Chapter 74: The Lively Educated Youth Quarters & Song Lanlan’s Tantrum

Due to the slippery roads, they had set out in the morning but only arrived home by the afternoon.

Liujiawan was covered in a thick layer of snow, turning it into a breathtaking winter wonderland. Wisps of smoke curled up from chimneys in the dusk, painting a peaceful and inviting scene.

As soon as they entered the village, the children playing in the snow spotted them.

“Dad!”

“Mom!”

“Big Brother!”

Their young, innocent voices broke the quiet stillness of the village. Doors swung open, welcoming back family members who had braved the harsh weather. Inside the houses, the kang beds were already heated, and the rooms bustled with excitement. People checked on their loved ones, asking if they were healthy, if the labor over the past month had been hard, and whether they had enough to eat.

The returning villagers eagerly shared how this year had been different from previous ones, describing the delicious foods they had enjoyed. The little children, listening wide-eyed, smacked their lips and sucked on their fingers in envy.

When the dried field rats were brought out, the children from every household cheered in excitement. Some families wasted no time and roasted the fragrant dried rats that very night.

Meanwhile, the educated youths remained silent as they walked back to their quarters. There was no warm kang waiting for them, no family members rushing out to welcome them home.

Liu Laosan, grinning, personally escorted Ming Dai and her companion to the back entrance of their residence. Only after they had unloaded all their belongings did he prepare to leave.

Before he could go, Ming Dai handed him one of her dried field rats. “Grandpa Liu, just rub a bit of oil on it and roast it until both sides are golden brown.”

Liu Laosan hadn’t expected this surprise gift. His grin widened, revealing the two missing front teeth, and he laughed heartily, clearly delighted.

After entering the house, Zhou Sinian instinctively carried the supplies down to the cellar and then gathered firewood to start a fire.

Once the water was boiling, the two of them cleaned the entire house inside and out. After being away for a month, a thick layer of dust had settled everywhere.

By the time they finished, night had already fallen.

After locking the door securely, Ming Dai led Zhou Sinian into her special space.

The first thing they did upon entering was take a good, long bath. They changed into fresh, comfortable cotton sleepwear, and when Ming Dai came out, she saw that Zhou Sinian had already gone off to work on the grasslands.

She headed to the kitchen and checked on the lamb offal soup she had secretly simmered the night before. It was now perfectly done.

From the storage, she took out the noodles she had previously rolled out and cooked enough for four portions—one for herself and three for Zhou Sinian.

After filling their stomachs, they lounged contentedly on the sofa for a while. As drowsiness crept over her, Ming Dai reminded Zhou Sinian, who was engrossed in his comic book, to remember to take his medicine before bed. Then, yawning, she went upstairs to sleep.

Obediently, Zhou Sinian took his medicine. This new formula was noticeably bitter.

As a reward, he treated himself to two pieces of chocolate, letting the sweetness drown out the lingering bitterness. Only after that did he wash up and go to bed.

While they drifted off into a peaceful sleep, the educated youth quarters in the front yard was filled with tension.

Qi Zhijun’s patience had completely snapped. The entire journey home, his mind had been fixated on seeing Fang Rou again.

Unfortunately, what awaited him was a cold, locked door.

Fang Rou was not home.

Qi Zhijun stood there, frozen, lost in his own cold, desolate world.

The new educated youths looked at each other, feeling uneasy.

The stove was in Fang Rou’s room. Without her, how were they supposed to cook their meals?

Liu Yan sneered and added fuel to the fire. “Oh dear, could it be that Comrade Fang simply forgot we were returning today? Is that why she didn’t rush back from the commune? But… I distinctly remember that during our meeting, Captain Fang specifically emphasized our return date. She was there too, wasn’t she?”

Liu Daye let out a cold snort. “I say she did it on purpose! Acting like some bourgeois lady! Trying to avoid the re-education of the lower and middle-class peasants!”

Zhang Xiaojun, exhausted and starving, glanced toward the old educated youths who had already started a fire and were preparing to cook. His eyes darted around until they landed on Cai Mingcheng, who was standing quietly with his head lowered.

“Hey, Cai Mingcheng, why don’t you go over and ask if we can share a meal with them today?”

Being singled out, Cai Mingcheng stiffened slightly, clearly uncomfortable. He hesitated for a moment, glancing uneasily at the bustling kitchen. But refusing wasn’t an option, so he merely nodded in resignation.

Qin Fangfang, ever cheerful, volunteered, “I’ll go over and help with the cooking!”

Cai Mingcheng shot her a grateful smile, and the two of them made their way to the kitchen, where Fang Mingyang was warming himself by the fire.

Hearing that Fang Rou was absent, Fang Mingyang was momentarily stunned before his brows furrowed in concern.

He didn’t want any unnecessary trouble at the educated youth quarters. The previous group had made a mess of things, always highlighting their so-called special status, and in the end, they had only made life harder for everyone.

And Fang Rou… she clearly wasn’t the obedient type.

“There’s no need to share meals,” Fang Mingyang said firmly. “You all can wait until we finish using the stove, then cook your own food.”

Cai Mingcheng quickly nodded in agreement and ran back to inform the others.

Qin Fangfang glanced at the water vat and noticed that it was nearly empty. Without a word, she grabbed a carrying pole, hoisted two iron buckets, and headed outside to fetch water.

Sitting by the stove and feeding wood into the fire, Song Lanlan watched Qin Fangfang’s retreating figure and smirked. “See? Out of all the newcomers, she’s the only one with a decent work ethic. The rest are just full of tricks.”

Chen Erhong’s hand paused for a moment as she sprinkled flour into the pot. She didn’t say anything, but a flicker of mockery flashed through her lowered eyes.

And what kind of person are you? A woman who sells her body!

That night, dinner was simple—each person got a bowl of thin mixed-grain porridge, and that was it.

The new educated youths took advantage of the old ones eating to cook their own porridge as well. It was thin and bland, just enough to fill their stomachs.

Qi Zhijun sat there, slumped, absentmindedly scooping porridge from his bowl and sipping it half-heartedly. He was still struggling to recover from the blow Fang Rou had dealt him.

Everyone was exhausted from the day and just wanted to rest early.

As usual, the older educated youths boiled hot water first, planning to soak their feet before bed.

But just as night fully settled in, a sharp, ear-piercing voice rang out from the front yard.

“Which damned bastard stole my hot water?! If you want hot water, why don’t you boil it yourself?! I worked so hard to heat that up! Whoever took it better bring it back right now!!”

Song Lanlan was furious!

Wanting enough hot water to wipe herself down properly, she had deliberately not shared the first pot with everyone else. Instead, she had taken the trouble to boil her own second batch. She had only stepped away for a moment, and when she came back, the pot was completely empty!

Now, she stood in the courtyard, hair disheveled, screaming curses toward the new educated youths’ room. Her words were harsh and unfiltered.

Inside the room, Qi Zhijun’s face darkened as he stared at the basin of hot water by his feet. He instantly realized that it had been Song Lanlan’s.

His resentment toward Liu Yan, who had so eagerly brought him the water, deepened.

He had thought she had boiled it herself.

Who knew it was actually from that shrew, Song Lanlan?!

Outside, Song Lanlan glared at the new educated youths who had come out to confront her. Except for Qi Zhijun and Liu Yan, they were all present.

She had just seen Liu Yan in the female educated youths’ room, which meant the one who had stolen her hot water could only be Qi Zhijun!

Before Qi Zhijun could react, Song Lanlan kicked his door open.

Sure enough, there he was, sitting by the heated brick bed, soaking his feet.

Seeing that nearly the entire pot of her hot water had ended up in Qi Zhijun’s foot basin, Song Lanlan nearly exploded with rage.

When the new educated youths first arrived, she had thought Qi Zhijun, being from the capital and looking somewhat decent, might have a promising background. She had even considered cozying up to him, hoping she could use his connections to return to the city.

But later, she realized he was nothing but a paper tiger, completely oblivious to how Fang Rou toyed with him. His family had sent him a care package once, but after that, there had been no signs of them pulling strings for him. He had even gone to help with the reservoir construction, working just as hard as the rest of them—if not less capable than Fang Rou herself.

Now, seeing him use her stolen hot water, Song Lanlan had no intention of letting it slide.

She stepped forward and kicked his foot basin over.

Hot water splashed everywhere. The cotton shoes Qi Zhijun had placed beside the bed were instantly soaked inside and out—completely ruined for the winter.

The empty basin rolled toward her feet. With another kick, she sent it crashing into the wall with a loud clang.

Hands on her hips, she pointed at Qi Zhijun’s nose and unleashed a tirade of curses—many of which couldn’t even be written down.

“A so-called city boy from Beijing, huh?! Shameless! If you wanted hot water, why didn’t you boil it yourself?! You had to steal mine?!”

Qi Zhijun’s face flushed with anger. As more people gathered at the door to watch the commotion, he sat there with his bare feet exposed to the cold, grinding his teeth.

Lowering his voice, he snapped at her, “I’ll pay you! Now shut up!”