Li Long remembered that in his previous life, several other villages in the township had also grown seed watermelons. Sometimes, when the melons were ripe and he wanted to eat one, he felt a little embarrassed about asking if the owner was there.
Now that his own family's melons were ripe, he finally understood how the owners felt. Visitors coming to eat the melons were genuinely welcome. After all, they were free labor, helping break the melons open. As long as they left the seeds, the more they ate, the better.
A slight shift in perspective brought a sudden realization. No wonder some owners had been so enthusiastic when he ate melons in their fields in his previous life.
So that was why.
Li Long had spent some time staying home in the compound, enjoying an uninhibited stretch of married intimacy with Gu Xiaoxia. Figuring the melons were about ripe, he drove the tractor to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative to buy supplies.
One of the cooperative shop's original two salesclerks had been replaced. There was now a middle-aged woman and a young girl. Li Long vaguely remembered that the girl had graduated from a vocational secondary school and been assigned here this year.
Li Long was something of a celebrity at the cooperative. He might not recognize everyone there, but practically everyone knew him. Even those who did not recognize his face had heard his name. Director Wei had, after all, seriously organized the entire staff to study his achievements through newspaper readings, more than once.
So when Li Long entered the cooperative shop, the middle-aged woman, Liu Xiumei, greeted him first.
"Comrade Li Long, you're here! What do you need today?"
"Hello, Comrade Li Long!" The new clerk, Qin Xiulan, greeted him in a clear, bright voice, curiosity