Chapter 17: Chatting

……

“Are these all poisonous mushrooms?” Tang Wan obviously understood what Qin Zheng meant.

“Some just don’t taste good, only a few have a little toxicity, but they won’t kill you,” Grandma Bai gave Qin Zheng a sidelong glance.

The Hongqi Brigade wasn’t located in the south; most habits leaned northern. So Tang Wan thought there wouldn’t be poisonous mushrooms here, but it turned out there still were some.

“Then these are just wasted,” Tang Wan felt a little regretful. It was her first time doing this kind of work, and seeing a full basket of mushrooms gave her a sense of accomplishment.

“It’s okay. This kind of mushroom is picked by many in the village too. You can take them home to feed the chickens, but you won’t need them. The youth work point doesn’t keep chickens,” Grandma Bai comforted Tang Wan, seeing her disappointment.

While they were talking, Qin Zheng had already pushed his bicycle inside. He didn’t bring back the two baskets.

“Why are you back so early this time?” Grandma Bai asked.

He had just returned earlier that morning, and now it was only noon — barely enough time for traveling back and forth.

“There’s a lot of stuff this time, so we gave it all to people from other places. There’s still a little left for Dongzi to watch over. You can take the backpack back in the evening, so I came back first.” Qin Zheng is tall and strong, and the 28-inch bicycle in his hands is like pushing a toy car.

This was the first time Tang Wan saw such a bicycle up close. She secretly measured it with her eyes — the bar probably reached her waist.

Her curious look was obvious enough that the two in the yard couldn’t help teasing her.

“Can you ride a bike, Mr. Tang?” Qin Zheng casually leaned the bike against the wall, and sure enough, Tang Wan’s eyes followed it.

She shook her head.

Back when she was abroad, she often rode bikes, but this old-fashioned style—she wasn’t even sure she could swing her leg over it.

“Next time, let Ah Zheng teach you,” Grandma Bai said cheerfully. “It’ll be more convenient if you want to go to town. Qin Lao’er’s ox cart only goes on schedule.”

If others heard Grandma Bai say this, they wouldn’t believe it. Everyone knew that when Qin Zheng’s bike was first bought, it caused a sensation in the village. Now, besides the team leader’s family, only Qin Zheng had a bicycle.

When Qin Aiguo—Grandma Bai’s other grandson—got married and wanted to borrow Qin Zheng’s bike to pick up the bride, Grandma Bai scolded him fiercely.

But now, she was saying this to a young educated youth (zhiqing).

Of course, Tang Wan didn’t know this, but she felt tempted by Grandma Bai’s words.

The ox cart saved walking, but because they cared for the ox and there were many riders, it moved very slowly. Setting out in the morning, it was almost noon by the time they reached town.

Going to the city was just not possible on time.

Having a bicycle would be a game changer.

Qin Zheng noticed the eager look in Tang Wan’s eyes: “Once your foot heals, I’ll teach you how to ride.”

Then he glanced at her foot, all wrapped up like a dumpling.

Qin Zheng’s gaze was sharp. Though he didn’t say anything, his eyes scanned her foot intensely, making Tang Wan feel uncomfortable. She shrank back a little, wanting to escape.

……

“A few days from now, the village will show a movie. I wonder if Mr. Tang’s foot will be better by then,” Qin Zheng said, clearly noticing her reaction but not looking away.

Somehow, Tang Wan felt Qin Zheng was different today. Now she understood why the villagers feared him.

When he focused on someone, his intensity was overwhelming.

“There shouldn’t be a problem. If it’s not healed, you just save her a seat first,” Grandma Bai also looked at Tang Wan’s foot.

She trusted her medicine. As long as the foot wasn’t disturbed these few days, it would heal quickly.

“There’s going to be a movie in the village?” Tang Wan remembered this — it was an important event in the book. How could she forget?

“Yes, it should be here in a few days,” Qin Zheng said but didn’t say where he got the information.

He wasn’t very interested in such things but thought Tang Wan might be.

As expected, Tang Wan’s reaction confirmed his guess.

Although she wasn’t really interested in watching the movie, she was intrigued by the event itself.

Because at this movie screening, the original story’s male supporting character would appear — a male educated youth from another brigade.

In the previous life, after Zhong Ling got into university and abandoned Zhao Dong, she married this male youth, who was definitely not a good person.

It was during this movie night that he noticed Zhong Ling and used sweet talk to deceive her. Later, when they ended up in the same school, they became a couple.

But this male youth had already settled in the countryside, married a girl from their team, then later abandoned his wife and child after getting into university.

However, in this new life, Zhong Ling definitely wouldn’t fall for such a scumbag.

At this movie night, Zhong Ling originally planned to trick that scumbag to get an advantage, but Zhao Dong saw it, causing the first misunderstanding between the two.

Tang Wan wouldn’t miss such a good show.

Though she had no intention to provoke Zhong Ling, Zhong Ling clearly wouldn’t let her off. Since that’s the case, Tang Wan wouldn’t just sit still.

Following these kinds of things might come in handy later.

Wasn’t this already the second misunderstanding between those two? So let’s just make sure this one never gets cleared up.

Tang Wan recalled the kick Zhong Ling gave her in the waist, almost killing her. She definitely wouldn’t forget that.

……

Qin Zheng had no idea what Tang Wan was thinking but as long as she was interested in the movie, that was fine. The village only got lively at times like this. Nearby villages and even some farther ones would come back, making it quite lively.

Youth who came from the city might not care about movies, but they liked the lively scene.

As they talked, Grandma Bai had already started drying the mushrooms.

She clearly lived a refined life — even had a special rake for drying things.

Drying things in the yard didn’t look out of place; instead, it felt leisurely. Tang Wan couldn’t help but think how nice this life was.

At noon, Grandma Bai cooked wild boar meat. The meat was firm, stewed for a long time, and when it came out of the pot, the whole yard smelled wonderful.

……

“So fragrant,” Tang Wan didn’t hesitate to praise.

“Stewed until tender. I even saved you some pork trotters. Eat more, it’ll help you heal,” Grandma Bai joked, looking at Tang Wan’s foot.

The three finished one pot of food, and Qin Zheng alone ate two-thirds.

Tang Wan gained a clearer understanding of Qin Zheng’s appetite.

After the meal, Qin Zheng conscientiously cleaned the table and then went to the kitchen to wash up.

The last time Tang Wan came, Qin Zheng cooked the meal.

Grandma Bai’s good cooking skills, Qin Zheng had learned quite a bit.

In this era, men who helped in the kitchen were rare, especially since Qin Zheng didn’t look like the kind to do housework — no one would believe it if they heard.