Wheat Seedlings - Chapter 2

It had been over two months since Chen Li returned.

The novelty in the village had worn off, but the number of women in the fields hadn't decreased instead, it grew day by day.

There were plenty of men in the village, yet none could match the looks of the Chen family's man. Even with the subsidies he received, few earned as much as he did.

When you really thought about it, whether he was in his thirties, had a younger brother, or even a son, there'd still be no shortage of women clamoring to marry him.

Besides, the women weren't fools—Chen Li was truly dependable.

He was hardworking, well-read, and literate, but most importantly, he was reliable.

Once, when debt collectors came to the Zhang household, the men weren't home, leaving only the old woman and children. The collectors took advantage and started trouble, but Chen Li stepped in and threw all three of them out of the village.

The women admired Chen Li's looks, his strength and capability, but above all, they admired that he was someone who could stand firm in tough times. With a man like him, life would never be too hard.

At noon, everyone rested under the trees.

Chen Li sat in the shade with a cigarette dangling from his lips, gazing absentmindedly at the blue sky and white clouds, looking every bit the rogue from those foreign films the commune screened.

With looks like his, even if he were truly a rogue, he'd never lack admirers.

Even in the sweltering heat, a few women stood under parasols at a distance, stealing glances at Chen Li.

The village was poor, and many men were still bachelors. They envied and resented Chen Li in equal measure.

Someone teased, "With so many women to choose from-plump or slender—it's like an emperor picking his concubines."

Another chimed in, offering advice, "I think Xiao E's a good match—gentle and delicate, can't even kill a chicken. She'd surely be good to Mai Miao."

Chen Li had never mentioned Mai Miao to others. They'd only been brothers for a few months, yet everyone could tell—Chen Li doted on his younger brother.

Chen Mai Miao was a bit slow—everyone in the village knew that.

They all pitied Chen Li—his parents were gone, and the only family he had left was a burden.

Chen Li had turned down several matchmaking offers. Gradually, word spread across the neighboring villages that he wasn't in a hurry to marry because of Mai Miao.

Chen Li wasn't much of a talker. If he didn't engage, no amount of prodding would get a response, so others stopped bothering.

The heat made everyone irritable. A group of unmarried men gathered, talking about which girl had the slimmest waist or the fullest bust—not a decent word among them.

Chen Li trudged through the mud on his way home.

He carried a slab of pork something only a few dozen households in the entire village could afford to eat outside of holidays.

Chen Li entered the compound and headed straight for his house.

"Mai Miao," he called, not seeing him outside. He checked inside, then strode to the backyard. "Mai Miao, Mai Miao."

—Where was Mai Miao?

Several families lived in the compound, separated by walls, but Chen Li's calls echoed loud enough for everyone to hear.

A neighbor came out to ask and only then realized Mai Miao wasn't home.

An auntie said, "He's a grown man—he won't get lost. He'll be back soon."

But Chen Li wasn't listening.

Mai Miao was timid, afraid of people and the dark. Even if he went out, he'd run back home before nightfall.

In all the time he'd been here, no matter when Chen Li returned, Mai Miao had never been absent from home.

Without a word, Chen Li went out to look for him. The other men in the compound, seeing him leave, couldn't just stand by—since Chen Li return, every household in the courtyard had, in one way or another, owed him a favor.

A few men put on their coats and helped search nearby. But after combing through half the village, they still couldn't find him.

Before escalating the matter to the authorities, someone mentioned seeing Wang Er's son, Heiwa, heading into the mountains with Mai Miao during the day.

Wang Er's wife, hearing her son implicated, immediately flared up, hands on her hips, and started cursing.

Chen Li had no patience to argue with her. Before night fully fell, he set off into the mountains to find his brother.

Sure enough, Mai Miao was still there. He had fallen into a muddy pit and, after struggling for a long time, couldn't climb out.

"Mai Miao!" Chen Li's voice echoed from afar. "Mai Miao! Miao Miao_"

Hearing his brother's voice, Mai Miao's despairing face lit up with hope. He scrambled to his feet and shouted from the pit, "Mai... Miao Miao... here"

Chen Li finally found him. Without waiting for someone to fetch a rope, he jumped into the pit and hauled the filthy Mai Miao up with one arm around his waist.

The two brothers climbed out safely, unharmed.

On the way back, Mai Miao was carried in his brother's arms. He had lost one shoe and was still shaken, but now his arms clung tightly around Chen Li's neck—no longer afraid of him at all.

Back in the courtyard, they ran into Wang Er's wife again.

Seeing Mai Miao return completely unharmed, Heiwa's mother wanted to sneer a few words, but one look from Chen Li silenced her. She stared blankly as the Chen brothers walked away, suddenly shuddering for no reason.

The other women in the courtyard helped boil water for a bath.

While washing up, Mai Miao clutched his clothes hesitantly and stammered, "Mama said... can't... take off clothes in front of others."

Even though Mai Miao was fairer than most girls, he was still unmistakably a boy.

Chen Li didn't overthink it—between brothers, what was there to fuss about? He hadn't even had a sip of water since returning from the search, and his heart was still pounding.

Seeing Mai Miao dawdle, he stripped off his dirty clothes—even his pants—without hesitation.

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