Chapter 39: Aunt Huang’s Wisdom

After arriving home and unloading the wood, the first thing to do was return the cart. This time, when the Liu family’s door was knocked again, Aunt Huang was already prepared. Seeing Zhou Sinian, who was as tall as the doorframe, she mustered her courage and greeted him, though her voice trembled uncontrollably.

Zhou Sinian glanced at her curiously. Was she really still cold, bundled up in all those layers?

Ming Dai followed behind. Only when the cart had been brought inside did she speak with Aunt Huang. “Auntie, the cart is returned. Here’s some candy for my nephew.”

Aunt Huang pulled her close. “Girl, I treat you as my own daughter, so I’ll be straight with you: you’re far too generous. How much have you given away these past few days? And now you’re feeding someone who eats enough for two—don’t you ever worry about running out?”

Ming Dai hugged her arm with a smile. “Auntie, I’m no fool. Not a single piece of candy has made its way to the group in the front courtyard at the educated youth point. I know exactly who’s good to me—besides you, it’s only my uncle. I love my nephew, and I’m happy to spoil him!”

She winked. “Besides, this was a free gift. Someone gave it to me this morning.”

Aunt Huang’s attention was instantly diverted. “Oh, you wouldn’t believe what happened after you left today. That Song Lanlan started calling the new comrade Fang a capitalist and a waster. Fang didn’t say much, but Qi, who was standing by, wouldn’t have it—they got into a shouting match, and in the end, one of them nearly burst into tears.”

“Who cried?” Ming Dai immediately gossiped.

“Who else—Comrade Qi. Listen, Song Lanlan is no good. She used to be involved with someone at the commune, but after he got transferred, she was left with nothing and finally calmed down in the village...”

Aunt Huang suddenly remembered Ming Dai was only fourteen and probably didn’t understand such things.

As expected, Ming Dai looked at her in confusion.

“Ahem, anyway, just ignore her. She’s no good. Her insults are filthier than the rags old women use to bind their feet.”

Ming Dai nodded. “What did Comrade Fang say?”

Aunt Huang sneered. “Not a word. She just let Comrade Qi stand there and take the scolding while she herself sat in the back, wearing her little gloves and picking at corn as if she wasn’t even working. Listen to your aunt, don’t get close to her. You can rent her your awl, but don’t share your heart. She’s sly beneath that gentle surface—looks down on everyone, thinks she’s fooling us all. We just treat her as a joke; who’d bother otherwise?”

Ming Dai looked at her with genuine admiration. Impressive! Even as a devoted fan of palace intrigue dramas, she didn’t have Aunt Huang’s knack for reading people. If given the chance, Aunt Huang could hold her own against even Liu Dazhu.

Her appreciative gaze delighted Aunt Huang, who patted her soft, youthful cheek. City-bred newcomers always looked this tender, like hard-boiled eggs. But after a year of the harsh northern wind, chilblains and cracked skin would surely follow. Still, why did this little comrade smell so sweet...?

Suddenly, someone standing quietly nearby broke Aunt Huang’s train of thought. It was Zhou Sinian.

He was standing by the stable, nearly scaring the horse. Watching Ming Dai chatting away, he grew impatient. He hadn’t eaten yet!

Ming Dai noticed as well and quickly handed the candy to Aunt Huang. “Auntie, I’d like to buy some cabbage for winter, and some seeds. Please save me some of those chive roots you mentioned.”

Aunt Huang agreed cheerfully.

Back home, they warmed some steamed buns and ate them with egg sauce. Ming Dai took out some smoked sausage from her secret stash, slicing it to go with egg drop soup—enough to soothe Zhou Sinian’s displeasure.

That evening, after discovering the emergency lamp batteries were inexhaustible, Zhou Sinian became fascinated and started tinkering with the lamp. Ming Dai was happy to indulge him, handing him a new one and reminding him to be careful.

Since the whole village was dark, and their house being lit would attract attention, she quickly hung blackout curtains on their windows during the night.

She took out the herbal medicine she’d been simmering and watched Zhou Sinian drink it, delighting in his puckered, bitter expression before handing him two chocolates as a reward.

Giving him instructions not to stay up too late, she left, ignoring his look of protest.

But this time, Zhou Sinian had learned his lesson. He ate the two new chocolates Ming Dai had given him before brushing his teeth—no more going to bed hungry after brushing.

The next morning, after her usual routine of searching for her phone, Ming Dai got up and tied her hair in front of the mirror, noticing that her dry, damaged hair had improved a lot. She still looked like a fair-haired country girl, but no longer a wilted one. In good spirits, she went out to the spotless courtyard and gave Zhou Sinian a thumbs up. The chestnuts they’d gathered last night would be ready to bring in by tonight.

Although she had that magical storage space, Ming Dai kept to her planned routine and didn’t depend on it for everything. Zhou Sinian agreed wholeheartedly.

In the kitchen, she poured water to wash up. After handing the herbal medicine to a reluctant Zhou Sinian, she started breakfast. There were still steamed buns, but they’d finished the egg sauce, which Zhou Sinian said he liked.

Ming Dai happily agreed. She fetched two crisp cucumbers, washed them, and handed one to each of them.

Biting into his cucumber, Zhou Sinian suddenly said, “I’ve had these before.”

Ming Dai sipped her milk, determined to grow taller. “When?”

“When the bugs were singing.”

“Oh, that’s summer.”

“Yes. I ate a lot, and there were red fruits too—I ate those as well.”

“How many?”

Zhou Sinian thought for a moment. “A whole basket.”

Looking at the basket on the table, Ming Dai mourned for whichever household had lost all their cucumbers to Zhou Sinian that summer. What she didn’t know was that Zhou Sinian had made sure to spread the loss around—he’d cleaned out every family’s supply. Summer was the season he ate the best.

After breakfast, Zhou Sinian cleared the table while Ming Dai waited, eyeing the firewood piled in the courtyard and thinking they should build a shed to cover it. She glanced at the chestnuts, realizing the pine nuts couldn’t be left to dry like that—they’d need a rack. There were places in the courtyard that needed repairs, and as she thought further, her mind began to wander.

It was Zhou Sinian who brought her back to the present. Looking at his bare forehead and bright red kerchief, Ming Dai silently tied on her own green one.

They joined the crowd heading to work at the granary. People still kept their distance from Zhou Sinian, but since he’d behaved himself for several days, they were less wary, if no less inclined to approach him.

Ming Dai noticed something was off at the educated youth point. Previously, the old and new arrivals weren’t close, but they weren’t at odds either. Now, a clear divide had formed; they no longer even walked together.

Qin Fangfang was troubled. Yesterday, a conflict had broken out between the old and new educated youth. She wasn’t quick-witted enough to keep up and didn’t even understand what they were arguing about before the two sides split up and started eating separately.

Worrying about their dwindling rations and their lack of a kitchen, Qin Fangfang was at a loss. Only Cai Mingcheng managed to calm her, assuring her to just follow everyone else’s lead and focus on their own tasks.

The issue was finally resolved when Fang Rou intervened. “Didn’t we finish building the kang? I’ve also partitioned off a small room as a kitchen. From now on, we can cook at my place.”

The new arrivals were delighted; at last, the problem was solved, and they felt more confident.

But with Fang Rou and Qi Zhijun’s allegiance, the old-timers had completely broken with the newcomers. In the end, they stopped speaking to each other altogether.

None of this touched Ming Dai’s life, however. She continued as before.