Chapter 28: Chapter 28: Yin Xuemei Comes Looking

An Ning heard her.

She had always been wary of Miao Xiaohua. Her expression remained one of anger, but her heart was in turmoil. ’No more rain?’

Having worked the fields for the past two days, An Ning knew just how important rain was this season.

Based on the current amount of sunlight, she estimated the fields would need rain again in about a week.

An Ning turned back and continued working, but she began to re-evaluate Miao Xiaohua’s role.

Meanwhile, Miao Xiaohua was also lost in thought. She didn’t know what the old An Ning was like, but the current An Ning made her uneasy.

She just had to test her.

"An Ning, do you know what a cell phone is?"

"Is it as tasty as a pheasant?"

An Ning’s retort made Miao Xiaohua burst out laughing. It was a mocking laugh.

But she quickly spoke again.

"Imperial Court Jade Liquid Wine?"

An Ning’s only reply was a look that said she was staring at an idiot.

"Miao Xiaohua, if you’re not going to work, get away from me. I don’t want to be near you."

An Ning picked up her pace, leaving Miao Xiaohua far behind. Seeing this, Miao Xiaohua finally felt relieved. ’No one can resist that meme.’

At that moment, Miao Xiaohua felt a sense of superiority, a feeling of being above everyone else.

An Ning quickly finished her work on those few rows and moved to a new spot. As for the matter of no rain, she planned to ask An Sancheng about it.

After all, she didn’t have much experience when it came to farming.

The workday always flew by. At noon, everyone went home for a quick meal and a short rest, waiting for the harshest of the sun to pass before returning to the fields. They worked until just after six and then headed home.

An Ning was walking back with the An family when someone called out to her near the Educated Youth spot.

"An Ning!"

An Ning stopped. It was Yin Xuemei, the Educated Youth who had taught her characters yesterday.

Yin Xuemei walked up to An Ning, holding a rather thick book.

"An Ning, this is a dictionary. It has all the Chinese characters. As long as you know Pinyin, you’ll be able to read them."

"What’s Pinyin?"

An Ning took the dictionary and flipped it open. She barely recognized any of the dense, block-like characters.

"I forgot about that."

Yin Xuemei couldn’t forget the look in An Ning’s eyes when she was learning characters. That, combined with An Ning’s possible photographic memory, compelled her to bring the dictionary, even though she hadn’t wanted to meddle.

"Do you know Pinyin? Could you teach me?"

"I do."

Yin Xuemei nodded and then said with a smile, "I’m free tonight. If you’re willing to learn, I can teach you."

"Thank you. I’ll be there."

An Ning wasn’t just being polite. She wanted to learn to read; she *needed* to learn to read.

"Alright, I’ll be going then."

Yin Xuemei gave An Ning a nod and turned to enter the Educated Youth courtyard.

An Ning held the dictionary behind her back and headed home.

That evening, An Guoming cooked dinner. It was another dish An Ning had never seen before: corn pancakes with wild vegetables.

There was a basin of the vegetable pancakes and a basin of egg and bok choy soup.

Lin Cuihua had just washed her hands and was about to sit down, but her bottom hadn’t even touched the stool before she shot right back up with a SWOOSH.

"Second Son! You little spendthrift! How many eggs did you put in this?!"

"You little brat, get over here right now!"

Lin Cuihua unleashed a torrent of dialect, leaving An Ning completely baffled.

’Little spendthrift, little brat... are these more of Second Brother’s nicknames?’

’Why does Second Brother have so many nicknames?’

An Guoming, who was by the door, immediately grinned and ducked behind An Ning.

"Mom, Little Sis and I earned money today! A few extra eggs won’t hurt. It’s to replenish everyone’s energy."

"Little Sis, you want to eat eggs, don’t you?"

An Ning nodded honestly. She did indeed want to eat them.

Lin Cuihua wasn’t truly angry, just accustomed to being frugal. Eggs weren’t just for nourishment; they could also be sold for money.

"Just this once! If there’s a next time, see how I’ll deal with you!"

Lin Cuihua shot a glare at An Guoming, and everyone else came inside and sat down, ready to eat.

An Ning picked up a corn pancake. The filling was a mixture of some green vegetable and egg, with a few glass noodles mixed in. She took a bite. It was delicious.

"Delicious."

An Ning’s praise made An Guoming grin even wider. He personally placed another pancake in her bowl.

"If you like it, eat more. You’re the hero of the day, after all."

An Guoming told everyone about how An Ning had caught the pheasants and sold them for money.

An Sancheng put down the pancake in his hand and said, "Of that twenty-five yuan, you two will hand over fifteen. You can split the rest yourselves. We won’t get involved."

"That goes for any money you earn in the future, too."

Neither An Guoming nor An Ning had any objections. As for their older brother, An Guoqing, he didn’t care at all, and their sister-in-law understood the situation and wasn’t greedy.

The main thing was that An Sancheng was a fair head of the household, which put her at ease.

When dinner was over, a rare sight remained in An Ning’s bowl: a leftover corn pancake.

"What’s wrong? Not hungry today?"

"No, I want to give it to someone."

An Ning held the pancake, looking for a suitable container. In the end, it was Lin Cuihua who gave her a bowl.

"Who are you giving it to?"

"Yin Xuemei, the Educated Youth. She’s teaching me to read."

An Ning held the pancake in one hand and the dictionary in the other.

Yin Xuemei was a girl’s name. The few people in the room relaxed, happy that An Ning had found someone to talk to.

"Go on, go on."

An Ning took the pancake and the dictionary and went to the Educated Youth spot to find Yin Xuemei.

When she arrived at the Educated Youth spot, An Ning called out to a random person.

"I’m looking for Yin Xuemei."

"Ah... hold on. Yin Xuemei, someone’s looking for you!"

The person yelled toward the doorway. An Ning thanked them, and Yin Xuemei quickly ran out.

"An Ning."

"A pancake for you. This is my tuition."

Yin Xuemei stared at the pancake in An Ning’s hand for a few moments before finally accepting it.

"Wait for me. I’ll put the pancake inside. We can study out here; it’s brighter than indoors."

An Ning had no objection.

Yin Xuemei was quick. When she came back out, the two of them went off to the side, found two large rocks to sit on, and Yin Xuemei, holding the dictionary and a notebook, explained Pinyin to An Ning.

"How was that?"

"I’ve memorized it. Thank you, this Pinyin is very useful."

Looking at the firm and confident An Ning, Yin Xuemei couldn’t help but ask, "You don’t mind if I test you, do you?"

"I don’t mind."

Next, Yin Xuemei randomly flipped to several characters in the dictionary, and An Ning was able to read all of them using Pinyin.

"An Ning, do you have any idea how smart you are?"

Yin Xuemei was even more excited than An Ning. She loved to study but was simply born in the wrong era.

"Of course, I know."

"PFFT—"

Yin Xuemei couldn’t help but laugh at An Ning’s deadpan "I know."

"I think you should go to school. You’d definitely get into a university and get out of this village."

An Ning closed the dictionary in her hand and shook her head in disagreement.

"No way. Studying would get in the way of my farming."

Yin Xuemei was struck speechless by An Ning’s words. It was the first time she had ever heard that studying could get in the way of farming.

"An Ning... I..."

Yin Xuemei stammered for a long time, unable to find the right words. In the end, only one sentence came out.

"I think you should tell your family how smart you are."

"If I tell them, will you lend me the dictionary?"

Yin Xuemei didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but she nodded. An Ning, for her part, went home completely satisfied, ready to learn to read and end her illiteracy.