Chapter 119: The Moon’s Waning and Waxing

Page 1 of 3 — The Great Snake King

Ying’s departure dealt Le’er a heavy blow. Ever since Luo Yinxiang had returned, Ying’s attitude toward him had changed. She was no longer as intimate with him as before. Though she remained gentle and continued to care for him with the same meticulous devotion, he could feel that a wall of ice had risen in her heart.

“Sis, are you going to abandon me?”

Watching Li Ying pack her things, Le’er seemed so helpless that tears spilled uncontrollably from his eyes. His attachment to Li Ying had gone beyond the ordinary bond between a man and a woman. With her beside him, he had always felt secure, as though nothing in the world could defeat him. Now that she was leaving, his heart felt hollow.

“Le’er, you’re a grown man. Men aren’t supposed to cry.”

Li Ying took out a tissue and reached to wipe his tears, but he turned away.

“Are men really not allowed to cry?” Le’er wiped his face with the back of his hand. “Sis, please don’t go, all right? I’ll do whatever you say. If you tell me to do something, I’ll do it. I won’t make you angry, and I won’t swear anymore.”

Looking at this enormous man who was still like a boy, Li Ying’s eyes grew moist as well. She quickly wiped away the tears at their corners, then reached out and embraced him. He was much taller and broader than she was. She had wanted to pull him into her arms, but in the end she could only lift her face within his embrace.

“Le’er, I’m not angry with you.” Mist clouded Li Ying’s raised eyes. “You’ve always been good. You’ve never deliberately upset me. You grew up in the countryside, so there’s nothing wrong with swearing now and then. I simply want to leave for a while and think quietly about my own affairs. I’ll come back.”

“I know you’re angry with me.”

“You fool.” Li Ying smiled. “After I leave, you must properly manage the construction of the snake farm. Otherwise, I really will abandon you.”

“Mm…”

Li Ying had to leave now. Otherwise, she was afraid she truly would not be able to go.

Carrying her luggage, she walked downstairs. Luo Yinxiang was sweeping the floor. She had known for some time that Li Ying was returning to Guangzhou. The moment she saw Li Ying bring down her bags, she hurried over to take them.

“Sister Ying… can’t you stay?”

“Yinxiang, while I’m away, you must keep proper accounts for the construction site and help Le’er oversee the snake farm.” Li Ying spoke calmly. “You also need to look after Le’er’s daily life.”

“Mm…” Luo Yinxiang looked up. “Sister Ying, are you leaving because of me? I’ll move out. Please don’t go.”

“Honestly, why are both of you saying such foolish things? If I were leaving because of you, why would I have let you move in?” Li Ying smiled. “Don’t overthink it. I’ll come back as soon as I can.”

On that somewhat chilly morning, Li Ying left Xiasha Village.

As Le’er watched the car disappear, he seemed to have lost his soul. He stood there for a very long time, staring in the direction the car had gone.

Luo Yinxiang watched him anxiously.

“Le’er, should I call your soul back or something?”

Only then did Le’er come to his senses.

“What kind of nonsense are you talking?” He turned and went upstairs. “Come on, let’s get to the construction site. It’s getting late.”

Seeing that Le’er had not been too badly shaken, Luo Yinxiang’s anxious heart finally settled. At the same time, joy began to rise within her. Li Ying’s presence had placed enormous pressure on her. Although Li Ying had always treated her well, that pressure had been imposed silently, without a word.

Now a longing began to stir within her—a longing both emotional and physical. Remembering the pleasure Le’er had once given her, she felt a blazing fire ignite in her heart.

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Li Ying had left. Did that mean she could sleep with Le’er again?

To say that she did not miss the pleasure they had shared in bed would have been a lie. But while Li Ying was there, Le’er had treated her coldly. How could she have dared think about such things?

At the thought, sweetness spread through her heart, and she smiled despite herself.

“What are you grinning about?” Le’er came downstairs in his work clothes and saw her smiling alone. “Aren’t you ready to leave?”

His words made her feel as though he had caught her secret. Her face flushed bright red. She followed him toward Snake Coil Mountain.

Le’er had long legs and walked quickly, forcing her to trot in order to keep up.

“Le’er, slow down.”

The cold wind howled. Luo Yinxiang wore a padded coat and a vivid red scarf that fluttered around her as she walked, like a flickering flame. Her coat was green and quilted, somewhat gaudy in appearance, but amid the winter mountains it seemed full of vitality, as though it could drive away the chill itself.

“Le’er, now that Sister Ying has left, are you blaming me?”

“What would I blame you for?”

Le’er turned and glared at her irritably. Luo Yinxiang was not frightened in the least. Instead, she giggled.

“Did Sister Ying find out about what happened between us? Did she get jealous?”

“If you dare say another word about that nonsense, I’ll—” Le’er grew flustered. “Sister Ying… how could Sister Ying be jealous?”

“You really have no conscience.” Luo Yinxiang looked at him with deep reproach. “Go ahead and hit me. I’m yours anyway. Even if you beat me to death, I’ll still be yours. If you want to hit me, hit wherever you like.”

“You… how am I supposed to be yours? What does that have to do with me?”

“I’m divorced now, so I belong to you.” Luo Yinxiang faced the bitter wind head-on. “I know I’m not worthy of you, but I won’t stop you from marrying someone else. I only ask that you don’t cast me aside.”

“Damn it…”

Le’er’s expression darkened. He said nothing more and quickened his pace.

Luo Yinxiang could no longer keep up even at a trot, so she slowed down. Watching his retreating back, she smiled happily.

The weather had turned bitterly cold. The wind shrieked over Snake Coil Mountain, yet the workers were already laboring with fiery enthusiasm.

Le’er first went to the quarry, where Sha Dahai and Sha Youfu were working with twelve men. They were drilling holes and using homemade blasting powder rather than explosives. Once the rocks had been blasted apart, they still had to be broken into smaller pieces and fed into the crusher.

The demand for gravel was enormous.

“Brother Dahai, have a cigarette first.”

Le’er carried several packs of cigarettes on him. The men did not smoke anything expensive while working; they all smoked the cheap kind that cost only a few coins a pack. Each man took one and lit it, most of them continuing to work as they smoked.

“Brother Dahai, we don’t have enough hands.”

“It’s all right. A few more people will be coming later. Your sister-in-law has gone to her parents’ home to recruit some workers. She and your sister-in-law Guihua will come help too.”

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“Le’er, you bastard, aren’t you going to pay your brothers properly?” Sha Youfu laughed. He braced the steel rod while another man swung the hammer. “We guarantee your work won’t be delayed, but your word had better be hard—and so had your money!”

“Don’t worry, Brother Youfu. My word is harder than yours, and my money is harder still. We’ll settle accounts once a month. I won’t delay a single cent.”

Everyone burst out laughing. With no women around, the men spoke without restraint. It was not only amusing; it also helped relieve the strain of their hard labor.

“Le’er, it would be great if we had explosives. They pack a powerful punch. This powder is too weak, and the blasts don’t have enough force. If you could get us some explosives, that would make things much easier.”

Explosives were a controlled item. They could be purchased only after being registered and approved by the Public Security Bureau.

“I’ll ask Director Xie.”

He immediately took out his phone and called Xie Dapao. Xie told him there would be no problem and that he would personally go to the Public Security Bureau to handle it for him. He did warn Le’er, however, that the explosives had to be carefully managed and that nothing could go wrong.

“Good. Once we have explosives, the work will be much easier.”

Le’er left them and continued up the mountain.

Several sheds had been put up on Snake Coil Mountain. One was used exclusively to store cement. Another was filled with steaming heat, where Auntie and Second Aunt were preparing meals. The workers ate lunch at the construction site, and cooking had been entrusted to the two women.

Second Uncle Sheng was not very sharp-witted, so Le’er had assigned him to guard the site at night with the dogs and watch over the construction materials.

Vegetable sellers came up to the mountain with their produce, and Luo Yinxiang was haggling fiercely with them. She refused to let herself lose even a single penny. Second Uncle Sheng Song, the butcher, delivered meat every day, and Luo Yinxiang weighed that carefully as well, calculating every ounce and fraction with absolute precision.

“Yinxiang, why are you such a miser? It’s Le’er’s money, not yours.” The vegetable seller teased her. “Now that you’re divorced, has Le’er been giving you special benefits?”

Luo Yinxiang snatched up the carrying pole and moved to strike him.

“Say another word and I’ll smash your skull in. You reckless bastard—do you still want to sell vegetables here?”

“Please, madam, don’t lose your temper. I was only joking.”

The vegetable seller dared not joke carelessly again. Everyone knew about Luo Yinxiang’s former relationship with Le’er, but no one dared speak recklessly. When she had still been married, people had whispered behind her back. Now that she was divorced, there was less gossip, though some still remained. Luo Yinxiang simply pretended not to hear it.

But anyone bold enough to say such things to her face was practically asking to die. Everyone in the village knew how fierce she could be. Besides, she was now one of the most important people in Snake King Company, and everyone depended on her whenever they needed work done.

“Le’er, you certainly chose the right person to manage your accounts.” Le’er was standing with Elder Uncle Shengtian. Watching Luo Yinxiang haggle with the seller, the older man spoke with satisfaction. “That woman is ruthless and gives no one special treatment. There are things even I couldn’t bring myself to do.”

“It was Sister Ying who asked her to manage them.”

“You’re still trying to hide it from me.” Elder Uncle Shengtian gave him an ambiguous smile. “Luo Yinxiang would even risk her life for you. She’s a woman who values love and loyalty. It’s a pity that Jin Hai was such a fool and had no luck.”

Elder Uncle Shengtian was leading several village women in clearing a road around the walls. Otherwise, bricks and stones could not be transported through, and construction would be delayed.

He managed the construction site. His main duties were coordinating the progress of the various projects and overseeing the quality of the work. The village women had little else to do, so he had gathered some of them to handle minor tasks.

The women were paid low wages—only twenty yuan a day, a rate set by Elder Uncle Shengtian—but as long as there was work and money to be earned, who would refuse? Three days of work brought in the equivalent of two baskets of rice. How much rice could they grow in an entire year after exhausting themselves in the fields? This paid far better than farming.

Besides, it was the slack season. Sitting idle at home was still sitting idle, and many people who wanted work had to rely on Elder Uncle Shengtian’s recommendation before they could get hired.

Several hens had already appeared in his household, gifts from those who had come to work.

Whenever Le’er had nothing else to do, he stayed with Elder Uncle Shengtian and worked alongside him, swinging a hoe. He did not return home for lunch, but ate with everyone at the construction site.

Since Le’er remained there, Luo Yinxiang ate at the worksite as well.

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