Educated Youth in the Countryside: She is the Village's Embroidery Queen!-Chapter 460: Not One to Seek Sympathy

Grandpa took a sip of his drink and, with a confident look, said, "Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on them."

Ma Baoshan and the others twitched their mouths, feeling as if they were being treated like three-year-olds.

But considering the delicious feast Xiao Yi prepared for them, they had to give Old Qin some face.

So, after exchanging glances, the four of them said in unison to Yi Chichi, "Don’t worry, we’ll listen to your grandpa."

With that, the topic came to an end.

After eating and drinking their fill, the group didn’t leave immediately but continued to sit and chat.

They talked about current affairs, changes in the South, and what Yi Chichi saw on her way back.

Then she was teased.

"You traveled thousands of kilometers and didn’t pay attention to anything?"

Yi Chichi, holding Big Orange and petting the cat, listened to her Uncle Ye’s teasing and felt so wronged she almost wanted to cry.

"Uncle, do you forget that I was on a train? The train couldn’t exactly stop for me to understand the local situation before bringing me back."

She didn’t have such influence.

Ye Yuntang paused for a moment, wondering if he could admit that he had forgotten about this.

"My mistake, you were wronged," he said.

He rummaged through his pockets and found the red shrimp pastry that Qin Jiu had given him, handing it over, "Here, have it. Forgive your uncle!"

"Forgiven!"

Waving her hand, she said, "Forget the sweets, I’m not really into them!"

"Then what do you like to eat?"

"Pig’s trotters!"

Talking about what she wanted to eat lit up her eyes, "The kind that’s first braised then roasted, and finally sprinkled with chili powder..."

Then she enthusiastically described the taste and appearance of roasted pig’s trotters in detail, not only making herself drool but also rendering everyone else silent.

They all wanted such pig trotters, not just her.

However, it was just a thought.

Unexpectedly, Wen’s mother took her words to heart, secretly deciding to fulfill her wish.

But—the question was, "Can you just grill it over the fire?"

"No, you need to use charcoal," Ma Baoshan’s grandfather, an expert in food and a regular at barbecue, explained, "If you grill it over an open flame, the pig’s trotters will turn black, which isn’t appealing and affects the appetite."

Mr. Song blurted out, "You can’t even get meat now, yet you’re considering these things. You’ve got leisure time to spare indeed."

"Just because I can’t eat them doesn’t mean Chichi can’t. If she can eat them, it means I can too. Is it overthinking to consider it?"

Mr. Ma, accustomed to responding smoothly, retorted with a convincing logic.

Yi Chichi pondered for a moment, "I’ll go to the meat processing plant tomorrow to see if I can exchange for some pig trotters."

If she could get them, roasted pig trotters would be on the menu.

Perfect!

Wen’s mother, hearing this, beamed, "Are you going to the commune tomorrow?"

"I need to pick up a package."

She had sent back so many things and hadn’t collected them yet.

Wen’s mother replied, "Then bring two jars of soy paste for Wen Shi."

"Okay!"

The grandfathers had things they wanted her to bring back too. When the list was mentioned, Qin Jiu wondered, "Why not ask Captain Grandpa to help?"

"It’s not convenient."

Wen’s mother ruffled his hair, "Your aunt can take it, or I can take it, but no one else in the village can."

Implying: The team leaders are trustworthy.

Others, not so much.

"Xiao Jiu, you must know that there are many eyes and human nature can be base," Wen’s mother explained.

Qin Jiu understood, he said, "When Grandpa and I were fine, Fatty would come to play with me every day. Even if I didn’t want to play with him, he would cling on. But when something happened to us, he started throwing stones and bricks at me and Grandpa, even calling us names."

This was something Yi Chichi and the others didn’t know.

She looked at Grandpa, "You never told me about this."

"It’s all in the past, not worth mentioning," the iron-willed grandpa said, not one for self-pity as he stood up, "It’s getting late. If I don’t go back now, the fire in the kang will go out."

This was a serious matter.

In the freezing cold, without the heated kang, these old men couldn’t survive.

Yi Chichi and the daughter-in-law knew this too, so they didn’t insist on him staying. Instead, they escorted the grandpas back, checked inside and outside to ensure there was enough firewood, that the kang was warm, and the quilts were thick before leaving.

That night, Wen’s mother slept with her, and Qin Jiu trotted in to join.

The kang was big, so they all slept together.

Two cats snuggled into his quilt; one person and two cats fell asleep.

Yi Chichi and Wen’s mother whispered to each other until they fell asleep. When she woke, Wen’s mother and Qin Jiu were gone, along with Big Orange and the others.

She threw off the quilt, sat up, and the first thing she did was take a big sip of water.

After a night on the kang, her throat was parched.

The kang had been too warm last night, reminding her to tell Wen’s mother to tone down the heat tonight.

Once dressed and outside, an enticing aroma wafted in.

She sniffed around and trotted to the kitchen, "Mom, what are you cooking? It smells so good!"

"Pork crackling noodles, want some?"

"Yes!"

"Go wash up."

"Alright!"

Five minutes later, having tidied up, Yi Chichi appeared at the dining table where Wen’s mother and Qin Jiu were already eating.

"Want any chili?"

Pointing at a small clay pot, Wen’s mother reached out a hand.

"Mom, you eat, I’ll do it myself," Yi Chichi opened the pot, quickly scooped two spoonfuls of chili oil onto the noodles, took her chopsticks, mixed it all up, and then stuffed a bite into her mouth.

Just as she was about to chew, Liu Lan arrived.

"Chichi, I’m here to start work," she said, noticing the family of three having breakfast, "Oh, you’re eating."

"Hmm," Yi Chichi nodded, swallowing her mouthful of rich, slightly spicy noodles, and asked if she’d eaten, offering some if she hadn’t.

Liu Lan’s reply was that she’d already eaten.

"There’s no work today; I need to meet Uncle Yaozi at the medical clinic at nine and go to the commune," Yi Chichi informed her.

Liu Lan, "...Should I come back this afternoon then?"

"No need," she said lazily after sipping some noodle soup, "Wait for me to finish, and I’ll get you the money. Come back tomorrow."

She hoped to be spared today; going out to the commune was enough to make one an icicle.

Work wasn’t happening. She needed rest.

Liu Lan quickly explained, "I’m here not for money, just purely to work with you."

The house was too noisy, affecting her work and income.

Yi Chichi rolled her eyes, "I never said you were here for money; don’t overthink it. Today, go home and spend the day with your kids. We’ll be busy from tomorrow until the New Year."

While talking, she finished her bowl of noodles.

"Mom, Xiao Jiu, you eat slowly. I’ll take Lanlan inside."

Wen’s mother and Qin Jiu gave their approval, and Yi Chichi led Liu Lan inside, fetching her money and tickets from the kang box and handing them over, "Five hundred and twenty-six yuan and thirty cents. Count it. The rest was exchanged for national tickets as you requested."

Liu Lan’s outstretched hand withdrew, "Why is there over a hundred more?"

"The size and pattern are different, so the price at the Friendship Store varies," Yi Chichi explained the price change, and Liu Lan realized, accepting the money without bothering to count it and only checking the tickets.

After tallying them, she sighed in relief, "Finally, I have national food tickets."