Chapter 54: Returning the Favor

After returning to the bamboo house, Luo Qiao practiced a set of martial arts forms, then did half an hour of yoga before bathing in the downstream creek. After grooming her hair, she began practicing embroidery, having made some recent progress.

The next day, when Luo Qiao exited her space, she heard the pitter-patter of rain outside. With no need to work on a rainy day, she decided to make some snacks while she had time, planning to give some to Lu Yichen’s friend from the education bureau as a gesture of gratitude.

After a simple breakfast, she prepared to make fried dough twists – some with scallion, some with salt and pepper, and some sweet. As soon as she kneaded the dough and let it rest, she headed into her space since it was raining.

She took a stroll in the mountains, finding the rabbit population proliferating rapidly, and picked some Sichuan peppercorn leaves before returning to the kitchen.

Luo Qiao spent the whole morning in her space, yielding three small basins of fried dough twists. Thinking of the rabbits, she steeled herself and caught two to make spicy shredded rabbit jerky – the results looked appetizing.

Since she didn’t eat a proper lunch amid the aromas of frying all day, Luo Qiao simmered some red bean porridge and made a few appetizers to whet her appetite.

After eating, she portioned the snacks, keeping one share for herself and separating the other two – one for Lu Yichen and one for his education bureau friend – as a simple gesture of gratitude. After all, without that person’s help, she may not have resolved her schooling situation so quickly.

Once she finished cleaning the kitchen and reviewing her high school materials, Luo Qiao exited her space to find it had rained the entire day, and the sky was already darkening.

Luo Qiao went into the kitchen and boiled a pot of water. The chimney not smoking for a whole day wouldn’t do, otherwise people might start talking, which would be even more troublesome. The villagers have no other entertainment activities, so they spend all day keeping an eye on other people’s business.

It’s a problem if a family’s chimney doesn’t smoke all day, and it’s also a problem if it smokes too much. There are always some busybodies in the village who worry about nothing.

When the water was boiled, Luo Qiao filled a thermos first and then poured the rest into a large basin and put it in the space storage, preparing to use it for a bath after practicing.

Luckily, Luo Qiao boiled a pot of water. Sure enough, someone was watching her house. It was Li Xiulan’s family, who lived on the south side of the bridge. Li Xiulan noticed at noon that there was no smoke coming from Luo Qiao’s chimney.

She even joked with her daughter, Gao Taohua, saying, “I bet that orphan girl from the educated youth courtyard is having a hard time. Look, she doesn’t even dare to cook at home when she’s not working. And she thinks she can support herself. Hmph!”

Upon hearing this, her eldest daughter-in-law, Feng Xiaojuan, said, “These days, Luo Qiao earns seven work points daily. Even if her days are tough for the next six months, once the autumn harvest comes and the grain is distributed, her life will be much better.”

Initially, Li Xiulan was unhappy when her eldest daughter-in-law contradicted her, but after thinking about it, she realized that the comment was true. Life might be tough now, but with wild vegetables available on the mountain, no one would starve as long as they were diligent.

That girl does indeed earn seven work points a day, just one less than the women. By autumn, she could indeed get a considerable amount of grain. Suddenly, an idea formed in her mind.

So, around dinner time, she paid extra attention to the smoke from Luo Qiao’s chimney, thinking it was a pity that she couldn’t see anything else from such a distance.

After dinner, she returned to the house and said to her husband, Gao Shunyi, “Hey, I was thinking about setting up our second son… oh no, he’s much older than her. The youngest one would be more suitable.”