Chapter 27

The two of them entered the kitchen. He Xianqiu squatted down to look at the rabbits in the cage and then reached in to touch them. The rabbit fur really was very soft.

Seeing how fascinated she was by their pelts, Ji Chen Zhou thought he could keep the rabbit skins later.

After petting them for a while, He Xianqiu stood up and instructed Ji Chen Zhou to prepare the rabbits. Ji Chen Zhou nodded and bent down to grab one.

He Xianqiu stood to the side watching as he cleaned and dressed the rabbits. Then she directed him, “Wash the rabbit meat thoroughly, then use a clean cloth to dry it. We’ll make spicy dried rabbit.”

Ji Chen Zhou nodded, wiped the meat dry with a clean cloth, and looked back at her for the next step.

He Xianqiu told him to cut the meat into long strips, then she gathered a pile of seasonings to marinate it. After about ten minutes, when it had soaked in the flavors, she had Ji Chen Zhou start frying.

As he stir-fried, a rich aroma spread through the kitchen, getting stronger by the moment. After a bit more cooking, He Xianqiu told him to put the rabbit into a basin.

Ji Chen Zhou obediently poured the finished dish into the basin. He Xianqiu looked down at it, very satisfied—just seeing the spicy dried rabbit was enough to make her mouth water.

The strips were golden and coated with fragrant spices, as if wrapped in a sheer cloak, still steaming hot and incredibly tempting.

Since none of the three of them could handle very spicy food, she’d only had Ji Chen Zhou add a small amount of chili peppers.

The bright red chilies mixed with the tender rabbit meat looked so appetizing it made people’s stomachs growl.

With the dish complete, they tidied up the kitchen, then carried the basin out.

He Xianqiu and Ji Chen Zhou brought it into the main room, where Grandpa Zhong smelled it and came over.

The fragrance was so good it made one’s mouth water uncontrollably.

Grandpa Zhong eyed the basin of rabbit meat. “It’s ready to eat, right?”

He Xianqiu nodded. Grandpa Zhong quickly reached for a strip with his chopsticks.

He bit into it and his eyes lit up. This was just too delicious—fragrant, spicy, chewy, with a rich taste that made him reluctant to stop eating. The flavor was fantastic.

He nodded with satisfaction. “It’s excellent. A little spicy, but the heat makes me even hungrier.”

Saying that, he picked up another piece, utterly content.

He Xianqiu handed a pair of chopsticks to Ji Chen Zhou so he could eat too. Then she picked up a piece herself.

The three of them ate with relish. It had been a long time since He Xianqiu had eaten something so flavorful, and she was thoroughly happy. Ji Chen Zhou tried one strip and also thought it tasted great.

They all found it so delicious that they kept reaching eagerly for more.

When the basin was finally empty except for a few crumbs, they put their chopsticks down.

He Xianqiu had eaten so much she felt stuffed.

Thinking about how it was always Ji Chen Zhou who provided the ingredients and Grandpa Zhong who provided the place, while she just freeloaded, she felt a little guilty.

So she decided that next time she went to the commune, she’d buy some ingredients herself—she couldn’t keep mooching like this.

And now that she had a place where she could cook, she no longer had to worry about buying food and having nowhere to prepare it.

Technically, she could cook at the educated youth compound, but if she did it too often and the others got jealous, that would be troublesome. So far, she’d only cooked noodles there once, and she’d shared them with everyone.

Now, though, she had a worry-free option. She could buy food and bring it here to prepare.

She herself didn’t know how to cook, but Ji Chen Zhou and Grandpa Zhong certainly did.

As she was thinking about what ingredients she should buy next time, Ji Chen Zhou noticed her staring blankly. Seeing that it was getting late, he called to her.

“Comrade He, it’s getting dark. I’ll walk you back.”

Hearing his voice, He Xianqiu came back to her senses. “Okay.”

The two of them said goodbye to Grandpa Zhong and left the house.

By then, the sun had already set, and the sky was steadily darkening, though there was still enough light to see the path.

They were walking along the narrow trail when He Xianqiu suddenly heard a sound coming from the grass. She was startled and was about to speak when Ji Chen Zhou quickly covered her mouth.

They both listened intently. From the grass, the voices of a man and a woman drifted out.

“You damned rascal, what took you so long to come find me?”

“I went to the commune to buy you things. Besides, your old man went there too, so it was the only chance I had to come.”

“What did you buy?”

“Don’t be impatient—let’s get close first. It’s been so long since we’ve seen each other.”

At first, He Xianqiu thought it was just a married couple who couldn’t wait and were being intimate outdoors. But it turned out they were having an affair.

Then came the sounds of kissing and groping.

He Xianqiu and Ji Chen Zhou looked at each other.

She was mortified to be overhearing this and felt her face turning red.

Ji Chen Zhou didn’t fare much better—his ears were bright red, and even his neck was flushed.

But with the darkness, neither of them could see each other’s embarrassment, only feel the awkwardness between them.

Knowing those two were still carrying on right nearby made it all the worse.

The couple in the grass had no idea they were being overheard and continued their tryst.

After a moment, they began to chat again.

“Xiujü, how about you don’t go home tonight?”

“You devil—what are you saying? Of course I have to go home.”

When Ji Chen Zhou heard the woman’s name, he understood who they were.

He Xianqiu felt her head ache. The road ahead was blocked, and she really didn’t want to keep listening to their flirting. So she tugged lightly on Ji Chen Zhou’s sleeve.

He noticed her signal and understood. The two of them turned back the way they’d come.

Ji Chen Zhou didn’t want to eavesdrop either. What was there to hear about an affair? It had nothing to do with him.

He took He Xianqiu by the hand and led her away. He was used to walking at night and moved steadily.

He Xianqiu did her best to tread lightly, careful not to make any noise and alert the couple.

But despite all her caution, she stepped on a dried tree root, and a loud crack broke the quiet.

The two in the grass jumped in fright. The woman screamed.

“Ah! Who’s there?”

Panicking at the thought of being caught, they scrambled to pull their clothes on.

Hearing her shout, He Xianqiu thought, Oh no. She hadn’t meant to step on the root.

Not wanting to be identified, she and Ji Chen Zhou took off running.

As they fled, they heard the woman’s terrified voice:

“Dazhu, what do we do? If we’re found out, they’ll pelt us with vegetable leaves!”

The man snapped impatiently, “How should I know?”

Ji Chen Zhou led He Xianqiu to another path. Once they couldn’t hear the voices anymore, they finally stopped.

He Xianqiu was out of breath from running, thinking those two were unbelievably brazen—just picking a random grass pile to have an affair.

They must have assumed no one would be out on the trail and gotten bold.

Bent over, she looked up and asked, “Do you know who those two are?”

Ji Chen Zhou was still holding her hand and hurriedly let go, replying awkwardly, “Yes. That was Aunt Xiujü from Uncle Tie’s house and Wu Dazhu.”

He Xianqiu nodded, though she still didn’t really know who they were.

Ji Chen Zhou hadn’t expected Aunt Xiujü and that loafing, thieving Wu Dazhu—people who had nothing to do with each other—to be together. The two of them had at least a ten- or twenty-year age gap. Aunt Xiujü’s son was about the same age as Wu Dazhu.

Thinking about it, Ji Chen Zhou’s expression grew a little odd. Those two were shameless.

After witnessing something like that, neither he nor He Xianqiu wanted to take the narrow trail again. In case those two were still there, they opted for the main road.

But worried about gossip if they walked too closely together, Ji Chen Zhou and He Xianqiu kept a bit of distance between them.

Ji Chen Zhou let He Xianqiu walk in front so he could protect her if anything happened.

Even with space between them, the memory of what they’d just witnessed made He Xianqiu feel embarrassed.

How unlucky, she thought. To run into something like this.

Neither of them spoke again, walking along in silence.

He Xianqiu’s steps were a little stiff, but she forced herself to keep going, determined not to let Ji Chen Zhou see her awkwardness.

By then it was very dark, and the road was empty. She couldn’t see the path clearly, so she stopped.

Ji Chen Zhou asked, “What’s wrong?”

“I can’t see the road anymore, so I stopped.”

He lowered his voice. “There’s no one around now. Let’s walk side by side. I’m used to night roads—I know the way.”

She nodded. The two walked side by side. Perhaps worried that she’d fall behind, Ji Chen Zhou slowed his pace.

After a few minutes, they reached the educated youth compound.

Not wanting anyone to see them arriving together, Ji Chen Zhou stopped a little distance away so He Xianqiu could walk the rest alone.

She waved goodbye, then hurried toward the building. Knowing he was watching made her feel braver, and her steps quickened.

Ji Chen Zhou stood there until she disappeared inside before finally turning to leave.

Meanwhile, He Xianqiu went straight into her dormitory.

Zhang Zhijuan looked up. “Where were you? You were gone the whole dinner.”

He Xianqiu explained, “I was wandering around the brigade, and I lost track of time. When it got dark, I rushed back.”

Zhang Zhijuan said, “You can’t do that again. You’re a girl—it’s not safe.”

He Xianqiu nodded. “I understand. Thanks for worrying about me, Sister Zhijuan.”

Zhao Yaling, who had been listening, glanced at her with a flicker in her eyes.

She didn’t quite believe that He Xianqiu had come back alone.