Chapter 276 is all a lie.
Song Lubai was in charge of cooking, and Wei Zhao was in charge of assisting.
After stir-frying the scallions and eggs, there was no residue left at the bottom of the pan, only a sheen of oil.
Wei Zhao watched with admiration. She could never fry eggs to this effect. There was only a little oil on the bottom of the pan, and the eggs she fried were burnt, and the bottom of the pan was never clean.
Seeing the gourd that Wei Zhao had sliced, Song Lubai said, "Sister, slice it thinner, it will taste better when stir-fried."
Wei Zhao nodded, "Okay, I'll slice it thinner from now on."
Seeing how well the two worked together, one of the neighbors asked, "Wei Zhao, didn't you used to cook at home?"
Wei Zhao said, "I used to eat at my workplace and rarely cooked."
Sister Zhao, who had been ridiculed by everyone that morning, said, "Why did you and your husband get divorced? Was it because you're a bad cook?"
It suddenly became very quiet under the shed.
Everyone had heard Wei Zhao say that she was divorced, but no one asked why she got divorced; it would be a lie to say they weren't curious.
Song Lubai rolled her eyes and said, "Who are you? Why are you asking about other people's family matters right off the bat?"
If someone asks you that in front of so many people, don't blame her for being rude.
Wei Zhao snorted, "That's right. This morning, you didn't dare to utter a sound while sitting at the banquet, but now you're asking me why I'm getting a divorce in front of everyone. What business is it of yours why I'm getting a divorce? Do I have to explain everything about my family to you? Tell me, who are you to me?"
Aunt Lu chimed in, "There are plenty of divorces in the world, what's the big deal? Besides, what does divorce have to do with cooking?"
"Sister Zhao, your cooking is just so-so. Most of us only put a little soy sauce in our stir-fries."
Everyone teased Zhao Hongying until her face turned red. She stammered, "I was just saying it casually, and you're all ganging up on me with the regimental commander's wife!"
While stir-frying the gourd, Song Lubai said, "I don't bully others, but only you? I don't even know who you are and I still bully you. If I'm so bad, why don't I bully others?"
Song Lubai didn't want everyone to agree, so she said, "It's getting late, you should all go back and cook."
It's nice to have a lively atmosphere outside, where neighbors can chat together, but being watched while cooking really doesn't feel good.
After the crowd dispersed, Song Lubai scooped out the gourd and carried it into the house. She then returned to the stove and placed the pot of porridge on the front burner.
Wei Zhao buried a few potato eggs in the stove hole at the back.
Once inside, Wei Zhao said, "We need to find a way to enclose a small courtyard. I've been here for so long, and every time I cook, there are always a lot of people gathered outside."
Song Lubai said, "We can't take the lead; we have to get the neighbors around us to make their own yards first."
Wei Zhao thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "Wait, tomorrow I'll spread the word among the neighbors, and we'll have Wei Yang get some planks to build a small shed on the stove. We won't fence off the yard yet, but we'll give the neighbors a signal. Once a lot of people have fenced off their yards, then we'll start building."
They had both agreed, and Wei Yang had arrived home.
There were four dishes on the table, two meat dishes and two vegetarian dishes.
Although Song Lubai didn't use many seasonings when cooking, the dishes tasted even better than the ones on the table at noon.
After finishing their meal, Song Lubai looked at Wei Zhao and said, "Sister, how about we let Shaohua and Jingwen take turns washing the dishes from now on?"
Fearing that Wei Zhao might overthink things, Song Lubai said, "Back when I was at my parents' house, my two younger brothers took turns washing the dishes. I think that in a family, as long as you have the ability, everyone should contribute, and it can also train them from a young age."
She was afraid that Wei Zhao might have the idea that men shouldn't be on the stove.
Wei Yang wiped the sweat from his brow and said, "I think it's a good idea. It can help cultivate their life skills and sense of responsibility."
Wei Yang looked at the Chen brothers, Shao Hua and Wei Yang, and asked, "Do you two have any objections?"
Chen Jingwen scratched his head, wanting to say he didn't want to swipe, but since his brother didn't say anything, he could only hold back.
Chen Shaohua straightened his back and said, "We have no objection."
Song Lubai looked at Wei Zhao with a hint of unease in her eyes. When their eyes met, Wei Zhao nodded and said, "Let's start from today."
"Shaohua, you wash the dishes this time. Jingwen, you wash them tomorrow morning. From now on, you two will each wash one dish. Be careful when you wash the dishes, don't break them."
The two nodded obediently.
The second son, Chen Jingwen, asked, "What about my younger sister?"
Wei Zhao said, "She's still young, let's talk about it in a few years."
The matter had calmed down, and Song Lubai took a bucket to fetch water from the public well to fill the water tank.
Wei Yang took the bucket and said, "Shaohua will boil the water in a little while. Fill the teapot with water and boil a pot of bath water."
The lines at the several public water collection points in the production and construction corps were very long, and those who did not have a water tank at home had to come and fetch water at least once a day.
Wei Yang queued up to fetch water, carrying two buckets at a time. He queued until dark and only managed to make three trips, by which time the water tank was almost full.
With water boiling in the pot, Song Lubai strolled through all the vegetable gardens in the production and construction corps.
The weather was cool at the moment, and many people were squatting at their doorways to eat. Song Lubai even saw her neighbors near her home eating and talking with acquaintances about half a mile from their homes.
"Song Lubai?"
Song Lubai looked toward the source of the sound and saw a dark-skinned, thin man with large eyes.
"It really is you, Comrade Song!"
Song Lubai never expected to see Shen Lingyu here.
"Comrade Shen, it's been a long time! Have all the people who signed up from our street been assigned here?"
Shen Lingyu nodded. "Most of them are in the regiments below. You signed up too? I haven't seen you in over a year. Which company are you in?"
The two stood under a tree and talked.
Song Lubai briefly explained her situation and asked, "Are you in the mechanized farming unit, the improved seed unit, or the orchard unit?"
These companies are the closest to the regimental headquarters, almost bordering it, which is why Song Lubai asked this question.
Shen Lingyu shook her head and sighed, "I used to be in the gardening company, but now I'm digging ditches and carrying sand on the other side of the river. I'm exhausted every day, and I can fall asleep as soon as I lie down on the ground."
Shen Lingyu was covered in dust, her shoes were not only worn out and covered in sand, her trouser legs were also covered in dust, and her clothes were patched.
Song Lubai said, "You're a woman, you shouldn't be assigned to do that kind of work, right?"
Recalling Shen Lingyu's past family situation, Song Lubai understood again.
Shen Lingyu plopped down on the ground, sighed, and said, "I'm content as long as I can get some food now. No one has hit me since I left my hometown. Although life here isn't as good as I imagined, I'm still quite satisfied."
Song Lubai felt that her mental state looked much better than before.
When Shen Lingyu met her fellow villagers again, she had so much to say.
Song Lubai asked, "I remember Zhao Lujun also signed up. Have you seen him here?"
Shen Lingyu paused for a moment and then said, "I've met him. He was in the mechanized farming unit. He was doing better than me. No, it seems like everyone was doing better than me."
Song Lubai, who had just thought she was in good spirits, could clearly hear the melancholy in her tone.
Shen Lingyu asked, "Do you think a person's fate is predetermined?"
"I finally had a stable year at the gardening company, and then they assigned me to dig sand in the river. Why is my life so miserable? If I say I'm satisfied, I'm lying. I'm absolutely not satisfied!"
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