Exile with Storage Space: Family Fortunes in the Barren Lands

Chapter 445 - 0426: If There’s One, There’s Two (3)

Li Xingmao shouted at him, "Chen the Third, the gift you sent Mr. Song is still at my house!"

"Mr. Song refuses to accept it, just give it to Brother Li!" Chen the Third waved his hand at Li Xingmao and drove away the mule cart.

Li Yuzhu smiled and said, "Brother, let’s keep it for him, we’ll give it to him next time he comes. He’s busy chasing Song Jinxiu today, where does he have the time to go to the backyard and retrieve the gift?"

Li Xingmao smiled and nodded, "Alright, we’ll keep it for him."

.

Mr. Song and Song Jinxiu’s ox cart is open-top.

The weather turned cold as the sun tilted west, so Song Jinxiu didn’t hurry the ox cart and walked slowly.

Chen the Third’s mule ran faster than the ox, besides he wasn’t afraid of the cold. Soon, he caught up with Song Jinxiu’s ox cart.

Song Jinxiu heard the sound of wheels behind, instinctively turned around to look, thinking whether to give way, and upon turning, she saw Chen the Third.

Song Jinxiu’s face immediately flushed, and she whispered to Mr. Song, "Grandpa, Chen Sanlang is behind us."

Mr. Song then turned to look, indeed it was Chen Sanlang.

The two carts were only ten steps apart, and Chen the Third even gave Mr. Song a slight smile.

Mr. Song pursed his lips, didn’t speak to him, and turned his head away again.

"Just continue driving, don’t mind him, the road is for everyone, he can go if he wants." Mr. Song said to Song Jinxiu.

Song Jinxiu looked back at Chen the Third again and softly said, "Oh."

So, the two carts continued to drive one after the other.

The ox couldn’t run fast, its speed was almost like a person’s walking speed.

Chen the Third wasn’t in a hurry either, letting the mule walk slowly.

Seven or eight miles away, Song Jinxiu and the others took half an hour to reach Qingshui River Village.

By then, the sun had already set at the treetop level.

Song Jinxiu parked the ox cart steadily and helped Mr. Song get off, "Grandpa, I’ll return the ox cart, please wait here."

Mr. Song’s legs and feet were not nimble, he always used a walking stick when traveling.

The Song family’s house was built on a dirt slope, whether entering from the front door or the back door, there were steps to climb.

Song Jinxiu worried about Mr. Song climbing the steps alone, so she asked him to wait here.

"Got it, go ahead." Mr. Song walked to the steps and sat down.

It was already late, Tian Sanbao, who was punished to kneel, had gone home, and the area in front of the Song’s steps was quite deserted.

Chen the Third parked his mule cart and walked towards Mr. Song, "Grandpa Song, should I help you home?"

Mr. Song thought for a moment, but still said, "I want to sit and rest for a bit, I’ll go home later."

He didn’t refuse Chen the Third’s help.

Chen the Third rubbed his hands and nodded, "Alright, I’ll sit with you for a while."

He went to sit on a stone next to the steps.

Mr. Song glanced at him without saying anything.

Not long after, Song Jinxiu, having returned the ox cart, came back from the Niu Family.

She saw Chen the Third sitting with her grandfather, and was a bit surprised.

"Grandpa, let’s go home." Song Jinxiu came to assist Mr. Song.

"Ah." Mr. Song used his walking stick to stand up shakily.

When Song Jinxiu was about to assist him, she heard Chen the Third say, "Let me carry him, the old man’s legs are not good, how can he climb the slope like this?"

Without waiting for a response, he carried Mr. Song and walked.

Song Jinxiu was momentarily shocked, realizing they were far ahead, she quickly followed.

"Chen Sanlang, put me down quickly." Mr. Song patted Chen the Third’s shoulder.

Chen the Third ignored him, "We’re almost there, almost there."

Without stopping, he carried Mr. Song up the steps to the backyard in one go.

Then, he opened the backyard door with one hand, carried Mr. Song into the backyard, and only then did he gently put Mr. Song down.

Song Jinxiu ran all the way after them, panting heavily.

Mr. Song nodded to Chen the Third, "Thank you."

Chen the Third chuckled foolishly and scratched his head, "No trouble, no trouble, I’m strong, and the teacher isn’t heavy, it wasn’t a hard task for me."

Song Jinxiu glanced at him, unlocked the back door, and helped Mr. Song into the house.

Chen the Third didn’t go inside but found something to do in the yard.

He noticed a branch was broken on the fence wall, leaving a hole the size of a basin, so Chen the Third immediately went to the mule cart to get a hatchet, cut some branches as thick as arms, and patched up the hole.

Song Jinxiu noticed him working but said nothing, going to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

Chen the Third repaired the fence wall and swept the yard.

Seeing Song Jinxiu busy in the kitchen, he walked in to check the water tank.

The water tank only had half a tank of water which was enough for dinner but not for a bath.

Chen the Third found a water bucket and shoulder pole, and went to the pond to fetch water.

He didn’t use the half tank of water but scrubbed the tank, cleaned it, and poured clean water into it.

After filling the water tank used for cooking in the kitchen, he filled another tank for utility water in the yard.

He was tall and strong, carrying two large wooden buckets full of water with ease.

Song Jinxiu watched in awe.

But she was too shy to talk to him, so she let him be.

Chen the Third couldn’t stay idle. After filling the tank, he picked up a hatchet and went to the little grove behind the yard to chop wood.

He remembered hiding in a patch of wild grass here to secretly watch Song Jinxiu, squinting with a thought—what if some other man was hiding here to watch her too?

That wouldn’t do.

So he cut down all the wild grass and moved a tall pile of straw far away.

Song Jinxiu, "..." Wasn’t he chopping wood? Why was he cutting wild grass?

And that straw belonged to her family! Chen the Third moved it a hundred steps away, wasn’t he just making things difficult for her?

Song Jinxiu finally couldn’t hold back and shouted, "Chen the Third, that straw is mine. Why did you move it so far away?"

Chen the Third looked at the moved straw, stunned, "Huh? It’s yours?"

Song Jinxiu was speechless. Only her family lived on this slope, if the straw wasn’t hers, could it possibly belong to the Niu Family several hundred steps away?

The Niu Family would have to be crazy to pile their straw outside someone else’s back door.

"It’s mine! Move it back quickly!" Song Jinxiu shouted.

"Oh oh, moving it right away," Chen the Third rolled up his sleeves and moved the person-tall straw pile back to its original place.

However, he didn’t stack it to the original height, just two layers high, only up to the knees.

Seeing the oddly stacked straw, Song Jinxiu was both angry and amused—what was he up to?

Was he using his strength to play with the straw?

Song Jinxiu finished picking the vegetables and went to the pond to wash them.

Chen the Third immediately followed.

Song Jinxiu thought about the day Chen the Third searched for the dog by the pond and became suspicious—was he pretending to look for the dog?

Song Jinxiu reached the pond and stepped onto the stone platform to wash the vegetables.

At this time, it wasn’t dark yet, and there were two women washing vegetables on the stone platform.

Song Jinxiu was worried that Chen the Third might come and attract gossip from the women.

She looked back and found Chen the Third standing at a distance, idly kicking a tree with no intention of approaching.

She felt relieved.

After washing the vegetables, Song Jinxiu walked back, and Chen the Third also started walking when he saw her coming.

They returned to the back courtyard of the Song family, one in front and one behind.

They didn’t speak on the way.

Song Jinxiu went into the kitchen to cook.

Chen the Third, unable to sit idle, took the hatchet to the grove again.

He started chopping wood with a thudding sound.

In the house, Mr. Song, who wanted to save on lamp oil, didn’t light the lamp. He stepped outside to read and saw Chen the Third chopping trees, asking Song Jinxiu, "Has he been busy all along?"

Song Jinxiu was stir-frying vegetables. She pointed at the repaired fence wall and said, "Grandpa, he just fixed that hole, filled two buckets of water, and is now chopping trees."

Mr. Song said, "Maybe it’s just a temporary whim; maybe he won’t want to do it tomorrow."

Song Jinxiu thought of Li Yuzhu’s reminder—when looking at people, don’t just see their strengths, look for their weaknesses too.

What Grandpa said served as a reminder. Yes, Chen the Third being so diligent today is a strength; what if he’s not diligent tomorrow? Wouldn’t that be a weakness?

She shouldn’t be swayed by Chen the Third’s temporary strengths and should observe for a few more days.

In the two or three quarters of an hour it took Song Jinxiu to cook, Chen the Third had chopped four bundles of firewood.

Each piece was only about a foot long, convenient for the stove.

The thickest pieces were only as thick as a child’s arm because Chen the Third split all the thicker branches.

Although neither Mr. Song nor Song Jinxiu talked much with Chen the Third, they still invited him to eat.

After doing so much work, it would seem heartless not to offer a meal.

Mr. Song and Song Jinxiu were not such people.

Song Jinxiu placed a large bowl of food and a pair of chopsticks on another small stone table and called Chen the Third.

Chen the Third was pleasantly surprised and ran over joyfully, "Wow, thank you, Miss Jinxiu."

"It was my grandpa who asked me to call you for dinner; you should thank him," Song Jinxiu said.

"Yes, thank you, Grandpa Song," Chen the Third said happily.

"There’s nothing special, just eat a little. It’s getting late, finish and go home early," Mr. Song nodded at him.

"Sure thing, Grandpa Song," Chen the Third replied joyfully.

However, he thought to himself, maybe I’ll come back to help with chores at the Song family tomorrow; after all, I’ve been quite idle lately.

His mother had even said that idling at home was like growing mold, and he might as well go out to find a wife.

So, he went out to look for a wife.

Although the grandfather and granddaughter of the Song family were indifferent to him and didn’t talk much, they did invite him for dinner, didn’t they?

First time for everything—surely they’ll talk to him more tomorrow.