Jian Fei lived in the suburbs, and her route home passed through the only park in the county.
Outside the park, many hand-pulled tricycles were parked. The tricycles had been slightly modified so that the cargo bed could be folded out, forming a rectangular board.
On the board were displayed various seasonal fruits, creating fruit stalls.
Many elderly people without social security and limited earning capacity relied on these fruit stalls for a living.
Two young people who had just fallen in love were in high spirits, finding everything beautiful.
As they rode, Ke Teng was attracted by a fruit stall by the roadside.
He decided to ask Jian Fei to buy some oranges for his grandmother to try.
Jian Fei subconsciously wanted to refuse, but seeing Ke Teng's gaze and thinking that buying oranges wouldn't cost much, she let him go.
The car stopped by the roadside. Jian Fei sat in the car while Ke Teng approached an auntie.
Seeing a customer, a handsome young man at that, the auntie directly pulled down a plastic bag, spat on her finger, and skillfully opened it.
"Here you go. Fresh oranges, just delivered, big and sweet. How many do you want, young man?"
Ke Teng rarely bought things himself, let alone from roadside stalls.
He didn't know if this was standard practice, but before he could even say he wanted to buy, the bag was already opened.
And with a spit-covered hand?
"How much are the oranges per jin?"
"Four yuan. They're just transported from out of town, very fresh, and very sweet."
As she spoke, the auntie pointed to an orange that had been broken open on top of the pile for sampling.
"Try it, if it's not good, it's free. Auntie will never cheat you."
Then she started filling the bag with oranges for him with a flurry of activity.
There was no need to mention how withered her hands were from years of sun and wind. What was more, her fingernails were hard and black, with the yellow color of orange peel seeping into them.
It wasn't that Ke Teng was being squeamish; it was genuinely unpleasant to look at.
In fact, given the poor sanitary conditions, he didn't want them anymore.
But the auntie had already started packing them. It felt a bit unconscionable to back out now.
"Please give me five jin."
"Okay, okay. It's good for young people to eat more fruit. It's also good to buy them for the elderly."
"Auntie has other things too, apples, bananas, and dragon fruit. Would you like some of those as well?"
Ke Teng thought to himself: I should go to a proper fruit shop in the future. This hygiene condition...
"No, thank you."
As someone who rarely dealt with everyday matters, he had no concept of how much five jin actually was. He watched as the auntie filled a plastic bag with a flurry of activity and placed it on a digital scale that only she could see the numbers on.
"Six jin and four liang."
Ke Teng mentally calculated how much he should pay. The auntie, however, turned back and put a few more oranges into the bag.
"It's inconvenient to calculate the odd grams. Let me round it up. Shall we make it seven jin?"
Alright, it wasn't much money anyway. Seven jin it is.
Ke Teng took out his phone to pay, but the auntie put two more oranges in.
"Seven jin for 28 yuan isn't good. Let's just make it an even thirty yuan."
Carrying the bag, which was almost overflowing, back, Jian Fei saw him and, fearing the oranges would roll off, went forward to take a few in her hands.
"Why are you so gullible? It's not like you won't eat again after this meal. Why buy so much at once? The bag is about to burst."
Thinking of the sales whiz he had just encountered, Ke Teng shook his head repeatedly.
"Your hometown here, the folk customs are too fierce. I asked for five jin, and she ended up rounding it up to seven jin, and she said it so convincingly that I couldn't refute her. I'm impressed."
"It truly is your hometown."
Jian Fei knew the ways of small-town vendors. To think that Ke Teng was outsmarted, she chuckled.
"Of course. If I weren't fierce, how could I keep you in line?"
"I used to hear people say that small towns have simple folk customs. Today, I've truly opened my eyes."
"Simple folk customs refer to places with excellent environments. There's also a saying that poor mountains and harsh waters breed troublesome people. Haven't you heard of it?"
The two looked at each other and couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Happy times always pass quickly. Soon, four days had gone by.
Ke Teng had finished his matters, and they needed to return to Tongcheng.
The night before their departure, Ke Teng had dinner at Jian Fei's house.
He helped with the fire, and his grandmother was in charge of cooking. Jian Fei felt a little unwell and moved a small stool to sit by the door eating oranges.
His grandmother said to her, "Fei Fei hasn't seemed right these past two days. She's back for a rare visit, but she doesn't eat properly, constantly eating oranges, and she's not as diligent as she used to be."
"She's just started working and hasn't achieved anything yet, already getting carried away. If this habit continues, what man will tolerate you?"
Actually, she was concerned about Jian Fei and said it intentionally for Ke Teng to hear.
Ke Teng understood perfectly.
"No, Grandma, she's usually quite diligent."
"It's a rare holiday, after all. Holidays are for relaxing. Don't be so strict."
His grandmother was very pleased. "You child, you're fair-skinned and clean, looking delicate, but you're actually quite diligent."
"Your parents have raised you very well."
Ke Teng smiled and said nothing.
Dinner was ready, but Jian Fei refused to eat.
Her father scolded her, "You're a medical student, yet you have no common sense, not knowing moderation when eating."
"It's a long evening. How can you not eat? Eat a little. You'll be leaving tomorrow, and we don't know when the family will be able to gather like this again. Don't spoil the mood."
Jian Fei had no choice but to force herself to eat.
The fish soup, which she usually couldn't get enough of, tasted incredibly fishy today. She drank a mouthful and rushed outside in a panic.
Ke Teng followed her out and saw her dry-heaving by the yard faucet.
"How many oranges did you eat to get yourself like this? Do you want to go to the hospital?"
"It's nothing. I just overindulged for a moment. I'll be fine after a few hours. You go eat. Don't worry about me."
Jian Fei's symptoms didn't improve the next morning either. His grandmother forced her to drink half a bowl of congee.
Before the assistant's car even reached the highway entrance, she was already feeling nauseous.
Ke Teng helped her to the roadside and held open a plastic bag for her.
"Why don't we not go back today and get you checked at the hospital? Could it be those oranges had too many bacteria, and you're poisoned?"
Jian Fei found his suggestion amusing; she had never heard of being poisoned by eating oranges.
"It's nothing. Even if I go to the hospital, they'll just prescribe some digestive medicine. I'll be fine after a nap."
Ke Teng held her hand and let her lean her head on his shoulder to sleep.
Jian Fei closed her eyes, caressing his fingers, her mind replaying their moments together.
Recalling their intimate moments, she suddenly sat up with a jolt.
"What's wrong?"
As if possessed, Ke Teng was startled by her.
Jian Fei's eyes were vacant. Looking at his face, she recalled the time they first got together, and then thought about her own situation. Her face turned pale.
It couldn't be. It couldn't be this soon, could it?