Chapter 6: He doesn't hate her?

Just as she was planning to walk back to the village on foot, Mu Chenze pointed to the driver's seat with a look of helplessness. "What I mean is, you can sit in the driver's seat."

Chu Xuan gestured with her hands in front of her. "Are you sure? If a big fat girl like me sits in that driver's cab, will there even be room for you? Besides, even if we both squeeze into the driver's seat, how would that look?"

Was this guy addicted to being taken advantage of?

Mu Chenze glared at Chu Xuan. "In your dreams. I'll stand at the connection between the tractor and the trailer to direct you while you drive."

His tone wasn't great, but his intentions were good.

He knew that the money Chu Xuan made from selling the gold ingots would only be enough to build a new house at most; if she wanted a better quality of life, she would need to earn more money.

If Chu Xuan could learn to drive a tractor, she could earn extra money in her spare time by helping the village or factories.

Learning another skill meant having another way to make money.

Chu Xuan sized Mu Chenze up. Did this guy trust her that much? Wasn't he afraid she'd drive the tractor into a ditch?

But she also realized he was helping her in a roundabout way.

In her past life, he had only taught her how to drive a tractor after they were married. She was very smart and learned it instantly.

Could it be that because of her refusal to marry him in this life, certain things were happening earlier?

Shouldn't he be angry with her and stay far away?

She had schemed to steal his first kiss, yet he didn't hate her; instead, he was trying to help her?

Was this guy stupid?

Of course, she didn't mind learning it again in this life.

After all, now that it was "above board," if she found any good catches while foraging by the sea, she could borrow a village tractor to take them to the county town to sell for a better price.

"Mu Chenze, th—"

Before she could finish, Mu Chenze had already handed her the hand crank. "I believe you can do it. The road out to the county town is very flat for a long stretch, so just drive with confidence. For the hand-crank start, you'll definitely learn it instantly. Give it a try."

Since he was willing to teach, Chu Xuan would be a fool not to learn.

She nimbly took it, and under Mu Chenze's direction, she successfully started the engine, and smoke began to billow from the diesel exhaust pipe.

Chu Xuan sat in the driver's seat, and Mu Chenze jumped onto the connection between the trailer and the tractor.

He directed her on how to shift gears and release the clutch, telling her to drive steadily for a bit and then to press the brakes slowly.

After only one lesson, Chu Xuan said she had learned it.

She drove forward again.

Mu Chenze didn't praise her verbally, but he was deeply impressed.

Back then, when Mu Chenze learned to drive a tractor, it took his master two lessons before he mastered it.

As she drove, Chu Xuan thought to herself that as long as she didn't marry him, she wouldn't ruin his life or his family's. Being friends wasn't a bad idea; at the very least, it meant one less enemy to trip her up.

They drove safely to the entrance of the village. After coming to a steady stop, Chu Xuan jumped down from the tractor, lost her footing, and nearly sprained her ankle before Mu Chenze caught her.

It wasn't until she stood steady that she realized Mu Chenze's hand was on her waist.

How embarrassing; her barrel waist was practically an insult to his handsome hands.

Fortunately, she had changed into clean clothes and didn't smell of fish.

"You can let go now."

Hearing this, Mu Chenze quickly withdrew his hand. Thinking she was acting out of embarrassment, he teased, "You didn't mind giving up your first kiss, so you probably won't mind a little touch either."

Chu Xuan didn't dare say she minded, fearing he might say something about being responsible and marrying her, so she immediately pretended not to care. "That's right. Not only do I not mind, I actually feel like I got the better end of the deal by touching your hands."

As soon as these words left her mouth, Mu Chenze was so embarrassed that he immediately started the tractor and drove off.

Chu Xuan felt her right pocket, confirmed the money was still there, and walked toward her house.

Ten minutes later, she stepped through the door.

Chu Feng jumped out of the house like a rabbit, looking excited, and shouted loudly, "Sis—"

Chu Xuan quickly made a shushing gesture.

Chu Feng understood immediately. He darted to the courtyard gate to bolt it, then took his sister's arm toward the bedroom.

Struggling to restrain his excitement, he lowered his voice. "Sis, how was it? Is it gold?"

Instead of answering directly, Chu Xuan looked serious. "How is the house cleaned?"

Chu Feng said as if presenting a treasure, "I'll give you a tour."

The siblings checked the two bedrooms, as well as the kitchen and the outhouse.

Everything had been cleaned spotless.

Furthermore, the water vats were filled with water.

Chu Xuan had a feeling her younger brother couldn't have done such a good job all by himself.

"Did you really do this yourself?"

Chu Feng hung his head, not daring to look at her. "I was worried I wouldn't finish before you got back. It just so happened that Auntie Hua was bringing people over to see our King Mackerel, so I secretly made a deal with her. I told her if she could find two people to help me clean, I'd give them two catties of fresh mackerel chunks each. And so..."

Chu Xuan didn't need to hear the rest to understand.

Seeing that Chu Xuan wasn't speaking, Chu Feng thought he had done something wrong. "Sis, did I do something wrong? You can hit me if you want. Or I'll go foraging again tomorrow and earn back what I gave away today."

After all, six or seven catties of mackerel could sell for about ten yuan.

Chu Xuan felt a pang of guilt. "Xiao Feng, you didn't do anything wrong. It's just that I didn't consider how tired you must be from a day at sea, or that you have injuries on your face, yet I still gave you so much work. I wasn't speaking just now because I was reflecting on myself. The fish are already gone."

Chu Feng let out a long sigh of relief, a smile appearing on his face. "I'm glad you're not angry. I took the mackerel tails to Grandpa Wang's house, and he gave us back half a catty of fatty pork, which I've rendered into lard. I was so hungry I didn't wait for you to eat. But I left some pork cracklings, steamed mackerel, octopus, and dough soup in the stove for you. They're all still warm."

Chu Xuan felt a sense of relief. Her brother had learned to cook two years ago, and his food was actually quite good. He only cooked when he was trying to coax someone; usually, he was too lazy. She would have to fix his laziness in the future.

Her stomach was indeed hungry. She pulled a thick stack of money from her pocket—all fifty-yuan bills—and slapped it into Xiao Feng's hands. "Sit down and count it! I'm going to wash my hands and eat first."

Chu Feng held the stack of money with both hands, stunned into silence for a long time.

It was the first time in his life he had seen so much money.

It wasn't until Chu Xuan reminded him, "Are you too scared to count this much? You'll be able to earn even more in the future!" that he finally started. As he counted, tears began to fall.

His emotions were a complex mix of excitement, agitation, regret, and remorse...

When the family split, he had complained about his sister, yet she was actually willing to let him count the money.

So much money! He was completely won over.

He counted the money over and over again, more than twenty times.

By the time Chu Xuan finished her meal and washed the dishes, he was still counting.

Chu Xuan stepped forward and gently rubbed his head. "Alright, count it another day. We can't let anyone know about this money for now. However, in a couple of days, we can use the excuse of our biological mother sending money to start repairing the house and building the new one."

At the mention of their mother, Chu Feng looked a bit dejected. "Sis, will Mom really send money? Grandma said she wasn't a good woman..."

Chu Xuan was very certain. "She will. Grandma might not be right. Last time Mom came back to see us, didn't we avoid her? Before she left, she asked Grandpa Wang to leave a message for me: she will send us money every June and December. Our grandparents and Second Uncle don't know about this."

Chu Feng clenched his fists. "Just thinking about Second Uncle makes me angry. He came over this afternoon saying he wanted to take a piece of fresh mackerel. It's a good thing Grandpa Wang came by and chased him away. Sis, do you think he'll come to steal something tonight?"

Chu Xuan gave a mysterious smile. "I'm just afraid they *won't* come to steal."

"They? You mean even Grandma and Grandpa will come?"

"You'll know when the time comes. I'll keep the money on me for now. Be alert when you sleep tonight; we'll have to get up to catch the thieves."

Chu Feng was confused but didn't ask further.

After putting the money away, Chu Xuan's gaze fell on the salted mackerel with the fish head hanging under the eaves; there must be at least thirty catties of it.

The siblings chatted for a while longer before Chu Xuan went back to her room.

A few minutes later, she came back out and stuffed something into the fish's mouth...

(End of Chapter)