"Comrade Shiyue, could you please come out for a moment? We have something we'd like to discuss with you."
He Wenxuan spoke into the room through the door.
Yu Chuxia nervously tugged at his sleeve and asked in a low voice, "Third Brother, is this okay?"
Even Jiang Dong, who had been laughing and joking all along, frowned and muttered, "I think it's a bit risky. This woman has very strong feudal ideas; she might not agree."
Hearing him speak ill of others behind their backs like that, He Wenxuan turned and gave Jiang Dong a cold look.
Jiang Dong shrank back under his gaze, but felt a little unwilling.
He hummed in an even softer voice, "I'm telling the truth. You all saw what she was like last night, didn't you?"
Ye Pu'an, who had been silent the whole time, patted him and said, "Shut up. If you can't speak properly, then don't speak."
After being scolded by two childhood friends in a row, Jiang Dong had no choice but to shut his mouth, no matter how unwilling he was.
Shiyue had no idea what those people were talking about outside.
She quickly gathered the vegetables that had been spread out on the ground back into the small house, glanced around the room, and after confirming that there were no suspicious signs, opened the door.
Seeing a group of people standing at the door, she paused for a moment, then looked at Yu Chuxia and asked, "What's wrong? Is something the matter?"
Yu Chuxia opened her mouth, but said nothing.
She looked to her cousin for help and tugged at He Lixuan's sleeve.
He Lixuan moved his arm in disgust, shaking her hand away.
Then, looking at Shiyue, he said, "Comrade Shiyue, we have something we'd like to discuss with you. Where would be a good place to talk about it?"
Shiyue sized up the man in front of her.
Although she had just come out of a dimly lit room and was backlit, she couldn't immediately make out the man's face.
Even a single glance reveals from his tall, slender figure and upright posture that he must be exceptionally handsome.
Most importantly, his figure overlapped with the one I had seen in the mountains before.
This also made Shiyue even more certain that the person she saw was him.
—But that's not important.
She pointed to the kitchen and said, "Go there, it's warm there."
The group walked together toward the kitchen.
Because Shi's father was a chef, the Shi family's kitchen was built to be larger and more spacious and comfortable than any other family in the village.
This house wasn't just where Shifu used to cook; his family of three also ate here.
So there was a large square table and several stools in the room.
Shiyue sat down at the table and then gestured for the other four people to find a place to sit.
By this time, she already knew that the arrogant and aloof male educated youth was Yu Chuxia's cousin.
I also know that he is the most reliable of the four.
So she didn't look at anyone else, but instead asked He Wenxuan directly, "What do you want to discuss? Just say it."
He Wenxuan sat down opposite Shiyue.
He told her, "Today the brigade leader came over and told us that starting tomorrow, the team will help us build a settlement for educated youth, and all of us men will have to participate in the labor."
Shiyue nodded, signaling him to continue.
He Wenxuan continued, "We're going to build a house, so we won't have time to cook. That's why we wanted to discuss with you whether we could cook at your place from now on?"
Shiyue frowned.
He Wenxuan explained, "We're just borrowing your place so Chuxia can cook, and we'll eat with her."
Don't worry, we know your rules and promise to leave before dark.
In addition, as a token of our gratitude, we will cover your firewood and water needs from now on.
Upon hearing his last sentence, Shiyue nodded without hesitation and said, "Okay."
She pointed to the locked wooden cabinet next to the stove and asked, "Do you need the seasonings? There's salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and rapeseed oil. If you do, I can share half with you."
"I won't charge you extra; just give me an extra ten cents as a service fee, based on the supply and marketing cooperative's price."
When they heard that Shiyue was willing to share the seasonings with them, everyone in the room smiled.
Unfortunately, before that smile could fully unfold, she was stunned by what she said next!
This is an era that values mutual help and support, and few people would speak of hardship compensation with such confidence as Shiyue.
At least none of the people present had ever seen it.
Shiyue didn't feel she wanted too much, after all, it took two hours one way to walk from the brigade to the commune.
She was lucky yesterday to have a mule cart ride, but she couldn't guarantee she'd get one next time.
Next time I buy it, it will take four hours to travel back and forth!
Is it too much to ask them for just one cent as a fee for their hard work?
We haven't even settled the cost for the worn-out soles yet!
Even scraps of cloth cost money to buy.
Shi Yue met their gaze with clear, bright eyes, her expression honest and unashamed, seemingly unaware of the astonishment in her words. The others present fell silent.
Finally, He Wenxuan spoke first, saying, "Okay."
Then, after asking about the price, he paid Shiyue for the seasonings on the spot.
However, he didn't give half the price, but the full amount for all the seasonings.
Firstly, they didn't have bottles to repackage the seasonings, and secondly, with so many people, even half the amount wouldn't be enough.
He Wenxuan promised that although he was paying for it, Shiyue could use it normally and he would not ask her for money.
After a few polite words, Shiyue agreed.
However, she wasn't the type to take advantage of others.
She thought for a moment, then took out the pickle jar she had brought back from the Sun family and scooped out several large pieces of pickled radish.
She put the radish in a large bowl and then placed it in the cupboard in front of the group.
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