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Though they had only been away for a day, returning to their little courtyard filled both of them with a profound sense of relaxation and reassurance.
With not much to do at this hour, they decided to prepare dinner right away!
Shen Zhuo parked the bicycle and automatically headed to the kitchen to start a fire. Ye Xin began organizing the items they had purchased, then went to feed the chickens, followed by harvesting vegetables. Finally, she joined Shen Zhuo in the kitchen, where the two of them busily prepared dinner. With the fire roaring and the pot bubbling, delightful aromas soon filled the air.
Having last eaten a meal at around nine in the morning in the county, both of them were ravenous by the time they sat down to eat. They dove into their food eagerly.
“I’ve missed home-cooked meals!” Ye Xin exclaimed, satisfied after taking her first bite.
Shen Zhuo nodded in agreement. Although they never went hungry outside, there was something inherently comforting and delicious about home-cooked meals, not to mention the cost of dining out was often prohibitive.
Ye Xin couldn’t help but compliment him, “Your cooking is the best!”
Shen Zhuo’s mouth curled into a smile at her praise, and he humbly replied, “It’s only because you grow such good vegetables that the food turns out so well.”
Ye Xin felt a warm glow in her heart at his words.
After dinner and a quick wash-up, Ye Xin sat down in her room to count the remaining money from their spending spree today. It had been a whirlwind of earning and spending over the past couple of days, and she was pleased to find that she had over twenty yuan left. After careful counting, she confirmed it was twenty-five yuan and thirty-six cents. As for the commodity coupons, she had used them all.
“Not too bad,” she shrugged, neatly folding the bills and placing them in a corner of her cabinet.
Then she followed her routine of checking her space for a while, surveying the fields, sowing watermelon seeds, and tilling the rice paddies. When she finally grew tired, she paused and exited to get some sleep.
Just before bed, a thought struck her: she had received letters today but hadn’t read them yet. So, she re-entered her space and headed to the study on the second floor of the wooden house to check her mail.
After tearing open an envelope, she was surprised to find a remittance slip.
Curious, she examined it closely—it was for twenty yuan, sent by her older sister, Ye Huan.
Setting the remittance slip aside, she moved on to read the contents of the letter.
The letter began with the usual greetings, which Ye Xin quickly skimmed over to the second paragraph—her dried vegetables had arrived! The family had cooked them, and they all agreed that they tasted much better than what was available in the market: flavorful, tender, and surprisingly clean. The whole family was amazed at how well she grew her vegetables.
Ye Xin nodded in satisfaction; who wouldn’t want their gifts to be appreciated, especially those sent from far away?
The next paragraph mentioned that as the year-end approached, her family understood she couldn’t return for the New Year. They expressed their concern and longing for her and had sent her twenty yuan to buy something nice for the holiday, reminding her to take care of herself while she was all alone there…
Can’t go home for the New Year?
Ye Xin pondered this for a moment and realized it was indeed true. The educated youth in the countryside could only return home to visit after their second year.
Visiting usually coincided with the New Year, requiring prior leave from the production team and the proper introduction letter to make the journey back. Of course, the visiting period was also limited to prevent those who had gone to the countryside from returning to the city and not leaving again.
Since the original host had only come this year, she wouldn’t be able to visit home until next year at the earliest.
But that didn’t bother Ye Xin; she had no plans to return. That place felt strange to her, and she felt no nostalgia or longing for it at all.
However, her older sister genuinely cared about her well-being, even sending money for the holiday.
As she continued reading, her eyes widened in shock—her mother was pregnant??
She thought she had misread and blinked her eyes wide, reading it again. But there it was, clear as day: the original host’s mother was pregnant with her fourth child…
Ye Xin felt stunned.
While the country had not yet enforced family planning and many families had multiple children, her mother was almost forty—a high-risk pregnancy! That seemed rather dangerous…
Ye Xin couldn’t help but wonder why, at this age, her family still hadn’t considered birth control…
She felt a mix of bewilderment and amusement at the thought.
The letter concluded with her mother expressing how, despite her discomfort from the pregnancy, she had enjoyed the dried vegetables Ye Xin sent home, finding them delicious and satisfying. Her mother even requested if Ye Xin could send more.
After reading the letter, Ye Xin set it aside, resting her chin in her hands as she drifted into thought. Sending more dried vegetables wasn’t a problem; whether it was her sister’s suggestion or her mother’s, she had plenty to spare, and they weren’t worth much. If they enjoyed them, she could definitely send more as a way to repay their love.
Yet, the news had struck her unexpectedly.
People in this era certainly seemed determined to have children… She even found herself a bit impressed.
“Enough of this; I should get some sleep and think about it later,” she decided.
It could wait—she had more pressing matters to attend to!
The next day, they began by harvesting the sweet potatoes from behind the house.
These were the ones Shen Zhuo had planted earlier, and they didn’t have much—just two plots. Sweet potatoes were generally easy to cultivate, and since Ye Xin had been regularly watering them with her special spring water, they had flourished. Even before the vegetables had grown, they had eaten plenty of the sweet potato leaves.
Ye Xin took a sickle to cut the withered vines, while Shen Zhuo dug them out, handling the heavy lifting, as was customary.
Ye Xin could have dug them out too, but it required a bit of technique; inexperienced hands could easily damage the sweet potatoes. Even if they could still be eaten when damaged, whole potatoes were obviously better for storage.
Once they unearthed the first batch, Shen Zhuo exclaimed, “Wow, these sweet potatoes are huge! We didn’t even take care of them that much!”
Ye Xin, from behind him, replied cheekily, “You may not have, but I’ve been watering them regularly!”
Shen Zhuo looked puzzled. “Just watering them makes them grow this well?”
If it were the neighboring vegetables thriving due to Ye Xin’s careful attention, which he had also helped by loosening the soil and weeding, he could understand that. But these sweet potatoes, which were just randomly planted here, were bursting with size and color—better than those grown by the production team—and he couldn’t quite wrap his head around it.
Moreover, there was a saying about sweet potatoes: if they grow well underground, the leaves tend to be sparse; but if the leaves flourish, the sweet potatoes won’t be as big. After all, nutrients were limited.
When the sweet potato leaves had been abundant earlier, he thought they were only growing leaves. Little did he know they had achieved the best of both worlds.
Ye Xin couldn’t explain it to him, so she merely said, “Isn’t it great that they’re growing so well? Now hurry up and keep digging!”
With that, Shen Zhuo suppressed his curiosity and continued working.
Ye Xin finished cutting the vines and stacked them to the side, then returned to the spot he had dug out to collect the sweet potatoes, pulling off the roots and vines, brushing off the dirt, and placing them into a bamboo basket.
Once they finished digging and gathering, they filled three large baskets, and Shen Zhuo weighed each one, saying, “This is definitely over two hundred pounds!”
He moved the sweet potatoes back to the courtyard near the well, where Ye Xin washed and cut them into pieces. With the weather clear, they cooked most of them to dry out, saving half a basket of uniformly sized pieces to roast whenever they craved baked sweet potatoes. The last batch they had dried had turned out well, providing a nice snack.
Meanwhile, Shen Zhuo continued to till the area where they had harvested, preparing it for new crops. They didn’t plan to plant more sweet potatoes, but they could sow corn to feed the chickens, even if it wasn’t the right season yet.
After a busy morning, they set off in the afternoon to gather medicinal herbs.
It had been nearly two months since they had ventured into the mountains, but fortunately, the autumn chill kept the paths clear compared to summer’s overgrowth.
In this lower latitude, the winter mountains remained green, though noticeably thinner, and the ground was covered in thick layers of fallen leaves that crunched pleasingly beneath their feet.
Taking a break from the mountains had its advantages, as it yielded a more abundant harvest. The herbs that hadn’t matured before had now fully grown, and those that had already been there had flourished even more. With minimal effort, they filled a basket to the brim. Thus, Ye Xin…
Ye Xin’s basket was finally filled with medicinal herbs.
As they gathered herbs, she took the opportunity to learn and review her knowledge of herbal medicine. For instance, the first time she had accompanied Shen Zhuo into the mountains, she learned about a herb called Bu Gu Zhi, which was blooming in the summer and was now bearing fruit—ready for harvest. The black seeds it produced were the medicinal parts.
Ye Xin cleverly set aside a few seeds, planning to plant them in her medicinal garden in her space later.
The convenience of having a water bottle became apparent as well; whenever they felt thirsty or tired, they could take a break, sip some water, and then continue their work. Unlike before, when they had to endure dry mouths and parched lips, now they could enjoy warm water throughout the day, which was especially comforting in the winter.
They returned home that day with their baskets brimming with herbs.
Afterward, they didn’t waste any time. They spent their afternoons in the mountains gathering even more herbs, hoping to sell them for extra money later on.
Meanwhile, it was almost time to get back to work for the production team. Although the fields had been planted, there were still plenty of tasks like weeding, watering, managing winter crops like wheat and rapeseed, and other small jobs that kept them busy. Farming wasn’t just about sowing seeds; it required constant care to ensure a bountiful harvest.
Additionally, there were tasks like digging reservoirs, repairing ditches, and fixing roads that needed manpower.
As long as there were tasks, Ye Xin and Shen Zhuo continued to work alongside the production team, making sure they didn’t fall out of touch. When work was light, they’d labor in the mornings and spend afternoons gathering herbs or tending to their personal chores.
When they returned to work, Ye Xin could hardly escape the questions from her aunts about her trip to the county. She could only repeat what she had previously shared at the youth dormitory.
Wu Lili chimed in, “Time flies! The training class is starting soon. You’ll be home alone then.”
Ye Xin laughed, “What’s wrong with being home alone? I’ll still be working! Besides, I’ll have my aunts for company.”
Wu Lili teased, “You two are always together; going anywhere without each other must feel strange!”
Ye Xin’s cheeks flushed. “He’s just going to town to study, not going far. We’ll still see each other every day. Aunt Wu, please don’t tease me!”
Seeing her blush, Wu Lili only laughed harder but dropped the subject.
Lin Meihua spoke up, “If Shen Zhuo goes off to study, he won’t be able to earn work points. We wouldn’t want to run short on food, would we?”
Ye Xin sighed, “What can we do? If I want to participate in the training, I have to sacrifice some work points. It’s not like I can have it all. If we really run short on food, we’ll just have to owe the team. The captain and the team leader are nice enough; they wouldn’t let us starve, would they?”
Lin Meihua nodded, “That’s true. Even though we’re poor here, the people are kind.” She pointed to Wu Lili and added, “You should visit her house more often. Get friendly with the team leader; if you need to borrow food, it’ll be easier to ask!”
Wu Lili shot her a look but then turned to Ye Xin with a smile, “Don’t worry. During the three years of hardship, everyone helped each other to get through. Things are much better now; there’s no way anyone would starve! I’ve noticed you two have been doing better and better these past six months. Life will keep improving—it’s always bitter before it gets sweet!”
Ye Xin beamed with a bright smile. “Thank you, Aunt Cheng, for your kind words!”
As ten days passed, there weren’t any urgent tasks, but they stayed busy every day, which felt fulfilling.
The weather grew increasingly colder, and nature became even more barren. Finally, the barefoot doctor training class commenced.
The night before, Ye Xin had sent out shiitake mushrooms and wood ear mushrooms, and she rose before dawn to join Shen Zhuo in preparing for the day. They chopped fillings, kneaded dough, made buns, and steamed a pot full of them. Breakfast wasn’t just limited to buns; after steaming them, they also cooked rice and stir-fried some vegetables.
While everything was still hot, Ye Xin filled a stainless steel lunch box with a generous amount of food and packed three or four soft buns.
Shen Zhuo said, “You don’t need to pack so much; I’ll only eat once at noon.”
Ye Xin insisted, “You need to! You’ll be in town for ten hours, and studying takes a lot of energy—you’ll get hungry easily. If you’re hungry, you won’t have the energy to focus, and then you won’t learn well. So take extra! If you get hungry, just eat; no need to hold back—we have plenty to eat now.”
Shen Zhuo listened to her words of concern and watched her busy herself for him, a smile spreading across his face.
Ye Xin grabbed some sweet potato chips, filled his thermos with hot water, and tightly secured the lid. Finally, she placed everything into a deep blue crossbody bag that Shen Zhuo had made himself from the fabric they had bought earlier. Ye Xin didn’t know how to sew and was too lazy to learn. Instead, she sketched a design and directed Shen Zhuo to cut and stitch it.
At the time, Shen Zhuo thought he was making it for her, so he put in extra effort. He worked late into the night under the flickering light of a kerosene lamp, ensuring each stitch was tight and neat. If a single stitch went awry, he would rip it out and start over, fearing she might not like the final product.
Now, realizing it was made for him, he was momentarily stunned.
“Why don’t you keep it for yourself?” he asked, feeling a little bewildered. After all, he had spent several evenings working on it.
Ye Xin glanced at the bag and replied, “It’s such an ugly color; why would I want it?”
Shen Zhuo was momentarily at a loss for words.
Ye Xin hung the bulging bag over his shoulder, then reminded him to wear his hat, gloves, and scarf. Finally, she handed him the flashlight, gave his shoulder a light pat, and said cheerfully, “Alright, off you go to school!”
Shen Zhuo felt a strange sense of being sent off like a child. He couldn’t help but correct her, “I’m going to a training class.”
Ye Xin beamed with delight. “Close enough! Hurry along now, and don’t be late on your first day!”
The bicycle was already propped up by the gate, and the door was wide open. He pushed the bike out and glanced back at her.
Ye Xin waved her hand, her smile radiant. “Go on now, be careful on your way!”
Seeing that she showed no signs of reluctance, Shen Zhuo felt a pang of disappointment and climbed onto his bike, pedaling away.
As he rode off, Ye Xin exhaled a cloud of white breath, placing her hands on her hips. “Well, it’s finally just me now!”