Chapter 85: The Lingering Cold War and the Luo Family

After lunch, Mingdai led Aunt Huang to see the vegetables she had planted. As soon as Aunt Huang stepped into the storage room, she was met with a wave of heat and, seeing the brazier in the middle, marveled at how difficult it must be to grow vegetables in such conditions.

When she looked at the basket of chives, she was pleasantly surprised. “They’re sprouting so soon! Ming, you’re amazing!”

Mingdai was delighted as well. She showed her the other vegetable baskets—not only had the chives grown, but the garlic shoots were about five centimeters tall, and the baby bok choy and spinach had just started to sprout.

When Aunt Huang saw the mushrooms, she was astonished. “Ming, how do you even know how to grow these?”

Mingdai explained that corn cobs could be used to cultivate mushrooms, leaving Aunt Huang wide-eyed with surprise.

“My, you city folks really are something. We’ve farmed our whole lives and never thought corn cobs could be used for mushrooms.”

Sister-in-law Huang interjected, “It’s not that city people are amazing—it’s Ming who’s talented. Just look at those city folk out in the front yard. They’ve been in our village for years and haven’t done anything useful except cause trouble!”

Aunt Huang readily agreed.

Mingdai felt embarrassed. “It’s not that I’m special. I’ve just read a lot of books. If you study enough, you’ll find everything in books.”

Aunt Huang clicked her tongue. “There are even books that teach you how to farm?”

Mingdai nodded. “Yes, there are books on agriculture, and there used to be universities just for agricultural studies.”

Aunt Huang scratched her head in disbelief. “Really? We’ve always learned farming from the older generation. Who would’ve thought there were teachers for it?”

Mingdai encouraged her, “That’s why the children need to go to school. If they don’t, they won’t know anything.”

Sister-in-law Huang nodded. “Mother, let’s send the kids to elementary school in the commune after the New Year.”

Aunt Huang agreed, “Yes, all of them should go. Huang Tao and Huang Xing too!”

She had no intention of being one of those shortsighted old women who favor sons over daughters. If her granddaughters could read and write, maybe they’d have a chance at a city job. That would be far better than working in someone else’s home their whole lives or marrying early.

As long as her own children could go to school, Sister-in-law Huang didn’t care about anything else and proceeded to shower Aunt Huang with flattery.

Mingdai also showed them the bean sprouts she’d grown.

Sister-in-law Huang asked sheepishly, “Ming, I tried growing some at home, but why did they turn smelly in the middle?”

Mingdai thought for a moment. “Did you touch the beans with something greasy?”

Aunt Huang rolled her eyes. “She didn’t wash her hands after eating and went straight to handle the beans.”

Mingdai patiently explained the key points to sprouting beans, and in the end, gave them half a basket of both mung bean and soybean sprouts.

Aunt Huang looked at the remaining sprouts in the basket and calculated the days. “Ming, you can’t eat all these by yourself, and the market will open in a few days. You could take some to trade with the mountain folk—they’d definitely want them.”

Mingdai, who had been worrying about the surplus, nodded happily.

At last, Aunt Huang didn’t forget the reason for her visit and listed what she wanted to exchange. Mingdai wrote everything down, explaining that she’d need to write a letter and wouldn’t know the outcome until the end of the month.

Aunt Huang quickly assured her there was no rush and that she’d leave it all to Mingdai’s arrangement.

When they were leaving, Mingdai wanted to give Aunt Huang half the sugar, since the sesame she’d left was no small amount. Aunt Huang refused, accepting only half the sesame candy and half the hazelnut candy, plus four pieces each of peanut, pine nut, and spun sugar for the children at home.

Zhou Sinian breathed a sigh of relief as he saw half the candy put back, and quickly hid it away in the cupboard.

Mingdai could only smile helplessly.

After seeing Aunt Huang and her family off, Zhou Sinian patted his stomach. “I’m still hungry.”

Mingdai almost laughed. He’d just eaten seven buns at lunch, which had already shocked Aunt Huang into exclaiming she couldn’t afford to feed him, and now he said he was hungry again?

She led him back into her space and cooked him a large bowl of noodles, taking only a small portion for herself.

She’d eaten too many sweets today and needed something salty to balance it out.

After the meal, the two went to work in the fields.

Mingdai planned to open another plot for corn.

She was craving cornmeal dumplings, boiled corn, roasted corn, cheesy corn kernels... She could almost taste them already!

Author: Two Foodies!

In the front yard, at the commune’s youth outpost, Qi Zhijun’s mood was at rock bottom as he watched Fang Rou walk past him without so much as a greeting.

He didn’t even need an apology from her anymore—he just wished she would speak to him. Yet now, not only did she ignore him, she’d stopped riding her bicycle, preferring the oxcart to the commune rather than talking to him.

He was utterly at a loss.

Liu Yan watched his dejected expression from the side, her heart brimming with joy.

This was one of her rare chances to get close to these young city gentlemen. Qi Zhijun—she was determined to win him over!

The more their rift grew, the better!

While one was heartbroken and the other secretly delighted, Fang Rou was utterly unconcerned.

Clutching her bag, she thought that after the New Year, Luo Cheng’s return would be even sooner, and a wave of sweetness welled up inside her.

In the village, many people were sunning themselves in the sheltered spots beside the walls. As they watched her approach in her cloak and red rain boots, they fell silent.

Fang Rou, annoyed by their stares, passed by them with an impassive expression.

In Liujiawan, the tension between the educated youths and the villagers was nothing new, and she saw no reason to get involved. After all, when she married Cheng after all this, she didn’t plan to stay in the village. She intended to take the city exams, which would also help Cheng build a future in the capital.

Once she was out of sight, the curious few finally spoke up.

Old Lady Qing said mysteriously, “Tsk, tsk, young ladies from the capital really are different. Look at what she’s wearing! I’d say this new educated youth, Fang, comes from a much better family than the others. She’s only been here a few months, and she’s already rotated through several outfits. Even her boots—those red rubber rain boots aren’t something just anyone can get. My daughter works at the supply co-op, and I’ve never seen red ones, only black.”

Another woman chimed in, “That’s right, she’s definitely not ordinary.”

The wife of Ergou added, “I heard her family keeps sending parcels, and she’s never short of good things, even though she doesn’t work.”

Others joined in, hoping to flatter Old Lady Qing, so that the next time the supply co-op had good deals, she’d remember them.

With her daughter working in the co-op and married to a city man, and her grandson already in the city as a worker, Old Lady Qing felt superior to the other village women. She felt a strange kinship with the independent Fang Rou among the educated youth and wanted to speak with her.

Unfortunately, Fang Rou rarely spoke to anyone and only went to the Luo family in the village, which stirred plenty of gossip—especially since the Luo family still had an unmarried youngest son!

Fang Rou knew nothing of this. She was blissfully counting down the days until Luo Cheng’s return while waiting for letters from the capital.

Her family’s problems were worse than she’d imagined, and her mother’s tone had never been so grave, demanding the whereabouts of a certain batch of items in her possession.

Fang Rou didn’t reply. She knew that even if she told her mother, it would be useless—the items would only end up gambled away by her father. It was better to keep them hidden until things settled down, far better than the destitution her family had suffered in her past life.

She gave no thought to the turmoil her family in the capital was suffering.

After a while, struggling through the mud, she finally reached her destination.

Staring at the peeling wooden door, she took a deep breath and knocked gently.

A moment later, someone came grumbling to the door.

“Knock, knock, knock! What’s all this knocking for? Who’s traipsing around in this cold for no reason?!”

Fang Rou’s hard-won smile froze on her face.

It was Luo’s eldest sister-in-law, Ding Xiaofeng, who opened the door. The moment she saw it was Fang Rou, her eyes darted to the bag in Fang Rou’s hand, and she broke into a warm smile, calling out enthusiastically, “Oh, it’s Fang! Come in, come in! Mother, Fang’s here!”

She didn’t mention her earlier outburst at all.

Fang Rou felt nothing but disgust, though her smile remained unchanged as she followed her inside.