Chapter 84: Willow Grove and Water Chestnut Pond

Chapter 84: Willow Grove and Water Chestnut Pond

The next day, at the edge of the water chestnut pond.

From a poetic and picturesque perspective, the willow-lined paths and lotus ponds are indeed breathtakingly beautiful.

However, from a realistic point of view, Fang Yuenian was dazzled by the layers upon layers of water chestnut leaves covering the pond and couldn't help but say, "This is too big."

Although they arrived early today, the host had already finished harvesting the water chestnuts once, so they made room for two water chestnut harvesting boats for them and asked if they wanted to wear rubber suits.

Fang Yuenian quickly said no, and the host smiled and said, "You young men don't need to. The water is a bit deep now, so we're not too afraid of stepping into the mud, but you still need to be careful, understand?"

"Auntie, is it just the two of us coming today?" Cheng Bing asked.

"Ah, it was just the two of you this morning. Yesterday, three or four little girls came at once. I expect there will be more this afternoon, mostly little ones around your age coming to play."

Fang Yuenian was a little impatient to continue, so she said, "Okay, Auntie, then we'll pick them ourselves. You two go ahead and do your work. We'll come back to you to weigh them when we're done."

"Alright, alright, you two pick them. Call us if you need anything. We're not far, just speak up and we'll hear you. Slow down, okay?" The host was quite worried about the girls yesterday and spent the whole morning playing with them. But seeing that they were two grown men today, he immediately felt much more at ease. He gave them a few instructions and then let them go.

After everyone left, Fang Yuenian said to Cheng Bing with great interest, "How about a race? Let's start from one side, I want to run alongside you."

Cheng Bing nodded: "Okay."

Although it was supposed to be a competition, and they were going to run side by side, every time Fang Yuenian lifted a leaf laden with water chestnuts, he couldn't help but call out to Cheng Bing. He called out countless times in a short while, and every now and then he would throw the water chestnuts he had picked into Cheng Bing's boat. Cheng Bing said helplessly, "You can put them on your own side; I can pick them too."

“That’s fine,” Fang Yuenian muttered, “but I’m a little hungry. Give me some water so I can wash my hands.”

They brought two bottles of mineral water, intending to drink them if they got thirsty halfway through the harvest. Cheng Bing pushed aside the water chestnut leaves beside her boat and moved it closer, saying, "Stretch out your hand."

“Okay.” Fang Yuenian happily reached out her hand.

Cheng Bing then unscrewed the bottle and poured him some water while saying, "You can't eat too much today."

“I won’t eat too much,” Fang Yuenian said, rinsing the seaweed off her fingers. “Okay, okay, that’s enough. It’s too wasteful.”

After washing his hands, he picked out a large one from the boat.

The water chestnuts were fresh and crisp at this time of year, and the skin was easy to peel. He quickly peeled out a white water chestnut kernel and handed it to Cheng Bing's lips.

Cheng Bing: "You yourself..."

"Hurry up and eat!" Fang Yuenian waved her arm. "This is absolutely delicious, trust me."

Having no other choice, Cheng Bing bit into the water chestnut. Sure enough, it was crisp, sweet, and delicious.

"How about it?"

"Mmm, it's delicious."

"I wasn't lying to you, was I?" Fang Yuenian happily peeled one for herself and popped it into her mouth. "I still prefer green water chestnuts. The red ones are too hard to peel, and the raw ones taste so much better than the cooked ones."

Cheng Bing smiled, bent down and picked out a few from her boat, handed them to him, and watched him eat.

As the sun gradually rose, its rays shone on the surface of the pond, creating a brilliant white glow, and also fell on Fang Yuenian's face, reflecting a dazzling radiance.

Cheng Bing watched silently, thinking that when he smiled, he was actually more dazzling than the rising sun.

This summer, Cheng Bing was happy to spend time with Fang Yuenian in the fields, climbing trees, swimming, and cooling off. He felt peaceful, as if he had returned to his childhood, a time when he had no strange thoughts and didn't have to worry about anything. But whenever they were together, seeing Fang Yuenian smile like this easily shattered that peace.

He wanted to get close, to possess.

Before anyone could realize what was happening, Fang Yuenian braced herself against his boat and said, "What are you doing? If you come any closer, you'll crowd me."

Cheng Bing said blankly, "It's okay if we get squeezed, it won't sink."

“Of course it won’t sink,” Fang Yuenian blinked. “The two boats will just make a mess of this place. This is someone else’s pond, it’s not good. Let’s go back quickly.”

Cheng Bing leaned forward, and if he leaned any further he estimated that water would take in the boat. He said, "Fang Yuenian, come a little closer."

"What are you doing?" Fang Yuenian asked, confused.

“On your head…” Cheng Bing said, stretching out her arm, “come a little closer, there are water chestnut leaves.”

"How could I possibly get it on my head?" Fang Yuenian chuckled, involuntarily leaning her upper body forward.

With the boat plank separating them, Cheng Bing reached out to support his shoulder, fearing he might lose his balance. With a flick of her fingertips, she peeled off the wet water chestnut leaf.

"It must be because I was busy picking..." Fang Yuenian said, but then looked up and suddenly froze.

Despite being under the scorching summer sun, Cheng Bing exuded a cool and refreshing aura, somewhat like freshly eaten water chestnuts, sweet and crisp.

Under the scorching sun, Fang Yuenian suddenly felt a refreshing sensation that permeated her entire body.

This person is so good-looking, and their eyes are terrifyingly bright.

He was stunned.

Cheng Bing's hand was still on his shoulder, and the two water chestnut boats squeezed through the row of water chestnut vines in the middle and clung tightly together.

Fang Yuenian was a little dazed. He saw a subtle thrill, as if a hint of pleasure was welling up in Cheng Bing's eyes.

Their gazes met at that moment—both looked at each other's lips.

At that moment, their chests moved in unison—both heaving slightly as if possessed.

"Splash!"

It was the sound of water startled by the rocking of the boat.

The splashing water from the pool splashed into their boat, but fortunately not much. The two boats rocked a couple of times, and some water splashed onto Cheng Bing's arm. Fang Yuenian quickly raised her hand to wipe it off for him, but this almost caused the water chestnut boat to capsize. "Ah...ya!"

Cheng Bing, ignoring the water on her clothes, instinctively tried to steady Fang Yuenian's boat. The two were in a flurry of activity, but in the chaos, their eyes met unexpectedly, and for a moment, the air seemed to freeze.

Fang Yuenian's Adam's apple bobbed as she stared blankly at Cheng Bing, her gaze noticing the tips of Cheng Bing's ears, which were flushed a deep red, almost as if they were about to bleed.

"Why is your face red...?"

Cheng Bing's mind was in complete turmoil.

He twitched his brow, closed his eyes to compose himself, and whispered, "You startled me."

"I'm so sorry," Fang Yuenian said, still slightly out of breath. "I almost capsized the boat just now. If it had really capsized, I would have gone down to collect the fish. It was so hard to gather so many fish."

Cheng Bing didn't say anything.

Fang Yuenian couldn't squeeze out a second sentence either.

In this corner of the pond, the sunlight shifted, and the willows on the bank cast shadows around them, seemingly providing unintentional shelter and protection.

Fang Yuenian forced herself not to recall what had just happened, but the harder she tried, the more difficult it became.

He couldn't believe it; for a fleeting moment just now, he actually wanted to kiss Cheng Bing's lips...

Cheng Bing looked up without warning and saw the amulet slip out of his collar. She reached out and put it back in his collar, saying, "Be careful it doesn't fall out."

His sudden movement startled Fang Yuenian, who quickly readjusted the pendant's cord, exclaiming, "Oh dear, this can't fall!"

He treasured this little thing very much, mainly because Cheng Bing had always worn it too. One of the elders thought it was a talisman for their son's academic success, and the other thought it was a talisman for their son's safety, which his mother and sister-in-law had obtained for him. They never suspected anything, so this became an opportunity for the two of them to openly wear the little tokens, which they both cherished.

Now this little peace charm has come in handy again, breaking the awkward atmosphere in one fell swoop.

Cheng Bing smiled faintly, "If you drop it, just go down and pick it up."

Fang Yuenian laughed too, finally clearing her mind of all the jumbled thoughts, and said, "Alright, alright, let's hurry up and pick them, it's getting hot."

The two boys who were picking water chestnuts had a good harvest that morning, each picking more than half a basket. When they were weighed and offered to pay, the owner refused to accept the money.

"There's just too much of this stuff, that's why I called you little ones over to pick some and play with it. There's no way I'd charge you!"

After a bit of tugging, Fang Yuenian decisively shoved two ten-yuan bills into someone's hand, then grabbed Cheng Bing and ran off quickly, shouting, "Auntie, let's go!"

Aunt Xiaofang probably chased after them for a while, but she still couldn't keep up with the two young men's pace.

Fang Yuenian and Cheng Bing each carried half a basket of clear, red and green water chestnuts, leaving a trail of water on their way back to Shuibiwan. The village road was still under construction; they said they would build a cement road to every household's doorstep, but who knows when that would be. Fortunately, the weather was sunny during the day, and the gravel road was easy to walk on.

The sun was high in the sky, and it was already quite hot. Fang Yuenian noticed the sweat on Cheng Bing's forehead and said, "We should ride bicycles."

The road wasn't far, only about a twenty-minute walk. They felt quite refreshed that morning, so they walked there.

They arrived laughing and chatting, but now, no one can utter a word.

The sunlight at Lingtang at that moment was scorching, and it both blew them out of their minds, yet it was something neither of them could forget.

I don't even know how I got home.

That evening, the two did not do their homework together.

It didn't happen the next day either.

On the third day, Cheng Bing heard arguing on the other side of the river. That evening, he invited Fang Yue to come to the carpenter's house to listen to music radio together. When they met, they were both very natural and seemed to have forgotten what had happened a few days ago. They listened to the radio while listening to the croaking of frogs outside the window and the sound of the Shuibiwan River flowing.

It was very quiet.

In this silence, Fang Yuenian found a reason for herself.

He and Meng Xiaoyang had discussed too much—about orientation, about childhood, about relying on friends—it all muddled his brain. He did indeed become more and more dependent on Cheng Bing each year, especially psychologically. Every time he heard Fang Wu and Wang Jing arguing, or when Old Lady Fang was yelling in a shrill voice, he really wanted to see Cheng Bing immediately, but he didn't need to say or do anything; just being together quietly like this would be enough.

This is dependency, nothing else.

Cheng Bing simply watched him silently and quietly.

This summer vacation was shorter than I expected.

As another September arrived, they returned to campus and became the new graduating class.