"Ouch!" Song Yan slapped her forehead hard. How could she have overlooked such an important detail? During the autumn harvest this year, Cheng Yousuo was bitten by a wild boar. Moreover, if Wei Aiguo hadn't been there, Cheng Yousuo wouldn't have just been bitten; he might have lost his life. Now that he's gone to join the army, what will happen to Cheng Yousuo?
Song Yan had lived a peaceful and stable life before, and from a doctor's perspective, she hoped everyone would be safe. She wouldn't curse anyone except for the most heinous criminals. Cheng Yousu's worries suddenly weighed on her mind. When she carried a basket of mushrooms down the mountain, her good mood for making mushroom soup vanished.
Widow Wang looked at her with a puzzled expression. Why did she look so downcast? But Song Yan's bad mood made her feel better. "Oh, what's wrong? You've only been out for a short while and you've brought back a basket of mushrooms. Aren't you satisfied? You're really something. How far could you have gone to get this whole basket of mushrooms? Tsk tsk tsk!"
Widow Wang is pulling this stunt again. She says Song Yan scooped up a basket of mushrooms, implying that someone gave them to him, not that he picked them himself. And she'd have to believe it was a man who gave them to him!
"Start another pot on fire." Song Yan ignored her and decided to start making the mushroom soup first.
While mushroom soup was simmering on one side, Song Yan was preparing eggplant salad on the other. Song Yan thought that once Widow Wang had started the fire, that would be the end of it, but unexpectedly, she had already split the steamed eggplant and laid it out to dry. She clearly didn't want to do any work; this was a bit unusual! Song Yan washed his hands and began to tear the eggplant into strips, one by one! His eyes swept over the salt shaker on the stove. Before Song Yan left, the salt shaker was on the left side of the stove; now it was on the right. Widow Wang had touched the salt shaker!
Song Yan's indifferent attitude also made Widow Wang uncomfortable. "I'm going out to relieve myself."
I picked up a strip of eggplant and put it in my mouth to taste it; it was indeed salty.
That widow Wang really deserves a beating. She added salt beforehand, and Song Yan didn't know to add it again. Is there any way to eat this eggplant now? Song Yan even replaced the ordinary eggplant with one from his spatial storage. It would be such a waste if it's inedible.
When Widow Wang returned, Song Yan had already prepared the eggplant salad. She was in a wonderful mood! Didn't everyone say Song Yan was a great cook? She'd make everyone's food so delicious, let's see what they say then!
At noon, everyone who had been working returned, and Widow Wang diligently fetched water for everyone to wash their hands. "You've all worked hard! Educated Youth Song has prepared a meal for you. Our Educated Youth Song's cooking is famously delicious, you must try it."
After washing their hands, everyone sat down to eat! "Hey, I must say, this food is really delicious," said the first person to eat. The others eagerly sat down, praising the food as well!
Captain Wu calmly sat down as well. "You've all worked so hard for our brigade, so at the very least, you need to be well-fed." Seeing their reactions, the captain was satisfied.
The people from Qingshan Brigade were also eating in the canteen. "Song Zhiqing's cooking skills are truly superb. I'll have to let my wife learn from her in the future."
"This soup is really delicious! These are just mushrooms from the mountain, nothing special." The team leader from the power bureau even took a special look at the mushrooms in the bowl.
"This is Song Zhiqing's skill. Even wild vegetables taste exceptionally good when she cooks them."
Widow Wang's face was so dark it looked like it was about to rain. She tasted the eggplant and found it perfectly seasoned. Had Song Yan found out? A vague unease crept into her heart. She hadn't let Song Yan suffer a loss, and she was still very unwilling to accept it.
The brigade leader was eager to arrange good meals for the power company workers, but there really wasn't anything good to eat. He wanted to buy meat, but where would he get so many meat coupons? He couldn't even bear to kill his own hen. He then remembered Song Yan's fishing skills. The brigade was indeed poor, so he suggested that Song Yan sell his catch to the brigade for five cents a pound. To be honest, the fish Song Yan caught were so big, even seven cents wouldn't be enough to buy them at the supply and marketing cooperative. The brigade leader was quite embarrassed when he said this. In Song Yan's eyes, it was really no big deal. Besides, she really admired the brigade leader's character. He was doing this to save the village money and also to help the villagers. Installing the power lines before the autumn harvest wouldn't delay the harvest. This was for the village's good. Song Yan readily agreed; it was nothing. The brigade leader praised him again, saying that being a military dependent was indeed a sign of good character.
On the way back, Song Yan thought about Widow Wang. In this secluded little village, she probably didn't have any poison in her food. But having someone like that around was still bothering her. It wasn't enough for Song Yan to just catch her and cause trouble; he needed witnesses. Passing the big tree in the middle of the village, he saw many men and women chatting idly under it. He greeted some of them, some of whom he recognized. Song Yan couldn't help but glance at them a few more times. Perhaps… he could give it a try.
"Sister, is this home?" Cheng Youfu walked towards her.
"Come here, I have something to tell you." Song Yan called Youfu over and said something to him.
Why?
Song Yan didn't speak, but just looked at him quietly.
"Okay, okay, okay. I'll do as you say, sister. I won't say another word. It hasn't rained these past two days, so there aren't many mushrooms on the mountain. I'm sure I'll run into someone you're not particularly close to, but whose character is passable." Chen Youfu said with a grin.
"Don't tell anyone about this. I'll definitely save the fish for you; you can get it whenever you want to eat it."
"Okay, sis, I'll go pick hazelnuts tomorrow. I'll bring you some when I get them."
"OK!"
…
Song Yan sat down by the river, leisurely waiting with his fishing rod in hand…
Under a large tree in the village, a group of people sat chatting idly. This was a rare moment of leisure before the autumn harvest. If it had just rained, everyone would be rushing into the mountains. No one had time to chatter here. Some women were holding and soothing their babies, while others were chopping vegetables, which their children would then take home to cool. Some were mending shoe soles, while the old ladies and gentlemen simply sat idly.
Grandma Cheng is sitting here today too. Youfu has stayed with his mother all afternoon. Usually, teenagers don't hang around here.
Li De's wife remembered and casually asked, "Youfu, what are you doing here, a grown man?"
Li De's wife struck up a conversation; she was the one who went out of her way to make him happy. Li De's wife and his sister weren't very close, their relationship was definitely not intimate. Her character was considered acceptable in the village, so he decided on her! "Who wants to join in the fun here! I'm just waiting for my turn. My sister went fishing and asked me to help her out when it's almost time."
Everyone knew that Cheng Youfu called Song Zhiqing "sister." His so-called help was simply carrying the fish back. Song Zhiqing always carried the fish back alive in buckets of water. A bucket of water plus fish was quite heavy. But who wouldn't want to do that kind of work? Song Zhiqing never let Cheng Youfu come back empty-handed. They talked about this for quite a while.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
