Zhao Yingzi came out holding freshly baked flatbreads; they were made with mixed flour and smelled quite fragrant.
"Come, you all try some. I made some meat sauce; see how it tastes when you dip the bread in it?"
These flatbreads were meant for Su Xiangbei and Su Xiangnan to take to school.
Every month, every student would bring their own rations to be handed over to the canteen uniformly.
Su Xiangnan and Su Xiangbei, two grown young men, had large appetites, and since the canteen food lacked richness, they always felt they weren't eating enough.
Now that the family wasn't short on grain, Grandma Su simply had them take some flatbreads or steamed buns to school instead.
Zhao Yingzi knew how to cook and was meticulous; she felt that taking steamed buns, which could become hard, was not as good as making flatbreads.
These flatbreads had oil and salt in them, so if they got too hard later, they could also be soaked in porridge.
Su Xiaoruan also took a bite.
"Sister, this meat sauce is better than the flatbread."
Su Xiangbei retorted, "You're not stupid. That sauce has both meat and oil; how could it not taste good?"
Su Xiaoruan glared back at him, "If you keep picking on me, I won't bring you any meat tomorrow."
Su Xiangbei immediately backed down.
"Good little sister, good Ruan Bao, Brother was wrong. You can't be biased. Hurry up and tell Brother what kind of meat to bring to school tomorrow?"
Su Xiaoruan snorted and refused to pay attention to him.
Su Xiangnan, however, chewed the flatbread in his mouth with a smile; he didn't believe his little sister would let them suffer any grievance.
The next morning, before dawn, Su Xiangnan and Su Xiangbei were already up.
Third Grandfather saw them off to the town to catch the vehicle.
Su Xiaoruan also rarely woke up so early; she first made them both drink a bowl of milk, then handed them an oil paper package, urging them to finish everything today.
It wasn't until they boarded the bus that Su Xiangbei opened the oil paper package to take a peek.
Good heavens!
It was actually a roasted chicken!
The two brothers exchanged a look, their hearts warmed, and each secretly vowed to treat their little sister well in the future.
Su Xiaoruan went back to sleep for a second round and accidentally overslept.
"Grandma, do you think Eldest Brother's matter will work out?"
Grandma Su was working on the sole of a shoe, looking very calm. "Why worry about that? No matter how anxious you are at home, it's useless. Just let nature take its course."
Su Xiaoruan silently gave a thumbs-up; the Old Lady was indeed wise.
It was nearly noon when Su Guoan returned with Su Xiangdong.
Grandma Su immediately put down what she was holding. "Eldest Nephew, how did it go?"
Su Guoan replied, "Higher authorities said they need to hold another meeting to discuss it. But I don't think it's a big problem; there are only three people competing, and only Xiangdong has a High School education."
Grandma Su immediately smiled.
"Good, good, good! It's almost noon, Guoan, stay and eat with us."
"No, Auntie, I still need to go to the Production Brigade."
Su Xiangdong wasn't as relaxed as Su Guoan; he felt that until the very last moment, it was truly hard to say for sure.
After secretly glancing at Eldest Brother a few times, Su Xiaoruan started thinking about whether she could go talk to that Secretary Geng.
In her memory, Eldest Brother hadn't gotten such an opportunity at all; mainly, it seemed that the Educated Youth had caused trouble for him, preventing him from having a peaceful time, so the Brigade Leader naturally wouldn't recommend him for this opportunity.
In her past life, the person who became the Clerk was an Educated Youth who had gone to the countryside.
Su Xiaoruan racked her brain repeatedly before suddenly remembering that person.
The person who became the Clerk in the previous life was named Li Jun, and he seemed to be from the same place as Song Hongjuan.
Moreover, after Song Hongjuan got into university, she left with this Li Jun.
Su Xiaoruan even suspected that the matter concerning her Eldest Brother in the past life was something these two had schemed together.
"Brother, if our Commune is recruiting, would they use an Educated Youth?"
"Probably not. But you can't be sure; if the person is capable, it's possible."
Su Xiaoruan nodded, thinking that in her past life, she hadn't paid much attention to this Li Jun, so it seemed she needed to find someone to inquire thoroughly.
This inquiry actually uncovered trouble.
This Li Jun was currently Dating Sun Xiaoju!
Sun Xiaoju was also a Commune Member of their Hongxing Brigade; her family background was average, but Sun Xiaoju's Aunt was married into the County town, and it was rumored her uncle worked in some bureau.
Putting all these pieces together, Su Xiaoruan understood.
That Li Jun only had a Junior high school education; if he hadn't found connections, he wouldn't have been able to become that Clerk in her past life.
It was just that Li Jun and Sun Xiaoju were already together now, so Sun Xiaoju's family would definitely try to help Li Jun out.
Su Xiaoruan was somewhat unfamiliar with Li Jun; if it weren't for his connection to Song Hongjuan, she wouldn't even remember such a person existed.
Su Xiaoruan didn't believe the relationship between Li Jun and Song Hongjuan was purely platonic, so she planned to find an opportunity to keep an eye on them.
Su Xiaoruan went directly to Huo Yunlei.
Although this kid wasn't favored in the Huo Family, he was considered a king among the children in the Village because he was fierce in fights.
"So I just need to watch those two?"
"Yes. Watch them, and if you notice the two meeting alone, find a way to lure Sun Xiaoju over."
Huo Yunlei wasn't stupid; his eyes darted, and he understood.
"Ruan Bao, what do you mean by this?"
"You don't know, that Song Hongjuan was always trying to get close to my Eldest Brother before. My Grandma always told me and Sister Yingzi to watch Eldest Brother. My Eldest Brother has no interest in this Song Hongjuan, but Song Hongjuan can't help but actively seek out my Brother every other day. So I wanted to see if she was sincere toward my Brother."
Huo Yunlei understood; she was worried her Eldest Brother was being schemed against.
"I heard people say before that Song Hongjuan was close to Li Jun; they were originally from the same place, but Song Hongjuan suddenly started showing favor to my Brother, which makes me uneasy."
"Don't worry, leave this matter to me."
Su Xiaoruan nodded, "Don't tell anyone else. It's best if only you and I know about this."
"Deal, I'm leaving."
"Wait a moment!"
Su Xiaoruan called him back and pulled out another handful of Milk Candy for him.
"Share this with Xiao Yan. Has Xiao Yan fainted again recently?"
"No. Thank you, Ruan Bao. When I earn money in the future, I'll buy you lots of Milk Candy."
"Okay, I'll wait for it!"
After they finished speaking, they parted ways and went back to their respective homes.
However, Huo Yunlei had only walked a few steps when he was grabbed by the back of his collar by his Eldest Brother.
"Yow! Eldest Brother, what are you doing?"
Huo Yunting asked with a cold expression, "I should be asking you! Why did you go out instead of staying in school?"
Huo Yunlei was quite afraid of this Eldest Brother, but he didn't dare reveal Su Xiaoruan, only saying he had something to do.
"I saw everything. I also heard what you said to Ruan Bao. Otherwise, why do you think I pulled you over so quickly?"