As the saying goes: Since we’ve come this far.

We’re already at the foot of the mountain, so what’s a few more steps?

Arriving at the house halfway up the mountain, Zhang Yunxi inadvertently looked up, and the starry sky filled her vision. The awe of nature touched her soul. “I feel like I’ve missed so many starry nights.”

Zhao Rencheng paused in his steps.

He was momentarily awkwarded by her sudden poetic outburst!

With a straight face, he said, “Then take a good look.”

“You don’t understand how precious this is,” Zhang Yunxi muttered, but she followed him inside. “What did you need me for?”

“Payday. Do you want it?”

Zhao Rencheng asked.

Zhang Yunxi’s eyes lit up, and she immediately stood straight in front of him, beaming. “Yes, please!”

“Ten yuan, some food coupons, and I’ll throw in two fabric coupons and some cotton coupons.”

“Thank you, boss!”

Zhang Yunxi couldn’t stop smiling as she received the items with both hands, bowing deeply. The joy of getting a bonus on payday—who wouldn’t love that?

Zhao Rencheng, seeing her smile so brightly, was in a good mood and continued, “There’s progress on your job. You’ll probably start by the end of next month. The position is as a teacher for the brigade.”

“Really?! Thank you so much, boss!”

Zhang Yunxi was thrilled with the efficiency.

Clutching the money and coupons, she bowed deeply to her boss once again.

“Here, have a chicken leg. No need to bow this time,” Zhao Rencheng handed her two chicken legs.

Zhang Yunxi burst out laughing. “So generous!”

“You’ve lost weight,” Zhao Rencheng noticed the slight hollowing of her cheeks.

“Thank you for your concern, boss.” Zhang Yunxi tucked the money and coupons into her pocket, took the bowl and chopsticks Zhao Rencheng handed her, and watched as he prepared the malted milk. Curious, she asked, “Did I finish all the malted milk?”

“Yeah,” Zhao Rencheng replied, bringing the prepared malted milk to the table outside and placing it in front of her before sitting on another chair.

The warm glow from inside the house and the cool breeze outside made for a cozy atmosphere.

Seeing two chicken legs in the bowl, Zhang Yunxi pushed it toward him. “Let’s have one each.”

Zhao Rencheng snapped out of his thoughts and looked down at the chicken legs. “Alright. When you go to the state-run restaurant the day after tomorrow, order whatever you like.”

“You’re the best, boss.” Zhang Yunxi appreciated such a straightforward partner.

Zhao Rencheng chuckled and went to get another bowl, joining her in eating the chicken legs.

He had just eaten chicken earlier that evening, so it didn’t feel particularly special to him.

But for Zhang Yunxi, who hadn’t had it in a while, the chicken legs were tender and juicy. “So delicious! It’s absolutely heavenly.”

Taking a sip of the sweet malted milk, feeling the mountain breeze, and looking up at the starry sky, Zhang Yunxi sighed, “This is what life is all about!”

Zhao Rencheng was amused by her.

After they finished eating, Zhao Rencheng walked her down the mountain.

Now that Zhang Yunxi was full and energized, she remembered to ask, “Who were those people having an affair in front of us last time?”

“You’re just a kid. Don’t ask. Go back and get some sleep,” Zhao Rencheng said.

Zhang Yunxi made a funny face behind his back. What nonsense! She was already an adult. What did he mean by “kid”?

He was only seven years older than her!

In modern terms, that’s just two years.

Hmph!

Zhao Rencheng, walking behind her, easily caught her little expression and smiled slightly, changing the subject. “Should I call Er Gouzi, or will you?”

“I’ll call. I want to take credit for your treat!”

“Fine.”

Zhao Rencheng had no objections.

When they reached the foot of the mountain, Zhao Rencheng watched her head toward the educated youth dormitory before turning back up the mountain. Arriving home, his gaze fell on the chair she had just been sitting on.

Unconsciously, the words of Principal Zhao came to mind: “Do you like Zhang Yunxi?”

Zhao Rencheng’s eyes grew deeper.

He looked up at the starry sky, which seemed no different from usual.

But still.

The stars tonight were quite beautiful.

*

In the countryside, roosters always wake up earlier than people. The elderly are easily roused, but the young can selectively ignore certain noises.

As the rooster crowed, Zhang Yunxi was still sound asleep.

But a sudden, melodramatic shout outside made her immediately sit up and throw off the covers. “Who’s that?”

Deng Damei also sat up. “Let’s go check it out.”

“Okay!” Zhang Yunxi’s eyes sparkled with excitement as she glanced at He Xiaoxiao, who had opened her eyes but gone back to sleep. She didn’t bother her.

Xiaoxiao never paid much attention to what the villagers did.

But she and Deng Damei were gossip enthusiasts!

It wasn’t fully light yet, so Zhang Yunxi grabbed a flashlight. Stepping outside, they realized the commotion was coming from the men’s dorm next door.

“What’s going on?” Deng Damei craned her neck curiously.

Zhang Yunxi wasn’t sure either.

So, arm in arm, they walked over.

As they got closer, they heard Zhao Erhua’s mother, Auntie Yu, wailing and slapping her thigh. “Heavens! How can there be people like this? Tricking my family into working for them, taking our food, and calling my daughter a leech! Wuwuwu, this is too much!”

Zhang Yunxi’s mouth slowly fell open.

Deng Damei leaned in and whispered, “It must be Wu Donglin bragging again, and Auntie Yu found out!”

“I think so too!”

Zhang Yunxi nodded in agreement.

The two of them huddled together, quietly speculating about what compensation Auntie Yu might be after.

Captain Zhao and other villagers soon arrived in a crowd.

The rooster couldn’t wake the young, but gossip sure could!!

Everyone perked up their ears and widened their eyes, eager to watch the drama.

Wu Donglin, whose cheeks were still swollen from being beaten the day before, was woken up by the noise, his head buzzing. “What are you making a scene for? Was I wrong to call your daughter a leech? She’s the one who latched onto me!”

A country girl like her.

It was an honor just to talk to him!
Now she dares to make him lose face like this!

Wu Donglin was seething inside. Even though he didn’t want to part with the eggs and the free labor, he couldn’t hold back his anger.

“You ungrateful brat!”

Auntie Yu was furious.

She had been thinking it over and over yesterday, and decided she couldn’t let the two kids keep working for nothing.

Just like Zhang Yunxi said, if his conditions were really that good, why couldn’t he give her family something?
If not goods, then money would do.

But when she told her daughter to ask Wu Donglin for something yesterday, she came back empty-handed, and the silly girl just cried under the covers.

This made Auntie Yu so angry she tossed and turned all night.

As soon as the rooster crowed this morning, she was up.

Seeing him trying to weasel out of it, Auntie Yu simply lay down on the ground and started wailing, “The city educated youth is bullying us poor farmers! Wuwuwu, an old lady like me, cheated out of food and labor, and now being insulted. How pitiful…”

“What are you doing?!”

Wu Donglin was annoyed. “Call your daughter over!”

This stupid woman, still causing trouble for him.

Auntie Yu refused. She was afraid her daughter would be foolish, so she had her eldest son keep her daughter away.

She made sure Zhao Erhua didn’t leave the house.

“Brigade leader Zhao, you have to stand up for me!”

Brigade leader Zhao, with his hands behind his back, sighed heavily.

He had already told Zhao Dahua not to work for Wu Donglin, but the family didn’t listen. Now look what happened.

But they were family, so he couldn’t just ignore it.

“Wu Zhiqing…”

“Don’t call me that! I haven’t done anything wrong. If you don’t believe me, ask the villagers who’ve worked near me. They can vouch that I never asked Zhao Erhua to work for me!”