Chapter 012

When Zhenzhen returned home with the food, Shi Huaiming wasn’t back yet.

Worried that the food might get cold, she placed a steaming rack inside the aluminum pot and kept the dishes warm.

While waiting, she picked up a broom and gave the floor a quick sweep.

Since few people came and went, there wasn’t much dust or trash.

After sweeping, she washed the dirty clothes she’d worn over the past couple of days.

As she did, she couldn’t help but wonder—how come Shi Huaiming didn’t seem to have any dirty clothes?

Just as she finished washing, Shi Huaiming returned.

Zhenzhen didn’t rush to hang the laundry. Instead, she went into the kitchen to bring out the food and sat down to eat with him.

After quietly eating for a bit, Zhenzhen looked at Shi Huaiming and asked, “Third Brother, after we finish eating, I’m planning to go to the grocery store with Sister-in-law Li Shuang. She said she works there. I want to buy some ingredients to cook at home.”

Shi Huaiming nodded. “The money and ration coupons are in that drawer. You’ll need to get them yourself.”

He paused briefly, then added, “It’s no problem, but remember the route when you go out. Don’t get lost.”

Zhenzhen perked up happily. “I will. Once I’m back with the groceries, I’ll cook at home. I won’t go to the canteen for lunch.”

Shi Huaiming nodded again. “Alright.”

Then he emphasized once more, “These are all minor things. You should still focus more on your studies. Last night it got too late, so I didn’t teach you anything new. Review the six simple finals we learned yesterday while you’re at home.”

Zhenzhen nodded and promised, “I will.”

Shi Huaiming was in a rush to get to class, so he didn’t linger. He quickly finished his meal and left.

Zhenzhen took the clean laundry outside to hang. As she was finishing, Li Shuang happened to come out.

Zhenzhen quickly returned the basin to the room, straightened her clothes and hair, and then went out to walk with Li Shuang to the provisions store.

The store wasn’t far from the school—just a five- or six-minute walk from the front gate.

As they approached the storefront, Li Shuang asked, “You’ve brought the money and coupons, right?”

Zhenzhen nodded. “Yes, I’ve got everything.”

Li Shuang said, “Then go on in. If you want to buy anything, just tell the shop assistant.”

Zhenzhen replied, “Okay.”

Awen was already at the store and tidying up the counter.

Just as she finished straightening up and looked up, she saw Li Shuang walk in, bringing a young woman with her.

The girl was dressed plainly in dull colors, her hair tied in two braids, and she carried a natural air of cheerfulness in her features.

Almost the moment Li Shuang stepped through the door, Awen guessed who the girl was.

But she didn’t show any reaction, instead greeting Li Shuang normally, “Hey, you’re here.”

Li Shuang replied, “Brought our new neighbor to do some shopping.”

With that, Awen’s suspicion was confirmed.

Li Shuang didn’t care what Awen was thinking. She smiled and introduced, “Xiaomianhua, this is Awen, one of our store’s shop assistants. Just tell her what you need. She handles everything except meat and vegetables.”

Awen cast Li Shuang a subtle sideways glance—You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?

But Zhenzhen didn’t ask for anything else.

She smiled and said, “I just want to buy some vegetables and meat for now. I’ll trouble you another time.”

With that, she walked straight to the meat counter, not bothering either of them again.

After Zhenzhen had walked a bit farther away, Awen muttered quietly to Li Shuang, “I told you I didn’t want to see her. Why’d you bring her here? You’re doing this on purpose to upset me.”

Li Shuang chuckled, “What, are you going to control who gets to shop at the store now?”

Awen huffed sourly, “Didn’t you say she wasn’t much to look at? But she’s actually quite pretty.”

Li Shuang found this amusing. “Oh? You think she’s pretty?”

Awen said, “She is. Sure, she’s a bit shorter than you, and not as solidly built, and her clothes are plain. But her face is better looking than yours. Look at those big eyes, that nose, and those lips…”

Smack—

Li Shuang’s expression dropped, and she slapped her palm on the counter.

The loud sound startled the others in the store. Even Zhenzhen turned to glance in their direction.

Once the others had looked away, Li Shuang said in a low voice, “I think you’re the one doing this on purpose.”

Awen pressed her lips together, smirking with a look that begged for a slap.

Li Shuang stared at her for a moment and said in a soft voice, “With a wife as pretty as that, I bet you’re even more bitter now.”

That hit right where it hurt. The smile instantly vanished from Awen’s face.

Seeing her reaction, Li Shuang grinned smugly and walked off.

Awen stood there speechless.
Some friend you are…

Zhenzhen took her time browsing through the shop. She bought a bunch of celery, half a pound of pork, and some potatoes, green peppers, eggs, scallions, and garlic. As she shopped, she kept taking deep breaths—it really pained her to spend the money.

After finishing, she politely said goodbye to Li Shuang and Awen, then carried her groceries back home.

On the way back, the more she looked at the vegetables in her hands, the more disheartened she felt.

The pork was fine, but the vegetables and eggs—having to pay for those in a store—was hard to accept for someone from the countryside. Back home, these were all grown by her family. They cost nothing.

If there was extra, it could be sold at the market or exchanged at the supply and marketing co-op.

Back home, it was still early.

Following Shi Huaiming’s instructions, Zhenzhen reviewed the six simple finals she had learned yesterday several more times.

After making sure she had memorized them, and figuring it was nearly time, she went into the kitchen, tied on her apron, and began preparing lunch.

Since it was her first time using a coal stove, Zhenzhen decided to keep things simple.

While the rice was steaming, she stood by the stove prepping vegetables—removing the celery leaves, washing it clean, and cutting it into inch-long pieces. She peeled and shredded the potatoes, cut the pork in half to save some, and added two green peppers.

She chopped the scallions, ginger, and garlic finely and laid them on the cutting board.

Once everything was ready and the rice had cooked to a thin golden crust, she started stir-frying.

She moved quickly and efficiently. The dishes were simple, so it didn’t take long.

One dish was stir-fried celery with pork, the other stir-fried shredded potato with green pepper.

Just as she finished cleaning the wok, she heard the sound of the door opening—Shi Huaiming was back.

Zhenzhen set down the pot, brought the two dishes to the table, and greeted him with a smile: “You’re back! I just finished cooking. Let’s eat.”

“Okay.” Shi Huaiming hung up his hat and went to the kitchen to wash his hands.

After washing, he scooped rice into bowls, grabbed two pairs of chopsticks, and brought everything out to the table.

Zhenzhen washed her hands, took off her apron, and came to sit down with him.

Finally getting to eat a meal she cooked herself made her genuinely happy.

Her eyes were full of joy. She picked up her chopsticks but didn’t eat—she watched Shi Huaiming take a bite first, then looked at him eagerly and asked, “How does it taste?”

Shi Huaiming nodded to her. “Mm, it tastes better than the cafeteria food.”

Zhenzhen beamed with joy. “Once I get the hang of the stove, I’ll cook more delicious food for you.”

But Shi Huaiming didn’t seem to care much about that. He replied calmly, “You don’t need to spend too much effort on these things. Your focus should stay on one goal.”

Hearing that, the smile slowly faded from Zhenzhen’s face.

She didn’t argue, just nodded and softly responded, “Okay.”

Still, she couldn’t help thinking about other things. After a few more bites of food, she hesitated before speaking again. “I noticed there’s a small patch of empty land in front of the house. Since it’s spring, could I tidy it up and plant some vegetables? That way we wouldn’t have to buy them.”

This was an idea she had after returning from the grocery store today.

Shi Huaiming replied firmly, “There’s no need to save that little money. You need to look at the bigger picture. Right now, the most important thing for you is studying. Use your time wisely—study more, read more. That’s what truly matters.”

As expected, he disagreed. Zhenzhen nodded in acknowledgment. “Alright.”

Shi Huaiming looked at her. “Don’t treat studying lightly. Since we’ve agreed and already started, you have to treat it as the most important thing in your life right now. You know the kind of person I am—once I decide to do something, I put everything into it and aim to do it the best I can. I’m your teacher now, and I’ll hold you to the same standard.”

Zhenzhen truly wasn’t focused solely on studying.

Right now, learning from Shi Huaiming felt more like completing tasks he gave her—like a way to prove she was worthy of him.

But after hearing his words, she nodded once again. “Okay. I understand.”

Shi Huaiming didn’t say more—it would just sound repetitive.

After the meal, he still asked Zhenzhen to rest for fifteen minutes.

Then, like before, he called her into his room to continue teaching her new content.

Opening the book, Shi Huaiming said, “Today, we’ll learn eight initial consonants.”

He pointed at the letters in the book, naming each as he went: “b, p, m, f, d, t, n, l—these eight.”

Zhenzhen straightened up and focused, nodding along as she followed the book.

After teaching those, Shi Huaiming asked, “Do you know Arabic numerals?”

Zhenzhen blinked, confused. “A…Arabic?”

Shi Huaiming picked up a pen and wrote “123” in a notebook. “These numbers.”

“Oh,” Zhenzhen said as she looked. “I know these. I can even do calculations with them.”

Because she had to sell things at the market, she often handled money and accounts, so she was familiar with basic addition and subtraction.

Shi Huaiming nodded. “Do you know how to use multiplication to do calculations?”

Zhenzhen shook her head. “That part I don’t know.”

Shi Huaiming understood and stood up. “I have to go teach now. Review everything we’ve covered today, and reinforce what we went over yesterday. I’ll teach you something new when I get back tonight.”

Zhenzhen stood up with him. “Okay.”

“No need to see me out. Focus on your studying,” he added.

So Zhenzhen didn’t walk him to the door.

Once Shi Huaiming left the room, she sat back down and, just like he said, concentrated on copying the letters.

When she got tired of copying, she’d get up and stretch.

At first, she only moved around the room. Later, she began walking a bit outside.

This time, just as she finished her walk outside, she suddenly heard a scratching sound at the main gate.

Zhenzhen paused, then walked up to the gate and asked, “Who’s there?”

The scratching grew louder at the sound of her voice.

Then came two distinct barks: “Woof! Woof!”

She guessed it must be Dabai.

Zhenzhen opened the door, and sure enough, Dabai was there outside.

The silly-looking dog had somehow figured out she was home.

When he saw her, Dabai bounced up excitedly like a dancing lion.

Then he walked over to her and rubbed his fluffy head against her leg.

Zhenzhen couldn’t resist the soft, furry temptation. She bent down and patted Dabai’s head.

She asked, “You came looking for food again, didn’t you?”

Dabai kept nuzzling her hand, eager and enthusiastic.

Zhenzhen laughed and said, “I already finished lunch, there’s nothing left to give you. But I’ve got some potato peels and celery leaves—how about I boil those up for you?”

Of course, Dabai couldn’t speak.

Zhenzhen stood up and went into the kitchen.

She took the leftover potato skins and celery leaves from lunch, washed them clean, and tossed them in a pot. Then she added a small handful of brown rice.

While the food cooked, Zhenzhen sat nearby and started talking to Dabai.

She petted his head and spoke slowly, almost like confiding in a person. “Dabai, living in the city is really tough. Everything costs money—it’s like you even need money just to breathe. If it weren’t for Third Brother, I would’ve starved to death here. Even a dog like you would be better off than me.”

“Third Brother’s amazing. Whether in the countryside or in the city, he always manages to live so well.”

“He’s right. I can’t keep clinging to country life—thinking about cooking, then planting vegetables, then raising chickens. I need to study hard. Once I’m educated, I’ll be able to adapt to city life much better.”

She paused, then added, “Dabai, do you think one day I could be like Sister-in-law Li Shuang?”

Dabai barked, “Woof!”

Zhenzhen laughed. “Thank you.”

Dabai panted happily, tilting his head at her.

Zhenzhen laughed even harder and rubbed his fluffy head again.

Just after she finished, a little jolt of guilt hit her—she suddenly realized she was wasting time. Zhenzhen quickly stood up, returned to the room, and resumed copying letters.

Dabai followed her and curled up near the desk, wagging his tail.

After finishing half a page, Zhenzhen went back to the kitchen.

She was going to serve the food—but realized there wasn’t a dog bowl in the house.

She set the spoon down and looked at Dabai, who was standing beside her. “Do you have your own dog bowl?” she asked.

With a bark, Dabai dashed off outside.

Zhenzhen understood right away. She ladled the food into a bowl and followed Dabai out the door.

The dog led her all the way to his kennel.

Zhenzhen poured the food into his bowl, gave his head a gentle pat, and said, “It’s a little hot, so eat slowly. I’m heading back now.”

She didn’t linger, returning home to continue practicing the new letters in her room.

She finished copying and memorizing all eight letters.

To test herself, Zhenzhen did a quick self-quiz and wrote them out from memory. Only after confirming she got everything right did she finally relax and put her pen down.

With her nerves no longer taut, she began humming a revolutionary tune as she headed into the kitchen to cook dinner.

Cooking was when she felt most at ease.

She started by using a tall cylindrical pot to make rice porridge.

While the porridge was simmering, she didn’t idle—she began kneading dough from flour.

Once the dough was ready, she peeled and finely chopped a few green onions, then mixed them with oil and salt.

She brought the dough and chopped scallions to the table.

After setting up the kneading board, Zhenzhen divided the dough into small portions.

Each dough ball was rolled thin with a rolling pin, then spread with the scallion mixture.

She sliced the rolled-out dough halfway across, rolled the scallions into it, flattened it, and rolled it out again into a thin pancake.

By the time she finished preparing the scallion pancakes, the porridge was nearly done too.

She switched the pot on the stove for a flat skillet, heated it, brushed it with a bit of oil, and started cooking the pancakes.

She flipped them frequently as they cooked, and when the dough puffed up and the pancakes turned golden and fragrant with scallion oil, she knew they were ready.

The first pancake came out perfectly.

Pleased with her handiwork, Zhenzhen cheerfully moved on to the next one.

Just as she finished cooking the last batch, Shi Huaiming returned home from class.

As soon as he opened the door, the rich aroma of scallions hit him.

He hung his hat and walked to the kitchen door, where he saw Zhenzhen washing the pans.

When she turned and saw him, she greeted him with a smile, “You’re back! Dinner’s ready. I made scallion pancakes today.”

Shi Huaiming stepped into the kitchen. “Scallion pancakes?”

“Yup,” Zhenzhen said as she unfastened her apron and hung it up. “Tonight we’re having scallion pancakes and rice porridge.”

Shi Huaiming nodded and carried a plate of pancakes out to the dining area.

Zhenzhen had divided the pancakes onto two plates.

After ladling the porridge, she didn’t sit down right away. Instead, she picked up one of the plates and said to Shi Huaiming, “I made a bit extra. I’d like to take some over to Sister-in-law Li Shuang’s place.”

Shi Huaiming had no objections. “Go ahead.”

Zhenzhen walked over to the neighboring apartment and knocked on the door.

Li Shuang answered. Seeing Zhenzhen, she asked, “Xiaomianhua, what brings you over?”

Smiling, Zhenzhen held out the plate of pancakes. “You took me out yesterday and showed me so much, and even bought me all those things. I haven’t had the chance to thank you yet. I made these scallion pancakes—please try some.”

Li Shuang looked from Zhenzhen to the golden, scallion-speckled pancakes on the plate.

She didn’t refuse the kind gesture and accepted the plate. “Alright, I’ll take it and give them a taste.”

Still smiling, Zhenzhen said, “Then I’ll go eat my dinner.”

As she turned to leave, Li Shuang closed the door and brought the pancakes back into her home.

At the table, she set the plate down and said, “Let’s have something extra tonight. These scallion pancakes were made by Xiaomianhua next door.”

He Ziran exclaimed, “Wow, they smell amazing!”

He Shuo and He Ziran each picked up a piece and took a bite.

Chewing, He Shuo nodded approvingly. “Fresh off the stove—crispy, fragrant, and way better than the ones from the cafeteria.”

He Ziran nodded eagerly beside him. “Super delicious!”

Li Shuang still looked a little skeptical. “She’s from the countryside—hasn’t had much good food. How tasty could it be?”

He Shuo, still chewing, glanced at her and said, “Why don’t you just try it and see?”

Initially, Li Shuang hadn’t been too interested.

But seeing how much the boys were enjoying it, she picked up a piece with her chopsticks and took a bite.

As she chewed and swallowed, her eyes gradually lit up.

She nodded in surprise and sincerely said, “Didn’t expect it—Xiaomianhua actually has some real skill.”

He Shuo continued nodding. “Huaiming sure is lucky.”

Li Shuang raised an eyebrow slightly. “What? And you’re not lucky to have married me?”

He Shuo chuckled. “Of course I am. Xiaomianhua is Huaiming’s blessing. You’re mine.”

Li Shuang let out a satisfied hum and reached for another pancake.

…

Although Zhenzhen had only been in the city for two or three days, her life was already falling into a steady rhythm.

After dinner, she rested for fifteen minutes, then went to Shi Huaiming’s room for lessons.

Before starting new material, he would always review what she had learned.

This time, she had mastered all eight consonants he taught at noon. So, he moved on to six new ones and explained multiplication, carefully writing out the multiplication table in her notebook.

When he finished, he capped his fountain pen and said, “You must memorize this multiplication table.”

Zhenzhen stared at the slope-shaped multiplication chart and swallowed nervously. “By tomorrow afternoon?”

Shi Huaiming said, “You’ve just started learning multiplication, so focus on memorizing 1 to 3 for now.”

Zhenzhen nodded. “Okay.”

With the lesson done, Shi Huaiming went to wash up, telling her to review while everything was still fresh in her mind.

When he came back, he told Zhenzhen to go wash up and get some rest. “Sleep first. Review again in the morning.”

Zhenzhen let out a relieved breath and stood up. “Alright, I’ll head back.”

After washing up and returning to her room, Zhenzhen sat down at her writing desk.

She opened her jar of snow cream, took a whiff, then dabbed some on while looking into the mirror.

This time, she used a bit more than in the morning, and the fragrance on her face and hands lingered a little stronger.

After applying the Snow Cream, both her face and hands felt soft and moisturized.