With the task pressing, Zhao Dajiao doesn't have much free time.
"Hehe, it's nothing, just a twisted ankle, not a broken hand. I can still work." Grandma Qi didn't take other people's politeness for granted. She sat on her small stool and began peeling cotton husks. Over the years, Grandma Qi had become accustomed to relying on herself for everything.
That is truly admirable.
Zhao Dajiao was very satisfied; with one more person, the task could be completed sooner. Once the peels were done and dried, they would be handed over to the commune as soon as possible to complete this year's quota.
"Third Aunt, is this the new educated youth who's staying at your house?" Zhao Dajiao had heard her son praise He Tiantian more than once last night, and she was also very curious about He Tiantian.
"Yes," said Grandma Qi. "It's been hard on this girl; she carried me all the way here. There's not enough room at the educated youth settlement, so this girl will stay with me from now on and keep this lonely old woman company."
Everyone knew about Grandma Qi's family situation, and they all understood that if an educated youth stayed at her house, he could keep her company.
He Tiantian squatted down beside her, helping Grandma Qi with her work. She had to peel six bamboo baskets a day to earn six work points, one work point for each bamboo basket.
He Tiantian is young, but she is quick and efficient. Plus, she's stronger than before, so she peels the cotton husks very fast. In no time, she had helped Grandma Qi finish her morning's task.
"Third Aunt, you and Tiantian peeled them so well and so quickly," Zhao Dajiao said with a smile. "Alright, you've finished your tasks for the morning. You should go home and rest. Come back this afternoon."
"Alright, I'll head back now." Grandma Qi was pleased; with He Tiantian as a helper, today would be a bit easier. She planned to talk to Zhao Dajiao later in the evening when fewer people were around, asking her to arrange an easier task for He Tiantian.
Amidst the envious glances of the crowd, Grandma Qi was helped away by He Tiantian.
Everyone was saying that Grandma Qi was lucky to have such a capable educated youth living with her. Not only would she be able to relieve her boredom, but her life would also be easier.
He Tiantian and Grandma Qi hit it off immediately, walking slowly and chatting as they went.
When she was almost home, she ran into someone He Tiantian didn't want to see, but couldn't avoid.
"Third Grandma, how is your foot?" Qi Jianguo asked with concern, and stepped forward to support Third Grandma Qi on the other side.
Grandma Qi smiled and said, "It's alright, I'm much better now."
"Third Grandma, my mother asked me to bring you six eggs to help you recover," Qi Jianguo said as he helped Third Grandma Qi into the house.
He Tiantian didn't want to look at Qi Jianguo's face, so she kept her head down, not daring to raise it. It wasn't that she was afraid of Qi Jianguo, but rather that she worried she wouldn't be able to hide the resentment in her eyes and would end up scratching his face. This man, who had woven so many despicable lies, had made her live a muddled life, filled with lifelong regret.
Grandma Qi was taken aback. Although they were from the same village, she and Qi Jianguo's family didn't have much contact, and their relationship wasn't that good.
"These eggs are a good thing, you should take them back quickly. I just twisted my ankle, it's nothing serious." Grandma Qi refused, saying she couldn't accept such a generous offer. Usually, she would secretly take these eggs to exchange for salt or oil, she couldn't bear to give them away to others!
Qi Jianguo smiled shyly and said softly, "Third Grandma, my mother asked me to bring this over, please accept it. I have something to do, so I'll head back now. Sweetie, I'm leaving Third Grandma here in your care. If you need anything, just find me at the east end of the village. By the way, my name is Qi Jianguo."
He Tiantian nodded but did not reply.
As Qi Jianguo watched He Tiantian blush, his eyes fell on her slender, fair neck, and his heart fluttered. He admitted that he had developed a bit of a crush on this educated youth named He Tiantian.
However, this educated youth doesn't seem to be friendly to him, so he needs to use his brain to figure out how to win the beauty's heart in the future.
Since Grandma Qi refused, Qi Jianguo didn't linger. Before Grandma Qi could give him the eggs, he quickly walked away.
Only then did He Tiantian raise her head, and out of Grandma Qi's sight, coldly watched Qi Jianguo's departing figure. No matter how good he did in this life, she would never believe him, nor would she have anything to do with him.
She hated not only Qi Jianguo, but also Qi's mother, Qi Fangfang, and all those who had deceived her.
"That's strange. Jianguo's mother is notoriously stingy. I'm not even close to her, and she sent me six eggs, but I didn't dare accept them," said Grandma Qi. Jianguo's mother is the kind of person who wouldn't do anything without a reason; she would never send six eggs for no reason.
He Tiantian rolled her eyes. "A weasel offering New Year's greetings to a chicken—it's up to no good."
“Then you can return it when something happens to his family, so as not to take advantage of them,” He Tiantian said in a muffled voice. “Grandma Qi, please sit down first, I’ll go cook.”
He Tiantian went to the kitchen, kneaded a dough with a mixture of fine and coarse flour, rolled out noodles, making exactly two bowls, and ate lunch with a cucumber salad and boiled greens. In the afternoon, He Tiantian took Grandma Qi to her work site and unexpectedly ran into Qi Jianguo's mother, who was also her mother-in-law in her previous life. This old hag was looking He Tiantian up and down with the same kind of eye you'd give a piece of merchandise.
He Tiantian disliked Qi Jianguo, and even more so Qi's mother. That kind of look made He Tiantian very uncomfortable.
Not wanting to stay a moment longer, I took my small basket and went to the educated youth settlement.
Although she knew that most of the people in Qijia Village were good people, she was, after all, an outsider. If she had a conflict with the villagers, most of them would side with the villagers. These educated youths, on the other hand, were outsiders, and if she got along well with them, they might be able to help her in a critical moment.
Most of the educated youth were currently working and not at the educated youth settlement, so He Tiantian decided to wait a while before going. She thought that it was the time of year when the jujubes on the back hill were ripe. Those jujubes, even when ripe, were sour when freshly picked and needed to sit for seven or eight days to become sweet.
Most of the jujubes on the jujube trees on the back hill have already ripened and been picked.
He Tiantian's destination was very secluded, known only to her. In her previous life, in 1972, Taoyuan County suffered a severe drought, resulting in reduced grain production. Apart from those who paid their grain tax, the remaining grain was meager. Unable to feed themselves, they went to the mountains to dig for wild vegetables. He Tiantian accidentally fell into a cave, where there were many wild vegetables, a jujube tree, and a puddle. Occasionally, she could even catch fish there, which saved her from starvation.
Whenever He Tiantian was unhappy, she would go there to be alone. Even Qi Jianguo and Qi Fangfang didn't know about that place.
He Tiantian has many memories of that place, so she plans to go there to take a look.
He Tiantian climbed the mountain very quickly. Besides being strong, she discovered another difference from her previous life: she could walk and climb mountains much faster. Places that used to take an hour to reach, He Tiantian now arrived in just half an hour.
There was a rope in the basket. He Tiantian tied the rope to a thick tree trunk, covered it with leaves, and then slid down the rope to the cave hidden by bushes.
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