Chapter 21 ☆ Brown sugar and bayberry juice (Part 2)

She hid in a corner, wolfing down a handful of cherries. The sweet and sour juice flowed down her throat, but it still didn’t satisfy her hungry stomach. The laughter of Cheng Yaoyao and the others drifted over. Cheng Yaoyao’s pleasant voice, in particular, pierced Liu Minxia’s heart like a needle.

Recently, Cheng Yaoyao has been acting very strangely toward her. Previously, Cheng Yaoyao had shared some of the mixed flour steamed bread and other treats, but now she either gave the remaining dry food to Han Yin and Zhang Xiaofeng or kept it for herself.

In Liu Minxia’s eyes, that portion of food should have belonged to her, but Cheng Yaoyao has now given it to someone else. Liu Minxia swallowed a cherry pit fiercely, her greasy bangs covering her murky eyes.

Cheng Yaoyao was unaware of Liu Minxia’s thoughts. She watched Zhang Xiaofeng scoop the bayberries into a clean bamboo basket to drain them, then said to Han Yin, “Give me a bag of brown sugar, and I’ll return it to you later.”

Han Yin’s eyes flickered. “Where did you get brown sugar? I ate all mine a long time ago.”

“I know you have a bag hidden!” Cheng Yaoyao picked up the bayberries and walked towards the stove. “Hurry up and bring it here!”

Cheng Nuonuo had already rinsed the pot clean and was boiling water. Shen Yan was chatting with her beside the stove. The two were always very affectionate.

Cheng Yaoyao walked over and, without looking away, raised her chin at Shen Yan. “Move aside.”

She looked spoiled and arrogant. Shen Yan, though angry, couldn’t take his eyes off her face. As dusk fell, the light red glow on Cheng Yaoyao’s face made her porcelain-white skin seem to glow.

Cheng Yaoyao lifted the pot lid and checked the boiling water. She scooped out the water, added some clean water, poured in the bayberries, and took the salt jar.

Shen Yan and Cheng Nuonuo watched her every move. Cheng Nuonuo quickly grabbed her wrist and said, “Sister Yaoyao, what are you doing? Let me handle it.”

“No need,” Cheng Yaoyao said, shaking off her hand. Cheng Nuonuo almost fell backward, and Shen Yan quickly helped her up.

Shen Yan said, “Cheng Yaoyao, Nuonuo was only trying to help. How could you push her away?”

Cheng Yaoyao blinked and sneered, “She falls so easily. How can you blame me? Take her to see a doctor; maybe she has osteoporosis^[1]is a condition where the bones become weak and brittle due to a loss of bone density..”

Shen Yan responded angrily, “Cheng Yaoyao, you’re being completely unreasonable!”

Cheng Nuonuo quickly grabbed Shen Yan’s arm and turned to Cheng Yaoyao. “Sister Yaoyao, I really don’t want you to be angry with me. I just want to help you, so you won’t hate me so much…”

“Do you really want to help me?” Cheng Yaoyao raised an eyebrow.

Cheng Nuonuo nodded seriously, her well-behaved appearance almost making Cheng Yaoyao feel she had wronged her. Shen Yan looked at Cheng Nuonuo with increasing concern.

Cheng Yaoyao smiled softly and said, “If you really want to help me, don’t do those little tricks to annoy me… Stop crying, I won’t fall for it. Shen Yan, be quiet too; I haven’t finished speaking.”

Cheng Yaoyao glared at him, and Shen Yan fell silent, still glaring at her with anger. Cheng Yaoyao didn’t care at all and continued, “The story about me riding Xie San’s bicycle home yesterday has spread all over the village. Only you, me, and her know about it. So guess who will tell others?”

Apart from Xie San, only Shen Yan and Cheng Nuonuo knew that Cheng Yaoyao had returned by bicycle the previous day. Xie San, of course, wouldn’t tell anyone, and Shen Yan, given his stubborn personality, wouldn’t either. Cheng Nuonuo was the only one who might spread the gossip, and Cheng Yaoyao was not surprised at all.

Cheng Yaoyao was very skilled at creating conflict, stirring up trouble, and forming groups to her advantage. The schemes and manipulations she used were much more complicated than those of Cheng Nuonuo.

However, Cheng Yaoyao preferred to be straightforward and address issues face-to-face.

Cheng Nuonuo shook her head repeatedly, her face a picture of shock and grievance. Shen Yan’s face was complicated, but he still said, “Besides the three of us, there is also Xie San!”

Cheng Yaoyao’s affectionate peach blossom eyes turned cold. “Do you think she is like you? How can a man have such a loose tongue?”

This was a sarcastic remark, and Shen Yan’s face darkened immediately. Defending himself would only confirm the insult, making his face twist with frustration.

The three of them stood facing each other in an awkward atmosphere. Han Yin ran over with a bag of brown sugar and noticed Shen Yan and Cheng Nuonuo turning and hurrying away. She asked curiously, “Are they here to cause trouble for you?”

“It’s better for me to cause trouble for them,” Cheng Yaoyao said, taking the paper bag from Han Yin.

The brown paper package was long and sealed. Cheng Yaoyao tore a hole in it and inhaled the sweet aroma of cane sugar.

Meanwhile, the bayberries in the pot were already bubbling, shrinking considerably, and the soup had turned a bright red. Cheng Yaoyao poured the golden-yellow sugar into the pot like flowing sand, causing Han Yin to exclaim in distress, “Put less, put less!”

Cheng Yaoyao replied, “Since you’re so stingy, I’ll return you a bag of candy.”

Han Yin gritted her teeth. “Alright, I’ll have my share anyway. These candies are mine, and you can give me the rest.”

Cheng Yaoyao admired this aspect of Han Yin. Despite being smart, Han Yin didn’t expect things for free. Cheng Yaoyao smiled and put away the candy bag. “No, these belong to me. I’ll buy you another bag at the supply and marketing cooperative later.”

Han Yin said, “You know brown sugar is hard to buy, and sugar coupons are hard to get. I’ve eaten all the ones I brought from home, and this is the last bag.”

The female educated youths, all girls in their teens and early twenties, loved sweets and snacks. Unfortunately, snacks were expensive and didn’t last long, so hot sugar water was the most economical and convenient option.

Sugar water with brown sugar was the most delicious. The female educated youths would save up to buy a couple of bags of brown sugar and keep them in a jar. After a long day’s work, they would come home exhausted and enjoy a cup of hot, sweet sugar water before bed. It was a comforting ritual.

The original owner had been wealthy and would buy five or six bags of brown sugar at a time. However, due to her greed and Liu Minxia consuming it for free, all the sugar was gone before Cheng Yaoyao arrived. Han Yin, being frugal, had hidden an unopened bag. Cheng Yaoyao had discovered this when she woke up in the middle of the night to find Han Yin secretly eating sugar. Today, she finally got her hands on it.

Cheng Yaoyao stirred the bayberry juice in the pot with a wooden spatula and said seriously to Han Yin, “Comrade Han Yin, if you have this bag of brown sugar, you might use it all up without thinking. But if I have it, I can use it in many valuable ways. You need to think about the bigger picture and what’s best for everyone.”

“I agree with Yaoyao,” Zhang Xiaofeng said with a smile as she came over. “How long are you going to wait like this? I’ve got the water ready. Don’t you want to wash your hair?”

Cheng Yaoyao dropped the spatula, added a little water, and covered the pot. “Let’s cook it on low heat for 20 minutes. Come on, I’ll wash my hair first!”

Cheng Yaoyao’s hair was long and dense, making it difficult to wash thoroughly. Since she didn’t have any shampoo, she asked Zhang Xiaofeng to help her. It was much more convenient and cleaner to have someone else wash and rinse your hair than to do it yourself.

The three of them went into the house, and Cheng Nuonuo slowly walked in from the door, her eyes still a bit red. Thinking about how Shen Yan had doubted her earlier, she felt a chill of resentment.

Faced with Cheng Nuonuo’s endless excuses and innocent tears, Shen Yan’s face was full of contradictions and pain. “Nunuo, I saw you talking to the sister-in-law in the village this morning. Why did you spread such gossip?”

Cheng Nuonuo was silent for a long time, tears rolling down her cheeks. “Shen Yan, don’t look at me like that. I just… I lost my mind. Sister Yaoyao always bullies and hates me, and I don’t care. But you’ve been looking at Sister Yaoyao and smiling at her lately, and I couldn’t stand it… I don’t know why I said that. I really didn’t mean to hurt Sister Yaoyao, truly!”

Despite her words and tears, Shen Yan left, saying he needed to be alone.

Their relationship had finally made progress, and Cheng Nuonuo couldn’t allow him to doubt her. But she had something more important to confirm.

Cheng Nuonuo walked to the stove. There was a bowl of water on the stove, left by Cheng Yaoyao. Cheng Nuonuo looked around and, seeing no one, took out a jade pendant from her collar and held it over the bowl.

Slowly, a drop of spiritual spring^[2]refers to a source of rejuvenation or renewal for the mind and spirit. dripped into the bowl. Then a second drop, a third drop… Cheng Nuonuo’s eyes widened in amazement as the spiritual spring continued to flow, dripping out as many as ten drops!

Cheng Nuonuo fiddled with the jade pendant, her eyes filled with ecstasy. She had felt the pendant getting hot earlier and rushed back to verify it. She hadn’t expected so much spiritual spring water to drip out!

Since discovering the jade pendant’s secret, Cheng Nuonuo’s life has changed. However, the amount of spiritual spring that dripped out was very small and unstable. It took her over six months to figure out the pattern. The spiritual spring could only secrete a few drops every two or three days, and the quantity was very limited. She had used it to transform herself over the past six months.

Being responsible for cooking for the team daily, the spiritual spring water was extremely insufficient. Although she diluted it repeatedly, the jade pendant’s secretion rate was far behind the consumption rate. She had used up all the half bottle of spiritual spring water she had accumulated, and the secretion had become less and more irregular.

Cheng Nuonuo had once secretly read many books in the library, trying to explore various ways to trigger the jade pendant’s spiritual spring. To date, letting the jade pendant absorb moonlight at night seemed to be the only effective method, though it required a whole night and only slightly increased the secretion rate.

This time, the spiritual spring had been silent for five days. Cheng Nuonuo had diluted the last few drops of the spiritual spring repeatedly, but it was still exhausted.

Today, the jade pendant unexpectedly started secreting a significant amount of spiritual spring! It seemed that luck was on her side. Cheng Nuonuo was eager to see how Cheng Yaoyao would react this time.

Cheng Nuonuo carefully hid the jade pendant while trying to figure out what had triggered the spiritual spring.

Could it be because of last night? Cheng Nuonuo’s cheeks flushed red as she felt a surge of excitement. Many folk rumors suggest that spirits can enhance their cultivation by absorbing men’s yang energy. As the jade pendant was a supernatural object, could this method really work?

She recalled the scene in the wild yesterday, and her cheeks flushed again, almost intoxicated. Just then, a sweet and sour aroma wafted from the pot. Curious, Cheng Nuonuo lifted the lid to take a look.

Suddenly, a loud shout came from behind: “Cheng Nuonuo, what are you doing?!”

Cheng Nuonuo was startled, and the water she was holding spilled into the pot.

That was the spiritual spring! Cheng Nuonuo screamed and hurriedly grabbed a spoon to scoop the water out.

But it was too late. The half pot of bayberry juice had gradually reduced, and the added water instantly mixed with the bright red soup. Cheng Nuonuo felt as though her heart was being cut by a knife. She stared at the pot of bayberries in speechless dismay.

Han Yin rushed over, snatched the spoon from Cheng Nuonuo’s hand, and said, “What are you doing? There’s something cooking in the pot! What did you pour into it?”

Cheng Nuonuo’s lips turned pale as she forced a smile. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I accidentally poured in water. I’ll compensate you with a pot. This pot is mine…”

Han Yin’s voice was loud and filled with anger. “There’s half a bag of brown sugar in there! Can you afford it? Get out of here!”

The brown sugar had been paid for by Han Yin herself! Although Cheng Yaoyao would eventually return it, Han Yin was still heartbroken. She pushed Cheng Nuonuo away and began stirring the bayberry soup in the pot.

Cheng Nuonuo, desperate, said to Han Yin, “I’ll compensate you with candy. Can I give you one bag? The water in the pot means it can’t be eaten.”

At that moment, Cheng Yaoyao and Zhang Xiaofeng came out. Cheng Yaoyao’s black hair was still slightly wet, cascading over her shoulders, enhancing her fair face and making her look striking.

Seeing the commotion, Zhang Xiaofeng hurriedly asked, “What’s going on?”

Han Yin yelled, “She poured water into the bayberry soup!”

Cheng Yaoyao felt a twinge of concern. Could Cheng Nuonuo have spit in it? She quickly checked, “What kind of water did you pour?”

Cheng Nuonuo had a sudden idea. “Yes… it was dirty. I was careless!”

Han Yin grew even more annoyed and pointed to the bowl of water. “Here, this bowl!”

Cheng Nuonuo quickly pulled Cheng Yaoyao aside and said, “Sister Yaoyao, I will compensate you with bayberries and candy!”

Cheng Yaoyao picked up the large bowl and felt relieved. She said, “I put the water in this bowl. It’s okay.”

She then used a spoon to stir the bayberries in the pot. The bayberries had completely shrunk, and the bright red juice still emitted a delightful aroma. A little extra water wouldn’t matter much.

Zhang Xiaofeng tried to smooth things over, pulling Han Yin aside. “Alright, alright. Yaoyao said it’s okay.”

Cheng Yaoyao took the bayberries from the lunch box and poured the soup into an enamel basin. She smiled and said, “It’s done. We can drink it once it cools down. Let’s go back inside.”

The three of them took the bayberries and soup and left, leaving Cheng Nuonuo standing alone. Cheng Nuonuo bit her lower lip tightly, her eyes nearly boring holes into Cheng Yaoyao’s slender back.

As soon as Shen Yan entered the room, he noticed Cheng Nuonuo’s distress and shuddered. This Nuonuo was so different from the one he knew. Was this still his Nuonuo?

The bayberry juice and bayberries were placed on the table, exuding a sweet, sour aroma. The fragrance brought a refreshing coolness that invigorated anyone who smelled it.

Han Yin continued muttering, “Does Cheng Nuonuo want to cause trouble?”

Cheng Yaoyao picked up a bayberry, which had shrunk considerably after boiling, turning dark red with the flesh tightly packed. She tasted it, and her eyes widened in surprise.

“Is it really this delicious? We were all stunned,” Han Yin and Zhang Xiaofeng said as they eagerly reached for a dried bayberry.

Cheng Yaoyao suddenly snapped back to her senses and quickly shielded the bayberries and bayberry soup with her arms. “Don’t touch them, don’t touch them.”

Facing Han Yin’s complaints, Cheng Yaoyao promised, “Tomorrow, I’ll make something even more delicious for you.”

Ignoring Han Yin’s persistent complaints, Cheng Yaoyao carefully closed the lunch box, poured the cooled bayberry soup into a kettle, and soaked it in cold water to keep it fresh.