Chapter 36: The Small Hill Became a Basin! Crying to Death!

When they arrived home, the ground was covered with chestnuts.

Zhou Sinian sat on a pile of firewood, holding an oil paper package, watching the chestnuts spread out in the sun. From time to time, he would open one, put it in his mouth, and lick the shell clean before tossing it aside, looking quite relaxed.

Ming Dai smiled, not calling out to him. She went into the kitchen and poured the soaked grains from the previous night into a clay pot.

Chestnuts have the effects of nourishing the kidneys, strengthening the waist, promoting digestion, and preventing constipation. They also have a hemostatic function, helping to regulate conditions such as hemorrhoids, nosebleeds, and vomiting blood.

She had soaked red beans, rice, lotus seeds, and lilies, along with the big red dates given by Aunt Huang, and added a handful of peeled raw chestnuts.

She placed the clay pot on the small stove to boil, then simmered it on low heat.

After finishing, she took Zhou Sinian to work.

Since they had been able to complete their work in half a day recently, no one had any objections when they were late.

Fang Rou saw them approaching and handed over a sewing awl. Ming Dai took it and sat back down.

Zhou Sinian stared at the awl for a moment but didn’t take it.

Without questioning him, Ming Dai simply used it herself and started working.

It wasn’t until she had finished a dozen pieces that Zhou Sinian finally took the awl, sniffed it to confirm its scent, and then began his work.

Watching him, Ming Dai suddenly understood his intention.

The cream Fang Rou used had an orchid scent, while she and Zhou Sinian used a rose scent. It seemed he disliked it.

Are you a dog? Using scent to identify things.

Fang Rou probably felt humiliated by his obvious distaste. She must be furious.

Ming Dai noticed that many people were whispering about Fang Rou today.

Listening carefully, she glanced over at Fang Rou’s spot—only to see a pair of small sheepskin gloves on her hands.

Wow! How extravagant!

If this wasn’t showing off wealth, then what was?

In her past life, even with all the money in the world, she wouldn’t have dared to use sheepskin gloves just to husk corn. Not that she ever had the chance to do it, but still—it would’ve been heartbreaking!

Fang Rou, of course, felt the stares from all directions, but she remained composed, continuing to work as if nothing was wrong.

What else could she do? Her hands weren’t just sore—they were scraped and bleeding.

She thought that after working so hard, Aunt Luo would think better of her. But to her surprise, she overheard Aunt Luo and her daughter-in-law complaining about how delicate she was. Just husking corn and she had already scraped her hands!

She was furious.

These country folk!

If it weren’t for Luo Cheng’s sake, would she need to curry favor with some dirty, unkempt country woman?

So today, she decided to lie down on the job and wear her sheepskin gloves to husk the corn.

It really did hurt her heart, but her hands hurt too, so she chose to prioritize the emotional pain.

After a whole morning of mechanical work, Ming Dai didn’t do much but still finished the task.

Moreover, Zhou Sinian always saw things through to the end. He didn’t need Ming Dai to do anything—he packed the corn kernels and husks himself.

Ming Dai and Fang Rou finished passing the awl back and forth. Then, carrying some sugar, she went to check the work points and took the chance to give a piece of candy to Liu Miao, instantly becoming a favored friend in Liu Miao’s eyes.

Everyone else was green with envy!

I want a teammate like that too!

Amidst the envious glances of the crowd, Ming Dai and Zhou Sinian clocked out right on time and followed the group of educated youths heading back to the educated youth quarters for lunch.

Today, it was Qin Fangfang, Cai Mingcheng, and Hou Wei’s turn to cook.

Compared to the honest and quiet Cai Mingcheng, Hou Wei lived up to his name—skinny, sharp, and agile like a monkey.

He immediately noticed that Qin Fangfang and Cai Mingcheng were both straightforward people, and when it came to teamwork between the new and old intellectuals, he would only choose those two to work with.

As expected, many times it ended up being just the two of them doing the work meant for three people.

Hou Wei claimed he was giving them a chance to improve.

Qin Fangfang was grateful and believed him.

Cai Mingcheng saw right through it but didn’t dare resist.

At this moment, Hou Wei stroked his chin, watching the mismatched pair in front of him.

“Hey, you all came together, what’s the deal with that young Ming Zhiqing?” he asked.

Qin Fangfang looked up, noticing Ming Dai who was jogging to catch up with Zhou Sinian.

“We don’t know,” she replied. “We weren’t on the same train, but Xiao Ming is the youngest in our group. She got tangled up with some crazy people; it’s really sad!”

Hou Wei rolled his eyes, clearly not expecting this silly woman to figure anything out.

He turned to Cai Mingcheng.

Cai Mingcheng felt the weight of Hou Wei’s gaze, and a chill ran down his spine. He adjusted his black-rimmed glasses and weakly spoke, “She came from Beijing with Fang Zhiqing and Qi Zhiqing, along with Liu Zhiqing. But it seems like she doesn’t get along well with the three of them.”

Hou Wei raised an eyebrow. From Beijing, huh!

Sensing a gaze on his back, Zhou Sinian—who was striding ahead with four bags of corn kernels—suddenly turned around sharply.

Poor Ming Dai, who had been jogging to catch up, barely had time to react before she crashed straight into him!

Her small frame, hardly taller than one of the sacks, slammed against his solid form. For a moment, she swore the tiny mole that had just appeared on her chest was about to be flattened into a pancake.

The sharp pain was unbearable, and before she knew it, tears began streaming down her face.

Zhou Sinian’s attention was immediately drawn to her. He furrowed his brow, watching her cry uncontrollably with red eyes.

To the others who were preparing meals, it seemed like the crazy guy had inexplicably exploded in anger and beat up the poor, helpless young intellectual, who was now crying miserably.

This girl… so pitiful!

Ming Dai, oblivious to the fact that her role as the tragic figure was becoming even more vivid, waved her hand, signaling him to keep walking.

Only then did Zhou Sinian look behind him.

Hou Wei, shocked by Zhou Sinian’s rough actions, lowered his head and dared not look any further.

Zhou Sinian, reassured, continued walking with the bags, but this time he let Ming Dai walk ahead.

He frowned as he watched her tiny figure, barely taller than the bags. Too weak.

Ming Dai thought to herself: You’re not even as tall as a sack, let alone your whole family!

When they arrived home, before even entering the yard, a rich fragrance wafted out.

The chestnut health porridge had been simmered to perfection.

In Zhou Sinian’s eager gaze, she opened the door.

In a flash, a figure darted into the kitchen—food-loving Zhou Sinian was ready to pounce.

Ming Dai locked the door, glanced at the chestnuts scattered on the ground, and gently patted them. A couple more days of sun, and they’d be ready.

Seeing she was still outside, Zhou Sinian poked his head out and frowned at her.

Ming Dai slowly spoke, “Go get some water to wash your hands, then we can cook.”

Zhou Sinian obediently went to get the water.

After washing his hands, Ming Dai began preparing the meal while Zhou Sinian turned the chestnuts over.

Looking at the sauce and pickled vegetables Aunt Huang had given them, Ming Dai thought for a moment and decided to make an egg sauce and stew the pickled vegetables with some cured meat.

She planned to visit the commune soon to buy some fresh meat.

Also, after so many trips up the mountain, they hadn’t spotted a single wild chicken or anything else. That was just too strange.

While thinking, she began kneading the dough she had set to rise that morning, pinching off small portions, rolling them into balls, and placing them in a large pot to rise again.

Once the buns had doubled in size, she had Zhou Sinian, who had just finished his work, set up the pot to steam them.

Ming Dai pulled out some firewood and lit another small stove.

Using the small frying pan, she added some oil, starting with the fatty part of the cured meat to render the fat. Then she added the lean meat.

After frying all the cured meat, she took it out and used the same oil to fry the eggs.

She fried five eggs, then quickly used a spatula to break them apart and poured in a bowl of soy sauce. The rich aroma instantly filled the kitchen, spreading throughout the room.

Hou Wei crouched behind the shadow wall, mouth wide open as he inhaled. It seemed as if he could absorb the fragrance from the air just by breathing in deeply.

He took in a bellyful of cold wind and couldn’t help but think about how the crazy guy was now sitting inside the brick house, eating meat and drinking porridge, living in bliss.

He too wanted someone to take care of him!

If only Xiao Ming could marry him, then he wouldn’t have to work anymore. With the allowance she gets, it should be enough to support him.

He didn’t even need to eat meat every day; three times a week would be fine.

Ming Dai: Heh, dreaming is easy.

What a pity—such a good girl like Xiao Ming got tangled up with a crazy guy. Now she’s pretty much ruined!

Hou Wei rubbed his stomach, thinking about the remaining female educated youths. Qin Fangfang and Liu Yan came from poor families, so they were out of the question.

Fang Rou, on the other hand, seemed like a good match. That pair of sheepskin gloves she had today was definitely not something just anyone could afford.

But the problem was, she didn’t live at the educated youth quarters, so it would be a bit tricky.

However, they were going to return soon, and the big kang at the quarters was almost aired out.

He chuckled maliciously as he made his way back, startling Cai Mingcheng, while Qin Fangfang looked worried.

There was already one crazy person at the educated youth quarters. She hoped they wouldn’t get another fool.