Chapter 28 ☆ Swan eggs and bamboo pillows (Part 1)

That night, Zhang Xiaofeng and her friends had a long conversation with the captain in the yard. When Zhang Xiaofeng returned to the house, her face was serious, but Cheng Nuonuo and Shen Yan did not come in.

Han Yin questioned Zhang Xiaofeng for a long time, but she did not answer. She simply said, “We’re not discussing dormitory allocation. Let’s go to sleep!”

Zhang Xiaofeng’s seriousness made Han Yin stick out her tongue and refrain from arguing further. Later, Cheng Nuonuo came in. Although she had washed her face, it was clear she had been crying. She got into bed and covered her head.

Han Yin and Cheng Yaoyao exchanged confused looks. Han Yin exaggeratedly mouthed, “What’s going on?”

“I don’t know,” Cheng Yaoyao said, shaking her head.

Han Yin winked and pointed with her thumbs. “This one?”

“Probably,” Cheng Yaoyao was not interested.

The next morning, Cheng Nuonuo and Shen Yan had a falling out. During breakfast, Cheng Nuonuo offered Shen Yan a steamed bun to appease him, but Shen Yan got up and left with a gloomy face.

Since Shen Yan and Cheng Nuonuo had started their relationship two years ago, Shen Yan had always taken great care of Cheng Nuonuo and had never said a harsh word to her, let alone embarrassed her in public!

Han Yin clung tightly to Zhang Xiaofeng, insisting on knowing what had happened the previous night. Zhang Xiaofeng, unable to endure her pestering, sighed and said, “We need to move out of this dormitory as soon as possible. Why are there so many problems?”

Cheng Yaoyao and Han Yin were confused: What on earth is going on?

Soon, the news spread through the village: Cheng Nuonuo had embezzled food from the canteen!

In a village where secrets rarely stay hidden, the team leader and the party secretary tried to save face for the educated youth and only discussed the matter with Zhang Xiaofeng and Shen Yan. However, the news still leaked out.

The incident actually began with two steamed buns. Xie San, who wasn’t working, left two buns each day. Cheng Nuonuo noticed the extra buns and, without saying anything, gave them to Shen Yan.

However, Cheng Yaoyao had recently asked Han Yin to pick up lunch from the canteen for her, and Han Yin also took Xie San’s portion. Unaware of this, Cheng Nuonuo continued to give Shen Yan two extra buns each day.

As a result, someone had to miss out on their share of steamed buns. That unfortunate person was a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old girl named Hei Niu, who belonged to the “black category” in the village. She was always last in line for food and had gone without steamed buns for several days.

Unlike others who might have cried, Hei Niu was accustomed to being bullied and remained silent. She went to work on an empty stomach and cried when she got home. Her mother, a fierce woman, went straight to Lin Dafu’s house, sat in his yard, and cried out that the villagers were bullying them, an orphan and a widow, by making their children work on an empty stomach. She threatened to hang herself in Lin Dafu’s house, demanding that Lin Dafu feed her children.

Lin Dafu and his family were having dinner when his 70-year-old mother nearly fainted at her dramatic words. Lin Dafu was furious: “The food in the canteen is prepared according to the number of people. How can it be less?”

Lin Dafu thought back to Cheng Yaoyao’s mention of Xie San always working on an empty stomach. Was there no steamed bread left in the canteen?

After thinking about it, Lin Dafu called the branch secretary, and together they questioned a few people who helped in the canteen. They discovered the issue: Cheng Nuonuo had embezzled food!

Although it was just two steamed buns, in an era when food was extremely scarce in the countryside, it was considered serious corruption.

Lin Dafu and the Party Secretary, taking into account that Cheng Nuonuo was a young girl and an educated youth from the city, decided not to make a big fuss. They separated the male and female squad leaders and Cheng Nuonuo, giving them a thorough reprimand.

Cheng Nuonuo initially refused to admit any wrongdoing, claiming the two extra buns were simply additional and known only to herself. However, when Lin Dafu and the branch secretary presented the evidence and threatened to call Han Yin and Cheng Yaoyao for confrontation, Cheng Nuonuo panicked.

The topic of conversation among the villagers quickly shifted from Cheng Yaoyao to Cheng Nuonuo.

The canteen had once been well-regarded when everyone was eating from the communal pot. After work, villagers would bring their own bowls and chopsticks to get food. Each person received a spoonful of vegetables and two steamed buns, which was better than what they had at home. The food cooked by Cheng Nuonuo was nutritious, so everyone enjoyed it and had a good impression of the educated youth from the city who served food.

Now, however, everyone looked at Cheng Nuonuo with suspicion. After dinner, villagers gathered to whisper and point fingers at her.

“Look at her. She’s as small as a child, yet she had the nerve to embezzle food!”

“She’s not as simple as she seems. Even now, she remains calm and smiles when we get our meals. They say city girls are thick-skinned!”

Han Yin had taught Cheng Yaoyao about these reactions. Cheng Yaoyao had forgotten and was discussing with Han Yin, “I want to buy a mosquito net so I can hang it after we move to the dormitory.”

Han Yin’s attention shifted immediately. “A mosquito net costs seven or eight yuan on the black market now. How can I afford that?”

As they chatted and laughed, Cheng Nuonuo came in. The conversation paused, and they resumed talking afterward.

No one at the educated youth camp mentioned Cheng Nuonuo’s issue to her directly. The camp kept silent about the matter to protect her dignity.

Yet, Cheng Nuonuo felt that wherever she went, people were whispering and pointing at her. Cheng Yaoyao and Han Yin’s whispers, their smiles, and frowns, seemed to mock her behind her back.

Cheng Yaoyao, Cheng Yaoyao—everything was Cheng Yaoyao’s fault! If Cheng Yaoyao hadn’t secretly asked Han Yin to take two extra steamed buns, Cheng Nuonuo wouldn’t have faced such disgrace!

Cheng Nuonuo had worked hard to build her reputation, only for it to be destroyed by Cheng Yaoyao. Even Shen Yan was ignoring her despite her attempts to hint at him. Shen Yan remained indifferent.

Fortunately, she still had the jade pendant. As long as she had it, she wouldn’t lose. Cheng Nuonuo glanced at Cheng Yaoyao, who was peacefully sleeping on her pillow, and a sneer appeared at the corner of her lips.

Cheng Yaoyao had been providing her with a lot of spiritual spring recently!

Cheng Yaoyao remained completely unaware of this. She lay on the cold bamboo pillow with her face flushed from sleep.

The next morning, she met up with Han Yin and Zhang Xiaofeng to go mushroom picking again. They took a less conspicuous path through the back mountain, eventually finding a pine forest.

Han Yin exclaimed, “Where did you find such a good place!”

The pine forest was cool and dark, with the sound of chirping birds echoing through the air. The soil on the ground was black and moist, and the tree trunks and ground, shielded from sunlight for years, were covered in moss. Several piles of horse manure were visible at a glance.

Zhang Xiaofeng and Han Yin, new to this, eagerly rushed to pick mushrooms, shouting and cheering. Cheng Yaoyao, disinterested in the commotion, ventured into the woods fully equipped, carrying her small backpack and wearing rubber shoes.

Zhang Xiaofeng called out, “Don’t wander too far! Be careful of snakes!”

“No!” Cheng Yaoyao replied. She carried a snake-repellent herbal bag given to her by Xie San, who had assured her there were no snakes in the area.

Cheng Yaoyao followed Xie San’s method and scanned the dead leaves under the pine trees. When she saw a raised area, she gently used a branch to push it aside, often finding mushrooms underneath.

There were many more mushrooms here than in the bamboo forest. They were both large and rare. Cheng Yaoyao discovered some milk mushrooms, which released white juice like milk when pinched. It was fascinating. She also found trumpet mushrooms, which, as the name suggests, resembled small trumpets pointing skyward.

Soon, Cheng Yaoyao encountered a knowledge gap: a cluster of mushrooms with round, flat caps, faintly tinged with green or red.

She picked one and examined it closely. The gills were white, indicating it was non-toxic, but the stem was green, which suggested it might be poisonous.

“It’s a copper-green fungus, edible,” a deep voice suddenly said. A pair of tattered Liberation shoes covered in mud appeared in front of her.

Cheng Yaoyao looked up, following the slender, strong legs to find Xie San. A smile flashed in her peach-blossom eyes. “Thank you, Xie San.”

Xie San’s narrow eyes showed a hint of reproach. “I told you not to come alone.”

Cheng Yaoyao confidently replied, “I came because I knew you’d be here too.”

Her delicate and innocent demeanor made it hard to reproach her. Xie San lowered his eyes, examined her small basket, and found it full of common mushrooms.

Cheng Yaoyao picked up the copper-green fungus and placed it in her small backpack. Xie San took two more steps, bent down, and picked another copper-green fungus. “Copper green fungus usually grows in pairs. You should find another one within a meter.”

Cheng Yaoyao nodded and noted it down. Xie San was familiar with this mountain and knew where different mushrooms grew. He rarely spoke more than necessary.

Cheng Yaoyao followed Xie San, collecting chanterelles, copper green mushrooms, red mushrooms, and small, dense chicken mushroom flowers. Xie San was impatient with the chicken mushroom flowers, but Cheng Yaoyao liked them very much. The taste of chicken mushroom flowers is similar to that of chicken mushrooms, and their soup is particularly delicious, compensating slightly for the lack of chicken mushrooms.

Cheng Yaoyao found a large leaf, squatted down, and gathered it. She stopped only when she had filled a large bag with leaves, but there were still more to collect!

Looking up, she saw a huge orange-red mushroom in front of her. Its cap was even bigger than Cheng Yaoyao’s face, and its bright orange-red color was captivating.

“Swan egg!” Cheng Yaoyao exclaimed with joy, admiring the long, white stem that felt like holding a flower. “It’s so beautiful!”

“Swan egg?” Xie San repeated, his voice low. “This is a yellow umbrella mushroom.”

“I’m calling it Swan Egg,” Cheng Yaoyao said, pursing her lips but soon smiling as she carefully placed the beautiful mushroom in her backpack.

The yellow umbrella mushroom, also known as Swan Egg, is a rare, non-toxic species among wild mushrooms and is also very delicious.