Chapter 44: Mixed Grain Cakes

Last night, when Huang Zhihao returned home, he asked his brother, Huang Zhihao, if he had delivered the bricks and tiles to Shen Zhuo’s house. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust his brother—he was known for being dependable and careful—but since he had personally facilitated the order, he felt particularly invested.

Once his brother confirmed that the delivery had been made, Zhihao felt satisfied and was ready to head for dinner. However, Zhihao stopped him to ask a few questions.

“Does your classmate have a sister?” Zhihao inquired.

Zhihao blinked in confusion. “Does Shen Zhuo have a sister? I’m not sure. He’s never mentioned it. He doesn’t talk much, to be honest.”

Zhihao switched tactics. “You mentioned that Shen Zhuo is quite handsome—what do you mean by that?”

Now Zhihao was feeling a bit annoyed. “He’s just fair-skinned and gentle-looking, very quiet, almost like a figure out of an ancient painting. I can understand the other female students gossiping about him, but why are you asking?”

Zhihao smiled and waved him off, urging him to go eat dinner.

Zhihao had his suspicions; the girl he had seen during the day was fair-skinned and attractive. He guessed she might be Shen Zhuo’s sister, left at home while her parents went to work. But this was just speculation. After chatting with his brother and learning that Shen Zhuo was also good-looking, it seemed more likely they were siblings. Their home had a yard, and the house appeared spacious—definitely better off than many others.

That girl looked young, though; she might be waiting a few more years before she could contribute.

Zhihao thought his brother’s smile was a bit odd but decided not to press further and resolved to ask Shen Zhuo instead. However, Shen Zhuo also seemed puzzled, and they let the matter drop for now.

The next day, during lunch, Li Guangyao overheard more discussions about Shen Zhuo’s family background.

Taking the opportunity, he said, “You’re all mistaken. Shen Zhuo doesn’t come from a wealthy family. His mother died during childbirth, and his father broke his leg in the mountains earlier this year and passed away shortly after. He doesn’t have any siblings, so he’s all alone. Not only is his situation not as good as you all imagined, it’s actually quite tough.”

Several female students, including Meng Chunlan, were taken aback by this revelation.

“Is that true?” one of them asked, stunned.

“How do you know so much?” another inquired.

Li Guangyao replied calmly, “We’re from the same brigade, and I live nearby, so I know. I call the head of his production team ‘uncle,’ so we have regular contact.”

With that explanation, even the skeptics had to believe him.

Immediately, a male student remarked with a sardonic smile, “I thought he was the son of a rich family, but it turns out he’s worse off than most—an orphan without parents.”

This was a stark contrast to the previous speculations made by the female students. Upon hearing this, they felt ashamed and fell silent.

Li Guangyao shot a look at the male student, his expression serious as he replied, “It’s been years since we toppled feudal landlords; there are no more ‘young masters’ here. We are all farmers from the mountains, members of various production teams, just taking the opportunity to attend training during the agricultural off-season.”

This effectively silenced the male student.

Yet, another question arose: “If Shen Zhuo’s family is so poor, how come he seems to have decent food and clothes?”

A voice murmured, “He looks different too—fair and clean, as if he’s never worked the fields.”

In fact, Li Guangyao had his own doubts about this, but being from the same brigade, he knew he couldn’t undermine Shen Zhuo openly. To support him fully, he sighed and explained, “He may look fine now, but when his father passed away earlier this year, he was so thin he looked like a walking skeleton, as if a gust of wind could blow him away. Even my uncle was worried he wouldn’t survive. But he managed to pull through and gradually regained his strength. As for his food and clothing, his father had skills in herbal medicine and had saved some money over the years. He taught Shen Zhuo how to identify medicinal herbs, and it’s perfectly normal for him to sell those and buy things for himself. It’s precisely because he has this foundation that he was recommended by the brigade to participate in this training.”

Regarding the new house Shen Zhuo’s family was building, he added that they were just constructing a bathing area, as previously they had been using…

“There’s hardly any space for anything right now; we’re just building one because we need water so often. We can only use red bricks for that.” Huang Zhihao confirmed this; the few bricks and tiles they had were nowhere near enough to build a proper house.

With that, all the questions were laid to rest.

Everyone’s doubts had been answered, and the wild speculations about Shen Zhuo disappeared. Their glances shifted; where they had once found him handsome, they now saw him as pitiable. Those who had felt jealousy now found it meaningless—what was there to envy in an orphan without parents?

Shen Zhuo, with his keen hearing, caught all of this and breathed a sigh of relief. He silently appreciated Li Guangyao for his timely intervention. As for the curious looks aimed at him, he tried his best to ignore them, focusing instead on his food.

Huang Zhihao was taken aback by Shen Zhuo’s background. He now viewed him differently, shifting from the image of a “quiet beauty” to a “pitiful little cabbage.” Understanding his quiet demeanor, Zhihao hesitated to say anything comforting, not wanting to remind him of his painful past. Instead, he asked, “Shen Zhuo, do you want me to help you get some hot water?”

Shen Zhuo didn’t even look up. “I brought my own.”

“Oh, right,” Zhihao mumbled, feeling a bit foolish.

He turned back to his bread, an idea flickering through his mind but slipping away before he could grasp it. He decided not to dwell on it and hurriedly returned to his studies after finishing his meal.

Over the next couple of days, Shen Zhuo noticed a significant reduction in the furtive glances and discussions about him. His bicycle had also remained untouched, and he felt relieved, allowing himself to focus on his studies.

On the afternoon of the fourteenth day, Li Jianggong arrived on schedule to place the beams and tiles on the little house.

With winter bringing little rain, everything had dried out nicely after three days. Ye Xin checked daily, ensuring not a single leaf fell, keeping the little house spick and span both inside and out.

In just an hour, the work was done. Li Jianggong declared it all part of the day’s work, not charging her extra.

Ye Xin was naturally very grateful.

Although she wasn’t required to pay, appreciating the quality of his work, she offered him a tangible token of thanks: “After distributing the grain, I made some mixed grain cakes with corn and sweet potatoes. Please take some home, Uncle Jianggong.”

At this time, regardless of whether it was coarse or fine food, it was all genuine and satisfying. Li Jianggong didn’t refuse. “Thank you; I’ll take some home.”

As he stepped outside and began his descent down the hill, he pulled out a cake to taste. He discovered that not only had it been sweetened, but it had also been pan-fried, making it particularly delicious. He felt he’d hit the jackpot; he didn’t usually get to enjoy such fine food at home.

As he savored each bite, he couldn’t help but shake his head, thinking about how the young educated youth still had much to learn about frugality. They were wasting food long before the New Year!

Ye Xin, however, paid no mind to his thoughts. Closing the yard gate, she returned to admire the completed little red house, feeling a deep sense of satisfaction.

Tonight, she could finally use the bathing area!

No more awkwardly washing up in her room!

In high spirits, she tidied the yard, stacking the leftover tiles and bricks into a corner for future use. She swept up the broken tiles, ensuring the yard was spotless.

Not only would bathing be more convenient, but overseeing the construction of the bathing area—from sourcing materials to supervising its completion—had given her a unique sense of achievement. It deepened her understanding of her capabilities, reinforcing the belief that even tasks that seemed complex and unfamiliar could be accomplished.

In the future, she could tackle even more challenges.

She now had greater confidence and courage in life!

Ye Xin’s cheerful mood lasted until dinner time. Shen Zhuo, too, was in good spirits when he returned to see the little house had been tiled. His heart lifted at her radiant smile.

He rolled up his sleeves to chop vegetables, saying, “I want to steam some buns to take with me tomorrow.”

Ye Xin added wood to the stove, replying, “Do whatever you like, but I don’t want to get up that early. You can manage on your own.”

Shen Zhuo said…

“Don’t worry about it; I’ll handle it myself. I’ll call you when the food is ready,” Shen Zhuo said, waving off any concern.

Ye Xin nodded in satisfaction.

As Shen Zhuo chopped vegetables, he noticed the rice in the pot hadn’t begun to boil yet. Glancing at the table, he spotted a pot of mixed grain cakes, their vibrant colors and appealing shapes tempting him with a sweet, fragrant aroma.

“Did you make these cakes?” he asked, surprised. “Then I’ll just take a few of these; no need to bother cooking more. Besides, it helps save food.”

Ye Xin smiled brightly. “Yep! I had some cornmeal and mashed sweet potatoes left over from before, but they just didn’t taste as good. So, I mixed them together with a bit of flour, and they turned out pretty well!”

She approached the table, tearing one in half, keeping one half for herself and offering the other to him. “Try it; I think you’ll like it.”

As Shen Zhuo took a bite, his eyes lit up. “Delicious!”

He couldn’t help but praise her. “You’re amazing! You make such good cakes!”

Flushed with pride from his compliment, Ye Xin laughed. “Of course! I’m home all day and just got some food rations, so I figured I might as well experiment with cooking—though I haven’t been working too hard, so don’t tell anyone!”

“What’s there to say?” Shen Zhuo replied. “It’s the winter break; you deserve to relax. I’ll take care of the chores whenever I can. I’m the lazy one here.”

Ye Xin felt content with his attitude and continued preparing their meal. Once they sat down to eat, she remembered to ask, “What made you want to bring buns tomorrow?” Usually, he didn’t have many demands when it came to food, especially since they had enough to fill their stomachs.

Shen Zhuo decided not to burden her with the details of the training class. “I think the students from our brigade are really great; we help each other out. I just wanted to express my gratitude.”

Ye Xin’s eyes brightened. “That’s a great idea! Building good relationships is important. Just look at Huang Zhihao; if it weren’t for your connection, it might have taken a few more days to get the bathing area finished. It’s clear that making friends has its perks. You should take a few extras and share them with the others in our brigade, especially those who are decent. It’s just mixed grain, after all, so it’s not a big deal.”

Shen Zhuo nodded but still wanted to avoid wasting food, deciding to take only three cakes.

After their meal, Ye Xin enjoyed a refreshing shower in the bathing area, feeling utterly relaxed.

When she emerged, she reminded Shen Zhuo, “From now on, you need to shower inside. No more washing in the yard… it’s always damp, and it makes walking around difficult.”

Shen Zhuo looked at her freshly washed, rosy-cheeked face, which glowed with vitality, and felt a blush creeping up his own cheeks. “…Okay, I got it.”

The next day, he brought the mixed grain cakes to lunch, quietly distributing one to each person in their brigade. Originally, he had just wanted to thank Li Guangyao for clarifying things the other day, but since Huang Zhihao had also helped clear the air, he figured he couldn’t leave anyone out; he decided to give one to Meng Chunlan too, since he didn’t want to leave anyone feeling left out.

Meng Chunlan was taken aback, recalling how he had previously ignored her. “Thank you! Did you make these yourself?”

Shen Zhuo didn’t want to say much and simply nodded.

Li Guangyao chuckled. “You’re so generous! Next time, I’ll have to bring something delicious to share too.”

“No need,” Shen Zhuo replied quietly. “I just happened to have some at home; it’s nothing special. Don’t think too much of it… and thank you.”

Understanding that Shen Zhuo was expressing his gratitude for the earlier situation, Li Guangyao smiled and accepted the cakes without pressing for more details.

Huang Zhihao, ever the enthusiast, dove right in, exclaiming, “These are amazing! They’re sweet, fragrant, and soft—way better than the hard cakes my mom makes!”

With his head lowered, Shen Zhuo listened to his words, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly. Of course, Ye Xin’s cooking was delicious!