Chapter 16: Stealing Rice, Zhou Sinian Hits Someone

Ming Dai carried a sack on her back, swaying as she walked. She felt much more at ease now.

The foundation for a good life had already been laid. As long as nothing unexpected happened, she should be able to get along peacefully until the college entrance exam.

She had indeed come to a good place. Although the people here were somewhat exclusionary, the leadership was not malicious. As long as one didn’t cause trouble, they could live decently.

But some people just loved to stir up trouble.

Ahead, Liu Yan, Liu Daye, and Zhang Xiaojun were chatting and laughing as they approached. When Liu Yan saw Ming Dai struggling with the sack, she smiled and stepped forward.

“Ming Zhiqing, what did you get? Do you need help?”

Ming Dai pretended to look up with difficulty, shook her head, and appeared too exhausted to speak. She walked straight past her.

Liu Yan’s expression stiffened, and she clenched her teeth in frustration.

Liu Daye, standing beside her, noticed Ming Dai’s struggle. After thinking for a moment, he said, “How about I help you carry it? But you’ll have to wait until we come back from collecting our rations.”

Ming Dai rolled her eyes internally—what a hypocrite.

In this freezing weather with such strong winds, how could she possibly wait here for him?

She shook her head again and gritted her teeth as she continued forward.

Zhang Xiaojun impatiently said, “Enough, Ming Zhiqing obviously can manage on her own. Let’s hurry up and get our rations—I’m starving.”

Without another word, the two immediately followed him, showing no intention of helping.

Under the complicated gazes of the older educated youths, Ming Dai finally returned to the large brick house.

After placing the sack inside, she glanced at her belongings. As expected, there were signs that someone had tampered with them.

Heh, a dog couldn’t stop itself from eating filth.

Unfortunately for Liu Yan, the lower zipper of her bag was locked. She had rummaged through it for nothing.

Ming Dai was exhausted and had no desire to cook. She opened her bundle, secretly took out a few egg cakes and a bottle of milk, and quickly ate them while no one was around.

The sky was about to turn dark. After this meal, she could skip dinner.

She sat on the heated brick bed, resting with her eyes closed.

Of course, the kang had to be heated, but she didn’t want to do it with Liu Yan—this person would definitely try to slack off and take advantage.

She planned to wait and observe for now. After tonight, she would see whether the three of them would touch Zhou Sinian’s belongings.

If they did, they would be kicked out.

If they didn’t, Ming Dai would follow Fang Rou’s example and find a place to stay elsewhere—perhaps at Secretary Liu’s house, which seemed like a good option.

Having made up her mind, she simply closed her eyes and waited to watch the show.

When Liu Yan finally stumbled into the room, struggling under the weight of a large sack of coarse grain and gasping for breath, she saw Ming Dai wrapped in a blanket, fast asleep on the kang.

A surge of anger rose within her. She wanted to cause trouble, but before making a move, she inexplicably recalled the look Ming Dai had given her earlier. In the end, she didn’t dare to act.

After setting down her things, she checked her own sack. Seeing that Ming Dai hadn’t touched her belongings, she let out a satisfied snort and left.

Ming Dai didn’t even open her eyes. What a performance!

Before long, Liu Yan met up with Liu Daye and Zhang Xiaojun in the kitchen.

Without hesitation, they used the firewood next to the stove. Liu Yan came over empty-handed, but when she saw the cloth bag in Liu Daye’s hands, she was delighted. Still, she put on a worried expression and asked,

” Liu Zhiqing, Zhang Zhiqing, do you know how to cook?”

Liu Daye scratched his head and exchanged a glance with Zhang Xiaojun. They really didn’t.

So, Liu Yan switched to her sweet and considerate persona. “I do. Let me cook for you.”

Liu Daye was more than happy to let her. He believed that gentlemen should stay away from the kitchen—cooking was not a man’s job.

Zhang Xiaojun, however, saw through Liu Yan’s attempt to get a free meal. But since the grain they were using had been scavenged from the kang, he didn’t mind letting her have some.

Scavenged from the kang?

These two were truly shameless!

Liu Yan, thrilled, took the bag and began pouring rice into the pot. As more and more rice fell in, neither of the two men made a move to stop her.

In the end, she made up her mind and poured the entire sack of rice into the pot.

This was probably rice they had brought themselves. After all, the fine grain they had received today was only cornmeal.

Rice was no longer considered fine grain—it was classified as premium grain!

And so, these three shameless people guarded the kitchen and enjoyed a whole pot of white rice.

Inside the east wing, Ming Dai inhaled the rich aroma of freshly cooked rice and thought to herself—tonight would be entertaining.

As darkness fell, with no oil lamps or extra activities, everyone chose to go to bed early.

Liu Yan crept inside, seeing that the area where Ming Dai had placed her belongings was completely dark. Knowing that she had already gone to sleep, Liu Yan smirked.

Clicking her tongue in annoyance, she reached out to touch the kang’s surface—it was ice cold. She shivered from the chill but had no choice but to climb up.

Enduring the cold, she crawled onto the kang, shook open her blanket, and slipped inside without taking off her clothes.

She would tolerate it for tonight, but tomorrow, she would find a way to trick that little fool next to her into gathering more firewood.

She wanted to sleep on a warm kang, not shiver herself to sleep like this.

After days of traveling by train and walking long distances, exhaustion finally overtook Liu Yan, and she fell asleep while scheming.

But Ming Dai remained awake, waiting for Zhou Sinian to return.

Just when she could barely keep her eyes open, there was finally movement.

A sudden wail shattered the silent night, followed by another agonizing cry!

It had begun!

Ming Dai sat up, wrapping herself tightly in her blanket and hiding behind her bundle, eyes fixed on the door.

The crying outside continued, waking Liu Yan.

Grumbling, she muttered, “What the hell? Who isn’t sleeping in the middle of the night?”

The wailing gradually faded into the distance, replaced by two heavy thuds—like bodies hitting the ground.

The next moment, the door of the west wing was slammed open, and a tall, shadowy figure barged in.

The noise startled Ming Dai, making her shrink further behind her bundle, not daring to make a sound.

Liu Yan, who had her head exposed, let out a piercing scream. The sharpness of her voice scraped against the eardrums like sandpaper—utterly unbearable!

The shadowy figure moved instantly, grabbing Liu Yan by the hair and dragging her out of the blanket. Ignoring her screams, he pulled her into the courtyard. The familiar wailing echoed through the night, followed by the heavy thud of something hitting the ground.

The next moment, the figure stepped inside again.

Even without any light, Ming Dai could feel his gaze locked onto her. That predator-like stare, sharp and unyielding, made the hairs on her body stand on end.

Ming Dai opened her mouth and said, “I didn’t eat your food.”

The figure swiftly closed the distance, leaning in to sniff near her face.

Ming Dai was speechless. Was he really identifying the culprit by smell?

But to avoid getting hit, she cooperated and opened her mouth slightly.

The figure sniffed for a long time. He didn’t strike her, but he also didn’t leave.

Just as Ming Dai was beginning to wonder what was going on, a low rumbling sound broke the silence.

“Are you hungry?”

She asked, but the figure didn’t respond. He simply withdrew his head slightly but remained standing nearby.

Ming Dai thought for a moment. She had eaten egg cakes earlier—had he caught the scent?

“I’ll get you something to eat, but you won’t hit me, okay?”

The figure made no sound, nor did he move.

Ming Dai waited for a moment, then slowly reached out, untied her bundle, and rummaged through it. Finally, she pulled out a small white cloth bag and handed it over.

“Egg cakes. You can eat them.”

After a brief pause, a dark hand reached out and took the bag.

The figure left.

Ming Dai let out a long breath of relief. Did that mean she had passed his test?

As the tension eased, sleepiness overtook her, and she drifted off.