June 6, 2014, Grain in Ear.
Friday afternoon, after school, Xue Yuantong unusually did not raid Snack Street. Instead, she caught a ride home.
Usually, aside from playing games in their rooms, the two also liked wandering around. While it was still light out, Xue Yuantong asked Jiang Ning to take a walk along the River Dam.
Looking down from the dam, the fields stretched out in golden waves. The wheat heads were plump with grain, as if ready to burst.
"Jiang Ning, it's almost time to harvest the wheat," Xue Yuantong said.
"Pretty soon."
"Does your family grow wheat?" Xue Yuantong asked.
Jiang Ning thought for a moment. "We stopped growing it a long time ago. We rented the land out."
His parents worked away from home, so naturally they had no time to tend the few mu of land back home.
"My family still has some. My grandparents grow it in the village," Xue Yuantong said. "Every year, they hire a Combine Harvester to cut the wheat."
As evening approached, the sun was no longer too fierce, and people had begun strolling along the River Dam.
She told Jiang Ning about things from her childhood village, claiming that whenever her family worked in the fields, she went along to help.
Jiang Ning said she probably just played at the edge of the fields.
After talking for a while, Xue Yuantong looked toward the Hui River to the north and spotted a large ship moored near the shore.
"Jiang Ning, let's go look at the big ship by the river."
Jiang Ning agreed. They followed a small path down the River Dam toward the riverbank. The dam stood one or two hundred meters from the river, and wheat grew thickly on both sides of the path.
Jiang Ning walked