The other guests were busy picking peaches, even someone like Chu Wei, who kept grumbling and complaining, was half-heartedly picking a few.
Meanwhile, Hu Zhi, Li Sulan, and Chu Xi were sitting in a row, showing zero intention of continuing to work.
Sang Chuan saw the three women staying put, so he decided not to move either and plopped down next to Chu Xi.
Chu Xi poked him with her finger, visibly annoyed. "You’re the only guy in our group. Don’t you feel embarrassed slacking off here instead of working?"
Sang Chuan ignored her and sprawled out on the ground, arms and legs akimbo, lazily saying, "We’ve been advocating gender equality for years now. What, you can laze around but I can’t? And I’m still a minor — if you keep exploiting me, I’ll report you for illegal child labor!"
"Annoying pest!" Chu Xi silently mouthed, calling Sang Chuan a name. She disliked him for a reason; no matter what she said, he always had ten comebacks ready.
[Sang Chuan’s mouth really is infuriating. Chu Xi’s right — he’s the only guy in their group, so what’s wrong with pulling his weight a bit more?]
[Look at Shen Yi next door; he’s practically taken charge of all the peach-picking tasks for his group. He doesn’t complain either, does he?]
Watching Sang Ning’s group collectively give up on the task, Song Shiye started worrying. If they couldn’t finish it, wouldn’t Sang Ning have to go hungry tonight?
He picked up a basketful of peaches he had just harvested and walked over, placing it next to Sang Chuan. Then, he grabbed Sang Chuan’s arm and forcefully pulled him up to sit.
"What are you doing? Didn’t you see I just lay down?" Sang Chuan protested irritably.
But Song Shiye didn’t let go; instead, he strengthened his grip and yanked Sang Chuan up to his feet. With an air of righteous determination, he said, "No slacking. Whether Sister Sangsang can sell the peaches isn’t the point — all I know is, if the task isn’t completed, you guys are going hungry tonight."
Sang Chuan pointed at the three women sitting idly on the ground, his tone filled with annoyance. "Didn’t you see those Empress Dowagers who refuse to move? And you expect me to pick 400 pounds of peaches alone? Excuse me, but I’m a human being, not a mule!"
Li Sulan snorted coldly and turned her head aside. She was absolutely playing the role of the Empress Dowager — ain’t no way she was going to budge.
Hu Zhi wasn’t paying Sang Chuan any attention either. If Li Sulan wasn’t moving, there was no chance she’d move.
Chu Xi outright ignored Sang Chuan’s complaints. This time, it was Sang Ning who gave up first — why should she have to work hard while Sang Ning could drive around in her car having fun? If they were going to go hungry, then everyone was going hungry together. Besides, she’d gained a couple of pounds recently — cutting back a bit might as well count as dieting.
[Sure enough, three women and it’s already chaos. Even someone as sharp-tongued as Sang Chuan is powerless against them.]
[Chu Xi: You just keep talking. If I so much as move, you win!]
"Hey, don’t be mad," Song Shiye said, noticing Sang Chuan’s cheeks puffing up in anger. He raised his hand and patted him gently on the shoulder. "How about this: I’ll talk to Yiyi and Brother Kai, ask them to help out. After all, the total task across all three groups is just 1,200 pounds. As men, let’s tough it out and handle it ourselves."
[Xiao Ye, my dear, let me remind you to watch your phrasing. You’re still a rising senior in high school — a proper big boy. Since when have you fully graduated into "manhood"?]
[But hey, being a man isn’t about age. The fact that Song Shiye stepped up to offer help shows he’s got a gentlemanly spirit.]
[That said, if he’s intent on being a kind-hearted helper, can he avoid dragging Shen Yi into this? I mean, Chu Wei and Chuyun pick peaches like they’re embroidering — they barely contribute any effort. Yiyi is already exhausted just completing their group’s task, let’s not pile on more work for him, okay?]
Sang Chuan doubted anyone would agree to Song Shiye’s suggestion. Picking 400 pounds was exhausting enough; who would be foolish enough to volunteer to help others?
Then, Shen Yi unexpectedly turned out to be the first fool.
Song Shiye approached Shen Yi, expressing his idea to rally all the male participants to hit the 1,200-pound goal together so no one had to go hungry. He asked if he’d support the plan.
At that moment, Shen Yi had just finished picking peaches from the higher branches and was climbing down from the ladder. He had his usual aloof and world-weary expression and gave a slight nod. "I don’t mind. You guys decide."
After that, he picked up his ladder and calmly moved to another part of the orchard to continue working.
[Who says Shen Yi is cold and hard to approach? He’s clearly a chill guy — doesn’t matter what people ask him, he always agrees.]
[Could it be that anyone making requests is Song Shiye? Even if Shen Yi wanted to refuse, Song Shiye would probably pester, cajole, and nag him until he gave in.]
[They say good men fear three things: endless nagging, being roped into favors, and women’s tears. Shen Yi’s no exception — he’s scared of Song Shiye’s pestering, Sang Chuan’s badgering, and Chu Xi’s whining.]
[That analysis above is pure brilliance — I’m dying of laughter!]
After securing Shen Yi’s support, Song Shiye went to find Qin Kai and Qin Jiaxiang, explaining Shen Yi had already agreed.
Qin Kai and Qin Jiaxiang didn’t have much room to refuse. With the other two groups each only having one male member, and theirs having three, not to mention that even the hardest worker Shen Yi had agreed — turning down the proposition would make them look bad.
Song Shiye returned with the news, but Chu Xi was the first to voice her displeasure.
Shen Yi had already helped Chu Wei and Chuyun pick nearly 100 pounds of peaches. Now he was expected to help them too? Was Song Shiye trying to kill Shen Yi with overwork?
Her irritation quickly gave way to a realization. Before, each group handled its peach-picking separately, so she couldn’t go help Shen Yi. But with Shen Yi now assisting their team’s 400-pound task, didn’t that give her a reason to work alongside him?
Chu Xi scanned the orchard and quickly locked in on Shen Yi. He was adjusting his ladder’s position.
She darted forward in a hurry, snatching the ladder right out of Shen Yi’s hands as his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
Grinning, she said sweetly, "Shen Yi, you’ve worked so hard picking peaches all day. There’s no way we can let you help finish our group’s task now."
"I’ll take it from here," she added, grabbing the ladder and pulling it toward herself. Unexpectedly, she found no resistance from Shen Yi — he simply spread his fingers, letting her take it effortlessly.
Normally, in this scenario, shouldn’t he tug the ladder back and deliver some chivalrous line like, "These tough jobs are better left to us males"?
But Chu Xi clearly saw Shen Yi deliberately loosen his grip, letting her take the ladder away without a fight.
"If that’s the case, then handle your own tasks. I’m indeed a bit tired, so I won’t assist you anymore," Shen Yi said in the most matter-of-fact tone.
He then backed away and leaned against a tree trunk, pulling his cap low to shield his face.
[Whoa, okay. Shen Yi is seriously unchivalrous. Couldn’t he at least exchange some polite banter with Chu Xi first? Instead, he just handed over the ladder like that.]
[Shen Yi: Polite banter? Doesn’t exist in my book.]
Now what? This was awkward. Should she climb or not?
Shen Yi crossed his arms and tilted his head to one side as he leaned against the tree. One of his long legs stretched out straight while the other bent slightly. He looked genuinely spent.
Chu Xi glanced at him. Shen Yi probably really was tired, huh?
Fine. She’d climb, and at least lighten some of his workload.
She steadied the ladder, and though nervous, hesitantly climbed up, reaching for the higher peaches.