Wang Jiaxing said, "There's hot water, you can go and wash up."
"Thank you, you're so kind," Huang Xinrui said sweetly.
Wang Jiaxing scratched his head. "We were all sent-down youth, so it's only right that we help each other."
"Brother Wang, I'll help you boil water from now on," Huang Xinrui said with a smile.
Wang Jiaxing blushed when he was called "big brother," and replied, "Okay."
Li Xiyue admired Huang Xinrui's social skills; she had already addressed him as "big brother" in just a few words, which brought them much closer.
The kitchen is quite spacious, with three stoves and three pots: one for cooking rice, one for cooking vegetables, and one specifically for boiling water.
That's impressive. In those days, iron pots were hard to come by, yet the educated youth settlement had three of them. That's quite a good situation.
There was also a square table in the kitchen, with a few stools on it.
There is a kitchen cabinet with bowls and chopsticks on the top shelf and seasonings on the bottom shelf.
The lighting isn't great, but it's quite warm. If it gets too cold, you can gather more firewood and light a fire in the kitchen to keep warm.
“Our educated youth settlement used to be the home of a small landlord. Later, the landlord’s family was overthrown, and the house was left empty. After we educated youth came, the team transformed it into an educated youth settlement. Most of the things here were left behind by the landlord’s family.”
Wang Jiaxing explained while tending the fire.
Li Xiyue nodded, "I see."
"Hurry up and wash up. We'll have breakfast later; consider it a welcome dinner." Breakfast was almost ready, and Wang Jiaxing urged them on.
Li Xiyue had already prepared hot water, and Huang Xinrui exclaimed, "Actually, going to the countryside isn't as scary as I imagined. I think it's pretty good."
What a naive and foolish girl; the real hardships haven't even begun yet.
After washing up, Wang Jiaxing had prepared breakfast, and Li Xiyue and Huang Xinrui returned to the kitchen.
"It's cold, so we'll eat in the kitchen. We can go outside when it gets warmer," Wang Jiaxing said with a smile as he placed the food on the table.
Li Xiyue and Huang Xinrui felt the kitchen was warm and cozy, and that it was a good place to eat.
After all the food was served, Zhao Xiaoli finally arrived late. She sat down with a dark face, glanced at the food, and said with obvious disgust, "Is this all you're going to eat?"
After a busy morning, Wang Jiaxing, who was originally full of enthusiasm, was doused with a bucket of cold water, feeling cold from head to toe.
He didn't have much food left, and he had already prepared all the food he was reluctant to eat in order to welcome them, and she still complained.
Li Xiyue glared at Zhao Xiaoli and said, "If you don't like it, then don't eat it. I think all the food is very good."
“Yes, I think it’s great too. Besides, the gift is secondary; what matters is Brother Wang’s good intentions,” Huang Xinrui added.
They worked so hard to cook for them, providing both food and labor, and she, who was just eating for free, actually complained. That's too much.
Zhao Xiaoli had been holding back her anger all day, and now she couldn't hold it in any longer. "Steamed sweet potatoes, boiled wild vegetables, pickled vegetables, and an old pumpkin—how dare you bring out such shabby stuff?"
The food was bland and watery, with not a trace of oil. She couldn't eat it; she wanted to eat meat.
Wang Jiaxing was furious, his voice trembling as he spoke, "Zhao Zhiqing, you come from a wealthy family and eat well, so naturally I can't compare to you, but you can't say such insulting things."
"Brother Wang, don't pay attention to her," Huang Xinrui quickly advised. "That's just the kind of person she is. Paying attention to her is just giving her face."
Zhao Xiaoli stood up and kicked the stool behind her. "You surnamed Huang, I've put up with you for too long!"
With a thud, the stool fell to the ground, kicking up dust. Zhao Xiaoli pointed at Huang Xinrui and yelled, "What does it have to do with you? 'Big Brother,' oh my, calling him so affectionately. I wonder if you two have been doing something shady behind the scenes? Why are you defending him like this?"
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Wang Jiaxing's face turned red, both from anger and embarrassment.
Huang Xinrui never expected that she would put such a big label on them. She knew that having illicit relationships was illegal, and could result in anything from a ruined reputation to imprisonment.
She was usually quite articulate, but at this moment, she was so angry that her mind went blank, and she stood there with her mouth open for a long time without being able to say a word.
Seeing that the two were too angry to speak, Zhao Xiaoli was extremely smug: "I'm going to report you to the brigade leader for having an affair!"
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