Chapter 58: Cooperating with Jiang Xia
After finishing breakfast, An Ning grabbed the parts for the water pump and headed to the fields.
The moment Sun Dazhuang saw An Ning arrive, he quickly called a few people over to help her with her things.
"Don’t dig canals today. Go do something lighter. You must be exhausted from yesterday."
Sun Dazhuang pulled rank as the brigade leader, forcing An Ning to switch tasks.
This was because An Sancheng had secretly come to see him this morning.
This morning, An Ning hadn’t woken up on time, which worried the An family. An Sancheng figured that the combination of mental and physical exertion was too much for anyone to handle.
So, he went to talk to Sun Dazhuang. As for trying to talk to her himself, he’d found he couldn’t win an argument with An Ning at all.
"You have to listen to me on this. What kind of young woman spends all day digging ditches? Here in Shili Gou, we don’t—"
"I’m taking the day off."
An Ning agreed so quickly that Sun Dazhuang was stunned for a moment before he finally replied.
"Alright then. Just let Accountant Liu know what you want to do."
’Looks like my status as brigade leader is still pretty effective.’
Sun Dazhuang thought with great satisfaction. He had barely taken a step when he heard An Ning say, "Chief, I’d like to take a leave of absence. I want to go to town."
"Ah... right, right. Go on, then."
An Ning thanked him. She first assembled the parts to make sure there were no issues, and then she left.
Not far away, Jiang Xia, who had come to work the crank handle again, watched An Ning as she left.
’She doesn’t look very well.’
Jiang Xia didn’t know why, but he just felt that today’s An Ning was missing some of her usual spirit.
He stepped back from his spot, letting the person behind him take a turn at the crank, and darted over to Sun Dazhuang’s side.
"Chief, where did An Ning go?"
"She said she’s heading to town."
Sun Dazhuang said it casually, not paying it much mind as he went back to his work.
Jiang Xia glanced back in the direction An Ning had gone, his expression conflicted.
’Damn it! I must be going crazy.’
Jiang Xia asked Sun Dazhuang for leave, claiming he had a stomachache, and ran off.
He took off, chasing after An Ning. As he ran, he tried to reason with himself.
’I’m not worried about the Sika Deer.’
’I’m just preserving my rival. Otherwise, it would be so lonely to be this amazing without even a single opponent.’
Jiang Xia muttered to himself, but his pace gradually quickened, and soon he was out of the village.
It wasn’t long before he spotted her figure.
At that moment, An Ning’s head ached a little, but she was clear-headed and didn’t feel like she was going to faint.
When Jiang Xia caught up to An Ning, he first ran past her, then turned around as if he had just noticed her by chance.
"Fancy meeting you here, Sika Deer. Where are you off to?"
An Ning calmly walked past the now-stopped Jiang Xia and offered a greeting of her own.
"Hello, Da Huang’s big brother."
Jiang Xia, standing behind her, regretted it in an instant.
’I really asked for that, didn’t I!’
Jiang Xia looked at An Ning up ahead, then at the road behind him, but ultimately chose to follow her.
"An Ning, let’s make a deal. I won’t call you Sika Deer, and you don’t call me Da Huang’s big brother, okay?"
"Okay."
For the first time, the two of them reached an agreement. After the agreement came silence.
"Ahem—have you been up the mountain recently? Let me tell you, don’t go to the west side. There are signs of wild boars over there."
Jiang Xia added analytically, "I think it’s a whole sounder."
An Ning stopped in her tracks and turned to face Jiang Xia.
"What are you looking at me for! I’m just giving you a friendly warning."
"Jiang Xia, want to hunt wild boars?"
They spoke at the same time. Jiang Xia instantly understood and asked, "You want to team up to hunt wild boars?"
"Yes. I need money."
Her expression was incredibly solemn, creating a feeling that was both very formal and comical.
Jiang Xia felt an urge to laugh, and in fact, he did.
"What’s with that face? If I hadn’t heard you speak, I would’ve thought something terrible had happened."
An Ning looked at the happily laughing Jiang Xia and said disapprovingly, "How is needing money a small matter?"
Her one question stopped Jiang Xia’s laughter. ’She has a point.’
"You’re right. Needing money is a big deal. As for this wild boar business, it’s not that I don’t want to partner up, but what’s in it for me?"
An Ning liked Jiang Xia’s business-like attitude, laying everything out on the table.
"I’m strong, I can fight, and I’ve taken down a wild boar by myself before, with no help."
Jiang Xia immediately recalled the tracks he’d seen on the mountain a few days ago. He had indeed seen An Ning at Fatty’s place that time.
He just hadn’t imagined that she had actually killed the boar all by herself.
"If what you’re saying is true, then if we teamed up, I wouldn’t be much help. Without a trap, it’s hard for me to kill a boar without getting injured."
Jiang Xia offered a different perspective, "Unless it’s a life-or-death situation, it’s not worth getting hurt over a single wild boar."
"I suggest you don’t do it just for the money either."
An Ning showed no emotional reaction to Jiang Xia’s blunt honesty, simply analyzing matter-of-factly, "You’re right. But I won’t be in any danger, and I can still get the money."
Jiang Xia raised an eyebrow, his tone lilting upward. "That confident?"
"Yes. Very confident."
Her complete lack of modesty made Jiang Xia feel a little appreciative. In this respect, the two of them were quite similar.
If he was particularly strong in a certain area, he would be the same way.
"I can bring Da Huang. If we really do partner up, I want to split the profits evenly with you, no matter how much or how little I contribute."
"No problem. That’s very fair."
An Ning’s straightforwardness gave Jiang Xia his first real sense of admiration. ’This rival of mine isn’t half bad.’
"Alright, then it’s a deal. But we’ll talk after you’ve recovered."
This time, An Ning finally showed a bit of emotion.
"Why do you say that?"
"Am I wrong? The way you look right now, it’s obvious something’s... off."
Jiang Xia struggled to find the right words.
"It’s like a flower that’s still in bloom, but its leaves have all wilted. You don’t look energetic at all."
"I understand. I’ll find you when I’m better."
An Ning didn’t explain why she wasn’t well, and Jiang Xia didn’t ask.
The two walked on. After they reached town, Jiang Xia realized An Ning probably wasn’t seriously ill and simply said his goodbyes.
"See you back in the village."
Jiang Xia hurried off. His "bathroom break" had gone on for quite a while.
An Ning was completely oblivious to the fact that Jiang Xia had followed her on purpose.
Once in town, the first thing she did was take out all the money she had left and count it. Twenty-eight yuan.
’That should be quite a lot, right? After all, my little brother spent just two yuan and got a meat-filled meal.’
An Ning headed toward the Sanhe Town Supply and Marketing Cooperative. She had never been there and didn’t know what they sold inside.
As she walked, a familiar voice reached her ears.
"Get lost! I didn’t steal any money! This money is from my sister!"
"That’s hilarious. ’Your sister gave it to you.’ Why don’t you just say your brother-in-law gave it to you?"
Five students were surrounding An Guoping, laughing and jeering at him.
"He doesn’t have a brother-in-law."