Li Yuanzhao slowly stood up, her legs aching. "One-third of the extra food I made was my own ration. Since you don't like it, I'll keep it." Li Yuanzhao then divided the extra cornmeal porridge and cornbread into thirds.

Shen Hanyang was already worried about the food supplies, so with Li Yuanzhao's example, what did she have to hesitate about? She was about to set aside her extra portion.

Pan Bo and Shen Hanyang's relationship was practically out in the open; everyone tacitly agreed on it. Pan Bo never minded people saying he listened to Shen Hanyang. "There are only these, why are you dividing them? Just put them all away."

The two extra portions of food on the table were quickly gone.

Dong Mingming was dumbfounded. "You...you...are you going to let us starve?"

"Is your food ration with me? I'll provide it for you." Li Yuanzhao was hungry and ate quickly.

Gao Weijie: "We didn't have any food when we first arrived!"

Could Pan Bo still get the two women to answer correctly? "Go find the brigade leader and ask him to borrow some grain. Come on, I'm not eating, I'll take you to the brigade leader's house first."

Pan Bo was delivered to the brigade leader's house, but he didn't even go inside. What were Brigade Leader Wu's feelings when he looked at Dong Mingming and Gao Weijie? He thought they were two complete idiots.

When we brought them back today, Captain Wu told them they could borrow grain from the brigade. But we didn't see them all afternoon. It was dark by now, and we'd finished eating and were about to rest when they arrived. But what could the captain say? Could he tell them not to eat? He was definitely unhappy.

Captain Wu: "Young people should be diligent and solve their own problems as soon as possible. Only now do you realize you need food to eat. Have you thought about how the villagers have also worked all day and need rest? What were you doing all this time?"

Dong Mingming also felt uncomfortable. "I had been traveling for several days and only rested for a while in the afternoon. Before I knew it, it was getting dark."

That means you slept all afternoon!

"You're resting? Have you thought about others? The team members have worked all day, and then they have to open the warehouse to get you grain. Aren't you tired? How can you be so selfish at such a young age?" Despite the scolding, the team leader still led them to borrow grain...

One person needs two jin of wheat flour, two jin of beans, fifty jin of cornmeal, five jin of sorghum, and five jin of millet.

Dong Mingming saw that there was only so much flour, and wondered what she could do with it. So she asked to borrow more. But would Captain Wu tolerate that? He told her to wait until he earned some work points.

The brigade leader finished his task of lending them the grain and left. The brigade leader was furious. It was only because the brigade was relatively well-off this year that they were able to lend them so much grain. Go to other brigades and see if they had this much? Dream on!

Dong Mingming was dumbfounded. Did she have to carry it back herself? She had never done heavy work before!

Li Yuanzhao and the others saw Dong Mingming crying as she followed Gao Weijie back.

What's going on? Everyone's quite puzzled.

Gao Weijie felt uncomfortable being stared at. "I didn't bully her, she was just tired from carrying grain."

Li Yuanzhao and the other two educated youths were all very troubled. Who was this newcomer?

Li Yuanzhao felt it was best to clarify things beforehand. "The iron pots and other cooking utensils we use were all bought by the earliest educated youth who arrived. Whoever uses them pays for them. If someone leaves, those of us who used the pots have to return the money, and of course, the pots also depreciate. We've always done it this way, do you have any objections?"

"I have to pay to use a pot." Dong Mingming was a little unhappy and stopped crying.

Shen Hanyang: "You don't have to. If you buy it yourself, then we don't need to talk about money."

You need industrial coupons to buy an iron pot. Dong Mingming knew this, but she really didn't dare to say she would buy it herself.

Gao Weijie was the first to agree. Dong Mingming nodded in agreement.

Li Yuanzhao continued, "The women take turns cooking our meals. The men are responsible for gathering firewood, fetching water, and shoveling snow in winter. The firewood we burn, including in winter, is all gathered by the men from the mountains."

"I can't cook. And I can't learn." Dong Mingming's confident assertion left everyone speechless.

Li Yuanzhao, usually a woman with strong opinions, was at a loss for words. "The leftovers from tonight are enough for me to eat tomorrow morning, so I don't need to cook. I'm not thinking about anything else." Li Yuanzhao went to fetch water to wash up.

What else could Shen Hanyang and Pan Bo say? They also have food to eat!

So, only Dong Mingming and Gao Weijie are left standing there?

"How could they do this? We're new here!" Dong Mingming was about to cry again.

Looking at this girl who cried at the drop of a hat, Gao Weijie realized he might have made a mistake. He should stay away from her from now on.

When Dong Mingming and Gao Weijie were traveling, there were still some pastries left from the meals their families had given them. They had no choice but to eat them as they were.

But there was no food the next morning.

Last night when I cooked, I made enough food for two people, but thinking that since they were new educated youth, I didn't want them to go hungry, I made a meal that was far too much for just two. This morning, dividing the food between the two of us was enough.

Li Yuanzhao didn't want to leave any reason for people to say she was bullying the new educated youth. She tried to wake Dong Mingming first, but he didn't move and even pulled the blanket over his head.

Gao Weijie was at least a little better off than Dong Mingming; when everyone sat down to eat, he got up. But then he realized he had no food to eat.

Gao Weijie: "I agree to share meals. I'll also gather firewood and fetch water. But what about my breakfast?"

This is an old man, after all. Have you gathered firewood or fetched water yet? You haven't even paid for the pot! And he didn't agree to share the meal last night. You didn't even offer your own food while cooking. You're about to start work. Are you planning to have a woman cook for you?

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