Chapter 11

"Go quickly now while it's just getting dark," the old lady urged Lu Che.

"I understand." After eating such a big meal, Lu Che had to do it no matter how reluctant he was. However, Jiang Yao looked at the sky which was getting darker and said, "Why don't you go tomorrow morning? You've been tired all day."

"Silly child." The old lady heard the voice and laughed, "You should catch chickens in the dark. Chickens are hard to see at night, so it's easier to catch them at this time."

"Is that so?" Jiang Yao really didn't know that there was a time to pick when to catch chickens. She grabbed her hair and laughed dryly, "Then let's go now. I'll come with you."

Lu Che was about to refuse, but Lu Qing spoke first, "Yaoyao, it's better for you to go. After all, others don't know that Lu Che is going to help you catch him. It would be bad if there is a misunderstanding."

Indeed, when Lu Che went to catch the chickens by himself, he was accidentally mistaken for a chicken thief. Although he could explain it clearly, it would still be troublesome if he made a fuss.

In order to avoid big trouble, he could only take Jiang Yao, the little trouble, with him when he went out.

Jiang Yao went back to the room to get a flashlight, and then went out with Lu Che one after the other.

He had long legs and walked very quickly. Jiang Yao could keep up with him at the beginning, but later on she couldn't keep up with him and the distance between them became larger and larger.

"Wait for me." Seeing his back disappearing around the corner, Jiang Yao shouted hurriedly.

Lu Che then stopped and waited for her to catch up with him before continuing to walk forward.

Although he still looked impatient, Lu Che took smaller steps and his frequency decreased after he started again.

The whole process went smoothly, and Jiang Yao did nothing but hold the flashlight. Lu Che caught the chickens and carried the chicken coop.

Perhaps the big guys are the type who like to do more and talk less. Lu Che did not speak actively along the way. It was Jiang Yao who made small talk to ease the awkward atmosphere.

Halfway back, Jiang Yao couldn't find anything to say, and couldn't help asking Lu Che: "Do you think I'm noisy?"

"No." Lu Che said without thinking.

Jiang Yao didn't believe it, "Why don't you say anything?"

Lu Che: "Why do you keep talking?"

"..." Jiang Yao was choked, and after a pause, she said, "It's so dark, it can give me courage to speak."

"I am not afraid and need no courage."

"..." Jiang Yao didn't want to talk to this topic terminator anymore, but he asked at this moment: "Are you afraid of the dark?"

"What?" Jiang Yao was stunned for a moment, then blurted out, "I'm not afraid. What do I have to be afraid of with you around?"

"Are you not afraid of my murderous look?"

In the darkness, Jiang Yao seemed to hear a rare teasing tone in his voice. She turned her head to look at his expression, but it was already completely dark and she couldn't see clearly.

"You really hold a grudge!" Jiang Yao murmured in a low voice, but then she was afraid of upsetting the boss, so she made a sudden turn and flattered him, saying, "I'm not afraid. I know that's your special way of protecting yourself. In fact, you're a very kind person."

It was true that she was flattering him, but it was also true that the boss was fierce, but he was also kind.

"I'm kind?" Lu Che sneered, "I think you are too stupid."

"..." Humph...you are stupid. She didn't want to talk to him anymore.

The topic was once again ended by the boss. The two of them were silent all the way until they were almost at the door of the Lu family's house. Lu Che spoke, "You can keep your chickens in the chicken coop in the front yard for now. I'll build a new chicken coop for you in the next two days and then put them there. Don't worry, I recognize my chickens and won't confuse them with yours."

"That's great." Jiang Yao was delighted and didn't bother with him anymore. She said, "It doesn't matter if you make a mistake, but I feel... embarrassed to ask you to make a chicken coop for me."

"Just think of it as dinner money for tonight. I don't like taking advantage of others."

"..." He is such a principled boss who is very meticulous about every detail.

Jiang Yao knew that the boss had his own pride, so she didn't refuse and just let him do it.

When they returned to the Lu family, Lu Che carried the chicken to the chicken coop, while Jiang Yao went straight back to her room to take a shower.

She had a fairly large bathtub, and it would have been nice to take a cold bath on a hot day. But when she thought about having to go back and forth many times to fill the tub, and then have to go back and forth many times to dump the water after bathing, she decided to just take a bath to save water.

After a while, she finished washing. She wanted to sprinkle the water at the door, but she thought that it was not easy for Lu Che to carry water every day, and she didn't want to waste it casually, so she carried the bucket to the vegetable garden and watered the land.

Having done a good deed, Jiang Yao's steps on the way back seemed particularly light.

"Uncle, I have a question for you." Suddenly, Zhou Yang's voice came from the lighted window beside him.

"Ask me what?" Lu Che said softly.

Jiang Yao was standing next to the window at the moment, and she could hear the voices inside clearly. She found that Boss Lu's voice was quite gentle when he was talking to his nephews and nieces, at least not as fierce as when he was talking to her.

She suddenly became curious about what this person was like when he was gentle.

She stood still and listened to the wall.

Zhou Yang: "Do you think the pig's trotters that Sister Yaoyao made tonight are delicious? I think they are very delicious."

Jiang Yao didn't expect Zhou Yang to ask this question. In fact, she was also quite curious. Although she was very confident in her cooking skills, Lu Che only ate one piece tonight, and she forced it for him.

Lu Che: “Fragrant.”

"..." Jiang Yao was stunned, and then couldn't help but curl the corners of her lips.

The next day, Jiang Yao was awakened by the crowing of a rooster. She stayed in bed for a while, then got up, changed her clothes, and when she went out to wash up, she found that Lu Che had already carried back the bamboo needed to make the chicken coop.

When he saw her, he said, "I have to go to the grain station to pay my taxes today, and I will come back to make the chicken coop tonight."

"It's okay, no rush." ​​Jiang Yao said quickly, "Thank you for your help."

Lu Che didn't reply, just piled the bamboo aside and left.

Jiang Yao was not surprised and turned to go to the kitchen to get some water. Unexpectedly, when she opened the lid, she found that the water tank, which was only one-third empty yesterday, was full again.

Also, there was another bundle of firewood on the pile nearby.

It's only a little after six in the morning. How early does he have to get up to finish these things before going to work?

Jiang Yao suddenly felt mixed emotions, touched but also a little guilty.

She met Lu Che on the first day after she came into the book. Although he had always been cold to her, he actually helped her a lot.

After washing up, Jiang Yao cooked two small sweet potatoes for herself, and then went to call Lu Qing to go to work with her.

Now that the educated youth camp has been withdrawn, Jiang Yao no longer has the job of cooking, so of course she has to go to the production team to work. She worked in the sugarcane field for two days before, and she couldn't stand it anymore, so she asked Lu Dazhou to arrange for her to do handicrafts in the paper mill.

She didn't see Lu Qing in the front yard, and she walked into the main room but didn't see anyone either. Just when she was about to shout, she heard a voice coming from Old Lady Lu's room.

Lu Che: "Grandma, I have to go to work. Remember to finish this bowl of porridge."

"I understand. We have to pay our grain tax today. Go early." The old lady urged.

"Then I'm leaving."

"good."

"Grandma, I have something to tell you."

"What's up?"

"Can you please stop calling me Cheche from now on? It sounds like Yangyang is a kid. I'm already 23."

"Cheche, I have been yelling since I was little, why can't I yell now?"

"It's not that you can't shout, but don't shout in front of outsiders. It will make me lose face."

"Outsiders? I stay at home every day, where are the outsiders?"

At this point, Lu Che's voice sounded a little frantic. He threw out a sentence, "Grandma, I can't explain it to you clearly," and walked out of the room.

As soon as he stepped out of the door, he looked up and saw the "outsider" standing in the middle of the main room.

When their eyes met, although the boss put on an icy face in time, Jiang Yao still caught the embarrassment that flashed across his eyes.

Lu Che had a cold face and walked quickly out of the main hall door to go to work.

Jiang Yao looked at his angry back and couldn't help grinning. It was quite cute when the boss got upset.

"Yaoyao, are you here to call me to work?" Lu Qing's voice came from behind.

Jiang Yao turned her head and saw Lu Qing coming out of the room. She smiled and agreed, "Yes, let's go."

Originally, the wages of handmade paper mill workers were low, so not many people came to work there. But recently during the slack season, handmade paper mill workers have become popular. After all, if you are idle, you will be doing nothing, so earning an extra centimeter is better than sitting there.

Jiang Yao and Lu Qing arrived late, and when they got there, the paper mill was already full of people. She glanced around casually and found that the Du sisters were also there.

The original owner had always had a cold relationship with Du Yuejia, and now Jiang Yao was not familiar with her either. As for Du Yuejiao, they had already fallen out, so there was no need for her to greet them.

"Let's go get the raw materials." Lu Qing said.

"Okay." Jiang Yao agreed.

The two went directly to the raw material distribution area. After the raw material distributor handed them the raw materials, he said, "There are many people coming to work today. If you don't want to squeeze in, take them back and make them. When you are done, bring them back and deliver them."

After discussing it, they all decided to go home and make it, so they left with the raw materials.

As soon as they stepped out of the paper mill, the women from the village came over and asked the Du sisters, "Do you know what happened between Jiang Zhiqing and the Lu family? Why did she suddenly go to live with the Lu family?"

Du Yuejia knew that these women loved to gossip when they had nothing to do. She was going to ask them about the unknown, but Du Yuejiao spoke first and said, "We don't know either, but Jiang Yao must have a good relationship with the Lu family, otherwise she wouldn't have moved in with them. And on the day of moving, Lu Che drove a bullock cart over to help her move things, so she didn't have to do anything."

Du Yuejia pretended to be envious, but the women sneered when they heard it.

"I knew there must be an affair between the landlord's son and the ginger fox." A woman concluded boldly.

"I don't think so. Jiang Zhiqing is good-looking and has a good family. He will definitely return to the city in the future."

"That's hard to say. Lu Che has a poor family background, but with his looks and figure, not to mention Qingyuan, even in Pingshan Commune there are few who are more handsome than him."

"That's right, maybe Lu Che has already made her comfortable in bed..."

These rural women, who are married and have several children, can speak dirty words more fiercely than men. Du Yuejia couldn't stand it and said unhappily, "If you want to chat, go outside and chat. Don't disturb me while I'm doing my handicrafts."

Of course the women were unhappy after being scolded by Du Yuejia, but because she was Zhao Pengfei's girlfriend and Zhao Pengfei was Lu Qianyuan's cousin, they had to endure it.

You know, although Lu Qianyuan was not the leader of Qingyuan's production team, this paper mill was able to be run thanks to his connections.

Jiang Yao had no idea that others were talking about her behind her back. The first thing she felt when she walked out of the paper mill was that the temperature was getting higher and higher, so she hurried back first.

After returning to the Lu family, Lu Qing did not go to the main room to do handicrafts, but went to Jiang Yao's room to do it with her.

"I originally thought it would be boring to do handicrafts alone, but now that you're with me, it feels much better." Jiang Yao said with a smile.

"I have to thank you for 'taking me in.'" Lu Qing said, "Actually, I don't want to work in the paper mill. I don't like to be crowded with the women in the village. But if I take it home, grandma will definitely help. I'm afraid she will be too much trouble, and I also want her to teach my brother and sister to learn more words when she has time."

"Then let's take them home and make them later." Jiang Yao said, and then asked, "Xinxin and Yangyang are five years old this year. They can go to school in a year or two."

"I'm worried about their schooling." Lu Qing sighed and said, "Before, several production teams near us jointly established a primary school, but later there were always movements and students stopped going to school, so it was disbanded. The primary school in the commune is also in a mess now, and I'm afraid they will learn bad things instead of good ones. Their father's army does have a school for children of soldiers, which is not small and is not affected by the outside world. If they want to go, they have to follow the army."

"You'll have another year or two to think about it carefully." Jiang Yao couldn't give any advice, but she was quite interested in the story between Lu Qing and her man, so she asked, "Sister Qing, can you tell me about the romantic love story between you and your brother-in-law?"

"We were almost in a blind marriage, what romance can there be?" Lu Qing said with disdain, but when she mentioned their marriage, she still felt a lot of emotion.

That year, she was secretly drugged by a man who had bad intentions towards her. If she hadn't met Zhou Jin, the consequences would have been disastrous. Later, he proposed to marry her, and she agreed. She wanted to repay his kindness and also to find shelter for the Lu family.

Although Lu Qing did not have high expectations for this marriage, Zhou Jin kept his word and treated her very well after marriage and also took care of the Lu family. Because he felt sorry for her hard work in pregnancy and raising children, he said he would not have any more children after giving birth to twins.

His hometown is in the next city. Since she didn't want to follow the army, her parents-in-law wanted her to go back, but Zhou Jin stopped her.

"Wow, your brother-in-law is so nice to you." Jiang Yao said enviously.

Lu Qing smiled knowingly and said, "Yaoyao is so beautiful, she will definitely find a man who treats you well in the future."

"I always feel that I'm not destined to be that lucky." Jiang Yao curled her lips. She had good conditions in all aspects in her previous life, but she still couldn't find the right person until she was 30. This life is even more difficult. In this era of hunger and cold, being good-looking is the least useful.

"Fool, you are destined to enjoy a good life."

"Really? I'm just giving you my blessing."

Although the team now has a tractor, it takes half a day to go to the grain depot to hand in the grain and queue up for inspection. Lu Che did not come back for lunch and did not get home until the evening.

After dinner, he immediately came to make a chicken coop for Jiang Yao and brought her three eggs. "These are what your chickens laid today."

"Aren't they raised together? How do you know it was laid by my chicken?" Jiang Yao asked puzzled.

Lu Che: "I recognize it."

"...How can you recognize it? Even Sun Wukong's flaming eyes can't recognize it, right?"

"Stop talking nonsense and go in quickly. I'm going to build the chicken coop." Lu Che drove people away impatiently.

After eavesdropping twice, Jiang Yao knew that the boss was actually a very lovely person. She was not afraid of him at all now, and she insisted on staying. "The chicken coop is mine. It's not good to do nothing. I'll help you. I'll give you whatever you need."

"Whatever you say, just don't complain about the mosquitoes later."

After Lu Che finished speaking, he started to make the chicken coop. He chose a corner farthest from Jiang Yao's room and started hammering and banging.

Jiang Yao squatted not far behind him, waiting for his "orders" at any time.

"Give me a short bamboo piece." A "command" came from the front. Jiang Yao immediately picked up a short bamboo piece and handed it to Lu Che: "Here."

Lu Che was holding onto a pillar. He didn't turn around when he heard the sound. He just stretched out his free hand and grabbed.

But this time, he didn't catch the bamboo, but something soft...

The author has something to say:

Xiaomi: Hey, where are you touching?

Lu Che: I want to know too. Can I look forward to it?

Xiaomi: What are you looking forward to?

Lu Che: You know!

Regarding some of the settings in the article, Xiaomi will explain them again here.

First, about the market, my mother said that in the 1970s, there were two markets in our county town, where farmers could sell their surplus vegetables, grains, poultry, eggs, etc. to workers in the county town. The market was open every day and was allowed, but the output was not much, and all transactions were small. Because this was different from what I learned online and in books, I compromised and set up regular markets.

Second, it was also allowed for Lu Yuan to send money from Hong Kong to Old Lady Lu. My great aunt married there and often sent money and letters home. Moreover, compatriots there were treated preferentially here. My mother said that it was difficult to buy a sewing machine at that time because there were few goods and there was always a queue. She asked a compatriot relative to help buy it, and it was bought quickly.

In addition, under the current environment of subject matter requirements, there are many things that need to be considered in period writing. In order to write smoothly, Xiao Mi has blurred many places. Please don’t pay too much attention to it, and just focus on the sweet love between Yaoyao and Cheche!

Continue to give out 100 red envelopes today!