People who eat melon are in 70 - Chapter 36

Having been in the countryside for a while, Zhao Yonglan had also learned some local curses.

Zhou Zhenfeng didn’t expect Zhao Yonglan to curse at him; he was completely dumbfounded. “Comrade Zhao Yonglan, how can you be so vulgar?”

During this time, Zhao Yonglan had been utterly disgusted by Zhou Zhenfeng. Working hard was really exhausting, and who wanted to hear his nonsensical poetry about autumn winds blowing away leaves, like the footsteps you’ve taken across my heart?

What did that have to do with anything? A couple of days ago, when everyone was dead tired, he picked a few wilted wildflowers and paired them with two dog tail grasses, claiming they were a gift for her. Was that supposed to be romantic? The flowers had lost most of their petals!

“What’s vulgar about it? Who’s being vulgar? I work every day until I feel like I could just lie down and sleep on the ground until I die. Who has the time to accompany you? Of course, if you died today, I could still muster up the energy to play a couple of tunes on your grave, no matter how tired I am,” Zhao Yonglan was fed up; she had never met anyone like Zhou Zhenfeng before. He was like a snotty worm—once you got stuck with him, you couldn’t shake him off.

Zhou Zhenfeng’s face turned pale with anger. “Comrade Zhao Yonglan, you need to understand that my feelings for you are not a reason for you to trample on my sincerity. You’ve gone too far!”

Without waiting for Zhao Yonglan to respond, he tossed his sleeves and returned to his room, throwing the book in his hand onto the bed. He glanced through the window at the three female youth in the courtyard, his gaze dark and sinister. Zhao Rongguang happened to see this and frowned slightly.

That evening, Li Yunying and Wang Shanxi cooked together. Li Yunying’s chicken stew with mushrooms was delicious; the meat was sliced, boiled, and then stir-fried with potatoes and peppers.

This meal had meat and plenty of oil, and everyone ate exceptionally well.

After the autumn harvest, the villagers couldn’t rest yet. They had to go up the mountain to collect firewood, look for wild fruits, and gather food from their own plots to store for the winter. The young intellectuals slept soundly for two full days.

It wasn’t until the third day that they truly felt rested.

On the morning of the fourth day, Jiang Yutao decided to take a trip to the county town, but Gu Nianwei didn’t plan to go. After the incident with Lin Jianzong, Gu Nianwei had decided to temporarily stop reselling goods, at least for the next two years.

Now that Lin Jianzong was no longer in public office, he would definitely keep a close watch on her. If she acted rashly, it would be like handing him a handle on her.

Gu Nianwei not going was a relief to Jiang Yutao. She valued her friendship with Gu Nianwei very much, but even the best of friends needed some personal space, didn’t they? They were inseparable every day, and it made it impossible for her to do anything sneaky.

After the autumn harvest, more young intellectuals were going to the commune and the county town. Jiang Yutao politely asked around the young intellectual dormitory, but Zhang Huihui, Zhao Yonglan, and Li Yunying didn’t want to go out. After the harvest, they were all sore and didn’t feel like going anywhere.

This was just what Jiang Yutao wanted. She took the bus to the commune by herself. When she reached the bridge at the entrance of the commune, Jiang Yutao saw Wang Yuan again, who had once been part of the team in the village but had married poorly.

Last time she had come with three children, but this time she only brought one. In front of her lay some homegrown produce—this time it was pumpkins, which didn’t look good at all. They were small and skinny, with many worm holes.

Jiang Yutao recalled what Li Yunying had said and walked over.

Wang Yuan had been looking down. When she noticed someone approaching, she raised her head. Upon seeing it was Jiang Yutao, she was momentarily taken aback, then glanced behind her, seeing that there was only Jiang Yutao. A hint of disappointment flashed in her eyes. “I remember you. You were also a young intellectual sent to Liushugou, right?”

Wang Yuan’s voice was very pleasant—soft and delicate. Looking at her face, even though she had lost weight and developed spots, her facial features still revealed the beauty of her youth. Perhaps that was not quite right; even now, she was still young. It was just that her harsh life had made her look like she was in her forties when she was not yet thirty.

Jiang Yutao didn’t expect Wang Yuan would remember her. She nodded, “Yes, I just came to Liushugou this year. Are you still selling pumpkins? How much?”

As Jiang Yutao spoke, she reached into her pocket for money, but Wang Yuan shook her head. “These pumpkins don’t look good; they’re neither sweet nor flavorful. It wouldn’t be worth buying them. I’m going back soon.”

Wang Yuan quickly packed the pumpkins into a bag and placed it in her basket, moving so swiftly that Jiang Yutao didn’t have time to react.

The child on Wang Yuan’s back caught Jiang Yutao’s attention. It was a very thin child with no flesh on her face and large eyes that seemed to take up half her face. She was nibbling on her fingers while looking at Jiang Yutao with clear, innocent eyes.

Jiang Yutao seemed to see her childhood self; she had a photo from when she had just entered kindergarten, and she had been just as thin then.

She took a handful of candy from her space and placed it in Wang Yuan’s basket, unwrapped one piece, and stuffed it into the child’s hand. When she noticed Wang Yuan watching her, Jiang Yutao said, “Take it back for the child to eat.”

Wang Yuan shifted the child on her back to her left hand and turned her head to watch the child’s happy expression as she ate the candy. A deep sadness reflected in Wang Yuan’s eyes.

After a moment, she blinked and said thank you to Jiang Yutao. Since they weren’t very familiar, Jiang Yutao nodded at her and said, “I need to go to the county town. I’m afraid I won’t catch the bus if I don’t leave now.”

Wang Yuan politely wished her a safe journey. After Jiang Yutao took a few steps, Wang Yuan called out to her.

Turning around, Jiang Yutao saw Wang Yuan say, “Can you ask Yunying to come to my house tomorrow? I need to find her urgently, but something has come up at home, and I can’t leave for the time being. Since I happened to run into you, I’d appreciate it if you could pass on the message.”

It wasn’t a big deal, so Jiang Yutao agreed. Wang Yuan waved at her and continued on her way, carrying the child on her back.

For some reason, Jiang Yutao watched her figure for a long time.

When she finally sat on the bus to the county town, she still felt something was off, but she didn’t think too much about it.

Upon arriving in the county town, Jiang Yutao opened the system map, found an empty alley, and took out all the items she had purchased from the system. Then, she carried the various packages toward the post office.

The post office in the county town was much larger than the postal station in the commune, with many more staff members. Jiang Yutao requested a shipping form from the workers, filled in her name and home address, and then the staff packed her items into a bag, weighed them, and calculated the shipping cost.

The items weighed nearly twenty pounds, but the postage was very cheap; she only spent two or three yuan.

After exiting the post office, Jiang Yutao let out a heavy sigh of relief, feeling that the weight of those heavy emotions pressing down on her heart had lightened a bit.

She went to the grain station and exchanged all the grain coupons that Ying Caiyun had given her when she came to the countryside. Once she found a secluded spot, she mixed the flour and rice rewarded by the system with the grain she had exchanged that day.

After putting everything into her space, Jiang Yutao’s gaze landed on the sunflower seeds that occupied a separate section in her backpack.

Since she started the task, aside from the original flavor of sunflower seeds, she had accumulated two more varieties: cream-flavored and spiced seeds, totaling around ten pounds. Even though they had consumed some, the remaining amount was still quite substantial.

Moreover, according to the eating seed system’s usual practice, Jiang Yutao was confident that she would definitely have an endless supply of sunflower seeds in the future.

“Let’s go, let’s go! We need to hurry! My sister said that the cinema is showing ‘The Shining Red Star’ today. We missed it last time, so we must see it this time. Otherwise, when Zhang Xiaoran and the others talk about the movie, we won’t know what they’re talking about.” A group of children around ten years old walked past Jiang Yutao.

“I know, I know! I’ll ask my grandma for money. We’ll buy tickets and go in soon. We definitely have to watch it today; otherwise, we’ll definitely be called backward.”

As soon as the children heard that they would be considered backward, they all started running. Jiang Yutao’s eyes lit up instantly.

The cinema has always been the best place to sell snacks; if she took sunflower seeds there to sell, her business would surely be good.

Determined, Jiang Yutao rummaged through the system and bought a military green crossbody bag and a glass teacup that weighed one or two ounces. She also bought a set of makeup to darken her face a shade and put some sunflower seeds in her pocket. After grabbing a seed and tasting it, she found it to be cream-flavored.

She headed toward the state-owned store she had visited with Gu Nianwei before; the cinema was built in that area.

No matter when, the cinema is always the most attractive place for young people. Before Jiang Yutao even got close, she saw many well-dressed young people coming in and out of the cinema.

Jiang Yutao found a spot that was a must-pass for everyone entering and exiting, but not too eye-catching, and stood there.

As Jiang Yutao noticed a young couple heading toward the cinema, she observed them closely. Seeing that they were well-dressed and the woman was taking the lead in the conversation, she approached them and quietly asked, “Sister, brother, would you like to buy some sunflower seeds?”

In an era when calling customers “handsome” or “beautiful” was not an option, addressing anyone as “brother” or “sister” was definitely a safe bet.

This young couple came to the cinema almost every week, but no one had ever stopped them to sell anything. The young woman immediately showed interest: “What kind of sunflower seeds?”

Jiang Yutao pulled out a small handful of seeds from her pocket and handed them to the young woman. “They’re sweet, made from our homegrown seeds. It’s not much, but sister, give it a try.”

The young woman had eaten plenty of sunflower seeds before, but she had never tasted sweet ones. Her interest deepened as she put a seed in her mouth. A sweet and fragrant flavor spread throughout her mouth. Her eyes lit up as she removed the sweet coating and cracked open the seed. The unknown aroma had penetrated the seed’s kernel, making it incredibly flavorful.

The young woman had never tasted such delicious sunflower seeds before. “How much are these seeds?”

“Three cents for one cup, five cents for two cups,” Jiang Yutao said, shaking the glass cup in her hand.

The young woman didn’t say anything, but the young man thought it was expensive. “Other people can buy a cup for just one cent; this is too pricey.”

Jiang Yutao had already researched the market rates. She replied, “Brother, you get what you pay for. The seeds you buy for one cent a cup are plain. Ours are different; they’re sweet! The cost alone is quite a bit. If you don’t believe me, just ask your sister if they’re good and if they’re worth the price.”

Jiang Yutao quickly finished the small handful of sunflower seeds she had grabbed. The young woman felt it wasn’t enough and, noticing her partner looking at her, quickly nodded. “They’re delicious; the flavor is really good. Let’s buy more and take some back to share with my uncle and aunt. I’ll also bring some for my parents. They’ve never had such tasty seeds before, and if I bring them home, they’ll definitely treat you differently.”

Hearing his partner say this, the young man, eager to win over his future in-laws, immediately stopped thinking they were expensive. His salary wasn’t low, and he could afford the five cents for two cups, so he said, “Then give me two dimes’ worth.”

Five cents for two cups meant one dime was four cups, and two dimes was eight cups. Each cup weighed one tael, so this single customer would buy nearly half a kilogram—definitely a big customer.

But don’t underestimate those two dimes; Jiang Yutao worked all day in the fields to earn just over a dime for her labor points!

That two dimes could offset her earnings for an entire day. Plus, the sunflower seeds were all rewards from the system, making this a no-cost business venture—selling even for a penny would be profit!

Jiang Yutao smiled, quickly filled up eight cups, and her once bulging backpack immediately shrank by half.

The young man took a handful of seeds to taste. His earlier perception of them being expensive vanished, and he thought they were well worth it. Just for the sweetness, these seeds were worth the price.

“Don’t take any for my parents; just give them all to yours. I remember your younger siblings love sweet things the most. If they enjoy them, they’ll definitely say nice things about me later.” The young man quickly decided to take the seeds to please his future in-laws.

Jiang Yutao beamed, saying, “Sister, your partner is really good to you! I’ve sold quite a few sunflower seeds, but I’ve never seen anyone wanting to buy seeds to take home to their partner’s parents. You’ve found a good one; life will surely be great from now on.”

Although this was Jiang Yutao’s first time setting up a stall to sell sunflower seeds, and these two young lovers were her first customers, that didn’t stop her from boasting.

After hearing Jiang Yutao’s words, the young man puffed out his chest proudly and looked at the young woman. She glanced back at him with a tender gaze that melted his heart.

Jiang Yutao didn’t want to witness this show of affection and scooped them a small half cup of seeds. “I’ll be coming here every month to sell sunflower seeds. If you think they’re delicious, please come back and support my business.”

Who would refuse a good deal? The young man was even happier. “Sure, your sunflower seeds are tasty; we’ll definitely come back!”

“Thank you! The next time you come, I’ll give you some extras.”

The young couple cracked sunflower seeds as they walked away, and Jiang Yutao happily stuffed the money into her pocket, then continued searching for her next buyer.

From noon to afternoon, Boss Jiang was busy for two hours, managing to clear out more than half of the stock in her system backpack, leaving just a little for herself to snack on.

In this round, she made a little over three yuan, which was equivalent to her work points for a whole month. This money felt like easy pickings for Jiang Yutao. She took out the flour she had previously put into her backpack and headed towards the bus station to go back.

The bus returning from the county was quite crowded. Fortunately, Jiang Yutao was agile and managed to snag an aisle seat in the second-to-last row. Several people had tried to get that spot but ended up standing in the aisle instead.

Not long after she sat down, the bus started moving, and someone stood next to her, continually pushing into Jiang Yutao’s space. She shifted over multiple times, pushing the guy next to her, who was wearing a hat and sleeping, up against the window.

Irritated, Jiang Yutao exclaimed, “What are you doing? Why are you pushing? Can’t you stand to the side a bit?”

Her shout drew the attention of everyone on the bus. The person pushing her was a man in his forties, wearing clothes of indeterminate color. He was furious at Jiang Yutao’s outburst. “What are you yelling about? If it weren’t so crowded, would I be pushing you?”

Jiang Yutao scoffed, “Stop talking nonsense. Open your eyes and look around; is there anyone next to you? I see you just want to be a lecher! Driver, I want to report this. Please take the bus to the police station.”

Public transport perverts were not uncommon in any era, and why should this middle-aged man choose to push her instead of someone else? Was it just because she was a woman? Jiang Yutao had never been one to tolerate such behavior.

As soon as she called him a pervert, the bus erupted in commotion. The middle-aged man turned pale and straightened up immediately. “I’m telling you, don’t slander me! I was just off-balance and bumped into you! I’ve never seen a girl like you; you just rely on your mouth to spread rumors.”

After saying that, he didn’t wait for Jiang Yutao to respond and quickly ran to the front. Everyone’s eyes followed him, and he stood there properly, not daring to overstep.

The man just wanted to take advantage, but she hadn’t caught him in the act. Even if they went to the police station, nothing would come of it. After her outburst, that man would definitely think twice before trying anything for a while. That was good enough for her.

Jiang Yutao returned to her seat, and when she turned her head, she realized that the man in the hat who had been sleeping had woken up at some point. Coincidentally, this man was the postman, Fu Shaohua, who had come to the village a few days ago to deliver mail.

“What a coincidence, Comrade Fu.” Jiang Yutao’s earlier annoyance vanished in an instant.

Seeing a handsome guy always lifts one’s spirits.

Fu Shaohua clearly remembered Jiang Yutao as well. After all, many people thought he was good-looking, but none had ever directly asked for his name like Jiang Yutao did. Most other women were more reserved, with some not even daring to look at him and keeping their heads down, as if he were some kind of monster.

Fu Shaohua smiled and nodded at Jiang Yutao. “It is quite a coincidence, Comrade Jiang. Are you going to the county as well?”

“Yes, I’m here to send some things home.” After finishing her sentence, Jiang Yutao paused for a moment. “Comrade Fu, are you here for work?”

Fu Shaohua lifted his shoulder bag and patted it. “I came to pick up some mail. The postman who delivers from the county to the countryside is sick, so we have to come get it ourselves. Comrade Jiang, let me swap places with you. I’ll sit by the aisle; the scenery outside is changing too quickly, and I’m feeling a bit carsick.”

Jiang Yutao knew that Fu Shaohua’s suggestion was entirely due to what had just happened. If he were really carsick, he definitely wouldn’t have taken that seat.

After thinking for two seconds, Jiang Yutao agreed, and the two swapped places.

With that initial exchange, they chatted quite happily. After getting off at the commune, Fu Shaohua even promised Jiang Yutao, “In a couple of days when I go down to deliver mail, I’ll bring the package your family sent you along.”

Because of the autumn harvest, Jiang Yutao hadn’t gone to collect the package sent by her family.

With that little thought in her heart, Jiang Yutao didn’t refuse Fu Shaohua. She smiled brightly at him and said, “Thank you, Comrade Fu. You’re really a good person.”

Suddenly being given a “good person” card, Jiang Yutao’s bright smile made Fu Shaohua feel as if he had been scalded; his ears turned red, and he hurriedly said “No need to thank me,” before almost fleeing from the bus. Jiang Yutao opened the window and waved to him, and he immediately raised his hand in response.

Jiang Yutao couldn’t help but feel delighted.

I mean, teasing a pure and handsome young man is truly the most enjoyable thing!