Living like a widow? My rough neighbor is coaxing me to have a baby every night.

Chapter 203 I'm being devoted, you're just being a jerk!

That night, a bunch of people had another drinking session.

We had to drive early tomorrow morning, so everyone kept to themselves and didn't get too drunk. We dispersed around that point.

Just as Xu Yuecheng was about to get up to help Xiao Lan clear the dishes, Qin Rushan stopped him.

"I need to talk to you about tomorrow's business."

Li Xianglian was perceptive, and seeing this, she quickly stood up: "You guys chat, I'll go cut you some watermelon to quench your thirst, and then I'll boil some water."

Qin Rushan's expression turned serious only after Li Xianglian entered the kitchen.

He took out a cigarette case from his pocket, tossed one to Xu Yuecheng, lit one for himself, took a deep drag, and exhaled a cloud of bluish-white smoke.

"Old Xu, this deal is big, I've been thinking about it."

Qin Rushan tapped his fingers on the table. "Tomorrow, all five of our team's trucks, except for the small Jiefang truck that just had its bearings replaced and will be left to run short distances around the county, will have to be put into operation."

Xu Yuecheng was striking a match when he heard this, his hand trembled, and the matchstick snapped.

"All five vehicles are fully operational?"

Xu Yuecheng frowned and struck another match. "Isn't this a bit too much of a commotion? When we used to go out on trips, we always kept at least two cars as backup, just in case one broke down or got impounded on the road, so we could have someone to rely on at home."

"That was before!"

Qin Rushan interrupted him, "You've seen the current situation. That girl Li Xiaotao has paved the way, and several village secretaries are practically begging us to haul their goods. If we hesitate now, it won't just be a matter of missing out on some money; it'll be like turning away a cash cow that's practically delivered to our door!"

Qin Rushan paused, stubbed out his cigarette after taking two puffs, and said in an unquestionable tone, "This time, I have to go too. I'll personally lead the way, and you'll lead the way. We must make this a resounding success and thoroughly pave the way."

Xu Yuecheng's fingers, holding the cigarette, froze in mid-air, his usually cold and stern face now filled with hesitation.

He lowered his head, staring at his toes, and remained silent for a long time.

The cloth shoes under his feet rubbed against the ground, grinding back and forth on the bluestone slab, as if he had something stuck in his throat, unable to spit it out or swallow it down.

Who is Qin Rushan?

That was a friendship he had built with Xu Yuecheng after crawling through piles of corpses. Qin Rushan knew exactly what kind of shit this kid was going to poop the moment he stuck out his butt.

"What's wrong?"

Qin Rushan raised an eyebrow, his voice deepening, "Are you mute? Or do you not want to go?"

Xu Yuecheng took a deep drag of his cigarette, the smoke choking him and causing him to cough twice.

He looked up, his eyes darting around. "Brother Qin, it's not that I don't want to go. It's just... could we postpone it? Even a day or two later would be fine. This... this is a bit too rushed."

"In a hurry?" Qin Rushan sneered. "The melons are ripe in the ground. Every day we delay, another batch will rot. You're telling me you're in a hurry? We're in the transportation business, we're fighting against God for our livelihood. We don't have time to waste on you!"

Xu Yuecheng was speechless after being rebuked, but his reluctance was obvious to anyone with eyes.

Qin Rushan stared at his constipated expression for a few seconds, then suddenly seemed to understand something.

"Old Xu, something's not right with you."

Qin Rushan leaned forward, his eyes fixed on Xu Yuecheng. "Usually, you run faster than a rabbit when there's big money to be made. What's wrong with you today? Who's bewitched you?"

Xu Yuecheng stiffened his neck, his eyes darting around: "No...nobody. I just feel too tired and want to rest."

"Want to take a break?"

Qin Rushan scoffed, abruptly stood up, walked around the table to Xu Yuecheng, and said, "I think you just want to stay in that widow's den, don't you?"

This sentence directly pierced through that layer of paper.

Xu Yuecheng's face flushed red instantly, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. Just as he was about to open his mouth to retort, Qin Rushan's big slap came whistling through the air.

"Snapped!"

With a crisp sound, Qin Rushan's large, fan-like hand struck Xu Yuecheng squarely on the back of the head.

This blow was delivered with full force, causing Xu Yuecheng to stagger and nearly fall off the bench.

"Brother Qin! Why did you hit me!"

Xu Yuecheng clutched the back of his head, wincing in pain, a surge of grievance welling up inside him.

"Hit you? I'll beat you up for being such a spineless coward!"

Qin Rushan pointed his finger down at him, scolding him with exasperation, "Look at your pathetic state! For a woman, you don't even want to do anything productive? Did Xiao Lan bewitch you, or put a curse on you?"

"This is a deal worth hundreds of thousands! An opportunity that could change our lives forever! And you're telling me you need to take it slow just so you can stay in a woman's bed one more night?"

Qin Rushan grew angrier as he spoke, and kicked Xu Yuecheng in the buttocks again.

"Old Xu, Old Xu, why don't you take a good look at yourself? With your current wealth, do you really think you can make that proud and beautiful widow devoted to you? Is she after your body? She's after your ability to make money!"

Qin Rushan grabbed Xu Yuecheng by the collar, lifted him up, and spat in his face:

"A man with money in his pocket has a strong backbone! Once this deal goes through, you'll be holding a ton of cash. Forget Xiao Lan, even ten or eight young women will line up to throw themselves at you! You'll have whatever you want then!"

"You're letting this romantic entanglement interfere with your important business of making money? You've got your brain filled with mush!"

Xu Yuecheng was stunned by the barrage of insults, but it also brought him to his senses.

He rubbed his burning head, knowing in his heart that Qin Rushan was right, but he still couldn't accept it.

He glanced sideways at Li Xianglian's back as she busied herself in the kitchen, then looked at Qin Rushan's righteous face that seemed to say, "I'm doing this for your own good," and couldn't help but mutter something under his breath.

"Brother Qin, that's true. But don't you always teach us to be chaste and not to mess around with women? You even said it's a matter of moral conduct..."

"Snapped!"

Before he could finish speaking, he received another slap on the back of the head.

"Have you no shame?"

Qin Rushan was amused and pointed at Xu Yuecheng's forehead, cursing, "I told you to keep your chastity to your own wife! To stop you from ruining innocent women! Is Xiao Lan your wife? Huh?"

"Besides,"

Qin Rushan puffed out his chest defiantly, "That's being devoted! That's being single-minded towards my A-Lian! What's that? That's being a jerk! She hasn't even agreed to live with you yet, and you've already lost your soul. How can that be the same thing?"

Xu Yuecheng was speechless at this set of fallacies and heresies.

So, you think that being devoted to your wife is "being faithful," while wanting to spend more time with your lover is "being a masochist"?

This is a classic case of "the magistrate is allowed to set fires, but the common people are not allowed to light lamps!"

But he didn't dare argue with Qin Rushan, so he could only wear a bitter face, rub his head, and admit defeat: "Fine, fine, you're right, brother. I'm being a fool, I'm spineless. I'll leave tomorrow, I'll leave first thing tomorrow morning, okay?"

Qin Rushan then stopped, sat back down on the stool, and snorted coldly, "That's more like human speech."

At this moment, Li Xianglian came out carrying a slice of watermelon. Seeing the two men with red faces and bulging necks, she was puzzled: "What happened? I heard a lot of noise just now, were they arguing?"

Xu Yuecheng quickly forced a smile that looked more like a grimace, picked up a slice of watermelon and started eating: "It's okay, sister-in-law, Brother Qin is giving me a pep talk. This watermelon is really sweet!"

Qin Rushan glared at him, took the watermelon Li Xianglian handed him, took a bite, and the sweet coolness flowed down his throat, calming his anger down considerably.

"Finish eating and get the hell back to sleep."

Qin Rushan gave the order, "Meet in the compound at six o'clock sharp tomorrow morning. If you're even a minute late, I'll skin you alive!"

"Okay, okay."

Xu Yuecheng finished the watermelon in a few bites, the juice dripping down his chin, but he didn't bother to wipe it away.

He stood up and slipped out, saying, "I'm leaving now. I still need to arrange for those rascals in the second team to check the vehicle's condition."

Watching Xu Yuecheng's disheveled escape, Li Xianglian asked with some concern, "Brother Shan, you went too far. I think Brother Xu was even walking a little unsteadily."

"Spare the rod and spoil the child."

Qin Rushan spat out a few watermelon seeds, his eyes becoming deep. "This kid is a womanizer, and Xiao Lan is a troublemaker. If we let him get caught up in her charms now, he'll suffer later. Now that he's busy, with money in his hands and a broader perspective, he'll naturally know which is more important."

Although Li Xianglian didn't quite understand the intricacies of relationships between men, she trusted Qin Rushan.

She gently placed her hand on Qin Rushan's broad shoulder and said softly, "Then you must take care of yourself. You just came back from the provincial capital and haven't had a few days to rest. I'm always worried about you going again."

Qin Rushan took her small hand in his hand and kissed it. His rough stubble pricked Li Xianglian's hand, making it itch.

"What are you afraid of? Your man is like a cat, he has nine lives."

Qin Rushan looked at her with eyes full of doting affection, "Besides, with such a good wife waiting for you at home, and that marriage certificate that was just issued, I'll crawl if I have to, I'll carry mountains of gold and silver back for you."

Li Xianglian blushed, gave him a reproachful glare, but felt a sweet warmth in her heart.

That night, Qin Rushan really didn't cause any more trouble.

The two slept in each other's arms. Although they didn't make love, the reluctance and attachment to part made the temperature in the bed even hotter than usual.

The next morning, before dawn, the eastern sky began to lighten with a pale, fish-belly white hue.

The county transportation team's compound was already brightly lit.

Five Jiefang brand trucks lined up in a row, their dark green bodies looking majestic and imposing in the morning light.

The engine had warmed up, and the "putt-putt-putt" sounds combined to make the ground tremble slightly.

Qin Rushan, dressed in faded work clothes with a white towel around his neck, stood on the footboard of the lead vehicle.

Xu Yuecheng had dark circles under his eyes, clearly indicating that he hadn't slept well all night, but he still had to force himself to be energetic.

He was directing the loaders behind him to securely tie the last few bundles of tarpaulin.

"Check everything thoroughly! Brakes, tires, spare radiator!"

Qin Rushan's booming voice cut through the engine's roar, "If anyone messes up this time, don't blame me for turning my back on them!"

"Don't worry, Captain Qin! We've checked it three times already!"

"Absolutely!"

A group of men responded loudly, their momentum seemingly capable of dispersing the morning mist.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

【small theater】

Xu Yuecheng: Brother Qin, yours is called being devoted, how come mine is considered being a masochist? I also want to spend time with my wife.

Qin Rushan: Nonsense! I got my marriage certificate, you didn't even hold hands, how can you compare?

Xu Yuecheng: I also want to get my marriage certificate as soon as possible.

Qin Rushan: Getting a marriage certificate requires a bride price, and a bride price requires money! Hurry up and get on the bus, and after this trip, I'll bring you mountains of gold and silver.

Xu Yuecheng: Alright, for my wife's sake, I'll go and be a workaholic right now!

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