Chapter 66: A Dutiful Wife Waiting in Vain for You?

Zhang Laohan thought for a while, circling back to an earlier topic. “Oh, you’re talking about Qin Laosi’s wife?”

“Mm.” The man responded.

He wasn’t exactly sure who Qin Laosi’s wife was, but something Zhang Laohan said earlier had stuck in his mind. He even thought about it while bathing and rushed back to ask.

Zhang Laohan, with his cigarette still in his mouth, spoke indistinctly:
“Isn’t it because Qin Laosi got locked up? It’s been years, and he’s still not out. You think his wife wouldn’t look for another man? Otherwise, wouldn’t all that creamy-white skin of hers go to waste? As the saying goes, ‘if no one tills the barren land, it’s free for the taking’…”

“Too bad this old man is past his prime, or I’d have gone for her myself. I’m sure she’d be… quite satisfying.”

He rambled on slowly, becoming increasingly vulgar, until the man interrupted him. His expression darkened, as if realizing something unpleasant.

“Are you saying… she’s not just Qin Laosi’s wife? That she could be someone else’s wife too? You’re saying… she could be anyone’s wife?”

“Kid, are you stupid or what?” Zhang Laohan gave him a look, as if addressing a fool. “You’re so naïve! Staying in your own home, and you can’t even hold on to your wife? Take Qin Laosi, for example—of course his wife is going to climb into someone else’s bed when he’s not around!”

“Otherwise, what? You expect a good woman to stay faithful and waste her youth waiting for you?”

Zhang Laohan, with his vivid imagination, was a product of an earlier era. He’d seen all kinds of absurdities in his time and had his own twisted logic to explain them.

Jiang Cheng tuned out halfway through the old man’s chatter, his brows furrowing in thought. Lost in his own concerns, he headed straight back to the house.

Zhang Laohan didn’t notice he’d left. Taking a deep drag from his cigarette, he suddenly remembered something and exclaimed:
“Hey, kid! If someone’s falling right into your lap, shouldn’t your tool be sharp enough to handle it? Letting a chance like that slip away—you’re gonna regret it someday…”

“By the way, how old are you? Have you even been with a woman before?”

The old man turned his head lazily to look around.

Huh? Where did he go?

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Xia Li felt that something had been off about the man lately.

She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but during meals, she often caught him staring at her with a strange, brooding look.

Whenever she looked up, he’d immediately avert his eyes, lower his head, and focus on eating, his cheeks bulging with food like a squirrel.

Hearing that the weather was going to turn colder in a few days, Xia Li decided to take advantage of the sunny day to rest and air out the household bedding.

Jiang Cheng walked ahead, carrying two quilts over his shoulder, heading to a drying rack near the fields.

As they walked, Xia Li struck up a conversation. “It’s going to get colder soon. Are you staying warm enough where you’re living? Is it comfortable?”

Jiang Cheng nodded, his Adam’s apple bobbing slightly in acknowledgment.

“By the way, you don’t need to stress too much about that plot of land. Winter’s almost here, and even if you plant something now, it won’t yield much. Just take it easy and don’t overwork yourself.”

Jiang Cheng blinked his dark lashes silently, giving no clear response, and kept walking with the quilts on his back.

Xia Li couldn’t help but chuckle in exasperation.

Looking at his slightly darker complexion and leaner profile, she thought he must have been overworking himself lately, likely due to his focus on cultivating that patch of land.

She’d heard from Zhang Laohan that Jiang Cheng was always either up the mountain or down in the fields, tirelessly tending to that once-barren plot. He had even managed to transplant seedlings from the mountains and plant them there, caring for them diligently every day.

Having something to do was good, but he seemed too invested. And his quiet, reserved demeanor made it hard to tell what was going through his mind.

The countryside was tranquil in the crisp autumn air.

Golden fields of rice stretched out under a clear blue sky, dotted with tiny yellow flowers swaying in the breeze. In the distance, the rhythmic chug of a tractor mixed with the playful barking of dogs.

The two of them finally reached the drying racks.

The racks were already covered with quilts, sheets, and even long string beans and radish slices left out to dry for winter.

Xia Li found an empty spot, tiptoeing to hang up two sheets.

Nearby, faint, bashful voices could be heard:
“Brother Qiangzi… I’m so scared…”