Chapter 32: Grandfather and Grandson
An Ning was completely unaware of what Jiang Xia was thinking. Right now, she was juggling three tasks at once.
Working, designing a backpack, and attempting to communicate with her spiritual power.
The first two were no problem, but communicating with her spiritual power wasn’t working. It seemed it was only effective when she was doing farm work.
An Ning didn’t feel any regret. Even though it wasn’t working, the job she was doing now was also very important. If it really didn’t rain, the irrigation ditch would play a crucial role during a drought.
Thinking of this, An Ning couldn’t help but think about Miao Xiaohua. Her original plan had been to wait until her spiritual power was fully restored to its peak, then forcibly erase the excess spiritual power from Miao Xiaohua.
But now, she had a different idea. She wanted to get some information first, and then decide what to do.
An Ning worked very quickly. Nearby, Jiang Xia, having suffered his first verbal defeat, felt a little indignant.
When he saw how fast An Ning was working, his rebellious streak flared up. ’There’s no way I, a grown man, can’t beat a girl.’
Jiang Xia started working furiously, keeping an eye on An Ning out of the corner of his vision. For every shovelful she dug, he’d dig two, determined to outdo her.
However, he was already huffing and puffing. ’How is her expression still unchanged?’
Not only was her expression unchanged, but she had also switched tasks.
It turned out that An Ning had been digging so fast, and with Jiang Xia’s "heroic efforts" on the side, they had finished digging their section of the ditch.
The ditch was dug, but the excavated soil, rocks, and weeds were still lying on the side.
So An Ning stopped digging, shouldered a basket, and started hauling the debris away.
Seeing An Ning grab a basket, Jiang Xia stopped digging too. He grabbed a large basket and filled it to the brim.
"Heave—"
With a single, long, drawn-out word uttered through gritted teeth, Jiang Xia truly used every ounce of his strength just to stand up.
’What’s going on? Is she too strong, or am I just too weak?’
Jiang Xia immediately shook his head. ’Impossible! I can’t be weak!’
He secretly competed with An Ning, forcing a nonchalant, relaxed expression onto his face. In reality, his face was covered in sweat, and he was clenching his jaw so hard his back teeth were about to shatter.
He was pushing himself to his limit, but An Ning was completely oblivious, simply working at her own pace.
But this pace made the secretly competing Jiang Xia not only miserable beyond words but also forced him to keep a smile plastered on his face.
When the two, heading in opposite directions, met face-to-face, Jiang Xia forced a smile. Adopting a somewhat cavalier tone, he raised an eyebrow at An Ning.
"Fawn, pick up the pace!"
An Ning stopped, looking at the extremely odd expression on Jiang Xia’s face. ’His smile is so strange. A smile is a smile, but why are his eyebrows straining so much?’
"Da Huang’s brother, if you’re tired, you should let your eyebrows rest for a bit."
An Ning turned and left as soon as she finished speaking, leaving Jiang Xia sputtering behind her.
"Who’s Da Huang’s brother?! I’m not tired, and my eyebrows aren’t tired either!"
Up ahead, An Ning didn’t even turn her head. She just calmly filled another basket. As she passed Jiang Xia, she let her gaze pointedly drift down to his legs.
"You’re not tired, your legs are just shaking."
Again, she walked away as soon as she spoke, leaving Jiang Xia grinding his teeth in frustration.
"WOOF WOOF!"
Da Huang, hearing his name, bounded over from a distance and began to enthusiastically rub against Jiang Xia’s legs.
But Jiang Xia, whose legs were already trembling, was knocked off balance by Da Huang’s nudge. The weight of the basket on his back pulled him, and he started to fall backward.
An Ning happened to see it. Despite carrying a basket full of rocks, her speed was still incredible. In a flash, she was behind Jiang Xia, using her own basket to brace his.
Jiang Xia wasn’t scared, but watching An Ning’s quick action, he was a little touched. ’This Fawn girl is actually pretty nice.’
He had some training himself. Using his core strength, he righted himself, stood firm, and turned to thank An Ning.
"Thank—"
"Thank goodness, it’s okay."
Jiang Xia hadn’t even finished the word "Thanks" when he saw An Ning crouch down with a pained expression. She cupped a corn sapling in her hands, examining it from all angles, even kneeling on the ground to inspect it.
After confirming the sapling was fine, An Ning stood up. The pained look on her face vanished completely, replaced by one of disdain as she looked at Jiang Xia. She didn’t say a word, but Jiang Xia felt like she had said everything.
"Wait, did you save me for the sake of one corn sapling?"
"No."
An Ning’s denial made Jiang Xia think he had misunderstood. He scratched his head awkwardly with one hand.
"It was for a whole patch of them."
Jiang Xia’s awkward expression froze. He stared at An Ning, trying to figure her out.
’Whose family is this girl from? The way she talks is just... on another level.’
An Ning turned and left again, leaving Jiang Xia to chalk up another loss.
"What the hell? It’s not like I ever said anything bad about her."
Jiang Xia adjusted the straps on his shoulders and bent forward slightly at the waist, shifting the basket’s weight forward to walk more steadily.
Although he didn’t think the corn saplings were more important than a person, it was still better to be careful. Waste was always a bad thing.
The work continued. At noon, everyone went home for a simple meal. An Guoming wasn’t home; no one knew where he had gone.
After lunch, the rest of the An family went back to the fields. An Ning also returned to clearing the ditch, working with single-minded focus.
When work ended in the evening, An Ning walked home with the An Family. Jiang Xia, with Da Huang by his side, followed them for a while before they parted ways at a fork in the road.
’So, she’s *that* An Ning.’
Jiang Xia didn’t know the original An Ning. Or rather, he had almost no friends in the village.
He and his grandfather belonged neither to the "cowsheds," nor to the "educated youth," and they certainly weren’t villagers.
When they first arrived, they were given a dilapidated house at the foot of the mountain. Back then, it was even worse than the "cowsheds."
Still, life was quiet, and the grandfather and grandson knew to be content.
"WOOF WOOF WOOF."
The dog arrived before the man did.
At the foot of the mountain stood a low stone house, with a small yard enclosed by a fence made of branches.
Jiang Xia walked in, his shoulders aching, and gave the old man in the yard a pained grin.
"Grandpa, what’s for dinner? I’m starving."
The old man’s hair was completely white, and he had a white goatee. Though his face was full of wrinkles, his eyes were wise.
"What have you been doing? To be this exhausted."
As soon as the old man asked, Jiang Xia told him everything. There were no secrets between him and his grandfather.
"It’s just so weird. She seemed completely fine."
The old man was setting out the meal. After listening, he knew exactly what was up with his grandson.
Although Jiang Xia was stuck in this rural world, he was smart and a fast learner. He had never really suffered any setbacks, and as a result, he had a certain arrogant streak.
This Miss Anning, he didn’t know much else about her, but her physical strength was definitely greater than Jiang Xia’s.
The old man remained impassive and didn’t point this out. ’Let him get worn down a bit,’ he thought. ’A little frustration and a few setbacks will be good for him.’
The two of them began to eat, and the old man brought up the same old topic again.
"Jiang Xia, the college entrance exams?"
"Grandpa, let’s not talk about this. I’m not going to leave you."
The old man looked at Jiang Xia’s determined face, a pang of sadness in his heart. ’This child shouldn’t be trapped here.’