Chapter 5.1

The auntie left happily, but the atmosphere was still very awkward. Being mistaken as a couple was one thing, but then talking about having a child, Jiang Yao remained calm in most situations, but at this moment, she felt embarrassed to look at Lu Che.

“You should return now,” Lu Che broke the silence first, but as soon as he spoke, it was to dismiss her.

“Okay,” Jiang Yao responded with a simple acknowledgment. Anyway, she didn’t want to stay any longer, so she turned and left.

After walking past several small stalls, she suddenly remembered that she forgot to return the pork to Lu Che, so she turned around and went back.

“Why did you come back again?” Lu Che frowned, staring at Jiang Yao with obvious displeasure.

Jiang Yao couldn’t be bothered to argue with him. She rummaged through her shoulder bag, took out two liang of meat coupons and twenty cents, and handed them over, saying, “Thank you for helping me buy pork last time. I intended to buy a piece to return today, but I went too late and it was sold out. I’ll return you the coupons and money.”

Lu Che glanced at the money and coupons, and without being polite, he took the meat coupons and ten cents, saying, “Meat costs fifty cents per jin, and two liang cost ten cents.”

[1 jin = 10 liang = 500 grams]

“Why are you so honest?” Jiang Yao couldn’t help but laugh.

After she finished laughing, she realised that Lu Che was staring at her. She asked, puzzled, “What’s wrong? Is there something on my face?”

“No,” Lu Che withdrew his gaze, and once again, coldly issued the eviction order, “You can go now.”

“…” Being driven away again, Jiang Yao felt somewhat unhappy and muttered, “Can’t you say anything other than ‘go’ and ‘return’?” Then she walked away without looking back.

After spending two cents to buy a large piece of pickled cabbage at the market, Jiang Yao headed back. Although she had the day off today, she still had to cook for the educated youth.

When she left in the morning, it wasn’t too hot, but now it was almost nine o’clock, the sun was shining brightly, and there was hardly any shade along the way. Jiang Yao could only lower her head and hurry along.

“Jiang Zhiqing, Jiang Zhiqing.” 

Jiang Yao turned her head at the sound and saw a man in his forties or fifties driving a cart, with a woman of the same age sitting behind him. The woman was calling her.

“Auntie, what a coincidence,” Jiang Yao had an impression of them. They were Mr. Tian and Mrs. Tian who lived near the youth dormitory. The old couple was very kind. They thought the city children suffered when they came to the countryside, so whenever they had a harvest of vegetables and fruits, they would bring some to the dormitory.

“Yes, you bought pig intestines and pickled cabbage. Do you want to ride in our cart?” Mrs. Tian said enthusiastically.

“Sure,” Jiang Yao was not polite at all. With Mrs. Tian’s help, she climbed onto the cart and said with a smile, “Luckily, I ran into you, otherwise, I would have to walk for half a day.”

“It’s okay, as long as you don’t mind our cart,” Mrs. Tian said warmly.

“It’s very nice to be able to ride,” Jiang Yao said. “There’s no such thing as being picky. By the way, where have you been?”

“We went to the county town for the market and we’re going back after we’re done selling,” Mrs. Tian said.

“I just strolled through the market, but I didn’t see you,” Jiang Yao said, remembering that Lu Che’s small stall still had about ten bundles of green vegetables to sell. If she counted the eggs and vegetables she helped him sell, it would be good if he could sell everything before noon.

She really couldn’t understand such a business mind. How could they become big shots in the business world in the future?

“The market is divided into two sections. Maybe you didn’t go to the one where we set up our stall,” Mrs. Tian explained.

“Probably. You sold out so early, business must be good,” Jiang Yao smiled.

“It’s okay. The vegetables are only two cents per jin. If someone buys more, they still bargain. Our self-owned land is small. After working hard for two or three weeks, we sell one or two yuan’s worth and exchange it for ten jins of rice at the nearby stall.” Mrs. Tian sighed, “With the poor rice harvest this year, we have to eat these ten jins of rice sparingly.”

This situation was common in the Qingyuan production team, and Jiang Yao didn’t know how to comfort her for a moment, because farmers’ lives were really hard.

Although it was hard for educated youth to work in the countryside, the state subsidised them with forty-five jins of grain per month. Even if it wasn’t enough, it was much better than the one or two hundred jins of grain that ordinary farmers received annually.

“The difficulties are temporary, and life will get better,” Jiang Yao comforted.

“I hope so,” Mrs. Tian sighed. “Adults can endure, but the children still need to eat.”

Chatting with Mrs. Tian all the way, time passed quickly, and when she got off at the youth dormitory, it was only nine-thirty.

“Uncle Tian and Aunt Tian, thank you today for saving me almost half an hour,” Jiang Yao politely thanked them.

“Jiang Zhiqing, you’re too polite,” Mr. Tian said. “The cart is still slow. Once we have a tractor in our production team, that’ll be fast.”

“A tractor?” Mrs. Tian asked in confusion. “Does our team have the money to buy a tractor?”

“No, but the county agricultural machinery has a batch of old tractors that have been phased out. With a little repair, they can still be used. Dazhou is applying for one recently, so it should be approved,” Mr. Tian said.

“That’s great. Second-hand is better than none. If we can get it before the grain is due, we won’t have to carry the grain to the county office,” Mrs. Tian said happily.

Mr. Tian added, “It should be approved, but our production team doesn’t have anyone who knows how to drive a tractor yet. We’ll have to find someone to learn in the county later.”

“Jiang Zhiqing, you hurry in. We’re going back too,” Mrs. Tian waved to Jiang Yao, and Mr. Tian drove the cart away.

When they were far away, Mrs. Tian leaned forward and asked Mr. Tian, “Old man, don’t you think Jiang Zhiqing is different from before?”

“How is she different?”

“When she first came, she was very arrogant, as if she looked down on our countryside. But look at her today, she’s so enthusiastic and polite to us.”

“It must be because of the education she received when she came to the countryside.”