Chapter Thirteen Familiarity

Gu Zuozuo helped prepare breakfast, and Meng Tian and the other woman came out yawning.

Qi Meng hugged Gu Zuozuo's slender waist tightly, whimpering like a puppy.

"Zuo Zuo, sleepy."

Meng Tian grinned mischievously, took a towel that was soaking in cold water from the basin, and slapped it directly onto Qi Meng's face.

A chill ran from her face into her brain, jolting Qi Meng, who was still somewhat dazed, back to her senses.

"What kind of water is this? Why is it so cold?"

"How is the well water in the yard? Is it different from the tap water where we live?"

It's different; even in this hot weather, the well water is still ice-cold and has a refreshing sweetness.

Li Fanghua was taken aback to see how well the three beautiful girls got along.

"You two know each other?"

Meng Tian nodded, pointed at the three of them, her smile sweet, but her tone carried a hint of boasting.

“The three of us grew up together, so we're practically childhood sweethearts, right? If they weren't both girls, I would definitely choose one of them to marry.”

Li Fanghua and the others chuckled, but their eyes held a hint of envy as they looked at them.

It's great to be assigned to the same rural area as a friend I know well. There's no fear of being in a strange place, and there's always someone to help when something happens.

As the group was chatting and laughing, the door to the room where the male educated youth were staying opened, and Kan Lei walked out with a blank expression. When he saw the group laughing and talking, his face darkened even more.

"You're new here, and the educated youth settlement doesn't have any food rations for you. But you can borrow some from the brigade headquarters, and they'll deduct it from your rations when you're calculating work points."

Gu Zuozuo and the other two nodded, thanked them softly, and returned to their rooms.

“We have a lot of things to prepare. We need wooden cabinets, wooden tables, and a kang cabinet for each person. Oh, and my mom gave me a lock, which is perfect for our room.”

Meng Tian tugged at her large package and pulled out a small box containing a brass lock and three keys.

"Come on, one for each of you."

Gu Zuozuo took the key and put it directly into her pocket, or rather, into her spatial storage.

Meng Tian pulled over another large package, placed it in front of Gu Zuozuo, patted it with her little hand, and looked very proud.

"Zuo Zuo, this is what your godmother prepared for you. Tsk, even I, as her biological daughter, am jealous."

Her mother and Zuo Zuo's mother are best friends, and coincidentally, the two best friends married brothers who are not blood brothers, which made the relationship between the two families even better.

Gu Zuozuo laughed and ruffled her black hair, which earned her an even more resentful look in return.

"Alright, let's go. We're starting work tomorrow, and we only have one day to prepare."

In the end, the three decided to split up. Meng Tian and two others went to order wooden cabinets and wooden tables, while she went to order kang mats and cooling mats.

After having a casual snack, Gu Zuozuo and the other two went their separate ways to attend to their respective tasks.

The educated youth outside had already gone to work, leaving only the three of them and two other new male educated youths at the educated youth settlement.

"Comrade Gu, are you going to collect grain? Can we go with you?"

Gu Zuozuo looked at the two men, Jiang Chao, who was wearing a shirt and black pants, and Liao Liang, who was wearing old-looking work clothes, and nodded.

"We're going to exchange some wooden cabinets and straw mats with our fellow villagers. Do you need them?"

Jiang Chao's eyes lit up, and he nodded hurriedly. He was worried that he had nothing here, but these three female educated youths had solved all of this.

"Great! I'm going to order a wooden table. Liao Liang, what about you?"

Liao Liang felt a little embarrassed. He didn't have much money on him, and he was afraid that if he bought these things, he wouldn't have any money to live on.

His family's living conditions were not good. Although his parents were both employees, he had many siblings, and his parents also had to support their elderly parents, making life even more difficult.

Others were forced to go to the countryside, but he volunteered to go so that he could earn his own living.

Seemingly sensing his predicament, Jiang Chao grabbed his shoulder and casually pulled him away.

"Come on, come on, what are you worrying about? We'll have money once we start working, right? Money isn't saved, it's spent!"