Grain in Ear season
Around the time of Grain in Ear, the weather became intensely hot. The sun was no longer a soothing warmth, but a dazzling, unquestionable, ruling force. The air was heavy, shrouded in dust and the scent of car exhaust, weighing heavily on my chest. The cicadas in the trees finally broke free and began their tireless, raucous chorus, raising the city's already cacophony by an octave.
Ye Shu's apartment faced west, and in the afternoon, the scorching sun beat down directly, baking the floorboards and filling the air with visible heat waves. For the first time ever, he half-closed the curtains, blocking out the harshest direct sunlight, but the temperature inside continued to climb. The humming sound of the air conditioner, working diligently, seemed even more tired than usual.
Chen Xu practically rolled in, his T-shirt drenched in sweat, the front and back sticking to his body. He was holding a dripping plastic bag, containing several emerald green lotus pods and two plump, muddy watermelons.
"It's so hot! This is such horrible weather!" He put his things on the kitchen counter and rushed to the air conditioner vent impatiently, tilting his head back to let the cold air blow directly on his face and neck, "Help, help!"
Ye Shu was sitting on the floor in a relatively cool corner, away from the air conditioner. He glanced up at him. Chen Xu's hair was wet with sweat and tangled in clumps. His face was flushed, his breathing was rapid, and he looked like he had just finished a marathon.
"After strenuous exercise, sudden exposure to extreme cold can easily cause stagnation of qi and blood." Ye Shu stated calmly, his tone as if he was reading aloud from a medical manual.
Chen Xu didn't care about all that. He enjoyed the refreshing pleasure for a few seconds before reluctantly leaving the vent. He sat down on the ground, picked up the bottle of cold water on the table and poured it into his mouth. He drank too quickly and the water overflowed from the corners of his mouth and flowed down his chin to his neck.
"Ah—alive!" He breathed a sigh of relief, wiped his face with his sleeve, and then looked at Ye Shu, "Aren't you hot? You're sitting there like a Buddha."
Ye Shu was dressed in gray linen trousers and a short-sleeved shirt. He was clean and dry, his face devoid of even a speck of sweat, as if possessing a built-in cooling system. "A calm mind naturally cools down," he retorted, his gaze fixed on the dripping plastic bag. "What's that?"
"Oh! I almost forgot!" Chen Xu suddenly perked up and stood up to pick up the plastic bag. "I saw this while passing by the market! Freshly picked lotus pods! And sandy watermelons! These are the must-eats in summer!"
He excitedly broke open a lotus pod, scooped out the tender lotus seeds inside, and handed them to Ye Shu: "Try it! It's sweet!"
The emerald green lotus seeds were plump and round, emitting a faint fragrance. Ye Shu took them but did not eat them immediately. Instead, he felt the cool and moist touch with his fingertips.
Chen Xu couldn't wait to stuff a few into his mouth, praising incoherently: "Hmm! Delicious! So sweet!" He picked up another lotus pod and began to peel it clumsily, scratching it with his nails until it hurt, and juice splashed everywhere.
Ye Shu looked at him frantically, was silent for a moment, and then stretched out his hand: "Give it to me."
Chen Xu was stunned and handed him the lotus pod.
Ye Shu took the lotus pod, his finger movements suddenly becoming incredibly deft and precise. He gently pinched the base of the pod with his fingernail, then broke it along the grain. The pod split open neatly, revealing the neatly arranged lotus seeds within. With a gentle push of his fingertip, a whole, undamaged seed popped out. His movements were fluid, without a single hesitation, as if they'd been practiced a thousand times.
Chen Xu was stunned: "...Have you peeled it before?"
"No," Ye Shu replied, continuing his work. Soon, a small pile of emerald green lotus seeds was piled on the clean paper towel. He pushed the paper towel towards Chen Xu.
"Wow! That's amazing!" Chen Xu exclaimed sincerely, picking up a lotus seed and throwing it into his mouth. It was indeed much more complete and beautiful than the ones he had picked out himself. "With your skills, you can make a fortune selling lotus seeds at a stall!"
Ye Shu ignored his nonsense and picked up a lotus seed. He carefully peeled off the thin, slightly bitter green outer layer, revealing the whiter, more tender lotus flesh inside, before putting it into his mouth. It was sweet and slightly crisp, and it truly had the aroma of a summer pond.
"Watermelon! I have to get a watermelon too!" Chen Xu finished eating the lotus seeds and turned his gaze to the two heavy watermelons. He picked up one and rinsed it in the sink. Then he found a fruit knife and gestured, hesitating where to start.
"Split it in half, each of us gets half, and it's the best to eat it with a spoon!" He made up his mind and raised the knife to chop it down with force.
"Wait." Ye Shu's voice stopped him.
Chen Xu held up the knife, stunned: "What's wrong?"
Ye Shu walked over and took the knife and the wet watermelon from him. He placed the watermelon on the chopping board and tapped the rind lightly with his fingers a few times at different locations, listening carefully to the subtle, almost indistinguishable differences in the echo.
Then, he chose a spot, gently stabbed the tip of his knife, and with a steady, forceful movement of his wrist, he silently split the watermelon in two even halves along an invisible axis. The bright red flesh was ridged, dotted with black seeds, and brimming with juice, practically overflowing.
Chen Xu was stunned again. This knife skill, this neatness, just like peeling lotus seeds just now, exuded an incredible precision and... elegance?
Ye Shu handed him half of the watermelon and found two spoons.
Chen Xu took the heavy half watermelon. The cool touch from his palm dispelled much of the summer heat. He couldn't wait to scoop a large spoonful of the watermelon core into his mouth. Instantly, the sweet and cool juice exploded in his mouth, and a feeling of happiness rushed to his head.
"Wow! So sweet! So delicious!" He narrowed his eyes in satisfaction.
Ye Shu also scooped a small spoonful and ate it slowly. He ate very carefully, as if savoring the sweetness and glutinous texture.
The two of them leaned against the counter, each holding half a watermelon, eating in silence. The only sounds in the kitchen were the scraping of a spoon against the watermelon flesh and the hum of the air conditioner. Red juice occasionally dripped from the corner of Chen Xu's mouth, which he wiped away nonchalantly with the back of his hand. Ye Shu, on the other hand, was much cleaner, eating slowly and with restraint.
The cool, sweet watermelon washed down my throat, and the heat in my body was completely soothed. The cicadas outside the window were still noisy, but they seemed less disturbing.
After eating the watermelon, Chen Xu rubbed his stomach contentedly and burped. Looking at the bright sunshine outside the window, he suddenly sighed: "Summer is good, but it's too hot. And I feel like I have no energy to do anything. I just want to lie down."
"Grain in Ear. Busy planting." Ye Shu washed his spoon and knife, the water gurgling. "It's the busy farming season, harvesting wheat and transplanting rice. It's the most labor-intensive time of the year."
Chen Xu was stunned for a moment and said embarrassedly: "...It doesn't seem to have anything to do with me." His "busyness" was endless revisions of plans and endless overtime work, and he seemed a thousand miles away from the land and the harvest.
"Everything has its season." Ye Shu turned off the faucet, dried his hands with a cloth, and looked out the window. His gaze seemed to penetrate the tall buildings and see the invisible fields in the distance. "The cicada's chirping is not a complaint about the heat, but a urging of growth. The sun is not a punishment, but a gift of energy."
He turned back and looked at Chen Xu: "Your 'busyness' is essentially the same as a farmer's. We are both working on our own land, cultivating and waiting. Complaining about the sun won't make the crops grow faster."
Chen Xu opened his mouth, wanting to retort, but found himself speechless. Indeed, a client wouldn't lower their requirements just because it's hot, and a boss wouldn't postpone a deadline just because he's annoyed. Just like a farmer can't stop working in the fields just because the sun is blazing. His "land" is those projects and code, and his "crops" are the completed results and the salary he receives.
Complaining is indeed the most useless thing.
"I understand the logic..." Chen Xu sighed, his shoulders drooping. "But sometimes I feel... it's quite boring. I'm busy with things every day for no apparent reason."
Ye Shu walked to the window and half-opened the curtains. The blazing sunlight instantly poured in, enveloping him completely, as if coated in a layer of dazzling gold. He narrowed his eyes slightly, looking out the window at the leaves wilting from the sun.
"The meaning," he whispered, as if talking to himself, but also as if answering Chen Xu, "is not far away, but in every movement of your hoe, in every drop of sweat you shed."
He was silent for a moment, then added, "Or, like this watermelon. It took a whole summer of scorching heat to produce this sweet taste."
Chen Xu stared blankly at his back, at his almost unreal outline in the strong light. The anxious wasteland in his heart caused by the heat and fatigue seemed to be quietly moistened by these words.
Yes, the busyness and hard work at this moment may be in exchange for the coolness and sweetness at some point, just like farmers look forward to the harvest in autumn, just like the half watermelon they just enjoyed.
The process itself is part of the meaning. In fact, it is the whole meaning.
The cicadas are still chirping loudly and tirelessly.
Chen Xu suddenly felt that the cry didn't seem so harsh anymore, but instead carried a kind of brute force and persistence of life.
He walked to Ye Shu and looked at the dazzling sunlight outside the window.
"Let's go." Ye Shu suddenly said.
"Ah? Where to?" Chen Xu was stunned.
"Buy a watermelon." Ye Shu said calmly, "The one just now was good. I can buy another one."
Chen Xu blinked and suddenly laughed.
"Okay!" he responded loudly, and the fatigue and confusion on his face were replaced by something simple and bright.
The sun was still strong, but walking on the road didn't seem so unbearable anymore.
After all, there’s a cool, sweet watermelon waiting at the finish line.
And life is sometimes just that simple.
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