Chapter 33: Idle Talk

"The village starts reallocating land tomorrow. Once that's done, I'll come over to help you too."

After the meal, Wang Lixian noticed the changes in Chen Ling. He genuinely hoped Chen Ling would turn over a new leaf and settle down to live a proper life. Having heard Wang Jusheng mention during dinner that the plot Chen Ling had traded from Er-Zhu was already showing green shoots this year—and that with some diligent care, it might rival fertile land in a couple of years—he felt inclined to lend a hand.

"Oh? You're not heading out of town this year, Brother Xian?" Chen Ling asked, taken aback.

"Not going. More than half my wages are still unpaid, and I don't even know if I'll ever get them back. Those grandsons of turtles are completely unreliable," Wang Lixian spat out with indignation. "If it weren't for that, my family wouldn't have had to go without meat during the New Year."

"Wait, isn't Brother Xian working with the construction team under that guy from the township?" Wang Jusheng asked in surprise. "That kid is like a blood brother to Er-Zhu; are there really wages he can't collect?"

"This time is different. The project was in the city, invested in by a big boss from Hong Kong who skipped town the moment things went south. The few guys Er-Zhu knows in the county seat are useless in a situation like this." Wang Lixian sighed and reached into his pocket for tobacco to roll a cigarette.

Seeing this, Wang Jusheng hurriedly offered his own. "Try mine, Brother Xian."

At the beginning of the meal, this guy didn't know what to talk about with Wang Lixian, and the conversation had felt stiff. They simply lacked common ground. But after a few glasses of liquor, the intoxication kicked in, and Wang Jusheng let his guard down, becoming incredibly talkative. He chimed in whenever Chen Ling spoke, whenever Wang Lixian spoke, and he even teased the dogs, Heiwa and Xiaojin, whenever they barked. After teasing them, he would pester Chen Ling about how he managed to keep such newborn puppies alive. It made Chen Ling feel as if he were looking at some old, mischievous friend from his past life.

Lighting the cigarette for Wang Lixian, he asked, "Brother Xian, how’s the pay in the construction crew these days?"

Wang Lixian didn't hold back, taking a drag and saying, "Last year, it was fifteen yuan a day."

"Whoa! That’s four hundred and fifty a month, even more than a middle school teacher's salary!" Wang Jusheng exclaimed.

Chen Ling smiled from the side. "That’s because Brother Xian is skilled. For a regular laborer, two hundred a month is considered a good deal."

"Yeah, Fugui is right," Wang Lixian said with a faint smile. "I’ve been doing this for over ten years to earn this much; it's not really that much. And besides, more than half is still owed to me."

This was just casual chatter; Wang Lixian wasn't the type to complain to everyone he met.

***

However, listening to this, Chen Ling could feel the hardship Wang Lixian faced. Not only did he have many children, but his wife and eldest daughter were both mute. His eldest daughter wasn't much younger than Chen Ling and was approaching the age for marriage, which was already a challenge. On top of that, his fifth child was preparing for entrance exams this year, and his sixth daughter was old enough for primary school; the tuition and miscellaneous fees were no small sum. The pressure on him alone was immense.

"A-Ling, Brother Jusheng, the porridge is heated up. Have a bowl to settle the liquor," Wang Susu said, bringing over a steaming pot of porridge. They had finished eating, but Chen Ling and Wang Jusheng had been so focused on drinking that they hadn't touched the porridge, and it had gone cold.

"No, no, I really can't drink another drop," Wang Jusheng said, waving his hands. The food had been so delicious that his stomach felt ready to burst; he couldn't possibly manage any porridge.

"If Brother Jusheng won't have any, pour me a bowl," Chen Ling said, handing over his bowl. His family's porridge was good stuff; it couldn't go to waste.

"Fugui, since when did you become such a big eater?" Wang Lixian looked on, stunned.

"Exactly! My stomach is about to pop, and you’ve eaten just as much, but your belly doesn't look round at all," Wang Jusheng muttered, patting his own distended stomach, completely baffled.

"Haha, this is me holding back. If I really let go, I could eat a whole cow," Chen Ling bragged while holding his bowl.

Nobody believed him, of course. They chatted and laughed until past nine o'clock.

"Oh my, I lost track of time talking! It's so late, I should get home," Wang Jusheng said, rubbing his bleary, drunken eyes. When he stood up, his belly was protruding like a pregnant woman's—he had clearly overeaten. The same went for Wang Lixian and his daughter, Liuniur; when she stood up, her belly looked like a small watermelon.

"Right, the two of us should head back too," Chen Ling said, patting Liuniur on the head. "Susu, give Brother Xian and Brother Jusheng a flashlight each. It's quite dark outside."

In this era, rural areas had few electrical appliances and no streetlights. By nine o'clock, it was pitch black—you couldn't even see your own hand in front of your face.

"No need, no need! I live close by, just a few steps away," Wang Lixian said, waving him off. Wang Jusheng, drunk and trying to act tough, also declined, but Chen Ling insisted and shoved them into their hands.

"Fugui, I'll come back tomorrow to help you!" Wang Jusheng shouted, wobbling as he pushed his bike away.

"Heh, this guy..." Chen Ling watched them leave, shaking his head with a smile. "He’s even more rowdy than Brother Xian."

"It's nice to have some life around," Wang Susu said with a soft smile, tucking her arm into Chen Ling's. She was clearly in a good mood. It was true; in the past, no one in the village ever associated with Chen Ling. Even when people visited, it was only to mock him or for elders to lecture him. They had never had such a happy, lively time before, and Wang Susu was naturally delighted. Her belief that Chen Ling was truly turning his life around grew even stronger.

...

Over the next few days, Chen Ling continued working the fields. With Wang Jusheng's help, they plowed three or four acres each morning and afternoon. Within a few days, most of the thirty acres were done. Chen Ling left two acres aside, planning to dig a pond to plant the lotus flowers from his hidden space and raise some fish.

After finishing the work, Chen Ling had a meal with Wang Jusheng, and they headed toward Wang Laishun's house together. Chen Ling needed to return the donkey cart, and Wang Jusheng wanted to see how the land allocation had gone for his family.

When they arrived, many villagers were gathered outside, arguing about whose land was better and whose was worse. They were complaining about how unlucky it was to be neighbors with certain people, or how someone was being unreasonable and kept encroaching on others' land, costing them a third of an acre over a few years.

The crowd was mid-argument when they saw Chen Ling and Wang Jusheng arrive, and they all fell silent. They had heard for days that Wang Jusheng was hanging out with Chen Ling, and many had even seen them plowing the fields together. Yet, seeing them walk up together still felt surreal. The only college student in the Chen-Wang Village actually mixing with the village's most notorious layabout was truly mind-boggling.

Chen Ling unloaded the peanuts and greens from the donkey cart and walked into Wang Laishun's house. Having used the cart for half a month, he felt it was only right to show some gratitude. Even though Wang Jusheng had told him not to bother several times, the cart belonged to Wang Laishun, not Jusheng, and business was business.

"Oh, Fugui is here! Come in and sit!" Seeing Chen Ling bring gifts again, Liang Guizhen was extremely warm. She had inquired around and knew that greenhouse vegetables were high-quality goods. In the county market, they went for two yuan a jin—very expensive stuff!