Chapter 63
Chu Jiujiu's scream was so penetrating that in an instant, the interiors of the surrounding houses became bustling with activity. The fastest ones put on their clothes and rushed out.
"Where, where? Where is the ghost?"
"Don't be afraid, kid, your uncle will protect you!"
A group of people rushed over, some of them also carrying flashlights. Several beams of light shone on his face. Ding Yiming was extremely annoyed: "Stop shining, it's me, there's no ghost!"
He asked to stop taking the photo, but the other person took it anyway. After taking the photo, he was shocked. "Isn't this the new educated youth Ding? What happened to you? Why are you covered in blood?"
The other person was also shocked when he saw this, "Xiao Ding, you're not going to kill anyone, are you?!"
Ding Yiming: “…”
"What are you talking about? This is sheep blood on me! I came back to tell you that one of our sheep was killed by an animal. I wanted to save it, but it's already dead. It's lying on the mountain. Come with me and carry it, or it'll be dragged away by another animal."
How much does a sheep weigh? It's only about 100 pounds, the weight of a person. Ding Yiming can't even carry a sheep on his back. He is so useless.
While everyone was thinking about it, they arranged for people to go up the mountain to carry the sheep back. Those who ran fast would quickly report to the team leader. The death of a sheep was a big deal, and a sheep was worth a lot of money!
In an instant, everyone's attention was on the sheep, and no one noticed that Chu Jiujiu, who had caused a misunderstanding, stuck out her tongue and ran away quickly while no one saw her.
…
The team leader was about to wash his feet and go to bed when he was called out again. When he heard that the sheep was dead, he frowned.
The production team raised pigs and cattle, which were large animals and were raised by reliable people in the village. Raising sheep was purely for the purpose of earning extra money for the production team. If they were raised well, it would be icing on the cake, and if they were not raised well, there would not be much loss. Therefore, the team leader always gave the job of herding sheep to the children in the village, letting them lead the sheep to the mountains to graze.
A production team had only six sheep. Ding Yiming had just arrived in Qingzhu Village and, after working farm work for half a month, was too exhausted to get up. He brought his belongings to the team leader's house and begged him to give him a new job. The team leader refused to accept his belongings, but after consulting with the two deputy team leaders, they felt that this young educated youth was a good person, so they gave him the sheep-herding job.
But, it’s been less than half a month and a sheep has died. What happened?
The captain asked Ding Yiming angrily, but the latter looked aggrieved. "I took them to the mountain to graze. Captain, you don't know, these sheep have big appetites. I have to feed them twice a day. It was almost dark, and they still hadn't finished eating, so I had to stay on the mountain. But I went to drink some water, and when I came back, I saw the flock had dispersed, and an animal was lying on a sheep's neck. Sheep are our public property, how can we let animals eat them? I ran over, and the animal ran away when it saw me. The sheep on the ground was bleeding, and I tried to stop the bleeding, but I got it all over myself. In the end, I couldn't save it."
The captain's brow furrowed as he listened: "Did you see clearly what kind of animal it was?"
If it were a wolf, that would be bad.
Ding Yiming shook his head. "I couldn't see clearly. It was too dark, and the animal was running too fast."
Zhang Qingfa: "Xiao Ding, you were too reckless. An animal that could kill a sheep would most likely be a wolf or a leopard. If you ran over, it would have killed you too. You're so lucky to be alive now."
Ding Yiming quickly accepted it humbly: "You are right, I was also confused at the time, I was worried that our production team would suffer losses."
Chen Jiefang muttered to himself, "Wolves have been hunted down long ago, and now they only exist in the deep mountains. They don't come out easily, so it can't be a wolf. Leopards did appear a few years ago, but they haven't been seen in recent years. Could it be a weasel?" But it's a bit difficult for a weasel to kill a sheep. Killing a lamb is more likely.
Not long after, people brought back the sheep that had been bitten to death. After seeing the gender of the sheep, the team leader felt even more heartbroken.
This is still a ewe. It's almost April now, so she can be bred and give birth to lambs!
The team leader felt sorry for the money and couldn't bear to watch any longer. Chen Jiefang and Zhang Qingfa squatted down together and found a large hole in the ewe's neck. The wound was bloody and fleshy. You could tell a piece of flesh had been torn off, but you couldn't see the animal's tooth marks. The wound was also covered in mud. They both looked up at Ding Yiming, who scratched his head and explained, "I wanted to drag the sheep down myself, but I couldn't..."
Upon hearing this, the two deputy captains showed a look of understanding.
They were all like this for the educated youth, it was very normal.
The sheep was already dead, and there was no point in saying anything else. Several people in the team discussed it and decided to distribute the mutton to everyone early tomorrow morning. Since there was no hope of selling it, it would be fine to let everyone taste the mutton raised by themselves.
The women's director squatted on the ground and looked at the wound on the sheep's neck for a long time. After a while, she raised her head and looked at Ding Yiming, whose face was still full of self-blame.
The children in the village had been released for five or six years without incident, but now that Ding Yiming had just taken over, something like this had happened. Was she overthinking it?
It was getting late, and the team leader asked everyone to go back. Everyone was very sad about the death of the sheep, but when they heard that there was meat to eat, everyone smiled again. The educated youth also got the news. After Ding Yiming went back, Ma Wenjuan and Du Shuting went to the men's dormitory together and asked Ding Yiming about what happened.
Ding Yiming repeated to the educated youth what he had said to the team leader. When Du Shuting heard Ding Yiming describe the death of the sheep and watched him wash the blood off his hands, she imagined the scene and shuddered. She didn't even listen to the end and ran back to the female dormitory.
Seeing that she was getting scared again, Ma Wenjuan quickly followed and left to wash off the blood on her body. Ding Yiming turned around and smiled at Ding Boyun and Yu Jianqing, "Go to sleep. We still have to go to get the meat tomorrow morning."
Yu Jianqing slept in a bed by himself, and on Ding Boyun's side, the team leader sent some materials, and several villagers built a wooden frame next to Ding Boyun's bed. In this way, the original single bed was widened into a bed that could barely accommodate two people. When Ding Yiming first saw it, he thanked the team leader several times, but after returning to the dormitory, he complained more than once that the bed was too small and he slept on the outside and often fell off while sleeping.
Ding Boyun sleeps with him. Ding Boyun has a good sleeping posture and hardly moves at night. But Ding Yiming is not like that. He snores, grinds his teeth, and turns over violently. Ding Boyun is woken up by his arms several times. He gives most of the space on the bed to Ding Yiming, but he still says this.
Lying on the bed, Ding Boyun had no expression on his face. Ding Yiming blew out the light and came over to lie down.
Ding Boyun waited for a while. Yu Jianqing fell asleep as soon as he touched the pillow. Hearing his snoring, Ding Boyun immediately lifted the quilt and sat up. At the same time, he also lifted Ding Yiming's.
"Get up and follow me out."
Ding Yiming was just about to fall asleep when he was suddenly interrupted. He couldn't help but feel resentful, "What are you doing? I want to sleep even if you don't!"
Ding Boyun gritted his teeth, but still lowered his voice, "Get up! Come out with me and explain clearly how the sheep died today!"
When Ding Yiming heard this, he instantly came to his senses. He looked at Ding Boyun's expression in the dark and found that he was very serious. He scratched his head in annoyance and then walked out with him.
The lights in the women's dormitory were also off. Ding Boyun stood under the big tree at the educated youth site and looked at Ding Yiming coldly, "You killed the sheep, didn't you?"
Ding Yiming hesitated for only two seconds before admitting it readily, "Yes, I want to eat meat, but the team leader insisted that we won't distribute the meat until the end of the year, and I can't wait that long."
Ding Boyun: "You want to eat meat, why don't you go to town to buy it?"
Ding Yiming: "It's too expensive to go to town to buy it, and it's so far. Besides, there are so many sheep in the village, and the death of one is nothing. I graze six sheep every day. Do you know how much they eat? The one that died today eats the slowest every day. Killing it will allow me to finish work earlier in the future."
Ding Boyun couldn't believe his ears. "Do you know what would happen to you if someone found out about this? A sheep costs one or two hundred yuan, and you killed a ewe, which is even more expensive! What if they ask you to pay for it?"
Ding Yiming looked nonchalant. "They can't possibly find out. Didn't they not find out today? I know what's going on. Brother, please don't treat me like a child all the time. I'm not as stupid as you think."
Ding Boyun laughed angrily. Was he not as stupid as he thought? He could see such a small piece of land right in front of him. He was willing to risk offending the entire Qingzhu Village for a bite of food. He thought Ding Yiming was not stupid, but extremely stupid!
"I'm warning you, this is the first and last time. If you dare to do this again, I'll report you to the brigade!"
When Ding Yiming heard this, he opened his eyes wide in disbelief, "Why?"
Ding Boyun: "You still have the nerve to ask why? If you do this, it's easy to drag me down with you!"
Ding Yiming: "How did I drag you into this? I'm responsible for my own actions! Do you think this is the first time I've done this? Let me tell you, I did this at home, and no one in the factory noticed! I'm not the only one doing this, so what gives you the right to say that to me?!"
Ding Boyun frowned, "Who else has done this?"
Ding Yiming snorted, but didn't mention anyone else's name. "Too many."
Looking at him with dismay, Ding Boyun scolded him, "How old are you? You're still hanging out with those little hooligans. Do you think their methods are glorious? You're simply hopeless!"
Ding Yiming's father works in a government agency, and his mother is the director of the Women's Federation of a radio factory. He grew up in the factory area. There were a few other children with similar conditions as him. They were led by a little gangster who stole things every day. They didn't do any big mistakes, but they did small ones all the time. Before Ding Boyun went to the countryside, he didn't like those workers' children who were just idling around. He thought that when Ding Yiming grew up, he would no longer associate with those people. Who knew that a dog will always eat shit.
Ding Boyun doesn't like Ding Yiming's friends, and Ding Yiming doesn't like Ding Boyun talking about his friends either. Looking at Ding Boyun's angry face, Ding Yiming's temper also flared up, "I'm glorious, how can I be shameless? If you have the guts, don't eat the mutton tomorrow! Who are you pretending to be for? You're the kind of person I'm talking about. Brother Guan used to say you were hypocritical, but I didn't see it, but now I see it. You despise me, and I despise you too! Don't bother me in the future. I'm also an educated youth. Why should I listen to you?"
That "Brother Guan" was the leader of these little hooligans. Ding Boyun was furious when he saw Ding Yiming's reckless behavior, but Ding Yiming turned around and went back to the dormitory without even looking at him. Standing under the big tree, Ding Boyun's expression was uncertain. He thought for a long time and then looked fixedly at the door of the men's dormitory.
No, Ding Yiming is too stupid. Because they are cousins, the villagers and the commune always talk about them together. He worked hard to build his reputation for three years, but Ding Yiming came and ruined it all in less than three months.
He couldn't let this go on any longer, he had to think of a way.
…
The sky was clear at night, but in the morning, it started to drizzle. There was not much meat on a sheep, so they still followed the rules of drawing lots. The team leader was in front and gave out numbers. This time, the person who drew the lot was Chu Shao. He was lucky enough to get number 36.
Chu Jiujiu and Chu Shao stood under the same umbrella. When their number was called, they both stepped forward. Then, under the umbrella, Chu Jiujiu said to the butcher, "Hello, I want lamb spine."
Chu Jiujiu had never heard of the name lamb spine, and Chu Shao didn't know what was so delicious about lamb spine. But this was Grandma Han's order, so he bargained with the butcher and asked him to give them less meat and more lamb spine.
Originally, if the Chu family only wanted meat, they could only get two or three taels. But when the butcher heard that they wanted the lamb spine that no one else wanted, he confirmed with them several times and finally cut off half of it for them.
Carrying half a bent lamb spine home, Grandma Han looked at the fresh bones and couldn't help but smile. She touched the red and white joints between the bones and murmured, "You little brats are in for a treat today."
Chu Jiujiu didn't hear clearly, so she leaned over and asked, "Grandma Han, what did you just say?"
Grandma Han's attention was called back by her. Her face stiffened, and her smile instantly disappeared. Looking at the two children across from her, Grandma Han greeted them as usual: "Chu Shao, go home and bring your coal stove over. Then go to Old Jintou's house and borrow their copper pot. Jiujiu, go to the small supply and marketing cooperative and buy some peppercorns, bay leaves, fennel, nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon. Hold out your hand."
As soon as Grandma Han finished speaking, Chu Jiujiu stretched out her hand, and then Grandma Han put a few coins in her hand, "Buy two of each item. Not two cents, but two. These things are not expensive. If you buy them all, it should only cost a few cents. If you pay too much, it means you bought the wrong thing. Remember?"
Chu Jiujiu was counting the coins in her palm without even looking up. “It’s hard to forget!”
Grandma Han: “…”
What a naughty kid, he's showing off.
Chu Shao went to move the coal stove, while Chu Jiujiu ran to buy the spices that Grandma Han mentioned. There were so many spices, so she bought two as Grandma Han said, and in the end it was just a small bag, which only cost her four cents. Grandma Han gave her eight cents, and Chu Jiujiu used the remaining four cents, plus the two cents she had saved, to buy a small pineapple from the supply and marketing cooperative.
One afternoon, these people were doing their own things, and it was not until almost dinner time that they all gathered at Han's house. By then, Grandma Han had already chopped the lamb spine. Several children sat aside and watched Grandma Han stir-fry the pan with scallions and ginger. As soon as the aroma of scallions and ginger came out, Grandma Han poured all the lamb spine in. In the first half minute, no changes were seen. Since the oil in the spine was fried out, the whole house was suddenly filled with fragrance.
Grandma Han continued to stir-fry until the heat was right. She quickly took out all the lamb ribs and transferred them to the spice pot that had been bubbling for a long time.
The spice pot stood on the coal stove, the copper pot glowing brown, and the bay leaves and nutmeg kept floating up and down with the appearance of bubbles. After the lamb spine fell into the pot, they flew up and down in the pot under the action of buoyancy.
Grandma Han was just like the chef on the TV show. She never stopped for a moment and continued to add seasonings to the pot. Finally, all the seasonings were added in. Grandma Han wiped her sweaty forehead and covered the copper pot with the lid.
Turning her head, Grandma Han glanced at the three children sitting in a row and found that their eyes had fallen into the copper pot along with the sheep spine and could not be fished out for the time being.
With a snort of laughter, Grandma Han turned around proudly and continued to chop the vegetables that she would throw into the pot later.
She has been cooking for decades, and although it's hard to say about other things, she's the best at lamb scorpion hotpot. She claims she's second to none, and no one dares to claim they're the best. Thinking back to why she ended up working as a vegetable washer in a French restaurant, it was because she wanted to open her own restaurant, selling nothing but lamb scorpion hotpot, a favorite of the capital's residents.
It's a pity that after all the twists and turns, her dream has never been realized. She couldn't sell it to outsiders, but she could make it for her family and see them praising it, which seemed pretty good.
Chu Jiujiu is a thorough southerner. She has never tasted what lamb ribs taste like. Tonight, she tasted it and enjoyed it very much.
Lamb skewers are nothing, lamb ribs are the eternal god!
Half a lamb spine looks like a lot, but after putting it into the pot, there is actually not much. Grandpa Han only ate one piece, while Grandma Han didn't eat any. She shared the rest with the children. Grandma Han ate the hot pot vegetables, which were covered with lamb fat and tasted delicious.
That night, Chu Jiujiu ate so much that her belly was so full that she had to hold on to the wall when she got home. Before leaving, Grandma Han told her not to eat at home the next morning, but to come over and eat the dumpling soup made with the leftover soup. Chu Jiujiu wanted to refuse because she felt that she didn't need to eat the next morning.
Later, she was quite glad that she didn't refuse.
The lamb rib hotpot was already so delicious, but unexpectedly, it was even better after being made into a dumpling soup! Chu Jiujiu, who has a small appetite, ate two full bowls. She wanted a third bowl, but Grandma Han was afraid she would upset her stomach, so she wouldn't let her eat anymore.
Rubbing her stomach, Chu Jiujiu was so moved that she almost cried, "Grandma Han, you must open your own instant noodle company in the future. I've even thought of a name for you: Master Han's Hot Pot Dumpling Soup!"
First there was Master Kong’s braised beef noodles, and then there was Master Han’s hot pot dumpling soup. It rhymes so well, so it’s sure to be a hit!
…
Grandma Han didn't know what instant noodles were, nor did she care. Seeing Chu Jiujiu impressed by the delicious food, she couldn't help but laugh, "If I opened this restaurant, wouldn't it be called Master Pan's Hot Pot Dumpling Soup?"
Chu Jiujiu straightened up a little and asked Grandma Han in confusion, "Who is Master Pan?"
Grandma Han: “…Me.”
Grandma Han's full name is Pan Yingping, but people usually call her Grandma Han, Aunt Han, or Sister-in-law Han. Few people call her by her real name, so even though Chu Jiujiu has been with Grandma Han for such a long time, she still doesn't know her name.
The atmosphere became awkward, and Grandpa Han quickly stood up and took the copper pot away, saying as he walked away, "Dumpling soup is delicious, and noodles with it would be even better. But we don't have thin noodles at home, so we'll just have to make do with dumpling soup. I'll pour out the soup, Shengyi, and you can return the copper pot to Old Jintou's family later."
Han Shengyi stood up in response. Chu Shao was still eating his last bowl. Chu Jiujiu sat in her original seat, saying nothing. When she noticed Grandma Han looking at her, she pursed her lips and gave an awkward but polite smile.
Grandma Han: “…”
Stinky girl.
——
She couldn't deliver the hot pot to Wen Xiuwei, but she could describe to Wen Xiuwei how delicious it was, and then make an appointment with her to eat it together if they had the chance in the future.
The sun was getting hotter day by day. Wen Xiuwei exchanged a bamboo hat with a villager from Xujiawan. The bamboo hat was worthless, so Wen Xiuwei gave the other party a pound of grain, and the other party thought he had made a profit.
Wearing a conical hat, Wen Xiuwei sat on a big rock at the foot of the hillside, listening to Chu Jiujiu talking to her. She smiled, nodded from time to time, and agreed.
Only Chu Jiujiu was here today. After Han Shengyi sent her here, he hurried back. The commune had received a new batch of vegetable seedlings, which were very valuable and newly cultivated. The team leader asked Han Shengyi to work hard. The vegetable seedlings had just been planted these days, and he stayed in the vegetable field almost every day, for fear that these seedlings would not survive.
Chu Shao said that he would come to pick up Chu Jiujiu at noon, although Chu Jiujiu herself felt that she didn't need anyone to pick her up.
As she was talking, Chu Jiujiu took out ten dollars from her pocket, as well as the merchandise coupons that Chu Liqiang had just sent her a few days ago. She took these out, but before she handed them to Wen Xiuwei, Wen Xiuwei pushed her arm back after seeing them.
Looking into Chu Jiujiu's eyes, Wen Xiuwei smiled gently, "Jiujiu, I do have subsidies. You guys have already earned me a lot of work points by working for me. You don't need to give me money or tickets anymore. I have more than enough to live on my own with the subsidies and work points. I will slowly return the 25 yuan you gave me before, as well as those tickets. After all, you see, I'm so old now, I should be able to support myself."
Chu Jiujiu took the money, her expression a little stunned. "But, the subsidies for educated youth are so little. Luo Zhiqing and the others are relying on subsidies from their families to barely survive. Your family..."
Wen Xiuwei only mentioned her family once. She just said that she was not close to her family members and they would not send her money or letters in the future.
Chuckling softly and rubbing Chu Jiujiu's face, Wen Xiuwei said, "I'm different from them. They rely on their families, but I rely on myself. I can cook and sew. The educated youth often organize activities to go fishing in the mountains together, and I go with them. I make mushrooms into mushroom sauce and dried mushrooms, and I pickle the fish I catch into fish fillets. I also sew some small patterns myself and send them to the supply and marketing cooperative to sell. I can make a lot of money at a time. After paying for daily expenses, I can save the rest."
Chu Jiujiu's face wrinkled when she heard this. "But this is so hard."
Wen Xiuwei: "It's a bit hard, but life always gets better little by little. Just because it's hard now doesn't mean it will be so hard in the future. Who knows, maybe I'll become a very powerful and wealthy person in the future. When that happens, it will be my turn to give money to you, Jiujiu."
Initially, she took Chu Jiujiu's money because Wen Xiuwei was really too poor, but now, she has established herself in Xujiawan and will have a fixed subsidy every month. Naturally, she will not take money from her children anymore. Not only that, she will also double back what she took before.
Not relying on others to live is what Wen Xiuwei values most after leaving her uncle's house.
Seeing her insistence, Chu Jiujiu blinked and didn't insist on giving her the money. Sighing, Chu Jiujiu said in a condescending manner, "Actually, I don't feel any sense of accomplishment after giving you this money. This is other people's hard-earned money, not earned by me."
Wen Xiuwei found her frustrated look quite amusing and said, "Jiujiu is young. When she grows up, she will naturally learn how to make money."
When others talked about growing up, they were all very excited, but Chu Jiujiu felt melancholy. "Yes, when I grow up, I can earn money to support the family."
Wen Xiuwei: "Don't you like supporting your family?"
Chu Jiujiu held her cheeks with both hands, looking worried. "It's not that I don't like it, it's that I have too many elders. I have to support everyone. How much money do I need to make to make ends meet?"
Wen Xiuwei: “…”
Unexpectedly, Chu Jiujiu is so responsible at such a young age.
However, as far as she knew, Chu Jiujiu's family seemed to have only a father who was in his prime. Her grandmother's family had already severed ties with her, and it was not her turn to worry about her grandparents. Chu Shao was not very old and had such strong abilities that he could obviously support their Chu family.
So what was she worried about? No matter how she looked at it, it wasn't her turn to support the family.
Wen Xiuwei didn't understand, but the sadness on Chu Jiujiu's face was real. After a moment of silence, Wen Xiuwei took her hand and said, "Come on, follow me back to the educated youth camp. I'll show you something good."
Chu Jiujiu didn't understand what was going on, so she followed Wen Xiuwei back. Everyone else was not there, even Sun Yuqin had gone out to work. Chu Jiujiu peeked in and watched Wen Xiuwei take out a set of clothes from under her pillow.
Wen Xiuwei unfolded the folded clothes and showed the shoulder of the new skirt to Chu Jiujiu. "How is it? Does it look good?"
Chu Jiujiu looked at the skirt, then at Wen Xiuwei. She was a little unsure, so she pointed at her nose and asked, "Did you buy it for me?"
Wen Xiuwei burst out laughing. "I didn't buy it, I made it. This kind of clothes is very popular in Shanghai. Do you like it?"
Good boy...
Chu Shao's needlework is pretty good. He can even sew quilts, let alone knitting scarves and sweaters. However, the clothes made by Wen Xiuwei don't feel handmade at all. Whether it's the size, stitches or waistline, they are completely machine-made!
The clothes made by the garment factory are always very loose, and the styles for women are exactly the same as those for men, which cannot show the beautiful figure of women at all. But the one made by Wen Xiuwei is different. The shoulders are shoulders and the waist is waist. After Chu Jiujiu put it on, she was shocked to find that this skirt actually made her legs look longer!
After putting it on, Chu Jiujiu didn't want to take it off. She ran over and hugged Wen Xiuwei and rubbed her body against her: "I like it so much! Woohoo, you are so good to me. Grandma Han also made clothes for me, but they are not as beautiful as yours. As expected, the ones made at home... are the best..."
It seemed as if a name was blurred out in her mouth, but Wen Xiuwei didn't care. Seeing her so excited, Wen Xiuwei made a promise that made her regret it. "It doesn't matter. If you want new clothes in the future, come to me and I will make them for you."
Chu Jiujiu immediately looked up, looking at her with bright eyes: "Really?"
Wen Xiuwei smiled: "Of course it's true."
After releasing Chu Jiujiu, she pulled out two half-finished shirts from under her pillow. After hearing that these were for Chu Shao and Han Shengyi, Chu Jiujiu exclaimed, "Wow, Wen Zhiqing, you're amazing! Do you want to be a fashion designer in the future?"
Wen Xiuwei pursed her lips and smiled. She shook her head and said, "A designer needs to be able to design. I can't. What I make is what I have seen elsewhere. I can only imitate. I can't be a designer."
Hearing this, Chu Jiujiu asked curiously, "Then Wen Zhiqing, what do you want to do in the future?"
Wen Xiuwei opened her mouth and was about to answer, but a glimpse of the gray walls and the rusty bed in her peripheral vision turned the words she was about to say into a helpless laugh. "I don't think much about the future. I'd better just be a good educated youth in front of me."
Chu Jiujiu wanted to ask something else, but Wen Xiuwei brought up another matter. "It'll take a few more days for the clothes to be ready. This Sunday, a few of us educated youth are going to town to buy things. Would you like to come? I'd like to treat you all to dinner."
Wen Xiuwei took out a few food coupons and waved them at Chu Jiujiu. She said, "I've wanted to invite them for a long time, but I just haven't had the time. How about you go back and ask them?"
Hearing that Wen Xiuwei wanted to treat them, Chu Jiujiu agreed immediately: "No need to ask, they will definitely agree!"
You have to agree even if you don’t agree!
Wen Xiuwei: “…”
Okay.
Xujiawan was even further from town. At five o'clock on Sunday morning, Luo Shuyang woke up all the educated youth and they all went to the village entrance, waiting with the other villagers for the tractor to arrive. They had chosen that day because Luo Shuyang had learned from a classmate that the commune's tractor was being loaned to Xujiawan for a day, and they could get a free ride into town.
Wen Xiuwei was up at five, but Chu Jiujiu and the others didn't need to get up so early. Her biological clock woke her up naturally at six-thirty. While she was brushing her teeth and washing her face, Chu Shao was making breakfast. After breakfast, Chu Jiujiu had to go out and feed the chickens. After everyone (and the chickens) had their fill, Chu Shao went to call Han Shengyi, and the three of them set off.
No one knew what day it was, but there were so many people going into the city. When Chu Jiujiu and the others left the village, they saw several educated youth from Qingzhu Village also coming out. This time, without Li Yan holding them back, they walked quite fast. When Chu Jiujiu saw Ding Yiming, she immediately hid behind Chu Shao.
She was not afraid of Ding Yiming, she just felt embarrassed. After all, she shouted so loudly that day. Later, she heard from others that people in the village had always laughed at Ding Yiming for looking like a ghost.
The educated youth walked away quickly, but Chu Jiujiu and the others walked slowly.
They would come to town every few days, and with so many visits, they naturally became accustomed to it. Furthermore, Wen Xiuwei had agreed to meet them at 11 o'clock, so they went too early and just wandered around Jiefang Street.
No matter how slowly they walked, they arrived at Jiefang Street by 9:30. Some city residents had Sunday off, while others had adjusted days off. Those who had Sunday off were basically government officials, so on Sundays, there were more people walking on the streets with their hands behind their backs.
It was still early, and Chu Shao wanted to go to the bookstore. The three of them came to the deserted bookstore. There were already four or five customers in the bookstore. Chu Shao wanted to buy some books, so he was looking for them seriously. Chu Jiujiu was not interested in the books here, and Han Shengyi lived in the cowshed. He could not take any books or papers back. He usually practiced calligraphy and did his homework at Chu's house. Buying books was simply unrealistic.
Chu Shaodu walked to the deepest bookshelf, but Chu Jiujiu and Han Shengyi were still hanging around at the door. Someone else pushed the door open and came in. They were a well-dressed couple. The wife called out to Chu Jiujiu after seeing her.
"Jiujiu, are you here to buy books too?"
Chu Jiujiu turned around and found it was Feng Ruyi. She smiled, "Aunt Feng, what a coincidence."
It was indeed a coincidence. Feng Ruyi also smiled at her. Suddenly, she remembered that this was the first time Chu Jiujiu met her husband. She quickly pulled Chai Yaozu back.
Chai Yaozu couldn't walk when he saw the books. His eyes were glued to the colorful covers. Just as he raised his legs, he was pulled back to where he was by Feng Ruyi. He looked over blankly, and only when he heard Feng Ruyi say, "This is Chu Jiujiu," did Chai Yaozu react.
Showing his usual smile, Chai Yaozu extended his hand and said politely, "Comrade Chu, hello, hello."
Chu Jiujiu: “…”
Feng Ruyi: “…”
After slapping Chai Yaozu, Feng Ruyi explained for him, "He deals with the Water Conservancy Bureau and the Revolutionary Committee every day. He's already stupid. Jiujiu, don't mind it."
Chu Jiujiu certainly didn't mind. She even thought it was quite amusing because this was the first time someone treated her like a leader.
Chai Yaozu came here to see if there were any new books. After getting to know Chu Jiujiu, Feng Ruyi let him go. He walked towards the bookshelf without looking around, while Feng Ruyi stayed where he was and chatted with Chu Jiujiu.
After learning that she came to the town today just to eat and had no business to do at the post office, Feng Ruyi nodded to her. After knowing each other for so long, Feng Ruyi has always been like this. He was not warm to her and Chu Shao at all, but every time, he could help them at the critical moment.
Chu Shao took two books that high school students need nowadays. After paying the bill, Chu Jiujiu said goodbye to Feng Ruyi. Seeing the books in Chu Shao's hand, Feng Ruyi paused for a moment.
The three children left together. After a while, Chai Yaozu came over in a good mood. He showed the spoils in his hand to Feng Ruyi, "It's newly published by Xinhua Bookstore. Look, the cover is even gold-plated."
Feng Ruyi took a symbolic look and then asked Chai Yaozu, "We all learned physics in high school, right?"
Chai Yaozu: "Yeah, didn't you also go to high school?"
Feng Ruyi: "I have, but that was in high school more than ten years ago. Chu Shao was only thirteen years old, and he had already started studying high school physics. Alas, our child is not much younger than him and is still in elementary school."
Comparing yourself to others is a recipe for disaster. Chai Yaozu was flipping through the new book in his hand. He didn't hear what Feng Ruyi was saying. He looked up and asked in confusion, "What did you just say?"
Feng Ruyi: "...It's nothing, just buy it quickly and go home. I finally have a day off and I don't want to waste it waiting in line."
Coming out of the bookstore, there was a peddler selling sugar paintings between the bookstore and the tobacco shop. Chu Shao didn't know whether it was legal for him to sell them here, but since the stall was there and many people came to buy, Chu Shao took out three five-cent coins and bought one for everyone.
Nowadays, sugar paintings do not have so many varieties. They are basically the twelve zodiac animals and some well-known characters from Journey to the West. The ones that are more characteristic of this era are the five-star red flag and patterns of national unity. However, national unity consumes too much sugar. Other patterns only cost five cents, but this one costs fifteen cents.
Chu Shao asked for a rooster pattern, Han Shengyi asked for a mastiff pattern, and Chu Jiujiu asked for a five-star red flag pattern.
Han Shengyi asked her why she didn't want the little mouse's. Chu Jiujiu licked the biggest star with a resentful expression.
She wasn't really born in 1960, she's not a rat.
No one knew where Wen Xiuwei, Luo Shuyang and the others had gone. After walking around Jiefang Street, they still couldn't find the educated youth from Xujiawan. They went to the supply and marketing cooperative to check the time and found that it was only half past ten. So they simply went to the door of the state-owned restaurant and waited.
Chu Jiujiu ate half of the five stars. The sugar painting tasted a bit strange, not pure sugar. It felt sweet but also a bit bitter. She took a bite and swallowed the third star. She asked Chu Shao, "When can we buy a watch?"
Chu Shao: "I don't know."
Chu Jiujiu asked again: "When can we buy a radio?"
Chu Shao: "I don't know."
Chu Jiujiu sighed, "The bicycle is definitely out of the question."
They were chatting normally, but someone came over immediately after hearing it. Chu Jiujiu and the others were standing at the edge of the door. Normal people would enter from the center of the door, but this person didn't do that. She ran to the side where they were standing and almost walked over Chu Jiujiu's face.
She raised her arm and pretended to lift her hair, and a brand new Shanghai watch was exposed in front of everyone. Li Yan lifted her hair at least three or four times before she saw Chu Jiujiu raise her head.
With a cold snort, Li Yan walked into the state-owned restaurant arrogantly. Before entering, she turned around and made a special check to see if Chu Jiujiu was looking at her. When she met Chu Jiujiu's gaze, Li Yan finally avenged her previous revenge. She snorted again and turned her head, but she didn't see the chef from the kitchen pushing a trash can out from the opposite side. With a bang, Li Yan bumped into the trash can, and one of her hands fell into the bucket full of kitchen waste. It was so unlucky that it was the hand wearing the watch.
Chu Jiujiu: “…”
It was so miserable that she couldn't bear to laugh out loud.
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