooperative possibly have? I brought some good things from the city for your parents, and I bought you some clothes too. They’re all at the hotel. Come with me to the hotel to get them.”

Then the motorcycle made a U-turn and headed back.

As A-Cheng drove, he spotted her immediately. That woman with the smooth skin and stunning features was standing in front of a stall selling pigeons, smiling as she petted a white pigeon held by the owner.

She looked even more beautiful when she smiled; she practically glowed.

At that moment, the pigeon suddenly fluttered its wings. She instinctively stepped back and tilted her head to avoid it, only for the man behind her to raise his hand to shield her face, tucking her protectively into the crook of his arm.

A-Cheng lingered a few moments longer, then drove straight to the nearest hotel. He presented his letter of introduction and checked in with Lei Yuzhen.

Zhou Chenglei bought the whole cage of pigeons to take back and raise, planning to stew them into soup for Jiang Xia in the evenings.

Lately, Jiang Xia was eating less and less at each meal.

It wasn’t that her appetite was bad, but rather that if she ate even a little too much, her stomach felt uncomfortable. She could only manage by eating more frequent, smaller meals throughout the day.

Moreover, when she slept at night, her chest felt cramped and she had difficulty breathing if her posture wasn’t just right.

Every night as he held her, he could feel that her breathing was strained and heavy, not light and shallow like it used to be.

She used to be someone with zero sleep issues who slept soundly until dawn, but now she woke up frequently in the night, either from hunger or discomfort.

She also had to use the restroom many more times a day than before.

Jiang Xia never complained, but Zhou Chenglei could tell she was having a hard time, and he simply had no way to ease her burden.

Zhou Chenglei had read about these symptoms in medical books, and Dr. Gao had also mentioned that as the belly grew larger, it would compress the internal organs. It might become even more difficult as the pregnancy progressed.

He decided that tomorrow, after Father Zhou went out to sea, he would take Jiang Xia to the city for another prenatal checkup.

After buying the pigeons, the couple continued forward and encountered Xu Ling and Zhou Guodong again.

Zhou Guodong had two bags of items on his bicycle, and a strip of meat was hanging from it as well.

Since they had run into each other, Jiang Xia took the opportunity to tell Xu Ling that work would resume on the second day after the Qingming Festival.

Chapter 467: Just for Him

Jiang Xia hadn’t spent so long on her feet in a while. After wandering the market all morning, her feet began to swell with edema by evening.

Zhou Chenglei brought over a basin of hot water so she could soak her feet and relieve the fatigue.

Jiang Xia watched as Zhou Chenglei crouched on the floor, using a hot towel to wrap and compress her lower legs. After the heat had seeped in, he began to gently massage them.

There were many acupoints on the soles of the feet, and since he didn’t dare press them blindly, he simply used his palms and thumbs to stroke her soles lightly. It was as if he believed this could coax the swelling to dissipate.

Jiang Xia remarked, “It’s probably because I walked too much today. I haven’t walked that distance in so long. It rained for such a stretch of time recently that I barely moved for over a month.”

During those rainy days, Jiang Xia had felt particularly out of sorts. She felt uneasy and didn’t want to go anywhere, spending exceptionally long hours every day sitting at her desk or on the bed working on translations.

Zhou Chenglei said, “From now on, we’ll go for a walk every morning and evening.”

“Alright.”

After soaking her feet, Jiang Xia went to sleep first.

It was still early, so Zhou Chenglei went downstairs to stew some pigeon soup for her. That way, if she woke up hungry in the middle of the night, she would have hot soup to drink and pigeon meat to eat. While the soup simmered, he decided to work on the pair of ox horns.

The ox horns weren’t fresh; they had already been air-dried and undergone preliminary processing. They only needed a bit more refinement before they could be carved.

Zhou Chenglei wanted to carve an ox horn comb for Jiang Xia. He had heard that using an ox horn comb was good for one’s health.

By the time he finished preparing the two horns, it was already eleven o’clock.

The soup was done as well. He carried it upstairs and set it aside to cool slightly, figuring Jiang Xia would wake up soon.

Zhou Chenglei then went into the study to sketch a design for the comb’s handle.

He had been drawing for about half an hour when Jiang Xia woke up to use the bathroom. Seeing the light in the room, Zhou Chenglei immediately put down his pen and walked out of the study to help her.

“Why aren’t you asleep yet? Are you translating?” Jiang Xia asked.

“No, I’m drawing a design.”

“What kind of design?”

“You’ll know when the time comes. Are you hungry? I stewed some pigeon soup.”

Jiang Xia suspected it had something to do with the ox horns. Feeling a sense of anticipation, she didn’t press further. “Then I’ll eat some before going back to sleep.”

The next morning, Father Zhou set sail for the distant seas at nine o’clock. This voyage would see him back before the Qingming Festival.

After the large boat departed, Zhou Chenglei took Jiang Xia to the city for her prenatal checkup.

After her pulse was taken and an ultrasound was performed, the results showed the baby was developing well. However, Jiang Xia’s feet were still swollen—even more so than the previous night.

Zhou Chenglei asked, “Is it because she walked too much at the market yesterday?”

“That’s part of it, but…” Dr. Gao said as she examined Jiang Xia’s feet, “the primary reason is the growing fetus. It’s putting pressure on the inferior vena cava, which hinders the blood return from the lower limbs. The swelling isn’t too severe yet, so it’s not a big problem. It might get worse, but this is just physiological pregnancy edema. It will disappear naturally after she gives birth.”

Zhou Chenglei looked at Jiang Xia’s small feet, which were swollen like puffy little trotters. How could this not be considered severe? She could barely fit into her shoes this morning.

“Is there any way to reduce the swelling?”

“Prop her legs up more, and don’t let her stand or sit for too long. Soaking her feet in warm water every night and giving her a massage will help alleviate it. I’ll teach you how to do it; you can massage your wife when you get back.”

Dr. Gao crouched down to demonstrate the massage technique on one of Jiang Xia’s feet. Zhou Chenglei also knelt, taking Jiang Xia’s other foot in his hands and following along with focused intensity.

When Zeng Yuan came over to speak with Dr. Gao, she happened to see Zhou Chenglei crouching on the floor, earnestly learning how to massage Jiang Xia’s feet.

His sharp profile was cold and focused. He cradled that swollen, puffy foot as if he were holding a precious treasure.

She stood at the doorway for a long time, yet no one noticed her.

Zhou Chenglei had always been keen and alert. When had he ever reached a point where he failed to notice someone nearby?

For Jiang Xia’s sake, he had allowed himself to fall so far. His entire heart and soul were centered on this woman, even losing his habitual vigilance.

A wave of bitterness suddenly surged in Zeng Yuan’s chest, and she turned to leave.

She had gone through so much trouble to transfer here, all for him! Because of him, she had trapped herself in this place, unable to move forward and unable to return to how things were.

Yet, he wouldn’t even give her a second glance.

Zhou Chenglei knew someone had come, but he simply hadn’t looked up. No matter who it was, what did it have to do with him? Jiang Xia’s swollen feet were enough to occupy his entire concern.

At noon, the couple had lunch at Fuman Restaurant. They had come specifically to thank the owner for helping Jiang Dong last time.

The owner of Fuman Restaurant said happily, “You’re being far too polite. It was your brother’s own cleverness that saved him; it really had nothing to do with me. I just lent a small hand. But if you truly want to thank me, then I won’t be modest—just make sure to think of me whenever you have any good fish in the future.”

Jiang Xia smiled and replied, “Certainly.”

The owner of Fuman Restaurant breathed a sigh of relief. He had said similar things before, but she hadn’t given such a definitive answer then. This time, her response was certain.

In truth, he had felt a lingering fear after the incident. If her brother had met with an accident on his premises, how could he have possibly answered for it?

Fortunately, the lad was a sharp one and knew how to save himself. It had allowed the owner to inadvertently build a connection with these siblings. If they continued like this, they would eventually become friends.

The more friends one had, the easier the path ahead.

Of course, he didn’t intend to use this connection to ask for any favors; he didn’t have anything he needed help with. His greatest wish was simply to run this restaurant well, make it successful, and eventually open a few more branches.

After exchanging a few more words and saying they had other matters to attend to, Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei departed.

Jiang Xia had agreed so readily not just because the owner of Fuman Restaurant had called the police for Jiang Dong, but because he had gone above and beyond—detaining everyone involved and ensuring witnesses were present to secure evidence. Since his request was so minor, Jiang Xia naturally agreed without hesitation.

In the afternoon, they drove back to the village. As they passed the production team, some members saw their car and chased after them. “A-Lei, Xiao Xia! There are phone calls for you. Several people called today—someone named Zhou, someone named Peng, and someone named Feng.”

Zhou Chenglei stopped the car and went with Jiang Xia to return the calls.

The calls were from Factory Director Zhou and the others. The Spring Canton Fair was set to begin middle of next month.

The Spring Canton Fair coincided with the peak purchasing season for most international markets. Therefore, the Spring Fair was usually larger in terms of product categories and exhibition scale than the Autumn Fair, often attracting more foreign merchants and buyers.

Preparations for the Canton Fair had already begun. Some staff members had even left for Suicheng to undergo a month of training.

Given their success at the last Autumn Canton Fair, the factory directors had called Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei immediately after their meeting concluded.

Though everyone knew Jiang Xia was pregnant, there were plenty of women who continued to struggle at their jobs or work in the fields while pregnant. Unless they needed bed rest to stabilize the pregnancy, which woman didn’t work through her pregnancy? Even the factory directors’ own wives worked while pregnant.

Thus, they all called to invite Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei to continue serving as translators for their factories.

Zhou Chenglei rejected them outright over the phone. With Jiang Xia’s feet swollen as they were, he didn’t want her doing anything.

The Canton Fair lasted twenty days; including the travel time before and after, it would take up a whole month.

Now that Jiang Xia’s feet were swelling and she was experiencing chest tightness—not to mention waking up in the middle of the night either hungry or needing the bathroom—how could he possibly feel at ease leaving her for a month?

They weren’t desperate for money anyway, so Zhou Chenglei wasn’t even considering it.

However, Jiang Xia reached out and took the receiver.

Chapter 468: Let Him Annoy Her

Jiang Xia held the receiver and said to Factory Director Zhou, “Director Zhou, let us think it over and see how things go. I’m fine physically, it’s just that my feet are a bit swollen, and A-Lei is a little worried. Yes, yes… alright, goodbye.”

Zhou Chenglei looked at Jiang Xia with disapproval, but since there were others in the office, he didn’t say anything.

Jiang Xia tugged on his hand to soothe him, then dialed the numbers for the other factories.

…

Once the calls were finished, the two of them got into the car to head home.

Only after starting the engine did Zhou Chenglei speak. “I won’t be going to the Canton Fair this time. I’m staying home to be with you.”

“Mhm, let’s talk about it when we get back.” For safety’s sake, Jiang Xia didn’t want to agitate him while he was driving.

They owe the shipyard over 600,000 yuan, how can he not go?

Zhou Chenglei was resolute. “There’s no need to talk about it at home. I’m not going.”

Jiang Xia remained silent.

Zhou Chenglei didn’t speak further either, focusing on his driving.

Once he had driven home, parked the car, and was helping her out, Jiang Xia finally grabbed his large hand. “I didn’t say I was letting you go to the Spring Canton Fair; I’m planning on going myself.”

Zhou Chenglei tightened his grip on her hand and looked at her in disbelief. He then glanced at her stomach, his face practically screaming, ‘Are you joking?’

“I don’t agree.”

She was really trying to provoke him!

Jiang Xia smiled and linked her arm through his. “I don’t agree with your disagreement.”

“…”

Zhou Chenglei wore an expression he hadn’t made once in his nearly thirty years of life—one of pure helplessness. “Don’t even think you can use that to make me go. How can you go with your belly that big? Standing all day, your feet will be so swollen they’ll be useless! Didn’t Dr. Gao say you shouldn’t sit or stand for long periods right now?”

Jiang Xia replied, “I’ll go to accompany you. I’ll just rest in the hotel, read books, and prepare for the Gaokao.”

Mother Zhou overheard their conversation and asked curiously, “Go where?”

Jiang Xia smiled and said, “Factory Director Zhou called to say the Spring Canton Fair is starting soon. A-Lei wants to go but he’s worried about me, so he turned Director Zhou and the others down. I think since I have you to look care of me at home, Mother, he doesn’t need to worry at all. It would be good for him to go earn some money so we can pay off the remaining balance on the big ship.”

Zhou Chenglei shot her a glare!

Jiang Xia just laughed.

Zhou Chenglei looked away, refusing to meet her eyes. He was afraid he would lose all his resolve if he kept looking!

Mother Zhou also felt that Jiang Xia made a valid point. She would certainly take good care of Jiang Xia.

She wouldn’t feel comfortable letting Jiang Xia go herself, nor would she agree to it, but her son could certainly go.

However, it depended on the timing of the Canton Fair. If it was too close to Jiang Xia’s due date, even if the fair could earn them a million yuan, it would be better if A-Lei didn’t go.

But whether they went or not, she left it up to the couple. They weren’t children; she wouldn’t interfere.

Mother Zhou simply asked, “When is the Spring Canton Fair?”

Zhou Chenglei replied, “I’m not going, no matter when it is.”

Jiang Xia added, “From mid-April to early May. It’s still quite far from my due date!”

Her due date was at the end of July.

Mother Zhou then said, “You two discuss it amongst yourselves. If you decide to go, A-Lei, I will definitely look after Jiang Xia just as well as you do. If you’re still worried, I can even sleep in Xiao Xia’s room at night. Discuss the rest between yourselves.”

Mother Zhou only focused on doing her part and didn’t meddle further, not wanting to cause trouble for the couple.

Jiang Xia smiled. “Thank you, Mother!”

She then looked at Zhou Chenglei. “I told you Mother would take good care of me. Are you reassured now?”

Zhou Chenglei didn’t look at her. “No.”

In any case, if he wasn’t going, she couldn’t go either.

Zhou Chenglei stopped discussing the topic with Jiang Xia and walked to the back of the car to get their things.

He had just bought some clothes and shoes for Jiang Xia in the city. Her feet were swollen and her old shoes were uncomfortable, so he had bought some looser ones.

Jiang Xia didn’t push the issue further. There was still plenty of time; she would eventually find a way to convince him. She would wear him down until he agreed.

On the second floor of the house next door.

Wen Wan had overheard about half of their conversation.

The Spring Canton Fair has started hiring translators?

Why hadn’t Director Peng called her?

Could she only be planning to hire Jiang Xia?

No, she had to call and ask Director Peng.

For this translation job, she would do the same as Jiang Xia—take a commission instead of a salary—and then translate for several different factories.

Wen Wan walked out.

Her injuries had mostly healed. Zhou Guohua, who still needed to walk with a cane for exercise every day, saw her leaving and asked, “Where are you going?”

“I’m going to make a phone call. The Spring Canton Fair is about to start, and I want to participate.”

Zhou Guohua frowned upon hearing this. “How can you participate when you’re so far along in your pregnancy?”

Wen Wan snapped, “Why can’t I participate just because I’m pregnant? Your mother expects me to do the laundry and cook while pregnant, so why can’t I be a translator? Being a translator is easier than doing housework!”

“…” Zhou Guohua paused. “Didn’t I stop my mother and tell you not to do the housework? Besides, your foot was injured last time you went to translate. I’m just worried about you going alone with no one to take care of you.”

Wen Wan looked at him with disdain. “What good is your worry? Can you go earn money as a translator? All you do is worry with your mouth while you can’t do a single thing! I don’t know if you heard just now, but the neighbors said they want to go to the Canton Fair to earn money and pay the final payment for their big ship. See? They’ve ordered another big ship. Jiang Xia can afford not to go because her husband is capable; her husband can go in her place! Can you go in my place?”

Zhou Guohua was speechless.

Having said her piece, Wen Wan didn’t bother with him further and went straight downstairs to make the call.

Twenty minutes later, Wen Wan returned with a dark expression.

Seeing her, Zhou Guohua said, “The doctor said I can stop using the cane in a few days. I’ll accompany you then.”

Although he didn’t know a foreign language and couldn’t be a translator, he could go with her to take care of her.

Wen Wan said coldly, “No need!”

Director Peng had politely declined her, saying they had already hired someone.

She wondered if Editor-in-Chief Fan could help introduce her to some factories, but she didn’t know if they would hire her. Now, even if she wanted to go, she didn’t know if anyone would have her.

That night.

When Zhou Chenglei came out after his shower, Jiang Xia stepped forward, wrapped her arms around his neck, and stood on her tiptoes to give him a kiss.

He thought to himself: Even if she initiates a kiss, I still won’t agree.

But he didn’t say it out loud, so as not to lose out on the benefits.

Zhou Chenglei instinctively pulled her close, capturing her lips to return the kiss. Because of her belly, he didn’t dare hold her too tightly in his embrace.

As they kissed, he scooped her up in a princess carry and laid her on the bed.

Careful of her stomach, he pressed over her and pulled the blanket over them both before continuing.

Jiang Xia cupped his handsome face. “Shall we go together?”

Zhou Chenglei lowered his head and sealed her mouth.

He was dissatisfied with her lack of focus and kissed her deeply.

Jiang Xia thought: If he doesn’t say no, I’ll take it as a yes!

Zhou Chenglei kissed her earnestly. Fearing he might hurt the baby, he hadn’t dared to be intimate for a long time. He could only satisfy her in other ways.

The next day, Jiang Xia woke up around three in the morning, feeling restless.

When she woke, Zhou Chenglei woke as well.

Since they were meant to go out to sea today, Zhou Chenglei helped Jiang Xia up. He figured he might as well stay up, so he brushed his teeth and washed his face, preparing to head out.

Jiang Xia yawned and said, “I’ll go out to sea with you today to get some fresh air. I’ve been cooped up at home for too long.”

Zhou Chenglei nodded upon hearing this. “Fine, then neither of us will go to the Canton Fair.”

Jiang Xia didn’t bother arguing and walked straight to the bathroom.

She was going to the Canton Fair, and she was going out to sea today, too.

Zhou Chenglei: “…”

Chapter 469: First Time Out at Sea After the New Year

Jiang Xia had not been out to sea for two months.

The pier was somewhat quiet at past three in the morning.

When Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei arrived at the pier, they didn’t expect to run into Li Xiuxian’s eldest brother, Li Qingmin, and her second brother, Li庆杰, so early.

Li’s father had stopped going out to sea after the New Year, and Li Qingjie had taken his place instead.

Everyone exchanged greetings.

Jiang Xia asked, “You’re out so early?”

Li Qingmin hurriedly replied, “It’s just early today. Usually, it’s not this early.”

Li Qingjie also added quickly, “That’s right, only a bit earlier today because we woke up early.”

Of course they had to be early. Their brother-in-law had told them their work hours at sea were from five in the morning to four-thirty in the afternoon. Therefore, if they went out at three-something, any fish they netted between then and five o’clock belonged to them.

Trawling a net could earn them over ten yuan; they had even made twenty or thirty yuan before, and even at their lowest, they still made seven or eight yuan. That was on top of their wages and the money from selling the fish they caught with lines.

They could earn thirty or forty yuan a day, and at most, they had earned over fifty yuan. Naturally, they were more than happy to start early.

Since the nets weren’t being trawled during official working hours, all the money earned was theirs.

Besides, they didn’t have to cover any costs; their younger sister paid for the diesel.

Of course, while that was the case, the two brothers didn’t want the Zhou family to know about it.

Jiang Xia glanced at the two of them as they rushed to explain, but she said nothing.

Li Qingmin was now desperate to make every second count at sea. “A-Lei, we’re heading out first!”

Zhou Chenglei responded expressionlessly, “Alright.”

They were waiting for Zhou Kangping to return with the diesel before they could set off.

And so, Li Qingmin impatiently started the boat and left.

While Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei waited on the boat for Zhou Kangping to return with the diesel, they saw the three Zhou brothers—Guodong, Guoxing, and Guoye—walking toward them.

Their boat happened to be docked right next to Jiang Xia’s.

The three brothers greeted them warmly.

Jiang Xia smiled and replied, “You’re early too?”

Zhou Guoxing said, “Starting early means we can catch more fish.”

Now, they went out to sea more than an hour earlier than before and returned half an hour later in the evening, trying to pull in an extra net every day.

Zhou Chenglei advised, “Take care of your health. There’s no rush to pay back the money.”

Zhou Guodong said, “Don’t worry, Brother Lei, we will. By the way, which sea area are you fishing in now? It feels like we haven’t run into your boat in a long time.”

Zhou Chenglei replied, “It’s not fixed. Sometimes we sail to more distant sea areas.”

Most people preferred their comfort zones; the villagers were used to certain sea areas and rarely changed them.

But Zhou Chenglei wasn’t like that.

Jiang Xia followed up with an explanation, “Before the New Year, the weather was cold and there were no fish in this nearby sea area, so we sailed further out. From the New Year until now, our family hasn’t gone out much. Even when we did, we weren’t fishing; we were just checking on the collection of mussel juvenile shells and feeding the fish. That’s probably why you haven’t run into us.”

“Are there more fish further out?”

Jiang Xia felt that near or far was about the same; she never encountered a lack of fish whenever she went out.

Zhou Chenglei said, “There are more when the weather is cold, but it also comes down to luck.”

Zhou Guodong also knew that fishing was largely a matter of luck, though experience played a part as well. “Then we’ll sail a bit further today to give it a try.”

Zhou Chenglei suggested, “Come with us. I’ll take you to the reef island where the mussels grow. You can go there yourselves to collect mussel juvenile shells in the future.”

“That’s great! Thank you, Brother Lei.” The three Zhou brothers couldn’t have asked for more.

Zhou Kangping soon arrived carrying a bucket of diesel. Zhou Chenglei went to take it, hauled it onto the boat, and poured it into the fuel tank.

Once finished, Zhou Kangping went to start the engine, preparing to head out.

Zhou Guodong asked Zhou Chenglei, “Brother Lei, are you going to do some line fishing later?”

Zhou Chenglei replied, “No, I’m going to try lighting for squid.”

Hearing this, Zhou Guoxing said, “We tried it last night, but there weren’t many squid. You should probably wait a few more days!”

Zhou Guodong agreed, “Yeah! Many people at sea have tried it these past few nights, and there aren’t many squid. Everyone says it’ll probably take a few more days.”

Zhou Chenglei wasn’t easily swayed by others’ words. “I’ll try it first anyway. I’ve already prepared all the tools.”

He planned to see if he could catch many squid using lights. If there were many, he would start going out earlier in the middle of the night from tomorrow to light for squid.

Zhou Guodong said to his elder and second brothers, “Brothers, I’m going onto Brother Lei’s boat to fish with him. I’ll come back later.”

Zhou Guoxing and Zhou Guoye didn’t understand why he wanted to fish on someone else’s boat. Couldn’t he just stay on their own?

However, two people were enough for their boat anyway; they had never experienced a bursting net so heavy they couldn’t pull it.

“Fine.”

“Go ahead!”

Zhou Guodong boarded Jiang Xia’s boat to fish with Zhou Chenglei.

The boat had to travel a considerable distance before they could start lighting for squid.

Zhou Chenglei said to Jiang Xia, “Go back to the cabin and sleep a bit more.”

Jiang Xia shook her head. “No need, I want to see how you light for squid.”

Zhou Chenglei let her be and began taking out the tools to set up the lights.

Jiang Xia didn’t plan to fish herself. She sat nearby, watching Zhou Chenglei take out a storage battery, bamboo poles, and light bulbs.

He first connected the bulbs to the power and then tied them to the poles.

Then, he lowered a large net, held open by a long bamboo pole, into the sea.

He extended the light bulbs tied to the poles outward, illuminating a patch of the sea surface.

Zhou Chenglei moved the bamboo poles up and down to attract the squid.

Seeing this, Zhou Guodong asked, “You don’t just fix them in place? You have to move them?”

“Mm.” Zhou Chenglei gave a simple grunt of affirmation. The reason was simple enough that he didn’t need to explain.

“I’ll do it.” Zhou Guodong took the initiative to help, holding the poles and moving them up and down.

Zhou Chenglei asked Jiang Xia, “Do you want to fish for squid?”

“Sure!”

The squid attracted by the lights were small, so there was no need for a fishing rod. They could be caught by tying a squid jig directly to a fishing line.

Zhou Chenglei threw the jig into the sea and jerked it up and down. “Like this. The chances of a catch are higher. Don’t shake it too fast, and don’t make the movements too large… also, don’t let the hook break the surface. It’s best to keep it at this depth.”

Jiang Xia followed his instructions, jerking the fishing line up and down.

After about a dozen movements, she felt something bite the hook.

The line felt a bit heavy, but only slightly—a very light sensation.

Jiang Xia pulled it up, and sure enough, she had caught a small squid.

Under the lights, the little squid’s pinkish body shimmered with starlight-like speckles.

“It’s happening! It’s happening! That legendary scene where we fish until our arms go soft is happening again!” Zhou Guodong said excitedly. “Sister-in-law, what great luck! To have a squid on the hook so quickly.”

Zhou Chenglei took it, unhooked the squid, and tossed it into a bucket.

Jiang Xia continued fishing.

“You can fix the lights now,” Zhou Chenglei told Zhou Guodong, taking back the bamboo poles and securing them.

Since Jiang Xia had caught a squid so quickly, there must be a school nearby.

Zhou Guodong also eagerly grabbed a hook and started fishing.

On this side, Jiang Xia had another squid on the line!

Zhou Chenglei took it and unhooked it.

Jiang Xia took a look.

This one was also small, slightly thicker than Zhou Chenglei’s thumb and about the length of his middle finger.

Zhou Guodong also felt a squid bite. He said excitedly, “I’ve got one too!”

He pulled it up and grabbed it, and then the squid squirted a stream of ink.

Fortunately, he was experienced and didn’t have it pointed at anyone.

“I only get bites this quickly when I fish with you two.” Zhou Guodong was all smiles.

The best part of fishing was having constant bites.

Jiang Xia smiled and went to continue with her hook. But before she could toss it into the sea, she froze at the sight on the water’s surface!

She excitedly tugged at Zhou Chenglei’s clothes. “Look!”

Zhou Guodong looked over and was instantly thrilled. “My God!”

Chapter 470: No Matter Where They Came From

Jiang Xia gripped Zhou Chenglei’s sleeve, her eyes wide with wonder.

Under the brilliant glow of the fishing lights, countless small fish leaped from the surface of the sea. They were so densely packed together that they resembled a swarm of termites gathering under a streetlamp on a humid summer night.

More and more of these small fish congregated within their line of sight, their numbers easily reaching into the hundreds of millions.

They had definitely stumbled upon a massive school of fish migrating through the area.

Zhou Guodong was stunned. “Weren’t we planning on lighting for squid? How did we end up attracting so many small fish?”

Zhou Kangping added, “There are small squid too! It’s just that there are even more small fish.”

“These small fish aren’t as valuable as the small squid,” Zhou Guodong noted. “If this whole swarm had been small squid, we would have made a fortune tonight!”

“The small fish are good, too,” Jiang Xia said, her eyes bright. She really liked this catch. She happened to be short on small fish to make her seasoned small dried fish!

In the distance, on the other fishing boat belonging to Zhou Guodong’s family, Zhou Guoxing and Zhou Guoye also looked over. At first, it looked as if a thick cloud of mosquitoes had gathered under the lights.

Of course, they knew they weren’t mosquitoes, but rather some kind of small fish with strong phototaxis.

The two brothers quickly brought out their bamboo poles, bulbs, nets, and other equipment to begin light attraction fishing for the small fish.

While these fish wouldn’t grow any larger and weren’t worth much individually, the sheer volume was incredible. At one fen per 500-gram, catching a few thousand kilograms would still bring in dozens of yuan.

In less than ten minutes, the school had gathered into a thick, dark mass.

Jiang Xia stepped aside as Zhou Chenglei, Zhou Guodong, and Zhou Kangping began to haul up the net they had lowered earlier. Even for three strong, young men, the task was exceptionally difficult.

Seeing the massive bulge in the net, Jiang Xia felt it looked even larger than their boat, and she began to worry if they even had enough room to store it all.

As their boat remained stationary, the other two brothers finished securing their lights and were about to extend their bulbs out over the water. Catching a glimpse of the enormous haul, Zhou Guoxing worried the three men wouldn’t have enough strength to pull it aboard.

“I’m afraid the three of them won’t be able to pull that onto the boat,” Zhou Guoxing said. “Move closer; I’m going over to help.”

Zhou Guoye steered their boat closer, carefully pulling alongside. The moment the two vessels were near, Zhou Guoxing leaped across. Once the boat was safely positioned, Zhou Guoye followed him to help.

With two extra sets of hands, they finally managed to haul the massive net of small fish onto the boat, spilling the catch onto the shuttering. The fish piled up high, forming a small mountain.

“There must be at least 2,500 to 3,000 kg here, right?” Zhou Guoye panted.

“I suspect it’s more than that,” Zhou Guoxing replied. “I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s 3,500 to 4,000 kg.”

Jiang Xia agreed; it looked like 4,000 or even 5,000 kg. If they hauled in another net like this, the fishing boat definitely wouldn’t be able to hold it all.

“We haven’t seen these kinds of small fish in this sea area before, have we?” Zhou Kangping asked.

“I’ve certainly never seen them before,” Zhou Guodong replied. “I have no idea how they ended up swimming here.”

“They probably got lost while migrating for the winter,” Zhou Guoye suggested. “They were likely heading back when they ran into us.”

“It’s also possible they encountered danger in the sea area where they usually spend the winter, which forced them to swim over here,” Zhou Kangping added.

The men speculated excitedly. Because of his leg disability, Zhou Kangping was usually somewhat self-conscious and soft-spoken, but the thrill of the night’s catch had made him much more talkative.

However, the fish weren’t about to give them any answers.

“No matter where they came from,” Zhou Guoxing declared, “the important thing is to catch them!”

“Right, right, right!” Zhou Guodong said excitedly. “Let’s keep going. There were plenty of them that didn’t get caught in that net!”

Jiang Xia reminded them, “You two should hurry back to your own boat and start your own light attraction fishing!”

She was grateful they had come to help, but everyone went out to sea to make a living. They had traveled a long distance and spent a fair amount on fuel; they needed to seize the opportunity to see if they could land a massive haul for themselves.

The three brothers didn’t stand on ceremony. They immediately jumped back to their boat, moved a certain distance away, and began using their lights to lure the fish.

If these fish really were migrating, there would likely be more than just one school. They might be able to keep catching them for several days.

Zhou Chenglei cast the net again. This time, he didn’t dare use a net that was too large, fearing that just he and Zhou Kangping wouldn’t be able to pull it up.

Jiang Xia brought out crates to start packing the fish. As she worked, she noticed quite a few small squid mixed in with the small fish. There weren’t nearly as many squid as there were fish, but the quantity was still significant.

Jiang Xia began picking out the squid one by one. “We should be able to start lighting for squid at night soon. Look, there’s quite a lot of them.”

Zhou Chenglei glanced back. “There are quite a few. If we hadn’t run into this massive migration of small fish, those squid would have been our main catch tonight.”

In this sea area, the period from March to May was the best season for light attraction fishing for squid. At the peak, a fisherman could catch over 50 kg in a single night. Since these squid usually sold for one yuan to one yuan and two jiao per 500-gram—more expensive than most fish—many fishermen switched to working nights during these two months. Earning dozens or even a hundred yuan in a single night was far more profitable than their usual trawling.

Zhou Chenglei had already planned to switch to night fishing and daytime resting starting tonight.

Under the glow of the lights, more small fish gradually congregated and began leaping from the water. While they waited, Zhou Chenglei and Zhou Kangping quickly packed the fish from the shuttering into crates to clear some space. Both were skilled workers and managed to pack away a third of the catch in no time.

Zhou Chenglei checked the water’s surface. Feeling that enough time had passed, he and Zhou Kangping hauled up the net together.

As the net broke the surface, Jiang Xia saw a large number of small squid. While the small fish jumping from the water looked like dark, fluttering insects under the light, the small squid gathered at the surface were different. Their bodies were semi-transparent, shimmering like they were dusted with silver glitter—little spirits with glowing eyes. They looked like scattered starlight, beautiful to behold.

Jiang Xia laughed. “There are many more small squid this time.”

Zhou Chenglei took a look; it did seem like the ratio of small squid to small fish was much higher in this haul. It was likely that the previous massive haul had scared off a good portion of the fish school.

Zhou Kangping also smiled. “It looks like the peak season for small squid has arrived.”

He knew that many villagers had been going out at night recently to try lighting for squid, but they hadn’t caught much of anything. Everyone had been saying they would probably have to wait a few more days. He hadn’t expected that on A-Lei’s first attempt this year, they would actually catch some.

This kind of luck at sea was truly beyond anyone else’s reach!

Seeing so many squid and fish mixed together in this net, Jiang Xia hurried to bring over more crates while the men were still pulling the net in.

Zhou Chenglei saw her moving quickly out of the corner of his eye and hurriedly called out, “Slow down!”

The boat was covered in fish and various fishing gear; he was worried she might slip and fall.

Jiang Xia set down several crates and smiled. “Don’t worry, I’m watching my step.”

She was well aware of her physical condition and was being very careful with every step. She lined up the crates and told them, “Try to pour the fish directly into these crates in a moment.”

Zhou Chenglei gave a shout of agreement. This haul was mostly a mixture of small squid and fish, which would be tedious to sort; pouring them straight into the crates was much more efficient. He had timed this haul specifically so it wouldn’t be too heavy—around 100 to 150 kg—making it easy to pour directly.

A mile or two away, the three Zhou brothers also hauled in their net. Their combined catch of small squid and small fish filled the net in a massive bulge, weighing at least 400 to 450 kg!

The three brothers were beaming with joy.

Chapter 471: Satisfied

They hauled in two nets using light attraction, and by the time they finished, it was five o’clock. The sky was just beginning to brighten with the first hints of dawn.

Zhou Chenglei wasted no time and continued with the light attraction fishing.

Nets were cast on both sides of the boat—several small nets in total. Zhou Chenglei managed one side while Zhou Kangping handled the other, both using lamps to draw the fish in.

As the sky grew brighter, the two men began hauling the nets in one by one.

Jiang Xia watched as each net came up containing about 5 to 10 kg of small squid. The small fish were gone, likely having escaped the smaller mesh.

With four small nets cast, they harvested roughly 50 kg of small squid!

Today was truly a bountiful day out at sea.

There were so many fish that the entire deck was covered. If they used the trawl net again, there would be nowhere to put the catch. Besides, the wind was strong today, so it was better to transport these small fish back early and arrange for people to start drying them.

A strong wind was perfect for making dried fish. Once dried, they could be turned into seasoned small dried fish and sold for a good profit.

Zhou Chenglei steered the boat toward Zhou Guodong’s vessel. As they drew close, he shouted to them, “Guodong, we’re heading back first! Tomorrow we’ll take you to that island with the mussels.”

The three Zhou brothers glanced at the mountain of fish on Zhou Chenglei’s boat and quickly responded, “Alright!”

Jiang Xia also took a look at their catch. It wasn’t bad; they had also attracted two crates of small squid and several crates of small fish.

Jiang Xia called out, “Guodong, sell those small fish of yours to me later!”

Zhou Guodong replied readily, “Sure thing! We were actually planning on it. You don’t need the fish heads for your dried fish, right? We’ll clean them, dry them, and then send them over to your house.”

Jiang Xia smiled upon hearing this. “No, we don’t need the heads. Thanks a lot!”

Selling them already dried would save her a significant amount of trouble.

Thinking that these small fish would only need a day or two of drying before they could be turned into seasoned small dried fish, Jiang Xia hurriedly asked, “Guodong, do you know if Xu Ling’s production team has a telephone?”

Zhou Guodong shook his head. “I’m not sure. Sister-in-law, are you looking for her to work? I’ll go tell her after we get back from the sea.”

Xu Ling had mentioned to him that Jiang Xia wanted to hire her to help make dried fish. The pay was sixty yuan a month during the probation period, rising to eighty yuan afterward.

Jiang Xia smiled. “Great. Tell her that if she’s free tomorrow, she can start. If not tomorrow, the day after is fine too.”

“Got it, I’ll head over this afternoon and let her know.”

At seven-thirty in the morning, Zhou Chenglei docked the boat at the pier.

The pier was bustling in the morning as many boats that had been out all night were returning, and many people from nearby villages had come to buy seafood.

When the villagers saw the fish on Zhou Chenglei’s boat, they were stunned. “A-Lei, where on earth did you net so many small fish?”

“There must be over 5,000 kg here!”

“And look at those small squid!”

“Is it time for small squid already? I used the lights for two hours the night before last and didn’t catch a thing!”

“I didn’t get any last night either!”

“I tried for a bit last night too. Nothing.”

“A-Lei, where did you go to lure those squid?”

Zhou Chenglei replied, “We went out quite far.”

“No wonder! They’ll probably migrate closer tonight then.”

“I’d better prepare more diesel for tonight and head out early. I’ll go a bit further to try my luck too.”

“Me too! Let’s finish buying fish and go home to sleep. We need to head out early tonight.”

…

For fishermen, nothing was more exciting than the start of a fishing run.

Jiang Xia and Zhou Kangping remained on the boat to sort out the small squid.

Zhou Chenglei drove the motorcycle home to bring the tractor back so they could haul the small fish. He also planned to ask his mother to hire people to process the catch.

Master Jin walked over and looked at the small fish on the boat. Knowing that the Zhou family made seasoned small dried fish to sell, he didn’t try to buy the fish fry. Instead, he asked, “Comrade Xiao Xia, are you selling these small squid?”

Jiang Xia nodded. “Yes. We’re keeping one crate, and the rest are for sale.”

She planned to keep one crate of small squid to experiment and see if seasoned small squid would be tasty.

Master Jin was pleased. “Alright, once you’ve finished sorting them, bring them over. I’ll give you a good price!”

Jiang Xia asked, “How much?”

“One yuan per 500g!”

Jiang Xia smiled. “Master Jin, are you taking advantage of me because you think I don’t know the market? Small squid can sell for one yuan per 500g during the peak season. Right now, it’s just the beginning and there’s hardly any squid on the market, yet you’re only offering one yuan. Besides, look how plump these are. At least 1.2 yuan!”

Rarity makes things precious. The price at the start of the season had to be higher; it was only natural for it to drop once more people started catching them.

“How is that possible? Even during the peak season, I only buy them for 0.8 or 0.9 yuan. Fine, I don’t want you to think I’m cheating you. 1.1 yuan per 500g, how about that? 1.1 is already very high.”

“I won’t sell for less than 1.2 yuan. If you won’t pay that, I’ll just take them home and make seasoned small squid myself.”

Master Jin grumbled, “1.2 is too high. But if you promise to sell all the small squid you catch in the future to me, then I’ll take this batch at 1.2.”

Jiang Xia didn’t agree. “Then forget it, I won’t sell. I’ll just take them all home to process.”

Master Jin: “…”

It was truly impossible to manipulate someone so capable. With anyone else, if he set a price, they either took it or left it!

“Fine, 1.2 yuan it is! This price is practically what they charge in the city. When you catch more in the future, don’t bother going to the city to sell them; just bring them straight to me!”

Jiang Xia smiled. “Sure, provided I call the city and find out the price is actually the same.”

Master Jin: “…”

Zhou Chenglei soon returned with the tractor. Great-Grandma and He Xinghuan also came along to help load the small fish.

They used bamboo trays to scoop the fish up tray by tray, picking out any small squid they saw before dumping the fish into crates.

Before long, Mother Zhou arrived with a few more people. They quickly sorted out all the small squid and finished packing the fish.

Everyone helped lift the crates off the boat and onto the tractor one by one.

The tractor couldn’t hold all the crates, so some women began processing the fish right there at the pier.

Zhou Chenglei carried a load of small squid to the purchase station and sold them for 107 yuan.

There were over 4,000 kg of small fish. Jiang Xia estimated that once they were turned into seasoned small dried fish, they could earn a profit of around 10,000 yuan.

Since they had caught the fish themselves, there was no initial cost for materials. However, when it came time to split the profits with He Xinghuan, they would still need to factor in labor and processing costs.

Essentially, her share would be around 6,000 yuan.

For the first trip out to sea of the New Year, Jiang Xia was very satisfied.

Zhou Chenglei handed the money to Jiang Xia and helped her up onto the tractor. Mother Zhou and Great-Grandma also rode back to handle the fish on the tractor.

Jiang Xia took the money and tucked it into her pocket. Just as she was about to climb up, someone from the production team ran over. “Xiao Xia, your brother called. He wants you to call him back when you have a chance.”

Jiang Xia turned to Zhou Chenglei. “I’m going to return the call. You guys head back first; I’ll walk home in a bit.”

Zhou Chenglei said, “I’ll come back to pick you up in a while.”

“Don’t worry about it, it’s not a long walk. I’ll be fine,” Jiang Xia replied before heading inside to use the phone.

The call went through, and Jiang Dong’s voice came from the other end: “Sis, do you have 200,000 yuan?”

Chapter 472: Taking Shares

Upon hearing Jiang Dong’s words, Jiang Xia immediately replied, “I have it, but only half is in cash, which I can wire right away. For the other half, I’ll have someone sell some of my stocks first and then wire it to you. Will it be in time if it’s a day or two late?”

Since there were outsiders present, Jiang Xia didn’t say “one hundred thousand yuan” directly, using “half” instead.

During the previous two months, it had either been the New Year or raining, so they hadn’t gone out to sea. She had only been doing translations at home.

Therefore, she hadn’t earned much.

Of the hundred thousand yuan in savings she had, the bulk of it was earned when Father Zhou went on his distant seas voyage before the New Year.

On the other end of the line, Jiang Dong was deeply moved to hear his sister offer to wire the money immediately without asking a single question.

His sister was still his sister; as long as he spoke up, she would give him money—be it a large or small amount—without the slightest hesitation.

“Sis, aren’t you going to ask why I’m asking for two hundred thousand?”

Jiang Xia: “Oh, I forgot to ask. What’s it for then?”

Jiang Dong: “…”

“Don’t you think it’s a bit too late to ask now?”

Jiang Xia: “It’s not late. If you didn’t have a legitimate use for it, I simply wouldn’t give it to you. After all, the money hasn’t been wired yet, right?”

Jiang Dong: “…”

“Sis, you’ve changed! You’re actually doubting that I have a legitimate use for it.”

Jiang Xia laughed. “Alright, I’ll go wire the money after lunch. I believe you have a proper use for it.”

Hearing this, Jiang Dong cheered up again and excitedly shared the good news. “Sis, I took my rolling suitcases and strollers abroad for a design competition recently. I just got back today. Can you guess if I won an award?”

Jiang Xia: “…”

Asking this question was an insult to his own intelligence and hers!

Without waiting for Jiang Xia to guess, Jiang Dong couldn’t help but blurt out, “Both of them won awards!”

Jiang Xia smiled. “So you want to expand production and build up stock to prepare for the Canton Fair?”

Before the New Year, Jiang Dong had mentioned in a letter that he had partnered with several older classmates in the capital to open a factory specializing in various rolling suitcases, travel trunks, and strollers.

“Exactly!” Jiang Dong said excitedly. “I’m sure they’ll be a huge hit. Sis, do you know? When I walked through the airport with that rolling suitcase, it had an incredible head-turning rate! Many people asked me where I bought it. Whether it was at home or abroad, so many people were asking.”

Jiang Xia smiled. “Is the amount you mentioned enough? If not, I can sell all my stocks to scrape together another hundred thousand or so. I’ll wire you one hundred thousand in a bit, then I’ll call Second Brother Zhang to help me sell the stocks and transfer the remaining two hundred thousand in a couple of days.”

Jiang Xia was very optimistic about rolling suitcases and strollers.

Currently, nowhere else in the world had rolling suitcases with telescopic handles; there were only suitcases with fixed wheels. Those suitcases had many drawbacks and were far less convenient than rolling suitcases with handles.

Furthermore, Jiang Xia had discussed brand value and product positioning with Jiang Dong in her letters.

She suggested that while their capital was limited, they should take the high-end route first. Once the economy developed and more people began traveling for work, they could then consider middle-to-high-end and middle-to-low-end lines.

There was no rush for the middle and lower lines. After all, the people who currently needed rolling suitcases were those who traveled frequently for business—people with status or money.

Only a high-end rolling suitcase could highlight their status and position.

How much prestige would it bring to walk through major airports or train stations pulling an expensive rolling suitcase?

In the international market, developed countries had many wealthy people, so they should satisfy the needs of those consumers first.

Because they had money, they wouldn’t hesitate to spend a bit for convenience.

As for the domestic market, what ordinary person would be willing to spend money on a rolling suitcase? Are red-white-blue woven bags not good enough?

Domestically, only the wealthy would buy them as well.

Jiang Xia wasn’t speaking without reason; the economic gap between China and developed countries was currently very wide.

She had noticed before that many international visitors attending the Canton Fair had a penchant for wearing luxury goods.

Some wore only a watch, a belt, or carried a bag.

Some were even dressed in luxury brands from head to toe.

In truth, Jiang Xia hoped Jiang Dong could build an international brand. Even if it wasn’t a luxury brand, she wanted it to be a household name—the pioneer of rolling suitcases—so that even if other brands emerged later, they could never surpass it.

“There’s no need to sell the stocks; one hundred thousand is enough. Sis, you and Brother-in-law are actually playing the stock market like everyone else? Is it profitable?” Jiang Dong had also heard that the stock market in Hong Kong was doing extremely well.

Since there were outsiders present, it wasn’t convenient for Jiang Xia to say much. Thinking Jiang Dong might want to buy some too, she said, “It’s alright. I’ll give you the details in a letter later.”

As soon as Jiang Dong heard this, he understood she couldn’t speak freely.

He said, “Sis, don’t sell the stocks; one hundred thousand is enough. I’ll help you take shares. This hundred thousand will be your capital investment. I’ll set you up with technical shares and capital shares for a twenty percent stake in the company. You’ll be able to receive dividends every year.”

Jiang Dong didn’t mention that he had already planned to give his sister a hundred thousand’s worth of shares, but since she could only provide one hundred thousand in cash right now, he would cover the rest for her.

He didn’t want his sister to sell all her stocks.

His sister still owed the shipyard several hundred thousand in final payments. He guessed she was relying on the stock market and the Canton Fair to make enough money to pay that off.

Besides, the reason he could earn so much money was all because of her. What did it matter if he put in another hundred thousand to help her get more shares?

Currently, the vacuum packaging machines and sealing bag production lines were selling like crazy in developed countries.

He had already received quite a bit of money from the patents alone.

The patents for the swivel wheels, different types of telescopic handles, and the strollers had already come through. After the Canton Fair, he believed there would be another wave of buying frenzies.

He had started this suitcase company with several classmates. The initial registered capital was one million yuan. With his patent technology and capital investment, he held a fifty percent stake, twenty percent of which he had originally intended to give to his sister.

Now, as they prepared for the Canton Fair, he wanted to produce more rolling suitcases and strollers, necessitating additional investment. His classmates didn’t have any more money to invest, and Jiang Dong had just received two more patent fee payments, so he had the funds. However, Jiang Dong felt that if his sister didn’t contribute any money at all, she might refuse the shares later. So, he asked her for some money and gave her a thirty percent stake instead.

This way, their combined shares would total sixty percent, giving them absolute control over the company.

Jiang Xia asked, “Is one hundred thousand really enough?”

If she liquidated all her stocks now, she would have to sell about half of them to get one hundred thousand yuan. That might leave her short of the six hundred thousand needed when it was time to collect the ship in the middle of the year.

However, Jiang Xia was very optimistic about the market for luggage and strollers, especially the international market.

With the prestige of the awards, they would definitely sell even better at the Canton Fair.

Of course she had to support Jiang Dong!

“It’s enough! Sis, consider this money your investment. I’ll give you the shares, and you’ll get the dividends. The swivel wheels, rolling suitcases, and strollers have all been patented. I’ll give you half of the patent money, too.”

Jiang Xia replied, “No need for that. I didn’t really do anything. You worked day and night to create them yourself; there’s no need to share that with me.”

She had only provided Jiang Dong with some simple sketches, a few basic principles she barely understood herself, and her requirements for the features and details of the luggage and strollers.

Everything had been meticulously researched and developed by Jiang Dong, and he had even innovated beyond her suggestions.

Jiang Xia didn’t even know what the current rolling suitcases and strollers looked like.

Jiang Dong said he would give her a surprise later.

Jiang Dong insisted: “I must! Otherwise, I’d feel bad taking the money. I’m hoping you’ll come up with more ideas for me to research! I’ll be attending the Canton Fair this time too, and I’ll bring the investment contract to you then.”

Jiang Xia said, “That won’t be necessary. I don’t know if I can go to the Canton Fair; your brother-in-law is worried.”

Jiang Dong felt it might be better if she didn’t go. “Then I’ll head back a day early. The money isn’t just for you; it’s for my three nephews and nieces. Keep it for them for now! You can give it to them later. Anyway, I’ve already signed the contract on your behalf!”

Jiang Xia: “…”

Chapter 473: No Need for Them

By the time Jiang Xia hung up the phone, Zhou Chenglei happened to arrive on his motorcycle to pick her up.

Jiang Xia told him about the contents of the call.

Zhou Chenglei nodded. “Once we pull all the small dried fish back home, I’ll go and wire 100,000 yuan to A-Dong.”

“Mhm, I won’t go with you then.” Jiang Xia had woken up early today and felt a bit sleepy, letting out a lazy yawn.

When they arrived home, both the courtyards of the old house and the new house were filled with people processing small dried fish and laying them out to dry.

The wind was strong by the beach, so they usually took the small fry there to dry.

Looking at the bamboo mats used for drying, Jiang Xia asked Zhou Chenglei, “Should we buy some fine iron wire mesh and use wood to make rectangular drying frames? It would be more convenient when we put them in the drying room later.”

It wasn’t that the bamboo mats were bad; they were just prone to mold. During the recent rainy days, Mother Zhou had been so worried about the mats molding that she had to put them in the drying room for a while just to dry the mats themselves.

The disadvantage of using fine iron mesh with wooden frames was the cost—both the mesh and the wood were expensive. However, stainless steel mesh wouldn’t mold easily once cleaned, and because of the many holes in the mesh, the fish would air-dry much faster.

Their family didn’t just dry fish occasionally; they needed to do it year-round. Investing some money into stainless steel mesh to make drying mats would last them a long time.

Zhou Chenglei glanced at the bamboo mats and immediately recognized the benefits of the wire mesh. “That works. When I go to wire the money later, I’ll stop by and buy some materials.”

Jiang Xia added, “Buy some fine-mesh fishing nets to make drying racks as well. The ones made with iron wire can be used in the drying room, while the fishing net ones can be used outside. It would be too expensive to make them all out of iron wire.”

“Yeah, we’ll replace them gradually. We’ll make a batch first to see how they work. With fishing net racks, the fish might all clump together in the middle once you put them on. I’ll buy a bit of both and we can experiment.”

Jiang Xia nodded. “Okay.”

After chatting for a bit, Zhou Chenglei drove the tractor to haul the remaining small fry from the pier and then headed to the postal savings bank to wire the money.

Jiang Xia stayed behind to help with the fish drying.

In the evening, Zhou Chengsen and Zhou Ying returned.

Seeing the father and daughter, Mother Zhou looked behind them and asked, “Xiuxian didn’t come back with you?”

“No, she needs to prepare her lessons,” Zhou Chengsen said, making up a casual excuse.

The couple was still in the middle of a cold war. He didn’t feel like dealing with Li Xiuxian at home and felt more comfortable staying at the old house, so he had brought his daughter back.

Knowing he was coming back, the girl had said she wanted to join him.

Since Mother Zhou was about to start cooking, she said, “Then eat dinner here! Don’t bother starting a fire to cook for just yourself.”

“Alright. I’m going to the pier to check on things.” Zhou Chengsen dropped off his daughter and hopped on his bicycle to see if his boat had returned.

Zhou Chenglei was in the courtyard making the drying frames and called out to him, “Second Brother, it’s time for lighting for squid. Do you want to go out to sea together tonight? We’ll head out at seven and be back by midnight, so it won’t affect your work tomorrow.”

Hearing this, Zhou Chengsen agreed, “Sounds good.”

When Zhou Chengsen reached the pier, the two Li brothers were just pulling their boat alongside the shore.

Zhou Chengsen stepped onto his boat and looked at the several crates of fish. More than half a crate was filled with small squid.

That crate of small squid probably weighed about 15 to 20 kg and could sell for around thirty or forty yuan. Including the other fish, they could probably make sixty or seventy yuan. He remarked, “Today’s harvest is decent.”

Li Qingmin and Li Qingjie glanced at each other and smiled. “Yeah, it is!”

Neither brother was bold enough to mention that they had gone out early to catch that crate of small squid using lights before their shift really started.

Zhou Chengsen took a bucket and filled it with about a kilogram of small squid, then picked out eight or ten white croakers to take home for dinner.

Then, he picked up the crate of small squid to head to the purchase station.

The Li brothers’ hearts ached!

That was a whole night’s work of squid jigging.

Li Qingmin couldn’t help but grumble quietly to Li Qingjie, “I told you we should have gone to the City Pier first to sell the small squid, but you wouldn’t listen!”

Li Qingjie replied, “I didn’t expect Brother-in-law to come back so suddenly either!”

Li Qingmin sighed. “We didn’t make a cent of extra money today.”

Li Qingjie was also pained, saying, “We miscalculated this time. Fortunately, the peak season for small squid has just arrived. We can lure and catch even more over the next two months. We’ll learn from this mistake. Starting tomorrow, any small squid we catch will be sold at the City Pier first before we haul in the nets.”

Since that crate of small squid was lost to them, Li Qingmin nodded. “Hurry up and get the fish off the boat to sell. Let’s go home early to eat and sleep. We need to go out to sea earlier tonight to make up for this loss!”

Li Qingjie nodded. “Right!”

The two brothers quickly moved the fish off the boat and carried them to the purchase station.

At the purchase station, Zhou Chengsen was waiting in line. He waited until the Li brothers brought all the fish over.

Zhou Chengsen asked, “Big Brother, how much was the fuel today?”

Li Qingmin immediately flashed a smile. “Twenty yuan. We had to go a bit further today to find the squid.”

Zhou Chengsen didn’t say much and handed them forty yuan. “You’ve worked hard all day. Go home and rest early. I’ll handle the selling.”

Li Qingmin happily took the money and smiled. “It’s no trouble! We’ll head back then.”

Zhou Chengsen nodded, then seemed to remember something. “By the way, you don’t need to come out so early tomorrow morning. Starting tonight, I’ve hired someone else to go out for squid lighting. The boat won’t be back until around seven tomorrow morning, so starting tomorrow, you two can just come at eight in the morning for the day shift.”

The Li brothers were stunned.

Li Qingjie stammered, “Brother-in-law, are you planning to do squid lighting at night? We can do that too; there’s no need to hire someone else!”

Li Qingmin nodded in agreement. “That’s right! We can switch to night shifts instead! You don’t need to hire anyone else, or your new hires can just work during the day.”

These small squid were valuable. The season was just beginning; at its peak, catching 50 to 100 kilograms in a single night was possible.

If he hired someone else, wouldn’t they be letting others profit?

He had been planning to take advantage of the small squid season to make a small fortune—maybe enough to put a down payment on a boat of his own.

Zhou Chengsen replied, “No need. I’ll be going out with them when I get back in the evening. I only need to hire one brother from my branch of the family to share a room and go out with me. You two should just keep doing the day shifts.”

The two brothers looked absolutely devastated!

It felt as if they had just watched a mountain of gold slip through their fingers.

Zhou Chengsen saw their expressions but said nothing more.

It was his turn to sell the fish, so he lifted the crate of small squid onto the scale.

It weighed 19.3 kg.

Master Jin said, “I bought A-Lei’s squid this morning for 1.2 yuan per jin. However, his were fresher. Yours aren’t as fresh as his, so I’ll take them for 1 yuan per jin.”

Zhou Chengsen nodded. “That’s fine!”

Li Qingmin and Li Qingjie felt like their hearts were bleeding.

That money should have been theirs!

There were still a few loads of fish left to sell, which were also worth quite a bit.

Unable to watch any longer, the two of them left in a state of utter dejection.

Chapter 474: New Products

After selling the fish, Zhou Chengsen took his seventy-three yuan and change, picked up his bucket, and rode his bicycle back to the village.

Upon arriving home, he first gave the bucket of fish to Mother Zhou before asking, “Is Kanan, Kangping’s younger brother, still around? Has he left for work yet?”

After the New Year, some people planned to wait until after the Qingming Festival to head out for work. Others returned after finding that money wasn’t so easy to earn elsewhere, choosing instead to look for jobs within the city.

When Zhou Chengsen had returned to tidy up the seedling beds last time, he had run into Zhou Kanan and chatted with him for a bit. He heard that Kanan planned to wait until after Qingming before looking for work.

Mother Zhou replied, “That’s right. Your Second Great-Aunt wants to set him up with a wife, but he hasn’t taken a liking to anyone yet. So, he’s staying home to help with the rice transplanting and won’t leave until after Qingming.”

Zhou Chengsen said, “I’ll go find Kanan and ask him to help me out at sea. Is Yongjian still around too?”

Mother Zhou was stunned for a moment. “He hasn’t left yet either. Are you planning not to hire your brothers-in-law anymore?”

Since the children were present, Zhou Chengsen didn’t say much, only noting, “I’m looking for Kanan and Yongjian to help with the lighting for squid at night. Li Qingmin and the others will still go out during the day.”

However, he intended to replace Li Qingmin and his brothers sooner or later. Of course, it would be best if Li Xiuxian was the one to initiate that change.

Hearing this, Mother Zhou immediately said, “That’s good! That’s very good!”

They had spent so much money to buy a boat, yet they were hiring people to do the work and barely making any money every day. While her son wasn’t in a hurry, she was anxious on his behalf just watching him!

Zhou Chenglei glanced at his second brother, then lowered his head again to plane the wood, continuing his work on the drying racks. His second brother knew what he was doing and could certainly handle the situation.

Zhou Chengsen then went out to hire the men for that night’s sea trip.

Meanwhile, Jiang Xia was at the old house with He Xinghuan, Aunt Fen, and Great-Grandma, taste-testing the small squid. They had spent half the afternoon preparing the small squid in three different flavors.

Jiang Xia tried all three flavors herself, then asked He Xinghuan, Aunt Fen, and Great-Grandma, “Which flavor do you think tastes the best?”

Aunt Fen said, “I think the spicy one is delicious.”

He Xinghuan added, “I like the spicy one too. The soy-braised one doesn’t seem to have enough depth; the flavor hasn’t quite soaked in.”

Great-Grandma chimed in, “The spicy one is good. The soy-braised is a bit fishy, and the sweet and sour one is far too sour—it’s making my teeth ache.”

Jiang Xia turned to He Xinghuan and Aunt Fen. “Do you two think it’s too sour as well?”

“A little bit.”

Aunt Fen suggested, “I’m not a big fan of sour things. How about we try making a sweet-spicy flavor?”

Jiang Xia smiled. “We can certainly try that.”

Lately, Jiang Xia had a craving for sour foods, so she didn’t find it overwhelming, but since everyone else felt that way, they naturally had to adjust it.

As the saying goes, “Southern sweet and Northern salty.” People in the south generally preferred sweeter things.

And so, they adjusted the proportions for the soy-braised and sweet and sour sauces. The group started a new batch with the refined soy-braised and sour-spicy flavors, while also making a pot of the sweet-spicy version.

When this batch was ready, it tasted much better. All three flavors received unanimous praise, and the sweet-spicy one was a hit as well.

It happened to be the time school let out. Zhou Jie, Zhou Zhou, Guangzong, Yaozu, and the other boys followed the aroma into the old house, each eating so much they couldn’t stop.

Jiang Xia asked them which was the best. The children all gave different answers; aside from Zhou Wenguang, who said the spicy one was best, the others picked the soy-braised, the sweet and sour, or the sweet-spicy.

Jiang Xia said to He Xinghuan and the others, “Then for the first batch, we’ll make all four flavors. We’ll see which ones have the widest appeal and then focus on those in the future.”

The three women smiled and agreed, “Sounds like a plan!”

Jiang Xia continued, “Starting tomorrow, I’ll begin mass-purchasing small squid. Let’s go big with this!”

He Xinghuan’s lips twitched as if she wanted to say something, but she held back. Never mind, she thought, I’ll go talk to Jiang Xia tonight.

Once the seasoning ratios were finalized, they began bagging the prepared small squid, making them into individual vacuum-sealed packs.

After everything was packed, Jiang Xia said, “Aunt Fen, take a bag of each flavor home for your family and children to try. See which ones the kids like best.”

Jiang Xia herself filled three plates to take home for her family to taste.

She set the three plates of small squid in the kitchen and said to Mother Zhou, “Mom, try the new products and give me some feedback.”

Then she grabbed two sets of chopsticks and picked out two pieces of each flavor. She gave one bowl to Mother Zhou and carried the other outside to Zhou Chenglei.

Jiang Xia picked up a sweet-spicy squid with her chopsticks and fed it to him.

“How is it?”

Zhou Chenglei replied, “Very delicious.”

Then Jiang Xia fed him a soy-braised one.

“Which one is better?”

Zhou Chenglei said, “They’re both good.”

“Which flavor do you prefer?”

Zhou Chenglei answered, “The second one.”

…

Finally, Jiang Xia fed him the spicy one.

Without waiting for Jiang Xia to ask, Zhou Chenglei said directly, “This one is the best.”

“Then we’ll make more of the spicy and soy-braised ones. Give Lord Hou a call in a bit and ask him to come over tomorrow. I plan to buy small squid in large quantities from the fishermen. For the next two months, we’ll specialize in these small squid.”

If they couldn’t go to the Canton Fair, she wanted to take advantage of the small squid season and make a big push. Earning a bit of money would be good; otherwise, she was worried they wouldn’t have enough for the final payment on the boat.

Everyone knew squid was valuable, so the selling price could be slightly higher. For every 500 grams of processed squid, they could make a profit of at least one to one and a half yuan.

Zhou Chenglei looked at her. “Alright. Then we won’t go to the Canton Fair.”

Jiang Xia shot him a glare, ignored him, and turned back to the kitchen.

Zhou Chenglei chuckled. once he finished planing the wood, he went to make the call.

For dinner, Mother Zhou stir-fried some small squid with chili peppers and made a poached batch as well. She also fried a plate of white croaker, prepared a mixed fish stew, and made a dish of stir-fried sweet potato leaves with minced garlic.

The family finished eating after 6:00 PM.

Zhou Chenglei and Zhou Chengsen prepared another set of tools for the lighting for squid. Once Zhou Chengxin arrived, the three brothers took their crews and headed out to sea.

Today, Zhou Chenglei had also asked Zhou Guodong and his brothers to join them. With the four boats from the Zhou family and one from Zhou Guodong’s family, five boats headed out together.

The village fishermen all knew that Zhou Chenglei had used lights to lure squid, so an exceptionally large number of people went out to sea tonight.

Zhou Chenglei headed to the same sea area as the night before. It was a bit far, but because fewer fishing boats went there, they could lure more small squid.

Of course, that was the ideal scenario. The reality depended on whether there were actually any squid in that patch of water.

In the end, it was all a matter of luck. If there are squid in the sea, they come as soon as the light shines. If there are no squid, they won’t come even if you dunk the lightbulb right into the water.

After Zhou Chenglei went to sea, He Xinghuan and Great-Grandma came over.

Usually, after dinner, if Great-Grandma knew the family wasn’t going to sea the next day, she would come over to watch television. If she knew they were going out, she and the others wouldn’t come by, so as not to disturb their rest.

He Xinghuan said to Jiang Xia, “Xiao Xia, from now on, you don’t need to split the profits from the small dried fish and small squid with me fifty-fifty anymore.”

Hearing this, Jiang Xia looked over. “What’s wrong? Do you have other plans?”

Mother Zhou also looked over.

Chapter 475: The Profit Sharing Issue

He Xinghuan said, “Now that the food processing workshop has been established and we’re hiring more people, the situation has changed. You provided the venue, you paid for the raw materials, and you and A-Lei are the ones who transport them back. You were the one who taught us how to make everything, and I haven’t really put in that much effort. You work alongside us every day, doing just as much labor, and you’re the one who handles the sales and shipping. You do more than I do in every aspect and contribute far more, yet I’m taking the same amount of money as you. I feel guilty taking this money; it doesn’t feel right!”

Jiang Xia had wondered what was bothering her, but hearing this, she smiled and replied, “It doesn’t matter. We agreed to this split from the beginning, and we should stick to it regardless of how much money we make. Besides, you’re the one leading the work with Aunt Fen most of the time. I’m not here every single day.”

Great-Grandma waved her hand dismissively. “Xinghuan is right. Now that we’re hiring more people, her role is similar to what Aunt Fen does. How can she justify taking that much money? From now on, just pay her a regular salary. There’s no need to split the profits fifty-fifty. In life, we must act so our hearts are at ease. We take what we’ve earned, but if we take what we haven’t, we won’t have peace of mind.”

Jiang Xia protested, “That’s not how it works. How can you compare yourselves to Aunt Fen? You’re our workshop’s…”

He Xinghuan interrupted her. “I know you’re planning to make me a supervisor or something similar, but even then, I shouldn’t be getting half the profits. Just give me a salary slightly higher than Aunt Fen’s! Otherwise, I won’t be able to continue. Doing the same amount of work but taking so much money… I really can’t handle the guilt. I don’t deserve it. If you don’t agree, I’ll quit! Taking that money makes me feel uneasy, like I’m taking a huge advantage of you. Our family has already earned a lot of money thanks to you. We can’t be ungrateful or too greedy!”

Jiang Xia was speechless.

“It’s not that extreme. We agreed on this beforehand. How can you say you’re afraid to take it just because the earnings have grown? Just take it with a clear conscience. Otherwise, it’s like I’m going back on my word!”

“Xiao Xia, don’t say another word. You’re educated, so I’m sure you have plenty of arguments to convince me, but I’m not listening! I don’t want half. I only want the salary I’m owed! Otherwise, I’m done!”

Jiang Xia: “…”

Was she really more eloquent than He Xinghuan?

After a moment of thought, Jiang Xia said, “Since you won’t take half, then how about thirty percent? Thirty percent isn’t too much. You’re a meritorious contributor to this workshop, and in the future, it will mostly rely on your management. I’m even planning to build a factory eventually…”

He Xinghuan cut her off again. “I don’t even want thirty percent. I just want a salary. If you pay the others 80 yuan a month, 90 yuan is enough for me!”

Jiang Xia shook her head. “That won’t do! You know that after I have the baby, I’ll be going to university. You’ll be managing everything. If you only take a salary, I would feel terrible. I can’t do that to you!”

Great-Grandma intervened. “Then ten percent! It’s settled. She takes ten percent! No more back and forth from either of you.”

He Xinghuan nodded firmly. “Then I’ll take ten percent. Not a cent more, or I quit. I really don’t do enough work to justify taking more than that. I’d be too embarrassed! Even if you try to give it to me, I won’t take it!”

Jiang Xia thought that when they built the factory later, she could let the employees invest for shares and then reallocate dividends based on seniority. She could give her more then.

So, Jiang Xia conceded, “Let’s leave it at that for now. I’ll be shameless this once.”

He Xinghuan smiled. “I’m the one being shameless, not you. It’s always our family taking advantage of yours.”

Great-Grandma added, “Exactly. If it weren’t for you, how would we have known that a convenience store could make so much money? Where would we have gotten the money to build a house?”

During the month after the New Year, the convenience store’s business had been booming!

They were making one or two hundred yuan every single day.

Furthermore, Yongguo had earned a lot accompanying Yongfu on a distant seas voyage for a month. Their family had already picked an auspicious date to build their house, with construction set to begin after the Dragon Boat Festival.

Their family was about to build the fifth multi-story building in the village.

Mother Zhou hadn’t felt it was her place to speak earlier, but now she entered the conversation. “Why speak like that? No one is taking advantage of anyone. Everyone is helping each other; there’s no such thing as taking advantage. When Xiao Xia is busy, you’re the ones doing the work. Taking half would have been perfectly fine.”

“With that much money on the line, it’s only right that we work hard.”

…

Once everything was settled and the television show ended, Great-Grandma and He Xinghuan went home to sleep.

Since it was still early, Jiang Xia went upstairs to write a letter to Jiang Dong and work on the design drawings for the rolling suitcases.

The rolling suitcases were intended for a high-end market. Beyond ensuring product quality, the aesthetics and details had to be impeccable; after all, wealthy people didn’t find their money blowing in the wind.

The wealthier the customer, the more they pursued quality and detail.

In addition to quality, one had to constantly innovate to keep a brand alive.

Jiang Xia wasn’t just drawing designs; she was also drafting a product proposal.

She had a grand goal in mind, but she wasn’t sure if she could achieve it yet. She would try once she had gathered all the necessary materials.

She worked until ten o’clock when Mother Zhou came up to urge her to sleep.

At three o’clock in the morning, Jiang Xia woke up to use the bathroom. Zhou Chenlei still wasn’t back.

Feeling hungry, she noticed a thermos on the dressing table. A note weighted down on top of it read: Yam and pigeon porridge. Finished at eleven o’clock.

Since it was made at eleven, it was still quite warm after a few hours.

Jiang Xia sat down and ate the porridge. After rinsing her mouth, she went back to bed.

By then, it was past four o’clock. Having already slept once and with Zhou Chenlei not by her side, she found it hard to drift off, wondering when he would return.

Eventually, drowsiness overtook her, and she fell asleep.

When she woke up again, it was already past six in the morning.

Zhou Chenlei still hadn’t returned.

Jiang Xia got out of bed and went downstairs. After breakfast, she said to Mother Zhou, “Mom, I’m going to the pier to see if A-Lei and the others are back. I’ll pick up some small squid while I’m there.”

Mother Zhou was helping Zhou Ying with her school bag, getting ready to take her to Great-Grandpa’s house so he could walk her to school. She nodded and said, “Alright, be careful.”

At seven o’clock, Jiang Xia and He Xinghuan pushed a flatbed cart to the pier. They saw the two Li brothers waiting there.

Jiang Xia greeted them briefly but didn’t say much else. She and He Xinghuan looked around to see which fishing boats had used lights to lure and catch small squid the night before.

When some villagers saw Jiang Xia and knew her family was always buying Grouper, they approached her. “A-Lei’s wife, are you still buying Grouper? I caught one this morning, but it’s a bit small, only about 200g.”

Jiang Xia replied, “As long as it’s alive, we’ll take it. Just wait a bit; once A-Lei or Big Brother returns, you can go find them. My oldest brother usually handles the fish.”

“Alright, I’ll save it for you then.”

Several boats had small squid this morning, but the quantities weren’t large—about several kilograms each. Jiang Xia bought them all at a price of 1.2 yuan per 500 grams.

In total, she collected 28 kg. Jiang Xia wanted to help move them, but He Xinghuan wouldn’t let her lift a finger and moved the crates to the shore herself. Then, she pushed the cart loaded with the small squid back home.

Aunt Fen and Xu Ling were about to start work. It was best to use the squid while they were fresh to get a batch done so Lord Hou could take them when he arrived in the afternoon.

It was a busy day; the fried fish were also dry and ready to be processed.

Jiang Xia stayed behind, continuing to wait for their own boats to return to the harbor.

Before long, she spotted five boats slowly approaching.

Jiang Xia recognized them as her family’s boats at a glance.

The two Li brothers recognized them too and quickly ran toward them.

Chapter 476: Jiang Xia’s Abacus

Jiang Xia waited for a few more minutes until the boat docked.

She didn’t walk over immediately, but the two Li brothers hurried forward.

The two Li brothers ran over, looking from boat to boat.

My goodness!

There were five boats, and each boat had at least five or six crates of small tube squid, along with quite a lot of Spanish mackerel.

Zhou Chenglei’s boat had the most, with nearly ten crates of small tube squid. Moreover, his boat was loaded with Spanish mackerel—the entire shuttering was covered in them.

They must have luckily encountered a school of Spanish mackerel again; otherwise, how could every fishing boat have so many?

The two Li brothers stepped onto Zhou Chengsen’s fishing boat. Their eyes involuntarily widened when they saw the crates upon crates of small tube squid and Spanish mackerel on A-Sen’s boat!

Li Qingmin asked, “A-Sen, did you guys run into a school of Spanish mackerel?”

Just these few crates of small tube squid alone should be worth two hundred yuan, right?

Then there were so many Spanish mackerel, probably seven or eight hundred jin.

Spanish mackerel wasn’t as expensive as small squid; currently, the purchase price was only sixty to seventy fen per 500-gram. But how many small tube squid would it take to equal the weight of one Spanish mackerel?

So, this pile of Spanish mackerel could probably sell for three or four hundred? Five hundred was also possible!

If the two of them had gone out to sea last puffed night, taken this boat of fish, driven it to the City Pier to sell, and secretly sold half of it, how much money could they have made?

“Yeah,” Zhou Chengsen replied curtly, not wanting to say much more.

Li Qingjie was estimating how much all this fish was worth and asked, “Roughly how much can a boatload of fish like this sell for?”

Zhou Chengsen replied to this, “Altogether, it should be around six or seven hundred yuan!”

He was watching their expressions.

Li Qingjie: “…”

He looked at the shuttering full of fish with envy. If it had been the two of them going out to sea last night, how great would that have been?

Even if they only got half, it would still be three or four hundred!

Zhou Chengsen directly ordered, “You two help move the Spanish mackerel to the purchase station and the small tube squid onto the pier. Chenglei wants these small tube squid. Once you’re done moving them, you can go out to sea. I have to go back to work, so you take your time moving them.”

Upon hearing this, Li Qingmin immediately said, “I have to go buy diesel. We haven’t even bought the diesel yet!”

The fish on this boat weren’t caught by the two of them, so why should they have to move them?

By going to buy diesel, they could also pocket a yuan or two from the transaction.

Zhou Chengsen said, “No need, I’ll just buy it on my way. It won’t be too late for me to go to work after buying it. You just move the fish!”

Li Qingmin: “…”

Then Zhou Chengsen went to buy the diesel.

He didn’t even spared a glance at Li Qingmin.

For people being hired for ten yuan a day, was moving fish too much to ask?

Li Qingmin and Li Qingjie resigned themselves to moving the fish.

Soon, Zhou Chengsen returned with a barrel of diesel. He only bought ten yuan’s worth and said to the two Li brothers, “Big Brother, come back early today, before six o’clock! I only bought ten yuan’s worth of diesel, so you don’t need to go too far.”

Li Qingmin: “…”

Zhou Chengsen hauled the diesel onto the boat, poured it into the tank, and then asked Zhou Chenglei to help him collect the money from the fish sales before going home to eat breakfast and then heading to work.

With twenty yuan spent on diesel a day, Zhou Chengsen couldn’t imagine just how far out they were going to fish.

When A-Lei used to go to very distant sea areas to use the trawl net, he rarely even used up twenty yuan’s worth of diesel in one go.

Zhou Chenglei carried a crate of small tube squid over to Jiang Xia and set it down. “Why did you come out by yourself? The pier is full of people coming and going.”

Jiang Xia said, “I came with Grandma Xinghuan. We collected several dozen jin of small tube squid, and she went back first to start boiling them.”

Only then did Zhou Chenglei stop nagging. “Wait here; I’ll go sell the Spanish mackerel first.”

“I’ll go with you. I have something to discuss with Master Jin.”

As soon as Zhou Chenglei heard that, he knew what Jiang Xia wanted to discuss with Master Jin.

“Alright, I’ll walk you over first.”

Zhou Chenglei first helped Jiang Xia to the purchase station.

At the purchase station, Master Jin saw Zhou Chenglei and smiled. “Do you have small tube squid today? If they’re fresh, they’re the same price as yesterday.”

Zhou Chenglei shook his head. “The small tube squid isn’t for sale. My wife wants to make them into snacks.”

Boom! A bolt of lightning seemed to strike Master Jin’s mind!

This was a total bolt from the blue!

The competition had arrived again!

Master Jin asked, “You guys aren’t planning to buy up the villagers’ small tube squid again, are you?”

If they bought up all the small tube squid, what profit would he make during these two months?

Now, when the villagers caught Golden Pomfret, red seabream, or filefish, they didn’t sell them anymore; they took them all back to dry into fried fish to sell to Zhou Chenglei.

“My wife will talk to you about that. I’ll go bring the fish over first.”

Then Zhou Chenglei went back to the boat to carry the Spanish mackerel over.

Jiang Xia smiled at Master Jin. “Master Jin, let’s step aside and have a word.”

Master Jin walked to the side with Jiang Xia.

Jiang Xia went straight to the point. “Master Jin, let’s collaborate!”

Master Jin was stunned, seemingly finding it hard to believe. “How would we collaborate?”

Jiang Xia said, “Master Jin, sell the small tube squid you purchase to me, and I will process them into various flavors of small tube squid. We…”

Master Jin interrupted her, “That won’t do. You know the fish bought at the purchase station is mainly sent to the Food Station or the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, right?”

Jiang Xia laughed. “I know. But no one says the fish you send to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative and the Food Station has to be fresh. It can also be processed and ready-to-eat, right? Just like how the Supply and Marketing Cooperative sells fresh fruit but also sells processed canned goods like yellow peaches.”

Master Jin understood!

He looked at Jiang Xia in disbelief. This female comrade was certainly ambitious!

No wonder Zhou Chenglei became part of the first group of people to get rich!

This was simply the result of marrying a good wife!

This business mind, this courage, and this boldness were truly something else.

How did she dare to set her sights on the Supply and Marketing Cooperative?

“How do you dare?” Master Jin asked in a low voice. “Don’t you know that the goods in the Supply and Marketing Cooperative come from various food factories and the masses?”

Jiang Xia said with pride, “First, I am one of the masses. Second, I am a certified worker! Third, I am responding to the national call! Why wouldn’t I dare? The prosperity of our motherland depends on the efforts of the first group of people like us who respond to the national call! It is because we, the first pioneers, dared to try and challenge things that thousands upon thousands of people will follow as pioneers and trendsetters, contributing to the prosperity of our country.”

Master Jin felt his blood boiling after hearing this girl’s words!

Well said!

She talked a big game, and the clacking of her abacus was so loud the beads were practically flying in his face!

Jiang Xia then showed Master Jin her non-staple food processing and production permit.

Master Jin: “…”

“You carry this thing around with you?”

Jiang Xia smiled. “Isn’t it so I could show it to you?”

Master Jin glanced at it. “You’re probably the first person to get this kind of permit, aren’t you?”

Jiang Xia smiled. “I wouldn’t know about that.”

Master Jin thought for a moment before saying, “I’ll ask around.”

This seemed feasible.

But he didn’t dare give a guarantee; he had to inquire first.

Jiang Xia smiled. “Alright. Then lately, I’ll start buying small squid from the villagers and begin preparations early? When you go to ask, Master Jin, you might want to mention the benefits of selling the small tube squid after processing, such as a longer shelf life, no need to worry about them spoiling during sales, being able to ship them to distant places for sale, and being the first Supply and Marketing Cooperative to respond to the call?”

Jiang Xia looked at Master Jin’s hairless head with a smile. “Master Jin, you have a bright mind and a ‘shining’ intelligence; I’m sure you can think of even more benefits!”

Master Jin glared at her, but in the end, he didn’t refuse again. “I’m not nearly as smooth a talker as you.”

Her mouth was like a little sparrow on a branch, chirp-chirp-chirping away!

When Zhou Chenglei arrived carrying a load of Spanish mackerel, Master Jin said to him, “You’ve married quite a formidable wife!”

Zhou Chenglei just smiled.

Chapter 477: Heart Stirred

Jiang Xia continued discussing the benefits of their cooperation with Master Jin.

Meanwhile, Zhou Chenglei carried all the Spanish mackerel to the purchase station.

Jiang Xia stayed there to oversee the weighing while he went home to get the tractor to transport the small squid back.

The small squid from the five boats combined weighed over 300 kg.

The first to be weighed was Zhou Chengsen’s catch. This time, he had netted over 385 kg of Spanish mackerel, which sold for more than 460 yuan.

The two Li brothers watched as Jiang Xia folded a thick stack of Great Unity banknotes and tucked them into her pocket.

Jiang Xia glanced at them. “I’ll give this money to Second Brother. Are you two heading back out to sea today?”

Li Qingmin replied immediately, “Yes, we’re going out right now.”

If they didn’t go out to sea, how could they catch fish and make money?

The two brothers hurried back toward their boat.

Once back on board, Li Qingjie said to his older brother, “Big Brother, let’s head back a bit earlier tonight to find Little Sister in town. We should tell her that we’ll handle the night shifts while the two men A-Sen hired handle the day shifts. We can rotate with them.”

Li Qingmin slapped his thigh. “Right! We’ll take turns going out with Zhou Kanan and the others. A-Sen has to work during the day; he can’t go out every single night. If A-Sen isn’t on the boat, who knows if they might secretly sell some of the fish at the City Pier and pocket the money?”

“Exactly. It’s peak season for small squid right now. You can make so much in one night; who knows how much they might skim off for themselves!”

…

Plotting as they went, the two brothers steered their boat back out to sea.

After Jiang Xia finished selling the fish, Zhou Chenglei arrived with the tractor. He loaded all the squid onto it before picking up Jiang Xia to head home.

They still needed to weigh the squid catch for each household and distribute the money. Since Zhou Chengxin and Zhou Guodong were still busy selling fish at the pier, Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei headed home first.

When Mother Zhou saw the tractor filled with small squid, she asked in surprise, “Is this all ours? Or did you buy it from others?”

Jiang Xia smiled. “It belongs to Big Brother, Second Brother, and Guodong.”

Mother Zhou smiled as she helped unload a small basket of miscellaneous fish and a few smaller Spanish mackerel that were sitting on top. “Then today’s harvest is quite good.”

Jiang Xia laughed. “It is indeed. They ran into a school of Spanish mackerel. Our family’s two boats netted a total of 931.5 kg of Spanish mackerel today, which sold for 1,117.8 yuan. The mackerel caught by Big Brother and Second Brother also sold for over 400 yuan. Guodong’s catch was similar, around 400 as well. And that’s not counting the money from this small squid. Every household is guaranteed to have made at least 500 yuan today.”

Mother Zhou grinned from ear to ear. “Your Second Brother has had that boat for so long, and he’s finally starting to make money!”

Jiang Xia smiled. “They’ll earn more and more from now on.”

Zhou Chenglei and Mother Zhou moved the small squid from the tractor, weighed them, and then handed them over to He Xinghuan and the other two women for cleaning and processing.

The three women were currently boiling a large pot of spicy-flavored small squid.

Today was the turn for their family’s two boats to go out, and they had caught a total of 268 kg of small squid using the lures.

Jiang Xia recorded the amount.

Next was Zhou Chengsen’s turn. His boat had lured and caught 61.7 kg of small squid.

Jiang Xia counted out 148.08 yuan. Along with the 400-odd yuan from the Spanish mackerel, she handed it to Mother Zhou to give to Zhou Chengsen later.

Tian Caihua arrived just as Zhou Chengxin’s boat catch was finished being weighed. It totaled 53 kg. Jiang Xia did the math and paid her 127.2 yuan.

Tian Caihua asked, “How many squid did Second Brother’s boat catch today?”

Jiang Xia replied, “61.7 kg.”

Tian Caihua: “…”

Wasn’t that nearly 10 kg more than her family’s catch?

Tian Caihua pursed her lips. Li Xiuxian was getting lucky!

It was totally unfair! Why was Li Xiuxian earning more than her?

Zhou Chenglei weighed the last few baskets of small squid. After calculating, he said, “After subtracting the weight of the containers, it’s a total of 70.25 kg.”

Tian Caihua immediately asked, “Whose is this? Yours?”

Jiang Xia said, “It’s Guodong’s.”

Tian Caihua felt even more sour!

This wasn’t right! What was she doing wrong?

Why was her household’s harvest the smallest today?

She didn’t need to ask about Jiang Xia; it was definitely the most.

Still, Tian Caihua asked anyway, “Xiaxia, how many small squid did your family catch today?”

“268 kg. Each boat got about 134 kg.”

Tian Caihua: “…”

As expected, one of their households was worth three of everyone else’s!

Something was definitely wrong!

Could it be because she hadn’t been visiting Jiang Xia enough lately?

At that thought, Tian Caihua suddenly lunged forward and hugged Jiang Xia.

She had to soak up some of this money luck!

Tomorrow, she wanted the wealth to roll in. She wanted to be in second place. How could she earn less than the other two households? Clearly, she and Jiang Xia were the closest!

Jiang Xia: “…”

Zhou Chenglei, who was moving the squid: “…”

What was wrong with Big Sister-in-law? Why was she hugging his wife?

Tian Caihua felt that a hug wasn’t enough, so she reached out to pat Jiang Xia’s large, round belly.

“Little nephews, it’s your Big Auntie!”

Remember to send some luck my way! Once you’re born, I’ll buy you candy! Recognize me—I’m your real Big Auntie. Don’t send the luck to the neighbor’s house next door! Let me tell you, your Second Auntie is very annoying! Don’t get close to her, okay? You have to be close to your Big Auntie!

Just then, the babies in the womb moved.

Tian Caihua was thrilled. “Oh! They moved! They moved! They’re agreeing! They’ve promised me!”

Jiang Xia: “…”

“Promised what?” Jiang Xia asked, bewildered.

Tian Caihua blurted out, “They promised to send me good fortune!”

Jiang Xia: “…”

Zhou Chenglei’s face darkened, and he nearly rolled his eyes. He immediately distracted Jiang Xia. “Xiaxia, aren’t you going to arrange how these squid should be prepared?”

“Right, I should.”

Jiang Xia calculated the total. Including the 28 kg they had bought from the villagers that morning, the total was 480.95 kg.

Jiang Xia took one small squid from the basket reserved for their own dinner and tossed it into the pile, rounding it up to 481 kg.

She then said to He Xinghuan, “Prepare 150 kg each for the spicy and soy-braised flavors. For the other two flavors, make about 90 kg each. What do you all think?”

The three women nodded. “Sounds good. Let’s start with that. Later, we’ll see which of the other two flavors sells better and make more of those.”

Jiang Xia nodded.

Tian Caihua looked at He Xinghuan and the other two, who were dressed in matching aprons, hats, and oversleeves. Her heart was stirred.

Jiang Xia was generous and paid high wages—she’d heard it was eighty yuan a month. She could totally work here too!

It wasn’t like there was work every single day. And even if there was, there would be a set time to clock out. She could just do her housework after she finished.

Weren’t He Xinghuan and Aunt Fen also finishing their housework in the morning before starting their shift?

Thinking of this, Tian Caihua asked Jiang Xia, “Xiaxia, do you still need to hire people to make small fried fish?”

Chapter 478: A Bountiful Harvest

In response to Tian Caihua’s words, Jiang Xia smiled and asked, “Sister-in-law, you want to come work here? Can you handle the workload?”

Tian Caihua immediately replied, “Of course I can! Once I finish those few chores at home every day, I have nothing else to do.”

Jiang Xia said, “But Sister-in-law, you are the manager of our aquaculture farm.”

Tian Caihua’s eyes widened. “Manager?”

When did she become a manager? It sounded very impressive.

“Yes,” Jiang Xia continued. “The mussels we raise at our farm will be sold to the aquatic products export company in the future. The quality needs to be top-notch, which means we need you to supervise everyone during the harvesting and sorting process. Once the mussels grow larger, you’ll also need to help patrol the beach to make sure no one steals them.”

“Besides the mussels, when we harvest other things in the future, it will all require your supervision. Furthermore, I was just about to ask you and Mother to start hiring people to make the hanging nets and larva collection devices. How on earth would you have time to make small fried fish?”

Jiang Xia didn’t explicitly say what else they were raising, but once she mentioned other products and the hanging nets, Tian Caihua immediately thought of the pearl shells.

Right!

She had almost forgotten; Jiang Xia had mentioned that April and May were the peak breeding seasons for pearl shells.

With the peak season fast approaching, they had to prepare the hanging nets and juvenile shell collection devices in advance.

“Why didn’t you mention such an important matter earlier! No way, I really don’t have the time! I’m definitely not doing the fried fish job!”

Jiang Xia had also mentioned that a pearl cultivation farm owner was giving them several thousand juvenile pearl shells.

That meant starting this year, their pearl farm would soon welcome thousands of pearls!

Raising pearls was where the real money was. One good pearl could be worth a whole year’s wages from working here—maybe even more!

Why was she even bothering with small fried fish?

Jiang Xia said, “It’s not too late to prepare; there’s still time. Besides, Mother has been working on them whenever she’s free.”

Tian Caihua no longer spared a thought for the fried fish business. She smiled and said, “There aren’t many days left, so I won’t say another word! I’m going back right now to start on those hanging nets!”

Jiang Xia handed 1,000 yuan to Tian Caihua. “Sister-in-law, use this to hire people to help you! Prepare as many as possible. This money is for the materials.”

Tian Caihua happily took the money. “I’ll use this for materials. For now, there’s no need to hire anyone; I’ll see how many I can make myself first. If it’s not enough, I’ll hire more later. I promise to get the job done!”

Hiring someone cost at least one yuan a day! Before making any money, she was loath to start spending it. Tian Caihua was quite stingy when it came to that.

Doing it herself cost nothing but labor.

“Thank you for your hard work, Sister-in-law!”

“It’s no trouble at all! It’s what I should do!” Tian Caihua hurried away.

She was going to the town to buy the materials for the hanging nets and larva collection devices.

Jiang Xia did indeed need Tian Caihua to patrol the beach to check on the growth of the mussels. Moreover, the pearl cultivation was about to reach the stage where they needed to expand.

They needed to seize the peak breeding season to collect more pearl shell larvae from the sea.

This required a large quantity of collection devices and hanging nets for culturing the pearls.

Mother Zhou and Tian Caihua needed to lead the effort, either by doing it themselves or overseeing others.

Furthermore, once Father Zhou returned from this distant seas voyage, he would head out again after the Qingming Festival. This time, he would take the collection devices to the waters of the neighboring province to gather and salvage pearl shells.

As for diving gear, Jiang Xia had already asked Gilles to buy several more sets last time. He would be coming to China for the Canton Fair and would bring them along then.

The coming month was going to be very busy.

Now that the weather was warming up, the net cages they had ordered could finally be installed.

Zhou Chenglei had made an appointment with the owner to install them at the end of the month, and the owner would deliver the fish fry at the same time.

There were so many things to arrange.

Jiang Xia thought about the upcoming tasks as she tended the fire.

Meanwhile, Zhou Chenglei arrived home, ate breakfast, took a shower, and went to catch up on sleep. He had pulled an all-night shift and had to head out to sea again tonight, so he could only sleep during the day.

Jiang Xia spent the entire morning at the old house helping with the fire. She wanted to finish this batch of small squid as quickly as possible so Lord Hou could transport them when he arrived in the afternoon.

Additionally, there were thousands of kilograms of dried small fish waiting to be deep-fried; the workload for their small food processing workshop was very heavy.

However, the number of stoves was limited. No matter how many people they hired, it wouldn’t help if there wasn’t enough cooking space.

She really needed to look for a factory building to rent; if she couldn’t find one, she would have to find a plot of land and build one herself.

Working out of the old house long-term wasn’t sustainable.

Furthermore, relying solely on manual labor to cook pot after pot was too slow, and it was difficult to control the heat consistently.

Perhaps she could ask Jiang Dong to develop a production line for the fried fish?

At this thought, Jiang Xia decided to write a letter to Jiang Dong that evening to detail her requirements.

Food factories had production lines for instant noodles, which also required deep-frying. Continuous line production was the trend of the future.

If it worked for instant noodles, it could work for her small fried fish! Of course, that was provided Jiang Dong could develop it according to her specifications.

Lord Hou arrived in the afternoon.

Jiang Xia brought out four flavors of small squid for him to sample.

After tasting them, Lord Hou said directly, “Make more of the spicy and savory soy flavors. The sweet and spicy one can be made in larger quantities too; people around here like spicy food but can’t handle too much heat, so this sweet and spicy balance is just right. You can make less of the sweet and sour flavor. Usually, kids prefer sweet and sour, but they also love the savory soy one. Since the savory soy flavor suits everyone—young and old, men and women—make more of those.”

“Understood!” Jiang Xia agreed.

Lord Hou added, “Small squid are quite expensive, so not many people can afford them. They definitely won’t sell as fast as the small dried fish.”

Jiang Xia replied, “I know. We’ll target markets in the capital, Shanghai, and Suicheng. Besides, small squid are seasonal; after these two months, they won’t be as plentiful.”

However, once the peak season for small squid ended, it would be jellyfish season. They could produce shredded jellyfish, shredded kelp, seaweed, and other food items. There was no need to worry about running out of products to manufacture.

“They will certainly sell better in those cities. While these waters are in peak season for these two months, other sea areas have different fishing seasons. The issue is that buying from elsewhere and transporting them back increases costs significantly. We’ll see how well they sell first before deciding.”

“True.”

Lord Hou glanced around the kitchen. It was very clean. Even the workers making the fish were dressed tidily, wearing hats, oversleeves, and aprons. It felt very professional, just too small. “No wonder your output is so low. You don’t have enough stoves. Relying on just a few of you isn’t enough. Have you considered renting a factory building to open a real food processing plant?”

Jiang Xia smiled and said, “I have plans for that. But I haven’t earned enough to build a factory yet, and I haven’t come across any factory buildings for rent.”

Lord Hou turned his head to look at the tall, grand house—the most beautiful building in the entire village—and fell silent for a moment.

He had been inside earlier. That room full of leather sofas was worth a fortune. This was what she called having no money?

Jiang Xia then discussed a plan with Lord Hou: in the future, he would help purchase fresh small squid at the City Pier and transport them over, and while he was at it, he would take back the squid and fried fish prepared the previous day.

Once they reached an agreement, Lord Hou left.

Many fishing boats would be docking towards evening, and he had to rush back to collect the catch.

This time, Lord Hou departed with a little over 500 kilograms of small squid, purchased at a price of 5.4 yuan per kilogram.

Because of the added sauce, the final weight of the 450-plus kilograms of fresh squid actually increased after processing.

After deducting He Xinghuan’s share, other overhead, and labor costs, Jiang Xia calculated that they had earned about 2,000 yuan.

It was another day of bountiful harvest!

Chapter 479: Are You Sure?

In the evening, Zhou Chengsen returned home with Zhou Ying once again.

After the family finished dinner, the three brothers prepared to head out to sea for another night of lighting for squid.

Zhou Chenglei looked at Zhou Chengsen and asked, “Second Brother, you pulled an all-nighter yesterday. Are you planning to go out again tonight?”

“I didn’t stay up the whole night. I got some sleep on the boat and napped after work at noon,” Zhou Chengsen replied.

“Take care of yourself,” Zhou Chenglei said. He didn’t push the matter further.

These two months were the prime time to make money; who could bear to spend that time sleeping?

As the three brothers headed out with their gear, they ran into Li Xiuxian, who had just returned.

Li Xiuxian hurriedly called out to Zhou Chengsen, “A-Sen, don’t leave just yet! I have something to say to you.”

Zhou Chengsen turned to Zhou Chenglei and Zhou Chengxin. “Big Brother, A-Lei, you guys head to the pier first. I’ll be there in a moment.”

Zhou Chenglei and Zhou Chengxin went on ahead.

Once they were out of earshot, Li Xiuxian pulled him toward the old house and asked, “Did you hire Zhou Kanan and Zhou Yongjian to go out and light for squid tonight?”

“Yes.” Zhou Chengsen wasn’t surprised that she knew.

Li Xiuxian said, “Have them go out fishing during the day, and let my brothers take the night shift for lighting for squid instead! Just swap the two groups.”

“Why?” Zhou Chengsen asked flatly.

Li Xiuxian looked at him with disbelief. “Do you even need to ask? My brothers are family; they’re more trustworthy. How can you trust those two outsiders? If they catch fish and secretly sell them on the side, wouldn’t we be taking a huge loss?”

Jiang Xia had finished her meal and was waiting for Zhou Chenglei to leave for the sea. She was just about to head to the old house to continue her work when she overheard the conversation between Li Xiuxian and Zhou Chengsen.

She wasn’t the type to eavesdrop, so she turned around and walked back home.

Zhou Chengsen gave a thin smile. “Fine. As long as you don’t regret it.”

Li Xiuxian scoffed. “What do I have to regret? They’re my own brothers. It’s not like they’d try to hurt me, would they?”

Zhou Chengsen had been waiting for her to say that and didn’t feel like arguing further. “Then starting tomorrow night, your brothers will go out. Tonight, I’ll go with Kanan and Yongjian. Tomorrow night, I won’t go out to sea; I’ll get some proper sleep.”

Why did he sound so cynical? Li Xiuxian added, “Fine! See, even you’re worried about Zhou Kangping and the others going out, right? If you use my brothers, you won’t have to worry or personally go with them every time. Since we’ve hired people, just let my brothers do the work. If you go out every single night, can your body even take it?”

Zhou Chengsen remained silent.

Li Xiuxian asked again, “By the way, how much did you make from lighting for squid last night?”

“Over six hundred yuan,” Zhou Chengsen replied.

Li Xiuxian’s eyes widened. “That much? Then we definitely can’t let Zhou Kanan and the others do the night shifts! We have to swap them. The small squid season is just starting. When the peak season hits, won’t we be making over a thousand yuan a day?”

Zhou Chengsen still said nothing.

“Then it’s settled. I’ll go tell my elder brother. From tomorrow on, they’ll handle the night shifts for squid, and Zhou Kanan’s group can handle the day shifts.”

“Mhm.” Zhou Chengsen couldn’t be bothered to say another word and walked straight out of the courtyard.

Li Xiuxian called out to him again, “Is there any food left? I haven’t had dinner yet.”

“No. I ate over at A-Lei’s. I didn’t know you were coming back to eat, so I didn’t save any for you. Xiao Xia and the others are going to deep-fry small fried fish later, so the stove will be occupied. Go eat at your brother’s place.”

Li Xiuxian was speechless.

She had rushed back through all that exhaustion, and she couldn’t even get a hot meal!

With a dark expression, Li Xiuxian pushed her bicycle out of the courtyard and rushed back to her parents’ home.

When she arrived at the Li residence, Li Qingmin saw her and immediately asked, “How did it go, little sister? What did A-Sen say?”

Li Xiuxian smiled. “He agreed, of course! Why would we use outsiders when we have our own family? Outsiders aren’t nearly as trustworthy!”

“That’s for sure! You can’t rely on outsiders for anything!”

Li Xiuxian nodded. “Is there any food? I haven’t eaten. When I got home, they’d already finished, and they didn’t leave anything for me.”

Li Qingmin immediately said, “There is! And if there wasn’t, we’d cook some! A-Jin, hurry up and cook some noodles for my sister. Put two eggs in!”

Li Xiuxian’s sister-in-law responded instantly, “Alright! I’ll get on it right now!”

Li Xiuxian smiled. “Thanks, Sister-in-law!”

Her parents’ home was much better!

When she came back, even if they had already eaten, they would cook something fresh for her.

Early the next morning, Jiang Xia went to the pier around seven o’clock with He Xinghuan to collect small squid and to see what Master Jin had decided.

Coincidentally, Li Xiuxian was also pushing her bicycle out of the old house.

Jiang Xia greeted her, “Second Sister-in-law, going to work?”

Li Xiuxian nodded. “Yes. Has Yingying had breakfast yet?”

Jiang Xia nodded. “She’s finished. She’s getting ready to leave.”

Li Xiuxian grumbled, “Why is she so slow? I’ll go see!”

She parked her bike and walked into the new house, shouting, “Zhou Ying, are you ready yet? How can you be so slow with breakfast? When did you even start eating? I need to go to the pier to see if your father is back from sea! Hurry up, I’m not waiting for you!”

Zhou Ying ran out with her school bag on her back. “I’m coming!”

Li Xiuxian nagged, “Honestly, you’re so slow!”

She pulled Zhou Ying out of the courtyard, kicked up the bike stand, hoisted Zhou Ying onto the bike, and pedaled away in a hurry.

As Zhou Ying passed Jiang Xia, she waved happily. “Goodbye, Auntie!”

Jiang Xia smiled and waved back. “Goodbye!”

When Li Xiuxian reached the pier, the three brothers’ fishing boats had all returned.

Li Xiuxian let Zhou Ying wait on the pier while she ran down. She saw seven or eight crates of small squid on their boat, and the deck was covered in a mountain of fish, mostly golden threadfin. She estimated there were about 250 to 300 kilograms!

They must have done one last trawl after finishing with the squid.

She smiled. “The harvest is good today!”

Zhou Chengsen nodded. “Yeah, about three or four hundred yuan’s worth.”

Li Xiuxian then glanced at Jiang Xia’s boat.

There were over a dozen crates of small squid and a deck covered in fish!

If the fish on her own boat was a small hill, the fish on their boat was a mountain!

How could Zhou Chenglei’s luck be so consistently good?

Then she looked at Tian Caihua’s boat.

It was similar to her own, but Tian Caihua’s family had two boats out today!

They had brought in an entire boat’s worth more cargo than her own!

Li Xiuxian couldn’t help but feel sour again, regretting that she hadn’t known what to ask for when they divided the family.

Li Xiuxian had to go to work, so she took one last look and left in a hurry.

This time, the two Li brothers didn’t show up. They were afraid of being asked to help carry fish, and since they were going out to sea tonight, they decided not to go out at all during the day. They stayed home to sleep and gather their strength, preparing to make a windfall tonight.

Zhou Chengsen instructed Zhou Kanan and Zhou Yongjian to help move the small squid to the tractor, sort the fish, and take them to the purchase station. He asked Zhou Chenglei to help sell them, then went home to shower, eat breakfast, and go to work.

That evening, Li Xiuxian and Zhou Chengsen returned. The family of three had eaten in town before coming back.

That night, Zhou Chengsen did not go out with the two Li brothers.

The next morning, Li Xiuxian got up early. After telling Zhou Chengsen to take their daughter to school, she ran to the pier to meet the boat.

She waited until nearly eight o’clock before her elder brother finally steered the boat back to the pier.

Li Xiuxian didn’t have classes during the first period, so she wasn’t in a rush to get to school.

She ran excitedly toward her family’s fishing boat.

Chapter 480: All Harvests are Plentiful

The morning sun had not yet risen, but on the returning fishing boats, every face was beaming with a smile brighter than the sunlight itself.

The joy of a bountiful harvest filled everyone’s expressions.

Every boat carried several crates of small squid—at least four per vessel. Furthermore, various other fish were scattered across the shuttering.

Jiang Xia and He Xinghuan walked along the sand. Seeing the villagers’ faces lit up with joy, Jiang Xia’s mood brightened as well.

Relying on the colors of the fish and her excellent vision, He Xinghuan laughed from a distance. “It seems many boats caught small squid today. Everyone is carrying a crate toward the purchase station.”

The more squid the villagers caught, the more squid they would have to process.

When the villagers earned more, they earned even more.

Jiang Xia smiled and agreed, “Mhm.”

With so many small squid coming in, if Lord Hou agreed, today would be another day of wealth rolling in!

As Jiang Xia walked toward the purchase station, He Xinghuan saw Zhou Chenglei approaching. She teased, “The moment A-Lei spotted you, he came right over!”

Jiang Xia smiled.

Zhou Chenglei had been talking with Master Jin at the purchase station, but he had kept a constant eye on the direction Jiang Xia would be coming from, so he noticed her immediately.

Zhou Chenglei strode forward to meet them, supporting the heavily pregnant Jiang Xia. He greeted He Xinghuan first before turning to his wife. “Why are you here so early again? Couldn’t sleep last night?”

People were bustling about the pier as the fishing boats docked. Many were carrying crates of fish with carrying poles toward the purchase station.

Zhou Chenglei didn’t really want Jiang Xia coming here, fearing she might be bumped by a carrying pole or a crate.

Jiang Xia smiled and said, “I slept very well. I just came to ask Master Jin what he decided.”

Zhou Chenglei helped her toward the purchase station. “He agreed. Most of the small squid collected today will be kept for us; he’s only sending out 50 kg. He gave his word earlier.”

Jiang Xia beamed. “Then we must give Master Jin a proper thanks.”

“Mhm,” Zhou Chenglei grunted in response as he led her to Master Jin.

Jiang Xia said with a smile, “Master Jin, A-Lei told me. Thank you! You truly have great vision. Let’s make a fortune together!”

Master Jin laughed. “Let’s all get rich! I’m going to follow your lead and make a killing!”

Master Jin pointed to a tractor in the back loaded with small squid. “We’ve collected over a thousand jin for now. You guys should transport these back first.”

Zhou Chenglei had parked the tractor right next to the purchase station yesterday, so they had loaded the small squid directly onto it as they were received today.

Jiang Xia stole a glance; the tractor wasn’t full yet and could take a few more crates. “Let’s fill it up first! A little longer won’t hurt.”

Thus, the three of them waited nearby, watching as the others went through the weighing process.

As they watched, Li Xiuxian and the two Li brothers approached.

Li Xiuxian’s expression was extremely unsightly.

She had waited at the pier all morning and watched boat after boat return with a massive harvest. Every boat had lured and caught a significant amount of small squid.

Boats of similar size to hers had caught nearly 50 kg, and even the individual small fishing boats had thirty or forty jin.

In addition to the small squid, other people’s boats had various other fish as well.

After all, one could cast the trawl nets into the sea and then use the lighting for squid to lure and catch them, hauling the nets back in before heading home.

But what about her family?

They only had one crate of small squid, about forty jin or so.

They didn’t have a single other fish. They claimed it was because they were so focused on the lighting for squid that they didn’t have time to cast the nets.

Today was almost another day of losing money!

Li Xiuxian felt like she was going to be driven to an early grave by her own brothers’ stupidity.

However, since they had never fished before and lacked experience, there was nothing she could do.

The two Li brothers felt a bit guilty. Naturally, they had caught plenty of small squid, but they had sold most of them at the City Pier before returning.

They had sold them for over a hundred and fifty yuan.

Seeing that many boats had failed to catch much small squid the day before yesterday, they assumed today would be the same. So, they sold almost everything to a middleman called Lord Hou, leaving only one crate.

They hadn’t intended to sell so much, but that middleman was a smooth talker, so they ended up over-selling.

To their surprise, upon returning to the village pier, every family’s boat had lure and caught quite a few small squid last night.

Luckily, it was their younger sister who came to meet the boat today, not their brother-in-law.

It seemed they couldn’t sell that much tomorrow.

Zhou Chenglei saw the three Li siblings and glanced at their single crate of squid. He frowned. “You only caught this much today? Each of our four boats got at least two hundred jin of small squid. The peak season is here; it shouldn’t be this little. Even a trawl net would catch more than that!”

Li Xiuxian: “…”

The two Li brothers: “…”

Zhou Chenglei ignored the three siblings after saying his piece.

He asked Jiang Xia, “Shall we head back first?”

The tractor was now full. Jiang Xia nodded. “Okay!”

He Xinghuan added, “I’ll ride back on the tractor with you.”

Once the small squid was back, she would have to start working immediately.

“Sure,” Zhou Chenglei replied. He then called out to Zhou Chengxin, who had just finished selling his fish, “Big Brother, we’re heading back now!”

Zhou Chengxin was busy counting a thick stack of bills. he quickly replied, “Okay! Wait for me, I’m coming back on the tractor too.”

After working hard all night, he was too exhausted to even walk!

As Zhou Chengxin approached, Jiang Xia smiled. “Big Brother had a good harvest today!”

Zhou Chengxin laughed. “Haha, it was alright. Made over seven hundred yuan. But we had two boats out, and it’s the peak season! You could make a hundred or so with your eyes closed! A-Lei’s harvest was even better! One of his boats is worth two of mine! The fish just love swimming into his nets!”

Jiang Xia laughed.

Li Qingmin and his brother: “…”

Li Xiuxian: “…”

Make a hundred or so with your eyes closed?

And her boat only made thirty or forty yuan?!!!

A thought involuntarily surfaced in Li Xiuxian’s mind.

But… that was impossible, right?

Li Qingmin quickly forced a smile. “It’s because you’re experienced veteran fishermen. We can’t compare; we’re not even familiar with the equipment yet.”

Li Xiuxian looked at her older brother and shook her head inwardly. Impossible!

She would see how things went tomorrow.

In the town.

When Zhou Chengsen returned home from work at noon, he asked Li Xiuxian, “How much did your brothers make from the squid fishing last night?”

Li Xiuxian felt inexplicably guilty. “Only a few dozen yuan. They don’t have experience, and I guess their luck at sea isn’t great. Tomorrow should be better.”

Zhou Chengsen gave a half-smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Is that so?”

Li Xiuxian changed the subject. “When are we going back to the village? Are you going out to sea tonight?”

Tomorrow was Sunday, so he didn’t have to work.

Zhou Chengsen replied, “I’m not going. With your brothers out at sea, I’m perfectly at ease. Yingying and I will stay in town today and won’t go back.”

Li Xiuxian: “…”

“I’m going back to the village in a bit. It’s the peak season for small squid right now. Aren’t you going back to see how much our boat is making?”

Zhou Chengsen said, “No. With your brothers out there, I am very relaxed.”

Li Xiuxian: “…”

The sarcasm was dripping!

Why did it feel like every single word out of his mouth was an insult?

She couldn’t help but snap, “Don’t speak to me in that tone! Do you think my brothers are secretly pocketing our money? My brothers aren’t those kinds of people!”

“Think whatever you want. I never said that.” Zhou Chengsen didn’t bother arguing with her; he went straight into the bedroom and slammed the door.

Li Xiuxian: “…”

Fine, ignore him. She would go back to the village herself.

The next morning, Li Xiuxian waited at the pier as usual. It wasn’t until after eight o’clock that the fishing boat finally returned.

She ran over.

From a distance, Li Qingmin shouted loudly with a grin, “Little sister, we lure and caught a lot of small squid today! The harvest is overflowing!”

Chapter 481: A Punch

Li Xiuxian was overjoyed when she heard the news!

Today, she had seen every boat at the pier returning with a full harvest. Aside from crates of small squid, there were golden threadfin, Silver Pomfret, red seabream, yellow croaker, and more.

Almost every boat of even moderate size was earning between 100 to 200 yuan today.

Everyone was saying that there were an extraordinary number of small squid this year—more than anyone had ever seen before.

People were beaming with smiles.

Of course, she wasn’t referring to the small rowboats, but to fishing boats roughly the same size as her family’s.

Li Xiuxian asked with a wide smile, “About how many kilograms of small squid did you get?”

Li Qingmin said happily, “Definitely 40 or 45 kilograms! There are other fish, too. We’ve finally got the hang of the trawl net!”

Li Xiuxian’s expression froze. “40 or 45 kilograms?”

The two brothers moved two crates of small squid off the boat.

Li Xiuxian glanced at them. They were filled quite high; perhaps it was more than 45 kilograms?

Then she looked at the fish caught in the trawl net: two Silver Pomfret, four or five white croakers, a few rabbitfish, and one yellowfin seabream. In short, it was just a small bucket of miscellaneous fish! There wasn’t a single fish weighing over 500 grams.

In total, they wouldn’t even sell for five yuan—actually, they might not even fetch three yuan!

Those tiny wooden boats without engines, the ones that relied on oars to get out to sea, caught roughly this much!

Those who rowed out every day stayed close to shore and earned three or four yuan, maybe ten or so if they were lucky.

Li Qingmin said cheerfully, “Don’t worry, Little Sister, it’ll get better every day!”

Li Qingmin carried the catch to the purchase station to be weighed. The small squid weighed nearly 40 kilograms and sold for almost 80 yuan.

Was 80 yuan a lot? Why was her Big Brother so happy?

Li Xiuxian was not happy at all. This morning, every fishing boat at the pier that was the same size as hers—or even slightly smaller—had earned far more than 80 yuan!

Of course, she wasn’t counting those small rowboats.

Those rowboats were the most common sight at the pier, but her family’s boat had cost thousands of yuan; it couldn’t be compared to those little things, could it?

Previously, when Zhou Chengxin took Zhou Kanan and Yongjian out to sea, they had earned several hundred yuan per trip.

Now, every family with a trawl net boat was making a fortune—except hers!

Li Xiuxian started to regret the swap.

If she had known her brothers’ luck at sea was this poor, she wouldn’t have switched.

She felt as if she had missed out on earning over a thousand yuan!

If Zhou Chengsen were the one leading the crew, earning several hundred every night, they would have made back the cost of the boat in no time!

Yesterday, when Zhou Kanan and Yongjian went out during the day, their trawl net also brought in over 80 yuan, which was far more than her brothers usually made!

“Why didn’t you guys follow my oldest brother and brother-in-law out to sea?”

Li Qingmin’s eyes flickered. “There are too many boats following them. What can you catch when there are so many boats in the same sea area?”

“Their luck at sea is good. Tonight, you should go out with my brother-in-law and the others! Don’t be late again! They usually set sail around six o’clock.”

Li Qingmin could only nod. “Fine.”

Regardless, if they were late, the other party wouldn’t wait for them.

Li Qingjie got anxious and blurted out, “But they don’t like us following them.”

Li Xiuxian frowned. “What? They won’t let you follow? The sea doesn’t belong to them!”

Jiang Xia hadn’t planned on coming to the pier today, but it was already eight o’clock and Zhou Chenglei hadn’t returned home yet, so she came down to take a look.

He Xinghuan had accompanied her.

To her surprise, as they approached the purchase station, they overheard those exact words!

Jiang Xia was instantly furious!

She sneered, “I’ve certainly learned something new today! I’ve never seen such despicable people! What’s wrong with you? You have crooked hearts and are heartless ingrates, yet you have the nerve to blame others!”

Jiang Xia looked at them with utter contempt.

Li Xiuxian: “…”

Li Qingmin: “…”

Li Qingjie: “…”

He had just been thinking that if they followed the Zhou brothers, how would they be able to “make money” (at the Zhou brothers’ expense)? In his panic, those words had just slipped out!

He hadn’t expected Zhou Chenglei’s wife to hear them!

Li Xiuxian was also embarrassed, but Jiang Xia’s words were far too harsh.

Usually, Jiang Xia seemed gentle and soft-spoken; she hadn’t expected her tongue to be so poisonous!

Li Xiuxian cared about her reputation and didn’t want to behave like a shrew screaming in the street as Jiang Xia was doing, especially since He Xinghuan was right there. “My brother just misspoke. Xiao Xia, don’t take it to heart.”

Li Qingmin also hurriedly apologized, “Sister-in-law, please don’t let it bother you. My brother was just talking nonsense!”

Li Qingmin glared at Li Qingjie. “Apologize to your sister-in-law right now!”

Li Qingjie was indignant but still said, “I’m sorry, Sister-in-law. I was just talking nonsense earlier.”

Jiang Xia said flatly, “Oh. I don’t accept your apology!”

After saying that, she walked away without giving them another glance.

Li Xiuxian: “…”

Li Qingmin: “…”

Li Qingjie: “…”

She didn’t accept it? What else did she want?

Li Xiuxian watched Jiang Xia walk away and frowned. Could she be planning to tell Zhou Chengsen about this?

With Zhou Chengsen’s temperament of always protecting his brothers and their wives, he would probably start another huge argument with her!

Li Xiuxian was genuinely afraid now. She and her husband were still sleeping in separate rooms. She chased after her. “Xiao Xia, I’m sorry. My brother was in the wrong and spoke out of turn. I’ll scold him! Please don’t tell your Second Brother about this.”

Jiang Xia had already spotted the silhouette of their fishing boat. “I won’t—if you have him apologize to A-Lei and Big Brother in a moment!”

Li Xiuxian: “…”

“It was just one sentence. A-Lei and Big Brother don’t even know, so why tell them? We’re all relatives. A-Lei and Big Brother are grown men; they won’t care about such trifles. For the sake of your Second Sister-in-law, Xiao Xia, please don’t be so petty!”

Jiang Xia glanced at her. “What face do you have that’s worth my consideration?”

Li Xiuxian: “…”

After saying that, Jiang Xia took He Xinghuan’s arm and continued walking forward.

She ignored her completely!

Li Xiuxian’s face turned ashen with rage, and her chest actually hurt!

Fine, so she wanted her brother to apologize to Zhou Chenglei and Zhou Chengxin?

Then she would tell Zhou Chenglei and Zhou Chengxin about this herself and see if Zhou Chenglei actually had the gall to make her brother apologize!

Let them see how demanding Jiang Xia was. Did she really think she was a princess?

It would be best if Zhou Chengsen saw Jiang Xia’s arrogant, unforgiving side too!

He spent all day criticizing her for being petty, lacking vision, being calculative, and not looking at the big picture!

Then what did he call Jiang Xia’s behavior?

Both of her brothers had apologized, and she had apologized too!

Yet Jiang Xia was still being relentless and blowing a small matter out of proportion!

And this was what they called looking at the big picture, being sensible, and being well-bred?!

Argh!

It was enough to kill her with anger!

She stomped back.

The fishing boat docked, and Zhou Chenglei jumped off. He came to Jiang Xia’s side and supported her. “Why did you…” come down here?

Before he could finish, he saw that the expression on Jiang Xia’s face wasn’t quite right. “What’s wrong?”

He Xinghuan caught Jiang Xia’s eye.

“…”

Incredible!

Xiao Xia’s expression was clearly no different from usual—she was smiling, her eyes crinkling at the corners, looking as lovely as could be!

How on earth had Zhou Chenglei noticed?

“What do you mean ‘what’s wrong’?” Jiang Xia’s attention was on the boat. She smiled at the crates of Silver Pomfret and small squid. “Today’s harvest is quite good!”

Zhou Chenglei took her hand. “Mhm. We set two gillnets and ran into a school of Silver Pomfret. Were you unhappy just now?”

Her breathing was slightly turbulent.

Jiang Xia wouldn’t be unhappy because of people like that. Seeing so many fish made her incredibly happy, but she still said, “I wouldn’t say I was unhappy, but I did just give Li Qingjie a piece of my mind.”

At that moment, Li Xiuxian and the two Li brothers hurried over.

Li Xiuxian said, “A-Lei, my brother was out of line earlier.”

Li Qingjie added, “A-Lei, I’m sorry. I misspoke earlier. I didn’t mean it like that…”

Zhou Chenglei stepped forward, creating a bit of distance between himself and Jiang Xia. He grabbed the man and threw a punch without a word.

Chapter 482: If I’m Going to Hit Him, Then I Will

With a single punch, Zhou Chenglei floored Li Qingjie.

Li Qingjie was so overwhelmed by the pain that he lost his voice, and cold sweat instantly broke out over his body!

Li Xiuxian let out a terrified scream!

Li Qingmin hurried forward to pull them apart.

Zhou Chengxin was also startled and quickly jumped off the boat.

How did a fight break out so suddenly?

Zhou Chenglei was both fast and ruthless, landing three heavy, consecutive punches on Li Qingjie!

One punch was to vent for Jiang Xia!

One punch was for the three children!

One punch was for his Second Brother!

These people were fucking subhuman!

He had been holding back for a long time!

And they actually dared to make Jiang Xia angry?

They must be tired of living!

Didn’t they know that a pregnant woman shouldn’t get angry?

Li Qingjie was in so much pain that he was completely powerless to fight back. He wanted to cry out for help, but no sound would come out.

With a forceful shove, Zhou Chenglei threw off Li Qingmin, who had come up to grab him.

Li Qingmin was sent flying by the force.

Clutching his chest where Zhou Chenglei’s elbow had struck him, he fell heavily onto the sand and into the water.

The early spring air was biting. Although the weather had warmed up significantly over the past few days, falling into the water and getting one’s clothes soaked was still freezing.

Moreover, it was early in the morning.

Li Qingmin scrambled to get up, his face quickly turning pale from the cold. His lips were purple, and his teeth were chattering uncontrollably.

After finishing with them, Zhou Chenglei returned to Jiang Xia’s side and supported her. “What did they say to make you angry?”

Li Xiuxian: “…”

Li Qingmin: “…”

Li Qingjie: “…”

So he beat the man senseless without even knowing what happened?

Li Xiuxian’s face was the color of pig liver, and she felt like her lungs were about to explode with rage. “Zhou Chenglei, you’ve gone too far! I’m going to tell your Second Brother!”

How could anyone be so unreasonable!

This was too much!

Zhou Chengsen arrived at that moment with his daughter. He saw the scene from the road above, quickly parked his bicycle, told his daughter to go home and find Zhou Zhou to play with, and ran down.

“What’s going on?”

“Your brother is being unreasonable! He just started hitting people without saying a word! This is my brother! He didn’t show him any respect at all; he just started swinging!”

Zhou Chengsen looked at Zhou Chenglei, ignoring Li Xiuxian’s words.

Zhou Chenglei didn’t care to explain himself to these people. “I don’t know. Ask them!”

If it’s a fight, then it’s a fight!

If a problem could be solved with fists, why waste so many words?

He was too lazy to listen to them talk!

Regardless, Jiang Xia could not be wrong!

Making Jiang Xia angry was unacceptable!

Zhou Chenglei put his arm around Jiang Xia and said gently, “Let’s go. Go sit at the purchase station and wait for me.”

There were still many fish on the boat that needed to be moved and sold.

Li Xiuxian yelled, “My brother just said one wrong thing! He apologized, and both my eldest brother and I apologized! Was it necessary to hit him like this? It was just a few words; is that against the law?”

Jiang Xia cradled her belly. Although her bump was getting bigger, she didn’t usually have the habit of holding it unless the baby moved. Right now, however, she had to play the part a bit. “That depends on what was said! Heartless ingrates! Wolf-hearted and ungrateful!”

Li Xiuxian: “…”

Jiang Xia didn’t say more and simply walked away with Zhou Chenglei.

He Xinghuan held a high status in the village, and by seniority, she was like a grandmother to them. Fearing that Li Xiuxian would be whispering in his ear and ruin the brothers’ relationship, she stepped in to explain the cause: “A-Xian wanted her brothers to follow Ah Xin and A-Lei’s boats out to sea. Then your brother-in-law said this: ‘They don’t like us following them anyway!’ And then A-Xian said… well, Xiao Xia and I happened to overhear it.”

Having finished, He Xinghuan also hurried away.

It was hard for even an upright official to settle family disputes; she shouldn’t say too much.

Li Xiuxian said angrily, “Yes, that’s exactly what we said. Is that against the law? It’s not a big deal; it was just a few words resulting from a misunderstanding. We already apologized! It’s Jiang Xia who…”

Zhou Chengsen listened patiently.

Li Xiuxian told the whole story, and surprisingly, she didn’t embellish it.

“…Zhou Chenglei didn’t know anything. He just came up and gave my brother three punches and threw my eldest brother into the water. Tell me, does he even see you as his brother? And were those things Xiao Xia said right? Did she show you any respect? Did she give you any face?”

The veins on Zhou Chengsen’s forehead began to throb.

Originally, he had wanted to wait for Li Xiuxian to dismiss the two Li brothers herself, but he couldn’t take it anymore!

“A-Lei hit him precisely because he sees me as his Second Brother! And what Xiao Xia said was perfectly right!”

He knew all too well why A-Lei had landed three punches!

One of those punches was definitely for him.

It was to help him!

Li Xiuxian was so angry she felt she might suffocate. “…What are you saying?”

Li Qingjie was lying on the sand, so pained he hadn’t been able to make a sound. Finally finding his voice, he croaked, “I wasn’t wrong. They really don’t like us following them out to sea. We aren’t blind; we can tell!”

Back home, Li Qingjie had often heard Li Qingmin say that when they first started going out to sea, Zhou Chenglei and the others weren’t even willing to wait a few extra minutes for them.

Wasn’t that just a sign they didn’t want them around?

Zhou Chengsen didn’t even look at the two Li brothers. He only spoke to Li Xiuxian: “Starting tomorrow, your brothers and your father don’t need to go out to sea anymore! They know the reason well enough! You should have an idea too! If you want evidence, I can provide it!”

After dropping those words, Zhou Chengsen ran after Jiang Xia.

He also had to go and apologize.

Li Xiuxian was completely stunned!

Li Qingmin’s heart skipped a beat.

Had they been found out?

Impossible!

Li Qingjie: “…”

Wait? How did things escalate to them being fired?

He looked at Li Xiuxian. “Little sister!”

Li Xiuxian said angrily, “Don’t mind him. Since I hired you, you stay hired! He’s just speaking out of anger. You guys go home first!”

Li Xiuxian hurried to catch up with Zhou Chengsen!

He was going too far!

The two brothers felt relieved.

Drenched and shivering from the cold, Li Qingmin quickly helped Li Qingjie up so they could go home.

Li Xiuxian caught up and grabbed Zhou Chengsen. “Have you lost your mind? Do you still see my brothers as your own brothers or as Yingying’s uncles?”

Zhou Chengsen sneered. “It’s precisely because I see them as brothers that I hasn’t called the police!”

Li Xiuxian asked, “What do you mean?”

“The people you hired aren’t uncles; they’re rats! Every day, they’re just thinking about how to steal rice from our jar!”

Li, the two Li brothers, happened to be walking nearby and heard this.

“A-Sen, what do you mean by that? What evidence do you have? Do you still have respect for me as your eldest brother?”

Li Qingmin, being the eldest, felt his pride wounded. Even though he felt guilty, he was still furious and couldn’t help but shout his questions.

The fish they had sold previously weren’t caught during working hours anyway, and his little sister had said that any fish they caught with their own lines belonged to them.

Even if they had sold some fish from the trawl net or some small squid, those were just fish belonging to his sister and her husband. Did that count as stealing?

It should only count as helping out his sister’s side of the family!

Their family had raised their little sister to this age and even let her get an education so she could become a teacher!

Now that she earned so much every month, wasn’t it all benefiting the Zhou family? How did that factor in?

Taking a few fish to sell—what was the big deal? They were all one family!

Li Qingjie also said angrily, “Sister, we’ve worked so hard, waking up early and staying out late, braving the wind and waves to help you catch fish, and this is how you see us? Which one of your eyes saw us stealing your fish? You’re heartless ingrates!”

Just then, a small truck drove up and stopped beside them.

Lord Hou rolled down the window and said to Li Qingmin, “You two comrades! So you’re from this village! Well, you don’t need to go to the City Pier to sell your small squid anymore! Just sell them directly to Zhou Chenglei in your village! I’ve bought them, and I was just about to deliver them to him anyway.”

Li Qingmin: “…”

Li Qingjie: “…”

Chapter 483: Not Invited

Upon hearing Lord Hou’s words, Zhou Chengsen let out a cold sneer. “The evidence is here!”

Zhou Chengsen couldn’t be bothered with them any longer and turned to walk toward the purchase station.

Li Xiuxian looked at her two elder brothers in disbelief. “You were selling small squid at the City Pier?”

Li Qingjie hurriedly interjected, “You’ve got the wrong men! We have never sold squid at the City Pier!”

Lord Hou looked confused. “How is that possible? Just over an hour ago, I bought 28 kg of small squid from you. I bought some yesterday, too. I even have the receipts right here with your signatures.”

Lord Hou pulled them out and unfolded them. “You’re Comrade Li Qingmin, right?”

Li Qingmin felt like dying right then and there.

Li Xiuxian, of course, recognized her own brother’s handwriting.

This time, she was truly beyond furious.

She stared at Li Qingmin and Li Qingjie in disbelief. “How could you do this? Starting tomorrow, neither of you needs to come out to sea anymore!”

Leaving them with those words, Li Xiuxian ran off to chase after Zhou Chengsen.

She was livid!

No wonder other people’s lives improved significantly after buying a fishing boat, while hers only got worse. She was basically working for nothing every single day!

Lord Hou: “…”

Had he just caused a scene?

Lord Hou quickly drove away!

Li Qingjie ignored his pain and tried to chase after Li Xiuxian to explain.

Li Qingmin grabbed him. “Let’s go home first! I’m freezing to death! Little Sister is just in a fit of rage. When she calms down, we’ll just explain it to her!”

Hearing this, Li Qingjie stopped caring about her. He was in agony himself.

A sister would always be a sister; how could she not listen to them?

Suddenly, Li Qingjie felt something warm flowing from his nose.

He touched it—it was a nosebleed!

Damn it, Zhou Chenglei hit hard.

Two punches to the gut and one to the cheekbone had left him unable to get up for a long time, his head ringing.

At the purchase station, Zhou Chengsen apologized to Jiang Xia. “Xiao Xia, I’m truly sorry. Don’t pay any mind to their nonsense!”

Jiang Xia smiled. “You don’t need to apologize, Second Brother. This has nothing to do with you.”

Zhou Chengsen added, “Don’t let their words get to you. It’s not worth getting upset and risking your health—or startling the baby.”

Jiang Xia chuckled. “Don’t worry, Second Brother, I’m not angry. Besides, A-Lei already stood up for me. I stopped being upset a long time ago.”

Zhou Chengsen nodded. Seeing Zhou Kanan and Zhou Yongjian heading toward the fishing boat, he quickly said, “I’ll go tell Kanan and the others we won’t be going out for now. We’ll wait until tonight.”

Jiang Xia nodded. “Alright!”

She stayed at the purchase station to wait for Zhou Chenglei.

As Zhou Chengsen walked away, he passed Li Xiuxian without giving her so much as a glance.

Li Xiuxian had wanted to speak to him, but seeing his coldness, the words died in her throat.

She walked up to Jiang Xia’s side.

Jiang Xia didn’t acknowledge her either.

Li Xiuxian spoke anyway. “Xiao Xia, I’m sorry about earlier. My brother’s words were way out of line. He deserved the beating A-Lei gave him.”

Jiang Xia merely gave a slight nod.

Li Xiuxian didn’t say anything more.

She stood with Jiang Xia, waiting for Zhou Chengsen.

After Zhou Chengsen spoke with Zhou Kanan, the two of them didn’t go back out to sea. Instead, like Zhou Chengsen, they began helping Zhou Chenglei and Zhou Chengxin carry baskets of fish from the boat to the pier.

Truly industrious people always see the work that needs to be done; they don’t need to be told.

Jiang Xia said to Master Jin, “Master Jin, I’m heading home. Someone is coming to deliver small squid, so I need to go settle the bill.”

Although He Xinghuan had gone back and could handle the payment, Jiang Xia didn’t want to stay near Li Xiuxian.

With that, Jiang Xia began walking home on her own. Halfway there, she met Zhou Chenglei, who was carrying a load of fish.

Jiang Xia told him, “Lord Hou arrived with his truck. I’m going home first.”

Zhou Chenglei replied, “Wait for me a moment. I’ll drop this load off and then use the tractor to haul the small squid back first.”

He had noticed earlier that the tractor’s trailer was already filled with small squid.

Jiang Xia stood there and waited for him.

Zhou Chenglei gave Zhou Chengsen a quick word, asking him to help sell the fish, then drove the tractor back home with Jiang Xia.

Li Xiuxian watched as Zhou Chengsen, Zhou Kanan, and the others carried load after load of Silver Pomfret to the purchase station.

A bitter feeling welled up in her heart.

Silver Pomfret!

Silver Pomfret, which was even more expensive than Golden Pomfret!

Zhou Chenglei and Zhou Chengxin were bringing it in by the load!

Yet, on her own boat, she had only seen two Silver Pomfrets.

Who knew how many her brothers had stolen and sold?!

The Silver Pomfret season in this sea area was from March to May.

This meant that Silver Pomfret was beginning to flourish in the sea.

So, how many fish had her brothers and her father secretly sold behind her back?

The more Li Xiuxian thought about it, the more her heart ached!

She probably would have had enough money to order another large boat by now if it weren’t for Li Qingmin, Li Qingjie, and her father!

With brothers like these, who needed enemies?

This time, Li Xiuxian was overthinking it again.

They hadn’t actually cheated her out of that much money. However, people are often like that—when they see others hauling in massive amounts of fish, they assume their own boat should be doing the same.

They forget that Zhou Chenglei is an outlier.

Furthermore, it was the turn for Zhou Chenglei’s two boats to go out today.

Last night, besides using lights to attract squid, Zhou Chenglei had also cast two flow nets into the sea.

In addition to the gillnets, they had also used a trawl net on the way back after hauling the nets near dawn.

While gillnetting and trawling, they had stumbled upon a massive school of Silver Pomfret.

Since they had two boats, the amount of Silver Pomfret they caught was substantial.

It was roughly 1,000 kg.

Li Xiuxian watched Zhou Chengsen help Zhou Chenglei sell the fish. They sold for over 2,200 yuan!

Their own boat had only cost a little over 2,000 yuan to buy!

He had earned back the cost of a boat in a single night.

Even during peak season, one would need incredible luck at sea to encounter over 1,000 kg of Silver Pomfret.

Usually, catching a dozen or so of the same high-value fish in one net was considered hitting a school!

Zhou Chenglei, however, consistently hit schools numbering in the hundreds or thousands.

Zhou Chengxin wasn’t doing poorly either; he sold over 600 yuan worth today.

Even Zhou Guodong—whose family was famous in the village for having the worst luck at sea, usually only catching small fry when everyone else’s nets were full—had earned over 400 yuan today.

Every single boat was earning a fortune except for hers!

All because she had let a rat into her larder; she was losing money almost every day!

At the thought of this, Li Xiuxian grew angry again. Zhou Chenglei should have thrown a few more punches and beaten her other brother as well!

It was truly too much!

The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. She decided to go back to her parents’ house to demand an explanation!

She didn’t even wait for Zhou Chengsen; she just left.

At Jiang Xia’s place, Lord Hou delivered over 500 kg of fresh small squid.

Jiang Xia didn’t dare let Lord Hou bring too much at once; they simply couldn’t handle the workload.

Lord Hou said, “These small squids are selling well for now. You should hire a few more workers and try to increase production. 500 kg a day is too little! 1,000 kg would be better, or even 2,500 kg—I could move that much.”

Jiang Xia replied, “I already hired three more people yesterday, but we only have so many stoves. Hiring more people won’t change that.”

Yesterday, Jiang Xia had asked Mother Zhou to hire more help. Mother Zhou had recruited Zhou Kangping’s mother and sister, as well as another aunt from the village.

They had three stoves at the old house, two at the new house, and two at Great-Grandma’s house—seven stoves working in total.

With the three new hires, plus He Xinghuan, Aunt Fen, Xu Ling, Great-Grandma, and Mother Zhou, there were plenty of hands. Great-Grandpa would also help tend the fire at night, and counting herself as half a person, Jiang Xia mostly handled tending the fire and assisting.

They had enough people; it was the number of stoves that was the bottleneck.

Because there weren’t enough stoves, everyone had worked until after midnight last night to finish. Each stove had to boil more than ten pots. Just blanching over 1,000 kg of squid took an entire morning.

They really needed to move; they needed a small workshop!

“Build a few more temporary stoves, hire more people, and produce more. I’ll keep an eye out for a suitable factory space for you,” Lord Hou said.

After finishing loading the truck, Lord Hou said a few more words and hurriedly drove off with the 500-plus kg of processed squid delivered yesterday.

He had a tremendous amount of work to do.

Not far down the alley, several neighbors gathered, watching them with envious eyes.

Chapter 484: Lord Hou is a Little Scared

Lord Hou’s car was about to reach the pier when he ran into Zhou Chenglei, Zhou Chengsen, and the others.

He stopped the car. “A-Lei, come here for a second.”

Zhou Chenglei spoke to the others, telling them to head back first, and then walked over to Lord Hou.

Still feeling a lingering sense of fear, Lord Hou handed him an envelope and whispered, “Here are the photos back. The matter has been settled. I won’t be beaten to death by those two brothers leading the whole village when I come around in the future, will I?”

In a village, one could not afford to cause trouble. Sometimes, if trouble started, the opponent would call upon all their brothers to join the fray.

He had heard many stories of people being beaten to death by a crowd of villagers after causing trouble.

Lord Hou had only brought two workers to move the fish; the three of them were no match for an entire village.

Zhou Chenglei took the photos. “No. They aren’t from our village. Besides, they are my Second Brother’s relatives. They know they’re in the wrong, so they won’t dare to make a scene. Even if he did bring people to fight, they still couldn’t beat me.”

Lord Hou: “…”

So, it was still possible then!

However, he felt a bit more at ease.

“Then I’ll be going now.”

Zhou Chenglei nodded.

Lord Hou drove away.

Zhou Chenglei caught up with Zhou Chengsen in a few quick strides and handed him the envelope containing the photos.

When Zhou Chengsen returned to the old house, he put the photos back into the photo album. They were pictures of Yingying with her uncles; otherwise, he would have thrown them away or burned them.

Just as he finished putting the photos away, Li Xiuxian returned.

Seeing that Zhou Chengsen was back, she immediately smiled and said, “I’ll go start cooking right away. The shrimp today are an average size; how about steamed eggs with shrimp?”

Zhou Chengsen ignored her and walked straight out.

His mother had hired a few people to help plant peanuts and sweet potatoes at home, and he was going to see if they were finished.

Li Xiuxian: “…”

Ignored again!

It was like this every time!

What exactly did she have to do to get him to talk to her?

Li Xiuxian knew what Zhou Chengsen wanted. She also wanted to cook a large meal to entertain the first branch and the fourth branch, apologize to them, and ease the tension in their relationship. But the stoves of both houses were occupied. She couldn’t very well invite them to town, could she? Seeing how busy they were, they probably wouldn’t have the time to go to the house in town to eat anyway.

She decided to wait until they were less busy and then host them at the old house.

That way, they wouldn’t have the hassle of going to town.

However, she didn’t realize that life is unpredictable. In the future, she would deeply regret not hosting that meal today.

In the afternoon, the sun disappeared and the sky turned overcast. Jiang Xia worried it might rain that night. When Zhou Chenglei woke up, she said, “The sky looks like it wants to rain. Maybe don’t go out to sea tonight?”

While brushing his teeth, Zhou Chenglei looked up at the sky and mumbled, “It’s fine. It probably won’t rain.”

In the evening, the three brothers and their crew headed out to sea as scheduled.

At three o’clock in the morning, Jiang Xia was woken by the pitter-patter of rain.

It really was raining.

She got up and glanced out the window, but she couldn’t tell if the waves were high.

Jiang Xia went to the bathroom and, upon returning, ate the late-night snack Mother Zhou had prepared for her in a thermos.

This time it was dried scallop and shrimp porridge, with fresh yam added. It was very sweet and savory.

As she ate the porridge, she stared out the pitch-black window. Aside from the flickering dots of fishing lights and the dark shadows of trees swaying in the wind, she couldn’t see a thing.

After finishing the porridge, Jiang Xia couldn’t fall back to sleep. Her heart was filled with worry, so she took out an English technical magazine and began translating. She didn’t go downstairs for breakfast until dawn.

Mother Zhou urged her, “Xiao Xia, it’s raining today and the roads are slippery. Don’t go to the pier.”

“Okay,” Jiang Xia replied as she ate her sea cucumber and millet porridge.

Zhou Chenglei returned home from the pier around 7:30 AM. When he walked upstairs into the bedroom, he saw Jiang Xia translating.

Hearing the sound, Jiang Xia stood up and looked at his soaked outer clothing. “Hurry up and take a hot shower. No cold showers allowed.”

Jiang Xia went to the wardrobe to get him some clothes.

Zhou Chenglei saw the faint dark circles under Jiang Xia’s eyes.

He stepped forward, came to her side, and cupped her face. His thumb gently stroked the skin under her eyes, and he kissed her repeatedly. Then, holding her face with his forehead against hers, he said softly, “I won’t go out to sea tonight.”

After speaking, he lowered his head to kiss her eyes with great care.

If his clothes weren’t so wet, he would have wanted to pull her into a tight embrace.

Jiang Xia felt that his lips were slightly cool.

Fortunately, the palms cupping her face were still burning hot, so the clothes underneath probably weren’t wet. Jiang Xia turned her face away from his lips and pushed him. “It’s raining! Even if you wanted to go out, I wouldn’t let you. Go shower quickly, your clothes are all wet! Do you want to catch a cold? No cold water—turn on the water heater and use hot water.”

Zhou Chenglei had decided that even if it wasn’t raining, he wouldn’t go out to sea at night himself until she gave birth. He would hire people to go out or switch to fishing during the day.

Making money this way was making her live in fear; she couldn’t sleep well at night, and he couldn’t take care of her. It would be better to work as a translator for the Canton Fair. At least if he went to translate during the day, Jiang Xia could rest at the hotel without worrying about him all night.

But he didn’t say much more. He pressed a deep kiss onto Jiang Xia’s forehead before taking the clothes she had found for him and going to shower.

Zhou Chenglei obediently took a hot shower; he had almost forgotten what it felt like.

However, he didn’t want his body to be freezing and cold against Jiang Xia later, so he opted for the hot water.

After showering, Zhou Chenglei carefully picked up Jiang Xia from her desk in a princess carry. “Sleep with me for a while.”

Jiang Xia wrapped her arms around his neck. “I’m very heavy right now; don’t carry me anymore.”

“Not heavy. You’re only a bit over 60 kg. I could carry 100 kg easily.”

Jiang Xia’s weight increased every month. Before pregnancy, she was only 47.5 kg, and now she was already 60 kg.

It sounded heavy, but her body only looked bigger at the stomach. At 165 cm tall, her arms, legs, and frame still appeared slender, though she was certainly more rounded than before.

Jiang Xia carried the pregnancy very gracefully. When he helped her bathe, he was always afraid her two slender legs wouldn’t be able to support her growing belly.

Jiang Xia couldn’t even see her own toes when standing or looking down anymore, but the baby was very well-behaved and didn’t give her much trouble.

She had a good appetite, slept well, and her skin was in great condition—no allergies, no stretch marks, no cramps, no dizziness, nothing.

As for the hunger, chest tightness, shortness of breath, frequent urination, and swollen feet caused by the growing belly pressing on her organs—in Jiang Xia’s view, these weren’t considered problems.

Zhou Chenglei carried her steadily to the bedside and put her down carefully.

Then, avoiding her high, rounded belly, he pressed lightly against her and began to kiss her tenderly.

An hour later, Jiang Xia fell into a deep sleep, her small face flushed a rosy red.

Zhou Chenglei helped her change into pajamas.

Except for her neck and her protruding abdomen…

Other places bore marks he had left because he had lost himself in the moment.

After fastening her buttons, he carefully tucked the stray hairs on her face behind her ear so they wouldn’t irritate her.

When he was done, he carefully slipped his arm under her neck so she could pillow her head on his arm. Then he lay on his side, holding her with his face pressed against her temple, and closed his eyes to sleep.

After staying up all night, with his cherished wife and unborn child in his arms and breathing in Jiang Xia’s sweet scent, his heart was at peace. He fell asleep the moment he closed his eyes.

Chapter 485: A Nuisance

It rained every day for the following week. With the Qingming Festival approaching, the rainy season had arrived. It was estimated that the rain would last for a long time, possibly continuing even after the festival.

The villagers secretly cursed the heavens for being uncooperative. If the weather had stayed clear for just a few more days, they could have earned more money. Alternatively, if the waves at sea weren’t so violent, they could have braved the rain and continued their fishing trips.

However, this was the nature of the season—plenty of rain accompanied by cold fronts, which made the wind and waves particularly harsh. Many of the boats at the village pier couldn’t withstand such conditions and had to stay docked. Only a few slightly larger vessels still dared to go out, essentially gambling with their lives.

None of the boats belonging to the three Zhou brothers went out to sea.

Tian Caihua was growing restless with anxiety, but Jiang Xia felt it was the perfect time to rest and process the several thousand jin (approx. 500 kg per 1,000 jin) of fried fish they had already prepared. Otherwise, if they only focused on making the squid, they wouldn’t have time to finish the small fried fish they had dried earlier.

However, Lord Hou wouldn’t give them a break!

Knowing that there weren’t many small squid at the pier here, Lord Hou sent over an additional 1,000 jin (500 kg) every day.

The City Pier was full of large ships, and the catch volume for every type of fish was incomparable to a small pier like the one at their production team. Consequently, Jiang Xia and He Xinghuan were busy every single day.

Furthermore, due to the weather and the rough seas, fewer fishing boats were heading out. This caused the purchase price of small squid to rise daily. It went up every day—sometimes by five fen, sometimes by one jiao. Today, the price had jumped straight to 1.5 yuan per jin (500g).

On top of that, the price of cooking oil had also risen slightly recently.

Jiang Xia discussed this with Lord Hou. “The daily price for small squid is unstable, and this weather will likely last for a while. I’m planning to raise the wholesale price a bit.”

Lord Hou was straightforward. “Fine by me. They actually sell better on rainy days. Since your prepared small squid can be served as a dish just by heating them up in a pan, many people have been buying them lately. Sales have improved. I reckon people will still buy them even if the price goes up a bit; it’s convenient. My own wife is too lazy to go out for groceries when it rains, so she takes out a pack or two to cook for every meal. Though fewer people might buy them individually, it’s not a problem. If they don’t sell here, I’ll ship them to other cities—Suicheng, Haicheng, the capital. With such a small volume, I refuse to believe I can’t move them.”

“Your squid packaging is excellent, arranged so neatly. It looks high-class and can be given as a gift. It looks delicious, and it tastes even better. With the production volume this low, once they’re distributed among several cities, there won’t be much left for each. Even if people are reluctant to buy them for themselves, they still need to give gifts, and this is a respectable option.”

After their discussion, Jiang Xia decided on a factory-gate price of 3.2 yuan per jin (500g).

Since Jiang Xia couldn’t change her prices every day, she wouldn’t raise them again until the end of the year, even if the cost of raw small squid continued to climb—unless the price spiked excessively.

Once they reached an agreement, all the squid were loaded onto the truck.

Lord Hou was generous and paid the 3.2 yuan per jin rate starting today.

Jiang Xia smilingly accepted the more than 6,000 yuan.

During the rainy season, while others watched the money in the sea with longing, worrying that the rain would continue until the peak season passed and they wouldn’t be able to fish, her peak season was still going strong.

In fact, it was getting busier and busier!

Currently, Zhou Chenglei and Zhou Chengxin were building a shed in the backyard of the old house. They planned to set up three temporary stoves to increase production capacity.

So, wasn’t business booming?

Lord Hou drove off in his large truck.

On a rainy day, cold and damp, the villagers had nowhere to go, so they gathered at the convenience store to watch TV and chat.

As the truck drove past the convenience store, the village women watched it. One couldn’t help but speak up.

“Tell me, how much do you think Zhou Chenglei’s wife earns on every jin (500g) of squid she processes with all those people she hired?”

“The last time I went to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, I saw several flavors of small squid for sale. A pack cost 4.5 yuan, and it only weighed one jin (500g). I bet they’re making a fortune.”

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife was shocked. “Really? 4.5 yuan a jin? Does the Supply and Marketing Cooperative sell it that expensive? Haven’t they made a lot of money then?”

“I don’t know how much they make. They probably don’t sell it for that much! After all, it has to go through Master Jin and others, with everyone taking a cut.”

“Even if their selling price isn’t that high, I bet they earn at least 50 cents a jin.”

“Oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar are all expensive. Firewood costs money too. The middlemen need to earn, the production team needs to earn, and the Supply and Marketing Cooperative needs to earn. After passing through so many hands, they probably don’t even make 50 cents.”

“They definitely make at least 50 cents a jin! Probably more! Maybe even one yuan.”

“If they make 50 cents a jin and sell one or two thousand jin a day, wouldn’t they be making over a thousand yuan?”

“Exactly! They make even more on the small fried fish. Sometimes those little fish don’t even cost one jiao per jin, but during the New Year, they were selling for over two yuan, even three yuan a jin out there!”

“No wonder Zhou Chenglei is becoming so wealthy!”

“Jiang Xia is too impressive! How did she think of making those little fish into so many flavors? She’s selling worthless goods for sky-high prices!”

Three yuan for a jin of small fried fish—wasn’t that a sky-high price?

The fish the villagers caught from the sea rarely ever reached a unit price of three yuan per jin.

…

The group sat together cracking melon seeds and watching TV, chatting and speculating. Every one of them sounded incredibly envious.

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife couldn’t sit still any longer. She gave the cup of melon seeds she had bought for ten cents to the person next to her. “I forgot to feed the new piglets I bought. You guys keep watching.”

Holding an umbrella and wearing water boots, Zhou Bingqiang’s wife hurried home through the drizzling rain. She sprinted up to the second floor and went to the balcony, leaning over to peer at the Zhou family’s old house and the kitchen of their new house.

In her room, Wen Wan was looking through materials from the Garment Factory. She was memorizing the characteristics and fabrics of every piece of clothing destined for the Canton Fair, taking notes on how to explain them when the time came.

A few days ago, she had gone to the city and finally obtained more foreign books from the publishing house to continue her translation work. She had also asked Editor-in-Chief Fan to help introduce her to a translation job for the Canton Fair. Editor-in-Chief Fan gave her two phone numbers. One was for a Garment Factory, though it wasn’t the one managed by Jiang Xia’s mother; the factory Jiang Xia’s mother managed had such low export volume at the last Canton Fair that it didn’t get a chance to participate this time.

The other was for a livestock farm exporting live pigs. Wen Wan didn’t call the livestock farm; she only called the Garment Factory.

Just like Jiang Xia, she didn’t ask for a salary, only a commission. The factory director had agreed.

Consequently, Wen Wan had been very serious about memorizing the materials these past few days.

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife couldn’t see the situation in the kitchen from the balcony, so she walked to the window of Wen Wan’s room to look.

Wen Wan frowned. She absolutely hated it when her mother-in-law entered her room without knocking.

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife leaned against the window, her head nearly squeezing through the two iron bars. She asked Wen Wan, “How much money do you think Zhou Chenglei’s wife makes every day messing with those small squid?”

“I don’t know.” Wen Wan obviously saw the trucks coming to pick up goods every day, but she wasn’t interested in the slightest.

She was planning to make big money at the Canton Fair.

“What if our family also buys some squid to process? You sit by the window all day; have you seen how they make it? What seasonings do they use?”

“No. I’m busy studying, I don’t have time to watch them. Besides, they’re so far away, how could I see clearly?”

Previously, she had suggested they follow Jiang Xia’s lead in making small fried fish, but they had made a mess of it and blamed her in the end.

Now that they saw others’ business growing larger and larger, they were regretting it, weren’t they?

But Wen Wan wasn’t going to do something so thankless again.

Wasn’t earning money at the Canton Fair much better?

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife could only see two silhouettes in the kitchen busily stir-frying.

Occasionally, a particularly fragrant scent of savory soy would drift through the air.

“I don’t know how it’s made, but it smells so appetizing.” Zhou Bingqiang’s wife took a deep sniff.

Wen Wan asked, “Fragrant? It makes me feel nauseous and disgusted just smelling it. I practically want to report them for being a nuisance!”

Chapter 486: Looking On

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife gripped the iron bars of the window with both hands and turned to look at Wen Wan. “Complain? You can actually complain about something like this?”

Wen Wan replied, “I think so. I don’t really know; I was just speaking off the top of my head.”

Every day, from the moment she woke up, Wen Wan had to smell the fragrance wafting from next door. She truly did want to file a complaint!

However, she didn’t have the time. Furthermore, the lesson she’d learned from the last time she tried to complain about Father Jiang had been quite profound. With the Canton Fair fast approaching, she didn’t want to cause more trouble. She only wanted to memorize her materials thoroughly and make a fortune.

Besides, they were powerful and influential now. How could she possibly be their match?

She could only endure it bitterly, waiting for them to meet with misfortune on their own.

A person who commits many injustices is doomed to fail.

Heaven would settle the score with them sooner or later!

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife asked, “What happens after a complaint is filed?”

Wen Wan said, “The smell they’re creating is so strong; it’s a serious case of environmental pollution and a public nuisance. Pregnant women shouldn’t inhale too much cooking oil smoke—it’s bad for the fetus. If a complaint is filed, they probably won’t be allowed to keep doing it!”

It was her mother-in-law who wanted to complain; it had nothing to do with her!

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife nodded. “It certainly is a nuisance. The smell is so strong I can’t even eat my own food. What if it harms my grandson?”

There was definitely something wrong with that fragrance!

“Where do I go to complain about this?” Zhou Bingqiang’s wife asked again.

“I’m not sure. The production team or the town authorities should work, I suppose. Mom, you want to complain? Don’t bother. It’s useless if it’s just you. An ant can’t shake a giant tree.”

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife ignored her.

One ant couldn’t shake a giant tree, sure, but what about a whole swarm of ants?

She didn’t believe for a second that no one else was jealous of how much money Zhou Chenglei was making every day.

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife hurried downstairs and ran toward the convenience store to “recruit” more people.

In the house next door, in the second-floor bedroom, Jiang Xia took out a metal jar used for storing money. She pried off the lid and stuffed several stacks of Great Unity banknotes—each stack worth a thousand yuan—into the jar.

Over these past few days, she and Zhou Chenglei had made nearly thirty thousand yuan.

Keep working hard!

They had to seize the peak season for these small squid. Once they earned enough money, they would build a factory.

They had already found a location not far from the village, making it convenient for He Xinghuan and Aunt Fen to go to work.

Once Zhou Chenglei finished building the stoves, he would find some time to go and buy the land.

Zhou Chenglei and Zhou Chengxin had spent a whole day together building three stoves and a shed.

Once the mortar dried, they could be used. In good weather, it usually took three to five days, but since it was raining, it would likely take a few more.

After Jiang Xia put the money away and locked the cabinet, she went downstairs to continue helping with tending the fire.

By evening, the stoves were finished, but they still couldn’t be used—not just because they weren’t dry, but because the large iron pots hadn’t been bought yet.

The next day, Zhou Chenglei drove Jiang Xia to the city to see Dr. Gao for a prenatal checkup and to deliver the translated books to the publishing house. They also planned to buy several large iron pots.

In the city, they followed their usual routine: first to the publishing house to hand in their manuscripts and pick up a few more foreign books, and then to the hospital.

After Dr. Gao finished examining Jiang Xia and performed an ultrasound, she smiled and said, “The babies are developing very well. The fetal heartbeats are strong, and all indicators are normal. Excellent! Everything is great; keep it up.”

Jiang Xia smiled.

Dr. Gao asked further, “Is it more exhausting now than before? Any chest tightness or difficulty breathing?”

Jiang Xia shook her head with a smile. “It’s about the same.”

Gao Jie reminded her, “If you ever feel particularly uncomfortable, you can go to your local health clinic for oxygen therapy. The babies inside also need oxygen.”

Jiang Xia nodded. “Understood.”

Zhou Chenglei silently made a note of it.

While Gao Jie was performing the ultrasound earlier, she had spotted a strawberry mark. He had tried to hide it, but she had seen it nonetheless. She looked at Zhou Chenglei. “Sit down. I need to take your pulse. Even though your wife hasn’t reached the third trimester yet, she’s already at twenty-two weeks plus. Besides, Xiao Xia’s situation is special; her belly is already about the size of someone in their late pregnancy. I’ll prescribe you some more medicine! You need to take it easy from now on. Don’t let her give birth before thirty-seven weeks. Only after thirty-seven weeks do the various risks decrease significantly.”

Zhou Chenglei: “…”

He felt so wronged!

He hadn’t done anything!

Jiang Xia’s fair face flushed red instantly.

Gao Jie looked at Zhou Chenglei, who was just standing there motionless. “Sit down!”

Technically, it wasn’t strictly forbidden; she hadn’t even asked them about it for the last two months. But seeing the color of that mark, Gao Jie felt a little uneasy.

Forget it; she would just increase the dosage to lower his fire more effectively!

These rough young men were full of vigor and didn’t know their own strength.

Zhou Chenglei: “…”

How could he explain?

He really hadn’t gone all the way!

Zhou Chenglei still tried to say solemnly, “There’s no need, I…”

Jiang Xia gave him a pinch.

Did he really want to explain the details?

Dr. Gao would know how much ‘fire’ was in his system just by taking his pulse. Did he really want to explain how exactly he was putting out that fire?

Zhou Chenglei had no choice but to change his tune. “No need to take my pulse. Just prescribe the same medicine as last time.”

When they left, Zhou Chenglei held Jiang Xia’s hand, and she couldn’t help but pinch the palm of his hand hard!

It was all his fault. Since he knew he had made an appointment with Dr. Gao for her checkup today, why did he have to leave so many marks on her the day before yesterday?

They hadn’t even faded after a full day and night.

She would be too embarrassed to see Dr. Gao for her next checkup!

Zhou Chenglei felt innocent. Only one mark hadn’t fully faded; all the lighter ones were gone.

And in the heat of the moment, he felt he had controlled himself quite well! That one instance was an accident; he just hadn’t been able to hold back.

Besides, he had stayed away from her belly. During the ultrasound, fearing Dr. Gao would see, he had even helped lift her clothes, specifically making sure only to reveal her round belly while using his hand to cover that spot. Who knew Dr. Gao would be so ‘lecherous’ and lift the clothes so high!

She was a woman; was she trying to admire Xiaxia’s figure? He hadn’t even called her out on it yet!

After getting the medicine and leaving the hospital, Zhou Chenglei took Jiang Xia for a stroll through the mall. He bought her some clothes and some powdered milk. Her belly was getting bigger, and as the weather was getting warmer, they needed to start preparing summer clothes.

They ate at Fuman Restaurant and then took a large bag of seasoned squid back to the Jiang family home. No one was there—Father Jiang had gone on a business trip and wasn’t back yet. Jiang Xia left the squid and a note before they departed.

Then, the couple happily drove back to the village. As they passed through the town, they bought three large iron pots.

The pots were covered in black grease.

“Should we buy some lard to season the pots?” Jiang Xia asked.

Zhou Chenglei replied, “Yes, but there won’t be any lard for sale at this hour. I’ll come back tomorrow morning to buy some. Do you want to eat chicken? Should we clean a chicken for dinner tonight?”

“Sure.” Jiang Xia wasn’t picky.

“Then I’ll slaughter a chicken and use the chicken fat to season the pots.”

“Will one chicken’s fat be enough?”

“I can slaughter three.”

Jiang Xia: “…”

“Then never mind.”

When they arrived home, Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia saw quite a few villagers from the car, gathered around their front door watching some excitement.

Jiang Xia scanned the people in the alley. “What’s going on? Why are there so many people?”

Jiang Xia unbuckled her seatbelt, preparing to get out and see once Zhou Chenglei finished parking.

“I don’t know.”

Because there were too many people, Zhou Chenglei didn’t drive the car into the alley. Instead, he parked it on the side of the main road.

After parking, he went around to help Jiang Xia out of the car.

Zhou Chenglei gripped Jiang Xia’s arms firmly as he supported her descent from the vehicle.

Chapter 487: A Visit to the Door

Someone saw them returning and immediately walked up to them, whispering, “A-Lei, people from the production team are at your house with staff from the town for an inspection! They say someone reported that the smell from the small squid you’re making is polluting the environment and is harmful to humans. They claim there’s a pregnant woman in their house who feels nauseated by the smell, and they’re worried you’ve added toxic substances to the small dried fish. Otherwise, why would a pregnant woman feel sick from smelling it?”

Hearing this, Jiang Xia immediately guessed who was behind it.

In this era, who else but the reborn Wen Wan would know how to use such a reporting tactic?

Jiang Xia looked up at the second-floor window of the house next door.

Wen Wan hadn’t expected Jiang Xia’s gaze to suddenly lock onto hers. She instinctively ducked back into the room.

Jiang Xia’s eyes turned cold.

Splendid!

If someone respected her, she would return that respect tenfold. If someone provoked her, she would return that in kind!

Once she settled this matter, she would pay Wen Wan a proper “visit.”

Jiang Xia thanked the person who informed them and then said to Zhou Chenlei, “Go back to the room and get all our certificates, including everyone’s health certificates.”

When Jiang Xia hired people, she paid for them to go to the health clinic for a basic health checkup. Although these checkups couldn’t compare to modern ones, they were the most detailed available in this era. She had everything done that could be done.

Zhou Chenlei first accompanied Jiang Xia into the old house, telling his mother to look after her before heading home to get the documents.

Inside the old house, Zhou Chengxin, Mother Zhou, and Tian Caihua were all present.

Great-Grandma was there as well, not to mention the workers like He Xinghuan and Aunt Fen. Even Zhou Guodong was there, standing beside Xu Ling.

The group was currently explaining the situation to several officials.

He Xinghuan took the lead, grabbing a pair of clean chopsticks and picking up a bowl of small squid. As she ate, she said, “How could it be toxic? We make it every day and eat it every day. If it were poison, we’d have been poisoned to death long ago!”

Aunt Fen also filled a bowl from another vat and took a large bite. “Look as hard as you want. If you find anything toxic, I’ll eat the whole lot myself!”

Xu Ling likewise filled a bowl from a different vat and ate. “Forget toxic substances—if you find even one small squid that isn’t fresh or has gone bad, I’ll eat it right here!”

The other workers hired later were also eating to prove a point. “That’s right! If you can find anything wrong, we’ll eat it all!”

Each person took squid from a different large vat to taste, proving that every single batch was perfectly fine.

How could there be a problem? The way they prepared these small squids was cleaner and more hygienic than the way they cooked at home.

Second Great-Aunt demonstrated how they washed their hands. “Forget about poison; Xiao Xia is incredibly strict about food hygiene. She makes us wash our hands with soap every time we use the bathroom. And we have to wash like this—back and forth, repeatedly—and our fingernails must be scrubbed clean. We aren’t even allowed to have long nails! Look, see how clean our hands are?”

He Xinghuan added, “We also have to tie our hair back and wear hats and masks while we work to prevent hair or dandruff from falling into the food, and to stop spit from landing in it when we talk! We cover our noses and mouths not because there’s poison, but to keep the food clean! Whoever complained shouldn’t just make false accusations!”

Aunt Fen chipped in, “And these masks, hats, aprons, and gloves are washed clean every single day after we finish! Look, we each have three or four sets of masks and aprons. We prepared extras just in case they don’t dry in time after the daily washing.”

Mother Zhou said, “My daughter-in-law is also pregnant, over five months along. She’s here from morning to night helping with tending the fire. Lately, she’s been busy from morning until eleven or twelve at night. Hasn’t she smelled it more than anyone? I don’t see her getting nauseated, dizzy, or vomiting. How could it be toxic?”

…

One by one, they vied to explain things to the officials, doing their utmost to defend the workshop.

By this time, the officials had inspected everything. The ingredients were fresh, the environment was clean, and there were no issues with any of the raw materials. Even the workers’ attire was very meticulous—their mouths and noses were covered, and their hair was wrapped. It looked exceptionally clean, orderly, and well-managed.

The report claimed the smell of the processed small squid was toxic and caused nausea, dizziness, and stomach upset, suggesting a health risk. However, the officials found nothing of the sort.

On the contrary, it smelled delicious, and they were quite tempted to try some themselves.

The pregnant woman’s nausea was likely just a normal pregnancy reaction.

At that moment, Zhou Chenlei arrived with a cowhide envelope.

Jiang Xia reached out to take it from him and then approached the officials. Zhou Chenlei followed closely behind her.

Jiang Xia took the certificates out and handed them with a smile to the man who was clearly the leader. She began her introduction: “Thank you, leaders, for coming to guide our work. I am Jiang Xia, the person in charge here. These are the certificates for our small workshop, along with the health checkup reports for every one of our staff members. If there is any area where our small workshop falls short, please don’t hesitate to criticize and provide guidance! We will certainly rectify it according to the organization’s regulations until it meets the required standards.”

He Xinghuan and the others chimed in again, “That’s right! Before we officially started working, Xiao Xia gave us money to go to the town health clinic for a physical. We had the doctors issue health certificates to prove we are healthy and don’t have any infectious diseases.”

“And as for the squid, we only buy the freshest catch and keep it on ice. Not a single small squid is unfresh. Over here, we have some that have been poached and are ready for seasoning. Smell them! Look at them! Taste them! See how fresh they are.”

The leader stopped paying attention to the others’ chatter. He took the documents Jiang Xia offered, glanced through the business licenses, and flipped through the health certificates one by one. He nodded and smiled. “Not bad. Thinking to have your employees undergo health checkups… this is very good indeed!”

Jiang Xia smiled and said, “As the saying goes, ‘Illness enters through the mouth.’ I believe that since we are in the food industry, we must ensure food hygiene and safety. We must live up to the Party’s trust, the license the organization granted me, and the trust the people have in me!”

The leader laughed. “Comrade, your level of awareness is very high!”

Jiang Xia merely smiled.

The official returned the documents to Jiang Xia and then asked her how many kilograms she could produce daily, what the benefits were for He Xinghuan and the others, and whether they had encountered any difficulties.

The government was currently encouraging the development of individual industrial and commercial households. This leader happened to be down on an inspection tour and had come to look after hearing the claim that someone was poisoning food.

Jiang Xia took the opportunity to mention the benefits of vacuum-sealed packaging machines. She explained that the family workshop was too small to house more machines, which limited their production capacity. This meant they couldn’t sell the small dried fish from the village to further places or lead more villagers toward prosperity.

She mentioned that having the workshop in the village could be a disturbance to neighbors and that they lacked factory space. They couldn’t find a workshop to rent, and although they had applied to buy land to build a factory, it hadn’t been approved yet.

The leader nodded. “Your small family workshop has no issues. The food hygiene is safe, the employee benefits are good, and you are effectively helping others become wealthy. Your work is well-done and very standardized—better than other individual businesses I have inspected.”

Striking while the iron was hot, Jiang Xia said, “Thank you for your praise, leader! We welcome you to visit frequently to provide guidance! As the saying goes, ‘There is always something to learn from others.’ If given the chance, I will certainly study hard from other individual business comrades and strive for excellence!”

The leader replied, “In the future, when the opportunity arises, I will bring people here to observe and learn from you.”

Jiang Xia smiled and said, “We welcome you at any time to lead people here for guidance, so we can learn from each other and progress together.”

It would be best if he brought many people to visit. That would spread the reputation of her small workshop far and wide!

What a wonderful piece of free advertising!

Chapter 488: Looks Familiar

After the staff finished their inspection, they urged Jiang Xia to continue her hard work and maintain her excellent standards, encouraging her to strive for the title of “Model Individual Household” by the end of the year. Each official then left carrying two bags of squid gifted by Jiang Xia.

Standing among the crowd, Zhou Bingqiang’s wife watched the group of leaders depart and was completely dumbfounded.

Just like that? They’re just leaving?

Shouldn’t they be banning them from continuing?

Shouldn’t they be hauled off for a harsh struggle session?

Why were they praised instead?

Why were they encouraged to keep going and strive for a year-end award?

As they were leaving, the Team Leader said to Zhou Bingqiang’s wife, “Come by the production team office in a bit; I have something to say to you.”

Her heart skipped a beat. They wouldn’t be holding a struggle session for me, would they? Is a complaint not allowed?

She hurried back home, ran up to the second floor, and confronted Wen Wan. “Didn’t you say a complaint would stop them from working? Why was Jiang Xia praised instead? And why was I summoned by the Team Leader for a lecture? Now the higher-up leaders are paying attention to their small workshop—they’re even planning to name them a model household at the end of the year! We didn’t get any benefit at all; we actually helped them get recognized!”

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife was filled with regret.

The Team Leader had summoned her to the production team office, and she had no idea if it was for a “criticism and education” session!

As expected, her husband was right—she shouldn’t have listened to Wen Wan!

Wen Wan was also seething with anger, frustrated that her mother-in-law was more of a hindrance than a help. “I didn’t say it was a certainty; I only said it was a possibility. Besides, you reported them for poisoning! That was completely fabricated. Once they checked and found nothing, naturally, there were no consequences!”

The woman didn’t even know how to file a proper complaint. To actually claim she suspected them of poisoning because the smell made her nauseous and dizzy—Wen Wan felt like she was the one getting a headache from such idiocy.

You shouldn’t have mentioned poison! You should have just said the grease fumes were constant, and the smell was so heavy it made you feel faint and sick!

Truly stupid.

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife retorted crossly, “If I didn’t make it sound serious and only mentioned the grease fumes, who would have come? Doesn’t every family cook every day? Doesn’t every household deep-fry all sorts of things during the New Year? Getting nauseous from the smell of cooking? Do you take people for fools?”

“If I had reported that the fumes from their squid processing were revolting, those people would have thought I was the crazy one! Every family cooks three meals a day!”

“Only you would claim the smell is bad for the baby! Jiang Xia is also pregnant, and she’s at the stove every day. I don’t see her complaining about the smell! You’re clearly just making excuses to be lazy and avoid work.”

That was why she had insisted they might be adding poison—to explain why the smell caused nausea and dizziness.

Wen Wan was growing annoyed. Zhou Guohua’s entire family was nothing but a bunch of bunglers who ruined everything they touched!

Ignorance is truly terrifying!

Grease fumes were indeed bad for pregnant women. Jiang Xia had died young in her past life; what could she possibly know about such things?

Not wanting to hear another word from her mother-in-law, Wen Wan snapped, “Since Jiang Xia is so great, why didn’t you let your son marry her? Why marry me?”

She had already said that an ant couldn’t shake a giant tree. The woman had gone to report them of her own accord, and now she was blaming her!

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife was also furious and couldn’t help rolling her eyes. “Wasn’t it because Guohua was blind that he took a fancy to you? You really can’t even compare to Jiang Xia’s big toe! Any woman in this village is better than you!”

With that, she stomped downstairs in a rage to face her reprimand at the production team!

She had truly brought an “ancestor” into the house!

After Jiang Xia saw off the inspection staff, many villagers remained.

It was the first time the local people had seen how those cartloads of small squid were processed.

Not only was the kitchen clean, but the courtyard was also spotless, and the storage room across from the kitchen had been converted into a proper holding area.

The freshly cooked squid was stored in large wide-mouthed jars, covered with dust-proof gauze, and placed in the storage room to cool before being packaged.

The vacuum-sealed packaging machine was also in this room.

The cooled squid was packaged right there and then placed into woven sacks.

Each woven sack held fifty bags, which weighed about 25 kg.

Once the woven sacks of fish were ready, they were moved to the warehouse.

The warehouse was the room where Zhou Zhou used to sleep. Large sacks were neatly arranged on wooden planks.

The windows of this room had been sealed with fine-mesh wire to ensure that mice could not get in.

The room where Mother Zhou and Father Zhou stayed was used to store packaging bags, seasonings, and the like.

Everyone cornered Jiang Xia to ask questions—where she bought the vacuum-sealed packaging machine, if vacuum-sealed food really lasted a long time, if fresh fish could be preserved this way, and if it meant they didn’t need ice anymore.

Jiang Xia answered their questions one by one.

However, there were too many questions, and most people were repeating the same ones. Zhou Chenglei grew impatient with them crowding around Jiang Xia and spoke up to usher them out. “Alright, half the day has been wasted and our squid isn’t finished yet. I’ll have to ask you aunts to step outside. If you have any more questions, ask my mother later!”

Mother Zhou also hurriedly urged everyone to leave.

She knew how pressed for time He Xinghuan and the others were; they had already lost over an hour today.

The villagers took the hint and left one after another.

Once all the villagers had gone, He Xinghuan couldn’t help but say, “I wonder who was so wicked to do such a thing.”

Mother Zhou replied, “Who else? There are only three or four pregnant women in our village! And only one living right next door to us! Truly a plague-bearer!”

Second Great-Aunt added, “It’s obvious someone is red-eyed with jealousy over us making money and doesn’t want us to continue.”

Whenever she went home and met other villagers, she was frequently asked what her salary was and how much money Jiang Xia could make from selling such a large cart of goods every day.

The jealousy in their voices was palpable.

They even tried to persuade her that once she learned the trade, she should do it herself instead of working so hard for others for twenty or thirty yuan.

They had no idea that not a single one of their salaries was as low as twenty or thirty yuan; the minimum was sixty. Furthermore, for any time worked over eight hours, Xiao Xia paid triple wages, plus bonuses.

Jiang Xia said, “It’s been hard on everyone today! Thank you all for defending the workshop and me!”

The women all insisted it was only right; they were just telling the truth.

After thanking He Xinghuan and the others again, Jiang Xia said to Zhou Chenglei, “I’m going to the production team office to make a phone call.”

Since Wen Wan had “honored” her with this move, it was now her turn to return the favor.

Of course, her “honor” for Wen Wan wouldn’t require such a public display; just a phone call or two would suffice.

Zhou Chenglei said, “I’ll drive you.”

The car was parked by the road anyway, and since he needed to bring it back, they would just take the car instead of the motorcycle.

On the other side, the group of officials left Jiang Xia’s old house and returned to the production team office to get in their vehicle.

One of the leaders had been thinking the whole way back. He felt like he had seen Jiang Xia before, so he asked the Militia Captain, “That female comrade just now looks a bit familiar. What was her former job?”

The Militia Captain replied, “Comrade Xiao Xia’s surname is Jiang. Her husband was just discharged from the military last year; he used to be a Regiment Commander.”

The leader: “…”

Surname Jiang?

Husband was a Regiment Commander?

He remembered now!

No wonder she looked familiar!

“Just who was it that filed such a reckless report?!”

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife arrived at the production team office with an uneasy heart.

The Team Leader gave her a severe scolding!

He criticized her for not knowing how to live in harmony with her neighbors, for intentionally framing them, for constantly making trouble out of nothing, and for being destructive rather than constructive!

He scolded her for lacking a spirit of unity and friendship!

If there was a next time, they would hold a general meeting to publicly criticize and educate her!

She had utterly disgraced the production team!

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife was scolded until she was ash-faced, not daring to lift her head.

When she got back home, she went upstairs and gave Wen Wan another harsh tongue-lashing!

And so, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law fell into another heated argument!

Chapter 489: You should worry about yourself!

The next morning, it was a cloudy day when they woke up. It wasn’t raining yet, but no one knew if it would pour later in the afternoon or evening.

Around nine o’clock, Lord Hou drove the truck and transported the goods away.

Among He Xinghuan and the others, half were cleaning the squid while the other half were blanching the cleaned squid.

When Team Leader Zhou arrived, he saw crate after crate of fresh small squid lined up in the courtyard.

There were also crates of small squid that had already been blanched.

Looking at the fresh squid in the baskets, Team Leader Zhou smiled and said, “Your squid are indeed very fresh.”

“Of course they are. Lord Hou said he specifically picked the freshest ones to send over.”

Jiang Xia was in the kitchen helping to tend the fire. Someone in the courtyard called out, “Xiao Xia, Team Leader Zhou is here again!”

Team Leader Zhou, holding a merit banner, was speechless.

Did they really have to use the word “again”?

He smiled and said, “Don’t worry, I’m not here for an inspection this time. I’m here for a commendation! It’s a good thing!”

Jiang Xia came out of the kitchen with a smile. “What’s the good news?”

Team Leader Zhou chuckled. “A merit banner! The leadership has inspected many individual households, and they found that your family’s operation is the best and most standardized. They’ve specifically issued an ‘Excellent Individual Household’ merit banner to you. This is a mobile banner; the city has decided to select the best individual household every month. Whoever is the most outstanding will display it for the following month. Keep up the good work and strive to keep it next month to bring honor to our production team.”

Jiang Xia took it with a smile. “We will definitely continue to work hard! Thank you to the Party and the organization for this recognition!”

Team Leader Zhou added, “Around the tenth of next month, other individual entrepreneurs will come here for a site visit and to learn from you. Remember to prepare well.”

Jiang Xia replied, “We will definitely be ready!”

“Also, the land you applied for to build the workshop has been approved by the town. Tell A-Lei to find some time to handle the paperwork and pay the fees!”

“Alright, thank you so much, Team Leader Zhou! A-Lei went to check on the growth of the mussels. I’ll let him know as soon as he gets back.”

“This isn’t my merit, so no need to thank me. It’s because you did a good job and the leaders noticed it.” Team Leader Zhou gave a few more instructions and then left.

After leaving the courtyard, Team Leader Zhou walked over to Zhou Guohua’s house diagonally across the way.

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife was in the yard chopping plants for pig feed. When she saw Team Leader Zhou walk in, her face turned pale with fright.

No way…

Do I have to go to the production team for another round of criticism and education?

She had already been scolded for half the day yesterday!

Team Leader Zhou said to her, “Where is Guohua’s wife? There’s a phone call for her. This is the number they left.”

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife breathed a sigh of relief and took the slip of paper with a smile. “Thank you, Team Leader! Have you had breakfast yet? My family made dried fish and peanut porridge today. Why don’t you have a taste?”

“I’ve already eaten! I have things to do. I’m off!”

“Take care, then.”

After Team Leader Zhou left, Zhou Bingqiang’s wife shouted toward the second floor balcony, “Wen Wan, there’s a phone call for you!”

Wen Wan was currently refilling her fountain pen with ink. Hearing this, she immediately put the pen down and went downstairs.

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife handed her the slip of paper. “Team Leader Zhou was just here. He said there’s a call for you and left this number.”

Wen Wan took it and knew at a glance it was the textile factory’s number. However, she was a bit surprised. “Team Leader Zhou came personally to tell me about a phone call?”

“Yeah, probably just on the way.”

Wen Wan didn’t care if it was “on the way” or not; it was still Team Leader Zhou delivering it in person.

She walked out happily, but then she saw Jiang Xia hanging a merit banner at her front door.

It was a triangular banner with the words “Excellent Individual Household” stitched in yellow.

So Team Leader Zhou had actually come in person to deliver the banner to Jiang Xia, and telling her about the phone call was just an afterthought!

She pursed her lips.

Just for a broken-down courtyard like this, making some snacks—this was called being an “Excellent Individual Household”?

A couple of years ago, this would have been called speculation and profiteering!

If Jiang Xia didn’t have a well-positioned father, would she have ever received such a banner?

Wen Wan clutched the slip of paper and puffed out her chest, walking past Jiang Xia like a strutting rooster.

Just you wait! Once I make hundreds of thousands at the Canton Fair, I’ll open a factory too.

Jiang Xia watched Wen Wan’s departing back, walking like she’d just won a fight, and found it utterly bizarre.

However, she hoped that when Wen Wan returned from her phone call later, she would still be able to hold her head that high!

Jiang Xia finished hanging the mobile banner, stepped back a few paces to check it, and saw it was perfectly centered. Good!

She went back inside the house to continue helping with the fire.

Half an hour later, Wen Wan returned in a fury!

She barged right into the Zhou family’s old house. “Jiang Xia, come out here!”

He Xinghuan and the others stood up when they saw the aggressive Wen Wan.

Jiang Xia walked out, raised an eyebrow at her, but said nothing.

He Xinghuan and the others gathered around Jiang Xia, fearing that Wen Wan, who looked ready to tear someone apart, might start a physical fight.

Wen Wan said angrily, “Did you call the textile factory owner or Editor-in-Chief Fan? Did you say something to them? Why is Boss Guo not hiring me anymore? Why did Editor-in-Chief Fan say they don’t need me for translation work anymore?”

Jiang Xia looked completely innocent. “You should go ask Editor-in-Chief Fan that! Why are you asking me? It’s Editor-in-Chief Fan who isn’t hiring you, not me! Besides, I don’t know any ‘Boss Guo,’ and I certainly don’t have his phone number.”

Wen Wan snapped, “Don’t play dumb! You must have called Editor-in-Chief Fan and Boss Guo!”

Jiang Xia nodded. “I did call Editor-in-Chief Fan. As for who Boss Guo is—sorry, I don’t know him!”

Wen Wan’s voice trembled with rage. “You’re too much! You’re so black-hearted! Don’t you know that ruining someone’s livelihood is as good as murder?”

Jiang Xia retorted, “Oh, so you do know that. Then please don’t waste our time here; we’re busy making money! You wasting our time is also like murdering us for money!”

Jiang Xia picked up a broom and began sweeping the water leftover from cleaning the small squid in the courtyard.

With every stroke, she aggressively swept the water toward Wen Wan.

Wen Wan dodged while yelling, “What on earth did you say to Editor-in-Chief Fan?”

Wen Wan was so angry she was on the verge of tears!

If she couldn’t go to the Canton Fair and her translation work was gone, how would she earn money?

How could Jiang Xia be so cruel?!!!

How could she be so black-hearted!

She had been reborn and had already snatched Zhou Chenglei away; what else did she want?

Was she not even going to leave her a path to survive?

The more Wen Wan thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt, and her eyes began to moisten.

While sweeping, Jiang Xia said, “I told Editor-in-Chief Fan that I’m not going to be a translator at the Canton Fair. Being pregnant, I didn’t want to cause everyone any trouble. After all, yesterday a pregnant woman in our village got dizzy and nauseous just from smelling the oil smoke from my workshop and even reported my family! I wanted to avoid getting nauseous or vomiting from the various smells at the Canton Fair.”

Wen Wan: “…”

Jiang Xia stopped sweeping and stood leaning on the broom, looking at her with a cold expression. “I also asked Editor-in-Chief Fan to give me all the books that need translating. Since someone wants to cut off my path to wealth, I’ll make sure she has no path left to walk! I’d like to see if her path is wider than mine or if my road is broader than hers!”

Wen Wan: “…”

“Please move aside. Don’t stand in my courtyard! I need to clean. It would be a shame if I accidentally splashed water all over you!” As soon as Jiang Xia finished speaking, she lowered her head and swept with both hands!

The broom sent a spray of water flying, splashing all over Wen Wan!

“Ah!” Wen Wan shrieked.

Jiang Xia looked up. “Oh, sorry! I didn’t see that you were still standing there. Why haven’t you left yet?!”

Jiang Xia didn’t stop and kept on sweeping.

Wen Wan was nearly dead from anger. She wiped the foul-smelling, fishy water from her face with her sleeve and said indignantly, “Jiang Xia, you’ve gone too far! Things won’t go well for you for long!”

With that, she frantically patted the dirty water off her clothes, her eyes red as she hurried out of the courtyard to go home.

Too much!

Just because she has a good family background, she’s arrogant, domineering, and acts however she pleases!

Wait until her mother’s garment factory goes bankrupt and her father falls from grace—then I’ll see how smug she can be!

Jiang Xia walked toward the gate. “I don’t need you to worry about how well things go for me. You should worry about yourself!”

With that, she slammed the gate shut!

Chapter 490: To Marry or Not

Wen Wan returned to her room and slammed the door shut with a loud bang.

She sat down and, unable to hold it back any longer, collapsed onto her desk and sobbed uncontrollably.

She had memorized the fabric and craftsmanship details for every single garment in that thick stack of clothing data, even making detailed explanatory notes. Out of over a hundred styles, she had already finished a third of the introductory notes, filling an entire notebook.

But a single phone call from Jiang Xia had ruined all her hard work!

Despite being pregnant, she had spent every day from morning till night buried in her work at her desk.

Was it easy for her?

How could Jiang Xia be so heartless!

Since he didn’t have to go out to sea, Zhou Guohua was still sleeping. He jumped out of bed, startled by the sudden, thunderous sound of the door slamming.

Seeing Wen Wan sobbing at the desk, he hurried over and put his arm around her shoulders. He coaxed, “What’s wrong? Did you have another argument with my mother? I’ll go talk to her. Don’t take it to heart, and stop crying! It’s not good for the baby!”

Wen Wan grabbed the books from the table and hit him with all her might. “This is all your fault! If you hadn’t gotten me pregnant, would I be unable to attend the Canton Fair?”

Fearing she might hurt herself or the baby, Zhou Guohua didn’t dare dodge. He only used his hands to shield his head and soothed, “Yes, yes, yes, it’s all my fault. Please, calm down.”

While he actually didn’t want her to go to the Canton Fair, he was even more afraid of her temper.

In a fit of rage, Wen Wan threw every single book on the desk at him.

Finally, there was only a bottle of ink left. She picked it up and hurled it as well, hitting Zhou Guohua square on the head!

Wen Wan had been refilling her ink earlier that morning and hadn’t put the cap back on. Ink splattered all over Zhou Guohua’s face, and a bump quickly formed on his forehead where the bottle struck him.

But there was no blood; it was hard to say whether that was fortunate or not.

Wen Wan: “…”

Hearing them argue and fearing her son would be the one suffering, Zhou Bingqiang’s wife walked upstairs. When she saw her son’s face and clothes covered in ink, she nearly fainted from anger!

“Are you crazy? Is this how you treat your own man? If you don’t want to live with us anymore, then don’t! Get your things and roll back to the Wen house! Our family is too small to accommodate a great deity like you.”

Wen Wan flared up mirroring her anger. “This is all your fault! It’s because you went and reported them for poisoning for no reason! Now they think I was the one who did it! She made one phone call to the editor at the publishing house and the owner of the textile factory, and now I’ve lost my job!”

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife was stunned for a moment. “What do you mean?”

Though Wen Wan had a difficult personality, she earned a lot of money as a translator. Many people in the village envied them for having such a high-earning daughter-in-law.

Wen Wan sneered. “What do I mean? Because you reported Jiang Xia, she called the editor. Now I can’t go to the Canton Fair as a translator, and I can’t do translation work for the publishing house anymore! I can’t make any more money. Are you happy now?”

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife also got angry. “How is this my business? Besides, I only went to report her because of what you said! If you hadn’t mentioned it, I wouldn’t even have known.”

Wen Wan snapped, “I never told you to do that! Whatever you did is your own business! I only mentioned it, but I would never actually do something like that! I told you long ago that an ant cannot shake a giant tree! You’re just black-hearted…”

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife retorted, “It was you! You’re the one who said you smelled that fragrance…”

Zhou Guohua wiped the ink from his face with his sleeve, but it only smeared further, making his face even darker. Watching the two women argue, he felt his head throbbing. He simply turned around and went downstairs, leaving them to it!

The argument between Zhou Bingqiang’s wife and Wen Wan was so loud that Jiang Xia naturally heard it too.

She didn’t hear everything, but she caught the gist of it.

Even so, she didn’t care. Regardless of which one of them had made the report, Wen Wan certainly wasn’t innocent!

Having vented her frustration, Jiang Xia felt much better. She happily tended the fire while chatting with Xu Ling.

Lately, they had been working overtime until eleven or twelve at night. Since Xu Ling lived far away, she had been staying in the guest room on the first floor of Jiang Xia’s house.

Previously, Aunt Dong had invited Xu Ling to stay at her house with her granddaughter and eat meals there, but Xu Ling was too embarrassed to accept. She had only recently started dating Zhou Guodong, and they weren’t that familiar yet.

So, for the past few days, she had been staying, eating, and living at Jiang Xia’s house.

Only yesterday, because it was her grandmother’s birthday, Xu Ling didn’t work overtime and went home after work, returning only this morning.

Xu Ling said to Jiang Xia, “Aunt Dong wants Guodong and me to get married soon. My mother also says that if Guodong and I get along well, we should marry as early as possible. My mother says Guodong’s family is making so much money now that she’s afraid such a good match will be snatched up. She’s worried that once they get through this rough patch and have more money, they might look down on me. Sister Xiao Xia, do you think I should get married so early?”

A while ago, Zhou Guodong and his two brothers had followed Zhou Chenglei out to sea at night to hunt for squid. They had earned enough to fully pay off the debt from Uncle Dong’s surgery.

Moreover, Zhou Guodong had leased 6.6 hectares of sea area to farm mussels, and their life was clearly looking up. Xu Ling’s mother was worried that Uncle Dong’s family might start thinking they were too good for her.

After all, as long as a family’s financial situation was good, what kind of wife couldn’t they find?

Her mother felt that Xu Ling’s looks were average and their family was poor. Since Aunt Dong mentioned that Guodong was getting older and wanted them to marry soon, her mother wanted them to do it quickly. She feared that if they delayed, Zhou Guodong would get anxious to marry and they might lose a good son-in-law.

Because it had been raining every day recently, Zhou Guodong’s family hadn’t risked going out to sea.

With the pressure on the family lightened, they no longer braved the storms. These past few days, Zhou Guodong had the time to come over and help, assisting both the Zhou family and Xu Ling with her work.

Looking at the young couple, Jiang Xia could see their feelings for each other growing.

Zhou Guodong was truly a filial son, and his entire family were kind-hearted people. They were united and extremely hardworking; Jiang Xia had seen all of this.

Since Xu Ling was asking, Jiang Xia guessed that she probably wanted to get married.

However, when it came to marriage, Jiang Xia didn’t feel qualified to give advice. It was the kind of question she dreaded most.

She could only say, “I can’t really give much advice on that. Who knows if a relationship will last a lifetime or continue to improve? Even with Zhou Chenglei and me—you can see we have strong feelings, but I don’t know how far we’ll go or what the future holds. I think as long as you have positive plans for the future and work hard to live well in the present, that’s enough. As for the rest, just let nature take its course.”

That was Jiang Xia’s philosophy: don’t fear the future, don’t look for trouble, and live well in the moment.

It was the only advice she could offer.

Xu Ling looked thoughtful. “So, Sister Xiao Xia, does ‘letting nature take its course’ mean I should marry him or not?”

Just then, Zhou Chenglei and Zhou Guodong walked in together, both overhearing Xu Ling’s question.

Xu Ling: “…”

Her light wheat-colored face flushed bright red.

Early this morning, Zhou Guodong had gone to the beach with Zhou Chenglei to check on the growth of the mussels.

The tide hadn’t gone out, so they had borrowed a small wooden boat from a villager to punt out for a look. They had returned together.

The moment Jiang Xia saw Zhou Guodong, she stood up as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

“Nature” had arrived!

They could talk about it themselves!

Whether they got married or not was up to them; how should she know?

Jiang Xia said to Zhou Chenglei, “Let’s go call the fish fry owner and see when he’s coming. It’s been raining lately; I don’t know if it’s affected his boat schedule.”

According to the agreed-upon time, the fish fry owner should be arriving within the next day or two.

She wasn’t sure if he had set sail yet; if he hadn’t, he should be able to answer the phone.

Zhou Chenglei reached out to steady her. “I was just about to tell you. He’s arrived. We’ll go to town and have lunch with him at noon.”

Chapter 491: 50,000 Kilograms

Jiang Xia, Zhou Chenglei, and the owner of the fish fry business returned to the fishing village after lunch.

Jiang Xia went to the old house and asked Xu Ling, “So? Have you decided whether you want to get married yet?”

Xu Ling’s face turned red as she replied, “He said if I’m not ready yet, there’s no rush. We can wait until he finishes building the house so we’ll have a new place to live. But I was afraid that would make it look like I was looking down on his current home, so I told him my mother wants him to ask his aunt to take our birth dates to a fortune teller to pick out some auspicious dates. I plan to choose one that isn’t too far off, but not too soon either.”

Jiang Xia gave her a thumbs up. “That’s a great idea.”

Zhou Chenglei finished packing his things and was ready to head out to sea with the owner of the fish fry business. He walked over to Jiang Xia and asked, “Xiaxia, are you coming out to sea with us?”

As if the heavens knew Zhou Chenglei was about to be busy, the sun had come out that afternoon, and the weather finally cleared up.

“I’m not going,” Jiang Xia said.

“Then go back and take a nap. Don’t push yourself too hard today.”

“Okay,” Jiang Xia promised.

Zhou Chenglei then headed out to sea with the owner to inspect the waters and find a suitable location to install the net cages. While they were at it, they planned to release the ten thousand juvenile Red Seabream the man had brought into the net cages they had previously set up as a trial run.

The owner, Yu Hong, had brought more than just the imported net cages Zhou Chenglei had ordered; he also brought ten thousand juvenile Red Seabream. These weren’t tiny fry, but larger juveniles.

Yu Hong had helped Zhou Chenglei raise them for several months, transitioning them from fry to juveniles. Of course, because they were juveniles, the price was much higher—ten thousand fish cost four thousand yuan, which meant they were 0.4 yuan each.

However, these juveniles were already as thick as three of Zhou Chenglei’s fingers, meaning they could be placed directly into their original net cages. The mesh of the underwater cages was relatively large, so they couldn’t hold small fry, only juveniles.

Since the sun was out, many fishermen were taking the opportunity to check their boats or head out to sea early. They all saw Zhou Chenglei and the fish fry owner at the pier, preparing to take the large boat out.

Many villagers still remembered the man. After all, a large group had accompanied him out to sea to release fish fry once before.

They greeted him one after another. “Boss Yu, long time no see! Are you delivering more fish fry?”

“Boss Yu, are you here to set more fish free?”

The owner’s name was Yu Hong. He laughed and replied, “Long time no see! Haha, no more setting them free! I can’t afford that! Comrade Zhou ordered some custom net cages from abroad, and they’ve arrived. I’m just delivering them.”

One villager overheard and asked, “Net cages ordered from abroad? Must be expensive, right? How much did they cost?”

Yu Hong didn’t give a direct price, simply smiling as he said, “They are indeed a bit pricey, but they’re worth the investment. The cages A-Lei ordered can hold 50,000 kilograms of live fish at once. Just think about how much money he’ll make once they grow to full size. If any of you want to try farming later, go check out his cages first, then come see me about the price!”

The crowd went silent.

50,000 kilograms?

Just how big were these cages?

Yu Hong exchanged a few more pleasantries with the villagers before the boat set sail. Once the large vessel departed, the villagers couldn’t help but start gossiping.

“Zhou Chenglei still plans to farm fish, and he’s even ordering cages from overseas! Why is he so obsessed with farming this and that? Aren’t the mussels enough? There are plenty of fish in the sea to catch for free.”

“He can raise 50,000 kilograms at once?! If he sells them after a year and earns one yuan for every 500 grams, wouldn’t that be 100,000 yuan a year? Why wouldn’t someone do that? If I had the money, I’d do it too!”

“Only if you can keep them alive! We get so many typhoons every year. If a storm blows the cages away, you’re left with nothing. The risk is too high. I don’t think that money is easy to earn.”

“Don’t be so ignorant. Many places are already using net cages for fish farming. People in the neighboring city and province are doing it. And over in Japan, they’ve been doing this for twenty or thirty years! Those cages must be able to withstand typhoons; otherwise, who would spend so much money on them? If you can raise 50,000 kilograms at once, I think it’s definitely worth it! Even if it takes two years to sell the fish, it’s worth the wait!”

“Then why don’t you do it?”

“I don’t have the money to order the cages! If I did, I would!”

“You could be like Zhou Chenglei and put eight or ten of those homemade cages in the water!”

“That’s just messing around, it’s not professional! Last New Year’s Eve, his fish only sold for a little over a thousand yuan. He makes that much in a day of trawling. He has to dive down every day to feed them; it’s too much trouble. But professional net cage farming is different!”

“You all need to be like A-Lei—bold enough to take a gamble! Young people should try everything. High risk brings high reward! Look at those mussels; aren’t they growing just fine?”

“Uncle, you need money like he has to take those kinds of risks. Do you think the money he put into the mussels was a small amount? Just buying the timber cost a fortune! What are you going to gamble with if you have no money—sand? Besides, who knows if those mussels will actually survive? It’s too early to say he’s succeeded; they aren’t fully grown yet.”

“Exactly. The cages he made aren’t cheap either. A single set of diving gear is enough to keep most people out of the game! What is there to farm?”

An old fisherman chimed in, “It’s not just about the money; it’s about his courage. A-Lei has been smart and bold since he was a kid. He’s always been very independent. When he was four or five and went beachcombing with his mother, he was incredibly capable. Every time, he’d pick up more than the adults. I don’t know how he did it, but he could spot more snail eyes than the grown-ups. By seven or eight, he dared to row a small wooden boat out to sea to fish, and he caught quite a few, too. His dad ended up chasing him with a carrying pole when he got back. At thirteen or fourteen, he went behind his family’s back, stole the household register, and signed up for the army. His dad chased him through several villages with that pole. Tell me, who else in this village has the guts to fight and gamble like that?”

“You can see what a man will be like by looking at the child. The more mischievous and bold they are as kids, the more capable they are when they grow up. You young people should dare to take risks. If you don’t, you’ll regret it when you’re old! At my age, even if I wanted to try, I no longer have the strength.”

…

Zhou Chenglei had no idea they had once again become the center of the village gossip.

He took the fish fry owner to the sea area rented near Abalone Island and distributed five thousand juveniles into several cages. Then, they went back to the area rented near Pearl Island and placed the remaining five thousand into the cages there.

After Yu Hong carefully inspected both areas, he said, “I think both areas are suitable. You could choose the closer one for convenience.”

Both areas were bays with relatively small waves. In net cage farming, the biggest fear is heavy storms, followed by disease. While diseases can be treated, humans can’t control the wind and waves.

Zhou Chenglei thought about the need to expand the pearl cultivation, so he decided to choose the area near Abalone Island. Moreover, the water there was deeper, making it slightly more suitable.

Since he was going to hire people to manage it anyway, the travel time from the village pier was roughly the same—both about an hour. The difference was only about fifteen minutes.

Once the farming area was selected, they began installing the large-scale net cages the following day.

Knowing that Zhou Chenglei and his team had never farmed fish or installed such equipment, Boss Yu brought some workers along to assist with the setup.

Of course, they had to be paid a daily wage, and their room and board had to be covered.

Zhou Chenglei booked several rooms for the workers at a guesthouse in town and ordered three meals a day for them from a restaurant.

For the next several days, they were out at sea daily, installing net cages and building a small house on the island.

Chapter 492: Subletting

Zhou Chenglei went out to sea every day with Boss Yu’s large ship, leading a dozen people with great fanfare to install net cages and build houses.

Everyone in the village knew about it, and lately, it was all anyone talked about when they gathered.

During breakfast, Zhou Bingqiang’s wife thought about the sea area they had leased. It hadn’t expired yet, and leaving it empty was such a waste. She said to Zhou Bingqiang, “Why don’t we ask Boss Yu how much those net cages cost? Maybe we should order some to farm fish too? I heard those net cages can raise 50,000 kg of fish at once.”

“We’re not farming!” Zhou Bingqiang rejected the idea without a second thought. It hadn’t been easy to save up some money; he wanted to save more to order a deep-sea boat and stop blindly following others into trouble.

“Then what are we going to do with the sea area we spent thousands of yuan on? Are we just going to let those thousands go to waste?”

Zhou Bingqiang replied, “What else can we do? I’ve already asked around, and those two sea areas we leased aren’t suitable for fish farming at all.”

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife was shocked. “How can that be?”

Then, a thought struck her, and she said angrily, “Is someone trying to sabotage us on purpose? Didn’t Zhou Chenglei snatch the sea area we originally wanted? Did they swap it with us on purpose?”

Zhou Bingqiang snapped, “Don’t talk nonsense. We tried to snatch the area Zhou Chenglei wanted but failed. The person helping us just randomly assigned us two nearby areas. Don’t go making up wild stories and trying to report them again!”

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife was fuming. “How could he just assign them randomly? That’s practically murder!”

Zhou Bingqiang added, “We can’t blame others. Things were rushed at the time. Besides, when the Fisheries Department went to measure and survey later, they said those two sea areas weren’t suitable for farming. We were just ignorant then, misunderstood them, and insisted on leasing them anyway.”

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife didn’t quite believe it.

Wen Wan spoke up then, “Could we lease another suitable sea area instead? Then order net cages from the fish fry boss? Fish farming with net cages really seems profitable.”

Zhou Bingqiang no longer trusted Wen Wan. He said bluntly, “We have no money! Do you think those net cages are cheap? Besides the cages, you need equipment and electricity. I heard you even have to build a house on the island. Adding it all up, I doubt 80,000 or 100,000 yuan would cover it! Do you have 80,000 yuan?”

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife was astonished. “That much money? How does Zhou Chenglei have so much?”

Zhou Bingqiang said irritably, “Haven’t you seen their whole family? The men go out to sea to catch fish and make money, while the women stay home selling small dried fish and working as a translator to make money. A family of five, with four adults earning money—how could they not have a lot?”

And what about the two women in their house?

One only knew how to argue, and the other caused trouble!

One bickered with her daughter-in-law every day, and the other caused his son to get injured, preventing him from going out to sea for three months!

Zhou Bingqiang grew angry just thinking about how they had reported Jiang Xia’s squid as being poisonous. His luck had finally started to turn for the better over the past two months, only for them to mess it up again!

After breakfast, as Zhou Bingqiang’s wife was heading to the vegetable garden, she happened to see Zhou Chenglei and Big Brother leaving the house together.

Today was another day of installing net cages.

Watching the two brothers’ hurried departures, Zhou Bingqiang’s wife still felt a pang of heartache over the money spent on the sea area lease going down the drain.

Several thousand yuan! It had taken so long to save that much!

At that moment, Mother Zhou also walked out with a vegetable basket. Seeing Zhou Bingqiang’s wife, she didn’t bother to greet her and walked straight ahead.

Jiang Xia came out next, heading toward the old house to help with tending the fire.

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife glanced at Jiang Xia, and a thought occurred to her. She quickly called out, “Xiao Xia, are your net cages almost finished?”

Jiang Xia looked at her in surprise. The two families basically didn’t speak to each other now, but she still replied, “No.”

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife continued, “I heard those net cages are huge. Is your leased sea area big enough?”

Jiang Xia didn’t care for her idle chatter and said directly, “What do you want to say? I’m busy.”

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife immediately said, “Didn’t we lease two sea areas before? We don’t plan on farming fish anymore, so I’m thinking of subletting those two areas to you at a discount. We paid nearly 4,000 yuan for the lease, but I’ll sublet them to you for 2,000. Our approval came late, so there’s still over half a year left on the lease! Isn’t that a great deal?”

Jiang Xia said bluntly, “Not interested! Do you take me for a fool?”

After saying that, she bypassed her and walked into the old house.

Not giving up, Zhou Bingqiang’s wife continued, “If you think 2,000 is too expensive, 1,500 is fine too!”

“I wouldn’t lease it for any amount!”

“1,000! 1,000 is really low! Two large sea areas! You could install so many cages, raise so many fish, and make so much money!”

Jiang Xia replied flatly, “I’ll consider it for one yuan!”

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife: “…”

One yuan?

Was she treating her like a beggar?

Did she look like someone who lacked a single yuan?

Her family was a ten-thousand-yuan household, after all!

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife walked away with a dark face.

One yuan—who was she trying to insult? She would rather let it sit empty than sublet it to her!

However, she still couldn’t bear to lose those few thousand yuan for nothing!

Jiang Xia wasn’t easy to fool; maybe she should try someone else?

Weren’t there many people in the village who wanted to learn how to farm mussels from Zhou Chenglei?

There must be many who wanted to learn how to farm fish from him, too!

The first person Zhou Bingqiang’s wife thought of was Great-Grandma’s family!

Zhou Yongguo was helping Zhou Chenglei with the distant seas voyage, He Xinghuan was partners with Jiang Xia in the small fried fish business, and Great-Grandpa ran a convenience store at the town’s primary school. She heard he made 100 or 200 yuan a day, which was even more profitable than the village store.

She heard they had already picked an auspicious date to build a house, which meant they definitely had money in hand!

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife turned and went to Great-Grandma’s house.

She came out again very soon!

That Old Tigress was even worse than Jiang Xia!

She said if it was free, she’d take it, but if it cost money, she wouldn’t!

Muttering curses, Zhou Bingqiang’s wife headed toward the vegetable garden.

In the morning, the vegetable garden was crowded with people watering vegetables.

She didn’t believe she couldn’t find someone to take over those two sea areas.

In the vegetable garden, Zhou Bingqiang’s wife promoted her two sea areas to everyone she met, even using Zhou Chenglei as an example: “…You’ve seen it, right? The net cages Zhou Chenglei ordered can hold 50,000 kg of fish! You can make over 100,000 yuan a year once they’re grown! If my family hadn’t just ordered a new ship and run out of money for cages, I wouldn’t be subletting those two areas.”

“Zhou Chenglei paid over 5,000 yuan to lease those two areas. Ours are about the same size as his, and there’s still over half a year left. It only costs 500 yuan! If you lease them, you can make a few cages yourselves, put them in the water, and follow Zhou Chenglei’s example by stocking groupers or similar fish. You could earn over 1,000 yuan by the end of the year. Isn’t that a guaranteed profit?”

Someone actually felt tempted by these words. 500 yuan for two large sea areas was indeed quite a bargain.

“Is it really 500 yuan? Are those two areas near the ones A-Lei leased?”

Tian Caihua felt something was wrong. People actually believed this?

Chapter 493: This is Asking for a Beating

Seeing that someone was actually about to fall for the scam, Tian Caihua couldn’t help but speak up. “Those two stretches of sea you rented are a world away from ours! Our sea areas are all in sheltered bays, but yours are hit by heavy winds and waves. Raising fish, my foot!”

She had heard Zhou Chengxin mention before that not all sea areas were suitable for fish farming. Their particular area had too much wind and wave action for it.

That was exactly why their net cages had been swept away without a trace during the last typhoon.

Upon hearing this, the potential renter immediately backed out. “In that case, forget it!”

As expected, a cheap price meant poor quality. He had almost been swindled!

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife was livid. “Fine! How do you know the sea area my family rented has heavy winds and waves? I knew it was your family behind this!”

Tian Caihua was baffled. “What kind of nonsense are you spewing? What did my family do? It wasn’t our family that subleased that sea area to you!”

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife lunged forward and grabbed a handful of Tian Caihua’s hair. “You still won’t admit it! You’re going to compensate my family for our money! Pay us five thousand yuan! You used your connections to swap the good sea area we were supposed to rent! We were clearly the first to rent it!”

Tian Caihua’s temper flared as well. She had never lost a fight in her life. She grabbed the woman’s hair in return. “Compensate you, my foot! Who swapped yours? You’re the one who’s black-hearted, and now that your scheme to trap someone else failed, you want to find a scapegoat? I spit on you!…”

With that, the two women engaged in a fierce brawl right there in the vegetable patch!

Tian Caihua was young, strong, and formidable. She practically pinned Zhou Bingqiang’s wife to the ground and began pinching her mercilessly!

Hitting someone and causing an injury required paying medical expenses, but pinching did not.

The bruises from pinching would fade in a few days.

Tian Caihua was the type of person who would agonize for an hour over giving her son a single cent of pocket money; there was no way she would be willing to shell out for medical bills.

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife howled in pain from Tian Caihua’s pinching.

In the end, it was the production team leader who happened to pass by and pulled them apart.

After this fight, Zhou Bingqiang’s family had no hope of subleasing that sea area.

Word of them trying to scam their own fellow villagers spread quickly. When Zhou Bingqiang returned from his morning trip out to sea, everyone looked at him differently.

Once he figured out the whole story, Zhou Bingqiang—who had always been most concerned with his reputation and how others perceived him—felt like the face he had spent a lifetime building was completely gone!

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife remained convinced that Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei had conspired with the fishery staff to sabotage them into renting a sea area where fish couldn’t be raised. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.

Having been beaten by Tian Caihua, she was still nursing her grievances and couldn’t stop herself from shouting curses toward the Zhou family home. “…Such wicked hearts! I hope your children are born without backends! Even if they’re born, they won’t live to grow—”

Mother Zhou was tending the fire, and the more she heard, the angrier she got. Grabbing a smoking fire iron, she stood up and prepared to charge out.

Just then, Zhou Bingqiang arrived home and delivered a sharp slap across his wife’s face. “Are you done yet? I told you it has nothing to do with them!”

The shouting finally ceased for good.

Mother Zhou returned home with her fire iron and went back to tending the fire.

Damn her, she was just asking for a beating!

As April began, the rains returned.

Installing net cages wasn’t something that could be done in a day or two. Moreover, as the saying goes, “rains fall thick and fast during the Qingming Festival.” The weather saw rain every three days or so, creating the feeling that it might never stop.

The weather significantly slowed down the installation of the net cages and the construction of the house, making it impossible to even estimate a completion date.

The Canton Fair was set to begin in mid-April. Given the weather and the uncertain timeline for the cages, both Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia completely abandoned the idea of attending. They called Director Zhou and the others in advance to inform them they wouldn’t be going this time.

With the Qingming Festival approaching, Boss Yu simply took his men back home for the time being. They planned to return after the festival once the rain stopped. Otherwise, working two days and resting for five was costing a lot in food and lodging for so many people.

The day before Qingming, Father Zhou returned from his distant seas voyage.

He brought back 5,000 kg of dried small fried fish.

Zhou Chenglei drove the tractor to transport the fish from the pier to the house.

Tomorrow was Qingming, and since today was Saturday, Zhou Chengsen and his wife had assumed Father Zhou would return, so they had come home as well.

Zhou Chengsen and Li Xiuxian were both helping to unload the small fried fish from the tractor.

They were still processing small squid every day, and one room was already filled with packaged squid.

The old house simply couldn’t hold another 5,000 kg of fish.

Jiang Xia asked Zhou Chengsen, “Second Brother, how about you and Second Sister-in-law move to the new house? We can use this room to store the fish.”

Hearing this, Li Xiuxian turned to look at Zhou Chengsen, her eyes full of anticipation.

They had been sleeping in separate rooms for the past half month in town. Perhaps today they could finally reconcile!

She had even taken the initiative to help move the fish!

Zhou Chengsen also knew that since the old house was being used as a small workshop, it wasn’t really suitable for living anymore.

Due to the weather lately, they could only go out to sea intermittently. However, after changing crews, they could still make several hundred yuan a night lighting for squid. They had already saved several thousand yuan and were only about two thousand yuan short of having enough to build their own house. He nodded. “Alright.”

Li Xiuxian let out a sigh of relief and said with a smile, “Then I’ll go clear out the room first.”

There wasn’t much to pack in that room. It was just a matter of stripping the bed and taking the clothes from the wardrobe and miscellaneous items from the desk to a guest room in the new house.

After packing their personal belongings, Zhou Chengsen cleaned the room thoroughly. He placed some bricks on the floor and laid wooden boards over them to keep the moisture away before moving the bags of fish from the living room into the room.

Earlier, Zhou Chenglei and Mother Zhou had moved the fish from the tractor into the living room first.

Li Xiuxian was extremely active in hauling the fish, not complaining about the exhaustion at all.

The tractor had to make five or six trips to bring all the fish back.

To store the 5,000 kg of fish, they emptied one room in the old house and used a portion of Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia’s original room, but it still wasn’t enough.

The rest had to be moved to the garage of the new house, meaning the car had to be parked in the open space in the backyard.

After they all finished moving the 5,000 kg of fish, Li Xiuxian felt her arms trembling involuntarily.

It was truly exhausting!

However, for the sake of mending her relationship with her husband, she pushed through the fatigue.

When it was time to cook, Li Xiuxian dragged herself up to start the preparations.

Whenever Father Zhou returned from the distant seas, the brothers and their families always ate together.

Tian Caihua still assigned the dirtiest task to Li Xiuxian. “Second Sister-in-law, I brought a chicken over. Go ahead and clean it.”

Li Xiuxian truly loathed Tian Caihua, but for the sake of reconciling with Zhou Chengsen, she endured it. She smiled and said, “Okay!”

She prepared some saltwater and a kitchen knife, then called out to Zhou Chengsen, “A-Sen, come over and help me hold the chicken’s legs while I kill it.”

Zhou Chengsen walked over and picked up the chicken, which had its legs tied.

He stepped on its feet with one foot, held its wings and head with one hand, and plucked some small feathers from its neck. He reached out toward Li Xiuxian and said, “Give me the knife. You go clean the fish instead.”

Li Xiuxian quickly handed him the knife and went to get another one to clean the fish.

In truth, she didn’t like cleaning fish either; her hands would smell like fish for ages, but cleaning a chicken was also a smelly job.

Zhou Chengsen killed the chicken efficiently. He collected the blood in a bowl and mixed it with the saltwater, where it quickly congealed.

Inside the kitchen, Jiang Xia was at the counter cutting shredded potatoes.

Tian Caihua was preparing poached shrimp. After dropping the shrimp into the pot, she walked over to Jiang Xia and began washing green vegetables in the sink.

She watched the hardworking Li Xiuxian outside and whispered to Jiang Xia, “Has Li Xiuxian had a change of heart? Why is she being so diligent today?”

Chapter 494: How Much to Give?

Tian Caihua had just seen Li Xiuxian moving dried fish until her hands were shaking, which truly surprised her.

Jiang Xia replied, “I don’t know either.”

Jiang Xia guessed that something had gone wrong between Li Xiuxian and Zhou Chengsen, so the woman was working extra hard to prove herself.

Tian Caihua pursed her lips. “I bet her diligence won’t last more than a few days. Once the Qingming Festival is over, it’ll be time to transplant the rice seedlings. I can already hear her making excuses about her sore hands! Every year she finds a reason not to help with the transplanting. When the time comes, you should talk to Mother and tell her not to help their branch with their fields.”

Jiang Xia said, “If it doesn’t rain, our family plans to hire people for the transplanting anyway.”

After they finished raising the seedlings a while back, they started planting peanuts, sweet potatoes, and corn—all with hired help. During that time, the whole family was busy making small squid, and Zhou Chenglei was going out to sea at night, so they truly had no time.

She didn’t know how to plant them herself, and even if she wanted to try, Zhou Chenglei wouldn’t let her near the fields while she was pregnant.

Hearing this, Tian Caihua also wanted to hire help, but the thought of paying two yuan a day per person stopped her. She wasn’t even sure if they could finish one mu in a day. Hiring someone to weave fishing nets only cost one yuan a day; her heart ached at the thought of spending that much!

Forget it. She would hire someone to weave the nets while she went to transplant the seedlings herself.

After all, transplanting was fast, and since they didn’t have to plow—as the tractor handled that—it wasn’t too exhausting.

After dinner, Father Zhou brought out a red, white, and blue striped bag to distribute gifts to his grandchildren.

When he had gone ashore to collect the small dried fish this time, he had taken a look around and bought some toys and clothes for the grandchildren.

Each of them received a toy car and a set of clothes.

Once Father Zhou finished giving the items to Guangzong, Yaozu, Zhou Ying, and Zhou Zhou, there was still half a bag left. He handed it directly to Jiang Xia. “These are for my three unborn grandchildren.”

Jiang Xia glanced inside and saw clothes and various small toys, all in sets of three. She smiled and said, “Thank you, Father. We don’t even know if they’re boys or girls yet. Why did you buy clothes so early?”

Father Zhou laughed. “Everything I bought is suitable for both boys and girls. Those rattles, pellet drums, and toy cars—they can all play with those regardless of gender.”

Three children! He believed there would definitely be a mix of both.

Of course, Father Zhou wouldn’t say that out loud, lest he put pressure on Wealth-bringer.

In the entire production team, who else had the fortune of having three treasures in one pregnancy?

When he was collecting dried fish this time, he happened upon a temple and went in to draw a fortune slip.

It turned out to be a top-tier fortune slip.

The fortune teller said he would get whatever he asked for!

He immediately rushed back into the temple and kowtowed three times, praying for his youngest son to have both a son and a daughter, for the whole family’s peace and health, and for wealth to flow in from all sides.

He didn’t ask for much, just those few things.

Li Xiuxian watched as Father Zhou emptied the large bag. Tian Caihua’s four children took up half, and Jiang Xia’s three unborn children took the other half!

Even children who weren’t born yet occupied half the bag!

Of all those gifts, her daughter didn’t even have a tenth of them.

If word got out, who wouldn’t think this was excessive?

Thinking of this, how could she not have another child?

Father Zhou had money now. He had been generous with the red envelopes during the New Year, giving the adults one thousand yuan each.

That proved he was very wealthy.

In the future, when Father Zhou passed away, surely he would leave behind a massive sum of money?

If that money was divided per person, wouldn’t their second branch lose out significantly?

Li Xiuxian felt resentful, but she wouldn’t say these things to Zhou Chengsen again. She knew he didn’t like hearing it.

He would only protect his parents and brothers, feeling like he owed the family a great deal.

For the sake of bearing a son, she would endure no matter how unhappy she felt.

That night, Li Xiuxian, who had been diligently showing off all day, leaned against Zhou Chengsen.

Zhou Chengsen’s arms were weak from moving dried fish all afternoon. He said tiredly, “I’m so exhausted. Let’s sleep early.”

Li Xiuxian: “…”

Zhou Chengsen was truly exhausted. He had moved nearly 5,000 kilograms of dried fish! Who wouldn’t be tired?

He fell asleep almost instantly.

Li Xiuxian couldn’t sleep. She was fuming with anger; how could she rest?

After lying there for a while longer, she still couldn’t sleep, so she got up to use the bathroom, planning to try again when she returned.

She opened the door and stepped into the main hall just as she heard Father Zhou’s voice coming from the kitchen. “I’m going upstairs to give A-Lei the money from this voyage. Is Xiao Xia’s late-night snack ready? I’ll take it up with me.”

Li Xiuxian pricked up her ears.

She had no idea how much money Father Zhou had made while helping Zhou Chenglei on this distant seas voyage.

Mother Zhou was in the kitchen simmering scallop and lean meat porridge. “It’s not ready yet. Go ahead first! Otherwise, Xiao Xia might fall asleep. This time, when A-Lei was setting up the net cages, he had to install electricity and build a house on the island. Everything was complicated and expensive. Since the people in the village didn’t know how to install it, Boss Yu brought his own men to help. He had to provide room and board for over a dozen people. I doubt even one hundred thousand yuan was enough. If A-Lei tries to give you money, don’t take it. He gives so much every time. The two of them haven’t even saved enough for their large ship yet, and they can’t even attend the Canton Fair this time.”

“I know,” Father Zhou said as he walked back into the hall.

Li Xiuxian quickly ducked into the bathroom and pulled the door shut, leaving only a tiny crack and keeping the light off.

Father Zhou went back to his room, took a travel bag out of the wardrobe, and then left the room again, heading toward the staircase.

In the darkness, Li Xiuxian saw Father Zhou carrying a heavy, bulging travel bag upstairs.

A whole bag of money?

Was that entire bag filled with cash?

How much money would it take to fill a travel bag like that?

Since the father-in-law helped the fourth branch keep so much of the profit, how much would Zhou Chenglei and his wife give him in return? Half? Impossible! A third?

Probably not that much either! The in-laws wouldn’t accept that much.

A tenth was likely, right?

If they didn’t even give a tenth, then Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia were far too unfilial!

Li Xiuxian quickly finished in the bathroom and hurried back to her room.

She pulled out her own travel bag and took several newspapers, folding them until they were as thick as a stack of one thousand yuan.

She placed them into the bag, measuring out just how many “stacks of one thousand” could fit!

As she kept measuring, her heart raced faster and faster. A bag of money that size… if it wasn’t one hundred thousand, it was at least eighty thousand!

Could Zhou Chenglei really be giving Father Zhou ten thousand yuan?

In the walk-in closet on the second floor, Jiang Xia stood by as she watched Zhou Chenglei put the things Father Zhou had bought into a cabinet.

The three children weren’t even born yet, but their toys and clothes already filled an entire wardrobe.

There were items bought by Father and Mother Jiang, some bought by Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia, and Mother Zhou had also made many baby clothes, swaddling blankets, and diapers.

“We should take the new clothes out to wash when the weather gets better in May or June and the sun is strong.”

“Okay.”

Jiang Xia added, “We should tell Father and the others to stop buying things. Children grow so fast. They’ll be born in the summer and will only wear these for a few months before autumn arrives. By the time they turn one next year, nothing will fit.”

Father Zhou walked in just then, chuckling. “Don’t worry about that. I bought those clothes in larger sizes. They should fit at one year old, and some can even be worn until they’re two. I bought the coats specifically in a size for a two-year-old. They can wear them from age one to two.”

In Father Zhou’s memory, the clothes for his own children and for Guangzong and his brothers had all been repurposed from adult clothing. Mother Zhou always prepared things in larger sizes so they could be worn for two or three years.

That was how people in the village had always prepared clothes for their children.

Otherwise, where would they get enough fabric? Even if you had money to buy fabric, you still needed cloth coupons.

But things were different now. The family had money and didn’t lack coupons, so he prioritized buying things only one size larger.

Jiang Xia turned around and smiled. “Father, you’re not asleep yet?”

Chapter 495: No

Father Zhou handed the travel bag to Zhou Chenglei. “This is the money from this trip out to sea.”

Zhou Chenglei took it.

Father Zhou held up a finger and said with a beaming smile, “This time, we finally broke the hundred-thousand mark.”

After deducting labor and costs, it was exactly over a hundred thousand, with an extra eight hundred yuan left over.

It was well worth him bringing so many photos of Wealth-bringer to attract fortune!

For this trip, he had taken several photos of Wealth-bringer while she was showing. He had pasted them on the north, south, east, and west sides of the boat—in every possible direction.

Encountering fortune and attracting wealth!

Big wealth, small wealth, mini wealth, giant wealth—he attracted every kind of fortune imaginable!

Jiang Xia smiled. “It seems Dad’s sea luck is excellent this year. You struck it rich with the first haul of the new year.”

Father Zhou said excitedly, “It’s currently the spring fishing season, so we caught a bit more. And it’s not that my luck is good; it’s that you two as a couple have great luck and know a lot.”

One brought prosperity to her husband and attracted wealth, while the other was familiar with the sea and the fishing grounds.

He knew exactly when to go to which sea area to find the most fish.

Before they set out, his younger son had told him not to go so far this time, but to head north to the sea area near the neighboring province.

There was a section of the sea there where March and April were the spring fishing season for prawns.

Shrimp had always been expensive, and this time, they made over thirty thousand yuan just from catching prawns.

Additionally, in the spring, many fish formed fishing seasons in specific sea areas.

Father Zhou followed the route Zhou Chenglei had given him, using the trawl net along the way.

At first, they used the trawl net during the day and used light attraction fishing for squid at night.

However, when Father Zhou used light attraction for squid, he didn’t just bring a few lightbulbs like Zhou Chenglei did. He hung lightbulbs all around the large ship.

First, he used intense light to lure the schools of squid over, then gradually dimmed the lights, finally leaving only one or two lamps to make the squid gather by the side of the ship before raising the net.

The amount of squid caught in one go was far more than what Zhou Chenglei and the others could catch on their small boat.

The squid sales alone brought in over thirty thousand as well.

Both prawns and squid were quite valuable.

Later, they reached another sea area where there weren’t many small squid left, so they used the trawl net during the day and used light attraction with a seine net to catch mackerel scad at night.

On this trip, Father Zhou felt as if his fishing boat was surrounded by fish.

According to the fish finder, there were fish everywhere in every direction!

Schools of fish were in every corner.

It made him wish he could split the fishing boat into eight or ten smaller boats and send them off in all directions!

In the end, he could only pick the largest and closest schools to pursue, abandoning the others or those further away.

Of course, saying they were in “every direction” was a bit of an exaggeration, but there truly were a lot of fish.

Zhou Chenglei opened the travel bag, revealing stacks upon stacks of Great Unity banknotes. He intended to give twenty thousand to his father.

Father Zhou waved his hand. “No need, don’t give it to me! I’ve already taken my share! I rounded the total up for you. Keep this to pay the remaining balance on the boat, or use it to install those net cages.”

Father Zhou had indeed taken some—he had taken eight hundred yuan.

During the New Year, the couple had given him and his wife ten thousand yuan to spend. They had given them so much money that they had nowhere to spend it. Now, the two elders felt like they couldn’t spend all their money even if they lived a lifetime.

Jiang Xia said, “Dad, don’t worry. We already have the money for the net cages set aside, and we have enough for the boat’s remaining balance. It’s definitely enough, so please take this! We only earned this money because you took the big boat out to sea. You worked so hard; how can you not take any money?”

“I already said I’ve taken my share. The rest is yours! Use it to buy another boat or two! I saw others using two fishing boats to use a seine net for tuna. Those fish are valuable. They earn more in one net than we do in a month!”

That boat was also huge, and Father Zhou had looked at it with immense envy!

He only hoped his son could get two large fishing boats like that in the future.

Let him have a moment of glory too!

Jiang Xia guessed that Father Zhou was talking about a tuna purse seiner.

“I’m going down to sleep. You guys should get to bed early too.” Father Zhou pushed away the large bundle of cash Zhou Chenglei was handing him and left.

Father Zhou was truly exhausted. He had been out at sea for nearly twenty days, and every day he had been dog-tired.

Although he was exhausted, if the Qingming Festival hadn’t been approaching, he wouldn’t have wanted to come back.

Not only did he not want to return, but the others didn’t want to come back at this time either.

A situation with this many fish was too rare; they all wished they could live in the sea.

Every day, watching massive bags of fish being poured out until they filled the shuttering—that feeling was simply incomparable.

Even when the weather was bad, with heavy wind and rain, the sea breeze piercing to the bone, and icy rain slapping their faces, it couldn’t dampen everyone’s enthusiasm for trawling, hauling the nets, and sorting the fish.

However, money can never be fully earned and fish can never be fully caught. He had promised his family he would be home for Qingming, and if he suddenly didn’t return, Father Zhou feared they would worry. Since there was no way to notify them from the sea, he simply came back.

Seeing that Father Zhou wouldn’t accept the money, Jiang Xia said to Zhou Chenglei, “Let’s save the money intended for Dad. We can buy him something later. Or, once we’ve saved more and there are houses or shops for sale in town, we can buy a shop or house for him and Mom. When the two of them are too old to work, they can just collect rent.”

Jiang Xia imagined Father Zhou in the future, with a large ring of keys hanging from his waist, going out to collect rent every day. It seemed like a pretty good life.

“Alright.”

After Father Zhou went downstairs, Li Xiuxian stepped out. Seeing him empty-handed, she was shocked. Could Jiang Xia and her husband really be so bold as to not give Father Zhou a single cent?

This was going too far!

She intentionally asked, “Dad, you’re not asleep yet?”

Father Zhou smiled. “Right. I went up to see if Zhou Zhou and Yingying had kicked off their blankets. I’ve already checked, so you don’t need to go. Go to sleep early!”

Father Zhou really had gone up to the third floor to take a look.

Li Xiuxian forced a smile. “Alright.”

He clearly went to give money to the younger son; why talk about checking on Zhou Zhou and Yingying?

Just then, Mother Zhou came in carrying a thermos and a bowl of scallop and lean meat yam porridge.

Li Xiuxian looked at the bowl of porridge. It had meat, shrimp, scallops, and yam. It smelled fragrant and looked incredibly appetizing. She asked, “Mom, is there a midnight snack?”

“There’s yam porridge in the pot on the coal stove; if you’re hungry, go have some. I thought you were asleep, so I didn’t make much of this scallop and lean meat porridge. The shrimp were leftovers from dinner, so I peeled them and threw them in the porridge to avoid waste.”

Mother Zhou had brewed a large pot of yam porridge, preparing the porridge for the next morning’s breakfast as well.

Tomorrow morning, she would just add some scallops and lean meat to simmer for a bit, and the porridge would be very savory and sweet.

If she put the meat and scallops in at night and let them soak until morning, the meat would become tough and the scallops would fall apart and lose their flavor.

As for Jiang Xia’s porridge, Mother Zhou had taken a portion out into a clay pot after the large batch was done and added the lean meat and scallops specifically for her.

Mother Zhou finished and added an explanation, “Xiao Xia’s belly is so big it’s pressing against her stomach, so she can’t eat much at each meal. I brewed some porridge for her to eat before bed and some for when she wakes up in the middle of the night. Otherwise, she’s eating for one but nourishing four; I’m afraid the babies won’t get enough nutrition and will be too small when they’re born.”

It’s very hard to keep babies alive if they’re born too small.

Mother Zhou had given birth to seven children in total, so she knew better than anyone.

Fearing her second daughter-in-law might be unhappy, she explained further, “Usually Chenglei makes it for Xiao Xia, but he was busy hauling fried fish back and forth all afternoon, so I made it today.”

Luckily, back when her eldest and second daughters-in-law were pregnant, she had made sure they got the best of whatever the family had to eat.

She hadn’t made them do any strenuous housework either.

Now, though the youngest daughter-in-law ate well, it was because the couple earned their own money. While Mother Zhou felt a bit uneasy, her conscience was clear.

Besides, Jiang Xia was indeed more thoughtful than the other two daughters-in-law.

Father Zhou said, “I’m not hungry. There were so many dishes at dinner, I ate too much. My stomach is still bloated. Xiao Xia ate the least at dinner, so give it to her!”

After saying that, Father Zhou went back to his room.

Li Xiuxian smiled stiffly. “I’m not hungry either.”

Father Zhou had said only Jiang Xia ate the least, making it sound like she had eaten a mountain of food!

How could she have the face to eat now?

Li Xiuxian also returned to her room.

Back in her room, seeing Zhou Chengsen sleeping like the dead, she climbed onto the bed and couldn’t help but yank his blanket away. She gave him a shove, then pulled her own blanket over herself and lay down with her back to him.

Zhou Chengsen was shoved awake. He opened his eyes, glanced at her, didn’t bother to say anything, pulled his blanket back over himself, turned his back to her, and went back to sleep.

The next day was Qingming. Because Jiang Xia’s belly was so large, she did not go up the mountain.

Chapter 496: Going Out to Sea

At noon, Zhou Chenglei returned from the mountains and told Jiang Xia, “The beehives we placed on the mountain have attracted more bees than the ones in the backyard. They’ve already started building the honeycombs.”

The beehive that was originally in the backyard had been moved to the roof of the new house when they were building the stove. To prevent the bees from flying away, they hadn’t opened it to check during the move.

Zhou Chenglei noted that the box felt about a kilogram heavier when he carried it, so it must have attracted quite a few bees. Mother Zhou had checked on it later and confirmed that honeycombs were forming there as well.

Zhou Zhou said excitedly, “There are four combs! They’re white with a bit of yellow. Two are quite large, as big as my face! The other two are smaller, about the size of my palm.”

Zhou Wenzu was also very worked up. “Uncle said there’s already a little bit of honey inside, but it’s too little to harvest yet. We have to wait until the bees make more and the combs get really big. Otherwise, the bees might all fly away.”

Jiang Xia smiled. “That’s right. We can’t harvest it yet. We have to wait for them to brew more honey.”

Zhou Ying really wanted to drink honey water, so she asked, “How much longer will that take?”

Jiang Xia replied, “I’m not sure either. It’ll probably take a few months at least. We’ll wait until summer is over and see how many honeycombs they’ve built. If there are too few, we might have to wait until next year. We need to leave enough honey for the bees to survive the winter. If there’s no nectar to gather in the winter and they have nothing to eat, they’ll starve to death.”

The children suddenly found themselves wishing for summer to pass quickly, hoping the bees would gather plenty of nectar. They really wanted to drink honey water. Although their uncle had bought some honey and there was already honey water to drink at home, they wanted to drink the honey they had “raised” themselves.

Jiang Xia was also looking forward to it.

Zhou Wenzu asked, “Then can we feed the bees the honey we have at home and drink their honey instead?”

Jiang Xia: “…”

How is this kid so clever? How did he even think of that?

“It’s possible, but since this is our first time keeping bees and we lack experience, I’m afraid we might mess it up and scare them away. Let’s just let them eat the honey they gather themselves!”

Zhou Wenzu listened and thought that made a lot of sense. Uncle had said that if they raised these bees well, they could drink honey water every day in the future.

Early the morning after the Qingming Festival, Father Zhou wanted to go see what the net cages they were building looked like. Having ventured into the distant seas and traveled to many places, Father Zhou was quite knowledgeable. In some areas, people were already using net cages for fish farming, and they were very successful.

Zhou Chenglei said, “We’ve only been building for a few days. You could say nothing’s really built yet. There’s not much to see.”

Father Zhou replied, “If there’s nothing to see, then let’s go fishing!”

Jiang Xia nodded. “Yeah! It’s rare to have such good weather. I want to go out to sea to watch the sunrise.”

It had been a while since Jiang Xia had last gone out to sea, and she wanted to tag along.

Zhou Chenglei said, “Then we’ll head out at five-thirty tomorrow morning. Get some sleep early tonight.”

As it turned out, Jiang Xia overslept the next morning, not waking up until six o’clock.

Zhou Chenglei, naturally, couldn’t bring himself to wake her. She had been busy making small squid every day lately; he figured she was exhausted. Even though she only helped by tending the fire, sitting there for so long was tiring. He simply went for a morning run and waited until he returned before they set out.

The boat set sail at seven o’clock in the morning, with Zhou Kangping at the helm. Zhou Yongguo and Tian Caihua’s younger brother followed in another boat.

The sky was already quite bright. There were layers of clouds, and while the sun wasn’t visible yet, it had definitely risen. There was a slight breeze on the water, so Zhou Chenglei took out a thin jacket for Jiang Xia to put on.

“It’s okay, the wind isn’t strong. I’m not cold,” Jiang Xia declined.

Ever since Boss Yu and his group left, it hadn’t rained for two or three days. The weather had warmed up significantly. At home, Jiang Xia usually wore a thin long-sleeved shirt. By noon, she even had to change into short sleeves. She wasn’t sure if it was because she had put on some weight, but she had become very sensitive to the heat. When she sat by the stove to tend the fire, she only wore short sleeves.

Zhou Chenglei insisted, “It’s cool in the morning. You can take it off later when it gets hot.”

Jiang Xia reached out her arms, and Zhou Chenglei helped her into the jacket.

Father Zhou glanced over, feeling in high spirits. He prepared to take out his fishing rod and catch some big fish. A little daily dose of sweetness like this should be worth at least one big fish, right?

The boat swayed slightly, so Jiang Xia leaned against Zhou Chenglei’s arm, letting him button her up.

Suddenly, the sun broke through, casting pale golden light over the sea. After several clear days, the water had finally regained its deep blue hue. Under the sunlight, the surface sparkled like scattered stars.

Jiang Xia was admiring the morning sea when she suddenly noticed purple ripples appearing on the surface. They flashed and then vanished!

“A school of fish! There’s a school of fish over there!” Jiang Xia, now half an old hand at fishing herself, grabbed Zhou Chenglei’s arm and pointed excitedly into the distance.

Father Zhou had just pulled out his rod, but upon hearing her, he immediately tossed it aside. He grabbed a fishing net and ran out. “Where? Where is the school?”

Father Zhou looked over. In the distance, patches of purple ripples shimmered on the surface, moving closer and further away, appearing and disappearing as if chasing the waves.

“Kangping, steer the boat over there! Head toward them, quick!”

The other fishing boat had spotted them as well. Zhou Yongguo steered his vessel to catch up quickly.

Zhou Chenglei saw that the school was swimming toward them. Since they could see the ripples from this far away, it had to be a massive group. He shouted to Zhou Yongguo and the others, “Yongguo! Let’s pull the seine net together with both boats! Close in, fast!”

Zhou Yongguo quickly steered his boat closer. Once they were near, Zhou Chenglei threw the rope for the seine net across. Tian Caihua’s brother caught it and quickly secured it.

Zhou Yongguo yelled to him, “Is it secure?”

“Yes!” the brother shouted back.

Zhou Yongguo immediately steered away to stretch the seine net wide. The two fishing boats coordinated their movements to cast the net, preparing to outflank the school of fish.

Father Zhou watched the sea with excitement. Making voyages to the distant seas earned more money, but Wealth-bringer hadn’t been there. Most of the time they relied on the fish finder, so there were far fewer pleasant surprises. Going to sea with Wealth-bringer was much better; the surprises were endless.

It was a pity they weren’t on a larger ship. If they were, he would have climbed up to the crow’s nest to get a better look.

The school of fish was heading right for them. Zhou Kangping and Zhou Yongguo worked in tandem, steering to stretch the net as wide as possible for the encirclement.

Before long, Jiang Xia saw the lead fish—pointed like spearheads—breaking the waves as they led the shimmering school forward. They had no idea that an inescapable net had already been laid, waiting for them to swim right into it.

“It’s mackerel scad, right?” Jiang Xia asked.

Father Zhou chuckled. “Right! Mackerel scad are what I saw most during this trip out to sea.”

Mackerel scad had streamlined bodies with blue-black backs and silvery-white bellies. They naturally liked to travel in large schools in the upper and middle layers of the sea. When using light attraction fishing, a small haul could net a few thousand jin, while a large one could bring in ten thousand or even tens of thousands of jin.

Although mackerel scad were cheap—about ten cents per 500 grams, or twelve or thirteen cents when prices were high—they usually appeared in massive schools. Encountering them was enough to make a significant profit.

Zhou Kangping’s steering was excellent, and Zhou Yongguo, having spent so much time in the distant seas watching others use seine nets, knew exactly how to coordinate with him.

After a while, Father Zhou estimated the time was right and shouted, “Close the net! Close the net! We can reel it in now! A-Lei, pull the net! Lift it up!”

Chapter 497: Breaking the Record

“The net is coming in!”

Zhou Chenglei told Jiang Xia to find a place to sit and hold on.

“I’m fine, I’ll just stand here.” Jiang Xia stood in a corner where she wouldn’t get in their way, watching the crews of the two fishing boats coordinate their efforts, pulling and maneuvering.

Zhou Chenglei pulled on a rope himself while directing the others. “Yongguo, take it in on your side! Pull! Keep going, keep pulling… Good!”

“Kangping, you take it in as well. Right, pull, keep pulling…”

They weren’t a professional pair-trawling team, and neither boat was equipped with professional winches or net-hauling machinery. Their “purse seine” method this time essentially involved dropping a large net into the sea and waiting for the school of fish to swim into the giant trap.

Because of this, they had to rely on manual labor to pull it up. A slight misstep in coordination could cause the fish to escape through a gap in the net.

Normally, they could have used a gillnet to snag the fish individually, but that was too much trouble. This school of mackerel scad was even larger than the previous school of Golden Pomfret. If they used a gillnet, how long would it take to untangle every single fish?

Zhou Chenglei hated inefficiency, so he decided on the two-boat coordinated netting method. Though hauling the net was difficult and cumbersome, if they coordinated well, they could dump the fish directly onto the deck once the net was up, saving them from having to pick them out one by one.

Humans might not have the raw power of machines, but they had flexible minds. As long as one could imagine it, it could be done. Jiang Xia watched them work for a long while until the massive net was finally gathered together.

The dense swarm of mackerel scad thrashed and jumped inside the mesh bag.

“I’m afraid the crew of just one boat won’t be able to pull this up,” Jiang Xia noted.

“We’ll use hand nets to scoop some onto the boat first,” Zhou Chenglei replied.

The men on both boats began using hand nets to scoop the fish. Jiang Xia couldn’t help with the heavy lifting, so she helped by passing crates to them so they could dump the fish inside.

After scooping for half an hour, Father Zhou’s back was already aching. “If I’d known we’d run into a school of mackerel scad like this, I would have taken the large boat out.”

Zhou Chenglei told him to take a break, but Father Zhou refused.

…

Two hours passed, and Jiang Xia had even managed to squeeze in a nap.

Seeing that they had scooped about half of the catch, Zhou Chenglei judged that the remainder was light enough to be hauled up. “Alright, stop scooping. Let’s pull the rest up together.”

Zhou Kangping asked, “How should we close it? Bring the bows together? Or bring the boats closer side-to-side?”

With one net stretched between two boats, how were they supposed to merge them?

“No need.” Zhou Chenglei took a bamboo pole with a hook and extended it toward the other boat. He called out to Zhou Yongguo, “Tie the outermost rope to the pole, and I’ll pull it over.”

Zhou Yongguo did as instructed.

Once it was tied, Zhou Chenglei pulled the corner of the net over. The net was large enough that, with careful maneuvering and good coordination, they didn’t have to worry about fish spilling out the sides.

Slowly, with the team working together, Zhou Chenglei brought the other side of the net over, gathering the fish into one massive bundle.

Zhou Chenglei, Father Zhou, and Zhou Kangping combined their strength, straining to haul the fish onto the deck. Zhou Yongguo steered his boat around to the other side of their vessel, and once he was close enough, he jumped over to help.

Together, they finally hauled the massive bundle of fish onto the deck.

As soon as they let go, Father Zhou collapsed onto the deck to rest. It was far too heavy! Without a winch, it was all raw manpower. The others were the same, sitting down to catch their breath. Their hands were numb, and their palms were bruised a deep purplish-red from the pressure of the net and ropes.

Still full of energy, Zhou Chenglei moved to untie the bundle and dump the fish onto the deck. Zhou Kangping and Zhou Yongguo saw this and tried to stand up to help.

“Don’t worry about it. I can handle it myself,” Zhou Chenglei said.

With a surge of strength from his arms and waist, the fish spilled out from the net, flopping and jumping all over the deck. Zhou Chenglei then meticulously gathered and organized the net.

There were more fish on the deck than Jiang Xia had ever seen. It felt like they had reached the absolute limit of what the boat could hold; any more, and they would have started spilling back into the sea.

Jiang Xia asked, “Are there a hundred loads of mackerel scad in this one haul?”

For this type of fish, it was more convenient to sell them by the load—weighed by the crate—rather than individually. There was no need to sort them or weigh them piece by piece. Selling by the load saved time and effort, and the profit was nearly the same.

Father Zhou chuckled. “It should be just about that.”

When he took the big boat out, he could catch a thousand loads of these fish at once. But for these small boats to bring in a hundred loads was already an incredible feat!

One load was roughly 50 kg, meaning this catch was about 5,000 kg. No one at their village pier had ever achieved such a catch! If the village kept records for fishing, this would definitely break the record!

“Dad, let’s head back and sell the fish first,” Zhou Chenglei said. “We can go out again tonight.”

“Alright, let’s head back.” The boat was at capacity. If they kept trawling and hit another “bursting net,” it might exceed the boat’s weight limit.

They didn’t even stop to check the net cages. The heavier the boat, the more fuel it consumed. It wasn’t cost-effective to wander around the sea with such a massive load.

Since they were closer to the City Pier, and because prices were higher there than at the village pier, Zhou Chenglei steered them directly to the city to sell the catch.

Between the two boats, they had a total of 111 loads. Each load sold for 13.3 yuan. They made a total of 1,476.3 yuan.

Knowing how hard everyone had worked today, Jiang Xia gave Zhou Kangping and the others an extra ten yuan each. Hauling in over 5,000 kg of fish was truly no easy task!

By the time they finished selling the fish, it was nearly noon. Zhou Chenglei took everyone to Fuman Restaurant for a meal before they finally sailed home.

When Zhou Kangping returned home, Second Great-Aunt was surprised to see him back so early. “Why are you back so soon? Have you eaten?”

Zhou Kangping washed his hands and face. “I’ve eaten. We ran into a school of mackerel scad not long after Brother Lei’s boat went out. We netted over a hundred loads and came back early.”

“A hundred loads?” Second Great-Aunt gasped. “Did you take the big boat out?”

“No, just the usual two boats.”

“That… that’s incredible luck!”

Zhou Kangping dried his hands on his clothes and pulled out a red envelope. “This is a bonus from Fourth Sister-in-law.”

Second Great-Aunt opened it and saw twenty yuan!

She smiled broadly. “A-Lei’s wife is truly generous. You make sure to work hard for them; don’t you dare slack off.”

“I know, Mother.”

“Now that your wages are so high, plenty of people have been coming by to introduce potential matches. I’ll look into their character and pick an honest, hardworking girl for you to meet.”

Zhou Kangping didn’t care much about it. He was a man with limited mobility; he was just fine as long as the other person didn’t look down on him. “I’m going to sleep for a bit. I’m going out to sea tonight.”

“Alright, go on then! I’ll save this money for you. You’ll need it to get married and build a house later.”

Second Great-Aunt took the twenty yuan her son gave her and placed it inside a rusted tin can. Inside, she had already saved over 1,700 yuan, all of which had been earned by Zhou Kangping over the years.

More than half of that amount had been earned specifically from working for Zhou Chenglei and his wife.

Her son suffered from the aftereffects of polio, which made it difficult for him to move and find work. Usually, when there was no work, he lived by weaving fishing nets. It had taken him years to save 700 yuan that way. Yet, in just a few months of working for A-Lei and his wife—and not even working every single day—he had saved over a thousand more.

Furthermore, the couple was kind. After the Lunar New Year, they had raised everyone’s wages and promised that if they worked well, they would receive a raise every year.

Previously, they were paid ten yuan per day, but only on days they actually went out to sea. Now, it had changed to a fixed salary of 360 yuan per month, meaning they got paid even on days they stayed home.

Since the beginning of the year, they hadn’t been out much during the second lunar month, yet he still received his 360 yuan salary. When they officially started work after the New Year, they were also given a twenty-yuan “start-of-work” red envelope.

Combined, that was 380 yuan—a number that sounded very auspicious.

Moreover, for these night trips to catch squid, they were given an additional five-yuan subsidy per night on top of their regular pay.

Now, who in the village didn’t envy her two sons for working for A-Lei and A-Sen?

Even she and her daughter were working at Jiang Xia’s small workshop now, earning 80 yuan a month, with overtime paid separately. The 80-yuan wage was based on an eight-hour workday; anything beyond that was calculated as overtime at triple the base rate.

They even got four days off a month, which they could take whenever they wanted, as long as everyone didn’t take the same day off.

If she counted the overtime pay, she could earn over a hundred yuan a month! And with the holidays, she was making more than a teacher! Her wages would also increase after a year of service.

At this rate, their family could earn nearly a thousand yuan a month. They could build a new house in just a year!

Second Great-Aunt now wished she could spend every waking hour working to earn money for the house and her son’s wedding. Her eldest son was already thirty and still hadn’t found a wife.

In the past, they were poor, and he was disabled, so no one was interested. But now? Everyone was lining up to introduce him to a potential bride!

Chapter 498: Looking Like He’d Been Cheated On

At the Zhou family home.

Mother Zhou was surprised to see them home so early.

“Why are you back so soon? Have you eaten?”

Father Zhou said cheerfully, “We’ve eaten. We hit a school of mackerel scad as soon as we went out. We hauled in over a hundred loads.”

Mother Zhou thought she had misheard. “How many?”

Father Zhou laughed. “You heard right. One hundred and eleven loads of mackerel scad. The deck was piled high, so we came back early.”

Mother Zhou beamed. “Haha, luck is on our side today!”

Zhou Chenglei asked Mother Zhou, “Mom, did you find any helpers?”

Zhou Chenglei had decided not to go out to sea at night anymore. He didn’t want Jiang Xia to sleep poorly without him by her side, and since she needed help getting to the bathroom, she would be too embarrassed to ask his mother to sleep in her room.

Therefore, Zhou Chenglei planned to hire four people—two to go out at night with Zhou Kangping, and two to go out with him during the day.

Besides hiring people for fishing, he also needed help with the fish farming.

Once the net cages were finished, he would need people to take turns guarding them on the island. He also needed people to feed the fish on time and clean the net cages regularly.

However, Zhou Chenglei didn’t plan to hire villagers for the fish farming. Instead, he had invited four veterans who had been discharged last year—men who were formerly under his command. They were scheduled to arrive in a few days.

“I found them. I’ve hired Zhou Zhenhua and Zhou Wenchao. Xu Ling heard I was looking for people and asked if I could hire her younger brother, so I agreed. You can see for yourself if he’s a hard worker first. The other one I hired is He Jinhua, the son of your father’s old schoolmate. Do you remember him?”

“I remember,” Zhou Chenglei said as he quickly mapped out the assignments. “Then Zhou Zhenhua and Xu Ling’s brother will go out at night with Kangping. Zhou Wenchao and He Jinhua will go out with me in the mornings. Xu Ling’s brother lives quite far away, so the morning shift isn’t suitable for him; he’d have to rush over too early.”

“Right, that’s exactly what I told her. I told her brother to be here before six tonight.”

“Alright.”

In the afternoon, after Zhou Chenglei accompanied Jiang Xia while she fell asleep, he went downstairs to plow the fields.

While they were napping, Father Zhou had already driven the tractor to the fields. Zhou Chenglei went to take over for him.

Taking advantage of the free time, the father and son plowed all several mu of the family’s fields. This would allow the green manure to ferment in the soil. They would then spread a bit more fertilizer before transplanting the rice seedlings, ensuring the base fertilizer was sufficient.

Towards evening, Xu Ling’s younger brother, Xu Yong, arrived.

The young man had thick eyebrows and large eyes; he was tall and lean. Jiang Xia smiled and said to Xu Ling, “Your brother is quite tall and handsome. With those thick eyebrows and big eyes, he looks very radiant and dashing.”

Zhou Chenglei: “…”

Where was he handsome?

How could she see any handsomeness in him?

He wasn’t even as tall as himself, and his features weren’t as good-looking. Those eyebrows looked like caterpillars; how could they compare to his own sharp, defined brows?

Big eyes? He didn’t think so! They looked like dead fish eyes!

Furthermore, one look at his arms told Zhou Chenglei the boy wasn’t as strong as him!

Which eye was Jiang Xia using to think he was handsome?

Zhou Chenglei didn’t think he was handsome at all!

And “radiant and dashing”? Which young man in the village wasn’t “radiant” from being baked by the sun? Does having dark skin make someone radiant and handsome?

And back in the summer, why did she want to keep his own head covered to protect him from the sun then?

Was 1.75 meters considered tall? Then what was he?

Zhou Chenglei said coldly to Xu Yong, “You’ll be going out to sea with Kangping and Zhenhua tonight. If there’s anything you don’t understand, just ask Kangping.”

Xu Yong felt that Zhou Chenglei was far too serious. He was so cold it felt as if Xu Yong had committed some grave mistake. He quickly squared his shoulders and stood at attention, replying, “Understood!”

He didn’t dare say another word.

Zhou Chenglei didn’t look at him again and turned to Zhou Kangping. “Kangping, take Xu Yong and Zhenhua out with you tonight. I won’t be going.”

“Okay,” Zhou Kangping replied.

Only then did Xu Yong breathe a sigh of relief. His sister had told him that this couple was very nice and kind-hearted. Sister Jiang Xia was indeed kind, but where was Brother Chenglei kind?

With that wooden face of his, he looked exactly like someone whose wife had just cheated on him!

Jiang Xia smiled and added a reminder, “Be careful out at sea. Safety first.”

Father Zhou was still worried. “I’ll go along with you guys tonight.”

With two new people, he was afraid they wouldn’t be familiar with the work and that Kangping wouldn’t be able to manage them alone.

Zhou Chenglei frowned. “Dad, you just came back from a distant seas voyage and didn’t sleep this afternoon. Aren’t you tired?”

Zhou Chengsen had also returned. Since he was going out with the boat tonight, he said, “Dad, you should rest. I can go on A-Lei’s boat instead.”

Zhou Chengxin added, “No need, I’ll go.”

Father Zhou waved them off. “I’m not tired. I’m just going to observe. I can sleep on the boat just the same. Let’s go! Time to put to sea, or it’ll be dark.”

And so, the group headed out.

Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia also walked toward the beach, as Jiang Xia needed her evening stroll.

Holding Jiang Xia’s hand, Zhou Chenglei couldn’t help but ask, “How is he ‘tall and handsome’?”

Jiang Xia was looking at the sunset clouds and didn’t react for a moment. “Who?”

“Xu Yong. He’s only about 1.75 meters. That counts as tall and handsome?”

Jiang Xia: “…”

Jiang Xia shot him a glare. “I just thought Xu Yong looked pleasant enough, so I gave him a casual compliment. Are you really this bored? What else was I supposed to say?”

Furthermore, Jiang Xia had noticed that the average height of men here was under 1.70 meters. Anyone over 1.70 meters was considered truly tall. In a single village, there really weren’t many men over 1.75 meters.

The women weren’t tall either, generally around 1.5 meters, with many even around 1.4 meters.

The Zhou men were considered very tall in the village, all standing around 1.78 meters, with Zhou Chenglei being the tallest at 1.86 meters.

Zhou Chenglei pursed his lips. Where is he pleasant? He’s not pleasant at all!

However, Zhou Chenglei didn’t want to hear Jiang Xia explain exactly how the guy looked pleasant, so he didn’t press further and changed the subject.

He would ask her again properly tonight.

So, that night, while Zhou Chenglei was “interacting” with the babies, he leaned over Jiang Xia’s belly and asked:

“Babies, what do you think about having eyes that look like Daddy’s?”

“What about eyebrows that look like Daddy’s?”

“What about a nose that looks like Daddy’s?”

…

A whole string of questions!

The key issue was, if he wanted to ask, fine, but did his mouth have to be so active while doing it?

Jiang Xia couldn’t take it and reflexively raised her foot. “Shut up!”

She ended up kicking…

She didn’t use much force, but there was a muffled thud under the covers.

Jiang Xia wanted to say something, but as soon as she opened her mouth, her voice broke.

He buried his head, becoming focused and single-minded.

Listen—that night, the sound of the rising and falling tides of the Great Sea echoed both outside and inside the window.

Early the next morning, Zhou Chenglei drove the tractor to the city. He needed to buy a small wooden boat and rent a house for the four veterans who would be farming fish. Along the way, he was also delivering a batch of dried fish to the publishing house and the train station.

The dried fish business brought in several hundred yuan a month. Currently, the plastic factory, Textile Factory, and shipyard each ordered 50 to 100 kilograms every month.

Most of their dried fish was purchased from fellow villagers and then resold. It was a way to help the villagers sell their catch. While making a few hundred yuan a month wasn’t a huge profit, Zhou Chenglei intended to keep it going.

Since they were going to rent a house and buy a boat, Jiang Xia insisted on coming along to take a look.

The two of them first delivered the dried fish and handed in the translation manuscripts before going to look at houses.

They had previously asked Lord Hou for help. Given his business as a middleman, he knew many people.

He had already found a place.

The house was in a village near the City Pier, which would be convenient for them to go out to sea.

It was an old house, decades old, similar to their old house. In this era, almost all village houses were old, except for the newly built multi-story buildings. The landlord was renting it out because they had moved into a new house.

After Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei inspected it, they decided to rent it.

Once they had signed the lease with the landlord and were leaving, Jiang Xia spotted two figures passing by the village entrance.

Chapter 499: The Young Couple

Jiang Xia pulled Zhou Chenglei along, quickening their steps toward the village entrance to see where the two people were going.

“Slow down!” Zhou Chenglei, with his habitual alertness to his surroundings, had already spotted the two passersby.

Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei reached the village entrance just in time to see the two people walk up to a brand-new sedan, open the doors, get in, and drive away.

The landlady, Auntie, also came out just then and asked, “Do you know that young couple in the car?”

Jiang Xia: “Young couple?”

Auntie: “Yes! They rented a house in our village, just like you two. But they only rented it for a month or two, saying they’ve already bought a place and will move in once it’s renovated.”

She added with a sigh, “That young couple is really loaded!”

They drive a car and bought a house.

Jiang Xia asked, “Which house did they rent? If it’s only for a month or two, is it also yours?”

“No, it belongs to someone else in the village. They thought my place was too expensive, so they didn’t rent it. They took the last house in the alley behind us. That place is old and dirty. With all that money, they couldn’t bear to spend a few extra yuan a month. It’s true what they say—the richer you are, the stingier you get.”

Jiang Xia smiled but didn’t comment further. “Auntie, we’re heading off now. Please make sure the house is cleaned thoroughly and carefully.”

The house had four rooms, each with a bed and a wardrobe. The living room also had some old furniture like wooden chairs and a dining table—all solid wood, well-maintained, but covered in a layer of dust from being unoccupied for so long.

Jiang Xia gave Auntie two yuan and asked her to clean the dust from every nook and cranny, inside and out, until it was move-in ready.

Auntie happily agreed.

“Don’t you worry,” Auntie said with a smile. “I’ll make it spotless! I’ll even sweep away the cobwebs from the ceiling.”

“Thank you, Auntie.”

Jiang Xia said goodbye to Auntie again, then she and Zhou Chenglei took the tractor to the Jiang family home.

Father Jiang had returned from his business trip, so the couple went back to see her parents.

They had called the previous evening to say they’d be home for lunch today.

The couple arrived at the Jiang family home just as the clock struck twelve.

Father Jiang was in the kitchen, wearing an apron and cooking.

Hearing the door open, he rushed out with a spatula in hand, his eyes immediately landing on his daughter. His eyes widened.

Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei greeted him in unison: “Dad, Mom, Auntie Feng.”

Auntie Feng was the household helper.

Mother Jiang was arranging fruit on the coffee table. She looked up and was also taken aback. “Your belly has gotten so much bigger since I last saw you!”

Father Jiang handed the spatula to Auntie Feng. “Xiao Feng, could you please take the dishes off the stove?”

He walked toward the sofa and said to Jiang Xia, “Sit down first. The food will be ready soon.”

His daughter’s belly was growing so fast—it must be so hard on her. When his wife was pregnant with their two children, even near the end, her belly hadn’t been this big!

Zhou Chenglei supported Jiang Xia lightly as they walked to the sofa together.

As Jiang Xia reached the space between the sofa and the coffee table, Father Jiang stretched out a hand to shield her, preventing the corner of the table from bumping into her leg.

“Have you had your prenatal checkup? What did Dr. Gao say?” Father Jiang asked, noting his daughter’s rosy complexion.

Jiang Xia smiled. “I had one a while ago. Dr. Gao said the baby is doing great.”

“Is your belly this big uncomfortable? Do you get leg cramps at night?”

When his wife was pregnant with both children, she got leg cramps every night in the later stages, and no sleeping position felt comfortable.

“As long as I don’t eat too much, it’s fine. I just feel hungry all the time. Otherwise, everything’s normal, just like usual. Dad, don’t worry, I really don’t feel much different.”

Of course, reality wasn’t as轻松 as Jiang Xia made it sound, but there was no need to say more and worry them. It wasn’t a big deal anyway.

Father Jiang could see from his daughter’s complexion that he probably didn’t need to worry too much. A mother’s relaxed and happy mood was the best for the child; he couldn’t let his own nervousness affect his daughter.

When his wife was pregnant with Xiaxia, she had been especially tense. The circumstances back then left her no choice. Xiaxia’s personality hadn’t been as开朗 as Jiang Dong’s in the past, but thankfully, she was much better now.

Her current relaxed心态 was the best.

Zhou Chenglei took out the ultrasound reports from the last two visits and handed them to Father Jiang.

His father-in-law had said to print an extra copy of the ultrasound reports for him to keep as well.

So, father-in-law and son-in-law sat together and began studying the two模糊 images on the ultrasound reports with great interest.

Mother Jiang also凑过来 to look.

The two elders even tried to辨认 the changes in the baby from the two模糊 images and讨论 who the baby looked like.

Father Jiang claimed that one baby’s nose looked like his—straight and prominent—and said it with great conviction.

Jiang Xia was impressed. She couldn’t make out anything no matter how hard she looked, yet Father Jiang could describe features as clearly as if he were seeing a nose and eyes.

She stood up to use the洗手间 and wash her hands.

She wanted to eat the loquats on the table.

Father Jiang reached out to steady her. “Where are you going?”

“To wash my hands. I want some loquats.”

Zhou Chenglei also stood up,扶着 her to the洗手间. Then he went to the kitchen, washed his hands, took a clean bowl, and came out to peel loquats for her.

On the table,除了 loquats, there were also bayberries, mulberries, March plums, and cherries—all the freshest fruits of the season.

The loquats, bayberries, and March plums were a bit sour, which Jiang Xia enjoyed. The mulberries and cherries were sweeter, so she didn’t like them as much.

Father Jiang glanced over. “We’ll be eating soon. Don’t eat too much. Didn’t you say you can’t eat too full? Take some home to eat slowly on the way. I bought plenty. There’s also pineapple—take it home to eat at your leisure. I特意 picked the sour ones.”

That morning, Father Jiang had ridden his bicycle to every Supply and Marketing Cooperative in the city, buying a pile of fresh fruit.

The cherries were brought back from his business trip two days ago. He’d kept them in the refrigerator for his daughter’s visit.

Jiang Xia: “No need to take any. We have plenty of fruit at home too.”

Zhou Chenglei and Mother Zhou never let the house run out of fruit.

Even if Zhou Chenglei was busy, Mother Zhou would go to town to buy some or ask Great-Grandpa to bring some back.

Moreover, Jiang Yang or his wife would送 some fruit over every few days. Earlier, it was New Year oranges. Lately, it was mostly March plums and Sanhua plums. They also brought loquats, but since loquats don’t keep long, they didn’t送太多.

So, there was no shortage of fruit at home.

It was just that there were no cherries—they weren’t sold in town. But now, she didn’t really爱吃 cherries much anyway. She preferred特别 sour fruit, and cherries weren’t sour enough.

During the New Year, when they visited Zhou Chenglei’s Grandma’s place, Jiang Xia had eaten an entire盆景 New Year orange from someone else’s yard that was so sour it made your teeth fall out.

Just then, Auntie Feng had finished setting out the饭菜 and called everyone to eat.

The family walked over to the dining table.

Father Jiang walked last. He first put away the ultrasound reports carefully,以免不小心弄脏了.

Auntie Feng lived in the隔壁栋 house. Her husband was Father Jiang’s driver. After finishing the cooking, she would return to her own home to eat, leaving space for the family.

During the meal, Jiang Xia finally asked Mother Jiang, “Mom, how has Lei Yuzhen been doing at the factory lately?”

Mother Jiang glanced at Father Jiang before saying, “No problems. I’ve had the procurement department keep an eye on her. They say she learns things quite quickly. You can放心.”

Zhou Chenglei took in their exchange.

Father Jiang peeled a shrimp and put it in Jiang Xia’s bowl. “We’ll keep an eye on things. You don’t need to worry. Dad’s matter is almost settled. Just focus on nurturing the胎儿. Don’t worry about us.”

He was just a bit reluctant about the transfer—it would take him too far from his daughter, making future visits inconvenient. He wouldn’t be able to see her once or twice a month like now, but there was nothing to be done about it.

Jiang Xia then mentioned seeing Lei Yuzhen and her boyfriend renting a house in a village near the pier. “I just happened to see them, so I thought I’d ask.”

After the meal, Jiang Xia chatted with her parents for a while longer. Then Father Jiang told her to go take a午觉 in her room and called Zhou Chenglei to his study to talk.

Chapter 500: Getting the Documents

When Jiang Xia woke up, Father Jiang and Mother Jiang had already left for work. A large bag of things sat on the cupboard by the door; it was all packed by the two elders, who had instructed Zhou Chenglei to take it home.

Inside were clothes and toys Father Jiang had bought while on business trips, along with various snacks and fruit.

Jiang Xia took a quick look and joked, “They say out of every ten daughters, nine are thieves. That saying isn’t wrong.”

Every time she came back, she ended up taking a large bag of things home with her.

“It’s from their hearts,” Zhou Chenglei said.

Father Jiang hadn’t just bought clothes for the child; he had bought some for her as well.

Jiang Xia picked up a few pieces of children’s clothing. “How about we leave these sets here? That way, when we bring the baby over in the future, we won’t have to pack clothes.”

The two of them already kept clothes there, so they didn’t need to bring anything when they stayed overnight.

Zhou Chenglei agreed. “Alright. I’ll go wash them first. Leave a note asking Mom and Dad to help pick them up and put them in the wardrobe later.”

“Okay.”

So, Zhou Chenglei took the sets of clothes Jiang Xia had pulled out and went to wash them.

Jiang Xia went into Father Jiang’s study to write the note. While she was at it, she found a book and sat in the living room to read and pass the time.

She was engrossed in her book when she suddenly heard the door open.

She thought it was Auntie Feng, but when she turned around, she saw it was actually Lei Yuzhen.

Lei Yuzhen and another middle-aged woman were both startled to see someone in the house.

Lei Yuzhen was the first to react, greeting her with an affectionate smile. “Cousin-in-law.”

The other female comrade was a procurement officer from the factory, and she knew Jiang Xia as well. Jiang Xia used to go to the factory to play when she was little. She also smiled and greeted her, “Xiaxia, the Director asked us to come and get a procurement report. She forgot to bring it back to the factory and said it was in the study at home.”

Why would the Director give them the keys if someone was home?

Jiang Xia nodded and stood up. “I’ll go get it for you.”

Hearing voices, Zhou Chenglei hurried out of the bathroom and saw the two women.

Lei Yuzhen called out, “Cousin.”

The procurement officer also greeted him, “Comrade Zhou.”

Zhou Chenglei nodded without much expression.

Jiang Xia explained, “My mom sent them to get a procurement report. I’m going to the study to look for it.”

With that, Jiang Xia walked into the study.

Because the bathroom was inside the kitchen, Zhou Chenglei had come out from the kitchen area. When Lei Yuzhen saw his rolled-up sleeves and his hands dripping with water, she assumed he was washing dishes. She thought to herself: Cousin married a young lady from a wealthy family, and now he has to play the submissive role of a dishwasher when he visits his father-in-law’s house.

“Sit down,” Zhou Chenglei told them.

Under Zhou Chenglei’s intimidating presence, the procurement officer sat down somewhat awkwardly.

Lei Yuzhen, wanting to show the procurement officer how close she was to Zhou Chenglei, started making small talk. “Cousin, did things work out between Xu Ling and her boyfriend? I heard my second aunt say they’re getting ready to marry?”

Zhou Chenglei glanced at the Jiang family’s key in Lei Yuzhen’s hand and said indifferently, “I don’t know.”

He didn’t pay attention to such things. He had only heard Jiang Xia mention once that Xu Ling had chosen a date in September for the wedding, but he never gossiped about other people’s business.

Jiang Xia soon came out with a file bag and asked the procurement officer, “Is this the one?”

The procurement officer stood up, took it with both hands, opened it for a quick look, and smiled. “Yes, this is it. We’ll head out now; we still have to go order some fabric.”

“Alright.”

Lei Yuzhen smiled. “Cousin, Cousin-in-law, we’re leaving now!”

“Okay!” Jiang Xia glanced at her and replied.

After working at the factory for over two months, Lei Yuzhen’s skin had become much fairer, and her style of dress was more fashionable. She had become even prettier.

The two of them closed the door as they left.

Zhou Chenglei went back to finish the laundry and hung it up to dry. Then, the couple departed as well; they still needed to go buy some wooden boats.

Zhou Chenglei carried two large bags in one hand and held Jiang Xia’s hand with the other as they went downstairs. They then drove the tractor to go buy the boats.

Since they were buying small wooden boats this time, they didn’t need to go to the municipal shipyard.

There was another small shipyard in the city that had ready-made wooden boats. They were the kind without power—rowboats that only moved by human effort.

Of course, one could also install engines and other equipment.

Zhou Chenglei bought two wooden boats, about three meters long and less than a meter wide. He wanted them motorized, so they were a bit more expensive, costing almost four thousand yuan in total.

One was to be kept at Abalone Island for the convenience of feeding the fish, and the other was for the future pearl cultivation on Pearl Island. It was better to have two boats for convenience.

The boats could be picked up and sailed back in four days.

They headed home first.

The next day, Boss Yu arrived with his team. Zhou Chenglei began leaving early and returning late, going out to sea to install the net cages.

Another day passed, and the former comrades Zhou Chenglei had invited also arrived. He treated them to lunch at a restaurant in town at noon and then took them out to sea to learn how to install the net cages. In the evening, he accompanied them for dinner in the city and settled them in before returning home.

On the morning of the fourth day, Zhou Chenglei and Father Zhou rode the motorcycle to the small shipyard and sailed the boats back.

When the two boats arrived at the village pier, many people were still there.

Everyone swarmed around when they saw Zhou Chenglei had bought two more new ships.

Though the boats were small, most boats at the pier were of this size, and usually, they lacked power.

“Yongfu, A-Lei bought boats again? Why such small ones this time?”

“Do these two boats even cost four thousand yuan together? Why didn’t you order a larger ship? You can’t catch many fish with this kind.”

Father Zhou said with a beaming smile, “These two boats aren’t mainly for fishing; they’re for feeding fish. Isn’t A-Lei using net cages to raise fish now? Constantly using the fishing ship to feed them interferes too much with the trawl net, so we thought we’d buy two smaller boats.”

Many villagers felt conflicted upon hearing this.

A boat specifically bought just for feeding fish was better than their own boats—at least these had motors and didn’t rely on rowing.

Someone said with a hint of regret, “If I’d known you were buying boats for feeding fish, I would have sold you mine. I’m planning to sell my boat and get a bigger one. If you’d helped me out, I would have sold it to you for seven hundred yuan! Why do you need new boats just for feeding fish? Ships have gotten a lot more expensive this year; these probably cost you two thousand each, right?”

Father Zhou chuckled. “It wasn’t quite two thousand. I didn’t know you were planning to change boats. We’ve been asking people at the shipyard to keep an eye out for a long time, but no one was selling. The net cages will be finished soon, so we couldn’t wait any longer and just bought new ones.”

Though that’s what he said, Father Zhou thought to himself that the man’s boat was an old boat from the production team that had been near scrapping. It had been patched up and used for two or three years, and he still wanted seven hundred yuan for it!

He wasn’t an idiot!

Did the man think a fresh coat of paint made it a new boat?

The man continued to ask, “Aren’t you also farming mussels? Two small boats won’t be enough, right? Do you want mine? Seven hundred yuan is all! A-Lei could earn that in a single day!”

Father Zhou laughed. “No need. I already think two is too many. A-Lei just wouldn’t listen to me.”

At that moment, Mother Zhou, Jiang Xia, and Tian Caihua arrived, pushing two long strings of firecrackers and some offerings.

Li Xiuxian followed them as well.

“I’ll go set off the firecrackers first,” Father Zhou said, leaving the group to hurry onto the boat with the firecrackers.

Tian Caihua looked the two boats over excitedly. “A-Lei, how much did these two boats cost? Were they about fifteen hundred each?”

“Pretty much.”

Li Xiuxian looked at the two brand-new boats bought just for feeding fish, her heart full of complex emotions.

The money for boats bought merely to feed fish was almost as much as the value of her own family’s boat.

Chapter 501: Her Family Visits Again

Since they had bought two new boats—even though they were only small ones—Mother Zhou still planned to hold a celebration.

Consequently, both Tian Caihua and Li Xiuxian had to help prepare the lunch.

Tian Caihua told Li Xiuxian to go slaughter the chickens.

“I’m not feeling well today. Big Sister-in-law, you should slaughter the chickens! I’ll go tend the fire.”

With that, she walked straight into the kitchen.

Tian Caihua was stunned for a moment. She pursed her lips, knowing there was nothing she could do to change Li Xiuxian’s mind, and went to catch a chicken herself.

Jiang Xia was busy shredding potatoes when she asked, “Big Sister-in-law, do you need help holding the legs?”

Tian Caihua grabbed a chicken whose legs were tied. With one hand, she pinned the wings and the head together and lifted it. She skillfully slit the neck with a knife, then set the knife down and held the chicken upside down by its feet to let the blood drain. “No need. It’s just slaughtering a chicken—what do I need help for? Besides, you’re not even as strong as a chicken. If it starts flapping, you’ll fall over!”

Jiang Xia replied, “It’s not quite that extreme.”

Her current strength certainly couldn’t compare to Tian Caihua, who had been doing farm work since childhood, but it wasn’t as if she couldn’t even hold a chicken.

Li Xiuxian ignored them and sat down on a small rattan chair in front of the stove’s firebox.

No matter how hard she worked, Zhou Chengsen was still giving her the cold shoulder. He ignored her on everything except matters concerning their daughter, Zhou Ying. Li Xiuxian was feeling resentful, too; she wasn’t going to help with this meal!

Besides, Zhou Chengsen was out in the fields transplanting rice seedlings. Who would see her being diligent anyway?

The fields for the first and fourth branches of the family had been finished yesterday. Only her family’s field hadn’t been planted yet. Her father-in-law had only helped them plow the field and said he planned to hire people to help them plant today.

If they were going to hire someone anyway, why wait until today to say so?

She decided she would only sit there and tend the fire, not budging an inch.

It wasn’t even her family buying the boats—why should she have to do the work?

By the way, this little rattan chair was actually quite comfortable to sit in. It didn’t hurt her backside at all, and it even had a soft cushion.

In the past, the Zhou family used small stools made of three pieces of wood nailed together for tending the fire. It was obvious that this specially made rattan chair had been prepared specifically for Jiang Xia.

In this Zhou family home, Jiang Xia was like a privileged rich young lady!

…

Around ten-thirty, Zhou Chengsen returned home with mud-stained legs and saw Li Xiuxian sitting by the stove.

His mother was stir-frying dishes on the earthen stove.

The heavily pregnant Jiang Xia was cooking at the gas stove on the other side of the kitchen.

Tian Caihua was squatting in the courtyard chopping up a goose.

He washed his hands and feet, then walked into the kitchen and said to Li Xiuxian, “Xiao Xian, come out for a moment.”

Hearing him, Li Xiuxian put down the fire tongs and followed him out.

Zhou Chengsen walked out of the courtyard gate, and once Li Xiuxian had followed, he said directly:

“Your father and your brothers came over this morning to help transplant seedlings. They’re still in the field now.”

“Then did you ask them to come home for lunch?” Li Xiuxian thought to herself that her own family was the most reliable at critical moments. As for them swindling money before—well, her mother had given it back to her. Her mother had only kept some to save for her because Zhou Chengsen wasn’t treating her well.

Zhou Chengsen gave her a cold glance. “And where is ‘our’ home exactly? Or do you think that because the Li family is helping you plant, A-Lei should have to treat them to lunch? Do you think you have that much face?”

Li Xiuxian: “…”

So, after tending the fire for half the morning, she couldn’t even secure a meal for them?

“You’re talking like that field isn’t yours too! They came to help you!”

Zhou Chengsen curled his lips in a cold sneer. “Thanks, but it’s not needed. This is something that could be settled for two yuan, but I’m afraid it won’t even be settled for two hundred! You can tell them to go home!”

Li Xiuxian: “…”

“If you really want to treat them, go back to your own family’s home or go to town! You think just because you sat there tending a fire, the whole family should get to eat here?”

Li Xiuxian: “…”

After finishing what he had to say, Zhou Chengsen went back inside to help finish the cooking; he had no intention of returning to the fields.

If the Li family wanted to plant, let them plant. The money they had swindled was enough to pay for ten years of labor!

The Li father and sons had come to help with ulterior motives, and he couldn’t be bothered with them.

Li Xiuxian was ready to explode with rage!

Zhou Chengsen clearly didn’t want to live a proper life anymore!

Since Zhou Chenglei was the one celebrating the boats, why couldn’t he invite her father and brothers to eat?

Wouldn’t it be more lively if more people celebrated together?

Besides, Zhou Chenglei had bought so much seafood, and there was chicken, goose, duck, pigeon, and roasted pork. Would three more people really make a difference?

Zhou Chengsen was simply making her life difficult!

It infuriated her!

Li Xiuxian left with a dark face.

Fine! If he wouldn’t host them, she would!

The next time she went back to the village, she wouldn’t come back to this Zhou family home. She would go straight to her parents’ house.

Zhou Chengsen entered the courtyard. “Big Sister-in-law, let me chop the goose.”

“Sure, then I’ll go stir-fry.” Tian Caihua wasn’t one for polite refusals. She handed over the knife and went into the kitchen. “Mother, I’ll do the stir-frying, you go tend the fire!”

Tian Caihua liked to calculate her advantages, but she wasn’t lazy. She usually grumbled while working.

Now that she viewed Jiang Xia as her “God of Wealth,” she naturally wouldn’t hold a grudge against her.

Nor did she mind that Father and Mother Zhou favored Jiang Xia.

Who wouldn’t love a source of good fortune?

Favoritism was only natural!

She even wanted to drag Jiang Xia to live at her own house! She would cook every single meal for her!

As Li Xiuxian was riding her bicycle to buy groceries, she saw a Jeep approaching.

She immediately recognized it as Jiang Dong’s car and saw that Jiang Dong was the one driving, with Zhang Fuyan in the passenger seat.

Jiang Dong naturally recognized Li Xiuxian.

Being a polite young man, he immediately stopped the car and greeted her warmly with a smile. “Second Sister-in-law.”

Father Zhou and Zhou Chenglei were sitting in the back. After finishing the offerings on the boats, they had gone to the ancestral hall to pray. Having just finished and preparing to head home, they saw Jiang Dong’s car and hopped in.

Father Zhou asked Li Xiuxian, “Where are you going, Xiao Xian?”

Li Xiuxian replied, “My father and brothers came to help us plant seedlings. A-Sen asked me to buy some seafood to cook at my parents’ house for them.”

She said this hoping Father Zhou and Zhou Chenglei would tell her to just have them eat at the house instead.

Li Xiuxian peered into the car window. It looked like the back seat was full of things, and even the roof was loaded with items. What kind of good stuff had Jiang Dong brought this time?

Li Xiuxian suddenly didn’t want to go back to her parents’ house to cook. She was afraid that Tian Caihua, Guangzong, Yaozu, and the other boys would pick all the best things for themselves.

Father Zhou said with a chuckle, “That’s only right. Go on then! Buy plenty! It’s been hard on our in-laws!”

Father Zhou certainly wasn’t going to invite the Li men to his youngest son’s house for lunch.

What if they took the opportunity to ask his son to take them out to sea again? Wouldn’t that just be asking for trouble?

On this auspicious day, Father Zhou only wanted to be happy.

Any discord could stay far away!

Zhou Chenglei added, “Then take your time shopping for groceries, Second Sister-in-law. We’ll head back now. A-Dong, drive on. I still need to get back and cook.”

With their own home celebrating the boats, Jiang Xia definitely wouldn’t be sitting idle.

Jiang Dong hurriedly started the car and stepped on the gas!

Li Xiuxian: “…”

When the car stopped at the front door, Tian Caihua was the first to notice and immediately shouted, “Xiaxia, your family is here!”

Jiang Xia plated the dish she was working on, turned off the gas stove, and walked out of the kitchen.

Zhang Fuyan had already hopped out of the car and walked in. She wanted to give Jiang Xia a hug, but seeing how large Jiang Xia’s belly had become, she didn’t dare—afraid that a hug might squeeze the baby right out.

Zhou Chenglei also looked a bit worried as Zhang Fuyan rushed toward Jiang Xia, fearing she wouldn’t be able to stop her momentum and would crash into her.

“Heavens! Xiaxia, you look like you’re about to give birth!” Zhang Fuyan took hold of Jiang Xia’s arm.

Jiang Xia laughed. “Not yet. The due date is in July, so there are still about three months left.”

Jiang Dong unloaded a stroller from the car, also startled by the size of his sister’s belly.

Zhou Chenglei helped move another stroller down.

Father Zhou helped carry a suitcase.

Jiang Dong quickly took it from him. “Father-in-law, let me. This one’s heavy.”

The suitcase was filled with many things he had bought for his sister, making it quite heavy.

After Jiang Dong moved it down, he extended the handle to demonstrate. He smiled at Father Zhou and said, “Father-in-law, try pulling it in like this.”

Father Zhou smiled and took it. Following Jiang Dong’s example, he pulled it along and laughed. “Oh! This case is so convenient! Pulling it like this is much easier; it doesn’t feel heavy at all.”

“Right? My sister actually came up with the idea.”

There were two more strollers and another rolling suitcase tied to the roof. Jiang Dong climbed up to get them down.

Zhou Chenglei helped catch them.

Whenever Jiang Xia’s family visited, they always brought a lot of great gifts for her. The neighbors couldn’t help but watch from their doorways at a distance.

They were truly envious that the Zhou family had married such a wealthy daughter-in-law!

Whose family would send a whole carload of goods over every few days?

Wen Wan also couldn’t resist watching from the second floor.

She didn’t think much of it when she saw the strollers.

But the moment she saw the rolling suitcase, she instinctively stood up.

Chapter 502: The Impostor

Wen Wan wasn’t sure if strollers even existed abroad in this era; after all, who during this time could afford to spend money on such things?

Most people just used a cloth wrap to carry their children on their backs when they went out.

However, she was certain that rolling suitcases didn’t exist yet.

Moreover, Jiang Dong had said that Jiang Xia was the one who came up with the idea?

How could Jiang Xia possibly have thought of a rolling suitcase?

Based on her knowledge of her previous life, it was impossible for Jiang Xia to have ever seen one.

Looking at that stroller, Wen Wan felt something was off there as well.

And then there was the vacuum-sealed packaging machine from the last Canton Fair—that was also supposedly Jiang Dong’s invention!

Jiang Dong hadn’t been this impressive in their past life, had he?

Could that have been Jiang Xia’s idea too?

If Jiang Xia really was the one behind these ideas, then she wasn’t the real Jiang Xia at all!

It would be more accurate to say that Jiang Xia hadn’t been reborn, but was instead a transmigrator from some unknown place!

She was nothing more than someone occupying the nest!

Wen Wan watched the neighboring courtyard, seeing Jiang Xia smiling as she pulled a rolling suitcase and pushed a stroller.

If the Jiang family found out their daughter was a fake, would they still treat her so well?

Would they still support an impostor like her?

She was just a fraud from who-knows-where. What right did she have to be Zhou Chenlei’s wife and receive his deep affection? What right did she have to receive the support of the Jiang family?

In her past life, after Zhou Chenlei and Jiang Xia divorced, he never remarried for the rest of his life. Everyone said he was deeply in love with his ex-wife.

As for the Jiang father and son, they ended up losing everything and ruining their lives just to vent their anger on their daughter’s behalf.

They loved Jiang Xia so much; if they knew this person was an impostor, would they still be so good to her?

Wen Wan felt a faint surge of excitement.

But she quickly realized a problem: even if she spoke up, they might not believe her!

After all, if they did a DNA test, Jiang Xia’s body still carried the blood of the Jiang family.

How could she make Zhou Chenlei realize that the current Jiang Xia was a fake?

Jiang Dong had brought over a total of four strollers.

Three were designed for a single infant, while one was specially made to accommodate three infants at once. Jiang Dong had custom-built that last one; after all, very few families among thousands would have such a need.

Jiang Xia tested several of the strollers and smiled. “Not bad, they’re very smooth to push! The style looks great, too. They’ll definitely be a big hit at the Canton Fair.”

The designs for both the rolling suitcases and the strollers were minimalist and elegant, possessing the flair of a major brand.

Just seeing them there, one could tell they were high-end and luxurious.

These were the top-tier, high-end products Jiang Dong had created. The materials used were of excellent quality and the production costs were high. Jiang Dong and his team had discussed using these products to break into the world of luxury goods.

He had other high-end products that also looked good, but since these were for his sister, he naturally brought out the very best.

Mother Zhou and Tian Caihua also came out to try pushing the strollers and the trolley cases.

Jiang Dong stood by their side, thoughtfully explaining the features to them.

Mother Zhou smiled and said, “With these carriages, it’ll be so convenient to push the children around the courtyard later on. We won’t have to carry them on our backs all the time.”

The roads in the village were poor, so she assumed pushing them outside wouldn’t be very convenient and might be too bumpy.

Tian Caihua added, “This is a suitcase? Using this to pack clothes and wheel them around is just too convenient for travel!”

Jiang Dong chuckled. “The car couldn’t hold too many this time. After the Canton Fair is over, I’ll come by again and bring one for my sister-in-law.”

Tian Caihua immediately replied, “Oh my, thank you so much! When my eldest son goes to the city for high school later, he can just pull his things along!”

“Zhou Wenguang, hurry over and thank your Uncle A-Dong! Your Uncle A-Dong said he’s going to give you a rolling suitcase! Think how convenient it’ll be for you to haul your luggage when you go to university in the future!”

Jiang Dong hurriedly said, “No need for thanks.”

He hadn’t even given it yet, so why were they thanking him?

Tian Caihua then called over her other sons, afraid Jiang Dong might forget she had four children. She desperately wanted him to give one to every child. “Look at how incredible your Uncle A-Dong is! Making these things can earn a lot of money. So, you must study hard. When you grow up, you can earn lots of money just like your Uncle A-Dong, okay?”

The children didn’t quite grasp the concept of money; they had simply heard these were strollers and all wanted to try sitting in them.

Mother Zhou was worried they would break them, and seeing the boys covered in mud, she quickly stopped them. “These aren’t for you to sit in! You’re too big; you won’t fit.”

Mother Zhou told Zhou Chenlei to hurry up and move the things inside the house.

Children didn’t know any better, and she didn’t want the items ruined before her grandsons were even born.

Lunch was sumptuous. After finishing the meal, Jiang Xia, Jiang Dong, and Zhang Fuyan sat in the living room on the second floor to talk.

Jiang Xia handed him a stack of diagrams and instruction manuals for automotive child safety seats and infant carriers.

There weren’t many cars domestically yet, but there were plenty in developed countries abroad.

Since Jiang Dong had already started a company, he definitely needed more products. He had to constantly innovate and upgrade his offerings.

Jiang Dong took them and looked through them seriously. He felt these wouldn’t be difficult to make and could be handed over to the company’s research and development team.

Tucking the papers away, Jiang Dong said solemnly, “Sister, I want to go abroad to study.”

Jiang Xia paused for a moment, instinctively looking toward Zhang Fuyan.

Zhang Fuyan smiled. “I support Jiang Dong. This is a rare opportunity.”

Jiang Dong continued, “Remember that computer you gave me? After using it, I started having this idea.”

The computer Jiang Xia had given him fascinated him. He hadn’t been able to resist dismantling the entire thing.

After studying it, he found there were so many things he wanted to learn!

Researching production lines and machinery could no longer satisfy his curiosity.

Those things weren’t difficult for him anymore; he could come up with designs easily. Even the team at his newly formed company could build them.

Therefore, Jiang Dong wanted to research more cutting-edge technology. He felt that was the true path for the future.

Jiang Dong shared his thoughts with his sister and Brother-in-law.

This was a good thing, so Jiang Xia naturally supported him. “As long as you’ve discussed it with our parents and Xiao Yan, it’s fine. As long as it’s not something illegal or immoral, I will support you no matter what you do.”

Jiang Dong looked a bit helpless. “Dad has already agreed, and he’s very happy. It’s just Mother who doesn’t agree—she’s firmly against it. But you know how Mother is; she disagrees with everything at first. With Dad there, she’ll come around eventually.”

Father Jiang believed that lagging behind left one vulnerable to aggression, and that only technological progress could prevent that. He had studied abroad himself, so he naturally wouldn’t oppose his son going overseas given his natural talent.

Father Jiang knew he didn’t have his son’s brains; otherwise, he would have gone to study as well.

“A mother always worries when her child travels a thousand miles, let alone going abroad. One never knows how many years it will be before seeing each other again. Mother is just reluctant to let you go, but this is a very promising endeavor. She’ll figure it out.”

Jiang Dong wasn’t worried about his mother; he was only worried about his own abilities. “A professor recommended me, but I don’t know if I’ll pass. There are many seniors at the school who are much better than me.”

Jiang Xia replied, “It doesn’t matter if it works out or not; just do your best and leave the rest to fate. Even if it doesn’t happen, if you want to learn, you’ll find a way. Domestic universities must have research topics like this too, right?”

Jiang Dong had always been optimistic by nature. He smiled and said, “Yes. If I can’t go abroad, I can learn here at home. That way, I won’t have to be separated from Xiao Yan for several years.”

Coming from a well-off family, he had been able to do whatever he wanted since he was a child. He hadn’t faced much sorrow or many setbacks, which made him very optimistic.

Chapter 503: Setting the Longline

Jiang Dong had primarily come to give Jiang Xia her shares and to entrust the management of the company to her.

If he went to study abroad, he wouldn’t have time to manage it himself. Zhang Fuyan, on the other hand, had no interest in business management.

Of course, he wasn’t asking Jiang Xia to take over right away. It would be after she gave birth and finished her university entrance exams. Getting into a study abroad program wasn’t simple either; he had to pass exams for the schools over there and go through the application process, which would take at least a year.

Once they finished discussing business, Jiang Xia asked Zhang Fuyan, “When are you two headed to Suicheng?”

“We’re leaving tomorrow morning,” Zhang Fuyan replied.

“Are you taking the train or the bus?”

“I’m driving,” Jiang Dong answered. “It’s more convenient. That way, we won’t have to call a taxi every day to get from the hotel to the exhibition hall.”

Mainly, trains were crowded. If he drove, it would just be him and Xiao Yan, making for a quiet trip.

Jiang Xia felt a bit uneasy now. “Do you know the way? Do you know how to read the road signs?”

There was no such thing as GPS navigation in this era. Taking a wrong turn could be a huge hassle. Moreover, Jiang Dong had only learned to drive just before starting university. Although he had his license for two years, he rarely had the chance to drive, so his skills weren’t very polished. Having ridden in his car before, Jiang Xia felt his driving was inferior even to hers.

Furthermore, there wasn’t even a proper highway leading to Suicheng yet, so the roads were in poor condition. The only plus side was that there were fewer cars on the road.

Jiang Dong was confident. “There are road signs. I’ll just follow the buses.”

Zhou Chenglei couldn’t help but add a warning, “Stay safe on the road. Don’t drive too fast.”

Because the roads were bad, driving to Suicheng would take eight or nine hours—slowly, it might even take ten.

“Don’t worry, Brother-in-law. I know.”

With the important matters settled, Jiang Dong said, “Brother-in-law, are you free this afternoon? Why don’t we go out to sea and do some fishing?”

Jiang Dong was usually very busy, either in classes or in the research lab. He only had time to drop Zhang Fuyan off at school in the morning, have lunch with her at noon, and pick her up in the afternoon. Despite being together for so long, they rarely had time to truly go out and play.

Since he had the time today, he wanted to take her out on the water, which would allow him to spend time with his sister as well. Two birds with one stone.

“Sure,” Zhou Chenglei agreed. “We can take the small boat out and set some longlines.”

Zhang Fuyan looked at the heavily pregnant Jiang Xia and asked, “Xiaxia, can you go out to sea in your condition? Maybe we should just stick to beachcombing on the beach.”

“The tide hasn’t gone out yet, so we can’t do any beachcombing. With Comrade Zhou here, I’ll be fine. Right, Comrade Zhou?” Jiang Xia asked with a smile.

“It’s fine,” Zhou Chenglei said, standing up. “I’ll go find the longlines.”

Jiang Dong instantly perked up. “Brother-in-law, I’ll help you!”

Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Dong went down to prepare the gear. They could pick up bait at the pier later. Jiang Xia and Zhang Fuyan followed them down.

Zhang Fuyan was a chatterbox. She linked her arm with Jiang Xia’s and began prattling on, mostly complaining about Jiang Dong. “One time, I mentioned that the shumai at a certain shop was delicious but hard to buy because the line was always so long. So, he bought me shumai from that shop for breakfast every single day for a month! I’ve eaten so much of it that I don’t want to see another shumai for the rest of my life. I’m completely sick of them!”

Jiang Xia stifled a laugh.

“And another thing! You know how it’s tradition to wear red for New Year’s because it’s festive? Well, when we went shopping for clothes, he specifically picked out red things. And that was it! For the past six months, every piece of clothing he’s bought me has been red! Now my wardrobe is full of nothing but red! No other colors! When I asked him why he always buys red, he had the nerve to ask me back, ‘Don’t you like red?’ When have I ever liked red? Except for the New Year, I never usually wear it!”

Though she spoke in a complaining tone, Jiang Xia could hear the absolute happiness in her voice.

Today, Zhang Fuyan was wearing a brownish-red checkered maxi dress, and she looked lovely.

Jiang Xia took a closer look and smiled. “Red makes your skin look fairer. You look great in it.”

Zhang Fuyan glanced down at her dress and smiled. “If his taste wasn’t decent and the clothes weren’t somewhat presentable, I wouldn’t wear them. People who don’t know any better would think I’m getting married every single day!”

Even though they were all red, Jiang Dong bought different shades and styles, and each piece was quite beautiful. It was only when people started asking why she wore red every day that she realized he was only buying that color. By then, her wardrobe was almost entirely red. She couldn’t bear not to wear them; they were already bought, after all. To not wear them would be a waste of money.

Jiang Xia couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

In this era, many people got married by having the groom wear a white shirt or a Zhongshan suit, while he pedaled a bicycle with his bride, dressed in a red skirt, sitting on the back. That was considered a proper wedding procession.

Zhang Fuyan continued, “I’m serious! If I pinned a red flower in my hair, I’d look exactly like a bride. One time, a colleague at my internship even asked me with a laugh if I’d gotten married!”

Jiang Xia burst into a fit of laughter.

The two had reached the ground floor. Seeing Jiang Xia laughing so happily, both Jiang Dong and Zhou Chenglei looked over.

“What’s this about a wedding?” Jiang Dong asked.

Of course, Jiang Dong wanted to marry Zhang Fuyan, but neither of them had graduated yet.

Jiang Xia teased, “Xiao Yan says she wears a red dress every day, and sometimes when she stands next to a male colleague, people ask if they’re newlyweds.”

Zhang Fuyan: “…” That was not what she said!

Jiang Dong: “…” He glanced at Zhang Fuyan and decided then and there never to buy her red clothes or skirts again!

He dropped Xiao Yan off at school and picked her up every day—why had no one ever asked if they were newlyweds?

Time was limited, so Zhou Chenglei only prepared two basins of longlines before they all headed to the pier. At the pier, Zhou Chenglei bought some cheap small fish to use as bait, and then they set out to sea.

Zhou Chenglei steered the boat. Baiting the hooks became Jiang Dong’s job. Zhang Fuyan joined in with great interest. Jiang Xia helped by cutting the fish into chunks for bait. Once the bait was cut, she helped bait the hooks as well.

Truth be told, Jiang Dong and Zhang Fuyan were far too slow. If they waited for them to finish baiting several hundred hooks, the sun would be down!

Setting a longline involved using a main fishing line with branch lines—about twenty-five centimeters long—spaced every half meter to a meter, each with a hook attached. A single long main line could hold many hooks. Some people liked sets of one hundred, some two hundred, and some even used three hundred or five hundred.

Zhou Chenglei was using a set of two hundred.

Once baited and dropped into the sea, the hooks formed a row. Carried by the current, the bait would attract fish to the hooks. Because there were so many hooks and the line was so long, they had to be organized neatly. Each hook was hooked onto the rim of a wooden basin or bucket, with the line coiled neatly inside the basin so it wouldn’t get tangled.

If it got tangled, it was a nightmare to fix.

When the first basin was ready, Zhou Chenglei found a suitable sea area. After checking the wind direction and the current, he let Jiang Xia take the helm while he went to set the line.

“Just keep driving straight like this,” he instructed.

“Okay,” Jiang Xia replied, steering the boat exactly as he said.

Zhou Chenglei began feeding the longline into the water.

Zhang Fuyan couldn’t help but admire her. “Xiaxia, you’re amazing! You even know how to drive a boat.”

Jiang Xia smiled. “If you want to learn, I can teach you when there’s a chance. It’s not that hard.”

Seeing how quickly the hooks were being set, Jiang Dong sped up his work.

Once the first basin was empty, Zhou Chenglei steered the boat to another area and set the second longline. After the lines were set, they had to give the fish some time to take the bait.

By then, the tide had begun to recede. Zhou Chenglei noticed a section of the reefs on the reef island becoming exposed. He steered the boat toward it to see if there was anything worth picking up.

Chapter 504: Like Opening a Blind Box

Jiang Xia had never been to this part of the reef island before. There were so many reefs that walking was difficult, and since she was heavily pregnant, she didn’t want to cause trouble by getting off the boat.

She said to Zhou Chenglei, “Accompany A-Dong and Xiao Yan ashore. I’ll just wait for you here on the boat.”

Jiang Dong asked, “Won’t you be bored by yourself?”

Zhang Fuyan added, “I’ll stay on the boat to keep Xiaxia company.”

Jiang Xia smiled and said, “No need. I can go beachcombing whenever I want, but it’s a rare chance for you two. Go down and see if you can find anything good. The weather is great today, and the sea view is beautiful. I’ll take photos of you; I won’t be bored. Go on! Don’t waste time. A-Lei, take them down.”

Zhou Chenglei set out the beachcombing buckets and iron tongs, then urged Jiang Xia, “Be careful. Call me if you need anything.”

“Okay.”

“Sister, we’re heading down then!” Jiang Dong said.

“Go on, don’t dawdle! Take good care of Xiao Yan.”

The small wooden boat could get very close to the rocks.

Once Jiang Dong hopped off, he reached back to help Zhang Fuyan down.

Jiang Xia raised her camera and snapped a photo of them.

Once they were safely ashore, Zhou Chenglei handed a bucket to Jiang Dong and then stepped off the boat himself, carrying his own bucket.

As soon as Zhang Fuyan found her footing, she spotted a large mud crab in a rock crevice. “Jiang Dong, there’s a crab! A huge one!”

Jiang Dong immediately reached for it with the iron tongs.

However, the crab instantly retreated deep into the rocks. These reefs were the type that couldn’t be moved.

Zhang Fuyan said, “Poke inside with the tongs to drive it out, and I’ll catch it.”

Jiang Dong crouched down and poked around a few times. The water turned murky, but the crab eventually scurried out.

Zhang Fuyan hurriedly tried to grab it with her tongs.

It wasn’t easy to catch, though; the crab’s large pincers actually clamped onto her iron tongs instead.

…

Jiang Xia found a good angle and took a photo of them.

Zhou Chenglei didn’t bother watching the young couple’s battle of wits with the crab. Seeing Jiang Xia busy taking photos, he lowered his head and began searching the rock crevices as well.

After Zhang Fuyan and Jiang Dong successfully worked together to get the crab into the bucket, the young couple continued their search hand-in-hand.

Few people ever visited an island like this, so there were quite a lot of things hidden in the rock crevices.

And most of them were crabs.

Zhou Chenglei quickly discovered two mud crabs in a crevice.

Zhang Fuyan cried out in surprise again, “This one is huge!”

Jiang Dong hastily clamped onto it, lifted it up, and tossed it into the bucket.

The young couple moved further ahead.

From time to time, Zhang Fuyan’s surprised exclamations drifted across the breeze.

…

The sun was warm, the sea breeze was gentle, and the small boat rocked softly. After Jiang Xia took a few more photos, she rested her arm on the back of the bamboo chair, found a comfortable position, and leaned back to nap for a while.

Zhou Chenglei had collected four or five mud crabs. Seeing that Jiang Xia had fallen asleep, he carefully returned to the boat, took a spare light jacket, and gently covered her with it.

After tucking the jacket around Jiang Xia, he went back down to continue looking for more things to gather.

Jiang Dong and Zhang Fuyan had already circled around to the other side.

Zhou Chenglei didn’t wander too far. He wasn’t comfortable letting Jiang Xia out of his sight, so he only searched in areas where he could still see her figure.

If he found something, he’d take it; if not, so be it.

After catching another mud crab and doing one more circuit without finding anything else, he was about to return to the boat when he spotted a hole beneath a submerged reef. A single antenna was sticking out.

Zhou Chenglei immediately pulled off his water boots, slung a mesh bag over his shoulder, and jumped into the water…

By the time Zhang Fuyan and Jiang Dong returned from their circuit, Zhou Chenglei happened to be surfacing from the water.

Both of them saw the mesh bag slung over his shoulder. It was filled with lobsters.

Zhang Fuyan: “…”

Jiang Dong: “…”

“Brother-in-law, why didn’t you call me when you went down to catch lobsters? Are there any more? I want to catch some too!”

He and Xiao Yan had searched the whole way and only found crabs.

Woken up by Jiang Dong’s loud voice, Jiang Xia looked up.

Zhou Chenglei glanced at Jiang Xia and then shot a look at Jiang Dong. “There are no more.”

Seeing a dripping wet Zhou Chenglei, Jiang Xia became fully awake. “Why did you go into the water? Aren’t you cold?”

“I’m not cold. I don’t mind it.” It was almost mid-April; he had been wearing short sleeves every day lately.

“Sister! Brother-in-law went to the seabed to catch lobsters! He caught a whole bag of them!” Jiang Dong said excitedly.

Zhang Fuyan nudged him. “You woke Xiaxia up!”

“It’s fine.” Jiang Xia was completely awake now, looking at the bag of scalloped spiny lobsters. “Did you stumble upon a lobster nest? How many are there?”

Zhou Chenglei climbed back onto the boat. “Nine. Let’s go! Time to pull up the longlines.”

“Okay.” Jiang Dong helped Zhang Fuyan back onto the boat as well.

Zhou Chenglei put on the jacket Jiang Xia handed him and started the engine.

Jiang Xia looked at the harvest in Jiang Dong’s bucket—at a guess, there were seven or eight mud crabs and one miscellaneous fish.

She smiled and said, “It looks like this place is a nest for mud crabs. If we want to eat some next time, we’ll come here to catch them.”

Many types of crabs weren’t worth much, but mud crabs were nourishing and quite valuable.

However, they certainly wouldn’t sell today’s haul; they would keep it all for the family to eat.

It had been a while since Zhou Chenglei had caught mud crabs; usually, they found more flower crabs.

When the boat reached the sea area where they had set the longlines, Zhou Chenglei picked up the marker buoy and began pulling the fishing line.

Jiang Dong and Zhang Fuyan watched with wide eyes.

The first hook had no fish. Neither did the second or the third.

Jiang Dong: “…”

Why was every hook empty? Had they not left them in long enough?

As Zhou Chenglei pulled up each hook, he slotted them into a bamboo pole that had a rectangular notch carved into it to keep them organized, and coiled the line into a basin so it wouldn’t get tangled.

After pulling up seven or eight empty hooks in a row, a fish finally came up.

Jiang Dong was excited. “A little gold bar! A big one!”

It was a Large Yellow Croaker, weighing about 500g, shimmering like gold in the sunlight.

Jiang Xia smiled. “This Large Yellow Croaker must be about 600g.”

Zhang Fuyan asked in surprise, “You can tell how much it weighs just by looking?”

“If you see enough of them, you just know.”

The fish had swallowed the hook a bit deep. To save time, Zhou Chenglei used scissors to snip it off and tossed the fish into the bucket beside him.

He continued pulling the line. Another empty hook!

But the very next hook brought up another Large Yellow Croaker.

It was just slightly smaller than the first one, weighing about 400g.

This one wasn’t hooked deep, so Zhou Chenglei unhooked it directly.

Then came two empty hooks, followed by a yellowfin seabream.

Jiang Dong laughed. “This fish is delicious too!”

After one more empty hook, a Bigtooth Croaker came up, weighing about 750g.

This fish looked somewhat similar to a Large Yellow Croaker, but its body wasn’t as golden, and it had three sharp teeth—hence the name “three-tooth fish” in local dialect.

Then came another Large Yellow Croaker, even bigger than the first, about 750g.

The next hook was another Large Yellow Croaker!

Jiang Xia smiled. “There are quite a lot of Large Yellow Croakers in this sea area today.”

The next hook was another Large Yellow Croaker!

Jiang Xia: “…Could we have run into a school of Large Yellow Croakers passing through?”

The next hook was another Large Yellow Croaker!

If they were using a trawl net, wouldn’t they be making a fortune?

Jiang Dong watched Zhou Chenglei pull the line up bit by bit. Every few tugs, a fish appeared. It was like opening a blind box, incredibly thrilling. He said, “Brother-in-law, let me try!”

Zhou Chenglei stood up and let him take over.

Jiang Dong sat on the bamboo chair and imitated Zhou Chenglei’s technique, pulling the line. With one tug, something came up…

Before Jiang Dong could even see what it was, he was so startled that he dropped everything, jumped up, and clung to Zhou Chenglei.

Zhou Chenglei: “…”

Chapter 505: Protecting His Sister?

Zhang Fuyan stared at Jiang Dong, who was clinging to Zhou Chenglei like a koala. “…”

Jiang Dong’s sanity snapped back into place instantly!

He quickly let go of Zhou Chenglei and stood tall, trying desperately to save face. He put on a calm front and said, “I just pulled up a snake. I was afraid it would scare my sister, so I threw it back. My sister is terrified of snakes, and in my panic to protect her, I grabbed the wrong person!”

Jiang Xia: “…”

Seriously?

Jiang Dong shot his sister a look, then stole a glance at Zhang Fuyan, pleading with Jiang Xia to leave him some dignity.

“Well,” Jiang Xia obliged, “I really am afraid of snakes, and I did get a fright just now!”

She was indeed afraid of snakes, and she had been startled—but not by a snake. She had been startled by Jiang Dong!

She had been too busy putting the Large Yellow Croaker into the foam box with ice to keep its golden color from fading. She hadn’t even seen what he’d pulled up!

Zhang Fuyan’s lips twitched. “Then hurry up and pull the line in, cut it off, and throw it into the sea! Don’t scare Xiaxia!”

Jiang Dong: “…Scare? Oh… right.”

Is this really my wife?

Zhou Chenglei said, “Don’t worry, it wasn’t a snake. It was a sea eel.”

He stepped back a few paces, giving his brother-in-law plenty of space to jump around freely. He didn’t want the man lunging at him again.

He only liked it when Jiang Xia threw herself at him; he wanted no part of anyone else!

Hearing this, Jiang Dong quickly said, “Oh, so it was a sea eel! I’ve heard they have vicious temperaments. Brother-in-law, you should handle this. You have more experience, and I don’t want to get in the way. It’s getting late, let’s pull the fish in and head back!”

Jiang Dong quickly moved out of the way.

What was the difference between a sea eel and a sea snake anyway? They both looked equally terrifying!

It seemed fishing wasn’t the life for him. He should probably stick to the research lab.

Zhou Chenglei was about to sit back down when Zhang Fuyan stepped forward.

“I’ll do it. I’m not afraid.”

Jiang Dong immediately piped up, “Forget it, I’ll do it!”

He was afraid she’d get startled and fall into the sea.

“No need, I want to try.” Zhang Fuyan sat down, picked up the fishing line still draped over the gunwale, and hauled the sea eel up.

The sea eel was still twisting and writhing.

Zhou Chenglei advised, “Just cut the line directly.”

Zhang Fuyan took the scissors and snipped the line.

The sea eel dropped onto the shuttering, slithering around.

Jiang Dong nearly leapt into the air.

Jiang Xia lifted her feet. She had seen this many times before; the trawl nets often caught a few sea eels, so she wasn’t that afraid anymore.

Besides, how could Zhou Chenglei let it slither toward Jiang Xia and scare her?

He gave it a nudge with his foot, kicking it back toward the other side.

Jiang Dong nearly jumped again!

Zhou Chenglei leaned over, grabbed it with one hand, and threw it straight into a bucket. His movements were lightning-fast.

Zhang Fuyan continued pulling the line. After one empty hook, a Black Sea Bream came up.

Then, several Large Yellow Croakers followed in quick succession.

…

Out of two hundred hooks, eighty-two were empty, and they caught a total of one hundred and eighteen fish.

Large Yellow Croakers made up more than half the catch, with sixty-eight in total.

The rest consisted of fifteen Sanya croakers, six yellowfin seabream, five Black Sea Bream, one sea eel, three marbled rockfish, seven sea bass, and various other miscellaneous fish.

Jiang Xia laughed. “Not bad! These can sell for over eighty yuan!”

Zhang Fuyan was surprised. “That much?”

“Mhm, Large Yellow Croakers are quite valuable right now.”

Jiang Dong said excitedly, “Let’s go to the next spot and haul up the rest of the longlines.”

Zhang Fuyan asked, “That one has been down longer; will there be even more fish?”

Jiang Xia replied, “It depends on luck.”

Zhou Chenglei steered the boat over and soon found the marker buoy. He stopped the boat, pulled it up, and asked Zhang Fuyan and Jiang Dong, “Which of you wants to go?”

Zhang Fuyan looked at Jiang Dong. “You go!”

Xiaxia had specifically brought them out to sea. It wouldn’t do for Jiang Dong to retreat just because of one eel; he needed to participate.

Jiang Dong wasn’t as scared anymore—or rather, even if he was, he had to pretend he wasn’t!

“I’ll do it.”

So, Jiang Dong sat down and began pulling the line up.

The first ten hooks were all empty.

Jiang Dong grumbled, “Why are they all empty? Is my luck that bad? Xiao Yan, do you want to take over?”

Jiang Xia teased, “Maybe the big fish are all at the end.”

Zhang Fuyan added, “Exactly, be patient!”

As soon as they finished speaking, a fish came up. It was another Large Yellow Croaker, and quite a big one, weighing about 1 kg.

Jiang Dong unhooked the fish and laughed. “The good fish really were at the back! They’re getting bigger and bigger!”

He continued pulling. After two empty hooks, another Large Yellow Croaker appeared, weighing about 500g.

Jiang Xia remarked, “It seems this sea area really is full of Large Yellow Croakers.”

Zhang Fuyan suggested, “Then you guys should bring the boat here tomorrow to use the trawl net!”

Zhou Chenglei shook his head. “This area isn’t good for trawling. There are too many reefs on the seabed around here.”

Jiang Xia realized, “No wonder I haven’t seen any other fishing boats trawling here.”

“Mhm.” He had specifically chosen a sea area with no other fishing activity to set his longlines.

Just then, Jiang Dong pulled up a somewhat flat fish. It was quite large. He asked excitedly, “Brother-in-law, what fish is this? It’s huge, probably weighs 1 or 1.5 kg.”

“A flathead fish.”

Zhang Fuyan had never eaten one and thought it looked ugly. “Does it taste good?”

“It’s alright.”

Next came an eel, and a massive one at that. Jiang Dong was startled for a moment, but since he had been on his guard, he didn’t panic this time. He hauled it up, then dodged its violently writhing body as he reached for the scissors.

Zhou Chenglei, afraid it would scatter and scare Jiang Xia, immediately held out a mesh bag to catch it.

Jiang Dong snipped the line, letting it drop right into the mesh bag.

Jiang Xia glanced at it. “That’s a fat eel!”

Zhou Chenglei estimated, “It should be around 6 or 6.5 kg.”

“We’re eating this tonight!” Jiang Dong felt a great sense of accomplishment. He had finally redeemed himself!

As if to prove he hadn’t been scared earlier and really did just want to protect his sister!

He’d just grabbed the wrong person!

Zhang Fuyan smiled and said, “Alright then. You handle it. I want to eat the braised eel you make.”

Jiang Dong: “…I don’t actually know how to make that. I’ll make it for you once I learn.”

He quickly went back to hauling the fish, staying silent.

Next up was another eel, weighing about 5 or 6 kg.

Zhang Fuyan joked, “The fish are practically jumping on the hooks to give you practice! You’d better learn well tonight!”

Jiang Dong: “…”

“If the next one is an eel too, I’ll use it for practice. This one is too big; if I mess it up, it’ll be a waste. Whatever the next one is, I’ll use it to practice!”

He didn’t believe for a second that there would be three eels in a row.

As it turned out, the very next one was indeed another eel!

Jiang Dong: “…”

Can these eels understand human speech?

Are they getting hooked on purpose just to give me a hard time?

Weren’t there supposed to be lots of Large Yellow Croakers?

He knew how to make steamed Large Yellow Croaker!

Jiang Xia laughed. “It seems it’s destiny.”

Zhang Fuyan added with a smile, “You can’t escape now. This one is a bit smaller!”

Jiang Dong wanted to slap his own mouth!

Jiang Xia teased, “What if the rest of them are all eels? It might be enough for A-Dong to become a Master Chef of braised eel.”

Jiang Dong looked at his sister pitifully. Is she really my biological sister?

Zhang Fuyan laughed. “That would be wonderful!”

Jiang Dong decided to step aside for someone more capable. “Sis, you have good luck. You do it. Pull up a big fish! We haven’t caught any truly big ones today.”

Zhou Chenglei interjected, “Your sister is pregnant; do you think it’s convenient for her?”

Jiang Xia smiled. “Are you scared?”

“Who’s scared!” Jiang Dong had no choice but to keep pulling. Suddenly, the line felt heavy.

Jiang Dong said excitedly, “I think this really is a big fish! It’s quite heavy.”

Zhang Fuyan urged, “Hurry and pull it up! Let’s see what it is!”

Jiang Xia stayed where she was, sitting steadily and waiting for them to bring the fish up.

The fishing boat was small, and she didn’t want to accidentally fall into the sea.

Zhou Chenglei readied the dip net.

Jiang Dong carefully pulled the line up.

Chapter 506: A Bountiful Harvest

Jiang Dong carefully pulled the line up.

A flash of red surfaced.

Zhang Fuyan exclaimed, “It’s huge! What kind of fish is this? A grouper?”

“Yes, a red grouper,” Zhou Chenglei said, catching it with a dip net.

Jiang Dong cut the fishing line.

Jiang Xia took a look and asked, “Does it weigh about 3.5 or 4 kilograms?”

Zhou Chenglei placed the fish into a basin. “Around 4 kilograms.”

Zhang Fuyan reached out to touch it and asked, “Is this fish valuable?”

Jiang Xia smiled. “This single fish can sell for ten yuan.”

That expensive?

Zhang Fuyan immediately encouraged Jiang Dong, “Jiang Dong, keep it up! Catch a few more like this!”

Jiang Dong was already pulling another line. After a few empty hooks, he continued pulling and said excitedly, “This one is heavy too! It’s also red!”

However, what came up this time was a red fish. It wasn’t as expensive as the red grouper, but it was even larger.

Zhou Chenglei scooped it up with the dip net as well. “This is a red fish. It weighs 4.5 kilograms and can sell for about four yuan.”

Zhang Fuyan laughed. “Big fish really are worth something! This is worth more than a chicken.”

Four yuan for one fish was indeed expensive!

Jiang Xia nodded. “Well, a 4-kilogram fish is also much bigger than your average chicken.”

Zhang Fuyan said, “Jiang Dong, continue! Your hands are made for catching big fish. All the ones I caught before were small—not a single one over 1.5 kilograms.”

Jiang Dong also felt his luck was peaking. He excitedly continued pulling. After a few empty hooks, a Large Yellow Croaker came up.

It weighed about 500 grams.

Then, two more Large Yellow Croakers of roughly the same size followed, followed by a significantly larger one.

“Brother-in-law! Quick, get the dip net!”

This time, a black grouper surfaced—it was a Giant Grouper, weighing about 5 kilograms.

The fish was very lively.

Seeing it, Jiang Xia said, “Chenglei, let’s see if we can put this one in the net cage to raise.”

“Alright.”

Zhang Fuyan asked, “It’s already so big, and you’re still going to raise it?”

Jiang Xia explained, “This species can grow up to 400 kilograms. Anything under 2 kilograms is still considered a juvenile.”

Giant Groupers could grow to several hundred kilograms. If they could raise it until it reached 15 or 20 kilograms before selling, it would be much more valuable.

Growing them to several hundred kilograms was too difficult and impractical; no one knew how many years that would take, as Giant Groupers could live for over twenty years.

In their seabed net cages, they were already raising five Giant Groupers.

Two of them had already grown to around 10 kilograms, growing quite quickly.

Zhang Fuyan glanced at the Giant Grouper, unable to imagine how massive a 400-kilogram fish would be. Would it be longer than this fishing boat?

She asked her thought aloud.

Jiang Xia wasn’t sure either, as she had never seen one that large. “It should be close!”

The subsequent catches were mostly fish weighing 0.5 to 1 kilogram, including Large Yellow Croakers, Sanya croakers, yellowfin seabream, flatfish, sea bass, and some miscellaneous fish. The variety was quite rich.

At the very end, they actually caught two Greater Amberjacks—one weighing 11 kilograms and the other 9 kilograms.

Jiang Xia smiled. “Our luck is really good!”

There were many more empty hooks this time; ninety-three were empty. However, because they caught many large fish and twenty-six Large Yellow Croakers, the total value would be over a hundred yuan if sold.

Zhang Fuyan asked, “Roughly how much will these fish sell for?”

Jiang Xia estimated, “Around 110 yuan.”

It was another day of bountiful harvest!

Zhang Fuyan clicked her tongue. “Fishing is so lucrative. You earned nearly two hundred yuan in just one afternoon. That’s more than I make translating a thick original manuscript, which takes me half a month.”

Jiang Xia replied, “It depends on luck. Today, you two brought the good luck at sea. Besides, fishing carries great risks; it’s not as comfortable as sitting at a desk.”

“That’s true.”

Jiang Xia asked Zhang Fuyan and Jiang Dong what fish they wanted to eat and had Zhou Chenglei set those aside. The rest would be sold once they returned to the pier.

When they arrived at the pier, Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Dong carried the fish to the purchase station. The villagers looked at their catch in shock. “A-Lei, you caught this much fish going out in a small wooden boat? Did you run into a school of Large Yellow Croakers?”

“No, we didn’t use a net. We caught them using a longline.”

“I set a longline today too, 800 hooks in total, and I didn’t get nearly as many Large Yellow Croakers as you. Where did you set your line to get so many? I’ll go there tomorrow.”

“You make a lot with your big trawler, and now you’re making a lot with this small boat and a longline. Are you going to leave anything for the rest of us? It’s like your family is catching every fish in the sea!”

“The fish in the sea only seem to want to jump into your nets and onto your hooks!”

Zhou Chenglei ignored the jealous remarks and simply told them the location.

Hearing the location, everyone grew dejected.

“Too far. It’s not convenient for us to row that far.”

“It seems we really need to install motors on our boats. There are hardly any fish in the nearshore waters.”

“Even if there are, they’re just cheap, worthless fish.”

“But a motor setup isn’t cheap. Even a second-hand one costs dozens of yuan, and they’re hard to find. New ones are too expensive. If you don’t catch enough fish, you’ll lose money on the fuel.”

“Exactly! A-Lei, do you think we should install them?”

Zhou Chenglei replied, “Installing one lets you go further, but you do need to pay for fuel. You’ll have to decide for yourselves; there are pros and cons.”

“How much did you spend on fuel today?”

“I bought eight yuan worth, but I haven’t used it all yet.”

“If I could earn over a hundred yuan in a small wooden boat like A-Lei, I’d install one without a second thought!”

“Nonsense! If I were like A-Lei, taking the boat back in the morning and earning over a hundred yuan in the afternoon, I’d install it with my eyes closed! Why even think about it?”

…

Zhou Chenglei stopped participating in their discussion.

No one could guarantee that going further would lead to more fish, but the chances were certainly higher.

However, he had installed the motor primarily for the convenience of his crew getting to and from work.

The trip from the City Pier to Abalone Island usually took over an hour of rowing; without a motor, would they rely solely on manpower?

Zhang Fuyan observed the fish brought in by boats like theirs. Many fishermen could only sell their catch for eight or ten yuan, some even as little as three or four yuan. The person who sold theirs for twenty yuan was already overjoyed.

This was because most of the fish they netted sold for only ten or twenty cents a jin, or even just a few fen.

Fortunately, those fishermen rowed their boats; otherwise, they truly would have lost money on fuel.

The larger fishing boats did earn more, but still not as much as they had.

So, when Xiaxia said their luck was good today, she meant it!

Not every fisherman could earn one or two hundred yuan in a day.

It was no wonder those small wooden boats stuck to oars; the fuel costs would eat up their profits.

Still, every industry had its high and low performers; it was perfectly normal.

Just like in school, some students scored full marks while others only got a dozen points.

Just like Jiang Dong and his seniors, who had already developed several patents while still in school and earned money most people wouldn’t see in a lifetime. Her monthly salary from translating and her internship was over two hundred yuan, which was already higher than many, while most of her classmates were satisfied living on a few yuan of financial aid each month.

Jiang Dong needed to return to the city to have dinner with Father Jiang and Mother Jiang.

Zhou Chenglei packed six scalloped spiny lobsters, six mud crabs, one 1-kilogram Large Yellow Croaker, two yellowfin seabream, one red grouper, and one eel to take to the Jiang household.

The remaining three scalloped spiny lobsters, eight mud crabs, two Large Yellow Croakers, several yellowfin seabream, and one eel were left for his parents and Zhou Zhou.

Then, he drove Jiang Dong and the others back to accompany Father Jiang and Mother Jiang for a reunion dinner.

Since they were still transplanting the rice seedlings today, Li Xiuxian returned to the village after school to see if they were finished. As soon as she entered the courtyard and saw the scalloped spiny lobsters and mud crabs in the bucket, her eyes widened in shock.

Chapter 507: No Awareness

Mother Zhou was just about to start cooking when she saw her second son and his wife. She asked, “Have you two eaten yet? Where’s Yingying?”

Zhou Chengsen parked his bicycle. Noticing the look on Li Xiuxian’s face, he replied, “We’ve eaten. Yingying and Wenguang are over at the convenience store. Yingying ate too. I had a meal at my work unit and only came back after finishing.”

The food at the work unit cafeteria was good, but each person could only get one portion. However, the portions were very generous, nearly enough for both him and his daughter.

He had also bought two meat buns on the side.

Li Xiuxian said, “I haven’t eaten yet.”

Zhou Chengsen replied, “Didn’t you say you were going back to your parents’ house to cook for your father and the others, and that you were just coming back here to grab a change of clothes before heading over?”

Li Xiuxian: “…”

She had her pride, after all. She turned right back around and headed for the town!

Hadn’t she given him back the hundred yuan her father and brother had returned last night?

What more did he want?

Did he really think she didn’t have a temper?

Li Xiuxian pedaled her bicycle out of the village with aggressive force. As she rounded a corner, her vision was obscured by a thicket of bamboo, and she collided head-on with another bicycle, falling straight to the ground.

The other person quickly parked their bike and helped her up. “Comrade Xiuxian, are you alright?”

Li Xiuxian was in agonizing pain. She snapped, “Why don’t you try falling and see? …Liao Ruixiang? Factory Director?”

Liao Ruixiang held onto her and didn’t let go. He caught a glimpse of her reddened eyes and smiled. “What ‘Factory Director’? I’m just a Deputy Factory Director. Besides, we were classmates. You can just call me Ruixiang.”

He looked down at her, his voice full of concern. “Are you hurt anywhere?”

Li Xiuxian only then realized she was in his arms and hurriedly pulled away. “I’m fine.”

Liao Ruixiang let go of her smoothly and pointed at her hand. “Your hand is injured; it’s bleeding. Let me take you to the health clinic to get some medicine on it.”

“No need, I’ll just put some on when I get home.”

Liao Ruixiang picked up Li Xiuxian’s bicycle and hopped onto his own. “Get on! You can’t ride a bike with that hand. I’ll drop you off at the health clinic to get it looked at before you go home. We’re old classmates, don’t be a stranger. If I hadn’t bumped into you, you wouldn’t have been hurt. I won’t feel right if you don’t go to the hospital.”

Li Xiuxian’s hand did indeed hurt quite a bit, and she wasn’t sure if she had sprained it, so she got onto his bicycle.

Liao Ruixiang rode with one hand, carrying Li Xiuxian on the back while guiding her bicycle with his other hand as they headed toward the town.

“How have you been lately? I heard you became a teacher in town. That’s truly impressive!”

“It’s nothing special. You’re the impressive one, opening such a large livestock farm and becoming a factory director! You’re the most successful out of all our junior high classmates.”

Li Xiuxian thought back to the past. Someone had once tried to introduce Liao Ruixiang to her, but his family had been too poor back then. She hadn’t expected him to start raising and selling pigs a couple of years ago. Now, he had established a pig farm and become the village’s future tycoon.

“I’m just a rough man. You and your husband are both intellectuals; I can’t compare to you two. By the way, where is your husband? Why are you out here all by yourself so late?”

“He’s back in the village helping his brother with some work.”

“Helping a brother is fine, but it’s almost dark. He should at least see his wife home first. You’re so beautiful—can he really be at ease leaving you alone?”

“If only he had your awareness!”

“Oh, right. There’s a junior high class reunion next Saturday. Are you going?”

“I don’t know if I’ll be free then…”

…

Following that, Liao Ruixiang didn’t just personally take her to the health clinic for medicine; knowing she hadn’t eaten, he even took her to a restaurant for a meal before personally escorting her home and then leaving.

The Jiang Family

After the family finished their meal, Jiang Dong drove Zhang Fuyan back to her maternal grandparents’ place.

Father Jiang and Zhou Chenglei were in the kitchen washing dishes.

Jiang Xia and Mother Jiang sat on the sofa watching television.

Mother Jiang asked Jiang Xia, “When is your next prenatal checkup? Come home for dinner afterward; I’ll stew some soup for you.”

Jiang Xia replied, “I have an appointment with Dr. Gao next Friday.”

She was now having a prenatal checkup once every two weeks.

Mother Jiang frowned. “Next Friday is exactly when I have to go on a business trip.”

She had originally wanted to stew a soup to clear the “fetal toxins” for Jiang Xia.

Father Jiang brought out a plate of washed loquats and set them on the coffee table. “I’ll be home. I’m not going on a trip. A-Lei and Xiaxia can come over to eat then. What soup should I stew? I’ll make it.”

“I’ll tell you when the time comes.”

Jiang Xia was about to pick up her water glass when her stomach twinged. Her movements paused.

Zhou Chenglei walked out and sat down beside Jiang Xia, noticing her hesitation. “What’s wrong?”

Father Jiang and Mother Jiang both looked over.

Jiang Xia smiled and rubbed a protruding lump on her belly. “It’s nothing. The baby moved.”

Usually, this was the time when her fetal movement was most frequent, and every night, Zhou Chenglei would catch these moments to talk and interact with the children.

Wherever they kicked, he would gently tap that spot with his finger.

Normally the movements weren’t that obvious, but tonight it really felt like a powerful kick.

The three of them fixed their gazes on Jiang Xia’s stomach.

They saw a round lump rise on her spherical belly, which then slid across her skin.

Everyone could see the clear trajectory of the moving bulge.

Father Jiang: “…Is that a stretch or a kick?”

Mother Jiang smiled. “This child is strong; they’ll definitely be lively. When I was pregnant with Jiang Dong, he kicked very hard too. It used to hurt quite a lot!”

Zhou Chenglei placed his large palm on the spot where the baby had just kicked. “Does it hurt?”

Jiang Xia rubbed her abdomen, her eyes full of warmth. “It’s alright.”

The babies were still moving. Through the dress, everyone could see Jiang Xia’s belly protruding here and there, the skin trembling slightly.

Were the three children dancing inside? Father Jiang’s heart fluttered just watching. “Are they tired? Are they pushing you to go to bed? What time does Xiaxia usually sleep?”

Zhou Chenglei gently stroked a small protruding lump, reluctant to pull his hand away for a long time. He couldn’t tell if it was a tiny fist or a little foot. “It’s usually around this time.”

This was the time he usually spent talking to the children; Zhou Chenglei felt the children were missing him.

Jiang Xia glanced at the old-fashioned wall clock. It was only 8:30 PM. She laughed. “A-Lei usually talks to them at this time, so they’re always more active around now, but they’ve never been this excited. I suppose they’re just happy knowing they’re staying the night at Grandpa and Grandma’s place.”

Father Jiang was worried the babies were being too rowdy and making his daughter uncomfortable. He said to Zhou Chenglei, “Then hurry up and tell them to stop acting up. Tell them they’re kicking their mother’s stomach out of shape! Tell them to go to sleep!”

Zhou Chenglei: “…”

As time passed with busy fishing, net cage construction, and translation work, Friday soon arrived.

Zhou Chenglei drove Jiang Xia to the hospital to see Dr. Gao for her prenatal checkup.

During the examination, Zhou Chenglei told Dr. Gao about how the babies often kicked at night until Jiang Xia’s stomach bulged, and how those bulges felt round and firm to the touch.

Dr. Gao smiled and said, “It’s a good thing for the babies to be strong. It proves they’re healthy, though it’s hard on the mother!”

Jiang Xia smiled back. “I think so too. It’s not that hard; they rarely kick me hard enough to cause pain.”

As long as they were healthy and strong, that was all that mattered.

During the ultrasound, a lump happened to bulge out again. The ultrasound doctor laughed. “I can’t say for the earlier ones, but this time it isn’t a hand or a foot. It’s a butt.”

Zhou Chenglei: “…”

Jiang Xia: “…”

So the baby was sticking their butt out?

After finishing the ultrasound, Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei returned to Dr. Gao’s office together. To their surprise, they saw Zhou Zhou’s birth mother, a nurse, and an elderly woman waiting outside the office.

The nurse smiled and said, “Dr. Gao, my cousin’s wife is here. Could you please take a look at her?”

“Cousin’s wife, this is Dr. Gao. she’s a specialist in gynecology and is very skilled. Many people who couldn’t conceive for years after marriage have managed to get pregnant after having Dr. Gao treat them.”

He Xiuhui saw Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia walking toward them from a distance and instinctively wanted to hide.

However, being able to come here to see Dr. Gao was only possible because her mother-in-law had pulled some strings. She had heard this doctor was exceptional and that many infertile people had conceived after her treatment.

He Xiuhui’s mother-in-law smiled and said, “Dr. Gao.”

She then gave He Xiuhui a subtle shove, thinking disdainfully: She’s like a wooden block!

He Xiuhui didn’t dare look at Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia. She was terrified they would greet her and let her current husband’s cousin know that she was a divorcée. She forced a smile and greeted the doctor, “Dr. Gao.”

Dr. Gao smiled. “Please wait just a moment.”

Chapter 508: Meeting Again

Gao Jie said to the couple again, “Xiao Xia, you two should head back first! Come back in half a month. If you have any problems or anything you don’t understand, you can come find me anytime or call and ask me.”

Jiang Xia smiled and said, “Thank you, Dr. Gao. We’ll be going now!”

Dr. Gao nodded, then pushed open the office door and said to the nurse and He Xiuhui, “Come in!”

Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei started walking toward the hospital exit.

He Xiuhui felt a wave of relief when she saw that Zhou Chenglei didn’t greet her. She quickly followed Dr. Gao into the office.

Her mother-in-law was right there. If Zhou Chenglei had called her “Third Sister-in-law,” she wouldn’t have known how to respond.

None of her current husband’s relatives knew she was a divorcee on her second marriage. Her father-in-law and mother-in-law, fearing the loss of face, forbade her from telling anyone and also prohibited her from contacting her daughter.

He Xiuhui’s mother-in-law couldn’t help but glance at Jiang Xia’s retreating back before entering the office. She asked curiously, “Dr. Gao, was that female comrade just now pregnant with twins? Her belly is so big! I could tell at a glance she’s carrying sons.”

Gao Jie didn’t answer her directly. “It is a multiple pregnancy. As for whether they are sons or daughters, one won’t know until they are born.”

She looked at He Xiuhui. “Sit down. I’ll check your pulse first.”

He Xiuhui sat down.

He Xiuhui’s mother-in-law spoke up again, “Dr. Gao, I want my daughter-in-law to have twins, and preferably both sons. Did you help that woman just now conceive twins?”

Gao Jie had just placed her hand on He Xiuhui’s wrist. Hearing this, her face darkened instantly, and she retracted her hand. “I don’t have that kind of ability! If you’re looking to conceive twins, you’ve come to the wrong person! I don’t know how! Do you still want an appointment or not?”

Seeing that Gao Jie was angry, the nurse quickly said, “Great-aunt, what kind of nonsense are you talking about!”

He Xiuhui’s mother-in-law was startled. She hadn’t expected the doctor to have such a temper. She hadn’t even said much, just asked!

She hurriedly smiled and said, “Yes, we do! Just use whatever method you used for that other woman!”

They had married a hen that didn’t lay eggs; now, forget about wanting her to lay a double-yolk egg, even a single yolk would be fine!

Gao Jie: “…”

Truly, there are all sorts of people in this world!

Gao Jie stated again, “I can see her, but let me make one thing clear: that female comrade just now came to me for a prenatal checkup after she had already conceived naturally. I only provide medical consultations and prenatal checkups. I have no way to help people conceive twins or help them have sons. If you are here for twins and sons, you can leave!”

With the current family planning policy, those with urban household registration were only allowed one child. If word got out that she was helping people conceive twins—and sons at that—she would be in deep trouble.

It seemed that in the future, she wouldn’t see any more patients who used connections to bring their relatives.

“I understand. My daughter-in-law has been married for several years and hasn’t even produced an egg. Please take a look for me!”

Gao Jie sighed inwardly. If it weren’t for her sympathy for infertile women whose lives were difficult, she really wouldn’t want to treat this old woman’s daughter-in-law.

After checking He Xiuhui’s pulse, Gao Jie frowned. “Have you experienced postpartum hemorrhage before?”

The expressions of both He Xiuhui and her mother-in-law changed.

The nurse said, “Probably not? My cousin has never been pregnant!”

Gao Jie: “…”

Never pregnant? She had clearly given birth before.

He Xiuhui’s mother-in-law quickly said, “No, she was pregnant once right after they got married. She accidentally fell, and we couldn’t save the baby.”

The nurse looked surprised but didn’t ask further questions.

He Xiuhui remained silent. Back then, her mother-in-law was afraid the child wasn’t theirs but belonged to her ex-husband, so they didn’t keep it.

At that time, she hadn’t been sure who the child’s father was either.

Gao Jie continued to ask, “How long ago was it? Or specifically when? Do you remember?”

…

After finishing the consultation and understanding the situation, Gao Jie said:

“Your body suffered a major hemorrhage during the miscarriage and wasn’t properly cared for afterward. I’ll try to help you nourish and regulate your system, but it might take a long time.”

“How long?” He Xiuhui’s mother-in-law asked impatiently.

“Regulating it with me will take at least one or two years, maybe even three. You’ll need to drink more Chinese medicine in the first month. Starting from the second month, you’ll only need two doses a week, and then continue for half a year. You also need to soak your feet in medicinal herbs, at least… during other times, use food to provide nourishing nutrition. Also, while regulating your body, you can’t work too hard. You need more rest, keep your mood relaxed, and you can’t always be anxious…”

He Xiuhui’s mother-in-law: “…”

Was this a quack trying to swindle them?

Regulating for two or three years? Her daughter-in-law would be in her thirties by then. Could she even give birth?

Finally, Gao Jie asked, “Shall I prescribe the medicine?”

He Xiuhui’s mother-in-law hesitated. “Go ahead. Prescribe two days’ worth first to see the effect.”

Gao Jie said, “Two days won’t show any effect. Chinese medicine works slowly. I can prescribe seven days’ worth for you to try.”

The nurse was anxious, having gone through so much trouble to get Dr. Gao to help. “Great-aunt, two days really won’t show anything.”

He Xiuhui’s mother-in-law felt the sting in her wallet. “Then prescribe seven days first.”

Gao Jie directly wrote a prescription for seven days of medicine.

After Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei left the hospital, Jiang Xia stopped him. “I need to go to the bathroom.”

Zhou Chenglei accompanied her and waited outside.

Jiang Xia was in the bathroom for quite a while—long enough that Zhou Chenglei was just about to ask a nurse to go in and check on her when she finally came out.

Once out, Jiang Xia saw someone selling buns outside the hospital and said, “I want to eat buns.”

Zhou Chenglei glanced over. “I’ll go buy them. You get in the car first.”

Jiang Xia said, “I won’t get in the car; I’ll wait for you here. If you aren’t eating, just buy one.”

Zhou Chenglei strode over and bought a bun.

After he returned, Jiang Xia pointed to a fruit stall in the distance. “I want to eat fruit, too.”

Zhou Chenglei looked over and asked, “What fruit do you want?”

“Sugarcane, peeled.”

Zhou Chenglei went to buy it.

After waiting for about ten minutes, he returned with a piece of peeled sugarcane. Jiang Xia took it and took a bite. It was very sweet. She handed it to Zhou Chenglei.

Zhou Chenglei also took a bite.

Then Jiang Xia spat the fiber into the paper bag that had held the bun and said, “I suddenly want to eat soda crackers and melon seeds. Can you buy some for me to eat in the car?”

“Okay.” Zhou Chenglei went to a nearby convenience store.

While Zhou Chenglei was buying the crackers and melon seeds, Jiang Xia finally saw He Xiuhui come out.

He Xiuhui was holding several packages of medicine.

He Xiuhui’s mother-in-law followed with a dark face, muttering, “I don’t know if she’s just swindling our money. Seven days of medicine costs nearly five yuan! And we have to regulate things for two or three years!”

Medicine was so expensive; if they had just married a younger wife, the gift money wouldn’t have cost much more than this!

The nurse said, “It’s not that expensive. Besides the medicine to drink, there’s also the medicine for foot soaks. And it’s not for the whole year. As long as it works, it’s fine. Dr. Gao is highly skilled. You must keep coming back to get more medicine after you finish this batch. If you follow her instructions, you will definitely conceive!”

He Xiuhui’s mother-in-law didn’t say anything.

He Xiuhui said, “Cousin, thank you.”

The nurse replied, “You’re welcome. If you want to get pregnant, remember to come back in seven days. Listen to Dr. Gao, get your body in shape, and you’ll conceive.”

Hearing their conversation, Jiang Xia knew that He Xiuhui wasn’t in a hurry to take Zhou Zhou away for the time being.

However, since Dr. Gao said she could conceive if she regulated her body, she hoped He Xiuhui would get what she wished for.

Seeing that Jiang Xia was still there, He Xiuhui lowered her head and hurried away.

Though Zhou Chenglei’s wife likely didn’t even know who she was.

Chapter 509: The Stars Align

Zhou Chenglei returned with bag after bag of melon seeds, peanuts, and biscuits, and he also spotted He Xiuhui.

Seeing Zhou Chenglei made He Xiuhui even more evasive, so much so that even her mother-in-law noticed her strange behavior.

“What’s the matter? See a ghost?”

He Xiuhui stammered, “No… just a bit of an urgent need.”

“Didn’t you just go to the bathroom before we left? Truly, the lazy have more piss and shit!”

Zhou Chenglei brushed past them like a stranger.

“I misspoke. I’m hungry. Why don’t we go eat?” He Xiuhui quickly corrected.

Her mother-in-law’s expression changed instantly at the word “eat.” “Eat? You still want to eat out? How much money have we already spent on your doctor’s visit? Counting the bus fare and medical fees today, we’ve nearly spent ten yuan! And you still want to eat! Just buy two steamed buns to eat on the bus. Can’t you see the sky’s overcast? It’s about to rain. Let’s hurry home!”

“Then I’ll go buy the buns.” Feeling utterly humiliated, He Xiuhui rushed towards the steamed bun stall.

In truth, she was overthinking it. Zhou Chenglei could clearly see she didn’t want to be disturbed, so why would he主动 greet her?

Besides, back when she remarried, her娘家 family had come to his home to explain that the family she was marrying into was very concerned with面子. They didn’t want her to have contact with her former husband’s family. From then on, they would act as strangers if they met, and Zhou Zhou would remain with the Zhou family.

Zhou Chenglei arrived before Jiang Xia.

Jiang Xia took the bags, glanced at them, and laughed, “I can’t eat this much.”

Zhou Chenglei placed a hand on her waist, guiding her towards the car. “If you can’t finish, give it to Zhou Zhou, Guangzong, and Yaozu to eat.”

For children, snacks were always welcome—the more, the better.

Zhou Chenglei helped Jiang Xia into the car, fastened her seatbelt, and checked it wasn’t pressing too tightly against her stomach before closing the door. He walked around the front of the car, got in, and drove away.

He Xiuhui’s mother-in-law watched Zhou Chenglei help Jiang Xia into a Jeep and remarked enviously, “That man doesn’t look ordinary at all. His position must be very high, right? I wonder how high a rank you need to be issued a Jeep. No wonder Dr. Gao was so亲切 to them. That woman is truly幸运, marrying such a powerful and influential man, and now pregnant with twins, which are most likely boys.”

He Xiuhui默默 paid for the buns without a word.

When she visited her娘家, her mother had also told her about the Zhou family’s current situation.

She said the Zhou family was now practically rolling in wealth. Among the several production teams, their brothers were the richest.

Her mother even regretted it, saying that if they hadn’t让她改嫁 back then, given how well Zhou Chenglei treated his brothers, he surely wouldn’t mistreat her, his sister-in-law. Perhaps if she had stayed with Zhou Zhou, their lives would be better than they were now.

She said Jiang Xia had opened a small workshop hiring people to deep-fry fish, paying very high wages. Everyone working for the夫妻 couple was preparing to build new houses. If she hadn’t remarried and worked for Jiang Xia, perhaps she could have brought her whole family to work alongside the Zhous.

She even told her to secretly build a good relationship with Zhou Zhou, so maybe she could get a job at Jiang Xia’s workshop and earn money.

But how could she have the face?

Back then, she had said she wouldn’t remarry, but her mother强行 insisted the other party’s conditions were good, even better than the Zhou family’s, and had accepted the other family’s gift money, forcing her to remarry in less than半个月.

Now, she felt embarrassed just seeing anyone from the Zhou family.

As long as Zhou Zhou was doing well, that was enough.

Zhou Chenglei drove Jiang Xia to the publishing house, and then they returned to the Jiang family home for dinner.

By the time they arrived楼下 at the Jiang family building, it was pouring大雨, with thunder and lightning. Father Jiang saw their car pull in from the阳台 and immediately grabbed an umbrella, hurrying downstairs to meet them.

He held the umbrella open and拉开 the passenger door, helping Jiang Xia out. “Be careful, take it slow.”

Just then, another响雷 cracked across the sky. Father Jiang instinctively used his body to shield her from the direction of the闪电.

With Father Jiang’s support, Jiang Xia got out of the car. “Dad, why did you come down? We brought an umbrella.”

Besides, Zhou Chenglei had parked the car as close to the楼梯口 as possible. She could躲进 the stairwell as soon as she got out.

The雨 was heavy, and Father Jiang tilted the entire umbrella over his daughter,不可避免 getting his own shoulder wet. “I was afraid you didn’t bring one.”

Under the umbrella, Father Jiang guided Jiang Xia to the stairwell, then拿出 a handkerchief to wipe the几滴 water droplets from her arm.

“Wearing short sleeves so early? Aren’t you cold?”

“Not cold. It’s almost May. I feel特别怕热 now.” Jiang Xia took the handkerchief and helped wipe Father Jiang too, but since he was wearing a shirt, it was根本不可能 to dry it.

“Dad, let’s go up first. A-Lei has an umbrella. You go up and change your clothes.”

Zhou Chenglei also示意 them to go up first. He needed to drive the car out and park it properly.

“No rush. Let’s wait for A-Lei. I’ll hold the umbrella for him. The rain is too heavy.” Father Jiang watched Zhou Chenglei park. “It’s still cold before the Dragon Boat Festival. Remember to put on a jacket早晚, and take it off when you feel hot.”

“Okay.”

Once Zhou Chenglei had parked, Father Jiang举着 the umbrella went out to meet him. Then the three of them went upstairs together.

Back home, Father Jiang went to change, while Zhou Chenglei brought out the饭菜.

Early that morning, Father Jiang had炖 a soup for Jiang Xia that Mother Jiang had taught him—a soup to clear prenatal toxins. He had Auntie Feng watch the火 before he went to work.

After getting off work at noon, he immediately returned to personally cook two dishes his daughter loved.

During the meal, Jiang Xia asked, “Dad, when is Mom coming back from her business trip?”

Just then, another响雷 sounded in the sky.

Father Jiang: “The day after tomorrow. If it’s still pouring大雨 later, you two should sleep here tonight. Driving back in a雷雨 isn’t safe either.”

“Okay.” Zhou Chenglei agreed.

…

After eating and resting for a while, Jiang Xia went to take a午睡. Zhou Chenglei and Father Jiang talked in the书房.

After Father Jiang left for work, Zhou Chenglei took an original-language book back to the room to read.

The大雨 had stopped, but a零星小雨 was still falling.

During上班上学 time, the楼下院子 was a bit lively, with the occasional声音 of greetings and children talking.

But this didn’t affect the熟睡的 Jiang Xia.

The村里 was noisier and more热闹, yet Jiang Xia still slept soundly.

After the上班上学 time passed, the院子 became completely安静.

Because a零星小雨 was still falling and the ground was湿漉漉, the entire机关大院 was empty outside.

Not only was the大院无人, the大街 also had very few people.

趁着无人的时候, a motorcycle pulled up near the大院 and found a角落 to stop.

Lei Yuzhen忍不住抱怨, “I said we should drive. My clothes are all wet.”

“Driving is too明显.”

“Who can see in this下雨天?”

A-Cheng ignored her complaints. “趁着下雨四处没人, hurry up and put the东西 inside and藏好!”

They had亲眼看见 Father Jiang’s car drive out to work before coming over.

Lei Yuzhen提着 a travel bag,瑟瑟缩缩地四处打量. “I’m有点怕.”

“What’s there to怕? There’s no one! Hurry up! I’ll keep watch楼下.快点,趁现在没有人.”

Lei Yuzhen四处打量 again,确认真的没有人,才走出去.

But she心里很害怕,走了两步,忍不住回头看一眼. “要不……”

A-Cheng不耐烦地使劲摆手. “你快点!一会儿有人!”

好不容易等到江夫人出差,又遇上下雨天,简直是天时地利人和!

老天爷都帮他们!

Lei Yuzhen真的很害怕. “要不你和我一起?”

“你是他们厂的人,被人看见了,你说你去她家拿文件没有人会怀疑,毕竟又不是第一次.要是我和你去,被人碰到了,别人怎么想?你快点,趁现在下雨,没人!磨磨蹭蹭一会儿遇到人,又不知道什么时候才有这机会.”

Lei Yuzhen只好硬着头皮走出去.

Chapter 510: Delivering Money

Lei Yuzhen furtively approached the government compound and immediately spotted the Jeep parked by the roadside.

She recognized the license plate and knew it was Zhou Chenglei’s car.

Terrified, she quickly ran back.

A-Cheng watched her return and asked, “What’s wrong? Did you run into someone?”

Lei Yuzhen shook her head. “My cousin is here. I saw his car downstairs. They’re probably at home. Last time I went up, I ran into him and my cousin-in-law.”

A-Cheng’s mind immediately went to Jiang Xia’s exquisite beauty and her fair, tender skin that made one want to take a lick.

He craned his neck to look, but couldn’t see anything.

The rain had stopped, and fearing they might be discovered if they lingered, he told Lei Yuzhen, “Let’s go for now. We’ll come back later to see if they’ve left. Isn’t your factory director only returning from his business trip the day after tomorrow? If they don’t leave today, we’ll find another time to come tomorrow.”

“They should leave soon. Last time, I came around this time and happened to see them preparing to leave.” Lei Yuzhen got on the motorcycle.

“Then let’s find a place to stake out.” Staying in this corner attracted too much attention.

The two rode away on the motorcycle, finding an inconspicuous spot where they could still see the Jeep leave.

Inside the house, Jiang Xia had a bad dream. Waking up, she lazily asked, “Has the rain stopped?”

“It should have.”

Zhou Chenglei opened the window to check if the rain had stopped and saw two figures riding away on a motorcycle.

Without much expression, he reached his hand out the window. Feeling no rain at all, he said, “The rain has stopped.”

“Then shall we go home?”

Zhou Chenglei looked at the motorcycle disappearing at the end of the street. “How about we go back tomorrow? Dad is home alone tonight, let’s spend one more night with him.”

Jiang Xia, supporting her heavy body, prepared to get up. “Okay. Then go get me an original book from the car, and I’ll translate.”

Today, she had gone to the publishing house to submit translation manuscripts and brought back a few more original books to translate.

Zhou Chenglei strode back to the bed to help her up, then squatted down to put on her shoes. “How about we rest today and go out to see a movie?”

Zhou Chenglei helped her put on her shoes, then stood up and bent down to help her rise.

Still feeling listless from the dream, Jiang Xia wrapped her arms around his neck. “It’s wet outside, I don’t want to go out.”

Zhou Chenglei held her arm, carefully helping her up. “We’ll drive. I’ll drop you off in front of the theater, so you won’t have to walk much.”

Jiang Xia stood up, rested her head on his chest, and hugged his waist. “No, I don’t want to.”

With her large belly, even hugging was a little difficult.

“Did you have a dream?” Zhou Chenglei saw she was out of sorts, so he wrapped his arms around her, letting her lean on him as much as she needed.

Jiang Xia nodded. “A bad dream. I dreamed of giving birth, and it wasn’t very smooth. You were very nervous outside the delivery room, and then I woke up.”

Zhou Chenglei’s heart tightened.

“Dreams are all fake, often the opposite. Besides, you haven’t given birth yet, and I’m nervous every day. I’ll definitely be nervous when you do give birth, so it won’t be difficult.”

Jiang Xia remembered how cautious he indeed was every day; if she moved even slightly at night, he would immediately wake up. She smiled. “Hmm, it must be your nervousness that’s contagious.”

“My fault.” Zhou Chenglei thought that made sense and decided to be more mindful in the future. He honestly admitted his mistake, then leaned down to kiss her, making her completely forget the dream.

Ten minutes later, Zhou Chenglei released her. “I’ll get some water for you to wash your face, then go downstairs to get the books.”

To prevent her from overthinking, it was better to find something to do together.

Jiang Xia remembered something. “How about we go clean up the staff dormitory building at the shipyard?”

Zhou Chenglei nodded. “Good.”

No one had lived there for a long time, so it was good to clean it in advance. They would be moving in next month for her to await childbirth.

So, after Jiang Xia washed her face, they both went downstairs and drove back to their house in the city.

It wasn’t far, about a ten to eight-minute drive.

As Zhou Chenglei drove past a convenience store, he spotted a familiar motorcycle parked outside.

Zhou Chenglei glanced inside the convenience store and saw Lei Yuzhen and her boyfriend playing poker with some gossiping women.

He drove straight past them.

After driving a little further, he saw figures appear in his rearview mirror. He took a look.

Two people had come out, scrutinizing his car, saying something he couldn’t hear.

Just as he reached a turn, Zhou Chenglei made the turn and they were out of sight.

At the convenience store.

A-Cheng asked Lei Yuzhen, “Are you sure that was your cousin’s car?”

Lei Yuzhen nodded. “Yes. I recognize the license plate number!”

How could she forget such an easy-to-remember license plate number?

Besides, how many Jeeps could one see on the street?

To prevent the people at the convenience store from being surprised by their behavior, A-Cheng, after hearing her, deliberately said, “Your cousin is quite rich.”

“It’s a car my cousin-in-law’s family gave them, but my cousin is also rich. He has big ocean fishing boats and can earn a lot of money on one voyage.”

A-Cheng listened, then leaned in close to her ear and whispered, “See, wasn’t I right? If your cousin-in-law’s family only earned a salary, how could they afford to give their daughter and son-in-law a car? What are you afraid of? Your factory’s purchasing agent definitely does the same. Everyone does it! Be sensible, and your job will become permanent, and you can keep doing it. Otherwise, why would such a good purchasing job be given to you? It’s because you’re relatives; purchasing jobs are always given to relatives. That’s called ‘keeping the good stuff within the family.’ If you’re sensible, we’ll all get rich together, which is even better!”

Lei Yuzhen was still a little scared. She was usually satisfied with the one or two hundred yuan red envelopes and other benefits from fabric suppliers. This time, for the summer clothing fabric order, A-Cheng helped her find a fabric store and an accessories factory run by his uncle and friends. The price for the same fabric was half of what the previous fabric store charged.

The total savings from all the fabrics and accessories came to about 50,000 to 60,000 yuan.

A-Cheng told her to embezzle the difference herself, not to report it all to the company, just report each type of fabric at a price a few fen cheaper per 500g when submitting to the factory.

He said it was his uncle giving her money, that no other factory had these prices, and not to be foolish and ungrateful.

She was a little afraid; this was stealing from the authorities.

But 50,000 to 60,000 yuan was a lot, and it was a discount obtained through A-Cheng’s connections, which others wouldn’t get.

This could also be considered her merit, so she was a little tempted.

And in the future, she could earn tens of thousands of yuan with every order. Autumn and winter fabrics were more expensive, so she could earn even more.

She wanted to keep the money but was also afraid of being discovered and imprisoned.

Seeing her fear, A-Cheng told her to secretly give half to the factory director, so she wouldn’t be afraid.

That way, if something came to light, the director would take the fall. They, as small fry, wouldn’t be investigated.

He also said that it was normal for purchasing agents to earn kickbacks and price differences.

His Uncle wouldn’t tell anyone, and no one would know.

He also said that the factory director, knowing she was so sensible and giving him money, would instead make her temporary position permanent.

“I’ll go back and play two more rounds of cards, then we’ll leave.”

A-Cheng went back and played two rounds, then made an excuse that he kept losing and quit, before calling Lei Yuzhen to leave.

The two got back on the motorcycle and left.

The motorcycle was still parked in its previous spot.

A-Cheng glanced around. “No one. Hurry up and go inside, and remember to hide the money well. Don’t panic if you meet anyone, just say you’re getting color cards.”

Lei Yuzhen glanced around, saw no one, then carried the bag of money, hurried upstairs, opened the door, and went inside.

Following A-Cheng’s instructions, she went to the master bedroom and stuffed the travel bag under the bed.

After doing all this, she crawled out from under the bed and jumped in fright!

Chapter 511: He’ll Handle It

On the other side, Zhou Chenglei made a turn and drove directly into the place where Father Jiang worked.

Father Jiang’s work unit and the residential compound were very close; it was only a five-minute walk away.

Jiang Xia looked at him in surprise. “What is it?”

“I saw Lei Yuzhen and her boyfriend nearby. Something felt off. Go sit in Dad’s office for a bit; I’m going back to check.”

Jiang Xia nodded. “Alright. Just pull over and drop me off, I can walk there myself. Or I can wait for you in the car.”

The ground was still wet, and staying in the car was stuffy and uncomfortable. Zhou Chenglei said, “I have something to say to Dad.”

Soon, Zhou Chenglei parked the car, helped Jiang Xia out, and led her to Father Jiang’s office.

Father Jiang had just finished a meeting and was looking over some documents. Seeing his daughter and son-in-law arrive, he quickly stood up. “What happened?”

Zhou Chenglei stated his reasons directly; he wasn’t making baseless accusations.

When Jiang Xia woke up and asked if it was raining, he had opened the window and happened to see them leaving on a motorcycle. He hadn’t thought much of it then.

But then he ran into them again waiting near the convenience store, and Lei Yuzhen was carrying a travel bag.

He didn’t think this was a mere coincidence.

The first time he saw them, they probably intended to do something, but seeing his Jeep parked there, they guessed he and Jiang Xia were home and left.

Then they went to wait at the convenience store, waiting for him and Jiang Xia to leave.

That was why they only came out to look after his Jeep had driven far away—to confirm they were gone.

He deduced they were making their move; otherwise, there wouldn’t be so many coincidences in the world.

Upon hearing this, Father Jiang said, “You don’t need to show your face in this. I’ll handle it. You two go home! Don’t come over for a while, and act as if you know nothing. You don’t need to worry about this. It just so happens I’m going on a business trip tomorrow. If anyone comes to your door to plead for mercy, just say I’ve gone on a trip. Or stay in the city for a while to avoid relatives looking for you. Xiaxia, you focus on nurturing the fetus and don’t worry about a thing.”

After all, they were the son-in-law’s relatives. If the son-in-law handled it too strictly or fairly, the relatives would say he lacked human sentiment, complaining that he could have settled it privately but chose not to.

Father Jiang would never condone such people, but he also didn’t want these matters to make things difficult for the young couple or affect his daughter’s mood.

His daughter was pregnant!

So, he would handle it himself!

Father Jiang gave a few more instructions, told them to be careful on the way home, and then hurriedly left.

Jiang Family Home

Lei Yuzhen looked up and saw three people standing at the door. Her face instantly turned ghost-white with fright.

Standing at the bedroom door was Father Jiang, and behind him stood two uniformed officers.

Father Jiang looked at her coldly. “How did you get the keys to my house?”

Lei Yuzhen was terrified, her speech stuttering. “The, the factory director gave them to me. I, I came to deliver something to the factory director.”

“Nonsense! My wife’s keys were left on the shoe cabinet at home. She went on a business trip and forgot to take them. How could she have given them to you? Did she have an extra set made just for you?”

Lei Yuzhen: “…”

Father Jiang turned to the two officers. “This person entered the house without the owner’s consent. I don’t know what she’s up to. Please take her back and question her thoroughly, comrades!”

Lei Yuzhen was scared to death. Remembering A-Cheng’s words, she quickly said, “It’s a mistake, a mistake! I didn’t come to steal anything; I came to deliver money! Really!”

Father Jiang’s face was grim. “Deliver money? What kind of money needs to be delivered so sneakily? Is it money of unknown origin, intended to frame someone?”

Father Jiang grew even angrier. She was truly incorrigible. He handed the matter over directly, turning politely to the staff behind him. “Comrades, please take her back and investigate this thoroughly. Find out the source of the money she’s talking about.”

“Understood.” The two officers stepped forward.

One took the person away, while the other pulled out the travel bag from under the bed.

Since they had followed her in almost immediately, they had seen all of Lei Yuzhen’s actions. They knew she had only hidden a travel bag under the bed and hadn’t touched anything else.

Lei Yuzhen truly started crying from fear. “No, I didn’t come to do anything bad! I really came to deliver money! The factory director told me to bring it!…”

This nonsense made Father Jiang refuse to acknowledge her further. He didn’t even give her a glance, letting her say whatever she wanted.

As Lei Yuzhen was led downstairs, she saw A-Cheng, who had also been apprehended. Her face turned even paler.

A-Cheng was arguing with his captors. “I can’t even park my car here? Which law or regulation did I break? On what grounds are you arresting me?”

No one paid him any mind either.

As A-Cheng spoke, he caught sight of her and shot her a look, telling her to stay calm.

As long as Lei Yuzhen didn’t let anything slip and stuck to the story he had taught her—that she was acting on the factory director’s instructions—they would be fine.

Father Jiang said to the officers, “Thank you for your hard work. Please investigate this well.”

“We will. We’ll take them back now.”

Father Jiang nodded.

The officers took the pair away.

Father Jiang also got into his car and left; he still had locations to visit for his field inspection.

By this time, Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei had arrived at their apartment in the city.

Zhou Chenglei first cleaned the dust off the sofa and had Jiang Xia sit down while he started cleaning the rest of the place.

Jiang Xia was holding a foreign language book, reading it. She preferred to finish the whole book before translating, as the final result would be better that way.

The apartment wasn’t very large, and Zhou Chenglei finished the cleaning in less than an hour. He said to Jiang Xia, “I’m going to the rooftop to plant some melons.”

Jiang Xia immediately put down her book. “What kind of melons? Do you have seeds? I want to see too.”

“I do. I got some watermelon and muskmelon seeds from Jiang Yang a while ago. They’ve been in the car, and I haven’t had time to plant them.” Zhou Chenglei stepped forward to help her up and led her upstairs.

“Do you want me to carry you?” Zhou Chenglei asked.

“No need.”

When they had just returned, he had carried her up the last two flights of stairs. Toward the end, Jiang Xia had felt a bit tired and strained.

She had rested enough now.

Zhou Chenglei took her hand as they went up.

Jiang Xia felt that since their room was on the second floor and Zhou Zhou’s room was on the third, she climbed the stairs quite often to check on Zhou Zhou’s homework.

As long as the weather was good, Zhou Chenglei would accompany her for a walk on the beach after dinner. Even though she spent most of her time sitting, her activity level should have been sufficient. However, after having that dream and finding it difficult to climb a few floors today, she felt she should move around more and not sit for too long.

From now on, she would get up and walk for ten minutes every hour or two.

Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia reached the rooftop.

Zhou Chenglei took out a small hoe to loosen the soil in the planters.

Jiang Xia: “Give me the hoe, I’ll do it.”

Zhou Chenglei handed it to her. “Be careful.”

Jiang Xia took the small hoe and slowly loosened the soil.

Zhou Chenglei switched to using a small shovel. He was strong and agile; loosening the soil with the shovel was much faster than Jiang Xia’s pace.

Planters were built along the railings of the rooftop, and in the center, there was a circular tiered planter. The tiers decreased in size from the center outward; the center was higher and could hold more soil. The base was elevated, and the bottoms of the two rings were connected, ensuring the plants in the middle had enough soil.

Zhou Chenglei loosened the soil in the two perimeter planters in no time, leaving one section for Jiang Xia to play with, while he moved to loosen the soil in the central flower bed.

Seeing this, Jiang Xia pointed to the center and asked Zhou Chenglei, “What are we planting in the middle?”

Zhou Chenglei: “What do you want to plant? There’s enough soil to plant anything, as long as it’s not a tree.”

Chapter 512: Having Done One’s Utmost Duty

Jiang Xia said, “We already have grapes at home, so why don’t we plant passion fruit? I’ve been craving some.”

Even though Zhou Chenglei had traveled to many places and was quite worldly, he was still a bit confused. “Passion fruit?”

“Passionflower—have you ever heard of that? That’s what I want to grow.” Just the thought of the passion fruit’s fragrance made Jiang Xia crave it. The more she talked about it, the more she wanted it, but the timing was off; it didn’t seem to be the right season for them.

Zhou Chenglei had actually heard of passionflower and had eaten it before. The fruit was indeed very fragrant, but there wasn’t much pulp; it was mostly seeds and quite sour.

However, since Jiang Xia currently had a preference for sour fruits, it was normal for her to like it.

“Next time I have my father go out to collect small fried fish, I’ll have him bring back a few saplings to plant. I haven’t seen anyone around here growing them,” Zhou Chenglei said, knowing that people in other regions did.

“Alright.”

Zhou Chenglei asked again, “What about this outer ring? Should we buy some flowers to plant later?”

Jiang Xia shook her head. “We won’t be living here often, and flowers need constant care. Let’s just plant vegetables when we come here to stay.”

Vegetables could be eaten after only twenty days of growth. She planned to stay here for about a month around her due date, which made vegetables much more practical than flowers.

As Zhou Chenglei loosened the soil, he said, “This isn’t the season for many leafy greens. We can only plant garlic chives, water spinach, and bitter lettuce. We could try bok choy and choy sum, but they don’t grow as well as they do in autumn or winter. They won’t grow very large and are prone to pests when they’re small. Which one do you want? I’ll bring some seeds from home later.”

The space wasn’t large. If they planted choy sum or bok choy, it would only provide food for a day or two. Planting melons would actually allow for a longer harvest period.

However, how long the harvest lasted wasn’t important. They weren’t counting on this small rooftop garden to provide enough food for the whole family; that was wishful thinking.

It was just something to pass the time.

Jiang Xia surveyed the small vegetable garden. “Let’s plant a few chili peppers and eggplants around the outer circle.”

Just a few chilies and eggplants would be enough for a meal.

“Then we can add some bok choy and choy sum. Aren’t you going to plant watermelon and muskmelon? We won’t plant anything else.”

The other vegetables weren’t necessary. They could be bought, and the village vegetable garden would surely be full of melons, bitter lettuce, and water spinach. If they wanted any, they could just pick some and bring them over.

Zhou Chenglei replied, “Alright.”

Growing bok choy and choy sum on the rooftop might be feasible; in the village gardens, they attracted too many insects.

Once Zhou Chenglei finished turning the soil, he planted the watermelon and muskmelon seeds in the flower beds on the left and right sides.

It had rained, so the soil was quite moist, but he still gave them a bit of water.

After finishing the work, Zhou Chenglei said, “I’ll go out and buy some groceries to cook dinner.”

For dinner, Zhou Chenglei planned to buy some seafood and vegetables to cook at home. He had already called the village earlier to tell Mother Zhou that they wouldn’t be returning tonight, so they would eat at the city house.

“Okay.”

As the two of them headed downstairs, they saw Father Jiang knocking on the door.

Jiang Xia smiled and asked, “Dad, why are you here? Have you been knocking long? We were upstairs planting watermelons.”

Father Jiang had been passing by on his way to a dinner meeting and stopped by specifically to give them an update on today’s events. Hearing Jiang Xia, he said, “You can plant more vegetables and fruits. I’ll run over during my daily jogs to help you water them.”

Zhou Chenglei opened the door and invited Father Jiang inside.

Father Jiang explained the situation, saying he had reported the matter to the police. Once the investigation was clear, things would proceed as they should. “I had someone give her a hint that cooperating and confessing would lead to a lighter sentence.”

Father Jiang only gave the tip because he saw she was about the same age as his daughter and had been deceived by others.

Zhou Chenglei’s voice was cold. “That is more than enough. You’ve done your utmost duty.”

“The investigation might take some time. During this period, those relatives might keep coming to find you. Do you want to stay in the city for a while?” Father Jiang asked.

Zhou Chenglei looked at Jiang Xia.

He wanted to stay, mainly because people from Great-Uncle and Great-Aunt’s side would definitely show up. He didn’t want Jiang Xia to deal with those things and have her mood affected.

Jiang Xia shook her head. “If I stay in the city and you stay in the city, and Dad goes out to sea, wouldn’t that leave Mother to face them alone? It doesn’t matter. Not everyone can affect my mood.”

Zhou Chenglei argued, “We can bring Mother here. I can go out to sea from the city too. Besides, Mother will be fine; she’ll just scold them back.”

“Zhou Zhou still has school. And I can scold people too! We didn’t do anything wrong, so why should the whole family hide from them? If we hide, everyone will think they’re in the right! They’ll think we have a guilty conscience! Whoever has the face to show up at our door, I’ll scold them right back!”

“They tried to harm my parents and still have the nerve to come and plead for mercy? If I killed their parents, would they have to bring me gifts? The fact that I haven’t gone to their door to scream at them makes me a saint! Honestly, maybe I should take the initiative and go give them a piece of my mind first!”

Father Jiang: “…”

Zhou Chenglei: “…”

In the end, Father Jiang didn’t dare to try and persuade his daughter further. A pregnant woman’s emotions fluctuated easily; he remembered how unstable his wife’s emotions had been during her pregnancy. He was truly afraid his daughter would go pick a fight, fail to win the argument, and end up upsetting herself and his three unborn grandchildren.

Besides, when village women fought, there was no limit to the foul language they used.

They didn’t just use their mouths; they would actually get into physical altercations!

How could his heavily pregnant daughter be a match for those women who spent their days running up and down mountains carrying loads of water?

“There’s no need to argue with those people. It’s useless and only gives the neighbors a show. If they come over and make a scene, just call the police. Keep your doors closed and let them shout until they’re tired.” Father Jiang didn’t dare say too much for fear of agitating her. He quickly changed the subject, asking what vegetables were planted on the roof and saying he would start coming by tomorrow to water them.

Jiang Xia replied, “We haven’t planted the vegetables yet, just watermelon and muskmelon. Dad, you can plant whatever you want.”

Father Jiang chuckled. “Then I’ll find some seeds and plant them. Since you two don’t have time to stay here often, I’ll be the one to harvest and eat the vegetables.”

“Dad, just plant whatever you feel like eating.”

Father Jiang chatted for a few more minutes until it was time to leave. He gave his son-in-law a pointed look, signaling him to take good care of Jiang Xia and not let her get into any arguments while she was pregnant. If something went wrong, the regret would be everlasting.

The next morning, Father Jiang came over early during his run, bringing breakfast for the couple.

He had a set of keys to the house as well; Zhou Chenglei had left a spare set at the Jiang family home earlier.

Jiang Xia hadn’t even woken up yet. Father Jiang spoke with Zhou Chenglei for a while, strictly instructing him not to let Jiang Xia go out and argue with anyone, before leaving.

After Jiang Xia woke up and finished breakfast, the two of them returned to the village.

Back in the village, Zhou Chenglei told Mother Zhou what Lei Yuzhen had done, the potential consequences it could have caused for Father Jiang, and the fact that Great-Uncle’s family might come over.

Xu Ling was also present.

Mother Zhou was so angry she started cursing immediately. “What are they coming for? To plead for mercy? After doing something like that, is there still any ‘family feeling’ left between us? There’s nothing left! We don’t need to visit those relatives ever again! They still have the face to come here? I’ll scold them to death! Don’t wait for them to come—I’ll go find them! We gave her such a good job, and instead of being grateful, she pulls this kind of ungrateful, soulless stunt! She really is a heartless ingrate!”

Xu Ling was shocked by what she heard! Fifty or sixty thousand yuan—that was enough to build a multi-story building in the village!

How could Lei Yuzhen dare to do such a thing?

Two days later, the Eldest Cousin’s wife arrived early in the morning.

Chapter 513: Making a Scene

It was only six in the morning when Eldest Cousin’s wife pounded on the gate of the Zhou family home. She asked Mother Zhou urgently, “Where are A-Lei and Jiang Xia?”

Mother Zhou had been used to waking up early for many years; as she aged, she couldn’t sleep for long anyway. She was currently in the kitchen making breakfast. Since Zhou Zhou had to go to school around seven, the sudden noise startled her.

“What do you think you’re doing? Why are you going crazy so early in the morning?” Mother Zhou lowered her voice, afraid of waking Jiang Xia. “Get out! Why have you come to my house? Don’t ever come here again!”

Eldest Cousin’s wife was frantic with worry and tried to rush toward the second floor. She knew Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei’s room was up there; she had toured the place during the housewarming ceremony. “I have business with Xiao Xia.”

The day before yesterday, Saturday, her daughter hadn’t come home. Lei Yuzhen had clearly said she would bring back a sum of money, but her mother had waited all day in vain.

Yesterday, she went to the city to find her. From her roommates, she learned that her daughter had been arrested. Completely ignorant of what had happened, she went to the garment factory to find Mother Jiang, but she couldn’t get in. While she was at a loss, a factory worker secretly told her a few things. Recalling what her daughter had said during previous visits home, she deduced that her daughter had been pushed out by Mother Jiang to be a scapegoat!

Mother Zhou quickly blocked her path. “What do you think you’re doing? Any more trespassing and I’m calling the police! The daughter secretly copies keys to enter other people’s houses, and the mother barges in like a madwoman. Truly, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree! I haven’t even come to your door to curse you out yet, and you have the nerve to show up here?”

Eldest Cousin’s wife flared up in anger. “So you knew, Cousin’s wife! Fine! This must be a conspiracy you all discussed to make my Yuzhen the scapegoat! Is that why you were ‘kind’ enough to hire her as a buyer? I thought you were looking out for relatives, but it turns out there’s no one you’d rather cheat than your own kin! Jiang Xia, come out…”

Mother Zhou grabbed the broom by the door to drive her away. “You foul-mouthed woman! You’ve got some nerve biting the hand that feeds you! Do we look like easy targets to you? We were kind enough to give you all good jobs, but your daughter took kickbacks, cheated the factory out of money, and even tried to frame my relatives…”

Zhou Chenglei had returned from his run not long ago and was showering in the common bathroom on the second floor. He had just turned off the shower when he heard the sounds of an argument.

Jiang Xia was definitely not awake yet.

Zhou Chenglei hurriedly pulled on his trousers and a tank top. Still covered in moisture, he threw on a shirt and stepped out of the bathroom with a frigid expression. He glanced from the balcony and saw that it was indeed Eldest Cousin’s wife.

He turned toward the bedroom, his gaze sweeping past the second-floor window of the neighboring house, where he saw Wen Wan’s face.

Zhou Chenglei didn’t even give her a look before turning away.

Jiang Xia had indeed been asleep, but the shouting had woken her.

She was struggling slightly to get out of bed when Zhou Chenglei pushed the door open. He stepped forward quickly to support her. Seeing that she had indeed been woken up, his heart filled with displeasure, and his expression turned as cold as ice.

Jiang Xia lightly pinched his rigid cheek. “Is Mom arguing with the Eldest Cousin’s wife from Great-Uncle’s family?”

“Mhm. Don’t worry about her; Mom can handle it,” Zhou Chenglei replied. His face was still sour and his tone cold, yet his movements were careful as he helped Jiang Xia sit up. He then knelt down to put on her slippers before helping her out of bed.

Zhou Chenglei was strong; he supported her by the armpits as he lifted her, so Jiang Xia didn’t need to use any strength to stand.

Once up, Jiang Xia let go of his arms and walked to the window to look out.

Their room was large enough to have two windows: one facing east toward the sea and one facing south toward the courtyard.

“Don’t worry about me. Go downstairs and check on them; don’t let Mom get the short end of the stick.” Jiang Xia was afraid Mother Zhou and Eldest Cousin’s wife might start a physical fight.

After saying that, Jiang Xia went to the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face.

Zhou Chenglei still escorted her to the bathroom and squeezed the toothpaste for her, instructing, “Don’t go downstairs. I’ll resolve this quickly.”

“Okay, I understand. Go on!” Jiang Xia’s belly was so large now that she couldn’t see her feet without tilting her head; she would stay on the second floor to watch and avoid adding to the chaos.

If Zhou Chenglei wanted to handle it, she would let him. She couldn’t be bothered with it either.

Zhou Chenglei hurried downstairs, making sure to close the door to the second floor behind him.

Jiang Xia could open the door from the inside to come out, but anyone coming up the stairs would need a key to enter the second-floor living space.

Downstairs, the two were still arguing!

Eldest Cousin’s wife grabbed Mother Zhou’s broom, trying to force her way into the house. “Jiang Xia, come out! Tell your mother to turn herself in and clear my Yuzhen’s name, or I won’t let you off! I’ll come here and scream every single day! You’re motherfucking heartless! To do something so black-hearted and make my daughter go to jail—aren’t you afraid of retribution for your children…”

“Pah!” Mother Zhou spat directly on the ground, spitting those nasty words back before the woman could finish. “We act with a clear conscience! Whatever you say or curse, may it rebound back onto yourself! They arrested your daughter because there is evidence! If you’re not satisfied, go sue in court! If you’re not satisfied, go report it to the authorities yourself!”

Eldest Cousin’s wife hadn’t expected to be spat at. She raised her sleeve to wipe her face and then swung her hand to strike Mother Zhou.

At that moment, a figure stepped forward like a lightning bolt. With one hand, he pulled Mother Zhou back, and with the other, he struck away the swinging arm.

Zhou Chenglei pulled Mother Zhou several steps back and stood protectively in front of her.

Eldest Cousin’s wife felt her entire arm go numb from the shock. She looked up in a rage. “Zhou Chenglei, you…”

Zhou Chenglei barked, “Shut up!”

Eldest Cousin’s wife’s lips trembled as she tried to speak, but when she met Zhou Chenglei’s deep, dark eyes—eyes that had been tempered in a sea of blood and fire—a chill ran through her. It was as if her tongue had been frozen solid; she couldn’t make a single sound.

“Where is A-Cheng from? What is his real name? Where is his home? Who is in his family? Do you know any of this? Has Lei Yuzhen even met his family? You’ve been played for a fool and you’re still thanking him! You have the nerve to come to our door?”

Eldest Cousin’s wife: “…”

Mother Zhou stepped out from behind him. “Exactly! If you’re so capable, go make a scene at A-Cheng’s house! Why bother us? We gave you work, and yet she collaborated with some hoodlum to frame my relatives! You still have the face to show up here? Pah!”

Eldest Cousin’s wife stammered, “…A-Cheng isn’t a hoodlum!”

Mother Zhou retorted, “Oh, right, he’s your golden goose of a son-in-law! Let’s see if he’ll actually marry your daughter! And don’t forget how Lei Yuzhen found out the garment factory was hiring. Did Xiao Xia invite her for an interview? Did Xiao Xia’s mother take a liking to your daughter? Or did your daughter go there herself and claim to be A-Lei’s relative just to get hired?”

Eldest Cousin’s wife: “…”

Xiao Xia certainly hadn’t mentioned it; she had even blamed Xiao Xia for not telling them about the job opportunity.

Mother Zhou continued, “When A-Lei and Xiao Xia saw Lei Yuzhen and that A-Cheng at the market, they could tell he wasn’t a decent man. Xiao Xia even had Xu Ling warn Second Cousin’s wife to tell you that A-Cheng didn’t seem proper. Did you believe it? Or were you so dazzled by his motorcycle and his money that you couldn’t bear to let go of such a ‘catch’?”

Eldest Cousin’s wife: “…”

Zhou Chenglei didn’t bother saying much more to her. “Making a scene is useless. You should go back and get Cousin. Otherwise, wait for the other side to pin everything on Lei Yuzhen and let her rot in jail!”

Eldest Cousin’s wife: “…”

Cousin, Second Cousin, and Second Cousin’s wife arrived just then. Since there was only one bicycle at their home, they had walked, so they hadn’t been as fast.

Cousin asked hurriedly, “A-Lei, what happened to Yuzhen?”

Chapter 514: What Way Is There?

Zhou Chenglei told them to come inside before speaking further.

From the second floor next door, someone was constantly watching the spectacle, and the neighbors had also come out to see what was happening.

Wen Wan had been watching from her window and only sat down once she saw the family enter the house.

However, she had already heard enough.

So, had the incident that caused Father Jiang’s downfall in her previous life finally begun to happen?

But had Father Jiang found a scapegoat ahead of time?

In that case, would Father Jiang still fall from power like he did in her last life?

Was it possible that the current Jiang Xia also knew what would happen in the future and had taken precautions?

Wen Wan found it hard to understand how Jiang Xia could know. Did Jiang Xia also have prophetic dreams?

Once inside, Zhou Chenglei pulled several photos from his pocket and handed them to his Cousin.

“One of these shows Lei Yuzhen and that man, A-Cheng, getting a key to my father-in-law’s house duplicated. It just so happened that someone was at the studio testing a secondhand camera to see if it worked and caught them in the frame. This is evidence the police discovered. Why would Lei Yuzhen need a key to someone else’s house? My mother-in-law certainly wouldn’t let an outsider duplicate a key to her own home.”

Of course, these photos were merely “happened” to be taken by Father Jiang’s people.

Cousin: “…”

The Eldest Cousin’s wife snatched the photo away. “Maybe they weren’t duplicating your mother-in-law’s key. Yuzhen rented an apartment in the city.”

The corners of Zhou Chenglei’s mouth curled into a cold sneer. “That’s a reasonable theory. Unfortunately, what you say doesn’t matter; only what the police verify matters.”

The Eldest Cousin’s wife: “…”

“Aren’t you going to look at the other photos?”

The other photos in the Cousin’s hand showed A-Cheng on a motorcycle, acting intimately with various women while out on excursions.

One of them was with Lei Yuzhen.

The Cousin’s hands began to tremble.

The Eldest Cousin’s wife grabbed them to look, still refusing to accept reality. “Maybe they’re A-Cheng’s sisters?”

Zhou Chenglei said coolly, “If you say so, Eldest Cousin’s wife! Then I suppose you’ve finally met the relatives by marriage!”

The Eldest Cousin’s wife: “…”

The Cousin shouted, “Stop talking! They’re being intimate—arms around shoulders, hands on waists—how could those be sisters? I told you there was something wrong with that A-Cheng since he refused to come to the house! A-Lei, what’s going to happen to A-Zhen?”

The Eldest Cousin’s wife added, “Can’t your father-in-law and mother-in-law just drop the charges? What about Xiao Xia? I’ll go beg Xiao Xia! Tell her to ask her parents not to pursue this. Doing good deeds can accumulate blessings for her own sake, and for the three children in her belly…”

Before the words “accumulate blessings” could fully leave her mouth, Zhou Chenglei fixed her with an icy gaze, as if he were looking at a dead person.

The Eldest Cousin’s wife: “…”

The Cousin finally couldn’t take it anymore and slapped her!

Could she stop making things worse?

He hadn’t agreed to his daughter dating that A-Cheng in the first place.

If she hadn’t constantly praised A-Cheng, would their daughter have ended up like this?

The Cousin said, “A-Lei, ignore her! Is there any way you can help A-Zhen?”

Zhou Chenglei replied, “It’s impossible for her to get off completely. If she turns herself in voluntarily, the sentence might be lighter. If you can compensate the garment factory for the 60,000 to 70,000 yuan loss, that would also help. If she can make the other party take the full blame, then that goes without saying.”

Cousin: “…”

How could they pay back 60,000 to 70,000 yuan?

Even if they sold everything the family owned, they couldn’t afford it!

And how could the other party possibly take the blame?

Just as the Eldest Cousin’s wife was about to say something, Zhou Chenglei spoke again. “Asking me to borrow money is out of the question. My wife won’t agree. My mother-in-law is also in a mess right now; over 100,000 yuan worth of goods are unusable, and she’s facing disciplinary action herself. I also have to pay the final payment for my big boat soon, so I have no money. You should focus on finding a way to make the other party admit to everything and return the money to you!”

The Eldest Cousin’s wife: “…”

Zhou Chenglei had said all he intended to say.

As more evidence came to light, the other side would surely try to pin everything on Lei Yuzhen alone.

Since they were capable of doing this, they surely had an escape plan.

They had merely offered a kickback for a long-term partnership; they hadn’t explicitly told anyone to embezzle the money.

Mother Jiang had already returned, and she had identified the problem with that batch of fabric.

On the surface, the fabric looked almost identical to what the garment factory had originally intended to order.

But appearing fine on the surface didn’t mean there were no issues; the shrinkage rate between the two types of fabric was vastly different.

For example, if one fabric didn’t shrink or fade, while another shrunk by half as soon as it touched water, could the price be the same?

You get what you pay for. Fabric that was half the price had severe shrinkage and color bleeding because it hadn’t undergone proper pre-shrinking or color-fixing treatments. It was normal for it to be sold at a low price.

Furthermore, the yarn and dyes used were different, which changed the production cost. With lower costs, the pricing was naturally lower.

It was just that Lei Yuzhen hadn’t been in the industry long and was too preoccupied with her relationship. She hadn’t taken the time to learn the trade properly and had been fooled because she trusted her boyfriend too much.

She really thought people were just handing her money!

After the Cousin’s family left the Zhou home.

The Eldest Cousin’s wife asked, “What do we do now?”

The Cousin snapped, “Let your daughter figure it out herself! What else? Since she had the ability to cause such a huge disaster, she should have the ability to solve it! Her boyfriend is so capable and loves her so much—let her ask him to fix it!”

The Eldest Cousin’s wife was fuming. “I’m asking you seriously!”

“I have no way, so don’t ask me! If you have a way, then go find 60,000 or 70,000 yuan and solve it for her!”

The Eldest Cousin’s wife wanted to say that if there was truly no other choice and Zhou Chenglei wouldn’t lend the money, Zhou Yongfu was still his cousin—they could ask him.

Zhou Chenglei was of a younger generation and wasn’t as close, but Zhou Yongfu and her husband were first cousins who had grown up together.

Didn’t Zhou Yongfu make tens of thousands of yuan every time he went out to the distant seas? To them, 60,000 or 70,000 yuan was just the profit from one trip.

Otherwise, they couldn’t just watch their daughter sit behind bars, could they?

Wouldn’t her whole life be ruined?

Their daughter wasn’t even married yet; who would marry her once she got out?

But since the people from the second branch were present, she felt awkward saying it out loud. She would wait until they got home.

The Cousin didn’t go home yet. He said to the Second Cousin and the Second Cousin’s wife, “Brother, I’m going to the city.”

Second Cousin said, “I’ll go with you.”

“I’m going too,” the Eldest Cousin’s wife followed.

Hearing this, the Second Cousin’s wife said, “Then I’ll go home and let Mom and Dad know.”

The Second Cousin’s wife couldn’t be bothered to get involved.

She hadn’t liked that A-Cheng from the start. Later, when Xiao Xia told Xu Ling that A-Cheng seemed indecent, and Xu Ling mentioned that the way he looked at women was very lewd, she had warned them again.

The Eldest Cousin’s wife wouldn’t listen, and now they were paying dearly for it!

The Second Cousin’s wife was also a bit annoyed; after all, it was her niece whom she had seen grow up, but she had no way to help her. Lending all her family’s savings to her sister-in-law would be a mere drop in the bucket.

Fortunately, her own niece was more practical. Xu Ling had chosen the man Mother Zhou introduced and hadn’t looked down on him just because his family had run into temporary trouble.

Back then, she felt that since the family had a boat, once the debt was paid off, how could their future be bad?

At the very least, they had a major asset to make a living.

Besides, fishing at sea depended on luck. With a bit of good fortune, they might even pay off the debt in one go.

Now, the relationship between Xu Ling and Zhou Guodong was improving daily, and with the peak season for small squid, Zhou Guodong’s family had already paid back all their debts.

Her niece was currently working for Xiao Xia and earning a high wage.

Once the two of them married, they might be able to save enough to build a house by next year.

It was always better for people to be practical!

Chapter 515: The Wall

After his cousin-uncle’s family left, Zhou Chenglei quickly headed back upstairs to help Jiang Xia down for breakfast.

Zhou Zhou was already there, her school bag on her back, supporting Jiang Xia.

Jiang Xia had one hand on Zhou Zhou’s shoulder and the other against the wall. With Zhou Zhou beside her, she couldn’t tilt her head to see her feet clearly, so she followed the girl’s lead, stepping down slowly and cautiously.

Seeing this as he came up, Zhou Chenglei said to Zhou Zhou, “Let Uncle help Auntie. Zhou Zhou, go eat your breakfast quickly.”

Jiang Xia gently squeezed Zhou Zhou’s increasingly plump little arm and smiled. “Go on, your classmates will be coming to get you for school soon.”

“Okay!” Zhou Zhou obediently handed Jiang Xia over to Zhou Chenglei and went skipping downstairs to eat.

Breakfast consisted of dried fish and peanut congee, stir-fried rice noodles with bean sprouts and eggs, boiled eggs, and sea cucumbers.

Zhou Zhou had finished half a bowl of congee and half a bowl of rice noodles when children from the village started calling her name from outside the gate.

She quickly finished her congee, set down her bowl, shouted, “I’m going to school!” and ran out.

Mother Zhou tried to give her a boiled egg, but she didn’t even take it.

The village school had opened its own convenience store, and two food stalls had appeared outside the school gates selling various pastries. Many students bought snacks there; Zhou Zhou often joined them and would even buy some back for Jiang Xia after school.

Some of the deep-fried snacks were quite fragrant, and Jiang Xia enjoyed them as well. Sometimes she would even give Zhou Zhou extra money to buy a couple more.

After breakfast, Zhou Chenglei accompanied Jiang Xia for a walk along the beach. Along the way, they stopped by the production team office to call Mother Jiang to ask how to handle that batch of defective fabric.

Mother Jiang replied, “Make them into clothes and sell them as substandard products. We need to minimize the loss as much as possible.”

Jiang Xia suggested, “Then make sure to size the clothes a bit larger. That way, even if they shrink after the customers wash them, they’ll still be wearable.”

“I know that. Do I really need you to teach me?” Mother Jiang countered. “Do I not know more than you? Alright, don’t worry about this. Just focus on nurturing the fetus. Come home for dinner when you have time; I have to get to work now.”

She hung up immediately.

Father Jiang, standing nearby with his briefcase, grew anxious. “Why did you hang up? I haven’t even said anything yet!”

He had been waiting eagerly to exchange a few words with his daughter.

Mother Jiang, in a hurry to get to work, stood up and said, “I forgot! Call them back yourself!”

Father Jiang: “…”

Father Jiang glanced at the phone and decided against it. The call had to go through a switchboard, and by the time it connected, his daughter would likely have walked away. He didn’t want her trudging back and forth.

He headed off to work as well.

After Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia returned home, he drove the tractor out.

Mother Zhou, coming back from the garden, saw him pulling out the tractor and asked, “Are you delivering fried fish to the city?”

“No, that’s the day after tomorrow,” Zhou Chenglei replied. “I’m going to buy some bricks and sand.”

Mother Zhou was surprised. “Buying bricks for what? What are you trying to build now?”

In other households, people usually avoided any construction or groundbreaking when there was a pregnant woman, yet he was building something new every other day.

Mother Zhou had given up on lecturing him. During the New Year, she had specifically pasted a “No Taboos” spring couplet.

“I’m raising the height of the courtyard wall,” Zhou Chenglei said.

Mother Zhou didn’t quite understand. “It’s not high enough already?”

Their courtyard wall was already the highest in the entire village.

“Mhm.” Zhou Chenglei didn’t offer much explanation, but Jiang Xia understood perfectly.

Mother Zhou didn’t bother him further and started weaving the hanging nets for pearl farming.

Meanwhile, Jiang Xia went over to the old house to check on things.

When she arrived, several iron pots were already boiling water. He Xinghuan and Aunt Fen had returned from the pier with the small squid, and everyone was busy washing and blanching them.

It had been raining for the past two days, so no fishing boats had gone out to sea, and everyone had been working on small fried fish.

Today, the weather was good enough for the boats to go out, so they resumed processing the small squid. More would be delivered from Lord Hou’s side later.

They were now processing about 1500 kg of small squid every day.

He Xinghuan remarked, “Everyone’s saying that the catch last night wasn’t as good as before. The peak season might be coming to an end soon.”

Jiang Xia nodded. “Tomorrow is May. This year’s season started a bit early, so it makes sense that it would end early too.”

One of the workers asked nervously, “Xiao Xia, once the small squid season is over, will you stop hiring us?”

Jiang Xia smiled. “No. Once the small squid are done, we have other things to process. As long as you do good work, we’ll keep you on.”

The workers breathed a sigh of relief.

Because they had added three more stoves, they had hired five more women from the village to help recently.

The selection of these new hires had been decided jointly by Mother Zhou, He Xinghuan, and Aunt Fen.

To Jiang Xia, it didn’t matter who was hired as long as they were meticulous, clean, responsible, and didn’t gossip too much.

She left the decision to them, as they would be spending at least eight hours a day together—sometimes over ten hours during overtime. If they could get along harmoniously, it would mean fewer headaches for her.

However, Jiang Xia had established a simple set of rules and regulations. They covered things like being late, leaving early, taking leave, bonuses, overtime pay, perfect attendance, and other rewards or penalties.

With clear rules in place, everything could be handled according to policy, leaving no room for complaints.

So far, almost no one was late. The wages were high, and everyone in the production team wanted this job, so the workers arrived early. Work started at 8:00 AM, but most arrived between 7:30 and 7:45 AM, showing great diligence.

Jiang Xia greeted everyone and then headed home.

Now that they had five more workers, she didn’t even need to help with tending the fire.

She went back to her translating.

After about an hour and a half, she heard the sound of a tractor. It was likely Zhou Chenglei. Jiang Xia stood up and looked out the window. Sure enough, Zhou Chenglei was back with a tractor-load of sand and two bags of cement, followed by another tractor carrying a load of bricks.

Jiang Xia went downstairs to stretch her legs.

Mother Zhou asked Zhou Chenglei, “How high are you planning to build this wall?”

“High enough to reach halfway up the second-floor window next door,” Zhou Chenglei answered.

If it reached half the window’s height, it would be enough to block someone’s line of sight.

Wen Wan, hearing the commotion, looked out her window. Seeing the tractors full of sand and bricks and then hearing Zhou Chenglei’s words, she was stunned.

Was Zhou Chenglei really planning to raise the wall?

If he built it that high, wouldn’t her bedroom window look directly out onto a slab of stone?

Never mind being able to see any scenery—it would block her light and the breeze!

It would be incredibly stifling!

Wen Wan called out to Zhou Chenglei from her window, “Big Brother Zhou, are you planning to raise the wall?”

Zhou Chenglei pretended not to hear her.

Wen Wan raised her voice. “Big Brother Zhou! Are you building the wall higher?”

Zhou Chenglei looked up, a mocking twist to his lips and a cold light in his eyes. He said pointedly, “That’s right. Raising the wall for security… to prevent theft and peeping.”

Wen Wan: “…”

Seeing the bricks already on site, Wen Wan grew truly anxious. Zhou Guohua had gone out to sea and wasn’t home. She hurried downstairs and said to Zhou Bingqiang’s wife, “Mom, the neighbors are building a wall. They’re planning to raise it so high that it will block the light in our rooms!”

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife replied, “It shouldn’t block it, right? Our windows are some distance from their wall.”

Both houses had yards, and the buildings were situated in the center of their respective lots. There were several meters between the houses, plus an alleyway in between. How could it block the light?

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife lived on the ground floor, in the room directly below Wen Wan’s. Her window also faced the courtyard wall, three meters away, and she didn’t feel it was an issue.

Wen Wan persisted, “In terms of feng shui, it blocks our wealth luck!”

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife: “…”

That actually sounded like it might make sense!

“You’re right. I’ll go have a word with them!”

Chapter 516: The Red Apricot

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife walked into the yard of Jiang Xia’s house and asked point-blank, “Are you planning to build the courtyard wall higher?”

Zhou Chenglei was helping unload bricks, and Jiang Xia was standing right beside him. Hearing this, she replied, “That’s right. We’re building it a bit higher—for fire prevention, theft prevention, and peeping prevention.”

“Who’s peeping at you? Do you think you’re some kind of precious treasure?” Zhou Bingqiang’s wife flared up instantly. The two houses were close together; who else would be “peeping” if not someone from her family? Was she implying her son was peeping at her?

Jiang Xia said, “I’m certainly not a treasure, but some people just love to watch how my family lives all day long. They love to look at my man. I suppose I can’t blame them; he’s just too good-looking. There’s no helping it, so I’m just preventing any ‘red apricots’ from leaning over the wall!”

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife: “…”

She immediately thought of the arguments between Wen Wan and her son. Every time, Wen Wan would compare their home to the neighbors or talk about how Zhou Chenglei was doing this or that.

Could that wretched woman have actually set her sights on Zhou Chenglei?

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife had at least a little self-awareness. Though small, that bit of self-awareness forced her to admit that Zhou Chenglei was much more handsome than her own son!

Was there any wife in the entire production team who didn’t praise Zhou Chenglei’s looks?

She looked up at the second floor of her own house.

Wen Wan sat by the window all day long. From there, she could see this courtyard and the second floor across the way just by lifting her head.

In the privacy of their rooms, men mostly walked around shirtless in boxers. Only Zhou Chenglei and his wife lived on that second floor.

Thinking about it this way, Zhou Bingqiang’s wife felt like her son’s head was now greener than the vegetables in their own garden!

Wen Wan, that hussy! No wonder she didn’t want the courtyard wall raised!

“How high do you plan to build it?”

Mother Zhou chimed in, “We’ll build it as high as we want. What business is it of yours?”

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife retorted, “It’s not my business, but it’s not okay if you build the wall so high that it blocks my family’s fortune! Don’t you dare try to suppress our luck!”

Their house was to her left, their multi-story building was higher than hers, and now their courtyard wall was going to be higher too. Wasn’t that just completely suppressing her household?

And they didn’t have the money to add another floor to their own house right now.

Jiang Xia said, “We’ll build it up to half the height of your second-floor window. As long as no one can peek at my man, it’s fine. Auntie, I tell you what, if you don’t want to be blocked, there are two solutions. First, you raise your own courtyard wall. Then it won’t be us suppressing you, but you suppressing us. We don’t mind being suppressed. The second way is even cheaper: have your son and daughter-in-law switch rooms. Just make sure they aren’t always staring at my house and my man through that window!”

Wen Wan had come over as well and couldn’t listen any longer. “Who’s staring at your man?”

Jiang Xia challenged her, “Do you dare swear that you haven’t been peeping at my house, peeping at Zhou Chenglei? Swear that if you have, you’ll never make a fortune in your entire life?”

Wen Wan: “…”

What a vicious woman!

Jiang Xia smirked. “You don’t dare, do you?”

Wen Wan stammered, “Who’s peeping? My window is right there. I see your yard every time I open it! Is that supposed to be peeping? If you weren’t looking at me, how would you know I’m peeping? I could just as easily say Zhou Chenglei is peeping at me while I change my clothes!”

Zhou Chenglei looked at Jiang Xia. “I absolutely am not!”

Jiang Xia ignored Zhou Chenglei and addressed Wen Wan. “Is that so? How is he peeping? Do you change your clothes without closing the window, just to let him peek?”

Zhou Chenglei: “…”

Wen Wan: “…”

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife: “…”

Jiang Xia looked Wen Wan up and down. “So you’re that bold? You change your clothes with the window open? I wonder how many people have seen you while passing by?”

Wen Wan: “…”

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife whipped her head around and glared death at Wen Wan!

Wen Wan was nearly dying of rage and shame from Jiang Xia’s words. “Don’t you dare slander me! I was just giving an example!”

Jiang Xia sneered. “Well, you certainly know how to pick an example! To use something like that… could it be you actually lust after him? Do you want to change without closing the window just so he can see? Is that why that example came to mind?”

Wen Wan: “…”

“Don’t slander me! I didn’t!”

Jiang Xia stopped paying her any mind and turned to Zhou Bingqiang’s wife. “Auntie Qiang, you see? Regardless of who is peeping at whom, shouldn’t that window issue be resolved? So, is your family building the wall, or is mine? If your family won’t, then mine definitely will! Don’t go saying my family is suppressing yours! I just don’t want any ‘red apricots’ poking their heads into my yard! I also don’t want people misunderstanding and thinking my man is peeping! After all, with the window wide open like that, sometimes it’s hard not to see even if you don’t want to!”

Wen Wan’s eyes turned red with anger. “Who are you calling a red apricot? Who are you mocking?”

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife snapped, “My family will build it! No need for yours!”

She glared at Wen Wan. “Get back in the house, now!”

Leaving those words behind, she dragged Wen Wan away and stormed home in a fury. She went to the shed, found a wooden board, grabbed a hammer and nails, hurried upstairs, and nailed that window shut!

Tomorrow, she would go buy bricks and sand to raise the courtyard wall!

Wen Wan’s eyes were red with tears, but she couldn’t be bothered with her mother-in-law.

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife was a fool. She believed every word of someone else’s provocation after just a few sentences!

Next door.

Since the bricks and sand had already been bought, Mother Zhou asked, “Are we still going to build our wall then?”

Jiang Xia listened to the sound of the window being nailed shut next door. “No rush. Let’s see if the neighbors build theirs. If they raise their courtyard wall, we won’t bother.”

Wouldn’t it be ugly to suddenly add another section of wall on top of theirs?

Besides, their courtyard wall was decorated with pebble dash. For the sake of aesthetics, they would have to whitewash it and work on the exterior wall again. Plus, a protruding wall would look awkward.

If the neighbors wanted to build, they should let them go first!

Mother Zhou asked, “What do we do with all these bricks we bought?”

Jiang Xia replied, “If we don’t use them, we’ll give them to Second Brother to build his house. It won’t go to waste anyway.”

Mother Zhou was speechless. “Who knows when your Second Brother will get around to building a house.”

Zhou Chenglei said, “He’ll build one sooner or later.”

Mother Zhou thought about how her second son had also made quite a bit of money this month. They didn’t live in the village often, so they didn’t need many floors—one floor would be enough.

For a single-story house, the foundation wouldn’t need to be too elaborate, and the house didn’t need to be large. Three rooms would be plenty. With simple renovations, including a courtyard wall, a kitchen, and a couple of storage rooms, it could be done for under ten thousand yuan.

Next year, her second son should have the chance to build.

Mother Zhou asked again, “How much are bricks going for now?”

Zhou Chenglei answered, “They’re more expensive than when we built our house. They’ve gone up by a tenth of a cent per brick.”

Mother Zhou frowned. “Seriously? They went up again? They hadn’t gone up yet when Great-Grandma went to order bricks.”

Zhou Chenglei explained, “The price just went up recently. The brick factory director said there’s construction going on everywhere in the city, so brick prices will keep rising. Sand has gone up by ten cents per cubic meter, and cement has gone up too.”

He was already planning to tell his Second Brother to buy some bricks and keep them in storage.

Mother Zhou couldn’t help but grumble, “Everything is going up in price, but I don’t see your Second Brother and his wife’s wages going up!”

“Bricks up, sand up, cement and steel rebar follow suit… everything is rising. If wages don’t rise, how are people supposed to save enough to build a house?”

Zhou Chenglei didn’t say anything. Everyone’s wages would rise eventually, including his brother’s.

However, building a house required a massive sum of money. It wasn’t something a small wage increase could solve.

In the end, it all depended on slow accumulation.

After lunch, the sun was shining brightly. The net cages should be finished by now; they were nearing completion a few days ago. Zhou Chenglei took Jiang Xia out to sea to take a look.

Chapter 517: Returning Early

The husband and wife arrived at the pier and saw a large ship gradually approaching in the distance.

It was their family’s fishing boat.

Jiang Xia said, “It’s Dad. You can take me to see the net cages next time; we won’t go out to sea today. Dad likely brought back a batch of small fried fish.”

Zhou Chenglei nodded. “Mhm. I’ll take you home first, then drive the tractor back here.”

When his father returned, he would usually bring a batch of small fried fish with him—at least 5,000 kilograms. Since Zhou Chenglei had to help unload the cargo, he wouldn’t have time to go out to sea.

“Alright.”

It would take some time for the large ship to dock.

Zhou Chenglei had brought Jiang Xia there on the motorcycle, and it wouldn’t take long to drive her back.

With Zhou Chenglei’s support, Jiang Xia got onto the motorcycle and watched the ship approach from the distance.

The fisherman’s pier in their village wasn’t as large as the ones in the city. According to what was written in the book, the pier would be expanded in a few years.

As economic development accelerated, boat owners became wealthier. Small boats were replaced by large ones, followed by ocean-going vessels. Once loans became available, even those without the cash to buy a boat outright would take out loans to do so. With more and more people buying fishing boats, the current pier would soon fail to meet the needs of the fishermen from the production team’s dozen or so villages.

After all, large ships weren’t like small wooden boats; they couldn’t just dock anywhere.

Furthermore, the bulk carrier Jiang Xia and the others had ordered wouldn’t be able to dock at this pier—it simply wouldn’t fit. It would have to dock at a designated pier.

Zhou Chenglei brought Jiang Xia home.

Mother Zhou was surprised to see them back. “Weren’t you going out to sea to check the net cages? Why are you back?”

Jiang Xia held onto Zhou Chenglei’s arm as she carefully dismounted, smiling. “Dad is back.”

Mother Zhou blinked. “Your dad is back so soon? Didn’t he say he’d be gone longer this time, not returning until mid-to-late June?”

Did something happen?

When Father Zhou went out to sea, he said he intended to stay out longer and return at the end of June. This was because summer brought frequent typhoons, making it uncertain how much time they could actually spend at sea.

Moreover, Jiang Xia was due to give birth in July. With three grandsons to help with, Father Zhou was afraid the family would be too busy, so he planned to stay home in July.

That was why he had intended to go out for over two months straight, coming home after mid-June to wait for the birth of his grandsons.

Jiang Xia smiled and said, “I’m not sure, but maybe he made some good money!”

Mother Zhou grinned. “That must be it.”

Zhou Chenglei went to the backyard to start the tractor and hurried back to the pier.

By the time Zhou Chenglei reached the pier, the ship had just finished docking.

He boarded the vessel, and Father Zhou asked cheerfully, “How did you know I was back?”

Zhou Chenglei replied, “I was just about to go out to see the net cages when I saw the ship coming in.”

Father Zhou chuckled. “Good timing. Come see what treasures I’ve brought back!”

Father Zhou opened the live well. “Take a look at what’s inside.”

Zhou Chenglei crouched down and peered in. The light was dim, but he could vaguely see live pearl shells being kept in the live well. He looked up at Father Zhou. “Where did these come from? Are they all alive?”

“Nonsense! Of course they’re alive! Why would I bring them back if they weren’t? Go home and get some hanging nets and tools. Bring the small boat out; we need to get these things into the sea to raise them first.”

Father Zhou had rescued the crew of a boat at sea, and they had sold these to him at a discount.

The people on that boat had gone out to the sea area of a certain island to harvest these things for sale. However, on their return trip, their boat broke down just as it started to rain. The waves were heavy, and they had been drifting for several hours before they encountered Father Zhou’s ship. The men had almost given up hope of returning. Father Zhou and his crew had braved the winds and waves to rescue them and tow their boat back to port, preventing them from losing both their lives and their fortune.

The process had been quite harrowing. Rescuing people in heavy waves when the size difference between the two vessels was so great was dangerous. The difficulty of climbing from a small boat to a large ship in a storm was something only a pilot would truly understand; a single slip could mean falling into the sea or being crushed between the two colliding hulls.

Yet, if they hadn’t brought the crew aboard and had simply tried to tow the boat, the small vessel could have easily capsized.

In short, Father Zhou and his men had been terrified throughout the rescue, fearing an accident.

Fortunately, they had managed to save everyone safely.

Good local deeds are rewarded; the rescued men promised that any pearl shells they harvested in the future would be sold to him.

They had originally intended to give these pearl shells to Father Zhou for free, but since the men had risked their lives to get them, Father Zhou didn’t feel right taking them for nothing and paid for them instead.

Zhou Chenglei looked at the small fried fish on the ship. There was even more fried fish this time than the last. He said, “Dad, go hire a few people to help move the fried fish off the boat and back home. I’ll go down into the live well and get the pearl shells out first.”

Father Zhou nodded in agreement. “Alright. I’ll wait until you’ve gotten all the pearl shells out before I go hire anyone.”

No one knew they were raising pearl shells. If they hired people to move the small fried fish and someone saw the shells, the secret would be out.

Father Zhou and Zhou Yongguo began moving the small fried fish off the boat first.

Zhou Chenglei went down into the live well to gather all the pearl shells.

Most of these pearl snails and shells were not yet fully grown; they were quite small.

There were a few mature ones as well, though it was impossible to tell if they contained pearls.

Zhou Chenglei gathered them all and put them into woven sacks. He ended up with about half a sack, likely between one and two hundred of them.

Once Zhou Chenglei finished gathering the pearl shells, Father Zhou went to find workers.

Zhou Chenglei then joined Zhou Yongguo in moving the small fried fish. After filling the tractor, he drove the first load back, along with the fresh seafood Father Zhou had brought.

Back at the house, he said to Jiang Xia and Mother Zhou, “I’m heading out to sea. Dad brought back half a sack of pearl shells, and I’m going to go set them up.”

Jiang Xia was startled. “Shouldn’t you find one or two more people to go with you?”

“Mhm, Yongguo and I are going out together.”

“Alright then! Just be careful. If you can’t finish this afternoon, just leave the pearl shells in the water and continue tomorrow. Don’t stay out too late; come home early for dinner.” Jiang Xia nagged him out of concern.

“I will,” Zhou Chenglei responded.

After unloading the tractor-full of small fried fish, he took some hanging nets that Mother Zhou had woven earlier and drove the tractor back to the pier.

The rest of the afternoon was spent busy transporting the small fried fish. Since Jiang Xia couldn’t help with the heavy lifting, she went upstairs to read and do some translation work.

She worked until about four-thirty, then went downstairs to start cooking dinner with Mother Zhou.

A bit past five o’clock, Zhou Chengsen returned with Zhou Ying.

Mother Zhou asked, “Where’s Xiao Xian? Isn’t tomorrow May Day? Is she not coming back? Or did she go back to the Li residence?”

“No, she said she needs to prepare lessons, and some colleagues invited her to the city to go shopping and see a movie, so she’s not coming back,” Zhou Chengsen replied. He parked his bicycle and immediately started helping move the fried fish.

Mother Zhou reflected on how it had been a long time since her second daughter-in-law had come back with her second son. He often brought his daughter back to stay after work, but his wife never joined them.

Every time she asked her son, he would simply say, “She went back to the Li residence.”

“Did you and Xiao Xian have a fight? She’s hardly been back since the Qingming Festival.”

“No, she’s a grown woman. She can go wherever she likes.”

Mother Zhou wanted to say more, but she wasn’t sure if it was her place.

Forget it! They’re a married couple; let them settle their own affairs!

Chapter 518: The Movie

Zhou Chengsen didn’t want his mother to worry, so he pointed at the pile of bricks outside to change the subject. “Whose bricks are those? Do they belong to Great-Grandma’s house?”

Generally speaking, placing bricks near a plot of land meant someone was preparing to build a house. Since these plots belonged to the brothers and one belonged to Great-Grandma, it was natural for Zhou Chengsen to ask.

Hearing this, Mother Zhou replied, “A-Lei bought them to raise the courtyard wall.”

Zhou Chengsen couldn’t help but glance at the courtyard wall. Wasn’t it high enough already? Besides, the top was already covered in shattered glass shards. Why add more height? Unless…

“Did we have a thief recently?”

Mother Zhou said, “No. Someone is home every day; what thief would dare come here? A-Lei wants to raise that section of the wall to block that window.”

Zhou Chengsen immediately understood. He had also seen Zhou Guohua’s wife peering over from that window two or three times.

That window was directly opposite the second floor of their house. From there, one could see into the second-floor living room through the balcony and windows. Consequently, the curtains in the second-floor living room were always drawn shut.

His Fourth Brother was the kind of man who would fasten even his top collar button the moment he stepped out of his bedroom. How could he stand being constantly peeped at?

It had been fine when the weather was cold, as that window was usually closed. But now that it was getting warmer, the window would be open more often. That was likely why A-Lei had bought the bricks to raise the courtyard wall.

“Are you raising the wall tomorrow? It happens to be the May Day holiday and I’ll be home, so there’s no need to hire anyone. The three of us brothers can get it done in a day.”

“No need. Zhou Bingqiang’s wife said she would raise the courtyard wall herself. She’s afraid that if we do it, it might suppress her family’s fortune. If they don’t raise it, then we will.”

Zhou Chengsen’s lips twitched, but he offered no comment.

Jiang Xia reminded him, “Second Brother, A-Lei said the price of bricks has gone up again—by one li per brick. The factory director at the brick factory said they’ll go up even more later. Weren’t you planning to build a house in the village? Do you want to order a batch of bricks? If you’re short on money, we have some here.”

Zhou Chengsen replied, “No, I have enough for the deposit.”

Mother Zhou added, “Then you should order thirty thousand bricks first! Who knows when the price will go up again.”

The price per brick had already risen by one li. One li didn’t sound like much, but it took about twenty thousand bricks to build one floor. That added up to an extra two hundred yuan.

And that didn’t even include the bricks for the courtyard wall. If the yard was large, it would require quite a lot of bricks. Calculating for thirty thousand bricks, that would be an extra three hundred yuan.

Three hundred yuan—if his second son didn’t have a fishing boat and relied only on the couple’s salaries, it would take them three or four months to save that much.

Jiang Xia said, “Besides bricks, sand, steel rebar, and cement are also a bit more expensive than when we bought them. It’s better to build early. Second Brother, if you don’t have enough money, just say the word. We have some.”

Zhou Chengsen nodded. “I know. Thanks, Fourth Sister-in-law. If I’m short, I’ll ask you.”

If the peak season for small squid could last until the end of the month, he should have just about enough.

It was nearly seven in the evening when Zhou Chenglei finally returned.

Jiang Xia asked, “Is everything settled?”

Zhou Chenglei nodded. “All done.”

Tomorrow was the May Day holiday. He planned to cut some bamboo tomorrow. Either tomorrow night or the day after, he and Jiang Xia would go back to have a meal with Father Jiang and Mother Jiang. While they were at it, they would transport the bamboo to the house in the city to build a trellis. When the watermelons grew vines, they would need a trellis to climb.

Since Mother Jiang had returned from her business trip, they hadn’t visited yet. They didn’t know if the issues at the garment factory had been resolved, so they had to go and check in.

During dinner, Zhou Chenglei also asked Zhou Chengsen if he wanted to order bricks early if he planned on building.

Work on Jiang Xia’s workshop was set to begin in mid-May. Zhou Chenglei planned to order two to three hundred thousand bricks in the next couple of days. Since he was ordering in bulk, he wanted to see if he could get a discount. If Zhou Chengsen wanted bricks, they could order together.

Father Zhou heard this and said, “Order them! You’ll have to do it sooner or later. If you don’t have enough money, your mother and I will cover it for you first.”

Zhou Chengsen replied, “No need, I have enough. The income from going out to sea to fish has been good lately. I’ll go with A-Lei to place the order.”

The next morning, Zhou Chenglei got up early to cut some bamboo and then went to the brick factory with Zhou Chengsen to place the order.

Because Zhou Chenglei was ordering three hundred thousand bricks at once, they gave him a discount of one li, charging the price from before the increase.

The factory director asked, “When do you need the bricks? Since you want so many, I can’t fire them all at once.”

Zhou Chenglei answered, “In twenty days.”

After starting work, they still had to dig the foundation, which would take several days.

The factory director nodded. “Then that’s no problem. I’ll do my best to get them ready.”

“Thank you.”

After paying the deposit and arranging a rough delivery schedule, the two brothers left.

Not far from the brick factory, they ran into Zhou Bingqiang, who was riding a bicycle toward them.

Zhou Bingqiang greeted them, and they passed each other.

Zhou Bingqiang entered the brick factory and greeted the factory director, casually asking, “Is Zhou Yongfu’s second son here to order bricks to build a house?”

He guessed that Zhou Chengsen was the one preparing to build.

The factory director replied, “No, it’s A-Lei. He’s preparing to build a workshop and ordered three hundred thousand bricks. Tsk, that kid really has a knack for things. Three hundred thousand bricks… who knows how big that workshop will be.”

The director’s son was the same age as Zhou Chenglei but wasn’t nearly as capable, so he couldn’t help but sigh in admiration.

Zhou Bingqiang: “…”

His wife was worried about someone else raising a courtyard wall and suppressing their wealth luck, so she insisted on raising their own wall to suppress the other family’s luck!

But the other family was already building a workshop. How could they suppress that?

Nevertheless, Zhou Bingqiang still bought some bricks to take back and raise his courtyard wall.

By the time Zhou Chenglei got home, it was just time for lunch. After eating, he loaded several bundles of bamboo onto the tractor and set off for the city with Jiang Xia.

They had to drop the bamboo off at the new house first before driving the tractor back to the Jiang family home.

On the way to the Jiang family home, they passed the city theater. It was the May Day holiday, so it was very crowded.

Zhou Chenglei slowed the tractor down.

At the entrance of the theater, Li Xiuxian and Liao Ruixiang had already bought their tickets and were about to buy some melon seeds to snack on inside. Then she heard the sound of a tractor. She instinctively looked over, and what she saw frightened her so much she scrambled inside the theater.

Seeing this, Liao Ruixiang quickly followed her, putting his hand on her waist. “What’s wrong? Aren’t we getting melon seeds?”

Li Xiuxian whispered, “Don’t touch me! It’s my brother-in-law and his wife. I don’t know if they’re here for the movie.”

Hearing this, Liao Ruixiang let go and stood a few steps away from Li Xiuxian, looking out. “Which one?”

“They’re on the tractor. Forget it, I’m not watching. I’m going home.” Li Xiuxian was scared to death, uncertain if Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia had seen them.

Liao Ruixiang looked out at the street. “The tractor moved on. It didn’t stop. With so many people today, they won’t see us.”

“No, I have to go back…” She was terrified.

Liao Ruixiang said, “Alright, alright, alright. We won’t watch it then. Let’s just wait until the tractor is far away before we head out, okay?”

Li Xiuxian nodded.

Chapter 519: A Guilty Conscience

The streets were bustling with people.

Jiang Xia, who didn’t need to drive, sat on the tractor and scanned the entrance of the theater.

Zhou Chenglei asked her, “Do you want to watch a movie?”

Jiang Xia turned back to look at him. “No, I just thought I saw Second Sister-in-law.”

She thought she saw Li Xiuxian and a man in a white shirt walking into the theater one after the other. However, there were too many people, and she only caught a glimpse of their backs before they disappeared inside, so she wasn’t entirely sure if it was her.

But Zhou Chengsen had mentioned that Li Xiuxian was going to the city to watch a movie with her colleagues, so it likely was her.

“If we saw her, we can go watch a movie too.”

Zhou Chenglei had seen her as well, accompanied by a man. He didn’t know if there were others. The street was crowded with children running around, and since he was driving the tractor, he was afraid of hitting someone. He only took a quick glance before retracting his gaze, and by the time he looked again, the pair had already entered the theater.

Jiang Xia shook her head. “I don’t want to.”

The cinema was too crowded and stuffy. Her sense of smell was very sensitive now, and she often felt it was difficult to breathe, so she didn’t want to go to an enclosed place with so many people.

Besides, the tractor ride to the city took quite a while. She was tired and just wanted to go home and lie down on the sofa.

Zhou Chenglei respected her wish. “Then tell me whenever you want to see one, and we’ll come back.”

“Mhm.”

The tractor drove away at a steady pace.

When the couple arrived at the Jiang family home and sat down for dinner with Father and Mother Jiang, the conversation turned to Lei Yuzhen.

Mother Jiang said, “She eventually confessed everything honestly. Since she’s pregnant, the court will likely show leniency when sentencing her. As for her boyfriend, he initially refused to admit anything, but with the evidence against him, he had no choice. Then Comrade Lei’s family sued him for deceiving a woman into premarital pregnancy. On top of that, an ex-girlfriend of his came forward to accuse him of behaving like a hooligan. He won’t get off so easily. I suspect he’ll get at least three to five years.”

Zhou Chenglei and Father Jiang remained silent.

Jiang Xia glanced at them, noting that both were eating in silence with their heads down.

Mother Jiang continued, “Even his uncle is being investigated. He actually tried to send gifts to my office—talk about being unrepentant and utterly foolish.”

Since their daughter rarely visited, Father Jiang didn’t want her listening to such things. He picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork rib and placed it in Mother Jiang’s bowl. “This is delicious, try some.”

Their daughter was eating with great appetite.

Mother Jiang: “…”

Jiang Xia currently loved her sweet and sour pork ribs exceptionally sour. Mother Jiang had seen Father Jiang pour half a bowl of vinegar in while cooking earlier. How could she eat that?

Around four o’clock in the afternoon, Li Xiuxian returned to the village. Only Mother Zhou was home. She asked with a smile, “Mom, has A-Sen gone out to sea?”

Seeing her return, Mother Zhou smiled and replied, “Finished preparing your lessons? A-Sen and his father went to the beach to check on the mussels.”

“The tide doesn’t seem to have gone out yet. Did they take the boat?”

“Yes.”

“Where’s Xiao Xia? Upstairs?”

“No, she went to the city with A-Lei.”

Li Xiuxian remarked, “It’s the May Day holiday, so even the town is packed. Why go to the city?”

“Well, they planted watermelons on the rooftop of the house in the city, so A-Lei cut some bamboo and hauled it over to build a trellis.”

“I see! Are they coming back tonight? I bought some seafood and wine, thinking the whole family hasn’t eaten together in a while. Since it’s the May Day break, I thought we could celebrate. We should invite Big Brother’s family over for dinner tonight! I’ll start cooking now.”

“A-Lei and the others probably won’t be back until tomorrow. Xiao Xia has a prenatal checkup tomorrow.”

Li Xiuxian felt a pang of disappointment. She wanted to know if Jiang Xia and the others had seen her. But even if they had, the theater was so crowded, and she and Liao Ruixiang hadn’t actually done anything. What was there to fear? If asked, she would just say she was watching the movie with several colleagues from the office.

Jiang Xia stayed overnight at the Jiang family home. The next day, knowing that Zhou Chenglei had brought bamboo over to build a trellis for the watermelons, Father Jiang went along to help.

When Jiang Xia reached the rooftop, she was stunned.

“Dad, you’re amazing! This is so beautiful; just looking at it makes me feel wonderful. It must have been hard work moving so many flowers up here.”

Father Jiang laughed. “It wasn’t hard. I didn’t move them all at once. I just brought one or two pots up every day. It wasn’t exhausting at all.”

“But climbing this high with even one pot is tiring.”

Father Jiang had bought various potted plants and flowers to arrange around the planters and in every corner. There were Chinese roses and roses in several colors, bougainvillea, periwinkles, blue plumbago, jasmine, lilies, orchids, winter jasmine, gardenias, osmanthus, camellias, and more, creating a small garden.

At a glance, the multicolored flowers were in full bloom, competing in beauty and vitality. They were arranged in a charming, romantic, and orderly fashion.

Father Jiang had also planted some bok choy and choy sum in the planter. They had already grown two leaves, looking vibrantly green and lush.

He had even planted a few strawberry plants!

The watermelons and muskmelons planted previously had sprouted and were now growing climbing vines.

By July, they would have watermelons and muskmelons to eat.

Seeing how much Jiang Xia liked it, Father Jiang was delighted. “It’s not tiring. Do you want some flowers on the balcony downstairs too? I can go buy some more.”

He had already placed a pot of orchids and an asparagus fern inside the house.

“No need, this is enough. It’s plenty already.”

Moving flowers all the way up to the sixth floor would be too exhausting.

Father Jiang saw that his daughter didn’t want him to overexert himself, so he decided to wait until his next day off to buy more flowers for the balcony.

He had noticed that his daughter had planted many flowers and plants in the yard back in the village, so he knew she shared his love for gardening.

His wife complained that growing flowers attracted mosquitoes, so the Jiang home only had two pots of Father Jiang’s favorite orchids.

The father-in-law and son-in-law busied themselves with building the trellis, while Jiang Xia occasionally handed them bamboo, rope, scissors, and other tools.

They spent the entire morning finishing the trellis.

The three of them had lunch at home. After Jiang Xia took a short nap, she went for her prenatal checkup.

Father and Mother Jiang went along as well.

The checkup went perfectly, showing everything was normal. Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei then drove the tractor back to the village.

When they reached the town, they happened to see Zhou Chengsen, Li Xiuxian, and Zhou Ying heading home on their bicycles.

The family of three pulled over to let the tractor pass.

Zhou Ying shouted excitedly, “Uncle! Auntie! I want to ride the tractor! Daddy, I want to ride the tractor!”

Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia responded with smiles and stopped the tractor, greeting Zhou Chengsen and his wife.

Zhou Chengsen lifted his daughter into the back of the tractor, telling her to sit still before signaling to Zhou Chenglei that he could drive.

To accommodate Jiang Xia, the tractor wasn’t moving fast. Li Xiuxian and Zhou Chengsen followed behind on their bicycles.

Li Xiuxian said to Zhou Chengsen, “I’ll go to the pier to buy some seafood and make dinner when we get home.”

“Mhm.”

At dinner, Li Xiuxian was very energetic. She smiled and asked Jiang Xia, who was chopping vegetables, “I went to the city yesterday with my colleagues to watch a movie. Had I known you were going to the city too, I would have invited you along.”

Zhou Chengsen was cleaning rabbitfish. Hearing this, he glanced at Li Xiuxian.

Since yesterday, Li Xiuxian had mentioned watching a movie with her colleagues three or four times.

He knew her well. He knew that she usually repeated things only when she had a guilty conscience, trying to prove how open and “natural” she was.

What was she feeling guilty about?

Jiang Xia replied, “So it really was you, Second Sister-in-law. A-Lei and I saw you as we passed by the theater entrance.”

Chapter 520: Almost Succeeded

When Li Xiuxian heard Jiang Xia’s words, her heart skipped a beat. She instinctively glanced at Zhou Chengsen, meeting his inscrutable gaze.

Her heart nearly stopped!

She blurted out, “Is that so? I watched the movie with a few colleagues. Everyone from our office went.”

Jiang Xia hadn’t thought much of it initially. Even if she had seen Li Xiuxian enter the theater with a man, she wouldn’t have overthought it.

Jiang Xia had once gone out to eat, sing karaoke, and even drink at bars with several colleagues, and men were naturally present—that was completely normal.

After gatherings, some male colleagues would even offer to drive other female colleagues home.

Jiang Xia found it perfectly normal, but Li Xiuxian looked too guilty!

It gave Jiang Xia the impression that “the lady doth protest too much.”

It made Jiang Xia unable to resist glancing at her and responding, “Mm, it’s livelier with more people.”

“Yes, it was so lively that day, the theater was packed.”

Zhou Chengsen didn’t speak. He quickly cleaned a basin of rabbitfish, rinsed them thoroughly, put them in a sandpot with some water, and carried it to the small stove in the kitchen to simmer.

Li Xiuxian glanced at him, feeling uncertain.

Jiang Xia was tired of the awkward conversation. After slicing ginger, she realized there was no soy sauce left, so she said, “I’m going to get some soy sauce.”

Zhou Chenglei was cleaning chickens. Hearing her, he said, “Just let Zhou Zhou and the others go.”

With that, he raised his voice and called out to inside the house, “Who’s going to get soy sauce?”

The children were all inside watching TV. As soon as they heard, they all rushed out instantly.

“I’ll go!”

“I’ll go!”

“I’ll go too!”

…

Uncle and Auntie asking them to get soy sauce meant they could keep the change.

If Mother Zhou called them, Guangzong Yaozu and his brothers wouldn’t be so eager.

“Don’t knock over the soy sauce bottle,” Zhou Chenglei cautioned, giving them one yuan.

A bottle of soy sauce only cost 0.2 yuan, so the rest was theirs to distribute.

Li Xiuxian was uncharacteristically generous, smiling, “Our family is all here today, let’s buy a bottle of liquor to make it livelier!”

She gave Zhou Ying eight yuan and told her to buy a bottle of Maotai.

Zhou Chengsen glanced at her. Recently, she had been strangely generous. Had she earned a lot of money?

The brothers scrambled into the kitchen to grab the soy sauce bottle. Before they even made it out the kitchen door, the soy sauce bottle was knocked over and shattered on the floor.

Zhou Chenglei: “…”

Zhou Wenguang yelled at Zhou Wenzong, “What are you fighting for?”

“What does it have to do with me? He’s the one fighting!” Zhou Wenzong then yelled at Zhou Wenyao, “What are you fighting for?!”

Zhou Wenyao pointed at Zhou Wenzu, “It’s Fourth Brother! He’s the one fighting!”

Zhou Wenzu, “It wasn’t me, it was Yingying!”

Zhou Ying, “No it wasn’t me, it was younger sister!”

Zhou Zhou: “…”

There was no one younger than her!

She looked at Auntie’s big belly.

When would her younger brother or sister be born?

Zhou Chenglei ignored them, “It’s fine, I gave them one yuan anyway, they still have to bring me back a bottle of soy sauce.”

Li Xiuxian was afraid they would knock over the alcohol. She warned, “No matter who breaks it, all of you have to chip in money to buy another bottle. If there’s not enough money, it’ll be deducted from your pocket money.”

The children: “…”

During dinner, Li Xiuxian kept urging everyone to drink.

Zhou Chenglei didn’t drink. “Xiaxia is quite far along now, I don’t dare touch alcohol. I can’t drive if I drink. After Xiaxia gives birth and the baby has its full-month celebration, I’ll have a few more drinks with Big Brother and Second Brother.”

Zhou Chenglei had decided to abstain from alcohol since the Chinese New Year.

Before Jiang Xia gave birth, he wouldn’t drink even if Old Chief urged him.

Father Zhou: “It’s fine to have a small glass at home, as long as you don’t get drunk.”

Zhou Chenglei: “No, thank you.”

Zhou Chengsen understood perfectly; he still remembered Jiang Xia’s stubbornness during Chinese New Year: “Not drinking is the right choice.”

Li Xiuxian pursed her lips. Jiang Xia still had two months before giving birth.

Couldn’t Zhou Chenglei find another excuse if he wasn’t going to give face?

In the end, almost the entire bottle of alcohol was finished by Zhou Chengsen and Big Brother/Zhou Chengxin. Father Zhou, Li Xiuxian, and Tian Caihua each had a small glass.

Zhou Chengsen’s face was a little red from drinking.

After dinner, Li Xiuxian went to shower. Zhou Chengsen found an opportunity to go upstairs alone to find Zhou Chenglei. “Did you see who your Second Sister-in-law was watching a movie with yesterday?”

Zhou Chenglei: “I did. It seemed to be Liao Ruixiang, who’s in a partnership running a livestock farm with someone from the neighboring production team. There were many people around them, and I was driving the tractor, and the street was crowded. I only glanced and didn’t clearly see who the others were.”

Zhou Chengsen understood perfectly. Fourth Brother had excellent eyesight and an incredibly sharp memory. He was sensitive to his surroundings and could remember everyone with a single glance.

When he said he didn’t clearly see who the others were, it meant he didn’t recognize any of them.

If there were people he knew, he wouldn’t fail to recognize them.

Fourth Brother might not know all the teachers at the town primary school, but one of Li Xiuxian’s office colleagues was Fourth Brother’s middle school classmate. That female classmate had pursued Fourth Brother for a long time and was also Li Xiuxian’s best friend. He couldn’t possibly not recognize her.

Moreover, Liao Ruixiang was not Li Xiuxian’s colleague.

Zhou Chengsen wasn’t thinking about a romantic affair at this point. He was worried that Li Xiuxian was secretly engaged in some profit-seeking, opportunistic scheme again.

She had been scammed before, spending over a hundred yuan to buy what someone claimed was an ancestral Ming Dynasty vase, only to see a pile of similar vases in the city afterward, costing one yuan each.

And Liao Ruixiang used to be involved in the black market and had even been arrested.

Recently, he heard about people being caught in “labor traps” and some places having “pyramid schemes.” Given Li Xiuxian’s greed, he was afraid she’d be sold off and still count money for the scammers.

Zhou Chengsen decided to pay more attention to Li Xiuxian recently.

He was about to build a house; he couldn’t let all their money be squandered.

At night, Zhou Chengsen returned to bed after showering. Li Xiuxian entwined herself around him.

They had been in a cold war for a long time and hadn’t had marital relations.

After giving birth, her breasts used to hurt a week before her period, but her period was due in two days, and she wasn’t experiencing the usual pain. She was a little scared…

She had to succeed tonight!

The alcohol went to his head, causing a headache. Zhou Chengsen glanced at her, not making a move, just looking at her, letting her…

Just then, there was a knock on the door, and Mother Zhou’s voice came through: “A-Sen, Zhou Zhou says Yingying has a fever. I went up and felt her, she’s so hot. You and A-Lei take her to the health clinic to get her checked!”

Zhou Chengsen immediately pushed Li Xiuxian away and sat up. “I’ll take Yingying to the doctor, you go to bed early.”

Li Xiuxian was utterly frustrated!

She felt like tonight was going to be a success!

Zhou Chengsen hastily grabbed his shirt and trousers from the chair, pulled them on, opened the door, and went out.

By then, Zhou Chenglei was already coming downstairs carrying Zhou Ying.

Zhou Chengsen quickly stepped forward and took his daughter. “I’ll carry her, you go drive.”

Zhou Ying used to have convulsions when she had a fever as a child, so every time she had a fever, they had to be especially careful because it was easy for her to convulse again if her temperature exceeded 38.5 degrees Celsius.

Zhou Chenglei quickly went to the garage to get the car.

The two brothers rushed Zhou Ying to the town health clinic.

At the health clinic, after getting a fever-reducing shot and taking medicine, they waited for Zhou Ying’s temperature to go down before the brothers dared to go home.

They returned home after one in the morning.

Zhou Chengsen was afraid his daughter’s fever would relapse, so he didn’t dare let her sleep alone. He decided to sleep with her in the guest room.

Li Xiuxian came over.

Chapter 521: Following

Zhou Ying had a continuous fever for three days. Even after the fever broke, she was left with a cough, and it took a full week before she finally recovered.

Zhou Chengsen had poured nearly all his energy into caring for his daughter, but he hadn’t neglected Li Xiuxian.

Li Xiuxian was not the type of person who could hide what was on her mind, and Zhou Chengsen was a perceptive man.

Naturally, he had noticed her preoccupation over the past few days. She was under so much stress that even her period was late.

However, the money in the family’s piggy bank hadn’t decreased.

Li Xiuxian kept her own salary, so Zhou Chengsen didn’t know if her personal savings had dwindled.

On Saturday afternoon, after finishing work, Zhou Chengsen went to pick up his daughter from school to head back to the village.

Li Xiuxian said to him, “You two head back to the village first. I need to prepare lessons at home tonight. I’ll come back tomorrow after I’m done.”

Zhou Chengsen gave her a look and tested the waters. “Then we’ll wait and go back with you tomorrow.”

Zhou Ying, however, was reluctant. “No, I want to go back to the village now.”

The village was fun; the town was no fun at all.

Li Xiuxian added, “No need to wait for me. Take Yingying back to play with Zhou Zhou! She’s been cooped up for a week while she was sick; she’s bored to death! Besides, I don’t know how long I’ll be busy. I might not even make it back tonight.”

Without another word, Zhou Chengsen left with his daughter.

He and Li Xiuxian cycled away from the school together. Once they reached the main street, they parted ways; one headed east toward the village, while the other headed west toward home.

Zhou Chengsen had originally planned to drop his daughter off at the village first and then return to town to see what Li Xiuxian was up to. Unexpectedly, he ran into Zhou Chenglei’s car on the street.

Today, Zhou Chenglei had accompanied Jiang Xia to the city for her prenatal checkup. Along the way, they had delivered some fried fish and signed up for something.

The two had just returned and were passing through town.

Zhou Chenglei brought the car to a halt.

Zhou Chengsen cycled over to the side of the vehicle, and Zhou Ying greeted them excitedly.

Jiang Xia responded with a smile and then greeted Zhou Chengsen. “Second Brother, are you heading back to the village? Yingying, do you want to ride in your uncle’s car?”

“Yes!” Zhou Ying replied loudly and immediately.

Zhou Chengsen said to Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei, “Then I’ll trouble you to take Yingying home. I might not make it back tonight.”

Without needing further explanation, Zhou Chenglei guessed what Zhou Chengsen intended to do. He simply nodded. “Fine.”

And so, Zhou Ying went home with Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia.

Jiang Xia asked her, “Is your cold all better, Yingying?”

Zhou Ying replied, “It’s better! I can eat anything now!”

Jiang Xia laughed.

When the children of the Zhou family had a cold or fever, they were put on a strict diet. During a fever, they could only eat plain congee. If they had a cough, they weren’t allowed sugar, fried foods, or anything “heating.” Chicken, fish, shrimp, and crab—foods that were culturally believed to aggravate illnesses—were also off the table.

The poor child had been crying out for fish and meat every day because she was so hungry.

As the car passed by a seafood rice noodle shop, Jiang Xia turned to Zhou Chenglei. “I’m craving some seafood noodles.”

She then asked Zhou Ying, “Yingying, do you want some seafood noodles?”

Zhou Ying immediately exclaimed, “I do!”

To a child, food from outside—full of MSG and seasonings—tasted much better than home-cooked meals.

Zhou Chenglei pulled the car over to the curb. He got out to lift his niece down first before going around to help Jiang Xia out.

Zhou Ying had already skipped inside to find a table.

Zhou Chenglei carefully assisted Jiang Xia out of the car, holding her hand as they walked in.

He remembered this seafood noodle shop.

The first time they came here, he and Jiang Xia weren’t truly together yet.

Now, Jiang Xia was about to become the mother of his three children.

Thinking of this, Zhou Chenglei subconsciously tightened his grip on Jiang Xia’s hand.

Or rather, it wasn’t just her hand he was holding.

It was his home, his love, his happiness—his everything.

Jiang Xia’s small hand was nestled firmly in his palm, completely enveloped by his large hand. His grip was so strong it felt as though he wanted to press her hand into his very skin. She looked up at him and gave his hand a little shake. “What are you thinking about?”

Zhou Chenglei loosened his grip slightly, his thumb gently rubbing her hand. “I was thinking that after the babies are born, I’ll bring you and the three of them back here for seafood noodles.”

Jiang Xia’s fingers twitched, and Zhou Chenglei instinctively opened his hand.

Their fingers interlaced, locking together tightly.

Jiang Xia imagined the scene of taking three children out for noodles, her eyes crinkling with a smile. “We’ll have to wait until they’re at least a year old before we can bring them out to eat. That’s quite a long time from now.”

She wasn’t entirely sure, but she thought babies could eat anything after they turned one.

People weren’t that particular in this era, so she figured she would just follow the local customs.

Zhou Chenglei looked down at her, a smile touching his brow and the corners of his eyes as he held her hand tightly while entering the small noodle shop. “I don’t mind the wait.”

After handing his daughter over to Zhou Chenglei and his wife, Zhou Chengsen headed home.

Before he even turned into the alley of their neighborhood, he saw Li Xiuxian hurriedly cycling out.

She didn’t even notice him on the other side.

Zhou Chengsen followed her from a distance, keeping a steady, unhurried pace on his bicycle.

To his surprise, Li Xiuxian was cycling toward the city.

He had no choice but to follow at a distance.

Preoccupied with her own thoughts, Li Xiuxian pedaled hard.

If she had looked back even once, she would have seen Zhou Chengsen trailing her.

She set off from town after five o’clock and didn’t arrive in the city until after eight.

Li Xiuxian went straight to a hotel, presented her letter of introduction, and booked a room.

The hotel wasn’t in the bustling center of the city; it was on a relatively secluded street with good privacy and more affordable prices.

Only after Li Xiuxian had checked in did Zhou Chengsen enter.

As it happened, Zhou Chengsen was supposed to attend a two-day meeting in the city on Monday and would need to stay overnight anyway. He had a letter of introduction in his briefcase, so he produced it and checked in as well.

While registering his information, he deliberately glanced at the guest log.

The registry had just been turned to a new page, and with only a few names listed, it was clear as day.

With a mix of surprise and a sense of “I knew it,” he saw Liao Ruixiang’s name.

He looked at their information. Their room numbers were different, but only by one digit. They weren’t directly adjacent, but they were likely either nearby or across from each other.

After questioning the staff, he requested the room right next to Liao Ruixiang’s.

The rooms were on the second floor. Zhou Chengsen walked up to find his room.

Before he could step out of the stairwell, he heard a door being knocked. He instinctively stayed back, peeking around the corner of the wall.

A man’s hand reached out and pulled Li Xiuxian inside the room.

Zhou Chengsen: “…”

He stepped out and walked toward that room, one step at a time, his face as dark as ink.

The two were likely still right behind the door. He didn’t even need to be that close to hear what was happening inside.

“Don’t. Stop for a second, I have something to tell you. I think I’m ‘with’!”

The other person’s voice was a bit muffled and impatient. “With what?”

“A child. Your child. My period is two or three days late. I suspect I’m pregnant with your child!”

“It can’t be mine!”

Li Xiuxian’s voice turned frantic and indignant. “If it’s not yours, whose is it? Didn’t I tell you? He and I have been sleeping in separate rooms for a long time. I wish it was his! Then I wouldn’t have to worry! Tell me, what do we do now?”

Chapter 522: Divorce

The man in the room finally turned serious. “Are you telling the truth? Have you seen a doctor?”

He had seen a doctor before and knew he was quite weak in that department, making it difficult for him to father children. He and his wife had been married for seven or eight years without a single child, so how could this baby possibly be his?

Li Xiuxian cried, “I haven’t, but I’m nine times out of ten certain! My period has been very regular these past two years, and my intuition tells me I’m pregnant!”

The man tried to soothe her. “It’s been regular for two years, but you said it was irregular before that. It’s likely just because your life has been a bit hectic lately; I’m sure you aren’t pregnant. If you’re worried, go to the hospital tomorrow to check.”

“What if I am?” she asked. She didn’t want a divorce.

If she got divorced, how would people look at her?

“It’s impossible. But if you are, then we’ll have the baby.”

Actually, he truly hoped she was carrying his child.

His only fear was that it belonged to Zhou Chengsen and Li Xiuxian was merely tricking him! He didn’t believe that nonsense about them sleeping in separate rooms for half a year. What normal man could restrain himself for that long?

“Have the baby? Zhou Chengsen would kill me! He’d divorce me!” The more Li Xiuxian thought about it, the more terrified she became.

She didn’t want a divorce!

Li Xiuxian truly regretted attending that class reunion. If she hadn’t drunk too much that time, none of this would have happened.

“Don’t be afraid. There won’t be a child, so don’t you worry! If you really are carrying my child and he divorces you, I’ll marry you,” he promised, pulling her into his arms to coax her.

Suddenly, the door was flung open with a sharp crack.

The two scrambled apart.

When Li Xiuxian saw the person standing outside the door, her heart stopped. She nearly fainted!

How did Zhou Chengsen get here?

Liao Ruixiang was also startled. “You…”

Zhou Chengsen dropped whatever he was holding, lunged forward, covered Liao Ruixiang’s mouth, and began raining punches down on him.

Li Xiuxian was so terrified she clamped her hands over her own mouth, not daring to make a sound. She was afraid of attracting others; she had already lost all her dignity.

It took a long moment before she reacted and rushed to pull him away. “Stop hitting him!”

“Don’t touch me!” Zhou Chengsen let go of Liao Ruixiang and jerked away from Li Xiuxian’s reaching hand.

Liao Ruixiang curled up on the floor, too pained to make a sound and too afraid to try. He couldn’t afford to attract an audience.

Zhou Chengsen gave Li Xiuxian a cold, detached look. His gaze was freezing. “Divorce!”

With that, he picked up his briefcase and camera from the floor and turned to leave.

Li Xiuxian stood frozen on the spot. She was stunned by the pure disgust in Zhou Chengsen’s eyes! He had never looked at her like that before.

Zhou Chengsen walked downstairs with a face like ice. He quickly checked out at the front desk, hopped on his bicycle, and pedaled away.

In the darkness, Zhou Chengsen rode his bike at lightning speed.

He only wanted to get home as fast as possible, back to his daughter’s side.

What should he do?

From now on, his daughter wouldn’t have a mother.

If it weren’t for the fact that this was absolutely unbearable, he wouldn’t want his daughter to face any of this. He was afraid she would be mocked by her classmates. He was afraid it would affect her future temperament.

…

It was past midnight when Zhou Chengsen finally returned to town.

He had calmed down significantly during the journey, which was why he didn’t head back to the village so late to disturb his parents and brothers and worry everyone.

He went straight to the bedroom, pulled out several red, white, and blue striped bags, and began stuffing Li Xiuxian’s belongings inside!

One bag wasn’t enough, so he used two. When two weren’t enough, he found a woven sack! He didn’t leave a single item of Li Xiuxian’s behind—not even a hair tie!

By the time he finished packing these few bags, dawn was breaking. He went out, searched several shops, and finally managed to buy a new lock.

Then, he replaced all the locks on the front door of the house!

As he was changing the locks, Li Xiuxian returned. Her eyes were bloodshot and swollen like walnuts.

“A-Sen, let me explain. It’s not what you think. It was an accident!”

“There’s no need. I heard everything clearly last night! I’ve already packed all your things. Take them and go!”

Li Xiuxian wailed, “It’s not like that! At that class reunion, I drank too much. He was just taking me home, and I thought he was you… I promise I’ll never do it again. Don’t divorce me. Think about Yingying! What will happen to her if we divorce?”

Zhou Chengsen sneered. “Why didn’t you think about what would happen to Yingying when you were doing those things?”

“If it weren’t for our daughter, I would have reported you to the police last night and let everyone know you’re a loose woman! If you don’t want this to become public knowledge, take your things and leave immediately! Let’s just end this cleanly. For the sake of our years as husband and wife, this is the last bit of dignity I’m giving Yingying’s biological mother.”

“See you at the Civil Affairs Bureau first thing tomorrow morning. Don’t be late. Otherwise, I’ll take the photos of you two embracing and post them at your school, his livestock farm, and on the production team’s bulletin board. That would be very ugly indeed!”

The camera in his bag belonged to his government unit. He needed it to take photos during business trips. He had originally planned to go directly from the village to the city, so he had brought everything with him.

Setting the new lock in place, Zhou Chengsen threw the bags outside the door and walked straight downstairs to head home.

Li Xiuxian was speechless.

Was she really being kicked out of the house just like that?

By what right?

Watching Zhou Chengsen hurry downstairs, she couldn’t help but roar in anger, “Zhou Chengsen, you bastard! Do you think you’ve done nothing wrong?”

If he hadn’t subjected her to cold wars every single day, starting a silent treatment over every little thing, would she have had those extra drinks at the reunion?

He always blamed her for being petty and calculating with his family!

But if he were like Zhou Chenglei—treating his wife like a treasure, listening to her every word, and not letting her lift a finger—would she be like this?

Zhou Chenglei treated Jiang Xia like a pearl, but Zhou Chengsen treated her like a beast of burden! He was always ordering her around to do this and that!

His whole family was the same!

Everyone coddled Jiang Xia, but they only ever used her! They gave her the most troublesome, dirtiest, and smelliest chores!

Especially Tian Caihua!

When Tian Caihua went out of her way to make things difficult for her, Zhou Chengsen never lifted a finger to help! The entire family bullied her!

Looking at the new lock, Li Xiuxian was so angry she felt like she might explode!

Fine! Let’s get a divorce! It’s not like she couldn’t survive without him.

Li Xiuxian picked up the two red, white, and blue striped bags and the woven sack and headed downstairs.

If they divorced, this house had to be hers. She had contributed some money toward it back then! Zhou Chengsen shouldn’t even dream of kicking her out!

By the time Zhou Chengsen returned to the village, the Zhou family had just finished breakfast.

Zhou Ying lunged at him. “Daddy, you’re back!”

Zhou Chengsen stroked his daughter’s head. He didn’t know how to tell her.

Father Zhou glanced at him. “Were you out being a thief last night? Why are your dark circles so heavy?”

Mother Zhou asked, “Have you eaten yet? There’s still porridge in the pot. Should I get you a bowl?”

Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei both looked at the haggard Zhou Chengsen.

“I haven’t eaten yet; I’ll get it myself.” Zhou Chengsen let go of his daughter. “Yingying, go play. Daddy is going to eat breakfast.”

“Okay.” Zhou Ying skipped outside.

Zhou Chengsen went into the kitchen to serve himself some porridge.

Zhou Chenglei followed him in. “What happened? Didn’t sleep last night?”

Zhou Chengsen replied, “I’m going to divorce your Second Sister-in-law.”

Zhou Chenglei immediately understood. A cold light flashed in his eyes. “What about Yingying? Should she be transferred back to the village primary school?”

Zhou Chengsen was silent for a moment. “Let her finish this semester first. The Li family might come over in a bit. When they do, could you please take Yingying out to play?”

“Sure.”

Today was market day. Zhou Chenglei decided he would drive Jiang Xia and the children to go to the market.

After finishing his porridge, Zhou Chengsen called his parents into the room to tell them about the divorce.

Father Zhou barked, “Bullshit! Yingying is already this old. Have you considered—”

“Li Xiuxian is having an affair. She’s pregnant with another man’s child.”

Father Zhou went silent.

Was the world going mad?

How was harmony supposed to breed wealth now?

Mother Zhou was equally speechless.

Chapter 523: Looking for a Scolding

Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei took the child to the town market. Sitting in the passenger seat, she asked Zhou Chenglei, “How about you drop us off at a restaurant so I can give the child some lunch, then you head home first and come pick us up later?”

With people from Li Xiuxian’s side visiting, she was afraid Zhou Chengsen and their parents wouldn’t be able to handle it alone.

Zhou Chenglei shook his head. “No need. There won’t be many of them, and Second Brother can handle it by himself.”

If it were necessary to stay, he wouldn’t leave, but if it weren’t, he certainly wouldn’t linger.

Jiang Xia didn’t know the Li brothers well, but he did.

The Li family might have many sons, but the father and sons were all cowards who feared death; a real fight wouldn’t break out. Knowing he was home, the Li brothers likely wouldn’t even show their faces.

Furthermore, Li Xiuxian was the one in the wrong this time—egregiously so. The Li family was clearly in the wrong, and they wouldn’t dare make a scene. They weren’t afraid of losing face, but they were afraid of Li Xiuxian losing her job.

Liao Ruixiang’s wife probably didn’t know about this yet. If things escalated and she found out, wouldn’t she come knocking on Li Xiuxian’s door to settle the score?

Human nature is inherently selfish; people only act in ways that benefit themselves. Making a scene wouldn’t benefit the Li family—in fact, it would bring more harm than good. So why would they cause trouble?

It had to be said that Zhou Chenglei understood the Li family very well.

Only three people from the Li family arrived: Li Xiuxian’s parents and her eldest sister-in-law.

Such a lineup indicated they weren’t there to cause trouble or fight, but to act as mediators.

As soon as Li’s mother arrived at the Zhou family home, she stepped forward to grab Mother Zhou’s hand. “My in-law, I’m so sorry! I’m too ashamed to even look you in the face!”

Mother Zhou pulled away with a darkened expression. “It’s good that you know it! Since you’re too ashamed to see me, what are you doing here? Are you here looking for a scolding? Get out! I don’t want to see any of you! Don’t ever come to my house again!”

Li’s mother was speechless.

Li’s father spoke up, “In-law, calm down. This was just a moment of confusion for Li Xiuxian. We’re here to discuss how to resolve the matter between her and A-Sen.”

Mother Zhou put her hands on her hips. “There is nothing to discuss! There must be a divorce! I will never allow someone like that to step through my door again! What a disgrace!”

Li’s father lived for propriety and found Mother Zhou’s unreasonable attitude frustrating. “Where is A-Sen? I want to discuss a resolution with him.”

Mother Zhou barked, “Discuss what? What else is there to say? Divorce! It must be a divorce! You people leave too! Go, go, go!”

Li’s father countered, “Even if there’s a divorce, we still need to discuss the terms, don’t we?”

Mother Zhou sneered, “Are you planning to pay my son compensation? Fine! Bring it here! At least you have a shred of conscience. Pay the money and get out!”

Li’s father was at a loss for words.

Li’s eldest sister-in-law couldn’t stop herself. “Aren’t you mistaken? My sister-in-law has been a wife in your family for so many years. She’s worked like a slave and even bore Zhou Chengsen a daughter. Even if there’s no merit, there’s the effort of her hard work! Even if it’s a divorce, it should be you paying her. How do you have the nerve to ask us for money? You’re dreaming!”

Li’s mother added, “If Zhou Chengsen wants a divorce today, fine! Pay up! My daughter can’t have been his wife for years for nothing! Pay her five thousand yuan and give her the house in town. She also put money toward that boat, so she owns half of it—from now on, each family will operate it for half a month! Also, Zhou Chengsen must give her twenty yuan a month for living expenses. Then we can talk about divorce, otherwise, no way!”

“Pah!” Mother Zhou spat right in their faces with her hands on her hips. “You’re the ones dreaming! Damn it! She goes out and messes around with another man and has the nerve to ask for compensation? You want the boat, the house, and five thousand yuan? I haven’t even asked for the three hundred yuan gift money back, and you should be thanking your lucky stars for that! An unfaithful creature like her has the gall to ask for compensation and living expenses? She should be praying to Buddha that we aren’t suing her for damages!”

Mother Zhou was so angry she lost all restraint, spewing every harsh word she could think of. “There is no money! The divorce is happening! Do you really think our family is running a charity, providing universal salvation for every lowlife out there? If you want compensation, go find her lover! Let her lover support her! Or did she sleep with him for free? To sleep with someone without getting any benefit—just how loose is she? How cheap? How desperate?”

“Since she’s so capable, why does she need living expenses? Just clear out a room in your Li residence, set up a bed, and open the doors for business!”

She had cuckolded her son, making him and the entire family the laughingstock of the village, and yet they had the nerve to ask for money, a house, a boat, and living expenses!

Pah!

Mother Zhou wasn’t finished yet. “Since the two of you want money so badly, you can follow Li Xiuxian’s lead! Go out and find a man to sleep with! Then come back and ask this old man for money! Ask Li Qingmin for money! I want to see if the Li men are so generous—to have their wives knocked up by someone else and then give them money, a house, and monthly living expenses to help raise another man’s child!”

“Heh!” She was absolutely livid. Mother Zhou grew more furious as she shouted until she was out of breath. “I’m truly impressed! You actually have the face to come here demanding money! One would think you’d done something honorable! Should I present you with an award pennant? Praise you? Why don’t I hire a lion dance troupe to perform, with gongs and drums to celebrate for you, so the whole world knows?”

Li’s mother turned pale with rage, nearly unable to catch her breath!

Li’s father was likewise rendered speechless by her words.

Zhou Chengsen came out carrying two red, white, and blue striped bags. “Li Xiuxian’s things are all here. When she married in, she only brought a quilt, a pair of basins, a pair of thermoses, and a pair of towels. Nothing else. The quilt, basins, and thermoses are all in the bags.”

“As for the money for the towels, and the portion she contributed toward the boat and the house, I will give that to her tomorrow after we get the divorce certificate. I won’t owe her a single cent! If you accept this, take the things and leave. If not, we can see each other in court. Li Xiuxian is the party at fault. When you lose the lawsuit, the losing side will be responsible for all legal fees.”

Zhou Chengsen looked coldly at the two elders. “I have evidence of Li Xiuxian’s affair, and she’s already pregnant with that man’s child. Go ahead and keep making a scene; make it common knowledge. Being a disgrace is one thing, but losing her job is another! You won’t get any benefit from me! Don’t even think about getting a single cent! If you want money and perks, you’ve come to the wrong person! If you provoke me further and make this a public scandal so that Zhou Ying can’t hold her head up in the village, I’ll make sure you all pay for it! I have evidence of the internal theft you committed while operating the boat! Think about the consequences if I take that evidence to the police.”

“Be at the Civil Affairs Bureau by eight o’clock tomorrow morning. If you’re a minute late, I’m heading straight to the police station!”

Li’s father: “…”

Li’s mother: “…”

Mother Zhou grabbed a broom to drive them out. “Are you leaving or not? Take Li Xiuxian’s filthy belongings and get out!”

Beaten by the broom, the three members of the Li family grabbed the bags and fled!

Once they were gone, Mother Zhou slammed the courtyard gate shut.

She was incensed!

Her chest actually hurt from the anger.

Her son was so good, so capable—what kind of monster had he married, and what kind of misery was this?

How would he ever be able to hold his head up at his government unit?

What would happen to Zhou Ying in the future?

Li Xiuxian was truly subhuman!

Mother Zhou couldn’t help but wipe away her tears.

Chapter 524: Who is the Happiest?

Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia took the children through the market, buying all sorts of snacks the kids wanted to eat. They also bought plenty of mountain products, including various mushrooms, wild vegetables, and traditional medicinal herbs like Smilax glabra, Elephantopus, Millettia root, hairy fig root, and cogon grass root.

Zhou Chenglei bought a bit of everything and had the boys carry them.

With the Dragon Boat Festival only ten days away, the market was filled with vendors selling sticky rice dumpling leaves, beans, and glutinous rice.

When Jiang Xia saw the leaves, she suddenly craved sticky rice dumplings. She gave Zhou Chenglei’s hand a little tug. “Shall we buy some leaves and wrap some dumplings when we get back?”

“Alright.”

Zhou Wenguang chimed in, “Uncle, buy a lot! We want to eat sticky rice dumplings too!”

Zhou Ying added, “I want some too!”

Jiang Xia smiled. “Then we’ll wrap them this afternoon.”

“Auntie, sticky rice dumplings only taste good if there’s plenty of meat,” Zhou Wenzu suggested. “Let’s buy some meat!”

Zhou Wenyao agreed, “Yeah, the meat needs to be fatty and in big chunks to be delicious! You have to put in lots of meat!”

Zhou Wenzu used his hands to gesture. “The fatty meat should be this big!”

Zhou Chenglei glanced over and saw the boy was gesturing for a piece the size of a fist. He laughed in exasperation. “You certainly know how to eat!”

Jiang Xia looked along the row of stalls and chose one to buy the leaves from. Its sticky rice dumpling leaves were exceptionally large and green.

Zhou Chenglei simply bought the vendor’s entire stock.

The stall owner used straw ropes to bundle them up into two massive piles.

Zhou Wenguang stepped forward eagerly and picked them up.

Zhou Chenglei handed him the car keys. “Go ahead and put them in the trunk.”

“Okay!” Zhou Wenguang took the keys excitedly and ran off with the bundles of leaves.

The Zhou family grew their own glutinous rice. Since they had so many children who loved glutinous rice and needed plenty for the festival, Mother Zhou planted a small 130-square-meter plot of it every year. Some was used for glutinous rice during the winter, and she would specifically set aside 25 kg of unhusked grain to be milled just before the Dragon Boat Festival. There was no need to buy any.

They also grew various types of beans at home, so they didn’t need to purchase those either.

Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia continued walking with the children. At a meat stall, they bought half a side of pork belly. The owner helped them carry it to the car, with Zhou Wenyao leading the way to where it was parked.

When Jiang Xia saw some bamboo shoots, she suddenly felt a craving for bamboo tube rice. She squeezed Zhou Chenglei’s hand again.

Zhou Chenglei looked down at her.

Jiang Xia looked up at him. “I suddenly really want to eat bamboo tube rice.”

Zhou Chenglei’s thumb gently rubbed her hand. “I’ll go cut some bamboo as soon as we get back.”

Zhou Zhou asked curiously, “Auntie, what’s bamboo tube rice?”

“It’s rice cooked inside a bamboo tube,” Jiang Xia explained. “You’ll see once it’s done.”

Zhou Wenzu shouted, “I want to eat it too! Uncle, I’ll help you cut the bamboo when we get home!”

“I want some too! I’m going to help cut bamboo too!”

The other children immediately chimed in, expressing their desire to try it.

Zhou Chenglei said, “Be diligent and help carry these things, and I’ll make it for you when we get back.”

“Okay!” the children responded in a loud, synchronized chorus.

Supporting Jiang Xia, Zhou Chenglei went on to buy a cage of old pigeons, a basket of quail eggs, and a bottle of sand crab sauce. He handed the lighter items to the children to help carry.

When they reached the area where animals were sold, Zhou Zhou wanted a cat, while Zhou Ying wanted a dog.

The ‘Guangzong Yaozu’ brothers all wanted a dog as well.

Zhou Chenglei asked Jiang Xia, “Do you want to raise any?”

Jiang Xia didn’t mind. “Either is fine with me.”

Zhou Chenglei then let them pick out one cat and one dog.

The siblings scouted every stall selling animals, whispering and huddling in discussion for a long time before finally making their choices.

The cat was a white calico country cat, and the dog was a yellow Chinese rural dog.

By the time they finished buying the pets, they had been walking for over an hour. Fearing Jiang Xia would be tired, Zhou Chenglei stopped shopping and took them all out to eat. They didn’t head home until their bellies were full.

The children were beyond ecstatic!

Going to the market was a happy occasion to begin with, but going with their Uncle and Auntie made that happiness double and triple!

Their Uncle and Auntie were the type who granted every request.

They had all gotten exactly what they wanted.

As soon as they returned home, Zhou Chenglei called Zhou Chengsen to come with him and the children to cut bamboo.

Jiang Xia went upstairs for an afternoon nap, but Tian Caihua came running up and pulled her aside, asking in a low voice, “Do you know that A-Sen and Li Xiuxian are getting a divorce?”

Jiang Xia nodded. “I know.”

Tian Caihua was shocked. “My goodness, then do you know that Li Xiuxian has another man outside? I thought she was just lazy, I never expected her to be so bold! Our mother was so angry she couldn’t even eat her lunch!”

When the Li family had come over and argued with Mother Zhou, some passing villagers had overheard quite a bit.

Furthermore, Zhou Bingqiang’s wife next door practically had her ear pressed against the courtyard wall to eavesdrop.

She was the one who heard the most!

The moment the Li family left, she had practically flown out the door to spread the shocking news.

Consequently, people had already begun coming to Tian Caihua to ask if she knew anything.

That was why Tian Caihua had rushed over.

She hadn’t expected it to actually be true!

By now, probably the whole village knew.

Jiang Xia shook her head. “Second Brother only said he wanted a divorce; he didn’t mention the reason. Let’s not talk about it anymore. I imagine Mother gets angry every time she hears it!”

Tian Caihua nodded. “How could she not be? Li Xiuxian is truly shameless! A-Sen still has to go to work!”

Tian Caihua then shared something else she had heard. “I heard she’s even pregnant! Come to think of it, we don’t even know if that child belongs to our Zhou family or that other man. How did A-Sen figure it out? How does he know for sure it’s someone else’s?”

Jiang Xia: “…”

She really wasn’t in the mood to listen to this speculation.

Tian Caihua clearly seemed a bit gleeful over the misfortune.

Jiang Xia thought of Father Zhou, who was silently sitting there weaving a fishing net, and Mother Zhou, whose eyes were red from crying. She felt she had to remind her sister-in-law to be careful lest they overhear and get even more upset.

“Big Sister-in-law, let’s stop talking about it,” Jiang Xia said. “It’s one thing for outsiders to gossip, but it’s another for our own family to discuss it behind their backs. How would Second Brother feel if he heard? What about Yingying? What about Mom and Dad? At a time like this, we should present a united front. If anyone asks, just say you aren’t clear on the details and don’t know anything. When people realize they can’t get any information out of us, they’ll stop asking, and the talk will eventually die down.”

Thinking of something, Jiang Xia added one of Father Zhou’s favorite mottos: “Only when a family stays united can life get better and better.”

In the past, Tian Caihua would have been unhappy hearing Jiang Xia speak like this, but things were different now!

To her, Jiang Xia was her God of Wealth, and whatever the God of Wealth said was right. “You’re right! Harmony breeds wealth! Unity is Strength! Don’t worry, I won’t go around talking. In the future, if anyone dares to speak ill of my brother-in-law in front of me, I’ll give them a piece of my mind! This is all Li Xiuxian’s fault!”

She wouldn’t criticize her brother-in-law; she would only blame Li Xiuxian.

Knowing she would no longer have to be sisters-in-law with Li Xiuxian gave Tian Caihua the joyful feeling of a liberated serf!

She was truly happy!

Then, another thought occurred to Tian Caihua, and she said excitedly, “Sigh, after A-Sen gets divorced, there will be no one around to look after him and Yingying. That won’t do. I’ll start looking for a match for him tomorrow. There are plenty of good girls back in my natal village! I’ll find him someone diligent and capable, someone who can bear him a son! I’ll find him a young maiden, and she’ll get pregnant right away. We can’t let him fall too far behind Li Xiuxian! That’ll show her!”

Jiang Xia: “…”

The next morning, after breakfast, Zhou Chengsen headed straight to the Civil Affairs Bureau.

Chapter 525: Cutting Ties Completely

Zhou Chengsen arrived at the Civil Affairs Bureau at 7:45 AM.

Li Xiuxian didn’t arrive until 7:50 AM. She didn’t want to divorce; she couldn’t bear to let go of Zhou Chengsen.

However, she had gone to the hospital the day before and confirmed she was indeed pregnant. Since Zhou Chengsen already knew, she had to go through with the divorce whether she liked it or not.

Moreover, she truly wanted to give birth to a son.

Liao Ruixiang had also told her that if she was carrying his child, he would divorce his wife and marry her.

Li Xiuxian asked, “What about Yingying?”

Zhou Chengsen didn’t give a direct answer. “What do you think should happen?”

Li Xiuxian replied, “Yingying should stay with you. After all, she carries your surname.”

If Yingying stayed with her, she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to have another child with someone else. Besides, Zhou Chengsen doted on their daughter, so she felt at ease leaving her with him.

Zhou Chengsen never intended to give her the daughter in the first place; he just wanted to see if she felt even a shred of reluctance to let her go.

The result was the expected cold indifference!

She never disappointed him in that regard.

The corner of his mouth twitched. “Fine.”

“The house and the boat…”

Zhou Chengsen stated, “After we get the divorce certificate, the money you contributed will be returned to you.”

His parents had paid for half of that house; there was no way he would give it to Li Xiuxian.

Li Xiuxian asked, “How much?”

Zhou Chengsen: “Five hundred yuan.”

Li Xiuxian’s voice turned shrill. “Five hundred? No way, five hundred is too little! I want five thousand!”

The past two months were the peak season for squid. Zhou Chengsen must have earned at least eight thousand, if not ten thousand yuan, yet he was only giving her five hundred!

In his dreams!

Zhou Chengsen looked at her calmly. “You know exactly how much you contributed toward the house and the boat. Five hundred is already more than enough. The extra is to reimburse you for the money you usually spent on clothes for me and Yingying.”

Li Xiuxian was speechless.

She looked at him with hatred. “Zhou Chengsen, how can a grown man be so stingy?! A night as husband and wife means a hundred days of grace! Is this how you treat me? Giving me five hundred yuan—doesn’t your conscience ache? It’s not like I did it on purpose; it was an accident! I drank too much! If you hadn’t been giving me the cold war every day, would I have been upset enough to drink too much?”

Zhou Chengsen’s lips curled into a mocking smile. “I thought an ‘accident’ only happened once. Your ‘accidents’ happened again and again. Just how many times were ‘accidental’? Was going to the movies also an accident after getting drunk? Was the night before last also a drunken accident? Then you sure are impressive—to be able to ride a bicycle dozens of kilometers while drunk just to create an ‘accident.’ Do I need to keep giving examples? All those late nights, all those nights you claimed you had business at your mother’s house—were those all accidents?”

Li Xiuxian: “…”

“Are we divorcing or not? If not, I’m going to go develop the photos.” Zhou Chengsen glanced at the time. It was 8:00 AM; the staff were starting work.

Li Xiuxian: “…”

Full of rage, Li Xiuxian stormed inside.

In less than half an hour, the two emerged, each holding a booklet.

Zhou Chengsen gave her the five hundred yuan.

Li Xiuxian snatched it away angrily.

“I have a fixed-term deposit certificate I saved a while ago that’s in your hands…”

Li Xiuxian felt a surge of panic. She had thought he didn’t know she had taken it, or perhaps he had forgotten.

She glared at him with wide eyes. “You want it back? In your dreams!”

Zhou Chengsen didn’t intend to take it back. He produced a piece of paper and a pen. “Sign this. If you sign, I won’t ask for that money back. We’ll consider it as Yingying fulfilling her duty to support you in your old age.”

Li Xiuxian took the paper and glanced at it. He was actually treating those three thousand yuan in the fixed deposit as a lump-sum payment for her retirement funds from Yingying!

She looked at Zhou Chengsen in disbelief. “Yingying is my daughter too. What’s wrong with her supporting me when she grows up?”

Zhou Chengsen replied, “If she chooses to support you of her own accord when she’s older, I won’t stop her. I’m just preventing you and your family from harassing her.”

The Li family was quite greedy; he had to look out for his daughter’s future.

“…”

Li Xiuxian was truly laughed in anger!

Was she really that despicable in Zhou Chengsen’s eyes?

Yingying was her daughter; how could she harass her?

“Will you sign or not? If you don’t, I’ll go to the bank and report the certificate as lost.”

Li Xiuxian: “…”

Li Xiuxian stared at Zhou Chengsen, gritting her teeth. “Zhou Chengsen, you’re so cruel! Do you really have to go to such extremes?”

She angrily snatched the paper and signed her name.

Zhou Chengsen handed her the ink pad. “Press your thumbprint.”

Li Xiuxian: “…”

She pressed down hard on the ink pad, making it fall out of Zhou Chengsen’s hand, then slammed her thumb onto the paper.

Zhou Chengsen didn’t argue with her. He bent down to pick up the ink pad.

“A-Lei will be picking Yingying up and dropping her off at school. You’d better not say anything ridiculous to her at school. Otherwise, I’ll post those photos all over your school! Think about whether you can keep your job then!”

Li Xiuxian: “…All you know how to do is threaten me!”

“You should be grateful. For the sake of our time as husband and wife, I didn’t make a scene, and your job is safe. You’d better cherish that!”

After Zhou Chengsen finished speaking, he unlocked his bicycle and rode away.

He had to go to the city for a two-day business trip. For these two days, he could only trouble A-Lei to pick up and drop off Yingying.

Once he returned, he would arrange a school transfer for Zhou Ying.

Otherwise, constantly troubling his family for pickups wasn’t a long-term solution.

He had already told his daughter about the divorce. He didn’t say too much, not knowing how to explain it; he only said that Mom and Dad didn’t have feelings for each other anymore, and from now on, she would live with Dad while Mom moved back to Grandma’s place.

He also mentioned the school transfer and that she would be going to school with Zhou Zhou and her older cousins in the future.

Since no one around them had ever divorced, the young girl didn’t quite understand what divorce meant and even asked him what it was.

He explained it, but she would only slowly come to understand what it truly meant over time.

Hearing Zhou Chengsen’s words, Li Xiuxian only felt that he was using the photos to threaten her at every turn. She didn’t feel even a hint of the dignity he had preserved for her. She clutched her divorce certificate and left in a fury.

After waving goodbye to her Uncle, Zhou Ying immediately ran into the school and headed straight for Li Xiuxian’s office. Not finding her there, she returned to her classroom.

When the first class ended, Zhou Ying ran to the office again to look for Li Xiuxian.

She happened to run into Li Xiuxian, who was walking back to the office after finishing a lesson.

She called out to her.

“Mom, Dad said you and he have split up. He said you won’t be living at home anymore and will be staying at Grandma’s place, and I’ll be living with Dad from now on. When I miss you, can I go stay with you at Grandma’s place?”

Li Xiuxian was still consumed by resentment and anger. She was furious that Zhou Chengsen had used those photos to threaten her!

Hearing her daughter’s words, and thinking of Zhou Chengsen’s warnings, she snapped irritably, “Just listen to your father! Your dad will find you a new mother anyway. Why come looking for me? Don’t come looking for me! Go find your new mother in the future!”

With that, she stormed away in anger.

Zhou Ying stood frozen in place, looking at her mother’s retreating, angry back, feeling utterly lost.

As school was nearly over, Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei arrived together to pick up Zhou Ying.

Zhou Chenglei stood by the school gate waiting. Almost all the students had left, but he still hadn’t seen Zhou Ying come out.

He walked back to the car and said to Jiang Xia inside, “I’ll go in and look for her. You keep an eye out here to see if she comes out another way.”

Jiang Xia nodded. “Okay.”

Zhou Chenglei asked the guard where Zhou Ying’s classroom was and entered the school.

Jiang Xia sat in the back seat, keeping a close watch on the school gate.

Another five minutes passed, and Jiang Xia saw Li Xiuxian riding out on her bicycle.

When Li Xiuxian spotted Jiang Xia in the car, she gave her a massive eye-roll and rode away.

The person she hated most was Jiang Xia! Even more than she hated Tian Caihua!

If they hadn’t told Zhou Chengsen about her and Liao Ruixiang going to the movies, Zhou Chengsen never would have followed her!

And then, none of this would be happening!

Chapter 526: The New Mother

Another five minutes passed before Zhou Chenglei finally emerged, leading a sulking Zhou Ying by the hand.

The husband and wife exchanged a quick look.

Once Zhou Chenglei settled her into the car, Jiang Xia smiled and handed Zhou Ying a bag of chocolates. “Yingying, would you like some chocolate?”

Zhou Ying shook her head.

Jiang Xia unwrapped one for herself, popped it into her mouth, and said indistinctly, “Mmm, sweet chocolate. It melts in your mouth and melts away my terrible mood today.”

Hearing this, Zhou Ying looked up at her.

Can it really do that? Can chocolate melt away a bad mood?

Jiang Xia offered it to her again. “Do you want some?”

Zhou Ying took it and put one in her mouth.

“Does it taste good?”

Zhou Ying nodded. “It’s good.”

Chocolate was her favorite treat.

Zhou Chenglei returned to the driver’s seat, picked up a water flask from the passenger side, unscrewed the cap, and handed it to Jiang Xia. “Since you’ve had something sweet, have some water. Yingying, have some water when you’re finished too. Do you have water in your flask?”

Jiang Xia said crossly, “I’m not drinking! Don’t you dare try to look after me! Didn’t you say you wouldn’t care about me anymore?”

Zhou Ying looked up, about to say something, but was startled by Jiang Xia’s angry expression.

She had seen her Auntie angry before—it was terrifying, and she even hit Uncle!

Zhou Ying immediately didn’t dare to speak.

Zhou Chenglei was also stunned for a moment, but then he saw Jiang Xia give him a quick wink.

Realizing what she was doing, he followed her lead. “I didn’t mean I wouldn’t care about you. I only said that because I was angry.”

Jiang Xia huffed, then turned to Zhou Ying. “Yingying, Auntie is very unhappy and sad. Your Uncle was mean to me!”

Zhou Ying was dazed, unsure of what to do. She felt that Auntie had been even meaner just now!

Even Uncle had been startled.

She stole a glance at her Uncle.

Zhou Chenglei started the car. “Yingying, help Uncle coax Auntie. Uncle has to drive.”

Zhou Ying: “…”

This… how am I supposed to coax her?

Auntie won’t hit me too, will she?

Zhou Ying forgot her own troubles as she racked her brain. It took a lot of effort before she finally thought of how to soothe her. “Auntie, Uncle didn’t mean it. Please don’t be mad at him.”

Jiang Xia complained, “Your Uncle is so bad! He won’t let me go beachcombing, he won’t let me eat crab, he won’t let me do this or that. When I didn’t listen to him, he got mean and said he wouldn’t care about me ever again! Well, I don’t care if he looks after me! It’s better if he never bothers with me again!”

Zhou Chenglei added, “I was just speaking out of anger. You can’t take angry words seriously. Don’t dwell on it. How could I possibly not care about you?”

Jiang Xia then asked Zhou Ying, “Yingying, what do you think? Should Auntie hold it against your Uncle?”

Zhou Ying immediately shook her head. “Uncle is right. Words said in anger don’t count! They’re just angry words! Auntie, don’t hold it against Uncle.”

Jiang Xia took the opening. “Then I’ll listen to Yingying and won’t hold it against your Uncle. Yingying is right—words said in anger don’t count. So, if anyone says something mean to you when they’re angry, don’t take it to heart, okay? They’re just angry words.”

Zhou Ying: “…”

She felt like she had fallen for Auntie and Uncle’s trick!

Jiang Xia took Zhou Ying’s hand. “Oh, Yingying, Auntie feels much better now that I’ve said it all out loud! Were you unhappy just now, too? Do you want to talk about it? You’ll feel better if you do.”

Zhou Ying lowered her head. After a moment of silence, she couldn’t help but ask, “Mom told me not to look for her anymore. She told me to go find a new mother. Is Dad going to find me another mother? Is that why he didn’t come to pick me up? Is he going to make me live with you guys forever and not live with him? Am I going to be like Zhou Zhou?”

Jiang Xia truly hadn’t expected Li Xiuxian to say such things to a child.

Jiang Xia knew that gossip and rumors were inevitable and that Zhou Ying would have to face them eventually.

But she never expected that the first person to inflict this kind of verbal harm would be Li Xiuxian, not some outsider.

Hearing this, Zhou Chenglei’s grip tightened on the steering wheel.

She made a mistake, yet she takes it out on the child.

And bringing up a ‘new mother’!

Deliberately misleading the girl!

What a waste of the dignity Second Brother tried to leave her with!

Jiang Xia stroked Zhou Ying’s head. She finished her chocolate before speaking. “Of course not. Your father is just away on a business trip. He’ll be home tomorrow evening after work. It’s just like how Grandpa sometimes has to take the big boat on a distant seas voyage and doesn’t come home for many days. Your father is just busy with work; it doesn’t mean he won’t live with you, and he’s definitely not looking for a ‘new mother.’”

“Then will Dad find me a new mother? I’m scared Dad will find me a new mother.”

Jiang Xia found this question harder to answer than an official civil service exam!

How should she respond?

She didn’t know if Zhou Chengsen would remarry in the future.

Chances were that he would. After all, Zhou Chengsen was only thirty-four. At that age in the modern world, many people weren’t even married yet!

After thinking for a moment, Jiang Xia asked instead, “Do you think your father loves you?”

Zhou Ying nodded. “Yes.”

Dad loved her the most!

“As long as you can feel his love, that’s what matters. Auntie doesn’t know if your father will find a new mother in the future, but Auntie knows that your father will always be your father. That will never change.”

“Even if he finds a lady to marry in the future, he will still be your dad. He will love you just as much then as he does now. If he finds a ‘new mother,’ it isn’t because he doesn’t love you, but because he needs someone to love him, too.”

“Just like how Auntie needs your Uncle to be with me and care for me, and your Uncle needs Auntie’s care and company. It’s the same as how you need your Mom and Dad to love you, but you also need your classmates and friends to play with you. It’s the same logic. It’s not just children who need love and care; we adults need it too. So, your father also needs someone to love, someone to be with, and someone to look after him.”

Zhou Chenglei glanced at Jiang Xia through the rearview mirror.

“Otherwise, when you go to school or out to play with friends, your father would be all alone and lonely at home. And if he gets sick, he needs someone by his side to take care of him, right? So even if your Dad really does find a new mother later on, it’s not because he doesn’t love you, it’s because he also needs someone to love him.”

“Of course, Auntie doesn’t know if your Dad will marry someone else. Auntie only knows that your Dad will always love you.”

Zhou Ying thought back to the last time her father was sick. He had stayed in the village, and her grandparents had taken care of him. Sometimes her father had to cook and wash clothes for her even when he was sick. Every time she or her mother got sick, her father was there to take care of them, but when her father got sick, there was often no one to take care of him; he had to look after himself.

She suddenly understood a little. “I see.”

Even though she didn’t want someone else to be her mother—she only wanted her own mother—she also didn’t want her father to have no one to care for him or love him.

Once Jiang Xia finished, Zhou Chenglei spoke to Zhou Ying as well, warning her that children in the village might say mean things, like how her parents were divorced and didn’t want her anymore.

“Those are all lies. Don’t believe them when you hear them. If anyone says those things, come home and tell your Dad or Uncle. Uncle will take you to confront them, and then you’ll see for yourself that what they said is false.”

The following afternoon, Zhou Chengsen returned. He brought Zhou Ying her favorite doll and bought toys for his other nephews and nieces as well.

Only when Zhou Ying saw Zhou Chengsen did her heart finally settle in peace.

Chapter 527: Getting Beaten

The day after Zhou Chengsen returned, he immediately processed Zhou Ying’s school transfer. Zhou Ying attended the primary school in town for one last day and would be returning to the village school tomorrow.

In truth, the teaching conditions at the village school weren’t as good as those in town, but Zhou Chengsen had a job now. He sometimes had to work late or attend social engagements, making it impossible for him to look after his daughter.

Crucially, the primary school let out earlier than he finished work. How was he supposed to pick her up?

He had no choice but to transfer her back to the village and ask his parents to help watch her. That way, Zhou Ying could walk to and from school with her older brother and Zhou Zhou, and no one would need to go out of their way to pick her up.

Today, Zhou Chenglei helped out again by going to the town to pick up Zhou Ying. It was also the last time Zhou Ying would be leaving the town’s primary school.

Jiang Xia didn’t come along; she was still asleep when he left.

Her legs had cramped once the night before, so she had gone to bed early. She woke up in the middle of the night and couldn’t get back to sleep until dawn. Since she hadn’t slept much through the night, her afternoon nap lasted a bit longer.

Zhou Ying came skipping out of the school, and Zhou Chenglei scooped her up, walking toward the motorcycle. “You’re transferring schools tomorrow. Did you say goodbye to your classmates?”

“I did.” Zhou Ying wrapped her arms around Zhou Chenglei’s neck and looked behind him.

Li Xiuxian was walking out just then.

She was wearing a dress today, all dolled up. Liao Ruixiang had said he would pick her up for dinner.

“I even went to say goodbye to Mommy. Mommy gave me candy, too.”

Zhou Chenglei smiled and replied, “Yingying is such a good girl.”

He settled Zhou Ying onto the motorcycle and pulled a package of biscuits from his pocket. “Your Auntie prepared these for you. Sit tight, Uncle is starting the engine.”

Zhou Chenglei straddled the motorcycle and quickly drove away.

When the motorcycle was about a dozen meters away, Zhou Chenglei saw a somewhat plump woman in the rearview mirror. She rushed up to Li Xiuxian, who had just stepped out of the school gate, grabbed her by the hair, and slapped her hard across the face. “You slut!”

Zhou Chenglei quickly turned a corner.

Zhou Ying had her head down, busy unwrapping and eating her biscuits, so she didn’t see a thing.

By the time Zhou Chenglei brought Zhou Ying home, Jiang Xia was already awake. After waking, she had eaten some fruit, dried meat, and small dried fish.

Jiang Xia told Zhou Ying to have a snack and rest.

Zhou Ying asked, “Where’s my sister?”

“In her room doing homework.”

“Then I’ll do my homework, too.”

Once her homework was finished, she could go out and play. She could take her snacks outside to eat while playing and share some with the other children; that way, everyone would listen to her.

Shouldering her school bag, Zhou Ying hurried back to her room to do her homework.

Primary school homework was very light—just copying a lesson’s worth of vocabulary and solving a few math problems, and then she was done.

Jiang Xia said to Zhou Chenglei, “Shall we go for a walk down by the beach?”

Having slept all afternoon, she needed to move around. She had slept too much and was afraid she wouldn’t be able to fall asleep at night.

Zhou Chenglei said, “I saw the tide was out when I came back. A lot of people are digging for ‘Xi Shi’s Tongues.’ I don’t know if you’ve tried them before? They’re quite tasty. Want to go dig for some?”

It was getting late. If they dug for an hour, they might get enough for a meal. Tonight, he could make Jiang Xia some porridge and steamed Xi Shi’s Tongues with minced garlic and vermicelli.

Jiang Xia had never even heard of them, so she said, “Okay.”

Zhou Chenglei grabbed a bucket and a hoe and called out to Mother Zhou, “Mom, Xiaxia and I are going beachcombing.”

“Go ahead! Your father went ages ago. He heard there are a lot of ‘Red Snails’ out there. Dig up plenty so we can make porridge tonight.”

Some people called Xi Shi’s Tongues “Red Snails” because their shells had a reddish tint. Mother Zhou was also very fond of them.

Just then, Tian Caihua arrived on her bicycle. “Mom, are you going to dig for Red Snails?”

In their fishing village, people tended to call anything with a shell a “snail.”

Mother Zhou replied, “I’m not going, but Xiao Xia and A-Lei are getting ready to.”

Seeing Zhou Chenglei wheeling out the motorcycle, Tian Caihua instinctively said, “Then I’ll ride the motorcycle with you guys.”

After saying it, she glanced at Jiang Xia’s round belly, which was currently carrying three babies, and realized the motorcycle probably couldn’t squeeze in five people. “Forget it, I’ll ride my bike myself.”

With that, she hurriedly pedaled off ahead of them.

Zhou Chenglei rolled the motorcycle out and helped Jiang Xia onto it before mounting it himself. He started the engine and set off, keeping a steady distance behind Tian Caihua.

A person approaching on a bicycle came from the opposite direction—it was Li Xiuxian.

Tian Caihua hadn’t intended to pay her any mind, but she couldn’t help it—the woman’s appearance was too shocking!

It shocked Tian Caihua into a state of sheer excitement!

“Oh my, you gave me a fright! I was wondering why a pig was riding a bicycle down the road! Turns out it’s you!”

“Former second sister-in-law, did you do something wicked and get found out? Did someone track you down and beat you up?”

Jiang Xia also spotted Li Xiuxian riding toward them and was momentarily stunned.

That face was incredibly swollen!

Li Xiuxian pulled her hat down low and kept her head down, hurrying past them.

Even Jiang Xia couldn’t resist looking back.

Tian Caihua was the type who considered chatting about gossip just as important as finding money on the ground. She stopped her bike and waited for Zhou Chenglei to catch up, saying excitedly, “Did you guys see Li Xiuxian’s face just now? Did you see it?”

Zhou Chenglei didn’t answer her and drove right past.

Jiang Xia replied to her, “I saw it.”

Tian Caihua quickly pedaled to catch up and talk to Jiang Xia. “Do you think the wife of that guy she’s seeing beat her up?”

Jiang Xia said, “Probably.”

“A-Lei, did you see anything when you went to pick up Yingying?”

Zhou Chenglei only said, “I left as soon as I got Yingying. She hadn’t come out of the school gates yet at that time.”

Hearing Zhou Chenglei’s response, Jiang Xia knew for sure he had seen it. Otherwise, he would have just said “No.”

He was being intentionally vague!

But he must have seen it from a distance after they had already moved away, and Zhou Ying hadn’t seen it. Otherwise, Zhou Ying wouldn’t have been in such a cheerful mood when she got back.

Jiang Xia even suspected that Zhou Chenglei might have been the one to tip off the wife. Yesterday, he hadn’t returned until after she woke from her nap; when she asked where he’d been, he only said he went to the neighboring production team to handle some business.

Tian Caihua was still channeling her inner Sherlock Holmes. “Then she definitely hadn’t been beaten yet back then! It must have happened after school let out. Otherwise, how could she have the nerve to teach a class with a face like a pig’s head? Oh man, if I’d known there was a show to watch, I would have gone to pick up Yingying myself!”

It was as if she had missed out on the drama of the century—a regret on par with failing to pick up a hundred-yuan bill!

Jiang Xia added, “It seems so. I noticed her clothes were a bit wrinkled and dirty, and her hair was a mess.”

“Really? You saw that clearly? I didn’t see any of that; I was too busy looking at her face. Where was it dirty?”

“The hem of her skirt was a bit dirty.”

Tian Caihua couldn’t help but look back, wishing she could turn around and chase after Li Xiuxian to piece together a dramatic performance of a legal wife tearing into a mistress based on those clues.

The beach they went to this time was mostly sand with very little mud.

Many villagers were already there, several of them swinging hoes.

Beachcombing—collecting various shellfish and seafood—was one of the income sources for the villagers. Those without boats could earn a bit of money this way. Therefore, there were always people on the beach whenever the tide went out.

Even if they didn’t sell it, it was good to gather some for their own meals. Living by the sea, as long as one was diligent, there was an endless supply of seafood.

It was impossible for Jiang Xia to do the digging now. She just looked for “clam eyes” on the surface of the sand and pointed them out for Zhou Chenglei to dig.

Xi Shi’s Tongues burrowed quite deep into the sand, so a hoe was necessary.

Jiang Xia noticed that before Zhou Chenglei dug, he would always use the hoe to push some sand over the clam hole to block it. Curious, she asked, “Why do you do that?”

Since he was going to dig it up anyway, why bother filling the hole with sand first?

Chapter 528: Jokes

It wasn’t just Zhou Chenglei doing it; Jiang Xia saw everyone else doing the same.

Tian Caihua was quick to explain, “If you don’t fill in those ‘snail eyes,’ the water will rush in the moment you strike with your hoe. The sand will collapse easily, making them impossible to find. That’s why we always hoe a bit of sand over the snail eyes to fill them before we start digging.”

Jiang Xia still didn’t quite understand and felt it was a bit redundant, but she figured there must be some wisdom behind why everyone did it.

The Xi Shi’s Tongues buried themselves quite deep. Zhou Chenglei and Tian Caihua had to strike three or four times with their hoes, digging a hole about half an arm’s length deep, before reaching in to retrieve the clams.

They also had a very strong suction. Jiang Xia noticed that both Chenglei and Tian Caihua had to exert quite a bit of effort when pulling them out.

Zhou Chenglei handed a freshly dug Xi Shi’s Tongue to Jiang Xia.

Jiang Xia took it and examined it, smiling. “I finally understand why they call it Xi Shi’s Tongue.”

The little creature was shaped like a flower clam, but its shell was more reddish. When it extended its translucent flesh, it looked exactly like a person sticking out their tongue.

Flower clams also “stuck out their tongues,” but not as prominently as these.

Furthermore, the “tongue” of the Xi Shi’s Tongue was translucent and quite beautiful.

That was likely why someone had named it after Xi Shi, the legendary beauty. Since Xi Shi was a great beauty, her tongue was naturally expected to be beautiful as well.

Some children nearby were holding the clams, sticking out their own tongues to mimic them, and asking their parents if they looked alike.

“Do I look like it?” Jiang Xia saw this and imitated them, holding up the little clam and sticking out her tongue at Zhou Chenglei.

Zhou Chenglei glanced at the tip of her pink, tender tongue. He lowered his head and began swinging his hoe with renewed vigor, burning off the sudden surge of restless energy in his body. “Not at all. Your tongue is more pointed.”

“Then why don’t you stick yours out and let me see if it looks like it?”

Zhou Chenglei gave her a look. “I’ll show you when we get home.”

Jiang Xia blinked. “Why do we have to wait until we’re home just to stick out a tongue?”

Zhou Chenglei didn’t answer her, focusing intently on digging for more clams.

Suddenly, Jiang Xia understood. “…”

Indeed, one should not flirt with a grown man who has been restrained for too long.

Zhou Chenglei worked tirelessly at digging for the Xi Shi’s Tongues, successfully overtaking those who had arrived before him. By the time they were ready to leave, he had dug more than anyone else.

Digging for these was exhausting; it required heavy hoeing followed by bending over to dig by hand. Usually, people would get tired after digging about 0.5 to 1 kg.

Zhou Chenglei had dug enough to fill more than half a bucket, weighing around 2.5 to 3 kg.

Father Zhou, who had arrived earlier than his son, had only dug a bit over 1 kg.

Tian Caihua had even less, only around 500 grams.

When the villagers saw Zhou Chenglei carrying a bucket full of Xi Shi’s Tongues, they couldn’t help but comment, “A-Lei’s stamina is still the best. He’s only been here a short while and already dug so many. We’ve been here ages and only got 0.5 to 1 kg!”

“A young man’s back strength is truly something! I’ve dug barely half a kilogram and I can’t even stand up straight!”

Some of the village women liked to engage in bawdy talk. Seeing Zhou Chenglei effortlessly carrying a hoe and a bucket in one hand while leading the heavily pregnant Jiang Xia with the other, they began to tease, “Whether A-Lei’s back is strong or not, just look at the size of Xiao Xia’s belly and you’ll know. Our village hasn’t seen triplets in many years, has it?”

Jiang Xia’s belly was indeed very large—much larger than a typical pregnant woman’s—and the news that she was carrying triplets was well-known.

Someone joked directly with Jiang Xia, “Xiao Xia, is A-Lei’s back strong?”

Another chimed in, “If it wasn’t strong, could he have given Xiao Xia triplets?”

The crowd erupted in laughter.

Having spent more time walking around the village, Jiang Xia had heard enough to know how to respond to such talk; she just laughed right back.

She replied generously with a smile, “Oh, you aunts are the impressive ones, giving birth to entire soccer teams! The other day, I saw Uncle Yonghe and Uncle Cai carrying large pigs weighing nearly 150 kg; they were walking with such vigor! It’s clear their manly prowess hasn’t faded one bit! That back strength is top-notch!”

They had all assumed Jiang Xia was thin-skinned, but they hadn’t expected her to be so bold as to fire back.

The crowd laughed again!

Then everyone turned to tease the women who had started the conversation.

In these kinds of topics, people only laughed at the ones who got embarrassed. Whoever was thick-skinned enough wouldn’t feel awkward at all.

Zhou Chenglei glanced at Jiang Xia.

Jiang Xia squeezed his hand and glared at him.

It was all his fault for swinging that hoe so vigorously, acting like he had infinite strength.

The corners of Zhou Chenglei’s mouth curved up slightly as he squeezed her hand back tightly.

That night, Jiang Xia’s late-night snack was Xi Shi’s Tongue porridge and steamed vermicelli with clams.

It was exceptionally fresh and sweet. If she hadn’t been afraid of overeating, Jiang Xia would have wanted two bowls.

Later that night, Zhou Chenglei fulfilled the promise he’d made that afternoon. He gave her his response, chasing her little tongue in a kiss that lasted for a very long time.

The reality was that Zhou Chenglei didn’t just have a strong back; his lung capacity was also extraordinary.

Of course, it only felt like a long time to Jiang Xia. Zhou Chenglei didn’t think so. If it weren’t for her current physical condition and the fact that she sometimes had difficulty breathing, he would have continued much longer instead of merely “sampling” the experience for her comfort.

The next morning, Zhou Chengsen asked Mother Zhou to help find an auspicious date to start building his house.

Now that Zhou Ying had transferred back to the village school, they couldn’t stay at Fourth Brother’s house forever. Building their own house in the village had to be put on the agenda as soon as possible.

Mother Zhou said, “The day Xiao Xia starts her workshop is a good day, and Great-Grandma’s house will also start then. I’ll go ask around for you.”

“Alright. Pick a date soon; the sooner the better.”

“I know.”

As it turned out, Mother Zhou’s inquiry confirmed that the best date was indeed the same day Jiang Xia was starting her workshop.

Father Zhou planned to help Zhou Chengsen buy sand, timber, steel rebar, cement, and other materials. Consequently, he decided to wait until after the Dragon Boat Festival to go on a distant seas voyage.

The large ship would be led by Zhou Yongguo, taking Jiang Yang and the others out to sea. Zhou Chenglei had also recruited six additional discharged veterans to join them.

Strictly speaking, they weren’t exactly Zhou Chenglei’s comrades-in-arms; they were recommended by Zhang Rui. Some were recently discharged, while others had been out for two or three years.

Another even larger fishing boat was nearing completion and would be delivered soon, while the bulk carrier would be delayed by another two months.

Zhou Chenglei needed to hire more people in advance because that ship would require at least fifteen to twenty crew members.

By bringing these six men out to sea now, they could familiarize themselves with the work. When the time came, half of them could be moved to the new ship to lead the inexperienced newcomers.

Thus, Zhou Chenglei was currently busy recruiting.

He prioritized veterans who had been reassigned to civilian jobs; if that wasn’t enough, he would look for people within the village.

The sea-cage aquaculture also required regular net cleaning and replacement, which meant more hiring.

However, he could arrange for Boss Yu to send people over, though the wages would be higher and he’d have to provide room and board.

Zhou Chenglei planned to have Boss Yu’s people come a few times and then hire locals to learn from them.

Once they learned the ropes, he wouldn’t need to trouble Boss Yu anymore.

Boss Yu had suggested this himself.

This was Zhou Chenglei’s first time raising fish, and nobody around him knew how it was done. Boss Yu was a good man; whenever there was something Zhou Chenglei didn’t understand, he would arrange for people to come and teach him.

He even offered to let Zhou Chenglei send people to his own facility to learn.

Days passed as Jiang Xia stayed home, peacefully nurturing the fetus and working on her translations. Zhou Chenglei was busy hiring, fish farming, and occasionally going out to sea with Father Zhou. Soon, it was mid-May.

The Canton Fair ended in mid-May. Before Jiang Dong returned to the capital, he went home for a night to spend time with his parents. The next morning, he and Zhang Fuyan arrived at the fishing village to visit Jiang Xia.

Jiang Dong didn’t see Zhou Chenglei and asked, “Has Brother-in-law gone out to sea?”

Chapter 529: Selling Big

Jiang Xia watched as Jiang Dong unloaded items from the car and replied, “Construction on the food processing factory started today. Your brother-in-law went over there to preside over the groundbreaking ceremony.”

Hearing this, Zhang Fuyan smiled and said, “It’s finally started! Congratulations, congratulations!”

Jiang Xia thanked her.

Jiang Dong carried a large box into the yard. It contained the diving suits that Jiang Xia had asked Mr. Gilles to help them buy. They had purchased ten sets in total and had already paid the customs duties. Gilles had asked him to bring them back for his sister. “Then didn’t I arrive just in time? Where’s the factory? I’ll go take a look in a bit.”

Jiang Xia replied, “It’s just a plot of land right now, what’s there to see? He’ll be back soon. He left the house at six this morning.”

Jiang Dong moved the items from the trunk and back seat directly into the house. After asking Jiang Xia where to put them, he moved them into the first floor utility room and organized them neatly, so Zhou Chenglei wouldn’t have to do it when he returned.

Jiang Dong had also bought many food items from various exhibitors at the Canton Fair, as well as some specialties from Suicheng, filling two large bags.

Because he wasn’t sure what size clothes Jiang Xia was wearing now—her belly seemed to look different every time he saw her—he hadn’t bought any clothes and focused entirely on food.

Zhang Fuyan and Jiang Xia stood in the yard, watching Jiang Dong busily carry things back and forth.

Pointing at the exceptionally high courtyard wall of the house next door, Zhang Fuyan asked curiously, “Why did that family build their courtyard wall so high? It didn’t seem this high the last time I came.”

Jiang Xia explained the reason behind it.

Zhang Fuyan was speechless; she hadn’t realized people like that existed. “But this is actually better. This way, you don’t have to build yours higher. Otherwise, it would look abrupt and unattractive!”

Jiang Xia agreed, “Exactly. Now we don’t have to deal with someone watching us every day. It’s much more comfortable.”

While Jiang Xia was comfortable, Wen Wan woke up every day to face a high wall, which left her feeling stifled and frustrated. She had eventually switched to a different room to sleep.

Jiang Dong said to Jiang Xia, “Sis, Gilles and John said they want to come visit you and Brother-in-law.”

Zhang Fuyan added with a smile, “Old He also asked why you didn’t go to the Canton Fair. He said he had already spoken with several manufacturers from the capital and wanted to introduce you to them to work as a translator.”

Jiang Xia smiled. “Next time you see Old He, tell him the next session wouldn’t be too late either.”

Jiang Dong added, “There’s also an old man from Hong Kong, a Mr. Zhang, who was looking for you. He said he’d visit when he has time. Since you and Brother-in-law didn’t go to the Canton Fair, so many people have been missing you!”

After Jiang Dong finished moving the items, Jiang Xia poured a glass of coconut juice for him and Zhang Fuyan and offered them some glutinous rice cakes.

Zhang Fuyan took a sip of the coconut juice. It was fragrant, sweet, and had a delicate coconut aroma. It was delicious!

She looked at the milky white liquid in the glass. “I thought this was milk. What is it? Why is it so good? It’s better than milk!”

“Coconut juice, freshly squeezed from coconuts. If you like it, have some more; there’s plenty.”

Jiang Dong pushed his glass toward her. “No need, give mine to Xiao Yan. I’m not that fond of it.”

He figured this coconut juice was likely squeezed by his brother-in-law for his sister, so he shouldn’t drink it all.

Zhang Fuyan pushed it back. “One glass is enough for me. You drink it.”

Jiang Xia laughed. “No need to push it back and forth. You drink it too, A-Dong. There’s plenty more; there’s a big pitcher in the refrigerator. I’ve been drinking it every day lately and I’m almost tired of it. It won’t keep for long anyway. Also, these glutinous rice cakes were made by my mother-in-law using shredded coconut, and the pineapple jam filling inside is something I made. Give them a try.”

A few days ago, one of Zhou Chenglei’s newly recruited former comrades had brought over a large bag of coconuts and a large bag of pineapples. When Jiang Xia saw them, she suddenly had a craving for coconut juice, so Zhou Chenglei had been squeezing a large pitcher for her every morning to drink like water.

There were too many pineapples to eat, so they had given some away, and she had turned the rest into several jars of pineapple jam.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Dong immediately reached out and took a plump, white glutinous rice cake coated in shredded coconut for Zhang Fuyan, and then took one for himself.

Since his sister made it, he had to eat it! Even though he usually wasn’t a fan of sweet and sticky pastries.

Zhang Fuyan, however, loved it. “It’s delicious! The shredded coconut is very fragrant, and there’s a lovely pineapple flavor.”

Seeing that Zhang Fuyan genuinely liked it, Jiang Xia smiled. “I made several jars. I’ll give you two to take back to the capital later, and A-Dong, you take two back for Mom and Dad.”

Zhang Fuyan didn’t stand on ceremony and smiled. “Great, I’ll use it as a dip for steamed buns.”

Jiang Dong then asked, “I just saw my in-law and Brother-in-law’s Second Brother offering prayers on the plot of land next door. Is Second Brother planning to build a house too?”

Jiang Xia nodded. “Yes. Because…”

Jiang Xia took the opportunity to mention the divorce between him and Li Xiuxian, so that Jiang Dong wouldn’t be in the dark. She didn’t want him to foolishly call her ‘Second Sister-in-law’ if he ran into her on the street, or ask Zhou Chengsen why Li Xiuxian wasn’t there during dinner, which would be awkward.

Jiang Dong and Zhang Fuyan were sensible people and didn’t pry too much. They only needed to know the facts for social purposes.

Jiang Dong changed the subject and pulled out a savings book for Jiang Xia. “Sis, from now on, the dividends from the factory will be deposited into this account. I used your household register to open it for you.”

Jiang Xia’s household registration was still with the Jiang family and hadn’t been transferred yet.

Jiang Xia took it and looked. There was only one yuan inside; it was a newly opened account.

“The accounts for this Canton Fair haven’t been settled yet. Once they are, the dividends will be wired in.”

Jiang Xia closed the savings book. “How were the sales for the rolling suitcases and baby strollers at this Canton Fair?”

At the mention of this, Jiang Dong became extremely excited. He grinned and said, “Fantastic! Not a single foreign merchant ordered fewer than ten thousand units. Some even ordered thirty or fifty thousand at a time. The most affordable rolling suitcases had the highest orders, but people ordered the expensive ones too—quite a lot of them, actually. We sold nearly ten thousand of those, and the one hundred limited edition suitcases sold out in less than five days. The other two price points combined for over a hundred thousand orders. When I left, the Canton Fair wasn’t even completely over, so there should be more orders added later. We also sold many swivel wheels, and the vacuum machines and plastic bag production lines sold quite well too—even better than the last Canton Fair…”

Jiang Dong excitedly recounted the achievements at the fair. This time, his sister should be able to receive more than fifty thousand yuan in dividends.

After Jiang Dong finished, Zhang Fuyan added with a smile, “It wasn’t just the foreign merchants; our own people were placing orders too. Many of the exhibition staff came to me asking for help to buy one. Plus, quite a few manufacturers approached Jiang Dong to buy the patents for the swivel wheels and the rolling suitcases.”

This was something Jiang Xia had anticipated. Since swivel wheels could be used in many applications, companies producing various types of equipment would certainly be interested.

Zhou Chenglei returned after finishing the groundbreaking ceremony at the workshop site. Seeing Jiang Dong’s car, he knew he had arrived.

Mother Zhou soon finished her work and came home to cook. Great-Grandma, He Xinghuan, and Tian Caihua also came over to help.

Today was a big day for both families, so they were celebrating together.

The chickens had already been slaughtered earlier for the prayers, and Father Zhou had bought a lot of seafood. The lunch was very lavish.

Jiang Dong laughed. “Eating at Brother-in-law’s house is still the best!”

Zhang Fuyan nodded. “It makes me want to live by the beach too.”

Jiang Xia said, “Come buy a house in our village then. You can be my neighbor in the future.”

Hearing this, Jiang Dong said, “That’s actually not a bad idea. But does your village have houses for sale?”

Jiang Xia was only joking. “I don’t know, haven’t heard of any lately.”

Jiang Dong said, “Well, if you hear of anyone selling a house, let me know. I’ll buy one. An old house is fine too; worst-case scenario, I’ll tear it down and rebuild. After Xiao Yan and I get married, we can be neighbors with you, Sis.”

When his father retired, he would surely love living next door to his sister as well.

Tian Caihua’s gossiping instincts were piqued. “Are you two planning to get married? Don’t you worry, I’ll help you ask around if there are any houses for sale!”

Zhang Fuyan’s face turned red. “No, Jiang Dong is just joking.”

Jiang Dong chuckled. “Thanks, Big Sister-in-law. We’ll get married after graduation. Please keep an eye out for us.”

Jiang Dong genuinely wanted to live next door to his sister.

Under the table, Zhang Fuyan quietly pinched Jiang Dong’s thigh.

He just wouldn’t stop!

Chapter 530: It Turns Out to Be Just Children Playing House

After dinner, Jiang Dong and Zhang Fuyan returned to the city center. They had a flight at eight o’clock that evening to return to the capital.

Zhou Chenglei said to Jiang Xia, “Let’s go visit your parents too. We haven’t been there in quite a few days, and we can do your prenatal checkup while we’re at it.”

He knew that Father Jiang doted on Jiang Xia. Since Jiang Dong had finally come back, it was only right that Jiang Xia went back to the Jiang family home so the family could have a proper reunion.

Father Jiang and Mother Jiang were usually home alone, so they surely hoped their two children would visit more often.

Jiang Xia looked at him. “Don’t you need to go to the construction site this afternoon?”

As for the prenatal checkup, it was two or three days earlier than their scheduled appointment.

However, Zhou Chenglei had been exceptionally busy lately, and they truly hadn’t gone back to see her parents in several days.

“No need, I’ve already settled everything. I can just go check on it when I return tomorrow. While I’m at it, I’ll take two sets of diving equipment to the city for them to use.”

“Alright, let’s go then.”

Zhou Chenglei informed Father Zhou and Mother Zhou, then left for the city along with Jiang Dong.

The two cars left the village one after the other.

Zhou Chengsen had taken half a day off that morning and needed to return to work in the afternoon, so he followed behind their cars on his bicycle, heading back to town.

As they passed through the streets of the town, Jiang Xia saw a crowd gathered in the distance from afar, though she couldn’t tell what the commotion was about.

When the car drew closer, she saw it clearly: Li Xiuxian was fighting with another woman while a man was desperately trying to pull them apart.

This spot was near the school; if you turned into the alley and walked another few hundred meters, you would reach it.

Li Xiuxian had likely been intercepted halfway while returning to the school for classes.

The woman was pulled away by Liao Ruixiang, who stood protectively in front of Li Xiuxian. “Enough! Haven’t you embarrassed us enough already?”

He said to Li Xiuxian, “You go first.”

Li Xiuxian wished she could find a hole to crawl into. It was time for school and work, and the streets were teeming with people.

She immediately righted her bicycle and fled!

the leadership had already told her that if there was a next time, she wouldn’t have to come back; the negative influence was just too great.

The woman slapped Liao Ruixiang directly across the face. “If you two adulterers aren’t afraid of the embarrassment, why should I be?”

“Liao Ruixiang, you heartless bastard! Don’t you dare think the child she’s carrying is yours! Who knows whose seed it actually is? It’s not like you don’t know your own situation! You’re clearly the one who’s sterile, not me! And yet you blamed me for not getting pregnant all these years!”

Liao Ruixiang felt his dignity completely vanish. How could he be sterile? “What kind of madness is this? The doctor never said I couldn’t have children! It’s your own belly that’s useless! Stop being crazy and go home! You cause a scene every day—what do you actually want? Do you want a divorce?!”

“A divorce it is, then! I want to divorce you! I’ve had more than enough of being a workhorse for your family every single day! I want to see if this vixen you married will be a slave for your family like I was!”

Liao Ruixiang had been truly fed up lately, fighting with this woman every day. Originally, for the sake of their years as husband and wife, he hadn’t wanted to divorce. What kind of life would a divorced woman like her have after leaving him?

Did she think her parents or sister-in-law would tolerate her if she moved back to her natal home?

He had partnered with several people to open a livestock farm, and his farm was currently thriving. He planned to earn some more money by the end of the year to expand the scale, after which he could make over ten thousand yuan a year. Did she think she could find a better man than him after leaving?

He said irritably, “Then let’s divorce! Don’t you regret it once it’s done!”

He had been escorting Li Xiuxian back to the school for classes today, never expecting to run into his wife halfway. Regardless of the setting, she had charged right up to start a fight.

Lately, her antics had already turned him into a laughingstock among several production teams, and now she was making a scene right on the main street!

She even claimed he couldn’t have children!

His reputation was completely gone!

If this continued, he would be laughed to death whenever he stepped outside!

Feng Yifen glared at him. “Go home right now and get the household register and marriage certificate. Divorce! We’re divorcing right now!”

Leaving those words behind, she straightened her clothes and strode away.

“Right now” was a lie. She had served the Liao family like an ox for so many years, only for Liao Ruixiang to cheat on her and discard her now that he had money!

How could she divorce him without biting off a significant piece of his flesh first?

Not only did she want money, she wanted the house and the dividends from the livestock farm. With money and a house, why would she fear being unable to survive after the divorce?

If Liao Ruixiang wouldn’t give them to her, she would take him to court.

She had wanted to divorce him for a long time, but she had been afraid she couldn’t make it on her own.

But today, she had come to town to clear her head at the market. Not wanting to go home to cook, she had decided to eat out, where she happened to overhear two men at the next table discussing a divorce lawsuit.

The man didn’t want to split his property with his wife and was asking a lawyer what to do!

Only then did she learn that she could sue for a divorce and get more than half of Liao Ruixiang’s assets.

Damn it! With half of Liao Ruixiang’s assets, she could live on her own, free and easy. She wouldn’t have to be a slave for the Liao family, wouldn’t have to care for the whole household, and wouldn’t have to raise pigs. One person eating would mean the whole family was full—how comfortable would that be?

The Jeep didn’t stop for a moment and drove straight past.

In that brief glimpse, Jiang Xia only remembered the face of Liao Ruixiang’s wife.

She was quite plump and radiant, and her features were actually rather pleasant to look at.

After returning from the city, Zhou Chenglei remained busy every day. He spent his time checking the progress at the workshop construction site, communicating with the workers as per Jiang Xia’s requirements, and occasionally going out to buy building materials.

On days when the sea was calm, he would go out to sea to fish, checking on the fish in the net cages and the progress of the mussels they were farming.

As June arrived and her pregnancy progressed, Jiang Xia became increasingly uncomfortable. No matter what position she tried to sleep in at night, she felt short of breath and found it difficult to fall asleep.

Fortunately, her prenatal checkups showed everything was normal.

Nevertheless, every evening after dinner, Zhou Chenglei would take her to the health clinic for a session of oxygen therapy.

After discussing it, Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei decided to move to the city to wait for the birth after the Dragon Boat Festival.

However, on the day of the Dragon Boat Festival, they received a call from the pearl cultivation farm owner, saying he would be delivering pearl shell spats after the festival.

They could only postpone their departure to the city by a few days to wait for the owner of the farm to arrive.

Three days after the Dragon Boat Festival, the pearl cultivation farm owner fulfilled his promise. He delivered a batch of pearl shell spats to Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei and took the opportunity to visit their pearl farm.

Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei took him out to sea to have a look.

The owner was stunned!

“You guys have absolutely nothing here!”

Forget a processing plant—there was no equipment, no employees, and not even a guard. It was the kind of place where it wouldn’t even be a pity if things were stolen.

After all, they had just started farming; where would there be pearls in those pearl shells?

Why would anyone steal them?

Pearl shells without pearls weren’t worth anything.

Jiang Xia laughed and said, “We’ve just started farming! Since we have no experience, we didn’t dare to expand blindly. Besides, farming pearls isn’t our primary business. We just happened to find some pearl shells before, and the pearls we opened were quite good, so we thought we’d try farming them.”

The owner was speechless. Jiang Xia had spoken so professionally before that he had expected to see a very sophisticated pearl cultivation base.

He had actually come with the mindset of learning something.

He thought he was coming to witness the skills of an imperial kitchen chef, only to arrive and find it was just children playing house!

Fortunately, the two of them did have some knowledge and experience. At the very least, they had kept the shells alive, even after the nucleus insertion.

That was a bit better than just playing house.

It proved they actually knew how to farm them.

This step was the most crucial.

Although inserting a nucleus didn’t guarantee a pearl would grow, keeping them alive meant there was hope.

When he first started, he had managed to kill all his pearl oysters.

“At this rate, it will take at least five years before you can reach a significant scale. If it’s just a side business, then just accumulate slowly! That larva collection device of yours is quite useful. We collected many more spats this year, and our production has doubled.”

Jiang Xia smiled. “I’m glad it could help you, Boss Ji.”

The owner laughed. “It was a huge help! I’ve also tried the method you told me about, but we’ll have to wait a few years for the pearls to mature before we can see the results. Let’s keep in touch. If you need more next year, I’ll send some more spats over.”

Jiang Xia replied with a smile, “Thank you, Boss Ji. We wouldn’t dare call it an exchange; as you can see, we have zero experience. We’ll definitely need to learn much more from you in the future.”

“Haha, you’re welcome anytime! Who doesn’t start small when they first begin something? I failed many times at the start myself. Don’t lose heart, take it slow…”

The reason the pearl cultivation farm owner was helping Jiang Xia and the others was partly because the experience she had shared sounded very reliable, and partly because he had a customer base but insufficient production. He produced far too few high-quality pearls. He hoped Zhou Chenglei and his wife could produce good pearls as well; by helping them resell their haul, he could make some money too.

After seeing off the owner of the pearl farm, Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei packed their bags the next day and headed to the city to wait for the birth.

It was now the middle of June.

Chapter 531: She Is Going Too

Zhou Chenglei drove the car out of the courtyard gate and began loading the bags of luggage into the vehicle.

It was an overcast day, and the weather forecast predicted rain. Although the forecast was usually inaccurate, Father Zhou decided not to go out to sea anyway.

Father Zhou helped move the luggage. “Does your mother need to go over to take care of Xiaxia? I’ll be fine here at home alone.”

The two granddaughters still had to go to school, so someone had to stay home.

“No need,” Zhou Chenglei replied. He could take care of Jiang Xia by himself, and besides, his father-in-law and mother-in-law would be there to help.

Zhou Bingqiang stepped out of his house and, seeing them with so many bags, asked, “Yongfu, is Xiaxia about to give birth?”

Today was June 14th. Wen Wan’s due date was fast approaching, and she hadn’t given birth yet. Was Jiang Xia going to be even earlier?

Father Zhou beamed with a wide smile. “Not yet. A-Lei is taking her to their house in the city to await delivery. She’ll give birth at the city hospital when the time comes. What can I say? Our Xiaxia is carrying triplets! We wouldn’t feel right if she didn’t go to a large hospital in the city.”

Zhou Bingqiang: “…”

We get it! You have a house in the city!

We get it! She’s pregnant with triplets!

Does he have to mention the triplets every time he opens his mouth?!

Mother Zhou came out carrying a basket of eggs and placed it in the car. “What about Xiao Wan? Will she give birth at home or at the health clinic? She should be due soon, right? Didn’t she get pregnant before Xiaxia?”

Zhou Bingqiang had never even thought about that. He never concerned himself with such matters, so he simply said, “We’ll see what she prefers! I don’t need to worry about the younger generation’s affairs. Guohua is filial; he’ll handle everything, and I don’t have to lift a finger. I just play cards every day now—I don’t even need to go out to sea. I have nothing to do!”

Hmph, you can show off your many grandchildren all you want, but I’ll show off how filial my son is!

Father Zhou understood the jab and laughed. “I really envy you. With fewer boats in the family, you truly don’t have to worry. I, on the other hand, was born to toil! We have too many boats. Even though A-Lei has hired many people—at least twenty or thirty working under him now—it’s still hard to keep up. He’s busy setting up the factory and raising fish; with so many industries, I just can’t rest easy! If I don’t help keep an eye on things, how could it work? Anyway, my health is great—I can still walk and run with the best of them. I can do the work of two young men. Why retire so early? Is money not good?”

Zhou Bingqiang: “…”

Unable to out-boast him, Zhou Bingqiang slunk back into his house in defeat.

Inside, Wen Wan and Zhou Guohua were eating breakfast in the courtyard. Zhou Guohua asked Wen Wan, “When the time comes, do you want to give birth at home or at the health clinic?”

“I’m going to the city,” she said. She wanted to see if her dream was true.

Aside from wanting to see if Jiang Xia’s delivery would go smoothly, Wen Wan was also afraid. She feared that the conditions at the village health clinic wouldn’t be good enough, so naturally, she thought giving birth in the city would be better.

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife overheard this and said irritably, “Why go to the city? How inconvenient would that be? How am I supposed to bring you food? Do you think you’re some rich young lady from the city like certain other people? When the time comes, we’ll just hire a midwife and you can give birth at home!”

Going all the way to the city just to have a baby?

Why doesn’t she just fly to the moon?

Back in the day, she had given birth to Zhou Guohua and all his siblings right at home. How many families in the village could afford to give birth in a hospital and waste money on hospitalization fees?

Wen Wan countered, “Regardless, I am definitely going to the city to give birth. If I don’t go, I won’t have the baby! Zhou Guohua, go rent a house in the city. I want to go there to await delivery too.”

After saying her piece, she went straight back into her room.

Zhou Guohua: “…”

Seeing Wen Wan’s attitude, Zhou Bingqiang’s wife was so choked with anger she wanted to tell her to keep the baby in then!

Once they arrived in the city, Zhou Chenglei first took Jiang Xia for a prenatal checkup before heading home.

Father Jiang knew they were coming today. After finishing work last night, he and Mother Jiang had come over to clean the house thoroughly; it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say it was spotless.

Father Jiang had replaced all the old rice, flour, oil, and salt with fresh supplies, taking the old items home for himself. Rice lost its fragrance if it sat for too long.

He had also prepared everything the babies would need: a large wooden tub for bathing, and enamel basins for washing their faces and bottoms.

As soon as Father Jiang and Mother Jiang finished work at noon today, they came over to cook.

Mother Jiang saw Zhou Chenglei’s car pull in from the balcony and hurriedly called out, “Old Jiang, Old Jiang! They’re downstairs!”

Father Jiang quickly washed his hands, untied his apron, and wiped the water off on it. “I’ll go down and help with the luggage. You keep an eye on the dishes in the pans. I’ve already seasoned them and they taste right, so don’t add anything else.”

“Got it, I know,” Mother Jiang replied as she rushed into the kitchen.

Father Jiang hurried downstairs.

Below, Zhou Chenglei parked the car and helped Jiang Xia out.

Father Jiang arrived and said to Zhou Chenglei, “You go upstairs with Xiaxia first. I’ll handle the luggage.”

Zhou Chenglei replied, “Dad, just take the clothes. I’ll come back down for the rest in a bit.”

There weren’t many clothes—mostly baby clothes—but the rest were food items, which were quite heavy.

Father Jiang insisted, “It doesn’t matter who carries what.”

Jiang Xia couldn’t climb all the way to the sixth floor in one go anymore. Her back had been aching these past few days, and her pubic bone was also painful.

Zhou Chenglei simply picked her up and carried her in his arms.

He would carry her up two flights of stairs, put her down for a rest, and then continue. Jiang Xia found being carried bridal-style slightly uncomfortable for long stretches.

Jiang Xia rubbed her lower back. Seeing this, Zhou Chenglei helped her massage it. “Does it hurt?”

“A little.”

Father Jiang, following behind, felt a twinge of heartache. “I didn’t realize you couldn’t walk up. If I had known, I would have bought a wheelchair and helped A-Lei carry you up.”

“It’s okay, I can walk slowly by myself.”

Father Jiang interjected, “Don’t you dare!”

Zhou Chenglei waited until Jiang Xia had rested enough before picking her up again. He walked quickly and steadily, stopping twice more before finally getting Jiang Xia to the front door.

Mother Jiang was startled and reached out to support Jiang Xia. “What happened?”

Jiang Xia walked inside. “Nothing, A-Lei just didn’t want me climbing the stairs.”

Zhou Chenglei was covered in sweat—partly from the exertion, but mostly from nerves.

Once Jiang Xia was settled inside, he told Father Jiang to stay and sit while he hurried back downstairs to bring up the remaining items. Father Jiang followed him anyway to help.

After two trips, everything was finally brought up.

From then on, Jiang Xia settled in the city to await her delivery.

With nothing much to do, she spent her days watering the flowers and reviewing her Gaokao textbooks and practice problems. This was already her fourth time going through the material.

The Gaokao was in early July, and her due date was mid-July.

Dr. Gao had mentioned that they probably wouldn’t make it to mid-July. She was currently over thirty-three weeks pregnant, and during the last checkup, the babies had already dropped and were engaged.

Zhou Chenglei stayed by Jiang Xia’s side constantly. Aside from doing some translator work at home, he didn’t worry about anything else.

Every morning, Father Jiang would buy fresh groceries and drop them off. In the evenings after work, Father Jiang and Mother Jiang would visit and stay until Jiang Xia fell asleep before heading home.

It was Sunday, and Father Jiang arrived early with a basket of fresh meat and vegetables.

Mother Jiang had gone back to the factory to handle an issue. A batch of clothes had been sent to the wrong customer. The customer claimed they had been sent too many, so she went back to see if the customer had placed the order incorrectly or if the warehouse had made a mistake.

The customer said he had only ordered ten thousand items, but they had sent one hundred thousand.

Mother Jiang didn’t return until after 2:00 PM. At this time, Jiang Xia was taking a nap. Seeing her grim expression, Father Jiang asked with concern, “Have you eaten? Whose fault was it?”

Chapter 532: Frightened

“We lost money. When our salesperson was writing down the order, someone bumped their hand and they ended up adding a vertical stroke to the ‘one.’ Purchasing and tracking thought it was a hundred thousand pieces, so they placed the order to produce and ship a hundred thousand.”

Counting that extra stroke, even she had thought it was a hundred thousand pieces. She had been away on a business trip at the time, so the deputy factory director was the one who signed off on it.

Now they had ninety thousand extra pieces they couldn’t sell, and the factory was in the red again this year!

Father Jiang consoled her, “Summer has only just begun. Someone might place replenishment orders later. If not, we’ll just have to find a way to sell them at a low price to recover the costs.”

“Ninety thousand pieces… How are we going to sell them? Who would place a replenishment order for ninety thousand pieces?!”

The discrepancy was just too large!

Furthermore, this was summer clothing. All the retailers had already been selling summer clothes for a while; any best-selling items had already been replenished long ago. The factories were all busy producing autumn and winter collections now.

Besides, that particular style wasn’t even a hit! Who would want to restock it?

“A bunch of old-timers, all just waiting for retirement. They’re always making mistakes. The moment I look away, they cause such a huge mess!” Mother Jiang grew more frustrated the more she thought about it.

Fearing she would wake their daughter, Father Jiang soothed her gently, “Don’t get worked up; there will be a way. Things work out better if you don’t rush them; just take your time and think. I’ll help you come up with something when the time comes. Don’t let the child worry.”

Lately, their daughter was having a hard time sleeping at night. She either had trouble breathing or suffered from pubic bone pain. She never slept well, and her complexion wasn’t as good as before.

Father Jiang handed her a cup, “Drink some water.”

Mother Jiang took it and drank, calming herself down a bit.

Father Jiang needed to go home, “Do you want to go home and rest? I need to head back for a bit.”

His wife had mentioned that it was good to apply some tea seed oil to the baby’s navel before their first bath.

Xiaxia and A-Dong had used it back then too, so Father Jiang had asked someone to buy several kilograms of tea seed oil. The person said they would deliver it today after three o’clock.

“I won’t go back.”

“Then keep an eye on the soup in the kitchen. Don’t let the pot boil dry. It needs to simmer until five o’clock. When Xiaxia wakes up, give it to her. I’ll be going home now.”

“Alright.” Mother Jiang picked up the unfinished sweater nearby and continued knitting.

This was a sweater she was knitting for her three grandchildren; it was almost finished.

Because she hadn’t slept well last night, Jiang Xia slept all the way until five o’clock before waking up. She only woke because her lower abdomen felt heavy and uncomfortable. she called for Zhou Chenglei to help her out of bed.

Zhou Chenglei helped her up so she could go to the bathroom.

Mother Jiang quickly put down her knitting. “You’re awake. The soup is done; I’ll ladle a bowl for you.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

Mother Jiang went to the kitchen to serve the soup. “A-Lei, do you want some?”

“I’m fine, thanks, Mom.” Zhou Chenglei supported Jiang Xia into the bathroom.

After finishing in the bathroom, Jiang Xia sat at the dining table and slowly drank her soup.

It was a bit past five o’clock, and the sun was no longer shining on the balcony. Zhou Chenglei went to the balcony first to collect the baby’s clothes before starting on dinner.

The clothes had long been washed clean; he had just brought them out today to air them in the sun again.

Mother Jiang finished the sweater she was working on and asked, “Is the one you were making finished? If not, I can finish it for you.”

Jiang Xia had just finished her soup when a sudden wave of tightness hit her abdomen. It was a bit painful. “It’s on the desk in the room. You can go get it.”

This happened occasionally lately. Dr. Gao said they were contractions; if they came in regular waves, she had to go to the hospital, but an occasional one or two was nothing to fear.

Mother Jiang went inside to get it, and then she saw the high school physics textbook sitting on the desk.

Her mind practically exploded, and her temper flared instantly!

Mother Jiang grabbed the physics textbook, walked out, and slammed it onto the dining table with a loud Bang. “Are you signing up for the Gaokao again?! You haven’t given up on that yet?! Why are you so disobedient?!”

Jiang Xia was startled, and her belly tightened again. She instinctively tried to stand up, but then she felt a “pop” in her lower abdomen. It felt like something had burst, followed by a sensation like she had lost control of her bladder.

“Mom, Xiaxia is my wife now!”

Mother Jiang’s voice had been so loud that Zhou Chenglei had heard it despite his poor hearing. He hurried inside and couldn’t help but shout back from the balcony!

His voice was booming, causing Mother Jiang to freeze for a moment.

The moment Zhou Chenglei stepped in from the balcony, he realized something was wrong with Jiang Xia. He didn’t have time to argue with Mother Jiang; he tossed the clothes onto the sofa and rushed over. “What’s wrong?”

“I think my water broke.” Jiang Xia held her belly, afraid to move.

Mother Jiang: “…”

Zhou Chenglei’s expression changed instantly. He pulled the chair back with a screech and immediately gave Jiang Xia a princess carry. “Mom, open the door for me and grab the car keys!”

Mother Jiang was scared stiff, but upon hearing this, she scrambled to open the door and grab the keys.

Zhou Chenglei carried Jiang Xia and hurried downstairs.

“Be careful, slow down, A-Lei!” Mother Jiang followed behind, her slippers flopping as she didn’t even have time to change her shoes.

Once they reached the ground floor, Mother Jiang rushed to open the car door.

Zhou Chenglei carefully placed Jiang Xia in the car, laying her on a blanket.

Jiang Xia had instructed Zhou Chenglei long ago to keep the backseat covered with a blanket. She had heard a colleague complain about their water breaking on the way to the hospital and how they should have brought a waterproof pad to sit on, warning anyone who hadn’t given birth yet to be prepared.

Zhou Chenglei set Jiang Xia down and reached out to Mother Jiang for the keys. “Give them to me.”

“Okay.” Mother Jiang frantically handed him the keys and climbed into the car. She grasped Jiang Xia’s hand to comfort her—and herself. “Don’t be afraid. There’s usually some time between the water breaking and the birth. The first child doesn’t come that fast.”

Jiang Xia was in the middle of a contraction and didn’t respond.

Zhou Chenglei jumped into the car and checked Jiang Xia in the rearview mirror while starting the engine. Once everything was ready, he floored the accelerator and sped toward the hospital.

He had already turned the car around when he parked it, so he could drive straight out.

His hands were trembling slightly, but his driving remained steady.

Just as Zhou Chenglei arrived at the hospital, Father Jiang arrived back at the building on his bicycle. Seeing that his daughter and son-in-law’s car was gone, he guessed they might have gone to the hospital.

He hurriedly ran upstairs clutching the tea seed oil, not even stopping to lock his bicycle.

He ran up to the sixth floor in one breath, opened the door, and saw the clothes tossed haphazardly on the sofa and the half-finished bowl of soup.

Father Jiang dashed into the bedroom and saw that the “awaiting delivery” bag his son-in-law had packed was still there. He grabbed it and ran back out.

Just as he reached the bottom of the stairs, he saw Father Zhou arriving on a tractor. He immediately called out, “Relative, Xiaxia has gone to the hospital! Let’s get over there quickly!”

“So soon?” It was only the end of June; July hadn’t even started.

It was nearly twenty days earlier than the due date…

Father Zhou’s heart hammered against his ribs as he quickly looked for a place to turn the tractor around.

By the time Father Zhou had completed the turn, Father Jiang had already pedaled his bicycle far into the distance.

At the Hospital

Zhou Chenglei drove directly to the hospital’s main entrance, then jumped out and carried Jiang Xia inside. “Mom, go park the car!”

“On it!” Mother Jiang replied.

Zhou Chenglei ran into the hospital with Jiang Xia in his arms.

Everyone in the hospital was staring at him.

Now that her contraction had passed, Jiang Xia said, “Don’t rush! Slow down.”

A nurse quickly pushed a gurney over. “What happened?”

“Her water broke. I’m looking for Dr. Gao Jie.”

The nurse quickly helped push the gurney toward Gao Jie’s office.

The office was empty. Zeng Yuan caught up to them from the hallway and said, “Dr. Gao just went into the delivery room to assist with a birth. She won’t be out anytime soon. I’ll examine her and handle the delivery instead!”

Chapter 533: I Don’t Trust You

Zhou Chenglei completely ignored Zeng Yuan and turned to the nurse. “Are there any other obstetricians or specialists available?”

Zeng Yuan was fuming. “What, you don’t trust me? I’ve worked in the obstetrics department before! It’s very busy today! A patient is having a difficult labor, and Dr. Gao went to assist. We don’t know when she’ll be free.”

Delivering a baby wasn’t some impossible task. She had done it before; she even knew how to perform a C-section! Before coming to this hospital, she was a surgeon who handled scalpels.

Another contraction hit, and Jiang Xia endured it silently, her hand gripping Zhou Chenglei’s tightly. To Zhou Chenglei, it felt like she wasn’t just squeezing his hand, but wringing his heart.

With his heart in his throat, he was in no mood to deal with Zeng Yuan. He held Jiang Xia’s hand firmly and barked, “That’s right, I don’t trust you! Could you just get as far away from us as possible?”

“…”

Those words were incredibly harsh.

Zeng Yuan’s eyes turned red instantly. She had only seen how anxious he was and wanted to help him—wanted to personally deliver his children so she could finally force herself to give up on him completely.

Why did he have to be so cruel?

Zhou Chenglei never cared about the feelings or moods of irrelevant people. He only looked at the nurse. “Which other specialist is free? Surely they can’t all be busy? What happens if other pregnant women arrive?”

The nurse had never seen anyone dare to yell at Zeng Yuan, who was treated like a privileged young miss at the hospital. She hurried to say, “There is. Dr. He is in.”

Zhou Chenglei replied, “Lead the way.”

The nurse quickly helped push Jiang Xia toward the obstetrics department to find Dr. He.

This area was only the gynecological outpatient clinic.

Zeng Yuan stared at Zhou Chenglei’s retreating back. Was his hand shaking when he grabbed the edge of the hospital bed just now?

In her eyes, he had always been aloof and composed, a man who wouldn’t blink in the face of death, as if nothing in the world could move him.

It was as if nothing was ever a big deal to him.

People used to say he had only one expression—no expression. She used to think so too, and it was the coldest yet most handsome “no expression” she had ever seen.

But during these past ten months, he had come to the hospital countless times, and she had seen all sorts of expressions on him.

Gentle, smiling, helpless, cautious, nervous… terrified. His expressions were as varied as a painter’s palette.

It turned out he did have things he was afraid of.

Arriving at an office in the obstetrics department, the nurse said to the doctor inside, “Dr. He, a patient pregnant with triplets just arrived. Her water broke.”

Dr. He walked out quickly. She was much younger than Gao Jie.

Zhou Chenglei often brought Jiang Xia for prenatal checkups, more frequently than any other expectant mother. Who in the entire department hadn’t seen them?

Moreover, every time Jiang Xia came, she had an ultrasound, and they always requested two copies of the report.

Naturally, Dr. He had seen them and had heard about the couple from Gao Jie.

“Wait outside, don’t leave,” Dr. He instructed.

Dr. He and the nurse immediately pushed Jiang Xia into the delivery room.

The doctor checked her dilation and had the nurse help Jiang Xia change into a hospital gown.

After the examination, Dr. He walked out and said to Zhou Chenglei, “The cervix hasn’t dilated much yet. Go get an ultrasound first; I need to check the state of the fetuses.”

Since it was triplets, it was better to be cautious. They needed to see if the conditions were right for a natural birth.

Jiang Xia was pushed out again.

“Alright,” Zhou Chenglei said, stepping forward immediately.

While the ultrasound was being performed, Father Jiang and Father Zhou arrived.

Father Jiang led Father Zhou to Dr. Gao’s office first. After asking a nurse, they found the obstetrics department, and after asking another nurse, they finally located the ultrasound room.

Mother Jiang was waiting outside the ultrasound room.

Father Jiang asked anxiously, “Is she giving birth? Or is she unwell?”

Mother Jiang replied, “Her water broke, she’s ready to deliver. But the doctor said the cervix hasn’t dilated much yet.”

Father Jiang grew worried upon hearing this. “The water already broke? How can she not be dilated?”

Father Jiang didn’t understand the medical details; in his mind, once the water broke, the baby should be coming out immediately.

Mother Jiang snapped back, “How should I know!”

She was worried that Jiang Xia’s water had broken because she had finished scaring her, but surely it wasn’t that fragile?

Once the ultrasound was finished, it showed that the fetal heartbeats and positions were all normal.

As Zhou Chenglei pushed Jiang Xia out, the hair on her forehead was soaked with sweat.

With each contraction, the pain made it feel as though even breathing was difficult.

They were coming roughly every eighteen minutes. She endured it until she was drenched in sweat; not just her hair, but even her fresh hospital gown was damp.

Seeing this, Father Jiang reached out to brush the sweaty hair from Jiang Xia’s forehead. He didn’t say anything, just silently wiped away her sweat.

After the ultrasound, the nurse pushed Jiang Xia to a private room in the awaiting delivery area, which was connected to the actual delivery room.

If all the doctors in the hospital’s maternity ward knew Zhou Chenglei through Dr. Gao, they knew Father Jiang even better.

The doctor said to Jiang Xia, “If you feel the pain becoming more frequent and the intervals getting shorter—say, every three or four minutes—call us.”

“Okay,” Jiang Xia replied. A contraction had just passed, and she took a breath to answer.

The doctor then addressed Zhou Chenglei and the others. “Prepare some food for the mother. She needs strength to give birth. It’s only past seven o’clock; the restaurants near the hospital should still be open.”

Father Jiang said, “Thank you, Doctor.”

“You’re welcome. If there’s any discomfort, find me anytime,” the doctor reminded them before leaving.

Father Jiang then told Mother Jiang, “Go out and get a meal for Xiaxia. I’m going home right now to bring the soup over, so she doesn’t have to struggle with restaurant food.”

Mother Jiang agreed, “Fine.”

Just as Father Jiang was about to leave, a doctor in a white coat, roughly the same age as Father Jiang, walked in.

This man was the Hospital Director and an old friend of Father Jiang; they had known each other for many years.

Since the Director had come in person, Father Jiang naturally had to exchange a few polite words with him.

After Mother Jiang greeted him, she said, “Then I’ll head home first to get the soup.”

Father Jiang nodded.

Father Zhou hurriedly said, “I’ve troubled you, my in-law. I’ll go down and buy some food then.”

“Don’t be so polite, we’re all family.”

Zhou Chenglei took two thermos flasks and four aluminum lunch boxes from his bag. “Dad, get a serving of rice and a serving of porridge.”

Jiang Xia added, “Just rice is fine.”

“Alright.” Father Zhou took the containers and rushed out to get food, returning about twenty minutes later.

Jiang Xia had no appetite at all, but she managed to eat half a container of rice during the intervals between contractions; rice was the most filling.

Zhou Chenglei fed her, using the soup Mother Jiang had brought to help the rice go down. It took four separate attempts to finish the meal.

He sat by the bed with a cloth, holding her hand and wiping her sweat.

“Doesn’t it hurt?” a nurse asked with concern, seeing her drenched in sweat but remaining very quiet.

She had seen many people in agony, but she had also seen some who gave birth very easily. Some gave birth quickly, while others were in labor for twenty-four hours without delivering.

“It’s okay, it’s bearable. It’s just very hot,” Jiang Xia said.

It hurt, of course, but Jiang Xia could endure it.

After eating, Jiang Xia didn’t want too many people seeing her in pain. They couldn’t help by watching anyway; it only made them worry for nothing. She told everyone to go back and rest. “Come back tomorrow morning. Maybe the babies will be here by then.”

Hearing this, the nurse also started clearing the room. “The room will get stuffy with too many people, and it’ll make the mother even hotter. Everyone out!”

In the end, only Zhou Chenglei and the nurse remained in the room.

The others waited in the hallway outside; no one went home.

At eleven o’clock that night, Dr. Gao arrived at the delivery area. She checked on Jiang Xia, felt her pulse, and comforted her. “Don’t be afraid. Just endure a little longer. I’ll stay here with you, so don’t worry.”

At three o’clock in the morning, Dr. Gao spoke again. “It’s close. Endure just a bit more. Let’s get you onto the delivery bed to be ready. This time, it really is almost time.”

Jiang Xia didn’t quite believe her “little longer” anymore. Dr. Gao had said “almost time” and “just a bit more” several times throughout the night. Each “bit more” turned into several hours of enduring.

She had endured to the point where she could hardly tell north from south.

But this time, it truly was time. Zhou Chenglei was ushered out of the room.

At five o’clock in the morning, the hospital was very quiet. Zhou Chenglei stood before the delivery room door. He could faintly hear birds chirping outside, but other than that, he couldn’t hear any of the sounds he was waiting for.

Suddenly, the door was pulled open.

Zhou Chenglei’s heart skipped a beat as he looked over.

Father Jiang and the others leaped to their feet in an instant.

Chapter 534: Take a Guess

Jiang Xia had given birth. After twelve hours of labor, the babies were finally born.

Dr. Gao walked out, her face etched with exhaustion after nearly twenty-four hours without sleep. Knowing how worried they were, she didn’t even wait for them to ask. With a bright smile, she briefed them on the situation. “Mother and children are safe. Xiaxia needs to rest inside for a bit and stay under observation. A nurse will wheel her out in a while. You should prepare some food for her to eat. The babies are healthy, but compared to a single birth, their weight is quite low—only about 2 kilograms each. They need to stay in incubators for a few days just to be safe.”

Zhou Chenglei’s heart stayed in his throat. “Observation for what? Is Xiaxia alright?”

“She’s fine. She’s in good spirits and will be out shortly.”

It was standard procedure to monitor for postpartum bleeding after delivery.

Father Jiang and the others finally breathed a sigh of relief, offering their thanks to Gao Jie one after another.

Dr. Gao needed to rest. At fifty years old, pulling an all-nighter was no easy feat. Of course, she was only going back to the duty room for a nap. She would only head home once Jiang Xia’s condition was completely stable and she had been moved to a regular ward.

Gao Jie had walked a few paces when she realized she hadn’t told them the gender of the babies. She turned back with a smile. “Congratulations, you have both sons and a daughter. Two big brothers and a little sister—you’re a lucky young man!”

Zhou Chenglei didn’t feel much of anything regarding the genders; it didn’t matter so long as they were all safe. Until he saw Jiang Xia and the children with his own eyes, he couldn’t set his mind at ease.

Father Jiang, Mother Jiang, and Father Zhou were all delighted and thanked Gao Jie once more.

Father Zhou knew that Wealth-bringer would ensure everything was smooth sailing and that they would have both sons and daughters!

Soon, the few of them saw the babies.

They were tiny, like kittens, with very red, wrinkled skin.

The eldest son’s features most closely resembled Zhou Chenglei. The second son looked a bit like both parents, while the little sister looked very much like Jiang Xia.

Father Jiang looked at the three children with a tender expression. “The three of them look exactly the same—just like Xiaxia did when she was born.”

In his eyes, all three children looked like his daughter and not at all like his son-in-law!

Father Zhou shot him a look. Is my relative by marriage face-blind? Clearly, the three children each have their own look.

It was nearly eight o’clock by the time Jiang Xia was wheeled out.

Zhou Chenglei stepped forward and took her hand. “Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?”

Jiang Xia didn’t realize how pale and weak she looked. She shook her head with a smile. “No.”

Zhou Chenglei reached out and gently stroked her face.

Back in the ward, Zhou Chenglei fed Jiang Xia.

She was eating sea cucumber and chicken breast porridge that Mother Zhou had woken up at two in the morning to prepare. The skin had been removed from the chicken breast, and the porridge wasn’t oily, with less salt than usual. It was very light and mild.

Mother Zhou had arrived with Big Brother. Zhou Chengxin had driven Mother Zhou over on the motorcycle; they had arrived after six and had already seen the babies.

Watching his daughter quietly sipping porridge, Father Jiang felt very happy today. After the initial joy, however, a lingering fear remained. “I only went home for one trip, and the moment I turned around to come back, she was off to the hospital! My legs went weak from the scare! How did the amniotic fluid break so suddenly?”

Jiang Xia began, “It was…”

Directly as Jiang Xia opened her mouth, Zhou Chenglei pressed her hand and cut in. “Mother gave her a fright!”

Mother Jiang: “…”

Father Jiang: “…”

The members of the Zhou family all turned their gaze toward Mother Jiang as well.

Zhou Chenglei waited until everyone was looking at Mother Jiang with judgmental eyes before continuing. “She slammed a physics book right onto the table—wham! My hearing isn’t great, but I heard it even from the balcony. With a noise that loud, how could Xiaxia not be startled? Even I jumped!”

Mother Jiang: “…”

As soon as he heard “physics book,” Father Jiang understood. A surge of anger rose within him. At his age, having experienced so much, his temper had mellowed and he didn’t get angry easily, but he couldn’t help himself as he looked at Mother Jiang.

Mother Jiang stammered, “…I was momentarily blinded by anger…”

Zhou Chenglei didn’t want to hear it. “Mom, angry about what? What is there to be angry about? It’s not like Xiaxia did anything wrong! Besides, Xiaxia is already married to me. Whatever she wants to do, we as a couple have naturally discussed it, and I have no objections.”

The implication was that since he didn’t have a problem with it, what business was it of hers?

Mother Jiang looked at Jiang Xia. This girl… Zhou Chenglei is saying this in front of so many people, and she isn’t going to say a word for me?

Jiang Xia lowered her head and focused on the porridge Zhou Chenglei was feeding her, pretending not to see.

She had intended to say it in front of everyone on purpose.

Although her contractions had already started and her stomach was hurting a bit then, she really had been startled by her mother! Besides, it wasn’t illegal for her to take the Gaokao. Why shouldn’t she?

The Zhou family members were tactful enough not to say anything.

Mother Jiang was also feeling resentful and stopped talking.

Father Jiang said, “Xiaxia, focus on recovering. Once you’re healthy, you and your husband can discuss things and do whatever you want. I support you both. Your mother and I have to head back to work now. We’ll come see you again tonight.”

Jiang Xia finally looked up. “Dad, you and Mom didn’t sleep at all last night. Get some rest early at home tonight; you don’t need to come over.”

Father Jiang nodded. “Alright, I know. We’ll bring you lunch at noon. We’re heading out!”

Today was Monday, and they still had to work; Father Jiang also had a meeting to attend. Moreover, while one might discipline a child in front of others, a husband should counsel his wife in private; he still had things to ask her.

Father Jiang greeted the Zhou family members again and then looked at Mother Jiang. “Let’s go!”

Mother Jiang walked out, nearly dying of anger! From childhood to adulthood, all this daughter knew how to do was infuriate her! She wasn’t sweet or considerate at all!

Father Zhou and Mother Zhou personally escorted them downstairs. Their son needed to look after Jiang Xia, so they couldn’t be impolite.

Once the Zhou parents returned, Zhou Chenglei said to Big Brother, “Big Brother, Dad, Mom, you all head home too.”

Father Zhou said, “Ah Xin, you take the tractor home! Leave the motorcycle here so it’s convenient for me to go back and forth to bring food to Xiaxia.”

Mother Zhou also intended to stay to help Jiang Xia with her post-birth confinement. Zhou Zhou and Zhou Ying were left to the care of the eldest daughter-in-law and the second brother.

Zhou Chengxin smiled. “Alright, I’ll head back and tell Second Brother and Ah Hua the good news.”

Jiang Xia added, “Dad, you should go back and sleep too. You didn’t sleep all night. You and Mom should go home and nap.”

Mother Zhou insisted, “I slept last night. A-Lei, you and your father go back and sleep! I’ll stay here to look after Xiaxia.”

The truth was, ever since receiving Father Zhou’s call, she had been so worried she couldn’t sleep a wink.

Zhou Chenglei gave the keys to the house to Father Zhou. “No need, I’ll stay. There’s a bed here, I can sleep here. You two go home.”

Jiang Xia also persuaded them to leave.

Father Zhou and Mother Zhou headed back to the house in the city first. The tractor still had the vegetables he had brought yesterday; they hadn’t even had time to put them in the house, and he didn’t know if they had been stolen. Mother Zhou also needed to prepare lunch for Jiang Xia and boil “wind-dispelling” herbal water for her to wipe her body.

The group left the ward, took one more look at the babies, and then departed from the hospital.

Soon, only the husband and wife remained in the ward.

Zhou Chenglei went to pull the door shut and returned to Jiang Xia’s side. He drew her into his arms, holding her tightly for a long while before letting go. He kissed her forehead. “Thank you, Wife.”

Jiang Xia kissed the prickly stubble on his chin and reached out to touch it. “I’m going to sleep for a bit. You should sleep too.”

“Alright.” Zhou Chenglei released her, arranged her pillows, and helped her lie flat.

Jiang Xia fell asleep quickly. Once she was out, Zhou Chenglei went to check on the three children again. They were sleeping soundly in their incubators. The three little ones were smaller than other babies. He stood there for a long time before returning to the ward.

In the afternoon, Tian Caihua and He Xinghuan arrived. The two of them had ridden their bicycles together.

After looking at the babies, Tian Caihua said to Jiang Xia, “Tell me, isn’t it a coincidence? Wen Wan also gave birth yesterday afternoon! Guess what she had?”

Chapter 535: Envy

Jiang Xia wasn’t actually interested in what Wen Wan had given birth to, but she asked anyway, “What did she have?”

“She had a daughter. I heard the labor was difficult and she had postpartum hemorrhaging. They also came to the city to have the baby, but they couldn’t get into this hospital; they’re in the one next door. I heard it from Zhou Li. When Zhou Bingqiang’s wife found out it was a girl over the phone, she was livid! She even sold the chickens she was raising for Wen Wan’s confinement! She even asked if our family wanted to buy them!”

Jiang Xia: “…”

Mother Zhou added, “I have forty chickens of my own; why would I want hers? But she’s really going too far! If the first child is a daughter, they can still have a second one. Personally, I think having a daughter first is better.”

Tian Caihua chimed in, “Who can guarantee the second one will be a son? Not everyone is as blessed as Xiao Xia! She got everything all at once. Others have two children in three years, but she had triplets in one year.”

Jiang Xia: “…”

“But according to Zhou Li, that baby is quite chubby, weighing over 3.5 kg. Much sturdier than our three little ones! But for triplets, it’s already very good that each child weighs over 2 kg.”

Tian Caihua looked at Jiang Xia’s figure after giving birth. Her arms were still so thin, and her face hadn’t turned into a round plate.

“When you were pregnant, you ate eight or ten meals a day, your mouth never stopped. How are you not fat?”

“…”

Was it really that exaggerated?

She didn’t eat ten meals a day!

Jiang Xia replied, “I did get heavier, though I don’t know my exact weight now. I must have gained 5 kg.”

“I gained 5 kg after giving birth to Wenguang, another 5 kg after Wenzong, and from the time I had the four brothers, Guangzong and Yaozu, until now, I’ve gained 20 kg in total! I was very slender as a girl, just as thin as you! Just as good-looking! Ah Huan, don’t you agree?”

He Xinghuan stifled a laugh. “Yes, you were tall and thin when you were young, the belle of the village.”

“See!” Tian Caihua was satisfied, then she moved on to tell Jiang Xia about Li Xiuxian.

“Liao Ruixiang and Feng Yifen are in the middle of a divorce lawsuit! Feng Yifen wants five thousand yuan from Liao Ruixiang, and she wants him to buy her a house in town. She even wants half the profits from the livestock farm! On top of that, he has to give her twenty yuan a month for living expenses!”

Tian Caihua spoke with schadenfreude, “Isn’t that exactly based on what Li Xiuxian demanded back then? I wonder if Li Xiuxian thinks she should get it now, considering she was the shameless one first!”

Jiang Xia didn’t say anything; she didn’t know what to say.

Tian Caihua didn’t need her to speak. “Liao Ruixiang refused to give the money, so Feng Yifen goes to the school every other day to cause trouble for Li Xiuxian. Now Li Xiuxian isn’t even going to school to teach. I don’t know if she’s been suspended. She deserves it!”

If she couldn’t be a teacher anymore, let’s see how she acts all high and mighty!

After finishing with Li Xiuxian, Tian Caihua was about to share gossip about other people in the village, but Zhou Chenglei couldn’t listen anymore. Jiang Xia needed to rest. He said, “Big Sister-in-law, it’s almost four o’clock. Aren’t you going home? If you don’t leave now, it’ll be dark by the time you get back. The night roads are hard to travel. Or would you rather stay over in the city tonight?”

Hearing this, Tian Caihua stopped talking and hurried to leave. “I won’t stay. There’s a pile of work to do at home. I’m heading back now!”

By the time Tian Caihua returned to the village, it was already dark. The next morning, she went to the garden to water the vegetables, and by the end of the morning, almost the entire village knew that Jiang Xia had given birth to triplets—two boys and a girl.

By the afternoon, Tian Caihua went to the pier to pick up the fish catch, and then the entire production team knew that Jiang Xia had triplets—two boys and a girl.

It truly sparked all kinds of envy and jealousy!

Others were lucky to have two, but she had three in one go.

That day, Zhou Bingqiang’s wife went to the city to see her granddaughter and brought some food. She couldn’t help but complain, “Back in my day, I was back in the fields the day after giving birth! Some people can have three kids in one breath and be fine, but you have one measly girl and there’s trouble every single day! While you were pregnant, you didn’t do a lick of work, and you still had a difficult labor! I think you were just lazy.”

Wen Wan’s body was very weak, and she had no patience for this, but hearing about someone having three at once, she looked at her. “Jiang Xia gave birth? When? She didn’t have a difficult labor?”

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife rolled her eyes. “Of course not. You think everyone is like you? She probably gave birth a day later than you. You were in the afternoon, and she was probably the next morning. I’m not entirely sure.”

Wen Wan was curious whether Jiang Xia had a son or a daughter, so she asked, “What did she have?”

“Two sons and one daughter. Having both a son and a daughter at once to complete the ‘Good’ character. What a blessed life!”

Her tone was sour and bitter, as if she wished she could swap her granddaughter for those triplets.

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife was truly envious!

Wen Wan fell silent.

It wasn’t that Jiang Xia was just lucky.

It was that she had taken the initiative.

She had secured Zhou Chenglei early on.

Now Zhou Chenglei and the rest of the Zhou family would surely treat her like a precious pearl.

Wen Wan glanced at the infant in Zhou Guohua’s arms.

Unlike her, who had a daughter—the Zhou couple had only looked once and didn’t even want to hold her.

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife set out the food and said to her son, “Don’t keep holding her. If she gets used to it, she’ll want to be held all day, and who has time for that? Everyone has to be served! Put her down quickly and come serve your wife her dinner!”

Wen Wan looked at the food: steamed eggs with pickles. There wasn’t even chicken soup or fish soup. She found it hard to believe.

“Is this all there is?”

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife snapped, “What else? When I was in confinement, I didn’t even have eggs, only pickles!”

Since she gave birth to a money-loser, what else did she expect to eat?

She had sold all the chickens!

Wen Wan was so angry she lost her appetite immediately.

She had risked her life to have a child for Zhou Guohua, barely escaping with her life, and this was all she got to eat?

Zhou Guohua frowned. “Mom, Xiao Wan needs to nourish her body, and the baby needs milk. Make some chicken soup or fish soup. Otherwise, the baby won’t even have milk to drink.”

Thinking about having to buy powdered milk if there was no breast milk, Zhou Bingqiang’s wife said crossly, “Then go buy some soup for her yourself!”

In the hospital next door, Jiang Xia had just finished lunch.

Lunch had been brought by Father Zhou and Mother Zhou: steamed seabass, ginger juice chicken breast, steamed eggs with shrimp, and pigeon soup.

There were no green vegetables. Mother Zhou felt that one shouldn’t eat vegetables or fruit during confinement because they were cold in nature.

Mother Jiang and Father Jiang had also come, bringing a thermos of crucian carp soup. Father Jiang had made the soup after work, and it was a milky, creamy white.

The two of them came every morning, noon, and evening, also bringing Jiang Xia various soups.

Jiang Xia didn’t even need to drink water now; the soups provided by both sets of parents were more than enough, plus there was ginger rice tea.

Four thermoses sat on the table, all filled with soups meant to aid lactation.

There was the milky white crucian carp soup, chicken soup, octopus, papaya, and peanut soup, and pigeon soup.

Yesterday, Jiang Xia had drunk a lot of soup, but she hadn’t produced much breast milk, so the babies were being fed formula.

When she woke up this morning, Dr. Gao came for a check-up and found she finally had milk. She even taught Jiang Xia how to express a small bottle—not even sixty milliliters.

Dr. Gao took it to feed the babies; breast milk was better than formula.

Since the babies were in the incubators, they were fed by the nurses, and the family could only go to look at them.

After everyone else left, Jiang Xia said to Zhou Chenglei, “Go out for a bit, and close the door on your way.”

Zhou Chenglei asked, “What’s wrong?”

“My breasts are engorged and it hurts. Hurry out and close the door.”

Zhou Chenglei subconsciously glanced over and saw that Jiang Xia’s clothes were gradually becoming damp.

He quickly went to close the door, but he didn’t leave. After closing it, he walked back to the bedside. “How do you do it? Teach me.”

Last night and this morning, when Dr. Gao had given her a lactation massage, he had been sent out, so he didn’t know how.

“No need. You go out, I’ll do it myself.”

“You bore them, I’ll raise them. Shouldn’t these tasks be mine to do?” Zhou Chenglei went to wash his hands, then sat down beside her and reached out to unbutton her clothes.

Jiang Xia: “…”

A while later, Zhou Chenglei supported Jiang Xia as they left the ward to deliver lunch to the babies.

Chapter 536: Thank You, Uncle

Today, Jiang Xia was finally able to get out of bed. Yesterday, Zhou Chenglei had to carry her and settle her into a wheelchair just so he could push her to see the babies.

Earlier today, Dr. Gao mentioned that she could try moving around a bit, so Zhou Chenglei supported her as she walked over.

Jiang Xia handed a baby bottle to the nurse. “I’m sorry for the trouble.”

The nurse took it with a smile. “No trouble at all. The three of them are very well-behaved. They basically just eat and sleep; they’re very easy to look after.”

As she put the bottle away, she couldn’t help but offer a compliment. “The quality of your breast milk is truly excellent.”

Some nursing mothers had very thin, pale milk, but Jiang Xia’s was clearly rich and thick, with a slightly deeper color than most.

Jiang Xia smiled. “It’s probably because there are three of them. If the quality weren’t good, I’m afraid they wouldn’t get enough nutrition.”

“It depends on the individual’s constitution, diet, and absorption,” the nurse replied. “Some people eat the finest food but have little milk and it looks thin. Others have nothing but simple fare yet produce plenty of rich milk.”

“It’s likely down to constitution, just like how some people gain weight easily while others can eat anything and stay thin,” Jiang Xia remarked as she carefully observed each baby one by one, studying the small changes in them from the day before.

All three babies were sleeping. Suddenly, her daughter’s arms and legs jerked upward, her eyes fluttering open a tiny crack. She took one look, then closed them and drifted back to sleep.

Those legs and arms—red and spindly. They were so tiny and frail.

All three were like that. It made Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia’s hearts ache every time they looked.

They wondered how long it would take to raise them until they were as big as other babies.

Jiang Xia couldn’t help but blink back tears.

Zhou Chenglei drew her into his arms, worried that she shouldn’t stand for too long. “Alright, let’s go back and have a nap. Don’t stand for too long.”

Just as the couple walked away, the younger sister started to cry. Then, in a chain reaction, the other two joined in.

The nurse quickly placed the baby bottle into warm water to heat it up…

On Sunday, Zhou Chengsen brought Zhou Zhou and Zhou Ying to the hospital to visit Jiang Xia and the babies.

Zhou Zhou looked at his younger brothers and sister in the incubators, his face full of curiosity. “Why are the little brothers and sister locked in boxes?”

Zhou Ying added, “Yeah! They’re just sleeping, they didn’t do anything wrong!”

So pitiful!

Jiang Xia explained with a smile, “Those are incubators. The little brothers and sister are still too small. They just came out of Auntie’s belly, and they aren’t used to the world out here yet, so they have to live in the incubators for a while.”

Zhou Ying asked, “Then when can they come out?”

“In a few more days, once they grow a bit bigger!”

Zhou Zhou wondered, “But if they’re locked in there, how do they eat? Do they not need to eat?”

“When they’re hungry, the nurse sisters will take them out to feed them milk.”

“Why do they have so little hair?”

“They’ll have more when they grow up.”

…

Jiang Xia patiently answered the two children’s questions.

She couldn’t stay on her feet for too long, and it was nearly lunchtime, so they headed back to the ward after watching the babies for about ten minutes.

While Jiang Xia was eating, Zhou Chengsen wanted to go outside for a smoke.

Zhou Ying and Zhou Zhou wanted to see the babies again, so they followed him out.

Zhou Chengsen led the two children to the nursery and warned them not to wander off. Once they agreed, he stepped into the stairwell to smoke.

As he smoked, he kept an eye on the two children through the doorway.

However, after he finished his cigarette and went to the restroom to discard the butt, the children were gone when he came back!

He rushed back to the ward. “Are Zhou Zhou and Yingying back? I went to the restroom to throw away a cigarette butt and now they’ve disappeared.”

Jiang Xia was startled. “No! Could they have gone to the bathroom? I’ll go look.”

Mother Zhou stopped her. “No, you keep eating. I’ll go find them.”

Zhou Chenglei stood up. “I’ll go with you! No one would kidnap a child in this hospital. They probably tried to come back and walked into the wrong room. I’ll find a nurse to help. Mom, you check the restrooms. Second Brother, you look around where you were smoking.”

Father Jiang and Mother Jiang also went out to help search.

The group hurried out to find the two little ones.

Zhou Chengsen went to search the stairwell. He had barely gone down one flight when he saw a young female doctor leading the two children up.

Zhou Ying immediately shouted, “Dad!”

Zhou Chengsen breathed a sigh of relief. He first thanked the female doctor. “Thank you, Doctor.”

The doctor smiled. “You’re welcome, but remember to keep a better eye on your children next time. Otherwise, if you lose two such lovely kids, you’ll have nowhere to go to cry.”

“Right, thank you, Doctor.”

“Quickly, thank the Doctor Auntie,” Zhou Chengsen told the children.

Ruan Tang: “…”

Auntie?

Am I that old?!

What a blind old man!

Zhou Ying said sweetly, “Thank you, Doctor Big Sister!”

Zhou Zhou echoed, “Thank you, Doctor Big Sister.”

Ruan Tang smiled. The two daughters had much better eyes and better manners than their father!

She patted the children’s heads and laughed. “You’re so polite! And you have such good eyes! But remember not to run off next time. If you lose your grown-ups, don’t wander around. Wait right where you are for them, okay? Some fathers are very irresponsible. When you go out with your dad, you have to stick close to him, okay? Otherwise, you might run into human traffickers and be kidnapped! Understand?”

Zhou Chengsen, who had just been subtly called rude, blind, and irresponsible: “…”

The two little ones chimed together, “We understand!”

“Good children. Big Sister is leaving now! I have to go give some little kids their shots! You two be good, or next time I’ll have to give you shots!” Ruan Tang waved her hand and turned to walk downstairs without giving the “blind” man a second glance.

The “rude, blind, and irresponsible” Zhou Chengsen rubbed his nose and took the children’s hands. “Let’s go! Next time, remember not to wander off, or I won’t bring you out again!”

“We know! The Doctor Big Sister already said so. Dad, stop nagging!”

Zhou Chengsen: “…”

Zhou Zhou held up a piece of candy and asked, “Uncle, can I eat the candy the Doctor Big Sister gave me?”

Zhou Chengsen glanced at it; it was a White Rabbit Creamy Candy. “Go ahead and eat it. Where did you two run off to just now?”

“We went to the stairwell to find you! We thought you went downstairs…”

…

On the way back to the ward, Zhou Chengsen ran into Mother Zhou. Soon, Zhou Chenglei, Father Zhou, Father Jiang, and Mother Jiang all returned to see if the children had been found.

The whole family then gave the two little ones another lecture.

Mother Zhou hadn’t known Zhou Chengsen was coming today, so she hadn’t prepared a portion for him. Seeing the two children being surrounded and lectured by a crowd of adults, Jiang Xia smiled and said, “Alright, I think they’ve learned their lesson. Second Brother, why don’t you take them to get something to eat? They must be hungry.”

Zhou Chengsen then took them out to a restaurant near the hospital.

It was just about time for the hospital staff to get off work. Ruan Tang was pushing her bicycle toward the hospital gate. She had just hopped on and started to pedal when the chain slipped off.

She looked down, got off the bike, pushed it to the side, and put down the kickstand. She squatted down to check it, then picked up a small branch nearby, intending to hook the chain back on herself.

“Dad, the Doctor Big Sister’s chain fell off,” Zhou Ying said, pointing at Ruan Tang.

Zhou Chengsen looked over and saw that her chain had indeed slipped. After correcting his daughter’s phrasing, he led the two children over. Instead of standing over her, he squatted down beside her.

“Doctor, let me. I know how to fix this.”

Ruan Tang glanced at Zhou Chengsen and handed him the two small branches.

“Thank you, Uncle.”

Zhou Chengsen: “…”

Chapter 537: Does a Nephew Really Take After His Uncle?

Ruan Tang stood to the side and watched as Zhou Chengsen used a small branch to carefully pry the fallen chain back onto the gears. Then, freeing up one hand to rotate the pedal, he easily guided the chain back into place with just a few expert turns.

“There, all fixed.” Zhou Chengsen tossed the branch aside and stood up.

Ruan Tang spoke up again, “Thank you, Uncle.”

Zhou Chengsen didn’t hold her previous behavior against her. “It’s only right.”

Ruan Tang understood what he meant. Since she had just helped him look after his children, it was only right for him to help her now. He was a mature man who clearly didn’t like being indebted to anyone.

Zhou Chengsen then turned to the two little ones. “Say goodbye to the doctor sister. We’re leaving now.”

The two children obediently chorused, “Goodbye, doctor sister!”

Zhou Ying even reached into her pocket, pulled out a handkerchief her father had prepared for her, and stuffed it into Ruan Tang’s hand. “Doctor sister, your hands are dirty. Here, use this to wipe them.”

Ruan Tang paused, startled. She looked down and saw that her hands were indeed stained with a bit of lubricating grease from the chain.

“No need, I…” She could just go back into the hospital and wash them.

But the two little girls were already skipping away, hand in hand.

Zhou Chengsen used the same two branches like a pair of chopsticks to pick up a discarded banana peel from the ground and tossed it into a concrete trash can shaped like an animal. He then hurried after the girls. “Slow down! Watch for cars!”

Ruan Tang didn’t want to get the handkerchief dirty. She locked her bicycle and headed back into the hospital to wash her hands. She would return the handkerchief the next time she saw the little girl.

The girl had mentioned her Auntie had given birth to triplets and that the babies were in incubators, so she would surely be coming back to the hospital. Even if she didn’t see the girl, she could return it to the mother of the triplets.

The entire hospital knew that Director Gao had delivered triplets—and a set of fraternal ones at that. Since Director Gao was the girl’s Auntie, Ruan Tang naturally knew who the parents of the triplets were.

In the evening, Jiang Dong, Zhang Fuyan, Father Jiang, and Mother Jiang all appeared together in the hospital ward.

The couple had brought many toys and clothes for the babies. Since they knew the genders now, they knew what toys to buy, but they had bought identical clothes, shoes, and socks for all of them. They had heard that twins and triplets were supposed to wear matching outfits.

They also brought some bird’s nest and donkey-hide gelatin for Jiang Xia.

“Why are you back? Shouldn’t your holiday start in two days?” Jiang Xia asked, her eyes lighting up with surprise.

“To see my little nephews, of course! Today is Sunday, so I have the day off anyway.”

He and Zhang Fuyan had flown back the previous night. Constantly taking flights was expensive, and most people wouldn’t dream of the extravagance, especially since Jiang Dong would have been off in just two more days anyway.

But he couldn’t wait, and he had no concept of saving money. When he was a child, his allowance might have been tight, but now he earned so much he couldn’t possibly spend it all. Naturally, he followed his whims and did whatever he pleased.

The group went together to see the babies. The three infants were still sleeping.

Their routine was very regular; they woke roughly every four or five hours, and after feeding, they would be back asleeep within less than an hour. They only cried when they were hungry or if their diapers were wet or dirty; otherwise, they spent most of their time sleeping. They were particularly fond of their rest.

Jiang Dong stared at his three nephews through the glass without even blinking. He turned to Zhang Fuyan and said, “Every single one of these babies looks exactly like I did when I was small. It’s just like they say: a nephew often takes after his uncle!”

Zhang Fuyan: “…”

Zhou Chenglei: “…”

Where did he get the confidence to think the children looked like him?

Jiang Dong and Zhang Fuyan stayed in the ward for about an hour before leaving so as not to disturb Jiang Xia’s rest. However, they didn’t leave the hospital immediately; instead, they went back to watch the babies for another two hours. They saw the children wake up, their tiny mouths wide as they let out soft cries, and they watched as the nurses fed them and changed their diapers.

Jiang Dong kept taking photos until four o’clock in the afternoon. Only then did they go back to the ward to say goodbye to Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei before leaving the hospital. They had a night flight back to the capital.

Once there were no more outsiders in the room, Zhou Chenglei went to close the courtyard gate. He first prepared the babies’ milk, then poured a basin of water that Mother Zhou had boiled with ginger sprouts and other herbs into a basin to wipe Jiang Xia down.

It was late June, nearly July, and the heat was stifling. Jiang Xia couldn’t use a fan and had to wear long sleeves for her recovery. Every day her clothes would be soaked with sweat; keeping her body clean and dry was an absolute necessity.

Over the past few days, Zhou Chenglei had been busy taking care of her every day. He even had to wash the babies’ soiled diapers. He hadn’t had any proper rest himself.

In truth, it wasn’t just now; he had been taking care of her throughout her entire pregnancy, working harder than she did. Looking at Zhou Chenglei as he crouched on the floor wringing out a towel, she asked softly, “Are you tired?”

The water had come straight from the thermos and was scalding; Zhou Chenglei’s hands were flushed red from the heat. He stood up with the steaming towel and said, “I’m not tired.” It wasn’t as if he were doing heavy manual labor.

Zhou Chenglei came to the bedside to wipe Jiang Xia’s back. Fearing she might catch a chill, he didn’t have her take her clothes off, but simply reached inside to wipe her skin. The towel was very hot, and as it pressed against her back, it provided an indescribable comfort.

When the towel was removed, the heat gradually faded, replaced by a refreshing, cool sensation that felt wonderful. Spending all day in bed left her with an aching back and drenched in sweat; this hot towel treatment was the most comfortable part of her day.

Zhou Chenglei knew she enjoyed it, so he wiped her down every morning, noon, and night.

But Jiang Xia couldn’t bear to see him overwork himself. “If it’s too tiring, once a day is enough.”

“It’s not tiring. I could do this for a lifetime and never get tired of it.”

Jiang Xia: “…”

In the following days, visitors arrived almost every day to see Jiang Xia—people from the village, several factory directors, and friends of Father and Mother Jiang who had watched Jiang Xia grow up.

A group of factory directors had arranged to come together, and they all went to see the triplets first.

Factory Director Zhou looked at the three children and chuckled. “My god-grandsons! The lucky star babies of our shipyard are finally born! In the future, Grandpa Zhou will teach you how to build ships!”

Director Feng barked, “What kind of nonsense are you spouting? Since when are you their grandfather? And how are they your shipyard’s lucky stars? During the entire Canton Fair, Xiao Xia spent almost all her time at our plastic factory stall! These triplets are the lucky stars of our plastic factory!”

Factory Director Zhou retorted, “I claimed these grandsons a long time ago. Besides, they share my surname. Why wouldn’t I be their grandpa?”

Director Feng refused to be outdone. “Then I’ll claim them as my great-grandsons. I’m their Great-Grandpa!”

Factory Director Zhou: “…”

“Have you no shame?”

“I never had any to begin with!” Respect was something given by others; if people respected him, then he had plenty of “face”!

Factory Director Zhou: “…”

Director Fang and Director Peng ignored their bickering and focused solely on the infants.

Director Peng looked at the three babies and sighed with emotion. “I never imagined Xiao Xia would be so incredible!”

Back then, she had thought even a single birth would be difficult! It was hard to tell from Jiang Xia’s delicate and frail appearance that she could give birth to three all at once!

Director Fang looked at the three children with envy in her heart, though she echoed the sentiment. “That’s for sure.”

Her son had originally wanted to come too, but she hadn’t allowed it. If only her son and Jiang Xia had worked out, she would have had three grandchildren in one go, wouldn’t she?

What a pity!

Chapter 538: Even Calling “Mother” Is Useless

Jiang Xia had been in the hospital for a total of ten days. This afternoon, Dr. Gao gave the children a comprehensive examination. When she finished, she announced with a smile, “The children don’t need to stay in the incubators anymore starting today. They can be discharged tomorrow.”

In truth, Jiang Xia could have been discharged on the third day after giving birth, but the children couldn’t. That was why they had stayed for so long.

Zhou Chenglei held his daughter, his heart finally settling back into his chest. “Thank you, Dr. Gao.”

During these ten days, he had frequently observed how the nurses held the babies. Whenever he had a spare moment, he practiced with a pillow. By now, his posture for holding a child was text-book perfect, though he wouldn’t call himself skilled just yet. After all, he hadn’t had many opportunities to hold the real thing; holding a pillow felt completely different from holding a baby.

Jiang Xia, holding the eldest brother in her arms, also smiled. “Thank you, Dr. Gao. We’ve really troubled you during this period. Without you, our babies wouldn’t be this healthy.”

Dr. Gao’s finger was caught in the eldest brother’s tiny grip. She gently shook it and laughed. “Don’t thank me. Isn’t this what I’m supposed to do? Besides, in all my time as an obstetrician, being able to deliver such healthy and adorable triplets is my good fortune!”

The children had just been weighed. The two older brothers had grown to just over 2.5 kg, and the youngest sister had reached 2.5 kg as well.

Furthermore, they were healthy, and their cries were much louder than when they were first born.

Their skin was no longer so red or wrinkled; they looked much handsomer than they did at birth.

Mother Zhou, holding the younger brother, smiled and said, “Dr. Gao, you must attend the children’s full-moon celebration.”

Gao Jie laughed. “If I’m not on duty then, I’ll definitely be there.”

Gao Jie went over how to hold the babies, how to swaddle them, how to bathe them, how to feed them, and how to look after them one more time. After giving detailed instructions, she headed off to check on the other wards.

Once Gao Jie left the room, Father Zhou impatiently reached out to his son. “Let Grandpa hold the baby.”

As soon as the check-up ended, Zhou Chenglei had grabbed one, then his wife, then Jiang Xia. The three of them each held one. He had been a step too slow because he went to wash his hands, so he missed out.

Zhou Chenglei turned his body to avoid his father; he hadn’t held the baby long enough. “Mother, give the younger brother to Father for a bit.”

Mother Zhou hadn’t held the baby enough either!

“Go pick up a pillow and practice! I’ll give him to you later.”

“Are you joking? This isn’t my first time holding a child, why would I need to practice?” He already had a bunch of sons and grandsons.

Mother Zhou replied, “We’re being discharged tomorrow. Go make a call and tell Ah Xin and the others they don’t need to come over!”

Father Zhou insisted, “I’ll go in a bit. I’ll go after I hold a baby!”

This was too much! Three Wealth-bringers, and he didn’t even get one!

Jiang Xia smiled and said, “Father, I’ll let you hold this one.”

Father Zhou immediately went over and carefully took the baby.

Indeed, Wealth-bringer was the most filial; she deserved to make a great fortune!

Jiang Xia reached out to Zhou Chenglei. “Give me the baby to hold.”

Zhou Chenglei: “…”

“During post-birth confinement, you shouldn’t hold the child for too long. you need more bed rest. Do you want to go back to bed and rest?”

Jiang Xia just looked at him with a smile.

Zhou Chenglei’s voice grew quieter and quieter until he finally handed his daughter over to her.

He turned to find Mother Zhou. “Mother…”

“Calling ‘Mother’ won’t help you. Go away! If you’re so bored, go make the phone call!”

Father Zhou added, “Exactly, go make the call.”

Zhou Chenglei: “…”

At dinner time, Father Jiang and Mother Jiang arrived as well. They were both very happy to hear that the discharge was scheduled for the next day.

Although Mother Jiang had felt that her son-in-law hadn’t given her any face that other day and that her daughter wasn’t considerate, and had even gone home to argue with Father Jiang, a daughter was still a daughter. How many mothers were driven half to death by their children, only to continue working like an ox or a horse for them?

Parents were usually powerless against their children, and Mother Jiang was no exception.

After her anger passed, she still spent every day discussing with Father Jiang what soup to stew for Jiang Xia, and they both headed straight to the hospital the moment they got off work.

The two of them took turns holding the three grandchildren and were unwilling to let go until after eight o’clock in the evening when it was time to go home.

The next day, the couple both took half a day off and came over early with breakfast to help.

Zhou Chenglei went to handle the discharge paperwork while Mother Jiang helped pack things.

There wasn’t much to pack. Ever since Dr. Gao mentioned they could likely leave today, they had already taken most of the items back.

Whenever people visited Jiang Xia and the children, they brought gifts. Those items were usually taken home by Father and Mother Zhou that same day; otherwise, the entire ward would have been overflowing.

Tian Caihua, Zhou Chengxin, and Zhou Chengsen arrived early once they heard Jiang Xia was being discharged, intending to see if they could help.

The children had school today, so they weren’t brought along. Great-Grandma had been asked to look after them.

It was already July 5th. Even at nine in the morning, the July sun was a bit scorching.

Father Jiang parked the Jeep outside the hospital gates first to make it easier for his daughter to get in.

Zhou Chenglei supported Jiang Xia as they walked out of the hospital.

Jiang Xia was wearing a hat; Mother Zhou insisted she had to wear one.

Father Zhou, Mother Jiang, and Mother Zhou each held a child, walking behind them.

Zhou Chengxin and the other two had just helped carry the luggage and were walking at the very back.

As the three of them walked through the hospital corridor, someone suddenly called out, “Excuse me, Uncle.”

Zhou Chengsen recognized the voice calling him “Uncle” and turned around.

Ruan Tang handed him a handkerchief. “This is your daughter’s. Please thank her for me.”

Zhou Chengsen took it. “Alright.”

After returning the handkerchief, Ruan Tang walked back into the outpatient office.

Zhou Chengsen glanced at her office door. She turned out to be a pediatrician.

“A-Sen, who was that? Why did she call you Uncle?” Tian Caihua looked full of gossip. Why would such a grown girl call Zhou Chengsen “Uncle”? That girl looked about the same age as Jiang Xia, right? No, probably a bit older than Jiang Xia!

Zhou Chengxin also looked at Zhou Chengsen.

The voice hadn’t sounded like a child’s. When Zhou Chengxin heard the word “Uncle,” he hadn’t even considered that she was calling out to Zhou Chengsen.

Zhou Chengsen didn’t feel like explaining why she called him that, only saying, “Yingying’s friend.”

His daughter’s friend calling him “Uncle” was the correct seniority.

Tian Caihua: “…”

She gave her a fright!

She almost thought he was talking about a stepmother for Yingying.

Tian Caihua continued to press, “A-Sen, you’ve been divorced for so long. It’s time to find someone to take care of Yingying. Let me introduce a girl to you. She looks…”

Zhou Chengsen interrupted her, “Thank you, big sister-in-law, but there’s no need! I have no plans to remarry.”

Tian Caihua wanted to say more.

Zhou Chengxin pulled at her and glared at her!

They reached the vehicle, and with more people around, Tian Caihua didn’t say anything further.

Father Jiang stood by the car. As Mother Zhou and the others got in, he reached out to shield the children’s heads, fearing they might bump them.

He was the last one to get in.

Tian Caihua, Zhou Chengxin, and Zhou Chengsen helped load the luggage onto the car, and then they went to ride the tractor.

Zhou Chenglei looked back, and see everyone was settled, he started the vehicle. “We’re heading off.”

Mother Zhou held her granddaughter’s tiny fist and said softly, “Baby, we’re going home!”

Father Zhou and Mother Jiang similarly held the two older brothers’ tiny hands and told them, “Big brother/Little brother, we’re going home.”

Jiang Xia glanced back.

During these ten days, the family’s way of addressing the three infants had naturally become “Big Brother,” “Little Brother,” and “Baby.”

It had happened very naturally.

Chapter 539: Gaokao

The group returned to the entrance of the shipyard staff residential compound. At the stairwell entrance, Tian Caihua placed a bundle of rice straw on the ground, and Zhou Chengxin lit it with a match.

Once the fire flared up, Zhou Chenglei stepped over it while carrying Jiang Xia in his arms.

Following them, Father Jiang and the others also stepped over the flames while holding the babies before heading upstairs.

Tian Caihua waited until everyone was inside and the fire had completely died out. She swept away the wood ash before heading up herself.

It was said that those in post-birth confinement should not walk too many stairs, as it was bad for the knees—especially while carrying heavy weight. Zhou Chenglei carried Jiang Xia up the stairs in one breath. He walked so fast that he left the others two floors behind.

Only when they reached their front door did he set her down, his breathing slightly heavy. He took out his keys to open the door.

Jiang Xia asked, “Have I gotten much heavier?”

“You’re not heavy; you’re still very light. It’s just because I was walking fast.”

Opening the door, Zhou Chenglei helped Jiang Xia inside.

Jiang Xia didn’t believe for a second that she was light. During these past ten days, in order to ensure the children had enough “rations,” she had been drinking all sorts of nourishing soups like they were water. She ate large bowls of rice and plenty of meat. When she weighed herself yesterday, she was actually 2 kg heavier than the day after she gave birth.

She was now 55 kg!

Jiang Xia went back to her room and looked in the mirror.

It was a terrifying sight!

She even had a double chin!

There were no mirrors in the hospital, and over the past few days, Zhou Chenglei had been the one looking after her hair.

Without her noticing, her face had rounded out, and a double chin had appeared.

No wonder she was 2 kg heavier!

If only those 2 kg could have been distributed among the three children instead!

Why did it all have to grow on her?

She only ate so much so they would have enough to eat.

Jiang Xia had heard that infant formula lacked the immunoglobulins found in breast milk. Since the three babies were so small and thin, she could only eat and drink more soup to maintain an ample supply of milk so they would be healthier and have better immunity.

Dr. Gao had also suggested that Jiang Xia prioritize breastfeeding as much as possible, only using formula as a supplement.

“You really aren’t fat. You look better like this,” Zhou Chenglei said, seeing her head straight for the mirror upon their return.

“I have a double chin!!!” Jiang Xia touched her jaw.

Zhou Chenglei watched as she tucked her chin against her neck and said speechlessly, “Anyone would have a double chin doing that!”

Jiang Xia decided not to dwell on it. The three children were too small; for the sake of their health, she would wait until they were weaned before starting to lose weight.

She said to Zhou Chenglei, “I want to wash my hair and take a bath.”

“I’ll go boil the medicinal herbs in a bit.”

Jiang Xia had been clamoring to wash her hair every day in the hospital, so Zhou Chenglei had asked Dr. Gao if it was allowed.

The doctor said it was fine as long as she used a medicinal brew to dispel wind and cold. However, she shouldn’t do it too often—once every ten days or two weeks was fine, provided she washed it in the afternoon.

Dr. Gao had prescribed the herbs, and he had bought three doses.

Mother Zhou came up then, carrying a baby and slightly out of breath. Overhearing them, she said, “A bath is fine, but not washing your hair. Hair is hard to dry, and it’s easy to catch a chill. I’ve already boiled the bathwater.”

Both Mother Jiang and Father Jiang also disapproved of Jiang Xia washing her hair. In the end, Jiang Xia only took a bath. Her whole body felt refreshed, except for her hair.

She decided to wait until they weren’t home and have Zhou Chenglei secretly boil the medicinal soup for her.

She sweated every day; she could smell the stench of her own hair.

In the afternoon, the three babies fell asleep. Father Jiang and Mother Jiang left, while Father Zhou and Mother Zhou went to deliver red dyed eggs and chicken soup to the neighbors.

Many employees at the shipyard knew Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei. Lately, people had been dropping off eggs or chickens at their door.

Every day Mother Zhou made chicken soup, she would bring a bowl back to each of those families; this was also the custom.

Zhou Chenglei took the opportunity to boil a large pot of medicinal soup and washed Jiang Xia’s hair for her. He wrapped it in a towel and dried it thoroughly, doing his best to ensure she wasn’t exposed to any drafts.

When Mother Zhou returned, Jiang Xia was wearing her confinement hat, but the older woman could tell at a glance that she had washed her hair.

But since it was already done, saying anything would only cause friction, so Mother Zhou kept quiet.

Just then, crying broke out in the room. The three sleeping babies had woken up. The little sister woke first and started crying immediately. Her crying woke her two brothers, and soon all three had their mouths wide open and eyes squeezed shut, wailing at the top of their lungs—though not a single tear was shed!

The three adults rushed to check the babies’ diapers. If they were wet, they changed them immediately to avoid diaper rash.

Each adult took charge of one child.

The days that followed were just as lively; whenever one cried, all three would surely join in.

They were discharged on July 5th. Jiang Xia only rested at home for one day before she had to go take the exam on July 7th.

It wasn’t that Jiang Xia wanted to take the Gaokao while still in confinement, but she had no choice. According to the “setting” of the book, starting from next year, married women would no longer be allowed to take the Gaokao.

Zhou Chenglei escorted her to the exam site.

Knowing his daughter was taking the Gaokao and fearing Father and Mother Zhou wouldn’t be able to manage, Father Jiang took three days off work to help look after the children.

He had taken more leave this month than he had in his entire life.

Mother Jiang also helped whenever she could. The 90,000 pieces of clothing from the previous order hadn’t been fully processed yet, and the autumn collection had already entered production, bringing a constant stream of minor issues.

The designs and patterns for the winter collection were finished, requiring daily fitting, adjustments, and revisions to prepare for the ordering fair. Mother Jiang was extremely busy.

Often, her work kept her even busier than Father Jiang.

Upon entering the exam hall, Jiang Xia ran into Wen Wan.

Jiang Xia didn’t greet her and went straight to the classroom to find her seat.

As soon as Jiang Xia appeared, the eyes of the men and women in the exam hall couldn’t help but fall on her, their gazes filled with undeniable admiration.

Wen Wan also couldn’t help but stare at Jiang Xia.

Every time she saw Jiang Xia, only four words came to mind: radiant and stunning.

By leaning on the “big tree” that was Zhou Chenglei, Jiang Xia had changed her fate and was flourishing in this life.

In truth, Jiang Xia was dressed very simply today. This was what she usually wore when going out to sea to fish.

Principally afraid of breast engorgement soaking through her clothes, she wore a blue and white striped sailor shirt, green military trousers, and liberation shoes.

The striped pattern of the sailor shirt meant that even if it got wet, it wouldn’t be obvious, avoiding embarrassment.

Moreover, the shirt was untucked and very loose-fitting.

It was a truly ordinary outfit, and her hair was simply tied into two braided pigtails.

She wasn’t the only one dressed this way; many men and women were wearing sailor shirts of varying ages.

However, Jiang Xia had fair skin, a great figure, an elegant temperament, and a beautiful face with exquisite bone structure. She looked good in anything.

When she entered the exam hall, she looked youthful and dazzling. No one would have guessed she had just given birth and wasn’t even out of her confinement period yet.

As soon as Jiang Xia sat down, a young man tried to strike up a conversation: “Classmate, which high school are you from? I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere.”

“City High No. 1.”

“That explains it! I’m from No. 1 too. I must have seen you at school. Which class were you in? I’m in Class Two.”

Jiang Xia replied, “That’s unlikely. I graduated three years ago, and I already have three children.”

“…”

Everyone stared at Jiang Xia in shock.

She didn’t look like someone who had given birth to three children at all!

“Haha, you’re quite the joker!” The young man didn’t believe her for a second and wanted to say more.

But the proctor arrived, and he quickly sat up straight.

Wen Wan watched it all, pursing her lips. Attracting bees and butterflies even at an exam—it’ll be a miracle if she passes!

Once the exam papers were distributed, Wen Wan answered more seriously and faster than anyone else.

She had encountered these exam papers in her previous life and even remembered the essay prompt. She had prepared for this essay during her revision, polished it many times, and memorized it, so she finished very quickly.

Only a little over half an hour had passed.

She instinctively looked up at Jiang Xia, who was sitting in the first row.

Jiang Xia had already stopped writing and was resting her head on the desk, sleeping.

Wen Wan: “…”

Does she not know the answers?

Or is she already finished?

There’s no way she’s faster than me, right?

Could it be that she also took this exam in a past life?

Uneasy, Wen Wan began to check her work carefully.

She didn’t want to lose to Jiang Xia in the Gaokao again. This time, she wanted to become the provincial top scholar and make a stunning debut!

Chapter 540: Names

Jiang Xia hadn’t actually fallen asleep. She had simply finished the exam paper and checked it twice. With nothing else to do and it being improper to look around, she simply rested her head on the desk for a bit.

She couldn’t really sleep anyway—mostly because it was so hot!

There wasn’t a hint of a breeze today.

The examination room had no fans. The only thing on the walls were quotes from Great Men. The room was packed, sweltering, and filled with the sour smell of sweat.

Everyone had walked or cycled a long way in the early morning to make it to the exam. July heat was no joke. Every candidate arrived at the exam hall drenched in sweat; it was only natural for the air to turn sour.

The young man sitting next to Jiang Xia knew she had finished the paper long ago and was just resting.

He couldn’t help but feel a sense of deep admiration.

Who wouldn’t like a girl who was both beautiful and brilliant?

When the morning’s two exams ended, Jiang Xia quickly left the classroom.

The boy hurried after her.

Jiang Xia exited the testing center and walked briskly toward the school gates.

The midday sun was scorching. She had forgotten to bring an umbrella, and the sun felt so intense that her skin stung and the hair on top of her head became hot to the touch.

Fortunately, the school grounds weren’t large.

The Jeep was already waiting outside the gates.

The boy caught up to her. “Classmate, where do you live? I have a motorcycle; why don’t I give you a ride home?”

“No need, my husband is here to pick me up.”

“Stop joking with me…”

Zhou Chenglei saw Jiang Xia walking out, pushed the car door open, and stepped out, holding an umbrella over her.

Jiang Xia quickly ran to him and tucked her arm into his. “Were the babies good today?”

The boy: “…”

“Very good. They fell asleep as soon as they were full.” Zhou Chenglei held the umbrella high to block the sun, letting Jiang Xia lean against his arm as they walked toward the Jeep.

The boy watched them walk to the Jeep, his jaw dropping.

Babies? She really did have three children?

Wen Wan walked up to the boy and offered a sympathetic reminder. “See that? It’s true that she has three children. Besides, that man is very wealthy. He’s nearly ten years older than her, mature, steady, and knows how to take care of people. She’s not going to be interested in you.”

Since everyone was leaving the exam center at the same time, many people in their testing hall overheard Wen Wan’s words.

By the afternoon, when Jiang Xia entered the exam hall, the way people looked at her had changed.

The boy didn’t try to strike up a conversation with her again.

Jiang Xia didn’t care; it was quieter this way.

She sat quietly, waiting for the proctors to arrive and distribute the papers, then focused seriously on the questions.

The three days ended quietly like that. On the final day, it was Father Jiang who came to pick up Jiang Xia.

Jiang Xia stepped out of the school gates under her umbrella and ran toward Father Jiang in surprise. “Dad, why are you here?”

Father Jiang took the umbrella from his daughter’s hand. “I had some business out and happened to be passing by on my way back. I told A-Lei I’d pick you up instead.”

The shipyard’s residential compound was quite far from this testing center. Since it was on his way, he figured he would save his son-in-law a trip.

As the final exam finished, many people were eager to leave. The boy was among them, and he froze when he heard Jiang Xia call the man “Dad.”

Not only was the boy stunned, but a small group of people from Jiang Xia’s examination room were also dumbfounded.

Crap!

After hearing those words the other day, they had assumed she had used her looks at a young age to latch onto a wealthy and powerful man. They thought she had married an “old man” nearly ten years her senior just for money.

But did she even need to “latch on” to anyone?

When they got home, the children had just woken up. Jiang Xia washed her hands, changed her clothes, and went to take a baby from Zhou Chenglei’s arms.

Mother Jiang was there too, holding the eldest brother. She immediately asked, “How did the exam go?”

“It was alright.” Jiang Xia smiled and teased the daughter in her arms. “Did the babies miss Mommy?”

Father Jiang added, “Now that it’s over, just rest well. It doesn’t matter how you did, so don’t think about it. You’re still in your post-birth confinement; recovering your health is the top priority.”

Mother Jiang couldn’t help but bring up an old topic. “The children are so small and can’t be away from their mother. Why not attend a local university? That way, you can come home in the evenings to take care of them.”

Father Jiang shot his wife a look. “Why are you worrying so much? Didn’t we agree not to interfere with the children’s decisions?”

Mother Jiang: “…Fine, do as you like! I won’t say another word.”

He wouldn’t even let her speak!

After Jiang Xia finished her exams, the family began discussing the children’s names.

In Father Zhou’s mind, naming was a serious matter. Furthermore, names couldn’t be chosen in advance; they had to be decided after birth. There was a saying that children should wait for their names, not the other way around.

Father Zhou and Mother Zhou took a day to return to the village to consult a master. The master suggested choosing names with good meanings that were easy to say.

When naming the Zhou brothers, Zhou Chenglei’s grandmother had also consulted someone. It was said that the eldest brother needed a name with the element of ‘Gold,’ so he was named Xin (triple-gold). The second brother needed ‘Wood,’ so he was named Sen (triple-wood). Zhou Chenglei needed ‘Earth.’ Zhou Chenglei’s grandfather originally wanted to name him Yao (triple-earth), but his grandfather didn’t know how to pronounce the character. When he asked the most educated person in the village, he learned the pronunciation, but Father Zhou didn’t think it sounded good, so they settled on the name Lei (triple-stone).

Regarding naming the triplets, the three men were very enthusiastic. Father Zhou claimed the right to name one child, Father Jiang claimed another, and Zhou Chenglei took the right to name his daughter.

The three of them spent every day buried in various reference books.

Zhou Chenglei, Father Zhou, and Father Jiang all came up with many ideas, but none felt quite right.

Jiang Xia thought about it too but couldn’t come up with anything. She felt simple was best, but trying to find something simple yet beautiful was actually quite difficult.

As a result, many days passed and the children were nearly a month old, yet they still had no names.

At the beginning, Father Zhou, Father Jiang, and Zhou Chenglei were all fighting to name the children, but they finally agreed that each would name one.

With the one-month celebration just days away, Jiang Xia asked them, “Are the children’s names ready?”

Zhou Chenglei had finished his. He hoped his daughter would have a life of peace and joy, so he said, “The baby’s name will be Zhou Le. We’ll call her Lele. What do you think?”

Zhou Chenglei looked at Jiang Xia.

Jiang Xia liked it. “I think it’s very good. Dad, Mom, what about you?”

Father Jiang said, “Zhou Le, Lele… it’s very nice. Simple and pleasant.”

Father Zhou agreed, “I think it’s good too.”

Mother Jiang added, “Lele sounds lovely.”

And so, the daughter’s name was settled.

Jiang Xia looked at Father Zhou and Father Jiang. “What about the names for the brothers?”

Both elders had insisted on naming them.

Father Zhou said, “My relative-in-law is educated; it’s better for him to choose. I won’t do it!”

Father Jiang countered, “The names of A-Lei and his brothers are excellent. It’s better for the children’s paternal grandfather to pick!”

Father Jiang felt his son-in-law’s name was perfect—just like his character, upright and honorable.

Father Zhou said, “I think the names Xiaxia and A-Dong are wonderful! Simple and easy to listen to! Grandpa should do it!”

Father Jiang sighed, “The only reason I chose those names was because I didn’t know how to pick them, so I just used the solar terms from the days they were born.”

…

The two of them kept deferring to each other until the Gaokao results were released, and the boys still didn’t have names.

The day before the Gaokao results were officially out, Father Jiang received a call at home from the Q University Admissions Office.

Father Jiang took the call and smiled. “Yes, Jiang Xia isn’t here herself. I’m her father. Good, I will notify her!”

Mother Jiang waited for him to hang up before asking, “Who was that?”

Father Jiang finally let his joy burst forth, saying excitedly, “Q University! Xiaxia got into Q University. I’m going to tell her right now!”

Mother Jiang felt helpless; she had applied to a university in the capital after all. She said, “It’s nearly six o’clock; they’re probably eating dinner! Why not wait until tomorrow? The results aren’t officially out until tomorrow anyway.”

In truth, Father Jiang had already had someone check Jiang Xia’s scores that morning; he just hadn’t said anything yet.

And the information he got was extremely detailed.

“I’ll walk over there. By the time I arrive, they’ll be finished. Are you coming?” Father Jiang had been holding in this excitement all day. Now that he had the call, he couldn’t wait any longer!

Mother Jiang rubbed her temples. “I’m not going. I still have order fair materials to review.”

Father Jiang hurried out the door.

When Father Jiang arrived at the Zhou family home and announced the news, Father Zhou was completely stunned.

Chapter 541: Results

Father Jiang discovered that she was first in the city and second in the province. She was also the provincial top scholar in both English and Chinese.

If his daughter hadn’t been busy with her postpartum confinement, she probably would have been the provincial top scholar for the science stream.

The actual provincial top scholar was the grandson of a senior professor from a university’s mathematics department. He had taken first place in all science subjects this time.

His scores in Chinese and English were only one and two points lower than Jiang Xia’s, respectively.

Of course, Jiang Xia’s science scores were only two or three points lower than his.

Father Jiang felt that since the other boy had been studying full-time while his daughter only found time to review occasionally—and was even in the middle of her postpartum confinement—placing second made her even more impressive!

Father Jiang was more than satisfied!

He hadn’t dared to imagine that his daughter would achieve such excellent results.

He was exceptionally happy. Even when his son had become the provincial science scholar years ago, he hadn’t been this elated!

What father wouldn’t want their son to become a dragon and their daughter a phoenix? Both of his children were extremely outstanding.

Father Zhou was also delighted. A top scholar had emerged in their family! Even a top scholar in a single subject was still a top scholar, so how could he not be happy?

Watching the three babies sleeping soundly in their cribs, Father Zhou suddenly had an idea.

“Should we have the three children start school at different ages in the future?”

Father Jiang was puzzled. “Why?”

Father Zhou replied, “That way, our family might have three more provincial top scholars!”

There was only one top spot. If the three kids studied and took the exams together, there wouldn’t be enough top titles to go around!

However, Father Zhou was only thinking out loud; he wouldn’t actually hold the children back from school.

It would also be grand if the three children swept the first, second, and third places together!

Father Jiang: “…”

That actually makes sense!

But they couldn’t just delay the children’s education regardless of their age.

Father Jiang noted, “Even if they study together, they might not take the Gaokao at the same time. Perhaps one of the siblings is particularly bright and can skip grades.”

Father Zhou’s eyes lit up instantly. “Right!”

As expected of Wealth-bringer’s father, his words were like golden decrees! Whatever he said was right!

Jiang Xia looked at the three children who did nothing but eat and sleep all day and deeply doubted whether they could even get into college.

Of course, she didn’t require them to get into college. She would do her best as a parent and let nature take its course.

Zhou Chenglei asked, “Dad, have you thought of names for the babies yet? It’s their full-month celebration the day after tomorrow.”

The two of them still hadn’t decided.

Father Zhou said, “Let the in-law choose! The names he picks are the kind that produce top scholars.”

Father Jiang demurred, “Let A-Lei choose instead! I’m the worst at naming people.”

In the end, the heavy responsibility of naming fell back onto Zhou Chenglei.

Zhou Chenglei took out a pen and paper and wrote down a few names for everyone to choose from. “I’ve discussed it with my father. The eldest brother will take my surname, and the younger brother will take Xiaxia’s surname. I’ve chosen a few characters; take a look.”

Jiang Xia looked at Zhou Chenglei in surprise. He hadn’t mentioned this to her at all.

Fearing Father Zhou might not like the idea, Father Jiang smiled and said, “There’s no need for that. They can all take their father’s surname.”

Father Zhou laughed. “Xiao Xia worked so hard to give birth. It’s only right that one child takes the mother’s surname. It’s settled! Let’s pick the names; the full-month is the day after tomorrow.”

The three of them looked at the characters Zhou Chenglei had written.

Hang, Xian; Yu, Qiu; Zheng, Duo.

Each pair shared the same radical, signifying they were brothers.

Jiang Xia pointed at the first two. “How about Hang and Xian?”

They were also somewhat similar to Zhou Zhou’s name.

Father Jiang approved. “Good. At a glance, people will know the family works with boats.”

Father Zhou read them aloud, “Zhou Hang, Jiang Xian. They sound good! You can tell they are children of a fisherman’s family!”

Zhou Chenglei then suggested, “Then we shall call them Zhou Yihang, Jiang Yixian, and Zhou Yile.”

Adding the “Yi” (One) didn’t necessarily make it sound better, but it united the three children’s names.

Father Zhou frowned. “Why add ‘Yi’ in the middle? Couldn’t you use a better word? Are you being lazy with their names?”

Jiang Xia chimed in, “The word ‘Yi’ is quite good. It represents smooth sailing, lifelong peace, a lifetime of happiness, a harmonious atmosphere, and having a hundred responses to one’s call!”

Father Zhou immediately changed his tune. “The word ‘Yi’ is great! It’s simple and has a great meaning! The more I think about it, the more wonderful it is! Number one in the world! Not bad, you put a lot of heart into these names!”

Zhou Chenglei: “…”

Father Jiang murmured the names to himself and nodded. “The word ‘Yi’ is indeed the simplest yet most profound. Adding ‘Yi’ in the middle unifies the three siblings’ names; they sound like a set. Moreover, not many people use ‘Yi’ for names, so there’s little chance of them having the same name as others.”

Mother Jiang also liked it. “The word ‘Yi’ is good. In the future, when the children start school and learn to write their own names, they won’t cry and curse their father for giving them a hard name!”

The whole family burst into laughter!

And so, the names of the three children were finally settled!

The next day, Jiang Xia’s official results were released. At noon, Zhou Chenglei specially booked several tables at Fuman Restaurant to invite relatives and friends in the city.

It was both a full-month celebration for the children and a celebration for Jiang Xia’s excellent Gaokao results.

Since it was inconvenient for the villagers to come to the city, they would hold another two or three tables back in the village later to invite their clan relatives.

Zhou Chenglei had already asked Zhou Chengxin and Tian Caihua to help with those arrangements.

Jiang Dong also rushed back today. Before returning, he had made a special trip to Q University to pick up Jiang Xia’s admission letter.

Father Jiang had specifically called him, telling him to check if the admission letter was out and to bring it back to Jiang Xia person.

The school usually didn’t allow this and required letters to be mailed directly to the student. However, Zhang Fuyan had found a teacher she knew, and that teacher called Jiang Xia to confirm before allowing it.

As soon as Jiang Dong got off the plane, he went straight to the Zhou family home and handed the admission letter and the deed to a courtyard house to Jiang Xia. “Congratulations, Sis, on getting into your dream university!”

Jiang Xia took them, glancing at the letter and then the deed. “This is too expensive! I can’t take it!”

Jiang Dong said, “Brother-in-law asked me to buy it. It didn’t cost that much. Brother-in-law also gave me a storefront, so we’re even. Don’t be polite!”

Jiang Xia looked at Zhou Chenglei. “When did you ask Jiang Dong to buy this?”

“After I found out you were pregnant.”

Jiang Xia understood then.

Zhou Chenglei helped her open the admission letter for her to see.

Jiang Xia saw that everything was correct and intended to put it away.

Father Zhou said with a beaming smile, “Xiao Xia, let me see the admission letter!”

Jiang Xia handed it to him.

Father Zhou held the letter, opening it with great care.

Now the family had both “luck for wealth” and “scholarly talent”!

After Father Zhou finished looking at it, he even showed it to the triplets in the crib, hoping they would absorb some of their mother’s scholarly success.

Jiang Xia watched as Father Zhou took the admission letter and carefully placed a corner of it into the children’s hands for them to grasp.

The three little ones had finished their milk not long ago and weren’t asleep yet; they were lying in the crib playing. Father Zhou had been teasing them a moment ago.

When something was pressed into their hands, they subconsciously gripped it, their tiny pink fingers wiggling.

Jiang Dong asked curiously, “In-law, what are you doing?”

Father Zhou replied, “Letting them absorb their mother’s scholarly aura so they can become top scholars in the future too!”

One must have scholarly talent before they can have wealth luck!

Hearing this, Jiang Dong immediately said, “Then let them absorb mine! I’m a real top scholar; my sister only counts as a third of one!”

Jiang Xia: “…”

Father Zhou chuckled. “Come, come, hold the children and let them absorb their uncle’s talent.”

Chapter 542: This Works Too?

Jiang Dong spent the entire morning at his brother-in-law’s house holding his nephews and niece. He took turns with each one, and he was the one who coaxed all three to sleep.

Even on the way to the restaurant for the meal, he didn’t let go of his younger niece.

“Sis,” Jiang Dong said, “I’ve noticed the babies love it most when I hold them.”

Jiang Xia replied, “You’re overthinking it. She loves whoever holds her; she’s not picky. If you don’t believe me, why don’t you let someone else hold her in a bit?”

Jiang Dong: “…”

Hmph, he didn’t believe her!

The baby must love her uncle the most!

Of the three children, only the daughter currently required a longer time to be coaxed to sleep compared to her two older brothers. She was starting to become a bit clingy.

Jiang Xia, carrying the eldest brother, walked into the restaurant with Jiang Dong. The second brother was in Mother Zhou’s arms.

Zhou Chenglei and Father Zhou had arrived at the restaurant early to receive guests, leaving the car for Jiang Xia to drive over.

When Father Jiang saw Jiang Dong and Jiang Xia arrive, he hurried forward, reaching out his hands from a distance.

Jiang Dong turned and dodged him. “Dad, I haven’t held her enough yet!”

Father Jiang glanced at his sentimental son. He was worried his daughter’s arms would get sore from holding the baby too long. Did this young man think his own arms would get sore holding a child?

“Fine, the baby is in your care today. Hold her tight, and don’t let her bump into the table while we’re eating.”

Jiang Dong didn’t yet realize how much of a hassle it was to hold a child while eating and readily agreed. “How could I? Am I such a careless person? Don’t worry, little one, you’re safe in your uncle’s arms.”

Father Jiang smiled and reached for the eldest grandson in Jiang Xia’s arms. “Come to Grandpa, little man.”

Although Father Jiang felt that all three grandchildren looked exactly like Jiang Xia, he could still tell them apart at a glance.

Jiang Xia handed the eldest to Father Jiang. “Where’s Mom?”

Father Jiang replied, “She just went to the restroom.”

Mother Jiang arrived shortly after. Seeing Jiang Dong, she asked, “Did you go straight to your sister’s house as soon as you got back?”

“Yeah!” Jiang Dong replied. “I went to see the babies and give Sis her admission letter while I was at it.”

Mother Jiang was reaching out to tease her granddaughter, but her movements froze at his words. “What admission letter?”

“For Q University!”

Mother Jiang blurted out, “How are you the one delivering the admission letter?”

Wasn’t it supposed to be sent by mail?

Father Jiang explained, “Since Jiang Dong was coming back anyway, I had him go to Q University to pick up Xiaxia’s admission letter and bring it back. It saves the school the trouble of mailing it and prevents it from getting lost.”

Mother Jiang: “…”

This works too?

Just then, Zhang Rong came over to see the triplets. He gave each of them a red envelope, shaking their tiny hands as he did so. He smiled and said, “Godfather is giving you a red envelope, little one. You must be well-behaved and grow up fast.”

Father Jiang and Jiang Dong talked with Zhang Rong while holding the babies. Mother Jiang also exchanged a few polite words before walking back to the table. She sat down, took a large gulp of water, and swallowed hard.

After the Full Moon banquet ended, Zhou Chenglei, Father Zhou, and Mother Zhou took the three children to the hospital for a check-up. Jiang Xia also took the opportunity to have a postpartum exam.

The three children had gained over 1 kg in a month. Their cries were much louder now, and they even shed tears when they cried hard, unlike when they were first born and sounded as faint as mosquitoes. “The children have no other issues; they’ve grown much stronger and are being raised very well.”

Mother Zhou was completely relieved and smiled. “Thank you, Dr. Gao.”

Gao Jie smiled back. “You’re very welcome.”

At that moment, Jiang Xia walked into the office. While the children were being examined, she had gone for an ultrasound.

Since it wasn’t appropriate for Father Zhou to listen to Jiang Xia’s check-up results, he excused himself and carried one of his grandsons out. Mother Zhou followed with another child, leaving the couple and the eldest grandson inside.

Technically, Jiang Xia would officially finish her confinement period tomorrow. Her postpartum follow-up was supposed to be forty-two days after birth, but Dr. Gao decided to check her anyway and had her do an ultrasound to see how the uterus was recovering.

She looked at the ultrasound report regarding the size and thickness of the uterus and the condition of the appendages, then smiled. “The recovery is going well, better than expected. Come back for another check in forty-two days. Although you’re finishing your confinement, you should still wait until forty-two days are up before you share a room.”

“Do you need some heat-clearing medicine?” Gao Jie looked at Zhou Chenglei.

“…”

Zhou Chenglei replied, “No need.”

Gao Jie thought of something else and asked him, “Did you go to Director Lin for a follow-up check?”

Jiang Xia turned to look at Zhou Chenglei. “What follow-up? For your ears?”

Zhou Chenglei said vaguely, “Mhm.”

He didn’t really need a follow-up; he knew there was no problem.

Jiang Xia asked again, “What did the doctor say? When did you go for the follow-up? Why didn’t I know?”

Zhou Chenglei answered, “After you finished the Gaokao.”

Jiang Xia figured as much.

After she finished the Gaokao, the weather forecast said a typhoon was coming in a few days. For several days, Zhou Chenglei had gone out to sea every day to check the net cages and prepare for the typhoon, arranging for the staff on duty to return to the city instead of staying on the island.

After the typhoon passed, he had gone out to sea for another two days. Sometimes he also had to visit the factory construction site to check on the progress, a task Big Brother and Zhou Chengsen had been assisting with previously.

He must have found time to go for the follow-up then.

Gao Jie chuckled and ushered them out. “Alright, if there are no problems, go home! Bring the children back to see me next month.”

By the time they returned from the hospital and packed their things to head back to the village, it was already after four o’clock in the afternoon.

They hadn’t been home for a month, but since Zhou Chengsen, Zhou Zhou, and Zhou Ying were usually there, the house was very clean.

Zhou Chengsen had even cleaned the second floor, and he’d had the two children clean the master bedroom.

There were labor classes at school, and Zhou Zhou usually helped with cleaning at home, so tasks like wiping windows and dusting were no problem for her. Yingying wasn’t as capable as Zhou Zhou, but children learn fast.

When Zhou Chenglei returned, he only needed to change the bedsheets and quilts.

The next day, Jiang Xia officially finished her confinement.

They hosted several tables for a banquet in the village today. They only invited close relatives and neighbors from the same clan, and some people from Mother Zhou’s side of the family also came.

The supplies needed for the banquet were bought by the Big Brother, his wife, and Zhou Chengsen.

Zhou Guodong was the head chef, as Uncle Dong could no longer handle heavy labor. Aunt Dong, Grandmother, He Xinghuan, Tian Caihua, and the Second Great-Aunt helped with washing vegetables and assisting.

Although there were only a few tables, it was a busy and lively day.

The triplets received many red envelopes today. Even in such a noisy environment, they weren’t affected and slept soundly after being fed.

Many women wanted to hold them to catch some of their “good luck,” but unfortunately, the babies slept the whole time.

The new wives who had recently married into the village and hadn’t conceived yet were especially eager to hold the triplets, but since the babies were sleeping peacefully on the bed in the room, everyone was too embarrassed to wake them.

The Zhou family home was exceptionally lively that day; even those who weren’t invited came over to see the triplets.

The yard next door was also quite noisy.

Wen Wan’s daughter was very sensitive to noise and would wake up at the slightest sound. Consequently, she had to be held all day; the moment she was put down, she would cry!

Wen Wan was annoyed to death. Yesterday, she had gone back to school to check her results, and they were worse than she had expected. Jingda was impossible, and she wasn’t sure if her second choice would work out either.

She was already in a bad mood, and with the noise next door and her daughter crying, her arms were weak from holding the baby all day. She couldn’t help but snap, “Keep crying and I’ll throw you out!”

In a fit of anger, Wen Wan put the child on the bed and stopped caring.

Then the child cried even louder!

Zhou Guohua came back from the sea and hurried upstairs. “Why is Qiuyi crying so hard?”

“Because of the noise next door! Go ask them when they’re going to finish! It’s been loud all day!”

Zhou Guohua: “…”

“That’s not right. Everyone has times when they host celebrations. We had our full moon feast the day before yesterday, and no one complained then!”

Going over to tell people to be quiet at a time like this would make them the enemy of the entire village!

“Then you coax your daughter! I’m exhausted!”

“Fine, I’ll do it.”

Wen Wan lay directly on the bed, wondering how Jiang Xia had done on the exams.

She herself had studied and reviewed every day, while Jiang Xia was out at sea or making small fried fish every day. It was impossible for Jiang Xia to have scored better than her, wasn’t it?

She also wondered when the admission letters would finally arrive.

Chapter 543: Is One Net Missing?

After the full moon feast ended, Jiang Xia placed the red envelopes the three children had received into three separate file bags, labeling each one as “Full Moon Red Envelopes.”

When Zhou Chenglei came out after his shower and saw this, he asked, “Why aren’t you opening them?”

“I’ll leave them for now. Mother said these are blessings from the elders for the children, and told me to wait a while before opening them. I plan to wait until the children are three or four years old and let them open the envelopes themselves.”

Jiang Xia placed the three file bags into a drawer in the wardrobe and locked it.

Zhou Chenglei didn’t care when the red envelopes were opened. He came up behind Jiang Xia, reached into the wardrobe for a tank top, and pulled it on.

Jiang Xia conveniently closed the wardrobe door and turned right into his arms.

Zhou Chenglei lowered his head and kissed her lips.

“Not yet.”

“I know.” Zhou Chenglei just wanted a kiss; he wasn’t planning on doing anything more. “Go to sleep. Who knows what time the children will wake up in the middle of the night.”

“Mm.” She wanted to wake up early tomorrow and go for a walk.

The next day, Jiang Xia was finally free; she didn’t have to stay in bed all the time. She clearly felt fine, yet she had been forced to lie in bed all day long. With no mobile phone and unable to read, and it being the height of the scorching dog days of summer, she couldn’t even wave a palm leaf fan. She had to rely on the “still mind stays cool” philosophy.

Regardless, it was unpleasant! During her month of recovery, the three days of the Gaokao had been her only “release” days, and they were the most relaxing ones she’d had.

So early this morning, after Jiang Xia fed the three children, she picked up her younger son and headed toward the production team office. She wanted to look at the sea, see the boats, and let the little one get some sun. At the same time, she wanted to see if there were any letters for her.

In the city, the three babies had gotten about an hour of sun every day—half an hour in the morning and half an hour in the evening.

Sunlight for newborns can help prevent jaundice.

Father Zhou and Mother Zhou took the elder son and the daughter out to sunbathe as well.

Zhou Chenglei had gone to the factory.

Over a month had passed, and the first floor of Zhou Chengsen and Great-Grandma’s house was already built. The floor slab for the second floor was about to be poured.

Yingying said she wanted to live in an upstairs room so she could watch the sea from her bedroom; it would also be cooler with the strong winds at night. Zhou Chengxin also suggested that Zhou Chengsen build two floors, as a single story would be too hot.

Zhou Chengxin himself was currently adding a second floor to his own house.

Both Zhou Chengsen and Zhou Yongguo had enough money to build two floors. Hearing everyone say that two floors were better and that adding an extension later would be more troublesome, they simply decided to build two stories from the start.

Jiang Xia walked along, carrying her younger son in the sunlight, looking at the sea and the fishing boats. She arrived at the production team’s mail drop-off point and began rummaging through the letters.

All the letters were piled haphazardly on a desk with two drawers. No one looked after them; people just picked up their own.

Wen Wan had just returned from the town post office. She had gone to ask if there was a registered letter for her, but there was nothing.

Sometimes letters were sent directly to the production team office.

She returned to the production team to look and saw Jiang Xia there, holding a child with one hand while searching through the mail.

It seemed she was also looking for an admission letter.

Wen Wan felt relieved.

Actually, it was impossible for the letters to arrive this quickly; the mail was very slow these days.

But what if? If it arrived and someone saw it and took it, then what?

In this era, there were many cases of people assuming someone else’s identity to go to university.

Especially someone like Jiang Xia, who hadn’t attended classes and whose grades were unknown, but whose family had some background.

Wen Wan decided to come every morning from now on to check for mail.

She didn’t want her admission letter to be stolen.

She approached and instinctively glanced at the child in Jiang Xia’s arms.

The baby was wearing pale yellow clothes, making it hard to tell the gender. He looked a bit like Jiang Xia and a bit like Zhou Chenglei. Even at a month old, his skin was still red and somewhat wrinkled; the whitest part was probably his tiny hand.

The baby didn’t look like her own daughter, who had been white, chubby, and adorable since birth.

At a glance, Jiang Xia’s child looked like he was born with a weak constitution. Triplets sounded nice, but how could they be as healthy as a single child?

Finding that Jiang Xia’s child wasn’t as beautiful or healthy as her own daughter gave Wen Wan a small sense of satisfaction.

Jiang Xia didn’t even look at Wen Wan. She turned her body to block Wen Wan’s view, preventing her from looking at her son.

Jiang Xia quickly found the letter she was looking for. it was from Amy. When Gilles had come to find her and Zhou Chenglei last time, he mentioned that Amy had sent a letter to her village address.

Jiang Xia took the letter and left. Halfway home, she heard the broadcast saying there would be a typhoon in three days. It warned everyone not to go out to sea and to move their boats to the typhoon shelter in advance.

When Jiang Xia got home, she asked Father Zhou, “Dad, did you hear the broadcast?”

“I heard it. We can’t go out to sea again.”

Father Zhou had originally planned to take his grandchildren for a “showing off” tour around the village today, then go to the market in town to buy some food, preparing to go out to the distant seas in two days. He wanted to see how their money luck would be now that the three little Wealth-bringers were born. _

After all, he had been holding those three Fortune-Bringing Children for a month; even his hair was soaked in wealth luck!

He had it all planned out! He would show off one grandson per day for three days, then head out to sea as soon as the three days were up. But now, with the typhoon, his plan for a distant seas voyage was ruined again!

But it didn’t matter. If he couldn’t go to sea, he would stay home and take care of the grandkids. He’d wait another week or ten days until the wealth luck had seeped into his very pores before heading out.

Then he would earn enough to fill his basins and buckets!

Zhou Chenglei had gone to the factory in the morning to check on progress and didn’t return until noon. Jiang Xia told him about the typhoon.

Being at the construction site, Zhou Chenglei hadn’t known. After lunch, he took the boat out to sea. Along the way, he stopped at the production team to make a phone call, notifying his old comrades that they would go out to sea only after the typhoon passed.

After the call, Zhou Chenglei and Father Zhou took the small wooden boat out to notify the people on the islands to return to shore, checking their net cages while they were at it.

Halfway there, Father Zhou decided to cast two nets, planning to pull them in on the way back.

Father Zhou thought catching a few fresh fish for dinner would be nice.

As it turned out, when they headed back at dusk, Father Zhou found the net felt quite heavy as he started to pull!

Father and son pulled the entire net up together.

It was a sand borer bursting net!

The net was covered in sand borers.

They had caught about 25 to 30 kg of sand borers. Toward the end of the net, there were also eight or ten Red Seabreams, over a dozen Yellow Croakers, a few Yellowfin Seabreams, and some miscellaneous fish.

“Let’s go pull the next net.”

Father Zhou excitedly took the helm.

Zhou Chenglei began untangling the fish from the net.

However, when Father Zhou arrived at the sea area where he had previously set the net, he couldn’t find it.

“Was it pushed away by the waves?” Father Zhou scanned the undulating surface of the sea.

Zhou Chenglei also looked around but didn’t see anything.

Father Zhou continued steering the boat in the direction of the current, hoping to find it.

They hadn’t gone far when a buoy suddenly bobbed to the surface.

It was right by the boat, and Zhou Chenglei grabbed it with quick reflexes.

Seeing that the buoy’s movement was abnormal, Father Zhou immediately stopped the engine and grabbed the dip net. “Pull it up and see. Be careful, a big fish might be caught in it.”

Zhou Chenglei began raising the net slowly. He could feel a strong tugging force; there must be a large fish struggling inside.

He became even more cautious as he pulled.

Father Zhou could tell at a glance that a big fish was entangled.

“Careful now, don’t let it slip away!”

Father Zhou hurried over to help pull.

As it came up, they only saw a few scattered Plum Fish hanging on the net.

But it was so heavy; it definitely wasn’t just Plum Fish.

Father Zhou pulled harder, his eyes fixed on the water, his heart tightening.

As more and more of the net broke the surface, a behemoth was revealed.

Father Zhou’s eyes went wide!

Now this is a good fish!

This unlucky giant must have struggled and twisted itself so much that it was completely wrapped in the net.

As expected, it was better to let his son pull the nets!

He only held the three grandsons occasionally to get a little wealth luck in his pores, but his son was around those four “Wealth-bringers” day and night—his very blood was filled with wealth luck!

Chapter 544: Who Could Bear to Eat It?

Zhou Chenglei and Father Zhou worked together to pull the fish up.

As it surfaced, the boat nearly capsized!

After much effort, the two of them finally managed to haul the fish onto the boat.

The massive creature took up more than half of the small wooden vessel. Combined with the previous net of fish, there was hardly any room left to stand.

The fish was enormous, likely weighing over 60 kg—perhaps closer to 65 kg.

It was a Brown Croaker, also known as the Great Golden Croaker. Its value was evident in the name the locals gave it.

Father Zhou crouched down and strained to untangle the fishing net. “This Great Golden Croaker is excellent! I was actually planning to find one for Xiao Xia to eat. It’s wonderful for children; eating it while they’re growing helps them get tall and strong. We aren’t selling this fish today; we’re keeping it for your wife.”

Father Zhou had caught this species before, but never one this large; they had only been around 10 kg. Back then, he had also kept them for his sons, which was why the brothers were now so robust and the tallest in the village.

However, Father Zhou had never even seen a Great Golden Croaker this big before. More importantly, its fish maw was beneficial for children.

Father Zhou had originally planned to go out to the distant seas to see if he could catch this kind of fish, or perhaps buy some from another boat for the three little Wealth-bringers to nourish them.

The three little Wealth-bringers were so thin and tiny that it pained him to look at them. He hadn’t expected his plan for a distant seas voyage to fall through, only to catch the Brown Croaker anyway!

The little Wealth-bringers were truly lucky—just when they needed something to build up their strength, they netted exactly what was required. It was as if their every wish was granted; their luck was through the roof!

“Keep the fish maw. We can sell half the meat,” Zhou Chenglei said.

The fish maw held the best medicinal properties; keeping the maw and half the meat would be enough. With a fish weighing over 60 kg, the family couldn’t finish it all even if they kept it. Selling half and keeping half, then giving some to Big Brother for his children to eat, was the perfect plan. After all, Guangzong, Yaozu, and their brothers were also at the age where they were growing rapidly.

“Alright,” Father Zhou replied as he skillfully plucked tiger prawns from the net.

The giant fish was completely tangled in the mesh, along with many vibrantly colored tiger prawns. This big fellow had likely been chasing a school of prawns when it blundered into the net, then entangled itself further during the struggle.

“I didn’t expect that just dropping a net at random for a little over two hours would yield so many fish. If I’d known, I would have put out two more.”

Luck for wealth truly seemed to seep from his very pores!

Zhou Chenglei replied, “If you put out any more, the boat wouldn’t be able to hold them.”

“…” Father Zhou went silent.

That was true! The boat was too small; the wealth luck radiating from his pores had no room to manifest further!

Zhou Chenglei steered the boat toward home. When they returned to the village pier, it was the peak time for fishing boats to head back to shore.

The crews of the boats passing their small wooden craft were stunned. One man couldn’t help but shout from his deck, “Yongfu, what kind of fish did you catch? It’s so huge the boat can hardly carry it!”

Father Zhou shouted back loudly, “A Brown Croaker! A Great Golden Croaker!”

“Damn! A Great Golden Croaker? One that big? You’ve struck it rich again! You’re loaded! Truly loaded!”

Father Zhou chuckled. “We’re not selling! How am I rich?”

The man retorted, “You’ve got to be kidding me! In the whole production team, you’re the one who knows how to eat the best. Everyone else thinks about selling the good stuff for money, but you only think about taking it home to eat!”

The fish maw of a Great Golden Croaker was a treasure, extremely rare and sold for an exorbitant price. The man couldn’t believe Father Zhou said they weren’t selling! A fish that size had to be worth several hundred yuan!

When the small wooden boat docked at the pier, it naturally caused another sensation. Other people took small boats out for the day and made eight or ten yuan; his family took a small boat out and caught a fish larger than the vessel itself. How could it not cause a stir?

Jiang Xia, Mother Zhou, and Tian Caihua were each holding a baby, waiting at the pier. It was after five o’clock, and while the sun hadn’t set, its rays were no longer scorching. The air was particularly muggy before the typhoon, with almost no breeze, so it was safe to be by the beach.

Many village women surrounded them to look at the triplets, cooing at them. Although the triplets only blinked their eyes and gave no other reaction, everyone still adored them.

Even surrounded by the crowd, Jiang Xia saw the oversized fish that the boat could barely contain at a single glance. She spoke to the eldest son in her arms, “Daddy’s back. It looks like he caught a big fish. Let’s go see what it is.”

The women nearby heard her and turned their heads.

“Oh my, what kind of fish is that! It’s huge!”

“It’s bigger than the boat!”

“I’m going to go see what it is!”

The group of women hurried over.

Tian Caihua and Mother Zhou also quickly carried the children closer, finding a spot where they could see clearly without being in the middle of the crowd.

“That fish is bigger than the boat. How did they even get it on board?” Tian Caihua felt another pang of envy. Zhou Chengxin had never caught a fish that big!

After mooring the boat, Zhou Chenglei jumped onto the pier and walked over to Jiang Xia and the others. He looked at Jiang Xia and the three children. “Have you been waiting long?”

“No.”

Tian Caihua couldn’t wait any longer and asked, “A-Lei, what kind of big fish did you net?”

“A Great Golden Croaker,” Zhou Chenglei replied.

Tian Caihua’s eyes widened. A Great Golden Croaker? That was the best thing for Guangzong, Yaozu, and their brothers to eat!

Mother Zhou asked in surprise, “A Great Golden Croaker that big? Does it weigh 50 kg?”

“Close to that.” Zhou Chenglei continued, “Mother, please hire two people to help untangle the fish from the net.”

“Alright. Hiring two people for just that? Are there many small fish too?”

“Dozens of kilograms of sillago,” Zhou Chenglei said, looking at the daughter in Mother Zhou’s arms. His hands were dirty and smelled of fish, so he didn’t touch her small face.

Mother Zhou understood immediately. Sillago were small; dozens of kilograms of them meant the net was practically covered, and untangling them would be time-consuming. “I’ll go find someone right now.”

Mother Zhou walked away with her granddaughter to hire help.

Zhou Chenglei said to Jiang Xia, “I’m going to carry the fish off the boat and take it to the purchase station to have it cleaned.”

Tian Caihua’s heart stirred. “Why have it cleaned? Are you keeping the fish maw?”

With a fish that big, the maw would be massive. When it was stewed into soup, surely her sons could have a bowl or two?

“Yes. We’re only selling half the meat. At that time, Big Sister-in-law can take a few kilograms of meat back for Wenguang and the others.”

“What about the fish maw?” Tian Caihua blurted out.

“It’s being dried.” Zhou Chenglei said no more, instead cautioning Jiang Xia, “If you’re tired, take the children back first. Don’t wait for me; I’ll be busy for a while.”

Cleaning the fish and extracting the maw would take time, and he was afraid Jiang Xia’s arms would ache from holding the baby for too long.

“Go do your work, don’t worry about me. I haven’t been out long.”

Zhou Chenglei went back to the boat. Father Zhou was currently boasting to everyone about how they had caught this Great Golden Croaker, making the story sound as perilous as possible!

“At that moment, the boat almost flipped! Fortunately, I stayed calm…”

From Father Zhou’s mouth, one would think they had survived a three-hundred-round battle against a sea monster.

Seeing Zhou Chenglei return, Father Zhou immediately stopped bragging. “I need to get to work!”

He and Zhou Chenglei used a rope to secure the fish and carried it to the purchase station using a carrying pole.

Master Jin proactively approached them to help. “A-Lei, you’re selling this Great Golden Croaker, right? Sell it to me! I’ll give you a good price!”

Chapter 545: After-effects

Zhou Chenglei said, “I’m not selling the whole fish, just half the meat.”

Master Jin was speechless.

“Wait, you’re not selling the fish maw, only half the meat? The price is going to be significantly lower! You know as well as I do that the fish maw of a Great Golden Croaker is worth far more than the meat!”

“I’m only selling half the meat,” Zhou Chenglei repeated firmly.

Master Jin felt a sharp pang of regret. He had an important client who had been asking him to look out for this fish for a long time, and no one had caught one until now. He couldn’t help but ask, “Are you planning to keep that fish maw to dry it out and sell it later?”

“No,” Zhou Chenglei replied. “I’m keeping it to nourish my wife and children’s bodies.”

Master Jin was stunned.

What kind of family could afford to let their wife and kids eat such an expensive fish?

Master Jin glanced at the beautiful Jiang Xia and then at the babies in her arms.

Well, the mother was a precious treasure, and the three little ones were also little treasures. It made sense they should eat well.

Besides, the man had married an exceptionally beautiful wife and fathered triplets, including a boy and a girl. Across several production teams and the surrounding ten miles and eight villages, which man had Zhou Chenglei’s fortune?

If he had such luck, he would also keep the best things to please his wife!

Master Jin asked again, “Your wife has already given birth. Can you sell the Chinese Bahaba fish maw you dried before?”

“No. We’ve almost finished eating it.”

Jiang Xia’s first breakfast after giving birth had been sea cucumber and chicken congee along with Chinese Bahaba fish maw soup.

Master Jin was at a loss for words.

“Almost finished? You guys kept a lot of Chinese Bahaba back then—must have been dozens of them! You’ve finished them already? Are you eating them like rice?”

Father Zhou said with a chuckle, “It’s not that exaggerated. That little bit of fish maw isn’t enough for three meals a day. It’s just for breakfast or a late-night snack. We only have one bowl a day.”

“…”

Only one bowl a day? Did he want to eat it three times a day instead?

Other people used it as life-saving medicine, but he used it for breakfast and snacks, and a bowl a day at that—only!

Wen Wan had come to the pier today to see if her admission letter had arrived. Passing by and hearing this, she couldn’t help but look at Jiang Xia, who was standing to the side holding a baby.

No wonder Jiang Xia looked so healthy. No wonder the events from her dreams hadn’t happened.

Chinese Bahaba fish maw was good for women experiencing postpartum hemorrhage. In this region, people liked to use it to nourish mothers who had suffered severe bleeding after childbirth.

In Wen Wan’s previous life, she had suffered from a difficult labor and major hemorrhage. Zhou Bingqiang’s wife had given her Chinese Bahaba fish maw soup.

But she only had it for two days—just two bowls in total!

She knew the family had stored over a dozen pieces of Chinese Bahaba fish maw.

They just hadn’t been willing to give her more!

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife always complained that she wasn’t filial and was lazy!

She would even go on about how good Jiang Xia was!

But look at how Zhou Chenglei and his parents treated Jiang Xia versus how they had treated her.

Wen Wan glanced at Zhou Chenglei again.

Zhou Chenglei and Father Zhou had already placed the fish on a large wooden board, preparing to remove the maw.

Many villagers crowded around to watch.

Master Jin said, “Since you’re only selling half the meat, I can only give you 1.2 yuan per 500 grams. The meat isn’t worth as much as the maw. If you sold the whole fish, it would be 3 yuan per 500 grams.”

“1.5 yuan,” Zhou Chenglei countered.

“1.5 is too high. 1.2.”

Father Zhou waved his hand. “1.5, non-negotiable. We almost capsized the boat pulling this fish aboard.”

Standing nearby, Jiang Xia added, “Master Jin, let everyone make a bit of profit. A fish this big is a rare find. Just take it for 1.5 yuan per 500 grams! You definitely won’t lose money. Believe it or not, if you don’t take it, we could sell it piece by piece to everyone for 1.6 yuan per 500 grams, and people would be fighting for it. After all, there are only twenty-some kilograms of meat. If everyone takes a kilogram or two, it’ll be gone in a flash. Buying this fish for the kids is great—it makes them strong, helps them grow tall, and eating more fish makes them smarter.”

Immediately, another villager chimed in, “Are you selling? I’ll take a kilogram!”

“I’ll take a kilogram too!”

“I want 1.5 kilograms!”

Master Jin hurriedly said, “I’ll take it! I didn’t say I wouldn’t! I’m truly afraid of you two! 1.5 yuan per 500 grams, and only for the meat—I’m barely making a profit! You two earn so much every day, yet you’re still so stingy.”

Father Zhou laughed, “Can’t be helped. They have many children. Of course they have to be meticulous with their planning and live frugally!”

Master Jin was speechless.

Meticulous planning was true, but “living frugally” was absolute nonsense!

Taking dozens of kilograms of fish home to eat was anything but frugal!

In the end, the whole fish head plus half the meat weighed a total of 28 kilograms.

The remaining meat, excluding the fish maw, weighed over 15 kilograms.

Zhou Chenglei sold a few kilograms to the villagers. Of the remaining 15 kilograms, he gave 5 kilograms to Big Brother Zhou Chengxin, and 1.5 kilograms each to Grandmother, Zhou Guodong, and Aunt Fen’s family. His own family kept about 5 kilograms.

Since Zhou Ying was currently eating with them, they didn’t need to give her a separate portion.

Pan-fried sillago was delicious, and the whole family loved Yellowfin Seabream in a mixed fish stew. It had been a long time since they had eaten such fresh Red Seabream and Yellow Croaker, and today’s Bamboo Shrimp were also very large. Thus, Zhou Chenglei kept some of each and sold the rest. These sold for over 60 yuan. Including the half-fish, the total came to about 140 yuan—a very good take.

The most important thing was the amount of fish they brought home; otherwise, they could have made 300 or 400 yuan.

The next morning, after breakfast, Zhou Chenglei was about to go out to sea to check the net cages when someone came to the door.

The visitors were family planning officials from town, there to notify Jiang Xia to come in for the procedure.

Zhou Chenglei went to the bedroom and brought back a certificate to show them. “It’s already been done at the relevant department in the city.”

The official took it and looked it over. He gave Zhou Chenglei an incredulous look before handing it back. “If it’s done, then it’s fine.”

Then, they left.

After they were gone, Zhou Chenglei took the certificate back upstairs to put it away.

Jiang Xia followed him up, snatched the certificate from his hand, glanced at it, and looked up at him. “Is this real?”

“Yes.”

Jiang Xia was speechless for a moment.

“Why didn’t you discuss it with me? When did you go?”

Zhou Chenglei took the document back and locked it in the drawer. “There was no need to discuss it. I went the day after your Gaokao ended.”

There was nothing to discuss. Either she had to do it or he did; someone had to.

He wouldn’t let her do it, so he did it himself.

Jiang Xia was silent.

So when Dr. Gao asked him if he had gone for a follow-up, it was about this!

When he came back after doing it, she hadn’t noticed at all. He had continued taking care of the children as usual.

“Did it hurt?” Jiang Xia felt an indescribable emotion swelling in her heart.

In the end, she couldn’t help but wrap her arms tightly around his waist, burying her face in his back.

Zhou Chenglei hid the key, turned around, and pulled her into his embrace. “It didn’t hurt. It definitely didn’t hurt as much as giving birth.”

“You’ve never given birth, how would you know if it hurts or not?” Jiang Xia asked with some curiosity, “Was the procedure performed by a male doctor or a female doctor?”

Zhou Chenglei couldn’t help but let his lips curl into a smile. “Don’t worry, it was a man.”

“I was just asking out of curiosity. Doctors are gender-neutral; there’s nothing to worry about!”

Zhou Chenglei gave her another hug with a smile and then let go. “I have to go to sea. Dad is waiting.”

Jiang Xia let him go, but then, for some reason, her mind blanked for a second and she suddenly blurted out, “Are there any after-effects from this?”

Zhou Chenglei was at a loss for words.

Chapter 546: What Was That Noise?

Jiang Xia asked her question, and seeing the somewhat dangerous glint in his eyes, she hurriedly ran downstairs.

Now that her body had recovered, her movements were incredibly agile!

Like a slippery loach, she escaped his grasp.

Zhou Chenglei watched her fleeing figure, took a deep breath, and followed her down. “Slow down!”

Halfway down the stairs, Jiang Xia turned around at the landing. Thinking of something, she stopped and asked him, “Do Dad and Mom know about this?”

Zhou Chenglei strolled down leisurely. He didn’t chase her, fearing she might trip and fall in her rush; besides, even if he caught her, he couldn’t do anything right now. “They know. They have no objections. My mom said it’s exactly what I should do.”

His mother had even said that men with money easily go bad, so “tying it off” was for the best to snip the root of potential trouble.

She had even told his father to go for a small surgery as well, saying she wasn’t at ease with him going out to distant seas every day. She didn’t want him, at his age, bringing back a son the same age as his grandson for her to raise.

That had left Father Zhou absolutely fuming!

Of course, Zhou Chenglei didn’t have time to tell Jiang Xia all these details for now.

Whether his father would go bad, he didn’t know, but he certainly wouldn’t.

The couple went downstairs. Zhou Chenglei said a few words to Mother Zhou and then hurried off to the pier.

Father Zhou had already left twenty minutes earlier to buy diesel.

After Zhou Chenglei left, Mother Zhou prepared to feed the chickens. Afraid that Jiang Xia might think she minded the decision, she offered some comfort: “Don’t feel any pressure. A man doesn’t know how hard and painful it is to give birth to three children at once, but I do. Why should they only get to enjoy themselves? It’s only fair they suffer a bit too! Otherwise, how would they ever know the pain? People never truly understand someone else’s pain until the needle pricks their own skin! Let him feel it! I even wanted your father to experience it! Why wasn’t there such a good thing back in my day?”

Jiang Xia: “…”

Over the next two days, Zhou Chenglei and Father Zhou went out to sea to lead the men in inspecting the net cages and the hanging nets for the pearl shells, making preparations for the approaching typhoon.

They still used the small wooden boat for these trips. As always, Father Zhou would cast two fishing nets when they headed out and haul them back in during the afternoon return trip.

Each trip brought in a hundred or so yuan, and they could also keep quite a bit of fish to freeze in the refrigerator for meals during the typhoon.

On this particular evening, as the hundreds of boats were returning to port, the sunset in the west was as red as blood.

The pier was exceptionally lively, with boats coming and going. After unloading their catches, all the fishing boats would head to the typhoon shelter.

Jiang Xia was out for a walk, carrying one of the babies. Today, it was her daughter’s turn.

The two sons were in the arms of Mother Zhou and Tian Caihua.

They watched the family’s four fishing boats unloading their catches.

Crate after crate of fish was hauled down. The three Zhou brothers carried loads of fish on shoulder poles toward the purchase station, the poles bending under the weight.

Tian Caihua said with a beam, “Today’s harvest is quite good.”

Jiang Xia gently patted her daughter’s bottom to soothe her to sleep and replied with a smile, “Mhm, it’s not bad at all.”

The family’s other two boats were consistently operated by Zhou Kangping and his crew. Each boat basically earned between one and two hundred yuan a day, sometimes reaching three or four hundred on lucky days.

During the month and a half while Jiang Xia was in the city for delivery and post-birth confinement, those two boats had earned over eight thousand yuan combined.

While it wasn’t as much as when Zhou Chenglei operated the boats himself, it was still very impressive.

Furthermore, during Jiang Xia’s confinement, Jiang Yang and Zhou Yongguo had taken the lead and taken the large boat out for a distant seas voyage. They earned over sixty thousand yuan, which left a profit of fifty thousand after deducting fuel and labor costs.

They had also brought back 15,000 kg of small dried fish, ensuring the small food processing workshop could continue its daily operations.

Doing business was truly where the money was. With the small workshop selling 1,000 to 1,500 kg of goods every day, it meant Jiang Xia was earning two to three thousand yuan daily.

During the recent peak season for squid, they were shipping out about 1,000 kg of seasoned small squid every day.

By capitalizing on that peak season, Jiang Xia had earned over 320,000 yuan. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have had the funds to build the factory so quickly.

However, between building the factory, ordering equipment, plastic bags, and dried fish, the money was flowing out like a receding tide.

But she believed that once the factory was finished and their products were diversified, the money would come back in like the rising tide.

Jiang Xia was planning in her head, thinking about what she could do with that 320,000 yuan.

Tian Caihua couldn’t help but kiss the cheek of the eldest nephew in her arms. “Ever since our three babies were born, the family’s luck at sea has become so much better!”

The fish from her family’s boat today should sell for about three hundred yuan.

The eldest brother had been about to fall asleep, but when he was suddenly kissed, his eyelids flickered open before closing again.

From his expression, Jiang Xia somehow got the feeling he was being disdainful.

But he was so small; surely he couldn’t recognize people yet?

After the sun dipped below the horizon, the sunset colors unknowingly shifted into a deep purple-red, as if the entire sky were draped in a violet-crimson veil.

Estimating that the typhoon might arrive tonight, Zhou Chenglei took another two fishing nets and went to the beach to set them up.

In the middle of the night, as dawn approached, the wind gradually picked up.

Because of the heat, Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia hadn’t closed the windows when they went to sleep, and the curtains were being blown about.

Zhou Chenglei quickly got up to close the windows.

Jiang Xia turned on the light to see if the three children had woken up.

They were sleeping soundly, showing no signs of waking.

Jiang Xia felt their heads to see if they were sweating and checked their diapers. Finding them wet, she began to change them.

Zhou Chenglei finished with the windows and came over. “I’ll do it. You go back to sleep.”

“Let’s do it together; it’s faster.”

After the couple finished changing the diapers, they lay back down to sleep.

Once you’ve woken up, falling back asleep is difficult. After an unknown amount of time, just as Jiang Xia was dizzily drifting off in Zhou Chenglei’s arms…

Bang! There was a sudden, massive crash as something was blown over.

Jiang Xia jumped in fright.

The three babies all started crying at the same time.

The couple scrambled up again to soothe them.

Jiang Xia tucked two of the babies into the crooks of Zhou Chenglei’s arms while she picked up the third.

After a while, they were still crying. Jiang Xia checked the time. “It’s past five o’clock. They’re probably hungry. I’ll go make some powdered milk.”

Usually, the babies had a bottle at midnight and could sleep until dawn, around six or six-thirty.

Jiang Xia placed the eldest brother on the bed and went to the outer hall to prepare the milk.

Zhou Chenglei held the two younger ones, using his voice to comfort the eldest. “Don’t be afraid. It’s just the wind blowing something over. Mommy and Daddy are here.”

Mother Zhou came upstairs at that moment to help, picking up the eldest brother. “Don’t be afraid, big brother! Grandma is here!”

“What fell down?” Jiang Xia asked.

“Half of the courtyard wall at the hospital next door collapsed! Thank goodness it didn’t fall toward our side! It’s a blessing it happened in the middle of the night, otherwise, it could have killed someone! I told them they should add two buttresses in the middle, but they wouldn’t listen!”

Jiang Xia: “…”

Mother Zhou immediately changed her tone, speaking tenderly to the wailing baby in her arms. “Did it scare our big treasure? Is that right? Don’t be afraid, your courage is right here! Grandma is here.”

Mother Zhou patted his chest to soothe him.

Jiang Xia brought in two small bottles of milk for Zhou Chenglei and Mother Zhou to feed the two boys.

She took her daughter and went back into the bedroom to breastfeed.

She no longer produced enough milk to satisfy all three babies at once, so they had to take turns breastfeeding.

Once they were full, the three of them began patting the babies’ backs. Mother Zhou and Zhou Chenglei only had to pat for a short while before the babies would burp; every time Jiang Xia tried, she would pat and pat, but the babies never seemed to burp for her.

Zhou Chenglei laid his son on the bed and took his daughter from Jiang Xia to pat her back.

When Mother Zhou finished, she laid the eldest brother down next to the younger brother, placing them quite close together.

She positioned them so their hands and feet could touch each other.

She even placed the younger brother’s hand into the eldest brother’s, letting them grip each other.

“Mom, you go back to your room and get some more sleep!” Zhou Chenglei finished burping the girl in just a few pats and laid her down to play with her brothers.

“Alright.”

The triplets were always in their best mood right after waking up and being fed; they could lie there without crying.

When the three of them were together, they could entertain themselves for nearly an hour until they grew sleepy and started to fuss.

Sometimes, they even fell asleep while playing.

Outside, the wind was howling and the sound of the waves was immense. The three children tilted their little heads slightly, full of curiosity.

Jiang Xia left the children to play and stood by the window, watching the surging, turbulent sea in the distance.

Chapter 547: Today’s Happiness

Looking out the window, one could see monstrous waves surging toward the sky.

“The waves are quite big. This typhoon seems rather powerful,” Jiang Xia said, a hint of worry for the fish in the net cages.

Zhou Chenglei took a glance. “It’s not that big. I’ve seen the greatest storms of all, where the waves crashed directly against the doors of our old house.”

Crashed against the doors of the old house? “What category typhoon was that?”

Zhou Chenglei shook his head. “I don’t know. I was just a kid then.”

At that moment, a flash of lightning streaked across the sky.

Zhou Chenglei quickly shifted to grasp the small hands of the triplets. “Thunder is coming.”

The three children looked up at their father.

Rumble!

The sky let out a heavy roar of thunder. Jiang Xia hurried back to the children’s side as well.

Just then, Zhou Ying and Zhou Zhou came down from the upper floor to the second floor. Seeing that Jiang Xia was awake, they walked into the room.

Jiang Xia looked at them and asked, “Did the storm scare you awake?”

“No, the noise woke us up,” the two girls said as they ran to the side of the crib. They leaned against the railing, reaching out to hold the babies’ hands. “Are the younger brother and sister awake too?”

“That’s right!”

Zhou Chengsen walked in and greeted the couple before turning to the girls. “You two play with the little ones for a while. Dad is going downstairs first.”

When the wind had been at its strongest earlier, he had gone upstairs to close the windows for the children and had stayed with them until now. Since the girls said they couldn’t sleep and wanted to get up, he let them come down.

“Okay,” the two girls replied.

Zhou Zhou asked, “Auntie, were the babies scared awake by the typhoon and the thunder?”

“Yes, they were. Were you two scared?”

“No. We’re all grown up now; we aren’t cowards like the babies.”

“Then why don’t you teach them how to be brave like you?”

“Okay!”

The two older sisters immediately took the triplets’ tiny hands and began to lecture them with “big” life lessons.

Zhou Zhou said, “Typhoons are very powerful! They can blow down trees! They can blow down houses! They can even flip ships and turn the entire sea upside down! So, on typhoon days, you can’t go out to sea or leave the house. As long as you stay tucked away at home with the doors and windows shut, there’s nothing to be afraid of.”

Zhou Ying added, “That’s right! Typhoons are terrifying; they can blow people right up into the air! Little kids as small as you would definitely be blown away if you went outside! Sister Zhou Zhou and I aren’t afraid because we’re already big! Typhoons only blow away little kids who haven’t grown up yet. So, besides staying home, you need to eat more rice so you can grow tall and strong fast. Then you won’t have to be afraid!”

Zhou Zhou continued her lecture, “Lightning is also very dangerous! If it hits you, it can turn a person charred black. So when it’s thundering and raining, you must never hide under trees, power poles, or eaves! You have to hide inside the house. If there’s lightning while you’re at school, you don’t even have to go; you just stay home and wait for the rain to stop before going back.”

Zhou Ying chimed in again, “When you grow up, you won’t fear typhoons anymore. You’ll actually like them, because typhoon days mean holidays and no school! After the typhoon passes, there are lots of fish and shrimp to pick up on the beach! So, typhoons have their benefits. Don’t be afraid, just hide at home.”

Zhou Zhou hadn’t thought of that point and nodded in deep agreement. “It’s just that typhoons always come during summer break. Why don’t they come when school is in session? We’re already on break during the summer!”

“Exactly! I hope the next typhoon comes after school starts! It shouldn’t come now; let’s save it for later!”

Jiang Xia: “…”

Their logic is strangely sound!

Jiang Xia looked out at the sea again. Suddenly, her eyes widened. “Zhou Chenglei, once the typhoon passes, we can go collect seafood!”

Zhou Chenglei looked out, but he couldn’t see anything except the vast expanse of white spray from the waves. Only after a wave receded did he catch a glimpse of a brownish-green patch.

Usually, green meant sea vegetables or sea grass. In this case, it was more likely sea grass. But who could say for sure?

The wind began to weaken around noon, and by evening, it had mostly died down. Although the waves were still large, it didn’t stop people from heading to the beach to “scour for goods.” The area where they usually stored their haul was already safe.

This typhoon had brought many things ashore—a vast expanse of white shells and a huge stretch of green.

Father Zhou had already brought out all the woven sacks in the house and had the handcart ready.

He said to Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei, “You two go to the beach and see what you can find. Your mother and I will look after the children at home.”

Father Zhou had been watching the beach closely, so he had already spotted the pile of white objects, likely sea snails. Sea snails were mostly not worth much, but he figured it would be different if “Wealth-bringer” went. In matters of luck, Father Zhou admitted he was no match for her. It was better to let the couple go out together and bring back some good things!

And so, the couple and Zhou Chengsen hurriedly grabbed their tools and pushed the handcart out, calling out to Great-Grandma’s family on the way. Mother Zhou ran to inform the eldest brother’s family.

Seeing Zhou Chenglei and the others heading out so quickly, Zhou Bingqiang’s family followed suit immediately. They didn’t even bother clearing the courtyard wall, half of which had collapsed.

Nearly everyone living by the beach was mobilized at this moment. They all bolted toward the area covered in shellfish. No one went to the green patch. Even a fool knew that seafood was worth more than sea vegetables.

The beach was covered in oysters, fan shells, and other bivalves. The first wave of people used shovels to scoop them into sacks. If they were fast enough, shoveling 50 to 100 kilograms was absolutely no problem.

Zhou Chenglei and Zhou Chengsen also used shovels to scoop sea snails, filling up their crates.

Jiang Xia said to them, “I’m going to see what that green stuff is.”

If it was kelp, they would be in luck!

“Okay, be careful.”

Jiang Xia acknowledged him and walked quickly toward the green stretch of the beach. She found kelp, Gracilaria, wakame, and other sea vegetables, though there was also a lot of common sea grass.

Jiang Xia decided she would offer to buy cleaned, fresh kelp and Gracilaria at ten cents per 500-gram. As for the sea snails, she planned to collaborate with Master Jin again. He would collect them, and she would buy them from him—but only the fan shell meat, spicy snails, and sea snail meat. She didn’t want the oyster meat.

Having formed a plan, Jiang Xia began searching through the piles of sea vegetables for hidden treasures instead of joining the crowd at the shellfish piles. With the two brothers filling sacks there, they would likely get more by splitting up.

Holding a woven sack, Jiang Xia noticed a bulge in the pile of sea vegetables. She brushed aside the seaweed to see what was underneath.

She picked up a large Melo snail.

And it wasn’t just one; there were several bulges nearby. Jiang Xia bent down and began picking them up rapidly. Melo snail meat was delicious, with a texture very similar to abalone.

Jiang Xia also found a blue-green fish—a Green Wrasse. It was already dead, but it still looked very fresh, so she tossed it into her bucket.

Continuing forward, she discovered a large mud crab struggling under a pile of sea grass. Captured!

This pile of sea vegetables really held many hidden treasures. Jiang Xia found a pearl shell as well, though she didn’t know if it contained a pearl. She took it anyway!

Further on, she saw a shrimp and picked it up. Then she found another Melo snail. That made six, and each one was quite large.

Today’s happiness was surely provided by these Melo snails.

She kept going. At that moment, Tian Caihua came running over, carrying a bucket.

Tian Caihua glanced at the pile of sea snails, then at Jiang Xia standing alone by the sea grass, and without a second thought, she sprinted toward Jiang Xia!

“Xiao Xia, here I come!”

Chapter 548: Candy

When Tian Caihua rushed over, she saw Jiang Xia picking up a large snail.

Although it was just a shell, the snail shell was large and beautiful. If she remembered correctly, this was one of the four famous snails—the Turban Snail.

Jiang Xia wasn’t sure, so she placed it separately in the bucket to avoid scratching it.

As Tian Caihua ran closer, Jiang Xia asked her, “Big Sister-in-law, what kind of sea snail is this?”

“A Turban Snail. Many people like to buy these shells to display at home, saying they can attract wealth and good fortune. Yours is so big, it should be worth something. But don’t sell it—keep it at home!” Tian Caihua glanced at the items in the woven sack, her eyes widening: “Your luck is really something! You’ve picked up so many Melo snails.”

Jiang Xia smiled: “There should be more. You should look too.”

Tian Caihua hurried away.

Jiang Xia continued walking forward for a while and found another pile of snails—Red Snails.

These were delicious!

Jiang Xia used both hands, quickly picking seven or eight Red Snails and dropping them all into the woven sack.

She also found a pearl shell.

Tian Caihua couldn’t help but say when she saw it: “Could this be one of our family’s pearl shells that got washed up?”

After speaking, Tian Caihua quickly spat: “Ptui, ptui, ptui… absolutely not!”

“…”

Jiang Xia took a look. The pearl shell had too much algae and other dirt clinging to it: “No, the pearl shells we raise are cleaned regularly. They’re not this dirty.”

Tian Caihua looked again, “That’s right! Our family’s pearl shells—I gave them a bath just half a month ago. They’re definitely not this dirty. This one’s wild! I wonder if there’s a pearl inside? It looks quite old.”

“I don’t know either,” Jiang Xia replied, continuing forward. She then picked up two more Red Snails.

Ten more and they’d have enough for a meal!

Jiang Xia’s eyes scanned everywhere.

Tian Caihua saw a large mound bulging from a pile of seaweed in the distance. She rushed over and picked up a Cowrie shell!

Jiang Xia glanced at it—a very large one—and laughed: “Big Sister-in-law’s got good luck!”

“I’m riding on your coattails! My kind of shell isn’t as valuable as yours, but it has meat,” Tian Caihua said cheerfully.

Jiang Xia continued forward and spotted a few more Red Snails half-hidden under a pile of seaweed.

Round them all up!

Haha, today’s joy truly came from the sea snails.

Keep going!

There really were a lot of snails today—Red Snails and Spicy Snails were the most numerous, and there were clams too.

…

Unknowingly, Jiang Xia had picked up almost half a woven sack.

More and more people were appearing on the beach. Once that pile of shellfish was divided up, everyone ran over here.

The men weren’t interested in these seaweeds and went to other areas to see what they could find.

Most of those who ran over were women.

Jiang Xia took the opportunity to say: “If anyone picks more kelp than they can eat, you can sell it to me. Unwashed, it’s five fen per 500-gram. Washed clean, it’s ten cents per 500-gram.”

Someone immediately asked: “Do you want coral grass or wakame?”

Jiang Xia shook her head: “No, only kelp.”

She noticed that besides kelp being more plentiful, there wasn’t much of anything else, so she couldn’t be bothered with the hassle.

Just making products from kelp would be enough.

So the women focused solely on scrambling for kelp!

Washing it earned them ten cents per 500-gram—who wouldn’t rush to pick it?

Picking ten jin was equivalent to a day’s earnings from weaving nets.

With so much kelp available now, picking thirty or forty jin was no trouble at all?

The children were all very enthusiastic, because ten cents was a lot of money to them.

Jiang Xia had walked across the green-stained beach, picking up almost half a sack of sea snails and a few jin of kelp, and was ready to head back.

She glanced toward where Zhou Chenglei was.

Zhou Chenglei and Zhou Chengsen were together retrieving the nets they had set the previous night.

Jiang Xia walked toward them.

The two men quickly finished. Zhou Chenglei walked over to Jiang Xia and took the sack of sea snails from her hands.

Jiang Xia glanced at the contents in his bucket—some sea snails, plus tiger prawns and a few orchid crabs. She smiled and asked: “How many sacks of snails did you just fill?”

“Six sacks.”

“Good haul. Let’s go. Time to head home.”

“Done picking?”

“Yes, I’m worried the babies might wake up.”

“Then let’s go back.”

The three of them walked up the beach together, pulling the handcart loaded with several sacks of shellfish.

Zhou Family Home

The triplets were already awake. After changing their diapers, Zhou Zhou and Zhou Ying were sitting in front of the baby stroller playing with them.

Father Zhou was watching from the side.

Mother Zhou was cooking in the kitchen.

Just then, a villager called out from the yard: “Yongfu, are you home?”

Father Zhou instructed Zhou Zhou and Zhou Ying to watch their younger siblings, then walked out: “Yes, what’s the matter?”

“My mother just accidentally fell in the courtyard. We’d like to borrow your tractor to take her to the health clinic.”

Father Zhou: “Sure, no problem. I’ll bring the tractor right over.”

Mother Zhou was washing rice and quickly asked upon hearing: “Is it serious? How could she be so careless?”

“The courtyard has a lot of moss. It rained, the ground was slippery, and she just slipped and fell to the ground. She kept crying out in pain. When we tried to help her up, she couldn’t stand. We don’t know how serious it is, so we’re taking her to get checked.”

“She can’t stand? That must hurt terribly! The courtyard needs to be scrubbed often, otherwise moss grows and it’s very easy to slip. When people get old, they become more clumsy.” Mother Zhou scrubbed the courtyard clean every single day, especially when Jiang Xia was heavily pregnant. She hadn’t dared to slack off for even half a day.

“I was just being lazy for a bit.”

Father Zhou got the keys and drove the tractor out from the backyard.

Zhou Youxing said: “Yongfu, I don’t know how to drive a tractor. Do you have time to take us?”

Father Zhou looked at Mother Zhou.

With only the old lady at home, could she manage everything?

Mother Zhou said: “Go ahead! Xiao Xia and the others should be back soon. Zhou Zhou and Yingying can help look after things too.”

“Alright then. I’ll take a detour to call A-Lei and the others back.”

Father Zhou drove the tractor to help take them to the hospital.

Mother Zhou went back inside to check. Zhou Zhou and Yingying had taken a picture book and were telling stories to the triplets.

The three babies listened quietly, their limbs moving occasionally.

Their eyes followed the movements of their two older sisters turning the pages.

Mother Zhou continued cooking.

After telling stories for a while, Zhou Ying felt a bit thirsty and went to get water. Seeing the candy on the table, she wanted some. She took two White Rabbit Creamy Candies and gave one to Zhou Zhou.

The two sisters ate candy while talking to the triplets.

The triplets just watched their two older sisters’ mouths moving.

Zhou Ying thought her younger siblings were馋了 (craving) and also wanted candy.

With the candy in her mouth, Zhou Ying felt it wasn’t right to eat without sharing with her younger siblings, so she said: “Should we also feed candy to our younger siblings?”

Zhou Zhou: “But Auntie said they’re still too young and don’t have teeth. Besides milk, they can’t eat anything else.”

Zhou Ying: “Eating candy doesn’t need teeth. You just lick it.”

Zhou Zhou: “…”

“But can our brothers eat candy?”

“This milk candy is also made from milk. If you lick it until it melts, it becomes milk. Why can’t they eat it? Adults don’t let us eat candy because eating too much ruins your teeth. But our younger siblings haven’t grown teeth yet, so it’s fine. If we let them lick it, they’re馋了 (craving) watching us eat. If we don’t, they might cry from馋了 (craving).” Zhou Ying opened her mouth wide to show Zhou Zhou the melted candy inside: “See? It’s milk.”

It seemed like it, but something felt off. Zhou Ying couldn’t pinpoint what was wrong.

Zhou Ying took three more milk candies, unwrapped them, and held them with her fingers near her sister’s mouth. “Let’s not put them in their mouths. We’ll hold them with our hands and let them lick, otherwise they might choke. Like this.”

Zhou Ying placed the candy on her sister’s lips. The baby’s little mouth immediately started moving, first instinctively sucking, and after tasting the sweetness, became even more vigorous.

“See? Sister really likes it.”

Zhou Zhou also thought her sister liked it, so she also held a White Rabbit Creamy Candy for her brother to lick.

Mother Zhou finished washing the vegetables and felt something was off—it seemed too quiet.

Could it be that the three little grandsons had been哄睡 (coaxed to sleep) by Zhou Zhou and the others?

While drying her hands, she walked inside.

Chapter 549: Admonition

The moment Mother Zhou entered, she saw the scene and was startled, “What are you feeding your little brother and sister?”

“Candy!”

Jiang Xia happened to return at this moment. Hearing “candy,” she thought someone was choking. Scared, she dropped everything and rushed in.

Zhou Chenglei and Zhou Chengsen also hurried in, fearing the triplets might choke.

So, the three of them saw the two little ones holding three milk candies, sharing the sweetness with their younger brother and sister.

The triplets’ mouths were stained with traces of milk candy, and they continued to smack their lips!

Mother Zhou, her heart still pounding, snatched the candy from their hands. “Ah, didn’t I tell you that the younger brother and sister can only drink milk and can’t eat anything else, especially candy? It could slip down and choke them.”

Zhou Ying said, “We were holding onto it very tightly, it wouldn’t slip. We just let little brother and sister lick it. Little brother and sister love milk candy so much.”

Jiang Xia didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She patted their little heads, “This is too sweet, they can’t eat it yet. And milk candy gets very slippery when wet. It could accidentally slip into their mouths and choke them.”

Zhou Ying asked, “But aren’t milk candy and powdered milk both made from milk? Why can’t they eat it? I’ll hold it tight so it won’t slip.”

Zhou Chenglei explained, “Although both are made from milk, the ingredients are different. Little brother and sister are still small, and their stomachs can’t digest anything other than powdered milk. If they eat it, their stomachs will hurt, and they’ll get diarrhea.”

Zhou Chengsen also added, “Even if you hold it tight, you might still lose your grip. You can’t do this again in the future. Remember to ask an adult before feeding your younger brother and sister anything, okay? Don’t secretly give it to them.”

Mother Zhou used a handkerchief to wipe the triplets’ mouths. “Eating too much sweet stuff will stop your teeth from growing. Do you want your younger brother and sister to have no teeth in the future?”

Zhou Ying asked, “No. What if they’ve already eaten some? Will their teeth really not grow?”

Zhou Zhou also got anxious, “Yeah, what if they’ve already eaten some? Will they get diarrhea and have no teeth?”

If they had no teeth, wouldn’t they have to drink milk their whole lives?

“Don’t worry, eating a little bit is nothing.” Jiang Xia comforted them. “But seriously, you really can’t feed them anymore in the future. Wait until they’ve grown up, when they have many teeth, can walk, and can talk, then you can give it to them.”

“Okay.” Not having to worry about their teeth not growing, the two children felt relieved.

At this moment, after her mouth was wiped clean, the little sister, who smacked her lips a few times and found no sweetness, pouted and cried.

The little sister was the most gluttonous; sometimes, if her clothes touched her mouth, she would stick out her tongue and lick them ceaselessly.

One cried, and the other two followed suit, as if afraid no one would hear them.

Their cries were growing louder by the day; now, with the children crying on the second floor, they could be heard downstairs.

Jiang Xia’s clothes were dirty, and her hands were unwashed, so she quickly went to wash her hands, change clothes, and feed the babies.

After Jiang Xia fed the three children, she and Zhou Chenglei bathed them. After holding them for a while, they fell asleep.

For dinner, they had shrimp, crab, sea snails, and Green Wrasse from today’s beachcombing, along with pig trotters and peanut soup.

After dinner, Jiang Xia went to teach He Xinghuan how to make cold kelp knots and shredded kelp salad.

Jiang Xia planned to make the kelp knots into a ready-to-eat snack.

The shredded kelp would be made into a dish where you soak it in boiling water, add seasonings, and then toss it in a cold salad to serve as a dish on the table.

Both shredded kelp and kelp knots were simple to make; the soul lay in the sauce’s preparation.

It took an hour to teach her.

Drying the shredded kelp was a bit troublesome, but in the future, they would have drying equipment, a wind-drying room, and a drying room, so it wouldn’t be an issue.

The next day, Lord Hou happened to come with the truck. Jiang Xia gave him two plates of kelp. “New products, try them. The kelp knots are ready-to-eat, a type of snack. I plan to make the shredded kelp semi-ready-to-eat, like instant noodles. You soak it in boiling water, add some seasoning, and it’s a dish on the table.”

“That’s a great idea, I’ll try it first.” Lord Hou tasted it and found it to be the best cold kelp salad he had ever eaten. He gave a thumbs-up: “Excellent! This will work, but the shelf life isn’t as long as fried fish, right?”

Jiang Xia nodded, “Exactly, that’s why there’s a semi-ready-to-eat version. Because the semi-ready-to-eat is dried, its shelf life is much longer.”

“Alright, do it your way. Kelp already sells quite well in inland cities, so make more! I know someone who farms kelp; we can get supplies from him, and you can process it.”

Jiang Xia laughed, “That’s truly a case of ‘someone bringing a pillow when one is sleepy.’ I was just thinking of seeing how well kelp sells. If it sells well, we’ll need to buy large quantities.”

“Buying kelp from him isn’t expensive, fresh kelp is about three or four fen per 500-gram, but the freight is expensive, which undoubtedly drives up the cost.”

Jiang Xia said, “No worries, my family has a boat and a tractor, we can transport it ourselves. Is it very far?”

“I keep forgetting you have everything. You can go by boat. Just transport more back at once. Do you want seaweed?”

“No seaweed for now. It’s difficult to make, too much trouble.”

…

After they chatted for a while, the small fried fish were loaded onto the truck, and Lord Hou quickly departed.

Two more days passed, and the weather cleared up. They could finally go out to sea.

Zhou Chenglei and Father Zhou set out early in their boat to check on the fish in the net cages.

Returning to the pier in the evening, many villagers asked him, “A-Lei, how are the fish in your net cages? Are they alright?”

Father Zhou chuckled, “Of course they’re alright!”

Zhou Chenglei carried a large bag of fish off the boat. When they set out, Father Zhou had cast two nets, and the harvest was excellent, literally bursting the nets, which were covered in fish. The catch was very mixed, and they would need to hire people to disentangle them.

The villagers were surprised to hear this, “I can’t believe those net cages are so sturdy!”

Father Zhou laughed, “Nonsense, we spent a fortune importing them! People in that island nation have been using these net cages for sea-cage aquaculture for three years now. They’re fine as long as it’s not a Category 12 typhoon. Plus, the sea area where we placed our net cages is sheltered from the waves; the waves aren’t that big there.”

Despite saying this, Father Zhou had been so worried these past few days that he could barely sleep, fearing he might lose hundreds of thousands of yuan in an instant.

A villager said, “They’ve already withstood two typhoons without issue, which proves they can really resist typhoons. I heard those net cages can hold 50,000 kg of fish at once. If you earn one yuan per 500-gram, you’d almost break even in a year, wouldn’t you? It’s just that buying those net cages is too expensive; I don’t have the money to buy them, otherwise I’d also raise fish.”

Father Zhou humbly replied, “Of course, I hope to break even in one go, but the fish haven’t grown up yet, who knows? And there’s a lot of work to do – changing fishing nets, feeding fish, and fish can get sick. Who knows if there will be any profit. I think the risk is quite high.”

“That’s true, the risk is indeed quite high. This year, only two typhoons have come, and their intensity wasn’t great. We don’t know how many more typhoons are waiting, and we won’t know if it’s profitable until the fish grow up and are sold.”

In fact, many people were not optimistic about sea-cage aquaculture; they knew well how powerful the sea could be during a typhoon.

But they refrained from saying anything too discouraging.

Chapter 550: Earlier than Expected

Father Zhou loved to chat with the villagers, but Zhou Chenglei did not. He walked over to Mother Zhou and Tian Caihua, glancing at the sons in their arms. “Hasn’t Xiaxia come out yet?”

“She’s here. She’s over at the production team office taking a call.”

Zhou Chenglei looked toward the office. “Mother, please hire four people to help untangle the fish from the fishing nets.”

Tian Caihua immediately asked, “Hiring four? Is the catch that big today?”

Zhou Chenglei nodded, leaning down to play with his son. “It’s decent. The other four boats have even more cargo. I saw that a lot of the fish on their decks haven’t been sorted yet; they should be back in a bit.”

Mother Zhou smiled. “I’ll go right now.”

After a typhoon, the harvest was usually better than usual. Mother Zhou had noticed that the other villagers’ boats were also bringing in more than they typically did today.

Tian Caihua continued to press for details. “Is there a lot on Big Brother’s boat too?”

Zhou Chenglei was concise. “Yes.”

Tian Caihua was overjoyed. She looked out toward the horizon, wishing their family’s boat would appear right this second.

Zhou Chenglei walked toward the production team office.

Production Team Office

Jiang Xia was holding one child with both hands, her head tilted to shoulder the phone as she spoke to the person on the other end. Wen Wan was in the corner at a desk, looking through the admission letters.

She came by once every morning and evening to check.

Then, she heard Jiang Xia say to the person on the phone, “The new ship is ready for launch? How about tomorrow then? Does tomorrow work?”

Father Zhou planned to go to the distant seas the day after tomorrow. If the large ship was launched tomorrow and everything went well during the trial, then Father Zhou could take the new ship out the day after.

Wen Wan was shocked to her core: Had Zhou Chenglei bought another large ship?

On the other end of the line, Factory Director Zhou replied, “Sure. Come over before eight-thirty tomorrow morning!”

Jiang Xia smiled. “Alright.”

Then, Factory Director Zhou asked after his god-grandsons. “How are the triplets doing lately?”

Jiang Xia looked down at the daughter in her arms and laughed. “The three of them have put on quite a bit of weight.”

Her arms started to ache if she held them for too long now.

Wen Wan subconsciously glanced at the baby in Jiang Xia’s arms. After only a few days, the child’s skin had improved remarkably, becoming fair with a healthy rosy tint.

Factory Director Zhou chuckled. “That’s good! Being a bit chubby is healthy! You should bring them to the city to stay for a while sometime. Well then—”

Zhou Chenglei walked in at that moment.

Jiang Xia caught his eye and smiled as she agreed, “Alright.”

Factory Director Zhou said, “I’ll get back to work then. See you tomorrow.”

Zhou Chenglei stepped forward and took his daughter. He had already washed his hands before coming in and had changed into clean clothes before getting off the boat.

“A-Lei is going over tomorrow. I won’t be joining him; I’ll stay home to look after the kids. We’ll see you next time.”

“Alright, see you next time.”

Jiang Xia waited for Factory Director Zhou to hang up before setting down the receiver.

“Who was that?”

“Let’s go.” Jiang Xia gripped his arm, signaling him to walk out with her. “It was Factory Director Zhou.”

As they walked out together, Jiang Xia continued, “Factory Director Zhou called to say the new fishing boat is ready for its sea trial. We agreed to go there before eight-thirty tomorrow morning. Didn’t Father plan to go to the distant seas the day after tomorrow? He can use the new ship.”

“Then I need to call more people to come over.”

Wen Wan, having failed to find her admission letter, walked out and overheard their conversation.

Call more people to come over? Not “a few” more, but “some” more? How many was “some more”?

If it required that many people, the ship Zhou Chenglei bought must be another large fishing vessel for ocean fishing, right?

In this life, Zhou Chenglei was becoming wealthy even faster than in the last.

It was simply beyond her reach.

Jiang Xia reached out for her daughter. “Give the baby to me. You go make your calls.”

Zhou Chenglei replied, “No need. I can hold her, it won’t get in the way.”

Zhou Chenglei turned back to make the calls while holding his daughter.

Jiang Xia let him be.

She went to the pier to inform Mother Zhou about the launch tomorrow. They needed to prepare things for the blessing ceremony, and Jiang Xia wasn’t entirely sure what needed to be bought.

As Zhou Chenglei passed by Wen Wan, she couldn’t help but steal a glance at him. He held the baby with such practiced ease—far better than Zhou Guohua ever did.

Whenever Zhou Guohua came back from the sea, he would complain about being exhausted and refuse to help with the child at all.

Their daughter was a crier, wanting to be held all day long. The moment they put her down after coaxing her to sleep, she would wake up. It was maddening.

Wen Wan didn’t want to go home just yet either; going home meant being tied down by her daughter with no free time at all.

She walked toward the pier to wait for her family’s boat to return.

Jiang Xia reached Father and Mother Zhou and told them the news about the new ship’s launch.

Mother Zhou was surprised. “It’s been moved forward again?”

“Yes. They usually finish ahead of schedule; the time the shipyard gives is always the latest possible date.”

Of course, this large ship was only available because a water plant company had ordered four sixty-plus-meter large fishing vessels at once, but later decided they wanted to swap two of them for fish collection boats instead.

By then, the ships were already one-third complete. Normally, changes wouldn’t be allowed, or at least they’d lose some money.

When Director Xu heard that Zhou Chenglei had ordered a 60-meter ship, he simply had the yard build two new fish collection boats for the company and gave one of the sixty-six-meter vessels to Zhou Chenglei.

Work on the other vessel had been temporarily halted, which was why they were able to take delivery so soon.

Upon hearing this, Father Zhou forgot everything else. He no longer wanted to wait at the pier to sell the fish. “I’m going back right now to buy the large firecrackers.”

He ran over to Tian Caihua and said, “Ah Hua, you keep an eye on things here. When Ah Xin and A-Sen get back, tell them not to go out to sea tomorrow. Our family’s new fishing boat is launching tomorrow, and they should come to the shipyard with us!”

Tian Caihua was delighted. “The new ship is ready?”

“Yes, it’s ready! The trial is tomorrow! I’m going to buy the large firecrackers!” Having said that, Father Zhou hurried to the entrance of the production team office, jumped on his motorcycle, and sped off.

The pier was crowded with people coming and going. Some villagers who overheard him couldn’t help but shout after him, “Yongfu, did A-Lei buy another new ship?”

Father Zhou shouted back happily, “That’s right! He did!”

“How big is it this time?”

Father Zhou swung his long leg over the motorcycle. He chuckled, stood up slightly to kick-start it, and twisted the throttle. As the engine roared to life, he playfully kept them in suspense: “You’ll find out when we sail it back tomorrow at noon!”

Father Zhou shifted gears, and the motorcycle zoomed away.

Seeing how excited Father Zhou was, everyone suspected he had bought another massive boat.

Some of the women turned to ask Mother Zhou and Tian Caihua instead.

Mother Zhou laughed. “A-Lei was the one who ordered it. I don’t know exactly how big it is, only that it’s a large fishing vessel for ocean fishing.”

They then asked Jiang Xia, “Xiao Xia, how big is the ship your family ordered this time?”

“It must be bigger than the current one, right?”

Jiang Xia replied with a smile, “Yes, it’s a bit bigger than the current large fishing vessel.”

Just then, the “Big Brother” triplet in Tian Caihua’s arms suddenly started crying. Tian Caihua felt a warmth in her palm. “He’s peeing!”

“Give him to me.” Jiang Xia reached out to take her son and immediately felt the warmth on her hand. “Mother, Sister-in-law, I’m heading back first to change the baby’s diapers.”

Mother Zhou added, “I’ll head back too! Ah Hua, you stay here and finish selling the fish!”

There was a lot to prepare for a new ship’s launch ceremony; she would be busy tonight.

“Alright, you two go ahead!”

Jiang Xia and Mother Zhou hurried home.

As soon as Jiang Xia left, the others continued to swarm Tian Caihua with questions.

Chapter 551: The New Boat Returns

“Just how big of a fishing boat did your brother-in-law order? Did he really order another one about the same size as the current one?”

With Jiang Xia away, Tian Caihua could no longer keep her mouth shut. “Xiao Xia is just being too modest! It’s definitely not just ‘a little bit’ bigger! It’s more than fifty percent larger—a massive fishing boat over sixty meters long! The kind where you can go out to sea and not come home for half a year.”

The air suddenly went still!

Sixty meters—that was longer than their house and yard combined!

“You’re not bragging, are you?”

“Why would I brag? Not only did A-Lei order a massive fishing boat, but he also ordered a ten-thousand-ton freighter! A ten-thousand-ton ship that can cross the oceans! Even our pier can’t accommodate a freighter like that.”

“A ten-thousand-ton freighter? The kind where refueling them once costs over ten thousand yuan?”

Tian Caihua had no idea how much it cost to fill the tank, but she still replied, “Precisely! That’s the one. And it’s actually a twenty-thousand-ton freighter! The kind that only wealthy foreigners usually order!”

Everyone: “…”

“Do you know how your brother-in-law can afford such a huge ship? How did he make all that money?” someone couldn’t help but marvel.

They all went out to sea for fishing together; how could the gap be this wide?

Tian Caihua said, “Of course I know. It’s because he married a wife who brings prosperity to her husband and home! It’s all thanks to Xiao Xia’s luck!”

It had even brought prosperity to her own side of the family!

Everyone: “…”

The next day, before dawn, Father Zhou and Mother Zhou got out of bed to prepare the offerings for the god-worshipping ritual for the new boat’s launch.

Zhou Chenglei also got up early to help.

Jiang Xia slept until about six-thirty before waking up.

The three children had a regular routine, waking up every morning between six and six-thirty, so she always woke up at that time as well.

Checking the time, Zhou Chenglei went back upstairs to help change diapers, mix the powdered milk, and feed them.

Zhou Chenglei held the baby bottle to feed his daughter. “Only you and Mother are home today. If you can’t handle things, call Great-Grandma over to help. Big Sister-in-law will probably come over too.”

“Alright, I know. These three are so well-behaved; I can manage. Don’t worry.”

Jiang Xia fed the younger brother while holding the older brother’s hand to play with him.

The oldest brother really had a good temperament; as long as someone was with him, he wouldn’t cry. Unless his diaper was dirty, he was extremely hungry, or particularly sleepy, he rarely cried.

Of course, that was provided the younger two weren’t crying.

As soon as the younger two started, he would follow suit, but once they stopped, he stopped too.

Zhou Chenglei didn’t say anything more. The three children were indeed quite easy to take care of, likely because they had each other’s company.

None of his previous nephews or nieces had been this easy to mind.

After the couple had fed the children, they carried them downstairs.

Father Zhou immediately stepped forward and hugged each of the three little Wealth-bringers in turn. “Grandpa and your father are going to the shipyard to sail the big boat back. I’ll take you all up to see the big ship later.”

Mother Zhou reached out to take the granddaughter from his arms and urged, “Alright, it’s past seven. Let’s go!”

After hugging the three little Wealth-bringers, Father Zhou felt like his luck for wealth was soaring to the heavens. “Let’s go!”

Prosperity!

Prosperity!

Prosperity!

Two boats this year, and four more next year!

Otherwise, there wouldn’t be enough to go around for the three little lucky charms!

In the future, it wouldn’t be fair unless each of them had a large fishing boat and a freighter, right?

Father Zhou put the large firecrackers into the vehicle, suddenly remembered something, and asked, “Did you bring the camera?”

Zhou Chenglei replied, “I brought it.”

Father Zhou asked again, “Is there enough film?”

“Enough, I have two rolls.”

Reassured, Father Zhou climbed into the passenger seat.

Zhou Chengxin and Zhou Chengsen also got in, and the vehicle drove away.

Jiang Xia put the three children into the baby strollers and pushed them into the yard to sunbathe.

She pulled up the strollers’ sunshades to keep the light out of their eyes and lowered the mosquito nets.

There were many mosquitoes in the yard during summer, and they seemed to have a special preference for the triplets.

Yesterday, the younger brother had taken a nap and woken up with a red, swollen, and large bump on his little face.

Zhou Zhou and Zhou Ying played shuttlecock in the yard to entertain their younger siblings.

After settling the triplets, Jiang Xia joined Mother Zhou to prepare the offerings for the ritual. Most of it was already ready; they mainly just needed to boil the chicken, fish, shrimp, and meat.

Mother Zhou still had to feed the chickens and then water the vegetables in the garden; she was particularly busy in the mornings.

While Jiang Xia was steaming the chicken in the kitchen, a broadcast suddenly blared over the loudspeaker: “Villagers, please listen carefully. This township has received instructions that starting tomorrow, we will begin the collection of Patriotic Grain and State-Purchased Grain. All villagers are requested to prepare their rice in advance. According to instructions from the higher-ups, for every mu of land, you need to pay…”

It was a long announcement. Besides promoting the patriotic act of paying the public grain tax and the consequences of failing to do so, it also reminded everyone to prepare the grain properly. The rice had to be dried thoroughly, free of empty husks and broken stalks, and they were strictly forbidden from substituting high-quality grain with inferior products.

Mother Zhou said, “I’ll go upstairs to dry the rice a bit more.”

When the early rice was harvested, Jiang Xia was still in her post-birth confinement. The harvesting and transplanting of the rice seedlings had all been done by Zhou Chengsen and Zhou Chengxin’s couple with the help of hired hands.

However, they couldn’t hire people for every little thing like drying and storing the grain; they had done all that themselves.

Since coming back, Mother Zhou hadn’t checked on that rice, so she didn’t know if it was dry enough or if it had gotten damp.

The rice for the public grain tax had to be especially dry, with every grain full and no impurities like leaf fragments, because excess moisture or impurities would lead to deductions in the weight.

Jiang Xia wasn’t familiar with this: “Mother, how much public grain tax does our family have to pay?”

“Our family has a lot of fields. Counting the State-Purchased Grain, we have to pay 3,000 jin.”

Jiang Xia was surprised. “That much?”

Mother Zhou explained, “That’s two seasons’ worth of grain tax paid at once. Rice from the early harvest doesn’t taste as fragrant when cooked as the late harvest rice. The late rice is delicious, so our family usually pays the tax for the autumn harvest during the summer harvest. That way, we can keep the late rice for ourselves to eat.”

Jiang Xia asked, “Then is the rice from the summer harvest enough to last a whole year?”

“Depends on the harvest. Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn’t. When the harvest was small, it wasn’t enough because before the family division, there were many boys in the house with big appetites. When it wasn’t enough, we made sweet potato rice, mixing them together. That was definitely enough. Your Big Brother ate the most sweet potato rice; he hated it the most. He said he hated even the smell. But when serving the rice, his own bowl always had the most sweet potatoes.”

Now that the family had divided, they didn’t have to worry about not having enough to eat. For one thing, they earned more money now, so they could buy more rice if they ran out. Furthermore, there weren’t as many people in the house anymore, and the three grandsons hadn’t grown up yet, so there was definitely enough grain.

The eldest brother’s family might not have enough from their own harvest, as teenage boys could eat a father out of house and home. But they had money to buy more now, so Mother Zhou wasn’t worried.

Jiang Xia understood why Zhou Chengxin had eaten the most sweet potato rice. Zhou Chenglei had gone to the army, and Zhou Chengsen had gone to university and later got a government job. Zhou Chengxin was the one who stayed home to handle most of the farm work.

As a son, a husband, and a father, he sought to leave the best food for the elders and the children.

At around eleven o’clock in the morning, the new ship sailed back to the pier.

Zhou Chenglei drove the Jeep back to pick up Jiang Xia and Mother Zhou.

Tian Caihua also came along with Guangzong, Yaozu, and the other brothers. The family loaded the offerings into the car and drove to the pier.

The sixty-meter ship, contrasted against the few scattered small fishing boats nearby, looked like a true behemoth!

Chapter 552: Seeking an Opportunity

The ship was so large and had such a deep draft that since other fishing boats heading out at dusk were already docked at the pier, there was no room to get close. They had to take a small boat over and then climb up.

Boarding was a bit of a hassle, so Jiang Xia said, “Let’s not take the children on board.”

Zhou Chenglei had the same idea. “Alright, you go up and take a look. I’ll have Second Brother help us watch the children.”

“Okay.” The children were currently asleep. They had brought the baby stroller along, so they took it off the vehicle and let the kids sleep in it. It wasn’t stuffy at all.

Zhou Chenglei first brought Mother Zhou on board, passing up the offerings one basket at a time.

He then sent Zhou Chengsen back to the shore to help look after the triplets before bringing Jiang Xia onto the ship to see what the new ship looked like.

As soon as Jiang Xia stepped on board, Father Zhou said to her, “Xiao Xia, hurry and take a look around. This ship is incredibly sturdy! Let me show you around!”

Tian Caihua followed closely behind.

Father Zhou asked, “Xiao Xia, touch this helm. Doesn’t it feel exceptionally good?”

Jiang Xia gave it a feel.

After Jiang Xia finished, Tian Caihua reached out to touch it as well, but Father Zhou quickly blocked the helm. “Ah Hua, don’t touch it yet. Save those wealth-squandering hands for your own family’s big ship. Next year, when you and Ah Xin buy a big ship, your touch will bring prosperity then!”

Tian Caihua pulled her hand back. “Is there really such a saying?”

“Of course!” Father Zhou had a serious expression, talking absolute nonsense with a straight face.

Of course my foot! With her wealth-squandering hands, she shouldn’t be touching things randomly!

She might rub away all the luck for wealth that Wealth-bringer left behind!

The woman had no self-awareness at all!

Tian Caihua stopped trying to touch things and even clasped her hands together, afraid she wouldn’t be able to control herself.

Father Zhou was satisfied. “Xiao Xia, look at this fish finder. Press it and take a look. See if it’s more advanced than the previous one…”

Father Zhou then proceeded to take Jiang Xia all over the ship to touch everything, wishing she could roll around on the shuttering several times.

That would truly be “wealth rolling in.”

The 66-meter ship was indeed massive.

The ship’s frozen hold was a vast room, capable of refrigerating about 15,000 kg of fish without any issues.

“We should get a vacuum machine for the ship,” Jiang Xia said to Zhou Chenglei after finishing the tour.

“Good idea.” Zhou Chenglei understood immediately.

Some high-quality fish could be bled and gutted immediately after being caught, vacuum-packed, and then placed in the frozen hold for flash-freezing, which better preserved the fish’s freshness.

In addition to the frozen hold, the ship also had oxygen holds.

The oxygen holds were very deep, taller than an adult, and divided into several compartments. These holds were connected to the sea through pistons, allowing the seawater to circulate. Fish kept inside could survive for several days without being fed.

The oxygen holds could be used to keep precious live seafood caught during the trip.

After all, the price for live seafood was different from frozen prices.

However, generally speaking, most fish caught on distant seas voyages were sorted, processed, and sent directly into the frozen hold for refrigeration and preservation.

They had diving gear, and Father Zhou occasionally liked to go into the water during the last few days before returning home to catch some precious seafood to keep in the live holds.

The ship had two floors in total. The bridge was on the second floor, and inside the bridge were two bedrooms for the captain and first mate.

To the port side outside the bridge were the sailors’ sleeping quarters, and the starboard side also housed sailors’ rooms with bunk beds, capable of accommodating over twenty crew members in total.

The ship also had a kitchen, a bathroom, a warehouse for storing grain, and two freezers for storing meat; it basically had everything one could need.

Everything was currently new and very clean, so Jiang Xia found it very comfortable to look at.

Jiang Xia went down the ship after finishing her circuit. Mother Zhou had already laid out the sacrificial offerings.

Father Zhou said to the couple, “Hurry over and pray to the gods.”

Wealth-bringer and their son praying together—husband and wife of one heart, smooth sailing, riding the wind and waves, everything going smoothly and safely, with wealth rolling in.

After praying, Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei both disembarked.

The children were about to wake up, and they hadn’t eaten lunch yet, so the two of them went home to eat.

Father Zhou didn’t go back. Quite a few villagers had come on board, and he had to keep an eye on things.

Someone looked at the sailors’ quarters and couldn’t help but say to Father Zhou, “These living conditions are better than my house! It looks so comfortable.”

Father Zhou replied, “Home is still a bit more comfortable!”

“Your home is definitely comfortable; that house of yours is a mansion. My place is a kennel!”

Father Zhou smiled. “Haven’t you heard that a golden nest or a silver nest isn’t as good as one’s own kennel?”

Everyone laughed. “We’d all want your ‘kennel’!”

Father Zhou laughed heartily.

“This ship is so big and imposing. Running all that equipment must consume a lot of fuel, right? The cost of going out to sea must be very high?” someone else asked Father Zhou.

Father Zhou estimated based on experience, “Including the sailors’ wages, it’ll probably be thirty to forty thousand.”

It was just a guess; Father Zhou would only know the rough amount of money and fuel consumption once they actually went out to sea.

“A ship this big must require many sailors, right? How many do you plan to hire for the voyage? I see there are over twenty berths.”

Father Zhou said, “A-Lei said he’ll hire twenty people first.”

“Have you hired them all? My Jianwen is free; let him follow you to see the world!”

“Yongfu, I’m free too! Hire me! I have so much experience catching lobsters! You know that!”

“Yongfu, my Dexian is also free! Hire him! You watched him grow up; you know how hard-working he is!”

“Hire me! I happen to be free…”

…

In an instant, it turned into a massive recruitment scene.

Father Zhou said with a smile, “A-Lei decides all the hiring. I don’t get involved. He should have already finished hiring, but I’ll ask him later.”

That Zhou Jianwen was lazy and spent all day gambling; why hire him? To have him organize gambling sessions on the ship?

As for Zhou Dexian, he was hardworking, but he was an alcoholic who caused trouble whenever he got drunk. Zhou Chenglei detested gamblers and alcoholics the most, saying they were prone to causing trouble, so he would definitely not hire him.

However, there were a few who could be hired.

For example, Zhou Guiquan, who was about Father Zhou’s age and knew how to catch lobsters, could be hired.

But Father Zhou wouldn’t make the decision himself; he would ask Zhou Chenglei when he got back.

In fact, hiring sailors from the village was relatively safe since they knew everyone’s background. Moreover, if they hired so many people without taking a single person from the village, people would talk.

But Father Zhou didn’t need to worry about that. They had already hired quite a few people from the village, and they bought fried fish from the villagers every day. Furthermore, once Wealth-bringer’s factory was built, they would definitely hire some local women, so no one would say anything against them.

Father Zhou now commanded a great deal of respect when he walked through the village!

Who didn’t smile and greet him from afar when they saw him?

It made him feel embarrassed to go out and show off!

In the past six months, aside from showing off the triplets once, he wouldn’t even go out to show off when he wore new clothes.

There were too many villagers on the ship. Father Zhou kept talking to everyone and didn’t even have time to eat lunch. He stayed until after two o’clock when Zhou Chengsen couldn’t help but come over to urge him to go home for dinner, and only then did everyone disembark.

The father and son got off the ship and returned to the pier. As they were riding the motorcycle back, they happened to cross paths with Li Xiuxian, who was riding a bicycle.

She glanced at Zhou Chengsen, but he didn’t look at her and simply rode away on the motorcycle.

Li Xiuxian looked at the massive blue fishing boat in the distance.

She knew it belonged to Zhou Chenglei. She had intentionally waited until this late to come out and take a look, but she hadn’t expected to run into Zhou Chengsen anyway.

She was currently living with her parents. Her job was gone, and Liao Ruixiang was still embroiled in a divorce lawsuit. That woman wanted too much money, and his mother was unwilling to give it, so they went to court. There was no telling when they would be divorced, and it was making her living situation at her parents’ house very awkward.

Li Xiuxian turned her head to watch the receding figures of the father and son. She wanted to find a chance to talk to Zhou Chengsen; she wanted to move back into the town house. He wasn’t living there anymore anyway.

Chapter 553: Keeping Up

Li Xiuxian found it utterly humiliating to live in the village now, as people were constantly pointing fingers and gossiping about her. To make matters worse, her sister-in-law claimed that since Li Xiuxian didn’t have a job and was just idling around, she should handle all the household chores. It was exhausting!

Liao Ruixiang’s wife was also a formidable woman. The lawyer she hired insisted that before the divorce was finalized, Liao Ruixiang’s money was still marital property, and he wasn’t allowed to touch a single cent until the judge reached a verdict.

Li Xiuxian couldn’t even get Liao Ruixiang to rent a house for her in the city.

She had a little money on her, but she didn’t dare spend it. What if she ran out of money before the lawsuit was over and she still didn’t have a job? What then?

Therefore, she wanted to move back into the town house. After all, she had a stake in that property. If Zhou Chengsen didn’t agree, she would file a divorce lawsuit of her own!

She had walked away with nothing when they divorced, which she now realized was a massive loss.

She felt she had been too kind—and too stupid. She wasn’t nearly as fierce as Liao Ruixiang’s wife.

Li Xiuxian decided to find an opportunity to talk to Zhou Chengsen.

The best time would be when he took Zhou Ying out to play. With their daughter there, Zhou Chengsen would find it harder to refuse her.

Or perhaps she should ask Yingying to go speak to him?

When Father Zhou and Zhou Chengsen arrived home, the yard was a scene of vibrant activity.

Great-Grandma was amusing the triplets in their baby strollers. One moment she was holding the little sister’s finger playing finger games, and the next, she was doing the same with the brothers.

Zhou Zhou, Zhou Ying, and Zhou Jie were playing with bamboo dragonflies to entertain the babies.

Guangzong, Yaozu, and their brothers were busy making shuttlecocks out of the chicken feathers Mother Zhou had plucked that morning for Zhou Zhou and Zhou Ying to play with.

Mother Zhou and Tian Caihua were washing vegetables.

Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei were in the kitchen preparing dinner.

Zhou Chengxin was cleaning fish and ducks.

Father Zhou went into the kitchen to discuss the hiring situation with Zhou Chenglei and his wife, mentioning four potential candidates.

After listening, Zhou Chenglei said, “Let’s hire Uncle Guiquan and Uncle Dequan. We won’t hire the others. Twenty-two people should be enough.”

“It is enough!” Father Zhou agreed. It wasn’t as if they didn’t have to pay wages; they couldn’t hire too many. If they had a stroke of bad luck and didn’t catch much fish, the more people they hired, the more they would lose.

More importantly, taking so many people on a distant seas voyage brought a lot of pressure. Beyond the financial strain, there was the responsibility for everyone’s safety.

Father Zhou sat down to help with tending the fire as they discussed when to set sail.

“In a few days. Someone won’t be free until three days from now.”

…

That evening, the three families had a lively celebration.

Since everyone was in high spirits, Zhou Chenglei brought out a bottle of Maotai and filled everyone’s glass, even pouring a small half-glass of rice wine for Jiang Xia.

In the village, people often added a bit of rice wine to chicken soup during post-birth confinement, so Jiang Xia having a little bit was perfectly fine.

Everyone raised their glasses together. Father Zhou said with a beaming smile, “I wish everyone smooth sailing and may every year bring a surplus!”

Great-Grandma added with a grin, “May the ships we buy get bigger and bigger, and the houses we build get larger and larger!”

The family happily knocked back their drinks in one go.

The next morning, after the sun rose, Zhou Chenglei and Father Zhou began drying the rice in preparation for paying the public grain tax.

The rooftop and the ground of the yard were covered in spreading rice grains.

Once the rice was laid out, the father and son used the tractor to haul twenty bags of rice to be milled. This was intended for the new ship for their upcoming voyage. Afterward, they needed to go to town to buy supplies.

The new ship had a kitchen, but it lacked cookware, gas stoves, iron pots, bowls, chopsticks, basins, and other daily necessities.

Every essential item had to be purchased, along with food supplies. They eventually returned home with the tractor packed to the brim.

After lunch, Zhou Chenglei and Father Zhou went out again. They bought twenty gas canisters, had them filled, and moved them onto the new ship.

By the time the sun was nearly setting, the father and son returned home along with Zhou Chengsen, who had just finished work.

Mother Zhou and Jiang Xia were about to go upstairs to gather the dried rice; they had already finished clearing the grain from the yard.

Seeing Jiang Xia covered in sweat and noticing red scratch marks on her neck, Zhou Chenglei said, “I’ll handle the rice. Go take a shower quickly; the kids will be waking up soon.”

Handling dry rice could easily make one’s skin itch all over.

Seeing them back, Mother Zhou said to the three men, “You three go gather the rice. Once it’s gathered, weigh it immediately and load it onto the tractor. I’ll get dinner started.”

Jiang Xia went upstairs to shower. Her skin was already itching—her face, her neck, and her arms.

She never knew that gathering rice could be so painful; she had thought it would be simple.

As she walked, she peeled off her oversleeves and realized her arms were red from scratching.

Zhou Chenglei followed behind her, seeing the red patches on her snow-white arms. “It’ll feel better after a shower. Don’t scratch.”

“Mhm.” Jiang Xia headed up to bathe.

The children were sleeping soundly in their strollers.

Zhou Chenglei, Zhou Chengsen, and Father Zhou gathered the rice from the rooftop, carrying bag after bag downstairs and loading them onto the tractor.

There would be long lines for paying the public grain tax, so they prepared everything at night, intending to head to the grain station before dawn. Otherwise, if they arrived late, they might have to wait an entire day.

Including the public grain tax for the three mu of land belonging to the second branch, there were over fifty bags in total. The three men made over a dozen trips up and down before all fifty-plus bags were loaded into the tractor’s trailer.

Zhou Chengxin also brought over a handcart of rice, consisting of more than ten bags.

They piled several more bags on top until it was stacked high. There was no concept of “overloading” here; generally, when hauling goods with a tractor, they kept loading as long as it fit. They only stopped when the tractor literally couldn’t hold any more.

Once all the public grain was on the tractor, they covered it with a large, colorful plastic tarp in case it rained during the night.

Father Zhou instructed the three brothers, “We leave for the grain station at four thirty tomorrow morning to get in line. Go get some sleep now!”

The three brothers nodded and went to bed.

The next day, Zhou Chenglei got up at four o’clock. He moved stealthily downstairs to wash up, making sure not to wake Jiang Xia.

However, the roar of the tractor eventually woke her anyway.

The three babies were still fast asleep. It seemed they had completely inherited Jiang Xia’s ability to sleep well.

Jiang Xia threw on a coat, walked out onto the balcony, and looked down.

Zhou Chenglei was driving the tractor out.

Zhou Chengxin and Zhou Chengsen were pushing a handcart full of grain out as well. Mother Zhou closed the courtyard gate behind them and bolted it.

In the neighboring yard, Zhou Bingqiang and Zhou Guohua were also pushing a large handcart of grain out.

Only after seeing them depart did Jiang Xia return to her room to sleep a bit longer.

She planned to go see the spectacle of paying the public grain tax once she woke up; she had never seen it before.

Their village wasn’t far from the town. They arrived at the grain station before five o’clock, but there were already a dozen handcarts waiting in line.

On their way, they had seen many people traveling on foot, pulling handcarts loaded with bags of grain.

Because they had a tractor, they were faster than most.

Zhou Chengxin sighed, “We came early this year. Finally, we won’t have to wait so long.”

Zhou Chenglei glanced at his watch. Even if they didn’t have to wait “long,” they still had to wait two or three hours for the grain station staff to start work.

Zhou Chenglei said, “Big Brother, Second Brother, you two go back home and sleep some more. I can wait here. There’s no point in all of us waiting; you might as well get some rest.”

It really didn’t require so many people. Zhou Chengsen had to work later, so he said, “Big Brother, come back to the town house with me and sleep for a bit. We can get up around seven and bring A-Lei some breakfast.”

Zhou Chengxin didn’t feel like moving. “You and A-Lei go. I’ll just lean here and nap. I’m too lazy to move, and it’s almost dawn anyway.”

Zhou Chenglei then said, “Then Big Brother, you keep an eye on things here. I’m going to go for a few laps.”

Thus, one brother went back to the town house to sleep, while the other began running back toward the village.

Li Xiuxian had also come to pay the public grain tax today with Li Qingmin and her father. Her family had made her come to wait in the long line since she was the only one with nothing to do.

Then, Li Xiuxian spotted Zhou Chengsen walking toward the town house.

She quickly said a word to her family and followed him.

Chapter 554: Why Is Her Life So Bitter?

Zhou Chengsen hadn’t even reached the family compound when he realized someone was tailing him.

He turned a corner and looked back to see Li Xiuxian. He immediately guessed why she was following him.

It seemed he needed to rent out this house as soon as possible.

Refusing to even go home, Zhou Chengsen simply walked out from the next intersection and returned to his work unit, deciding to catch up on his sleep in the office instead.

Li Xiuxian returned to their former house and knocked on the door for a long time, but no one answered. She didn’t dare shout; after all, this was the staff welfare building, and she knew everyone living across from them.

At the school, Liao Ruixiang’s wife had already humiliated her, leading parents to report her and costing her her job.

She didn’t want to be unable to hold her head up in this family compound too, so she decided to wait until it was time for work to begin.

She waited until six forty-five, when the people across the hall started coming out. It was a former colleague of Li Xiuxian’s. Seeing her, the woman said in surprise, “Xiao Xian? Long time no see. Where are you working these days?”

Li Xiuxian said awkwardly, “I’m taking a break for now.”

The colleague smiled knowingly. “Oh right, I forgot you need to nurture the fetus. There’s no rush to find a job.”

Li Xiuxian’s face darkened.

She wasn’t deaf to the sarcasm.

Seeing her sour expression, the colleague felt a surge of private satisfaction and continued, “Are you here for Comrade Zhou Chengsen? He probably hasn’t come back. He rarely stays here lately. If you see him, remember to tell him I have a wonderful girl to introduce to him. She’s a new teacher at our school.”

Li Xiuxian’s expression turned foul. She forced a sentence out through gritted teeth, “Is that so? I’ll be sure to pass that along. How thoughtful of you!”

Having successfully made Li Xiuxian feel as if she had swallowed a fly, the colleague, thoroughly satisfied, smiled and said, “Then thank you! You know me—I’ve always been warm-hearted and love matchmaking. Don’t mind me. Oh, I’m going to be late, and I haven’t even had breakfast. I’ll be going now!”

With that, she chuckled and headed downstairs.

In the past, Li Xiuxian had relied on the fact that Zhou Chengsen was her husband’s superior to drop pointed, barbed remarks at her!

Today, she finally felt vindicated! She had finally vented that old grudge!

Bah, how utterly shameless, the colleague thought. She cuckolded Zhou Chengsen and still has the nerve to come looking for him!

What a good man Zhou Chengsen was. Who in the entire family compound didn’t envy Li Xiuxian?

Among the town’s cadre staff, he had the highest education level and outstanding work ability. Since being transferred to town, he had already been promoted twice. With those credentials, he was bound to rise even higher.

Zhou Chengsen was capable, made good money, and was a family man. When he got home, he helped with all the chores and never neglected the children. Since no elders lived with them, there were no mother-in-law issues to speak of.

She heard that all the brothers in the Zhou family were very successful, so there were no poor relatives dragging him down.

Crucially, Zhou Chengsen was handsome and tall, and his character was beyond reproach. When they all came home together and he saw elderly people or women carrying heavy loads, he would always lend a hand.

He even cleaned the stairs they all shared whenever they got dirty.

Who in the family compound didn’t envy Li Xiuxian for marrying such a good husband?

With such a good partner, she thought Li Xiuxian must have water in her brain to not cherish him and to even cheat on him.

Even though Zhou Chengsen was divorced now, her husband mentioned that many women at the work unit were saying they wanted to introduce someone to him.

However, Zhou Chengsen had refused them all.

If she were Zhou Chengsen, she would immediately find a young, beautiful girl to marry and bring home!

Just to spite Li Xiuxian!

Watching her walk away with such an arrogant air, Li Xiuxian was nearly dying of rage!

Lately, it was always like this. Whenever she went out, people mocked her openly or through hidden jabs. She felt like her liver was going to burst from suppressed frustration!

At that moment, more footsteps echoed from the stairs above.

It was commuting time; more and more people would be going up and down the stairs. Li Xiuxian couldn’t bear to stay and hurried down.

She would find somewhere else to wait!

As she walked out of the family compound alley, she saw Zhou Chengsen holding a lunch box. He stood by the roadside buying fried dough sticks and then headed toward the long queue in front of the grain station.

In that long line, Li Xiuxian saw Big Brother Zhou Chengxin, Zhou Chenglei, and Father Zhou, each holding a baby. Jiang Xia was holding a camera, smiling as she took photos of them.

Tian Caihua was there too!

Knowing she wouldn’t have a chance today, Li Xiuxian returned to her father’s side further back.

Li Qingmin grumbled in annoyance, “What took you so long? Dad and I are almost late!”

Li’s father and Li Qingmin were helping someone build a house in town. The owner was stingy; being ten minutes late meant a deduction of ten fen from their wages.

They earned one yuan and fifty fen a day. To lose ten fen for being late was truly black-hearted!

The two of them rushed to the bun shop, bought two steamed buns, and hurried off to work.

On the other side, Zhou Chengsen approached the group and handed the fried dough sticks and buns to them. “Sister-in-law, Jiang Xia, I have fried dough sticks and buns.”

He had bought six buns and four fried dough sticks.

Tian Caihua immediately grabbed a fried dough stick.

Jiang Xia put down the camera and also reached for one. “Thanks, Second Brother.”

Perhaps because they took the triplets out to get some sun every morning and evening, the babies had grown used to it. Now, once they woke up and ate in the morning, they would play lying down for a bit. After that, the little sister would start crying. The moment they took her out to the yard, she stopped, only to cry again if they tried to take her back inside.

So, Jiang Xia decided to come to town with Zhou Chenglei to push the baby stroller and bring breakfast to Zhou Chengxin. She wanted to see the scene of paying the public grain tax and bring her camera to capture some precious moments.

When Father Zhou saw Jiang Xia taking the camera and the triplets out, he followed along.

They had run into Tian Caihua just as they were leaving, so she had tagged along as well.

Zhou Chengxin took a bun. “Why did you buy so much? A-Lei brought breakfast too. Have you eaten?”

Zhou Chengsen replied, “Not yet. I’ll eat back at the cafeteria.”

He had bought the food before Father Zhou and the others arrived. The buns were already packed, so he couldn’t very well return them.

“No need to go back to the cafeteria. I can’t finish all this, and Dad and the others ate before coming over.” Zhou Chengxin handed him half a thermos of porridge; he had already poured half into a lunch box to eat.

Jiang Xia tore off a small piece of fried dough stick and fed it to Zhou Chenglei, who was holding a child and had no free hands. “Second Brother, there are also eggs and corn in the lunch box. Sister-in-law made them.”

The people in the queue were all eating breakfast. Some had steamed buns, some had buns, some had sweet potatoes, and others were munching on cucumbers.

No one was eating as sumptuously as the Zhou family.

The aroma of the scallop, shrimp, and lean pork porridge made everyone nearby salivate.

Li Xiuxian smelled it too, and her stomach let out a loud rumble. She hadn’t eaten breakfast, and her father and brother hadn’t bought a portion for her! She had also forgotten to bring money.

Moreover, since returning to her parents’ house, the quality of the food had plummeted. The Li family didn’t have a boat like the Zhou family, who could eat different kinds of seafood every day.

The Li family only ate cheap dried fish that cost ten or twenty cents per 500 grams, steaming only a few for a whole meal. Since she was pregnant and had no meat to eat, she felt like she was starving to death.

Thinking back to when Jiang Xia was pregnant and how Mother Zhou and Zhou Chenglei would constantly find ways to make her delicious food, Li Xiuxian felt a wave of self-pity.

She blamed Zhou Chengsen for not touching her for so long. If she had conceived his child back then, how could she reach a point where she had nothing to eat now that she was finally pregnant?

Pregnant with nothing to eat, no one to look after her, and having to take care of a whole household—doing this and that. The more Li Xiuxian thought about it, the more wronged she felt. Her thoughts worked her into such a state that her eyes turned red and she began to cry.

She knew that if she were carrying Zhou Chengsen’s child, both he and Mother Zhou would have taken wonderful care of her. At the very least, they would have found a way to satisfy whatever craving she had.

She truly felt her life was bitter. When she first married Zhou Chengsen, the family was poor and lived in a broken house, and she was constantly bullied by Tian Caihua. She had barely enjoyed a few days of good life after Zhou Chengsen started making money before they got divorced!

Why was her life so bitter?

Chapter 555: Re-examination

At the very front of the line, Father Zhou placed his grandson in the baby stroller, took the camera from Jiang Xia, and captured the scene of them eating breakfast. The long line of people was included in the shot, and then he turned the lens on the grandson in the stroller.

He had to take as many photos of the little lucky charms as possible to bring with him on the ship.

What better background was there than a grain station?

This was a true granary overflowing with grain!

A state granary!

Letting the three little lucky charms soak up some of the wealth and luck here couldn’t possibly be wrong.

Father Zhou felt that Jiang Xia was incredibly clever for suggesting they take photos while paying the public grain tax!

With the three little ones absorbing the prosperity of the state granary, who knew? They might even grow up to be as wealthy as a nation.

He directed Zhou Chenglei, “Hold a child in each arm and go stand by the grain station entrance. I’ll take a photo of you and the kids.”

Zhou Chenglei didn’t like having his picture taken and refused immediately. “No.”

Since he couldn’t boss his son around, Father Zhou turned to Jiang Xia. “Xiao Xia, you hold two of the children, and I’ll take a picture of you three.”

“Sure!” Jiang Xia quickly finished the fried dough stick in her hand, took a small handkerchief from the stroller to wipe the grease off her fingers, and went to take the eldest brother from Tian Caihua’s arms.

Zhou Chenglei stood up, held his daughter with one arm, and said to Jiang Xia, “Give the boy to me.”

Jiang Xia handed the eldest over to him and then went to pick up the youngest brother.

Father Zhou looked at Zhou Chenglei and asked pointedly, “I thought you didn’t like having your picture taken?”

Zhou Chenglei didn’t say a word.

He didn’t like taking pictures, but he liked taking them with Jiang Xia.

Zhou Chenglei held two children by himself, while Jiang Xia held the youngest.

Jiang Xia looked around. “Let’s take it by the sign at the entrance.”

The husband and wife stood next to the wooden sign of the grain station.

Father Zhou took a front-facing photo of their family of five.

Jiang Xia was all smiles, and the corners of Zhou Chenglei’s mouth were turned up.

Jiang Xia said to Father Zhou, “Dad, take another street shot of us with the long road as the background.”

Father Zhou was more than happy to take photos of the couple. “Alright.”

Jiang Xia signaled for Zhou Chenglei to walk out onto the street. This time, she held two children while Zhou Chenglei held one. She had Zhou Chenglei turn his head to look at her and the two children with a gaze full of affection.

Zhou Chenglei didn’t find it troublesome and cooperated with her.

Jiang Xia took several photos with the street as the background, including a few of just her and Zhou Chenglei together.

Seeing them finished, Tian Caihua felt inspired and pulled on Zhou Chengxin. “Dad, help Chengxin and me take a few as well.”

“Sure!”

Zhou Chengxin protested, “I’m not taking any.”

Father Zhou barked, “If she asks you to take them, you take them! Only a man who listens to his wife will prosper!”

Tian Caihua pulled him up, looking smug. “Exactly! Now get over here!”

Father Zhou took several photos of the couple.

Tian Caihua then pulled Jiang Xia in for a photo.

Jiang Xia likewise took photos for the men of the family.

She took a group photo of the father and sons, individual shots for each, and photos of each of them with Father Zhou. She even took a picture of them each holding the three children while sitting on the tractor.

She kept going until she had used up all the film.

Jiang Xia smiled and said, “You father and sons are all so handsome. These photos will definitely turn out great once they’re developed.”

Father Zhou chuckled heartily. “Did you hear that? It’s all because I, your old man, sired such a fine-looking bunch!”

Zhou Chenglei countered, “We look like Mom.”

Zhou Chengsen added, “I look the most like Mom!”

Zhou Chengxin chipped in, “Everyone says I don’t look like Dad at all!”

Father Zhou huffed, “Nonsense! If you looked like your mother, would you be this handsome? Your mother…”

Zhou Chenglei asked, “What about Mom? Dad, do you think Mom isn’t good-looking?”

Zhou Chenglei nonchalantly glanced behind Father Zhou.

“Your mother is naturally not—” Father Zhou caught Zhou Chenglei’s look. “—of course she’s the most beautiful! She’s the fairest in the whole production team!”

Father Zhou whipped his head around.

As it turned out, Mother Zhou wasn’t there.

“You brat! You tricked me!”

Then, the whole family burst into laughter.

Li Xiuxian watched their happy family scene from afar. She had never seen Zhou Chengsen laugh so joyfully.

Was he really that happy after divorcing her?

Li Xiuxian turned her head away, refusing to look any longer.

The waiting time passed happily. When the grain station opened, Zhou Chengsen went back into the building to work, and the rest prepared to move the grain off the tractor.

Jiang Xia and Tian Caihua pushed the stroller to take the children window-shopping, planning to wait until the men were finished before taking the tractor home.

That night, in the dark room, Zhou Chenglei developed the photos they had taken that day.

Every photo Jiang Xia had taken during her pregnancy had been developed by him. He had learned the skill from a fellow soldier in the past.

Those photos documented the changes in Jiang Xia’s belly throughout her pregnancy. He had put them in a special album and locked it in a cabinet.

Now there were two photo albums in the house, both filled with pictures Jiang Xia had taken whenever she had the chance.

Zhou Chenglei hung the photos one by one on a string to dry before leaving the small dark room to go to bed.

The next day, Zhou Chenglei and Father Zhou took the small boat out to sea for the day. At dawn the following day, after buying all the meat, vegetables, and fruit, Father Zhou set off on a longer journey, filled with anticipation and carrying a stack of photos of his little lucky charms!

This time, he led the crew on a larger ship, heading to more distant seas to see more sights and earn more money.

After Father Zhou left for the distant seas, Jiang Xia reached the forty-second day after giving birth.

Early that morning, Zhou Chenglei took Jiang Xia to the city for a follow-up exam. They didn’t bring the three children, leaving them in Mother Zhou’s care.

Zhou Chengsen had business to attend to in the city as well, so he hitched a ride with them.

In the summer, the sun rose early. They set off early and arrived in the city before eight o’clock.

They dropped Zhou Chengsen off at the municipal building first.

Zhou Chenglei said, “Second Brother, if we aren’t back by the time you’re done, just wait a bit.”

Zhou Chengsen replied, “My business will be done quickly. I’ll head to the hospital to find you and wait at the courtyard gate.”

“That works too.”

After making their plan, Zhou Chenglei drove to the hospital.

The hospital wasn’t far away; they arrived in just a few minutes.

As soon as their car pulled up to the hospital entrance, they saw Father Jiang’s car parked by the side of the road.

Father Jiang stepped out carrying two large watermelons and a basket of muskmelons, walking toward his daughter and son-in-law’s car.

Zhou Chenglei parked the car, and Jiang Xia pushed open the door. “Dad, have you been waiting here long?”

Father Jiang smiled as he helped Jiang Xia out of the car. “No, I just arrived. I figured you’d be early today, so I thought I’d wait for you before I had to clock in. The watermelons and muskmelons I planted on the roof are ripe. I picked them this morning for you to take home.”

Watermelons and muskmelons began ripening in late July, but his daughter had been in post-birth confinement then and couldn’t eat them. This time, two were ready just in time.

In a few days, a few more would be ripe, likely just in time for his three grandsons’ checkups.

Father Jiang looked Jiang Xia over. Her complexion was good, but… “You’ve gotten thin; your face is quite sharp now. Go on, get your re-examination!”

Father Jiang decided to accompany his daughter inside for the checkup.

Gao Jie took Jiang Xia’s pulse and then sent her for an ultrasound. After reviewing the results, she smiled. “Your recovery is excellent. Your body has returned to normal.”

Father Jiang then left for work, relieved.

Gao Jie then said to Jiang Xia, “Should I give you a pelvic floor rehabilitation massage? It takes about an hour. It helps prevent back and bone pain later on. Do you want to do it? It’s not strictly necessary since you’ve recovered so well.”

Zhou Chenglei said, “She’ll do it.”

Hearing that it would take about an hour, Jiang Xia remembered that Zhou Chenglei’s previous surgery hadn’t been checked yet. He could use this time for his own follow-up rather than just sitting and waiting. “You should go get a follow-up as well!”

Zhou Chenglei: “…”

Chapter 556: Are You a Doctor?

Gao Jie looked at Zhou Chenglei after hearing Jiang Xia’s words. “Is there a problem?”

Zhou Chenglei: “…”

Gao Jie didn’t wait for his answer; she knew a man wouldn’t admit to such things anyway. She continued, “Director Lin isn’t in today, so you’ll have to wait until next time for your follow-up. Come back tomorrow; don’t put it off for too long.”

Zhou Chenglei: “…”

Having said her piece, Gao Jie pulled Jiang Xia inside and drew the curtain shut.

Zhou Chenglei: “…”

He felt as though his lifelong reputation had just gone up in smoke!

Inside, Gao Jie began performing a pelvic recovery massage on Jiang Xia.

When a woman is pregnant and gives birth, the pelvis opens up. While it usually recovers naturally after childbirth, some people don’t recover as well as others.

Gao Jie had given birth to three children herself and understood the physical differences before and after childbirth. Because of this, she had researched and developed her own set of massage techniques and exercises. Since she had experienced their benefits firsthand, she knew the results were excellent.

An hour later, after finishing the massage, Gao Jie taught Jiang Xia some daily exercises.

“You should take care of yourself and exercise more while you’re young. It’ll prevent gynecological issues later in life, and you won’t be plagued by aches and pains when you’re older.”

Jiang Xia smiled. “Thank you, Auntie Gao. I’ll definitely be diligent with my exercises. I want to be just like you—still looking like a young lady in her twenties even at forty-five!”

Gao Jie was coaxed into a laugh. She pulled back the curtain and said, “You certainly have a sweet tongue, child! You really know how to flatter people. No wonder you managed to melt a man as cold as yours!”

Gao Jie then looked at Zhou Chenglei, who was sitting at the desk. “You should learn from your wife. She has such a sweet mouth and knows how to make people happy.”

Zhou Chenglei pointed to the basket of fruit they had brought in. “The melons are sweet. Dr. Gao, please, have some melon.”

Jiang Xia also laughed. “I wasn’t flattering her; I was telling the truth. When A-Lei first brought me to see Auntie Gao, I didn’t even recognize you. You look so young! At the time, I thought you were only four or five years older than me. You actually look younger than A-Lei. Who would have thought your son is already the same age as him?”

Zhou Chenglei: “…”

Gao Jie burst into hearty laughter.

On the other side, Zhou Chengsen arrived at the hospital gate. From a distance, he saw the Jeep parked nearby and knew that Zhou Chenglei and his wife were still inside.

He walked over to the Jeep, leaned against it, and lit a cigarette.

As he smoked, Zhou Chengsen’s mind was focused on the topics he needed to discuss at the meeting that afternoon.

Ruan Tang had worked the night shift and was supposed to be off at 8:30 AM. After changing her clothes and eating breakfast in the cafeteria, it was already 9:30 AM by the time she walked out of the hospital.

Pushing her bicycle, she spotted the man leaning against the Jeep and smoking.

Ruan Tang hesitated as she approached, wondering if she should say hello. They weren’t exactly close, but he had helped her before.

As she reached him, he seemed lost in thought. Ruan Tang decided not to disturb him and pretended she hadn’t noticed him. She stepped onto one pedal to mount her bike, but before her other leg could swing over, a large German Shepherd passing by suddenly lunged at her. Perhaps it thought she was trying to kick it, or perhaps something else triggered it, but it went straight for her with its mouth open, ready to bite.

Startled, Ruan Tang instinctively raised her foot to kick it away, causing her to lose her balance and fall along with her bicycle.

The sudden turn of events caused nearby pedestrians to scream and scatter in fear.

The dog dodged her foot, retreated a few paces, and then lunged at her again with even more ferocity!

Its movements were fierce and lightning-fast!

Ruan Tang’s leg was pinned under the bicycle, and she hadn’t even managed to scramble up yet. Seeing the dog charging again, she frantically scrambled out from under the bike.

At that moment, Zhou Chengsen rushed to her side. He swung his briefcase at the dog and simultaneously pulled her to her feet.

Faced with the object thrown at it, the dog retreated again. But after dodging the briefcase, it bared its teeth and charged at Zhou Chengsen and Ruan Tang once more.

“Watch out!” Ruan Tang cried out instinctively.

Zhou Chengsen shielded Ruan Tang and kicked out at the dog.

The dog took the hit but became even more aggressive, snapping its jaws at them.

Just as it was about to bite Ruan Tang, Zhou Chengsen grabbed her around the waist, lifted her up, and swung her around to dodge the lunge.

Ruan Tang felt herself being swung through the air. Then, she saw the dog sink its teeth into Zhou Chengsen’s trousers. She couldn’t tell if it had reached his skin.

Zhou Chengsen’s calf had been bitten; he had tried to dodge, but he hadn’t been fast enough to avoid it entirely.

The mad dog refused to let go of his pants, so he gave his leg a powerful shake!

By now, the hospital security guards had noticed the commotion and came charging over, striking the dog’s head with a baton.

The dog finally let go, but then it turned and lunged at the guard like it was possessed.

The security guard, a former soldier, nimbly dodged and swung his baton repeatedly to hit the dog.

The dog barked incessantly, chasing the guard only to be met with more strikes. After over a dozen blows, the guard finally landed a solid hit on its skull. The dog collapsed, its body twitching violently on the ground.

With a final blow, the guard killed the dog.

Only then did Zhou Chengsen set Ruan Tang down and look at his leg. His trousers were torn.

Ruan Tang saw it too and immediately said, “I’ll take you into the hospital to clean the wound and bandage it.”

Zhou Chengsen rolled up his pant leg and took a look. The wound wasn’t deep, but it was bleeding. “No need. I can go by myself. It’s a minor injury; it’s not like I can’t walk. Aren’t you off work? Go on home!”

Ruan Tang snapped, “Stop talking nonsense! Let’s go, now!”

The wound might not have been deep, but the dog had clearly gone mad. It likely carried the rabies virus, so cleaning the wound as soon as possible was vital.

She grabbed him and started pulling him toward the entrance!

Zhou Chengsen: “…”

“I can walk on my own.”

Ruan Tang finally let go. “Then don’t dawdle like an old lady! Move faster! Wounds from a mad dog need to be cleaned immediately.”

Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia happened to be walking out of the hospital at that moment. Seeing the situation, they ran over.

Zhou Chenglei glanced at the hole in Chengsen’s pants and then at the dead dog lying nearby. “You got bitten?”

“Yeah.”

Jiang Xia looked at Chengsen’s leg and the dead animal. It seemed the dog had suddenly gone rabid. “Hurry and get the wound cleaned. You’ll need a rabies vaccine too.”

Ruan Tang said, “I’m taking him in right now.”

The group hurried back into the hospital.

The security guard picked up the bicycle and wheeled it back to the hospital before returning to deal with the dog’s carcass.

Inside, the surgeon was busy treating another patient. “Wait a moment, I’m almost done! Little Ruan, you start cleaning his wound first.”

Ruan Tang replied, “I’ll handle the whole thing.”

She then gestured for Zhou Chengsen to sit down.

Zhou Chengsen sat and rolled up his pant leg again.

Jiang Xia looked at the wound. It wasn’t a deep gash, but it was definitely bleeding.

Ruan Tang practicedly gathered physiological saline, cotton balls, tweezers, and other tools. As she worked, she said, “Take off your shoe and sock.”

Zhou Chengsen complied.

Ruan Tang brought the tray of tools over, which included several bottles of saline, and squatted down.

Zhou Chengsen reached out. “I’ll do it myself.”

Ruan Tang looked up. “Are you a doctor?”

Zhou Chengsen: “…”

Chapter 557: The Injection

Zhou Chenglei said, “He’s not!”

Zhou Chengsen: “…”

Ruan Tang continued, “Your pants are covered in dog saliva. Your wound isn’t very deep, so it doesn’t need to be bandaged, but I’ll cut off the pant leg first! I don’t want the wound to touch the fabric and get contaminated with more saliva after I’ve cleaned it.”

Then, Ruan Tang took a pair of scissors and cut his pant leg right off.

Zhou Chengsen: “…”

“Couldn’t you have just rolled it up?”

“I’ll pay you back for the pants.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

How was he supposed to walk out with his pants looking like this? Didn’t he have an image to maintain?

“If I didn’t cut them, what if you accidentally brushed the wound while taking your pants off later?”

Jiang Xia had visited Gao Jie for many prenatal checkups, so she naturally knew Ruan Tang as well. She smiled and said, “Dr. Ruan is so meticulous! Second Brother, you should just listen to the doctor. There’s a spare set of A-Lei’s clothes in the car; you can just change into those in a bit.”

Ruan Tang said, “It’s only right. This uncle saved me. That dog was lunging for me; if it wasn’t for this uncle, I would have been the one bitten. I haven’t even thanked him yet. Thank you, Uncle!”

Zhou Chengsen: “…”

Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei both looked at Zhou Chengsen: Uncle?!

Where did this seniority come from? Zhou Chenglei and Ruan Tang’s cousin were good friends!

Zhou Chengsen had no choice but to explain, “Last time, when Yingying and Zhou Zhou went missing, Dr. Ruan was the one who helped look after them.”

Jiang Xia smiled. “Is that so? Then it really is fate. We’re the ones who should be thanking Dr. Ruan.”

She still didn’t quite understand why he was being called “Uncle,” though.

Ruan Tang discarded the cut fabric, walked back, and concentrated. Using tweezers and cotton balls, she began to flush the wound continuously with a large amount of physiological saline.

For such a small wound, Ruan Tang spent fifteen minutes cleaning it!

Zhou Chengsen had a meeting to attend in the afternoon and couldn’t help but say, “Doctor, that’s enough.”

Whatever was on the wound had surely been washed away by now! She had practically washed the blood until the area turned white!

Ruan Tang continued cleaning with a serious expression. “Are you the doctor, or am I?”

Zhou Chengsen: “…”

He really wanted to say: You’re a pediatrician, not a surgeon.

She spent half an hour cleaning a tiny wound!

By the time she was finished, Zhou Chengsen’s patience had completely worn thin.

Once the wound was finally cleaned and disinfected, Ruan Tang said to Zhou Chengsen, “Follow me to get a rabies vaccine shot.”

Zhou Chengsen felt a sense of dread. “No shots. Can I just take some medicine?”

“No.”

Zhou Chenglei added, “My second brother is afraid of needles. Is there any other way to prevent it?”

“No.” Ruan Tang looked at Zhou Chengsen suspiciously. “You aren’t afraid of a rabid dog, but you’re afraid of a needle?”

Zhou Chengsen glared at Zhou Chenglei. “Don’t talk nonsense! Who’s afraid of needles? You’re the one who’s afraid!”

Zhou Chenglei remained expressionless. “If you aren’t afraid, then go get the shot.”

Ruan Tang said, “Since you aren’t afraid, let’s go. I’ll take you to the injection room.”

“…”

Zhou Chengsen took a deep breath and had no choice but to stiffen his upper lip and follow her.

Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei followed as well.

Jiang Xia whispered to Zhou Chenglei, “Is Second Brother really afraid of needles?”

Zhou Chenglei glanced at Zhou Chengsen, who was currently sporting one bare, hairy leg. “Terrified.”

Jiang Xia asked, “Are you?”

Zhou Chenglei scoffed. “How is that possible?”

He only hated taking fever-reducing powder and liquid medicine; he wasn’t afraid of needles at all.

Jiang Xia mainland nodded. “That makes sense.”

If he were afraid, he probably wouldn’t have dared to go through with that surgery. She wondered if he would need anesthesia for that…

Zhou Chenglei was about to ask what she meant by “that makes sense,” but one look at her face told him exactly where her mind had wandered. “…”

In the injection room, separated by a curtain, Zhou Chengsen grew uneasy as he watched Ruan Tang put on gloves and pick up a syringe and the vaccine liquid. “Dr. Ruan, are you the one giving me the shot?”

Ruan Tang drew the vaccine into the syringe and glanced at him. “Is there a problem?”

“…No. Is it in the arm?”

“No, it’s a shot in the butt. Sit on the stool, undo your belt, and pull your pants down a little to expose one side of your hip.”

Zhou Chengsen: “…”

“Um, isn’t giving injections a nurse’s job? Could we switch to a…” man?

He saw Ruan Tang holding the syringe, squirt out a tiny bit of liquid, and look at him expressionlessly, so he stopped talking.

“Turn around and pull down your pants. The nurses are busy,” Ruan Tang ordered directly.

Zhou Chengsen quickly turned around, loosened his belt, and pulled his waistband down a tiny bit with an expression of one facing a firing squad.

He wondered if she, a pediatrician, even knew how to give a proper injection.

Surely a doctor wouldn’t be as professional at giving shots as a nurse would be?

Would it hurt a lot?

Zhou Chengsen was truly, deeply afraid of needles.

“Pull your pants down a bit further.”

“…”

Zhou Chengsen pulled them down a bit more—just a tiny bit, maybe about 1 centimeter.

Ruan Tang: “…”

She didn’t say anything else and simply reached out to pull them down further herself. “Just hold them there. Don’t move, and try to relax.”

She had given injections to countless people and didn’t feel the slightest bit of awkwardness.

Ruan Tang used an alcohol-soaked swab to disinfect the area.

Zhou Chengsen’s whole body was stiff.

“Relax.”

Zhou Chengsen tried his best to relax.

But how was he supposed to relax?

Ruan Tang, expressionless, held the syringe with one hand and plunged the needle into the pale muscle.

Zhou Chengsen tensed up instantly.

As expected, doctors shouldn’t be doing a nurse’s work—it hurt like hell!

“Relax,” Ruan Tang said as she pushed the vaccine in. While injecting, she used a cotton swab to massage the muscle near the injection site.

When she was finished, she briskly withdrew the needle and disinfected the site once more. “All done.”

She sorted and disposed of the syringe and swabs. “You need five doses of the rabies vaccine in total. You’ll need another shot on the third, seventh, fourteenth, and twenty-eighth days. Remember to come find me for them.”

Zhou Chengsen quickly pulled up his pants and buckled his belt. “That won’t be necessary. I can just get them at the town health clinic.”

“I don’t know if the vaccines at the town health clinic are the same. I’ll write you a slip; just come straight to me.” Ruan Tang didn’t wait for his answer; she pulled back the curtain and walked out to write the order.

Zhou Chengsen: “…”

Zhou Chengsen came out shortly after. “Dr. Ruan, I can pay the bill myself.”

“No need. You were bitten by a dog while saving me, so I’ll handle the medical expenses. Otherwise, I’d feel terrible about it.”

Zhou Chenglei handed him a pair of pants. “These are clean. Go change first.”

The two brothers were similar in height; though Zhou Chenglei was slightly taller than Zhou Chengsen, his pants would fit Zhou Chengsen well enough.

Zhou Chengsen took the pants and rushed to the restroom to change.

Ruan Tang spoke to Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia again. “The rabies vaccine requires five shots in total. He needs one on the third, seventh, fourteenth, and twenty-eighth days. Remember to remind him to come see me.”

Zhou Chenglei knew exactly how much his brother hated needles. “I’ll make sure he remembers.”

Ruan Tang didn’t wait around for Zhou Chengsen. “Then I’ll be heading out first.”

Seeing that she wasn’t wearing her white doctor’s coat, Jiang Xia assumed she had just finished a night shift and must be exhausted. Since they also needed to get home, she didn’t suggest a meal. She simply said, “We should have treated you to dinner, Dr. Ruan, but you must have just finished a night shift. Go home and get some rest today. Next time, we’ll treat you and Auntie Gao to a meal together. Thank you so much, Dr. Ruan.”

Ruan Tang was indeed very tired after working all night and had no appetite for dinner, but she felt she really should treat Zhou Chengsen to a meal later. “Don’t mention it, I’m just doing my job. I’ll treat you all to a meal when I’m off duty next time. I’m heading out now.”

“Alright, stay safe on the road,” Jiang Xia said with a smile as they parted.

When Zhou Chengsen came out after changing his pants and saw that Ruan Tang was gone, he subconsciously let out a sigh of relief.

“Let’s go!”

As the three of them walked toward the hospital entrance, they saw Ruan Tang turn back around.

It felt as though a bolt of lightning had struck Zhou Chengsen’s mind:

He really, truly did not want to see Dr. Ruan ever again!

Chapter 558: No Way

Ruan Tang had forgotten to give Zhou Chengsen the list of precautions.

She only remembered after she had already stepped out, so she hurried back.

Approaching the three of them, she instructed Zhou Chengsen, “I forgot to remind you just now. After getting the rabies vaccine, you need to follow certain dietary restrictions. You cannot drink alcohol, and you must avoid spicy or greasy foods. You also can’t eat aggravating foods or anything that might cause an allergic reaction—things like various types of seafood, chicken, beef, mutton, taro, garlic chives, and so on.”

Zhou Chengsen, who couldn’t live without seafood, was speechless.

Finally, Ruan Tang added another instruction: “Remember to come back in two days for your next shot. I’ll be waiting for you.”

Zhou Chengsen: “…”

He felt like he had just run into his elementary school headmaster!

After finishing her instructions, Ruan Tang said goodbye to Jiang Xia and the others before leaving.

The incubation period for the rabies virus can be very long, sometimes even surfacing decades later. Ruan Tang was afraid that Zhou Chengsen would take it lightly and fail to complete all five rounds of the vaccine.

Currently, this disease could only be prevented through vaccination.

He had been bitten by the dog while saving her, so she had to make sure he finished all five shots to be at ease. Otherwise, if anything happened in the future, she would never have peace of mind.

Zhou Chenglei said, “I’ll let you take the car then. You can drive here yourself to save some time.”

“We’ll see!” Zhou Chengsen had no intention of coming back.

Traveling all the way to the city just for a single vaccine shot—he didn’t have that kind of time. The round trip would waste half a day.

Moreover, the medical skill of the person giving the injections here wasn’t great; it hurt like hell!

It still hurt now!

The three of them left the hospital and got into the car.

Inside the car, Zhou Chenglei said to Zhou Chengsen, “Dr. Ruan is Dr. Gao’s niece. We should invite her to dinner when we have the chance.”

Zhou Chengsen pulled the materials for the afternoon meeting out of his briefcase and replied casually, “Mm.”

Zhou Chenglei continued, “She’s actually the niece of Dr. Gao’s wife. Ruan Zhijie is her cousin. Why did she call you ‘Uncle’ just now? That puts you in the same generation as Dr. Gao.”

“How should I know? Go ask her yourself.”

Zhou Chenglei: “…”

Zhou Chengsen didn’t want to talk about Ruan Tang at all!

His backside was still burning.

If the person giving the injection had been a nurse he didn’t know, it wouldn’t have mattered since they were strangers. But the person giving the shot was someone he was somewhat acquainted with, and he was still caught in the middle of the embarrassment!

He had never been this embarrassed in his life!

“I’m going to look over the agenda for the afternoon meeting.”

He flipped open the documents, signaling the end of the conversation.

Zhou Chenglei drove Zhou Chengsen directly to his work unit and then headed home.

As they passed the police station, Jiang Xia asked, “When should we handle the children’s household registration? We also need to get Zhou Zhou legally adopted under our names.”

Zhou Chenglei replied, “I’ll go take care of it this afternoon.”

He was going out to sea tomorrow, so since there wasn’t much to do this afternoon, it was the perfect time to handle the registration.

By the time they reached home, it was already noon, and the three children were crying loudly.

Great-Grandma and Tian Caihua were both there helping, holding and coaxing them.

As soon as the car came to a stop, Jiang Xia pushed the door open and jumped out. She washed her hands in the courtyard and rushed into the house.

Tian Caihua breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Jiang Xia return. “You’re finally back!”

Mother Zhou added, “The three of them were probably looking for you. They wouldn’t sleep all morning, wouldn’t drink their powdered milk, and they’ve been crying for over an hour without stopping.”

Usually, the three babies were very easy to look after; they would play for a bit after eating and then fall asleep. Today, they hadn’t slept all morning, and they refused to drink or be coaxed to sleep.

Great-Grandma remarked, “These three are such clever rascals. They’ve started recognizing people so early.”

Jiang Xia went over to Tian Caihua and took her daughter’s hand, saying softly, “Were you looking for Mama?”

Setting her hand wasn’t enough; the little girl continued to wail.

“Mama will go upstairs to change clothes first and come right back down to hold you.” After being at the hospital, Jiang Xia felt it was safer to change her clothes before holding the children.

She hurried upstairs to her room to change.

Mother Zhou followed her upstairs, coaxing the baby as she walked. “We’re going to find Mama right now. Don’t cry, baby.”

Zhou Chenglei changed his clothes in the car, washed and dried his hands at the faucet, and then said to Great-Grandma and Tian Caihua, “Give the children to me. I’ll take them upstairs for Jiang Xia to feed.”

The two of them handed the babies to him.

Zhou Chenglei held one child in each arm and coaxed them, “Dada is here, and Mama is back. Dada will take you upstairs to find Mama!”

Sensing Zhou Chenglei’s presence—or perhaps the scent of Jiang Xia on him—the two brothers finally stopped crying.

Great-Grandma smiled and said, “They really do recognize their people now.”

Zhou Chenglei said, “Sorry for the trouble. I’ll take them upstairs now.”

Great-Grandma laughed. “Go on! They haven’t slept all morning and wouldn’t eat. They must be hungry and tired. Once you’ve settled them, come over to my house for lunch.”

“Okay,” Zhou Chenglei called back as he headed to the second floor.

On the second floor, Mother Zhou had already handed the daughter to Jiang Xia. Jiang Xia was breastfeeding in the room, and only once she began eating did the baby stop crying.

Zhou Chenglei walked in.

Seeing that her two grandsons had also stopped crying, Mother Zhou smiled. “I didn’t expect them to recognize people so soon. They kept crying so much I couldn’t even cook lunch.”

“Thanks for the hard work, Mother.”

“It’s not that hard, my heart just ached hearing them cry like that.” Mother Zhou began preparing two more bottles of powdered milk.

By now, breast milk wasn’t enough to satisfy all three children at once.

While feeding, Jiang Xia used a handkerchief to gently wipe the tears from the baby’s eyes. “Did you bully Grandma just because Papa and Mama weren’t home? That won’t do. How is Grandma supposed to take care of you all by herself if you act like this? Grandma worked so hard.”

Once the milk was ready, Mother Zhou took the eldest brother from Zhou Chenglei’s arms and fed him the baby bottle.

The whole family had noticed that the eldest brother had the best temperament; he usually only cried because his younger brother and sister were crying.

Soon, the two boys finished their bottles and fell asleep.

The daughter also fell asleep in Jiang Xia’s arms while nursing.

After burping the children, Mother Zhou carried the eldest grandson downstairs first.

Jiang Xia looked down at her daughter, who still had traces of tears in the corners of her eyes. “They’re recognizing people so early. What will happen in a while when I have to go to the capital?”

Zhou Chenglei said, “Won’t I still be here? The kids are fine with me too. Don’t worry, just focus on your studies.”

Jiang Xia replied, “But you have the fishery to manage. You can’t stay home and watch the kids every day.”

Zhou Chenglei shrugged. “Children will get used to it after crying for a few days. We can’t stop working and living just because they cry.”

“Mother probably can’t take care of so many children alone at home. We should look into hiring two people to help out soon. We can’t keep troubling Great-Grandma and Sister-in-law.”

“Okay,” Zhou Chenglei agreed.

As for who to hire, they would have to look carefully.

After lunch, Zhou Chenglei gathered all the documents and went to process the household registration and adoption papers.

Registering the three children was easy since all the birth-related certifications were in order.

However, the adoption process hit a snag because Zhou Zhou’s mother was still alive, which meant he didn’t meet the standard adoption criteria.

Zhou Chenglei hadn’t looked into this beforehand. Once he understood the requirements, he went back to the production team to get a letter of certification stating that Zhou Zhou’s mother had remarried and waived her parental rights.

He also needed to find Zhou Zhou’s mother to sign a statement declaring she lacked the capacity to raise the child and was giving up her rights.

Jiang Xia handed Zhou Chenglei a glass of water, looking a bit worried. “Will she sign it?”

“She will.” Zhou Chenglei took the glass and drank deeply.

He had been out all afternoon in the sweltering heat and was exhausted.

Jiang Xia asked further, “When are you going to see her?”

“I won’t go see her directly. I’ll have someone pass a message or pick a day when she’s visiting her parents’ home to ask her out for a talk.”

Jiang Xia nodded. “That’s probably for the best.”

Since the woman’s family had said they wouldn’t stay in touch, it was better not to involve her current husband’s family to avoid disrupting her new life.

“We’ll use the reason that having him under our names will make it easier for Zhou Zhou to attend junior high school in the city later?”

“Good.”

Zhou Chenglei then asked Mother Zhou to find someone to pass a message to Zhou Zhou’s grandma’s side.

“Mother, just tell them you want to discuss Zhou Zhou’s future upbringing. Don’t say anything else. Just that one sentence will do.”

Mother Zhou agreed. “Alright.”

Then, Zhou Chenglei gave Mother Zhou a few more specific instructions.

Mother Zhou nodded. “Okay, I’ve got it.”

Chapter 559: Discussion

The next day, Mother Zhou sought out a woman from the village, Auntie He, to bring a message to Zhou Zhou’s maternal grandparents.

This auntie was also an out-married daughter from the same village as Zhou Zhou’s grandmother.

As soon as Zhou Zhou’s grandmother heard Auntie He’s words, she grew nervous. “Is the Zhou family planning to stop raising Zhou Zhou?”

Auntie He was thinking the same thing. Otherwise, why would Mother Zhou suddenly want to discuss Zhou Zhou’s upbringing with He Xiuhui?

It clearly meant they didn’t want to raise her anymore. If they wanted to, what was there to discuss? They would just keep doing what they were doing!

However, she wasn’t foolish enough to say that out loud. She merely said, “That, I don’t know! Yongfu’s wife only said she wanted to discuss Zhou Zhou’s future upbringing with Xiuhui. She didn’t say anything else.”

The moment Zhou Zhou’s grandmother heard this, she was convinced the Zhou family no longer wanted the girl!

“What do you think? Do you think Zhou Chenglei and his wife don’t want to raise Zhou Zhou anymore?”

Auntie He replied, “I don’t know, but I doubt it! That couple isn’t short on money. Raising one more child shouldn’t be a problem. Everyone says Xiao Xia treats Zhou Zhou better than a biological daughter. I see how well Zhou Zhou is living now; in the whole village, only Zhou Zhou wears clothes that are the newest, cleanest, and best-fitting. My granddaughter even says Zhou Zhou has a different outfit for school every single day. Other children’s clothes are so worn out their backsides are practically showing.”

Zhou Zhou’s grandmother was unimpressed. “What do a few sets of clothes matter? I bet it’s that wife Zhou Chenglei married who doesn’t want to raise her. Back when she didn’t have her own children, it was normal for her to dote on Zhou Zhou. Besides, back then, she had to put on an act to gain a firm foothold in the Zhou family! Anyway, the money she uses to buy Zhou Zhou clothes is earned by Zhou Chenglei. With how much he earns now, what do a few outfits matter? They don’t even care about that kind of money.”

“As for saying she treats Zhou Zhou like her own daughter, I don’t believe it! Zhou Chenglei is so rich now—he’s built such a large house, bought such a huge stretch of the beach, and owns so many boats. Do you think that in the future, the couple will leave everything to their own children, or will they leave a share for Zhou Zhou?”

“At most, when Zhou Zhou gets married, they might spend a thousand or so to give her a decent dowry.”

Auntie He believed that much. “People are just like that. Who doesn’t love their own children more? To be honest, A-Lei and his wife are already doing quite well. Zhou Zhou isn’t A-Lei’s child, just a niece; they’ve already been very good to her. Now that they have their own children, it’s only natural they wouldn’t have as much energy to care for someone else’s. Not to mention Xiao Xia is blessed—she had three at once. She can barely manage her own, so how could she have the energy to look after another? As for the family assets, who wouldn’t want their own children to get more? Who would be willing to give their property to an outsider?”

Zhou Zhou’s grandmother felt a surge of panic. “That’s why I’m saying Jiang Xia doesn’t want to raise Zhou Zhou anymore! She’s afraid Zhou Zhou will take a share of the inheritance from her three children.”

Auntie He said, “I wouldn’t know about that! Anyway, I’ve delivered the message. You’ll find out what they mean when the time comes. I have things to do, so I’ll be going now.”

Distraught, Zhou Zhou’s grandmother didn’t try to keep her.

If the Zhou family was unwilling to raise Zhou Zhou, did they want to send her back to her daughter?

That absolutely could not happen!

Her daughter had been remarried for four years and still hadn’t conceived a child. Her mother-in-law already had a lot of complaints. If she brought a “burden” from her previous marriage with her, how could she ever hold her head up in her husband’s house?

She was also afraid that if the Zhou family rejected Zhou Zhou, her daughter would feel sorry for the child and take her back, leading to Zhou Zhou living in their own home.

Their own life was difficult enough. Where would they get the money to raise another girl?

Fearing the Zhou family would go to town to find her daughter, Zhou Zhou’s grandmother quickly packed a basket of eggs and hurried to town.

She must ensure her daughter did not take Zhou Zhou back!

Jiang Xia waited for He Xiuhui to show up. Four days passed with no sign of her. She thought she would wait two more days, and if she didn’t appear by next Monday, she would go to her parents’ house to ask again.

Jiang Xia couldn’t afford to wait too long; in a few days, she had to go to the capital to report for university.

She wanted to resolve the issue regarding Zhou Zhou before she left.

For the past four days, Zhou Chenglei had been going out to sea every day. Today, as the sun was about to set and the weather had cooled down slightly, Jiang Xia, Mother Zhou, and Tian Caihua each held a child, taking the triplets for a walk toward the pier as they usually did.

By now, the triplets were used to their morning and evening strolls. After waking up from their nap and filling their bellies, if they played at home for a while and weren’t taken out, the little sister would start to cry.

They had only made it halfway when they ran into He Xiuhui.

“Aunt, Sister-in-law.” He Xiuhui felt a bit awkward seeing Mother Zhou and Tian Caihua. It was mainly because she had remarried so quickly. Although the Zhou family hadn’t said anything bad about it, she still felt embarrassed facing them.

Mother Zhou had no grievance against He Xiuhui for remarrying—it was only human nature—she just felt bad for her little granddaughter because it had happened so fast.

But thinking about it now, fast had its benefits. At least Zhou Zhou probably had no impression of her mother; without memories, there would be no heartbreak.

Mother Zhou said, “A-Lei and Xiao Xia have something they want to discuss with you.”

He Xiuhui looked at Jiang Xia and smiled. “You must be A-Lei’s wife? Hello.”

Jiang Xia smiled back. “Hello. Let’s head to the house to talk.”

Jiang Xia was holding the sister. She turned to Mother Zhou and Tian Caihua and said, “Mother, Big Sister-in-law, you two take the younger brother and Little Treasure for their walk. I’ll take the eldest brother back home.”

The eldest brother was the most well-behaved. Jiang Xia was afraid that if she took the sister back, she would start crying as soon as they entered the house.

The brother wouldn’t.

“Alright.” Mother Zhou and Jiang Xia swapped children.

Jiang Xia, holding the eldest brother, said to He Xiuhui, “Let’s go.”

The two of them began walking back.

He Xiuhui glanced at the child in Jiang Xia’s arms and smiled. “Is this the eldest? He looks very much like his father.”

Jiang Xia chuckled. “He does resemble his father quite a bit.”

When they arrived at the Zhou family home, Jiang Xia took out her keys to open the courtyard gate.

He Xiuhui glanced at the old house across the way, feeling a bit dazed. The happiest days of her life had probably been spent in that old house.

But things had changed, and there was no going back.

She quickly retracted her gaze and studied the three-and-a-half-story multi-story building in front of her.

“Come in,” Jiang Xia said after opening the door.

He Xiuhui followed Jiang Xia inside, looking around the yard.

She had constantly heard her family say how rich the Zhou family was now, but she hadn’t felt much of an impact from just hearing it.

It wasn’t until she saw this house and this yard filled with lush flowers and trees that she truly understood.

The sense of shock became even stronger once she stepped inside and saw the furnishings!

She had only ever seen a house like this on television.

She couldn’t help but think about what her mother had said—that Jiang Xia was afraid Zhou Zhou would compete for the inheritance with her three children, which was why she didn’t want to raise her.

Initially, she hadn’t believed it, thinking the Zhou family members weren’t that kind of people, but now she was a bit uncertain.

Uncertain about Jiang Xia.

“Have a seat,” Jiang Xia invited her.

She first placed the eldest brother in the baby stroller, turned on the electric fan, and then went to pour a glass of honey water for He Xiuhui. “It’s hot out. Have some water.”

“Thank you.” He Xiuhui sat down awkwardly on the sofa.

She had never sat in such a comfortable chair in her life.

Jiang Xia sat down as well and smiled. “A-Lei and I wanted to see you to discuss something regarding Zhou Zhou.”

Chapter 560: Auntie

“Adopt Zhou Zhou?” He Xiuhui never imagined that the Zhou family had sought her out for such a reason.

“Yes. The teaching conditions at the middle school in town aren’t that great. I have city reforms and residency. If I adopt Zhou Zhou, it will be much easier for her to attend middle school in the city later on.”

He Xiuhui was a bit puzzled. To let Zhou Zhou study in the city, an adoption wasn’t strictly necessary, was it? With Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei’s social network, it shouldn’t be hard to get her in.

Jiang Xia saw through her confusion. “Of course, she could go to school there without being adopted. But last semester, when Zhou Zhou was filling out her student record form, she stared blankly with her pen over the parent section for a long time. When I walked over to check on her, she asked if she could write my name and A-Lei’s. That’s when I thought about adopting her legally.”

What Jiang Xia said was the truth; it was exactly what had happened when Zhou Zhou had to fill out her records the previous term.

He Xiuhui felt a sharp pang in her heart, as if pricked by a needle. Overwhelmed with shame, her eyes reddened. “It’s my fault. I’ve failed Zhou Zhou.”

Jiang Xia didn’t give her much time to wallow in guilt, nor did she want to see it. Guilt was often something that surfaced only after one had already prioritized their own interests; it was the most useless of emotions.

She continued, “It’s an adoption in name only. Zhou Zhou is still Third Brother’s child, and you are still her biological mother. On a daily basis, she will still call A-Lei ‘Uncle’ and me ‘Auntie.’ As you know, A-Lei is a discharged soldier. Having Zhou Zhou adopted under our names will be beneficial for her when she takes the university entrance exams or looks for a job later. Think about it—doesn’t that make sense? If you also feel this is good for Zhou Zhou, please sign this letter of certification. To process the adoption papers, I need your signature to show your consent.”

He Xiuhui was not a woman of strong character. She didn’t dare make her own decisions and had never truly made one in her life. Moreover, she felt that signing her name was like putting her abandonment of her daughter into black and white, which felt wrong. She asked, “Do Zhou Zhou’s grandparents agree?”

If Zhou Zhou were adopted, she would no longer be Zhou Chengyan’s daughter. Wouldn’t that mean Chengyan had no heir? Would her former parents-in-law really agree to that?

Jiang Xia replied, “We aren’t asking to legally transfer her to another branch of the family tree; it’s just an adoption so that her household registration is under our names. Our relationship with Zhou Zhou is that of aunt and uncle, and it will remain that way. Third Brother is gone, and it’s not convenient for you to look after her. Since Zhou Zhou has no parents to raise her, we simply want to ensure she can attend a better middle school and a better university, just like our own children will. We aren’t trying to steal her away or end the lineage of the third branch. This is a good thing for Zhou Zhou, so why would Mom and Dad disagree? Zhou Zhou has already agreed to it herself.”

Jiang Xia’s remark about Zhou Zhou having “no parents to raise her” made He Xiuhui feel even more ashamed.

“I… I actually thought about…” He Xiuhui met Jiang Xia’s clear, piercing gaze and found herself unable to finish the sentence.

She actually had considered taking Zhou Zhou back to live with her.

She was getting older, and in the four or five years since she remarried, she hadn’t given birth to another child. She was afraid she wouldn’t have a biological child to take care of her in her old age.

However, her life now wasn’t exactly easy. Her current mother-in-law was always making things difficult for her. She feared that if Zhou Zhou followed her to her new husband’s house, the girl wouldn’t be able to hold her head up high, so she hadn’t brought her back.

Her current husband’s family was nowhere near as easy to get along with as the Zhous.

She truly had thought that once she gave birth to a son and gained a firm foothold in her new home, she would bring Zhou Zhou back to look after her.

But no matter what she said now, it couldn’t change the fact that she had abandoned Zhou Zhou.

Jiang Xia probably wouldn’t believe she ever intended to take care of Zhou Zhou anyway.

He Xiuhui felt that in Jiang Xia’s eyes, she was a deeply selfish person. She lowered her head and took a deep breath. “Since Zhou Zhou has agreed, and her Aunt and Uncle have agreed, then I agree as well.”

Jiang Xia pushed a written letter of certification and a pen toward her. “Then please sign your name here.”

He Xiuhui picked up the fountain pen, intending to read the contents carefully. She had attended a few years of primary school and was literate. Just then, a voice called out from the yard, “Xiuhui! Xiuhui!…”

Zhou Zhou’s Grandma ran in, panting for breath. “Hurry home! Zhihai has come to pick you up!”

He Xiuhui’s expression changed. She put down the pen and stood up. “Wait for me at the town’s Supply and Marketing Cooperative on the next market day. I’ll sign it then.”

Jiang Xia frowned. “Signing won’t take long.”

Zhou Zhou’s Grandma rushed in and was immediately stunned by the room’s furnishings. Her eyes couldn’t take it all in fast enough.

He Xiuhui, however, had already hurried out in a panic.

The grandmother smiled and addressed Jiang Xia, “You’re A-Lei’s wife, right? I’m Zhou Zhou’s Grandma; you can call me Auntie He. I’ll come back to see Zhou Zhou when I have time. We have to go now!”

“Auntie!”

“Auntie!”

Zhou Zhou and Zhou Ying rushed in happily at that moment. “Look what we picked for you!”

Caught off guard, He Xiuhui came face-to-face with Zhou Zhou.

Seeing guests in the house, Zhou Ying greeted them politely, “Auntie, Auntie!”

Zhou Zhou recognized He Xiuhui. Originally, she wouldn’t have remembered, but there were always women in the village who liked to ask her, “Zhou Zhou, have you gone to find your mother?” or “Zhou Zhou, do you still recognize your mother? That’s her over there, don’t you remember?” Because of this, Zhou Zhou knew that He Xiuhui was her mother—the mother who walked away very quickly every time she saw her.

She hesitated for a moment before following her sister’s lead. “Auntie, Auntie.”

Then, she hurriedly ran into the house. “Auntie, we picked a lot of yellow raspberries! Here, eat some!”

Zhou Ying also hurried inside.

He Xiuhui looked back and saw Zhou Zhou holding a handful of yellow berries with both hands, offering them to Jiang Xia.

Jiang Xia reached out, took one berry from each girl’s hand, and popped them into her mouth. After chewing a few times, she took two more.

She heard Jiang Xia laugh. “So sweet! Auntie’s had enough. You two go wash them properly before you eat them yourselves.”

Zhou Zhou called her “Auntie” just like she would a stranger, yet she was so close to Jiang Xia!

Grandma He nudged He Xiuhui. “Let’s go!”

She couldn’t help but look back at the residential compound filled with flowers one last time.

It looked exactly like the gardens of wealthy people shown on television!

What a shame her daughter didn’t have the fortune to live here!

But her granddaughter did!

Therefore, she absolutely could not let her granddaughter be taken away.

Zhou Zhou was growing up in the Zhou family. In the future, even if the Zhou family only gave her a small dowry, it would be more than their own family could ever afford.

He Xiuhui retracted her gaze and left.

It was a hot day, and Zhou Zhou’s face was flushed from the sun. “Auntie, you should eat more! We found a secret base, and there are plenty more!”

Zhou Ying’s face was even redder as she said excitedly, “There are bamboo shoots there too! Eldest Brother and the others are guarding them. We came back to get a basket. We’re going to pick them right now!”

Jiang Xia poured them each a glass of water. “No rush. Drink some water so you don’t get heatstroke!”

The two sisters downed the water in one go, grabbed a basket, and ran back out.

He Xiuhui and her mother had only walked a few meters away from the Zhou family yard when they saw Xu Zhihai.

Xu Zhihai had followed Mother He there. He had been standing outside, eyeing the grand three-story western-style house and the motorcycle parked at the entrance. “Xiuhui, is this your relative’s house?”

They were incredibly wealthy.

Chapter 561: Admission Letter

He Xiuhui’s heart nearly leapt out of her chest.

Mother He quickly interjected, “No, what relatives? This family is planning to open a factory. Since Ah Hui is currently out of work, I brought her over to see if they’re hiring.”

Xu Zhihai didn’t suspect a thing after hearing this, as He Xiuhui’s excuse for coming back was indeed to look for work. “So, are they hiring?”

He Xiuhui was terrified of bumping into any neighbors. Fortunately, at this time of day, most people were either at the pier or the Great Tree Garden. She hurriedly said, “They’re not. Let’s go!”

Mother He added, “The factory hasn’t been built yet, so they haven’t started recruiting. We’ll come back and ask again later! Let’s go. Stay for dinner tonight before heading back to town; I’m going to buy some seafood.”

Xu Zhihai withdrew his gaze and turned to leave.

Just then, Zhou Zhou and Zhou Ying ran out of the house, chatting as they went. “Hurry up, our brother is getting impatient!”

Hearing the voices, Xu Zhihai looked back and saw the two sisters running out.

They were wearing identical dresses—one pink and one blue—and both had their hair tied in beautiful twin braids. They looked incredibly pretty and adorable.

He Xiuhui’s heart was in her throat. Zhou Zhou bore a strong resemblance to her.

Xu Zhihai didn’t get a clear look at Zhou Zhou’s face; his attention was caught by their clothes and styling. He couldn’t help but remark, “The little girls from this wealthy family are dressed even better than the kids in town.”

Mother He quickly tried to steer the conversation away. “Their father has houses in both the town and the city. That girl actually goes to school in town!”

Xu Zhihai wasn’t particularly interested in where a young girl went to school. Instead, he started probing about how they were so rich and what kind of factory they were opening.

Mother He told him everything she knew while still keeping some secrets to herself.

After Zhou Zhou and Zhou Ying left, Jiang Xia put away the letter of certification. She would have to wait until the next market day to look for He Xiuhui.

She glanced up at the clock and then at her eldest son, who was busily nibbling on his tiny fist in the baby stroller.

Jiang Xia laughed and gently pulled his hand away, using a handkerchief to wipe off the drool. She teased, “Is your little fist that delicious? How about Mama takes you to find your younger brother and sister?”

With his hand pulled away, the fair and chubby infant looked up at his mother as she picked him up, letting out a muffled, babyish “Mm.”

It was too precious.

Jiang Xia couldn’t help but kiss him. “Dabao, is that a yes? Then let’s go out and find your brother and sister!”

They were almost two months old now, and the triplets’ skin had improved significantly. It was now as fair and smooth as a peeled egg, with rosy little cheeks.

Jiang Xia had heard before that the more wrinkled a baby’s skin was at birth, the fairer and better it would become later. It turned out to be true. In any case, the three children’s complexions were indeed getting better by the day.

“Off we go! Let’s find your brother and sister, and see what kind of fish your father caught for Mama today. Does our Dabao want some too?”

Jiang Xia carried the eldest brother out of the yard. The little yellow dog that Yingying and Zhou Zhou had bought saw them and wagged its tail, trying to follow. Jiang Xia quickly used her foot to nudge it back inside. “Xiao Zhao, you can’t go out! You and Xiao Cai stay home and watch the gate. Don’t let any bad people in, okay?”

The two little animals were named Xiao Zhao and Xiao Cai, names given by Father Zhou to invite good fortune.

Jiang Xia quickly closed the courtyard gate and walked out.

When she reached the pier, she saw a crowd gathered in front of the production team office.

“So this is what an admission letter looks like?”

“This is an admission letter for Beijing Normal University? What’s the difference between Jingda and Beijing Normal?”

The capital was very far from Xiaoyucun. For the people here, the only universities they had heard of in the capital were Jingda and Q University, both of which were famous. They didn’t know what other colleges existed in the capital.

Regardless, no one from their village had ever been admitted to a university in the capital. The only person from their village who had gone to university was Zhou Chengsen, and back then it was a worker-peasant-soldier university, though that was already considered very impressive.

Zhou Li explained, “Beijing Normal is a teaching college in the capital. A university like Jingda is made up of many different colleges, like a medical college or a foreign language college. A normal university is a place that trains teachers for the country.”

Of course, she had deduced this herself based on what Jiang Xia had said previously. She had just asked Wen Wan if that was what it meant, and since Wen Wan hadn’t denied it, it must be the case.

“So, will Xiao Wan be an elementary school teacher when she comes back?”

“What do you mean, elementary school teacher? She’s a university graduate; she’ll definitely be a high school teacher. Look at our elementary school teachers—most of them only graduated from junior high!”

Zhou Li smiled and said, “Even though it’s a normal university, Xiao Wan chose a foreign language major. After she graduates, she can become a translator.”

“Like an official interpreter?”

Zhou Li replied, “An interpreter is possible, or she could work at a publishing house or a newspaper office. Many of those jobs pay much better than being a teacher!”

“That’s amazing! Our production team has produced its first female university student! A future diplomat-translator.”

“Zhou Guohua really knew how to pick a wife, marrying a top female scholar.”

Only then did Wen Wan offer a humble remark. “I’m not a top scholar; I’m far from it. I had just given birth when the exams were held, so I didn’t perform very well.”

Zhou Li immediately chimed in, “That’s right! Xiao Wan even suffered a heavy postpartum hemorrhage! She only rested for a few days before going to take the exams. When she came home after the test, her face was completely pale. Otherwise, she definitely would have done even better!”

“Being able to get into a university in the capital is already incredible.”

“Exactly! There are hardly any university students in our entire production team.”

Jiang Xia understood now. Wen Wan had likely been admitted to Beijing Normal University. That was good for her, but it had nothing to do with Jiang Xia, so she continued walking toward the pier.

Seeing Jiang Xia trying to “duck away,” Zhou Li called out loudly to stop her. “Xiao Xia, didn’t you participate in the Gaokao too? Have you received your admission letter yet?”

To help Wen Wan keep an eye out, Zhou Li had been asking the mailman if there were any letters every single day. She hadn’t seen one for Jiang Xia. She had even specifically asked, and the mailman said that in the dozen or so villages belonging to their production team, only Wen Wan had an admission letter.

Wen Wan also looked toward Jiang Xia. She had been checking the town post office and the production team office every day to see if the letters had arrived, and she hadn’t seen one for Jiang Xia either.

So, was this Jiang Xia’s fourth failure at the Gaokao?

The other villagers finally remembered Jiang Xia as well. Some of them had heard she had taken the exams and began asking one after another, “Xiao Xia, have you received your letter?”

“Xiao Xia, which university did you get into?”

“Xiao Xia, you’re so smart, you must have gotten in this time!”

“If even Wen Wan got in, then Xiao Xia definitely made it!”

“That’s true! Xiao Xia, which school was it?”

Wen Wan: “…”

What did they mean by “If even she got in, then Jiang Xia definitely made it”?

She admitted her English wasn’t as good as Jiang Xia’s, but she wasn’t necessarily worse in the other subjects. These villagers were simply flattering Jiang Xia because she had money and influence!

It was already quite late; if Jiang Xia hadn’t received a notice yet, even if she did get in, it would be to some remote, low-tier school. The prestigious schools had finished their admissions long ago!

Tian Caihua had been listening to Zhou Li boast for a long time, and finally, someone had asked about Jiang Xia.

Before Jiang Xia could even answer, she blurted out, “Our Xiao Xia’s admission letter arrived ages ago!”

As soon as Zhou Li heard this, she suspected Tian Caihua was lying. However, she was always smooth-talking; even when she wanted to expose someone, she made it sound pleasant. She smiled and said, “Oh, so it arrived a long time ago? That’s wonderful! Our village has produced two university students; I doubt any of the neighboring production teams can top that! Congratulations, Xiao Xia! Which university did you get into?”

Everyone joined in with their congratulations. “Congrats, congrats! Xiao Xia, which university was it?”

Chapter 562: Suspicion

Listening to everyone’s blessings, Jiang Xia smiled and offered her thanks. Before she could say more, Tian Caihua cut in to steal the spotlight. “Xiao Xia got into a university in the capital, just like Xiao Wan. In fact, Xiao Xia’s university is even more famous than retirement! Can you guess which one it is?”

“Jingda? Q University? Or somewhere else? Stop making us guess and just tell us!”

Wen Wan watched the postman approach on his bicycle and immediately spoke up. “She also got into a university in the capital? But the admission letters from the capital should have been delivered all at once today. Besides, the postman said that our production team only had one admission letter for me this month.”

Wen Wan called out to the approaching postman. “Comrade, didn’t you say our production team only had one admission letter this month?”

It was already past quitting time. After delivering mail to the neighboring production team, the postman had finished his work for the day. He had come back to the pier planning to buy some seafood to take home. Hearing Wen Wan call out, he replied, “That’s right! There was only one university admission letter for you.”

Everyone turned to look at Jiang Xia.

Wen Wan also looked at Jiang Xia, waiting to see the look of embarrassment on her face now that her lie had been exposed.

Unfortunately, the expression on Jiang Xia’s face didn’t change at all. “My admission letter wasn’t sent by mail. My brother brought it home for me.”

Wen Wan’s heart skipped a beat. Jiang Dong brought it? Why would Jiang Dong have her admission letter?

Could Jiang Xia have actually gotten into Jingda?

How was that possible?

If Jiang Xia could get into Jingda, then she herself must be the provincial top scholar!

Someone voiced the doubt in Wen Wan’s mind. “Xiao Xia, why did your brother bring your admission letter? Did you actually get into Jingda?”

Everyone looked at Jiang Xia in shock.

Jingda and Q University were the most prestigious and famous universities in the entire country.

Tian Caihua declared, “It wasn’t Jingda!”

Wen Wan breathed a sigh of relief. She knew it was impossible!

Tian Caihua looked at everyone’s shocked expressions with a smug grin, then turned to the postman. “Comrade, you deliver letters and newspapers every day. Do you know who the science stream top scholar of our city is? I mean the city top scholar, not the provincial one.”

The postman looked at Jiang Xia with a touch of disbelief. “Of course I know. It’s a female comrade from the city named Jiang Xia. She wasn’t just the city’s top scholar; she was also the provincial science runner-up. She was the single-subject top scholar for both Chinese and English in the province. Her total score was very close to the provincial science top scholar, with only a five-point difference. Both of them were admitted to Q University.”

The entire village: “…”

Wen Wan: “…”

How was that possible?

How could Jiang Xia be that capable?

With her inconsistent, half-hearted attitude toward studying, she managed to rank second in the province?

Someone who spent half an hour of the exam writing and another hour sleeping could become the single-subject top scholar for Chinese?

Did Jiang Xia swap her results?

Wen Wan felt she had discovered the truth.

Jiang Xia must have known that no matter how she answered the paper, she would get a high score, which was why she dared to sleep so openly during the exam!

She had wondered why her own results were so much worse than expected.

Jiang Xia must have stolen her grades!

It was infuriating!

She had to investigate this! She had to report it!

Maybe there was a small chance she was worse than Jiang Xia at English, but how could she be worse in other subjects?

For the Chinese essay, she still remembered the prompt!

Zhou Li asked, “What date was that newspaper? How come I didn’t see it?”

People in the office looked at the newspaper every day. Why hadn’t anyone mentioned this?

The postman explained, “It was the newspaper from the days the typhoon hit. We couldn’t deliver anything then. After the typhoon stopped, I delivered several days’ worth of papers at once. You probably missed it.”

Zhou Li hurriedly ran back toward the office.

The postman looked at Jiang Xia. “Are you really the provincial runner-up? I heard the person was from the city.”

Looking at Jiang Xia, she definitely seemed different from the other women in the village; her temperament wasn’t that of a typical village wife.

Jiang Xia nodded. “I married into this village, but I haven’t transferred my household registration back yet. My brother helped me pick up the admission letter, so it wasn’t mailed here.”

The postman thought: No wonder! Her household registration hadn’t been transferred yet.

“Congratulations, congratulations! However, if your household registration had been transferred back, you would have received a scholarship from the city, another from the town, and one from the production team. Do you only have the city’s scholarship now?”

Jiang Xia smiled and said, “Yes, I really missed out!”

The postman felt sorry for her too. “I heard the city gave you a one thousand yuan scholarship. The town would have given at least two or three hundred, and since your production team is wealthy, they probably would have given over a hundred.”

Missing out on two or three hundred yuan worth of scholarships—the postman truly felt it was a huge loss!

The villagers couldn’t help but feel envious again.

“You get that much prize money just for taking an exam?”

The postman replied, “It’s not just for taking the exam; you have to do well. Plus, you get a monthly stipend for attending university, about ten to twenty yuan a month. And after you graduate, you get a job assignment. You all should tell your children to study hard! I hope I can deliver more admission letters to your village next year.” Having said his piece, the postman headed to the pier to buy fish.

Everyone knew about the stipend, although it wasn’t really enough to live on.

But Jiang Xia had a one thousand yuan scholarship! Combined with the stipend, it would be more than enough for her living expenses.

And most importantly, after finishing university, she wouldn’t have to worry about finding a job!

With a job, who would want to spend every day weaving fishing nets, or picking sea snails and digging for sand worms in the sea to sell?

It was hard and exhausting work that didn’t pay much.

Wouldn’t it be much more comfortable to sit in an office, enjoy the breeze from a fan, and get paid just for reading newspapers?

Hearing that the city had awarded Jiang Xia as much as one thousand yuan, Wen Wan became even more convinced that something fishy was going on!

She turned around and ran into the production team office.

Zhou Li had just found the newspaper. “So Xiao Xia really was the provincial runner-up. She was the top scholar for both Chinese and English.”

Wen Wan snatched it away and glanced at it. “There’s no way she could be the top scholar for Chinese!”

Zhou Li asked, “How do you know?”

Wen Wan didn’t answer. Instead, she took the newspaper and went to find the Team Leader to get a letter of introduction.

“Team Leader Zhou, could you please help me write a letter of introduction? I’ve received my admission letter and need to go to the city to buy a train ticket.”

Team Leader Zhou said happily, “Good job, Comrade Wen Wan! Our production team’s first female college student! I’ll write it for you right now!”

Zhou Li caught up to her and asked, “What are you getting a letter of introduction for?”

“I’ve received the admission letter, so I’m going to the city to buy a train ticket.”

She couldn’t wait. She had to go to the city tonight. She wanted to check the grades and the exam papers.

Zhou Li thought it made sense. “It is time to buy tickets. A lot of people will be taking the train when school starts. You should buy a sleeper berth in advance; I heard it takes several days to get to the capital.”

Wen Wan ignored her. Clutching the letter of introduction, she went home and packed a change of clothes.

Zhou Guohua had just returned from the sea. As he walked up to the house, he saw her coming out with a luggage bag and pushing her bicycle. He asked, “Xiao Wan, where are you going?”

“I got my admission letter. I’m going to the city to buy a train ticket.”

Zhou Guohua was delighted. “You got it? It’s so late. It’ll be dark by the time you reach the city. I’ll go with you tomorrow morning to buy it.”

“No need! I’m going now!”

Wen Wan avoided him and hopped onto the bicycle.

“Hey… wait for me, I’ll go with you!”

Zhou Guohua panicked and rushed inside to drop off his things. “Mother, I’m going with Xiao Wan to buy the train tickets.”

With that, he also pushed out a bicycle and dashed after her.

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife, who was holding her granddaughter, was furious. He was slinking off to avoid looking after the child again!

…

Wen Wan pedaled the bicycle rapidly. From a distance, she saw Jiang Xia carrying a child while Zhou Chenglei walked beside her, carrying two buckets of fish.

Zhou Chenglei was saying something, and Jiang Xia smiled.

Thinking about her grades being stolen, Wen Wan felt a surge of anger. She pumped her legs with all her might, and the bicycle accelerated forward.

Chapter 563: The Megaphone

Wen Wan knew in her heart that even if she went to check her scores, she wouldn’t find anything.

How could she possibly find them?

Those people would never let her check; they might have even destroyed the exam papers.

Resentment and fury flooded her mind. In that instant, she wished she could drag Jiang Xia—that wench who ruined her future at every turn—down to hell with her.

Behind her, Zhou Guohua saw how fast Wen Wan was pedaling her bicycle and increased his own speed to keep up.

Meanwhile, Jiang Xia was telling Zhou Chenglei about how He Xiuhui had almost signed the paper.

Zhou Chenglei glanced at his sleeping son in Jiang Xia’s arms. “A day or two late doesn’t matter.”

In town, market days fell on the second, fifth, and eighth of every ten-day cycle. The day after tomorrow, the eighteenth, would be a market day.

“Mm.”

Zhou Chenglei asked again, “Was the baby good today?”

“He was! As long as Little Bao doesn’t cry about wanting to go out, both his eldest brother and younger brother are usually very well-behaved. The eldest is the best; he was playing in the baby stroller today and didn’t cry at all.” Jiang Xia couldn’t help but lean down and kiss her son’s cheek.

Zhou Chenglei looked at Jiang Xia, then at his son, who was growing fairer and chubbier by the day. He retracted his gaze just in time to see two bicycles rapidly approaching from ahead.

He stepped back and moved to Jiang Xia’s other side.

The two were walking on a narrow path leading home. There were no cars in the village, and even bicycles were rare, so Zhou Chenglei had Jiang Xia walk in the middle while he stayed on the edge. Since there were weeds on both sides of the road, snakes occasionally appeared in the summer, especially midday.

Jiang Xia looked up and saw two bicycles seemingly racing each other. Thinking it was a couple having an argument—one fleeing and one chasing—she took a few steps closer to the edge of the road and stopped. she reached out and tugged Zhou Chenglei’s sleeve, signaling him to move over as well to let them pass so they wouldn’t get grazed.

“Xiao Wan, don’t ride so fast! Wait for me!” Zhou Guohua shouted loudly.

Wen Wan didn’t listen; her legs pedaled even faster!

As evening approached, many people were carrying buckets of fish home. A few had live fish kept in seawater, so the road surface was a bit damp.

Seeing the bicycle drawing closer, it was unclear if Wen Wan simply didn’t see the wet mud pit, but her bicycle wheel rolled directly into it.

The wheel skidded, and the direction shifted instantly, charing straight toward Jiang Xia.

Zhou Chenglei’s gaze sharpened. With lightning reflexes, he pulled Jiang Xia away and threw his arms out to shield her and the child.

The situation was too urgent; his movements were swift and forceful. The two buckets he was carrying swung out and struck the bicycle’s handlebars, knocking Wen Wan’s front wheel off course.

The bicycle careened directly off the narrow path.

Jiang Xia watched as the bike continued its momentum, hit a rock, and Wen Wan went flying along with the bike. She flipped mid-air and landed hard on the beach.

“Xiao Wan!” Zhou Guohua hurriedly stopped, ditched his own bike, and rushed down to help her up.

Wen Wan had landed head-first. When she was helped up, her face was covered in sand.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?” Zhou Guohua nervously checked her limbs.

Wen Wan had a mouthful of sand and spat it out violently.

Zhou Chenglei glanced at his still-sleeping son and put his arm around Jiang Xia’s shoulder, not even sparing a glance at the two below. “Let’s go.”

After spitting for a long time, Wen Wan still had sand in her mouth. Seeing Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia about to leave, she shouted, “Don’t you dare leave! You knocked me down and think you can just walk away?”

Jiang Xia stopped in her tracks. “Are you sick in the head? You were the one who almost hit us. We didn’t even hold it against you, and yet you have the nerve to blame us? If you’re tired of living and want to die, go do it somewhere else. Don’t drag other people down with you!”

“Zhou Chenglei intentionally hit my bike with his bucket! If he hadn’t, I wouldn’t have gone over the edge! Don’t try to deny it!”

Jiang Xia retorted, “Oh, so we’re making excuses now? It’s our fault for not standing there and letting you hit us? We should have just stood still and let you knock us off the path, shouldn’t we? Is that it?”

Zhou Guohua stammered, “No… that’s not what Xiao Wan meant! Don’t misunderstand.”

Wen Wan snapped, “I didn’t say that! I only said Zhou Chenglei hit me on purpose! Otherwise, I wouldn’t have crashed!”

Jiang Xia was truly angry now. “Fine! It’s Zhou Chenglei’s fault! We apologize to you, alright?”

Jiang Xia turned back toward the production team office.

They weren’t the only ones on the road; other villagers were around, and people over by the pier had seen what happened.

She was going to show everyone exactly who was in the right!

Zhou Chenglei didn’t know what Jiang Xia was planning, but he followed her quickly.

Wen Wan had a bad premonition.

Jiang Xia reached the production team office and borrowed a handheld megaphone.

She handed her son to Zhou Chenglei. “You take the baby home first. I’m going to take a lap around the production team!”

Zhou Chenglei: “…”

Jiang Xia walked to the pier, held the megaphone to her lips, and shouted at the top of her lungs, “Comrade Wen Wan, I am so sorry for causing you and your bicycle to fly onto the beach! You were right! Just now, you were speeding down the road, and we shouldn’t have stood by the side to let you through. We should have jumped straight onto the beach ourselves to clear the way! That way, you wouldn’t have almost crashed into us!”

“Even though you were about to ram into me while I was holding a baby, my husband should not have reached out to protect me! He should have let you crash right into me and my child, knocking all three of us down. That way, you wouldn’t have veered onto the sand and fallen! It’s all his fault for blocking you; his bucket hit your bike and caused your fall! Comrade Wen Wan, we are truly sorry! You’re right, he intentionally hit your handlebars while trying to protect me, causing you to go over and tumble! My husband and I apologize to you and beg for your forgiveness! We are sorry!”

“Uncles, aunts, and neighbors! Just now, when Comrade Wen Wan accidentally biked toward me, she said my husband, Zhou Chenglei, hit her bike on purpose while he was protecting me, causing her to fall. We are apologizing to her now, and I hope everyone can bear witness for us!”

People at the pier who hadn’t seen the incident began asking those around them what had happened.

Those who had seen it from a distance explained the situation.

Everyone was speechless!

“She almost hit people while riding like a maniac, and she blames the man for protecting his wife and child instead of letting her hit them? Who does she think she is? The Empress Dowager?”

“So what if Zhou Chenglei did it on purpose? If I were him and someone tried to hit my wife, I would have kicked her myself!”

“What kind of person is she? The villain suing the victim! And she calls herself a college student? She’s clearly educated herself into stupidity! She’s the one who almost hit someone with a bike, and she thinks she’s in the right? People have to apologize for dodging her and making her fall?”

“Biking into people in the village… shouldn’t a bully like that be disciplined? With so many kids running around the village, what if she hits one of them one day?”

…

As Jiang Xia finished, she continued walking forward, repeating her speech until she arrived right in front of Wen Wan. “Comrade Wen Wan, I am so sorry…”

After finishing, she asked, “Comrade Wen Wan, is this apology sincere enough for you?”

Wen Wan stared at Jiang Xia and her megaphone, her entire body shaking with rage!

She hadn’t wronged them; Zhou Chenglei had done it on purpose. She had seen how cold his eyes were at that moment.

She hadn’t actually intended to hit them either; she just wanted to scare Jiang Xia and vent some frustration!

Zhou Guohua covered his face. He had lost every bit of dignity he had left today!

Chapter 564: Making Amends

Wen Wan had taken a tumble when she rushed down. Even though she fell on the sand, she still sustained some injuries. Her chest ached, though she wasn’t sure if it was from being hit by the bicycle or from being infuriated by Jiang Xia.

The trip to the city was cancelled. Her hair was full of sand, so Wen Wan had no choice but to head home.

Going home was just as annoying. After finishing her bath and coming out for dinner, she was subjected to a round of sarcasm from Zhou Bingqiang’s wife.

Zhou Bingqiang had also seen them at the pier, chasing each other on their bikes and nearly crashing into Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei. He lectured them, “If you have problems as a couple, communicate properly! Don’t go making a fuss and running away on a bicycle, chasing each other on the road. What would you have done if an accident happened? It’s bad enough if you hit someone else, but it’s also bad if you hurt yourselves. You aren’t children anymore; you’re parents! Use your brains when you do things! Don’t be impulsive! Nothing good comes from impulse!”

He had fought with Zhou Yongfu his whole life, always wanting to earn more money and be more capable than him, hoping to surpass him in every way!

He wanted to be the richest man in the village!

He was competitive, but he still understood basic right from wrong. Today, his son and daughter-in-law were simply in the wrong!

Zhou Guohua replied, “We weren’t fighting. Xiao Wan got her admission letter and was in a hurry to go to the city to book train tickets. It was an accident this time.”

Since his son was blindly defending his daughter-in-law, Zhou Bingqiang didn’t say much more except, “It’s your fault for riding like that and nearly hitting someone. Tomorrow, buy a kilogram or so of pork and go apologize.”

Wen Wan said nothing. She stood up and said, “I’m full. Enjoy your meal.”

With that, she went straight upstairs.

Zhou Bingqiang: “…”

Zhou Guohua had no choice but to agree. “Fine.”

He also felt they were in the wrong.

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife interjected, “You didn’t even hit them, why buy pork? Just saying ‘sorry’ is enough!”

Jiang Xia had already made their whole family lose face and be despised by the entire village; why give her a piece of pork for nothing?

Zhou Bingqiang was a man who valued his face more than money. “I said buy it, so buy it! If an apology has no sincerity, I won’t even dare to step out of the house to see people!”

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife pursed her lips, deciding to buy a very thin slice of pork tomorrow, pick a basket of green vegetables, and lay the meat on top to make it look full!

Zhou Bingqiang added, “Don’t be so stingy. A-Li said the production team is going through reforms, and it’s likely a village chief will be elected soon.”

His wife’s eyes widened. “Are you saying Zhou Yongfu will become the village chief?”

Zhou Bingqiang: “…”

Why did she think it would be Zhou Yongfu?

Could he not be the one?

Zhou Guohua understood, however. “Dad, do you want to run for village chief?”

Zhou Bingqiang didn’t deny it, only saying, “It’s not like I can just be the chief because I want to. The villagers have to elect me! I heard it’ll be a popular vote. Since you two are so good at causing trouble, I can’t even hold my head up in the village! Who would vote for me?”

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife’s eyes lit up as she told her son, “Tomorrow, you go buy a kilogram of pork and apologize to Zhou Chenglei’s wife!”

Then she thought of something and added, “Forget it! I’ll go myself!”

She had to let the whole village know that her family had bought a piece of pork to apologize, so they would stop talking about them!

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife continued, “Since Xiao Wan got into university, let’s host a few tables of banquet and invite the whole village to eat!”

Zhou Guohua had mentioned this to his mother before Wen Wan received her admission letter, but she hadn’t agreed then. To her, inviting villagers to a feast was a money-losing venture—why bother?

But if Zhou Bingqiang wanted to be village chief, she absolutely had to be generous and treat the villagers to a meal to build goodwill!

If she treated them to a few meals, would they have the heart not to vote for her husband when the time came?

The next day, Zhou Bingqiang’s wife went to town at six in the morning and bought two large slabs of pork.

Upon returning to the village, she purposely lingered at the pier for a while, then at the convenience store, then at the Great Tree Garden, and finally wandered around the vegetable garden for a bit. She picked a basket of green beans and cucumbers and didn’t head home until almost everyone in the village knew she had bought two large slabs of fatty pork to apologize to Jiang Xia.

Back at home, she gave one slab of pork and the basket of vegetables to Zhou Guohua. “You two go next door and apologize!”

Zhou Guohua wasn’t going out to sea today because he had to accompany Wen Wan to the city to buy train tickets.

He quickly took the items next door. He didn’t call Wen Wan to come along, knowing she was prideful and definitely wouldn’t go.

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife hid behind her courtyard gate to eavesdrop, secretly hoping Mother Zhou wouldn’t accept them.

She had spent 2.77 yuan on that meat—nearly three yuan!

Zhou Guohua arrived at Jiang Xia’s house and handed the basket of meat and vegetables to Mother Zhou. “Auntie, this is to help settle the nerves of A-Lei’s wife and the little nephew. Yesterday was really my fault, I’m very sorry.”

Mother Zhou took it without hesitation and flipped through the contents. “I heard your mother saying at the vegetable garden that she bought two pieces of pork. Why is there only one?”

Zhou Guohua: “…”

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife: “…”

Jiang Xia was in the yard holding a bowl of porridge, eating while watching the baby. Hearing this, she said, “Did it fall on the road? You’d better go back and look for it before a dog carries it off!”

“…”

Zhou Guohua had no choice but to go home and bring the remaining slab of pork over as well.

This piece was even larger; it had cost Zhou Bingqiang’s wife 5.50 yuan!

Having given away nearly 3 kg of pork, Zhou Bingqiang’s wife’s heart was bleeding!

In her mind, she cursed Mother Zhou and Jiang Xia’s ancestors up and down.

Jiang Xia looked at the pork belly, which had a good balance of fat and lean, and was very satisfied.

Zhou Bingqiang’s wife had been reluctant to buy the fattest cuts for them, which happened to suit Jiang Xia’s preference; she liked the marbled texture of pork belly.

“Mom, let’s use the lean part for braised pork and the fatty part for sticky rice dumplings, okay?”

“Sure.”

“Then I’ll go soak the glutinous rice and beans.”

They had picked a lot of sticky rice dumpling leaves during the Dragon Boat Festival. Since they hadn’t used them all, Mother Zhou had dried and preserved them. Now, she just needed to boil them again to use them.

Jiang Xia loved the savory meat dumplings Mother Zhou made. Besides pork, she would add scallops, shrimp, chestnuts, and salted egg yolks.

The fatty pork in the dumplings would melt in one’s mouth—it was delicious!

“Mom, let’s put bigger chunks of meat in the dumplings this time. After all, it was free,” Jiang Xia said loudly as she saw Wen Wan and Zhou Guohua walking past.

Mother Zhou agreed with a smile, “Alright.”

Wen Wan gave Jiang Xia a cold look. She was going to check her grades now. If she couldn’t find them, she would report it!

Wen Wan arrived at the City Education Department and claimed she suspected there was an error with her results, requesting to see her scores.

Naturally, she was rejected. “Every exam paper is graded by more than one teacher. After grading, they undergo a strict review by several examiners to ensure the scores are fair and accurate. There will be no mistakes.”

Wen Wan didn’t dare make a scene in such a place by claiming her scores had been swapped. Making a scene would be useless anyway; she wasn’t Jiang Xia, who had a powerful father.

Causing a disturbance would be like an egg hitting a stone.

In this era, she had heard many stories in her past life about people stealing identities to go to university.

“Can I look up the admissions office phone number for my university? I just had a baby and need to ask the school for a leave of absence.”

“Which university? We might not have the numbers for every school here.”

“Q University.”

…

Wen Wan successfully obtained the number for Q University. She found a public payphone, called them, and made a direct report.

Wen Wan didn’t know if this method would work, but being at her wit’s end, it was the only thing she could think of.

After finishing the call, Wen Wan happily went to the train station to buy a ticket for the twenty-fifth and went home to wait for news.

She prayed silently: I hope the things that belong to me return to my side. I hope that in a few days, when I go to the capital, it will be to report to Q University.

By evening, she received a call. The person on the other end only asked her two questions and then told her definitively that her scores had not been swapped.

They told her to buy a magazine and find the full-mark essays of the provincial Chinese and English top scholars to read. Then she would understand that their achievement was well-deserved. They also told her to reflect on her own actions and stop making groundless reports!

Chapter 565: Wishful Thinking

The next morning, Zhou Chenglei went out to sea, and Jiang Xia went to the market with Tian Caihua. She brought her clingy little sister along.

The more obedient younger brother and eldest brother were left in the care of Mother Zhou.

Since the workshop was running low on oil and sesame seeds, Jiang Xia drove the Jeep to the market to buy some.

The workshop had recently cleared out two stoves specifically for kelp production. Every day, in addition to the 1,000 kg of small dried fish, they were also producing about 1,000 kg of kelp.

They earned 0.22 yuan for every 500-gram of kelp, bringing in four to five hundred yuan a day, which was less than what the small dried fish made.

However, because the kelp was much cheaper than the small dried fish and tasted excellent, Lord Hou reported that sales were phenomenal; they couldn’t keep it in stock.

Lord Hou had even asked her if she would make shredded jellyfish, and of course, she wanted to, but space was a constraint. Producing 2,000 kg a day was already her current limit.

Jiang Xia only hoped the factory would be finished soon so she could expand production.

On the market, many people had started to follow the trend and make small dried fish. Some were even selling them cheaper than her, which had some impact on her sales volume.

However, Jiang Xia had tried the competitors’ products, and none of them matched her quality or flavor.

She had no intention of lowering her prices. As the economy developed, people would have more and more disposable income; she just needed to maintain her high quality.

The market was still massive. Marketing tactics like price-cutting and promotions were for when a market was saturated and competition was fierce.

Right now, it wasn’t necessary at all.

Besides, she couldn’t earn all the money in the world by herself.

As Jiang Xia drove, she thought about the factory.

Tian Caihua sat in the passenger seat holding the little sister. She coaxed the little girl, who had just woken up and eaten her fill, “We’re going to the market in the vroom-vroom car!”

The vehicle soon reached the town, and Jiang Xia pulled over directly in front of the Supply and Marketing Cooperative.

She saw Mother He and He Xiuhui already waiting at the entrance.

She said to Tian Caihua, “Big Sister-in-law, wait in the car for a moment.”

“Sure.” Tian Caihua didn’t care to go down and greet He Xiuhui anyway.

In the past, Tian Caihua and He Xiuhui had a good relationship.

Mainly, it was because He Xiuhui was diligent, capable, and had a soft personality. Whatever Tian Caihua told her to do, she did.

However, after she remarried, every time Tian Caihua came to town for the market and saw He Xiuhui, the woman acted like a mouse seeing a cat. She would hide, looking terrified that Tian Caihua might try to cling to her or cause trouble.

Tian Caihua was naturally furious!

Back then, the family division hadn’t happened yet, and Zhou Zhou was relying on her care. He Xiuhui wasn’t grateful at all and even avoided her like that—what was the meaning of it?

Naturally, Tian Caihua had stopped bothering with her since then.

Mother He watched as Jiang Xia stepped down from the Jeep, her eyes barely blinking.

It wasn’t just Mother He; everyone on the street couldn’t help but fix their gaze on the Jeep.

When Jiang Xia stepped out, those gazes shifted to her.

In this era, very few people owned cars, few knew how to drive, and even fewer women knew how to drive.

A woman who could drive and looked as beautiful as a celestial being was truly a rare sight.

Jiang Xia was wearing a white shirt and green military pants today. Since the weather was hot, she had her hair tied in a high ponytail, making her look youthful, radiant, and spirited.

She walked quickly toward He Xiuhui, her silhouette graceful. As she moved, it was as if a beam of light followed her, causing people’s eyes to unconsciously follow and be drawn to her.

Arriving before He Xiuhui, Jiang Xia skipped the pleasantries and handed her a piece of paper. “I’m in a hurry. Please sign this.”

He Xiuhui took it and opened it to read.

Mother He spoke up, “You can adopt Zhou Zhou if you want, but we have conditions.”

Jiang Xia was half a head taller than Mother He. She looked down at the older woman. “What conditions?”

“Zhou Zhou is Xiuhui’s daughter. Even if you raise her, she must still provide for Xiuhui when she grows up. Also, if you can arrange a job for Xiuhui, then we’ll agree to let you adopt Zhou Zhou.”

What wishful thinking! Jiang Xia couldn’t help but smile. Using her height advantage, she gave the two of them a condescending look.

He Xiuhui’s face reddened. This wasn’t her request; it was her mother who insisted on it, saying that since Zhou Zhou was her biological daughter, providing for her was only right.

“And if I don’t agree?”

Mother He replied, “If you don’t agree, then we won’t sign. You won’t be able to adopt Zhou Zhou.”

Jiang Xia nodded and smiled, appearing relieved. She gave a particularly bright smile. “Oh! I see. That’s fine too. Then I won’t adopt her. You should take Zhou Zhou back and look after her yourselves. A child is better off with her biological parents anyway. Zhou Zhou is very sensible, and you are her biological mother; I’m sure she will provide for you. I’ll send Zhou Zhou to your house tomorrow.”

Having said that, Jiang Xia turned around to walk back to the car.

The two women were stunned.

“Xiao Xia!” He Xiuhui panicked. This was so sudden; how could she possibly take Zhou Zhou back now?

She hadn’t even discussed it with her husband or her mother-in-law.

Besides, they would certainly never agree to it.

Mother He also rushed forward to grab Jiang Xia.

Jiang Xia dodged her hand, stepped around her, and continued toward the car.

Mother He blocked her path. “We didn’t say we were taking Zhou Zhou back.”

Jiang Xia stopped and looked at her. “You don’t want to take Zhou Zhou back? So, you want me to spend money and effort to raise your daughter, and then she’s supposed to honor you when she grows up? And on top of me raising your daughter for you, I have to find you a job? Tell me, where in the world is there such a good deal? I’d like a deal like that myself!”

Mother He: “…”

“That’s not what I meant. Xiuhui is Zhou Zhou’s biological mother; it’s only natural for Zhou Zhou to be filial to her. But you are Zhou Zhou’s Auntie and you’ve raised her, so she will surely be filial to you as well. We wouldn’t stop that. As for the job, if Xiuhui has a job and earns money, she can buy clothes for Zhou Zhou and help with paying tuition fees to fulfill her duties as a mother. Wouldn’t that also lighten your burden?”

Jiang Xia said, “Thank you for worrying about me! However, it would be much easier if you just took Zhou Zhou back! I only wanted to adopt her so I could transfer her to a school in the city. It would be easier for my parents-in-law to look after the children because my three kids will be going to a nursery in the city in the future. My parents-in-law will definitely have to go to the city to take care of them, and it wouldn’t be right to leave Zhou Zhou alone in the village. But if you take her back, it’s even more convenient for me. Our house in the city only has three rooms, and I was actually worried we wouldn’t all fit. Since you don’t agree to the adoption, take Zhou Zhou with you! I’ll bring her over tomorrow.”

“It’s fine if we take her, but will your parents-in-law agree? If we take her back, Zhou Chengyan’s lineage will be cut off.”

Jiang Xia replied, “Don’t worry, I make the decisions in our house. And how would the lineage be cut off? Regardless of who raises her, Zhou Zhou is Third Brother’s child. The Zhou brothers aren’t short on children; they could just as easily adopt one of the others into his line. Tomorrow—no, this afternoon. Once I’m done buying things and we’ve had lunch, I’ll bring Zhou Zhou over.”

After saying her piece, Jiang Xia brushed past her, got into the car, and drove off.

She looked as if she couldn’t wait to be rid of the responsibility.

Back in the car, Tian Caihua asked, “They didn’t want to sign?”

Jiang Xia said, “No, they said they’d sign it and deliver it straight to our house.”

She hadn’t taken the document back.

Jiang Xia was ninety percent certain that the document would be in Mother Zhou’s hands before she even got home.

Chapter 566: Chasing to the Door

Mother He watched as Jiang Xia drove away with a sense of urgency, and she was left utterly dumbfounded.

How was this different from what she had imagined?

Wasn’t Zhou Chenglei supposed to value the child Zhou Chengyan left behind? Weren’t they supposed to be terrified that she would take Zhou Zhou back, which was why they wanted to establish a legal adoption?

Otherwise, why would they bother with such a superfluous step?

He Xiuhui had been following her mother’s lead and had remained silent. Now that Jiang Xia was gone, she walked over to Mother He’s side. “Mom, if A-Lei’s wife really sends Zhou Zhou over, please help me look after her for two or three years. Once I have a child of my own, I’ll talk to Zhihai about bringing her to live with us.”

Without a child of her own, she always felt like she didn’t truly belong in that household. The rest of them were blood relatives, while she felt like an outsider. That was why she didn’t dare take Zhou Zhou into that home yet.

Mother He felt like they had been played by Jiang Xia!

“Take her back? Are you stupid?!” she snapped. “I knew it! How could there be such a good aunt in this world? Who could actually treat their husband’s niece like their own daughter? All that talk about adoption! She was just waiting for us to make our move!”

He Xiuhui looked at her mother. “What do you mean?”

Mother He said angrily, “Isn’t it obvious? Can’t you see it? That wife of Zhou Chenglei’s doesn’t want to raise Zhou Zhou anymore! She feigned interest in adoption in front of the Zhou family knowing we wouldn’t be able to bear it. She counted on us objecting so she could use that as an excuse to push Zhou Zhou onto us!”

“Then she’ll go home and tell the Zhou family that you refused to cooperate and want Zhou Zhou back, saying some nonsense about how it’s better for a child to grow up with her biological mother! This way, she achieves her goal without getting a reputation for being cruel.”

He Xiuhui frowned. “Surely not? Zhou Zhou seems to have a very good relationship with her.”

“How is it not? Didn’t you see how happy and eager she was just now? She looked like she couldn’t wait to pack Zhou Zhou up and ship her off! That ‘kindness’ toward Zhou Zhou is all an act! You’ve clearly never met a truly two-faced person! Think about it—who actually enjoys raising someone else’s child?”

Mother He felt that Jiang Xia not wanting to raise the child was the only thing that made sense. Raising someone else’s child rarely resulted in true loyalty.

“We fell for it!”

Deep down, He Xiuhui did want her daughter back. She wanted Mother He to help for two years because she feared she might not be able to conceive and would have no one to care for her in her old age.

Just the day before yesterday, her daughter had called her “Auntie.” If the emotional bond was severed, how could the girl ever be expected to provide for her in the future?

“Mom, we can’t let Jiang Xia send the child to the town. You should go to the village and bring Zhou Zhou home! Help me look after her for just two years…”

Mother He interrupted her. “Bring her home to what? Haven’t you seen the Zhou family’s current living conditions? Compared to ours? Bringing Zhou Zhou back here would just mean she’d suffer with us. Can you really bear to see your own child live in hardship?”

“But if Jiang Xia isn’t willing to raise her…”

“She only disagreed with those two conditions. Hurry up and sign that certification. I’ll take it back to your former mother-in-law.”

She wanted to avoid Jiang Xia going home and telling Mother Zhou that they refused to sign because they wanted Zhou Zhou back, which might prompt Jiang Xia to actually pack the child up and send her over.

No matter how foolish Mother He was, she knew Zhou Zhou would have a much better life with the Zhou family than with them.

Judging by Zhou Zhou’s usual clothes and appearance, even the children in town couldn’t compare to her.

She often saw Zhou Zhou going to the convenience store with her older cousins to buy snacks.

What kind of family gave their kids enough money to run to the convenience store all the time?

Furthermore, if they brought her home, Mother He already had several biological grandsons to look after. How would she have the time to look after a granddaughter?

After Jiang Xia finished buying oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar, it was nearly eleven o’clock by the time she returned to the village.

The little girl had fallen asleep. Tian Caihua had carried her into the house and placed her on Mother Zhou’s bed to sleep with her two older brothers.

She tucked in the mosquito net and came out to see Mother Zhou handing a paper to Jiang Xia. “Zhou Zhou’s grandmother delivered this.”

Jiang Xia took it and glanced at it. It was already signed and even had a thumbprint pressed onto it.

Tian Caihua let out a “tsk.”

“Her own biological child, and she’s really willing to give her away to someone else.”

Jiang Xia glanced at her watch. “I’ll go get this handled right now.”

Mother Zhou said, “It’s almost time for them to get off work, isn’t it? It won’t be too late to go in the afternoon.”

“There’s still over an hour. Efficiency is often higher right before they close.”

Jiang Xia dashed upstairs to grab the relevant documents and then drove out again.

Once all the procedures were completed, she checked them over to ensure there were no mistakes. She organized all the certificates and double-checked to make sure nothing was missing before walking out of the office building with the file bag.

The noon sun was stinging and scorching. Jiang Xia put on her straw hat and pulled down her shirt sleeves, ensuring not a single ray of sun touched her skin before she walked down the steps toward the Jeep.

As Jiang Xia drove past the town’s government unit office building, she spotted a figure that she never expected to see there.

She tapped the brakes and stopped in front of the person.

The car had no air conditioning, so Jiang Xia always kept the windows rolled down. She called out through the window, “Dr. Ruan, what are you doing here?”

Ruan Tang was standing under the shade of a tree. Hearing Jiang Xia call her, she walked over. “Comrade Zhou didn’t come for his rabies vaccine yesterday. I was worried he forgot, so I came to remind him. He works here, right?”

Jiang Xia: “…”

She hadn’t expected that at all.

“Last night, my husband asked him if he’d gotten the shot, and he said he’d get it at the town health clinic. I’m so sorry to make you take a special trip for this.”

Ruan Tang replied, “I just checked. Your town health clinic is out of the rabies vaccine, and no one went there for a shot yesterday.”

Jiang Xia: “…”

She checked her watch and leaned over to push open the car door. “There are still ten minutes before he gets off work. The sun is too strong; get in the car first!”

Ruan Tang said, “It’s fine. I’ll just wait in the shade. If you have things to do, you can go ahead.”

Ruan Tang needed to take Zhou Chengsen back to the city later for the vaccine.

The rabies vaccine required refrigeration; otherwise, in this heat, it would lose its effectiveness within an hour. Therefore, she hadn’t brought it with her.

How could Jiang Xia leave her to wait alone? She said, “It’s fine, I’ll wait with you. Get in, quickly.”

Seeing Jiang Xia leaning over and insisting on holding the door open, Ruan Tang had no choice but to pull the door and get in.

Jiang Xia handed her a large palm-leaf fan. “Use this; it’s way too hot!”

“The weather station said it will be like this for a few days, so it should stay fairly hot,” Ruan Tang said, taking the fan and gently waving it.

Jiang Xia moved the car further into the shade to wait for Zhou Chengsen to finish work.

Fifteen minutes later, Zhou Chengsen walked out and saw the Jeep parked under the trees. He pushed his bicycle closer, intending to greet Jiang Xia, when he saw the cold-faced Ruan Tang sitting in the car, watching him with an equally chilly gaze.

In the height of the sweltering summer, Zhou Chengsen felt a sudden shiver run down his legs. Purely out of instinct, he hopped onto his bicycle!

Jiang Xia: “…”

Ruan Tang: “…”

Ruan Tang quickly pushed the door open and stepped out. “Comrade Zhou Chengsen!”

Once he was on the bike, Zhou Chengsen’s logic returned. He reacted quickly, swerving the handlebars to bypass the front of the Jeep. He pretended he wasn’t trying to flee but was actually coming toward Ruan Tang. He greeted her as if nothing was wrong. “Dr. Ruan, what brings you here? Are you on a rural medical mission?”

Ruan Tang replied, “I’m here to take you for your shot.”

“…”

Chapter 567: Socially Dead Again

Jiang Xia also got out of the car, watching Zhou Chengsen’s usually calm and composed expression crack. She didn’t know whether to pity him or laugh.

In two lifetimes, Jiang Xia had never seen someone being chased down by a doctor just to get a preventive shot.

It took Zhou Chengsen less than half a second to quickly regain his composure. He pointed toward the health clinic at the end of the road. “My apologies for making Dr. Ruan worry. I already got the shot at our town’s health clinic yesterday. That one right there.”

He decided he would go and get a supplemental shot this afternoon.

Zhou Chenglei had reminded him to get the vaccine the night before last. It wasn’t that he intentionally skipped it, but a superior department had come down for an inspection yesterday. He had been busy all day and simply forgot.

Then, during dinner last night, Zhou Chenglei had asked if he’d gotten it.

Not wanting his family to worry, he had casually lied and said he’d gone to the health clinic for it.

However, Jiang Xia had been there last night, and she was here now.

Zhou Chengsen had no choice but to tell another lie to cover for the one from the previous night.

Ruan Tang said, “Oh, I just went to that health clinic you pointed to and asked. They don’t have the vaccine there, and no one came in to get vaccinated.”

Zhou Chengsen: “…”

He had never been this humiliated in his life!

Ruan Tang didn’t have much time to waste on this matter. “Today is Saturday; Comrade Zhou shouldn’t have to work this afternoon, right? In that case, come with me to the city to get that vaccine shot! Is there a bus to the city at 1:00 PM? I have a night shift at the hospital at 3:00 PM.”

Jiang Xia chimed in, “Second Brother, let’s go eat first. Afterward, you can drive to the city, and I’ll ride the bicycle back home.”

If the two of them were left to eat alone, they would likely be awkward. Besides, Dr. Gao had helped her so much, and since her niece had traveled so far, Jiang Xia felt she had to personally host her now that they’d met. This was basic social etiquette.

Ruan Tang declined, “There’s no need for a full meal. I’ll just buy two buns to eat on the way and head straight back to the city!”

Jiang Xia insisted, “A person is made of iron, but food is the steel that sustains them. How can you not eat? It only takes an hour to drive back to the city. It’s only a little after noon right now; there’s plenty of time to leave after eating. If I let you go back on an empty stomach after you’ve come all this way, I won’t be able to look Auntie Gao in the eye again.”

Ruan Tang could only say, “Then let’s just have some noodles or something.”

“Alright, how about seafood rice noodles?” Zhou Chengsen asked.

Jiang Xia agreed, “The seafood rice noodles at that shop are quite good.”

Ruan Tang’s professional instincts kicked in. “You can’t eat seafood.”

Zhou Chengsen: “…Then the two of you can have seafood noodles, and I’ll have something else. I’ll have plain noodle soup.”

Ruan Tang didn’t say anything more.

Jiang Xia said, “Second Brother, call the production team and tell Mother that we won’t be back for lunch. I’ll head over with Dr. Ruan first.”

“Alright.”

So, Jiang Xia drove Ruan Tang to the noodle shop first, while Zhou Chengsen went back to his office to make the call.

The town wasn’t big; the seafood rice noodle shop was just around the corner.

Jiang Xia ordered two servings of seafood rice noodles and a bowl of plain noodle soup for Zhou Chengsen.

Just as the noodles were served, Zhou Chengsen arrived.

While they were eating, Zhou Chengsen said, “I’ve caused Dr. Ruan a lot of trouble this time. I promise to go for my shots on time in the future. If I can’t make it on the day, I’ll go the day after or a day early. Dr. Ruan, you don’t need to make the trip again.”

Dr. Ruan had a night shift tonight; he wasn’t sure if it was an all-nighter.

If it was an overnight shift, she would normally need to sleep during the day to conserve her energy.

Zhou Chengsen felt extremely embarrassed that she had given up her rest time just to come and see if he had gotten his preventive shot.

“As long as you remember.”

Jiang Xia added, “We’ll be sure to remind him.”

Ruan Tang didn’t say anything else and focused on finishing her noodles quickly.

This was her first time eating seafood rice noodles, and she found the flavor quite good.

After they finished eating, Jiang Xia gave the car keys to Zhou Chengsen and said to the two of them, “I’ll be heading back then. You two stay safe on the road.”

Zhou Chengsen took the keys. “Okay. You be careful riding the bike too.”

This bicycle was a classic 28-inch bicycle, and he was honestly a bit worried that Jiang Xia wouldn’t be used to riding it.

“I’m off. Goodbye, Dr. Ruan!”

“Goodbye.”

Watching Jiang Xia ride away on the bicycle, Zhou Chengsen opened the Jeep door and said to Ruan Tang, “Dr. Ruan, please get in.”

As Ruan Tang leaned in to enter the vehicle, Zhou Chengsen held his hand over the door frame to shield her head. Once she was seated, he closed the door, walked around the front, and got into the driver’s seat. He checked to see if Ruan Tang had fastened her seatbelt, buckled his own, then inserted the key, turned it, and drove away.

Li Xiuxian had come to the hospital today for a prenatal checkup. Her stomach had been hurting a bit, and she’d noticed some light spotting, so she had come to the health clinic.

After seeing the doctor, she didn’t want to go home immediately, so she found a restaurant to eat in.

The restaurant happened to be right across from the noodle shop.

She watched as Jiang Xia drove a beautiful, cool-tempered woman to the shop.

Then Zhou Chengsen arrived!

Finally, Jiang Xia left on a bicycle by herself, and Zhou Chengsen drove that woman away in the car.

To her, this looked exactly like a blind date!

Was that woman from the city? Was Jiang Xia introducing a potential partner to Zhou Chengsen?

Li Xiuxian watched as the Jeep drove off toward the city.

In the past, on rainy days when she had asked Zhou Chengsen to drive her and their daughter back to the town for school, he had been unwilling.

Now, he was eagerly driving some other woman.

Heh!

Men!

Li Xiuxian couldn’t help but recall Ruan Tang’s appearance.

Judging by the woman’s clothes and temperament, she clearly came from a good family—likely someone with a background similar to Jiang Xia’s.

Moreover, she looked very young, probably only four or five years older than Jiang Xia.

Li Xiuxian had to admit the other woman was younger, prettier, and more elegant than her.

What frustrated her most was that when the woman stood with Zhou Chengsen—one handsome and tall, the other cool and exquisite—they looked surprisingly well-matched, even pleasant to look at.

Zhou Chengsen had been handsome in his twenties, but in his thirties, he was even more charming. The youthful, sunny air had faded, and while he still looked young, he had gained a sense of steady refinement.

Back when she worked at the school, many colleagues had said her husband was good-looking.

Zhou Chengsen’s looks were something Liao Ruixiang couldn’t even compare to.

Furthermore, Liao Ruixiang wasn’t as attentive as Zhou Chengsen.

When she was pregnant with Yingying, she had never had to come to the hospital alone when she felt unwell.

Even if she had the slightest discomfort, Zhou Chengsen would be very worried.

But later, she didn’t know how things had slowly changed, and their conflicts had grown more frequent.

Those conflicts reached a breaking point when Jiang Xia married into the family!

The more Li Xiuxian thought about it, the more bitter she felt.

Jiang Xia was a damn busybody!

How long had they been divorced? She was already so impatient to introduce someone to Zhou Chengsen.

If it weren’t for that troublemaker Jiang Xia meddling, and if she hadn’t spread rumors and told Zhou Chengsen she saw her at the movie theater, they never would have divorced.

Destroying someone’s marriage and causing a family to break up—retribution would come sooner or later.

Jiang Xia returned to the village at 1:15 PM, during the hottest part of the afternoon.

As she passed the pier, she faintly heard the familiar sound of a boat engine and instinctively looked out at the sea.

Zhou Chenglei was coming back in the small wooden boat!

And behind him followed a group of “big guys.”

Jiang Xia’s eyes widened. Just what had he done?!!!

Chapter 568: A Gift from the Dolphins

The small wooden boat drew closer, appearing first as a mere speck on the horizon before growing into the clear silhouette of a fishing vessel.

Dolphins followed flanking the boat, leaping out of the water. Some of them jumped remarkably high.

Jiang Xia quickly parked her bicycle, locked it, and ran down the pier.

As the boat drew nearer to the shore, the dolphins finally stopped following. At this hour, the pier was at its quietest, with not a soul in sight.

Zhou Chenglei hadn’t expected to see Jiang Xia here. He reached out his hand toward her. “I’ll take you to see the dolphins.”

Jiang Xia placed her hand in his palm. “What did you do? Why are so many dolphins following you?”

“I rescued a baby dolphin that was tangled in a fishing net, and they followed me the whole way back. I couldn’t even cast my nets, so I came back early.” Zhou Chenglei gripped Jiang Xia’s hand tightly, helping her onto the small wooden boat. “Why are you riding Second Brother’s bicycle?”

At home, Zhou Chengsen’s bicycle was the one used most often. It was the earliest one they had bought, the most worn-out, and it made strange noises whenever the pedals were turned.

“I went to town to handle the adoption paperwork for Zhou Zhou. On my way back, I saw Dr. Ruan going to Second Brother’s work unit to drag him off for his rabies vaccine. I gave the car to him so he could drive to the city, and I rode his bicycle back to the village.”

It seemed his Second Brother had lied last night. Zhou Chenglei asked, “Is it finished? Why didn’t you wait for me to handle it?”

“It’s done. Does it matter who does it?” Jiang Xia watched the dolphins performing in the distance and asked curiously, “Is Second Brother really that afraid of needles?”

Zhou Chenglei decided to save some face for his brother. “He was when he was a kid.”

What Zhou Chenglei didn’t mention was that when Second Brother was little, a doctor had once left the needle tip inside his backside while pulling the syringe out. That doctor had proceeded with a rather questionable maneuver, shoving the syringe back onto the needle to pull it out again. It had likely left him traumatized; ever since then, no matter how hard he suffered from a fever or illness, he refused to get a shot.

Once Jiang Xia was settled on the boat, Zhou Chenglei deftly reversed it, turned it around, and headed straight for the deep sea.

The boat moved faster than usual, cutting through the water like an arrow released from a bow.

In the distance, the dolphins were still leaping.

When Zhou Chenglei drove the boat further out, the dolphins noticed them and proactively swam over, leaping joyfully as they approached.

Zhou Chenglei stopped the boat, letting Jiang Xia take in this rare sight.

The dolphins surrounded the fishing boat, jumping rhythmically on both sides.

Jiang Xia looked left and right, her eyes struggling to keep up with all the activity.

Zhou Chenglei picked up a fish, held it out, and gave it a wave. Several dolphins immediately swam over and opened their mouths wide.

Zhou Chenglei placed the fish into the mouth of one of the dolphins.

The others kept their mouths open, waiting to be fed.

Zhou Chenglei looked at Jiang Xia. “Want to try? Dolphins have a gentle nature and are somewhat attuned to humans. They won’t bite.”

Jiang Xia knew that dolphins weren’t afraid of people and didn’t bite; in fact, they were known to be quite friendly.

She also picked up a fish and fed it into a dolphin’s mouth.

Seeing that Jiang Xia wasn’t afraid, Zhou Chenglei picked up another fish and fed another dolphin.

Promptly, even more dolphins crowded the side of the boat, mouths agape.

The couple fed them fish by fish, trying their best to ensure every dolphin got a turn.

“If I had known, I would have brought a camera.”

“You’ll have chances to see them again in the future.” He had seen dolphins several times while growing up.

After feeding them for a while, Jiang Xia stopped. All the loose fish on the boat had been fed to them; the only ones left were those still tangled in the fishing nets.

She waved her hands. “No more! I have to take the rest home to eat!”

The dolphins waited for a moment. Seeing that Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei were no longer feeding them, they swam away and continued leaping across the surface of the sea.

Jiang Xia intended to watch for a bit longer before heading home, but suddenly, a dolphin carrying a large Black Sea Bream in its mouth surfaced next to the boat.

Jiang Xia looked surprised. “For us?”

The dolphin didn’t understand her words, but it persistently held the fish in its mouth, waiting for them to reach out and take it.

Jiang Xia reached out and took the fish.

“Be careful not to get pricked by the fins,” Zhou Chenglei cautioned.

“I will.”

Once Jiang Xia took the fish, that dolphin dove back into the depths.

Then, another dolphin surfaced with a mackerel in its mouth.

Jiang Xia smiled and took the fish, her other hand unable to resist patting its smooth, slippery head. “Thank you!”

The dolphin arched its back and dove back under to catch more fish.

One by one, the dolphins surfaced with fish in their mouths.

For the first time, Jiang Xia was truly moved by an animal. “These dolphins are so intelligent!”

Zhou Chenglei reached out to take a fish from a dolphin’s mouth and tossed it onto the deck. “Dolphins are considered the friendliest and smartest creatures in the ocean.”

The couple scrambled to accept the “thank-you gifts” being delivered by the pod.

In a short while, they had harvested twenty or thirty fish, and even two sea cucumbers.

The dolphins seemed tireless. Jiang Xia waved her hands, refusing to take any more. “Okay, that’s enough! No more! Eat the rest yourselves!”

Seeing that Jiang Xia wouldn’t take the fish, one dolphin dove into the water and then leaped high into the air, spitting both the fish and a mouthful of water onto the boat.

The spray of water soaked Jiang Xia’s clothes.

“…”

Seeing this, the other dolphins followed suit.

A few minutes later, the dolphins finally swam away.

A pile of fish was heaped on the boat like a small mountain, all gifts from the dolphins. There were at least forty or fifty of them, and they were all good-sized, high-quality fish that could easily sell for 50 or 60 yuan.

Jiang Xia was soaked to the skin. She watched the pod leap away into the distance, feeling the wonder of it all. Animals truly were spiritual and knew how to show gratitude.

Only after the dolphins had completely disappeared from sight did Jiang Xia say to Zhou Chenglei, “Let’s go home.”

Zhou Chenglei took off his thin outer jacket and draped it over Jiang Xia’s shoulders. Her shirt was completely translucent from the water.

“I’m not cold. The sun is so hot; it feels good to cool down. It’ll be dry in a while.”

As Jiang Xia spoke, she looked down and clearly saw the full curves of her silhouette through the wet fabric.

“…”

She immediately pulled the jacket on properly. She had forgotten she was wearing a white shirt today, and a silk one at that.

Since Jiang Xia’s clothes were wet, Zhou Chenglei was afraid she would get sick from the dampness. He hurried to start the boat to get her home.

He hadn’t forgotten that when she first married him, she had caught a fever the very first time she went into the water. She had only recently given birth, and he wasn’t sure how strong her immune system was yet.

Jiang Xia looked at his tall, upright back, a flicker of curiosity in her eyes.

In the evening, after the three children had been coaxed to sleep, Zhou Chenglei finally resolved Jiang Xia’s curiosity.

It had been too long since they had been together. He lingered in the depths of affection, unwilling to stop for a long time.

Outside the window, the night was deep, and the gentle waves of the sea seemed to drown everything else out.

…

The next morning, before six o’clock, Zhou Chenglei returned from his run feeling refreshed. Jiang Xia was already sitting up in bed, cradling the eldest brother to breastfeed while gently twirling a pellet drum to amuse her daughter and younger son.

Zhou Chenglei hadn’t expected the children to wake up so early today. Usually, they didn’t stir until around six-thirty. “How come they’re up so early?”

Jiang Xia replied, “Probably because they went to sleep earlier than usual last night.”

Zhou Chenglei asked, “Are you tired? Do you feel unwell anywhere?”

They had only just fallen asleep last night when the children woke up again, needing to be fed. She hadn’t slept much.

Currently, the three children were being breastfed on a rotating basis. In a twenty-four-hour period, they had to be fed five or six times.

They woke up at six-thirty in the morning for the first feeding, then again around nine-thirty. There was another feeding around one-thirty in the afternoon before their nap, another when they woke up, one before bed, and one in the middle of the night.

It was very rhythmic; almost every day followed this pattern.

For the sake of the children’s health, Jiang Xia tried to ensure each child was breastfed at least three times a day, supplementing with powdered milk only when there wasn’t enough.

Zhou Chenglei saw how exhausting it was to care for three infants. This month, she had been drinking a lot of soups and eating more than before, yet she had still lost weight.

Even though Dr. Gao had said she could resume normal activities after forty-two days, he still felt uneasy.

“I am sleepy,” Jiang Xia admitted honestly.

Zhou Chenglei leaned down and kissed her forehead. “Sleep a bit more in a while. We can head out a little later.”

Chapter 569: Observing the Family Style

After Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei finished feeding the children, they got out of bed.

Zhou Chenglei said, “Go back to sleep for a bit. I’ll head over first.”

“No need. I’m wide awake now, and I won’t be able to fall back asleep anyway. I’ll just come back for a nap at noon.”

Today was the day Xu Ling’s relatives were coming to Zhou Guodong’s house to “observe the family style.”

Jiang Xia had heard from Xu Ling that her uncles, aunts, cousins, and their wives added up to more than a dozen people. That meant they needed to prepare at least two tables for the banquet.

Furthermore, for the “family style” visit, the woman’s relatives would stay at the man’s house for the entire day, so they had to prepare two meals.

When her own family had things to do, Uncle Dong and Aunt Dong’s entire family had come to help, putting in their heart and soul. Jiang Xia couldn’t possibly show up late on a day like this.

Although she had to look after the triplets and couldn’t help with much, whether or not she showed up was a matter of showing her sincerity.

Zhou Chenglei didn’t insist after hearing her reasoning.

The couple carried the children downstairs together.

Once the family finished breakfast, they pushed the triplets in their baby strollers to Zhou Guodong’s house to help.

Jiang Xia brought along two Groupers that the dolphins had left for her yesterday and two bottles of liquor. Mother Zhou also grabbed a large capon to bring over.

At Zhou Guodong’s house, the triplets were left in the care of Guangzong, Yaozu, Zhou Zhou, and Zhou Ying.

Having just slept and eaten their fill, the three children were content to lie down and play by sucking on their fingers for a while. With several older brothers and sisters coaxing them with rattles, they were even less likely to cry.

Zhou Chenglei and Zhou Chengxin helped slaughter the chickens, geese, and ducks.

Tian Caihua and Mother Zhou washed the vegetables together.

Since Jiang Xia’s cooking was excellent, she was put in charge of preparing some cold appetizers.

Aunt Dong and her two daughters-in-law were in the kitchen cutting vegetables and putting the braised pork belly on to stew.

Aunt Dong asked, “What time is it now? Why aren’t Guodong and the others back yet?”

Zhou Chengsen had gone out to sea at four o’clock with the three Zhou brothers to catch the seafood for today’s meals.

Jiang Xia glanced at her watch. “It’s eight o’clock. They should be back soon.”

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.

A moment later, the men returned carrying several buckets of fish, shrimp, and crabs, a bag of oysters and scallops, as well as some spotted snails and a large jellyfish.

Zhou Guoxing and Zhou Guoye’s wives quickly went to clean the fish and process the jellyfish.

Around ten-thirty, the members of the Xu family arrived.

After everyone exchanged greetings, Uncle Dong’s family had to busy themselves entertaining their future relatives by marriage. The preparation of lunch and such was left to Jiang Xia’s family.

Jiang Xia was currently making cold tossed jellyfish when Xu Ling’s eldest aunt walked up to her and said with a smile, “Xiao Xia, are you making cold tossed jellyfish?”

Jiang Xia replied with a smile, “Yes! Auntie, why don’t you go inside and sit? The kitchen is hot.”

“It’s fine, I just wanted to have a word with you.”

“I heard you’re building a factory. My daughter, my two daughters-in-law, and I are all free. Xiao Xia, when your factory starts production, could you arrange a job for us?”

Including bonuses and overtime pay, Xu Ling now earned over a hundred yuan a month, sometimes even reaching two hundred yuan.

Such a salary was truly enviable!

Moreover, Xu Ling’s younger brother earned even more by going out to sea with Xiao Xia’s husband. He made three hundred and sixty yuan a month and brought home all sorts of seafood every day.

In the past, Xu Ling’s family had the lowest income among the Xu siblings. Now, just based on the salaries of the two siblings, they had suddenly become the highest-earning household.

She had heard that Xu Ling’s mother and two younger sisters would also work at the factory later. Wouldn’t that one family earn over a thousand yuan a month?

That was why Xu Ling’s eldest aunt had the thick skin to approach Jiang Xia.

Jiang Xia replied diplomatically, “The factory isn’t finished yet. It probably won’t be completed until next year. When it’s time to recruit, you can just come for an interview. So many people are looking for me right now that I’m afraid I’ll forget. Just ask Xu Ling when the recruitment starts and go directly to the factory for an interview.”

Jiang Xia was telling the truth. Now, whenever she walked through the village, people would often stop her. This one would say she wanted to work at the factory, that one would say her daughter wanted to go, and another would say her niece wanted to go.

They weren’t particularly close, so how could she remember so many people?

She told everyone to go through the interview process and that a recruitment notice would be posted in the village when the time came.

At that time, recruitment would be handled by He Xinghuan and Aunt Fen. Following a formal interview process, they would decide who to hire.

Jiang Xia would likely be in the capital by then and wouldn’t be able to manage everything.

Besides, since they would be hiring dozens or even over a hundred people, it was naturally impossible to pick only those she knew personally or those who were exceptionally diligent and efficient.

In any case, she would set the factory’s rules and regulations, and the employees would simply have to work according to those rules.

Xu Ling’s eldest aunt smiled and said “good,” then sensibly walked away.

“Xiao Xia…” As soon as the eldest aunt left, the second aunt came over.

Jiang Xia said the same thing to her.

When the second aunt left, another aunt approached. No matter who came, Jiang Xia gave the same answer.

She let them all know they could come for an interview, but whether they passed or not was another matter entirely.

Watching her sisters-in-law approach Jiang Xia one by one, Xu Ling’s mother was extremely anxious.

No wonder every one of them was so eager to come “observe the family style” today. They had even been generous enough to prepare so many things to bring over—chickens, eggs, you name it.

So this was what they were waiting for!

Mother Xu was very afraid that Jiang Xia would be unhappy, which might cost Xu Ling and Xu Yong their jobs.

Xu Ling hadn’t come today. Mother Xu found an opportunity to approach Jiang Xia and said uneasily, “Xiao Xia, I’m truly sorry. I didn’t know my sister-in-law and the others would bother you.”

Jiang Xia laughed. “It’s no problem, Auntie. The factory will indeed need people. I’m actually worried I won’t be able to hire enough! If you know anyone like Xu Ling who is diligent, careful, and efficient, I’d actually like you to introduce a few more to the factory.”

…

That evening, after Mother Xu returned home, she said to Xu Ling, “No wonder you said Xiao Xia is easy to get along with. She’s so rich yet so approachable, without any air of superiority at all.”

She had only spoken with Jiang Xia for a short while, but she felt very comfortable interacting with her.

No wonder her daughter and son were so cheerful every day despite their tiring work, and couldn’t wait to go to work each morning.

On August 25th, Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei were taking the triplets to the city for a medical check-up, and Mother Zhou went with them.

Jiang Xia drove, while Zhou Chenglei held two children by himself and Mother Zhou held one.

Jiang Xia didn’t have the strength to hold two babies for over an hour, so she took the wheel.

Father Jiang and Jiang Dong had been waiting at the hospital entrance since early morning. Mother Jiang had gone to buy groceries, thinking that Jiang Xia and the others would bring the children back home for lunch.

Jiang Dong had returned to the capital the day after attending the Full Moon banquet. The research project he was working on wasn’t finished, and he also had to prepare for exams to go abroad.

He had only returned last night specifically to accompany his sister to the capital and to spend a few days with their parents.

As soon as Zhou Chenglei got out of the car, Jiang Dong took one of the children from his arms. After studying the baby for a long while, he smiled and said, “This is the eldest brother, right?”

Zhou Chenglei grunted in affirmation. “Mhm.”

Father Jiang noticed at a glance that his daughter looked even thinner than the last time he saw her, and it had only been about two weeks. “Is it hard taking care of the children?”

Jiang Xia smiled and shook her head. “Not at all! They’re very good. They play by themselves after eating, and sometimes they even fall asleep while playing without needing to be coaxed.”

Father Jiang watched the immense tenderness and doting love in his daughter’s eyes when she mentioned the children.

He wanted to ask: if they’re so easy to care for, why are you getting thinner and thinner?

But with Mother Zhou present, Father Jiang felt it was inappropriate to ask, lest she feel awkward. He simply smiled and said, “It’s good that they’re easy to care for.”

Chapter 570: The Capital Is So Big

Words that Father Jiang found difficult to say were blurted out by Jiang Dong: “Sis, why have you lost so much weight?”

Father Jiang’s foot itched; he really wanted to kick this tactless brat!

Did he have no filter?

Couldn’t he have asked that in private?

Jiang Xia smiled. “Really? I’ve finally slimmed down! I’ll go check later to see how many kilograms I’ve lost and if I’m back to my pre-pregnancy weight. I was way too heavy before; I’d get out of breath after just a few steps, and I couldn’t stand the heat.”

Jiang Dong said honestly, “You’re not as thin as you were before the kids. You’re just a bit thinner than when you first finished your postpartum recovery. Back then, you were quite round.”

Jiang Xia: “…”

Father Jiang looked at Mother Zhou and smiled. “Not just Xiaxia, but you as well, my in-law. You’ve gotten thinner too. Taking care of three children must be very exhausting! Thank you for your hard work.”

Jiang Xia added, “Mom worked the hardest. She’s lost a lot of weight.”

Mother Zhou smiled and said, “Taking care of three children is indeed a bit tiring. But Xiao Xia is the one who has it the hardest. Other mothers get tired just feeding one baby a few times a day, but she has to do it way more than everyone else.”

It wasn’t just Jiang Xia—even someone as capable as Mother Zhou felt the strain.

Although the children were very well-behaved, they still had to be fed several times a day, baby bottles had to be washed repeatedly, water had to be boiled countless times, and endless diapers had to be changed and laundered. Then there was bathing them, coaxing them to sleep, plus all the other housework and farm chores to attend to.

Mother Zhou hadn’t neglected a single one of those tasks; otherwise, how could the couple have managed three children on their own?

During the day, Zhou Chenglei sometimes had to go out to sea or visit the construction site.

In short, having three children meant an infinite amount of extra work.

Previously, Mother Zhou would even go upstairs at night to help with feedings. It was only after Jiang Xia noticed how thin she was getting and the couple found a more efficient way to feed the babies that she stopped having to get up at night.

Raising a child to adulthood could truly be described as a process of “hardship and painstaking toil”—it was no exaggeration.

Father Jiang had two children of his own, so he naturally understood the struggle.

The family carried the babies to see Dr. Gao for a checkup.

Gao Jie checked the three children’s pulses, measured their height, weighed them, and performed some basic examinations.

Gao Jie smiled. “The children are being looked after very well. Combined with their parents’ good genes, they are growing beautifully. I expect that by next month’s checkup, they’ll be as strong as singletons.”

Thinking about Jiang Xia going to the capital for university, Gao Jie asked, “When you go to the capital for school, are the children going with you?”

Zhou Chenglei had discussed this with her. He had planned for her not to take the children so she could focus on her studies and enjoy her college years. He intended to ask the first and second aunts to help with the childcare and bring Grandpa and Grandma over to help as well, which would provide plenty of care. However, Jiang Xia still asked, “What do you think, Dr. Gao?”

Dr. Gao offered her opinion: “Since these are triplets, they were naturally a bit weaker than average babies at birth. It’s best to breastfeed until they are a year old. Even if you can’t make it to a year, try to breastfeed for at least six months. It’s better for their health. This is just a suggestion, of course. Your work and studies are also important, so you’ll have to plan accordingly.”

Jiang Xia’s heart began to waver again. “I see.”

She was never an indecisive person, but in two lifetimes, this was the first time children had caused her so much internal conflict.

As they were leaving the hospital and passing by the pediatrics department, they ran into Ruan Tang. Jiang Xia greeted her with a smile, “Dr. Ruan.”

Ruan Tang smiled back then looked at Father Jiang and Mother Zhou. She recognized Father Jiang, and from Mother Zhou’s appearance, she guessed she must be Zhou Chenglei’s mother; Zhou Chengsen looked more like Mother Zhou. She greeted them politely, “Uncle Jiang, Auntie Zhou.”

Mother Zhou didn’t know Ruan Tang and didn’t initially understand why she was being addressed, but she realized “Auntie Zhou” must mean her. She smiled and said, “Hello, Dr. Ruan.”

Father Jiang nodded with a smile. “Hello. You and your father should come by our house when you have the time.”

Ruan Tang replied, “I will.”

Then she said to Jiang Xia, “Please remind Comrade Zhou to come in for his injection on the second.”

Jiang Xia smiled. “Alright, I’ll remind him when I get back. You look busy, Dr. Ruan, so we’ll head home now.”

“Okay, take care.”

After the greetings, the family left.

Mother Zhou suddenly remembered her granddaughter mentioning a doctor sister, so she asked, “Was that Dr. Ruan the one who brought Yingying and Zhou Zhou back when they got lost?”

Jiang Xia nodded. “Yes.”

Mother Zhou felt a pang of regret. “I didn’t realize. I should have thanked her.”

Jiang Xia said, “It’s fine. Second Brother already thanked her.”

They had lunch at the Jiang family home.

Mother Jiang and Auntie Feng had prepared the meal.

After lunch, while Mother Zhou was in the restroom, Mother Jiang asked Jiang Xia, “When do you plan to leave for the capital?”

Jiang Xia: “The 29th.”

Jiang Dong immediately said, “Then I’ll book a flight for the morning of the 29th.”

When he went to the capital alone, he usually booked night flights. But going with his sister, it was better to leave in the morning so they would arrive in the afternoon and have half a day to get settled.

Jiang Xia said, “No rush. I’ll book it myself later. I’m not sure how many tickets I need yet.”

Jiang Dong insisted, “I’ll do it. I book tickets all the time and know the process. Just tell me how many you need when the time comes.”

Hearing this, Mother Jiang asked, “Going so early? What are your plans for the three children? Are you taking them to the capital?”

Jiang Xia replied, “I’m still considering it. Dr. Gao said it’s best not to wean the children until they’re at least six months old.”

Mother Jiang couldn’t help but sound critical. “Well, of course it’s better to wean them later. What time is it already? You’re still ‘considering’? If you had listened to me and applied to a school here in the city, this wouldn’t be an issue! But you wouldn’t listen! The children are so young—if you take them to the capital, will you hire someone to watch them? Will you be able to focus on your classes?”

Zhou Chenglei spoke up, “Mom, I’ll be there.”

Mother Jiang countered, “Are you saying you’re not going to work and will just stay home with the kids? Aren’t you building a factory? Are you going to quit halfway? And what about the fish you’re raising in that sea area you leased? You’ve put in over a hundred thousand, maybe hundreds of thousands—unless you manage it properly, are you just going to let that money go down the drain?!”

Father Jiang interrupted, “That’s enough. Xiaxia clearly has the ability to attend the best university; why should she settle for one in the city? Do you think just anyone can get into Q University? Why do you keep harping on this? They’re a married couple and will make their own arrangements. You won’t be the one raising them, so stop worrying!”

Mother Jiang was exasperated. “You stay out of this! You’ve spoiled both of them! If Xiaxia were studying in the city, I could help with the kids!”

One child insisted on going abroad to study—who knew when he’d return? And the other had just had babies and was already rushing off to the capital!

Father Jiang: “…”

Since the children and his in-law were there, Father Jiang didn’t say anything more to her, fearing an argument.

Zhou Chenglei said, “Dad, Mom, don’t worry. Raising the children won’t affect my work. We will make proper arrangements.”

Mother Jiang huffed, “Fine. You’re all so capable, so handle it yourselves. I can’t control you. I’m going to go check on the babies.”

Mother Jiang stood up and walked away.

Forget it. The capital was so big anyway.

The rest of the family: “…”

That night, after the children were asleep and Zhou Chenglei had finished his shower, Jiang Xia said, “I’ve made up my mind. Ask the first and second aunts if they are willing to go to the capital to help with the babies. I’ll take the three children with me this semester. You stay here and come visit us whenever you have time.”

“Alright, I’ll ask them.”

Flying from the city to the capital only took four or five hours. He could manage traveling back and forth.

After hearing what Dr. Gao said today, Zhou Chenglei knew Jiang Xia would change her mind. Fortunately, he had already had Jiang Dong buy a courtyard house in advance.

Zhou Chenglei pulled Jiang Xia into his arms.

Since the children were born, she had prioritized them in everything.

Fearing she wouldn’t have enough milk, she forced herself to eat and drank various soups to promote lactation until she wanted to vomit, yet she kept drinking them.

She used to be such a heavy sleeper that nothing could wake her, but now she woke up at the slightest sound. She got up two or three times every night to check for mosquito bites or to see if the children were properly covered.

If a child got a mosquito bite that stayed swollen for a few days, her heart would ache for just as long, and she’d wish she could wipe out the mosquito’s entire family tree.

She had gained weight during her pregnancy, and in just one month, she had worn herself thin taking care of the babies.

Perhaps this was what it meant to be a mother.

Once you have children, you lose yourself.

Chapter 571: Preparation

The next day, Zhou Chenglei told Mother Zhou that Jiang Xia planned to take the triplets to the capital.

Mother Zhou asked, “The weather in the capital must be very cold, right?”

“Yes, it’s cold outside, but it’s not cold inside the house. The children can’t walk yet, so they’ll spend most of their time indoors. They won’t be bothered by the cold.”

“That’s true.” Mother Zhou was reluctant to see her three grandsons leave for the capital, but she couldn’t interfere with her son and daughter-in-law’s decision.

Most importantly, since Dr. Gao had given his recommendation, everyone wanted the children to grow up stronger.

Mother Zhou also really wanted to go along and take care of the triplets, but she couldn’t leave home.

She still had two granddaughters to look after, Jiang Xia’s workshop to supervise, the family’s boat to meet for cargo when it returned, and the family’s fields to cultivate.

She had too many responsibilities.

Zhou Chenglei went to the production team office to call and ask his First Auntie and Second Auntie if they were willing to go to the capital to look after the children.

They had previously agreed to come help, but going to the capital was a different story.

They didn’t call back until noon. Zhou Chenglei was in the middle of eating but immediately put down his bowl to return the call.

When Zhou Chenglei returned, Jiang Xia asked, “Are First Auntie and Second Auntie willing to go?”

“First Auntie isn’t going. She thinks it’s too far and is afraid of the cold, worried she won’t get used to the weather there. But Second Auntie and her daughter, my Little Cousin, will go.”

Jiang Xia asked, “Isn’t the Little Cousin from Second Auntie’s family only in her teens?”

Zhou Chenglei nodded. “She’s eighteen now. Second Auntie said that letting her help take care of the children in the capital for a few months to see the world will be good for her. Grandpa and Grandma are also coming to help. They said they don’t want a salary; they just want to come along to help us look after the kids.”

Grandpa and Grandma knew the couple would be busy and were afraid Second Auntie and Little Cousin wouldn’t be able to handle three children on their own, so they decided to join them.

The two elders were older, but they were still healthy and vigorous. They usually had no trouble working in the fields and said they could help with some household chores.

The two seniors doted on Zhou Chenglei, their grandson, the most. They had waited and hoped for ages for him to marry and have children.

“Then it’s settled! Did you tell Jiang Dong to book four more plane tickets?”

“I already told him.”

For the next two days, Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei spent their time packing the children’s luggage and handing over the responsibilities for the fishing grounds, the factory, and the workshop to prepare for their departure to the capital.

Jiang Xia’s own luggage had long been packed, and Jiang Dong had already brought a suitcase of her things to the capital last time.

While finishing her packing, Jiang Xia also took the time to teach He Xiuhui and Aunt Fen how to make cold jellyfish salad.

Lord Hou had mentioned he would send over a batch of jellyfish soon.

Meanwhile, Mother Zhou packed up dried goods from the house—fish maw, sea cucumbers, dried octopus, dried scallops, dried shrimp, and abalone—to give to Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia to eat in the capital.

She wished she could even pack up the chickens for Jiang Xia to take with her.

Mother Zhou felt that the dried scallops and dried shrimp at home weren’t enough, so she went to the villagers to buy more.

Even though Zhou Chenglei told her not to buy any, she wouldn’t listen.

Mother Zhou visited several villagers and bought a total of five jin of dried scallops and seven jin of shrimp.

It was around one or two in the afternoon, and the villagers were cooling off in the Great Tree Garden. Seeing Mother Zhou buying so many dried scallops and shrimp, they asked, “Why are you buying so much?”

Mother Zhou smiled and said, “It’s for Xiao Xia to take to the capital. I heard everything is expensive there, so I’m buying more for her to take along.”

“Isn’t Xiao Xia going to the capital to stay in a school dormitory? Can she even cook at school?”

Mother Zhou replied, “She’s not staying at the school. The triplets’ uncle bought them a courtyard house in the capital, so they’ll be living there. Xiao Xia has to take the triplets with her to school; how could she stay in a dormitory?”

The group of villagers was speechless.

Jiang Xia’s brother bought her a car and now a courtyard house?

Why didn’t their own grandsons have such a wealthy and generous uncle?

“Since Xiao Xia is taking the children to the capital for school, are you going along to help look after them?”

Mother Zhou said, “I’m not going. There’s a pile of work at home to look after. How can I go?”

“Then who will look after the kids? Is A-Lei going? A-Lei alone can’t take care of three children, can he?”

Mother Zhou said, “A-Lei invited my sister-in-law and my niece to help out, and my parents are going over to help as well.”

The crowd fell silent.

To avoid gossip, Mother Zhou didn’t say she was “hiring” them, only that she was “asking relatives for help.”

But everyone knew it was a paid arrangement. Without money, who would have the time to help someone else raise their kids?

“By the way, when is Xiao Xia’s train? Guohua’s wife left two days ago.”

Mother Zhou said, “Guohua’s wife is taking the train, which takes four or five days to reach the capital. Xiao Xia is flying. Her brother already booked the plane tickets for her. I heard it only takes four or five hours by plane, so there’s no rush. They aren’t leaving until the 29th. By the time Xiao Xia arrives, Guohua’s wife probably won’t even be there yet!”

The villagers were again left speechless.

After showing off, Mother Zhou hurried home.

Over those two days, Zhou Chenglei went out to sea once and visited the factory once to settle all the affairs of the fishing grounds and the factory.

The fishing grounds usually didn’t require much work—just feeding the fish daily. They only needed to make preparations when a typhoon was coming and change the nets once a month.

With Zhou Chengxin managing the fishing grounds, Zhou Chenglei felt very reassured.

As for the factory, they could keep in touch by phone. The team building the factory was a small, professional construction crew sent by the construction company they had invested in previously.

Zhou Chengsen would also help keep an eye on the factory.

After everything was arranged, Zhou Chenglei took the luggage to the train station to have it shipped ahead to the capital.

Regardless, even after they arrived in the capital, the luggage wouldn’t have arrived yet.

Zhou Zhou and Zhou Ying were a little sad when they heard Jiang Xia was taking the triplets to the capital for university. “Auntie, when will you be back?”

Jiang Xia smiled and rubbed the two children’s heads. “Auntie will come back for the Mid-Autumn Festival or National Day. If I can’t come back, you can take a plane to the capital to play with your younger brothers and sister. Just have Yingying’s father take you. Auntie will buy the tickets for you. Normally, you can write letters to me and your siblings, and I’ll write back to you.”

Although round-trip plane tickets were expensive, it wasn’t as if Jiang Xia couldn’t afford them. If there was a holiday, she would definitely return often.

Jiang Xia had considered transferring Zhou Zhou to a school in the capital, but her goal was the same as Jiang Dong’s—to get her degree in two or three years and then return to develop her career.

So there was no need to transfer Zhou Zhou.

The capital was great, but she had lived there in her previous life. She truly loved this fishing village.

Zhou Zhou and Zhou Ying’s eyes lit up!

They both wanted to ride on a plane!

Furthermore, they had never written a letter before. They thought writing letters was something only adults did; they didn’t expect they would ever have someone to write to.

The two were very excited.

Jiang Xia then taught them how to write a letter.

She showed them how to start, how to end, and how to fill out the envelope.

She wrote out an envelope for them to keep so they could copy the recipient’s address, the sender’s address, and the zip code in the future.

“If there are characters you don’t know how to write, use pinyin or ask Yingying’s father. Once you’ve written them, Yingying, have your father help you mail them.”

“The address on the envelope must be written neatly and correctly. Otherwise, the postman won’t be able to read it and might send it somewhere else, and Auntie won’t receive it. You can write the address in pencil first and then trace over it with a ballpoint pen. Because when the postman sends letters, many are packed together during transport. If there’s too much friction between envelopes, words written in pencil can easily become blurred and unreadable.”

The two children nodded excitedly, almost wishing Jiang Xia would head to the capital immediately so they could start writing letters to her.

On the afternoon of the 28th, Second Auntie and Little Cousin arrived.

Jiang Dong had booked the flight for 9:00 AM on the 29th.

At 6:00 AM on the 29th, the group departed from home for the airport.

Zhou Chengsen drove them to the airport.

Chapter 572: Arrival

Jiang Xia and her group arrived back at the courtyard house from the airport by three in the afternoon.

Zhang Fuyan had driven the Jeep to pick them up.

Because bicycles were constantly being stolen, Jiang Dong had simply bought a Jeep in the capital as well; it was also a birthday gift for Zhang Fuyan.

Jiang Xia looked around the courtyard house.

Zhang Fuyan and Jiang Dong had come over long ago to clean the place and had opened the doors and windows for ventilation.

As soon as Jiang Dong bought the yard, he had found people to renovate it, so both the interior and exterior looked very new. Of course, it was only a simple renovation, so the entire courtyard still looked quite rustic and plain.

There was a ginkgo tree in the yard. By the end of October, when the ginkgo leaves turned yellow, it would surely be beautiful.

Second Auntie remarked, “This courtyard is so comfortable!”

Grandpa added, “This house is good!”

The three children were already awake. Since they hadn’t cried or fussed once upon entering the yard, Grandpa felt that the house must be good.

Jiang Xia thought so too. How good was it? In her previous life, she wouldn’t have even dared to dream of owning such a courtyard house in this part of the capital.

Grandma observed, “This yard is quite big. We can grow some vegetables and flowers.”

Grandma began planning how to fit as many vegetables as possible into the space.

Grandpa countered, “It’s not just ‘quite big’; this is considered huge in the capital. You can’t compare it to the houses and yards back in our village. Don’t even think about planting vegetables; this yard needs to be left for the children to play in!”

No matter how many vegetables she planted in the yard, it would never be enough to eat—they would still have to buy them. So what was the point?

Jiang Xia smiled and said, “It’s okay. They don’t know how to play yet, so Grandma can plant whatever she likes. You’ve all been on the plane for a while and must be tired. Grandpa, Grandma, Second Auntie, Qiufeng, why don’t you each pick a room and get some rest?”

Zhang Fuyan smiled and added, “Yes, rest first. Those three rooms are all guest rooms. I wiped down the beds and furniture yesterday. The blankets and everything else are new ones Jiang Dong bought, and we’ve already washed them, so you can go straight to sleep.”

Jiang Dong was holding the eldest brother. “Uncle found someone to make a crib for you all. Go see if it’s comfortable.”

The crib was placed in the living room. It was equipped with swivel wheels, so it could be pushed into the bedroom at night and out to the living room during the day. Although there were thresholds at the doorways that required a bit of lifting, it was still very convenient.

The furniture in the living room was all new solid wood.

After letting the three children play in the crib for a while, Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia went back to their room to unpack.

The bed, dressing table, and wardrobe in the room were all new. Jiang Dong had prepared everything for them.

Jiang Xia said to Zhou Chenglei, “Remember to pay A-Dong back for all this later.”

“I will.”

Jiang Xia opened the wardrobe to put away the clothes they had brought. There were already many clothes inside, most of which were items Jiang Xia had previously asked Jiang Dong to bring over. There were also a few new outfits, likely bought by him and Zhang Fuyan together.

There were many sets of baby clothes as well. One look told her they had been washed and were ready to wear.

Husband and wife worked together to transfer the clothes from the suitcases to the wardrobe.

Once everything was settled and the three children were fed, it was already past five o’clock. They went out to a nearby restaurant for dinner.

After dinner, Jiang Dong drove Zhang Fuyan home.

The courtyard house Jiang Dong had bought was right next door and had also been renovated, but he hadn’t moved in yet, preferring to stay in the dorms. A courtyard house was too large and quiet for one person; he didn’t like it.

Jiang Xia suggested he live with her from now on, as there were still three or four spare rooms.

Jiang Dong replied, “No need. I’ll live next door from now on. Sister, if you need anything, just call me.”

His father had also instructed him to come over and help his sister with the children whenever he was free. Especially when his brother-in-law wasn’t around.

The children were small, and it was common for them to get sick or run a fever in the middle of the night. His father was worried that if a child fell ill at night, Jiang Xia and the other women would be scared to take them to the hospital alone.

Jiang Dong planned to move back to his courtyard house. When his brother-in-law was away, he would sleep in the guest room here. When his brother-in-law was home, he would stay next door so as not to trouble his sister.

It had been a long day of travel. After returning from dinner, Jiang Xia, Zhou Chenglei, and Second Auntie bathed the three children and coaxed them to sleep. Everyone turned in early.

The next day, Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Dong took Second Auntie and Grandpa out to get familiar with the surroundings and show them where the vegetable market was.

When they returned, Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Dong were each pushing a new women’s bicycle. One was for Jiang Xia to ride to school, and the other was for Second Auntie to use for grocery shopping.

Jiang Dong warned Jiang Xia, “Sister, when you park the bike on the side of the road, don’t forget to lock it, or it will be stolen! I’ve already lost three bicycles since coming to the capital.”

Second Auntie’s heart ached at the thought. “Really? Then I’ll just walk to the market! There’s no need for a bike. Why don’t you see if anyone wants it and sell it to them?”

She was afraid that if she rode it out, it would go missing.

Jiang Xia laughed. “Second Auntie, it’s fine. My brother only lost his because he always forgot to lock them. When you go shopping, you’ll be with the bike the whole time. Who could steal it then?”

Jiang Dong nodded. “Exactly. The market is a bit far; it’s inconvenient without a bike. And selling it now would just be a loss!”

Only then did Second Auntie stop protesting, though she mentally reminded herself to guard the bicycle carefully.

In the afternoon, Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Dong went out again and returned with a television and a refrigerator.

In the future, he would bring seafood over for Jiang Xia, so a refrigerator was essential. As for the TV, Zhou Chenglei had bought it to help Grandpa and Grandma pass the time.

While Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Dong were installing the antenna, Jiang Xia held a child in the living room, watching the screen to see if a picture would appear.

Grandpa and Grandma didn’t have a TV at home. Watching them work, Grandpa asked, “Did this TV cost two hundred yuan?”

Zhou Chenglei replied, “No, it wasn’t much.”

Grandma chimed in, “You’re just trying to fool us! Why buy this? We don’t even like watching TV.”

Jiang Xia smiled. “I like watching it! Grandma, you can watch it with me from now on.”

Hearing this, Grandma smiled and said, “Alright!”

However, she had heard from Mother Zhou that Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei rarely watched TV except for the news and weather forecast during dinner. Jiang Xia usually spent her free time working as a translator to earn money.

The couple was very diligent about making a living.

This TV was, in fact, bought for them. Grandma felt a bit of a twinge in her heart, knowing they had spent so much money on their behalf.

The climate in the capital turned cold much earlier and much more intensely than in their hometown.

The next day, Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei took the children, Grandpa, Grandma, Second Auntie, and her daughter out to buy some heavy clothing.

When they arrived at the entrance of the department store, Grandpa and Grandma were reluctant to go inside.

Grandpa said, “I brought enough clothes! I don’t need to buy any!”

Jiang Xia explained, “Grandpa, the weather in the capital gets very cold. Once winter hits, there will be heavy snow. The clothes you brought from home are warm enough for there, but they definitely won’t be enough here.”

Grandma added, “The clothes inside are so expensive! Let’s not buy them here. Let’s just buy some cotton and fabric, and we’ll make them ourselves when we get back. It’s not winter yet; there’s still time to make them.”

Second Auntie agreed, “Yes, let’s just buy the cotton and make them ourselves. I know how.”

As the group stood at the entrance, unwilling to go in and blocking the way, someone couldn’t help but snap, “If you’re not going in, could you please not block the path?”

Chapter 573: Looking Quite Good

“I’m sorry.” Second Auntie and Grandma quickly moved to the side to make way.

Jiang Xia stepped back with them, glancing back as she did. Standing behind them were a mother and daughter.

The younger woman had permed, curly hair and was dressed very fashionably. The older woman wore a formal suit, looking poised and dignified.

The two women cast a brief, casual glance at the group. Perhaps because Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei stood out so much, both the mother and daughter couldn’t help but take a second look.

When the older woman’s gaze swept across Jiang Xia’s face, her eyes lingered for a moment. Meanwhile, the younger woman couldn’t help but stare at Zhou Chenglei for an extra beat.

Once Jiang Xia and her group had moved several steps away, the mother and daughter walked gracefully into the wide entrance of the department store.

After they were inside, Li Qiufeng couldn’t help but mutter under her breath, “The entrance is so big, how were we blocking the way?”

A few meters into the department store, Dong Yan found herself looking back at Jiang Xia once more.

Seeing this, Gu Yue also turned her head. “Mom, do you know them?”

Dong Yan shook her head. “Their accents don’t sound local. I was just curious where they’re from. Don’t you think that young female comrade is… quite good-looking?”

“Well, based on the accent, they’re definitely not from the capital. Good-looking? Her skin is just a bit fair, that’s all. She’s not as pretty as me!”

Gu Yue didn’t like her mother praising anyone else’s looks. She took another look at Jiang Xia and then at Zhou Chenglei beside her.

That man was even more handsome!

Dong Yan smiled. “Of course, she can’t compare to you.” She glanced back at Jiang Xia one last time before turning away.

The mother and daughter walked together toward the ready-made clothes section.

Second Auntie watched their elegant figures retreat. “See, the people who come to the mall to buy clothes are people like them. We don’t need to shop at a mall. If we wore those to work and got them dirty, it would break my heart for days.”

What ‘people like them’? We’re all human, Zhou Chenglei thought to himself, though he didn’t say it aloud. “Let’s go in and see if there’s anything suitable. We need to buy several sets of thick clothes and extra blankets for the babies. We should also get the powdered milk from the department store.”

Jiang Xia added, “Let’s go! Other places are quite far, and walking back and forth would take over an hour. It’s not convenient to take the babies on the bus, either.”

Jiang Xia was also worried the babies might get bumped on the bus. Besides, instead of spending so much time traveling elsewhere, she would rather save that time to work as a translator and earn money. She could earn far more than she would save.

Hearing this, Second Auntie and Grandma stopped protesting.

The group entered the mall together, carrying the children. Grandpa and Grandma had never been inside such a massive department store; they usually bought everything at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative. As they walked through the mall, they couldn’t help but look around in wonder.

Since they had bought all the basic household necessities the day before, Jiang Xia headed straight for the clothing section.

Second Auntie pointed in a certain direction. “They sell children’s clothes over there.”

They walked over.

Grandma, being experienced, felt a thin fleece blanket and a thicker swaddle. “This thin fleece one is good. You can wrap it around them when it’s cold, and then buy one of these thick padded ones to go on the outside. When it’s not too cold, just use the thin one. When it’s colder, use the thick one. If it’s still not warm enough, you can use both.”

Second Auntie agreed, “Yes, these thin fleece blankets are quite warm and wrap tightly. They don’t come undone easily, so they keep the heat in better.”

Jiang Xia picked out the one that looked like the best quality. She ignored the patterns; none of them were particularly attractive anyway. She asked the salesclerk, “How much is this one?”

The salesclerk glanced at them. She was busy knitting a sweater and didn’t even lift her head as she spoke. “This one is from Shanghai. It has a high wool content. It’s 19.8 yuan.”

“So expensive!” Grandma exclaimed.

“Yes. And you need a coupon for it,” the clerk replied. “We have cheaper ones, but even the cheap ones are 15 yuan.”

Second Auntie noted, “It’s more expensive than back home, but this one does feel a bit thicker and sturdier than the ones we have there.”

The salesclerk didn’t say anything else.

Jiang Xia nodded. “The weather is colder here.” That was exactly why she was worried the ones they brought wouldn’t be warm enough.

Jiang Xia bought two fleece blankets and two even thicker swaddles.

Seeing this, Grandpa reminded her, “Did you buy one too few? Shouldn’t you buy three?”

“We already have three blankets at home. I’m buying these two as spares in case the babies wet themselves and we need a change.”

She had seen that the wardrobe at home already contained three fleece blankets and three thick padded swaddles, along with three very thick hooded cloak-style blankets—likely prepared by Jiang Dong and Zhang Fuyan. She had also packed some to bring, but since they were coming by train, they hadn’t arrived yet, and none were this thick.

Without disposable diapers, using cloth diapers meant it was easy for clothes and blankets to get wet. Sometimes, while changing them, the babies would suddenly pee, soaking their clothes and the sheets. Having two extra wouldn’t hurt.

The salesclerk looked up at Jiang Xia. They have three at home and she still is willing to buy two more as spares?

Jiang Xia then bought the children three sets of thick coats and three thin quilted jackets. The coats she had bought back home weren’t as thick as these.

The blankets and clothes totaled over two hundred yuan.

Next, Jiang Xia walked toward the adult ready-made clothes section. She picked out a down jacket for Grandpa, Grandma, Second Auntie, and Li Qiufeng each, telling them to try them on.

Grandma held the jacket and asked the clerk, “How much is this?”

“Eighty yuan.”

Second Auntie gasped. “Eighteen, right? It’s so light, how can it be eighty yuan? You must have said it wrong.”

The salesclerk, seeing their shock, explained, “This is a duck down jacket! Down jackets are supposed to be light, but they are warmer than quilted jackets.”

“It’s so light, how warm can it be?” Second Auntie doubted.

Grandpa and Grandma waved their hands dismissively. “We’re not trying them on!” It was far too expensive!

The salesclerk couldn’t be bothered to argue.

Zhou Chenglei, holding two babies by himself, said, “Just try them. This kind of clothing is warmer than a quilted jacket, and it will stay warm for ten years or more.”

Jiang Xia also coaxed them, “Even though it’s eighty yuan, it averages out to less than ten yuan a year. It’s not that expensive when you look at it that way.”

Jiang Xia reached out to take the baby from Second Auntie’s arms. “Try it on. Once you do, you’ll see that these down jackets are much lighter and more flexible than quilted jackets, which makes it easier to work in them. If you won’t try them, I’ll just buy them anyway. But if I buy them and the fit is wrong, they won’t let me return or exchange them.”

Only then did the group reluctantly agree to try them on.

Jiang Xia saw that they all fit well and then moved on to look at sweaters.

Second Auntie quickly spoke up, “No need to buy sweaters! Qiufeng and I can both knit. Just buy the wool! I can finish a sweater in two or three days. Don’t waste money; hand-knitted sweaters are warmer anyway.”

Grandpa and Grandma also chimed in, “We brought sweaters and quilted jackets from home. No need to buy more!”

Jiang Xia didn’t push the sweaters, sensing their embarrassment. She decided she would just buy wool later. With enough wool, they could also knit sweaters and wool hats for the three babies.

The four down jackets cost a total of 318 yuan. Jiang Xia paid for them directly.

Dong Yan and Gu Yue, who were nearby looking at shoes, were stunned to see Jiang Xia buy four down jackets for her relatives without a second thought. Down jackets were high-end luxury items; few people were willing to spend so much on them!

Moreover, they had just seen her buy a pile of baby items for over two hundred yuan. To spend five or six hundred yuan in one go without even blinking—while such people existed, there certainly weren’t many of them.

Gu Yue couldn’t help but look at Jiang Xia again. Back outside, seeing them hesitate to even enter the mall, she never would have imagined they were this wealthy!

Just then, Zhou Chenglei called out to Jiang Xia, “Xiaxia, come here and try these shoes.”

Jiang Xia had only brought one pair of shoes in her luggage, and he was worried she didn’t have enough to change into.

Gu Yue looked over and froze. It was the exact pair of lambskin leather shoes she had just had her eye on—the ones she wanted but couldn’t bring herself to buy.

Chapter 574: So Alike!

Zhou Chenglei had good taste, and Jiang Xia liked the shoes the moment she saw them. She asked the sales clerk for her size and tried them on. They looked great on her feet, and she thought they would look even better paired with a long coat when the weather turned colder.

She decided to buy them.

Gu Yue: “…”

A pair of shoes costing over sixty yuan, and she bought them after a single fitting without a second thought!

After Jiang Xia paid, she bought three kilograms of wool yarn. She then checked her watch. “It’s eleven o’clock. Let’s head home!”

They had been out for nearly two hours, and she was worried the baby might wake up hungry soon.

“Alright.”

With that, the group left the mall.

As they stepped out of the mall, Dong Yan and Gu Yue happened to be leaving as well.

A car was parked at the mall entrance, and the mother and daughter got in and drove off.

Jiang Xia and her group walked back.

As the car passed them, Dong Yan, sitting inside, couldn’t help but fix her gaze on Jiang Xia’s face once more.

Twenty minutes later, the car drove into the residential compound.

As soon as Dong Yan returned home, she went straight to her husband’s study. She pulled an old book from the bottom shelf of the bookcase and opened it. A black-and-white photograph slipped out of the pages and fluttered to the floor.

Dong Yan picked it up.

The woman in the photo was wearing a military uniform and a cap with a red star, smiling radiantly.

Dong Yan crouched on the floor, clutching the photo.

So alike!

They looked far too much alike!

She remained crouched there, staring at the photo for a long time. She lost track of time until she heard Gu Yue’s voice outside calling “Dad.”

She quickly tucked the photo back into the book and returned it to the shelf. Just as she tried to stand up, she realized her legs had gone numb.

When Gu Heng walked into the study, he saw his wife tidying his desk, adjusting a family photo.

Dong Yan smiled. “You’re back?”

Gu Heng replied, “Mhm. I can tidy the study myself; you don’t need to do it for me.”

“I was just wiping away some dust.”

Gu Heng didn’t say anything more.

“I’ll go check if lunch is ready.”

“Alright.”

Dong Yan walked out, but because her legs were still numb, her gait was a bit stiff.

Gu Heng noticed and asked with concern, “What’s wrong with your legs?”

“It’s nothing. I went shopping with Yueyue today and walked a bit too much.”

Gu Heng didn’t suspect anything; his wife and daughter always spent a long time when they went shopping.

After she left, Gu Heng closed the door, placed a document in the safe, and then went out to eat.

During the meal, Gu Heng asked his daughter, “Didn’t you buy anything while shopping with your mother today?”

Dong Yan answered, “No. Yueyue liked a pair of leather shoes and a new down jacket, but I couldn’t bring myself to buy them for her.”

Gu Yue pouted. “And that pair of shoes was bought by another woman! I saw her buy four down jackets and a pair of leather shoes all at once. She spent over six hundred yuan in a single visit!”

Dong Yan glanced at her husband. “I wonder whose child she is, to be so wealthy.”

Whose child? Probably a spoiled one, Gu Heng thought. He did not approve of such spending habits.

“That kind of extravagant spending is undesirable. How many people can’t even afford a single down jacket with a month’s salary? Are quilted jackets not wearable?”

Gu Yue argued, “But down jackets are warmer!”

Gu Heng replied, “Even so, there’s no need to buy four. One is enough to wear.”

“Dad, I want to buy one too.”

“Didn’t you buy one last year?”

Gu Yue groaned. “I don’t like the black one I bought last year. Besides, having only one isn’t enough to rotate when it needs washing. I want a pink one. Dad, I got into Q University—why don’t you give it to me as a reward? Mom refuses to buy it for me!”

“Weren’t you already rewarded?” Even so, Gu Heng still doted on his daughter. “Only one more. You have enough clothes as it is!”

“Thank you, Dad! Then give me a hundred yuan! I’ll go buy it next time I’m free.”

Her mother only allowed her to spend a hundred yuan, and not a cent more!

Now that her father was giving her another hundred yuan, she could buy both the leather shoes and the down jacket, and maybe even a new skirt for autumn.

“Dad, will you take me to the school tomorrow to report for registration?”

“Sure.”

Chapter 575: Plain and Simple

The next morning, Jiang Dong drove Jiang Xia to Q University to register, with Zhou Chenglei accompanying them.

Jiang Dong had moved back to the courtyard house next door the previous afternoon. He went over to Jiang Xia’s house for breakfast early in the morning, then drove her to school, picking up Zhang Fuyan along the way.

Jiang Xia knew that Zhang Fuyan and Jiang Dong usually bought breakfast from roadside stalls near the school every morning, so she had packed a portion for her.

Sitting in the back, Jiang Xia handed a lunch box and a thermos to Zhang Fuyan in the passenger seat. “Rice dumplings and dried scallop lean pork porridge. I’m not sure if they’ll be to your taste.”

Zhang Fuyan turned around with a smile and took them. “This is wonderful! Finally, a change of pace. I’ve been tired of the breakfast outside for ages!”

Jiang Dong glanced at her while driving. “Grandma made it; it’s delicious. I had two bowls of porridge and four rice dumplings.”

Zhang Fuyan opened the lunch box immediately and used her chopsticks to pick up a rice dumpling. “Delicious!”

These rice dumplings were filled with radish and minced pork, with a bit of celery and peanuts added for extra aroma. Each bite offered the sweetness of the radish and the faint fragrance of celery, with the occasional crunch of a peanut making it even more savory.

The skins of the rice dumplings were drizzled with a bit of special seafood sauce—it was incredibly tasty!

Grandma had made two kinds of sauce: spicy and non-spicy.

Jiang Xia liked the spicy version, but Grandma was worried that if Jiang Xia ate too much spicy food, the baby might get a diaper rash, so she had prepared a milder sauce for her as well.

Jiang Xia smiled. “Grandma and Second Auntie made them together. If you like them, I’ll bring breakfast for you from now on. They’re both quite skilled at making all sorts of snacks.”

“It really is delicious, much better than the stalls near our school. I’m in luck from now on! Xiaxia is the best to me! Now I won’t have to eat those big steamed buns every day.”

Jiang Dong: “…”

He didn’t make her eat those big steamed buns every day; he always tried to buy different things for her breakfast.

Only occasionally would they go to the canteen for corn porridge and steamed buns.

Jiang Xia laughed. “It’s just that you’ve eaten those things around the school too often and have grown tired of them.”

Since arriving in this era, Jiang Xia had discovered that many foods were exceptionally delicious. The vegetables weren’t the kind grown in a single week; they had a very rich flavor. Pigs had to be raised for a full year to reach maturity, and without excessive hormones, the pork tasted particularly fragrant. Even the plain white rice was sweeter than what she remembered from her previous life.

Seafood went without saying! Each day, she ate the freshest catch, incomparable to the seafood found in markets in her past life.

Now, Jiang Xia found even plain white rice or a simple steamed bun sweet and satisfying. Especially in the dead of winter, a steaming hot bowl of rice or a bun fresh from the steamer was truly fragrant and sweet.

She wasn’t sure if it was just because she had a good appetite, but everything she ate tasted wonderful.

…

Q University Campus.

Cars were not allowed inside the campus.

Jiang Dong first pulled over at the school gate to let Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei out.

Zhang Fuyan had duties assisting with new student orientation, so she couldn’t accompany Jiang Xia to register.

Once they were out of the car, Jiang Dong went to find a place to park.

Being registration day, many students were coming and going through the campus.

Zhou Chenglei held a trolley suitcase in one hand and carried a plastic bucket in the other, which contained a thermos, towels, and similar items.

Jiang Xia carried an enamel basin in her hands.

The two walked into the campus together.

Jiang Xia planned to apply for a bed at the school. Because her clothes would sometimes get wet from breast engorgement, having a dormitory made it convenient to change, so she had brought some clothes and bedding.

Most people were carrying their luggage in bags with both hands or lugging heavy bedrolls on their backs; only Jiang Xia had a simple trolley suitcase.

Moving so effortlessly immediately drew countless gazes, and passersby couldn’t help but steal a look.

Gu Heng followed his daughter into the campus, carrying her luggage.

Up ahead, Jiang Xia turned to speak to Zhou Chenglei, who leaned his head slightly toward her to listen.

Gu Yue recognized Jiang Xia instantly, as well as Zhou Chenglei and the trolley suitcase beside him.

Gu Yue tugged at Gu Heng and gestured toward the pair ahead. “Dad, that’s the man and woman who bought four down jackets yesterday. I didn’t expect them to be from our school too.”

Gu Heng looked at the two in front of them.

Their attire was very plain and normal.

Unlike his daughter, who wished she could wear a different outfit every single day.

Every piece of clothing had to be paired with specific shoes.

“Look at how simply that female comrade is dressed! You should learn from her. Don’t always want to buy expensive things; we can’t have those capitalist ideas.”

Today, Jiang Xia was wearing a white Dacron floral blouse and green military trousers.

Zhou Chenglei was also in a white shirt and green military trousers.

In this era, the streets were still dominated by simple grays, blues, military greens, and whites.

In the morning tide of bicycles, everything looked dusty and gray at a glance. Only a few people wore bright colors, and those who dressed fashionably and beautifully were few and far between.

His daughter and wife were among those few.

Hearing her father start lecturing again, Gu Yue felt a bit annoyed. She felt her father always missed the point.

“Dad, did you see the trolley suitcase that man is pulling? Do you know how much that suitcase costs? The cheapest one at the Friendship Store is over two hundred yuan.”

Moreover, she felt that their suitcase didn’t look like a two-hundred-yuan model. It felt even more expensive! She hadn’t seen that style before—could it be a new model?

Besides, the woman’s clothes were brand new and had no patches. Could that even be called plain? That was called “pristine”!

If she had a suitcase like that, she would be willing to dress “simply” too!

“Ahem… that’s a practical item; it looks like it can be used for a long time.”

Gu Heng had heard his daughter talk about it before, so he knew what a trolley suitcase was and that they had become famous at the Canton Fair.

Gu Yue pursed her lips. “Then when I wanted a suitcase for over a hundred yuan, didn’t you say it was useless?”

Gu Heng replied, “They might be from out of town, but your home is right here in the capital. I’m helping you carry your luggage; you don’t need to lift it yourself. You don’t go on business trips, so why buy one?”

Gu Heng naturally wouldn’t agree to spending one or two hundred yuan on something that wouldn’t be used frequently.

Gu Yue couldn’t help but pout.

Up ahead, Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei reached the registration desk. They filled out some forms, signed their names, received the dormitory keys, and collected their food coupons: a total of 36 jin, consisting of 9 jin of rice coupons, 20 jin of flour coupons, and 7 jin of cornmeal coupons.

Just as Jiang Xia finished registering and turned to leave, Gu Heng and Gu Yue arrived at the desk.

Because his daughter had been talking about them the whole way, Gu Heng instinctively looked at Jiang Xia and then froze for a moment.

Jiang Xia didn’t look at him. She took Zhou Chenglei’s arm. “Let’s go!”

The couple passed through the crowd and walked away.

Gu Heng’s gaze couldn’t help but follow them.

Gu Yue was also watching Jiang Xia.

Just now, when Jiang Xia raised her hand to pull Zhou Chenglei, Gu Yue had seen a Longines watch on her wrist.

She liked that specific model very much!

It cost several hundred yuan!

Even she couldn’t bring herself to buy it!

“Dad, did you see the watch on her wrist?”

Gu Heng snapped back to reality. “Who? What watch?”

Gu Yue said, “That female comrade! Didn’t you say she was dressed simply? Did you see what kind of watch she’s wearing?”

Gu Heng shook his head, his eyes reflexively drifting back to Jiang Xia’s retreating figure. “No.”

“Dad, what she’s wearing is the Longines watch I like best. Do you still say she dresses simply?”

Gu Heng gave an absentminded “Mhm.”

Gu Yue watched Jiang Xia. “Dad, if I had a watch like that, I could dress that ‘simply’ too!”

A single watch on that woman’s wrist probably cost as much as all the clothes Gu Yue would buy for an entire summer.

And Gu Yue had to admit, Jiang Xia looked quite beautiful dressed like that!

Was tying one’s hair in a high ponytail really that attractive?

“Are you here to register?” It wasn’t until the school staff spoke up that the father and daughter returned to their senses.

Chapter 576: Dormitory

Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei arrived at the girls’ dormitory.

Since they had arrived early, the dormitory door was still locked.

Jiang Xia opened the door. “There’s no one inside; we’re the first to arrive.”

Seeing that the room was empty, Zhou Chenglei walked in with Jiang Xia.

The dormitory was only a dozen or so square meters. It contained four bunk beds that could sleep eight people, along with several desks. It would likely feel very crowded once it was full.

This dormitory couldn’t compare to modern university dorms, but at least it was in a multi-story building. For many children coming from the countryside, it was already very comfortable.

Zhou Chenglei asked Jiang Xia, “Do you want to pick a top bunk?”

Jiang Xia nodded. “Yes, a top bunk.”

She likely wouldn’t sleep here often, perhaps only taking a nap here on rainy days at noon.

Roommates wouldn’t sit on a top bunk, so it would stay cleaner.

Zhou Chenglei pointed to the bunk on the left, furthest inside and next to the window. “How about that one?”

Jiang Xia also thought the spot by the window was good, even if a draft might whistle through in the winter. “That’s good.”

Once the bed was decided, Zhou Chenglei went out to fetch a bucket of water. He took a rag and wiped down the bed boards and the frame.

Jiang Xia also used a rag to wipe a desk clean.

Since she wouldn’t be staying there often, she chose a desk in the furthest corner, leaving the desks in better positions for her other roommates.

As the two of them were busy working, Gu Yue walked in.

Gu Yue froze for a moment when she saw Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei. She hadn’t expected such a coincidence!

She then hurriedly said to her father, Gu Heng, who was outside, “Dad, come in! There’s another man in here.”

Gu Heng entered then, pausing when he saw Jiang Xia.

Gu Yue, curious about who these people were, took the initiative to greet them. She smiled and said, “Hello, I’m Gu Yue, from Foreign Language Class 1. Are you in Foreign Language Class 1 too?”

Jiang Xia recognized her as the woman she had seen outside the mall yesterday. She replied, “Hello! I’m Jiang Xia, from Fashion Design Class 1.”

Jiang Xia. Gu Heng repeated the name silently in his mind.

Gu Yue looked at Zhou Chenglei again. “Xiao Xia, is that your brother? This is my father.”

She had seen Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei holding three children yesterday and guessed they were a couple, but she felt it wasn’t polite to ask directly.

Only then did Gu Heng shift his gaze to Zhou Chenglei.

“Hello, Uncle,” Jiang Xia greeted Gu Heng first before adding, “This is my husband.”

Gu Heng nodded with a smile. “Hello.”

“Hello,” Zhou Chenglei turned and greeted them, his gaze sweeping over Gu Heng’s face.

Gu Yue sized up Zhou Chenglei. He was definitely the most imposing yet handsome man she had ever seen! She smiled. “Hello!”

After the greeting, Zhou Chenglei lowered his head and continued wiping the bed boards.

He didn’t think it was appropriate to stay in the girls’ dormitory for long, so he quickened his pace, wanting to get the bed made as soon as possible so they could leave.

Gu Heng couldn’t help but observe Zhou Chenglei as he fastidiously wiped the bed.

Gu Yue continued chatting with Jiang Xia. “I didn’t expect you to be married so young! Were those triplets yesterday your children?”

Triplets? Gu Heng turned his head abruptly.

Not everyone could have multiple births; it usually involved genetics.

“Yes.” Jiang Xia had finished wiping the desk and began taking out items like her water cup, thermos, and lunch box.

Trying to build a rapport, Gu Yue continued, “I really couldn’t tell you’d already had three children! You look about the same age as me. I’m seventeen. How old are you?”

Jiang Xia really did look very young, appearing to be about the same age as her. Crucially, her skin was excellent—even better than Gu Yue’s own.

Gu Yue couldn’t guess her age at all.

If she hadn’t seen the couple out with three children with her own eyes, she wouldn’t have believed Jiang Xia had already given birth.

Gu Heng also looked toward Jiang Xia.

Jiang Xia replied, “I’m already twenty-one.”

“Twenty-one? You’re four years older than me, but your skin is so good! It’s even better than mine at seventeen. What skincare products do you use?”

Jiang Xia said, “I don’t really use much skincare in the summer. I mostly focus on sun protection—just making sure I don’t get tanned. In the winter, I use some moisturizing face cream.”

By then, Zhou Chenglei had finished cleaning the bed boards. He climbed down, opened the trolley suitcase, took out a mosquito net, and began hanging it up.

Gu Yue asked Jiang Xia again, “That trolley suitcase looks like it can hold a lot of stuff! Even a quilt fits inside. How much did you buy it for?”

Inside the suitcase was a thin silk quilt folded into a square, a mosquito net, a pillow, a mat, a change of clothes, and a jacket.

Zhou Chenglei had packed everything for Jiang Xia, folding every item perfectly so it would all fit.

“It was a gift. I have to take care of my children, so I won’t be living here regularly. I didn’t prepare many things. Aren’t you going to pick a bed?” Jiang Xia didn’t like talking too much, and seeing the father and daughter just standing there, she prompted them.

Gu Yue replied, “My home is right here in the capital, so I won’t stay in the dorm often either. I’ll just take the bunk below yours.”

Jiang Xia naturally had no objection; everyone had the right to choose their bed.

Gu Heng couldn’t help but ask, “You’re not staying in the dorm? Are you also from the capital?”

Jiang Xia replied, “No.”

As for where she was from, she didn’t say.

Gu Heng wanted to ask more but felt it would be intrusive.

He looked at his daughter.

Gu Yue didn’t catch his drift and thought he wanted her to wipe the bed. “Dad, you have to help me get a bucket of water! I can’t carry it.”

Gu Heng: “…”

He had no choice but to head out with the bucket.

With the mosquito net hung, Jiang Xia placed the pillow and the quilt on the bed.

Zhou Chenglei arranged the pillow and quilt neatly.

The husband and wife worked together in silent harmony.

Finally, Jiang Xia put away the two sets of clothes.

Once everything was organized, Zhou Chenglei climbed down from the bed.

Gu Yue looked at the quilt, which was folded as neatly as a block of tofu. “Is your husband a soldier?”

His aura seemed even stronger than her father’s; his rank probably wasn’t low.

To hold a high position at such a young age, his family must have a significant background.

Furthermore, the watch on Jiang Xia’s wrist and that trolley suitcase weren’t things an ordinary person could buy. One would have to go to a Friendship Store!

And was the Friendship Store a place normal people could just enter?

Even if you could get in, you couldn’t buy anything without foreign exchange certificates.

Foreign exchange certificates were incredibly hard to come by. On the black market, a hundred yuan worth of foreign exchange certificates sold for a hundred and thirty yuan, and they were still in high demand!

Jiang Xia replied, “He has already been discharged from the military.”

Gu Yue: “…”

Huh? That wasn’t what she had expected.

Still, one could get a very good position after being discharged and transferred to civilian work!

She wanted to keep digging.

But Jiang Xia didn’t want to say anything more.

Zhou Chenglei was about to take the water in the basin and bucket outside to dump.

Jiang Xia hurriedly said, “You take the bucket; I’ll dump the basin.”

So, the couple went out together to empty the water.

Gu Heng returned with a bucket of water and smiled when he saw them. “Are you all finished?”

“Yes, we’re done.”

After dumping the water, Zhou Chenglei rinsed the basin and bucket clean, and they walked back to the dorm.

Zhou Chenglei didn’t go back inside.

Jiang Xia put the bucket and basin away and said to Gu Heng and his daughter, “We’re leaving now.”

Now that she had checked in, there was nothing else to do today. Classes wouldn’t start until tomorrow.

“Okay, see you tomorrow,” Gu Yue said enthusiastically.

“Goodbye.” Jiang Xia pulled the now-empty trolley suitcase and left.

She and Zhou Chenglei still had to go home to take the children to visit the Old Chief.

Gu Heng watched Jiang Xia walk out of the dormitory.

Chapter 577: Why Bother Investigating?

After Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei went downstairs…

Gu Heng asked as he helped his daughter wipe down her bed frame, “Where was that classmate from just now?”

Gu Yue replied, “I don’t know, she didn’t say.”

Gu Heng didn’t ask further.

Twenty-one years old… twenty-one years ago.

Gu Yue, being talkative, added, “She mentioned her husband was discharged from the military and transferred to a civilian job. Dad, why don’t you look into which government unit he’s in? I get the feeling his position shouldn’t be low. Jiang Xia doesn’t look like an ordinary person either.”

“Why bother investigating? I’m not as free as you are, always meddling in other people’s business.”

Gu Yue pouted. “I just want to make friends with Jiang Xia. If you won’t check, I’ll ask Mom to do it.”

Gu Heng countered, “You are not allowed to check! You’re interested in everything except your studies!”

Gu Yue pursed her lips. “If I wasn’t interested in my studies, could I have gotten into Q University?”

Hmph!

Gu Heng softened his tone slightly. “Don’t you want to work in the Foreign Affairs Department? Then you’d better study your foreign languages well. That department isn’t easy to get into. What other people do is none of your business. Study hard; putting your mind on your education is the only right path.”

“I know, I know!”

Talking to her father was so boring. Two out of every three sentences were a lecture!

Once Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei reached the bottom of the stairs, they saw Jiang Dong walking toward them.

“Is the bed all made up?”

Jiang Xia nodded. “It’s all set. You should head back to the laboratory! We’re leaving now; we need to pay a visit to your brother-in-law’s old leader later.”

Jiang Dong handed them the car keys. “You guys take the car. I’ll head back to Xiao Yan’s place later and ride my bicycle home.”

Jiang Xia didn’t stand on ceremony and took the keys. “Then we’ll be going now.”

After Jiang Dong told them where the car was parked, the three of them parted ways.

When the couple arrived home, they could hear the three children crying loudly from outside the door.

Jiang Xia hurried inside and took a baby from Grandma’s arms, cooing with a smile, “Mama’s back! Let’s see who’s crying so hard?”

Likely catching a scent of Jiang Xia, the little brother stopped crying almost immediately once he was in her arms.

Seeing that the boy’s eyes were red from crying, Jiang Xia asked, “Have they been crying for long?”

Grandma replied, “They woke up at nine, played for a while, and then started crying. They refused to drink their milk.”

Jiang Xia glanced at the time—it was 9:18 AM—so they hadn’t been crying for very long.

Second Auntie added, “We changed their diapers and tried to feed them with the baby bottle, but they wouldn’t take it. I think they’ve started to recognize people. These three really are clever little monkeys.”

The baby bottle contained breast milk that Jiang Xia had prepared before she left.

“They do recognize us now.” Zhou Chenglei walked in after parking the car and took the children from Second Auntie and Li Qiufeng. He coaxed them softly, “Daddy’s home…”

Once in Zhou Chenglei’s arms, he whispered a few words of comfort, and the other two stopped crying as well.

Second Auntie laughed. “These three are so smart, learning to recognize people so quickly. Luckily, they’re attached to their father too; otherwise, I wouldn’t know what to do when Xiao Xia goes to class.”

Grandma, who had raised many children, smiled and said, “All small children are like this. They’ll get used to it soon enough.”

“They’ll be fine once they get more familiar with you,” Zhou Chenglei replied before going into the room with Jiang Xia to feed the babies.

After the children were full and satisfied, the couple spoke with Grandpa and Grandma again. They packed up diapers, spare clothes, and powdered milk to take with them.

Jiang Xia’s classes started tomorrow, and before they began, she felt they had to pay a visit to the Old Chief.

They went by car.

Jiang Xia drove while Zhou Chenglei laid two of the babies on the back seat. He sat on a small stool in the space between the front and back seats, holding the third baby. He gently shook a rattle and told the triplets the story of The Little Tadpoles Searching for their Mama to keep them calm.

He also had to stay alert to the road conditions, reminding Jiang Xia which way to turn.

Finally, the car reached the gate of the residential compound with another sedan following closely behind.

Chapter 578: Don’t You Know Modesty Is a Virtue?

After Jiang Xia parked the car outside the residential compound, she immediately got out to get the children from the backseat.

A black sedan pulled up behind them.

Dong Yan stepped out of her car, glanced at Jiang Xia, then at the Jeep’s license plate, and walked into the compound.

Zhou Chenglei carefully emerged from the car, cradling their daughter in his arms.

Jiang Xia pulled open the rear door. Seeing his tall, large frame cramped within the narrow space of the backseat, she said, “You drive on the way back. I’ll take care of the children.”

Zhou Chenglei first handed the little sister to Jiang Xia. “No need.”

It was exhausting being hunched over like that while holding a child; his legs were already numb. How could he possibly let her do it?

“Hold the baby first while I move the things out of the car.”

Jiang Xia took the child.

Zhou Chenglei got out, first unloading the baby stroller, unfolding it, and setting it on the ground.

Jiang Xia placed her daughter into the stroller, then leaned back into the car to pick up the older and younger brothers. “You’re tall, so sitting there holding the kids is a struggle. I won’t have that problem. If I sit sideways, there’s still plenty of room on both sides of me. Are your legs numb?”

“They’re not,” Zhou Chenglei said as he took the gifts for the old leader out of the car.

“You’re driving later,” Jiang Xia said, not giving him room to argue. She ducked back into the cabin and suddenly popped her face out. “Mama’s here, babies!”

When the two brothers saw their mother suddenly pop in, their little expressions froze for a second before they both broke into wide grins.

With faces eighty percent similar, their smiles were identical.

Jiang Xia’s heart melted. They were too cute!

This wasn’t the first time they had smiled, but it was the first time they had been coaxed into laughing!

“Zhou Chenglei!” Jiang Xia hurriedly called out.

“What is it?” Zhou Chenglei quickly set the things down and ducked his head into the car.

“They’re smiling! I teased the boys and they actually smiled!”

Jiang Xia then demonstrated for Zhou Chenglei. she hid her head behind the seat and suddenly peeked out: “Mama’s here!”

The younger brother smiled again.

This time, the older brother didn’t.

“See? He smiled! Just a second ago, both were smiling together—the older one too! The two brothers look exactly the same when they smile!”

The joy in his heart was indescribable. Zhou Chenglei’s eyes were filled with tenderness. “Yeah.”

Both husband and wife were beaming.

This was the pure joy of new parents discovering a tiny bit of growth, a small step of progress in their children.

Their hearts were full of happiness and an extraordinary sense of satisfaction.

“Go tease Little Bao. I wonder if she’ll smile too.”

Jiang Xia was referring to a conscious, social smile, not an involuntary one.

The three infants would occasionally show involuntary smiles; Zhou Chenglei had even captured some while taking photos of them.

Hearing this, Zhou Chenglei hurried out to tease his daughter. He crouched behind the baby stroller and suddenly popped up just as Jiang Xia had done. “Papa’s here!”

He failed.

He tried again.

“Baby, Papa’s here!”

Failed again!

He kept trying!

…

Thus, when Mrs. Zeng, Zeng Yuan, and Zeng Jing came out of the residential compound, they saw Zhou Chenglei standing there like a fool, repeatedly playing “Papa’s here!”

The three women: “…”

Jiang Xia carried the younger brother out. “Alright, Little Sister might not know how to smile yet.”

Zhou Chenglei tried one last time before giving up, thinking he’d try again tonight. As he stood up, he saw the three women.

He nodded toward Mrs. Zeng. “Mrs. Zeng.”

Jiang Xia placed the younger brother in the stroller and looked over. Since Zhou Chenglei didn’t introduce them, she didn’t greet them and instead returned to the car to bring out the older brother.

Mrs. Zeng walked over, followed by her two daughters.

Approaching them, Mrs. Zeng said, “It’s been a long time, Chenglei. Is this your wife and children?”

Zhou Chenglei nodded. “Xiaxia, this is Mrs. Zeng.”

Jiang Xia said, “Hello, Mrs. Zeng.”

Mrs. Zeng sized Jiang Xia up and gave a gentle smile. “Hello. No wonder so many people introduced potential partners to A-Lei—each one more excellent than the last—and he wouldn’t look at any of them. But as soon as the Old Chief spoke up, he agreed. We were all surprised he said yes, since we heard Comrade Xiao Xia had only just graduated from high school. Before this, we all introduced so many people to him—teachers, broadcasters, nurses, doctors, arts cadres, college students, and the like—but he rejected them all. Seeing Comrade Xiao Xia today, I finally understand why.”

She then said to Zhou Chenglei, “A-Lei, your wife is truly good-looking. She’s even more beautiful than the stars on television.”

This was a veiled jab at Zhou Chenglei for being shallow, choosing a wife based solely on looks, and a condescending implication that Jiang Xia was just a “vase”—something pretty with no substance.

After all, being a teacher, broadcaster, arts cadre, doctor, or a clerk at a Supply and Marketing Cooperative or department store were the most sought-after jobs for women in this era. Who wouldn’t want to marry someone with such credentials?

But Zhou Chenglei had looked down on them all!

Marrying a “vase” meant she could do nothing but have children.

Zhou Chenglei replied, “Yes. She is not only beautiful but also incomparably intelligent. No one can compare to her.”

Mrs. Zeng: “…”

Jiang Xia smiled. “Thank you for the compliment, Mrs. Zeng! A-Lei has such good taste, which is why he chose me. He doesn’t need to depend on a woman to provide for him, and marrying a wife isn’t the same as marrying a job title. Naturally, he wanted to marry the most outstanding and beautiful woman. By marrying me, he didn’t just get a wife; he found an exceptional mother for his children! Allow me to introduce myself: I am Jiang Xia, Zhou Chenglei’s wife and the mother of these three children. I am an incoming freshman at Q University, and I was the provincial runner-up in the Gaokao, as well as the top scholar in both Chinese and English.”

The three women of the Zeng family: “…”

This was truly an eye-opening experience! They had never met someone who praised themselves so shamelessly!

Did she not know that modesty was a virtue?

Her skin was thicker than the palace walls!

How utterly brazen!

Jiang Xia lifted one of the babies a bit higher. “And look how well I give birth—three babies in one go, boys and girls! Just look at the visual appeal of my three babies. Who could produce such looks other than a mother with my natural elegance, National Grace, and radiant beauty? Don’t you think it was Zhou Chenglei’s wisest choice to reject those doctors, teachers, and arts cadres to choose me?”

Zhou Chenglei added, “Indeed. The wisest and most fortunate decision of my life was marrying you. There are many college students, but how many top scholars or runners-up are there? You are so clever; if you wanted to be a doctor, teacher, lawyer, official translator, or scientist, you could be any of them. Didn’t the school mention that if you wanted to change your major, you could choose any department? Didn’t they even suggest you pick something like aerospace engineering, computer technology, or electronic information engineering?”

Mrs. Zeng: “…”

Zeng Yuan: “…”

Zeng Jing: “…”

Was this even the same Zhou Chenglei?

Just then, several loud claps echoed from behind them.

The group turned around.

The three brothers—Zhang Rui, Zhang Zheng, and Zhang Rong—approached.

Zhang Rui said loudly and encouragingly, “Sister-in-law is right! It was the wisest thing Fourth Brother ever did, marrying you. I can testify to that—none of the women people tried to set him up with before were as beautiful, as smart, or as good at having children as you! You are the country’s most outstanding talent, the most virtuous wife, and the most magnificent mother!”

Jiang Xia smiled. “…Thank you!”

If she had known there were acquaintances around, she wouldn’t have said all that!

The three Zhang brothers then greeted Mrs. Zeng.

Mrs. Zeng asked, “Why did you brothers all come back together today?”

Zhang Rui replied, “My Fourth Brother brought my Sister-in-law and my three nephews for a visit. He was worried someone might try to bully her, so we came back to back her up!”

Mrs. Zeng: “…”

Mrs. Zeng had only wanted to vent some frustration on behalf of her daughter. She hadn’t expected to end up even more frustrated.

Her daughter had waited for Zhou Chenglei for so many years and had even traveled thousands of miles to follow him to a remote place to work as a doctor, returning home covered in emotional scars. What was wrong with saying a few things to vent?

And yet, every single one of them was ganging up on her!

Chapter 579: Closeness and Distance

Zeng Jing couldn’t hold back anymore. “Who would dare bully her? You people are so sharp-tongued, your words alone are enough to drown someone!”

Zhang Rui retorted, “It’s best if no one does! I’m just afraid some blind fool might go looking for trouble.”

Zeng Jing snapped, “Zhang Rui, we all grew up in the same residential compound. When my sister gets bullied, I don’t see you being so protective of her!”

“That’s your sister, not mine,” Zhang Rui replied bluntly. “Why on earth should I protect her?”

The last time he had taken Zeng Yuan to see his fourth brother, hadn’t the lesson his brother gave him been sharp enough?

Zhang Rui wouldn’t make the same mistake twice!

Zeng Jing was speechless. “You…”

Zhang Zheng chimed in, “How can you say that? If Xiao Yuan was being bullied by an outsider, of course you’d protect her—after all, you grew up in the same yard. But there’s a difference between those who are close and those who are distant. You can’t let your own people be bullied by outsiders!”

Zhang Rong added, “Exactly. You have to distinguish between who is close and who is an acquaintance.”

Zeng Jing bristled. “…!”

Were they saying she was the outsider?

Zeng Yuan couldn’t take it anymore. She didn’t want to look pathetic in front of Jiang Xia. She grabbed her mother’s arm. “Mom, Jingjing, didn’t we say we were going shopping? Are we going or not?”

“Let’s go!” Mrs. Zeng side-eyed them, pulling her two daughters away as she fumed with indignation.

What good did the three Zhang brothers get out of protecting Zhou Chenglei’s wife like that?

Zhou Chenglei had already gone back to his hometown to be a fisherman!

Zeng Jing glared at Jiang Xia. What was so great about Q University? She was a student there too!

Across the way, Dong Yan had stepped out to get something from her car, but she stopped when she saw the scene and decided not to go out.

A look of doubt flashed in Dong Yan’s eyes.

They know the Zhang family? How come I’ve never seen them before?

Once the Zeng mother and daughters had left, Zhang Rui looked at the two babies in the stroller. He reached down and scooped one up. “So, these are our family’s three little treasures? Uncle’s going to hold you! Is this the eldest brother, the younger brother, or the little sister?”

Zhou Chenglei answered, “The little sister.”

Zhang Zheng also picked up the other one. “Let your godfather hold you! Is this the brother?”

“The younger brother.”

Zhang Rong reached for the child in Jiang Xia’s arms. “Come, let your Second Uncle hold you.”

Jiang Xia handed the eldest brother to him.

Zhang Rui cheered, “Off we go! Let’s go see the old man!”

The three brothers carried the triplets and headed into the residential compound.

Zhou Chenglei put the baby stroller back in the car, unloaded all the gifts they had brought, and locked the doors. He turned to Jiang Xia. “Let’s go.”

When the two reached the house, the guard on duty recognized Zhou Chenglei and immediately stood at attention and saluted.

He had served under Zhou Chenglei when he first joined the army.

Zhou Chenglei returned the salute and asked, “Getting used to things here?”

Jiang Gao grinned. “I am. The Old Commander has been looking forward to this all morning. Hurry on in.”

He turned to Jiang Xia, saluted again, and said loudly, “Hello, Sister-in-law!”

“Hello!” Jiang Xia smiled and returned the gesture, mimicking their manner.

Jiang Gao thought of the three babies he just saw and laughed. “Chief, you’re incredible!”

To have three children in one go!

Back then, the brothers used to say that the Chief was getting on in years but wouldn’t get married. They joked he had nowhere to vent his energy, so he took all that pent-up fire out on them during training.

While many of the brothers’ children were already old enough to run errands, the Chief hadn’t even been married.

But the Chief was always the Chief!

In one move, he had overtaken all his brothers!

Zhou Chenglei patted him on the shoulder and walked inside with Jiang Xia.

Inside the house.

Elder Zhang was holding two of the babies. The two little ones looked up at him and let out a tiny smile. He couldn’t help but chuckle. “Not bad, you’re already better than your father! Your dad doesn’t know how to smile. He always has that sour face, looking as if I owe him eighteen thousand dollars!”

Zhou Chenglei: “…”

“These three children are so beautiful!” Mrs. Zhang was holding the younger brother in her arms. The baby was earnestly gnawing on his little fist. she watched him with a doting, kindly expression. “A-Lei, you should talk to Zhang Rui. He’s not getting any younger, but he still refuses to take a wife!”

Zhang Zheng and Zhang Rong were both already married with children; only Zhang Rui remained.

Elder Zhang snorted, “Those two are birds of a feather! Why ask him to persuade anyone? He’s at an age where he could be a grandfather, yet his sons are only two months old! How can he give advice?”

Zhou Chenglei: “…”

Wasn’t that a bit of an exaggeration? Who becomes a grandfather before they hit thirty?

Elder Zhang looked at Zhou Chenglei again. “When you take your sons out, has anyone ever asked if they’re your grandsons?”

Zhou Chenglei: “…”

Jiang Xia stifled a laugh.

Zhou Chenglei decided to shift the fire and looked at Zhang Rui. “Did you hear that? They’re saying you should get married!”

Zhang Rui shrugged. “Can’t be helped. Grandpa is biased. He only introduced someone to you, not to me. Otherwise, my kids would be old enough to run errands by now!”

Zhang Rui was four years younger than Zhou Chenglei and wasn’t in any rush at all.

He wanted to wait until he became a regimental commander before getting married.

Mrs. Zhang quickly said, “I’ll introduce you to someone. Do you remember Gu Yue, the granddaughter of Granny Dong next door? You used to play together when you were little. I’ll ask Granny Dong when she’s coming over, and you can see if you like her.”

Zhang Rui hadn’t expected the fire to actually jump back onto him. He didn’t remember any Gu Yue or Gu Yang. So many people in the compound had grandchildren, and since he was usually busy and rarely came home, how could he remember?

Zhang Rui spoke up quickly, “Grandmother, there’s no need! We’re from the same compound, it’s too familiar. I treat all the girls in this compound like sisters!”

Mrs. Zhang countered, “How can you be familiar? You haven’t seen her in ages, have you? Besides, she doesn’t live in our compound normally. You rarely come back anyway; you two have barely met. That girl is quite lovely, I’ve seen her. She’s almost as pretty as Xiao Xia, and she’s very well-spoken. She’s gotten into Q University now; you wouldn’t believe how many people want to be introduced to her.”

Zhang Rui felt a headache coming on. “Grandpa, aren’t you the most open-minded one? Didn’t you say you wouldn’t interfere with when the kids get married?”

Elder Zhang replied, “I’m not interfering. Your grandmother doesn’t represent me.”

Zhang Rui: “…”

Mrs. Zhang added, “I’m not trying to force you. It’s only because Granny Dong asked me that I’m asking you. Just take a look when you have the chance. If you like her, you like her; if not, it doesn’t matter. Look at A-Lei. Once your grandfather introduced someone, didn’t it work out? Look at how good their relationship is now. Sometimes fate is just strange like that—one look is all it takes. Just go out and have a look!”

Zhang Rui said, “Since we live in the same compound, if we’re destined, we’ll meet eventually. Grandma, don’t worry yourself over it!”

Since he had put it that way, there wasn’t much more Mrs. Zhang could say.

Zhang Zheng changed the subject and asked Zhou Chenglei, “Since your wife and children are all here, I assume you’ll be staying here to develop your career? Have you thought about looking for a job?”

Elder Zhang immediately looked over. “Is there a need? I can arrange something for you!”

Zhou Chenglei shook his head. “I already have plans.”

Elder Zhang: “…”

Zhang Rong turned to Jiang Xia. “Xiao Xia, that stock is still rising. Give me some inside info—when exactly should I sell it off?”

Every day now, he lived in a state of excitement, nerves, and regret!

After the Lunar New Year, he had heard others saying there was a ninety percent chance that stock would crash. He had warned Jiang Xia, but she had said it was too early, that it would keep rising, and she wouldn’t sell.

He had been skeptical and decided to sell half his shares and keep half.

To his surprise, Jiang Xia had been right. It was far from over!

It was already September, and it was still rising!

He had lost out big time!

Chapter 580: The First Lesson

Jiang Xia said, “Unless there are better investment opportunities, I think we can wait a few more months to see how things develop.”

Because of the opportunities and the influx of capital brought by the economic reforms on the mainland, the stock market there was still in a virtuous cycle.

Zhang Rong remarked, “I’m on pins and needles every night when I go to sleep. I’m just afraid I’ll wake up the next day to news of a crash.”

Elder Zhang did not approve of stock speculation. “If you’re so worried, why did you buy them? You could sleep soundly if you just sold them!”

Zhang Rong had forgotten that his grandfather disliked such things and quickly explained, “I’m just trying to learn and understand it. I didn’t put much money in. Besides, with the Reform and Opening-up happening, if I don’t study and engage with new things to understand the world, won’t I fall behind? Lagging behind leaves one vulnerable to aggression!”

Elder Zhang replied, “It’s fine to learn, but don’t invest too much money. You can keep an eye on things and learn without necessarily buying. Even if you do buy, there must be a limit!”

That was the reason why, although he disliked it, he didn’t stop them.

After the economic reforms, China would eventually have its own stock exchanges, and the people needed to align themselves with international standards.

Zhang Rong loved doing business, so he needed to understand these things.

Zhang Rong assured him, “Don’t worry, Grandpa, I know what I’m doing.”

Elder Zhang then cautioned Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia, “The same goes for you two. Don’t let Rong lead you astray! He has big ambitions and a wild streak!”

Zhang Rong’s mouth twitched. Did the old man really think Zhou Chenglei was a saint? Clearly, Zhou Chenglei had even bigger ambitions and an even wilder streak!

He even had his eye on the shipping industry!

He had no idea what Zhou Chenglei would get up to while staying in the capital this time.

Zhou Chenglei joked, “You don’t need to worry, Elder. Second Brother is too naughty. If I don’t play with him from now on, I won’t be led astray.”

Zhang Rong: “…”

Jiang Xia smiled and said, “Don’t worry, Elder. Second Brother knows his limits.”

Zhang Rong waved Zhou Chenglei off dismissively. “Still, my sister-in-law is the best! You, don’t let me see your face again!”

…

The atmosphere lightened up. Seeing this, Elder Zhang stopped his lecturing. These children were all good kids with noble hearts; there was no need for him to say more.

After finishing their meal, Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei headed home.

The three Zhang brothers also left with them.

Zhang Zheng and Zhang Rui had to return to their units. Zhang Rong asked Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia, “Is there anything you need me to bring back to the fishing village for your parents?”

“No. I’ll be going back myself in a few days.”

On Saturday and Sunday, Jiang Xia had no classes, so Zhou Chenglei planned to head home for a visit.

Early the next morning, Jiang Xia rode her bicycle to school.

The Q University campus was very large. While it was convenient for Jiang Dong to drop her off, it was inconvenient to get around once inside the campus.

Jiang Dong reminded her, “Remember to lock your bike, and make sure to keep a close eye on your lunchbox.”

Besides bicycles, lunchboxes were also prone to going missing because people often took the wrong ones by mistake.

“I know.” Jiang Xia wasn’t a careless person.

She gave her three babies a kiss before turning to leave.

Zhou Chenglei thought Jiang Xia’s habit of kissing the babies before leaving was wonderful; it would be even better if she included him!

Jiang Xia still had to breastfeed in the morning, and since she wasn’t living in the dorms, she arrived at the classroom later than the other students, barely making it before the bell.

The classroom was almost full; at a glance, all she could see were heads.

Everyone was chatting with their deskmates or the students in front and behind them.

Only in one spot was a small crowd gathered, heatedly discussing their Gaokao scores.

The moment Jiang Xia appeared at the classroom door, she drew everyone’s attention.

The classroom suddenly fell silent.

“Wow, you’re amazing! Such a high English score—only two points away from full marks!” someone exclaimed. In the quiet room, this sentence was particularly clear.

The speaker, realizing the room had suddenly gone quiet, thought the teacher had arrived and instinctively turned around to sit properly.

The group that had been huddling together also quickly took their seats and looked toward the classroom door.

Jiang Xia had been used to being the center of attention since she was a child. Nearly every new semester, it was like this when she entered a classroom.

Seeing an empty seat in the last row, she walked over with calm composure.

Everyone’s gaze couldn’t help but follow her until she sat down.

A thought occurred to many of them simultaneously: This classmate is way too beautiful!

Zeng Jing, who had just been surrounded by several people, saw her eyes flicker when she noticed Jiang Xia.

Jiang Xia also saw her, but after a brief glance, she looked away.

At that moment, the bell rang. The counselor stepped in as the bell chimed and stood on the podium. “Hello, students. I am your counselor for the Fashion Design major, Ouyang Chunhong. I am very happy to gather here today with all of you from all corners of the country. For the next four years…”

The counselor first introduced herself, then gave a brief introduction to Q University, before asking everyone to come up and introduce themselves.

The students went up one by one. When it was Zeng Jing’s turn, she smiled with confidence and grace. “Hello, everyone. My name is Zeng Jing—‘Jing’ as in elegant. I am a native of the capital. I know our classmates are the most outstanding students from across the country. Please look after me in the future! If anyone wants to tour the capital and isn’t familiar with it, you can find me; I’ll lead the way. Thank you, everyone!”

Everyone clapped, and the applause was much more enthusiastic than before.

It was likely because Zeng Jing was beautiful, had a sweet voice, and seemed very approachable.

The Fashion Design class was mostly female, and Zeng Jing was the most beautiful girl in the class, aside from Jiang Xia.

The subsequent self-introductions were quite simple, with only a few being more flamboyant.

Jiang Xia, sitting at the very back, was the last to go up.

When Jiang Xia stepped onto the podium, the entire classroom went silent.

Jiang Xia was so stunning that even though she was only wearing a striped sailor shirt and military trousers, she was on a completely different level of beauty compared to Zeng Jing in her dress.

Jiang Xia walked up with calm composure. Just as she was about to speak, Zeng Jing spoke up first. “I heard Student Jiang Xia was the top scholar in English. Student Jiang Xia, could you give your self-introduction in English?”

Weren’t you fond of showing off?

Zeng Jing wanted to give her an opportunity to show off in front of the whole class.

She also wanted to hear if Jiang Xia’s English was truly that good.

Everyone’s eyes widened as they looked at Jiang Xia.

Jiang Xia could certainly introduce herself in English, but why should she listen to her?

She’d be a fool to pay her any mind!

Jiang Xia acted as though she hadn’t heard a thing. She smiled at the class and said, “Hello, everyone. My name is Jiang Xia. Please look after me in the future.”

With that, she stepped down from the podium.

The students couldn’t help but look at Zeng Jing to see her reaction.

Zeng Jing: “…”

Being treated like thin air in front of the entire class, Zeng Jing felt a wave of embarrassment at the dismissive looks being cast her way.

The counselor stepped back onto the podium at the right moment and smiled. “Now that everyone has gotten to know our classmates, it’s time to select the class committee. Anyone who wants to be a class officer can come up and campaign, and the students will cast their votes for you.”

Zeng Jing felt that someone who loved to show off as much as Jiang Xia would definitely run for Class Monitor. Fearing that Jiang Xia might cause trouble for her if she got the position, Zeng Jing was the first to stand up. “Teacher, I want to run for Class Monitor!”

The counselor smiled. “Then let us welcome Student Zeng Jing to the podium to give her speech.”

Zeng Jing walked generously onto the podium. Standing there, she instinctively glanced at Jiang Xia.

When Jiang Xia met her gaze, she simply turned her head away, her eyes landing on the view outside the window.

She had zero interest in running for class office. She had to rush home to be with her children after class; she didn’t have the time.

She wondered if Zhou Chenglei had taken the children out for a walk yet.

Seeing that Jiang Xia had been “preempted” by her, Zeng Jing was so annoyed she couldn’t even look at her. She curled her lips into a smile and began her performance: “Hello, classmates. Let me introduce myself again. I am Zeng Jing. From elementary school to high school…”

Chapter 581: Women Hold Up Half the Sky

After the election for class officers was over, Zeng Jing successfully secured a position. The teacher then instructed the class officers to arrange for students to go and fetch the new textbooks to distribute to everyone.

Usually, this kind of task was given to the boys. Chen Jianhua, the Vice Class Monitor, was a young man, and he immediately called out several boys from his dormitory to go move the textbooks.

However, Zeng Jing spoke up. “Women hold up half the sky. We can’t just let the male students do all the work, right?”

Two female students thought she was absolutely right and immediately chimed in, “Exactly! Whatever the male comrades can do, we female comrades can do too!”

Thus, Zeng Jing called upon the two girls who had just spoken, and then looked at Jiang Xia. “Student Jiang Xia, why don’t you go with them? I’ll stay here in the classroom to maintain order.”

Jiang Xia glanced at her and stood up. “Sure. But Class Monitor, you should come too. Since you’re the Class Monitor, you should lead by example in holding up our half of the sky, wouldn’t you agree? As for maintaining order, the Vice Class Monitor is enough for that.”

Caught in the crossfire of the subtle barbs between the two great beauties, the Vice Class Monitor decisively sided with the most beautiful one—after all, Zeng Jing was the one who had brought it up herself.

He nodded. “Alright, leave the class to me!”

Zeng Jing: “……”

In the end, eight people went to the textbook storage room together to pick up the new books.

The Q University campus was large, and the storage room was quite a distance from the classroom.

Halfway there, Jiang Xia said to the others, “You guys head over first. I’ll be there in a bit.”

Zeng Jing asked, “Where are you going, Student Jiang Xia?”

“To the bathroom. Is that okay?” Jiang Xia replied.

Zeng Jing choked for a moment. “……Of course it is.”

Jiang Xia didn’t bother with further conversation and strode away.

One of the female students, Song Huiru, couldn’t help but say, “She’s not trying to pull a bathroom dodge, is she?”

Zeng Jing replied, “Student Jiang Xia probably isn’t that kind of person. That would be too classless.”

Song Huiru scoffed. “Hard to say. Didn’t you see her hands? One look and you can tell she’s never done a day’s work in her life.”

Another female student, Liu Weizhen, remained silent.

A male student from the countryside, Liu Wendong, heard this and said, “Student Jiang Xia does look like someone who hasn’t done heavy labor. She probably won’t be able to carry many books anyway. We’ll just carry a bit more for her later.”

Song Huiru added, “Then if she doesn’t show up later, remember to carry her share as well.”

Back in her production team, she had seen too many pretty women using their beauty to get their way. They always felt that because they were beautiful, they shouldn’t have to do anything. All they had to do was act coy toward the men, and those men would do everything for them.

Liu Wendong shrugged. “I don’t mind carrying more.”

Women were truly prone to dwelling on small things. It was clearly they who insisted on ‘holding up half the sky’ and then dragged Student Jiang Xia along out of spite. Who couldn’t see that the Class Monitor was deliberately targeting her?

The group arrived at the textbook storage room and explained their purpose to the teacher in charge. The teacher pointed to a certain pile of books. “The Fashion Design materials are over there. Sort them out according to this list and your class size, then come over and sign for them. Be sure to count the number accurately; don’t sign until you’re certain there are no errors.”

Taking the list, the group divided the work and began sorting the books. Each person was responsible for one subject.

Jiang Xia returned just as they finished sorting.

Song Huiru immediately remarked, “You finally made it back! That was one long bathroom break!”

Zeng Jing said, “Jiang Xia, this last bundle of books is for you to carry. We girls will carry one bundle each, and the boys will each take two.”

Jiang Xia looked at the piles. Her bundle and the one belonging to the other girl, Liu Weizhen, were the largest. “Alright.”

Liu Weizhen also felt that Jiang Xia wouldn’t be able to lift such a large bundle. Even though she was used to farm work, she still found her own bundle quite heavy. She asked Jiang Xia, “Do you want to carry it between the two of us?”

Liu Wendong also said to Jiang Xia, “I’ll swap bundles with you.”

“No need,” Jiang Xia replied. “I can carry it.”

Jiang Xia scooped up the large bundle of books and walked out.

Zeng Jing watched Jiang Xia’s retreating back with a slight curve to her lips. She couldn’t be blamed for this; Jiang Xia was the last one to arrive, after all.

Once Jiang Xia was out of the storage room, she placed the books directly onto the back rack of a bicycle.

She spoke to Liu Weizhen and Liu Wendong, who had followed her out. “Student Liu Weizhen, Student Liu Wendong, put your books on here too. You two help steady the books, and I’ll push the bike.”

The two of them immediately stepped forward and stacked their books on top.

Zeng Yuan: “……”

That was an option? Why hadn’t she thought of that?

However, she didn’t have a bicycle. She had been dropped off at school in the family car today.

The other students: “……”

Why didn’t we think of that!

But then they realized that even if they had, they didn’t have bicycles. Most of them hadn’t bought one yet. Bicycles were expensive, and not everyone could afford or justify buying one.

While there were many abandoned bicycles left by graduating seniors in the Q University bike sheds, none of them were in good condition; the leftovers were all junk beyond repair. Some students would take parts from several bikes and assemble a “new” one, but not everyone had the skill to do that.

Liu Wendong realized, “So you were going to get your bike just now?”

Jiang Xia replied, “I saw someone else pushing a bike on the way back, so I remembered mine and went to fetch it.”

The four bundles of books were stacked high; even if other students wanted to add theirs, there was no more room.

“Should I push?” Liu Wendong offered.

“No need,” Jiang Xia said. “You’re strong; just keep them steady.” Pushing the bike didn’t take much effort.

“Alright.” Thus, Liu Wendong and Liu Weizhen stood on either side, steadying the bundles.

Zeng Jing and the other students watched as the three of them easily pushed the textbooks toward the teaching building.

Carrying a bundle of books for a few meters wasn’t tiring, but carrying one for several hundred meters, or even a kilometer? That was beyond exhausting!

As Zeng Jing watched Jiang Xia dwindle into the distance, pushing the bicycle with ease, she began to regret her choices. She had never done heavy labor in her life, and she felt like her arms were about to give out!

Song Huiru was in much the same state. The two of them had already stopped to rest several times.

If she had known it would be like this, she wouldn’t have said anything about women holding up half the sky—she would have just let the boys handle the books.

Jiang Xia and the others reached the classroom with ease.

The other boys weren’t far behind and returned soon after, though each of them was drenched in sweat. Carrying two large bundles for such a distance was no easy feat.

By the time Zeng Jing and Song Huiru finally returned, Jiang Xia had already wiped away her sweat and finished her water.

The Vice Class Monitor and a few others had already stripped the cardboard packaging off the books, waiting for the full set to arrive so they could distribute them.

Jiang Xia didn’t want to wait for them. Since there were no more classes for the day, people could leave once they had their books. She walked up to the podium. “Vice Class Monitor, I have things to do, so I’ll take one set of textbooks and head out first.”

“Sure!”

Jiang Xia took her set and left.

“I’ll start distributing the books to everyone by seating row then,” the Vice Class Monitor said, figuring those two ‘Iron Ladies’ who wanted to hold up half the sky would be back any minute.

As it turned out, the books were distributed, and the students who had received their full sets had already left, leaving only a few students still waiting.

Those remaining students waited for nearly half a class period before the two girls finally returned!

The two were dripping with sweat, their arms feeling utterly useless.

One male student, who had long since lost his patience, marched up to grab his books and couldn’t help but grumble, “If you don’t have the strength, don’t talk about holding up half the sky! Look at how much of our time you’ve wasted!”

“Exactly,” another added. “The Vice Class Monitor called for several guys to go, but you just had to insist on holding up half the sky!”

Zeng Jing: “……”

Chapter 582: Enthusiasm

Jiang Xia rode her bicycle through the grounds of this century-old prestigious university.

The library was packed, with every student bowing their head in deep concentration over their books. Throughout the campus, students could be seen everywhere, clutching books and reading earnestly.

They were like seeds sprouting in barren soil, racing against time to soak up the nutrients of knowledge, striving to grow into towering trees. When they eventually stepped out of these school gates, they would become the trendsetters of the era.

Jiang Xia cycled toward the dormitory. She needed to drop off a few books; there was no need to take them all home. She would just take two back to read for now.

When she arrived at the dorm, the door was open.

Jiang Xia walked in to find several people sitting around the desks by the window. As she entered, all five of them looked over at once.

Jiang Xia recognized two of them as her classmates: Liu Weizhen and Ouyang Minhua.

Gu Yue spoke up happily when she saw Jiang Xia, “Xiao Xia, you’re back!”

Her mother had told her yesterday that she saw Jiang Xia and her husband taking their child to visit Elder Zhang. The two of them were clearly very close with the three Zhang brothers and had even stayed for lunch before leaving.

Many people wanted to visit Elder Zhang, but very few were allowed in, and even fewer were invited to stay for a meal—especially someone who brought their whole family along.

Gu Yue had liked Zhang Rui for many years. This year, she heard from her grandma that Mrs. Zhang was preparing to find a partner for him. Following that, she found an opportunity to reveal her feelings to her mother and asked her grandma to act as a matchmaker.

However, Zhang Rui rarely returned to the residential compound.

Yesterday, after receiving her mother’s call, she had rushed to her grandma’s place, but she had heard the news too late. By the time she arrived, Zhang Rui and Jiang Xia’s group had already left.

But there was no rush. If Zhang Rui and Jiang Xia’s husband were good brothers, and she and Jiang Xia were roommates, there would be plenty of opportunities to see Zhang Rui in the future.

She enthusiastically introduced the others in the dorm to Jiang Xia. “Xiao Xia, this is Xie Ying from our class, and this is Zhao Min. These two are from your class, so I expect you don’t need an introduction? There are two other roommates from your class as well, Zeng Jing and Song Huiru.”

Jiang Xia nodded. “Hello everyone, I’m Jiang Xia.”

Xie Ying smiled. “Hello! Xiao Yue mentioned before that you were very beautiful, and you really are a great beauty.”

Zhao Min added, “You’re like a celestial maiden descended to earth! It’s over—I’ve officially become the ugliest one in this dorm!”

Ouyang Minhua chimed in as well, “When Xiao Xia walked into the classroom this morning, the whole class went silent! One look and I thought, ‘Which goddess has descended to the mortal realm?’ You’re not ugly, Zhao Min. I’m the heaviest, so I should be the ugliest.”

Liu Weizhen simply smiled but didn’t say anything.

Jiang Xia laughed and said, “I’m no celestial maiden, just a flower spirit born again. Women are like flowers; we are all blossoms with our own unique beauty and charm.”

Everyone laughed at that.

“Haha, Xiao Xia is right! We are all flowers. I’m a morning glory, and Xiao Xia is a peony—a true National Grace!”

Gu Yue glanced at Jiang Xia, thinking, She really knows how to talk!

As Jiang Xia placed her books on her bed, Gu Yue’s eyes were immediately drawn to the watch on Jiang Xia’s wrist.

She had changed her watch again?!!!

And it was another imported one—a Titoni. It was a model Gu Yue had admired before.

Ugh, I’m so envious, Gu Yue thought. She also wanted to wear a different watch every day to match different outfits. If she could do that, she wouldn’t mind dressing as simply as Jiang Xia did.

What Gu Yue didn’t know was that Jiang Xia was only dressing simply for the sake of convenience while breastfeeding. Most of her clothes were actually far from ordinary.

Today, Jiang Xia was wearing a striped sailor shirt. Gu Yue hadn’t liked that style before, but on Jiang Xia, it looked wonderful, giving her an indescribable aura.

Gu Yue decided she would go buy a set for herself too.

After putting away her books and selecting only two textbooks to take home, Jiang Xia said to the group, “I have some things to do, so I’m heading home now.”

Gu Yue quickly spoke up, “I’m heading back too. My dad’s driver should be here to pick me up. I’ll walk out with you.”

They walked out together.

Gu Yue asked, “Xiao Xia, my mom said she saw you visiting Grandpa and Grandma Zhang yesterday. Are you very close to them?”

Jiang Xia replied, “That was actually my first time visiting.”

Which essentially meant they weren’t close.

Gu Yue glanced at her. And? And that was it—no further explanation.

Does she even know how to hold a conversation? Gu Yue wondered. Just a moment ago, she had complimented everyone in the dorm so perfectly; Gu Yue had assumed she was a conversational expert.

Undeterred, Gu Yue pressed on. “My grandma lives in that residential compound too, just diagonally across from Grandpa Zhang’s house. I used to go over there to play with Big Brother Zhang and the others all the time when I was little.”

Jiang Xia remained silent.

Gu Yue continued, “But since starting high school, I haven’t visited Grandma Zhang in a long time. Next time you go to visit Grandpa and Grandma Zhang, remember to call me. We can go together.”

Jiang Xia replied, “You can just drop by when you visit your grandma. I’ve already paid my visit, so I might not go again for a while.”

Gu Yue insisted, “Yes, I should visit Grandma Zhang next time I’m at my grandma’s, but if you do go, let me know so we can go together. You know how it is—talking to the elderly can be awkward for people our age sometimes. If the two of us go together, we’ll have more to talk about.”

Jiang Xia didn’t respond. They had reached the first floor, where Gu Yue’s father was waiting at the bottom of the dormitory stairs. He called out, “Xiao Yue.”

Gu Yue said happily, “Dad, what are you doing here?”

“I was passing by and figured I’d pick you up.” He looked toward Jiang Xia. “Where do you live, student Jiang? Should Uncle Gu give you a ride?”

Jiang Xia placed her books in her bicycle basket. “Thank you, but I’ll be fine on my bike.”

Jiang Xia unlocked her bike and said to both of them, “I’ll be going now. Goodbye.”

With that, she pedaled away.

Gu Heng watched her figure as it grew distant.

Gu Yue took her father’s arm. “Dad, did you see that?”

Gu Heng shook himself out of his thoughts. “See what?”

“Jiang Xia’s watch!”

Gu Heng’s head started to ache. “…”

“She changed her watch again today! It’s that Titoni model I wanted to buy last year.”

Gu Heng felt a headache coming on. “Why is your mind always on dressing up? Can’t you focus more on your studies?”

Ever since she was a child, his daughter could spot exactly who was wearing new clothes or who had bought a new floral hair tie at a single glance. She wasn’t nearly as attentive to anything important.

Gu Yue argued, “I do focus on my studies! Classes haven’t even started yet, have they? Besides, what’s wrong with having a hobby? Jiang Xia loves watches too; she changes them every day.”

Gu Heng glanced at the distant silhouette once more. “Let’s go. The car is parked outside; I couldn’t drive it in.”

The father and daughter walked toward the exit.

As Jiang Xia cycled toward the Second School Gate, she spotted Zhou Chenlei talking with two elderly men.

One of them was Old He, while the other was a stranger to her.

Zhou Chenlei saw Jiang Xia cycling toward them from a distance immediately. “Classes are over?”

Old He and the other man turned around.

Old He waved at Jiang Xia with a skip in his step. “Xiao Xia, come here quickly.”

Jiang Xia stopped a few meters away and pushed her bike over to Old He. She greeted them with a smile, “Old He, old gentleman.”

Since she didn’t know the other man, she used a polite, formal address.

Zhou Chenlei stepped forward to take the bicycle from her.

Old He smiled and said, “This is Principal Zhou of your university.”

Jiang Xia gave a respectful greeting again. “Hello, Principal Zhou.”

Principal Zhou nodded with a smile.

Old He continued, “The university is planning to recruit a foreign language professor. I’ve recommended you to Principal Zhou.”

Jiang Xia: “…”

Principal Zhou: “…”

Is he joking?!!!

Chapter 583: The Unreliable Old He

“Old He, stop joking!” Jiang Xia said.

Principal Zhou nodded along.

Exactly, Old He, stop joking!

He was afraid he would be the next one hospitalized with a heart condition.

Just a moment ago, Old He had said he would introduce an expert proficient in five or six foreign languages to him. Principal Zhou had assumed it would be some scholar returning from abroad.

And this was it?

Principal Zhou looked at the freshman textbook in the bicycle basket. He was speechless!

This was a freshman who just started this year, right? Was she even twenty years old?

A twenty-year-old expert?

Old He insisted, “I’m not joking! Xiao Xia’s foreign language proficiency is more than enough to be a university professor. I even want her to work as a simultaneous interpreter. How high do you think her level is?”

“Old He, you think too highly of me!” Jiang Xia protested. “How could I possibly have what it takes to be a university professor?”

“Your professional standard is worthy of my high regard,” Old He replied. “There’s no need for modesty! If you aren’t qualified, then very few people are!”

Jiang Xia: “…”

Principal Zhou: “…”

Old He turned back to Principal Zhou. “Old Zhou, trust me, you can’t go wrong! If you hire her, you can open classes for Russian, French, and German all at once! Our Comrade Xiao Xia here knows six languages!”

Principal Zhou could only offer a hollow laugh.

“Hey, don’t give me that look! Xiao Xia’s foreign language skills are so good she sounds like she grew up abroad!”

Principal Zhou countered, “Comrade Xiao Xia is still a freshman at our school. Isn’t that inappropriate?”

Jiang Xia nodded quickly. “Right, it’s not appropriate.”

“Old Zhou, aren’t you being a bit pedantic?” Old He argued. “As the saying goes, ‘Among three people walking together, there must be one who can be my teacher.’ A teacher is one who imparts the Way, teaches the profession, and resolves doubts! Whoever has the ability to do that can be a teacher! A professor!”

Old He was relentless. Since Principal Zhou couldn’t just brush off Old He’s request, he conceded, “I didn’t expect Comrade Xiao Xia to have such high language proficiency at such a young age. Tell you what—tomorrow, go find Professor Ji at the Foreign Languages Department for an interview.”

Then he turned to Old He. “Old He, I have things to attend to. I’ll be going now!”

Having dropped those words, Principal Zhou hurried away.

This Old He was simply too unreliable!

He had asked for help finding a Russian expert, and Old He recommended a freshman! Hiring a freshman as a foreign language professor—was this some kind of game?

If the school weren’t so desperate for a Russian teacher, he wouldn’t have approached him in the first place.

The foreign language major at Q University had only recently been reinstated. Currently, they only offered English and Japanese, which were brought back specifically to meet the needs of the Reform and Opening-up.

However, having only two languages in the department was far too few, and the country was in urgent need of translation talent. Thus, Principal Zhou had decided to open several more foreign language courses.

The professors had naturally been recruited in advance, but the Russian expert fell ill and was hospitalized for surgery just two days before the semester started. He needed a full semester to recover.

The school had to find another Russian professor, but such people weren’t easy to find on short notice.

When Principal Zhou saw Old He outside the school gates, it was like seeing a savior, so he went up to ask for help.

Old He had agreed immediately, saying he happened to be at the school specifically to find a foreign language expert.

Thus, Principal Zhou had waited with great anticipation for Comrade Zhou Chenglei.

Old He had remarked, “His foreign language skills are good too, but not as good as the expert I’m about to introduce. You could hire both.”

But Comrade Zhou Chenglei had simply said, “No time. I have to look after the kid.”

That statement had left Principal Zhou at a loss for words.

Then, he continued to wait expectantly for the expert of five languages.

And he ended up with a young girl…

In Principal Zhou’s eyes, a freshman in her late teens or early twenties was still just a child who hadn’t fully grown up.

Seeing that Principal Zhou didn’t believe him, Old He said to Jiang Xia, “Xiao Xia, remember to go to the interview tomorrow. Show Old Zhou what you’re capable of!”

“Old He, let’s forget it,” Jiang Xia said. “I have no intention of becoming a professor.”

“Whether you become a professor is one thing, but I want to show Old Zhou that my recommendation wasn’t a mistake! Otherwise, he’ll think I’m just brushing him off. Besides, why wouldn’t you want to be a professor? Don’t you usually work as a translator to earn money anyway? With your level, you’re qualified to be a full professor. That’s two or three hundred yuan a month.”

Jiang Xia replied, “The child is still small. I don’t have the time to give lectures to students.”

“There are only two classes for now, and university schedules aren’t that heavy. It won’t take much of your time. Besides, haven’t you hired someone to help with the baby? If both you and your husband are just staying home to look after the kid, how are you going to make a living? Look, you don’t have to be a professor if you don’t want to, but you must lead the team for the Canton Fair! I came here specifically to ask you to be the lead for the Canton Fair, to train the translators and staff going there. I’m entrusting you with the task of helping our volunteers and translators assist our domestic enterprises in securing more orders, so the Canton Fair’s transaction amount can reach a new record high!”

Jiang Xia shook her head. “That’s even more impossible. The kid is so small, how can I leave?”

“The organization will help you solve any difficulties you have! If no one can mind the child, I’ll find someone for you! Both of you, husband and wife, are coming with me. I’ll arrange housing for you so you won’t have to worry about a thing. Right, it’s settled! Tomorrow morning at eight o’clock, go to Jingda and wait for Comrade Xiao Yan. She’ll take you to train the translation delegation for the Canton Fair.”

“I have to go now! Remember to report tomorrow. I’ve been waiting for you for a long time! Don’t worry, I’ll handle your leave of absence with the school!”

Old He had waited for Jiang Xia at the school gate for an hour. He had a lot of work to do, so he pedaled away on his bicycle after dropping his final instructions.

Jiang Xia: “…”

Zhou Chenglei had run over. He climbed onto the bicycle and said, “Let’s go home.”

Jiang Xia hopped on. “Why did you come out?”

“The baby is asleep, so I came out for a run.” Once Jiang Xia was settled, Zhou Chenglei pushed off, and the bicycle surged forward.

Gu Heng and Gu Yue watched the bicycle disappear into the distance.

Gu Yue asked her father, “Dad, were those people talking to Jiang Xia just now Old He and Principal Zhou?”

Gu Heng nodded. “Mm.”

Gu Yue became even more curious about the identities of Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Xia.

Who exactly were this husband and wife?

How did they know Elder Zhang, Old He, and even the Principal?

Then again, Elder Zhang and Old He were close friends.

Gu Yue felt more than ever that she needed to become good friends with Jiang Xia. She wanted to join the translation department in the future.

Her father wouldn’t help her; he expected her to pass every exam on her own. Did he ever stop to think what would happen if she didn’t pass? Her father was unreliable; she could only rely on herself!

At the Gu Residence.

After returning home, Gu Heng went straight into his study carrying a file bag.

He opened the folder and glanced at the information inside.

He saw Jiang Xia’s date of birth and then looked at the section for her parents’ names.

He sat there, motionless, for a long time.

By the time he snapped out of it, an hour had passed. He stood up, walked to the bookshelf, and pulled out a book from the bottom shelf. He opened it, took out a photograph from between the pages, and stared at it blankly.

He only came to his senses when a knock sounded at the door. He hurriedly stuffed the photo back into the file bag, shoved it into a drawer, and went to open the door.

Dong Yan smiled. “Finished with your work? Dinner is ready, come and eat!”

“Alright,” Gu Heng replied, walking out with his wife.

Dong Yan glanced at the desk and noticed the book.

She took a look at Gu Heng.

Gu Heng looked back at her. “What is it?”

“Nothing. What were you busy with just now? Xiao Yue said you went straight to the study as soon as you got home.”

“Just looking over some materials from the bureau.”

Dong Yan pursed her lips.

Chapter 584: Business Trip

During the meal, Gu Heng said to his wife, “I need to go away on a business trip for a few days starting tomorrow.”

Dong Yan asked, “Where to?”

“Over to Suicheng,” Gu Heng replied.

After lunch, Gu Heng spent a little time in the study, rested at home for a while, and then went back to work.

Gu Yue had made an appointment with a friend to go shopping.

Dong Yan asked her daughter, “Where are you going now?”

Gu Yue replied, “I arranged to go shopping with my roommate this afternoon. By the way, Zeng Jing and I are in the same dorm.”

“Where is that roommate of yours, Jiang Xia, from? Is she from Suicheng?”

Gu Yue tried to remember. “I don’t know, she doesn’t seem to have said. Mom, are you curious about her too? Did you know she changed her watch again today!”

“Why would I be curious about her? Don’t get too close to her.”

Gu Yue was puzzled. “Why? I think that couple is quite impressive. Do you know? Today I even saw the two of them standing with Old He and Principal Zhou, talking and laughing. Old He seemed very close to them. You know how Old He usually is—serious and rarely even smiling—but he was very cordial with them, his face full of smiles.”

From a distance, she had seen Old He affectionately pat Jiang Xia’s husband’s arm twice.

Likely because he couldn’t reach his shoulder, he could only pat his arm.

At one point, he even held Jiang Xia’s husband’s arm while talking for a good half-minute.

One wouldn’t do that unless it was a close junior, right?

“It’s none of your business who she’s close with. I can tell at a glance they’re people without much breeding. Just from the way they were being touchy-feely right at the mall entrance, blocking everyone’s way, you can tell their quality is low. Besides, who changes their watch every day? Such extravagance—is that not capitalist behavior? Stay away from people like that so she doesn’t lead you astray! You’re not going shopping with her, are you?”

“No! She has to look after the kids; she left as soon as class was over.”

Gu Yue didn’t listen to her at all. What capitalist behavior? It was already the era of Reform and Opening-up. “Mom, I’m heading out, or I’ll be late.”

“You should learn from your eldest brother and study hard. Don’t spend all day thinking about shopping.”

Gu Yue quickly ran out.

Dong Yan was choked with frustration.

After her daughter left, she thought of something and quickly walked to the study.

That book had been put back in its original place.

She took it out to look. The photo from over twenty years ago that had been tucked inside was gone.

Dong Yan pulled open the drawers, searching through them one by one.

It wasn’t in the drawers either.

Dong Yan let out a cold, angry laugh.

So, he was taking the photo to Suicheng to find someone and see if he was his biological child?

Since there were no classes in the afternoon, not long after lunch, Jiang Xia lay on the bed to nurse and coax the children to sleep.

As it turned out, before the children were even asleep, she had fallen asleep herself.

Zhou Chenglei held a child in each arm, coaxing them to sleep.

As he walked, he sang in a low voice, “Unity is strength…”

Usually, after singing it twice, the children would fall into a deep sleep.

After he finished singing, he looked down and saw that both babies were asleep.

Walking to the bedside, he was about to ask Jiang Xia for help when he saw that she was also asleep.

The eldest brother wasn’t asleep yet. Seeing his father approach, he grinned at him.

Zhou Chenglei smiled back at his son, his eyes crinkling with warmth. Every time Jiang Xia tried to coax the kids to sleep, she ended up falling asleep faster than they did.

He carefully placed one of the babies on the large bed.

With his hands free, he used both to place his daughter in the crib.

Then he moved the younger brother to the crib.

Finally, he covered Jiang Xia’s waist and stomach with a thin quilt to keep her from catching a cold, then silently said to his son, who was drinking milk and staring at him, “Go to sleep.”

Zhou Chenglei stepped away immediately, otherwise the boy wouldn’t sleep.

He felt that among the three children, the eldest brother was the most alert.

Recently, it had happened twice when it was Jiang Xia’s turn to coax him to sleep—as soon as Zhou Chenglei approached, the boy would open his eyes and peek at him even if he was drifting off while drinking milk.

He didn’t know if it was a coincidence or if the boy was naturally born with high alertness.

The younger brother and little sister weren’t like that.

In fact, the younger brother was very much like Jiang Xia, possessing a powerful talent for falling asleep in seconds.

Once asleep, nothing could wake him.

The little sister was probably a combination of the two.

Zhou Chenglei sat down at the desk and picked up Jiang Xia’s textbooks to flip through.

He wasn’t particularly interested, but Jiang Xia liked them and was studying, so he wanted to understand them.

He was a fast reader; he skimmed through the pages, and the thick book was finished in about ten minutes.

He went to check on the eldest brother again; he was finally asleep.

He very carefully carried the eldest brother over to the crib, his movements even lighter than with the other two, letting the three siblings sleep together.

Then he straightened Jiang Xia’s clothes and tucked the quilt over her midsection.

This way she wouldn’t be too hot, nor would she get cold.

Having done all this, he returned to the desk, took out a foreign language book, and began his translation work.

Jiang Xia’s sleep was restless; she was thinking about feeding the children and woke up with a start.

Her arms were empty. The three children were sleeping soundly in the cribs.

Zhou Chenglei was sitting at the desk translating.

The light from the window shone in, falling on his soft hair and the cold, sharp profile of his face.

The way he lowered his head and wrote seriously was heart-fluttering.

This man, for the sake of her being able to attend university, had set everything aside to stay at home and look after the kid.

In this era, men like him were rare.

Zhou Chenglei finished translating a page and, as if sensing something, looked back.

Sure enough, Jiang Xia was awake, lying on the bed and looking at him lazily.

Her long hair was spread across his pillow.

Jiang Xia asked him, “How long was I out?”

Zhou Chenglei glanced at the time. “You only slept for ten minutes. Sleep a bit longer.”

“I’m not sleepy anymore. You sleep; I’ll do the translation. You get less sleep than I do every day.” Jiang Xia sat up to get out of bed.

Zhou Chenglei capped his fountain pen, returned to the bed, and pulled her down to lie with him. “Stay and sleep with me a while longer.”

It was only one-thirty in the afternoon. She had to get up at night to nurse. He had suggested giving them powdered milk at night, but she wouldn’t agree.

She said the children already didn’t get enough breast milk as it was, and they couldn’t miss that midnight feeding.

Getting up twice every night to nurse meant she had to nap more during the day.

Jiang Xia was held in his arms for five minutes, but she still couldn’t fall back asleep. Except for when she was pregnant and took long naps, she usually felt completely refreshed after just a few minutes of sleep.

“I can’t sleep. I want to get up.”

Zhou Chenglei didn’t let her; she would be able to sleep in a moment.

His hand moved up her back, and he lowered his head to find her lips.

Jiang Xia gasped and dodged. “Grandma and the others are right outside.”

“They’re in the east room; they won’t come in here.”

…

By the time Jiang Xia woke up again, it was already four thirty.

The three children were still sleeping soundly, and Zhou Chenglei was quietly translating at the desk.

She propped herself up on her arms, still feeling a slight flutter in her heart from the movement.

Zhou Chenglei noticed she was awake and turned around. “Second Auntie made stewed papaya with milk. Shall I bring some for you?”

As he spoke, he set down his pen and stood up.

Jiang Xia also stood up, her legs still a bit shaky.

Zhou Chenglei noticed and was at her side in a stride, pulling her into his arms. “Not feeling well?”

The frequency had been a bit high lately.

Jiang Xia shot him a glare.

Seeing her face flush, Zhou Chenglei smiled.

If she wasn’t feeling unwell, then it was the opposite.

He lifted her up, pressing his forehead against hers, and whispered with a smile, “Me too. It was worth it.”

No need to be so cautious anymore.

“…”

Jiang Xia didn’t immediately understand what was “worth it,” but then her eyes widened in realization.

The smile in Zhou Chenglei’s eyes deepened, and he leaned down to kiss her.

Then he set Jiang Xia down. He was about to say he would get the papaya and milk when he saw that, in the crib, the eldest brother was awake and staring at them with wide eyes.

Zhou Chenglei: “…”

Chapter 585: Special Treatment

After Jiang Xia finished her stewed papaya with milk and fed the three babies, she picked a few ginkgo leaves and fashioned them into the shapes of butterflies and birds.

She, Grandma, and her cousin sat in the yard together, keeping the children company.

Grandpa, having nothing to do, helped with the cooking.

With six people looking after them, and the babies being so well-behaved and sleeping most of the day, plus the lack of farm work to do, things felt far too idle at times.

Grandpa was the type who couldn’t stay still. When he felt too restless, he would go out and sweep the main street in front of the gate clean.

He had even considered looking for a job as a street cleaner, but Zhou Chenglei wouldn’t hear of it.

Unlike Grandma and Second Auntie, who could pass the time by knitting sweaters, Grandpa was bored out of his mind.

Inside the house, Zhou Chenglei was working on a translation.

In the kitchen, Second Auntie was preparing the meal.

Jiang Xia held a ginkgo leaf by its stem and gave it a gentle tug, making the two lobes of the leaf flutter like wings.

“Look, the little bird is flying, flying…”

Grandma and Qiufeng also held the butterflies Jiang Xia had made to coax the children. “Look at the insects fly, fly…”

All three women had a baby on their laps as they played with them.

Each of the three babies held a butterfly in their hands, though they would let go after only a few moments.

Li Qiufeng said with a smile, “Little Cousin-in-law, you’re so clever. You can even make such beautiful butterflies out of ginkgo leaves.”

“It’s not hard to do; you can learn it just by watching once. I only learned it from watching someone else too.”

In her previous life, the internet was so developed and there were so many videos that she had picked it up just by glancing at a clip.

After the sun went down, Zhang Fuyan and Jiang Dong arrived together.

Zhang Rui was with them as well.

Zhang Rui had come specifically to see Zhou Chenglei and had happened to run into Jiang Dong and Zhang Fuyan at the entrance.

As soon as Jiang Dong and Zhang Fuyan arrived, they took the babies from Jiang Xia and Grandma’s arms.

Zhang Rui also said to Li Qiufeng, “Cousin, let me hold the baby for a bit.”

Being called “Cousin” by a stranger made Li Qiufeng’s face flush slightly, but she handed the younger brother in her arms over to him.

As Zhang Rui took the boy from Li Qiufeng, he noticed her face redden just from being called “Cousin.” He thought to himself that Fourth Brother’s cousin was certainly prone to shyness.

During the hand-off, their hands inevitably brushed against each other. Li Qiufeng had a quiet, introverted personality and was somewhat wary of strangers. Being looked at by someone like Zhang Rui—who wore a military uniform and possessed a powerful aura—made her even more timid, and her face turned a deeper shade of red.

Zhang Rui found it amusing, but he didn’t dare tease her. He tried his best to make his smile look friendly as he took the child. “Let Uncle hold you.”

With the three newcomers taking over the task of entertaining the babies, Grandma and the second cousin went into the kitchen to help with dinner.

Jiang Xia went to call Zhou Chenglei out.

Afterward, Zhang Rui took the child and went into the study with Zhou Chenglei to talk.

Jiang Xia, Jiang Dong, and Zhang Fuyan stayed in the yard with the babies to chat.

Zhang Fuyan was mainly there to brief Jiang Xia about the training session the next day.

“You only need to go and teach for one hour a day.”

“Your main role is to explain sales techniques, teach them some spoken English, and show them how to handle special situations.”

“We can schedule it so it doesn’t clash with your own classes. Other teachers are responsible for the rest of the training.”

Hearing this, Jiang Xia replied, “Taking an hour out of each day for the class shouldn’t be much of a problem.”

Regarding her own university classes, she didn’t need to attend the basic ones; she only needed to show up for the specialized courses.

“Then we’ll go to the class together tomorrow,” Zhang Fuyan added. “Old He said that if you and Big Brother Zhou go to the Canton Fair, he will arrange a three-bedroom apartment for you. There won’t be any problem bringing the children along to stay there. If you prefer a hotel, that’s fine too; rooms will be arranged for everyone accompanying you. Just think about whether you want the apartment or the hotel, and he will make the arrangements in advance.”

“Old He also mentioned he can introduce you to several factories so you can earn both a salary and a commission. You can negotiate the commission rate with the factory representatives yourself.”

“Once we’re at the Canton Fair, if the babies aren’t adjusting well, you can end your stint at any time. Furthermore, he can arrange for you and the babies to fly both ways. You won’t have to take the train like the rest of the group.”

“The exhibition hall will also provide you with a private temporary lounge where you can breastfeed when the babies are hungry. Second Auntie and the others can take the babies for walks around the exhibition, and if they get tired, they can nap in the lounge.”

“Old He also said that this experience will be a great help for your future application to join the Party and for your career.”

With things explained to this extent—every detail prepared and the option to leave at any time if the children weren’t comfortable—what else could Jiang Xia say?

By making such meticulous arrangements, Old He was showing immense sincerity.

What kind of expert usually received this level of treatment?

Even Old He himself might not have these privileges.

Old He likely had to withstand considerable pressure to arrange these conditions.

Jiang Xia nodded. “I understand. I’ll go to the training session with you tomorrow.”

Zhang Fuyan continued, “Jiang Dong said that when the time comes, he’ll drive down to Suicheng. That way, we won’t have to look for a taxi to get to the exhibition hall every day.”

Jiang Xia noted, “That’s quite a bit of trouble, though.”

Jiang Dong interjected, “It’s no trouble at all. Last time we followed behind a bus, it took over five hours because the bus kept stopping along the way. Now that I know the route, I should be able to make it in about four hours.”

Jiang Xia questioned him, “Are you sure you know the way?”

Jiang Dong puffed out his chest. “Sis, don’t look down on me! I only need to drive a route once to remember it! I could even drive a car all the way from Suicheng to the capital!”

Jiang Xia laughed. “I believe you, but please don’t!”

Drive from Suicheng to the capital?

What a joke.

Jiang Dong was indeed joking; he wasn’t that bored.

Since she was going to be a training instructor, Jiang Xia had to prepare materials. She stayed busy until eleven o’clock that night before finally going to bed.

The next day, Jiang Xia again didn’t wake up until the babies did.

She and Zhou Chenglei fed the children first, then she had breakfast and headed to school.

Today, she and Zhang Fuyan rode their bicycles to Jingda.

Having been abandoned, Jiang Dong drove himself back to the research institute.

Jiang Dong’s application to study abroad hadn’t been approved, while the senior students who had applied with him had all passed.

To prepare for going abroad, he had even applied to complete all his courses early and had already received his graduation certificate.

Despite the rejection, Jiang Dong wasn’t upset.

With Zhang Fuyan in the capital and his sister here too, he actually felt reluctant to leave the country.

Now, he continued working in the laboratory with his former professor and a few classmates on unfinished research, while simultaneously preparing for the Q University postgraduate entrance exam.

Jiang Xia had also suggested a new research direction for the company Jiang Dong had started: fully automatic washing machines.

She truly felt that the current semi-automatic washing machines were practically useless.

When the weather was good, washing by hand was faster. They were really only useful for spinning clothes dry when the weather was bad so they would dry faster.

The one they had at home had only been used to spin-dry diapers after the babies were born; they hadn’t used it at all before then.

Even Zhou Chenglei found it to be a hassle.

However, the babies went through so many diapers every day that they were hard to dry on rainy days. After being spun dry, they dried much faster.

At 7:55 AM, Jiang Xia and Zhang Fuyan walked into the lecture hall.

Zhang Fuyan found a seat and sat down.

Jiang Xia carried her materials directly to the podium. “Hello, everyone. My name is Jiang Xia. I am the lead translator and training instructor for this session of the Canton Fair.”

Every single person in the classroom froze in shock.

What?

Chapter 586: Arrogant!

Because she was acting as a trainer today, Jiang Xia dressed more formally, wearing a white suit dress.

It was professional without appearing old-fashioned.

However, she was simply too young. Those attending the training weren’t just top-tier students from the foreign language departments of several universities; there were also translators and staff members invited by various factories, and even factory directors participating in the Canton Fair for the first time.

Consequently, some people in the room looked old enough to be Jiang Xia’s parents.

Hearing that Jiang Xia was the training instructor and the lead translator, and realizing they had to listen to someone who was still wet behind the ears—and even address her respectfully as “Teacher”—they were naturally displeased and resistant.

In all things, seniority and experience should matter, right?

They were all people of status!

Someone couldn’t help but whisper from below, “What’s going on? Is there a mistake? Did this student walk into the wrong classroom?”

“Probably a mistake!”

“It must be a mistake!”

“I hope it’s a mistake. If she’s the one training us, and I have to call someone around my daughter’s age ‘Teacher,’ I really won’t be able to get the words out! If that’s the case, I’m not participating in this training!”

“I’m not participating either! What kind of joke is this? Has Jingda run out of people? Sending a student to train us!”

“Wasn’t it Professor Ji who trained us before?”

“Old He said they changed the person, but it’s not like they should replace him with a student! Has this comrade even graduated from university?”

…

Although there were people present who had attended the Canton Fair last autumn and knew Jiang Xia.

For instance, Ye Xian’s friends Zhu Qingqing and Yang Min, as well as the lead from last year, all recognized Jiang Xia.

However, for various personal reasons, none of them spoke up.

Watching the chaos below, Jiang Xia held a megaphone with a calm expression. “There is no need for doubt! There has been no mistake. I am indeed the trainer and lead translator for our Jingda team at this Canton Fair. If anyone feels I am too young and finds it unacceptable, you may leave now. You can return to your respective organizations and apply for a replacement—either to replace me or yourselves. I will give everyone three minutes. Any students who wish to leave may do so immediately. Please!”

Jiang Xia made a “request” gesture.

The loudspeaker carried Jiang Xia’s crisp yet sharp voice into everyone’s ears.

Everyone: “…”

Jiang Xia channeled the momentum she once used when negotiating with clients in her previous life, letting her full aura explode.

Her temperament shifted entirely, as if she were a different person.

She looked at the crowd with a cold, frozen expression, not showing even a hint of intimidation.

She lifted her arm and glanced at her watch. “Timing starts now.”

Everyone: “…”

The classroom suddenly fell silent. People looked at one another.

For a moment, no one left.

They were all adults, and elites carefully selected by their schools or factories. They wouldn’t act too impulsively. Even if they wanted to change instructors in their hearts, they wouldn’t leave easily; they only thought about speaking to the leadership after class.

Participating in the Canton Fair was an opportunity—a very rare opportunity. If they left on their own initiative and the leadership held them accountable by sending someone else in their place, it wouldn’t be impossible for them to lose out.

As the saying goes, “the bird that sticks its head out gets shot,” and no one wanted to be that first bird.

Jiang Xia was certain that not a single one of them would leave.

So, after waiting for about ten seconds, she continued, “No one is leaving? If no one is leaving, then I won’t waste any more of your time. To waste time is to waste life, and I have no desire to waste yours. I will give everyone one last chance. I will count to three, and those who wish to leave may stand up.”

“One.”

Everyone secretly glanced around, but no one moved.

“Two.”

Still, no one moved.

“Three!”

Not a soul moved!

“Very well, then let us prepare for class! Before we begin, I will state my classroom rules. During my lecture, except when I am asking questions, I do not like to hear any sound. If I hear someone’s voice, I will call on them. You get two chances; on the third time, I will report back to your leadership and suggest they replace you.”

Everyone: “…”

“Class begins now.” Jiang Xia wasted no more words. She picked up a piece of chalk, turned around, and began writing on the board. “In the first section, we will discuss…”

Jiang Xia had intimidated everyone from the start with her sheer presence, primarily because she was so young and spoke with such arrogance!

Even those old university professors and factory directors didn’t act so high and mighty during meetings!

She had an air of “who else but me,” as if she were the only person in the world who mattered!

Consequently, everyone subconsciously listened in silence, wanting to see exactly what Jiang Xia could say to justify being so arrogant!

Their eyes couldn’t help but fall upon the blackboard:

What neat handwriting!

It looked just like it had been printed!

And then, as they listened, they were drawn in.

Next, their pens did not stop moving.

Everyone was frantically taking notes!

…

When Old He arrived with a few others, he saw Jiang Xia speaking eloquently on the podium while the students below were scribbling away furiously.

The entire classroom was pin-drop silent.

Every single person was listening with extreme focus and recording everything with great diligence.

The group stood outside the classroom to listen, and not a single student looked out the window or noticed their presence.

Even the newcomers were drawn in, standing outside the classroom and listening the entire time.

Slowly, more and more people stopped to listen.

…

An hour is not long, but it isn’t short either.

Jiang Xia didn’t waste a single second, finishing her lecture exactly as time ran out.

“Alright, that is all for today’s lesson! I will distribute these materials to you tomorrow. Class dismissed!”

Jiang Xia closed her materials and walked out of the classroom.

Everyone hadn’t reacted yet; they were still immersed in the content Jiang Xia had taught, heads buried as they finished recording what she had said.

By the time they looked up, Jiang Xia had already left the room.

Everyone: “…”

They looked at each other, their faces filled with a sense of wanting more.

Only then did they realize that the area outside the classroom was actually packed with people!

No one had noticed.

But it wasn’t surprising that they hadn’t.

During the one-hour class, aside from the sound of pages turning and the chirping of birds outside, there was only Jiang Xia’s voice.

The students hadn’t heard the paper or the birds; they only heard Jiang Xia’s voice, completely immersed in it.

They resented that their writing speed wasn’t as fast as her speaking speed, wishing they could record every single word she uttered.

Now that they had come back to their senses, everyone looked at their own notes and then at the notes of those around them.

Damn!

Every single notebook was filled to the brim.

They had been more serious and detailed than when they were taking notes during their own university days.

It was all pure, valuable content.

Only now did everyone understand why Jiang Xia had been arranged to train them.

And why Jiang Xia had been so arrogant the moment she opened her mouth!

The girl truly had the ability to be that arrogant!

Some who were slower at taking notes saw that the person next to them had written more and asked, “Comrade, could I take a look at your notes?”

With one person starting, others who hadn’t caught everything also began asking those around them, “Comrade, I missed a spot; could I borrow your notes for a moment?”

…

Thus, a wave of note-exchanging surged through the classroom.

Everyone compared their notes with those nearby to see if they had missed anything.

An old factory director, wearing his reading glasses as he copied notes, suddenly said, “I remember where I’ve heard the name Jiang Xia before. I knew it sounded familiar!”

The others hurriedly looked at him. “Who is she? Is she very famous?”

Chapter 587: Contention!

“Impressive! Absolutely impressive!”

The factory director continued, “During last year’s Autumn Canton Fair, a translator created a transaction miracle. She acted as a translator for several factories simultaneously, shattering the sales targets for all of them and earning the country—”

His words were cut off by another person. “Oh, I know! I heard about that too! So it was her! I also heard she translated for a food factory, and that place brought in over ten million dollars in orders!”

Someone else chimed in eagerly, “I know as well! I’ve heard of her. They say when she translated for a textile factory, they reached the city’s designated sales target in just three days…”

“Then there was the plastic factory. I heard their target transaction amount was ten million, but they ended up exceeding it by twenty million…”

“And a shipyard…”

“I heard her husband was in charge of the shipyard, but he’s just as impressive. He even helped a machine tool factory land a deal…”

They discussed it one after another, their voices overlapping.

“I wonder if she’s translating for any other factories this year. If our factory could hire her, we wouldn’t have to worry about missing our targets.”

“She’s a team leader now. Surely she can’t act as a translator for other manufacturers anymore, right?”

“Why not? As a team leader, she should be helping even more factories with their translations!”

As soon as these words were spoken, the more quick-witted individuals immediately packed up their notebooks and ran out to find Jiang Xia.

When one person ran out, another saw them, realized the plan, and followed suit.

In an instant, several people scrambled out to find Jiang Xia, terrified that if they were a second too late, someone else would snatch the opportunity.

Every year at the Canton Fair, the factories were given transaction quotas they had to meet.

Moreover, these quotas increased every year. This time, the targets were several million higher than the last!

But how could it be easy to increase sales by several million? The pressure of those millions rested entirely on their shoulders!

If they could get Jiang Xia to translate for their factory, wouldn’t that pressure be lifted?

If they accidentally exceeded their targets, wouldn’t that pave the way for promotions and raises?

Thus, several factory directors couldn’t wait a moment longer and rushed out.

However, Jiang Xia had already been invited to Old He and Principal Yan’s office for tea.

Furthermore, the next training session had already begun, so the factory directors couldn’t just walk away permanently.

Still, they weren’t in a hurry; they could see Jiang Xia again tomorrow.

A few factory directors made up their minds to wait for Jiang Xia at the school gate early tomorrow morning to invite her to their factories before anyone else could.

Others planned to seek out the Principal of Jingda and Old He after class to ask for Jiang Xia’s contact information so they could find her today.

Principal’s Office, Jingda

Principal Yan extended a sincere invitation: “Comrade Xiao Xia, are you interested in teaching at our school? I’m formally inviting you to teach in both our Foreign Languages Department and our Economics Department!”

The Principal of Jingda had stood outside the classroom listening for over half an hour, and he had immediately recognized Jiang Xia’s talent.

Before coming, he had thought Jiang Xia might not be able to control the room.

After all, with so many seasoned veterans in attendance, who would want to listen to a young girl give a lecture?

But when they reached the classroom, everyone was already listening intently.

They were so focused that no one even noticed the group standing outside the window.

Principal Yan had specifically checked his watch at the time.

It was 8:10 AM. Class started at 8:00 AM, which meant it only took Jiang Xia a few minutes to get everyone seated and listening, and less than ten minutes to get them completely immersed.

Just how incredible a teacher must she be to be so captivating in such a short time?

He had listened to a few lines out of curiosity.

But after hearing just those few sentences, his feet felt as if they were rooted to the spot. Without realizing it, he had stood outside and listened to the entire lecture.

Passersby likely saw them standing there and, out of curiosity, stopped to listen for a bit, only to find their own feet taking root as well.

A teacher whose lessons were so vivid, captivating, and immersive was someone they absolutely could not afford to miss!

She was a true talent!

Upon hearing this, the Principal of Q University became unhappy and immediately spoke up. “Old Yan, Xiao Xia is already a professor in our Foreign Languages Department at Q University. Don’t even think about it! We reached an agreement yesterday. Isn’t that right, Comrade Xiao Xia?”

Principal Zhou had been brought over by Old He specifically to witness Jiang Xia’s capabilities.

After seeing her in action, even he was conquered!

Comrade Jiang Xia was practically born to be a professor, a teacher!

Principal Yan retorted, “Stop joking! Didn’t you doubt Comrade Xiao Xia’s strength? That’s why Old He asked you to come and see today, isn’t it? Don’t think I don’t know!”

How could Principal Zhou admit to that?

“Don’t talk nonsense! When did I ever doubt Comrade Xiao Xia? I said yesterday that she should come for an interview! Now, Comrade Xiao Xia has passed her interview! Our school is formally hiring her as a professor in the Foreign Languages Department, with the salary and benefits of a full professor.”

Principal Yan was infuriated by Principal Zhou’s brazenness. He looked at Jiang Xia and said, “Comrade Xiao Xia, come teach at our school! Our salary and benefits are better than Q University’s, and we even provide faculty housing!”

Principal Zhou cut in, “Comrade Xiao Xia, our school also provides housing—and it’s a private bungalow. Don’t you have three children to look after? Living in a bungalow provided by the school would be convenient for taking care of your children, as well as for your own studies and teaching. Our Foreign Languages Department was only recently reinstated, so unlike Jingda, which has many subjects, courses, and students, you won’t be overwhelmed. You’ll be far too busy at Jingda to look after your children! Our school won’t—”

Principal Yan interrupted, “Stop talking nonsense! Our Foreign Languages Department has a strong faculty, which means Comrade Xiao Xia won’t be too busy! Your school doesn’t have enough teachers—how could she not be busy? Comrade Xiao Xia, our school also has bungalow-style housing…”

The two principals began arguing right then and there over who would get Jiang Xia to teach at their school, their faces turning red from the heat of the debate.

Jiang Xia glanced at her watch. She still had classes to teach. She left a stack of materials and said to Old He, “Old He, I organized these materials last night. Please have them printed and distributed to the students tomorrow.”

Then, she turned to the two principals and said, “Principals, I’m very sorry, but I have a class to get to. I’ll take my leave now.”

With that, she stood up, gave them a slight bow, and hurried away.

Principal Zhou and Principal Yan were stunned for a moment.

Principal Zhou stopped arguing and immediately stood up. “I need to get back to campus as well!”

He hurried out, planning to speak with Jiang Xia privately after her class to ensure she agreed to become a foreign language professor at Q University.

Principal Yan looked at Old He. “Old He, why did you introduce a teacher to Old Zhou but not to our school?”

Old He replied, “Old Zhou said his school was short on foreign language professors! He was the one who came to me for help; I didn’t seek him out.”

Principal Yan huffed, “I don’t care. What is our relationship? We’ve been friends for how many years? If you help him, you have to help me too. Now, I’m asking for your help. If Comrade Xiao Xia is going to be a teacher at Q University, she has to be one at Jingda as well. Our Foreign Languages Department has far more students than Q University! Jiang Xia can cultivate far more talent at Jingda than at Q University! You must understand the priorities here—you can’t favor some and neglect others!”

Old He: “…”

Who exactly had he offended to deserve this?

Chapter 588: Lingering Regret

Jiang Xia returned to Q University. After finishing her major’s lecture, she organized her notes, packed her textbooks, and checked her seat to ensure she hadn’t left anything behind before leaving the classroom.

She planned to go to the library to borrow a few books for her major, as well as some books on economics and similar subjects that Zhou Chenglei wanted to read.

There were no classes in the afternoon, but the opening ceremony was scheduled later.

Jiang Xia could go home for lunch, spend some time with the children, and then return for the ceremony.

Principal Zhou had been watching the time and waiting outside the classroom. As soon as Jiang Xia stepped out, he waved to her enthusiastically. “Comrade Xiao Xia.”

Jiang Xia paused in her tracks.

The other students in the class all looked over.

They looked at Jiang Xia, then at Principal Zhou.

Jiang Xia walked over to him.

Principal Zhou smiled and said, “Come, let’s sit in my office for a bit. Regarding the issues we discussed just now, if you have any difficulties, you can tell me. The school will resolve them for you.”

Jiang Xia سپس followed Principal Zhou toward the principal’s office.

Everyone watched their departing figures.

Some recognized Principal Zhou, while others did not.

Zeng Jing, of course, recognized him.

She swept a faint glance at their backs, feeling it strange that Principal Zhou would actually wait for Jiang Xia outside the classroom and even offer to help her resolve difficulties.

Zeng Yuan had come to the school today to find her sister. She also glanced at Jiang Xia before withdrawing her gaze and calling out to her sister, “Xiao Jing.”

Hearing the voice, Zeng Jing looked over and quickly ran to Zeng Yuan. “Why are you here?”

“I forgot to bring the house keys when I left.”

Zeng Jing hurriedly gave her the keys. “Have you eaten?”

“No.”

“Then let’s eat together at our school cafeteria! After that, we can go home together.”

“Alright.” Zeng Yuan didn’t refuse; there was no one at home to cook anyway.

The two walked toward the school cafeteria.

Zeng Jing said to Zeng Yuan, “That woman looks very familiar with Principal Zhou. He just told her to let him know if she had any problems.”

Zeng Yuan only replied with a soft “Mm.”

She didn’t want to mention Jiang Xia. Zhou Chenglei had a wide network; she assumed he had asked someone to request Principal Zhou to look after Jiang Xia.

She was jealous of all the favoritism and special treatment Zhou Chenglei gave Jiang Xia.

Zeng Jing asked again, “Was Jiang Xia really the top scholar in Chinese and English for the Gaokao?”

Zeng Yuan: “I don’t know, I didn’t pay attention to her.”

At that time, she had been disheartened and was busy preparing for her job transfer.

What score Jiang Xia got on the Gaokao or who she was related to had nothing to do with her.

She had only ever cared about Zhou Chenglei.

Regarding Zhou Chenglei, Zeng Yuan felt a deep, lingering regret.

It was because she was a step too late—a step slower than Jiang Xia’s father in asking Elder Zhang for help—and as a result, she lost him.

After hearing that Zhou Chenglei was engaged, she went to find Zhang Rui to ask if it was true. She happened to overhear Zhang Rui asking Zhou Chenglei, “Have you been eyeing Comrade Jiang Xia for a long time? You got engaged after just one meeting?”

At the time, Zhou Chenglei had replied, “I never noticed her before.”

Zhang Rui laughed and pressed further, “Then was it love at first sight because the Sister-in-law is so beautiful?”

Zhou Chenglei didn’t respond to that.

However, Zhang Zheng spoke up for him. “He just found it hard to refuse the Old Man and Father Jiang.”

Zhou Chenglei didn’t deny it then.

Zhang Rui smiled and added, “That makes sense. With kindness as heavy as a mountain, the only way to repay it is with one’s body.”

Everyone laughed.

Zhou Chenglei didn’t voice a denial either.

The others joined in the teasing: “Sister-in-law is so beautiful; it’s worth marrying into it to repay the debt.”

“If it were me, I’d pack my bags overnight and move in as a live-in husband!”

…

Zeng Yuan knew that Zhou Chenglei was not someone who focused on appearances; love at first sight would never happen to him.

Jiang Xia was very beautiful, but women even more beautiful, smarter, more capable, and from better families than Jiang Xia had appeared around Zhou Chenglei before. He had ignored them all the same.

Therefore, his engagement to Jiang Xia was truly just because he couldn’t refuse Elder Zhang and Father Jiang.

She later learned from Zhang Rui that both of them had done him great favors.

That was why Zeng Yuan felt so unreconciled!

She had liked him for six years!

He and she could have had a future together, but she had been a step too slow.

Zeng Jing watched Jiang Xia and Principal Zhou talking as they walked. “I wonder what Principal Zhou is saying to her.”

Zeng Yuan snapped out of her thoughts and glanced at her sister. “Why are you paying so much attention to her?”

“We just happen to be in the same class.” Zeng Jing certainly couldn’t tell her sister that she was trying to vent frustration on her behalf!

She disliked Jiang Xia and targeted her to avenge her sister!

Her sister had loved Zhou Chenglei for many years—six or seven years now.

Much longer than Jiang Xia!

It was Jiang Xia who had intruded upon the feelings between her sister and Zhou Chenglei.

Her sister said she had planned to wait until he became a regimental commander, then have their father ask Elder Zhang to arrange a match between them.

She never expected Jiang Xia’s father to suddenly approach Elder Zhang and snatch him away!

If Jiang Xia hadn’t suddenly appeared, her sister and Zhou Chenglei would likely be married by now.

Her sister wouldn’t have had to wait until she was twenty-six, still single and unwilling to date anyone else. She had even transferred her job to the man’s city just to pursue a married man.

Now that her sister had returned to the capital with a broken heart, this couple had actually come to the capital to cause her more distress, making her continue to refuse any potential suitors.

It had made their grandfather so angry he was hospitalized!

People in the residential compound were whispering behind her sister’s back, saying she couldn’t get married and calling her an old maid.

Zeng Jing naturally wanted to stand up for her sister.

Since they were children, her sister had doted on her the most.

Since Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei were hurting her sister with their public displays of affection, she would make their “perfect” life miserable.

If her sister wasn’t doing well, they shouldn’t expect to be happy either!

Zeng Jing asked again, “Sis, how was the person Grandma introduced to you?”

Zeng Yuan had gone on a blind date today. “He was okay.”

The truth was, he was far inferior to Zhou Chenglei.

When a young and pretty waitress served the dishes, he had reached out to take them, touching her hand—whether intentionally or not. Walking on the street, when a cyclist passed by and a piece of luggage accidentally bumped into him, he started squawking in complaint!

Zhou Chenglei would never be like that.

When she was twenty and had just graduated to work at the hospital, her first patient was Zhou Chenglei.

She gave him stitches and dressed his wounds. At that time, his injuries were very severe, yet he insisted on not using anesthesia.

She was clumsy and nervous, struggling to handle the wound properly, but he didn’t even frown throughout the process, nor did he blame her.

From that moment on, she fell in love with him. She began to follow his progress, and from then on, things spiraled out of control.

He frequently earned merits and went on missions. Every time he was injured, she was the one who bandaged him.

He had excellent habits and kept himself very clean. Many women liked him and confessed to him, but he ignored them all, not even sparing them a glance, let alone speaking to them.

For so many years, she was the only member of the opposite sex who could say a few words to him. Sometimes, she could even join Zhang Rui and his brother for meals and jokes with him.

If only she hadn’t been a step too slow…

Zeng Jing: “No rush, take your time. Find someone better than Zhou Chenglei! I think Brother Zhang Rui is better than Zhou Chenglei! How about asking Grandma to talk to Mrs. Zhang? Mrs. Zhang has been looking for a match for Zhang Rui lately, too.”

Zeng Yuan: “Don’t talk nonsense! He knows about my past with Zhou Chenglei; it’s impossible for him to be interested in me, and I don’t like him that way either. We’re too familiar; having grown up together, he feels like a brother.”

Hearing this, Zeng Jing said, “Sis, if you don’t like Big Brother Zhang Rui, then can I pursue him?”

Zeng Yuan: “…”

She never knew her younger sister had such thoughts.

Had she been delaying her sister’s marriage prospects too?

She quickly said, “Of course you can!”

On the other side, Jiang Xia and Principal Zhou arrived at the office.

Chapter 589: I Don’t Have Time

On the way to the principal’s office, the two of them talked the entire time.

It was mostly Principal Zhou talking while Jiang Xia listened.

Principal Zhou’s offered terms were quite sincere. “The workload isn’t heavy—only two days of classes a week, two sessions back-to-back. You’d be teaching the entire major’s student body at once, and you can pick which days you want to teach. Alternatively, you could try being a professor for just one semester; if you don’t want to continue next semester, that’s fine too. We’re truly shorthanded this term.”

Jiang Xia didn’t have many major-specific courses this semester, and she didn’t necessarily need to attend the basic ones. Teaching twice a week was indeed manageable.

In fact, Jiang Xia had originally planned to study a second or even third major.

However, after arriving at the school, she realized that universities hadn’t implemented the credit system yet. Under normal circumstances, one couldn’t graduate early.

Now, an opportunity had presented itself.

Jiang Xia said, “I’m only a freshman. If I become a university teacher without the proper academic credentials, I’m afraid the students won’t respect me.”

Principal Zhou smiled and said, “Academic credentials are just formalities. We have several senior professors in this school who don’t have formal degrees, but that doesn’t stop them from having true talent. I believe you’ll definitely find a way to earn the students’ respect.”

He had seen with his own eyes how she made a group of people of different ages and backgrounds listen to her lecture intently. How could she not have a way?

He had stood there himself and listened to her for a single session, and he was already filled with boundless admiration.

Jiang Xia countered, “That’s different. The seniors have their seniority, whereas I’m young and lack experience. I still want to hold a qualification certificate and teach properly and legitimately; only then will I have the confidence. I have a rather difficult request—I wonder if Principal Zhou can agree to it?”

Principal Zhou immediately said, “What is it? Tell me whatever difficulties you have. No matter how hard it is, as long as it can be done, I’ll find a way to make it happen.”

…

Half an hour later, Jiang Xia left the principal’s office.

Only then did Principal Zhou realize he had unwittingly fallen into Jiang Xia’s trap.

However, this also gave Principal Zhou a new perspective on teaching.

He shook his head with a faint smile. “Where on earth did Old He find such a shrewd operator?”

But he was also very curious to see if Jiang Xia actually had that level of ability.

As Jiang Xia had said, if she passed, it would indeed be more persuasive and would shut the mouths of any potential critics.

With her academic credentials in hand, she could become a foreign language professor legitimately.

Principal Zhou walked out of his office to go to Jingda to consult with Elder Yan.

After leaving the principal’s office, Jiang Xia went straight home.

Because she was half an hour late getting back, Zhou Chenglei was already preparing to go look for her. He was just pushing his bicycle out of the courtyard gate when he saw her return.

He pushed the bicycle back into the yard and parked it.

Jiang Xia reached the gate, and he stepped forward to take her bicycle and push it inside as well.

“Why so late today?”

“Principal Zhou wanted to talk to me.”

“About the teaching position again?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Did you agree?”

Jiang Xia replied, “In a way. I set a condition with the principal: I told him I want to get my qualification certificate before I start teaching.”

Zhou Chenglei understood immediately. “You want to get your graduation certificate first? Graduate early?”

“Yes, but specifically the graduate degree for the foreign language major. I still want to continue studying my current major.”

In her previous life, she had also graduated as a postgraduate. Given the chance in this life, she naturally wanted to seize the opportunity to reclaim her original academic standing.

As for fashion design, that was something she actually wanted to learn.

She wasn’t attending university just for a diploma; the most important thing was to learn something she was genuinely interested in.

During the last Canton Fair, after memorizing the fabric data for the Textile Factory and the information for the Garment Factory, Jiang Xia had developed a strong interest in the clothing industry.

That was why she had chosen this major for university this time.

“Can you manage the workload?” Zhou Chenglei asked, worried she would be too exhausted.

“It should be fine. I only need to teach twice a week, ninety minutes per session. My own major classes are only one or two sessions a day. Aside from those, I don’t necessarily have to attend the other classes. I’ll just review before the exams to make sure I don’t fail.”

Jiang Xia asked him, “What do you think?”

“If you think it’s good, then do it. I support you.” Zhou Chenglei had seen her class schedule. If she didn’t plan on attending classes other than her major ones, then even with two extra ninety-minute teaching sessions a week, she would still have plenty of free time.

University wasn’t like junior high or high school where the schedule was packed; independent study was more important.

Grandpa and Grandma called out for them to eat.

Jiang Xia acknowledged them and hurried to wash her hands.

After lunch, Jiang Xia spent some time playing with the children as usual, nursing them and coaxing them to sleep. She took a nap herself, and when she woke up, she went back to the school library to begin preparing for the exams in three days’ time.

Although she was very confident, she didn’t believe in going into a fight unprepared.

When it was time, Jiang Xia returned to her classroom to join her classmates on the sports field for the opening ceremony.

The sports field was filled with people standing in rows by class. Zeng Jing took the opportunity to approach Jiang Xia. “Comrade Jiang Xia, there are going to be many school activities coming up. There’s an arts performance before National Day, the Tiananmen Gala on National Day itself, the school sports meet after that, and an activity for the dredging of the Xiaoqing River.”

Jiang Xia looked at her, waiting for the punchline. “And?”

“Every student in our class has enthusiastically signed up. The spots for the arts performance and the Tiananmen Gala are already full, and the Xiaoqing River project is mandatory for the whole class. There’s currently no one signed up for the 400-meter hurdles for the sports meet. Surely you’ll work hard to contribute to the class, won’t you, Comrade Jiang Xia? So, I’ve signed you up for the 400-meter hurdles.”

“Also, we need someone to carry the class placard during the opening ceremony. You’re the prettiest and have the best image, Comrade Jiang Xia, so this task is assigned to you.”

Didn’t Jiang Xia love showing off? Carrying the placard was perfect for her!

Zeng Jing had carried the placard before and knew exactly how exhausting it was to walk a full lap.

Moreover, the track at Q University was more than twice the size of those in high school.

As for the hurdles, they were even harder than the 800-meter run and carried a high risk of injury. If Jiang Xia said she didn’t know how and tried to refuse, Zeng Jing would just get her big brother to come and teach her, forcing her to train every day! She’d work her to death!

Jiang Xia saw the calculation in her eyes and said calmly, “I don’t know how to do hurdles, and I don’t have the strength to carry the placard.”

Zeng Jing was waiting for exactly this response. She said loudly, smiling, “It doesn’t matter if you don’t know how! I’ll find someone to train all the athletes in our class! I guarantee our class can take the top three! As long as you have the heart to work for the honor of our collective, after more than a month of professional training, I guarantee you can take a top three spot and bring glory to our class!”

Jiang Xia asked in return, “When is the sports meet?”

“Around the end of October.”

Hearing this, Jiang Xia said, “I don’t have time at the end of October. I won’t be at school during that period, so I can’t participate in the sports meet.”

Zeng Jing had long guessed she would refuse. In front of the entire class and the counselor, she shouted, “Comrade Jiang Xia, participating in the sports meet is a contribution to the class; it’s fighting for the collective honor of our class! I’ve signed up for the long jump and high jump myself. How can you intentionally take a leave of absence just because you don’t want to participate? You’re being far too lacking in collective spirit! The counselor will never approve your leave!”

The people surrounding them couldn’t help but look at Jiang Xia, including the counselor.

Chapter 590: On What Basis?

Zeng Jing was a very capable class officer. She arranged everything perfectly, leaving the counselor with nothing to worry about.

She even mentioned that she planned to invite a soldier to train the class’s athletes, striving for good results in the school sports meet.

Their major, Fashion Design, was a new program established by the school in the last two years. There were far more girls than boys, with only ten boys in the entire class.

The counselor hadn’t held much hope for the school sports meet.

However, having such a capable Class Monitor changed things, and the counselor was naturally willing to support Zeng Jing’s efforts in managing the class.

Consequently, the counselor looked at Jiang Xia and spoke up, “You cannot take leave whenever you want during the school sports meet. Student Jiang Xia, you must cooperate with the class officers’ work. Otherwise, if everyone decides to take leave just because they don’t want to participate, will there be anyone left to represent our class?”

“For this sports meet, everyone has signed up except for those participating in the cultural performances or the military band for the National Day Tiananmen Gala. Every student has registered for one event, and the Class Monitor and the sports committeeman have taken the lead by signing up for two or three each. As a member of this class, you cannot engage in exceptionalism or individualism. Furthermore, this is our class’s first semester and our first collective activity.”

Jiang Xia: “…”

She was really laying the guilt on thick!

In a spot where the counselor couldn’t see, Zeng Jing looked at Jiang Xia with mockery in her eyes.

Jiang Xia had an impulsive, arrogant, and attention-seeking personality; Zeng Jing hoped she would start an argument with the counselor. If she did, her college life for the next few years would be miserable.

Jiang Xia glanced at Zeng Jing.

Did Zeng Jing really think she was a pushover, someone easily squeezed?

Jiang Xia hesitated for a moment, looking at Zeng Jing with a troubled expression. “Why didn’t the Class Monitor ask me before making these arrangements? I really have something very important that requires me to take leave during the sports meet.”

Zeng Jing replied, “What could be more important than our collective class honor? The sports meet happens to be during my period, yet I’m still participating in two events. Every student in the class has an assignment. However, Comrade Jiang Xia, if you truly have an issue, you can ask if anyone in the class is willing to take your place.”

Jiang Xia said, “But I don’t feel right troubling other students with this.”

Zeng Jing continued, “Since Student Jiang Xia has such high awareness, then you’ll have to do it yourself! Starting tomorrow morning at 7:00 AM, we will gather at the sports field for a month of intensive training. Student Jiang Xia, you must arrive on time. The daily training won’t be long, only an hour and a half. However, the training process might be quite hard. We must maintain the fine style of hard work and struggle! Do not fear hardship or exhaustion! Strive to bring glory to the class. I believe Student Jiang Xia can do it.”

Jiang Xia nodded. “The Class Monitor is right! So, the Class Monitor must also be someone who can endure hardship and work hard, right? You can do it too, can’t you?”

Zeng Jing said, “Of course. I will be training with all of you.”

Jiang Xia replied, “Then I’ll have to trouble the Class Monitor to endure a bit more hardship and participate in the 400-meter hurdles for me! I really don’t have time to participate in the school sports meet because I have to represent the school at the Canton Fair. I need to shine for the motherland and bring glory to our school. Since the capable must work harder and can endure hardship, I’ll leave the matter of bringing glory to the class to you.”

Zeng Jing: “…”

The counselor asked, “You’re going to the Canton Fair?”

How did she not know about this?

Jiang Xia looked at the counselor. “Yes, Teacher. I already started training yesterday. The school sports meet conflicts with the Canton Fair’s schedule. Everyone participating in the Canton Fair must undergo training every morning. The training times for both events overlap. However, if the Class Monitor is truly unwilling to do the hurdles for me, I can apply to the school to withdraw from the Canton Fair. I definitely won’t let it affect the class honor!”

The counselor didn’t think Jiang Xia would joke about such a thing, so she believed her. “No need for that. The Canton Fair is more important. How could you withdraw? Our Class Monitor, Zeng Jing, is a student who is responsible and works hard for the class without complaint. Since you’re busy, she can just take your place in the hurdles. Right, Student Zeng Jing?”

“…”

Right, my foot!

Zeng Jing gritted her teeth inwardly but smiled. “Right.”

Jiang Xia smiled back. “The Class Monitor really is a case of the capable must work harder. You must promote the spirit of hard work and struggle, fear no hardship or exhaustion, and lead our class to great results in the sports meet! Thank you for the contributions you’ve made for our class!”

Zeng Jing gritted her teeth and smiled. “It’s what I should do.”

Jiang Xia added, “Class Monitor, you won’t be afraid of the hard work and find some excuse to pass the hurdles event to another student, will you? I think since the Class Monitor signed up for the high jump and long jump, your jumping ability must be very strong. You’ll surely clear those hurdles easily, making you more suitable than any other student for the 400-meter hurdles. But as they say, do not do to others what you would not have them do to you. If the Class Monitor plans to give it to someone else, then I might as well participate myself! Our school is full of talent; it’s not impossible to find another student to go to the Canton Fair instead.”

The counselor said, “Student Zeng isn’t that kind of person. The registration list is already in my hands. I’ll just change the name when I submit it.”

Jiang Xia said, “Then I’m relieved. Does the sports meet training start at 7:00 AM every day? Class Monitor, don’t worry, I’ll come to cheer for you every day!”

Zeng Jing: “…”

She was practically going insane with rage!

Zeng Jing never expected Jiang Xia to be going to the Canton Fair.

How could a mere freshman be qualified to attend the Canton Fair?

She wasn’t sure if it was true or not.

Zeng Jing was skeptical.

No, she had to go find out if Jiang Xia’s name was on the list of students from their school going to the Canton Fair.

If it was, it wasn’t impossible for her to find a school leader to have Jiang Xia replaced.

We’ll see how smug she is then.

Once the opening ceremony ended, Jiang Xia took the books she had borrowed from the library and went home.

Zeng Jing went to the Foreign Languages Department to find an acquaintance to ask who from their school was going as a volunteer for this Canton Fair.

The person she asked was also participating in the Canton Fair training. Upon hearing Jiang Xia’s name, she asked in surprise, “Whose name did you just ask if it was on the student list?”

“Jiang Xia. ‘Jiang’ as in river, ‘Xia’ as in summer.”

The student shook her head. “There is no name like that on our school’s student team list.”

Zeng Jing felt relieved upon hearing this. Just to be safe, she asked again, “Do you know if there’s a Jiang Xia among the translators hired by the factories themselves?”

The student shook her head. “No, no…”

Zeng Jing interrupted her, “I knew she was bragging! She even said she couldn’t participate in the sports meet because she was going to the Canton Fair! I’m going to tell the counselor.”

Zeng Jing turned to leave.

The student quickly pulled her back. “What she said wasn’t wrong. She really is going to the Canton Fair. She is the lead translator and training instructor for our entire delegation.”

“…”

Zeng Jing: “What did you say?”

She must be hallucinating.

“She is the lead translator and training instructor.”

Zeng Jing: “…”

“How is that possible? On what basis does she get to be the leader?”

Did she get in through the back door?

The student replied, “Based on her genuine talent and learning, I suppose! She is incredibly amazing…”

And so, this student began her Nth time boasting about how impressive the instructor, Jiang Xia, was!

“…Even our school’s principal and the principal of Jingda stood outside listening, completely mesmerized! When class was over, we realized there were so many people standing outside the classroom!”

Zeng Jing: “…”

She might have had a way to get a student volunteer replaced, but could a mentor be replaced?

Chapter 591: What Do You Think?

The next day, Jiang Xia arrived at school ten minutes early. She first rode her bicycle to the Sports Field and saw a man in a green military uniform training the students in their class.

Jiang Xia stopped her bike in front of Zeng Jing to cheer her on. “Class Monitor, why haven’t I seen you practicing the hurdles? You have to work hard! Otherwise, how can our class place in the school sports meet? I believe our hardworking and resilient Class Monitor will definitely win first place! I’ll come by again tomorrow if I have time to see how your training is going and give you some encouragement!”

Having successfully nettled Zeng Jing until she was trembling slightly, Jiang Xia rode away happily.

Targeting her, was she? It wasn’t as if Jiang Xia didn’t know how to play that game!

From now on, she would irritate Zeng Jing every time she saw her!

Zeng Jing was shaking with rage. She turned to her third brother, Zeng Haonan, and said, “Third Brother, look at how arrogant she is! She’s infuriating! Can’t you think of a way to help me teach her a lesson?”

Zeng Haonan had heard the whole story from her before and knew his younger sister’s temperament well. She had been spoiled by the family; she was used to being the one making others suffer and couldn’t handle even a bit of grievance herself.

With a personality like that, what would happen when she eventually got married?

She had to change!

He said indifferently, “Then why did you go and provoke her for no reason in the first place? You targeted her first, yet now you say it’s not okay for her to target you back? Aren’t you just being unreasonable?”

Zeng Jing argued, “Who told her to make my sister so heartbroken? Can’t I stand up for Sister?”

“What do you mean by ‘make’ her? They were discussing marriage through normal channels. Zhou Chenglei didn’t seduce and abandon Zeng Yuan. It’s just that Yuan’er likes him and can’t let go; how can you blame others for that? Besides, Yuan’er hasn’t said a word, so why are you sticking your nose in? Stop being so unreasonable! I’m telling you, Zhou Chenglei is not someone to be trifled with. He is extremely protective. If he finds out you’re bullying his wife, you’ll be in for it! Even I won’t be able to help you!”

Zeng Jing was livid. “Whose side are you on? It’s because you didn’t help Sister connect with Zhou Chenglei back then that she’s so heartbroken now!”

“…”

“That’s just absurd! Don’t you know that you can’t force these things? It’s not like Yuan’er can’t find someone else to marry; must it be Zhou Chenglei? Targeting Jiang Xia every day won’t change anything. She and Zhou Chenglei already have children. Do you actually want to destroy someone’s marriage? Instead of doing these things all day, you should persuade Yuan’er to move on. Finding someone who loves her and getting married would be better than anything else!”

Zeng Haonan had seen his eldest sister’s one-sided infatuation with Zhou Chenglei in the past. Zhou Chenglei hadn’t shown the slightest interest; he wouldn’t even look at her and avoided any gathering where she was present.

In the past, he had jokingly asked Zhou Chenglei if he wanted to be introduced to his sister to see if they got along, suggesting they might become relatives-in-law. But Zhou Chenglei had rejected him outright: “No. We’re not a match.”

The man didn’t want you at all, so what was the point of obsessing? Women are naturally more emotional, but living a proper life with a man who loves you is definitely much more comfortable than being with a man you love who doesn’t love you back!

Unfortunately, Zeng Yuan didn’t understand this and had driven herself into a dead end.

And Zeng Jing was another spoiled one.

He was truly afraid these two sisters would cause some real trouble!

Zeng Haonan felt he had to warn his youngest sister. “Stop targeting Zhou Chenglei’s wife. The more you do this, the harder it is for your sister to move on. It’s better to treat them as if they don’t exist. Let Yuan’er forget Zhou Chenglei as soon as possible, marry a man even more impressive than him, live a life a hundred times better than Zhou Chenglei’s wife, and become even more excellent than her. Wouldn’t that be a better way to get even?”

Zeng Jing: “…”

That actually seemed to make sense!

Her sister should definitely live a better life than Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei in the future!

“This way you’re targeting someone is honestly beneath you. It only makes Zhou Chenglei think you’re petty and makes him even more relieved that he didn’t pick your sister! Look at how excellent Jiang Xia is. She became the leader of the Jingda Canton Fair delegation right at the start of the semester. If I were Zhou Chenglei, I’d feel so proud to have such a capable wife! I’d be glad I married the right woman!”

“No man likes a woman who dwells on every little thing, someone who’s always being petty and looking for trouble! I find those kinds of women the most annoying too! Isn’t marrying a woman like that just asking for trouble? The house would be in constant chaos!”

Zeng Jing: “…”

“Are you talking about me?”

“What do you think?”

Zeng Jing: “…”

“And no man likes the kind of woman who treats romance as more important than life itself, as if she can’t live without a man! Bringing such a woman home is also asking for trouble; there’s no freedom at all. After all, besides the relationship between husband and wife, living a proper life also involves bonds between brothers, friends, siblings, and parents… If she takes the man too seriously and expects him to put her above everything else in every situation, to have him listen only to her—how is that possible? Who could keep that up forever?”

Zeng Jing: “Are you talking about Sister?”

“What do you think?”

Zeng Jing: “…”

Zeng Haonan asked, “I’ve said all this. Do you know what you should do from now on?”

Zeng Jing replied, “I know. You just don’t want me to target Jiang Xia!”

Zeng Haonan: “…”

No wonder Zhou Chenglei wasn’t interested!

Over the next two days, Jiang Xia traveled back and forth between Jingda and Q University. On the third day, she took the postgraduate exam at Jingda.

The exams lasted all day and didn’t finish until seven in the evening.

In the morning, she took the Business English exam, and in the afternoon, she challenged the Master of Translation and Interpreting exam.

Since she was the only candidate, the results came out on the spot. She passed with high scores.

However, she wouldn’t be able to get her graduation certificate until next week.

With a Master of Translation and Interpreting certificate in the future, she could probably negotiate a higher price when she went to the publishing house to get books for translation.

By seven in the evening, the sky was already dark. Jiang Xia rode her bicycle quickly out of the campus.

At the school gate, she saw Zhou Chenglei waiting there.

Seeing that Jiang Xia hadn’t come home so late, Zhou Chenglei had worried and come to pick her up.

“Why are you here? Is the baby asleep?”

Zhou Chenglei nodded. “Yes. I only came out after I finished nursing and got him to sleep.”

Hearing this, Jiang Xia felt relieved. “The professors had so many questions; that’s why it’s so late.”

Zhou Chenglei said, “Then you must have passed successfully.”

Professors would only ask more questions if the student could answer them. If they couldn’t answer the first one or two, how could they keep asking?

Jiang Xia smiled. “I passed!”

The corners of Zhou Chenglei’s mouth curled up slightly.

When they got home, Jiang Xia found that everyone was still waiting for her to eat.

The food on the table was very lavish.

“Why didn’t you guys eat first? Why is there so much food today?”

Grandma said with a chuckle, “A-Lei made all the dishes.”

Jiang Dong said happily, “Brother-in-law said it’s to celebrate Sister successfully passing her exams!”

Jiang Xia teased on purpose, “I just finished the exam. How did you know I’d pass?”

Jiang Dong replied, “You’re so amazing, how could you not pass?”

“But I didn’t pass.”

Jiang Dong paused. “…If you didn’t pass, then we have to eat even better! That way you’ll have the strength to keep working hard!”

Grandma and the others chimed in, “Yes, yes, yes! If you didn’t pass, you need to eat even better! To get some nutrition so you’ll definitely pass next time!”

Zhang Fuyan said, “I don’t believe it. Xiaxia must have passed!”

Jiang Xia laughed. “I passed!”

The whole family couldn’t help but cheer!

“Sis, you’re so mean! You scared me. I have to make you drink a toast as a penalty!”

Grandma smiled. “Alright, let’s eat!”

The family had a lively meal together, and after eating, everyone went to bed early.

Today was Friday. Jiang Xia had no classes tomorrow or the day after, so Zhou Chenglei was going to head home tomorrow morning.

There was an issue at the factory. Jiang Xia had communicated her ideas over the phone, but the communication wasn’t clear enough. Zhou Chenglei needed to go back and take a look.

Chapter 592: Shopping

Zhou Chenglei had an 8:00 AM flight, so he had to head to the airport early.

He got up at 6:00 AM, while the children and Jiang Xia were still asleep.

These days, Jiang Xia was always thinking about the children even in her sleep, and she would wake up at the slightest movement.

As soon as Zhou Chenglei sat up, she woke up as well.

Zhou Chenglei reached out and brushed a strand of hair from her forehead. “The kids aren’t awake yet, and you don’t have classes today. Go back to sleep for a while.”

Although they had gone to bed early last night, he had pestered her for quite a long time. Jiang Xia’s body still felt sore and weak whenever she moved, so she was too lazy to get out of bed. “Tell Jiang Dong to drive carefully. Call me when you get home. I’m taking the kids to Xiao Yan’s house this afternoon to play. I’ll wait for your call.”

“Okay.” Zhou Chenglei leaned down to kiss her, tucked her in, and then got up to wash.

After brushing his teeth and washing his face, he changed his clothes. He took another look at the sleeping Jiang Xia, then stood by the crib to check on the three fast-asleep babies. He felt their diapers to make sure they weren’t wet before tucking them in again and leaving the room.

Grandpa and Grandma were already up and had made breakfast.

Jiang Dong had also come over from the yard next door.

The two men ate breakfast together.

While eating, Zhou Chenglei instructed Grandma, “Grandma, when the kids wake up, please go with Second Auntie to feed them and change their diapers. I’ve already set the water for the powdered milk to warm. It’ll be hard on you two these next couple of days. I’ll be back the evening of the day after tomorrow.”

“Don’t you worry, we’re here! Don’t come back until your business is finished. What’s so hard about it? The three babies are so easy to look after, we’re actually getting bored from having nothing to do.”

After finishing breakfast, the two set off. Jiang Dong drove Zhou Chenglei to the airport.

Today, perhaps knowing that Jiang Xia was tired, the three children woke up a bit late, not stirring until 7:30 AM.

After Jiang Xia woke up and fed the babies with Grandma and Second Auntie, she had breakfast. Soon after, Zhang Fuyan arrived.

Jiang Xia had an appointment to go out shopping with Zhang Fuyan today.

Jiang Xia asked her, “Have you had breakfast?”

Zhang Fuyan casually took the younger brother from Grandma’s arms and smiled. “I’ve eaten! Are our little treasures full yet? Do you want to go out and play with Auntie?”

The younger brother grinned.

Nowadays, as long as someone teased them or talked to them, the three babies would give them face and offer a little smile.

Jiang Xia packed some diapers, clothes, and powdered milk. Carrying her camera, she set off with Zhang Fuyan and Li Qiufeng, pushing the babies in their strollers for a stroll.

Li Qiufeng had too few clothes; she wore the same two or three outfits every day.

Jiang Xia planned to buy her a few more sets.

At such a bright and beautiful age, she should naturally dress up well.

The three of them arrived at Wangfujing Street. Whenever Jiang Xia saw a women’s clothing store, she went in.

Zhang Fuyan loved dressing up. Whenever she saw something suitable, she would ask Jiang Xia and Li Qiufeng, “Does this dress look good?”

As long as the two of them said it looked good, Zhang Fuyan would buy it immediately.

Jiang Xia was the same. Whenever she saw something she liked, she bought it.

Moreover, Jiang Xia kept an eye on Li Qiufeng’s reactions. Whenever Li Qiufeng looked at a particular outfit or dress a bit longer, Jiang Xia would buy it.

Even things she simply thought would look good on Li Qiufeng, she bought those as well.

They had only been shopping for about half an hour and had already bought seven sets of clothes.

Jiang Xia only bought two for herself. She bought Li Qiufeng two dresses and three outfits, while Zhang Fuyan bought two outfits and two dresses.

Li Qiufeng didn’t even realize Jiang Xia was buying them for her.

The three continued forward, pushing the children.

Jiang Xia saw a specialized women’s lingerie shop. Seeing words like ‘bras’ and ‘abdominal binders’ on the window, she said, “Let’s go in and take a look.”

It just so happened she wanted to buy a few pieces of lingerie for herself too.

As soon as they entered, they saw Gu Yue and Dong Yan.

Gu Yue said happily, “Jiang Xia, what a coincidence!”

Gu Yue and Dong Yan were also out shopping today. They had specifically come to this lingerie shop to buy undergarments.

Gu Yue had seen the three of them earlier and intended to go over and greet Jiang Xia, but Dong Yan had stopped her.

She hadn’t expected them to come inside too.

Jiang Xia nodded. “It is a coincidence.”

Gu Yue subconsciously glanced at Jiang Xia’s wrist.

Sure enough, she had changed her watch again!

And this one was actually a Rolex!

It was a watch she could only look at, not even daring to dream of owning.

It was too expensive!

The cheapest one cost over a thousand yuan.

Moreover, the one on Jiang Xia’s wrist was a diamond-set model!

Diamond-set!

With a crocodile leather strap!

Jiang Xia took a fancy to a piece of lingerie and reached for it.

Gu Yue saw it even more clearly now:

The bezel and the hour markers were all set with diamonds. It looked incredibly luxurious!

It was so beautiful!

Jiang Xia’s skin was fair, and the red crocodile leather strap made her skin look like creamy porcelain, looking exceptionally good.

Gu Yue hadn’t even seen this model at the regular counters.

It was likely bought from the black market or brought back from abroad.

You definitely couldn’t get it for less than five thousand yuan—honestly, probably not even five thousand. It likely cost closer to ten thousand?

Jiang Xia said to Li Qiufeng, “Cousin, you should pick a few pieces too.”

Li Qiufeng’s face turned red just looking at the shape of the lingerie. She shook her head. “I don’t need them.”

Her undergarments were all old-fashioned vests.

“Then I’ll pick for you. I just don’t know if they’ll fit, since we can’t try them on here.”

Zhang Fuyan also reached out and took a piece. Her figure wasn’t as good as Jiang Xia’s, so she took one suitable for a smaller chest.

She said to Li Qiufeng, “Xiaxia’s figure is too good; she doesn’t understand what kind of things those of us with ‘little buns’ should wear! I see your figure is about the same as mine; this style is more suitable.”

She took down two pieces and gave one to Li Qiufeng.

Gu Yue then noticed the watch on Zhang Fuyan’s wrist.

It was also a Rolex!

Exactly the same as Jiang Xia’s!

This was because Jiang Dong had bought them.

When Jiang Dong bought gifts for Zhang Fuyan, he would never leave his sister out.

He now bought everything in pairs—either identical or with only the colors differing.

Gu Yue subconsciously hid her own wrist, suddenly feeling that her watch, which cost over a hundred yuan, was far too cheap.

Li Qiufeng’s face was burning as she looked at the lingerie Zhang Fuyan handed her. “I don’t need it. I don’t wear this kind. I’m fine with the other type.”

Jiang Xia looked over; it was one of those old-fashioned vests. “That kind doesn’t have enough support. If you wear it for too long, there’s a risk of sagging.”

Zhang Fuyan said gloomily, “Only your kind has a risk of sagging. For people like us, even if we wanted them to sag a bit, they wouldn’t!”

Li Qiufeng nodded vigorously.

Jiang Xia: “…”

“Then you guys choose for yourselves?” In her two lifetimes, Jiang Xia had never experienced being “small”; her troubles always came from being too large.

It had felt okay before she had the children, but now the trouble was starting again. The support of the lingerie in this era was insufficient, and there were no “minimizer” styles available.

She found it quite a nuisance every day when she rode her bicycle.

Zhang Fuyan nodded. “We’ll choose for ourselves! You don’t understand!”

Once, when she had hugged Jiang Xia, it was so soft that she almost suffocated!

Only then did she realize how big the gap was between herself and Jiang Xia!

She was so envious!

Jiang Xia could feed three children; she was worried her own future children might go hungry!

She wondered if the genetics for multiple births could be passed down through the male line?

If Jiang Dong also had that ability…

Zhang Fuyan stopped herself just in time. How had her thoughts wandered so far?

Gu Yue listened to their conversation and glanced at Jiang Xia.

“…”

She was also small!

A flash of disdain crossed Dong Yan’s eyes. How shameless, discussing such matters in public!

She picked two pieces of lingerie and prepared to check out. She subconsciously glanced at Jiang Xia’s size.

Then she looked at the two pieces in her hand, which were clearly more than one size smaller, and silently put them back.

Chapter 593: Downstairs

Dong Yan was no longer in the mood to shop for underwear. She asked her daughter, “Are you still buying anything? If not, let’s go.”

How could Gu Yue possibly be thick-skinned enough to buy anything in front of Jiang Xia? Comparison only brought pain—the watch was one blow, but Jiang Xia’s figure was another!

She hurriedly said, “I didn’t see anything I liked.”

Then she turned to Jiang Xia and said, “Jiang Xia, I’ll be going now!”

Jiang Xia nodded. “Alright. Take care!”

The mother and daughter left immediately.

Once they stepped out the door, Dong Yan finally glanced back at Jiang Xia.

Jiang Xia had her back to them as she picked out underwear, showing only her silhouette.

Even her back was beautiful.

Her slightly curly hair fell over her back, and her posture was graceful and lithe.

She looked too much like the person in the photograph.

The person in that photo was also beautiful with a perfect figure, which was why Gu Heng had been unable to forget her for his entire life!

Gu Heng had called home saying he needed to stay in Suicheng for a few more days.

Hmph!

He wasn’t even in Suicheng anymore; he had already gone to another city. Did he think she didn’t know?

She would never allow a bastard to enter the doors of her Gu family.

Gu Heng was indeed no longer in Suicheng.

He was currently on a bus.

Clutching a photograph in his hand, he watched the scenery flash by outside the window, his eyes turning red.

Zhou Chenglei got off the plane and took a taxi back to the Jiang family home. It was nearly half past one in the afternoon.

He was going to his father-in-law’s place to pick up Jiang Dong’s car so he could drive back to the village.

He hadn’t expected to see Gu Heng standing downstairs.

Gu Heng sensed someone behind him and turned to see Zhou Chenglei.

He froze for a moment then nodded. “What a coincidence. You’re Jiang Xia’s husband, aren’t you? Gu Yue’s roommate? Aren’t you supposed to be in the capital?”

Zhou Chenglei replied, “I’m not from the capital. I’m back for some business.”

Gu Heng nodded and offered an explanation. “I’m here on a business trip. I have a friend who lives around here.”

Zhou Chenglei said, “Oh? Did you find them? Which unit? I can help you ask around.”

Gu Heng replied, “I found it, but they’ve already moved away. I was just about to leave. I’ll be on my way now!”

Zhou Chenglei nodded and headed toward the stairs leading to Jiang Xia’s floor.

Gu Heng also started to walk away, but after a few meters, he turned back and saw Zhou Chenglei entering the building.

That meant he hadn’t found the wrong place.

However, it wasn’t appropriate to show up at the door while Zhou Chenglei was there.

Upstairs, outside the Jiang residence, Mother Jiang opened the door and was surprised to see Zhou Chenglei.

Zhou Chenglei greeted her, “Mother.”

Mother Jiang smiled. “You’re back? Have you eaten? There’s food left in the pot.”

Zhou Chenglei had called earlier to say he would be back today and needed to borrow Jiang Dong’s car to drive home.

Zhou Chenglei replied, “I ate on the plane. You haven’t gone to work yet, Mother?”

He knew his father-in-law was away on a business trip and wouldn’t be back until tonight.

“I was just about to leave, but I thought I’d wait for you. I’ll go heat up some food. You can’t get full on that airplane food.” Mother Jiang turned back into the house, took off her shoes, and put on her slippers.

Zhou Chenglei said, “No need, I’m not hungry. Mother, go ahead to work. These are the clothes Xiaxia bought for you and Dad.”

Zhou Chenglei placed one travel bag on the sofa and another on the cabinet by the door.

One bag contained clothes, toys, and workbooks Jiang Xia had bought for Father and Mother Zhou and the nieces and nephews back home.

“It’s fine, I’m not in a hurry.” She was the factory director; no one bossed her around. Her working hours were flexible, and there was no such thing as being late.

“Why buy so many clothes? It’s a waste of money! Things in the capital are so expensive.”

Mother Jiang went into the kitchen to heat up the food for Zhou Chenglei.

Zhou Chenglei didn’t refuse again. He went to the kitchen to wash his hands. When he came out, he glanced out the window; that figure was already almost out of the alley.

“Mother, I’m going to give Xiaxia a call.”

“Go ahead!”

Zhou Chenglei picked up the phone and dialed.

Once the call connected, Jiang Xia’s clear and pleasant voice came through: “Hello?”

Zhou Chenglei recognized it instantly. “It’s me. I’ve arrived. Have you eaten?”

“I have. I ate at the Beijing Grand Hotel with Xiao Yan and the others. Are you eating?”

“I’m about to. Mother is heating up food for me again. Are the kids being good?”

“Very. They’re sleeping again. Otherwise, I’d let them hear your voice.”

The corners of Zhou Chenglei’s mouth curved up. “I’ll call again tomorrow before I head back.”

“Okay. Go eat, then. I’m going to nap for a bit; I’m tired from shopping.”

“Alright.” Zhou Chenglei waited for Jiang Xia to hang up before he put down the receiver.

Mother Jiang had started the stove to heat the food. She came out and said, “Your father and I bought some milk powder, baby clothes and toys, and clothes for Xiaxia and Jiang Dong. You’re going back the day after tomorrow, right? Take them with you then. Your clothes are in there too, packed with Xiaxia’s in the suitcase.”

As Mother Jiang spoke, she went into the bedroom and pulled out a suitcase.

Zhou Chenglei said, “You can buy anything in the capital, Mother. You don’t need to buy things next time; we can get them ourselves.”

“It was just convenient. There’s some food in there too. Your father and I can’t eat that much, so take some home for your parents and the kids.” Mother Jiang pulled the suitcase back into Jiang Xia’s room. “You can come back for this suitcase tomorrow before you leave. This bag here is the food; take it with you now.”

“Will do.”

Mother Jiang added, “Is everything going smoothly in the capital? Are the babies good? Are they adjusting well?”

Both Jiang Dong and Jiang Xia had called home, so she knew everything was fine and the children were well-behaved.

Mother Jiang wanted to ask if they had met anyone “special” in the capital, but she didn’t feel right asking directly and didn’t know how to phrase it.

“Yes, everything is smooth. The babies are very good. They’re so small—they just eat, play for an hour or two, and then sleep. They haven’t had any trouble adjusting.”

The two talked for a while. Once Mother Jiang figured the food was hot, she went to bring it out.

Zhou Chenglei hurried in to help her.

After they brought the food out together, Mother Jiang said, “Eat slowly. The car keys are on the cabinet. Just leave the dishes there; Auntie Feng will clean up when she comes over this evening. I’m heading to work now.”

“Alright,” Zhou Chenglei replied.

Mother Jiang left.

Zhou Chenglei finished the meal, cleared the table, washed the dishes, and left with the car keys.

He didn’t go straight home. He went to the factory first to resolve some issues as Jiang Xia had requested, and only then did he head home.

By the time he reached the village, it was nearly dark.

Dinner was about to be served at home.

Everyone knew Zhou Chenglei was returning today, so the first branch of the family had also come over to eat.

Several children pounced on Zhou Chenglei, surrounding him instantly.

“Uncle, did Auntie and the little cousins not come back with you?”

“No, but your Auntie bought gifts for all of you.” Zhou Chenglei carried the travel bag inside and took out the clothes for Father and Mother Zhou.

Then he handed the bag to the kids. “Divide it among yourselves. No fighting.”

the children cheered, though they still missed their Auntie more.

“Uncle, why didn’t Auntie and the cousins come back?”

“Auntie has classes; she doesn’t have time. She’ll be back next month.”

Zhou Ying asked, “For National Day? But Daddy said he was taking us to the capital for National Day to see Auntie and the cousins.”

Zhou Chengsen explained, “I said I’d take you if they weren’t coming back. If they’re coming home, we won’t go.”

The children were crushed with disappointment.

Zhou Wenzu complained, “Second Uncle, you did that on purpose! You must have known Auntie was coming back for National Day.”

Zhou Chengsen replied, “They didn’t say before. How was I supposed to know?”

The children looked at Zhou Chenglei.

Zhou Chenglei said, “There will be plenty of opportunities in the future. You can go during winter break. It snows in the capital in the winter; you can go see the snow.”

Hearing this, the children’s faces lit up with new anticipation.

The next morning, Zhou Chenglei went out to sea at four o’clock. He didn’t drive back to the city until noon.

Chapter 594: Get Out

Zhou Chenglei, Zhou Chengxin, and Zhou Chengsen went out to sea together to inspect the fishing grounds. They dove into the water to pry loose some abalone and then headed over to Pearl Island to check on the pearl shells.

After the peak breeding season for the pearl shells had passed, they had collected a total of sixty or seventy pearl shell larvae and successfully raised fifty-six of them.

Although it wasn’t a large number, their breeding scale had expanded this year, so they would surely be able to collect even more next year.

The quantity would definitely grow by more than just double.

If everything went according to plan, the operation would start to take shape in five years.

They could even begin harvesting pearls then.

Of course, the number of pearls harvested in the first few years wouldn’t be very high.

However, the more precious an item was, the harder it usually was to obtain. When the time cost was so high, would the returns be low?

After inspecting the pearl shells, Zhou Chenglei said to Zhou Chengxin, “We need to build a stone house here and hire someone to keep watch.”

Zhou Chengxin nodded. “I was actually planning to bring that up with you when you got back.”

Even though the number of pearl shells wasn’t huge yet, if they were stolen, all their previous efforts would be for naught.

He had put a lot of heart into caring for them. Clearing the debris off the surface of the pearl shells was something he and his wife did personally.

Tian Caihua couldn’t help but grumble every time, “We didn’t even raise our own sons with such meticulous care.”

Many oysters had grown on the reefs of the island as well, so the three Zhou brothers pried some off to take back.

Since Zhou Chenglei had a flight to catch, they returned quickly.

On the way back, Zhou Chenglei did one trawl.

After just over an hour of trawling, they had a bursting net!

When they hauled it up, it was a massive bag full of golden threadfin. There were also plenty of miscellaneous fish, as well as many shrimp and crabs.

Zhou Chengxin looked at the mountain of fish on the shuttering, speechless. “When it comes to luck at sea, you and Second Brother are still the best!”

It was the same with the Second Brother’s fishing boat; the catch he brought back every day was almost always a bit more than what was on Zhou Chengxin’s boat. While it wasn’t a huge amount every time, an extra ten yuan or so a day added up to several hundred a month. Not to mention, there were times when he’d make several dozen yuan more, or even one or two hundred yuan more.

Zhou Chengsen added, “My luck at sea can’t compare to Fourth Brother’s at all. He’s the one truly blessed by the Heavens!”

Zhou Chenglei also felt that his luck was better than his two older brothers’. His fortune was better, his luck with his wife was better, and his luck with his children was better too.

Among the three brothers, he was the only one who had both a son and a daughter!

He didn’t know why he was so lucky either.

Zhou Chenglei had never been so satisfied in his life. He was very content with how things were now. While he couldn’t help his brothers in other areas, he could certainly help them when it came to fortune. He believed in sharing both the gains and the hardships.

He had been mischievous since he was a child, disobedient, bold, and prone to getting into trouble. He often got into fights with others, and whenever he lost, his older brothers and sister would step up to fight back for him.

When he was disobedient and caused trouble, they were usually the ones who took the blame for him.

His eldest brother had even quit school early to earn money to support the family and pay for the younger siblings’ education.

Zhou Chenglei then suggested, “Inshore fishing doesn’t earn much. How about the three of us partner up and order a large ship for ocean fishing?”

In the past, they didn’t have the money, so even if he suggested it, they wouldn’t have accepted. Now, they should have some money on hand.

Zhou Chengxin replied, “Let’s wait a bit longer. I don’t have much money on hand right now.”

If he had enough to buy one, he would have bought it ages ago.

Even as a partnership, he didn’t have enough!

Zhou Chengsen said, “I don’t have much either!”

He had just finished building his house, and it wasn’t even fully renovated yet.

How could he afford a large boat?

He couldn’t afford it even in a partnership!

Given the current financial strength of both Zhou Chengsen and Zhou Chengxin, they didn’t even dare to dream of that kind of large fishing boat right now.

They barely even dared to think about buying another small trawl net boat like the ones they currently had, let alone actually doing it.

Zhou Chenglei said, “We’ll order it first. The deposit only needs to be 1,000 yuan. I’ll call to place the order and do it under my and Xiaxia’s names. I’ll speak with Factory Director Zhou when the time comes.”

The two brothers: “…”

Zhou Chengxin asked, “Are you planning to use your old tricks again? Will the shipyard director agree to that?”

Zhou Chengsen said, “Don’t worry. Would A-Lei ever let the shipyard lose money? He must be providing some improved technology to the other party again.”

Both brothers had heard Father Zhou talk about the Kent rings and the boat anchors.

The Kent rings alone had earned the shipyard an unknown amount of money.

He heard that the Kent rings and anchors for the two boats A-Lei ordered didn’t cost a cent—the shipyard gave them for free!

Furthermore, in the future, when A-Lei and Xiao Xia ordered boats, the Kent rings and anchors would only be charged at cost price, without any profit added.

That way, if they ordered a boat and turned around to sell it, they could make a significant profit on the price difference.

Zhou Chengxin looked at his youngest brother.

Zhou Chenglei did not deny it.

Zhou Chengxin: “…”

They were clearly born from the same mother, so why was his brain the least useful among the brothers?

He had known since he was a child that he couldn’t keep up with them in studies. Fine, he quit to work and earn money for his brothers’ education.

He liked fishing and originally thought he would surely be better at it than his younger brothers.

As the saying goes, “There is always something to learn from others!”

But in the end, his younger brothers had come back to fish as well, and he was still the worst!

Zhou Chengxin stared at the heads of the other two.

Zhou Chengsen said, “No need to look. It’s not that you’re stupid; it’s just that you haven’t liked using your brain since you were a kid.”

Everyone had their own personality and preferences.

Some people were naturally averse to using their brains and were better with their hands; Big Brother was that kind of person.

Chengsen himself liked to use his brain.

A-Lei liked using his brain, and he was also great with his hands.

Zhou Chenglei didn’t say anything, but picked out some of the better fish and shrimp.

He planned to take these to the capital for Jiang Xia to eat.

However, he couldn’t take too much. He had already asked the airport staff; fresh seafood could be checked in as luggage but could not be carried on the plane.

There was a weight limit for checked luggage on the plane—it couldn’t exceed 20 kg.

The check-in fees were also particularly expensive, but Zhou Chenglei didn’t mind the cost.

Whenever she was in the capital, Jiang Xia always said the seafood there wasn’t as fresh as the stuff back home and wasn’t as sweet.

Since Zhou Chenglei was back, he wanted to bring a box back for her to eat.

As soon as he got off the plane yesterday, he had bought his return ticket and applied for personal seafood transport.

He had bought the foam box yesterday, and he had used plastic bags to get a dozen bags of crushed ice from the purchase station. He then vacuum-sealed them and put them in the refrigerator.

Back at home, the three Zhou brothers helped vacuum-seal the fish, shrimp, and other seafood before placing them in the foam box.

Finally, they placed a layer of ice packs on the very top of the fish and sealed the foam box with adhesive tape.

They followed the airline’s requirements strictly, making it leak-proof to avoid contaminating the cabin.

If it leaked water, it wouldn’t pass through security.

He then put the foam box inside two large plastic bags.

Once everything was ready, Zhou Chenglei finished his meal and hurriedly drove to the city.

He went to the Jiang family home first to return the car and drop off some seafood for Father Jiang and Mother Jiang to eat.

Zhou Chenglei parked the car by the roadside, turned it around, and then headed upstairs carrying a bucket of fish.

Before he even entered the house, he heard the sound of an argument coming from inside.

Mother Jiang’s voice sounded extremely hysterical.

“Dead! They’re all dead! Are you satisfied now? What’s the point of you coming here now? Believe it or not, it’s up to you! Get out! Jiang Xia has nothing to do with you at all! Don’t go bothering my daughter; she is the daughter of me and my husband! She’s not yours! Get out! Get the hell out of here!”

“But Jiang Xia doesn’t look like you. She looks like Yiyi.”

Zhou Chenglei, standing outside the door: “…”

Chapter 595: Absurd!

Gu Heng didn’t believe Mother Jiang’s words. “I just want to know the truth. I won’t tell Jiang Xia, and I won’t destroy her relationship with the two of you.”

Jiang Xia was doing so well now, and it was all thanks to them. He simply wanted to make amends in secret; he wouldn’t reveal the truth, nor would he try to reclaim Jiang Xia as his daughter.

It was he who had failed both mother and daughter.

Father Jiang was holding his overly emotional wife, trying to soothe her. “Calm down, don’t get worked up.”

Hearing Gu Heng’s words, Father Jiang looked at him and said, “The truth is that Jiang Xia is my daughter. Back then, Wen Yi took a fall, which led to a difficult labor and premature birth. Both of the children she gave birth to didn’t make it, and she passed away as well.”

Mother Jiang shouted emotionally, “Tell him to get out! Get the hell out! Why are you telling him so much?”

“Alright, alright! Don’t get worked up!”

Father Jiang looked at Gu Heng. “Go! My wife and she were biological sisters. Is it so strange for a niece to look like her aunt? They even say children take after their maternal uncles! Xiaxia looks even more like her grandma, whom you’ve likely never met. Xiaxia is my daughter; how could she possibly be yours? This is the truth! Now go! You are not welcome in our home, so don’t come back! And don’t bother my daughter!”

Gu Heng wanted to say more, but seeing that Mother Jiang’s emotional state seemed somewhat unstable, he turned, opened the door, and walked out.

He didn’t believe what Mother Jiang and Father Jiang said. He would ask Father Jiang again next time.

He glanced at his watch; he had to get to the airport, or he wouldn’t make it in time.

He also wanted to know where Wen Yi was buried.

Back then, he really didn’t know she was pregnant with his child.

At that time, he could barely protect himself and didn’t want to drag her down with him.

…

After the door closed, Mother Jiang covered her face and wept bitterly.

Once the man had left, Father Jiang held Mother Jiang and let her cry for a while. Only when her sobs softened did he help her sit down, took out a handkerchief to wipe the tears from her face, and picked up a water cup from the coffee table to feed her. “Have some water first.”

Mother Jiang took a few sips and gradually calmed down.

Father Jiang didn’t know Gu Heng. When his wife’s sister had come to stay with them, she was already heavily pregnant. At that time, his wife was also pregnant with Xiaxia; their due dates weren’t far apart, and both were carrying twins.

Seeing his wife had calmed down, he asked, “Did you refuse to let Xiaxia go to school in the capital because you knew he was there?”

It wasn’t that Mother Jiang didn’t want her daughter to go to the capital; she simply didn’t want her daughter to go to another city—any other city. “I wasn’t sure if he was from the capital. I only saw him once when I went there with you. How was I to know if he lived there or somewhere else? Besides, I wasn’t even sure if he was the one who ruined my sister’s life.”

She had only seen a single photograph at her sister’s place, and her sister was in the middle of burning it. She had only caught a glimpse before it turned to ash.

Moreover, Mother Jiang was afraid. She and her sister had given birth on the same day, in the same delivery room.

Back then, she had lost consciousness right after giving birth. When she woke up, the two children her sister had delivered hadn’t survived, and one of her own children was gone as well.

Not long after, her sister passed away too.

It felt as though the world had ended.

If it weren’t for Jiang Xia, Mother Jiang wouldn’t have wanted to go on living.

As Jiang Xia grew up, she looked more and more like her sister, making Mother Jiang uncertain if the children had been mixed up at the time.

She couldn’t be sure if the child was hers or her sister’s.

Mother Jiang couldn’t help but voice the fear in her heart.

She was afraid Gu Heng would steal Jiang Xia away.

Father Jiang never expected his wife to have such a suspicion!

It was absolutely absurd!

He denied it immediately. “No! Xiaxia was the first to be born. The nurse brought her out to show me first. She is our child; he can’t take her away!”

At that time, the other child was being rushed for emergency treatment, but they couldn’t be saved.

Wen Yi had accidentally slipped in the field back then, and his wife had been so anxious that the shock triggered her labor.

Both were premature births, but Wen Yi’s was a month earlier.

In those days, medical conditions weren’t as good as they are now.

Father Jiang’s heart ached, but he didn’t bring up those old memories in front of his wife again.

Mother Jiang looked at him. “Really? You’re not lying to me?”

Father Jiang replied, “Why would I lie to you? Your sister gave birth about ten minutes after you did. Xiaxia might not look like me, but her talent is just like mine! Besides, Xiaxia looks nothing like that man named Gu.”

As for the details of that year, his wife had fallen into a deep sleep after giving birth and didn’t know. He wouldn’t mention them; mentioning it would only cause more grief.

His wife had been so heartbroken when she woke up back then that she had fainted twice.

Before today, Father Jiang hadn’t known Gu Heng was his sister-in-law’s man. “Do you think that Gu guy is as smart as me? Definitely not! How could he possibly father children as smart as Xiaxia and A-Dong? And is he as handsome as me? His genes couldn’t produce a daughter as beautiful as Xiaxia! Xiaxia’s bone structure is like mine! It’s a perfect blend of your looks and mine! That’s why she’s so beautiful!”

“…”

Mother Jiang was suddenly caught between laughter and tears by Father Jiang.

She had never met someone so narcissistic.

After soothing his wife, Father Jiang glanced at the wall clock. “A-Lei should be here. I’ll go out and check.”

A-Lei should have arrived; he had heard the sound of a car just now.

Upon hearing this, Mother Jiang hurriedly said, “Go on then! I’ll go wash my face.”

Mother Jiang stood up quickly and ran to the bathroom to wash her face.

She looked at herself in the mirror.

She looked like her father.

Her sister had looked like their mother.

Xiaxia did resemble her sister more, but Xiaxia was indeed more beautiful than her sister. Strictly speaking, Xiaxia looked like her grandma.

Her mother had been very, very beautiful!

Father Jiang headed out while Mother Jiang was in the bathroom.

Only then did Zhou Chenglei walk down from upstairs carrying a water bucket. Seeing Father Jiang opening the door, he called out, “Dad.”

As soon as Father Jiang opened the door, he saw his son-in-law walking down. “Did you meet Gu Heng in the capital?”

Zhou Chenglei nodded. “Xiaxia shares a dorm room with his daughter.”

Father Jiang: “…”

What an incredible coincidence.

Father Jiang gestured for his son-in-law to come inside.

The two of them entered the house.

Father Jiang felt he needed to speak with his son-in-law.

There was no need to explain the past too clearly, so Father Jiang focused on the main points. “I don’t know how much you overheard, but Xiaxia is the daughter of your mother and me. She has absolutely nothing to do with Gu Heng. Gu Heng was once with Xiaxia’s aunt and suspects Xiaxia is his daughter, which is why he came looking. Xiaxia looks like her aunt, but she looks even more like her grandma. Her aunt and your mother were twins. Tell Xiaxia about this when you get back, just in case Gu Heng or his family try to cause trouble for her. Xiaxia doesn’t know anything about this.”

Gu Heng was already married, and his daughter was in university—probably around the same age as Xiaxia, or at most two or three years younger.

How did he have the face to come looking?

Was he not afraid of hurting his current wife and child?

He truly had no sense of responsibility at all!

He might not care about hurting his own wife and children, but Father Jiang was afraid they would hurt his daughter.

And he wasn’t in the capital!

Xiaxia knew nothing and was currently in the capital all by herself.

The more Father Jiang thought about it, the more uneasy he became. He couldn’t help but say, “It’s late! You should hurry back to the capital!”

Zhou Chenglei nodded. “Alright, I’ll head out now!”

He was anxious as well.

Father Jiang hurried to his daughter’s room and pulled out a suitcase. “Take these to the capital.”

Mother Jiang came out at that moment. “Are you heading to the airport now? Go quickly! Don’t be delayed! Call us when you get to the capital.”

Father Jiang lifted the suitcase. “Let’s go! I’ll drive you to the airport.”

Chapter 596: Who are you?

With Mother Jiang no longer by their side, Father Jiang took the opportunity on the way to the airport to explain the ins and outs of the situation.

However, even Father Jiang and Mother Jiang weren’t entirely clear on the history between his sister-in-law, Wen Yi, and Gu Heng.

Father Jiang only knew that Gu Heng and Wen Yi had met when he was a sent-down youth in the countryside. They had dated, gotten engaged, and even hosted a few banquet tables to treat the villagers and the other members of the educated youth team to a meal.

Shortly after their engagement, before they had the chance to register the marriage, Gu Heng’s family used their connections to arrange for his return to the city.

His family had been quite urgent in calling him back, though the reason was never made clear.

A month after he left, Wen Yi received a letter from him saying there was some trouble at home. He promised to come back for her once it was resolved, but after that, there was only silence.

Soon, Wen Yi discovered she was pregnant. She waited another six months, but still, there was no word.

Later, when Mother Jiang found out about her pregnancy, she was worried about her being alone. She and Father Jiang brought Wen Yi to live with them so they could look after her.

A month after that, Wen Yi received a letter from a friend who had been sent down to the countryside with Gu Heng. The letter said that Gu Heng was preparing to get married.

Wen Yi naturally refused to believe it. She planned to return to the village to ask that friend for the truth, but on the way back, she accidentally tripped and fell, leading to a premature and difficult labor.

Recollecting the past felt like a heavy stone pressing down on Father Jiang’s heart.

He had lost a child of his own back then, too. His wife had never seen the baby; he hadn’t dared to let her, but he had seen the child himself.

“Heart-wrenching” didn’t even begin to describe it.

At the time, everything fell on his shoulders to face and handle.

Xiaxia was weak when she was first born, as tiny as a kitten. His wife was in post-birth confinement and overwhelmed by grief; both mother and daughter needed his care.

…

For a moment, Father Jiang seemed to be pulled back into the trauma of twenty-one years ago.

Silence filled the car for half the journey.

After a long while, Father Jiang let out a heavy sigh.

He composed himself before speaking again. “I didn’t expect you to run into him as soon as you arrived in the capital. Xiaxia looks a bit like her maternal aunt, so he suspected she was his daughter and came looking for her.”

“Just tell Xiaxia about this; there’s no need to go into too much detail, and there’s no need to pay him any mind. If his family members try to give Xiaxia any trouble, don’t be polite—but you must tell me. Don’t keep me in the dark. There’s no need to tell your mother, though.”

“Understood,” Zhou Chenglei responded, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly.

He knew exactly what should be said and what should be left unsaid.

The father and son-in-law shared that much unspoken understanding.

Thinking of his three grandsons, whom he hadn’t yet had a chance to ask about, Father Jiang asked hurriedly, “Have the three children grown any sturdier?”

Multiple births were always the hardest to raise.

At the mention of the children, Zhou Chenglei’s expression softened slightly. “They’ve put on weight. They’ve gained over 500 grams recently and have become much sturdier.”

Father Jiang smiled upon hearing that. “It’s good that they’re sturdier.”

Father Jiang recalled how panicked he had felt when he first learned Xiaxia was carrying triplets.

However, he hadn’t been able to show it at all, fearing he would scare his daughter and affect her health.

“Yes.” Zhou Chenglei understood. He, too, had been afraid.

It wasn’t as if he hadn’t seen cases where babies were born but didn’t survive.

Even among his own siblings, such tragedy had occurred.

Fortunately, the three children were now fair and chubby, growing stronger by the day.

When Xiaxia had time off for the National Day holiday, they would bring them back for a check-up with Dr. Gao.

Although there were excellent hospitals and doctors in the capital, Dr. Gao had been monitoring the three children since they were in the womb and knew their situation best.

Speaking of the children, Zhou Chenglei couldn’t help but become more talkative. “They’ve started smiling. These past two days, when I talk to them, they respond with coos and babbles. The younger brother and Little Bao are quite vocal, but the eldest brother…”

Listening to this, Father Jiang wished he could just fly to the capital with Zhou Chenglei to see them.

It was just a pity he didn’t have any business trips to the capital scheduled recently!

They arrived at the airport soon enough, and Father Jiang helped unload the suitcases.

Zhou Chenglei carried a box of seafood toward the check-in counter to handle the checked transport procedures.

Father Jiang waited until Zhou Chenglei finished before leaving. If the items couldn’t be checked, he would have had to take them back home.

Inspecting the packaging and completing the paperwork took nearly half an hour.

Once the luggage was checked, Father Jiang headed home.

Zhou Chenglei went through security and boarded the plane.

To his surprise, he ran into Gu Heng on the flight.

Back at the Jiang family home, Zhou Chenglei had intentionally hidden upstairs when Gu Heng opened the door to leave.

Gu Heng hadn’t seen Zhou Chenglei then.

Assuming Zhou Chenglei knew nothing, Gu Heng greeted him with a smile. “What a coincidence. I didn’t think we’d be fated to be on the same flight back to the capital.”

Zhou Chenglei didn’t respond.

Zhou Chenglei was naturally cold; he hadn’t said a single word in the dormitory that day either, so Gu Heng didn’t think much of it and continued, “I have a car picking me up after we land. Wait for me then; I can give you a ride home on the way.”

Gu Heng was already viewing Zhou Chenglei as his son-in-law.

After seeing what Mother Jiang and Father Jiang looked like, he was certain Jiang Xia couldn’t be their daughter.

He understood why they had said what they said.

Seeing this man’s attitude made Zhou Chenglei’s blood boil!

It was bad enough that this man was disgusting him right now, but he was afraid the man would go and disgust Jiang Xia once they returned to the capital.

He looked at him coldly. “Who are you? Mind your own business!”

Gu Heng: “…”

“Do you not usually look in a mirror? Go home and look more often, and see if you’re even capable of fathering a daughter like that.”

Gu Heng: “…”

“Anyone who ends up as your wife or child must have been cursed for eight lifetimes!”

Gu Heng: “…”

Zhou Chenglei’s assigned seat was right next to him, but he had no intention of sitting there.

Fortunately, the flight wasn’t very full, and there were many empty seats. Zhou Chenglei spoke with the flight attendant and moved to a seat far away from Gu Heng. He then pulled out a foreign language book, opened it, and began working to earn “milk money” for the kids.

Once he opened the book, he ignored everything else.

Gu Heng could no longer see Zhou Chenglei.

He turned his head, his face pale, and stared out the cabin window. He watched the view from takeoff until the plane landed.

Four hours later, Zhou Chenglei collected his luggage. Carrying a foam box in one hand and pulling a trolley suitcase with the other, he walked out.

Gu Heng followed not far behind him.

Zhou Chenglei spotted Jiang Xia waiting for him at the exit immediately.

Gu Heng saw her too.

If Zhou Chenglei hadn’t said those things on the plane, Gu Heng certainly would have stepped forward to greet her, but now he felt a bit timid.

It was glaringly obvious that Zhou Chenglei despised him.

Zhou Chenglei quickened his pace to reach Jiang Xia. “Why did you come? Are the babies awake?”

Jiang Xia also stepped forward quickly. Reaching him, she stretched out a hand to take the trolley suitcase and smiled. “They’re awake. I came after I fed them. Jiang Dong and Xiao Yan are playing with them. I had nothing to do, so I came to pick you up.”

Zhou Chenglei didn’t let her take the suitcase. “It’s not heavy.”

The couple walked out together.

Gu Heng watched them leave from a distance.

Dong Yan and Gu Yue had also come to pick up Gu Heng today.

Gu Yue had just seen with her own eyes that Jiang Xia had arrived in a Jeep.

She was wearing aviator sunglasses, a white shirt dress, and a Rolex with a red strap on her wrist. Her slightly curly long hair flowed over her shoulders!

She looked stunning!

Both beautiful and dashing!

Gu Yue never knew a woman could look so good driving! She wanted to learn how to drive!

She never knew wearing aviator sunglasses pushed back in one’s hair could be so stylish.

Soft yet strong, feminine yet cool!

Valiant and dazzling!

She was the most radiant person in the entire airport.

So beautiful!

She truly envied Jiang Xia’s life.

This was exactly the life of her dreams.

She decided she was going to buy a pair of aviator sunglasses too.

Dong Yan watched her husband walk out looking like he had lost his soul, staring longingly after Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei. She gave a cold sneer.

She had found out from his flight information that he hadn’t come from Suicheng at all.

So, this lost and despondent look of Gu Heng’s—wanting to go forward but not daring to—was because he had confirmed Jiang Xia was his child, but they wouldn’t acknowledge him? Or he didn’t dare acknowledge her?

Chapter 597: Similarity

As Gu Yue and the other two walked out of the hall, they headed toward their black sedan.

Gu Yue watched Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei climb into a Jeep. She looked on as Zhou Chenglei skillfully drove the vehicle past their car.

She couldn’t help but ask Dong Yan, “I wonder if that Jeep belongs to their government unit or if it’s their own?”

Their family didn’t own a car; the one they used belonged to her father’s government unit.

Surely Jiang Xia’s family couldn’t be wealthy enough to afford a Jeep, could they?

However, she recalled that Jiang Xia seemed to own many watches—she had seen at least three different ones—and she became uncertain again.

Dong Yan glanced at her husband. She also suspected that Jiang Xia’s family background must be quite good. That woman must have married well, which was why her daughter could marry someone like Zhou Chenglei and live such a comfortable life, right?

The fact that Zhou Chenglei was on such friendly terms with the three brothers of the Zhang family suggested his status was definitely extraordinary.

This was good. As long as they stayed away and didn’t disrupt her family.

Since that woman had married well, she wouldn’t come back to ruin her home.

Gu Yue added, “Jiang Xia seems to really like watches; she has so many of them.”

Gu Yue didn’t know that Jiang Xia actually had four watches. She rotated them every day because each one held a different meaning for her.

The Titoni watch was bought by Father Jiang before she got married.

The Shanghai brand watch was bought by Zhou Chenglei when they got married. That specific Shanghai brand watch was the first domestically produced watch of New China, and its collection value was extremely high. The one Zhou Chenglei bought was from the very first batch, making its value even more significant. She rarely wore it, kept it under her pillow, and took it out every day to check the time, only wearing it out when it matched her outfit.

The Longines watch was a birthday gift from Mother Jiang.

The Rolex was a gift from Jiang Dong to celebrate her getting into college.

With these four watches, each representing a different milestone, she chose which one to wear based on her clothes for the day.

Good watches have investment value. Of Jiang Xia’s four watches, the ones bought by Zhou Chenglei and Jiang Dong both had significant collection potential.

Gu Heng was momentarily dazed. He realized that his daughter also seemed to love watches, wishing she could change them every day.

His daughter loved to dress up, and from the look of it, Jiang Xia was also a girl who enjoyed preening.

The two sisters had such similar hobbies—were they really biological sisters?

A short segment of the road leading away from the airport faced west. It was sunset, and the sunlight was dazzling, affecting the driver’s vision. Jiang Xia pulled the sunglasses off the top of her head and asked Zhou Chenglei, “Do you want to wear these?”

Zhou Chenglei took a glance. “No need. We’ll be past this stretch soon.”

He had trained his eyes; neither darkness nor blinding light affected his normal vision.

Half of the way Jiang Xia had driven here was facing the sunset, so she had worn the sunglasses.

Zhang Fuyan had taken the sunglasses out of the car and given them to her before they set off.

She put the glasses back in their place.

Zhou Chenglei asked, “Did you sleep well last night? How many times did the children wake up?”

“Quite well. The children were asleep by seven thirty. They woke up once at midnight and again at four thirty. Then they slept until eight o’clock this morning. I did about the same.”

“It’s rare for them to sleep until eight.”

“Mhm, it’s thanks to you. Didn’t you tell them I was on holiday and asked them not to wake up so early?”

Zhou Chenglei laughed.

If only they were actually that obedient!

“Is everything okay at home?”

The couple chatted about domestic affairs as they drove.

…

Once they passed the section with the blinding glare and he didn’t need to focus as intensely, Zhou Chenglei finally brought up the matter of Gu Heng.

Of course, he didn’t go into detail about the heartbreaking parts. After all, it was in the past, and knowing it now wouldn’t change anything; it would only make Jiang Xia feel worse.

He skipped over the specifics, simply saying that many years ago, the maternal aunt had a fall, leading to premature labor and postpartum hemorrhage, and she didn’t make it.

“…At that time, Mother was also triggered by the shock and went into premature labor, which is why your health was relatively weak growing up.”

“…”

Jiang Xia had no idea; this hadn’t been mentioned in the original book.

Jiang Xia remarked, “No wonder I didn’t have a good feeling about that man named Gu from the first moment I saw him. He really is a wolf in sheep’s clothing! A total scumbag!”

Zhou Chenglei had never heard the word “scumbag” before.

But it was a very fitting description.

“Did my parents use a broom to chase him out of the house?”

Zhou Chenglei: “…”

That was something only the village women would do.

Jiang Xia continued, “They should have at least slapped him a few times. Even a few slaps would be letting him off too easy! Isn’t my mother quite a fighter?”

Even many more slaps would hardly soothe the deep-seated hatred in her heart!

“There was some swelling under the bangs on his forehead. He was likely hit by an apple. There were two apples on the floor at home, and several more smashed ones on the table.”

“Apples don’t hurt enough, do they? What a waste of apples! They should have used a teapot! Or a teacup!”

Zhou Chenglei replied, “The teapot and cups seem to be Father’s treasures.”

Jiang Xia: “…”

That’s true!

They were much more expensive than apples!

…

When they returned home, the three children were sitting on the laps of Jiang Dong, Zhang Fuyan, and Grandma, “cooing and aahing” at them in “baby talk.”

After not seeing them for an evening, Zhou Chenglei approached the three little ones and called out to them. All three children grinned at their father.

Grandma laughed. “Look how happy they are to see their father back!”

Grandpa added, “These three children have good temperaments; they love to smile.”

Jiang Dong piped up, “They’re just like me! I’ve loved to smile since I was little!”

Zhang Fuyan teased, “You really have no shame. You claim everything is just like you.”

Grandma said, “Smiling is good. People who smile often have good luck.”

Jiang Dong looked at her. “That’s why I have good luck—I met you.”

Zhang Fuyan gave him a playful glare.

After checking on the children, Zhou Chenglei planned to take out the seafood.

But as soon as he stepped away, the three children’s tiny mouths puckered—they started to cry!

Jiang Xia took the eldest brother from Zhang Fuyan’s arms and laughed. “Daddy only took one look and didn’t even give you a hug. That’s too much, isn’t it?”

Once in Jiang Xia’s arms, the eldest brother stopped crying.

Zhou Chenglei had no choice but to pick up the other two children, one in each arm. He held them for a while, coaxing them until they were smiling again.

Second Auntie smiled and asked Zhou Chenglei how to handle the box of seafood.

Holding the children, Zhou Chenglei told her which ones to put in the refrigerator to keep fresh and which ones had to be eaten tonight.

He hadn’t brought back that much. They kept half of a Spanish mackerel (Mother Zhou had chopped off the head and tail, leaving the meatiest part), 1.5 kg of golden threadfin, one Leopard Coral Grouper, and cooked everything else.

Dinner was lavish, featuring steamed oyster meat with minced garlic, chili, and vermicelli, poached sea shrimp, steamed abalone with minced garlic, pan-fried sole fish, braised chicken with mushrooms, Beijing Roast Duck, steamed mud crabs, and carp and tofu soup.

Jiang Xia commented, “Seafood from home still tastes the best.”

Everyone else wholeheartedly agreed.

The fresher the seafood, the sweeter it was.

Steaming and poaching were the best ways to eat it, preserving the original flavor and the taste of the sea.

Only seafood that wasn’t fresh enough needed heavy seasoning to mask the taste.

On Monday morning, Jiang Xia went to Jingda early to attend her training course.

Principal Yan arrived at the school gate right on time to wait for her.

When Jiang Xia saw him, she still got off her bicycle a short distance away and proactively walked forward with a smile. “Principal Yan, good morning.”

“Comrade Xiao Xia, come to my office after your class.”

Jiang Xia intentionally asked nervously, “Did I fail the exam? If I’m not getting my graduation certificate, I’m not going.”

Principal Yan laughed. “Haha… I won’t forget yours!”

Jiang Xia checked the time. “Then I’ll go get it now. No need to wait until after class.”

She wondered what else was going on that required her to go to the Principal’s office for tea.

Chapter 598: A Good Method

After finishing her classes, Jiang Xia packed up her textbooks and headed to the principal’s office.

There were several people in the office, and Old He was among them.

Old He smiled and beckoned to Jiang Xia. “Xiao Xia, come here. Let me introduce you.”

Jiang Xia walked in gracefully and first greeted Principal Yan and Old He.

The people in the room, who had been sitting, all stood up.

Old He smiled as he introduced Jiang Xia to everyone. “This is Comrade Xiao Xia. I’m sure her reputation precedes her.”

“Xiao Xia, this is Director Huo of the capital’s Garment Factory!”

Jiang Xia bowed slightly to show her respect and smiled. “Hello, Director Huo!”

Director Huo immediately reached out to shake her hand. “Hello, Teacher Jiang! I’ve heard a lot about you since last year.”

Jiang Xia shook his hand and replied modestly, “You flatter me, Director Huo. Please, just call me Xiao Xia.”

Old He then introduced the directors of the capital’s Textile Factory, Food Factory, Plastic Factory, and Machinery Factory, as well as the director of a shipyard from Tianjin.

Everyone shook hands and exchanged greetings before sitting down.

These were the factory directors Old He had mentioned before—those he wanted to introduce to Jiang Xia so she could work as their part-time translator.

To make things easier for her, Old He had specifically chosen factories in industries related to the ones Jiang Xia had translated for during the last Canton Fair.

Old He added, “When the time comes, I can arrange for these factories from the capital to have booths adjacent to the ones you’ve worked with before. This will make it easier for you to carry out your translation work. We can group factories of the same category together, though we can’t do that for different industries.”

Jiang Xia smiled. “This arrangement certainly makes things much more convenient for me. Thank you, Old He.”

Jiang Xia had originally declined Old He’s kind offer because if she were to work as a part-time translator again, she intended to stick with the factories she had collaborated with previously.

Those factory directors had even gone to the hospital to visit her when she gave birth; it would be improper not to continue working with them. However, translating for too many factories would be overwhelming.

Now that Old He could arrange it this way, it truly provided a great deal of convenience. Mapping two factories together was essentially the same as translating for one.

After they had chatted for a while, the director of the Garment Factory asked Jiang Xia if she had any ideas on how to increase their transaction amounts.

Jiang Xia had recently thought of an even better way to significantly boost sales.

“I’ve recently thought of a method that could gather a large number of foreign merchants at once and increase transaction amounts,” Jiang Xia said.

“What method?”

“What is it?”

Everyone in the office asked in unison.

Jiang Xia looked at Old He. “The square at the Canton Fair is quite large, isn’t it?”

Old He nodded. “Yes, it’s very large.”

Jiang Xia continued, “A stage could be built in the square to hold featured promotions for certain factories.”

The crowd looked a bit confused. “What do you mean by featured promotions?”

Jiang Xia explained, “Take the garment industry, for example. We could hold a fashion show in the square or a specifically designated area, hiring models to walk the runway. Director Huo, you probably know that clothes look much better when worn than when they are just hanging there. Moreover, different people look different in the same outfit, but when many people see someone else looking beautiful in a piece of clothing, they feel they will look just as beautiful in it. Once they see how good it looks on someone else, they can’t help but want to buy a set for themselves.”

“Yes, yes, yes! Teacher Jiang is absolutely right!” The Garment Factory director’s eyes lit up. A featured event for clothing—a fashion show—would be a fantastic benefit for their factory.

The director of the Food Factory couldn’t help but chime in, “Then wouldn’t that work for our Food Factory as well?”

Jiang Xia nodded. “Exactly. The Food Factory could hold a food tasting event. Use the sight, smell, and taste on-site to attract the consumers’ desire to buy. However, tastings require providing the actual product, which would increase the factory’s promotional costs.”

The Food Factory director nodded vigorously. “Yes! Yes! This definitely works! I think it’s a great idea. Giving out a little bit for people to taste is absolutely no problem! It won’t add much to the costs.”

The director of the Machinery Factory asked, “Those products work for that, but our Machinery Factory produces large-scale equipment. Are we supposed to move those out for a display?”

The director of the shipyard added, “It wouldn’t work for our shipyard either.”

Jiang Xia replied, “Due to the nature of your products, it’s true that they aren’t easy to display. However, while the physical products might not work, scale models can. Advanced individual components or equipment can also be shown, and the rest can be represented with photos and posters. For featured events, you can display only the models, along with your most advantageous equipment and technology. Often, a few pictures and a persuasive tongue are enough to sell something.”

Old He noted, “The idea is good, but with so many factories attending the Canton Fair, we can’t guarantee that every enterprise gets a featured event. That would be difficult to coordinate.”

Jiang Xia suggested, “Some industries can group together. For instance, several factories could participate in a single fashion show. That would make it larger and more attractive. However, some industries are indeed less convenient, and since it’s the first year, some factories might not be willing to participate or know how to prepare. It might just be the few of us. Once the results are seen, there will definitely be more factories wanting to participate the following year. At that point, a selection process could be implemented, such as only allowing factories that reached a certain transaction amount the previous year to qualify.”

The Garment Factory director raised both hands high. “Teacher Jiang’s idea is wonderful! She’s absolutely right! I support this with both hands!”

The Machinery Factory director felt this featured show wasn’t of much use to his factory. He glanced at the Garment Factory director, the corner of his mouth twitching. “Is there any need to be so dramatic?”

The Garment Factory director gave him a triumphant look.

Of course there was!

He didn’t care if other industries or factories could do it; as long as his Garment Factory could, that was enough.

With such a good idea, if they missed out this year and waited until next, who knew if their factory would still qualify?

Old He had said there were many factories at the Canton Fair; how could they possibly look after every single enterprise?

If future opportunities were decided based on transaction amounts, then holding this featured event successfully this year would be even more beneficial for his factory.

It was a case of “opportunity knocks but once.” Since the suggestion was being made for the first time this year, and their factory was already at this meeting and could prepare in advance, they should definitely participate.

The Food Factory director also raised his hand. “I support it with both hands and both feet!”

The directors of the Textile and Plastic factories also added, “I agree as well!”

“I support this wholeheartedly!”

This was essentially having an extra booth—and right at the main entrance where all the guests could see it. Who wouldn’t be happy about that?

…

Old He also felt that Jiang Xia’s idea was excellent.

If executed well, it could indeed increase the transaction amounts for certain industries at the Canton Fair.

As a leader, Old He didn’t just look at the sales of individual factories; he placed more importance on the total sales volume of the entire Canton Fair.

A total increase in the transaction amount was the true measure of improvement.

“I will report this to the higher-ups and the leadership members at the Canton Fair.”

“Comrade Xiao Xia, tell me the details, or better yet, draw up a specific plan so I can present it to them.”

Chapter 599: Racing to Treat Her

“I’ve already put together a basic proposal. Old He, please take a look.” Jiang Xia was someone who took immediate action once she had an idea.

She had spent her free time this weekend preparing the proposal for this special showcase, so she took out the document and handed it to Old He.

“It seems you came prepared,” Old He said with a chuckle as he accepted it.

The proposal consisted of a thick stack of stationery. Although it was a formal proposal, it wasn’t overly wordy—the kind that would normally make someone lose patience at first glance. Instead, it was filled with both text and illustrations.

Old He put on his reading glasses and began to flip through it seriously.

The other factory directors couldn’t wait. One by one, they leaned in close to Old He, trying to catch a glimpse.

Jiang Xia had written the proposal using the garment industry as an example. Since she didn’t have actual photographs, she and Zhang Fuyan had hand-drawn some illustrations. She had also clipped several photos from newspapers and magazines to paste onto the pages.

Zhang Fuyan’s family had quite a few foreign magazines.

Regardless, the proposal was extremely detailed.

The director of the Garment Factory slapped his thigh as he read. “Brilliant!”

“Simply marvelous!”

“This idea is absolutely fantastic!”

“Teacher Jiang, how did you come up with this?”

“Why did I never think of doing this before? Teacher Jiang, you are truly incredible!”

“Oh my, if we really do it this way, I’m confident our factory’s transaction amount at this year’s Canton Fair will double! Old He, you must convince the higher-up leaders to agree!”

The director of the plastic factory chimed in, “Teacher Jiang, Xiao Xia, you have to help our plastic factory come up with a proposal like this too!”

The director of the Textile Factory added, “Garments and textiles are one and the same. Xiao Xia, help us out at the Textile Factory as well! Whether our transaction amount can double this year depends entirely on you!”

The director of the Machinery Factory rolled his eyes. “With such a great proposal, you only have the confidence to double your transaction amount? If our Machinery Factory could hold an exclusive session, I’m confident we could quadruple or even quintuple it!”

The director of the shipyard said somewhat sourly, “If our shipyard could have such a good proposal, we could increase it tenfold!”

The director of the Machinery Factory’s mouth twitched, and he shot him a look.

A tenfold increase in the shipyard’s transaction amount? What did that even mean? Selling a hundred ships instead of ten?

The shipyard director just blinked. He was just enjoying the spectacle and stirring the pot; he was clearly bragging. After all, it was unlikely their factory would be able to hold a dedicated showcase.

He was envious! He was jealous! Why were all the products his factory produced such behemoths?

“Good! Great! Simply wonderful! Brilliant!”

After reading the entire proposal, Old He felt that it was indeed practical and feasible.

Garments and textiles had always been the top priorities for exports at the Canton Fair, accounting for a large percentage of sales. Increasing the exports of these two sectors meant increasing the total transaction amount of the entire Canton Fair.

It would be worth it just for the fashion show alone!

The problem was that although the exhibition hall was large, booth space was tight. The staff always tried to set up as many booths as possible for the factories. Clearing out an area for a runway show would be a bit difficult.

While the plaza outside was large, it was the main entrance for people coming and going, and there were safety concerns. It likely wouldn’t be feasible there.

He had to find a way to convince everyone.

Over the years, the mainstay products of the Canton Fair had been light industrial goods, textiles, handicrafts, hardware, machinery, and local specialties.

The special showcase Jiang Xia suggested was not only suitable for clothing but also for food, ceramics, toys, and agricultural products. He was very confident that this could greatly increase the total transaction amount of the fair.

At this moment, Old He was filled with ambition. “I’m heading back right now to hold a meeting and discuss this.”

Once it was approved in the meeting, he would immediately fly to Suicheng to negotiate the venue issues with the relevant staff of the Canton Fair.

Old He stood up and left in a hurry.

Jiang Xia also wanted to head home as it was nearly 11:00 AM. She said to the several factory directors, “Could you please send me the product information your factories will be bringing to the Canton Fair, as well as your factory backgrounds, by tomorrow? I need to study them carefully. I still have things to do at school, so if there’s nothing else, I’ll head back now.”

“Wait, don’t you want your certificate?” Principal Yan originally had more to say to Jiang Xia, but since there were too many people around, he simply handed her the graduation certificate. He would talk to her more tomorrow.

Jiang Xia took it and thanked him.

The directors all offered their congratulations and praised her.

“Thank you, everyone. I’ll be going now.”

The director of the Garment Factory wouldn’t let her leave. “Xiao Xia, it’s almost time for school to let out! It’s lunch time. Let’s go grab a meal and celebrate! While we eat, you can tell me in detail what our factory needs to prepare. You have to teach me!”

The Garment Factory director knew that fashion shows existed abroad. Once those clothes hit the runway, they looked incredibly high-end! More importantly, they were expensive. Seriously expensive!

A single piece of clothing could cost over a thousand yuan—and that was in US dollars! Then there were those “haute couture” pieces that cost tens of thousands of dollars!

If his factory’s clothes could sell for a thousand US dollars a piece, he would be laughing in his dreams. But the reality was that the cheaper the item, the better it sold. Clothes priced at two or three dollars a piece had the highest transaction volume. The more expensive items simply wouldn’t move.

The Garment Factory owner dreamt of turning his factory’s clothes into a major international brand. He wanted to walk onto international runways, lead fashion trends, and ensure that China had its own high-end clothing brands selling across developed countries, earning massive amounts of foreign exchange!

The director of the Textile Factory also chimed in, “Yes, Xiao Xia, let’s eat together! My treat! You’ve got your graduation certificate; we have to celebrate! We’ll have a few drinks to be merry. Bring your husband along, and Elder Yan too!”

He still needed to consult Teacher Jiang on how to plan the dedicated showcase for the Textile Factory.

The director of the plastic factory was thinking the exact same thing. “Exactly, it’s noon already. Let’s go eat something first. I’ll treat everyone. I’m celebrating for Xiao Xia, so don’t you lot try to snatch the bill from me. Xiao Xia, bring your husband.”

Lunch was a great idea! They could eat slowly, and with the whole afternoon ahead of them, they could take their time discussing the plans.

However, Jiang Xia had to go home to take care of her child. She didn’t have the time to sit through a meal with them.

She smiled and said, “There’s no rush for a meal. I need to get back and draft promotion plans for each of your factories first. There’s only a month left until the Canton Fair, so we need to get the plans ready quickly so everyone can prepare. Let’s save this meal for after the Canton Fair is a success.”

The Garment Factory director waved his hand. “We’ll have a celebratory feast after the Canton Fair, but we should eat now, too! People have to eat every day! Come on, let’s head to a big restaurant.”

…

The other factory directors echoed his sentiment. Given how hard Jiang Xia was working for them, how could they not at least treat her to a meal? It simply wouldn’t be right!

Jiang Xia still politely declined. “Really, it’s fine. I have class at Q University this afternoon, and I have things to do at noon. Let’s do it another day! I’ll treat everyone when I’m free, but today really won’t work.”

They insisted for a bit longer, but seeing that Jiang Xia was firm in her refusal, they eventually let it go. They hurried back to their factories to prepare the product details to give to Jiang Xia the next day.

Jiang Xia said her goodbyes and hurried home with her graduation certificate.

Monday mornings were for foundational courses, and professional courses were in the afternoon. When she left this morning, she had told Zhou Chenglei that she would head home after buying a few rolls of film once class ended.

Now that the entire morning had passed and it was almost lunch time, she still hadn’t made it home.

Jiang Xia pedaled her bicycle swiftly down the road. There was a photo studio on her way back.

Chapter 600: Character

Passing by the photo studio, Jiang Xia parked her bicycle and walked inside. She asked the owner, “Boss, how much is a box of Kodak color film?”

The owner glanced at Jiang Xia and quoted a price: “Twenty yuan and twenty fen.”

“I’ll take… let’s say ten boxes!”

Both she and Zhou Chenlei loved taking photos of the children. They would snap a few pictures every few days, capturing any cute movements or expressions. Consequently, they went through film very quickly.

Buying only two boxes at a time meant they ran out almost immediately.

Jiang Dong also frequently took photos for his research and was always complaining about forgetting to buy film, so she planned to give half of these to him.

Besides, she would be heading to Suicheng soon and would need to take photos there as well. It was better to buy more now than to run out later.

The shop owner’s interest was piqued. He whispered, “Are you buying these for your government unit?”

Jiang Xia was currently looking at the photos on the wall—some were actually from the Qing Dynasty—and didn’t hear him clearly. “Hmm?”

She turned her gaze back to the owner.

The owner took her lack of a clear answer as a confirmation.

Wasn’t this a big client knocking on his door?

He immediately seized the opportunity and smiled. “I’ll give you a discount of twenty fen per box.”

Jiang Xia was speechless. She hadn’t even started haggling yet!

“I’ll write the receipt for the original price for you. And when you need to develop the photos, remember to come back to our studio. I’ll give you a discount on that too—five fen off for every photo!” The shop owner held up all five fingers.

Ten rolls of film meant over three hundred photos!

He made a profit of several dozen fen per developed photo.

This was definitely a big business deal.

He was going to strike it rich!

After finishing his pitch, he brought out ten boxes of film and gave Jiang Xia a wink, as if to say, See how tactful I am?

Jiang Xia: “…”

Just then, Dong Yan walked in carrying a camera. Hearing those words, she glanced at Jiang Xia, her eyes flashing with disdain.

What kind of character was this?

Greedy enough to embezzle even such a small amount of money?

To raise a daughter like this, the mother must not be a person of much integrity either. If the upper beam is crooked, the lower ones will be askew.

She looked away from Jiang Xia and turned to the owner, who was bringing out a receipt book. In a haughty tone, she said, “Boss, I want to develop some photos. Give me the same discount of five fen per photo. And write the receipt for the actual amount paid!”

She acted with an air of righteous indignation.

Jiang Xia: “…”

Is she sick?

The shop owner: “…”

Where did this crazy woman come from?

Jiang Xia paid the money and said to the owner, “Thank you, Boss, but I don’t need a receipt. I bought these for home use.”

Having said that, she took the ten boxes of film and left.

She didn’t give the “crazy woman” a single glance.

Dong Yan stared at the ten boxes in Jiang Xia’s hands and pursed her lips. Who would buy ten boxes of film at once for home use?

Who was she trying to fool!

Jiang Xia rode her bicycle home quite quickly. The noon heat of the Autumn Tiger was still intense, and with the blazing sun, her clothes were soaked with sweat by the time she arrived.

Panting, she spoke to Zhou Chenlei as he took the bicycle from her. “Old He introduced me to several factory directors, so I’m a bit late.”

Zhou Chenlei had assumed she was held back by the principal to chat after picking up her graduation certificate; he hadn’t expected Old He to look for her.

He parked the bike and picked up her school bag from the front basket. “Even so, you shouldn’t ride so fast. Be careful.”

There were quite a lot of bicycles and vehicles in the capital.

During commuting hours, one could see a veritable army of bicycles passing in front of Tiananmen.

Riding a bike too fast was dangerous.

Jiang Xia washed her hands. “The sun was too much to handle. The film is in my bag, please take it out. I’m going to take a shower; I reek of cigarette smoke.”

She had spent half the day in the principal’s office with a group of heavy smokers. Jiang Xia felt as if even the strands of her hair smelled like smoke.

She couldn’t let the children breathe in thirdhand smoke.

Zhou Chenlei also caught the faint scent of tobacco on her. It seemed he needed to have a word with Old He—next time Jiang Xia was around, they shouldn’t smoke.

Thus, after Jiang Xia went back to school for her afternoon classes, Zhou Chenlei went to find Old He.

When Old He saw Zhou Chenlei coming to see him, he thought the young man had finally come to his senses and wanted to do some work. But instead!

Instead!!!

“What did you say?”

Old He doubted his own hearing.

This unfilial brat!

He had no idea what it meant to respect his elders!

Zhou Chenlei said, “When you meet with Xiaxia to discuss business, that’s fine. But make sure no one smokes while she’s there. She doesn’t like the smell of smoke, and neither do I. And my three children like it even less.”

Old He: “…”

Old He was so angry his mustache would have puffed up—if he had one!

Old He waved his hand dismissively. “Get out! Get the hell out!”

Zhou Chenlei turned around and left immediately.

Old He: “…”

He really left!

“Get back here!”

Zhou Chenlei didn’t even look back as he walked away.

Old He: “…”

This unfilial brat!

Honestly, Old He was nearly dying of anger.

After work, he went to Elder Zhang to complain.

“He’s clearly gone mad! Expecting a group of heavy smokers to not smoke during a meeting? How is that possible? Do you think there’s something wrong with his head?”

Elder Zhang replied, “It’s good not to smoke! Your health will be better for it. I quit recently and I’ve even put on some weight! A-Lei is doing this for your own good.”

Old He: “…”

It was like talking to a wall!

At four o’clock in the afternoon, Jiang Xia had not yet finished school. Grandma, Grandpa, and Second Auntie had taken the children out for a stroll, while Zhou Chenlei was busy in the study.

Li Qiufeng was sitting under the ginkgo tree knitting a sweater.

Zhang Rui and Zhang Rong arrived at the door at this time.

Li Qiufeng answered the door.

The moment it opened, Zhang Rui’s eyes lit up.

He took a few steps back, wondering if he had knocked on the wrong door.

Seeing them, Li Qiufeng greeted them, “Second Brother Zhang, Third Brother Zhang.”

Zhang Rong looked at his younger brother. “What are you doing?”

Zhang Rui ignored his second brother and smiled at Li Qiufeng. “Cousin! You look beautiful today!”

Today, Li Qiufeng was wearing a new dress Jiang Xia had bought for her—a white top with a sky-blue skirt. Her hairstyle was also one Jiang Xia had taken her to a salon to get; it was a popular style similar to Brigitte Lin’s.

Before, she had always kept her hair in a long braid that reached her waist and refused to cut it, which looked a bit rustic.

Now that her hairstyle had changed, her entire aura was different.

She had an indescribable air about her—fresh and charming.

Having grown up in a village, Li Qiufeng didn’t know how to handle compliments, and her face turned bright red.

Zhang Rong glanced at his brother, then smiled to ease the girl’s embarrassment. “Cousin, is A-Lei home?”

Li Qiufeng quickly said, “Yes, I’ll go call him.”

She turned and ran into the yard, calling out, “Cousin, Second Brother Zhang and Third Brother Zhang are here!”

Zhou Chenlei walked out. “What brings you here?”

Zhang Rong said, “Let’s talk in the study.”

The three of them entered the study.

Li Qiufeng returned to her seat in the yard and continued knitting.

Zhang Rong and Zhang Rui had come to see Zhou Chenlei because he had previously asked them to keep an eye out for any garment factories in the capital or Tianjin that were failing.

As the spring breeze of reform began to blow, the system started to change. Some factories began to transition, and others had to start finding rice to put in the pot on their own, no longer relying on the state to handle production, supply, and marketing.

This led to some factories being unable to survive, and those were the ones Zhou Chenlei was targeting.

He wanted to take over a factory.

Zhang Rong had come specifically for this matter.

Zhang Rui was just tagging along while running errands to see Zhou Chenlei.

He didn’t listen to a word they said. He brewed some tea for himself and drank it, his gaze inadvertently drifting toward the refined and beautiful girl sitting under the ginkgo tree in the yard.

UNTITLED

Chapter 401: Something Seems a Bit Off
Chapter 402: Interest
Chapter 403: Moving to the New House
Chapter 404: The Wedding Gift
Chapter 405: Gifts (Part 2)
Chapter 406: Had a Change of Heart?
Chapter 407: Why Are You Here, Sir?
Chapter 408: A Heavy Gift
Chapter 409: On Purpose
Chapter 410: Setting Sail
Chapter 411: The Great Ebbing Tide
Chapter 412: The Boat is Broken?

Chapter 413: Today’s Joy is Brought by Beachcombing

Chapter 414: A Strange Smell
Chapter 415: The Great Log
Chapter 416: Foreign Species
Chapter 417: Money
Chapter 418: Transferring Schools
Chapter 419: The Reef Island
Chapter 420: Schools of Fish
Chapter 421: You Are Different
Chapter 422: Unbelievable

Chapter 423: A Daughter’s Status Rises with Her Father’s

Chapter 424: The Pregnant Woman’s Meal
Chapter 425: A Fall
Chapter 426: Rewards

Chapter 427: The More They Called, the Further He Went

Chapter 428: You Certainly Have a Big Imagination!

Chapter 429: The Skies Clear

Chapter 430: Making a Grand Entrance as a Loving Couple

Chapter 431: Rotten Wood?
Chapter 432: Does Walking Need Teaching?
Chapter 433: Borrowing the Car
Chapter 434: Wise After the Event
Chapter 435: Six Tables
Chapter 436: Growth Stocks
Chapter 437: Came and Went
Chapter 438: Tri-chorionic Tri-amniotic
Chapter 439: Luck is on Their Side
Chapter 440: Not Here to See Jiang Dong
Chapter 441: Misunderstanding
Chapter 442: Lunch
Chapter 443: Heart-Piercing Words
Chapter 444: Happy New Year
Chapter 445: It Moved
Chapter 446: The First Day of the New Year

Chapter 447: Fortunately, Wealth-bringer Invited Him to the Temple Fair

Chapter 448: I Can Do That
Chapter 449: Returning to Her Mother’s House
Chapter 450: The Past
Chapter 451: Wishful Thinking
Chapter 452: Refusing to Help
Chapter 453: Brother-in-law’s Wimpy Side
Chapter 454: Afraid of Nothing
Chapter 455: Well-Informed
Chapter 456: He’s Still the Ruthless One!
Chapter 457: No Escaping the Manure
Chapter 458: Fever
Chapter 459: Sweet
Chapter 460: Just the Way I Like It
Chapter 461: Matchmaking
Chapter 462: Hiring Again
Chapter 463: Following the Trend
Chapter 464: Both Wanting and Fearing
Chapter 465: Going to the Market

Chapter 466: Candied Lotus Seeds and Candied Lotus Root

Chapter 467: Just for Him

Chapter 468: Let Him Annoy Her

Chapter 469: First Time Out at Sea After the New Year

Chapter 470: No Matter Where They Came From
Chapter 471: Satisfied
Chapter 472: Taking Shares
Chapter 473: No Need for Them
Chapter 474: New Products
Chapter 475: The Profit Sharing Issue
Chapter 476: Jiang Xia’s Abacus
Chapter 477: Heart Stirred
Chapter 478: A Bountiful Harvest
Chapter 479: Are You Sure?
Chapter 480: All Harvests are Plentiful
Chapter 481: A Punch

Chapter 482: If I’m Going to Hit Him, Then I Will

Chapter 483: Not Invited
Chapter 484: Lord Hou is a Little Scared
Chapter 485: A Nuisance
Chapter 486: Looking On
Chapter 487: A Visit to the Door
Chapter 488: Looks Familiar
Chapter 489: You should worry about yourself!
Chapter 490: To Marry or Not
Chapter 491: 50,000 Kilograms
Chapter 492: Subletting
Chapter 493: This is Asking for a Beating
Chapter 494: How Much to Give?
Chapter 495: No
Chapter 496: Going Out to Sea
Chapter 497: Breaking the Record

Chapter 498: Looking Like He’d Been Cheated On

Chapter 499: The Young Couple
Chapter 500: Getting the Documents
Chapter 501: Her Family Visits Again
Chapter 502: The Impostor
Chapter 503: Setting the Longline
Chapter 504: Like Opening a Blind Box
Chapter 505: Protecting His Sister?
Chapter 506: A Bountiful Harvest
Chapter 507: No Awareness
Chapter 508: Meeting Again
Chapter 509: The Stars Align
Chapter 510: Delivering Money
Chapter 511: He’ll Handle It
Chapter 512: Having Done One’s Utmost Duty
Chapter 513: Making a Scene
Chapter 514: What Way Is There?
Chapter 515: The Wall
Chapter 516: The Red Apricot
Chapter 517: Returning Early
Chapter 518: The Movie
Chapter 519: A Guilty Conscience
Chapter 520: Almost Succeeded
Chapter 521: Following
Chapter 522: Divorce
Chapter 523: Looking for a Scolding
Chapter 524: Who is the Happiest?
Chapter 525: Cutting Ties Completely
Chapter 526: The New Mother
Chapter 527: Getting Beaten
Chapter 528: Jokes
Chapter 529: Selling Big

Chapter 530: It Turns Out to Be Just Children Playing House

Chapter 531: She Is Going Too
Chapter 532: Frightened
Chapter 533: I Don’t Trust You
Chapter 534: Take a Guess
Chapter 535: Envy
Chapter 536: Thank You, Uncle

Chapter 537: Does a Nephew Really Take After His Uncle?

Chapter 538: Even Calling “Mother” Is Useless
Chapter 539: Gaokao
Chapter 540: Names
Chapter 541: Results
Chapter 542: This Works Too?
Chapter 543: Is One Net Missing?
Chapter 544: Who Could Bear to Eat It?
Chapter 545: After-effects
Chapter 546: What Was That Noise?
Chapter 547: Today’s Happiness
Chapter 548: Candy
Chapter 549: Admonition
Chapter 550: Earlier than Expected
Chapter 551: The New Boat Returns
Chapter 552: Seeking an Opportunity
Chapter 553: Keeping Up
Chapter 554: Why Is Her Life So Bitter?
Chapter 555: Re-examination
Chapter 556: Are You a Doctor?
Chapter 557: The Injection
Chapter 558: No Way
Chapter 559: Discussion
Chapter 560: Auntie
Chapter 561: Admission Letter
Chapter 562: Suspicion
Chapter 563: The Megaphone
Chapter 564: Making Amends
Chapter 565: Wishful Thinking
Chapter 566: Chasing to the Door
Chapter 567: Socially Dead Again
Chapter 568: A Gift from the Dolphins
Chapter 569: Observing the Family Style
Chapter 570: The Capital Is So Big
Chapter 571: Preparation
Chapter 572: Arrival
Chapter 573: Looking Quite Good
Chapter 574: So Alike!
Chapter 575: Plain and Simple
Chapter 576: Dormitory
Chapter 577: Why Bother Investigating?

Chapter 578: Don’t You Know Modesty Is a Virtue?

Chapter 579: Closeness and Distance
Chapter 580: The First Lesson
Chapter 581: Women Hold Up Half the Sky
Chapter 582: Enthusiasm
Chapter 583: The Unreliable Old He
Chapter 584: Business Trip
Chapter 585: Special Treatment
Chapter 586: Arrogant!
Chapter 587: Contention!
Chapter 588: Lingering Regret
Chapter 589: I Don’t Have Time
Chapter 590: On What Basis?
Chapter 591: What Do You Think?
Chapter 592: Shopping
Chapter 593: Downstairs
Chapter 594: Get Out
Chapter 595: Absurd!
Chapter 596: Who are you?
Chapter 597: Similarity
Chapter 598: A Good Method
Chapter 599: Racing to Treat Her
Chapter 600: Character