They returned to the village without incident. When they got off the cart, Feng Dazui still shot Qin Ziqi a glare. Qin Ziqi rolled her eyes right back at her.
What a crazy woman.
Feng Dazui carried her basket home. As soon as she reached the courtyard entrance, her grandson, Zhao Baocheng, ran out and wrapped his arms around her legs.
“Grandma, Grandma! My meat buns! Hurry and give them to me!”
Zhao Baocheng was three years old. He was the posthumous son of Feng Dazui’s eldest son and the only grandchild in the family. Feng Dazui treasured him dearly.
“Okay, okay. Grandma’s precious grandson, I’ll give you one right away.”
Feng Dazui took off her basket, pulled out a paper package, and gave Zhao Baocheng a meat bun.
Zhao Erlai came shuffling out of the house in his slippers.
“Mom, where’s mine?”
Feng Dazui took another one out of the paper package and handed the rest to Zhao Erlai.
“When has your mother ever forgotten about you?”
The eggs had sold particularly well today, so Feng Dazui had been willing to buy six meat buns. She had eaten one herself because she was craving them, her grandson got two, and since her son was a grown man, he needed three.
As for her eldest daughter-in-law, she was a money-loser. How could she possibly deserve something as precious as a meat bun?
Feng Dazui grabbed Zhao Erlai before he could return to his room.
“Son, you know those new educated youths who just arrived in our village?”
“So what if they arrived? What about them?”
Zhao Erlai polished off his meat bun in two or three bites. The bun was so greasy and fragrant.
“Let me tell you, among the newcomers, there are two female educated youths who are quite wealthy. Especially that Qin Zhiqing. She bought a whole basket of good things and even picked up such a huge package from the post office.”
“So what?”
Zhao Erlai had already started eating his second bun. His mother kept holding onto him, preventing him from going back to his room.
Feng Dazui slapped his arm.
“That Qin Zhiqing is also very pretty. She’s even prettier than the women in those picture magazines.”
At that, Zhao Erlai’s eyes lit up.
“Really? She’s really that pretty?”
Feng Dazui rolled her eyes at her son in exasperation.
He hadn’t reacted at all when she’d mentioned money, but as soon as she mentioned beauty, he suddenly became interested.
“Pretty, and rich too. I’m telling you, find an opportunity and get that Qin Zhiqing. Then you’ll have a wife, and a beautiful one at that. All the money and things she has will become yours too.”
“I got it, Mom. Hurry back to your room and rest. I’m going to take a nap too. Oh, right, take Baocheng with you. Sister-in-law went to the fields.”
“Got it.”
Feng Dazui was feeling a little sleepy herself, so she took her grandson and returned to the east room.
Zhao Erlai went back to the west room.
As soon as he entered, Zhao Erlai locked the door. He handed the paper package to a woman sitting on the kang.
“Here. Mom bought some meat buns. I saved these for you.”
The woman on the kang was none other than the sister-in-law Zhao Erlai had just said was in the fields—Feng Dazui’s eldest daughter-in-law, Huang Guizhen.
Huang Guizhen took the paper package.
“Hmph. Mother-in-law is so biased. Everyone in the family gets to eat them, but she won’t give me any.”
Zhao Erlai sat down right beside Huang Guizhen, his hand rubbing her waist.
“Didn’t I give you one? Hurry up and eat it. Once you’re done, we can have some fun.”
“Look at you. Every day, all you think about is doing bad things with me.”
If Feng Dazui had seen what was happening in her son’s room, she probably would have fainted from anger.
The eldest daughter-in-law who was always obedient and submissive in front of her was actually having an affair with her younger brother-in-law.
And this relationship had existed ever since the day she married into the Zhao family.
Qin Ziqi had no idea that someone had already set their sights on her.
She carried her things back to the educated youth compound. All the older educated youths had gone to work in the fields, so no one saw her.
Back in her little private room, she took several pieces of clothing and pairs of shoes from the bundle and put them in the wardrobe.
The bundle itself was put into her space.
As for the remaining daily necessities, such as soap, bowls, chopsticks, and so on, she took them out of her space.
She put all the food from the bamboo basket into the kang cabinet and locked it.
The small lock had originally been in the house inside her space.
The locks on the door of her private room and on the courtyard gate were also old-fashioned locks she had taken from her space.
After tidying everything up, Qin Ziqi took the wooden basin and went into the courtyard to wash clothes.
When Zhao Dajun had delivered the furniture yesterday, he had also brought over a large water jar and asked Qin Ziqi whether she wanted it.
He said his father had told him to bring it, guessing that Qin Ziqi might not have thought of it herself.
As expected, older people really did have practical wisdom.
She had spent eight yuan on the large water jar, and now getting water was much more convenient. The well was right in front of the courtyard, making it easier for her to draw water than for the people living in the front courtyard.
She washed the new clothes she had bought along with the clothes she had just changed out of, using soap, then hung them up to dry.
She had to admit, the brigade had really thought things through for the sake of those three yuan in monthly rent. They had even installed clotheslines.
Just as Qin Ziqi was about to return to her room and lie down for a while, she heard some movement coming from the empty courtyard next door.
She could also hear the brigade captain’s voice among them.
Curious, Qin Ziqi opened her courtyard gate and went out to take a look. She wanted to know who had moved into the room next to hers.
When she reached the neighboring courtyard gate, her eyes met those of the person standing inside.
How could it be him?
When Si Chenye saw Qin Ziqi, he was afraid she might say something first, so he hurriedly smiled and spoke.
“Hello, Comrade. I just arrived today as an educated youth. My name is Chen Ye.”
Qin Ziqi’s mouth twitched.
Si Chenye, Chen Ye?
She was speechless.
Still, she pretended not to know him.
“Hello. My name is Qin Ziqi.”
The brigade captain turned around and saw Qin Ziqi.
“Oh, Qin Zhiqing. This Chen Zhiqing and the Lu Zhiqing in the front courtyard are both new educated youths. They’re from the same batch as you, but they arrived a day late.”
“Oh. You two carry on. I’ll go back.”
Qin Ziqi guessed that Si Chenye and the so-called Lu Zhiqing in the front courtyard must be Lu He from the train.
So they’re here to carry out a mission?
She had originally thought that one of the people in the front courtyard had finally changed their mind and decided to spend the money for a little more comfort.
She hadn’t expected it to be people she already knew.
It was practically a reunion of familiar faces.
In Qin Ziqi’s mind, she was more familiar with Si Chenye and the others than with anyone else in the entire educated youth compound, since she had spent so much time with them on the train.
Qin Ziqi took a short nap.
She was planning to go into the village and ask someone to help install her iron cooking pot. But just as she stepped outside, someone knocked on her courtyard gate.
Qin Ziqi went to open it.
Standing outside was none other than Si Chenye.
“Do you need something?”
“Is it inconvenient for me to come in?”
Si Chenye’s gaze fell on the room behind Qin Ziqi.
Qin Ziqi rolled her eyes and stepped aside.
Si Chenye looked around the courtyard.
Its layout was the same as his, except that there were more things inside. Qin Ziqi had obviously added them herself.
She led him into the room and sat down beside the small square table in the outer room.
“No need to offer you water, right?”
“No need.”
Si Chenye smiled.
“Were you about to go somewhere?”
Qin Ziqi pointed toward the iron cooking pot outside.
“I was going to find someone in the village to help me install it.”
“I can do it. I’ll help you later.”
Si Chenye suddenly became serious.
“Comrade Qin, Lu He and I came here under the identities of educated youths for two reasons. First, it’s because of the enemy agent you helped us capture on the train. According to the interrogation, there is still another accomplice hiding among the educated youths here. Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to find out who it is.”
“Second, after careful consideration, we’ve decided that, just in case what happened on the train becomes known to anyone, Lu He and I will secretly protect you here until the enemy agent hiding in this area is caught.”