"What embarrassment?"
Su Yun didn't understand.
Xiao Yuan was about to speak when his gaze fell on her now-shortened hair.
"Your hair…"
"Oh, I sold it at the recycling station for five yuan."
Speaking of this, Su Yun touched her short hair and couldn't help but smile.
"I never thought hair could be so valuable. Five yuan can buy three or four jin of meat!"
Xiao Yuan's eyes darkened, deeply moved.
He murmured hoarsely, "You… you didn't… didn't have to cut it…"
Since he had decided to let her stay, he would do his best to ensure she had enough to eat and warm clothes…
"Does it look bad? But I think short hair is much more convenient."
Su Yun wasn't sad about cutting her hair short.
"Short hair is easier to wash, dries quickly, and saves water and shampoo. It couldn't be more convenient."
As she spoke, Su Yun carried her basket into the room.
The kitchen was very shabby, but she had placed the fine rice, high-quality flour, and oil she bought there.
Although the bedroom was equally dilapidated, at least someone lived there, so there was no worry about thieves in the middle of the night.
She took out the rice and flour from the basket, along with the cotton, flawed fabric, oil lamp, and lamp oil.
She picked up the pork that Li San had given her later.
"Xiao Yuan, you know how to weave things. Can you make a few bamboo baskets or containers for the house first?"
"Sure, what kind do you want?"
Xiao Yuan asked.
Su Yun explained, "Can you make bamboo baskets with lids? I'd also like two bamboo baskets with lids."
Without lids, storing things always felt unsafe.
"Okay."
After placing the pork in the kitchen, Su Yun took a sip of water and returned to the bedroom.
She took out the cotton, the fabric she bought, scissors, and needle and thread, then sat by the door and began hand-sewing a cotton-padded jacket.
As a doctor, one must have skilled hands.
Su Yun's hands could handle iron and wield a scalpel.
Holding a needle and thread to sew clothes and do handiwork was no challenge for her.
In one afternoon, she sewed a cotton-padded jacket for Xiao Yuan.
The stitches were neat, tight, and very sturdy.
"Try it on."
After finishing the jacket, she rubbed her arms and stood up, handing the cotton-padded coat to the man who had been diligently weaving bamboo baskets.
Beside him, a bamboo basket was already completed.
He looked up at the sound, surprised to see the cotton-padded jacket in Su Yun's hands.
"For… for me?"
"Hmm? Is there a third person in the house?"
"But…" Xiao Yuan wanted to say that she should make clothes for herself to wear.
However, faced with her exceptionally bright and sincere eyes, his thin lips moved, unable to utter a refusal.
"I…"
"Try it on. If it doesn't fit, let me know. I'll take this bamboo basket inside to store things."
It was already getting dark.
Oil lamps were expensive.
She needed to prepare dinner as soon as possible.
Su Yun went back inside. Thinking of the piece of meat in the kitchen, she decided to make a simplified version of iron pot rice for dinner.
She added a bowl of rice to the large pot, poured in water, covered it, and started cooking.
At the same time, she cut off a section of the meat, washed it, sliced it into evenly sized thin pieces, placed them in a bowl, and added a bit of soy sauce for later use.
She cut half a head of cabbage into long strips.
When the rice was almost done, she removed the lid, spread the meat slices over the rice, and added the cabbage on top.
Then she covered the pot again and continued to simmer.
Su Yun calculated the time; in about five minutes, they could eat.
"Xiao Yuan, wash your hands and come eat!"
Su Yun called out toward the yard.
She served out the fragrant rice, topped with soft, tender cabbage and glistening slices of pork.
It was a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate.
Xiao Yuan came in from outside, leaning on his crutch. Seeing the heaping bowl of rice on the table, he felt his stomach growl with hunger.
Next door, Qin Jiao, who was preparing dinner, faintly caught the scent of meat.
She sniffed the air and confirmed the source—it was actually coming from that cripple's house next door!
"Well, well, that cripple dares to eat meat behind our backs!"
Qin Jiao threw down the cabbage in her hands, rolled up her sleeves angrily, and stormed toward the door.
"Where are you going again?"
Qin Aiguo, returning from work with a hoe on his shoulder, saw his youngest daughter, missing a front tooth and still restless.
His brow furrowed tightly.
Qin Jiao's tears fell with a plop.
"Dad, the neighbors are eating meat."
"They have meat, but they don't send any to you or Mom. That's just too much."
"I'm going over there to demand an explanation."
In truth, Qin Jiao just wanted to eat it herself.
Despite Qin Aiguo's many embezzlements and the gold bars hidden in the ancestral grave (which had already been taken by Su Yun), the family only ate meat once every ten days or half a month.
How could Qin Aiguo not know what his daughter was thinking?
He glared at Qin Jiao in annoyance. "Have you forgotten how you lost your tooth? Do you want to provoke that shrew Su Yun again and have her knock out your other front tooth?"
Qin Jiao was unhappy and aggrieved. "Dad!"
"You're the leader of our second team. Our family eats coarse food and vegetables, so why is that cripple's family living better than ours?"
"Can you swallow this injustice?"
Qin Aiguo certainly couldn't swallow it.
If nothing else, the money that Su Yun, that wretched woman, used to buy the meat was extorted from him.
He had dominated the Forward Brigade for half his life, with even the brigade leader following his lead.
This was the first time he had ever been bested by a young girl.
"Don't worry about this."
Qin Aiguo stopped Qin Jiao and told her to prepare dinner.
"Tell your mom I'm going out. Don't wait for me to eat."
"Okay."
Qin Jiao didn't dare ask where Qin Aiguo was going and could only turn back into the kitchen.
But the faint scent of meat still wafted over, making her heart itch with envy.
She still couldn't swallow this injustice.
She had to complain to her mother properly.
She had to let her know how unfilial that cripple was.
Qin Aiguo walked with his hands behind his back along the village path to the fifth team.
The Su family was also preparing dinner, about to eat.
Seeing Qin Aiguo arrive, Su Dafu and Luo Fenlan immediately broke into smiles.
"Our in-law is here! Have you eaten yet? Come, sit, sit!"
Su Dafu and his wife were very eager toward this in-law, who was the leader of a team with over a hundred households.
Listening to them repeatedly calling him "in-law," Qin Aiguo's brow furrowed so tightly it could almost crush a fly.
But he had to accept the title.
There was no choice—his useless son had fallen for Su Zhen.
Just now, as he passed by the bamboo grove near the fishpond, he had seen his son Qin Xiao and Su Zhen sneaking into the unused thatched hut by the fishpond…
Su Dafu revealed a mouthful of yellow teeth stained by pipe tobacco. "In-law, did you come to discuss something?"
"Are we talking about Zhenzhen and Qin Xiao's wedding?"
Clearly, the Su family also knew about Su Zhen and Qin Xiao's entanglement.
Qin Aiguo glared at Su Dafu upon hearing this. "It hasn't been long enough. Wait a bit more."
"Your Su family might not care about reputation, but my Qin family certainly does."
They had to wait until the entire brigade believed that it was Su Yun who shamelessly climbed into the bed of Xiao Yuan, that cripple, before they could discuss the marriage again.
As for that fool Qin Xiao, who had already registered his marriage with Su Zhen, that had to be kept secret for now.
As long as they didn't reveal it themselves, and with him keeping watch in this Forward Brigade, that wretched girl Su Yun wouldn't be able to cause any trouble.
Su Dafu chuckled and nodded, bending at the waist in agreement.
"So, dear in-law, is there something else you need?"
Qin Aiguo glanced at Su Dafu, who was bowing and fawning over him, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.
"Su Yun."