Chapter 16: Too Salty

Afterward, Jiang Pan Yu accompanied Tan Yanlu to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy work gloves.

There wasn’t much else to buy after that. Although Jiang Pan Yu had some extra money on hand, everything required ration tickets at the time. Without tickets, you could only stare helplessly at the items you wanted.

The two of them then wandered around the town, locating the state-run restaurant, the purchasing station, and the town government office building. The so-called office building was actually just a two-story structure.

When it was about time, the two returned to the meeting point and headed back to Lianshan Village with the other Educated Youth.

By the time they neared the Educated Youth residence, it was almost 5 PM. In half an hour, it would be dark, and the people working in the fields would have already finished their tasks.

A small incident occurred at the entrance of the Educated Youth residence.

A chicken, seemingly out of nowhere, passed by them and left a dropping right next to Tan Yanlu’s foot.

Tan Yanlu almost stepped on it. She quickly shifted her raised foot to the side but ended up stepping on a small, round pebble instead, causing her to lose her balance and fall backward.

Behind her was Lian Xiuran, who happened to reach out and catch her, preventing her from actually falling.

“Comrade Tan, are you alright?” Lian Xiuran steadied her and asked with concern.

Tan Yanlu naturally shook her head to indicate she was fine. To Jiang Pan Yu, this was just an ordinary incident—someone was about to fall, and you naturally reached out to help. No big deal!

But to some, it wasn’t that simple. Zhao Xiuzhu, who had just returned from work, was one of them.

As she watched Tan Yanlu’s retreating figure, she wondered if Tan Yanlu also had her eyes on Lian Xiuran. Otherwise, why didn’t she fall into someone else’s arms? Why did it have to be him?

Zhao Xiuzhu had been drawn to Lian Xiuran’s striking appearance the moment she saw him earlier that day, and she had already developed feelings for him.

During lunch, she had specifically observed Lian Xiuran’s hands—they were the hands of someone who had never done rough or farm work since childhood.

His fingernails were smooth and clean, and the skin on his palms, neck, and face was all the same tone.

Unlike some people whose necks and hands were tanned from working outdoors.

What’s more, among the eight new Educated Youth, only his clothes were made of Dacron, and he didn’t just have one set.

On the bamboo poles in the courtyard, the new Educated Youth’s freshly washed clothes from the morning were drying.

Lian Xiuran’s clothes were also made of Dacron, and they were almost new, which spoke volumes about his family’s wealth.

Having been in the countryside for so long, Zhao Xiuzhu had rarely encountered someone with such good conditions, and her heart was instantly stirred.

Subconsciously, Zhao Xiuzhu had already claimed Lian Xiuran as her own, and any girl who got close to him would be met with her hostility.

At this moment, she found Tan Yanlu particularly irritating.

Her thoughts carried over into her work, and she began to let her personal emotions affect her tasks.

When dinner was served, everyone gathered around the table, but the food left them at a loss.

The meal consisted of cornmeal porridge, spicy stir-fried cabbage, and two small dishes of pickles.

But the amount of chili used was excessive, and the spiciness was overwhelming.

Li Gaoyang glanced at Zhao Xiuzhu and Li Yunying, his eyes showing disapproval. Not everyone could handle such extreme spiciness.

Li Yunying shrugged, “Don’t look at me, I didn’t cook this dish. I didn’t know Xiuzhu added so much chili pepper to it. By the time I found out, it was already in the pot. It would be such a waste to throw it out now.”

“I had no appetite and wanted something spicy. Since I cooked it, of course, it would suit my taste. I don’t make it this spicy every time, just occasionally. Besides, there’s pickled vegetables here. If it’s too spicy, just eat the pickles. Aren’t they both vegetables?” Zhao Xiuzhu’s tone was sarcastic and unkind.

Li Gaoyang frowned, unsure of what had gotten into Zhao Xiuzhu. Considering the new Educated Youth had just arrived, he thought it best to give the old Educated Youth some face and said nothing, simply picking up his chopsticks to eat.

As Li Gaoyang started, the others followed suit, but the spicy stir-fried cabbage was barely touched. Tan Yanlu, however, wasn’t afraid of spicy food. She took a bite, but unexpectedly choked. It wasn’t because it was too spicy, but because the dish contained undissolved salt, making it both salty and bitter. Tan Yanlu turned her head and spat it out onto the ground.

Lian Xiuran, sitting by the door, casually picked up Tan Yanlu’s enamel cup and poured her a glass of water. Tan Yanlu hurriedly drank the water and felt much better.

“What’s wrong? Is it too spicy? If it’s really too much, just eat the pickled vegetables. They’re newly made this year and taste quite good. Try some,” Li Gaoyang suggested, thinking Tan Yanlu was overwhelmed by the spiciness.

Tan Yanlu shook her head, “It’s not too spicy, it’s too salty. The salt in the dish hasn’t dissolved yet, making it both salty and bitter. You should try it yourselves.”

Li Gaoyang picked up a piece and tasted it, then also spat it out, “Comrade Xiuzhu, how much salt did you put in this? It’s so salty, how are we supposed to eat it?”

Zhao Xiuzhu put down her chopsticks and said, “You should think about it. With so many people and just one dish, if I didn’t add more salt, how would it be enough for everyone? Comrade Tan Yanlu, if it’s too salty for you, then eat more rice and less vegetables! If you treat the vegetables as rice, of course, it will taste salty!”

This statement caused quite a bit of resentment. Tan Yanlu’s face darkened, “Comrade Zhao, we paid for this meal. Are you saying that after taking our money, you don’t want to give us the vegetables? So you deliberately added so much salt, thinking we’d back off? You’re quite clever, but you should ask if I’m willing to take this loss!”

Hearing this, Li Gaoyang quickly explained that they absolutely didn’t mean it that way.

At this moment, Jiang Pan Yu received a system task:

[Ding, Zhao Xiuzhu, in pursuit of love, is hostile towards Tan Yanlu. As a public servant who enjoys the drama, please reveal Zhao Xiuzhu’s little scheme to everyone and encourage her to confess her love!

Task reward: A pack of high-nutrition compressed biscuits and a pound of brown sugar.]

In fact, everyone knew that since Li Gaoyang and the others had taken the money, they wouldn’t withhold the vegetables. After all, in these times, vegetables in the countryside weren’t that rare. Every household grew plenty, so there was no need to be stingy about it.

But Zhao Xiuzhu’s words were too unpleasant. Tan Yanlu felt she couldn’t take this loss today, or else she’d be seen as an easy target to bully in the future.

She opened her mouth, about to say something more, but Jiang Pan Yu, who had been silent until then, spoke up first. Her voice was clear and her pace unhurried:

“Comrade Zhao Xiuzhu, I know why you made the dishes so salty.

It’s because you like Comrade Lian Xiuran, isn’t it!

When we came back tonight, Comrade Lian Xiuran helped Tan Yanlu up.

You saw it, you got jealous, you were envious, so you made the dishes so spicy and salty today, you did it on purpose.

You were targeting us new Educated Youth, weren’t you? You wanted to put Tan Yanlu in her place, didn’t you!”