Chapter 26: The Current Situation of the New Educated Youth and Cornmeal Dumplings

In the remaining day and a half, Ming Dai and Zhou Sinian filled the entire east side of the small courtyard with firewood, enough to last them through the entire winter.

Most of the work was done by Zhou Sinian, but Ming Dai did not let him suffer a loss—nearly twenty pounds of cornmeal had already been eaten.

These past two days, Zhou Sinian had been particularly happy, which was evident in how obedient he was.

Not only was he eating three full meals a day, but every meal was filling and satisfying. He had even eaten stir-fried cabbage with salted meat once, which opened the door to a whole new world for him.

Moreover, at night, he no longer had to sleep in damp bedding. There was now a mat underneath him—although old, it had belonged to Ming Dai’s father before he passed away. Even so, it was far better than the stiff, frozen military blanket Zhou Sinian had been using.

The change in the “madman” naturally caught the attention of the villagers. After all, it had been three days since he last hit someone, and some people were actually starting to miss it.

When someone asked Liu Dazhu about it, the brigade leader explained what had happened with Ming Dai.

The villagers sighed at Ming Dai’s misfortune for being tangled up with the madman, but at the same time, they were relieved. Now that Zhou Sinian had a target, their own children were much safer.

After all, in less than a year since Zhou Sinian had arrived in Liujiawan, he had beaten up nearly every child and man in the village, and even half of the women had not been spared.

It could be said that in the entire Hongqi Commune, the name “Zhou Sinian” alone was enough to stop a baby from crying at night.

Whenever a child misbehaved, parents would threaten, “If you keep crying, Zhou Sinian will come and take you away.”

The result was immediate.

Compared to Ming Dai, the other newly arrived educated youths faced a much tougher time.

On their very first night, Fang Rou and Qi Zhijun moved into the home of Luo Cheng’s widowed mother.

The Luo family had fled to Liujiawan before the founding of the country and was one of the few families in the village with a different surname. They had always kept a low profile, but after Luo Cheng joined the army and rose to the rank of company commander, their family finally gained some influence in the village.

Luo Cheng had three brothers and two sisters. He was the fourth child, right in the middle.

He had joined the army only because he was not valued at home.

However, he was somewhat blindly filial. He deeply respected his mother, who had lost her husband early and raised five children on her own.

Because of this, his mother had significant authority in the household.

Fang Rou had a good attitude, a delicate appearance, and had offered a generous amount of money. Naturally, the widow agreed to let the two stay in her home.

Fang Rou took the initiative to stay with Widow Luo, while Qi Zhijun was assigned to share a room with Luo’s youngest son, Luo Qiang.

However, she also understood that this arrangement was not a permanent solution. After discussing with the brigade leader, she selected two vacant rooms in the educated youth compound and paid to have heated brick beds (kang) built.

Constructing a kang was expensive, which was why those rooms had not had them before.

Now that they were willing to pay for it, and since the beds couldn’t be taken away when they left, it was essentially a free upgrade for the village. Liu Dazhu naturally agreed.

Over the next three days, many villagers came to help build the kangs. It was said that Fang Rou had promised to pay five yuan per worker if they completed the job within three days.

With such a good deal, the villagers worked hard, and soon, two large kangs were finished. They only needed time to dry before they could be used.

Fang Rou had also figured out the firewood issue. After discussing with the Luo family, she arranged for them to gather firewood over the next few days.

The collected firewood was neatly stacked beside the educated youth compound, near Fang Rou’s new room. It was obvious that she had paid for it.

Seeing how easily Fang Rou and Qi Zhijun had solved the biggest challenge for the new arrivals, the older educated youths couldn’t help but look on with envy.

Among the remaining new arrivals, Qin Fangfang and Cai Mingcheng had quietly followed the older educated youths up the mountain to gather firewood from the very first day. Although they didn’t collect as much as Ming Dai, their respectful attitude and quiet demeanor at mealtimes earned them quick acceptance.

Zhang Xiaojun and Liu Daye, on the other hand, had lazed around for two days. By the time they decided to collect firewood, it was too late. Following Fang Rou’s example, they used money to solve their problem instead.

However, during mealtime, they discovered that the older educated youths had been secretly withholding their grain portions. This led to an unpleasant confrontation, though things eventually settled down.

The one who fared the worst was Liu Yan. She had been beaten half to death and had tried to seek justice from the brigade leader, but even he couldn’t help her.

She loudly threatened to report the matter to the commune. Without hesitation, the brigade leader immediately hitched up a cart and personally took her there.

By the time she was able to get up, she found that half of her grain had already been eaten. She wanted to make a fuss, but the older educated youths simply told her to get lost. With no place to stay and no firewood, she had no choice but to swallow her grievances in silence.

Since she had no money to buy firewood, she had to take advantage of the last work-free day to go up the mountain, crying as she gathered wood.

It was the slack farming season, and many people were out collecting firewood. Despite exhausting herself, she managed to gather only a small pile, which earned her a round of scorn and ridicule from Song Lanlan.

She was so miserable that she nearly cried herself to death at the educated youth compound.

In the end, she found some solace in thinking about Ming Dai. No matter how difficult her own situation was, it couldn’t possibly be worse than Ming Dai’s, who was being forced to live with a madman.

Ever since Ming Dai had left the large communal house, the educated youths hadn’t seen her again. They simply assumed by now that she had been beaten so badly she couldn’t even get out of bed.

However, at that very moment, the supposedly bedridden Ming Dai was actually busy digging out the heating tunnel beneath the kang with Zhou Sinian.

The tunnel hadn’t been used for a long time. There wasn’t much ash inside, but some areas were blocked by layers of accumulated dust. Ming Dai found a wooden stick and instructed Zhou Sinian to lie down and clear the tunnel while she helped pass the debris out.

Before long, the tunnel was cleaned.

Seeing Zhou Sinian’s face covered in dust and ash, she sent him off to wash up, specifically reminding him not to wash his feet.

Then, Ming Dai headed to the kitchen and lifted the lid of the pot. Inside was a full steamer of golden cornmeal dumplings, each plump and round, looking incredibly appetizing.

She took out a small basket and carefully scooped out the dumplings one by one, placing them inside to cool.

A shadow loomed over her. Zhou Sinian, still hastily wiping his face, was staring intently at her movements.

Ming Dai watched as he anxiously but carefully set the towel in its proper place before coming over. Satisfied, she gave a small nod of approval.

He was highly intelligent, and having served in the military, he maintained good habits, was highly disciplined, and followed orders well. Moreover, Ming Dai had discovered his greatest weakness—his love for food—which made him especially obedient. After three days of working together, she had begun to delegate more tasks to him. So far, their cooperation was fairly smooth.

Except for one thing.

Ming Dai took out a piece of white cloth, wrapped six cornmeal dumplings inside, and pointed at both the bundle and the basket.

“This small package is for the brigade leader’s family. He lent us the flatbed cart, which allowed us to transport all this firewood down the mountain. Because of that, I didn’t fall sick and die, and you get to eat more dumplings. Understand?”

Zhou Sinian’s gaze shifted back and forth between the bundle and the small basket. He mentally compared the portions and, with a heavy heart, nodded in agreement.

Only then was Ming Dai satisfied and immediately rewarded him with a dumpling.

Zhou Sinian eagerly took it and, as usual, ate half of it in a single bite.

The dumplings were filled with dried vegetables and cured sausage, and Ming Dai had even gone as far as frying some egg shreds to mix in—both a staple and a side dish, making them exceptionally delicious.

Once again, it was a meal that left the food-loving Zhou Sinian completely content.

After eating, he washed the pots and bowls. Ming Dai glanced at the sky—it was already dark.

“Come on, let’s return the cart to the brigade leader’s house.”

She picked up the bundle and stepped outside first, while Zhou Sinian, rubbing the empty candy wrapper between his fingers, quickly followed.

This time, Ming Dai didn’t sit on the cart. Instead, she walked alongside Zhou Sinian as he pulled it.

Neither of them spoke. They simply walked together in silence.