“?” Grandma Zhao had been watching Shu Ning argue with Bai Zhiping the whole time. The more she argued, the more thrilled she felt, barely noticing anything else. She asked, “What did she call him?”
Grandma Chen’s expression turned meaningful. “She said, ‘My Xiao Huang.’”
“…” Grandma Zhao immediately burst into laughter.
Hey! There’s something going on!
“Old Zhao, Comrade Shu left quite a lot of things behind. What should we do with them?” Grandma Chen turned to look at the various coupons Shu Ning had left on the table and asked with some difficulty.
“Comrade Shu is really generous.” Grandma Zhao looked at the stack of coupons and sighed with emotion. “What else can we do? We can only return them to her.”
“Ah, what a pity about this rooster. Let’s marinate it and save it for New Year.”
“…” Ergouzi, who was plucking the chicken feathers nearby, instantly felt like life had lost all meaning.
The feathers were already plucked, yet the chicken was going to be hung up and saved for New Year.
He stood up immediately in protest. “No! Marinated chicken doesn’t taste good!”
“Your Brother Zhao already has a hard life. He has to save carefully. If you eat whatever you have now, what will you do when there’s nothing left?” Grandma Zhao retorted. “He’s raising his younger siblings alone. How difficult is that!”
Ergouzi: “…”
Why did everyone think Gu Zhao was poor?
Among all of them, the one with the most money and coupons was Gu Zhao!
Not to mention one chicken—if Gu Zhao wanted to eat ten chickens during New Year, it wouldn’t be a problem!
Ergouzi swallowed his frustration. No, he couldn’t say anything.
Brother Zhao had said it—never flaunt wealth!
If they thought he was poor, then let them keep thinking that…
“Heh, a bunch of old fossils. Breathing air every day for nothing, and still dreaming of eating chicken for New Year. This chicken belongs to our Gu family!”
A sharp, cold voice of an old woman suddenly came from outside.
An elderly woman in a dark red floral outfit barged in aggressively with two young men behind her. The moment she saw the plucked rooster in Ergouzi’s hands, her eyes lit up.
“Give me that chicken! This is the Gu family’s chicken—it’s ours!”
“And take all the coupons on the table. I’ve raised Gu Zhao for so many years—now that he has money, he should show filial piety to me!”
The old woman spoke as if it were only natural.
Ergouzi refused. Holding the chicken, he stepped back. “Grandma Gu, Brother Zhao was driven out of your family five years ago. This is his home. The chicken was raised by him. It has nothing to do with you!”
The old woman snorted coldly. “Can’t I eat a chicken raised by my own grandson? Qiangzi, Fuzi, grab it!”
Gu Qiang and Gu Fu, tall and burly, rushed forward. They slapped Ergouzi twice, shoved him to the ground, and brutally snatched the chicken away. Then they swept the table, taking all the coupons Shu Ning had left.
Grandma Zhao tried to chase them, but her leg was lame—she couldn’t keep up.
Grandma Chen chased after them but was also pushed down by Gu Qiang and Gu Fu.
For a moment, the courtyard was in complete chaos.
Gu Zhao ran all the way into the mountains.
He picked a handful of wild vegetables.
“You brat, weren’t you getting engaged? Why are you running into the mountains?”
Just as he reached the commune pig farm, a skinny old man blocked his path.
“Old man, you live alone on this island. Why worry about so much?”
Ignoring the suspicion in Old Li’s eyes, Gu Zhao walked straight into the small square of the pig farm.
Many jars of chili paste were laid out to dry.
Picking wild vegetables was just an excuse—the real reason was to check on these treasures.
The chili paste had been made from wild chilies he picked before the rain. After making it, it had been stored in jars.
In the afternoon sun, Old Li had helped him bring them out to dry.
Chili paste fermented in a well-ventilated, sunny place had a rich fragrance and excellent quality.
“Aren’t you going to invite me for a drink?” Old Li frowned, displeased at Gu Zhao’s indifferent attitude.
“If you want to drink, there’s plenty in the wine jars. Two jars just brewed—enough to knock you out,” Gu Zhao replied.
“I want engagement wine! Engagement wine, understand?! You brat, always dodging like a loach. Do you really think I can’t beat you?”
“Go ahead, hit me. You’re the elder—I wouldn’t dare resist.” Gu Zhao glanced at his jars of chili paste, then walked into the cellar and smelled the wine.
It smelled amazing.
Rich, mellow, and intoxicating—just smelling it made him feel drunk.
Few people came to the pig farm, and Old Li had a strange temper, so no one dared approach.
This had become his secret base for making money.
As he stepped out of the cellar, Gu Zhao had already done the math.
Two jars of chili paste—at least twenty jin. Sold at forty cents per jin, that’s at least eight yuan.
Two jars of rice wine—around thirty jin. Sold per bottle, at least twenty yuan.
After deducting costs, he could make at least ten yuan.
More than a month’s work points at the commune.
“What’s going on exactly? Everyone’s saying you’re getting engaged. I even heard firecrackers. Why aren’t you going back?” Old Li pushed him impatiently.
“Hearsay. I don’t want to get married at all! I was just messing around.”
“You really are a bastard!” Old Li angrily grabbed a stick and swung it at him. “If you don’t get engaged after making such a scene, that girl will be laughed at forever!”
“Old man, calm down! Stop hitting me—I’ll go back now. I’ll come early tomorrow to keep you company!”
Gu Zhao quickly slipped away.
Shu Ning led Xiao Huang to look for Gu Zhao.
Along the way, Xiao Huang strutted proudly with the scarf she had snatched back from Bai Zhiping tied around its neck.
After walking a bit, the dog would rub against Shu Ning’s leg affectionately.
Shu Ning smiled. If Gu Zhao knew Xiao Huang had switched sides so quickly, he would definitely be angry.
After searching for a while and failing to find him, and with the sky growing dark, Shu Ning decided to return to the educated youth dormitory.
In recent years, Hongqi Commune had enjoyed good weather and consecutive harvests. Many educated youths had been assigned there, so dormitory compounds were built.
There were two rows of houses.
Eight rooms in total.
Over the years, many educated youths had returned home, reducing their number from over forty to just more than ten.
Now, each male educated youth could have his own room.
There were slightly more female educated youths, so some shared rooms.
Shu Ning and Zhu Qiulan shared a room, and Xin Wenyue often stayed with them, making it three people at times.
“Shu Ning, why did you put the scarf on that clown dog? When Zhiping came back, his face was completely dark. Even if you’re arguing with him, you shouldn’t humiliate him like this!”
As soon as Shu Ning entered with Xiao Huang, Zhu Qiulan spoke with dissatisfaction and concern.
Shu Ning raised her eyes and smiled faintly.
It was good that his face turned dark!
“I already gave the scarf to Xiao Huang. Whether it rolls in the dirt is its freedom,” Shu Ning replied casually. Then her gaze sharpened, her voice turning cold. “You’re defending him so much—are you feeling sorry for Bai Zhiping?”
Zhu Qiulan’s expression changed, suppressing her panic. “Shu Ning, how can you think that? I’m just reminding you—if you act like this, Zhiping will only drift further away from you.”
Shu Ning sneered inwardly. Zhu Qiulan’s flickering gaze and flustered face gave her away—she had long been interested in Bai Zhiping.
She wished he would stay far away!
Unfortunately, in her previous life, she had been blind and couldn’t see it.
“Then go get closer to him! He’s so handsome, and you’re so beautiful. A perfect match—a great love story!”
“Shu Ning, earlier at Gu Zhao’s house, your words were full of thorns. I truly treat you as my sister—how can you insult me like this?” Zhu Qiulan said indignantly, looking wronged. “Am I the kind of person who steals someone else’s man?”
“Aren’t you?” Shu Ning asked coldly.
Zhu Qiulan choked.
Was Shu Ning determined to ruin the conversation?
“Shu Ning, we’re good sisters. I know you’re upset after what happened with Gu Zhao today. If you’re angry, you can vent it on me. But please don’t speak like this, okay? It makes me feel like you’re targeting me—it hurts.”
Zhu Qiulan held her chest, speaking sincerely.
Shu Ning’s eyes remained calm.
As expected, Zhu Qiulan was no ordinary woman.
Even when their conversation had reached such a tense point, she could still easily defuse the conflict.
Since you’re so composed, fine.
Let me shake that composure a bit.
Shu Ning narrowed her eyes slightly, her voice cold as if from hell:
“I’m also upset—upset that Bai Zhiping didn’t ask me out. Why did you say that he did?”