Chapter 9: Exposed? Have you never done any housework at home...?
The next morning, Yu Xiaoyue was already eating breakfast at the table when Chen Mian slowly got up.
I worked all day yesterday and didn't feel too bad last night, but when I woke up today, my back and waist were sore and I could hardly get out of bed.
Now she can't lift her arms, and her legs feel like they're filled with lead; walking is incredibly painful.
Her hands were also scratched in several places. While washing up, Chen Mian twisted and turned in front of the mirror, looking closely at the details of her face, and then stepping back to look at the whole face. She kept wondering why she had gotten so tanned.
Chen Mian: In a state of doubt about life, I open my eyes and close them again, unwilling to believe.
Yu Xiaoyue: No matter how strong the sun is in Xinjiang, it's impossible to get tanned in just a few days.
On the dining table in the main house, in addition to the millet porridge and pickled vegetables that Chen Mian had cooked last night, Yu Xiaoyue also made two more stir-fried dishes so that they could eat directly when they came back at noon and rest a little longer.
With a mask of pain on her face, Chen Mian slowly moved to the table, sat down, and began to eat and drink porridge.
Looking at her, Yu Xiaoyue couldn't help but tease her, "Have you never done any chores at home?"
Chen Mian's pretense of many days was exposed in one day. She nodded somewhat embarrassedly, and a hint of awkwardness appeared on her face.
She had always been a student, only helping out at home during holidays. And even then, it was mostly cooking or running errands; she had never actually worked in the fields for such a long time.
Yu Xiaoyue knew that young girls were shy, so she didn't say much, but comforted them, "It's okay. We didn't know how to work when we were young either. We all learned gradually."
"We need someone to keep an eye on the drying room today, why don't you go there?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Mian smiled sweetly, "Thank you, Auntie! You're so kind to me!"
Yu Xiaoyue's arrangement really solved her urgent problem; otherwise, she would have wanted to take the day off, as she was so sore all over today.
After finishing her meal, Yu Xiaoyue was about to head to the fields when she noticed Chen Mian following her like a little tail, looking at her but not saying a word.
After hesitating for a while, Chen Mian finally whispered that she wanted to go to the post office that afternoon to mail a letter home. She wanted to get in touch with her family as soon as possible and also wanted to ask her parents to inquire whether Cuiping had written home to let them know she was safe.
Yu Xiaoyue: I thought it was something big, is this all?
She waved her hand, indicating that she could arrange things herself, and turned to go to the bike shed to get her motorcycle. Yu Xiaoyue rode the motorcycle to take Chen Mian to the drying room first, gave her some instructions, and then went to the wolfberry field.
On the way, Chen Mian kept exclaiming, "Sister Yu is so cool! She's so awesome!"
She had only ever seen a few men ride motorcycles in the county before, and this was the first time she had ever seen a woman ride one. It was also the first time she had ever sat on the back of a motorcycle.
The wind blew her hair back, exuding a sense of freedom! Yu Xiaoyue is truly a heroine, with a heroic and valiant spirit and a bold and generous personality. If she lived in ancient times, she would definitely be a female general.
Chen Mian stood at the entrance of the drying room, watching Yu Xiaoyue's figure gradually disappear into the distance before reluctantly turning away and going back to work.
The drying shed was built higher and more spacious than a regular house. As far as the eye could see, there were rows of tall wooden racks covered with straw mats woven from rushes, and a small wooden sign was hung next to them to record the drying time.
The goji berries delivered by the pickers need to be placed on these straw mats. Chen Mian's task is to spread the goji berries on the straw mats and then perform the initial screening.
Pick out the bruised or poorly shaped goji berries and put them on the other side to dry. Also, turn over the goji berries that have been drying for a while.
After the skin of these goji berries wrinkles in the drying room, they will be moved to the sun again to dry completely.
Each drying process requires manual selection; the better the quality, the higher the price. Of course, those with average quality are not wasted; some buyers purchase them at low prices. If all else fails, they can be given away or sold to the pickers as a favor.
In fact, many farms have similar rules, such as allowing workers to eat as much fruit as they want during fruit picking, or offering discounts when purchasing fruit.
Outsiders who come to work on farms in Xinjiang are happy to bring back some of the farm's specialties when they go home for the Spring Festival, and the farm owners do not lose money because of this.
The harvest season usually lasts one to two months. Even the freshest fruit can get boring if you eat it every day. In reality, the pickers can't eat that much, and the farmers are happy to gain a reputation for being generous and kind.
After finishing her work early in the afternoon, Chen Mian packed her things and went to the bus stop next to the farm. She had inquired beforehand and found out that there was a bus to the city every day.
She could take that bus to the post office to mail a letter home, and maybe buy some daily necessities while she was there.
In the letters to her parents and sister, she also left some money with each of them, telling them that she was doing well and making money.
In addition to describing what he had seen and experienced in Xinjiang, the letter also included Yu Xiaoyue's phone number so that he could contact her quickly in case of any emergency.
After mailing the letter, Chen Mian walked alone towards the intersection. The street opposite the post office was very lively, selling all kinds of daily necessities and clothing.
She plans to buy some warmer clothes, as the temperature is expected to drop soon. She arrived in summer and didn't bring many warm clothes.
As I was looking around, my eyes were suddenly drawn to a shop with the words "Wu Er Women's Clothing" hanging on the door. Did it mean that it was unique?
Chen Mian walked in with curiosity, and as expected, the clothes in the store were indeed very exquisite, and could even be described as trendy.
She picked up a matching floral top and flared pants, stood in front of the mirror and tried them on, and it actually looked pretty good.
Turning around to check how the clothes looked, she couldn't find the shop owner. She could only look around, holding the clothes. "Excuse me, is the owner here? I'd like to try this outfit on..."
No sooner had he finished speaking than a man hurriedly walked in through the door. It was none other than Wu Wei, whom they hadn't seen for many days.
Both of them were clearly taken aback. After a long silence, Chen Mian broke the silence first, "Mr. Wu, is this your shop?"
“It’s mine. The saleswoman in the store recently went back to her hometown to get married, and we haven’t been able to find a suitable employee yet, so I can only keep an eye on things myself for now…” Wu Wei was clearly pleasantly surprised to run into the other person again.
Chen Mian nodded and praised, "The clothes in your store are indeed very fashionable and beautiful."
After saying that, she held up the clothes in her hand and asked if she could try them on first to see how they looked. Only after receiving an affirmative answer did she go into the fitting room and change into the top and pants.
Outside the fitting room, Wu Wei's eyes lit up when he saw Chen Mian reappear. The clothes fit her figure perfectly, showcasing the beauty of a woman's curves just right.
The only flaw was her cloth shoes and braided hair; a modern woman should wear high heels and big, wavy hair.
Chen Mian, standing in front of the mirror, clearly noticed the problem. After thinking it over, she changed back into her original clothes. Her current job was not suitable for her to dress like that, and she couldn't wear high heels while working in the fields.
Wu Wei, standing nearby, quickly tried to persuade her to stay, "Mian, perhaps you'd like to work as a sales clerk here? You can wear any clothes you like..."
"You haven't found a job yet, have you? I can offer you the same salary as before."
"No need, Mr. Wu, I've already found a job. Thank you for your kindness," Chen Mian politely declined. She was doing well now and had no intention of having any further interaction with this man.
After saying that, he turned to leave, but Wu Wei blurted out in his haste, "Could you leave me your contact information?"
"...I'll let you know when we have new products that suit you so you can try them out," he said hastily, his eyes lowered.
Chen Mian continued to shake her head silently, but suddenly a little boy rushed over and hugged her leg. Looking down, she saw it was Wu Cong, who had just come home from school.
He saw from afar that the girl inside looked like Chen Mian, so he quickly ran over. Unexpectedly, it really was Sister Mian.
"Sister Mumian! Did you come all this way just to see me?" Wu Cong jumped for joy. Ever since Chen Mumian left, he had thought about her every day, missed her cooking, wanted to watch TV with her again, and wanted to continue learning to cook with her...
He asked his father if it was because he wasn't good enough that Sister Kapok left. His father said that she had other more important things to do and that they would have a chance to meet again when he grew up.
He attended classes, ate meals, and did his homework diligently every day, hoping to grow up quickly and see Sister Kapok. However, he never expected that he would see her again before he had even grown up.
Chen Mian was still hesitating about how to answer the child's question when the man gave an affirmative answer. He explained that he wanted to give the child a surprise, which was why he hadn't told her beforehand.
After hearing his father's words, Wu Cong looked even happier, his little face turning rosy as he looked up at her expectantly.
Chen Mian could only nod in agreement, then casually asked, "How was your day at school? Did you learn anything new?"
"Yes! Our teacher taught us today... I studied very hard..." the child happily told Sister Kapok.
The two, one big and one small, sat in the clothing store chatting for half an hour until the little boy's stomach started growling, at which point Wu Wei interrupted them.
"Let's go eat first, Mianmian, it's on me," Wu Wei said.
"No need, Mr. Wu, I'd like to go back first..." Chen Mian shook her head and refused.
"Don't be so polite with me, just consider it giving Congcong some face, right?" The man said, bowing his head to gesture to his son.
Upon seeing this, Wu Cong immediately began to beg Chen Mian to go out to eat together, tugging at her clothes and shaking her back and forth, looking at her pitifully.
Chen Mian had no choice but to agree, and said that she really would go home after finishing her meal.
Although she had no interest or desire to become Wu Wei's wife and Wu Cong's stepmother, she found the time spent with the children quite comfortable.
If it's just occasional contact, that's fine. But if Wu Wei wants anything more to happen between them, then sorry, she chooses never to see him again.
The group closed the clothing store and went to the noodle shop next door. Chen Mian quickly said goodbye to the two as soon as they finished eating.
Before leaving, at Wu Cong's pleading, they still left him the farm's address and said that they could only correspond by letter, coaxing the child that they would be pen pals from now on.
By the time Chen Mian returned to the farm, it was already nine o'clock in the evening. Yu Xiaoyue had already eaten dinner and left some food in the pot for her.
Another middle-aged woman was sitting in the house at that moment. She was Ayili, the owner of the farm next door. Her family mainly grew cotton and chili peppers.
Recently, Ayili's son is getting married, and she is busy preparing for the wedding. She came here specifically to deliver an invitation to Yu Xiaoyue.
Ayili: "Oh my Guli, on the day the moon is as round as a naan, even if you ride a camel and move as slowly as a tortoise, you have to come, otherwise my heart will feel empty..."
Seeing Chen Mian return, she warmly invited, "Girl, come and play with us too..."
A note from the author:
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Crucian carp: Did I not get to play today?
Little Cotton: ...
Crucian carp: Tell me quickly, who's more handsome, me or my mom!
Little Cotton: Of course it's my Sister Yu! So cool!
The male and female leads won't fall in love anytime soon; they're both still clueless. Only the author and Yu Jie are quietly shipping them. Yu Jie is such a cool older sister! I can't help but want to give her more screen time.
Does anyone know why that women's clothing store is called "Wu Er" (无二)? It's not just because it's unique.
PS: Guli is a term used in Xinjiang to refer to beautiful women. The author usually looks up information when writing about unfamiliar points, but if there are any oversights or improvisations, you can treat it as fiction.
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