The two of them did talk, but they mostly talked about serious matters.
For example, tonight the brigade distributed fish and lotus root. Their family had no shortage of fish, but lotus root was a rare delicacy. Making candied lotus root or lotus root starch would be a great dessert.
But aside from these important matters, Jiang Ci and Zhou Mingli wouldn't talk about anything else.
This is unlike before. From the time he transmigrated into the book until now, he and Jiang Ci could chat for half a day about the smallest things.
Or, after dinner, you can teach the two children to spell, or even draw a car that Zhou Yang and Zhou Miao have never seen before with a pencil, and then you can discuss which has better power, the McLaren 720s or the Porsche 911.
Of course, Jiang Ci has more to say on this topic, since she owns both of these cars.
After Jiang Ci and Zhou Mingli finished discussing business today, they each took their bowls and chopsticks to wash. The two stood clearly separated. It wasn't dark yet. Jiang Ci led Zhou Miao to recognize the Chinese characters for numbers, while Zhou Mingli grabbed Zhou Yang and made him recite the last five initials of the pinyin he had taught him yesterday.
Zhou Yang didn't do well in her lesson, her eyes were brimming with tears, and she struggled to remember whether the last two 's' were 'y' or 'w'.
As Zhou Miao read "five, six, seven, eight..." more and more smoothly, Zhou Mingli stared at Zhou Yang with a deathly gaze.
Zhou Yang trembled, sobbing between sobs, "Hiss... clothes... sob... sob sob sob, Dad, I memorized it, sob sob sob..."
Zhou Mingli said expressionlessly, "Now recite the vowels."
Zhou Yang felt like his world had collapsed, and he cried loudly, unable to recite the words.
He immediately threw himself on Jiang Ci, crying and complaining, "Dad is bullying the child!"
Jiang Ci was teaching Zhou Miao, and upon hearing this, she didn't think much of it and casually said, "Zhou Mingli, be patient."
After saying that, Jiang Ci was stunned for a moment.
She turned to look at Zhou Mingli, only to see him shrouded in gloom, his gaze unfriendly.
Their clear division of labor over the past few days perfectly aligned with Jiang Ci's vision for cooperation. Zhou Mingli didn't ask any questions or complain, proving himself to be a very competent collaborator.
Such a division of labor and cooperation should be very satisfactory for Jiangxi Ceramics.
This was her request, and she was going to push it through; Jiang Ci had no reason to say anything.
But I don't know why...
Jiang Ci frowned, feeling a slight unease in her chest.
Jiang Ci quickly attributed it to habit.
It is difficult for people to adapt to changes in their established habits.
Jiang Ci and Zhou Mingli traveled through the book together, and these days they were together almost every day, chatting, gossiping, teaching the two children together, and doing chores together.
They spent more time together these past few days than they had together in the previous three years combined.
Habits are a terrible thing. They are like the plum rains of June, visiting every year and seeping in every day, making people accustomed to their existence, accepting their influence, and silently integrating into people's lives.
Jiang Ci and Zhou Mingli subtly influence each other's existence and get used to each other's company.
Breaking this habit is a very difficult process.
Jiang Ci lowered her eyes and patted Zhou Yang, "Have you been diligently following the study plan I made for you?"
Zhou Yang stopped crying for a moment, then started howling again.
Jiang Ci said coldly, "Crying won't help. If you can't learn it, your wooden toy gun will be taken away."
With tears welling up in Zhou Yang's eyes, and seeing his mother's resolute expression, he finally returned to Zhou Mingli's side, reluctantly.
The little guy was dejected. If he didn't want his wooden toy gun to be taken away, then he would have to study hard.
He returned to Zhou Mingli's side and obediently recited the vowels.
Jiang Ci watched Zhou Miao crookedly write "one, two, three" on the paper, without looking at Zhou Mingli, and said, "Yangyang's concentration is not good. If you feel impatient, you teach Miaomiao and I will teach him."
When Zhou Mingli heard Zhou Yang point at "ui" and pronounce it as "iu," the veins on his forehead started throbbing. He said, "No need."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ci did not say anything more.
Their conversation ended there, leaving only the sounds of Zhou Yang and Zhou Miao studying in the courtyard.
It felt like something was missing; the silence was so profound that even the croaking of frogs seemed noisy.
Aside from business, Jiang Ci and Zhou Mingli had little communication, all their work became simple and convenient, and even their daily work efficiency improved significantly.
Other changes included Zhou Mingli's increasingly somber expression and Jiang Ci's decreasing speech.
...
Jiang Ci kept thinking about the chestnuts on the mountain, and a few days later she went to ask Sister-in-law Yu if she wanted to go up the mountain to pick those chestnuts.
After all, that mountain doesn't belong to anyone. Anyone can pick whatever they see on it. What if they arrive too late and the chestnuts have already been picked?
Sister-in-law Yu thought it made sense; the chestnuts were ripe, and if they went too late, they might all be taken away.
She immediately nodded, "Okay, I'll take Dazhu with me today, and let Erzhu look after Yangyang and Miaomiao."
Zhou Miao and Zhou Yang were not physically fit, and they started complaining of being tired not long after they got to the top of the mountain.
Moreover, it's been unusually hot these past few days, so Zhou Miao and Zhou Yang are very likely to suffer from heatstroke if they go out.
Having made their decision, Jiang Ci and Sister-in-law Yu immediately took Dazhu, baskets in hand, and headed up the mountain.
The sweltering heat made even breathing feel like there wasn't enough oxygen.
Today, Zhou Mingli went with Brother Yu to build a granary in the next brigade. When they came back, they saw layers of dark clouds pressing down on the horizon, making the sky look extremely low.
Brother Yu fanned himself with his straw hat, wiping the sweat from his forehead, and looked at the dark clouds on the horizon. "It hasn't rained since the spring wheat harvest. It looks like a heavy downpour is coming this time."
Zhou Mingli glanced at the dark, heavy clouds. "Let's hurry back."
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