Chapter 121: A Girl's Thoughts

Le'er stayed up late reading, making rapid progress in his studies. He had struggled most with vocabulary, but Li Ying’s previous guidance had helped him improve significantly; the number of unfamiliar words in the articles he read had dropped sharply, reducing the time he spent consulting a dictionary by eighty percent.

With Li Ying away, he found it more difficult to comprehend the texts, but he did not obsess over the parts he couldn't understand. Instead, he noted them down to address once she returned. This proved to be an effective study method; as his reading volume increased, some of the earlier points of confusion became clear on their own, further fueling his motivation.

Because he slept late, he rose late the next morning. Skipping breakfast, he headed straight to the construction site. Work was progressing quickly, with the primary task being the construction of a perimeter wall. The wall was quite long, designed to enclose an entire mountain—a distance of two to three thousand meters—and they had already completed about two hundred meters.

A backhoe and a bulldozer, rented from the county road and bridge company, had arrived. They were currently excavating the roadbed for the internal road, which would run from north to south, bypassing the feed storage area on the west. The snake-rearing zone was situated to the southeast, so the road did not need to enter that section.

The road was short, and the roadbed would likely be finished in a day. Afterward, they would begin leveling the ground for the buildings. The office and dormitory would be combined into one block, with two buildings to be constructed, along with a separate cafeteria. The feed storage area would be more extensive, and there were also plans to build a modern, container-style snake-rearing facility on the south side.

"Le'er!"

Luo Yinxiang saw him and ran over immediately. Seeing her eyes were red and swollen, Le'er knew she must have cried for a long time the night before, and a sense of guilt welled up in his heart.

"You haven't had breakfast yet." Luo Yinxiang handed him a meal she had just heated up on the kitchen fire on the mountain—steaming white rice and two poached eggs. "Eat quickly before it gets cold."

Le'er took the food, feeling a sudden warmth in his heart, and squatted on the ground to eat. Watching him eat with gusto, a smile appeared on Luo Yinxiang's face. The wind was strong and cold, and her face was frozen bright red.

His uncle walked over.

"Le'er, you rascal, why didn't you eat?"

"I was keeping an eye on the village committee office. No one is living there right now, so I was watching over it," Le'er said with a smile while eating. "I woke up late, so I didn't go back to eat."

"Did the girl from Guangzhou go back?" his uncle asked, frowning.

"Yeah..." Le'er didn't want to show any negative emotion, so he remained cheerful. "She went back to take care of some business. She also needs to hire some capable people; once things get busier, we won't be able to handle it all ourselves."

"It'll be the New Year in less than a month. Will she be back before then?" his uncle asked with concern. The old man had a very good impression of Li Ying, and besides, if Le'er could marry a city girl, it would bring honor to his own name.

"I'm not sure, but I think she will."

"Make sure you eat well. You're a young man, and you're still growing." His uncle spoke with concern before walking off to get back to work. Le'er finished quickly, his bowl soon empty, and he handed it to Luo Yinxiang.

"Are you full?"

"I'm stuffed," Le'er said, patting his stomach. "Round as a ball."

After that, he went back to work. The excavator and bulldozer had arrived, and Le'er took out the blueprints to direct the work. Despite the cold weather, the site was bustling with activity; many people had shed their heavy cotton coats, working up a sweat.

Le'er ran back and forth, helping his uncle whenever he was free. Late in the afternoon, just as work was ending, a group of students arrived—Tao You'neng, accompanied by Tao Huan, Lili, and Xiao Li.

"Le'er! Le'er!" Xiao Li shouted, running toward him like a whirlwind.

"Uh... why are you here?" Le'er frowned at the approaching Tao You'neng. "I'm busy."

"Didn't you say so yesterday?" Tao You'neng said with a grin. "I've already prepared the IOU."

"Couldn't you have just delivered it to the village office tonight?" Le'er said, feeling a bit annoyed. "Why bring them here in this freezing weather? There's nothing here but the northwest wind and no scenery to look at."

"Ugh... Sha Le'er, we just came to see your construction site. Why are you so hot-tempered?" Xiao Li stood on a rock, the wind blowing her long hair, her pretty face feigning indignation, though she laughed a moment later. "We came all this way in such cold weather to see you, and instead of thanking us, you're snapping at us."

In the distance, Luo Yinxiang's gaze shot toward them like a sharp arrow. Le'er didn't need to look to feel the intensity of that glare; he could only offer a bitter smile.

"Fine, fine, I thank you guys, all right?" Le'er didn't want to get into a shouting match. "You've seen the place, now head back. The site is a mess, and if you run around and get hurt, it'll be a disaster."

"What kind of disaster could happen?"

"They're about to set off explosives over there, and there are bulldozers and excavators here. It's easy to get hurt. Just go, quickly." Le'er just wanted them to leave.

"We have to leave just because you say so?" Xiao Li chuckled. "Wouldn't that make us lose face? I want to play around a bit before I go."

"Suit yourselves if you want to play, but I have work to do."

Le'er cast her an annoyed glance; this girl was far too much trouble, and he didn't want to provoke her. He ignored them and walked toward the excavator. It was almost dark, and he needed to see to the two operators' meals and arrange for their lodging.

The lodging, of course, would be at the village committee office. Seeing that he was ignoring her, Xiao Li followed him.

"Ugh, I'm coming with you."

"Are you ever going to stop being a nuisance?" Le'er was truly angry now. "Why are you following me? I'm busy here!"

"I just like annoying you!" Xiao Li ran up to walk beside him. Le'er was fuming, but she just seemed to find it amusing. "Where's your girl from Guangzhou? Where did she go?"

"What business is that of yours?"

Just then, Luo Yinxiang walked over. Fearing that Le'er might lose his temper, she approached with a smile. Le'er, however, felt a headache coming on, knowing Luo Yinxiang was up to no good. He didn't want to get tangled up with Xiao Li, but he also didn't want Luo Yinxiang to cause a scene.

"Le'er, who is this pretty girl?"

"This has nothing to do with you," Le'er frowned. "Go back and cook dinner; the two operators are coming to our place to eat."

"No rush, there's plenty of time." Luo Yinxiang’s eyes curved into crescents, a hint of a fox-like gleam in them. "Since this girl gets along so well with you, I should get to know her better."

"Luo Yinxiang, you're Le'er's sister-in-law. I recognize you; your dancing is excellent," Xiao Li said with a smile. "Especially your performance, it was wonderful—it even moved me to tears."

Xiao Li recognized Luo Yinxiang but didn't know her relationship with Le'er. Seeing her speak to Le'er in such a manner, she assumed she was someone very close to him, and although she was a bit confused, she tried to curry favor with her.

"I'm not Le'er's sister-in-law anymore; I'm his older sister." Luo Yinxiang had changed her status, as she was now divorced and couldn't refer to herself as his sister-in-law, so she improvised. "What's your name, girl?"

Le'er looked at them with a headache, but seeing that Luo Yinxiang wasn't making a scene, he relaxed slightly and walked quickly to the two machine operators.

Luo Yinxiang had seen Xiao Li before but pretended not to recognize her.

"My name is Xiao Li." Xiao Li, a lively girl, immediately walked over to Luo Yinxiang and affectionately draped an arm around her shoulder. "Then I'll call you Sister Yinxiang, too. Sister Yinxiang, Le'er is in such a bad mood today."

Luo Yinxiang had originally intended to teach Xiao Li a lesson, but Xiao Li's display of affection left her feeling a bit at a loss. Her current temperament was somewhat extreme; she enjoyed sparring with others, especially those who were close to Le'er. However, she found it hard to stay cold toward those who showed her kindness.

Xiao Li's actions effectively dissipated her hostility.

"Do you like Le'er?" Luo Yinxiang asked straight to the point. She didn't like beating around the bush; she was direct and impulsive.

"Yes, I do like him a little bit." Xiao Li's face flushed.

"Just a little bit?" Luo Yinxiang looked at her, her expression turning sour. "Hmph... you only like him because he has money, right?"

"Of course," Xiao Li admitted frankly, not noticing Luo Yinxiang's expression. "If he didn't have money, who would like him? But I started to like him back when he was acting, and now that he has money, of course I like him even more."

Hearing this, Luo Yinxiang's expression softened slightly.

"You seem like a decent girl, so let me give you a piece of advice." Luo Yinxiang had a better opinion of Xiao Li now, especially because of her honesty. "You don't stand a chance. Le'er has his heart set entirely on Li Ying."

"Is that the girl from Guangzhou?"

Luo Yinxiang didn't speak, only nodding, a hint of tears in the corner of her eyes. Because of the strong wind, Xiao Li didn't notice.

"Is she very pretty?"

Xiao Li was very confident in her own beauty; at least in Shuangqiao Town, no girl her age could compare to her.

"You're pretty, but you can't compare to her," Luo Yinxiang shook her head. "Her skin is like crystal, her figure is flawless, she's a city girl, highly educated, has a car and money, and owns a big house in Guangzhou. How can you compare to that?"

"I'm not afraid!" Xiao Li was a stubborn girl. "I'm younger than her, and even if I lose, it doesn't matter. Sister Yinxiang, will you help me?"

The two women whispered back and forth while Le'er watched from afar, feeling dejected.

"Luo Yinxiang, go back and cook dinner."

"Alright."

"Sister Yinxiang, I'm coming with you."

Luo Yinxiang, Xiao Li, and Lili headed down toward Xiasha Village, while Tao You'neng and Tao Huan walked over, grinning.

"You two rascals, if you cause any more trouble for me, I'll deal with you!"

"Ugh... you're ungrateful, like a dog biting Lu Dongbin," Tao You'neng laughed. "Le'er, I don't want to go to school anymore. Let me come work here, too. That useless schooling won't get me anywhere."

"You think it's useless now, but you'll realize its value later." Le'er looked at the people on the construction site. "It's not hard to get a job here; just go find Qiangzai. We'll need a lot of people to learn how to raise snakes next year. Since you can read a few words, come and learn that."

"Really? Is the pay good?"

"It won't be any worse than working away from home."

"Le'er, count me in too!" Tao Huan chimed in.

"And Lili, I'll sign her up too!"

Over on the quarry mountain, Sha Youfu shouted that they were about to blast. As the sky grew dark, everyone began to head back toward the village.