After sending off Li Jianjun and others, Zhang Xiaobei picked some more herbs, and by the time he left the mountain pass, it was already nearing noon.
The whole earth seemed to have turned into a steamer, oppressively hot to the point of suffocating.
Zhang Xiaobei wiped the fine sweat from his forehead and hurried home, but when he passed by his own sorghum field, he couldn't help but stop in his tracks.
He noticed something odd in the sorghum field; a few bright red sorghum tassels were shaking violently every now and then.
"Whose conscienceless soul would do this? The sorghum hasn't been harvested yet, and they've let pigs in! Isn't this deliberately troubling people?"
Zhang Xiaobei set down his medicine basket and strode over with his medicine shovel in hand.
However, as he drew closer, Zhang Xiaobei sensed something amiss—it didn't seem like pigs in the sorghum field, but people! "Damn it, who's got the guts? Stealing sorghum in broad daylight, I must catch them."
"Asshole, can you be gentler? If this keeps up, will I even be able to walk?"
"What are you talking about? Aren't you quite comfortable?"
...
As he continued to approach, men and women's whispering voices came from the sorghum field.
"What is this..." Zhang Xiaobei slowly crouched down, gently parting the sorghum stalks as thick as thumbs.
Through the gap, Zhang Xiaobei was dumbstruck.
He saw a large patch of his own family's sorghum flattened in disarray, with men's and women's clothing hanging over them.
What boggled Zhang Xiaobei the most was that he recognized the excited man and woman.
One was his bosom friend Cao Chusheng, and the other was the village accountant's daughter, Sun Meio.
What Zhang Xiaobei couldn't understand was why these two usually fought like cat and dog, unwilling to yield to each other. Now, they had escalated from verbal sparring to physical combat.
The world truly is full of wonders.
"Cao Chusheng, you bloody scoundrel, I'll settle the score with you when you get back," Zhang Xiaobei was about to leave when someone gently patted his shoulder.
Turning his head, he saw Cao Chusheng squatting behind him, shirtless, wearing only his big underpants, grinning contentedly.
"I thought it was who, turns out it's just you, kid. You gave me a fright."
"Cao Chusheng, have you no shame? Doing such a thing, can't you pick another place? This is our sorghum field, you know?"
Cao Chusheng was nonchalant, "Yeah, I know. It's precisely because this is your field that I dared to come. If it were someone else's, and they found out, would my life still be worth anything?"
"..." At a loss for words with Cao Chusheng's shamelessness, Zhang Xiaobei was completely speechless.
Only Cao Chusheng could pull something like this off. If it were anyone else, they would have been beaten to a pulp.
"I'm telling you, Brother Cao, in the middle of the day and in such a place, aren't you afraid of getting sick? Besides, shouldn't you consider the other person? Can't you find a more comfortable spot?"
"What's the issue? You get used to it!"
"..." Admiring his friend's gall, Zhang Xiaobei conceded, "Alright, since it's like this, I won't disturb you any longer. Remember to compensate me for the loss when you have time. If you don't, don't blame me for forgetting our brotherhood."
"Xiaobei, we're brothers, what's this talk of compensation. By the way, since you're here, don't leave yet!"
"..." At that moment, Zhang Xiaobei felt his brain wasn't quite adequate.
What the hell does that mean? Surely not...to join in...
"What are you thinking about? I just want you to keep a lookout so nobody spots us!"
"..." Before Zhang Xiaobei could respond, Cao Chusheng turned and re-entered the sorghum field.
"I'm not watching your sister." Zhang Xiaobei spat viciously toward the sorghum field, about to stand up and leave.
But in a glance back, he was so frightened that he hastily ducked back into the cover of the sorghum.
What the fuck, what is this? Can't be this much of a coincidence, right? How did Sun Changgui get here?
If Sun Changgui found out that Cao Chusheng and Sun Meio were rolling in the sorghum during broad daylight instead of sleeping, he'd hack him to pieces.
What should I do now?
As a brother, I surely can't just stand by and watch him die!
"You little bastard, once this mess is over, I'm going to bleed you dry to compensate for all my dying brain cells," Zhang Xiaobei cursed under his breath, bracing himself as he stood up.
"Uncle Sun, in the middle of the day, aren't you resting?"
"No, it's too hot, I can't sleep, so I came to check on the sorghum," Sun Changgui answered casually, without much care.
As Sun Changgui drew near, Zhang Xiaobei's heart nearly leapt out of his chest. If he got any closer, the two in the sorghum field would surely be discovered.
Thinking fast, Zhang Xiaobei rushed to meet him. "Uncle Sun, I must congratulate you! I heard just the other day that you were named among the Top Ten Outstanding Laborers, and the town's even preparing to promote you!"
At this, Sun Changgui paused.
Labor model?
Being promoted?
Is this for real? How come I didn't know about it?
"Xiaobei, who did you hear this from?" Sun Changgui asked casually, yet his eyes betrayed intense interest.
"I heard it from Cao Chusheng!"
"Who? Cao Chusheng? That lad's full of crap, you believe him? He's the most worthless guy in our village, I advise you to keep your distance from him so he doesn't lead you astray."
"..." Zhang Xiaobei didn't dare to object, just nodding continuously.
Sigh! It doesn't really matter to me, but your daughter definitely won't escape easily. If things go south, she might just end up bringing you a big grandson home one day.
"Xiaobei, why do I feel like you look pale? Are you hiding something from me?"
"No, no, how could I dare to hide anything from Uncle Sun!"
"Nah, you're definitely hiding something from me. Step aside, I want to see what you're really up to," Sun Changgui chided, shoving Zhang Xiaobei aside and stepping into the sorghum field.
Done for! This is it, all over!