The cowshed area rarely saw visitors. Every day, the cowshed workers would lead the cattle to the Team Headquarters and retrieve them after use. The same procedure applied during grazing—they simply needed to drive the cattle to the foot of the hillside and hand them over to the herders.
They didn't work alongside the villagers either. The Brigade Leader personally supervised them, and when he was occupied, no one bothered to check how much work they had accomplished.
Li Dequan differed from other brigade leaders—he didn't enjoy tormenting anyone. Especially after accepting gifts, he would turn a blind eye as long as they showed up for work normally and did their best to reclaim wasteland.
Reclaiming wasteland was far more arduous than farming. Moving rocks and digging out tree stumps exhausted even the strongest laborers.
However, with Li Dequan going easy on them, the work became considerably more manageable.
Zhao Yi had just finished shoveling manure and was carrying it away from the cowshed when Su Hong caught up to him.
"Here, take this. Don't tell anyone I came to the cowshed," Su Hong said, handing Zhao Yi two milk candies.
"Mm," Zhao Yi nodded and accepted the candies.
These people might appear to be suffering in Wangou Village, but in a few years, they would all leave safely and return to their original posts. Zhao Yi had no intention of making unnecessary enemies.
Though Su Hong seemed like a naive, simple-minded girl without much cunning, daring to come here alone meant she had backing that someone like Zhao Yi couldn't afford to provoke.
Even minor troubles she might cause could create serious difficulties for him. This wasn't something he should get involved in.
Especially with a brigade leader like Li Dequan who acted promptly after receiving gifts, Zhao Yi couldn't afford to buy presents like Su Hong could.
When Zhao Yi returned to the cowshed for his second load of manure, Su Hong was already gone.
By the end of the day, Zhao Yi had made seven or eight trips.
When the two returned home, they spotted pastries on the table.
"Why didn't Dad take these when he left?" Zhao Yi asked Zhang Jing curiously.
"I'm not sure either. We'll buy more for them when we get the chance," she replied.
Zhao Yi heated water for washing up. After carrying manure all day, he reeked heavily.
Freshly cleaned, he went to the riverbank to collect his fish trap and spotted Su Hong standing nearby. She approached when she saw him.
"Comrade Zhao Yi, right?" Su Hong smiled at him.
"Hello, Educated Youth Su," Zhao Yi nodded.
After exchanging brief pleasantries, Su Hong proposed buying fish from Zhao Yi at market price.
"How could I accept money? Just give whatever you think is appropriate. We all live in the same village," Zhao Yi quickly waved his hands in refusal.
"Everything costs money wherever you buy. They're severely malnourished. I'll come buy one fish every day from now on—please help me with this," Su Hong said, handing Zhao Yi three yuan.
"This is enough for over ten catties! A regular fish only weighs two or three catties—fifty fen would be plenty."
"Consider the rest a deposit," Su Hong declined to take back the money Zhao Yi offered.
She examined the fish trap Zhao Yi had collected, picked the largest fish—weighing only about three catties—and cheerfully hurried toward the cowshed.
"Anyone who calls this girl foolish is the real fool," Zhao Yi muttered under his breath as he watched Su Hong depart.
By tying him down with benefits, she ensured Zhao Yi wouldn't gossip about her visits to the cowshed. Even if others talked, he would cover for her. Earning several dozen fen daily was comparable to a temporary factory worker's wages.
While using benefits to manipulate others, she also gained what she wanted. Was this girl really foolish?
Zhao Yi shook his head and walked home carrying the remaining two fish.
Zhang Jing cheerfully ran up to take the fish and headed straight into the kitchen. Zhao Yi quickly followed and handed her the three yuan he had just received.
"Where did you get this three yuan, dear?"
Zhang Jing was baffled by the money Zhao Yi handed her. He hadn't gone to the city or the county town, having worked in the village all day. Could he have found it outside just now?
"Educated Youth Su came to buy fish and gave it to me. I said it was too much, but she told me to keep the rest as credit. She wants to buy one fish every day from now on, at least fifty cents each."
Zhao Yi explained with a smile.
"Is Educated Youth Su's family that wealthy?"
Zhang Jing grew even more confused.
A fifty-cent fish every day would amount to fifteen yuan a month. What kind of family would spend money so freely? Most people only bought fish occasionally as a treat.
"That's none of our business. Let's just keep it to ourselves," Zhao Yi said before leaving the kitchen.
Zhang Jing understood what he meant. Private business wasn't allowed now, so such matters couldn't be discussed openly. As for whether Educated Youth Su's family was wealthy or not, it was no concern of theirs.
"Xiaojing, we need to repair the roof. Otherwise, when it rains heavily outside, it'll drip inside. There's not much work in the brigade tomorrow, so I'll go to the mountains to find some game. You go invite your father and brothers over to help, and we'll have a good meal together."
After taking a bite of fish, Zhao Yi looked at Zhang Jing and spoke.
"Alright," Zhang Jing nodded.
Night fell.
In the cowshed, several people gathered around a pot, their faces lighting up with happy smiles as they looked at the fish soup inside. It had been too long since they last tasted meat.
Though Su Hong had meat ration coupons, she had used most of them to maintain relations with the Brigade Leader and others.
Now, the girl was mostly idle in the village, occasionally teaching a class at night but usually earning no Work Points.
At dawn, Zhao Yi shouldered a basket and hurried into the mountains. Today, he not only needed to set traps for game but also to cut mottled bamboo to bring home.
They couldn't afford proper tiles, but splitting mottled bamboo in half and fixing it up could serve as makeshift tiles. Though not as good as real tiles, it would provide an extra layer of protection, preventing rain from leaking into the house so easily.
"Why is Zhao Yi cutting so much bamboo to take home?" someone asked.
"Maybe he wants to carry on his grandfather's craft."
"If it were that easy to learn, why didn't his father manage it?"
People chattered among themselves, but Zhao Yi paid no attention. He did know a bit of his grandfather's craft, though not as finely honed as the old man's.
Weaving winnowing baskets, brushes, and brooms to sell at the Commune market would only earn him a few cents a day. It was far better to set traps in the mountains—catching a single pheasant could bring in one yuan.
Besides, it wasn't as exhausting as working nonstop from morning till night.
As soon as Zhao Yi returned home, he began splitting the mottled bamboo in half. After finishing, he carried it back and headed into the mountains again to cut more bamboo, checking his traps along the way to see if any game had been caught.
By the time Zhao Yi returned with the second load of bamboo, Zhang Jing, Zhang Fusheng, and his two brothers-in-law had already arrived at his home and started removing the thatch from the roof.
"What are you doing with all this bamboo, brother-in-law?" Zhang Jing's eldest brother, Zhang Jun, asked, puzzled as he saw Zhao Yi carrying three stalks of mottled bamboo into the yard, where split bamboo already lay.
"My husband says mottled bamboo can be used as tiles. We'll lay a new layer of thatch and then place the bamboo strips alternately on top to keep the rain out effectively," Zhang Jing explained with pride.
Zhang Fusheng glanced curiously at Zhao Yi, never expecting his son-in-law to be so quick-witted.
Without wasting any more time, everyone hurriedly replaced the straw.