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Chapter 70 ☆ Not Behave
Before Xie Zhao could speak, Cheng Yaoyao ran to him excitedly and said, “The book my dad sent has arrived!”
Her cheeks were flushed from the sun, and she looked up at him with a sweet, eager expression.
Xie Zhao’s rising anger was instantly soothed. He nodded gently, “Are you sunburned? Go drink some water and rest.”
Although they didn’t display any intimate gestures, their presence together was harmoniously unobtrusive, making it hard for anyone to interfere.
Lin Jiaqi observed this and, smiling casually, said, “These are quite heavy. Where should I put them?”
Cheng Yaoyao replied, “I’ll take them to my room.”
Before Lin Jiaqi could ask which room, Xie Zhao extended his hand, “I’ll do it.”
Lin Jiaqi noticed Xie Zhao’s arm was still in a cast and said, “Your injury isn’t healed yet. Let me handle it.”
“You’re a guest,” Xie Zhao said lightly, picking up the two heaviest packages with one hand before Lin Jiaqi could object.
Cheng Yaoyao picked up the smallest package and hurried into the house behind Xie Zhao.
Cheng Yaoyao instructed Xie Zhao, “Put it on the table.”
Xie Zhao placed it on the table and asked, “Do you want to open it now?”
Every time Cheng Yaoyao received a package, she couldn’t wait to open it. She was always restless until she knew what was inside.
Remembering this, Cheng Yaoyao eagerly said, “I want to open it now. My father must have included a lot of reference materials. I hope there’s the one I need!”
Xie Zhao nodded calmly and closed the door behind him as he left.
Cheng Yaoyao found scissors and opened the package. Inside, she found brand new clothes, some food, and the largest package contained study materials. Searching through it, she discovered three volumes of review materials with light green covers!
Cheng Yaoyao hugged the three books, her eyes sparkling. These were the review materials Grandpa had mentioned! Overjoyed, she threw herself onto the bed and rolled around happily, eager to flip through the pages. Sure enough, it was the book she wanted! Some knowledge points and question types covered in it were ones she and Xie Zhao hadn’t reviewed yet.
As Cheng Yaoyao focused on the books, Lin Jiaqi had already been warmly entertained by Grandma Xie and had left.
Cheng Yaoyao held up two books and asked, “Why did Second Brother Lin leave?”
Grandma Xie, clearing the table, responded, “He just left. Do you need something from him?”
“I have two books here that I wanted to lend him,” Cheng Yaoyao said. “It’s fine; I’ll give them to him another day.”
As Cheng Yaoyao put the books away, she noticed Xie Zhao looking at her with an ambiguous expression. She smiled and said, “Come quickly, my dad sent some goodies!”
Studying is a serious matter. Xie Zhao suppressed his thoughts and focused on studying the review materials with Cheng Yaoyao, helping her formulate a new, clearer review plan.
That evening, the weather was unusually cool, and the whole family sat in the yard drinking porridge. The millet porridge was soft and sticky, accompanied by side dishes: pickled cucumbers, stir-fried pumpkin flowers, cold black fungus, and pickled pepper snail meat.
Cheng Yaoyao asked, “How can pumpkins grow when the pumpkin flowers have been pinched?”
Grandma Xie smiled and said, “The vegetables in the yard have been growing wildly recently. If you don’t pinch the pumpkin vines, they’ll crawl out of the yard.”
The mention of it made everyone look around to see the pumpkin vines thriving, climbing along the Chinese toon tree and the courtyard wall. The flowers and buds were blooming brightly in yellow, and the cucumbers and tomatoes were so abundant that the branches had broken several times. The Xie family couldn’t eat them all and often shared with the neighbors, improving their relationship with the villagers.
Cheng Yaoyao felt a bit depressed, realizing that the spiritual spring water she had been using to bathe Xie Zhao was flowing into the vegetable field and causing such rapid growth.
Seeing Cheng Yaoyao lost in thought, Xie Zhao picked a pumpkin flower with chopsticks and placed it in her bowl. “There are too many pumpkin flowers to bear fruit. I saved a few pumpkin buttons for you; they’ll grow into big pumpkins.”
Cheng Yaoyao cheerfully responded, “The pumpkin seeds I planted will definitely produce big pumpkins!”
Grandma Xie smiled and said, “Yes, Yaoyao, our hen is well-fed and has been laying many large eggs. Last month, Lin Gui’s family gave me a laying hen. I couldn’t bring myself to kill it, and it has laid nearly 20 eggs in the past ten days.”
Cheng Yaoyao proudly exclaimed, “I’ve saved up twenty eggs!”
With four hens in the family now, they collected an average of eight or nine eggs daily. Cheng Yaoyao’s egg basket was finally filling up.
Xie Fei commented, “Our hens eat cicadas and grasshoppers every day, so of course, they lay lots of eggs.”
Grandma Xie added, “I’m going to the market tomorrow and will take the 100 eggs I’ve saved. I can trade them for more rice and grain.”
Cheng Yaoyao asked curiously, “A market? Can we have one now?”
Markets are still strictly regulated against speculation, with fines or forced labor as punishment. Villagers can only trade some eggs and food at the black market. Cheng Yaoyao also asks Hou Zi to resell the food she makes. Can there really be a market now?
Xie Zhao explained, “Bashang Village is near the mountain people’s residence. They trade items like cloth, dried meat, and food among themselves, and no one dares to control them. So, a small market has formed. The village leader has set up a mill to grind tofu, making a good profit each time he goes to the market.”
Cheng Yaoyao excitedly said, “Then I want to go too!”
“What for?” Grandma Xie immediately declined. “You and Zhao should stay home and study hard.”
Cheng Yaoyao pouted in disappointment and looked at Xie Zhao. This time, he didn’t support her request. “Be good; I’ll take you next time.”
Grandma Xie warned, “Those mountain people are very fierce. If they see you’re pretty, they might capture you and take you back to the mountains to be their wife.”
“Stop scaring me,” Cheng Yaoyao retorted, but she didn’t insist on going.
She knew the mountain people were tough, and with Xie Zhao’s injury not fully healed, it might be risky for her to go with Grandma Xie.
Grandma Xie said, “Behave, and I’ll bring you some cakes. The mountain people’s rice cakes are delicious.”
Cheng Yaoyao agreed, and seeing Xie Fei’s eager look, she suggested, “Then take Xiao Fei with you. She’s never been to the market, right?”
Grandma Xie asked, “Xiao Fei?”
Xie Zhao added, “Grandma, take Xiao Fei with you. She’ll be fine with the others.”
Xie Fei’s eyes lit up, and she looked eagerly at Grandma Xie. After some hesitation, Grandma Xie agreed.
Xie Fei was overjoyed. She had never left the village, and now she could go to the market! She excitedly talked to Cheng Yaoyao about it all night, imagining the market and what fun and delicious things she could buy.
The pink cloth Cheng Yaoyao bought for Xie Fei was ready. Xie Fei had been saving it, but now she ironed it flat, eager to wear it to the market. Cheng Yaoyao handed her a banknote, saying, “We’ll need money for the market tomorrow.”
Xie Fei quickly waved her hand. “I have money.”
Cheng Yaoyao asked curiously, “Where did you get it?”
Xie Fei smiled, touching the money in her pocket. “My brother gave me five Yuan and told me to buy whatever I wanted.”
Xie Zhao was such a good brother.
Cheng Yaoyao smiled and ruffled Xie Fei’s pigtails. “Then bring me some rice cakes tomorrow.”
“Yes!” Xie Fei nodded vigorously. “I’ll buy you something fun whenever I can, Sister Yaoyao!”
Grandma Xie hadn’t left the village for many years. With the mountain road blocked, the villagers hadn’t had tofu or fresh pork for a long time. Grandma Xie planned to bring back some tofu for Xie Zhao to help with his recovery. She and Xie Fei, along with Jinnier and a few other recently befriended women, set off together.
Cheng Yaoyao was woken up early for breakfast, picked up a few eggs, and sleepily nodded. Grandma Xie and Xie Fei packed their things and left.
Cheng Yaoyao insisted on keeping the hundred eggs at home. The eggs, fed with spiritual spring water, could only be sold for a small amount, which would waste their value. The family didn’t need the extra money recently, so Grandma Xie took the cash instead.
Xie Zhao sent Grandma Xie and Xie Fei to the village entrance, leaving Cheng Yaoyao home alone.
Grandma Xie smiled and said, “I bet as soon as we leave, Yaoyao will lie back on the bed.”
A hint of a smile crossed Xie Zhao’s eyes. Xie Fei defended Cheng Yaoyao, “Sister Yaoyao wouldn’t do that. She and Brother have been studying hard lately.”
As they reached the village entrance, they saw Zhang Xiaofeng walking past them without noticing. Zhang Xiaofeng often came to visit Cheng Yaoyao and had a good relationship with the Xie family, so his distracted look was unusual.
Xie Zhao frowned but chose not to ask questions. After watching Grandma Xie and Xie Fei leave with the village women, he turned and walked back home.
The Xie family’s yard was quiet, with the pumpkin vines rustling in the wind and the hens pecking at the water in the basin. Cheng Yaoyao’s door was closed, and there was no sound from inside.
Xie Zhao slowly pushed the door open and walked in. The desk was empty; Cheng Yaoyao was nowhere to be seen.
Cheng Yaoyao was lying comfortably on the bed, even in her nightgown, looking completely relaxed.
Xie Zhao called out, “Sister, it’s time to get up.”
He lifted her blanket, and Cheng Yaoyao whined, covering her eyes, and said irritably, “You’re making so much noise, go away!”
“It’s time to study,” Xie Zhao said sternly, pinching Cheng Yaoyao’s nose.
Cheng Yaoyao suddenly found it hard to breathe. After struggling for a moment, she opened her eyes and began to protest, “I won’t get up, I won’t get up!”
Today, Xie Zhao wasn’t as patient or lenient as usual and simply watched her fuss with calm detachment. Cheng Yaoyao, feeling a bit scared, said sweetly, “I really want to sleep today, just a little longer.”
Xie Zhao responded firmly, “You’ve been too naughty lately.”
Cheng Yaoyao’s anger flared. When Xie Zhao spoke like that, it usually meant he was going to “settle accounts” with her.
Although Xie Zhao was usually quiet, he seemed very meticulous! Cheng Yaoyao suspected he kept a little notebook recording her misdeeds, and when the list grew long enough, he’d confront her about it.
Torn between fear and the comfort of her bed, Cheng Yaoyao pulled the quilt over her face. Without seeing Xie Zhao, she felt braver and shouted, “I won’t behave!”
After she spoke, Xie Zhao fell silent. Cheng Yaoyao breathed a sigh of relief, only to hear the sound of the door latch.
Her heart skipped a beat. She pulled down the quilt and saw Xie Zhao locking the door and turning to look at her.
***
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Vyl[Translator]
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