Free Web NovelChapter 421: Chapter 222: Neighbors
By sunset, both paths had been paved with stones.
Qingmu and Zhang Huai set down their bamboo baskets and brought out a small stone roller, which they began to use on the paths. Meanwhile, Juhua stood to the side, tossing any stones that scattered from the path back into the trenches and picking out any with sharp edges to discard.
Just as they were busy working, Li Changming came hurrying home with a hoe over his shoulder and a fish basket in his hand. When he saw them rolling the paths—which were newly made, paved entirely with stone, and led straight to the river—he gaped in surprise. ’I was only gone for one afternoon, how did two new stone paths suddenly appear?’
He stopped beside Qingmu and asked, "Qingmu, Huai Zi, what are you two...?"
Qingmu stopped pulling the roller, lifted the cotton towel from his shoulder to wipe away his sweat, and smiled. "Oh, we’re just making a couple of small paths and paving them with stones. That way, when it rains, we can go to the river to wash things without getting our shoes muddy."
Zhang Huai took a deep breath and added, "We’re also planning to plant some trees along the paths. That way, we won’t have the sun beating down on us when it’s hot. It’ll be nice and cool!"
Li Changming’s eyes instantly lit up. He nodded and said, "Hey! That’s a great idea! In a few years, this area will be just like the riverbank, won’t it? It was all just grass and wild chrysanthemums before, not a single tree. It looked a little bare. Planting trees won’t get in the way of the wildflowers, and it’ll be cooler in the summer. I’m going to build a path like this at my place, too. And I was thinking, for the trees, you shouldn’t plant only willows. You should find some fruit trees to plant. They’ll look nice, and the kids will have fruit to eat in the future."
A family man certainly thinks differently; the moment he opened his mouth, he was planning for his children’s future.
Even if Qingmu and Zhang Huai were thinking the same thing, they were too shy to say it aloud.
Zhang Huai glanced at Juhua with a smile, his eyes filled with yearning and hope for their future.
Her heart skipped a beat under his gaze, but she didn’t feel uncomfortable. Instead, a corner of her heart softened. ’If nothing unexpected happens, he’s the man I’ll spend my life with!’
She found herself yearning for the life Li Changming had described. ’What a beautiful, pastoral existence,’ she thought. ’It feels almost unreal, like a dream I’m afraid I’ll wake up from and find it gone.’
The dream wouldn’t disappear, but life would certainly not be all smooth sailing. Behind this wonderful life, there were likely unknown dangers hidden away.
The most uncontrollable factor was always oppression from above.
For this reason, Juhua was always extremely cautious. When it came to the government and her various business ventures, she would repeatedly weigh every decision, considering all angles to minimize the possibility of hidden troubles. She had even read numerous history books and classical texts to gain a full understanding of the Jing Country of this Different Space-Time, all in an effort to prevent disaster before it could strike.
After listening to Li Changming, Qingmu said, "We do want to plant some fruit trees, but the saplings are hard to get. Willows are the easiest to plant and the easiest to keep alive, so there’s not much we can do. We’ll plant some willow cuttings for now and just look for fruit tree saplings as we go."
Juhua quickly chimed in, "I’ve been keeping an eye out for that! Liu Xiaomei and I have already planted all the peach pits from the fruit we ate this year, and she said she’ll save the apricot pits when they’re ripe, too. Brother Changming, you should hurry and make a path like this down to the river; Meizi would definitely love it. How come she isn’t out today? If she saw us paving this path, she’d have been over here raising a ruckus long ago." As she spoke, she glanced in the direction of the Li Family’s home.
At the mention of Meizi, a gentle smile touched Li Changming’s eyes. "My mother came to visit," he said. "She’s probably busy with Meizi in the vegetable garden, that’s why they haven’t come out." Meizi really had his mother wrapped around her finger, and was managing her well.
He swung the fish basket in his hand in front of Juhua. "Juhua, I caught some eels with my trap. There’s quite a few here, let me give you some. Go find something to put them in." Meizi and Juhua were very close, and he was deeply grateful for all the things—ducklings, duck eggs, and various vegetable seedlings—that Juhua had given Meizi.
Juhua quickly waved her hands in refusal. "Brother Changming, we’re neighbors! There’s no need to be so formal with me! We have our own fish pond, and we’ve stocked it with plenty of eels and loaches, so it’s easy for us to eat fish whenever we want. You worked hard to catch these, and with such a big family, you might not even have enough for yourselves. Why give them to me? Meizi and I don’t stand on ceremony with each other. If I want something, I won’t be shy about asking."
No matter how many eels he had, it wouldn’t be enough for them. They were two households combined now; how could she have the nerve to accept any?
Li Changming paused for a moment, then smiled. "Alright then, I won’t stand on ceremony with you either. Next time I’m out fishing, if I net any small fish, shrimp, or turtles, I’ll save them for you to stock your pond."
