Chapter 70: Chapter 70 Being Matchmade
Yunyi went home and made herself a bowl of milk, which she had with the last two plain buns for breakfast.
She thought she should find someone in the village to trade for some vegetables to tide her over. It wasn’t good to keep skipping meals.
She noticed a vegetable patch outside the courtyard. Some vegetables were still growing in it, but it had clearly been neglected for a long time and was overgrown with weeds.
A single glance revealed that while people picked vegetables from it, no one tended to the patch. It was probably planted by the Sent-Down Youth who had lived in the courtyard before. She decided she would ask the Branch Secretary later if she could take it over.
After tidying up a bit, she walked toward the large Willow Tree in the center of the village. On the day she arrived, the Branch Secretary had told them to wait there in the morning for work assignments.
She had not gone far when she saw a group of Sent-Down Youths from the Zhiqing Point setting out together.
Geng Erhong, especially excited, waved at her joyfully, "Yunyi, hurry up! Let’s go together."
Yunyi smiled and quickened her pace to join Geng Erhong, who was waiting for her at the rear of the group.
Before she could speak, Geng Erhong whispered, "You’re lucky to live alone; it’s so peaceful."
Hearing this, Yunyi knew there must have been trouble again at the Zhiqing Point. "Did someone bully you?"
Geng Erhong shook her head. "No, not really."
Yunyi gave Geng Erhong a sidelong glance. "Then what are you complaining about?"
Geng Erhong glanced at the people ahead. "Last night, we had a meeting at the Zhiqing Point. They decided to pair up new and veteran Sent-Down Youths for cooking groups, but nobody wanted to be with Bai Suli.
She immediately made a fuss, claiming everyone was picking on her. It was so annoying."
Yunyi thought about Bai Suli’s temperament; it was normal no one chose her. "So what happened in the end? How did they solve it?"
Geng Erhong glanced at Li Rongjuan with a hint of sympathy. "The Point Leader assigned Li Rongjuan to partner with her. To prevent Li Rongjuan from refusing, he even said they would switch partners every six months."
Yunyi burst out laughing. "He’s just dangling a carrot in front of Li Rongjuan."
Once Geng Erhong caught on, she laughed too. "The Point Leader doesn’t have it easy. You didn’t see the chaos last night; I almost wanted to move out."
Yunyi didn’t know how to respond to this. Just then, they reached the large Willow Tree.
As they arrived, the villagers all turned to look. "Have new Sent-Down Youths arrived again?"
"Yes, the Branch Secretary picked them up the day before yesterday."
"I heard Yan Zhiqing’s and Jiao Zhiqing’s two small courtyards were rented to the new Sent-Down Youths."
"That’s a good thing. The village can earn some extra income."
"I heard about that too! The villagers who went to help clean the houses yesterday not only got paid but also ate meat and were given cigarettes."
"Really?"
"Absolutely! Sizhu’s wife told me. Sizhu himself brought that green bean and pork stew home to eat. We could smell the delicious aroma right through the wall!"
"I know about that; my husband brought back a bowl too. It smelled amazing!"
"Those small courtyards, which Sent-Down Youths rented them?"
"I heard from the Branch Secretary’s third daughter-in-law that they were rented to the new Chu Zhiqing and Liu Zhiqing. Both of them are quite generous. Oh, right! Those rabbits were a gift from Chu Zhiqing—two big ones, a good ten-plus pounds of meat altogether."
"Which one is Chu Zhiqing? He seems capable. I should introduce my niece to him as his bride."
However, no sooner had she finished speaking than a few women burst into laughter. "I say, Guard’s wife, don’t talk nonsense! Chu Zhiqing is actually a girl."
At this, the people around erupted into hearty laughter.
"Oh my, look at me! I got it all wrong. It’s even better that she’s a girl! My nephew is also single. This is perfect!"
With such a loud commotion, the Sent-Down Youths standing nearby heard everything clearly and all turned to look at Yunyi.