Next to the dam of the Dongfeng Brigade, there were houses for educated youth. A dark shadow was limping towards one of the houses.

She opened the door and tiptoed into the room.

"Qinghan, why do you take so long to go to the toilet?"

"I'm ready to go to the toilet to get you out."

When Zhu Qinghan heard her roommate's voice, she almost tripped and fell again.

There was no light in the room, it was pitch black. Her roommate, Sun Fangfang, was wearing a coat and was only one step away from her.

"Fangfang, I have diarrhea. I just walked out of the toilet and my stomach hurt so much that I went back to the toilet. I went through this process several times."

Apart from the toilets at the educated youth sites, each trip to the toilet does take some time.

Sun Fangfang walked over to turn on the light, picked up the thermos, and poured herself a cup of hot water.

"Alas... I don't know when days like this will end."

She sighed a little, looking around the bare house with empty eyes.

Several simple wooden beds were placed against the wall. The bed boards were hard and covered with thin mattresses and patched quilts.

The windows were small wooden lattices covered with yellowed paper that had holes in some places, and made a "puff puff" sound when the wind blew.

Zhu Qinghan also felt a little sad.

I went to the Dongfeng Brigade to work as an educated youth. Not only did I have to work every day, but I also didn't have enough to eat and was easily hungry.

She was going to dig medicinal herbs, but she found weeds everywhere! She finally dug up some chicken mushrooms and planned to hide them in the reeds by the river and then take them to the commune to sell, but they were discovered!

"By the way, why are there only two of you in the room? Where did Jiang Xiuxiu go?"

Zhu Qinghan and her three roommates lived in this room at the educated youth center.

But now, my roommate was lying on the bed, sleeping soundly and snoring loudly.

The other bed was empty.

"When you went out for a walk, Jiang Xiuxiu was picked up by Accountant Chen. He said she used to be a math teacher and she was the best math student in the Youth League. Accountant Chen took her to the next village to collect debts tonight."

Zhu Qinghan's best friend is Jiang Xiuxiu. They both came from the same place and are fellow villagers.

"Accountant Chen?"

"His wife's surname is Xu. She's pregnant and about to give birth. She's the one guarding the warehouse?"

Sun Fangfang nodded.

"It's him!"

"But his wife doesn't look after the gate anymore."

"We work at the dam and don't often go to the granary warehouse. I heard that the gatekeeper there has been replaced."

Zhu Qinghan felt vaguely uneasy.

Accountant Chen looks like a decent person, but his wife is about to give birth, so why did he let Jiang Xiuxiu follow him to the next village in the middle of the night?

It’s okay to set off tomorrow!

"Alright, alright, Qinghan, go to bed quickly. You have to get up early tomorrow morning. I'm so sleepy."

After Sun Fangfang finished drinking the hot water in her hand, she went back to bed and fell asleep.

Zhu Qinghan stayed in the room alone, her eyes looking a little solemn.

…

The next morning, Wei Yanzhen got up early and went to the kitchen to cook lotus seed porridge.

"Lotus seeds? Where did you get them from?"

Ever since she had a serious illness, Qin Ping has gone to bed early every night.

At this moment, she was very surprised to see the lotus seeds.

"Mom, there are no dietary restrictions for pregnant women, right?"