Font Size:
After harvesting the rice, it was time for sweet potatoes and corn, followed by plowing the land for wheat and rapeseed. The work stretched all the way until mid-November, leaving everyone looking leaner and more worn out.
Once the communal fields were done, there was still the personal plots to tend to, leaving no time to rest. That’s just the way farmers were—after one crop, they moved on to the next. Planting, harvesting, and then back to planting again; it was a never-ending cycle of toil for their daily bread.
As the season turned colder, Ye Xin bundled up in thick winter clothes one morning. She settled onto a small stool beside the chicken coop, tossing corn to the chickens. “Cluck, cluck! When are you going to lay eggs?”
Two months had flown by in the blink of an eye. All five of her little chicks had survived—one rooster and four hens. The fluffy yellow balls of fluff had shed their downy coats and were now sporting pale golden feathers. They had grown to over two pounds, losing that adorable softness in the process. But that didn’t matter; Ye Xin was eagerly awaiting their first eggs.
Every day before heading to work and after returning, she made it a point to check on the chickens. Feeding them had become an essential part of her daily routine, and she didn’t need Shen Zhuo to help anymore.
Initially, the chicks had munched on vegetable leaves, occasionally nibbling on rice. However, Shen Zhuo thought feeding them rice was too extravagant. Once they grew a bit bigger, Ye Xin switched to corn, which was much easier to handle. Instead of grinding it up, she could now toss them whole kernels, saving her effort and keeping her hands clean.
During the busy farming season, Ye Xin had managed to harvest rice from her space again, as well as plant and harvest corn. There was no shortage of food for the chicks. She had enough seeds and a solid stockpile. The wooden warehouse was filled with grains, and the number of dried vegetables was simply uncountable. Every time she glanced at the storage, a sense of satisfaction washed over her.
On this cold winter morning, the quiet chill slowly mingled with the aroma of cooking food, bringing life to the yard.
Shen Zhuo poked his head out from the kitchen and called, “Time to eat!”
“I’m coming!” Ye Xin tossed the last of the corn into the chicken coop, clapped her hands, and turned to join him for breakfast.
The morning meal consisted of rice with sautéed green peppers and cured meat, accompanied by spicy and sour cabbage—aromatic and warming. With every bite, she felt a wave of comfort wash over her.
While they ate, Shen Zhuo suggested, “After breakfast, should we dig up the sweet potatoes?” He was referring to the ones he had planted in the garden behind the house.
Ye Xin sighed. She didn’t want to dig them up just yet; she had only just wrapped up the busy farming season and craved a little break. “Is the meat all gone?” she asked.
Shen Zhuo immediately understood her meaning and nodded, “This is the last of it.”
The last time they had gone to town was back in September. Anticipating the busyness ahead, they had stocked up on dried and smoked meats. Now that the weather had turned cooler, they didn’t have to worry about it spoiling. October had indeed kept them too busy to visit the market, and they had made their meat supplies last until now. But now, both meat and eggs were gone.
After two months of hard labor with little respite, Ye Xin felt like she was turning into a workhorse, and a sense of isolation was creeping in. With the rush finally behind them, she was eager to hit the streets and relax a bit.
“We don’t need to rush on the sweet potatoes; let’s go buy some meat instead,” she proposed.
Shen Zhuo nodded in agreement, unsurprised and without objection. The sweet potato vines had already withered in the cold, and whether they dug them up now or later wouldn’t make much difference. They were currently eating rice with every meal and didn’t need sweet potatoes to fill them up.
However, they were short on cash for this meat-buying trip.
He hesitated, suggesting, “How about we go up the mountain to gather herbs for a few days?”
Ye Xin grimaced. Even though she knew that collecting herbs could earn them money, she was tired after so much work and didn’t want to wait any longer. “If we gather herbs, we’ll need to dry them too. When will that be done? Let’s just go shopping first.”
Seeing the fatigue etched on her face, Shen Zhuo felt a pang of guilt. It was his fault for being so poor. “How about you stay home and rest while I go gather herbs?”
Ye Xin frowned, a bit displeased. “It’s not like we can only make money by gathering herbs. We have vegetables we can sell!”
“But selling the vegetables might not bring in enough…” Shen Zhuo hesitated, gauging her expression. A good harvest might yield a couple of coins, but that fell far short of what they needed to buy essentials.
“I’ve dried plenty of vegetables and chili peppers! That’ll bring in some money! Besides, I’ve saved some from selling vegetables before—enough for a trip to town!” Ye Xin insisted, her irritation evident. She simply didn’t want to wait any longer. “I don’t care; we’re going to town tomorrow!”
This was the first time Shen Zhuo had seen her sulk, and rather than feeling upset, he found it oddly refreshing. Up until now, she had been all smiles, her cheerful demeanor and melodic voice radiating positivity. At times, she was gentle and understanding, embodying patience and tolerance. He had nearly come to view her as perfect.
But now he saw that she could be impatient and even throw a little tantrum.
In fact, she looked even more charming when she was upset. Her skin was fair and delicate, a rosy glow beneath the surface, and her features exuded an air of grace. Even with her brow furrowed in displeasure, she was beautiful—and dare he say, a bit cute.
When Ye Xin noticed that he was just staring at her without speaking, she assumed he was against the idea and lost her appetite. “So, are we going to town tomorrow or not? If you’re not going, then I’ll go by myself…”
Snapping back to reality, Shen Zhuo quickly agreed, “Okay, okay, we’ll go!” He added reassuringly, “Don’t worry, finish your meal first.”
Feeling a bit more at ease, Ye Xin picked up her bowl and continued to eat.
Now that they had decided to go to town the next day without selling herbs, there was no need to rush. After finishing breakfast, they would tidy up the vegetable garden behind the house.
The winter cabbage and other greens they had planted were already thriving, forming tight, sturdy heads, while the green beans were climbing well and ready for picking.
Shen Zhuo couldn’t help but marvel, “Our vegetable garden really is impressive.”
Ye Xin smirked with pride. “You should see who’s been taking care of it!”
At first, Shen Zhuo had dismissed it, attributing their success to either the seeds or the quality of the soil. But over time, he came to realize that it was indeed her hard work that made all the difference.
During the second autumn plowing, he had closely examined the soil. It was just the typical, easily compacted yellow earth, nothing extraordinary. Considering that she was the one who managed the garden, it only made sense—she truly had a talent for growing vegetables. From selecting seeds to planning the layout of the garden, from watering and weeding to thinning and transplanting, all of it was her domain. Her gardening skills compensated for the soil’s lack of nutrients.
Perhaps she had a natural gift for it; some people just excel in certain areas. Or maybe she had learned some techniques in the city, after all, she was a well-educated youth from town.
Shen Zhuo felt even more admiration and gratitude towards her. “Honestly, if it weren’t for you, this garden wouldn’t be thriving like it is.”
Ye Xin’s heart swelled with joy upon hearing his praise.
Today, they would focus on weeding and tidying up the rows, catching up on the tasks they had let slide before. They would also take stock of what vegetables were ready for picking to sell fresh in the morning.
As they worked from one end of the garden to the other, Shen Zhuo glanced up and spotted a row of fruit saplings at the edge of the plot. The wild bamboo, wild peach trees he had dug up from the mountain, along with the grapevines and citrus trees bought from town, had all taken root. Though they lacked vigor in the winter chill, they were indeed alive.
He began to imagine what it would be like when those trees grew tall and bore fruit—soon enough, they would have their own fresh fruit to enjoy. Just the thought made him excited and fueled his motivation.
As he grasped the shovel to continue working, he noticed some green shoots sprouting beneath the fruit saplings. They didn’t look like the usual weeds.
The vegetable seeds wouldn’t have landed over here. After some thought, he recalled that Ye Xin had thrown some herb seeds from Dr. Xu onto this patch earlier…
Realizing this, Shen Zhuo called out excitedly to Ye Xin, “The herb seeds have sprouted!”
Ye Xin walked over, hands tucked in her pockets, and glanced down. “They sprouted a while ago; you just didn’t notice.”
Shen Zhuo nodded, recognizing that he usually handled cooking while she took care of the garden, so it was no surprise she had seen them first. “Really?”
Ye Xin replied, “With enough care, they can still grow, just maybe not very well. It doesn’t have to be about selling them; it’s also an experiment.”
Shen Zhuo nodded in agreement, unable to resist complimenting her. “You really are amazing; you can grow anything!”
Ye Xin raised her chin in pride, glancing one last time at the underdeveloped herb seedlings before strolling away. Compared to her expectations, they fell short—humph!
She absolutely despised weeding and had no desire to get her hands dirty in the winter, so she left all the hard work to Shen Zhuo. Her main job was to observe, pondering which vegetables she would pick to sell tomorrow.
As she wandered, an idea suddenly struck her. The weather had turned cold, and she still hadn’t bought a thermos, something she’d been meaning to do for six months. The town was limited in options, and buying a second-hand thermos from the black market didn’t seem ideal. She wondered if she should take a trip to the county town instead.
After being here for so long, she had yet to venture beyond the small town…
Once that thought surfaced, it was impossible to suppress.
At lunch, Ye Xin bluntly said to Shen Zhuo, “Let’s sell the vegetables tomorrow and make a trip to the county town!”
Shen Zhuo was taken aback. “County town?”
Ye Xin nodded eagerly. “While we have the chance, let’s explore the county town! Plus, with your training course next month, you’ll need to buy some supplies. The town is just too small; we can’t find many things here. Let’s check out the department store in the county town!”
Shen Zhuo wanted to mention that he didn’t need anything special for the training, but seeing her enthusiasm, he decided not to argue. “Sure, a trip to check things out sounds good. But we’ll need a letter of introduction to go to the county town; we’ll have to get the team leader to write one.”
With everything settled so cheerfully, Ye Xin felt lighthearted. “Let’s go see the team leader this afternoon. He won’t refuse us, right?”
Of course, Li Xingguo wouldn’t refuse. He was a fair man who always agreed to reasonable requests. Besides, he had noticed Ye Xin’s hard work and positive attitude lately, which made him feel pleased.
Given that the busy farming season had just ended, the team was allowing everyone to rest for a few days. With not many people working, most preferred to stay home or take a stroll in town, so it was quite casual.
Once Li Xingguo understood their plans, he took out some paper and a pen to write the letter of introduction. He also mentioned Shen Zhuo’s training course, saying, “The commune has prepared the venue, teachers, and materials. Training will start on the first of next month and last for a month. I’ll also be there on the first day. You should take care of things at home these next few days so you can focus on your studies later.”
Shen Zhuo nodded. “Got it.”
Ye Xin chimed in, “Team Leader, we’ve been thinking about this too. We know the weather will get colder soon, and it’ll be tough traveling back and forth in the cold. That’s why we want to go to the county town to buy some things now.”
Li Xingguo nodded in understanding. “Alright, as long as you’re aware.” He handed her the completed letter of introduction.
Ye Xin was thrilled to receive the letter. After glancing at it, she happily headed back with Shen Zhuo, already preparing for tomorrow’s adventure.