Chapter 17

“Sister, I took a two-hour break.”

Lin Jian she rushed over. Lin Shu Yin said, “You took such a long break, I’m leaving soon.”

Lin Jian she scratched his head, “Sister, I’ll take you to where I live.”

Lin Jian she lived in the educated youth house, at the east end of the village.

“This environment is pretty good.”

It had walls and a courtyard. Although it was a mud house, it was newly built, and it was clean inside and out.

“This house was built last year. The first batch of educated youths came here last year. There were no empty rooms in the village, so the village secretary built a special house for the educated youths.” Sa Ren explained.

Lin Shu Yin went inside and took a look. There was a kitchen, a bathroom, everything. She saw a bottle of soy sauce on the stove in the kitchen. They were quite meticulous about their food.

The floor and the kang in the bedroom were clean and spacious, and it looked like it could accommodate three or four people.

“Isn’t it cold at night when you sleep?”

Lin Jian she shook his head, “It’s not cold, Sister. We heat the kang until it’s warm.”

To be honest, after sleeping on a kang once, Lin Jian she felt that he had wasted the previous nineteen years of his life, especially in winter. The winter in Sichuan province wasn’t as cold as the winter in Hohhot, but it was still cold, damp and chilly.

At night, when he got into bed, his feet were cold. He had to fill a glass bottle with water and put it in the bed.

But up north, as long as you heated the kang at night, the bed was warm, and it stayed warm until the next morning. It was so comfortable to sleep.

“How many of you are there in total?”

Lin Jian she, “Five boys and three girls. They all came last year. So far, I’m the only one who came this year.”

No wonder. It turned out there were few people.

And the first batch of educated youths were more careful about their living environment. They clearly treated this as their home.

It would be more difficult once there were more people.

Lin Shu Yin, “Do you all buy your food and drink together? Do you eat together or separately?”

Lin Jian she, “Yeah, we buy it together and eat together. It’s too much trouble to eat separately.”

“Do you have a cabinet?”

Lin Jian she, “Yes, I had the village elder make one for me.”

Although the older educated youths were all very nice, it’s still important to lock up your valuables in your own cabinet.

“Okay, here you go.”

Lin Shu Yin took out half a pound of brown sugar cake, half a pound of white rabbit milk candy, and the two meat buns from her bag.

Lin Jian she’s eyes lit up, “Sister, did you buy all this for me?”

Lin Shu Yin, “Yes.”

She had originally planned to just give him the two meat buns. But Sa Ren wanted to buy him some delicious food, so she also bought a pound of brown sugar cake. She kept half a pound for herself and brought the other half for Lin Jian she.

As for the half pound of milk candy, it was from Sa Ren. It was to thank her for finding the milk powder tickets.

Sa Ren bought a pound of white rabbit milk candy, gave her half a pound, and she divided that half pound into two parts, keeping one part for herself and bringing the other part for Lin Jian she.

Singers can eat candy, but they have to eat less, especially before singing.

Lin Jian she, “Sister, I can’t eat this much. Take half of it back.”

Lin Shu Yin waved her hand, “I have some here. You keep it.”

Lin Jian she, “Then I’ll lock it up and eat a little bit each day.”

Lin Shu Yin, “Did Mom and Dad give you money when you came to the countryside?”

“Yes, oh right.”

Lin Jian she seemed to remember something. He quickly opened his cabinet and took out the money, “Sister, Mom and Dad gave you ten yuan. I didn’t have time to go to the city.”

His sister was in the army, so he could only visit her on Saturdays and Sundays. He had just arrived last week, and he was planning to go this week, but his sister came instead.

Lin Shu Yin, “Okay. If you need anything, go to the army to find me. You know the address, right?”

Lin Jian she, “I know, Sister.”

“Sa Ren, do you have anything else to do at home?” Lin Shu Yin asked.

She meant, if you’re free, let’s go back.

Sa Ren, “I don’t have anything to do at home. But Shu Yin, I asked my mother to stew mutton. Let’s eat dinner before we leave.”

“No, Sa Ren, you really asked your aunt to stew it? I was just saying it casually.” Lin Shu Yin was shocked.

Was this girl so straightforward? She was just saying it casually, as a joke.

Sa Ren, “I already stewed it. Let’s eat dinner before we leave. We have time, the mutton will be ready soon.”

She said, “Call your brother too, let’s all go together.”

Lin Shu Yin, “That’s too embarrassing.”

“What’s embarrassing? Let’s go.” Sa Ren called out, “Brother, quickly lock up your things, let’s go eat mutton.”

Sa Ren’s Mandarin wasn’t very standard, it had a Mongolian accent, but Lin Shu Yin and her brother loved to hear her speak.

Lin Jian she, in particular, didn’t know why, but hearing his sister’s colleague, this beautiful sister, or beautiful Mongolian girl, call him “brother,” made him feel a little strange.

He felt a little… shy. When he was shy, his heart would beat a little faster.

He said, “Okay, I’ll come right away, Sister.” He quickly locked up the delicious food his sister brought him and followed Lin Shu Yin and Sa Ren out.

Lin Shu Yin, “Sa Ren, you don’t have a supply and marketing cooperative here, do you?”

Sa Ren, “No, our village is very close to the city. Villagers can go to the city to buy whatever they want.”

“What’s wrong? Do you want to buy anything?”

Lin Shu Yin shook her head, “No.”

She just thought it wasn’t good to go to a friend’s house empty-handed.

Seeing that the educated youth house was quite big, Lin Shu Yin muttered to herself,

“Such a big yard, it’s a shame not to plant vegetables or raise chickens.”

Sa Ren, “It’s not spring yet. We can plant vegetables in April or May.”

She didn’t know when they planted in the south, but in the north, they generally started planting in late April or May.

Lin Shu Yin said to Lin Jian she, “Honestly, brother, you guys can discuss it and raise a flock of chickens. That way, you don’t have to spend money to buy eggs and chicken.”

Lin Jian she thought about it seriously and said, “Okay, Sister, I’ll talk to our leader.”

The three of them chatted and arrived at Sa Ren’s house. When Lin Shu Yin came to Sa Ren’s house earlier, she didn’t go inside the house, she just stayed in the yard. She asked Sa Ren to go in and ask her father, then they came to the cow shed.

“Uncle and Aunt, hello.”

The siblings greeted them politely.

Sanhe Village was a mixed Mongolian and Han village, not purely Mongolian, so Sa Ren’s parents could speak Mandarin, “Hello.” They smiled kindly.

“The mutton is almost ready. I made pancakes for the main course, okay?” Sa Ren’s mother asked her daughter in Mongolian.

Sa Ren, “Okay, Mom, did you chop the filling already?”

Sa Ren’s mother, “It doesn’t take long to chop the filling. You should have told me earlier that your friend was coming. There’s nothing much at home to entertain her.”

Sa Ren, “It’s okay, she loves mutton.”

Lin Shu Yin listened and wanted to chat with them in Mongolian, but then she would be exposed. And her brother was here, it would be difficult to explain.

“Where did Aodun go?” Sa Ren asked her brother.

Sa Ren’s mother, “He went to the brigade, he’ll be back soon.”

Sa Ren’s brother was the same age as Lin Da Jie, 23 this year. Sa Ren was one year older than Lin Shu Yin, 20 this year. Her brother, Aodun, was 16.

He wasn’t in school anymore, he stayed home and worked the land with his parents.