Chapter 41: Trouble Over Water

Lin He curled his lips.

The four of them realized they had quite a lot of things, and carrying them into the supply and marketing cooperative would be inconvenient. So, they decided to put their things down and asked Song Yue to watch over them.

“Comrade Song, could you help us keep an eye on our things? We’ll be quick.”

“…” Song Yue took a deep breath. “Alright.”

Lin He, Li Xinyue, and Zhao Zirui went in to buy basins.

Liu Wei wasn’t buying anything but followed along.

The three of them went straight for their target, and from entering the cooperative to carrying their purchases out, it took only a few minutes.

They picked up their belongings and headed back to the ox cart.

On the way back, the four aunties from the morning were already there, chatting idly.

An elderly man squatted under a nearby tree.

When Song Yue and the others arrived, carrying large basins and various bags, the four aunties were instantly dumbfounded.

They boarded the cart, and once everyone was there, the elderly man got up and drove the cart back to the village.

On the way back, the four aunties couldn’t hold back their curiosity.

“Goodness, look at that!”

“Are those large aluminum basins?”

“How much did one cost?”

Song Yue and the others remained silent.

Liu Wei, however, smiled and spoke up. “Fifteen yuan each, with ration tickets.”

She acted as if she had been the one to buy them.

Song Yue stared into the distance, pretending not to hear.

Zhao Zirui and Lin He were displeased with Liu Wei.

She hadn’t even bought a basin, yet she blurted out the price. These aunties were already talkative, and now, who knew what rumors they’d start?

Li Xinyue didn’t seem to mind, smiling at Liu Wei.

The four aunties were stunned—fifteen yuan for a single basin!

That meant four basins had cost dozens of yuan!

They couldn’t believe it and clutched their chests as if they had personally lost the money.

“My goodness, you educated youths really have money! Fifteen yuan for a basin?”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk!”

“You got ripped off. Uncle Chen in our village makes large wooden basins.”

“A wooden one only costs five yuan! That’s ten yuan cheaper than yours.”

“Exactly, exactly.”

“Ah well, they’re from the city. Their families have stable jobs, earning dozens of yuan a month. They don’t care about the price.”

“True, those with jobs can’t be compared to us villagers.”

“Dozens of yuan a month… We work ourselves to the bone all day and still can’t match that… Sigh… No comparison.”

Song Yue and the others let them talk.

But soon, the tone of the conversation shifted, turning passive-aggressive.

Song Yue let it go in one ear and out the other. She was too tired to argue.

If she weren’t so exhausted, she would have snapped back.

Li Xinyue, however, couldn’t stand their tone and was about to retort.

Before she could, Zhao Zirui grabbed her arm.

She turned to look at him.

Zhao Zirui shook his head, signaling her to stay quiet.

Li Xinyue held back her words.

An hour later, they arrived at the village.

The five of them got off the cart and carried their things back to the educated youth’s quarters.

The older educated youths were still out working, so the place was quiet.

Song Yue unlatched the door, pushed it open, and stepped inside.

She put down her things, sat on the heated brick bed to rest for a while, then got up to fetch water and heat it.

She wanted to take a bath and wash her hair.

While she was heating water, Lin He came over and told her to leave the fire burning once she was done.

They also needed hot water and would boil their own.

Song Yue nodded. “There’s not much water left in the tank. If you use it, it’ll probably be empty.”

Lin He understood. “Once we’re done, Zhao Zirui and I will fetch more water.”

Song Yue added firewood. “Alright, we’ll restock the firewood later.”

“Got it,” Lin He reminded her. “Make sure Li Xinyue and Liu Wei help out, too.”

“Mm.”

Song Yue set down the fire poker, checked the water temperature, and said, “It’s almost ready. I’ll tell them, and you can start fetching water.”

“Alright.”

Lin He went to fetch water.

Song Yue returned and, standing at the doorway, called out to the two chatting on the heated bed.

“Comrade Li, Comrade Liu, can you step outside for a bit?”

“My water is ready, and I’m going to bathe.”

Li Xinyue and Liu Wei exchanged glances, said nothing, and stepped out.

There was nothing to argue about.

They’d be bathing later, and Song Yue would have to give them space, too.

Song Yue entered the room, set the basin down, and went outside to fetch hot water.

Two buckets later, she placed them outside the room, then went back in.

She locked the door, undressed, and bathed.

…

Half an hour later, Song Yue stepped out with a towel wrapped around her damp hair.

She carried the used bathwater outside and used it to wash clothes in the courtyard.

While she was scrubbing, Li Xinyue and Liu Wei went in to bathe.

Li Xinyue went first.

Liu Wei went last.

Time passed quickly.

Just as Song Yue finished washing her clothes and hung them in the women’s drying area…

The older educated youths returned from work.

Song Yue’s heart sank—Lin He and Zhao Zirui still hadn’t gone to fetch water.

The returning workers would need water for cooking, but the tank was nearly empty.

She glanced at Lin He and Zhao Zirui’s room—it was still shut tight.

Jiang Xuemei greeted her. “Comrade Song.”

Song Yue smiled. “Comrade Jiang.”

Jiang Xuemei asked, “You heated water for a bath, right?”

Song Yue: “Mm.”

Wu Yun followed up. “Comrade Song, you did fetch water afterward, right?”

Before Song Yue could answer, someone shouted,

“Fetch water? Fetch my foot! The water tank is almost empty! How are we supposed to cook?”

Song Yue turned her head.

Zhu Jing’s roommate stood by the water tank, furious.

The older educated youths shot her looks of disapproval.

Chen Xue frowned. “Comrade Song, I was very clear last night… You’re new, but that doesn’t mean you can do this.”

Niu Yifan, one of the male educated youths, spoke irritably, “We work ourselves to exhaustion in the fields, and you just use up all the water we carried?”

Jiang Xuemei tried to mediate. “Let’s not get too worked up. Comrade Song never said she wouldn’t fetch water.”

Zhu Jing scoffed at Jiang Xuemei and said indignantly,

“Comrade Jiang, you’ve been here long enough to know—after bathing, we’re supposed to fetch water! Not wait until we’re called out for it!”

Inside the room, Li Xinyue and Liu Wei heard the commotion.

Li Xinyue, furious, wanted to rush out, but Liu Wei stopped her.

“Xinyue, hold on. Comrade Song was so sharp last night.

She’ll handle this. You won’t outtalk them or outargue them. If you go out, you’ll just get scolded.”

Li Xinyue hesitated.

Zhao Zirui listened to the noise, glanced at the still-sleeping Lin He, and decided to ignore it.

Li Tao, another male educated youth, intervened, “Forget it. They just arrived yesterday. We can carry water this time.”

“It’s not that far anyway.”

Zhu Jing clenched her fists. “Comrade Li, we’re all educated youths here. If you let them off now, you’re just encouraging special treatment!”

Song Yue looked at Zhu Jing and said coolly,

“Comrade Zhu, you seem quite fired up. I suggest buying some bitter melon at the supply store to cool yourself down.”