Chapter 78: Quarrel and Cold War, Buying Baskets for Planting

While Ming Dai and Zhou Sinian were busy working in their space, Fang Rou returned.

The heavy snowfall signaled the official arrival of winter in Hei Province, and with it, the commune’s elementary school had closed for the holidays.

For the past few days, Fang Rou had been staying in the commune.

With money in hand—and after secretly taking quite a few things from home before leaving—renting a place had been easy.

Since she had secured a job at the commune, the village committee had issued her a long-term permit, allowing her to stay in the commune without trouble. Because of this, she had spent most of the past month there, living quite comfortably.

However, her official household registration was still in Liujiawan, so with the school now on break, she had no choice but to return.

The roads were covered in snow, and when the sun came out, parts of it melted, leaving the paths muddy and slippery. Fang Rou had to alternate between riding her bicycle and pushing it through the difficult terrain. At one point, she even slipped and fell, further souring her already bad mood.

So when she finally returned to the educated youth quarters and saw Qi Zhijun standing there, his face dark with anger as he accused her, her frustration exploded.

She stared coldly at the man in front of her, his face full of resentment, as if she had wronged him terribly. Then, she sneered.

“Why should I stay home waiting for you? I was at the commune teaching—I was working, fair and square! Why should I have to stay home just to heat the kang and boil water for you?!”

Qi Zhijun was completely stunned by her outburst.

He looked at the girl in front of him, feeling a strange sense of unfamiliarity. They had grown up together, but at this moment, she seemed like a stranger to him.

“Xiao Rou, what do you mean? Didn’t we agree as kids that we would be together when we grew up?”

Fang Rou parked her bicycle against the wall, took off her belongings, and shot him a cold glance.

“You remember that was something we said as kids? That was just childish talk—it doesn’t count. Alright, I’m exhausted. I’m going to rest now. Please step aside.”

After saying that, Fang Rou brushed past Qi Zhijun, unlocked the door, and stepped inside. Under his stunned gaze, she closed the door again.

“Pa.”

The sound of the door shutting wasn’t particularly loud, but it struck Qi Zhijun’s heart like a heavy blow.

He stared at the tightly closed door in disbelief.

Xiao Rou… What did she mean by this?!

Was she breaking up with him?!

Their argument had been witnessed by the other educated youths who were sunbathing outside.

The older ones simply treated it as entertainment, staying out of it as if it had nothing to do with them.

The newer educated youths, however, were secretly pleased. Now that Fang Rou was back, they wouldn’t have to borrow the older educated youths’ stove anymore. Over the past few days, they had lost a significant amount of their firewood to these so-called “stove rental fees,” which had been distressing to them.

Liu Yan, watching Qi Zhijun’s devastated expression, was practically overjoyed. She was ecstatic inside, struggling to suppress the smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

Fight!

Argue!

Break up for good!

Once that happened, Jun Ge would be hers. She was so close to catching herself a wealthy husband!

In the end, the dazed Qi Zhijun, who had been standing outside Fang Rou’s door, was gently persuaded to leave by Liu Yan.

Inside, Fang Rou sat on the cold kang, listening to Liu Yan’s manipulative words outside. She let out a cold sneer, then opened her cloth bag.

Inside, a men’s leather belt lay neatly folded. She stared at it in a daze.

Soon… Soon, her Cheng Ge would be back.

Because of this argument, the two of them entered a cold war. Influenced by Liu Yan’s words, Qi Zhijun decided to give Fang Rou the cold shoulder, hoping she would reflect on her mistakes.

Liu Yan seized the opportunity, striking while the iron was hot. She quickly regained Qi Zhijun’s trust by helping him clean his room, fetching hot water for him, and even finding ways to cook extra meals for him in secret.

Since coming to the countryside, Qi Zhijun had been tirelessly chasing after Fang Rou. It had been a long time since he had experienced the feeling of being flattered and cared for unconditionally. For a moment, he found himself enjoying it.

However, he was someone who cared about his image. After accepting a few of Liu Yan’s eggs, he decided to hand over his rations to her, letting her cook for both of them.

This was a huge relief for Liu Yan. Resources were scarce, and when she was sent to the countryside, her mother had only given her 25 yuan. Every cent she spent was one less she had.

With Qi Zhijun’s supplies, their standard of living immediately improved. Zhang Xiaojun and Liu Daye couldn’t help but look on with envy.

Meanwhile, Fang Rou watched everything coldly but continued sharing meals with the group while secretly preparing her own special meals.

Since she wasn’t skilled at cooking, she mostly ate simple pancakes and dried food. But whenever Liu Laosan traveled to the commune to transport goods, she would tag along and treat herself at the state-owned restaurant, ensuring she lived quite comfortably on her own.

Besides frequenting the educated youth quarters, she often visited Widow Luo’s house, occasionally bringing supplies to share meals with them. Over time, the Luo family began looking forward to her visits.

Over time, she became closer to the Luo family and, aside from Ming Dai, was the educated youth who had the most interaction with the villagers.

Ming Dai, however, had no time to pay attention to any of this. She was too busy digging the earth with Zhou Sinian.

If she wanted fresh vegetables to eat, she couldn’t just rely on the ones grown inside her space. She needed crops outside as well. Otherwise, if someone noticed she always had fresh vegetables, how would she explain it?

More importantly, she wanted to use these vegetables to establish connections in the commune and investigate why Zhou Sinian’s personnel file was being withheld.

The brigade leader had said that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t send Zhou Sinian away. That meant someone was deliberately keeping him in the countryside.

Whether this was for good or bad intentions, Ming Dai didn’t know. But either way, it was a ticking time bomb, and she needed to figure it out in advance.

Fresh vegetables in winter were a luxury that most people couldn’t afford. The commune officials’ families would surely want to buy them. If they did, she would have an opportunity to make connections and uncover some information. The best-case scenario would be getting her produce directly into the county government.

Besides, if she successfully grew the vegetables, she could persuade the brigade leader to establish a winter planting team in Liujiawan. This would not only generate income for the village and help clear their debts but would also solidify her position in the village.

If she became invaluable to Liujiawan, no one would dare to mess with her. The villagers’ sense of unity and protectiveness should never be underestimated. If they decided to stand by her, even the police wouldn’t be able to do anything.

Thinking about this, Ming Dai felt even more confident about her future plans.

As for soil, there was plenty of humus-rich earth on the mountain, which was perfect for growing vegetables. What she lacked now were proper gardening tools.

The most important factor in growing vegetables during winter was maintaining warmth.

She calculated that both her and Zhou Sinian’s rooms were quite large, and she could clear out a good amount of space for planting.

The storage room was also an option. Back when they helped build the reservoir, they had kept a large amount of charcoal, which could now be used for insulation.

The key issue now was how to maximize the use of space.

After some thought, she decided to visit Liu Dazheng to see if he had any suitable baskets or containers.

Calling out to Zhou Sinian, who was lying on the heated brick bed reading a comic book, she urged him to get up. The two put on their straw shoes and set off.

These straw shoes, called “maogong shoes,” had been given to them by Aunt Huang. Originally made for her own family, she had generously given them two pairs when she noticed they didn’t have any.

Fortunately, Liu Dazhu had large feet; otherwise, Zhou Sinian wouldn’t have been able to wear them. After all, he was taller than most people, and his feet were naturally bigger as well.

Maogong shoes were a type of grass shoe woven from reed flowers.

The sole was made from three-finger-thick wooden planks, while the upper part was woven from reed flowers. Inside, they were stuffed with thick layers of reed fluff or cotton. Aside from some shedding, they were very warm.

They were also perfect for snowy weather. The raised sole functioned similarly to a rain boot, preventing the cotton shoes from getting soaked.

The wind was strong along the way, but with thick down jackets underneath and heavy cotton coats on top, they didn’t feel cold at all. In fact, after walking for a while, they started feeling hot.

The biggest challenge was the muddy roads. Snow had melted in some areas, making the ground slippery. They carefully stepped on the remaining patches of snow, crunching over frozen slush with each step, which helped with traction.

When they arrived at Liu Dazheng’s house, they found the front door tightly shut, with a thick layer of snow piled up at the entrance. It seemed like no one had cleared it for days.

Ming Dai knocked on the door. There was no response. She knocked again, harder this time, but still, no one answered.

Since he lived alone, Ming Dai became worried that something might have happened to him.

After thinking for a moment, she decided to take Zhou Sinian and head to the brigade office to check.

The brigade office was filled with smoke. Before Ming Dai even stepped inside, he started coughing from the thick haze.

Secretary Liu sighed as he opened all the doors, glancing at Liu Dazhu, who was sitting on the heated brick bed. “Captain, I’ve told you not to smoke so much. Look, you’ve already choked Xiao Ming, the educated youth.”

Ming Dai thought to himself: If I hadn’t seen you putting out that cigarette just now, I would have believed you.

Liu Dazhu chuckled but didn’t argue. “Xiao Ming, what brings you here in this freezing weather?”

Ming Dai explained that he had knocked on Liu Dazheng’s door, but no one had responded.

Liu Dazhu tapped his tobacco pipe, his expression turning serious. “We should go check on him.”

After saying that, he got off the heated brick bed and put on a thick cotton coat. Liu Qingmin and Liu Guoqiang also grabbed their hats and followed him.

When they arrived at Liu Dazheng’s house, Liu Dazhu knocked on the door again, but there was still no response.

Ming Dai signaled to Zhou Sinian, who then climbed over the low wicker fence and opened the door from the inside.

As they stepped in, they saw the courtyard covered in snow. The baskets and bamboo mats that had originally been outside had all been put away.

They walked through the snow to the main room and knocked on the door. This time, there was a response.

Amidst a few coughs, a weak male voice spoke, “Cough… cough… who is it?”

“Dazheng, it’s me. Is it okay if we come in?”

“Cough… cough… the door isn’t locked, come in.”

Hearing this, Liu Dazhu pushed the door open, and the group entered.

The main room was dark, with various items cluttering the floor, leaving only a narrow path to walk through.

Feeling their way through the darkness, the five of them reached the bedroom and opened the door.

A figure lay motionless on the heated brick bed.