After lunch, Li Long rested for a while. Rain was still drifting down, but it was light. He waited more than half an hour, then wheeled his bicycle out once it stopped.
"Ride slowly," Du Chunfang reminded him from the doorway. "There's plenty of mud. Don't try to show off."
"Mom, I know." Li Long smiled and waved, swung a leg over the bicycle, and pedaled out of the yard toward Gu Xiaoxia's home.
Before he reached the Gu family's home, Li Long spotted Gu Xiaoxia riding her bicycle toward the main road, and he grinned.
Li Long stopped to wait for Gu Xiaoxia to reach him, then asked with a smile:
"What brought you out?"
"What about you? What brought you out?" Gu Xiaoxia asked, looking a little unhappy.
"When I left your place, I heard Uncle Gu telling you off. I figured he'd probably make you head back to the County Seat this afternoon, so I came to check."
"Exactly! Dad said that if I have a job, I should focus on it instead of always worrying about home. He's not old yet, and he can still work..." Gu Xiaoxia was clearly unhappy. "So I'm leaving... What about you?"
"The bicycle at home broke down. I need to buy a tire in the County Seat. Come on, let's go together."
They rode on side by side. There wasn't much mud on the road, but it still stuck to their tires. Li Long noticed that the farther west they went, the more mud there was. It seemed the rain had been heavier to the west than in the village.
"Stop, stop." Li Long spoke to Gu Xiaoxia, who was twisting her body as she strained to pedal:
"Let's clear the mud off the wheels."
He propped up his bicycle,