Chapter 7

“That’s good, that’s good. You really should thank them properly.” Hearing Xiaoxiao say that Zhang Fang felt reassured.

She knew how much Xiaoxiao cared about studying. When Xiaoxiao was still in school, she always took her studies very seriously. Even after she couldn’t continue her education, she never stopped learning.

But given the current situation, Zhang Fang wasn’t sure what good studying could do. With this thought, she glanced at the pot and said, “Why don’t you take a few more flatbreads to them? They’re all kids far from home, it’s not easy for them here.”

As she spoke, she grabbed a clean steaming cloth, wrapped up the remaining corn flatbreads from this morning, and put them in the basket.

The flatbreads were made in the morning, still warm, soft, and carrying the fragrance of corn.

Zhang Fang had this kind of personality—though her own family wasn’t well off, she always thought of others.

Wu Xiaoxiao didn’t refuse. First, she felt that the youth commune had indeed taken care of her before, and second, these corn flatbreads weren’t anything precious, so there was no need to feel bad about giving them away.

Although her abilities weren’t very useful yet, it was no problem for her to make sure she and her mother were well-fed at every meal.

After the mother and daughter finished breakfast, Zhang Fang took her tools to go to work, and Wu Xiaoxiao carried the basket to the youth commune.

The youth commune was next to the village party branch.

Wujia Village was considered a relatively good village in this area. Although no one here lived in abundance, Wujia Village and the whole Beixian County had a lot of land, good land, and a river running through it, so there had never been any major disasters. Even in the most difficult years after the founding of the country, no one in the village had starved to death.

So, the youth sent here were usually from families that had contributed or found a way to get here.

Wujia Village had once produced a provincial governor many years ago. The ancestral hall in the village was built grandly, using the best bricks and wood. However, after the Cultural Revolution, the ancestral hall could no longer be maintained. Over the years, the places left by the ancestors of Wujia Village were partly used for the village school and office, and the rest became the youth commune.

There were now six young people living there—four men and two women—each living in two courtyards. These were large, spacious houses with five rooms in the front, much better than Zhang Fang’s home.

People in the countryside wake up early, and by this time, most families had already finished their chores and were preparing to go to the fields. As she walked along, Wu Xiaoxiao greeted the uncles and aunts she met on the way.

Many people in the village knew about her falling into the water yesterday, and they asked how she was. This delayed her quite a bit of time, but when she arrived at the youth commune, there was surprisingly no activity.

Wu Xiaoxiao turned around outside the door. Could it be too early? But by now, the villagers were up, and weren’t the youth supposed to be out working in the fields too?

As she hesitated whether to knock on the door, she saw a figure walking toward her.

“Hey, Xiaoxiao, why are you here so early?” When Gu Zhenghong saw Wu Xiaoxiao, he was a little surprised.

He had also heard about Wu Xiaoxiao being pushed into the water by Wu Ningfang yesterday, and if it hadn’t been inappropriate, he would have gone to see her then. Thinking of this, Gu Zhenghong felt a little regretful. He had lent Xiaoxiao the notes, but why didn’t he escort her back? Other things weren’t as urgent.

Gu Zhenghong happily walked a few steps toward Wu Xiaoxiao, looked her over carefully, noting her slightly flushed cheeks and bright eyes, looking full of energy. He felt more at ease and asked, “I heard you fell into the water yesterday, how are you? Are you alright?”

Wu Xiaoxiao nodded. “I’m fine now. Actually, I came to return the notes to you.”

As he opened the courtyard door, Gu Zhenghong said, “Come in and talk. I just got up this morning.”

“It’s early. I didn’t want to disturb anyone, so I went out to read. By now, they should be getting up soon.”

Saying this, he raised his voice: “Tian Zhuang, Xiao Chuan, Da Liu, get up! It’s almost time to work.” After shouting, he gave Wu Xiaoxiao an embarrassed smile. “Everyone was really exhausted yesterday, so we’re getting up a bit later today.”

Gu Zhenghong walked to the table, picked up the thermos, and poured some hot water into a tea cup. “Drink some water. Didn’t you just take the notes yesterday? Why the rush to return them? I’ve already got the contents covered, you can take them back and read slowly.”

As he spoke, he seemed to recall something and added, “Don’t worry about Wu Ningfang. There’s nothing going on between us. From now on, just avoid her a little.”

—-

A few days ago, he had received a letter from home. Although things still weren’t clear, there were already rumors circulating in the capital, and his uncle had specifically written to tell him to prepare. That should mean something’s happening soon.

He hadn’t wasted these years, and he believed that when the time came, he would be able to return. Wu Xiaoxiao was the best girl he had met here. No matter what the future held, he hoped this good girl could have a bright future.

Wu Xiaoxiao put down the notes. “I’ve already read them. The content is related to several books I’ve read before, and I made some notes. If I need them again later, I’ll come borrow them from you. I’ll return them now, so it’ll be more convenient for you if you need them.”

Gu Zhenghong was about to say something when Liu Dayu rubbed his eyes and pushed open the door. “Xiao Gu, why are you shouting so loudly this early? How late did you stay up last night?” Halfway through, he noticed Wu Xiaoxiao and the extra items on the table, and immediately brightened. “Oh, Xiaoxiao, you’re here! Wow, what did you bring? Hey, these are fresh cucumbers, aren’t they? They look really fresh.”

Liu Dayu picked up a cucumber, rubbed off the spines, and took a bite. “Mmm, this is delicious! Thank you, Xiaoxiao. Wow, what’s this? Corn cakes! Oh, I really shouldn’t, grains are so precious. How can I take your cakes? You brought them for Xiao Gu, right?”

As he spoke, he picked up a piece, didn’t eat it, just sniffed it, and smiled mischievously, glancing back and forth between Wu Xiaoxiao and Gu Zhenghong.

Gu Zhenghong’s face darkened. “Da Liu, stop talking nonsense. Xiaoxiao is just thanking me for lending her the notes. But Xiaoxiao, I’ll accept the cucumbers, but I really can’t accept the corn cakes.”