Chapter 8 ☆ Pick mushrooms

Cheng Yaoyao finished most of the bowl of multi-grain noodle dumplings, but couldn’t finish the remaining half. She didn’t want to leave any leftovers and noticed Liu Minxia eyeing her bowl with a pitiful look.

Liu Minxia had only received half a bowl of mixed grain noodles without meat that night. With a big appetite, she clearly wasn’t full and stared directly at Cheng Yaoyao’s bowl.

Cheng Yaoyao’s lips twitched. “I can’t eat anymore, but these are what I’ve already eaten…”

Liu Minxia said she didn’t mind, reached out, poured the remaining half bowl of noodles into her own bowl, and started eating eagerly.

Liu Minxia ate the noodles in large mouthfuls, barely noticing her hair falling into the bowl. She swallowed quickly, her veins bulging as if she were consuming not just food, but her very dignity.

Cheng Yaoyao suddenly lost her appetite. She stood up and went back to her room. At the door, she turned back and asked, “Is it my turn to wash the dishes today?”

Several male, educated youths stood up, saying, “No, no, we can wash them!”

“Yes, Yaoyao, go back to your room and rest. Don’t catch a cold! We’ll refill your water bottle for you!”

Cheng Yaoyao hesitated. “But…”

Han Yin said without hesitation, “Go rest tonight. Don’t catch a cold. We don’t have any medicine here.”

Normally, Han Yin would complain about Cheng Yaoyao being lazy and argue with her, but today, his tone was unexpectedly accommodating after eating the white flour dumplings.

Cheng Yaoyao smiled and said, “Thank you for your hard work. Good night.”

As she disappeared behind the door curtain, everyone was a little dazed. Why was Cheng Yaoyao so good-tempered tonight? And even more… charming.

In her room, Cheng Yaoyao carefully stepped over the pots and pans on the floor in the dark, walked to the table, struck a match, and lit the kerosene lamp.

The room brightened slightly. Cheng Yaoyao changed into a cotton nightgown, lifted her pink quilt, and lay down.

The rainy season made the bedding damp. Used to a high bed and soft pillow, Cheng Yaoyao found it hard to fall asleep hugging the quilt. The mosquitoes buzzed incessantly, drawn to her delicate skin. She had to hide her hands and feet under the quilt, sweating from the heat and tossing and turning in discomfort.

After the female educated youths finished cleaning up, they entered the room one by one. Zhang Xiaofeng lit mugwort to drive away the mosquitoes. The smoke reduced the number of mosquitoes but made Cheng Yaoyao cough.

Cheng Yaoyao threw off the quilt and got up to pour some water. “It’s so annoying! Why are there so many mosquitoes?”

Han Yin sat by the bed, smiling mischievously as she washed her feet. “Who made your blood sweeter than others? With you here, mosquitoes only bite you, not us.”

Cheng Yaoyao looked at her in surprise. “Don’t you want to take a shower?”

Not only Han Yin, but also Zhang Xiaofeng and Liu Minxia had not taken showers; they had only washed their feet.

Han Yin said, “I went up the mountain to see you and got soaked in the rain. Didn’t you bathe then? Who else but a wealthy lady takes a shower every day?”

In this era, people struggled to get enough food and clothing, so hygiene was not a priority. The dormitory conditions for the educated youth were poor, and there was no separate bathroom. Fortunately, it was summer, and each night, they just put some warm water in a basin and wiped it down.

The original owner insisted on bathing every day. A few lackeys of the educated youth boiled a large pot of hot water for her daily, and Liu Minxia brought it into the house for her to wash her hair and bathe. Despite this, the original owner still complained about everything.

It was no wonder the original owner tried every means to marry Xie San. Who could endure these dormitory conditions?

Cheng Yaoyao picked up her red aluminum thermos, poured out half a pot of hot water, added a bit of cold water, and wiped the sweat from her body.

Han Yin suddenly remarked, “You’re so white!”

Cheng Yaoyao almost knocked over the basin and turned around angrily. “Why are you peeking at me?”

Han Yin laughed, “We’ve all seen what you have. What are you afraid of?”

Cheng Yaoyao was furious. Not only was there no separate bathroom in the dormitory, but there wasn’t even a curtain, and the female educated youth didn’t bother to cover themselves while bathing.

Zhang Xiaofeng, being from the north and used to bathhouses, didn’t think it was a big deal. “Yaoyao, what did you eat to grow up like this? Look at your figure—thin waist and big hips.”

Cheng Yaoyao adjusted the straps of her skirt, lifted her chin, and snorted, “This is called natural beauty.”

Han Yin said sourly, “You flinch when I compliment you. But we work in the fields together, and you and Cheng Nuonuo never get tanned. You’re still so white.”

Zhang Xiaofeng subtly signaled Han Yin to be quiet.

Han Yin quickly remembered that Cheng Yaoyao had been arguing with Cheng Nuonuo earlier. He hastened to add, “How can Cheng Nuonuo compare with you? Look at her figure, like a little bean sprout. I don’t know how she keeps getting whiter and whiter.”

Zhang Xiaofeng suddenly said, “Hush.” The door curtain moved, and Cheng Nuonuo entered.

As Cheng Nuonuo entered the room, everyone fell silent, their expressions varying. Cheng Nuonuo had just run off earlier, with Shen Yan chasing her. Their long absence had sparked curiosity.

Cheng Nuonuo’s face remained expressionless as she quietly poured water to wash. The others ignored her and went to bed.

Cheng Yaoyao took the opportunity to observe Cheng Nuonuo. Cheng Nuonuo’s face was indeed white and clear, and a white face could cover up many flaws, adding to her beauty. However, her figure was very thin, and from behind, she looked as shriveled as a thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl. Cheng Yaoyao wondered how Shen Yan could bear to be with her.

No wonder Shen Yan was torn between the original owner and Cheng Nuonuo. Despite the original owner’s flaws, her beauty and figure were genuine.

Cheng Yaoyao and Cheng Nuonuo had the same father but different mothers. They resembled their respective mothers. The original owner’s mother and Cheng’s father were childhood sweethearts with a very close relationship. Unfortunately, she had a difficult labor and died after giving birth to the original owner.

Cheng’s father remarried for his daughter’s sake, choosing a country girl with no particular talent or looks, instructing her not to have children and to care for his daughter. Unexpectedly, the country girl proved capable and gave birth to Cheng Nuonuo within a year of marriage.

Unfortunately, Cheng Nuonuo was unattractive and dull from a young age. Cheng’s father, dissatisfied with his stepmother’s scheming and neglect of the original owner, took the original owner to work in another place and returned a few years later.

The stepmother, frightened and seeing her biological daughter as a lost cause, focused on making money to support her family and adopted a policy of praising the original owner excessively, ignoring her own daughter. In the original owner’s memory, her sister had never had a presence and looked thin and withered.

Two years ago, Cheng Nuonuo had a high fever, and after recovering, she suddenly changed. She first won over her biological mother, then manipulated Cheng’s father. Later, Shen Yan, who had been the original owner’s childhood sweetheart, became her lover.

Cheng Nuonuo turned off the lights, and the dormitory fell into darkness. The girls were not sleepy and chatted away. Most of the conversation was led by Han Yin and Zhang Xiaofeng, with Liu Minxia listening quietly, and Cheng Yaoyao occasionally asking questions.

The topic eventually shifted to Xie San. Han Yin said casually in a girlish tone, “The Xie San we talked about today is really tall and doesn’t look like a descendant of a landlord.”

“Can you tell a capitalist or landlord by their appearance?” Zhang Xiaofeng laughed. “He saved Yaoyao, which shows he has a kind heart.”

Liu Minxia suddenly said, “Everyone in the village calls him Yue Yun.”

The girls giggled, and Cheng Yaoyao turned over, clutching her quilt. Thinking of Xie San’s stern face, she curled her lips.

Cheng Yaoyao wasn’t sure if she would inherit the original owner’s fate, so it was better to stay away from Xie San. But before that, she needed to get close to him and complete her memory.

The next morning, Cheng Yaoyao was sleeping soundly with her quilt when Han Yin woke her up, even pulling the quilt off her.

“Cheng Yaoyao, get up, hurry!”

“Stop making noise…” Cheng Yaoyao lay on the bed, barely awake, her face flushed from sleep. Her skirt was lifted, revealing her slender, jade-like legs.

Han Yin blushed for some reason, threw the quilt back at her, and said, “Aren’t you going up the mountain with us to pick mushrooms? Hurry up, it’s going to get hot once the sun is out!”

“Ah, I’ll go, I’ll go!” Cheng Yaoyao quickly got out of bed.

Han Yin, Zhang Xiaofeng, and Liu Minxia were already dressed and ready. Han Yin kept urging her, and Cheng Yaoyao washed her face, brushed her teeth, tied her hair into a ponytail, and hurriedly put on her clothes.

The original owner’s suitcase was full of flashy but useless clothes. Zhang Xiaofeng gave her his old blouse, and Cheng Yaoyao put on a pair of army-green trousers and Liberation shoes, finally ready to go.

All the girls in the dormitory went out, except Cheng Nuonuo. When Cheng Yaoyao asked about her, Han Yin disdainfully replied, “She and Shen Yan went to town early this morning. They must be off to have a good meal. Forget her, let’s head up the mountain!”

Tianshui Village is nestled near mountains and rivers. As you walk up the mountain along the path, you can see dewdrops clinging to the roadside grass, clusters of wildflowers in bloom, and distant, misty green mountains. The fresh air is invigorating.

The roadside is abundant with wild vegetables, including ashweed, dandelions, wild shepherd’s purse, water fern, and shoots emerging from the weeds. After the rain, numerous types of fungi have sprouted.

Every spring, when food is scarce, the people of Tianshui Village rely on wild vegetables and mushrooms to survive. With diligence and perseverance, one can always find something in the mountains to fill their stomach. If one is lucky and skilled, they might also hunt some wild game.

Since the educated youth had just arrived in the village and their private plots were not yet yielding vegetables, they needed to forage on the mountain. Besides the original owner, several female educated youths often went up the mountain to gather wild vegetables, at least to supplement their food rations.

Han Yin and Liu Minxia were quick and had already run ahead. Zhang Xiaofeng accompanied Cheng Yaoyao, pointing out each wild vegetable he saw: “These are all edible. When we first came to Tianshui Village in the spring, during a vegetable shortage, the villagers taught us how to pick wild vegetables.”

The original owner had never participated in picking wild vegetables, and Zhang Xiaofeng did not mention it. Now that Cheng Yaoyao was eager to integrate into the group, she felt it was important to help her.

After about 20 minutes of walking, they arrived at a bamboo forest. The towering bamboos and the ground covered with fallen leaves and branches created an ideal environment for fungi.

Zhang Xiaofeng warned Cheng Yaoyao, “Many mushrooms here are poisonous. Only pick the ones we know are safe and avoid the rest.”

She picked a light brown mushroom from the bushes and said, “This one is edible, but don’t touch the white ones.”

Zhang Xiaofeng pointed at a white mushroom on the ground. It had a strange appearance, with a hollow, net-like structure, a small white umbrella on top, and a white skirt.

“Oh, I’ve noted it all down,” Cheng Yaoyao said, nodding.

As Zhang Xiaofeng walked away to search for more mushrooms, Cheng Yaoyao reached out and picked the white mushrooms.