Chapter 3, The Barrel Protection Operation

Without prompting him to meticulously analyze the action of laughing, he suddenly noticed Fang Ying's two arms—her sleeves rolled up, revealing forearms marked with bruises and swollen areas the width of a finger, crisscrossing each other

Fang Zhiqiang, such an honest and straightforward person, has truly encountered a stroke of bad luck with a wife and children like this

Jiang Xichi pushed his bicycle and continued walking inward, when he heard people discussing in the shops on both sides:

Fang Ying did not dodge, and the splashes of water leaped onto the tops of her feet. She instinctively squinted her eyes and saw Jiang Xichi's two arms slicing through the azure waves, like swimming fish, quickly reaching the opposite shore

The plump woman pinched the banknote between her fingers, squinting her eyes as she held it up to the sunlight to confirm its authenticity. After ensuring it was real money, she tucked it into her clothing pocket, saying, "I am not a petty person; let's just put this matter behind us!"

Ding Yulian shook her head, "Where is your father?"

Jiang Xichi thought for a moment, "Hmm"

Stop right there!

A plump woman waved a fan and said, "Old Fang, we all know what is going on in your family. Usually, we take into account that your daughter is young and does not understand, so we do not hold it against her. But just look at what she has been doing! Old Fang, while she is still young, you should quickly take the time to discipline her properly! At the very least, she should not be allowed to act alone, causing all of us to be unable to conduct business, right?"

The clouds above suddenly spread out, only to be blown away by the wind in an instant. The light in the alley dimmed and brightened again, with the changing shadows perfectly illuminating her face

Ding Yulian looked up and down at him, gently coughed while covering her mouth, and weakly said: "In the new semester, I should buy you two new pieces of clothing"

Jiang Xichi had a meal

In the shop across the street, a plump woman who had been roughing it up a few days ago pointed at Fang Ying with a fan, spitting as she spoke: "... Nowadays, these young girls are truly remarkable! Thirteen years old! How can they curse so foully! Oh dear, I feel embarrassed just repeating it..."

I have seen you before

Jiang Xichi entered the room, took a quick shower, and removed his wet clothes. He did not turn on the washing machine for fear of waking his grandmother, so he tossed the dirty clothes into a basin and roughly scrubbed them for a few moments before hanging them out on the balcony to dry

His daughter is truly a source of great concern

On the opposite bank, a figure in white clothing and blue pants is crouching there, next to a red bucket and a plastic basin, obscured by the glass, making it difficult to see clearly

At home, Wu Yingrong has already prepared the meal, while grandfather Ruan Xuewen is not present, having gone to buy fertilizer and a new telescope

The morning in Qiaohua Alley begins with the shouts of street vendors

Your grandfather has a peculiar habit of admiring flowers and watching birds. He mentioned that a certain group of birds will be changing to their winter plumage soon, and that the northern birds will be returning south, so he needs to prepare the necessary equipment. You wonder why he is in such a hurry when it is only September

Glancing at the plastic barrel slowly floating on the water, he finally wiped his face and turned to ascend the steps.

It is past two o'clock, are you hungry? I will go heat up some food for you

The red barrel has disappeared

The man looked at Fang Ying with his chin raised like a rooster, showing no intention of repentance. He roughly pulled her forward and said, "Hurry up and go back! Aren't you ashamed!"

Confirming that the washing bucket is safe, Jiang Xichi took a step back and turned around

Fang Ying let out a loud "tch", "You didn't blush when you said that son of a dog..."

He subtly felt that after yesterday's inexplicable "barrel protection operation," Fang Ying had already categorized him as being on her side

"If you think I'm embarrassing, then you should have had the ability not to give birth to me back then!" Twisting her body like a tangled knot, she still could not break free from the man's grip. In a fit of rage, she simply resorted to biting.

Sweat trickled down from her forehead. With one hand gripping the collar of her wet clothes, she freed one hand to wipe the sweat from her brow

I took the air conditioner remote control out of the drawer and was about to turn it on. However, thinking about how my grandparents are accustomed to being frugal, I put the remote back and only turned on the electric fan

Fang Ying felt displeased and instinctively tugged at her sleeves. Suddenly, she heard a shout from inside the room, and she sprang to her feet. Her elbow accidentally bumped into a red bucket that contained two pieces of clothing, causing it to roll down the slightly sloped platform. In a hurry, she leaned down to pick it up, but the bucket had already floated into the river. The shouts from inside the room grew more urgent: "Nuan Nuan! Nuan Nuan!"

Jiang Xichi shook his head and quickly averted his gaze, saying, "No need."

Jiang Xichi hesitated for a moment, climbed over the railing, and descended the steps. Upon reaching the riverbank, he took off his shoes and plunged into the water.

Fang Ying smiled and said, "The playing is really terrible." She crouched down and threw the two pieces of clothing from the bucket onto the washboard

"No need, it's the same." Fang Ying interrupted her, "Are you going to sleep a little longer?"

How wonderful a person! My wife has gone crazy, after all these years of unwavering loyalty, she has never been unfaithful...

Wu Yingrong has a habit of taking a nap. After Jiang Xichi helped wash the dishes, he washed his hands with soap and returned to his own room to rest

She turned her head and replied, "Coming right away!"

Water

Jiang Xichi said nothing and, just like before, jumped into the water with a "plop"

Jiang Xichi lowered his head and took a bite of the fried dough stick, responding vaguely, "Good morning"

She stumbled a couple of steps, nearly losing her balance, yet her back remained straight and her head held high

I will go get you a dry towel

Prepare for a rainy day

He paddled a few times, intercepted the red bucket, retrieved the two pieces of clothing from the water's surface, stuffed them into the bucket, and swam to the opposite shore while holding it.

How can a boy be so fair like this

Fang Ying stared at him, "Jiang Xichi?"

Fang Ying seemed to have noticed, turned around, and yawned, "Jiang Xichi."

Jiang Xichi lowered his eyes, passing through the whispers along the way, which were either excited, lamenting, or filled with schadenfreude

A gap in the curtain allowed Jiang Xichi to glance outside

Jiang Xichi raised his eyes

Ding Yulian supported her hand and gulped down more than half of the water in the cup, "What time is it?"

Jiang Xichi placed the bucket on the stone platform, lowered his head and shook it, flicking his wet hair. His sports T-shirt was soaked through, dripping with water.

Fang Ying pushed open the door, startled, and leaped down the steps in a few strides

Fang Ying's face, which appeared cunning yet was actually somewhat panicked, still lingered in his mind

Fang Ying caught a glimpse of a figure in the corner of her eye, and with a sudden realization, she quickly looked up

Seeing that the anti-inflammatory medicine on the cabinet was untouched, he paused for a moment, sat down on the edge of the bed, and helped his mother, Ding Yulian, to sit up. "Mom, why haven't you taken your medicine?"

Wu Yingrong could not help but reach out to touch his head, "Oh dear, at such a young age, you already understand the idiom 'to prepare for a rainy day.'"

The clear blue waves reflect the drifting clouds in the sky, and the red bucket is particularly eye-catching. Following the ripples of the water, it sways and drifts to this shore, colliding with the riverbank, and then continues to float forward, seemingly about to drift away.

Well

After a moment, having lost the book, I rose and lifted the gauze curtain

The loose stones beneath her feet made a "crunch" sound as she ran far away in a huff, even taking a moment to turn back and make a face at the man

The man kept smiling apologetically, "Yes, yes, Sister Liu, you are right..." He fumbled in his pocket and took out a bill, handing it over, "Please take this money to replace the broken glass. In the future, I will definitely discipline Fang Ying strictly and will not let her come out to cause you trouble again"

Today is the start of the new school year, how is everything at school

It's fine

The man instinctively recoiled, and she seized the opportunity to slip under his arm, making a quick escape with her feet greased.

The man forcefully pulled and pushed her arm, and said in a low voice: "Quickly apologize to me!"

Fang Ying lowered her eyes and said, "I don't know"

I lay down on the bed for a while, feeling no drowsiness. I turned over and got up, took out the mathematics textbook that was just distributed today from my backpack, and sat down at the desk

It is quiet outside, suggesting that grandmother has already fallen asleep

Ding Yulian nodded slightly

There is someone opposite.

Fang Ying was sweating profusely, and after finishing with this item in her hands, she suddenly shook it in the water and rinsed it several times.

Brush past

The person sat on the railing, with both legs dangling in the air, not knowing how long they had been looking there

As soon as the words fell, the man slapped down, "You still have the nerve to argue!" and then repeatedly apologized to the plump woman.

Fang Ying was doing laundry, pulling out a gray checkered shirt from the red bucket, laying it on the dark red washboard, and quickly scrubbing it, her body swaying with the movements of her hands

Jiang Xichi's expression darkened, and he calmly avoided Wu Yingrong's hand, "Grandma, shall we have a meal?"

Fang Ying brought over the medicine, took out two capsules, and said, "Take the medicine before going to sleep"

Returning to the room, I took a bottle of alcohol out of the drawer, sat down at the table, turned over my foot, and used cotton soaked in alcohol to clean the cut on the sole of my foot

Jiang Xichi simply pushed open the door on the east side and walked into the corridor

This smile was fleeting, and Jiang Xichi was momentarily taken aback. It was only when he recalled it in his mind that he realized it was indeed not an illusion

"Mother," Fang Ying pushed open the back door, "What happened?"

At 2:00 PM, it is the hottest time of the day

His foot, curled slightly on the stone slab, caught Fang Ying's attention, prompting her to unconsciously lower her head to look. The skin on the back of his foot was extremely pale, revealing the veins beneath.

Thank you

In a moment, her figure disappeared at the end of the winding alley

Having reached the shore, he picked up the shoes from the steps, walked up while dripping water, and pushed open the door

Jiang Xichi, with half a youtiao in his mouth, rode his bicycle to the bridge, glanced at the stall selling steamed buns, and slowly came to a stop, propping his feet on the ground

The sunlight filters through the sheer curtains, having already mitigated half of the summer heat

A head of disheveled hair, sleeping like a hen in a nest

The river water is cool

Jiang Xichi turned two pages of the book, and inexplicably, he found himself fixated on the gauze curtain, unable to look away

Just now, I stepped on a sharp stone with my bare feet on the table across from me, piercing the skin, though it is not deep

Hello

The neighbors nearby, fanning themselves and enjoying the spectacle, echoed in agreement.

Fang Ying pointed to the opposite side and said, "Last summer vacation, you came to your grandfather's place to play, sitting there playing the guitar, right?"

Fang Ying hurried to the kitchen, poured a cup of cool boiled water from a plastic kettle, and placed it on the bedside table in the bedroom

Fang Ying wore a gray shirt, which still had long sleeves. The shirt was noticeably oversized, but the hem was tied in a knot at the waist, giving it a very unique appearance

The wind gently sways the wood-scented vine on the opposite bank, and that figure disappears into the door