The next morning, after Xu Ning and her brother had just finished breakfast, the other educated youths were still cooking. Chen Hongjun arrived with seven or eight people, bringing three carts loaded with mud bricks and construction tools. Xu Ning quickly walked over and said, “Uncle Hongjun, why are you here so early?” While greeting them, she led them to the back. Chen Hongjun laughed and said, “It’s cooler before the sun gets too strong. Xu Ning, you go on with your tasks. The sun will be strong at the back, so don’t follow us.”

Xu Ning replied, “Alright, Uncle Hongjun. I’ll go get some water for you.”

Three of the male educated youths had already known about the construction project yesterday, but Li Fengjiao and Lin Qiuhua were unaware. When they saw Xu Ning returning, Li Fengjiao asked, “Are you the one building the house?” Her tone implied doubt about Xu Ning’s ability to handle such a task. Xu Ning rolled her eyes and said, “It’s none of your business,” as she picked up the water bucket from the corner. Xu An carried a strap, and the siblings went to fetch water.

Once all the young intellectuals had gone to work, Xu Ning boiled a large pot of mung bean soup, added rock candy, and carried it to the construction workers. Before she had even reached the site, the village head arrived with a man in his twenties, tall and wearing a short-sleeved police uniform.

Xu Ning recognized that Zhao Jianshe had arrived quickly. She handed the bucket to Chen Hongjun and walked toward the two men.

Before she could get close, the village head said, “Xu Ning, your relative has come.” Xu Ning responded, “Brother Jianshe?”

Zhao Jianshe smiled and said, “Xiao Ning, I heard from your sister-in-law that you came home the day before yesterday. I didn’t have a chance to see you before you left. So, I came over today to check on you. How is your head?”

Xu Ning also smiled and said, “It’s much better now. The village head gave me a few days off, so I’ve been resting at home.” As she spoke, she invited them to sit down and poured the remaining mung bean soup into bowls, placing one in front of each of them.

After the village head finished his soup and left, Zhao Jianshe and Xu Ning stayed behind to talk.

Zhao Jianshe asked if the house being built in the back was hers. Xu Ning nodded and explained the situation at the youth camp. There were only two rooms at the site, and more educated youths would be coming soon. She and her brother were considering separating and using their own land.

Zhao Jianshe agreed that separating was a good idea; more people meant more conflicts. It was better to live separately. He then suggested going to see the construction site.

Xu Ning took him there and showed him the private land and the construction site. Zhao Jianshe nodded and went to speak with Chen Hongjun. Once they finished talking, Xu Ning and Zhao Jianshe returned to the youth camp where Zhao Jianshe had left his bicycle. He then removed the bag hanging from the bike’s handlebars, handed it to Xu Ning, and said,

“When you’re free, bring your brother to my house to play. If you need anything, just let my wife know. I’ll head back now.” Xu Ning replied, “Brother Jianshe, please stay and have a meal before you go.” Zhao Jianshe said, “I can’t stay; there are matters at the bureau.”

Xu Ning saw him to the door and gave him the bag to take home for his children. Zhao Jianshe declined, saying, “Do you have enough money for the house?”

Xu Ning replied, “Yes, my elder brother sends money every month.”

Zhao Jianshe said, “Then I’ll head back. When you’re free, bring your brother over to our place.”

Xu Ning watched Zhao Jianshe leave, then glanced at the bag in her hand. She went inside and unpacked it: two cans of oranges, a pound of White Rabbit creamy candy, and a can of Malted Milk. She also took out a pound of milk powder from her space and locked everything in the cabinet.

From her space, she took out a pound of meat, planning to use it for lunch. Xu An was too thin; at ten years old, he looked like a seven or eight-year-old. With them living with the other youths, many things couldn’t be taken out of the space.

Xu Ning then boiled a pot of water. The weather was so hot that even sitting still made her sweat, let alone being out in the sun. She carried the hot water to the construction site, where only a bit of mung bean soup was left. After returning the bucket, she started making more mung bean soup for the afternoon.

Xu Ning cut half of the pound of meat, salted it for tomorrow, and used the other half to stew with green beans.

When Xu An returned from work, he threw his basket on the ground and ran to the construction site. Xu Ning called out to him, but he didn’t respond. Soon after, Chen Hongjun led his group back for lunch. Xu An followed, chasing after them and asking, “Uncle Hongjun, how many days will it take to finish?” His question made everyone laugh heartily.

After sending the others off, Xu Ning told Xu An to wash his face. When Xu An saw the meat on the table, he asked, “Sister, did we not finish the meat yesterday?” Xu Ning explained the visit from Zhao Jianshe earlier.

After they had eaten, Xu Ning told Xu An to take a nap. She went to the carpenter in the village to order some cabinets for the beds and food storage. Since everything at the camp was communal, they needed to buy new items after moving.

Time flew by, and ten days had passed. The house for Xu Ning and her brother was completed, including the toilet and wood shed. Chen Hongjun said that if they installed the door today, they could move in after a couple of days. Xu Ning’s head injury had healed, and her hair, having grown back, was now cut short like a boy’s. Over the past few days, she had been working every day, and unlike other women who wore hats, she had become quite tanned, resembling a tomboy.

A few days ago, Zhao Jianshe had come by again to check on the progress. Seeing that everything was fine, he left. Xu Ning felt that her efforts had been quite successful. Though she hadn’t initially planned to approach Zhao Jianshe, once she learned that the original owner’s parents were being sent here, she had to make use of this relationship. At least, having this connection provided some deterrent effect in unpredictable situations.

The cabinets Xu Ning had ordered were completed, and the cabbage for their private land had been planted. The seedlings were exchanged with the village women, and she had also sown some small greens, spinach, and planted green onions nearby. The two acres of land looked quite presentable.

Xu An was now eating well every day, with plenty of fine grains and occasional meat and oil. In the evenings, Xu Ning also provided extra meals like egg cakes, cookies, milk powder, and malted milk, rotating daily. His little face had visibly become more plump and rosy.

Today was a rest day for the young intellectuals, so no one was working. Several of them went to the county town, but Xu Ning didn’t want to go with them. Her circumstances made it difficult to form close relationships, so she was gradually developing a prickly personality. No one dared to provoke or ignore her, which made it easier for her to act in the future. For now, she just wanted Xu An to live happily.

The siblings each carried a basket, and Xu Ning took a carrying pole. They planned to go up the mountain to chop firewood. With the autumn harvest approaching, the weather would soon turn cold, and they needed a lot of firewood for the long winter. They had been chopping wood every day after work.

Although they had already collected quite a bit, it was still far from enough. So, the siblings spent the whole day chopping wood.

After coming down from Daqing Mountain, they directly brought the firewood to their new house. The newly built wood shed was already piled with the wood they had collected over the past few days. The men installing the door saw them carrying the wood and praised them for being good at managing their lives.

Chen Hongjun helped take the firewood from their backs and said, “The door has been installed. Come over tonight to heat the house; this will help it dry faster. You should be able to move in after tidying up tomorrow.”

The house was now completely finished, and the construction workers were packing up their tools. Xu Ning went to the youth camp and took out several pieces of meat that had been salted and stored in a jar. She had taken these pieces from her space during her last visit to the county. Each piece weighed about half a pound. She also opened the cabinet, took out several bags of rock candy, each weighing half a pound, and put the meat and candy into a basket. She then headed toward the new house.

Xu Ning gave each of the workers half a pound of meat and half a bag of rock candy, saying, “You’ve worked hard these past few days. I should have treated you all to a meal, but as you know, the situation here is a bit difficult. The camp only has one communal pot, which everyone uses to cook. Please take these back and have Auntie make a dish with them. I’ll have Uncle Hongjun calculate the wages, and we’ll settle it with him later.” She handed over the items. ^[1]The local custom is to treat the construction workers to a meal once the house is finished.

The men replied, “Xu Ning, you’re being too polite. You and your brother should keep these for yourselves. It’s not easy for you two to come to the countryside.” Xu Ning said, “There’s not much here. I’ve prepared it for you. Otherwise, I’d feel bad.”

Chen Hongjun, standing by, said, “Just take it. It’s the intention of Xu Ning and her brother. We’re all in the same village, so we should look out for each other.” Only then did the men accept the items and head back with their carts.

Xu Ning and her brother walked back to the camp with Chen Hongjun. Xu Ning took Chen Hongjun to the kitchen and settled the wages with him. The total amount for the materials and labor for the two rooms was 195 yuan. After giving him the money, she handed over a bag containing a pound of meat, a pound of rock candy, and two pounds of rice. Chen Hongjun, knowing he couldn’t refuse, accepted it and said, “I won’t be polite then. If you need anything in the future, just let me know.”

When Chen Hongjun returned home and gave the items to his wife, she opened them and asked, “Weren’t you going to help Xu Ning build the house? Where did these come from?” Chen Hongjun explained that Xu Ning, due to the lack of a proper kitchen, didn’t invite them to a meal.

His wife exclaimed, “Wow, that’s a lot! The rice is really good.” Chen Hongjun said, “If anyone asks, just say it was only half a pound of meat and half a pound of rock candy. We should look after Xu Ning and her brother more in the future.” His wife understood and said, “Got it.”

After Chen Hongjun left, Xu Ning and her brother took brooms and began cleaning their new house. The 30-square-meter space had been divided into a large room and a small room. The smaller room would be the kitchen, while the larger room was divided in the middle so that each sibling had their own small space to sleep.

The pot Xu Ning had bought during her trip to the county was also set up. It was actually taken from her space, and Chen Hongjun had sealed the edges with mud to make sure it was airtight.

After cleaning the house, Xu Ning started heating the kang (a traditional heated bed). The room became so warm that it was almost unbearable. The furniture she had ordered would be moved in tomorrow.

After eating a little, Xu Ning and Xu An carried their baskets and went back up the mountain. With wild vegetables likely to become tough soon, Xu Ning planned to stock up on firewood and dig up more wild vegetables before the autumn harvest. Dried wild vegetables would be useful during the winter when fresh vegetables were scarce.

Once Xu Ning and Xu An had settled into their new home and nearly completed all their preparations, the village head announced that the autumn harvest would start in three days.

Xu Ning planned to visit the county town the next day. The autumn harvest would last over a month, and unless there were special circumstances, the brigade leader and village head did not allow anyone to take leave during this time.

The heroine from the book was expected to arrive in Yushu Village soon, and the original owner’s parents would arrive in just over a month. Xu Ning remembered that the book mentioned they had very little luggage when they were sent down, only the original owner’s father carrying a small bundle. Xu Ning needed to prepare their cotton clothing and bedding, as the ones they had were getting thin.

Xu Ning asked Xu An to write a letter to Xu Yang in the army, telling him not to send money anymore since they had enough. She also wanted Xu Yang to visit Yushu Village when he had leave, as they had a place for him to stay. Xu Ning had been secretly practicing writing like the original owner every night, and she was now quite proficient. Xu An would write the letter first, and Xu Ning would add a few finishing touches.

Early the next morning, Xu Ning got up and put a bowl of rice and some salted lean meat cut into cubes into the pot to make porridge. She also picked some green vegetable seedlings from the garden and made a pot of vegetable porridge, along with boiling two eggs.

When Xu An heard the noise, he got up and saw Xu Ning cooking. He went to start the fire for her. Xu Ning told him that she would not take him to the county town this time. They would go together after the autumn harvest for a day of fun. Xu An said, “Got it, sis. You go ahead. I’ll stay home and take care of things.”

Xu Ning added, “Don’t go to the mountain alone to chop firewood. Our supply is almost enough. After the autumn harvest, we’ll go up together to chop a little more.”

After breakfast, Xu Ning carried a large basket to the village entrance, where Old Chen’s ox cart was already waiting. The cart had two elderly women and a young woman she didn’t know. Li Fengjiao and Lin Qiuhua were also on the cart. When they saw Xu Ning, they snorted and turned their heads away. Old Chen called out, “Xu Ning, hurry up and get on. We’re just waiting for one more person.” Xu Ning quickly ran over and took her place.

Upon arriving in the county town, Xu Ning mailed the letter and went straight to the supply and marketing cooperative to check out the fabric colors. She had plenty of fabric in her space and wasn’t planning to buy any.

She purchased matches, kerosene, and sewing supplies, along with two pounds of pastry tickets she had brought with her when she came to the countryside. She bought two pounds of cookies and then left the cooperative.