People who eat melon are in 70 - Chapter 8

Zhao Yonglan and Zhang Huihui came to the kitchen after washing up. They were not happy to see that there was no food left.

Zhang Huihui was much more sensible than her. She reached out and pulled her sleeve. Liu Yingjun also came out of the male-educated youth dormitory. The five of them walked toward the team headquarters.

Jiang Youtao and Zhang Huihui were originally close to each other. They were all educated youths, and they were so lucky to be in the same place. It was normal for them to take care of each other. Zhao Yonglan had said one or two unpleasant words from time to time on the train before, but Jiang Youtao pretended not to hear them.

But this morning, Zhao Yonglan took her out as a matter of course, and she was not happy. Her friendship with Zhao Yonglan was not to the point where they could vent their anger on each other at will.

At this moment, the five people were divided into two groups. Jiang Youtao and Gu Nianwei walked side by side, and Zhang Huihui was with Zhao Yonglan and Liu Yingjun.

The team headquarters was not far from the educated youth point. It took only a few minutes to walk along the main road of the village. The team headquarters was a typical three-courtyard apartment. Right in the middle of the entrance was a wooden flagpole with a brand new five-star red flag fluttering in the wind.

Gu Nianwei took them to one of the main rooms and knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

Gu Nianwei took them in. The team leader was sitting behind a simple desk. He was only in his forties, but he looked as old as sixty.

In this era, no one looked younger.

His shrewd eyes looked over Jiang Youtao and the other three, and he said without any expression on his face, “You educated youth who went to the countryside will receive subsidies for the first two months of your stay. Each person will receive twenty kilograms of grain per month. There are still more than two months before the autumn harvest. I asked someone to weigh fifty kilograms for you. They are all there.”

The team leader pointed to a few cloth bags in the corner.

In this era, bags for grain were basically made of cloth, and these cloth bags were not given to them for free. They would either return them to the production team after they had eaten the grain or use centimeters to deduct them.

As usual, the team leader said a few bland and unremarkable welcome words and then let them go back.

Fifty kilograms of food were quite heavy, and Jiang Youtao and the other girls had a hard time carrying it. Zhang Huihui, Zhao Yonglan, and Liu Yingjun stood in the team compound to discuss how to carry the food back.

Jiang Youtao started walking with the bag of food. After a few steps, the weight on her hand lightened. She turned around and saw Gu Nianwei holding the corner of the bag for her: “I’ll help you.”

Jiang Youtao was not hypocritical and thanked Gu Nianwei generously. She sighed in her heart. Such a kind and gentle heroine, how could she be so desperate to become someone else’s stepmother?

Zhang Huihui and the other two saw Jiang Youtao and Gu Nianwei carrying the food away, and they also thought it was a good idea.

“Yonglan, let’s make two trips. Let’s carry your bag back first, and then come back to carry my bag.” Liu Yingjun was a man, and fifty kilograms of things were not difficult for him.

“Okay.” Zhao Yonglan and Zhang Huihui followed Jiang Youtao and the others in carrying the bag.

Fifty kilograms of food is not light. Zhao Yonglan has never done this kind of work. She felt a little suffocated: “Huihui, look at Jiang Youtao. She was so nice to us on the train, but she became different when she arrived at the educated youth center. You see, she didn’t even want to talk to us this morning.”

Zhang Huihui glanced at Jiang Youtao and the other person who was walking farther and farther away and said, “If it were me, I would do the same.“

I won’t talk to you. Look at what you said this morning. Youtao came to wake us up with good intentions, but you scolded her. I wouldn’t pay attention to you if it were me.”

Zhao Yonglan curled her lips: “I didn’t mean it. Who asked her to wake me up so early? Doesn’t she know how tired we are on the way?”

Zhang Huihui didn’t say anything.

When the two of them returned to the dormitory with the food, Jiang Youtao was drinking water, and Gu Nianwei was sitting on the Kang reading a book.

Zhao Yonglan had never been so tired before. She got a little angry when she saw the two people leisurely. Zhao Yonglan sat down on the kang and couldn’t get up. She looked at Jiang Youtao, then at Gu Nianwei, and said to Gu Nianwei:

“Comrade Gu, we are all newly educated youth. Why do you only help Youtao and not us? It’s not good to be partial to one, right?”

Gu Nianwei and Jiang Youtao frowned at the same time. Gu Nianwei closed the book in her hand and looked at Zhao Yonglan: “How do you want me to help you?“

Zhao Yonglan’s father is the deputy director of the TV factory. From childhood to adulthood, Zhao Yonglan has always been the one who is flattered. She did not restrain herself when she went to the countryside. She still felt that everyone in the educated youth camp should flatter her.

“Help us move the bag of grain from the team headquarters, or help us cook a meal. We didn’t eat anything this morning, and we are starving.”

Gu Nianwei snorted, and got up from the kang: “Then you wait.” After that, she left the dormitory.

Zhao Yonglan lay down on the kang with a smile on her face.

Zhang Huihui looked outside, then looked at Zhao Yonglan: “Yonglan, this is not good; let’s go to the team headquarters to get the food ourselves.”

Zhao Yonglan glared at her: “Just wait for Comrade Gu to help us get it back; why bother?”

Zhang Huihui stopped talking, but her eyes were becoming more and more anxious.

They had carried back Zhao Yonglan’s food, but the bag at the team headquarters was hers! If it was taken away, what would she eat for the next two months?

After waiting for more than ten minutes with no movement, Zhang Huihui couldn’t stand it anymore and went to the male-educated youth dormitory to call Liu Yingjun to go to the team headquarters together.

Liu Yingjun glanced at the female-educated youth dormitory and said, “Where’s Yonglan? Why doesn’t she go with you?”

Zhang Huihui sighed and said, “She’s tired and is resting.”

Liu Yingjun’s expression changed, and he felt very aggrieved. “What kind of luck do you think we have? Why are we assigned to the same group as her?“

There were more than a dozen people from the TV factory who went to the countryside, but they were the only ones assigned to the same place as Zhao Yonglan. If it weren’t for his parents still working under Zhao Yonglan’s father, he really wouldn’t want to serve Zhao Yonglan.

She was willful and had a bad temper. She restrained herself a little on the train, but she started to act up again as soon as she arrived.

Zhang Huihui was in a worse mood than Liu Yingjun. She was originally going to be assigned to the Construction Corps in Heilongjiang Province. The Construction Corps had a lot of land and few people. Not only could she eat enough there, but she could also get a salary every month.

Before she could be happy for two days, the place where she went to the countryside was changed from the Construction Corps to Liushugou in Harbin. Her mother told her that this was arranged by Zhao Yonglan’s father because she was the only one in the compound who had a good relationship with Zhao Yonglan.

The Zhao family was not without compensation. Zhao Yonglan’s father promised to allocate a big house to her family this year and also turned her brother’s temporary worker into a formal worker.

In front of the house and her son’s future, Zhang Huihui’s personal grievances were not worth mentioning in the eyes of her parents.

When the two arrived at the team headquarters, the bag of food that belonged to her was still lying alone in the corner.

Liu Yingjun picked up the food with one hand. Zhang Huihui didn’t let him take it all. She grabbed the corner of the bag like before and carried it to the educated youth point with Liu Yingjun.

Jiang Youtao had already taken a nap on the kang.

Zhao Yonglan was leaning on the kang, reading a book, and eating peach cakes. When she saw her come back, she sighed: “I told Comrade Gu to help you get it, but you insisted on going. Aren’t you tired?”

Zhang Huihui marked the food silently. Zhao Yonglan felt bored and continued to read with her legs crossed after a sigh.

It was almost noon when Gu Nianwei came back from outside leisurely, eating a cucumber.

It was Gu Nianwei’s turn to cook today. The old educated youth had already put the rations for lunch in the kitchen. Gu Nianwei went to the dormitory to tell them.

Jiang Youtao got up from the kang and handed a lunch box to Gu Nianwei. On the way back from carrying the food, she had already asked Gu Nianwei how much food should be cooked for each meal.

Zhang Huihui also learned from Liu Yingjun. After Zhao Yonglan saw Zhang Huihui pack the food, she directly cut her share in half.

“I have a small appetite; I can only eat Huihui’s half.” She handed the lunch box to Gu Nianwei with a smile.

Gu Nianwei didn’t care whether Zhao Yonglan could eat enough. She took the lunch box and went to the kitchen. Jiang Youtao quickly folded the kang and went to the kitchen to help her.

“Comrade Gu, I’ll help you light the fire.”

Gu Nianwei didn’t expect her to help and was a little surprised.

Jiang Youtao has a characteristic that if others respect me on one foot, I will respect others on ten feet. Gu Nianwei showed her kindness again and again. How could she be indifferent?

Besides, she had made up her mind to remind Gu Nianwei. If she didn’t build a good relationship now, would she wait until the matter came to an end before she rashly ran to Gu Nianwei and told her not to be someone’s stepmother?

Wasn’t that a pure person with a sick mind?

“Okay, then I’ll trouble you.” After a brief surprise, Gu Nianwei reacted and did not refuse Jiang Youtao’s help.

Gu Nianwei was obsessed with looks and had liked good-looking people since she was a child. Before she traveled through time, her greatest pleasure was chasing stars. The stars she chased were a little different from others. Others chased one, but she chased a group.

No matter what circle they were in, no matter whether they were men or women, as long as they were good-looking, she would chase them. She was particularly philanthropic.

Gu Nianwei also joked with her friends that she was a romantic person.

It has been almost a year since she traveled through time to this era, and she has been immersed in heavy farm work all day. Occasionally, when she is not working, she will go to the county town. After so many attempts, there are very few people who are good-looking and can catch her eye, whether in the countryside or in the county town.

When she came back from the town yesterday, the moment she saw Jiang Youtao, Gu Nianwei felt that the dark kitchen was a little brighter.

It is true that Jiang Youtao is still too thin and too small, but her delicate facial features cannot be hidden. Especially the palm-sized melon-seed face and watery almond-shaped eyes, the glances touched the heart of Gu Nianwei, a beauty lover.

People in Liushugou said that she was the most beautiful girl in the educated youth point of view, but I am afraid that this title will soon change.

Jiang Youtao tried to get close to Gu Nianwei, but in the time it took to cook a meal, Jiang Youtao and Gu Nianwei had reached the point of calling each other by name.

Gu Nianwei lived alone before she crossed over, and her cooking skills were perfect. Under her management, today’s dishes were also very rich. Sauce eggplant, stir-fried cucumber slices, and stir-fried leeks with shredded potatoes.

The taste is good and the quantity is large, and everyone ate without raising their heads.

Zhao Yonglan didn’t cook enough rice. After finishing the rice in her lunch box, she was still not full, so she stared at Zhang Huihui and Liu Yingjun’s lunch boxes.

If they were still in the city, Liu Yingjun and Zhang Huihui would not mind sharing food with Zhao Yonglan, but now they were in the countryside, and the food they were given was limited, and it would be gone after they finished eating.

They couldn’t feed Zhao Yonglan while starving themselves, right? It didn’t make sense.

Zhao Yonglan threw a wink to the blind, and Zhang Huihui and Liu Yingjun didn’t look at her once from beginning to end.

But Zhou Zhenfeng saw that she was not full and took the initiative to say: “Comrade Zhao Yonglan, are you not full? Do you want me to share some with you?”

As soon as these words came out, the atmosphere at the dinner table quieted down, and everyone looked up at Zhao Yonglan and Zhou Zhenfeng.

Zhao Yonglan seemed not to see everyone’s eyes and smiled and held out the lunch box: “Thank you, Comrade Zhou.”

Zhou Zhenfeng glanced at Jiang Youtao inconspicuously and gave a small portion of the coarse grain rice in his lunch box to Zhao Yonglan.

After dinner, Jiang Youtao stayed to help Gu Nianwei clean up the kitchen.

Gu Nianwei whispered to Jiang Youtao: “I won’t comment on the new educated youth in our courtyard, but you must be careful of Zhou Zhenfeng among the old ones.”