Chapter 52: Midday Rest

Chapter 52: Midday Rest

Lin Xiaopu was quite taken aback, staring blankly at the usually reserved Zhou Ye.

"Brother A Ye, you won't taste much from just the tip. Here, have a piece from my end too," Lin Shu said, breaking her cucumber in half and offering him one piece.

Lin Xiaopu: ...

Lesson learned.

This way, both of them got to enjoy the cucumber from end to end!

Zhou Ye initially didn't want to accept it, but he knew Lin Shu. If he refused, she would launch into a lengthy explanation.

Taking a bite of the pointed end, he found it indeed fragrant and crisp, the flesh juicy and refreshing.

It had been a long time since he last ate a cucumber.

Most villagers were self-sufficient, eating what they grew. If they craved something else, they would trade with other families. However, Lin Ershu and Aunt He rarely traded for cucumbers or other fruits. Zhou Ye wasn't particularly fond of food; when he could barely fill his stomach, he didn't much care what he ate.

After they finished the cucumber, the ever-restless Zhou Ye asked Lin Shu how to set up the bamboo pipes for water diversion.

Lin Shu chuckled, "Why can't you sit still for a moment? It's already noon, time for a midday rest. Come rest with me for a bit, and we can continue working after I wake up."

Before Zhou Ye could stop her, Lin Shu had already slipped into the inner room.

Lin Xiaopu called out to him, "Brother A Ye, don't worry, I'll keep an eye on Sister for you. I'll call you when she wakes up. Just listen to Sister and go rest."

But Zhou Ye couldn't settle down. After Lin Xiaopu also went inside, he asked Aunt He Guixiang, "Auntie, do you know if any family has a large jar or urn with a chip or a hole that they don't need?"

"What do you need that for?" He Guixiang asked, puzzled.

Zhou Ye replied succinctly, "A Shu's fish pond needs it."

He Guixiang didn't press further, saying, "If a jar or urn is only chipped at the rim, it can still be used and likely wouldn't be discarded. But if the bottom is broken, it's useless. I'm not sure about other families, but Wang Da's household has a rice urn that his son Wang Yingen accidentally broke. You can ask Aunt Li if she's thrown away that broken urn."

As for how He Guixiang knew this—well, Wang Yingen's mother had once chased him around the village, scolding and hitting him. Probably everyone in the village knew about it.

Zhou Ye nodded and turned to leave.

He Guixiang stopped him, "A Shu told you to rest, so just rest. I'll go ask the Wang family later. Since Aunt Li just received a favor from A Shu, if she hasn't thrown the urn away, she'd be happy to let us have it."

Most farming families lived together as large households before dividing properties, but the Wang family was different. For generations, they had only one son per generation—not because they didn't want more children, but because they never managed to have a second. Thus, the old Wang couple had only one son, Wang Da, and one grandson, Wang Yingen.

Though the Wang family was small, they owned plenty of land and lived more comfortably than other farmers. The old couple had lent money to relatives, but after failing to get it back multiple times, the old lady arranged for her son to marry a woman known for her fierceness—Li Chunmiao.

True to her reputation, Li Chunmiao was bold and sharp-tongued. Within a few years of marrying into the family, she managed to recover all the money the old couple had lent out.

Because of this, Li Chunmiao held a high status in the Wang family. Even the old lady deferred to her, and she had the final say in household matters. Whether it was asking for a broken urn or borrowing money, as long as Li Chunmiao agreed, the old couple would comply.

During the toughest times after the family division, He Guixiang had mustered the courage to ask Li Chunmiao for a loan. Though hesitant, Li Chunmiao had lent her the money. Later, even after learning that her son Wang Yingen had called Xiao Pu a "sickly pot," He Guixiang only told Xiao Pu to stay away from the boy and never spoke ill of the Wang family.

Zhou Ye disliked dealing with people, especially women who loved to chat. But he knew Aunt He wasn't particularly sociable either and was too gentle—if she went, she might be stuck there for hours. So he politely declined her offer, "Auntie, no need to trouble yourself. I'll go talk to Aunt Li myself."

Knowing his temperament, He Guixiang didn't insist. "Alright, go ahead."

Zhou Ye was a man of few words. When others spoke, he listened without responding much, which often made them lose interest quickly. Thus, he returned soon, carrying a large urn on his shoulder. As He Guixiang had said, the bottom of the urn had a hole, and it was quite large.

Actually, the broken part could have been patched up, which was probably why Li Chunmiao had held onto it. But when Zhou Ye asked for it, she gave it willingly. Not only did she give him the urn, but she also handed him a handful of roasted soybeans.

Villagers with children often made roasted soybeans as a snack instead of spending money on candy. The soybeans were fried until golden and crispy, a favorite treat among children.

Zhou Ye, a tall and sturdy man, naturally declined the child’s snack. He shouldered the urn and left, paying no mind to Li Chunmiao’s calls.

Returning to the courtyard with the urn, Zhou Ye saw only He Guixiang there, sitting on a wooden stool in the shade, leisurely spinning hemp thread.

Zhou Ye fell silent.

The Wang family lived quite a distance away, and Aunt Li had chattered about this and that before lending him the urn. The round trip had taken him nearly half an hour, yet Lin Shu was still napping.

Perhaps her idea of a "midday rest" differed from his?

When working in the fields under the scorching noon sun, people often grew thirsty and tired. Sometimes, Lin Dashan would call Zhou Ye to rest, but they’d only doze off in the shade for about half an hour at most.

Zhou Ye glanced silently at the open main room but heard no movement.

He Guixiang smiled at him, "A Shu must be tired from gathering mushrooms in the mountains this morning. Let her rest a bit longer. If you have nothing to do, why not help me spin hemp thread?"

Zhou Ye replied, "I’m used to rough work. I’m afraid I might ruin the hemp."

He Guixiang said, "It’s simple. Look, I’ve already split the hemp bark into fine strands. You just need to join them together and twist them into thread. Then, wind the finished linen thread into spools like this."

Compared to spinning hemp, Zhou Ye would rather chop wood. But fearing the noise might disturb those inside, he followed He Guixiang’s suggestion and sat on a long bench to twist hemp thread.

He Guixiang had expected Zhou Ye to be clumsy at it—she only wanted him to sit and rest, thinking she could always redo the thread if he messed up. To her surprise, though he started off uneven, he quickly improved. While not as skilled as her, his work was neater than what Lin Shu or Xiao Pu could produce!

He Guixiang was surprised but also felt it made sense, given Zhou Ye’s usual diligence.

A Ye had always been like this—seemingly rough but actually meticulous. It was just that his tall, sturdy build made people assume he was coarse.

Spinning hemp was delicate work and time-consuming. By the time Zhou Ye had wound a fist-sized spool of thread, there was finally some noise from inside.

Lin Xiaopu dashed out of the inner room, announcing loudly, "Sister’s awake~"

Lin Shu, freshly woken, felt embarrassed by her sister’s announcement. It was just a nap—why did her sister have to announce it so loudly, as if reporting to a superior?

Zhou Ye looked up and saw Lin Shu’s fair face flushed with sleep, a lazy expression still lingering. He said, "I’m in no hurry. Take your time to wake up properly."

"Brother A Ye, wait a moment. I’ll go wash my face in the kitchen and be right out."

While Lin Shu went to splash cold water on her face, Zhou Ye calmly finished twisting the last bit of hemp thread, winding it onto the spool. He handed it to He Guixiang, saying, "Auntie, see if this linen thread is usable. If not, I can unravel it, and you can redo it."

He Guixiang praised with a smile, "Why wouldn’t it be? A Ye, you’ve done a fine job. This thread is ready to use."

Zhou Ye felt relieved. By the time Lin Shu came out, he had already sorted the bamboo in the courtyard by thickness and length.

"An urn?! Brother A Ye, when did you get this?" Lin Shu spotted the large urn Zhou Ye had placed in the corner of the courtyard even before she got close.

She had only napped for a little over an hour, and now there was an urn in the courtyard!

Zhou Ye turned to her, "I remember you said you needed a large jar to store water at the source. It didn’t matter if it was chipped or broken. This urn has a large opening but can still hold water. See if it’ll work."

Lin Shu quickly replied, "It’ll work, of course it will!" She was used to calling them jars, but jars and urns were different—urns were cheaper, and Sweetwater Village mostly used urns. She hadn’t specified clearly, but an urn would suffice for storing water.

"I’ve checked—the mountain spring behind our house has a strong flow. Let’s use thick bamboo, hollowed out and split in half. For the section at the source, we’ll use a whole, slightly thinner bamboo, cutting both ends at a slant. That way, it’ll hold more water and stay clean. Each section of bamboo should be placed slightly lower than the previous one, guiding the water all the way to our fish pond..."

After her midday rest, Lin Shu was full of energy and instructed Zhou Ye on how to handle the bamboo. Once they estimated they had enough bamboo for the task, Zhou Ye hoisted a large bundle onto his shoulder, while Lin Shu followed behind, carrying the axe for him. The two of them hurried off one after the other.

Lin Xiaopu did not follow them and instead sat with He Guixiang, processing hemp fibers.

He Guixiang asked, "Why didn’t you go with A Ye and A Shu?"

Lin Xiaopu squinted at the sun and said, "The sun is too strong right now. I’m afraid of getting darkened. Sister said I’m still young, and as long as I avoid direct sunlight in the future, with some extra care, I can become fairer over time. I want to be as fair and delicate as Sister."

He Guixiang chuckled at her words, though it was unclear whether she believed the excuse.

On the way, Zhou Ye asked Lin Shu, "Since we’re diverting water, why not just dig a ditch to channel the mountain spring water instead of using bamboo?"

Lin Shu replied, "The flow of the mountain spring isn’t as strong as a stream. If we dig a ditch, do you believe the water would seep into the ground before it even reaches my fish pond? That’s why I’ve laid sand and pebbles at the bottom of the pond—to prevent seepage. Besides, I have other uses for the diverted spring water."

She then smiled and said, "Brother A Ye, why don’t you take a guess?"

Zhou Ye paused for a moment and said, "You want to divert some of the water to the yard so that you can use the spring water directly for washing rice and vegetables instead of having to scoop it from the water vat?"

Lin Shu’s eyes widened in surprise. "How did you guess?"

Zhou Ye gave a slight smile. "A Shu, I’m not as dumb as you think I am."