Chapter 55

Zhao Qianjin understood what Chu Shao had not yet said. He wanted to explain himself, but Chu Shao had already returned to the house with the food.

Chu Jiujiu didn't sweep the floor at all. She stood behind the door and secretly watched Zhao Qianjin standing silently at her door. After a while, he picked up the food on the ground and left.

Chu Jiujiu asked Chu Shao curiously, "Grandpa, what did you say to Captain Zhao just now? He seemed a little sad."

Chu Shao still had the grain in his hand. He walked around the room, not knowing where to put the grain. Originally, this was the result of his labor, but when he thought that this grain was taken out of Zhou Xiaohe's grain jar, Chu Shao had no appetite to eat it at all.

"What are you asking about, little kid? Captain Zhao is almost forty years old. He is more mature than you. There is no need to worry about him."

After saying that, Chu Shao handed the hand holding the grain to Chu Jiujiu, "Extend your hand."

Chu Jiujiu instinctively put her hands together, palms up. Chu Shao poured all the food into her hands and told her, "Go, add some water and make chicken feed. I'm going to study now, so don't call me if you don't need any."

Chu Jiujiu: “…”

——

In late autumn, Dahuang and Erhuang go out to look for food during the day and curl up in their respective nests to sleep at night. They really live up to the saying "just shrink your neck and you can do whatever you want".

…

The weather was getting colder day by day. Originally, Chu Jiujiu could still get by wearing only light clothes, but once November came, she couldn't stand it anymore. She quickly took out her vests and autumn pants, and also put on her new cotton-padded jacket.

It’s cold, really cold! Chu Jiujiu shrunk her thin neck like Da Huang and rubbed her hands, missing the air conditioner again.

How many industrial coupons do I need to save to buy an air conditioner? My child can’t stand it anymore. He needs warmth!

The summer heat couldn't stop Chu Jiujiu from going out, but the winter cold could. She was born and raised in the south, but she lived in the very south, where she wore short sleeves three times a year. In winter, when it was especially cold, school was closed, and Chu Jiujiu stayed indoors. With the air conditioner on 24 hours a day at home, she had no experience of the biting cold.

Unexpectedly, Chu Jiujiu was so afraid of the cold, so Chu Shao went to the coal plant several more times and finally registered his name. After paying the money, Chu Shao and Han Shengyi worked together to move back a coal stove. The coal stove needed to be connected to a chimney, so they bought two sections of iron chimneys, but the problem was that there was no chimney opening on the house.

The two men walked around the house for a long time, and finally decided to tear off the window paper on one of the windows, saw off two wooden strips, and install the chimney pipe on the window.

Not long after this proposal was put forward, its drawbacks became apparent.

When the coal stove is heated, the chimney will also become very hot. If there is wood and window paper around it, it will easily catch fire. It is too unsafe to spend the winter like this. After thinking about it, I feel that there is no other way but to make a hole in the wall.

Han Shengyi went to the commune to borrow some tools, and Chu Shao went out to invite a former bricklayer in the village. He didn't give him any money, but treated him to a meal and then gave him a cigarette. The bricklayer tinkered in the house for a while, dug out the location of the chimney, and carefully sealed the surrounding area with cement. The bricklayer told them to wait until the cement dried before lighting the coal stove.

Chu Shao nodded repeatedly. In fact, the honeycomb coal had not arrived yet. Even if they were asked to order it in advance, they couldn't do it.

On November 10th, a large truck carrying black honeycomb coal entered the village with great fanfare. Few families in the village could afford to buy coal, and even fewer had the means to obtain coal tickets.

That year, the entire Qingzhu Village, including the old secretary's family, Guo Heizi's family, and the Chu family, started burning coal, while other families could only rely on burning firewood to survive the winter.

Almost everyone in the north had coal coupons, but they weren't issued in the south. If someone did, they'd have gotten them from someone in the north. Everyone knew the old Party secretary's son had joined the army away from home years earlier and often sent gifts home, so it wasn't surprising that his family could afford them. Guo Heizi's ability to use them wasn't surprising, either, as he'd been using them for years. Now a minor leader in the dam project, he was considered by the villagers to be a leader, regardless of their status, and deserved the finest goods.

As for the fact that the Chu family could use it, it surprised everyone.

My goodness, are Chu Shao and Chu Jiujiu really orphans? Look at them! Cornmeal steamed bread for breakfast, rice for lunch, and a mixed-grain bun with a mix of fine and coarse flour for dinner! Fine grains would be fine, but they also eat meat every other day. They eat delicious food, wear new clothes, and now even have a coal stove. If this is what an orphan's life is like, then they've imagined it!

Everyone who made such an exclamation was dragged back home by their parents and taught a lesson. Chu Shao and Chu Jiujiu were busy making coal balls and had no time to care about the rumors in the village.

Chu Shao used the trick of the master from the coal factory. He bought 300 kilograms of honeycomb coal and 200 kilograms of broken coal blocks for his family. Chu Jiujiu has been busy these days, making coal balls. Han Shengyi comes to help her when he has time, but most of the time, he doesn't have time.

The rice planted that summer was finally ready for harvest. Winter had been light rain, so the team leader didn't have to worry about a downpour destroying the rice. But what if it rained? So, the team leader enthusiastically mobilized everyone, urging them to harvest the rice as quickly as possible.

Lian Chu Shaodu stayed in the rice fields all day. Since Han Shengyi didn't harvest the rice, the job of feeding the cows fell on him again. Chu Jiujiu thought she would continue to feed the cows too, but the team leader didn't mention this matter at all.

Little did she know that the team leader had asked her to cut grass for the cows in the first place so that she could reconcile with Han Shengyi as soon as possible. Now that they had no conflicts and the job could be done by one person, the team leader naturally would not bother two people to do it.

Everyone was busy. In this anxious and festive atmosphere, Chu Jiujiu felt an unspeakable sense of guilt while resting at home. So she rolled up her sleeves and went to the rice field.

When she came, she was full of ambition, and when she left, she was guilty.

…

Reaping rice is so tiring! And the rice fields are full of water! The temperature in November is around 10 degrees Celsius at most and 5 or 6 degrees Celsius at least. The water underfoot is icy cold. After a while, Chu Jiujiu couldn't stand it anymore. Her hands were shaking with cold, but for the sake of face, she wanted to persist. In the end, Chu Shao couldn't stand it anymore and slapped her away.

"Look, why are you joining in the fun? Go home and make coal balls."

Chu Jiujiu didn't bother with him. A woman can't say no unless she really can't stand it.

…

Chu Jiujiu hurriedly climbed up the ridge of the field and rubbed her hands vigorously, but still felt not warm enough. In winter, the sun was not so strong. Chu Jiujiu looked around, quickly ran to a sunny place and stood there, stamping her feet. Chu Jiujiu still felt cold, so she wanted to run all the way back to her home. If she could warm up her body, she wouldn't have to light the coal stove after returning home.

Chu Jiujiu ran for a distance and almost reached the edge of the rice field. Suddenly, she saw two people sitting on the ridge in front of her. Chu Jiujiu's pace slowed down unconsciously.

The two of them were sitting in the sun, but this side of the rice field had been harvested yesterday. Now, apart from the children picking up the rice left by the adults, there was no one else here. Chu Jiujiu looked at the two of them curiously, wanting to know what they were talking about.

I'm so curious, what did Chen Sanzhu say to make Li Yan laugh so happily?

Chu Jiujiu knew very well how difficult Li Yan's personality was to please. That was why she felt strange. She had been looking at her for a long time. When Chen Sanzhu noticed it, he raised his head and looked towards Chu Jiujiu.

Chu Jiujiu was facing the sun, and Chen Sanzhu had to squint to see who she was. After seeing her clearly, he slowly smiled.

It wasn't a friendly smile, nor was it a meaningless one. His smile was playful and dangerous, as if Chu Jiujiu were an interesting little object. Chu Jiujiu felt uncomfortable and even had the urge to run away. However, Chen Sanzhu stood up and said something to Li Yan. Li Yan immediately looked at Chu Jiujiu with an unhappy expression, as if Chu Jiujiu had interrupted her.

Immediately afterwards, Chen Sanzhu left, and Li Yan also stood up. She walked to Chu Jiujiu, snorted at her, and then walked towards where Ma Wenjuan and the others were.

Chu Jiujiu looked at the direction Chen Sanzhu left, then at Li Yan. Impulsively, she grabbed Li Yan's arm and said, "Li Zhiqing, Chen Sanzhu..."

She wanted to say, he's not a good person, you must not be hooked by him, but Li Yan impatiently shook her arm away, "What's wrong with him? No matter what happened to him, what does it have to do with you? You're just a little brat, and you're meddling in my business? You have no respect for your elders!"

After saying that, Li Yan turned around and walked away arrogantly.

Ever since Li Yan was hit by her second uncle, the villagers haven't seen Li Yan so conceited and ostentatious for a long time. Chu Jiujiu frowned and looked at Li Yan's back, feeling that she was really bored.

The other person doesn't appreciate her kindness, so why does she have to put her hot face in front of a cold butt? Go home, go home. She just worked hard to warm up her body, and now after this delay, the heat in her body is gone again.

Chu Jiujiu didn't take Li Yan's matter to heart. She returned home, stood by the well, and vigorously cranked the windlass toward her body. Making coal briquettes required water, and Chu Shao had been so busy these past two days, getting up early and going to bed late, that he had forgotten to fetch water for the family, so Chu Jiujiu had to do it herself.

When she was halfway through, a bicycle bell rang outside. The postman saw her and called out familiarly, "Chu Erwa, there's another letter for you!"

Classmate "Chu Erwa" turned his head suddenly and was not paying attention with his hands, so the wooden barrel rolled back into the well.

Chu Jiujiu: “…”

After silently looking at the bottom of the well, Chu Jiujiu ignored it. She ran out of the yard, took the letter delivered by the postman, and found that it was another thick letter.

Ever since she received an envelope full of tickets last time, Chu Jiujiu has learned that after receiving a letter, she should squeeze the envelope first to know if there is anything else inside. Today, she squeezed it and felt a lot of small pieces of paper inside. No need to ask, it was tickets again!

Chu Jiujiu ran back to the house excitedly. She sat beside the small desk in the bedroom, pushed away the pile of notebooks and pencils that Chu Shao had placed on the desk, and took the small knife that his family had bought not long ago. Chu Jiujiu opened the letter and counted all the tickets first.

Meat coupons and grain coupons are the most basic ones. The number is not as much as last time, but it is still considerable. Looking at the ones behind them, there are oil coupons, sugar coupons, tofu coupons, and fish coupons. Chu Jiujiu has no expression on her face, and her fingers are flicking the scrolls down, like a completely emotionless ticket counting machine.

…

Most of them were food. When she counted at the end, Chu Jiujiu saw two menstrual coupons.

Picking up the two bills, Chu Jiujiu looked confused. What on earth were these things?

Chu Shao had said before that he would go to the supply and marketing cooperative to ask, but he always forgot about it. Chu Jiujiu didn’t care about money, so naturally she wouldn’t remember to remind him.

Now there are three menstrual belt tickets at home. Chu Jiujiu is a little puzzled. Are ties and belts so easy to break these days? That's why these tickets have to be issued every month.

…

After putting the ticket away, Chu Jiujiu couldn't wait to start reading the letter. Receiving and writing letters had become a daily routine. The frequency of one letter every half a month was neither too much nor too little. After all, if she wrote too frequently, there would not be much to say in the letter.

Thanks to the family's newspaper subscription, Chu Jiujiu's reading speed has greatly improved. She finished reading three pages of letter paper in just one minute. The first page was about her concern for Chu Shao, telling him not to study too hard. If he was interested in physics, he would help find some books that could be sent to him since he was in the army. In winter, the temperature was low, so he reminded Chu Shao to remember to wear a coat at all times to avoid catching a cold.

The second page is about caring about Chu Jiujiu. After several months of correspondence, Chu Liqiang was keenly aware of Chu Jiujiu's character. So, right at the beginning, he praised Chu Jiujiu several times, which made her very happy. Later, he told her things to pay attention to, such as being careful in the village, not going out alone, and not quarreling with Chu Shao. Chu Shao was cold on the outside but warm on the inside, and he was doing it for her own good, etc.

As for the third page, Chu Liqiang talked about his life there. He has now left the Second Company and gone to the division headquarters to serve as a staff officer. His monthly allowances and benefits have increased a lot, so he will often send them checks in the future. Chu Liqiang told them not to worry about not having enough checks, just use them when they get them, and don't save them.

Chu Jiujiu had no idea about the positions in the army, but the four words "division headquarters" looked very impressive at first glance!

Chu Jiujiu thought Chu Liqiang had been promoted to a higher position. In fact, most of the headquarters' staff were at the company level, with only a few special ones at the battalion level. Chu Liqiang was only promoted from deputy company commander to company commander, which was not a very high position at all.

Chu Jiujiu didn't know about this. She was extremely happy, but Chu Shao was still in the rice fields, and Dahuang and Erhuang didn't understand what she was saying. Chu Jiujiu couldn't find anyone to share the good news with, and she was feeling very suffocated when Han Shengyi came over.

Seeing Han Shengyi's figure through the open window, Chu Jiujiu immediately rushed out.

"Brother Shengyi! Chu... My dad wrote to me! He said he became a staff officer at the division headquarters. How impressive!"

Han Shengyi was stunned for a second, then laughed, "That's amazing, congratulations."

Chu Jiujiu immediately stood up straight and bowed to Han Shengyi, imitating the mannerisms in ancient costume TV dramas. "Congratulations~"

Han Shengyi: "It's cold outside, let's go in."

The two walked into the house together. Han Shengyi closed the door and turned around. He handed a rectangular object to Chu Jiujiu.

"I made it for you, take a look at it."

Chu Jiujiu took it curiously. This thing was square and had holes on both sides. It was clearly a hand warmer.

She only mentioned it to Han Shengyi once, saying that hand warmers were a magic tool for winter. By putting your hands in them, you wouldn't feel too cold even on your body. Han Shengyi asked her what a hand warmer looked like, and she gave a rough description. Unexpectedly, Han Shengyi actually sewed one for her.

The outer layer is bright red cloth, and the inner layer is white cloth. Han Shengyi stuffed a lot of cotton inside, making it soft and warm. He also carefully embroidered a cute long-eared bunny that Chu Jiujiu had once drawn on the outside of the hand warmer.

Chu Jiujiu's painting skills are similar to her calligraphy. Without anyone's guidance, it would be a mess. It was also difficult for Han Shengyi. He actually got the original appearance of the little rabbit accurately from Chu Jiujiu's abstract painting method, and then reproduced it meticulously and perfectly.

Chu Jiujiu touched the little rabbit embroidered densely with white thread. She was moved and envious, "Brother Shengyi, you are so virtuous."

Han Shengyi: “……?”

Chu Jiujiu was sitting on the bed playing with her new little rabbit hand warmer, while Han Shengyi lit the coal stove for her. After that, he put the iron clamps for the honeycomb coal next to the desk, and the letter papers were scattered on the desk. Han Shengyi glanced at it casually and saw Chu Liqiang's concern for Chu Jiujiu and Chu Shao, then he withdrew his gaze.

Over there, Chu Jiujiu felt the heat of the coal stove. She ran down and placed her hands above the stove to warm them. As she did so, she said, "You gave me a gift, and I want to give you one too. Brother Shengyi, do you have anything you want? Tell me. Anything under 28 cents is fine!"

Twenty-eight cents, that's a huge sum of money.

Han Shengyi smiled gently, "No, I don't want anything."

After saying this, Han Shengyi twisted his neck, looking uncomfortable.

Chu Jiujiu saw it and immediately asked, "What's wrong with your neck?"

Han Shengyi: "I haven't slept well these past few days. I think I have a stiff neck. My neck is so tired."

After hearing this, Chu Jiujiu began to think deeply.

…

Han Shengyi is like that. When he wants something, he never comes out in the open; he always acts in secret. For example, he staked out the Chu family's rhubarb and erhuang for a month before finally getting them for free. Today, he hinted to Chu Jiujiu that his neck was aching, but in reality, he wanted to ask her for a new pillow.

Pillows in the countryside were free, filled with either buckwheat hulls or cypress seeds, which were ubiquitous in the mountains. Before winter, Chu Jiujiu and Chu Shao used bamboo pillows made in the summer. But when winter arrived, Chu Jiujiu found the bamboo pillows too cold, so she went out and gathered a large pile of buckwheat hulls, crushed them into small pieces, and then added several fragrant herbs and flower petals. It took a long time to make them. When Chu Shao got his new pillow, he complained to Chu Jiujiu for a long time, saying it was something only girls could use, and that he, a grown man, wasn't used to sleeping on it.

However, when Chu Jiujiu was not around, Chu Shao took Han Shengyi around his house several times, just to let him see how much effort Chu Jiujiu put into making the pillow for him.

Han Shengyi: Childish.

Then, he matured and came to ask Chu Jiujiu for a pillow.

…

Han Shengyi felt that his hint was quite successful, but he didn't expect that Chu Jiujiu's brain circuit was different from that of ordinary people. She stared at Han Shengyi's neck for a long time, and then she suddenly reacted.

Han Shengyi goes to the vegetable field to work every day. The weather outside is so cold, but he doesn't have a scarf. She knows that the gift she wants to give him is a scarf she knits herself!

Oh, she's really smart.

Thinking she understood Han Shengyi's intentions, Chu Jiujiu rummaged through boxes and drawers and finally found the woolen yarn ticket that Chu Liqiang had sent her last time.

The wool tickets Chu Liqiang sent were not many, just two taels. However, knitting a scarf would only require two or three taels. As long as she knitted it a little shorter, two taels would be enough. If that didn't work, she could also knit it into a neck warmer, which would save the most wool!

Chu Jiujiu had a very beautiful thought. It seemed that the only difficulty she had to face was that she had less yarn. After she bought the yarn and held up the two needles, Chu Jiujiu finally understood what it meant that reality was full and ideals were skinny.

Her mother is a master of handicrafts. She can cook, knit sweaters, make figurines, and sew clothes. Chu Jiujiu read a lot of books and tutorials and remembered the methods, but her hands could not keep up with the progress of her brain.

Chu Jiujiu wanted to give this scarf to Han Shengyi as a surprise, so she didn't tell anyone. Every day she would wait until Chu Shao left, and then take out the wool from the quilt layer at the bottom of the closet. She was clearly just knitting a scarf, but seeing how sneaky she was, people who didn't know her would think she was making a grenade.

…

After trying more than ten times, Chu Jiujiu finally got the beginning right. But after knitting a few rows, she didn't know where she went wrong, and the whole scarf became crooked. She had to take it apart and knit it again. Looking at the tangled yarn, Chu Jiujiu successfully made herself cry.

There was a pile of wool on her legs, and Chu Jiujiu was crying miserably. Chu Shao happened to come back from work and heard her crying. He was almost scared to death. He ran in and saw Chu Jiujiu crying sadly while holding the wool. He was surprised and asked, "What's wrong? Your wool...died?"

Chu Jiujiu: "...Wuwuwu Grandpa, I'm a loser!"

After listening to her sobbing and telling the whole story, Chu Shao looked numb and sighed. He unbuttoned his cotton-padded jacket and resigned himself to sitting cross-legged opposite Chu Jiujiu. Chu Shao put on an expert posture that only an old lady could have. He took the wool and needle from Chu Jiujiu's hand and demonstrated them to her.

"Look carefully, I'll teach you once."

After Chu Shao finished teaching, Chu Jiujiu stopped crying. Her eyes were red, and her small hands tried hard to align two needles that were longer than her arms. She knitted very seriously, and from time to time, she would quickly raise her right hand to wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes.

Chu Shao: ...headache.

Knit again, still wrong, knit again, still wrong. Chu Shao looked at Chu Jiujiu and found that her brows were furrowed and tears were about to burst out. He hurriedly wanted to take the wool and said, "Forget it, forget it. I'll knit it for you. Everyone knits differently."

Chu Jiujiu stubbornly pulled the wool and refused to let go.

"It's different. I must weave it myself!"

Han Shengyi made it himself, so of course she had to do it herself too. She still didn't believe it. It was just a scarf, how could it be harder than a math problem?

…

It turns out that scarves are not as difficult as math problems.

After failing two or three times, with Chu Shao watching from the side, Chu Jiujiu quickly grasped the key points. After becoming proficient, she weaved much faster, and even if she made a mistake, she could quickly notice it and correct it.

Chu Jiujiu had something to do, so she had been hiding at home these days and hadn't gone anywhere. What she didn't know was that while she was preparing new scarves for others, Li Yan at the educated youth point also got a new scarf.

Unlike the hand-knitted one by Chu Jiujiu, the one Li Yan got was a genuine Shanghai cashmere scarf, which cost several dollars.

On the wall of the female dormitory hung a mirror with an orange peony print on it. Li Yan tied the scarf around her neck and kept turning around, admiring both the scarf and herself in the mirror.

Ma Wenjuan came in with water, preparing to wash clothes in the dormitory. Seeing Li Yan's conceited look, she frowned and asked, "Why are you wearing it?"

Li Yan rolled her eyes at her and said, "Why can't I wear it? This was originally given to me."

Ma Wenjuan: "Didn't you say you wanted to return it? This is a gift from Chen Sanzhu. He wouldn't come to you for no reason. Don't be corrupted by his sugar-coated tactics."

Li Yan thought the same thing last night. However, after a night, Li Yan looked at the big red scarf lying quietly under the wrapping paper. The more she looked at it, the more excited she felt.

Since going to the countryside, she has never used good things. Even a box of cold cream requires her to save money. Even if she uses cold cream, her face still becomes rough due to the wind and sun. When she is at home, she is a beauty known for miles around, but here, she is just a village girl that everyone dislikes.

Li Yan still remembers cashmere scarves. One year, her second uncle brought his newly married second aunt to pay New Year's greetings. The second aunt wore patent leather high heels and a green cashmere scarf. The children in the neighborhood all wanted to touch it. It is said that cashmere scarves are softer than flower petals.

After so many years, Li Yan can no longer remember the specific appearance of her second aunt's cashmere scarf, nor does she remember whether it felt as good as the legend said. She only remembers that all the neighbors gathered at her door, looking at her with curiosity and envy.

She also wanted to be envied, she also wanted to be a woman like Second Aunt, she didn't want to stay in the countryside all her life, living with earthworms and manure!

Then, Li Yan tore off the thin wrapping paper on the scarf and wrapped it around her neck. The more she looked at it, the more beautiful she felt.

Ma Wenjuan had to come looking for trouble with her at this time. Li Yan said angrily, "I think you are jealous. Giving me a gift is just a sugar-coated bullet? Let me tell you, when I was in the city, there were a lot of men chasing me. People gave me gifts every day!"

Ma Wenjuan: “…”

Is there something wrong with Li Yan's brain?

Ma Wenjuan had been irritated by her so many times that she was almost immune to it. She sat down and threw the dirty clothes into the basin. "I'm doing this for your own good. Chen Sanzhu's reputation is tarnished throughout the town, and you're still so close to him. Aren't you afraid of getting into trouble? His gifts are not so easy to accept. If you accept his gifts but don't want to be friends with him, how can he be happy?"

When Li Yan heard this, she paused in adjusting her scarf. After a long moment, she raised her chin and snorted, "Then I'll be with him."

Ma Wenjuan was scrubbing clothes vigorously on the washboard. When she heard this, she suddenly jumped forward, almost breaking her waist, and threw the wet clothes back into the basin. Ma Wenjuan stood up in shock, "Li Yan, are you crazy?!"

Li Yan turned around unhappily and said, "What are you talking about? You are the one who is crazy."

Ma Wenjuan: "No matter how crazy I am, I would never say such a thing! Chen Sanzhu is a gangster. He lives with a married woman. If you date him, aren't you ruining yourself? You are an educated youth. You can't do such a foolish thing!"

Li Yan: "You are the gangster, your whole family are gangsters! Now you remember that I am an educated youth, weren't you unwilling to go out with me a while ago? I don't think you are doing this for my own good. You are afraid that if I get together with Chen Sanzhu, you will be outshined. Ma Wenjuan, I tell you, even if I didn't get together with Chen Sanzhu, you can't compare to me!"

Ma Wenjuan: "You, you are simply sick!"

Li Yan: "I don't just want to be with Chen Sanzhu, I want to marry him! Don't think everyone is as stupid as you. When I marry Chen Sanzhu and live a good life in the city, you can continue to wash your clothes and farm here!"

After saying that, Li Yan picked up her coat and ran out regardless of anything. Ma Wenjuan subconsciously wanted to chase her, but then she remembered what she had just said and almost got angry to death.

Why are you chasing me? Do whatever you want. I won’t serve you anymore!

…

Ma Wenjuan thought Li Yan was just speaking out of anger, but within two days, Li Yan began to go in and out with Chen Sanzhu openly. They did not cross the line, but after going in and out a few times, soon the whole village knew about their relationship.

Almost everyone has the same idea as Ma Wenjuan.

Is this Li Zhiqing out of his mind?

I don’t know how many people have advised her openly or secretly, even the director of the women’s department had a talk with her once, but Li Yan still did her own thing. One day, Chen Sanzhu came back from get off work in the town, and they went out for a walk together as usual. Walking in the sunset, Li Yan also became more like a little girl.

She touched her braids and asked, "You said that if I marry you, you would get me a job in the city and take me to live in the city with you."

Chen Sanzhu readily agreed, "No problem. I've already told my eldest brother. When he heard I was going to marry an educated youth, he was very happy. My eldest brother is the deputy director of the Revolutionary Committee. You know the dam, he's in charge of it all. I run back and forth between the town and the dam, working on projects. My eldest brother knows you're an educated youth, an intellectual, and a woman, so he can't be tired, so he's going to arrange an office job for you."

Li Yan asked curiously, "What kind of work?"

Chen Sanzhu laughed, "Accounting assistant, this is a lucrative job. If we weren't going to be a family soon, my brother wouldn't have given you such a good job."

Li Yan thought about it and thought that being an accounting assistant seemed to be a good job. All she had to do was sit in the office and count money every day.

After graduating from high school, Li Yan stayed home for a few more years, going out with different men every day and being very picky, always hoping to marry someone she was particularly happy with and have him find her a job. But after a while, she found neither a partner nor a job, and was eventually sent to the countryside.

She had no social experience and had no idea what accounting was. She only knew that being able to go to the city would be enough.

Li Yan said in a commanding tone: "Okay, I'll give it a try. If it's not easy, you can find another one for me. By the way, you have to arrange this job for me as soon as possible, otherwise, I won't get a marriage certificate with you. Who knows if you are lying to me."

There was no one around, so Chen Sanzhu laughed obscenely. He moved closer to Li Yan and touched her from behind. "Look how smart you are! If I were lying to you, wouldn't you have figured it out long ago? Okay, wait, I'll definitely get the job done for you in less than half a month."

Touching the cashmere scarf around her neck, Li Yan forced a satisfied smile, then took a step forward and continued walking forward.

On the day of heavy snow in the twenty-four solar terms, sporadic snow fell in Qingzhu Village. The temperature was not low enough, and it was more like ice than snow. In such weather, even the strongest man could not stay outside. Getting frozen was a small matter, but getting disfigured was a big deal.

In this kind of weather, Li Yan and Chen Sanzhu secretly ran to the town and got a marriage certificate. Ma Wenjuan didn't know, Ding Boyun didn't know, and even the team leader didn't hear a word.

The whole village was in an uproar. After the uproar, everyone was even more puzzled as to how even a bastard like Chen Sanzhu could find a wife. Was Li Zhiqing's eyesight not working well?

When Chu Jiujiu heard about it, she was no calmer than others. She originally thought that Li Yan and Chen Sanzhu were just in love, but who knew that they were actually serious about it and even got a marriage certificate.

Han Shengyi was by her side, guiding her in practicing calligraphy. Honeycomb coal was burning in the room. Because the door was closed, the temperature was always around 20 degrees Celsius, but Han Shengyi still wore a cotton coat and the long gray scarf woven by Chu Jiujiu.

Ever since Chu Jiujiu gave him the scarf, he has been wearing it every day. It’s not that he loves the scarf so much, but Chu Shao threatened him extremely fiercely.

"I knitted this scarf for you. Jiujiu cried so much that I didn't even need to add salt when cooking. You have to wear it and don't take it off until spring comes!"

Han Shengyi: “…”

He couldn't understand why he could cry while knitting a scarf. After asking Chu Shao, Han Shengyi was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. However, from then on, he wore the scarf seriously. The thick wool was not soft and even prickly, but Han Shengyi found it very comfortable. Every night before going to bed, when he took off the scarf and folded it carefully, he would smile unconsciously, as if he saw the scene of Chu Jiujiu knitting a scarf and crying like a loser.

Not only my neck, but my heart as well feels warm.

Han Shengyi wasn't interested in Li Yan's affairs. He had heard about it, knew about it, and that was all that mattered. He sat next to Chu Jiujiu, watching her slowly write a character. From time to time, he would hold her hand and help her adjust the strokes.

The cold weather suppressed Chu Jiujiu's playful nature. She always had nothing to do at home, so she simply took out the calligraphy book that Chu Shao had bought and started practicing writing strokes in the squares.

When Grandpa Han taught her before, she already had the basics. What she lacked now was day-to-day practice. Chu Shao didn't have the patience to practice with her, so this job naturally fell on Han Shengyi.

Chu Jiujiu held the pen, her eyes fixed on the paper. She was so focused that she couldn't hear any movement outside. However, Han Shengyi heard footsteps outside and looked through the window.

Frowning, he walked out of the bedroom, pushed open the heavy door of the Chu family, and looked at the person who came in: "Why are you here?"

The person who came was Guo Youmian, Guo Heizi's eldest daughter. Her little face was red from the cold. It was a long way to walk here from Guo's house. She didn't even have gloves, and her fingers were now as red as carrots. She stood at the bottom of the stairs and smiled embarrassedly, "Brother Han, I came to bring you something. I went to the cowshed to look for you, but you didn't find it. Then I went to the vegetable garden, but you were still not there. I heard from others that you might be at the Chu family, so I came here to try my luck."

At this time, Chu Jiujiu stuck her head out from the door. She looked at the little girl curiously, "Who are you?"

Chu Jiujiu had never met Guo Youmian, but Guo Youmian had met Chu Jiujiu twice.

Once, they were by the river, and she saw Chu Jiujiu fishing from afar. Another time, they were on the mountain, and she went up the mountain with her mother to pick mushrooms. Chu Jiujiu was with Han Shengyi and Chu Shao, and the three of them got along very closely.

Guo Youmian is about the same age as Han Shengyi. She is at an age where she already knows what is beautiful and what is ugly. Chu Jiujiu is the most beautiful girl she has ever seen. For some reason, Guo Youmian feels very awkward standing opposite her.

"My name is Guo Youmian, and I live in the west end of the village."

Chu Jiujiu said, "Oh," and then asked, "Then why did you come to see Brother Shengyi?"

Guo Youmian: "I'm here to see Brother Shengyi... No, no, I'm here to see Brother Han and give him something."

Guo Youmian was very nervous. She wasn't good at lying, but her mother had said she must never tell anyone about the money they often sent to the cowshed. She was afraid Chu Jiujiu's next question would be, "What did you send him?" But before Chu Jiujiu could ask, Han Shengyi had already pushed her forehead and told her to go back to the house.

"Why are you like a kitten, so curious about everything? It's cold outside, go back inside, I'll talk to her for a few words, and then come back in later."

Chu Jiujiu blinked, a gleam of desire to watch the fun flashed in her eyes. She turned around and walked away obediently. Han Shengyi narrowed his eyes, looked at her back, and suddenly said, "Don't eavesdrop by the window."

Chu Jiujiu paused: "..."

If you don’t want to listen, then don’t listen. Humph.

Guo Youmian stared blankly at Han Shengyi talking to Chu Jiujiu. This was the first time she saw Han Shengyi react so vividly to someone.

In the past, he smiled warmly at everyone and seemed friendly, but in fact, he treated everyone the same, warm on the outside but cold on the inside. Before the difference came out, Guo Youmian never felt that there was anything wrong with the "same" attitude she received, but today, she suddenly felt a little uncomfortable.