Chapter 61: Zhou Sinian, Who Didn’t Want to Take Medicine, Ended a Busy Day

After lunch, Huang Dalian gathered everyone’s bowls and carried them to the river to wash. Although most of them had been licked clean, Ming Dai insisted on washing them again and scalding them with hot water the next day.

Once Huang Dalian left, Ming Dai grabbed a shovel and had Zhou Sinian dig a pit next to the stove. She then scooped out the charcoal from the burnt firewood at the bottom of the pot, placed it in the pit, and covered it with a layer of soil to smother it for reuse.

After finishing this task, Ming Dai greeted Accountant Liu, who was in charge of guarding the shed, and then took Zhou Sinian up the nearby mountain.

As they passed by the construction site, they saw the people from Shangwan Village had arrived. Since they had missed mealtime, they had to start working on an empty stomach, looking exhausted and sluggish.

In contrast, the people from Liujiawan Village had eaten well and were full of energy. They worked with enthusiasm, showing a noticeable improvement compared to the morning. The construction supervisor saw this and praised them repeatedly.

Ming Dai thought about the amount of lard left in the jar and knew she had to plan ahead—otherwise, there wouldn’t be enough to eat.

This trip up the mountain was mainly to collect firewood. Although they could wait for the villagers to gather some after work, judging by their attitudes, it was clear that they wouldn’t take the forced task seriously.

Ming Dai also wanted to make more charcoal for heating, so she preferred to do it herself.

Zhou Sinian had already become very skilled at chopping firewood. Without needing Ming Dai’s instructions, he automatically searched for dead trees and quickly chopped them into pieces with ease.

Ming Dai didn’t compete with him for the task. Instead, she wandered around, hoping to find something edible.

After searching for a while, she found nothing.

That was to be expected. They were among the last group of villagers to come here for work. Even if there had been any food to forage, it had already been picked clean by the others.

In the end, Ming Dai only found some wild garlic. She didn’t mind, though. Using her machete, she pried open the ground and collected not just the garlic leaves but also the small bulbs underneath, filling more than half a basket.

Ming Dai checked the time and went to find Zhou Sinian. He was already sitting in a dominant position atop a large pile of firewood, resting comfortably.

She walked over and sat beside him. Using the woodpile as cover, she secretly took out a large chicken drumstick from her hidden stash and handed it to him.

“Eat this, but you can’t tell anyone, understand?”

Zhou Sinian grinned and nodded. Before taking the drumstick, he first asked Ming Dai for some water to wash his hands. Only then did he take the meat and happily dig in.

Ming Dai handed him a cup of hot water to rinse away the taste after he finished eating. Once that was done, they gathered the firewood and headed back.

There was no way they could carry it all in one trip, but she wasn’t worried about it being stolen. After all, only someone completely brainless would dare to steal from a so-called lunatic.

By the time they returned, Huang Dalian was already back and was helping Liu Guoqiang pick out stones from the grain.

Seeing the large amount of firewood they brought back, Huang Dalian was startled and immediately wanted to go help. But Ming Dai stopped her, telling her to continue with her current task instead.

In the end, it took seven or eight trips to move all the firewood back.

After taking a short break, Ming Dai pulled out a medicine pot and placed it on the small stove to brew some medicine. Zhou Sinian watched with an extremely reluctant expression.

As the bitter scent of the medicine spread, Huang Dalian poked her head inside and asked, “Who’s sick?”

Ming Dai pointed at Zhou Sinian, who was sulking and venting his frustration by aggressively tearing apart wild garlic sprouts. She said nothing.

Huang Dalian immediately withdrew, not daring to say another word.

After letting out his frustration, Zhou Sinian washed his hands, went to their sleeping area, pulled out a comic book, and returned to his seat. He had no intention of helping with chores, but at least he wasn’t making trouble anymore. That was good enough.

Once Ming Dai finished cleaning the wild garlic, she went outside to help pick out stones from the grain. The cold was biting, so she called the others to move the task into the shelter.

However, both Huang Dalian and Accountant Liu shook their heads firmly, refusing to go inside no matter what. Seeing their stubbornness, Ming Dai had no choice but to let it go.

“Sister Dalian, what are we having for dinner tonight? Are we eating dry rice again?”

Huang Dalian kept working as she responded, “No need. We’ll have something light tonight. We eat twice a day—no breakfast, dry food for lunch, and something watery for dinner.”

Ming Dai was surprised. “No breakfast? Can they really manage? They have to work all morning!”

Huang Dalian smiled and nodded. “Of course, it’s tough. They won’t last without eating, so they definitely bring some dry food with them. Don’t worry about it.”

Hearing that, Ming Dai finally felt relieved. That made sense. If she had managed to bring so much food here, other families would have thought of it too.

After sorting the stones, Ming Dai carried the cleaned grain and picked out a basket of radishes. She grabbed the wild garlic they had collected and headed off to wash the vegetables.

The moment she left, Zhou Sinian—who had been ignoring her just moments ago—quickly put away his book and trotted after her like an eager child. Ming Dai glanced back and nearly stumbled from shock.

Ming Dai couldn’t help but feel that Zhou Sinian was becoming more and more childlike. That was a good thing. It was better for him to express himself than to bottle everything up.

It seemed like he still needed to keep taking the medicine.

That evening, Ming Dai made shredded radish soup for everyone before they finished work.

She picked out the beans from the mixed grain rice, washed them, and smashed them slightly with an axe.

Then, she heated oil in a pot, tossed in the beans, and stir-fried them until the raw bean smell was gone. After that, she added the shredded radish, some salt, and water. Before long, a big pot of radish soup was ready.

As they drank the soup, Huang Dalian was amazed. She had only added some raw beans—how did it turn out so delicious?

The people from Liujiawan slurped up the radish soup, feeling completely satisfied. And when they heard that there would be hot water for soaking their feet later, they felt like they were in heaven.

Even if it was just one basin of hot water per shelter, it was still comforting.

After all, everyone was equally dirty—who would judge anyone else?

That night, Ming Dai coaxed Zhou Sinian to drink his medicine. “Just try it. I added licorice—it’s really not bitter anymore.”

Zhou Sinian pinched his nose and stared at the dark, murky liquid in the bowl, still full of resistance.

Ming Dai had no choice but to use her ultimate weapon. “Drink it, and I’ll give you two pieces of pine nut candy.”

Afraid that he might eat too much and get heaty, Ming Dai secretly took the rest of the pine nut candy from his basket and stored it away.

Zhou Sinian was clearly displeased, but since the candy was made by Ming Dai, he had no choice but to accept the deal.

With the tempting promise of two pieces of pine nut candy, Zhou Sinian downed the medicine in one gulp.

Only after drinking it did he smack his lips and belatedly realize something. He held out the empty bowl to her and said, “Another bowl!”

Ming Dai was speechless. Did he think he had won a prize and could get more?

“There’s none left. You can have more tomorrow night.”

Zhou Sinian was finally satisfied. He washed the bowl and the medicine pot himself, put them away neatly, and even forgot to ask for his pine nut candy. Instead, he took out his own washbasin and foot basin, scooped some hot water from the pot, and began washing up.

Huang Dalian watched the whole process in stunned silence.

A lunatic with two separate basins—one for washing his face and another for his feet?

She thought about her own home, where a single basin was shared by the whole family for both their faces and feet. Suddenly, her face burned with embarrassment.

But when Zhou Sinian took out a small bottle and started applying something to his face, she was utterly shocked.

Oh my goodness! This lunatic was more meticulous than a new bride!

No wonder he always smelled so nice!

Ming Dai noticed Huang Dalian staring blankly and called out to her, “Sister Dalian, aren’t you going to soak your feet before bed?”

Huang Dalian snapped out of her daze and quickly shook her head. “No, no, I’ll just sleep.”

Ming Dai guessed that she probably didn’t bring a foot basin, so she handed over one of her own. “Here, use mine. This towel is for drying your feet—just hang it up after you’re done.”

Huang Dalian looked at the brand-new enamel basin and waved her hands frantically. “I can’t! My feet are too dirty—how can I use yours?”

Ming Dai chuckled. “Come on, Sister Dalian, don’t joke. Whose feet aren’t dirty? Just wash them. Hurry up while the water is still warm.”

Finally, Huang Dalian accepted the basin and enjoyed a warm, comforting foot soak.