Ye Shuning had previously seen a river not far from the village, with reeds growing along the riverbank, which was a good material for weaving mats.
She picked up the sickle she borrowed from the Pan family and went to the river to cut reeds.
The reeds had already dried up after a winter, so Ye Shuning picked out the tall, good ones, cut some and brought them home. Then she sat in the yard and processed the reeds.
She had to remove the leaves from the reeds, clean them, and then split each reed in half. Ye Shuning planned to weave reed mats and spread them on the earthen kang, then put a kang quilt on top. It wouldn't get on her body, so it would be a simple process.
She wore a pair of yarn gloves while cutting reeds to avoid getting pricked. When she came back, she didn't wear gloves to avoid being discovered, so she was very careful.
While Ye Shuning was processing the reeds, Li Shaozhong and Pan Dongshan came back.
Seeing Ye Shuning sitting among a pile of reeds in the yard, Li Shaozhong asked curiously, "Ye Shuning, what are you doing with these reeds?"
Ye Shuning stood up, brushed off the grass scraps on her body, and said, "I'm going to weave two mats to spread on the kang."
Pan Dongshan was surprised when he heard this and asked, "Xiao Ning, you can also weave mats?"
Ye Shuning nodded and said, "I learned some from others in my hometown before."
Neither Pan Dongshan nor Li Shaozhong had expected that a little girl like Ye Shuning had this skill.
Pan Dongshan said, "You are quite something. Weaving straw mats requires dexterity and patience. Only a few older people here can weave them. Most people can only weave a backpack or something. There is no young person like you who can weave straw mats."
Ye Shuning smiled and said, "Weaving straw mats isn't difficult. It's a craft. You can make baskets, cup covers, flower baskets, straw hats, and everything in between. There's someone in my hometown who can weave a lot of things, and I learned a few tricks from him."
After hearing this, Pan Dongshan said, "Then you can weave things and exchange them for other things you need. After all, not many people know this skill. Barter is acceptable."
When Ye Shuning heard that there was such a good thing, she could make up all kinds of things and exchange them with others.
Li Shaozhong looked at Ye Shuning, whose face was full of radiance. The little girl seemed very happy at this moment, and her whole body seemed to be bright and glowing.
When Li Shaozhong entered the house, he was a little surprised to see that it had been cleaned. It seemed that Ye Shuning was quite capable.
He placed a pile of newspapers on the earthen kang and said, "I asked someone to get some newspapers for you. You can use them to cover the walls of the house. It will be cleaner this way."
Ye Shuning was very happy to see the pile of newspapers. "Thank you so much, Comrade Li. I was just wondering where I could get some newspapers."
Li Shaozhong looked around the house and said, "There's nothing here now. Come back with me today."
Ye Shuning thought about it and realized that it was impossible to live here today, and she had to say goodbye to Yan Jingwen before moving out.
Ye Shuning and Li Shaozhong returned to their residence in the oil field.
On the way, thinking about the difficult conditions in Fengyang Village, Li Shaozhong said tentatively, "The conditions in the countryside are a bit tougher. You just have to hold on for a while. When the oilfield facilities are built, they will definitely need workers. I'll try to arrange a job for you then."
Ye Shuning really didn't want to owe Li Shaozhong any more favors, and she didn't want to have anything to do with Yan Jingwen anymore, so she simply refused, "Don't bother, Comrade Li. I'm from a peasant background, so returning to the countryside is no big deal. Besides, my relationship with Yan Jingwen is a bit awkward after all, so it's better not to get in his way.
Don't worry, I will live my life well. Yan Jingwen and I have already made it clear that marriage is irrelevant to us, and I will never bother him again."
Li Shaozhong didn't know why Ye Shuning's attitude changed so much. She used to hold on to Yan Jingwen, but now she seemed to be avoiding him.
It was already noon. Yan Jingwen came over after get off work and had already bought lunch.
He saw Li Shaozhong and Ye Shuning coming back and asked, "How is it?"
Li Shaozhong said: "My household registration has been settled in Fengyang Village, and I have found a house to live in."
Yan Jingwen didn't expect Li Shaozhong to move so quickly, so he asked, "What kind of house is it?"
Li Shaozhong replied, "The house is an old one that has not been lived in for a long time. It is very dilapidated and there is nothing inside."
Ye Shuning said beside her: "Although the house is a little run-down, it's no problem for people to live in. I'm going to move in tomorrow, so I can vacate this house for you."
Yan Jingwen frowned and said, "You don't have to rush to move. It's fine for me to live in the office."
Ye Shuning shook her head and said, "I want to move there sooner rather than later so that it will be easier to clean up the house. No matter how shabby it is, it's still my home and I'll feel at ease living there."
After hearing what Ye Shuning said, Yan Jingwen felt a little sad and blocked in his heart for some reason. He also saw that Ye Shuning really wanted to leave here.
He thought of Ye Shuning and looked at the bedding on the kang without saying anything: "You need bedding when you move over. This set of bedding at home has always been yours. You can take it."
Ye Shuning felt that Yan Jingwen might not want the quilt she had used on him again, so she said, "Then I'll take it away. Thank you, Comrade Yan."
Yan Jingwen took out a wad of money from his pocket and said, "There's nothing in the house. Many things need to be bought from scratch. I have fifty yuan here. Take it first."
Upon hearing this, Ye Shuning quickly waved her hand and said, "You don't have to give me money, I have my own money."
Yan Jingwen had only given Ye Shuning thirty yuan for living expenses before. He frowned and asked, "Where did you get the money?"
Ye Shuning replied, "I went to the county town to sell the watch my father bought for me."
Li Shaozhong and Yan Jingwen felt very complicated after hearing this. The watch was left to Ye Shuning by her father and was a very meaningful commemorative item. It seemed that Ye Shuning bought it because she really needed the money.
But they also realized that Ye Shuning would not take their money, so they didn't say anything else.
After lunch, Li Shaozhong and Yan Jingwen returned to the office.
On the way, Yan Jingwen was still thinking about the house that Ye Shuning bought, and asked, "Is it really okay for Ye Shuning to live in the house she bought?"
Li Shaozhong thought about the condition of the house and said, "The house is very old and needs repairs in many places. There is almost nothing in the house. There is not even a kang mat on the earthen kang. But she still bought it. She said that no matter how shabby the house is, it is still her home and she can take her time to clean it up.
I feel like she's changed a lot. Maybe she was so insecure before that she was so prickly. Now she seems calm, rational, and organized. I have a feeling she'll have a good life.
You finally made things clear with her, so you should stop interacting with her. I'll help her."
Yan Jingwen listened and went to work without saying anything else.
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