Chapter 103 : Paying Public Grain

The educated youths looked at Yun Siying with admiration, wariness, and fear. Each one was quietly trying to recall whether they had ever offended her. She truly seemed like a devil definitely not someone they could afford to provoke in the future. Even if they couldn’t befriend her, they certainly couldn’t become her enemy.

That evening, the voice of the team leader came through the brigade loudspeaker:

“Attention, all team members whose names are called next please gather in front of the warehouse at 5 a.m. tomorrow morning. We will be going to the county grain station to deliver the brigade’s public grain. Yun Siying will be responsible for driving the tractor.”

“Jiang Fugui, Jiang Fulin, Li Changhe, Li Changshun, Li Changde, Chang Yuhu, Chang Yuchuan…” More than a dozen names were read. They were assigned to transport the grain to fulfill the brigade’s public grain quota.

When Yun Siying heard her name, she knew her plans for the next day had to be canceled again. With a sigh, she began to make dinner. After cooking, she served her own portion and stored the rest in her hidden space. After 8 p.m., she brought the food to the cowshed.

“Master, Old men, are you ready to eat?”

She hadn’t seen them for a few days, but all three looked significantly better than before.

“What delicious food have you brought us today?” Elder Ming was the first to approach the table. His eyes lit up when he saw the spread, boiled fish, braised pork, and cabbage and tofu soup.

Elder Hua came over and looked pleased with the feast. Since the girl had come and become Lu Huaren’s disciple, the three of them had been eating much better. In the past, even Nangong had only occasionally brought them meat not nearly this much.

Even back when they were still in power, they could only afford meals like this a few times a month due to limited meat coupons. Ironically, they were eating better now in their demoted status.

“Xiao Lu, you’ve got a good disciple. We’re both lucky to have her,” said Elder Hua.

Yun Siying saw her master, Lu Huaren, sitting down solemnly and smiled slightly. “Master, look, they’re praising your judgment.”

“The two leaders are teasing me. You both took care of me in the past. Now that Siying can look after you, I’m glad. Let’s not talk about that anymore come on, let’s eat.” Lu Huaren smiled warmly. These two elders had supported him before, and now his disciple could return the favor he was genuinely happy.

The three elders took the rice that Yun Siying had served and began eating cheerfully.

“Girl, your boiled fish is amazing, and this braised pork, delicious! I wonder which lucky boy will get to enjoy meals like this in the future?” Elder Ming said with a grin.

“Old man, just eat your food stop daydreaming all the time, or you’ll age faster.” Yun Siying’s mind briefly flashed to Nangong Ruochen’s face. It startled her, was she really considering marrying him?

“What old man? Just call me Grandpa Ming from now on.”

“That’s right. You should change the way you address us. Call me Grandpa Hua too,” said Elder Hua after swallowing a mouthful of food. Though he had never had the joy of grandchildren, he felt blessed to have this girl in his life. Especially now that they were demoted and ostracized, anyone who got too close to them risked being implicated. But she stayed by their side.

Yun Siying thought about how these two were old heroes who had defended the nation. She respected them deeply. They had also helped her master immensely, so it was only right that she looked after them too.

She nodded and said, “Grandpa Ming, Grandpa Hua.”

“Hey!” the two elders responded cheerfully, visibly touched.

After dinner, Lu Huaren began testing Yun Siying on what she had learned recently. As she answered question after question, his delight grew. He finally realized that his apprentice had an extraordinary memory, able to recall everything she read and had already started learning medicinal skills, though most of what she’d learned so far was in making poisons.

Yun Siying asked Lu Huaren about each question she didn’t understand, one by one. When they had differing opinions, they discussed them together. Although Lu Huaren didn’t show much expression on his face, the two elderly men could tell he was very satisfied with his apprentice.

After Yun Siying left, Elder Ming asked, “You’re very satisfied with Siying as your apprentice, aren’t you?”

“Old Leader, my apprentice has an excellent memory she remembers everything she sees, is good at synthesizing knowledge, and isn’t afraid to experiment. She’s already developed quite a few medicines most of them are poisons, and some are a mix of good and evil. That worries me a little,” Lu Huaren said honestly, though it was clear he was proud.

“Since ancient times, medicine and poison have gone hand in hand,” Elder Hua added. “What matters most is the character of the person using them. This girl has clear eyes, little personal ambition, and is easily content. As long as no one crosses her bottom line, there’s no need to worry.”

—

The next day, Yun Siying got up early and arrived at the brigade. The tractor was already fully loaded with grain, it was piled so high that she felt if she drove too fast, the bags would fall off. Beside the tractor was the village ox cart, also packed with grain.

“Yun Siying, you drive the tractor ahead to line up early at the grain station. We’ll follow behind,” the brigade leader instructed. Every brigade was delivering public grain that day, and arriving late meant being stuck at the end of the line.

“Got it, Captain.” Yun Siying drove the tractor out of the brigade. The captain rode his bicycle behind her, bringing a villager along with him.

When they arrived at the grain station, it wasn’t open yet. Eight brigade vehicles were already lined up, waiting for the staff to start work.

“Captain, I’m going to grab some breakfast. Have you eaten? If not, come with me,” Yun Siying offered. She knew the station wouldn’t open until at least 8:30, so she decided to eat first.

“You go ahead. We all ate before coming,” the captain said with a smile. He wanted to remind her of something, but when he thought of her incredible martial arts skills, he figured it wasn’t necessary and said no more.

Yun Siying ordered a bowl of wontons. When they were served, the aroma was mouthwatering. She picked one up and took a bite, thin skin, flavorful filling, and tender, juicy meat. She sipped the broth, rich and savory, with a lingering aftertaste. She quickly finished the whole bowl in big bites.

After eating, she bought twenty plain steamed buns and returned to the entrance of the grain station. It was still early, but the line had grown longer. The rest of the brigade’s ox carts and villagers had also arrived.

“Uncles, have a steamed bun to fill your stomachs. The staff haven’t started work yet, so we’ll still be waiting a while,” Yun Siying said as she took out the buns, intending to hand one to each person.

“Thank you, Yun Siying. Food is expensive these days, you should save it for yourself. You don’t have much money, don’t spend it so freely,” the captain declined gently.

“Captain, it’s just a little food. I really don’t need it please take it.” Yun Siying pushed the steamed bun into his hand. When the others saw that the captain accepted it, they also took one and thanked her warmly.