Chapter 12

Seeing that the rabbits couldn’t get out and were panicking inside the trap, He Xianqiu ran over.

Then she noticed there were actually two fat rabbits inside, and she exclaimed in surprise.

Standing next to the cage, she sized them up. Ji Chen Zhou said to her,
“Take the rabbits. We’ll find a place to clean them, and then we can roast mushrooms and rabbit.”

He Xianqiu nodded happily. Ji Chen Zhou bent down to tie up the two rabbits. She reached out to help carry one, but he shook his head and said he’d do it himself.

He Xianqiu didn’t insist. She followed behind Ji Chen Zhou as he led the way to look for a water source.

Ji Chen Zhou was from the brigade and often came up to hunt, so he knew the terrain well. Soon he had brought He Xianqiu to a stream.

It was a small river, but not too shallow, flowing down the mountain. The water was clear, and she could see the pebbles and little fish and shrimp at the bottom.

Ji Chen Zhou put down his basket and started processing the rabbits. He Xianqiu washed the mushrooms a short distance away.

When everything was ready, He Xianqiu watched Ji Chen Zhou take out some matches and light the dry twigs he had gathered.

He made a rack and placed the cleaned rabbit over the flames.

One rabbit was enough for the two of them, so they only prepared one. The other rabbit was still tied up at the side, shivering as it watched.

Then, using wooden skewers he had carved from bamboo, he threaded the mushrooms and set them over the fire to roast.

He Xianqiu also took a skewer and tried roasting on her own, but she’d never done it before, so her mushrooms came out charred and black.

Ji Chen Zhou laughed out loud. He Xianqiu shot him a glare.

He handed her one of the two skewers he had roasted perfectly. Only then did He Xianqiu nod in satisfaction.

Unashamed, she took a big bite of the mushroom. The mushrooms were full of moisture; Ji Chen Zhou had only added a little seasoning, yet they were incredibly delicious, tender, and fresh.

He Xianqiu squinted her eyes in contentment and motioned for Ji Chen Zhou to hurry and eat.

“Eat quickly before it gets cold—it’s so good.”

Ji Chen Zhou nodded and took a bite himself. It was indeed delicious, even better than usual.

The two of them roasted several more rounds. This time He Xianqiu didn’t roast any herself and just watched Ji Chen Zhou do it.

After eating quite a few skewers of mushrooms, the long-awaited roast rabbit was finally done.

He Xianqiu stared at the rabbit, her eyes full of expectation. Ji Chen Zhou handed her two rabbit legs. She accepted them cheerfully and thanked him.

Then the two started eating. The rabbit was crisp on the outside and tender inside. Although only lightly seasoned, it tasted wonderful—the skin crispy and the meat juicy and delicate.

He Xianqiu thought it was unbelievably tasty, and Ji Chen Zhou’s cooking was fantastic, almost as good as Aunt Lin’s.

When they’d finished the roast rabbit, Ji Chen Zhou used bamboo to make a container and cooked mushroom soup.

When the soup was ready, he used a bamboo ladle to serve He Xianqiu. She took it and drank a sip.

The mushroom soup was fresh and light, just right to wash away the richness of the roast rabbit. Her stomach felt warm and comfortable.

After they finished the soup, Ji Chen Zhou put out the fire, and they got ready to head down the mountain.

He Xianqiu stood up. The gloomy mood she’d had earlier that day had been soothed. She was in a great mood after such a feast.

Thinking it was Ji Chen Zhou who had made it all possible, she cheerfully said to him,
“Thank you, Classmate Xiao Ji. Because of you, I got to have such a delicious meal. I’m really happy now.”

Ji Chen Zhou shook his head and handed her the remaining rabbit.

He Xianqiu waved her hand.
“No need. You’ve already shared so much with me—I can’t take more, or I’ll feel bad next time.”

Ji Chen Zhou could only put it back in the basket helplessly. The two of them walked down the mountain together.

He walked her to a path near the educated youth point.

He Xianqiu turned to him with a bright smile.
“Classmate Xiao Ji, I’ll go now. Bye-bye.”

She waved at him, then turned and walked toward the educated youth dormitory.

When she returned to the dorm, Zhang Zhijuan saw her and asked,
“Xianqiu, where did you go?”

He Xianqiu replied,
“I was wandering around the village just now.”

Zhang Zhijuan nodded.
“Oh, your water’s heated—it’s in the pot.”

“Thank you, Sister Zhijuan.”

After thanking her, He Xianqiu went to the kitchen, carried the water to the bath shed, and washed herself.

After bathing, she washed her hair outside, then went with Zhang Zhijuan to the river to do laundry.

When she returned to the dorm, He Xianqiu lay on her bed, recalling how she had eaten roast rabbit, roast mushrooms, and mushroom soup thanks to Xiao Ji.

The next time she saw him, she wanted to give him some snacks. She had plenty stored away in her trunk, only keeping a few hidden in the corner for occasional treats.

Thinking about this, she fell asleep. With her eyes closed, the corners of her mouth lifted slightly. She was so happy that even her dreams were sweet.

In the morning, He Xianqiu got up, tidied herself, and left the dorm. She always rose early now, taking her time walking to the fields.

She really enjoyed her alone time. There were too many people at the educated youth point, and it was crowded. Six people shared one room—everything was inconvenient.

But the brigade only had these conditions. After staying a few days, she’d adapted a little, though she still wasn’t used to having to fetch and heat water every day or dealing with constant friction living with so many others.

What troubled her most was that she could only eat with everyone else at the educated youth point—she couldn’t cook on her own. Even though she had money, she had nowhere to spend it. She could only wait for the monthly rest days to go to the commune and buy food that would have to last the whole month.

She also couldn’t show that she was rich. But in everyone else’s eyes, she was already considered wealthy, since she wore padded jackets, trousers, and sneakers every day. Not many people could dress that well in this era.

If she ever had the chance, she definitely wanted to move out. But where was there a place she could go? The thought made He Xianqiu worried.

Today she was still planting sweet potatoes. But when she arrived, she found the brigade had already been planting them for a long time, so there wasn’t much land left.

The brigade leader said that once the sweet potatoes were planted, they’d start on rice.

Ever since she’d come, all she’d done was plant sweet potatoes. None of the lighter tasks ever came her way—cutting pigweed was left for the kids.

Luckily, the brigade had started a primary school. He Xianqiu could apply and take the exam to become a teacher.

She always worked rather absent-mindedly. Since she didn’t rely on work points to live, she saw no need to be industrious all the time. She’d plant what she could and not overdo it.

Her priority was not to tire herself out, so she often sat down to rest. Brigade Leader Lin Jianshe pretended not to see it—he didn’t expect much from the educated youth anyway.

Unhurriedly, she kept planting sweet potatoes, when suddenly a sharp, mocking voice rang out.

“Working so slowly. Just because you’ve got a fox-spirit face—who knows what Brother Zhiqiang sees in you.”

He Xianqiu frowned and looked up.

The speaker was a short girl with a ponytail, wearing a floral dress. If she remembered right, her name was Hu Feng’e.

When Hu Feng’e noticed her looking, she glared back, aggressive.

“What are you staring at? So what if you’re pretty? You still ended up stuck here in the countryside. What good is that?”

He Xianqiu retorted,
“So what if I’m pretty? Born beautiful—can’t help it.”

Then she added, feigning innocence,
“Though sometimes being too pretty is a nuisance. Certain people get jealous and start causing trouble.”

Hu Feng’e flushed with anger and jabbed her finger.
“You… when did I ever get jealous of you?”

He Xianqiu smiled.
“Did I say you were jealous? Why, are you jealous? Is that why you’re so sarcastic you’ve ruined your image?”

Her words made Hu Feng’e burst into tears. Dropping her hoe, she ran off.

He Xianqiu didn’t care where she went and found a place to sit and drink some water.

Unexpectedly, Hu Feng’e came back a few minutes later, bringing a crowd with her. A whole group walked over, all talking among themselves.

At the front was an older woman who looked a lot like Hu Feng’e. Clearly she’d gone to fetch her mother to help scold He Xianqiu.

He Xianqiu only glanced at them calmly and continued drinking her water.

The older woman was the first to lose her patience and started shouting,
“So you’re Comrade He, huh? My girl didn’t even say anything bad to you. Why did you hit her? She just said a few words—did you really need to hit her?”

He Xianqiu frowned and said in a steady voice,
“When did I hit her?”

She was dumbfounded. Not only had Hu Feng’e fetched reinforcements, but she’d exaggerated and even falsely accused her.

“If you didn’t hit her, why would she come crying to me? Do you think we country folk are easy to bully?”

The onlookers started chattering, everyone indignant.

“This Comrade He must look down on us villagers.”

“Just because she’s from the city—she eats the food we grow, doesn’t she?”

People talked over each other in outrage.

He Xianqiu didn’t respond. She stood up and walked up to Hu Feng’e.

Calmly, she asked,
“When exactly did I hit you? Where did it happen? What part did I hit? Any evidence?”

Hu Feng’e was flustered by the barrage of questions and stammered,
“You did hit me.”

He Xianqiu smiled.
“I didn’t even touch your clothes. But since you say I hit you, to avoid any issues, I’ll take you to the clinic now.”

Hu Feng’e’s mother thought that sounded reasonable and pulled her daughter’s hand.

“Feng’e, let’s go to the clinic.”

Hu Feng’e resisted.
“I don’t want to. It’s just a little bruise.”

He Xianqiu interjected coldly,
“Is it because you’re not injured at all and don’t dare go?”

Hu Feng’e avoided her gaze.
“It’s just a little bruise.”

He Xianqiu gave her a sidelong look.
“You said I hit you. I’ll take you to the clinic—after all, I’m supposed to have done it.”

Hu Feng’e didn’t dare go. She mumbled,
“Just a little bruise.”

He Xianqiu smiled.
“So you can’t say where I supposedly hit you, and you don’t dare get examined—is this your so-called beating? We were meters apart.”

The onlookers started murmuring. Seeing her reaction, they realized she’d lied.

“What’s with Feng’e? Falsely accusing Comrade He.”

“I told you Feng’e is spoiled and willful. I didn’t believe it when she came crying about it.”

Hearing everyone whisper about her, Hu Feng’e flushed red with shame. She burst into tears and ran away.

Her mother felt humiliated, cursing her daughter as she hurried after her.

“You worthless girl—daring to falsely accuse people!”

He Xianqiu watched them go, then turned to the others and said,
“Working people are the most honorable. Why would I ever look down on them?”

Everyone beamed at this, hearts warmed.

“That’s right—working people are the most honorable. We’re working people.”

“Comrade He sure knows how to speak.”

“Working people have dignity. I’d like to see anyone look down on us farmers.”