Chapter 6

She walked back and forth twice to carry 40 kilograms of pig feed, and she didn’t finish the work until after five in the afternoon, when the sun had set.

I dragged my tired body slowly towards the educated youth institute, went back to wash my hands and started to eat, still boiled cabbage with steamed corn bread.

There was not a single drop of oil or water. Chu Sangning felt that if she continued to eat like this, she would get sick sooner or later. She took a steamed bun and didn’t even eat the vegetables. “I won’t eat anymore. I’m going to rest first.”

This was originally a good thing. After all, if Chu Sangning didn’t eat it, everyone could share her share. However, when He Yueyang saw Zhao Jiayun’s disappointed expression, he actually snorted coldly.

“They are from a big city indeed. Jiayun burned her hands while cooking today. She worked so hard to make something, but some people didn’t even give her face.”

Who wouldn’t know that the tone of indirect criticism was directed at Chu Sangning? Chu Sangning, who was about to leave, paused, turned around and asked curiously: “He Yueyang, I didn’t provoke you, did I?”

“No, but you made Jiayun unhappy.” He Yueyang stiffened his neck and looked at Chu Sangning unconvinced.

Chu Sangning laughed and said, “Are you her dog? If she’s unhappy, do you want to bite someone randomly to make her happy?”

“Who are you calling a dog?” He Yueyang stood up and pointed his finger at Chu Sangning.

“Don’t get excited, I didn’t say that.” Chu Sangning took his Wo Wo and turned away, ignoring He Yueyang who was furious behind him.

Wu Guangqian and several other male educated youth didn’t want to get involved anymore. They had only been there for less than a day and there had already been two quarrels. They hurried, as they also wanted to take a rest after eating. They didn’t expect working in the fields to be so tiring. The hands of these grown men were all worn out.

After wolfing down two dumplings, they wiped their mouths and went back to the house, leaving behind He Yueyang with red eyes and Zhao Jiayun with an annoyed face.

“Stop crying.” Zhao Jiayun said stiffly, unable to bear He Yueyang’s crying.

“Jiayun–” He Yueyang stretched out his voice and shouted at Zhao Jiayun. She had suffered such a great injustice, and it was all for her. Shouldn’t Jiayun comfort herself?

Chu Sangning went back to the room and closed the door away from the crying. He took out a bottle of rice sauce from the space and ate it with the steamed buns. He also picked up a bottle of milk, and after eating and drinking, he lay down to rest.

As soon as he closed his eyes, Chu Sangning thought of the sparrows he had shot with a slingshot in the back mountain this afternoon. He stood up with aches all over his body and went out to pick up a few large leaves.

Some wild vegetables, wild mushrooms and sparrows were tied together and wrapped tightly. You couldn’t tell what was inside unless you took them apart.

Chu Sangning walked to the home of the team leader Jiang Zongzhen according to his memory. Jiang Zongzhen was not at home, but his wife Li Chunfen was there.

Seeing Chu Sangning coming, Li Chunfen happily dries her hands that were washing clothes, “Chu Zhiqing is here, come in and sit down.”

“Auntie, I won’t sit down. This afternoon, when I was picking grass for pigs in the back hills, I saw some mushrooms. I came to give you some. Please don’t despise me, Auntie.”

Chu Sangning handed the things to Li Chunfen and was about to leave without saying anything, but Li Chunfen stopped him and said, “Kid, pick up the mushrooms and take them back to eat. Why are you giving them to me? I can’t take your things.”

Her husband is the team leader, and it is inevitable that people will have their eyes on her home. Although Li Chunfen thinks Chu Sangning is a good child, she is also afraid that if she takes the things, there will be a quarrel when her husband comes back.

As the saying goes, one should be grateful for what one has received, and one should be grateful for what one has received. Li Chunfen couldn’t bring trouble to her man, so she refused to accept it no matter what.

“Auntie, you treated me to a meal when I first came here, so it’s only natural that I bring you something.” Chu Sangning spoke politely. Li Chunfen thought that just some wild vegetables and mushrooms, which were commonly found in the back mountain, should be fine.

So after declining it twice, I finally accepted it.

Chu Sangning then went to the scorer’s home and gave him a copy as well. Then he got some firewood and went to the educated youth institute.

When you come to someone else’s Changxing Village, you have to understand some things. Chu Sangning sent Jiang Zongzheng because he was the team leader and a good person. The scorer was purely because he was in charge of everyone’s scoring.

If the scorer interferes in a job like Chu Sangning’s, which is cutting grass for pigs, and deducts points from him every day, he will be doomed to starve by the New Year.

When she was carrying the firewood back, she happened to meet Zhao Jiayun who came out of the house. They looked at each other and neither of them paid any attention to each other.

Seeing the other person’s delicate little face, which was still so beautiful even in this poor Changxing Village, Zhao Jiayun subconsciously touched his own face.

This time, she wants to snatch everything that belongs to Chu Sangning.

Chu Sangning went back to the room and started cooking secretly. Naturally, he didn’t know that the things he sent over surprised Li Chunfen so much that she couldn’t recover for a long time.

After Jiang Zongzheng returned home, Li Chunfen came out of the house and said, “Chu Zhiqing just came and said he would bring us some wild vegetables and mushrooms.”

“Wild vegetables? Hmm.” Jiang Zongzheng knew there were wild vegetables in the back hills, but he didn’t say anything after hearing this. He told his wife, “If you feel guilty, send two potatoes tomorrow.”

Those educated youth came in a hurry, and probably had nothing to prepare for food except their luggage. Sending them some potatoes would help improve their meals.

Li Chunfen nodded, opened it and exclaimed in surprise, “Old man, look.”

Jiang Zongzheng came forward and found that in addition to wild vegetables and mushrooms, there were also two very small sparrows wrapped in the leaves. No matter how small the sparrows were, they were still meat.

“This…we can’t take this. Why don’t you return it to Chu Zhiqing?” Li Chunfen pondered for a long time and finally handed the thing to her old man.

Their family conditions are just so-so. As the saying goes, the young boy has eaten his father out of poverty. Both the men and women in their family are good at work. They are good at working and they are also good at eating.

What we eat on weekdays is no different from what ordinary people eat. I haven’t seen meat for a long time…

Jiang Zongzheng thought of his skinny grandson, whose arms were as thin as chopsticks, and sighed helplessly: “Forget it, just accept it.”

Save it and make some soup for your child to nourish his body.

Upon hearing this, Li Chunfen put the sparrow into the kitchen, boiled water to pluck its feathers, and then deftly gutted it. She pickled one and cooked the other into soup in the evening.

At the Youth League Institute, Chu Sangning had a bowl of instant noodles in front of him and was sitting on the bed gnawing on chicken feet. When the time was almost up and Chu Sangning was about to eat, someone stood quietly at the door.

If the shadow hadn’t been revealed, Chu Sangning might not have been able to spot the person. She walked quickly forward and suddenly opened the door, causing the person at the door to stagger.

“Oh, He Zhiqing is not sleeping at this late hour, eavesdropping at other people’s doors.”

He Yueyang was caught, his face flushed red, “What do you mean by eavesdropping? I just came over to take a look.”