As the four of them chatted, they gradually forgot the unpleasantness from noon.
When they returned to Yu Nian’an’s small courtyard, Lin Zhi even went over to the newly built toilet to take a closer look. Seeing that there was a hidden latch on the inside of the wooden door, she couldn’t stop praising Uncle Jianping’s craftsmanship.
“When Uncle Jianping builds one like this for us, I won’t have to feel on edge every time I use the toilet.”
Hearing this, Yu Nian’an thought of Zhang Yulan and asked with some concern, “About building the toilet Comrade Zhang still doesn’t agree?”
At the mention of her, Lin Zhi’s tone changed.
“She? These past two days off, she’s nowhere to be seen during the day I don’t know what she’s out doing. When she comes back, she’s the same as ever, ignoring all of us.”
Oh? Zhang Yulan hadn’t been staying at the educated youth station during her days off?
For some reason, Yu Nian’an suddenly thought of Yu Dingguo. In the original storyline, the two of them ended up together. She wondered if Zhang Yulan’s outings had anything to do with him.
Then she remembered that after their engagement, another incident had occurred.
It was only after getting to know Lin Zhi that she recalled it.
There wasn’t much description of Zhang Yulan in the original text, but it was clear she was narrow-minded and prone to overthinking.
Even long after, she still held onto past grievances from the educated youth station.
After getting engaged to Yu Dingguo, the two of them came up with even more bad ideas together.
On the day she moved out of the station, everyone gathered to see her off. Since it was a happy occasion, things seemed harmonious on the surface.
Yu Dingguo had been generous, bringing quite a few gifts after the proposal, and the other educated youths helped carry them out.
After arriving home and finishing the meal, just as everyone was about to leave, Zhang Yulan suddenly ran out of the inner room, claiming something of hers had been stolen.
The matter of theft could be serious or trivial, and everyone hurried to clear their names. But Zhang Yulan directly named Lin Zhi as a suspect, saying that the missing item had only passed through her hands.
Although Lin Zhi argued her case at the time, Zhang Yulan refused to let go. In the end, it was Auntie who took Lin Zhi inside to search her. When nothing was found, the matter was dropped.
Originally, only the people from the educated youth station were present that day, and none of them were gossipmongers.
But under the deliberate guidance of Zhang Yulan and her husband, rumors still spread. After that, items at the station began to go missing one after another.
Though there was no clear evidence pointing to anyone, influenced by the rumors, people instinctively began to suspect Lin Zhi.
Over time, Lin Zhi noticed the growing exclusion and, after discussing it with Ye Xiao, planned to move out.
It was at this time that Yu Dingguo showed up, claiming the situation had been caused by him and his wife. Learning that she couldn’t find a suitable place, he conveniently sold her the original owner’s house.
From this, it was clear that Zhang Yulan was the reason Lin Zhi wanted to move out of the educated youth station.
If this person could be dealt with properly, Lin Zhi wouldn’t need to look for another place to live.
With this in mind, Yu Nian’an stepped forward, took Lin Zhi’s hand, and said earnestly, “That Comrade Zhang seems scheming. If she really won’t agree to the toilet, then forget it. Don’t let her hold a grudge over something small.”
Lin Zhi laughed. “Oh, she’s already holding a grudge against me. One more thing won’t make a difference.”
Yu Nian’an sighed. She couldn’t say things outright, so she decided she’d keep an eye out in the future. After all, since Zhang Yulan would end up with Yu Dingguo, she was practically half an enemy.
As they were talking, Ye Xiao came over, ready to call Lin Zhi back to the educated youth station.
Only then did Yu Nian’an notice that the sun was already close to setting.
“Don’t go yet. You helped me so much at noon stay and have dinner here before heading back.”
Hearing this, Lin Zhi quickly waved her hands with a smile. “No need. We still have leftovers from lunch we can just heat them up.”
These days, no household had abundant grain. Besides, she had been there when Yu Nian’an bought rice a few days ago it didn’t look like she had much. How could they impose on her for a meal?
But Yu Nian’an didn’t know what she was thinking she only felt she couldn’t leave this favor unpaid.
If Yu Dingguo had really managed to call people over at noon, invoking filial piety, she might have been controlled by Old Madam Wang’s authority as her grandmother.
So their arrival had been perfectly timed.
On the way back from Aunt Chunxing’s house, she had already decided to invite them to stay.
The pork cracklings she had rendered yesterday could come in handy. Fortunately, the old lady had gotten tired of them after eating a bit, leaving enough for a meal.
Seeing her insist, Lin Zhi finally relented. “Alright then, we’ll shamelessly freeload a meal at your place.”
While there was still light, Yu Nian’an went straight to the kitchen to start cooking the rice. When Gu Shen heard they’d be eating here, he followed her in, sat by the stove, and began to light the fire.
Lin Zhi didn’t stay idle either and asked what she could do.
Yu Nian’an handed her a head of cabbage.“Then I’ll trouble you to wash all of this?”
“Got it mission guaranteed!” Lin Zhi said cheerfully, grabbing a basin from the rack and pulling along Ye Xiao, who didn’t know what to do, to the outer room.
Since there were more people, Yu Nian’an didn’t plan to cook a full pot of white rice. She had only bought ten jin, and it would be several days before the next market. If they ate it all at once, she’d have to go back to coarse grain porridge.
Just thinking about that rough, scratchy texture made her uncomfortable.
She went behind the woodpile in the corner, found a few sweet potatoes, and took a small knife to peel them, planning to steam them together with the rice.
Seeing this, Gu Shen silently came over, took the knife from her hand, and said, “I’ll do it. Go check the pot.”
Yu Nian’an didn’t stand on ceremony and turned to pour the washed rice into the pot.
By the time the sweet potatoes were brought over, she realized they had already been cut into chunks Gu Shen had peeled and chopped them in one go.
He really noticed what needed to be done and was quite meticulous.
Her impression of Gu Shen improved even more.
With everyone working together, the meal came together quickly.
Using the ingredients on hand, Yu Nian’an tried her best to make the dishes look plentiful stir-fried cabbage with pork cracklings, dressed fiddlehead ferns, and finally, she reheated the remaining cracklings in the pan with a sprinkle of salt, making it another meat dish.
Before it got dark, a small square table had been set up outside. It was originally used in the kitchen for odds and ends, but after wiping it clean, it served well enough.
The four sat on small wooden stools, with a mismatched set of tableware in front of them.
Since there weren’t enough bowls, Yu Nian’an used two large enamel mugs to hold the dishes. Feeling a bit embarrassed, she said, “Go ahead and eat. The conditions at home are a bit poor, so please make do. It may not be fancy, but there’s plenty give my cooking a try?”
Lin Zhi and the others didn’t mind at all. With vegetables, meat, and white rice, it was already quite a decent spread.
Under the open sky, with the evening breeze drifting down from the hills, the four shared their first meal together.
“Comrade Yu, your cooking is really good!” Ye Xiao praised. “Staying for this meal was totally worth it!”
“Listen to you it’s like it’d be a loss if it wasn’t good,” Lin Zhi teased him with a laugh, then turned to Yu Nian’an. “Comrade Yu, I’ve been here this long and can only make porridge and simple greens. When I have time, I’ll come learn a few dishes from you so certain people won’t go hungry every day.”
Her last sentence carried a hint of meaning, and Yu Nian’an couldn’t help but laugh.
“Sure. I’ll teach you a few signature dishes guaranteed someone will find it just as worth it after eating.”