Another Female Lead?

Another Female Lead?

Zhou Chenglei had been looking at Jiang Xia's hands. Hearing that, he turned to look at the patch of ground she had thoroughly weeded. He was also surprised by how quickly she had learned, but his temperament was stern and cold, and he could not bring himself to praise her. He merely said, "You sit for a while. I'll go throw out these weeds."

Then he carried the two Snakeskin Bags of weeds outside.

Humans were social animals, so the villagers' houses were generally clustered together in one area.

The Zhou Family's old house had many neighbors. Throughout the morning, villagers kept passing by the Zhou Family home, and before long, more than half the village knew that the Zhou Family had split up.

Zhou Chenglei had moved into the old house with Jiang Xia.

The women gathered together to mend Fishing Nets, all discussing the matter.

"Why did the Zhou Family suddenly split up?"

"Do you even need to ask? You could guess it with your toes—it had to be that educated daughter-in-law stirring up trouble. One look and you could tell she wasn't someone who could live a proper life. She broke the family apart. Any man who marries that kind of woman is asking for trouble!"

"Zhou Chenglei and his wife are living in the old house with the two elders, and his wife actually agreed? I saw her cleaning the courtyard, and she looked quite happy, smiling all over her face. City girls really are different. Her skin was so fair it practically glowed, and when she smiled, she looked even prettier than actresses on TV. She was too beautiful, like a fairy descended from heaven."

"What's the use of being pretty? Look at her, she doesn't even know how to hold a hoe. You can tell at a glance she can't do any work! What did he marry her for? To keep her as an ornament?"

"Being too pretty is no good. She'll run off with another man! Zhou Chenglei's head is just like the grass in that courtyard—green everywhere! Hahaha!"

Zhou Chenglei, carrying a Snakeskin Bag of weeds in each hand, suddenly stopped in front of them.

The women looked up and instantly fell silent.

"You're mistaken. She didn't run off with anyone that day. That man was her high school classmate. I know him too. He came to talk to her about the National Higher Education Entrance Examination. Aunts, don't misunderstand anymore. I don't want to hear such things again in the future. It would be even worse if she heard them."

After saying that, Zhou Chenglei passed by them expressionlessly, carrying the two large bags of grass.

He did not know why he had stopped to say all that. He had never cared about gossip and rumors.

Rumors scattered as they spread.

Maybe it was because of the blisters on her palms.

Zhou Chenglei had enlisted after graduating middle school and served for more than ten years. He had been to war and killed enemies. When he got angry, how could a few village women withstand that battlefield aura of slaughtering in all directions?

The women did not even dare breathe loudly as they watched him leave. Until he came back after throwing out the rubbish, they did not dare say a word. When he passed them, they even lowered their heads and pretended to weave their Fishing Nets with great concentration.

Only after Zhou Chenglei's back had completely vanished did they let out a breath. They remained quiet for quite some time before anyone spoke again, and without saying so aloud, they all avoided discussing the Zhou Family any further.

*When Zhou Chenglei returned from taking out the rubbish, Great-Grandmother was teaching Jiang Xia how to draw water with a bucket.

The old house's well did not have a Water Pump installed. To draw water, they simply threw a bucket tied to a rope into the well, then pulled it back up.

Jiang Xia had never done it before. She tossed the bucket into the well, but it floated on the water's surface. No matter how she swung it, she could not make it sink completely. After struggling for ages, she had only filled half a bucket.

Great-Grandmother pulled it up and demonstrated again. Jiang Xia tried twice, and finally managed to submerge the bucket and fill it with a full bucket of water.

She said happily, "I did it!"

Great-Grandmother smiled and continued instructing her. "Very good, you learned it right away! Be careful and pull it up. Wrapping the rope around your arm makes it easier to use your strength..."

Jiang Xia happily pulled the bucket up, but she had overestimated this body's strength. When she had pulled it halfway, her foot slipped. Jiang Xia lunged toward the mouth of the well and hurriedly released the rope. The bucket fell back into the well, while she staggered from the pull and crashed into a solid chest.

Great-Grandmother also reached out and caught her, still shaken. "Good thing Chenglei came back. Xiao Xia, you're not strong enough, so don't draw water anymore."

Zhou Chenglei pulled her several steps away from the well before releasing her. His heartbeat had yet to settle as he said with a dark expression, "Didn't I tell you to sit down? Don't you know the wellside is dangerous? Do you have any common sense at all?"

Jiang Xia was not afraid either. "It's fine. That was purely because I didn't have experience, and there was mud stuck to the bottom of my shoes. It was wet here, so I slipped. Next time, I'll just draw it up half a bucket at a time."

Great-Grandmother nodded. "Right, right, right. Half a bucket at a time."

"Don't draw water anymore," Zhou Chenglei said directly.

Great-Grandmother nodded. "Right, right, right. Don't draw water anymore. A'Lei is here! He's strong, so let him draw it. Falling into a well is no joke."

Jiang Xia: "."

Great-Grandmother, do you only know how to say right, right, right?

No matter who spoke, you said right, right, right. Do you know that makes you a fence-sitter?

Zhou Chenglei did not say anything more. He went over, picked up the rope that had fallen to the ground, effortlessly drew a bucket of water, and carried it up.

Jiang Xia felt that she could do it too. What had happened just now had truly been an accident.

But Zhou Chenglei was indeed a little frightening when he wore that stern face, so she decided to forget it.

Just then, Father Zhou returned. He had bought a cartload of tiles, with another cart of sand and cement behind him.

"Grandma is here? A'Lei, come help unload the tiles. This is your Uncle Wen."

Zhou Chenglei took a small bottle out of his trouser pocket and gave it to Jiang Xia. "Sprinkle some medicine on the wound on your hand."

Then he went over to help and greeted the deliveryman along the way. "Uncle Wen."

Great-Grandmother also walked over. "You bought so many tiles."

"A lot of the tiles have fallen off." Father Zhou worked as he spoke to Great-Grandmother.

Jiang Xia looked at the little bottle. She did not know what medicine it was, so she slipped it into her trouser pocket and walked over as well.

There were flat tiles and half-cylinder tiles on the cart. Behind it was another cart of sand and two bags of cement, all delivered by others to help out.

Jiang Xia also saw that the person helping push the cart at the back was a young girl.

Another female lead?

She found it strange. Weren't the male lead and female lead supposed to meet only after the female lead was swept away by the waves and the male lead saved her?

They had already met twice in advance! Sure enough, people fated to meet would always cross paths.

Jiang Xia thought: I should find a way to make money and move out as soon as possible.

When Wen Wan saw that Jiang Xia was still there, she froze. Why is she still here?

Shouldn't she and Zhou Chenglei have gone to get divorced early in the morning, after which she never returned to Small Fishing Village?

The Tile Kiln happened to be in Wen Wan's village. Father Wen worked at the Tile Kiln, and whenever Wen Wan had time, she would help stomp clay and break tile cylinders. She knew Father Zhou. Seeing him buy tiles to repair the Leaky Tiles, she assumed Zhou Chenglei would be fixing the Leaky Tiles, so she used helping her father push the cart as an excuse to follow along.

She wanted to get acquainted with Zhou Chenglei sooner, and she also wanted more contact with the Zhou Family, so that she could marry into the Zhou Family as quickly as possible.

She could get married first, then take the university entrance examination.

But why was Jiang Xia still here?

She looked Jiang Xia over. Her face was smeared with dirt, and her clothes were covered in mud. Was she helping repair the house too? What was going on?

She wanted to ask, but did not know how to bring it up.

Jiang Xia gave her one appraising glance before withdrawing her gaze. She went to Father Zhou and asked, "Dad, are there enough tiles?"

Father Zhou looked at the roof. "They should be about enough. There will definitely be enough for the main house. If there aren't enough for places like the kitchen, we can buy more and repair them gradually."

Zhou Chenglei glanced at Jiang Xia, then signaled for the deliverymen to unload the materials beneath the eaves, making it convenient to pass them up later.

He carried the two bags of cement directly beneath the eaves.

Father Zhou helped move the tiles.

Jiang Xia also went to help carry tiles.

Seeing Wen Wan standing there without moving, Father Wen barked, "Why aren't you coming to help? What are you standing there for? You don't have a bit of sense!"

Being scolded in front of Zhou Chenglei made Wen Wan blush a little, but she still stepped forward to stand beside him. With her head lowered, she carried tiles, looking somewhat delicate and pitiable.

The two stood rather close.

Zhou Chenglei stepped back a few paces. "No need for your help. Go sit on the threshold stone and rest."

Wen Wan replied softly and gently, "It's fine. I'm used to doing this kind of work."

Wishing all my darlings a happy 520! 520~

Thank you all for your votes and gifts~