Chapter 10, Chasing the Wind (03)

After walking for about twenty minutes, they finally arrived at Uncle Jiang Hehua's farmhouse. As mealtime approached, everyone was extremely busy. Xu Tang and the other two did not waste any time; they dropped off their luggage and began to help. They worked tirelessly until two o'clock in the afternoon, at which point the three of them had a simple meal before finally settling down

Jiang Hehua said with a smile: "Only little rascals ride motorcycles, Xu Yangge, you should buy a big Benz in the future"

Zhou Xian stared at her for a moment, then suddenly got off the motorcycle, wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, pulled her into his embrace, and whispered close to her ear: "Xu Haitang, I used to think you were quite bold..." His voice was deep, and his warm breath brushed against her ear, causing Xu Tang to involuntarily shrink her neck.

Xu Tang made a sound of acknowledgment.

Fang Ju had not finished speaking when Zhou Xian took back the phone and asked in a low voice, "Where are you? I will come to pick you up."

Just her, asking whether you and Xu Yang are going or not

Zhou Xian let out a sound of "oh," said nothing further, and hung up the phone. Xu Tang listened to the sudden busy tone, momentarily taken aback. She put away her phone, placed it in her bag, and slowly pedaled her bike home.

Xu Tang smiled but did not respond

Xu Yang sighed, "His butterfly knife is still with me."

Seeing Xu Yang achieve victory in his first battle, Xu Tang also became interested and joined in. The water was clear, and the fish at the bottom were clearly visible. After trying a few times, Xu Tang gradually grasped the technique of catching fish, and her movements became increasingly skillful

Xu Tang felt a subtle sense of embarrassment, opened her mouth, and ultimately fell silent

Received

Jiang Hehua immediately took the bucket to catch crabs, "Xu Yang, you are truly impressive!"

"You keep it," Xu Tang said, gripping the doorknob, "Don't tell Mom what I said to you."

I am asking you precisely because I do not know

After a while, the phone was handed over to Fang Ju. Fang Ju repeatedly apologized, saying: "Sister-in-law, I am sorry. Xian Ge asked me to take care of your stall. I thought the sisters-in-law would need to buy clothes anyway, so it is better to keep the benefits within the family..."

Three people caught fish for a while and then took a break, managing to catch more than half a bucket of fish in one afternoon. As the sun was about to set, anticipating that the restaurant would soon become busy again, they hurriedly packed their things in preparation to return.

She quickly packed up her stall, rode her tricycle over the bridge, and headed into the alley. Seeing that there was no one around, Xu Tang cautiously took out her phone from her small bag, retrieved Zhou Xian's number, and dialed it.

Who would have thought that just half an hour after things had calmed down, another group of people arrived, behaving just like the previous ones, saying nothing at all, as the young women picked out their clothes, paid, and left

Fang Ju hurriedly replied "yes" and then asked, "Has sister-in-law finished packing up?"

Xu Tang set up her stall as usual. That evening, as soon as the clothes were hung on the rack, she saw four or five men with distinctly different hairstyles emerging from the crowd, each holding onto a young woman.

Xu Tang placed the bag into Xu Yang's room, where he was sprawled out on the cool mat on the floor, sound asleep. Xu Tang gave him a gentle kick with his foot, and Xu Yang grunted twice but did not move

As she turned another corner, a familiar sound of "thud thud thud" suddenly echoed behind her. Xu Tang was startled and turned to look, only to see a motorcycle speeding towards her. The person on the bike seemed to be filled with anger, exuding an overwhelming presence as they approached. By the time they reached her, Xu Tang found herself unconsciously holding her breath under the pressure.

Xu Yang seemed a bit reluctant, reaching out to pat her shoulder in comfort, "Actually, I think Xian Ge is not a bad person, it's just..."

Xu Tang's heart raced with alarm, and the siblings exchanged glances, each lost in a myriad of thoughts. Xu Tang reached out to close the door and lowered her voice to ask him: "How much do you know?"

Shall we go to the Lushan Reservoir

The first half of the statement has been made, and the remaining half is self-evident

Xu Tang sat down and twisted his ear, Xu Yang impatiently swatted her hand away, "What are you doing?"

Catch fish

Uncle Jiang had a round belly, his smile radiating warmth and friendliness, as he fanned himself with a palm leaf while wiping away sweat. "In the afternoon, Hehua will take you to catch fish; it will be cool by the reservoir."

Jiang Hehua was putting on her shoes when she suddenly noticed a thick plume of smoke rising from the treetops ahead. She exclaimed, "What is that?!"

Xu Tang bit her lip and said, "I won't be coming. I need to go to Lushan Reservoir tomorrow, so I have to pack my things in advance"

The next day, Xu Tang woke up very early. She had originally planned to ask Fang Ju to give her a ride, but seeing that the entire building was silent, she decided to walk back by herself

When I returned home, my relatives were washing up. Mother Xu was pouring hot water from a kettle into a plastic basin. Upon seeing Xu Tang, she said: "He Hua just came by and asked if you would go with her to Lu Mountain Reservoir to catch fish in a couple of days."

Xu Tang immediately became alert, her hand secretly tightening around the small bag containing money. As this group of people approached, those at the nearby stalls seemed to step aside, and the sounds of haggling suddenly ceased, leaving an eerie silence in the air

After Xu Tang confirmed that there was no one familiar within her line of sight, she turned her head intending to thank Zhou Xian, only to meet his slightly teasing gaze. "I didn't see you being this cautious before."

Xu Tang stood in the exhaust fumes emitted from the motorcycle, remaining motionless for a long time

What does it mean, "What does it mean?"

Xu Tang let out a sigh of relief, and a vendor nearby chuckled, "Sister Xu, it seems your stall has become quite famous!"

How about coming over to accompany Xian Ge for some crayfish

Zhou Xian seemed very pleased with her reaction, chuckling softly as he turned her head, leaned down, and pecked her on the lips. He then released her, got into the car, tightened the throttle, and sped away in the direction they had come from

Xu Tang quickly shook his head, "No."

Under the scorching sun, Xu Tang jumped down from a small Jianghuai pickup truck. Not having walked far, she was already sweating profusely. Xu Yang, carrying the luggage for both of them, wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "It would be great if we had a motorcycle."

After several rings, the call was finally connected. There was a cacophony on the other end. Xu Tang suppressed her anger and took a deep breath, "Zhou Xian, what do you mean by this?"

The Lushan Reservoir is located twenty-four kilometers from Duhhe Town towards Lushan County. Uncle Jiang Hehua has opened a farmhouse restaurant near the reservoir. Every summer vacation, many tourists come to the Lushan Reservoir to escape the heat, and the restaurant becomes quite busy, so he asks Hehua to come over to help.

Zhou Xian took out a cigarette, not lighting it, but holding it in his mouth, coldly observing Xu Tang's actions

Seeing that he was sound asleep, Xu Tang decided not to disturb him. She stood up, intending to go out, but Xu Yang suddenly sat up with a start and said, "Sister, I want to ask you something."

Xu Yang was surprised, "Are you really in a relationship?"

Zhou Xian was unsure if he had heard, but continued to drive forward. Xu Tang shouted again, and only then did the motorcycle slow down, gradually coming to a stop at the bridgehead. Xu Tang quickly got off the bike and scanned the surroundings a few times. Fortunately, it was still early, and there were only a few people on the street.

What?

As soon as the words were spoken, the several young ladies began rummaging through the shelves, each selecting a set and trying it on. They exchanged opinions with one another and then proceeded to pay and leave.

Not going

Xu Tang pondered, "Who else is going?"

Jiang Hehua raised her head high and said, "I know! It's galloping!"

The crowd looked left and right, ultimately stopping in front of Xu Tang's stall. Xu Tang took a deep breath, maintaining a calm expression, "Take a look and see if there is anything you like."

Xu Tang was both angry and amused, "I appreciate your good intentions, but let them not come over in the future. If they must come, let your 'sisters-in-law' come alone."

If you want to collect protection fees, just say so. Sending groups of people over to cause trouble, are you intentionally trying to prevent me from doing business

He has not yet gotten up, you can ask by yourself

Xu Tang pondered for a moment, "Zhou Xian celebrated my birthday for me last night"

It was quiet over there for a moment, and Zhou Xian said, "Wait a moment."

Xu Yang's expression was complicated, "Did you really go to your classmate's house last night?"

Zhou Xian paused for a moment and asked, "What are you going to do?"

Let's have a beer, several brothers here have never met the sister-in-law

Then, Xu Tang heard Zhou Xian raise his voice and shout: "Fang Ju!"

Xu Tang had a refusal on the tip of her tongue, but upon seeing Zhou Xian's expression, she immediately swallowed it down and obediently got into the car, sitting properly

With a swift rush, we soon arrived at the edge of the bridge. Xu Tang exclaimed loudly, "I will get off here!"

Xu Yang looked at her and said, "Sister, I advise you not to... you know Mom's temper"

Xu Tang could not help but chuckle, "Hehua, do you know what a big Benz is?"

Xu Tang lowered her gaze and said, "I know, I will not."

Xu Tang and Xu Yang immediately looked in the direction she pointed, where they could faintly see the location of the deer mountain logging site. Xu Tang was alarmed and quickly put on her shoes to run back, "Hurry and call the police, there is a fire!"

Is Xu Yang going?

No ... ...

In just two short hours, four groups arrived, clearing away all the clothes hanging on Xu Tang's rack. By the end, even the vendors nearby were no longer afraid; upon seeing people approach, they began to whisper to each other. Xu Tang overheard some discussions and gradually darkened her expression.

At three in the afternoon, the three of them arrived at the reservoir. Beneath the tall dam, the river flowed clear, and as they moved downstream, the trees became more abundant. Eventually, both banks were shaded by lush greenery, creating a refreshingly cool area. Xu Yang could not contain himself and immediately took off his shoes to wade into the water, walking along the flowing stream for a while, prying open rocks in search of something. After a moment, he suddenly turned around, raised his right hand, and smiled: "We will have crabs for dinner!"

At seven in the morning, it was still cool, and the road to the town was sparsely populated. Xu Tang walked for fifteen minutes and finally caught sight of the river, which resembled a white ribbon, prompting her to quicken her pace

Zhou Xian made a sudden stop in front of Xu Tang, the wheels screeching against the cement road. He grabbed Xu Tang's arm and glared at her fiercely: "Get in the car."