Chapter 41: The Parcel from the New Educated Youth, Daily Life

The next day, when Mingdai went to work, she noticed Fang Rou was absent; the awl was returned to her by a sister-in-law from the Luo family. After overhearing some gossip, she learned that the postman had told them their parcels had arrived and they needed to collect them.

No one thought much of it, but when the two returned that afternoon, they set off a wildfire of rumors throughout the village.

The reason was they’d brought back a whole cartload of parcels.

According to a passerby aunt who was eager to reveal her identity, “There were over thirty parcels, big and small, and they say they haven’t finished moving them yet—there’ll be more tomorrow!”

“There was even a bicycle, sent all the way from the capital! The postage alone could buy another bike!”

“And I think I saw a sewing machine—it looked just like the one I saw once at the commune!”

“Oh my goodness! Is it true? If it is, that’s the first bicycle and sewing machine in our commune!”

“That’s nothing. Comrade Xiao Qi, the educated youth, has a radio. Do you know what a radio is? It’s a box where lots of people live—they chat, tell stories, all day long.”

“Really? Is there actually someone inside?”

“Don’t listen to her nonsense! How could so many people fit in such a tiny box?”

“Then how does it talk?”

“I don’t know, I’ve got work to do—no time for idle chatter!”

...

Mingdai was unaware of all this; she was on the mountain searching for wild pheasants with Zhou Sinian.

She was craving chicken soup, and Zhou Sinian needed chicken for his medicinal dishes. Although Mingdai had fresh chicken meat in her space, she wanted to taste wild pheasant.

When they reached the mountain, Zhou Sinian’s presence suddenly shifted. If he hadn’t been right beside her, Mingdai would have lost all sense of him. Truly remarkable! He must be a martial arts prodigy.

Unaware that Mingdai was mentally equating him with a hero from a wuxia novel, Zhou Sinian led her toward a spot where he'd previously seen wild pheasants.

Walking along the mountain path for a while, Zhou Sinian suddenly stopped her and pressed her body down.

He pointed ahead—there, in a basin, was a flock of wild pheasants scratching at the earth!

Heavens! I’m seeing phoenixes! Mingdai bit her hand in excitement.

So beautiful—surely they must taste wonderful!

Before Zhou Sinian could act, Mingdai swept up the entire flock at once. Among them were several young chicks, perfect to keep as reserve ingredients.

Surveying the scene, she found nests and eggs on the ground.

Using the treasure-seeking function in her space, she quickly distinguished between fertilized eggs and regular eggs.

She left the fertilized ones in the nests to deliver to the backyard flock; the rest she stored away for later use.

“Let’s keep going!” Zhou Sinian encouraged her; he’d said the mountain was full of wild pheasants, so there was no risk of wiping them out.

They collected two more nests and placed them all in the backyard.

After catching pheasants, Mingdai was fully satisfied—they decided next time they’d hunt rabbits.

Compared to wild pheasants, the rabbits on Boar Ridge were truly rampant.

Suddenly, Mingdai wondered, since this place was named Boar Ridge, were there actually wild boars here?

Zhou Sinian nodded. Of course!

Her first reaction was fear, the second was excitement!

She wondered if wild boar meat tasted good.

On their way back, Mingdai searched the mountain for decayed wood—not for firewood, but for wood ear mushrooms.

Wandering and searching, she soon found over a dozen logs covered in mushrooms.

She placed them along the villa’s outer wall, letting them grow freely for long-term harvesting.

With chicks in hand and mushrooms in storage, she had to make stewed chicken with mushrooms tonight.

That evening, Mingdai extravagantly slaughtered four birds.

Two were used for stewed chicken and mushrooms, one for chicken soup, and one for medicinal stew.

Unfortunately, her plan to raise chickens was foiled; wild pheasants were too aggressive, and the ones they ate tonight were casualties of a three-nest battle.

Now Zhou Sinian was outside slaughtering the rest; she planned to store them all, taking them out as needed.

Given the tense atmosphere in the front yard, Mingdai prepared dinner in her space and ate there as well.

She even used a rice cooker to steam a pot of rice.

Stewed chicken and mushrooms must be paired with white rice!

Wild pheasant was much tougher than domestic chicken, but all the meat clung to the bone and was pleasantly chewy—perfect for two with strong teeth!

Accustomed to farm-raised chickens in her previous life, Mingdai found she preferred the wild ones.

The chicken soup was more fragrant and less greasy, with angelica, red dates, and astragalus added for nourishing qi and blood—ideal for the two of them.

Eating chicken soup with rice, their souls were cleansed anew by delicious food.

Even when taking medicine that night, Zhou Sinian was noticeably more cooperative.

After their bath, each had two hot water bottles warming their bedding—no deity could tempt them to trade this life!

To avoid suspicion, Mingdai no longer used electric warmers, opting instead for rubber hot water bottles.

Zhou Sinian asked her to sew matching covers and straps for his bottles, making them quite cute.

His room was no longer the barren space it once was.

He now had a kang cabinet, a kang table, glass windows, and blackout curtains.

A shoe rack was placed on the floor, a cabinet stood in the corner with a mirror on top.

The quilt cover was still old, but inside it new cotton had been added, fluffy and soft—sleeping on clouds.

Mingdai had lengthened his quilt, so he no longer had to curl up at night.

Sleeping in pajamas for the first time, his head no longer ached!

Now, he lay in bed reading picture books under the soft glow of the emergency lamp—not harsh at all.

It felt as if he lived in heaven.

At the educated youth’s quarters in the front yard, Fang Rou surveyed her newly decorated room with satisfaction.

She’d divided one room into two; the outer room became a tiny kitchen, just enough for cooking.

The inner room’s centerpiece was the kang, with a gauzy pink canopy creating a private space.

When the pink canopy was drawn, it felt girlish and dreamy, though it clashed with the dark roof.

Lacking practical experience, she heated the kang daily; with the added kitchen, the pink canopy wouldn’t last a week before changing color.

But she was happy for now.

The kang table and cabinet were arranged, and she’d placed a dressing table on the floor, its surface covered with jars and bottles.

In the corner stood a large wardrobe, stuffed with new clothes sent from home.

Beside the wardrobe was a brand-new sewing machine, gleaming brightly.

Near the outer room was a table, two chairs, and a cupboard packed full.

Finally, a beaded curtain separated the two spaces.

The new educated youths admired her room, especially Liu Yan, who secretly hoped to move in.

Fang Rou brought out the receipt from the team leader—she’d paid twenty yuan per year to rent the room and set up the kang herself. If anyone wanted to join her, they’d have to share all costs.

Liu Yan immediately fell silent.

Meanwhile, Qi Zhijun in the other room was delighted. He hadn’t expected his mother to treat him so well—not only sending a bicycle but also a radio.

He’d never enjoyed this in the capital; coming to the countryside was the right choice!

Unbeknownst to him, his mother was now regretting her rivalry with Fang Rou’s mother, having spent so much to send the bike and radio.

Qi Zhijun had no idea these costs would be deducted from his future allowance; he was still grinning from ear to ear.

Afterwards, the new educated youths became more united.

They cooked meals in Fang Rou’s kitchen and ate at Qi Zhijun’s table.

As expected, Fang Rou’s pink canopy didn’t last a week before it was removed, but she had no solution.

She truly couldn’t cook—in her previous life, her in-laws had criticized her endlessly. Now, she wanted to learn, but her attempts produced food not even fit for dogs. So she had to cooperate with the other newcomers to eat together.

However, she had plenty of things to prepare small meals privately, and with Qi Zhijun’s bike, the two often dined at restaurants, which sparked much commentary in the village.

Soon, everyone’s attention shifted to Fang Rou and Qi Zhijun, and the gossip about Mingdai and Zhou Sinian gradually faded.