Chapter 16: Two Boxes of Rice

Jiang Xia never looked down on the scent of labor. Her grandmother had been a cleaner before eventually turning to selling vegetables, as selling vegetables earned more money.

She sat down against the doorframe, leaving him enough space, and then handed him the water flask: "Drink some water first."

Zhou Chenglei was indeed a bit thirsty. He glanced at the space beside her and sat down.

"I'll hold your lunch box for you."

Zhou Chenglei had intended to put the aluminum lunch box on the ground, but upon hearing her, he handed it to her. He took the water flask she offered, unscrewed the cap, tilted his head back, opened his mouth wide, and poured the water from the flask into his mouth through the air.

Jiang Xia glanced at him.

The way he tilted his head and opened his mouth to drink was far from elegant, but it was incredibly primal.

The lines of his jaw and profile were beautiful, his skin was wheat-colored with very fine pores, and his neck was long and slender. The top button of his shirt was fastened tightly, and his sharp Adam's apple bobbed up and down with every swallow, looking as if it might break free from the constraints of his collar to jump out. It was incredibly sexy.

This man was flawless from every single angle!

Zhou Chenglei drank half a flask in one go. When he put it down, he noticed Jiang Xia staring at him blankly. Thinking she wanted a drink, he handed the flask to her: "There's more."

Coming back to her senses, Jiang Xia took it and tilted her head back to take several large gulps.

Damn, she had actually been mesmerized.

This man was toxic!

Seeing her drinking so hurriedly, Zhou Chenglei reminded her, "Slow down, don't choke."

Jiang Xia slowed her pace.

Zhou Chenglei watched as her fair, delicate face flushed with a rosy glow from the heat. The fingers holding the army-green flask were white, slender, tender, and long; her porcelain-white skin formed a striking contrast against the green flask, making it incredibly eye-catching.

With just one glance, he averted his eyes.

After a few sips, Jiang Xia put it down. If she drank too much water before eating, she would lose her appetite.

Once she finished drinking, Zhou Chenglei took the flask from her, screwed the cap on, and set it aside.

Jiang Xia handed him the lunch box resting on her lap. He took it, lifted the lid, and revealed a full box of food—there were plenty of dried fish and one boiled egg.

Zhou Chenglei handed the lunch box back to her, then took the unopened lunch box from her hand.

Warmed by his thoughtfulness, Jiang Xia returned a polite smile: "Thank you."

Her voice was crisp and pleasant, with a hint of softness that was soothing to the ear. Zhou Chenglei couldn't help but steal another glance at her.

The sky was a brilliant blue, cloudless and vast; the girl's smile was light, clean, and flawless.

"No need." After that single glance, Zhou Chenglei silently withdrew his gaze and lowered his head expressionlessly to open the lunch box in his hand. It revealed a full box of food: mostly green vegetables and pickled vegetables, but very little dried fish—only two pieces. The rice was also mostly sweet potato mixed with a little white rice, a sharp contrast to the box she had.

Jiang Xia saw it too; that was originally the lunch box Mother Zhou had prepared for her.

She didn't mind. They were getting a divorce anyway, and she understood that in this world, nothing good comes without a reason.

"I can't finish it all, let's swap."

Zhou Chenglei picked up his chopsticks and began to eat: "No need, you eat until you're done."

Seeing that he had already started eating, Jiang Xia picked up a few pieces of dried fish and placed them in his lunch box.

Zhou Chenglei avoided them: "No need, you eat."

Jiang Xia: "I really can't eat this much."

Zhou Chenglei: "Eat until you can't eat anymore."

Jiang Xia could only give up.

Mother Zhou saw this and frowned, thinking Jiang Xia was being unreasonable!

A man does heavy labor; he needs to eat more meat to have strength.

Jiang Xia didn't know how to do anything; why was she eating so much meat? To gain weight?

The meal consisted of sweet potato rice, steamed dried small fish, bok choy, and pickled vegetables.

The small fish were very fragrant; because they were so tiny, the bones could be chewed and swallowed directly. The pickled vegetables were refreshing, the bok choy was tender, and the sweet potato rice was sweet and fragrant. Everything was delicious, not because of culinary skill, but because the ingredients were excellent.

Jiang Xia ate until she was full, leaving about half a box of food, as it had been prepared according to Zhou Chenglei's appetite.

She stretched her waist to ease her stomach. She had been so poor growing up in a vegetable-selling family that she never wasted a single grain of rice, but she simply couldn't eat any more.

Zhou Chenglei had just finished eating. Seeing her stretching, he asked, "Can't eat anymore?"

Jiang Xia nodded: "I'm stuffed."

Zhou Chenglei reached out and took the lunch box from her hands, shoveling the remaining half-box of food into his mouth in a few bites.

Jiang Xia: "..."

At this moment, Zhou Zhou walked over holding a lunch box: "Uncle, I can't finish this. Grandma said to give it to you."

Without a word, Zhou Chenglei took it and finished Zhou Zhou's leftovers in a few bites as well.

Jiang Xia's expression relaxed a little.

After finishing, Zhou Chenglei took the small spoon from Jiang Xia's hand and carried the three lunch boxes to the well to wash them.

Once the boxes were washed, he told Jiang Xia to go back and take a nap with Mother Zhou, fearing the midday sun would be too harsh for her.

Jiang Xia didn't go back. She had a bit of an obsessive streak; she didn't like to rest until the work was done.

Mother Zhou took Zhou Zhou back; Zhou Zhou had to go to school around one in the afternoon.

Father Zhou and Zhou Chenglei began working. Zhou Chenglei climbed onto the roof, while Father Zhou stirred the cement and sand.

Wearing a straw hat, Jiang Xia stayed below, doing small tasks like passing up roof tiles as much as she could.

Before long, Mother Zhou, Zhou Chengxin, and Tian Caihua arrived, bringing a wheelbarrow full of tables and chairs.

Then, the three men—Father Zhou, Zhou Chenglei, and Zhou Chengxin—all went up onto the roof to patch the leaking tiles. Mother Zhou stirred the cement below, while Jiang Xia and Tian Caihua—one on a ladder and one on the ground—passed up tiles and cement.

Soon, Great-Grandmother's family also came to help.

As soon as Great-Grandmother's six-year-old grandson, Zhou Jie, entered, he shouted loudly, "Big Brother, Nephew, Little Nephew, I'm here!"

(Big Brother) Father Zhou: "..."

(Nephew) Zhou Chengxin: "..."

(Little Nephew) Zhou Chenglei: "..."

Great-Grandmother's son, Zhou Yongguo, was the same age as Zhou Chenglei, but his generation was two levels higher than Zhou Chenglei's—he was of his grandfather's generation. Therefore, he had to call a person of the same age "Grandpa."

Zhou Chenglei had never called him that since childhood, only using his name, Zhou Yongguo, instead of "Grandpa."

The two had grown up studying and skipping classes together, being very close friends.

Because Zhou Chenglei wouldn't call him "Grandpa," Zhou Yongguo taught his six-year-old son to call Zhou Chenglei "Little Nephew."

On the roof, the three men of the Zhou family pretended they hadn't heard anything.

Zhou Yongguo climbed up the bamboo ladder to the roof and looked at Zhou Chenglei: "Little grandson, you don't even greet your grandpa when he arrives!"

Zhou Chenglei wished he could kick him off!

Zhou Jie skipped over to Jiang Xia: "Auntie-in-law, I am your Great Uncle."

Jiang Xia looked at the chubby-cheeked Zhou Jie: "..."

She patted his head: "Hello, Great Uncle! Great Uncle, have you not eaten? Why are you so short and thin? If I take you out, people will think you're my son rather than my Great Uncle. You need to eat well."

Jiang Xia gained a small verbal advantage, but the child had a large head and a thin body, looking quite malnourished.

She had learned from chatting with Great-Grandmother just now that Great-Grandmother's family had only one descendant in three generations; this grandson was the only one, but he was sickly and a picky eater, which was a source of worry.

Zhou Jie hated it when people called him short. He was the shortest child in the village, and he pouted: "No respect for elders! Hmph, I'll grow up one day, and I'll be taller than you! Hmph!"

Everyone in the courtyard laughed.

Great-Grandmother chuckled: "Then you must eat well and not be a picky eater."

Zhou Jie wouldn't listen. He ran off to ask Mother Zhou where Zhou Zhou and the others were.

Hearing they were at the new house, he ran off to play with them.

Many hands make light work. With three more adult men who were skilled laborers, the six of them finished repairing the roof in two hours.

Zhou Yongguo also managed to find two large buckets of lime water from somewhere and brushed it over the walls, which were spotted with mold, blackness, and peeling paint.

It was summer, and August was the hottest time; they worked quickly, and as soon as one side was brushed, the other side was already drying.

Looking at the finished rooms, Jiang Xia saw they were white, bright, and much more comfortable.

The three men from Great-Grandmother's family helped with the walls, while Zhou Chenglei's family went back to move things.

By five o'clock, everything had been moved in.

However, because there wasn't much stuff, the living room only held two old square tables and eight chairs; there was nothing else.

Looking at her new home, although the walls were bare, the presence of so many people prevented it from feeling lonely or cold.

Tian Caihua walked in at that moment, glanced at the renovated house, and said with a hint of envy, "Renovating an old house like this is actually quite comfortable. But the renovation shouldn't have cost more than three hundred yuan, right?"

(End of Chapter)