Chapter 229: Chapter 125: Zhang Huai’s Doubt

Liu Sanshun had no choice but to pour out half. He handed her the rest, saying, “You have to take these. There are still plenty on the tree. And take this fish, too. Don’t refuse. Doesn’t Mei eat the things you give her? You even gave her a piece of fatty meat back when we were planting seedlings.”

Juhua quickly took them when she heard that. If she refused again, it would seem odd, with him keeping such a close tally of favors. This was how relationships worked in the village—a constant give and take.

She then asked Liu Sanshun to draw a bucket of well water so she could wash the plums, saying she’d eat them on the way.

Liu Sanshun agreed with a smile.

He was exceptionally happy to see how much Juhua liked them. He drew a bucket of clear, cold well water, let her wash the plums, and then walked her to the gate.

Just as she left the courtyard, she ran right into Liu Xiaomei’s mother. She was carrying a shoulder pole with two bamboo baskets filled with cut Shanyu vines.

Upon seeing Juhua, she greeted her warmly and insisted she stay for lunch. “Sanshun caught some fish,” she said, “and Mei will be home soon. Just eat here! Doesn’t Mei eat at your house all the time?”

Juhua replied, looking a bit embarrassed, “Sanshun already packed some fish for me, so it’s the same if I cook it at home. He also picked a lot of plums for me, so I won’t stay for lunch. Please tell Mei to come over to my place to do some sewing when she’s free.”

Liu Xiaomei’s mother quickly agreed, calling out loudly after Juhua to come visit whenever she was free.

Only after Juhua was some distance away did she turn back. She saw Liu Sanshun standing at the courtyard gate. Glancing around the yard and seeing no one else, her eyes flickered between Sanshun and the retreating figure of Juhua, her expression full of inquiry.

Liu Sanshun blushed when he saw the suggestive look in his mother’s eyes. ’Nothing’s going on, but Mom is really something else, staring at me like that,’ he thought. He turned and went back into the house.

’Was there really nothing going on?’

He, however, didn’t notice the goofy grin spreading across his own face.

In the courtyard, Mei’s mother smiled happily. ’That Juhua is so hardworking and virtuous,’ she thought. ’If only…’

Juhua carried a wicker basket and held a smaller basket, eating plums as she walked.

The plums, greenish with a blush of red, looked unripe. But one bite revealed sweet and tangy red flesh, bursting with juice.

Someone with bad teeth wouldn’t be able to eat them. But Juhua hadn’t had the luxury of eating enough sweets to ruin her teeth, so hers were perfectly healthy, and she bit into the plums with relish.

As she was walking and eating, she nearly bumped into someone. She quickly looked up and dodged to the side of the road, only to see it was Zhang Huai. He was carrying a hoe on his shoulder and a basket on his back filled with wild greens and herbs, likely gathered for pig feed.

Juhua quickly called out, “Brother Huai Zi! Gathering pig feed?”

Zhang Huai saw Juhua carrying a fish basket and another basket filled with plums. Unsure where she was coming from, he nodded in confusion and said, “Just doing some weeding. I gathered some pig feed while I was at it.”

Juhua thought, ’All these families raising pigs must be getting anxious. These pigs eat an incredible amount, and it won’t be easy to make it to acorn-gathering season!’

She noticed Zhang Huai’s silent, solemn expression. He seemed much more mature than before, but also looked like he had something on his mind. It was a little strange, but she didn’t press the matter and turned to head home.

After a moment’s thought, she grabbed a few plums and handed them to him. “I picked these at Mei’s house,” she said. “They’re washed. Here, have a couple.”

Zhang Huai took the plums. Seeing Juhua’s casual, unconcerned expression, a pang of bitterness went through his heart.

Suddenly, a thought struck him. He decided to test her. “These plums are pretty good,” he began, “but not as good as those wild peaches. Remember that year your brother and I picked them from that ravine over by Little Qing Mountain? You ate so many you didn’t even have dinner that night. That tree is dead now. If we’d known, we should have dug up a sapling to plant here. It would probably be bearing fruit by now.” He finished speaking and stared at Juhua, waiting for her reply.

Juhua paused, stunned. She searched her memory and realized there really had been a tree like that. The peaches they’d brought back hadn’t been large, but you could twist them open and the pit would separate cleanly from the flesh. They were incredibly sweet and tangy, every bit as good as these plums.

She smiled. “That’s why I always say you and my brother aren’t thoughtful enough. If you’d just planted the pits from all the peaches, apricots, and other fruits we’ve eaten, we’d probably have more fruit than we could handle by now! You know, you and my brother should go back and look again one day. The big tree might be dead, but there are bound to be saplings, and they might be grown by now. That ravine isn’t even far. If I’m free, I’ll go with you. We should bring back any other wild fruit trees we find on the mountain and plant them. Sigh! Those wild peaches really were delicious. Their skins were all freckled, and you could just split them in half with your hands. I ate so many back then I ended up with a stomachache.” She smacked her lips, savoring the memory.

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