Chapter 16: The Cabbage Was Rooted Up by a Wild Boar

Misunderstood by Jiang Lijuan, Wang Qiang felt a bit downcast. The sentiment he wished to express was akin to “Pity It’s Not You,” but clearly, Jiang Lijuan had been misled by certain lyrics. Lines like “We once walked together but parted at the crossroads,” or “I think I have more right to care about you,” had confused her. What could he do about it now?

Wang Qiang tried to comfort himself: the chances of meeting her again in the future were very slim. Even if they did cross paths, he could always avoid her. Since he couldn’t offer a firm commitment, he mustn’t let anyone’s life be led astray because of him. Yang Guo wasted Guo Xiang’s youth, but that was her own unrequited affection. Real life could never be as romantic as a novel.

Time would smooth everything out; Wang Qiang knew that as long as they stayed apart, those adolescent stirrings would gradually fade away. He tried not to dwell on it. First things first, he needed to buy pig liver for tonight’s turtle fishing—that was the real business at hand.

Wang Qiang longed for the scent of fresh banknotes, eager to improve his family’s life. Matters of the heart could wait. Of course, if it were his wife, then that would be a different story.

He had his own concerns. He knew where his wife’s family lived, and probably what sort of environment she was in now. The reason he hadn’t looked for her was, firstly, his lack of financial means, and secondly, a fear of the butterfly effect—what if, in trying to force things, he ended up never being able to be with her at all?

He left his bicycle at the repair shop, hurried to the market to buy pig liver, and then remembered he hadn’t bought any red earthworms. After asking around the market, he was embarrassed to discover that only Jiang Lijuan’s family sold them in Siyi Town. He scratched his head in frustration; he’d just been thinking about avoiding her, but now it seemed he’d have to face her again.

Ah, he’d also drunk all of Jiang Lijuan’s father’s “afternoon tea.” Never mind—he’d buy two bottles of water as compensation. Wang Qiang was the sort who always repaid kindness and disliked taking advantage of others. So he bought two bottles of Pepsi to bring over.

At this time, a bottle of Pepsi cost two and a half yuan—a luxury for ordinary folks. For example, Wang Qiang’s father earned just ten yuan a day; a single bottle of Pepsi was a quarter of his wages. If that wasn’t a luxury, what was?

…

At the fishing tackle shop—or rather, the general store—Jiang’s father stood bare-chested and asked, “Where’s the water?”

Jiang Lijuan stuck out her tongue, grinning mischievously. “I drank it.”

“What am I supposed to drink this afternoon?” Jiang’s father rolled his eyes. “You did that on purpose, didn’t you? You’d only be happy if your dad starved, is that it?” He began to complain, “It’s almost two and you only just brought lunch, and then you tell me there’s nothing to drink?”

Jiang Lijuan retorted, “Isn’t there tap water here? Just drink some of that.”

“It’s full of bleach. Am I supposed to drink it without boiling?” Jiang’s father was exasperated.

As the father and daughter spoke, footsteps sounded outside the door.

A young man’s voice followed: “Jiang Lijuan, are you there?”

Jiang Lijuan turned her head to see Wang Qiang standing at the door, nets in hand. She felt both happy and flustered, and asked quietly, “What brings you here?”

Hearing their exchange, Jiang’s father felt a sudden jolt of anxiety. He knew Wang Qiang was his daughter’s old classmate—he hadn’t thought much of it yesterday, but something about their conversation today felt off. He’d raised his precious daughter for seventeen years and wouldn’t let any rascal sweep her away. He narrowed his eyes, watching the two of them closely, trying to pick up on any clues.

Wang Qiang behaved perfectly normally. Smiling, he said, “I came to thank you for helping me earlier on the road. I drank all the water you brought… um, what’s wrong with your eye?” He’d noticed Jiang Lijuan winking at him.

“Huh?” Jiang Lijuan was flustered. “Nothing, nothing.”

Jiang’s father glared at his daughter as if to say, “I’ll deal with you later.”

Wang Qiang didn’t understand their silent exchange. He placed two bottles of Pepsi on the counter and addressed Jiang’s father, “Uncle, sorry for the trouble. I knew you’d be thirsty this afternoon with no water to drink, so I brought these for you.”

Jiang Lijuan, thinking he’d come to confess his feelings, kept giving him suggestive looks, her face glowing with shyness.

Jiang’s father, nervous about his daughter, regarded Wang Qiang with hostility and barked, “No need. Take them back.” Two bottles of Pepsi to win over my daughter? Dream on! That’s what he was thinking.

Jiang Lijuan grew anxious and protested, “Dad, what are you doing? He’s being nice. If you don’t want them, I’ll take them home for Mom and me. You can drink tap water.”

She was feisty, indeed.

Left speechless by his beloved daughter, Jiang’s father could only grit his teeth and glare at Wang Qiang.

Sensing something amiss, Wang Qiang hurriedly changed the subject, “So, Uncle, do you still have any red earthworms?”

“How many do you want?” Jiang’s father replied gruffly.

“One yuan’s worth.” Wang Qiang took a coin from his pocket and handed it over.

Jiang’s father accepted the money, scooped up a shovelful of red earthworms from a sack of soil, tossed them into a plastic bag, and handed them to Wang Qiang.

Wang Qiang said nothing more, waved goodbye to Jiang Lijuan, and quickly slipped away.

The moment he left, Jiang’s father turned on his daughter. “Lijuan, what’s going on? Are you seeing that boy?”

“Oh, stop it!” Jiang Lijuan’s face flushed red, spreading down to her neck. “Are you going to drink the Pepsi or not? If not, I’ll take it home for Mom and me.”

“I’ll drink it! Why wouldn’t I?” Jiang’s father immediately twisted open a bottle and took an angry swig.

Soon, Jiang Lijuan rode off on her bicycle.

…

Jiang’s father set the empty bottle down with a thud, stomping his feet in anguish.

She’s been taken!

Seventeen years of raising a precious daughter, only for a wild boar to snatch her away!

…

With a new tire, Wang Qiang rode his bicycle home, arriving drenched in sweat. He’d planned to chat with his mother but found the door locked again. At first, he thought she’d gone to visit a neighbor, but after checking with his grandparents, he learned that she’d borrowed their neighbor Chen Maimai’s bicycle and gone to work.

Wang Qiang sighed. No matter how much he talked, until they had real financial security, his mother wouldn’t give up a seven-yuan-a-day job.

He pushed aside his worries and set about preparing the turtle fishing lines. The most urgent thing now was to help his mother pay off the family debt. As the saying goes, “A man without debt walks unburdened.” Once the debt was gone, they could do whatever they liked without hesitation.

Back at home, he took out the fishing rods he’d prepared earlier, fastened the smallest embroidery needle as a hook, and carefully threaded the pig liver on in tiny pieces, making sure nothing was visible.

Once everything was ready, Wang Qiang headed to the West Creek shoal to check the surroundings, hoping to spot more turtle tracks.

Normally, if a turtle had laid eggs here, it wouldn’t venture elsewhere, but if it hadn’t, it might just swim off to another area. Not wanting his efforts to be in vain, Wang Qiang carefully observed the environment.

After searching through the reeds for a while, he was delighted to find turtle tracks again—the creature hadn’t left.

His mood instantly lifted. He hurried back home, grabbed several rods, and, just as before, stuck them into the mud. He didn’t tie nylon cords directly to tree branches; he knew that people often fished or hunted frogs at night, and tying lines to branches could easily injure someone, which would cause trouble. Even when trying to earn money, one had to think of others’ safety. By sticking the bamboo rods into the ground, at least they served as a warning.

With the rods set, Wang Qiang leaned against a dawn redwood, gazing at the clear water and duckweed, triumphant.

“This time, I’ll definitely catch a turtle!”