When the three of them arrived, many people had not yet received their rations. Aunt Si saw Xu Ning and called out, “Xu Zhiqing, have your work points been calculated? How much grain can you get this year?”

Xu Ning smiled and replied, “Aunt Si, the accountant and the team leader are still figuring it out. This year, my brother has earned six work points a day, which should be enough for both of us.”

Aunt Si praised, “You two siblings are hardworking. Your brother earns six work points a day, and you earn ten. You, a female worker, are earning as much as the strong laborers.”

Xu Ning smiled shyly.

Aunt Si then quietly asked, “Xu Zhiqing, I heard from San Zhu’s wife that you got into a fight with Liu Zhiqing the other day. Did you come out worse for wear?”

Xu Ning sighed and said, “Aunt, I don’t even know what provoked her that day. Everyone saw that she fell to the ground on her own.

I was nearby, so I ran over to help her, but I was running too fast and accidentally bumped into her. She hit me on the head with a corn cob. If I hadn’t dodged quickly, she would have cracked my skull. After she got up, she chased after me to keep hitting me. I was also forced into a corner, so I ended up fighting back.”

Aunt Si curled her lip and said, “That Liu Zhiqing has a wicked heart. She even wants a few people from the cattle shed to work for her. She claims to be their aunt and even tried to hit that kid in the cattle shed. San Nai said that child cried pitifully.”

Xu Ning pretended to be surprised and said, “Isn’t that what Lin Qiuhua said?”

Aunt Si lowered her voice and replied, “She instigated Lin Qiuhua to say that. Lin Qiuhua is such a simpleton; she just does whatever others point out.”

Xu Ning exclaimed in surprise, “So she’s that kind of person! I should keep my distance from her; I wouldn’t want to be used as a pawn at any moment.”

Aunt Si agreed and patted her hand.

This year, Xu Ning didn’t request fine grains; she asked for coarse grains instead. She had plenty of fine grains stored in her space and planned to mix a little with the coarse grains when the time came.

Xu An ran over as soon as school was out. Seeing that it wasn’t their turn yet, he waited with his sister. The siblings didn’t have a cart, so Wei Lanlan said she would have Chen Xiangdong come over to help pull it back later.

Xu Ning didn’t let him do that; she asked Xu An to borrow Uncle Dashuan’s cart for a while. Jianmin also came over to help load the grain onto the cart and then followed the two back to pull the cart.

Xu Ning smiled and said, “Jianmin, you don’t need to run along with us. Just wait a bit, and let Xiao An pull the cart back for you.”

“Xu Zhiqing, I have nothing to do at home. I’ll go with you to pull it back; that way, Xiao An won’t have to make extra trips,” Jianmin replied.

Now fourteen years old, Jianmin was about the same height as Xu An. When he was younger, he used to come over for some food, and now he would refuse any sweets or snacks given to him.

After moving the grain inside, Xu Ning invited him to stay for a meal before leaving. He took off with the cart, making the siblings laugh.

In the youth camp, Lin Qiuhua placed her freshly received grain neatly, while Liu Fang was still angry with her and ignored her.

In the past, Lin Qiuhua would have approached Liu Fang to talk, but ever since the matchmaker came to break off the engagement, Lin Qiuhua had stopped acknowledging her. Liu Fang glared at her fiercely as she saw Lin Qiuhua arranging her grain.

That morning, Xu Ning had woken up to nice weather and washed the bedding and sheets at home. After finishing, she checked the time; it was only ten o’clock, so she planned to take a trip up the mountain.

At the foot of the mountain, she ran into Jiaohua and Chunhua the aunt and niece. She greeted them with a smile and continued on her way.

While Wei Lanlan was gathering mountain goods, she spotted Xu Ning and called out, “Xu Ning, come over here and collect some!”

Xu Ning walked over with a smile and asked, “Why are you here alone? Where’s Chen Xiangdong?”

“He just took a basket down. You come earlier than us every day; why are you late today?” Wei Lanlan replied.

Xu Ning set her backpack down and explained, “I saw the weather was nice today, so I decided to wash the bedding.”

Wei Lanlan continued, “Tomorrow, Wang Yang and Wang Yu from our commune are heading back to the city.”

As she mentioned this, Xu Ning remembered those two low-profile boys who had come to Yushu Village with Lin Miao. They seemed to be from the city, and they spent more than half the year away.

Xu Ning asked, “I remember they’re brothers, right? Are both of them going back to the city?”

Wei Lanlan nodded and said, “Yes, they’re both from the city. After graduation, they couldn’t find jobs, so the two of them came to the countryside. Now that their grandparents have retired, they’re going back to take their place.”

When Chunhua and Jiaohua arrived, the two were engaged in conversation. Wei Lanlan called out to them, “Chunhua, Jiaohua, just gather here!”

Chunhua replied with a smile, “There’s not much left here. You two can keep gathering; we’ll go a little further up.”

Wei Lanlan glanced at Xu Ning and noticed that she was smiling gently, her expression calm and composed.

When Wang Yang and Wang Yu were leaving, Xu Ning and Xu An had come to see them off, but this time they didn’t bring anything. There hadn’t been much of a friendship, so coming to say goodbye was just a way to honor their time as fellow Zhiqing.

Last summer, Xu Ning had conveniently picked a few cucumbers and tomatoes from the field.

She prepared those for Ge Hongbin as a way to return a favor since he had previously helped her and Xu An.

After Wang Yang and Wang Yu left, Xu Ning and Xu An were getting ready to head back. Wei Lanlan and Yang Xiaomei followed her, and Xu Ning glanced at them but didn’t ask; it seemed they had something to discuss.

As they entered the house, Xu Ning laughed and said, “What’s going on? You two seem all secretive.”

Wei Lanlan said shyly, “Xu Ning, do you have any industrial vouchers? We’d like to trade for some.”

Xu Ning replied, “I do have some, but not many—only about seven or eight.”

Wei Lanlan said, “I just need three more; you can give the rest to Xiaomei.”

Yang Xiaomei added, “My family sent a few vouchers, but I still need two more.”

Xu Ning nodded and said, “Okay, I’ll go get them for you.”

After exchanging the industrial vouchers, the three of them prepared to head up the mountain. Just as they reached the cattle shed, they spotted Lin Qiuhua walking ahead with her head down, carrying a basket on her back.

As the three walked behind her, Wei Lanlan whispered, “Ever since the matchmaker came to break off the engagement, Lin Qiuhua hasn’t paid any attention to Liu Fang. She hasn’t caused any trouble either; she just goes up the mountain every day to gather goods and chop firewood, even eating separately from those other Zhiqing.”

Xu Ning asked, “How many people are still eating from the communal pot?”

Wei Lanlan replied, “Only Liu Fang, Chunhua, and Jiaohua.”

Yang Xiaomei chimed in, “Yesterday, Jiaohua told me that she and Chunhua also plan to separate and cook for themselves.”

Xu Ning was surprised and said, “So they’re all going to eat separately? How can one pot cook enough for everyone?”

Wei Lanlan said, “Well, since we won’t be working in the winter, it doesn’t matter if we eat a little earlier or a bit later.”

She then asked, “By the way, when are you going to pickle the sauerkraut? I want to come and learn from you. The sauerkraut I make never tastes the same as yours!”

Xu Ning laughed and replied, “I’ll be pickling it in the next few days. I’ll call you over when I start, and you can help me chop the cabbage!”