Chapter 14

“By the way, my food is still at the Educated Youth Courtyard. Could Comrade Qiu please bring the remaining food to me?”

There had been a food distribution earlier that year, so she still had quite a bit of rations at the Educated Youth Courtyard. That day, when they helped pack the luggage, they had forgotten all about the food.

Qiu Shuxia was in charge of logistics at the Educated Youth Courtyard, managing things like everyone’s food. She kept records of how much each person had brought, how much was consumed per meal, and how much remained. She had a ledger that tracked everything—not perfect, but close enough.

Don’t be surprised. In those days, even a handful of rice was a precious commodity, so it needed to be managed carefully.

Qiu Shuxia was the one who had secretly observed the female educated youth in the kitchen while borrowing a cart during the day. She had been caught off guard when her name was called. She responded slowly and glanced at Jiang Xue, clearly acting as if she were a lackey.

Gu Qinghuan, impatient, urged: “Can you hurry up? I still have things to do.”

Jiang Xue sarcastically said: “I almost forgot, you’re now playing the stepmother. Busy! Qiu Shuxia is just worried you can’t carry it. Why are you in such a hurry?”

“I can manage carrying it myself, no need for you to worry. If you have time, focus on your own business.” Gu Qinghuan retorted directly.

Jiang Xue glared at her angrily. Originally, she had planned to withhold the food and make fun of her, but after hearing that Gu Qinghuan had gone to Liu Guifang’s house in the afternoon to demand her rations, she dared not hold onto the food any longer.

It seemed that after Gu Qinghuan got married, she had become even more unpredictable.

Could madness really be contagious?

She shot Qiu Shuxia a look, and Qiu Shuxia had no choice but to go back to her room and retrieve her ledger.

Gu Qinghuan successfully received her rations: 223 pounds of corn, 108 pounds of potatoes, 41 pounds of wheat, and 5 pounds of soybeans.

These were the leftovers from her careful rationing in the first half of the year.

She had her food, but carrying it back was a bit troublesome. However, she had a plan.

“Who has time to help carry this back home? I’ll give them a pound of corn.” Gu Qinghuan called out.

A pound of cornmeal was enough for two or three meals, and for a girl with a small appetite, it could last four meals.

“I will!”

“Can I do it?”

At first, Gu Qinghuan thought that only the male comrades would respond, but unexpectedly, two female comrades stepped forward.

It was Zhu Chunlin and a tall girl named Lin Shengnan. She was quite a unique presence at the Educated Youth Courtyard—strong enough to work and eat as much as a man, capable of handling any tough tasks.

Neither of them minded working together, and Gu Qinghuan, of course, was more than happy to accept their help.

“Great, then I’ll trouble both of you. Let me get your reward ready first.” Gu Qinghuan said. She borrowed Zhu Chunlin’s lunchbox and scooped out a box of corn for each of them.

A pound, not more, not less.

The onlookers, who hadn’t volunteered, began to regret it. This was solid, tangible payment—food was so precious nowadays, and everyone was short on it. It was only a matter of making one trip.

Chen Jianghe had a gloomy expression and remained silent. He secretly competed with Gu Qinghuan, irritated that she would rather give away food to others than ask for his help.

“Some people have become the Branch Secretary’s daughter-in-law now, and suddenly they’re acting generous, even though they can’t feed themselves. Here they are, playing the role of the benefactor.”

It was Jiang Xue, of course, with her sharp tongue.

Gu Qinghuan immediately clapped her hands, stood up, and looked at her. “Are you done? Stop running your mouth. If you have the guts, fight me!”

Gu Qinghuan had learned sanda (Chinese kickboxing) in her previous life, and she preferred solving things with her fists if possible. She was tired of this woman’s constant provocations.

Jiang Xue was startled. In the past, every time she had thrown sarcastic comments at Gu Qinghuan, she remained silent, which only encouraged her. This time, however, Gu Qinghuan stood her ground.

Other female educated youths quickly tried to intervene: “Alright, Jiang Xue, just let it go.”

“Not going to fight, huh? Well, then keep your mouth shut. If I hear you again, every time I see you, I’ll punch you once.” Gu Qinghuan threatened, shaking her fist aggressively.

Jiang Xue, furious, ran back to her room and didn’t come out for the rest of the evening.

The people at the Educated Youth Courtyard were stunned.

They hadn’t expected the usually quiet Gu Qinghuan to change so dramatically after her marriage. But in a way, it was a good change—she wouldn’t be easily bullied anymore.

Gu Qinghuan picked up a bag of wheat and soybeans.

The other four bags were carried by Zhu Chunlin and Lin Shengnan, who each slung one over their shoulder.

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The journey back to the new home on the mountainside was long, but they finally arrived.

“Da Bao, Bei Bei, open the door! I’m home!” Gu Qinghuan called loudly.

Within a minute, the door opened, and Bei Bei ran out, sweetly calling: “Mom, you’re back? We’ve already cleaned up the house!”

Da Bao didn’t speak but quickly ran over to help carry the bags.

Gu Qinghuan handed him the lighter bag of soybeans and, with her free hand, rubbed Bei Bei’s little head. “Good girl.”

It was getting late, so Zhu Chunlin and Lin Shengnan helped carry the food into the main room before saying their goodbyes.

The house was pitch dark, with no oil lamps in sight, and the flashlight was something they couldn’t afford to use recklessly.

Gu Qinghuan had to buy two oil lamps and some oil from the vending machine as a temporary solution.

At last, there was a bit of light, though faint. The house looked much cleaner than before. Except for some high-up spots that couldn’t be reached, everything had been tidied up.

“Ta-da! Look what I have!” Gu Qinghuan exclaimed as she took out a large round ball wrapped in aluminum foil.

Bei Bei sniffed with his little nose. “Is it something yummy?”

Da Bao knew immediately that this must be the roasted chicken Gu Qinghuan had promised earlier.

“You both did an excellent job today, helping me solve a big problem. This is your reward—a roasted chicken. Come and eat!” Gu Qinghuan said, unwrapping the foil to reveal a deliciously fragrant roasted chicken inside.

Gu Qinghuan had made the chicken in the Orleans flavor, which children usually loved. It had been marinated for a shorter time, so the flavor wasn’t as strong, but they weren’t picky about it right now.

“Wow, Mom, it smells so good!” Bei Bei clung to the edge of the table, looking at the roasted chicken, her mouth watering so much that it seemed like drool was about to spill out.

Da Bao was just as mesmerized by the aroma of the chicken.

These past few days had been nothing but plain rice porridge, steamed buns, and now a roasted chicken. It felt like a dream to him, and he was afraid it would end as soon as he woke up.

Neither of them asked where the chicken had come from, so Gu Qinghuan didn’t need to explain.

She took out the four sets of chopsticks and bowls she had bought earlier in the day and began to divide the chicken.

She tore off the two chicken legs for the kids, and she and the Madman each got a chicken wing. The chicken breast was a bit dry, so she figured the kids might have trouble chewing it, so she gave it to Madman since he had a larger appetite.

The rest of the meat was divided into their bowls.

“Here you go, both of you. Eat up. This one’s for your dad, Da Bao, help feed him.” Gu Qinghuan said.

She was about to pick up her own portion to eat when Da Bao suddenly pressed his hand down on her bowl.

He took the chicken leg from his bowl and placed it in Gu Qinghuan’s bowl. “You eat the chicken leg.”

A warm wave spread through Gu Qinghuan’s heart.

For the first time, she experienced the happiness of raising children.

The kids were so thoughtful and obedient—no matter how tough things got for the adults, it was worth it.

Although Da Bao didn’t call her “Mom.” by giving her his chicken leg, it was clear that he had already accepted her in his heart.

Seeing her older brother’s gesture, Bei Bei paused for a moment, then pushed her own bowl toward Gu Qinghuan. “Mom, you can have my chicken leg too.”

Gu Qinghuan silently smiled, tears welling up in her eyes.

She returned the chicken leg to his bowl and gently pinched both children’s cheeks. “Mom doesn’t really like chicken legs. I’ve got the chicken wings. You two eat more, okay? The more you eat, the bigger and stronger you’ll grow, and you can help Mom with more things.”

The truth was, she was speaking from the heart—the chicken wings were even more delicious than the legs, so she preferred them. 

But the two children were deeply touched.

Mom was giving them the best part of the chicken while she was left with the bones.

Da Bao quietly wiped away the tears from his eyes and silently vowed to repay Gu Qinghuan in the future.

It was really a beautiful misunderstanding…