Chapter 16: Cutting Pig Grass 

Li Lin was carrying two baskets. At first, it wasn’t bad, but as time passed, her shoulders began to feel sore.

“Lin Lin, let me carry one for a while,” Hu Yingying said, seeing Li Lin constantly rubbing her shoulders ahead of her. Without waiting for a response, she took one of the baskets and placed it on her back.

“You’re something else,” Li Lin said with a helpless shake of her head, feeling her shoulders lighten, but still, she couldn’t help but laugh at her friend’s persistence.

The two walked for another ten minutes.

“We’re here,” Daya announced as she led them to a riverbank, unloading the baskets from her back.

“Wow, the scenery here is amazing,” Hu Yingying remarked, taking in the view of the flowing river, surrounded by trees, wildflowers, and grasses. This was a sight one could never see in the city.

“Big sisters, let’s hurry up and cut the pig grass. My grandmother will start preparing pig food soon,” Daya urged, her impatience clear. She quickly started pointing out the wild vegetables that pigs could eat.

“This is gray vegetable, this is thread vegetable, this is axle-wheel vegetable, and this is dandelion,” Daya listed, showing them different plants.

“This dandelion is edible for humans too, though it’s a bit bitter now. If you dry it and soak it in water, it’s quite good,” Daya continued. 

“This is wild garlic, it’s edible.”

“This is wild ginger; we use it to make a drink on rainy days.”

“This is wild onion.”

“This is…”

“Oh, I see,” Li Lin and Hu Yingying nodded, following Daya’s lead as she introduced the various edible wild plants. Afterward, they began the task of cutting pig grass.

However, since neither of them knew how to use a sickle, they could only cut the grass slowly, making progress little by little.

About an hour later, the baskets were finally full.

“Ugh, this is heavy,” Hu Yingying complained as she tried to lift the basket onto her back, but when she tried to stand up, she couldn’t move it. She frowned in frustration.

“I’ll help you,” Li Lin quickly rushed over to help lift the basket, then had Hu Yingying help her with hers. Together, they struggled back toward the pigsty, their faces contorted with effort.

Once they arrived at the pigsty, they unloaded the baskets and felt their shoulders relax.

“I’ve noted it down, but you two need to hurry and get the second basket. I’m about to start preparing pig food,” Grandma Liu said, tossing the pig grass onto the ground. She grabbed a handful of wild vegetables and began chopping them on a wooden block, urging the two girls to hurry.

Without delay, the two of them grabbed their baskets and headed out to the riverbank once again. This time, they hid the second basket they’d brought to avoid exhausting themselves even more.

As for Daya, she delivered the pig grass to the pigsty, then hurried home to help with other chores.

This time, however, Li Lin and Hu Yingying moved much faster than before, quickly filling two baskets with grass and returning to the pigsty.

“Alright, you two are done for today. Come back tomorrow,” Grandma Liu said, speeding up her chopping and getting to work on the pig food.

Li Lin and Hu Yingying, relieved that they had finished their work for the day, happily made their way back to the riverbank.

“Ah, this feels so good,” Hu Yingying sighed as she sat on a rock, removed her shoes, and dipped her feet into the river. She squinted her eyes in contentment.

“You stay here and soak your feet. I’ll walk around a bit. If you need anything, just call me,” Li Lin said, preparing to wander around the area.

“Hey, Lin Lin, wait for me!” Hu Yingying called out, seeing Li Lin walking away. She quickly wiped her feet with a handkerchief and ran after her.

“What are you following me for? It’s perfectly safe here. There’s no one around,” Li Lin said as she waited for Hu Yingying to catch up.

“I’m just helping you out, aren’t I? If you’re going by yourself, I can’t just leave you alone. Hehe,” Hu Yingying replied with a grin, taking Li Lin’s hand and strolling along the riverbank.

“Alright, let’s just collect some leaves off the ground and pick up the dry twigs around here. That should be enough firewood for us for the next couple of days,” Li Lin said, settling on a plan for the two of them to gather the necessary supplies.

Li Lin stood in the middle of the forest, speaking as she picked up a branch and tapped the ground a few times, making sure there was nothing hidden in the leaves. She then began collecting the leaves.

Seeing this, Hu Yingying started picking up dry twigs from around the area and placed them beside Li Lin.

The two continued working until their baskets were full, and they could no longer carry any more dry twigs.

“It’s still not even 3:30. Let’s hurry up and get this back, and we’ll have time for one more trip,” Li Lin said, checking her watch. She struggled to lift the bundle of twigs onto her shoulder and told Hu Yingying to carry the basket back home.

Hu Yingying looked at Li Lin, carrying the heavier load, pursing her lips. She didn’t say anything but just nodded and carried the basket on her back.

However, it wasn’t long before she firmly insisted they switch. So, the two took turns carrying their burdens as they made their way back to the intellectual youth dormitory.

“Yingying, let’s work hard over the next few days and fill up the house with firewood. That way, even if it rains, we’ll have enough,” Li Lin suggested, despite having her own storage space, as she didn’t want to rely entirely on that. She was willing to work hard.

Hu Yingying, although her face showed exhaustion, listened to Li Lin’s advice. After a short rest, she resumed gathering firewood.

This time, however, the two were not in such a rush. They gathered dry leaves, bundled the dry twigs, and then went to dig up wild vegetables.

“Get some wild garlic, wild onions, but don’t dig up too much. As for wild ginger, gather plenty. We can dry it and keep it for later,” Li Lin instructed. She had grown up working with these things in the countryside with her grandmother. Although Daya had confused her earlier, the memories of her grandmother’s teachings came rushing back now.

“Got it,” Hu Yingying responded. She had now gotten used to listening to whatever Li Lin told her to do, with no resistance.

As time passed, Li Lin noticed it was getting late. She called to Hu Yingying to head back home with their load.

Meanwhile, Fang Mingyi and Zhu Li Yan had finished their work and didn’t return directly to the dormitory. They planned to take a bath at the river before heading back. But when they arrived at the riverbank, they saw Li Lin, with her delicate shoulders, carrying a large bundle of dry twigs.

For some reason, a surge of mild sympathy filled Fang Mingyi’s heart.

He couldn’t help but walk over and grab the bundle of twigs from her shoulder, taking it onto his own. Without saying a word, he turned around and strode ahead.

“Hey, Fang, I can carry it back myself, no need for you to help,” Li Lin exclaimed, surprised at first. When she realized what happened, she quickly called after him.

“It’s just a small favor,” Fang Mingyi said lightly.

However, Zhu Li Yan, the “pig teammate,” couldn’t resist shouting from behind: “Hey, Mingyi, weren’t we supposed to take a bath? If you go back now, are you still coming or not?”

“Just go wash yourself,” Fang Mingyi muttered, his face showing a hint of annoyance. But he still kept his composure.

“Well, if you’re not going, then I won’t either. Hu Yingying, give me your basket. I’ll carry it for you,” Zhu Li Yan said, seeing Fang Mingyi leave. He turned to Hu Yingying, expecting her to hand over her basket.

Hu Yingying, not wanting to accept such unsolicited help, pretended not to hear him and continued walking ahead.

“Hey, what’s this about?” Zhu Li Yan was surprised when Hu Yingying refused to give him the basket. He stepped forward, attempting to grab it from her.

“Hey! What are you doing? Why are you grabbing my things?” Hu Yingying was taken aback, anger and frustration flashing across her face at the sudden act of force.

“Hurry up, let’s go. If someone sees us like this, two men and two women, alone together, it’ll be hard to explain,” Zhu Li Yan said, trying to steer the situation away from any awkwardness. He quickly caught up to Fang Mingyi.

Li Lin saw this and pulled Hu Yingying’s hand, biting her lip as they followed behind them back to the dormitory.

As they approached the dormitory, someone shouted with a teasing tone, “Oh, you just arrived, and already you’re getting men to help you with your work?”

With a sharp “slap” of sound, the chapter came to a close.