Chapter 14

Dinner at Zhang Shiye’s 

Covered in tiger fur from playing, Xia Wanyan took a bath, then changed into a floral dress with a cinched waist and a turn-down collar. The dress reached just above her ankles. She tied her hair into a side braid and paired the look with white crystal sandals, revealing her soft, fair feet. Her round, cute toes had a faint pink hue on the nails. 

Looking at herself in the mirror, she shamelessly exclaimed, “So pretty!” 

After admiring herself for a while, it was almost time to go. Just as she stepped out, Li Xiang was banging on the door and shouting, “Yan-jie, it’s time to go to Captain Zhang’s house for dinner! You’re the last one!” 

Grabbing her prepared items, Xia Wanyan locked the door and followed along, carefully observing the group. 

Li Xiang carried two jars of canned fruit, while Zheng Yu and Gu Xiuyuan brought a wild chicken. Huang Chen had about a pound of coarse grain, Duan Xiaoyu and Wang Yan brought a small bag of sunflower seeds, and Chen Qi had a small bag of peanuts. Only Xu Jiaojiao and Wang Jing came empty-handed. 

Zheng Yu glanced over. “Ladies, the captain is treating us to dinner, and you’re really fine with showing up empty-handed?” 

Xu Jiaojiao hesitated, looking around and realizing everyone else had brought something. “Xia Wanyan, lend me your brown sugar! I’ll return it later!” 

Wang Jing interjected, “It’s not like I asked him to treat us. Why should I bring anything? You guys want to butter him up, but don’t drag me into it. I came here to work, not to curry favor. I can manage just fine without giving anyone gifts!” 

Her words offended everyone. Li Xiang rolled her eyes. “Gifts? It’s called mutual courtesy, don’t you get it? Nobody has extra food to spare, and the captain is kindly hosting us. All you’re bringing is your mouth—your face is as big as a millstone!” 

The others burst out laughing. 

Wang Jing pointed at Li Xiang. “You… You’re forming cliques to isolate me, aren’t you? I’ll report you!” 

Li Xiang smirked. “Report me? Go ahead. Whoever doesn’t go is a loser!” 

Wang Jing burst into tears and ran away. 

“Xia Wanyan, are you lending me the sugar or not?” 

“No!” 

Xu Jiaojiao turned to Li Xiang. “Lend me one of your canned fruits. I’ll give you two in return later!” 

Li Xiang grinned. “Everyone heard that, right? Witnesses!” She handed over a jar. 

When they arrived at the captain’s house, the captain, his wife, and their sons were waiting at the door. Xia Wanyan stretched her neck, looking around, but didn’t see Zhang Shiye. 

The captain’s wife was embarrassed to see everyone bringing items. “It’s a tradition to host dinner for the newcomers. Why are you all being so polite?” 

The captain chimed in, “Take your things back after dinner. We’re not rich, but we won’t take food from you kids!” 

Zheng Yu laughed. “Captain, everyone’s short on food. If you don’t let us bring something, we’ll leave right now!” 

Seeing their sincerity, the captain and his wife reluctantly accepted. The captain introduced his family. “This is my wife, Aunt Qiao to you. This is my eldest son, Zhang Shifeng. My second son, Zhang Shiyu, is in the army. This is my third son, Zhang Shijing. My youngest, Zhang Shiye, is the team’s accountant. He’s not back yet.” 

Everyone greeted them politely, but Xia Wanyan was visibly displeased at not seeing Zhang Shiye. 

“This courtyard is so clean, and the house is so impressive!” 

“Yeah, even in the city, you rarely see houses this nice!” 

The group chatted as they entered the house in single file. 

As soon as they stepped inside, everyone’s attention was drawn to the large, fluffy white steamed buns on the table. In these hard times, who could afford to use so much white flour for a single meal? 

“Come, come, have a seat. Treat this like your own home,” said Zhang Heping. 

Having served as the brigade leader for most of his life, Zhang Heping’s weathered face always carried a warm, friendly smile that exuded comfort and ease. His kind eyes made people feel instantly at home, melting away their nervousness and unease. 

He understood the hardships the young educated youths faced, leaving their homes to work in the countryside. Zhang Heping always treated them kindly, regardless of their personalities. On their first day, he made it a point to serve them a hearty meal to give them a sense of warmth and belonging. 

His wife, Aunt Qiao, a straightforward rural woman, led her daughters-in-law as they served dish after dish: glossy stir-fried greens with the aroma of pork fat, a large plate of stir-fried eggs with green onions, and finally, a pot of fish stewed with tofu. 

“The tofu is bartered from someone else. If you like it, you can trade for some yourself from Old Yuan’s family at the west end of the village. The fish was caught fresh from the river by my youngest son. Help yourselves!” 

“Aunt Qiao, stop bustling around and join us for the meal!” 

At the table, besides Captain Zhang and his eldest and third sons, there were no women sitting with them. 

“You all eat; we’ve set aside food for ourselves in the other room!” 

Aunt Qiao politely excused herself. Just as she turned to leave, Zhang Shiye walked in from outside. “You’re back. Wash your hands and eat,” she said. 

Zhang Shiye didn’t respond or glance at the table. He went straight to the well outside to wash his hands. 

From the moment he entered, Xia Wanyan’s gaze was fixed on him. He could feel it but pretended not to notice. His father’s words echoed in his mind: *She’s a cloud in the sky, and you’re mud on the ground. Out of reach, out of reach…* 

Gu Xiuyuan’s attention, meanwhile, was on Xia Wanyan. He noticed her expressions shift from joy to confusion, then to melancholy. He couldn’t help but wonder—when did these two meet? It was only their first day here. Love at first sight? Just that one glance? He didn’t buy it. 

Zheng Yu and Li Xiang ate with gusto, praising the food. “Aunt Qiao, your cooking is amazing, way better than my mom’s!” 

Xia Wanyan barely touched her food. Li Xiang looked up. “Yan-jie, why aren’t you eating?” 

“I had some snacks earlier. I’m not very hungry,” Xia Wanyan said, forcing a smile that looked more like she was about to cry. 

Zhang Shiye sat at the far end of the table, as far away from Xia Wanyan as possible. Both ate in silence, lost in their own thoughts. 

Aunt Qiao went into the inner room, only to overhear her eldest and third daughters-in-law gossiping. 

“Father-in-law really knows how to put on a show. All those delicious eggs and fish, just given to outsiders, while we’re stuck with coarse grains and pickled vegetables,” grumbled the eldest daughter-in-law, Liu Fang. 

The third daughter-in-law, Li Ling, snorted. “He’s just using our food to win praise for the brigade. That’s how he keeps his position secure. Look, he even got his youngest son a spot as the brigade accountant. They’re all his sons, but he’s so blatantly biased! My Shijing didn’t want to go, and he didn’t even ask my opinion. Sure, I’m not educated, but I can read numbers too!” 

The second daughter-in-law, Yuan Hong, tapped her bowl and said, “Just eat and stop talking. Complaining won’t fill your stomachs. It’s not our place as daughters-in-law to question what the elders do.” 

Aunt Qiao pushed the door open and locked it behind her. “Liu Fang, Li Ling, if you don’t want to eat, then don’t. One of you is in poor health, and the other just finished confinement, neither earning work points, yet you eat free meals so confidently!” 

Liu Fang pursed her lips and stayed quiet. Li Ling, however, stuck out her neck and retorted, “Mother, we can’t talk about the unfairness in this house? I just had a baby, and I don’t have enough milk. That fish could’ve been made into soup for me. Why give it to outsiders?” 

Aunt Qiao, hands on her hips, shot back, “Hah! Soup for you? Do you deserve it? Does my third son not have hands or feet? If you want fish soup, let him catch it for you! That fish was a gift from my youngest son to his father and me. We’ll give it to whoever we want! You spent twenty years at your mother’s house, where you couldn’t even get a taste of fish bones. Now you come to the Zhang family and start being picky?” 

She jabbed her finger at Li Ling. “If you don’t like it here, leave. I’ll find another wife for my son before you’re even out the door. If I catch you badmouthing us behind our backs again, I’ll have my son divorce you!” 

After that scolding, Li Ling quieted down completely.