Who knew that his second brother would glance at the girl, say something, then continue working with his head down, showing no intention of taking the water at all.  

Then, the girl walked away with her head lowered, clearly upset.  

Jiang Le scratched his face. Could it be that his second brother didn’t like her?  

He walked over and called out, “Second Brother, time to drink some water.”  

Jiang Junqing paused in his work, put down the farming tool in his hand, and gave Jiang Le a smile before walking over to sit down.  

His second brother was as quiet as usual, but Jiang Le couldn’t shake the feeling that he seemed a little down.  

Jiang Junqing took a sip of the water Jiang Le had poured, then suddenly stopped. “This water…”  

“How is it? I boiled it with sour berries,” Jiang Le said, a little smug.  

Seeing his younger brother like this, Jiang Junqing’s mood improved a bit. He chuckled softly and said, “Tastes good.”  

Then, as if to prove his words, he downed the entire bowl in one go.  

When Jiang Le came to deliver water, he had brought the family’s water jug and some bowls. He didn’t mind the extra effort—to ensure his family could use clean bowls, he had brought several.  

Seeing Jiang Junqing finish, Jiang Le poured him another bowl.  

Jiang Junqing dodged slightly. “Let Mom and Dad try this good water too.”  

“Second Brother, don’t worry, of course Mom and Dad will have some,” Jiang Le said. “Remember those sour berries I brought back earlier? I boiled a whole big jar of them—it’ll last a long time.”  

Hearing this, Jiang Junqing drank another bowl, wiped his mouth, and said, “Go find Mom and Dad. They’re together on the west side.”  

With that, he went back to working with his head down.  

As Jiang Le left, he muttered to Guagua: [I feel like my second brother isn’t in a great mood.]

Guagua: [Who’s in a good mood when they’re working?] 

Jiang Le: […] 

“Mom, Dad, come drink some water!” Jiang Le called from a distance.  

Sun Yulan happened to be with Zhao Meilian—the two had grown close recently and liked working together.  

Sun Yulan smiled when she saw Jiang Le. “Look at your kid. Meanwhile, I don’t know when mine will remember his poor old parents are thirsty out here in the fields.”  

Zhao Meilian laughed. “Alright, alright, if you’re thirsty, come drink some of our water.”  

It was just water, so Sun Yulan didn’t feel awkward and agreed.  

When Sun Yulan approached, Jiang Le didn’t say much and poured her a bowl too.  

The family’s bowls were all dark ceramic, making it hard to see the color. Sun Yulan was genuinely thirsty and eagerly took a sip—then froze. “This water…”  

Zhao Meilian hadn’t drunk yet and asked curiously, “What’s wrong with the water?”  

Beside them, Jiang De took a sip and said, “It’s sweet.”  

Zhao Meilian: “Did you add sugar?”  

Jiang De shook his head. “Doesn’t taste like sugar.”  

Zhao Meilan was exasperated. “Just say what it is—why be so cryptic?”

Jiang De felt a bit wronged—he couldn’t tell what it was either, so how was he supposed to explain?  

The water was sweet, but it also had a fruity flavor, tangy and refreshing. It was his first time tasting something like this, and he had to admit—it was surprisingly delicious. Unable to resist, Jiang De drank every last drop.  

Zhao Meilian took a sip and immediately understood why Jiang De had been at a loss for words. “Wow, what is this? It’s really good!”  

Beside them, Sun Yulan realized something had been added to the water and suddenly felt embarrassed. If it were just plain water, she wouldn’t have minded drinking a bowl, but it clearly had other ingredients—how could she just accept that?  

“Auntie Sun, this is just something I brewed myself. Go ahead and drink, there’s plenty more,” Jiang Le said, noticing her discomfort and smiling.  

“You’re too generous, kid. I’m not dumb—I can tell there’s a lot of sugar in here,” Sun Yulan said, growing even more impressed by Jiang Le’s sincerity. “I’ve already taken a sip, so I can’t exactly pour it back. Thank you, dear.”  

Jiang Le chuckled. “I didn’t use much sugar.”  

He poured another bowl for Zhao Meilian and Jiang De. There was still some left, and when he offered it to Sun Yulan, she hesitated at first but eventually accepted with a smile. “I’ll take it to your Uncle Haigui to try.”  

Despite how much Sun Yulan usually complained about Chen Haigui, deep down, she still cared about him.  

Meanwhile, Chen Haigui set down his farming tool, took the bowl, and took a sip—then froze in surprise.  

Sun Yulan grinned. “Well? Jiang Le gave it to me. I thought it tasted great, so I came straight over to let you try.”  

Touched, Chen Haigui couldn’t help but say, “There’s definitely sugar in this. How could you just take it from them?”  

Sun Yulan glared at him. “Do I look like the kind of person who freeloads? This morning, our Xia’er boiled an egg—I didn’t eat it, thinking we’d share it later. I’ll give it to Jiang Le instead. We won’t take advantage of their kindness.”  

The Chen family had three hens that were laying eggs regularly. Though they couldn’t afford to eat eggs every day, they occasionally treated themselves. Today, Chen Xia had boiled one.  

Chen Haigui stared at the water in the bowl, reluctant to drink more after that first delicious sip. “Our kids have never tasted anything like this…”  

Sun Yulan knew her husband doted on their children and didn’t scold him. “You can’t just carry this bowl around looking for them. What if someone asks about it? What if some shameless person tries to beg Jiang Le for some?”  

Chen Haigui thought about it and silently finished the water.  

Sun Yulan took the bowl back, tucked an egg into her pocket, and insisted on giving it to Jiang Le.  

After a few polite refusals, Jiang Le finally accepted. He could tell Auntie Sun genuinely wanted to give it—refusing would only make her uncomfortable.  

Zhao Meilian, however, was a little embarrassed. “Really, how does drinking a bowl of water end up costing you an egg?”  

Sun Yulan smiled. “This water of yours isn’t just any water.”

Jiang Le packed up the bowls and was about to leave when he caught sight of Zhang Xiuhua and Wang Shitou out of the corner of his eye. Their daughter, Sanya, had brought water for the family today, and the two of them, along with Wang Dazhu, Wang Erzhu, and Wang Sanzhu, were sitting together drinking.  

At the moment, everyone else was chatting and laughing while drinking water, but the Wang family’s atmosphere was tense. Wang Dazhu hastily gulped down a bowl of water, wiped his mouth, and went back to work without a word.  

Jiang Le couldn’t help but mutter, “How are they still sitting together?”  

Zhao Meilian replied, “They’re family—where else would they sit if not together?”  

Jiang Le scratched his head. “And they still haven’t divorced?”  

Zhao Meilian shot him a look. “Don’t talk nonsense. Divorce? What divorce?”  

Jiang Le: “…”  

He didn’t understand. “So… they’re just fine with this?”  

Wang Shitou had seven kids, and not a single one was his—yet he still wouldn’t divorce her. Was he some kind of saint?  

After listening to Zhao Meilian for a while, Jiang Le finally understood. In these times, divorce was seen as a disgrace, something shameful. People would rather endure a miserable marriage their whole lives than go through the “humiliation” of divorce.  

“Right now, the Wang kids already have a hard time finding matches because of their mother. If their parents divorced, other families would look down on them even more,” Sun Yulan chimed in, speaking much more bluntly.  

“What, do you think Wang Shitou must be miserable knowing none of those kids are his?”  

Jiang Le nodded.  

Sun Yulan laughed. “So what if he is? He has no choice but to bear it! It’s his own fault for being useless. Divorce Zhang Xiuhua and remarry? What good would that do? He still can’t have his own kids.  

At his age, even if he remarried, he’d only end up with a widow who already has children—and those still wouldn’t be his. At least Dazhu and the others, even if they’re not his blood, were raised by him. There’s some affection there, and they won’t abandon him when he’s old.  

But if he divorced and remarried, those kids would definitely resent him. Might as well just stick it out.  

Speaking of which, hasn’t Dazhu already gotten married? Lately, his wife’s been making noise about splitting the household—she’s ashamed of Zhang Xiuhua…”  

Zhao Meilian was getting uncomfortable. “Alright, that’s enough. Why are you telling him all this?”  

Sun Yulan grinned and picked up her farming tool. “Ah, once I start talking, I just can’t stop. Almost forgot Jiang Le’s still just a kid who doesn’t understand these things. Never mind, never mind—back to work.”  

Zhao Meilian waved a hand. “Go on, stop poking your nose where it doesn’t belong. Hurry home and study.”  

Jiang Le: “…”  

Fine.