Calling (1)

Carrying a snakeskin bag on each side, he walked like a model on a runway, while Zhou Qiang beside him looked like a hunched little old man.

Zhou Qiang waved to Jiang Ru. After walking a distance, he turned back to look. Seeing that Jiang Ru was still there, he quickly said to Li Xiao beside him, "Sister-in-law is still watching."

Li Xiao's steps paused slightly. He suppressed the urge to turn around and kept walking forward. After a few steps, he grumbled impatiently, "Women really are a hassle."

Zhou Qiang scratched his head, not catching the underlying tone, and said with great envy, "If only Mei Zi could be like sister-in-law in the future."

Hearing this, the corners of the man's mouth curled up slightly as he walked ahead.

But when Zhou Qiang caught up, he calmly suppressed it, his face returning to a nonchalant expression.

Having seen them off, Jiang Ru returned to the kitchen to finish her noodles. As she ate, she counted the money—exactly three hundred yuan.

With the house fully stocked with rice and flour, this three hundred yuan would last her a very long time.

Although Li Xiao didn't talk much, the house became much quieter after he left. Fortunately, Jiang Ru was highly adaptable and quickly got used to it.

Over the next few days, she stayed home sewing clothes for the baby, practicing yoga, nurturing her pregnancy, and cooking delicious meals for herself.

Three days later, Auntie Wang from next door called her, saying Li Xiao was on the phone.

***

The Li family's house was located in the west of the town, where there were many old houses and the economy was relatively backward. There was only one main road in the middle, which was very wide, lined with large but somewhat cluttered residential houses.

In recent years, the government had been determined to carry out construction. North Street and South Street on the other side had developed one after another, with many tall, beautiful buildings erected. South Street also had a new market and a bus station; wealthy people all went to these two areas to buy houses and shops.

There was also a lot of business near West Street. When Li Xiao's grandfather was alive, he was a very skilled carpenter who took on many jobs. Unfortunately, he raised a son who refused to make progress; the carpentry skills were not inherited, and instead, the wealth the grandfather had accumulated over his lifetime was completely squandered, leaving only this house.

As for Li Xiao, he probably knew carpentry. An essay his daughter wrote as a child mentioned that he had made many toys and carts for her, drawing the envy of her classmates. However, that was about it; he didn't seem to have any intention of taking over the old man's trade.

Of the two houses next to the Li family, one was the Wang family, and the other was empty, its residents having apparently moved away. Behind the house, however, lived the Liu family.

The Wang couple had only one daughter who had just entered college. The husband rented a shop in the market to sell pork, occasionally working as a butcher in the countryside. The daughter sometimes went to the market to help tend the stall. Business must have been very good, as they were the first household in the neighborhood to buy a telephone and a TV.

But because "Jiang Ru" rarely went out, she hadn't met her neighbors very often.

When Auntie Wang came over to call Jiang Ru, she only found her face unfamiliar. Auntie Wang looked at Jiang Ru anxiously. "Hurry over, Xiao Xiao is calling you. He hasn't hung up yet."

Hearing this, Jiang Ru obediently locked her door and followed her next door.

Auntie Wang was a very plump middle-aged woman with a round face, rosy-yellow skin, and a very healthy complexion.

As they walked, she chatted amiably with Jiang Ru. "That belly isn't small, it must be five or six months, right?"

Jiang Ru obediently replied, "Over six months."

Hearing this, Auntie Wang gasped, "Oh my, oh my."

A look of pity appeared on her face. "You're too thin. Xiao Xiao is really something, leaving when the baby is already this big. Later, you must have a proper talk with him and tell him to try to come back early. The further along you get, the more inconvenient it becomes, and you might even give birth early."