Section 012: The Metal Box and Lean Meat Powder
It was still very early when Zhao Ping’an and Ye Dong arrived in the county seat; the roosters hadn’t even crowed yet.
The two didn’t know what time it was, and fearing they might run into patrol officers if they went in suddenly, they decided to wait at the county gate for an hour or two until dawn before going in to look for Yu Yin.
When Yu Yin got up and left the guesthouse, she had no idea that Zhao Ping’an had already arrived. As a result, she had barely stepped out of the guesthouse when they showed up looking for her—only to find no one there.
“You mean she’s gone?” Ye Dong shouted, turning to look at Zhao Ping’an in shock.
Zhao Ping’an’s face was expressionless, but if you looked closely, you could see panic, cowardice, and fear hidden in his eyes.
“When did she leave?” he asked the guesthouse attendant, his voice trembling slightly.
The attendant was fairly polite. As she ate her breakfast, she said, “She left around five o’clock, but she probably went to the post office first. If you’re looking for her, you can go to the post office…” and look around.
Before she could finish speaking, the short man—his face a picture of terror—was gone in the blink of an eye.
The tall man ran off right after him.
The receptionist pursed her lips. “How rude.”
“If I hadn’t lent them a pen last night and given them an extra two mao, who would’ve bothered with you guys anyway?”
“Bro, wait for me!”
Zhao Ping’an ran like the wind, and Ye Dong hurried after him.
But as soon as he stepped out the front gate of the guesthouse, he remembered he’d ridden his bike there—and hadn’t even grabbed it yet. He ran a few steps, then turned back to get his bike.
By the time Ye Dong unlocked his bike and set off in pursuit, the man was already gone.
Fortunately, Ye Dong knew his way around. He quickly rode his bike into an alley, and when he emerged, he found himself on the main roadway.
The main road featured a post office, a state-run hotel, a supply and marketing cooperative, and other facilities, making it easy to find.
Sure enough, as Ye Dong rode along the main road, he soon arrived at the post office.
But it was still before six o’clock, and the post office wasn’t open yet.
Ye Dong watched Zhao Ping’an standing there dumbly at the post office entrance, looking completely lost and forlorn.
To be honest, it was kind of unsettling.
Just as he was about to offer some comfort, a familiar voice called out from behind them, “Ping’an!”
Yu Yin thought she’d mistaken him for someone else and ran over in surprise, clutching a big meat bun.
Upon looking, she saw it was indeed Zhao Ping’an—and Ye Dong was there too.
She asked, delighted, “Why are you here so early?”
“Have you had breakfast yet?”
“But it’s okay if you haven’t—I bought you some meat buns.”
“But there aren’t enough meat buns for the two of you.”
“Come on, I’ll take you guys out for breakfast.”
She reached out and took Zhao Ping’an’s hand—he was looking down, saying nothing—and led him away.
She’d asked while having breakfast earlier: it wasn’t that the county town didn’t require grain coupons at all times. Rather, since fewer people ate breakfast on Monday mornings, they’d slightly relaxed the rules to boost sales.
Once this opportunity was gone, it wouldn’t come again.
Since it was a rare chance to eat breakfast without coupons today, Yu Yin felt she could eat her fill—after all, she was a wealthy person now.
Back at the state-run restaurant, there were still no other customers for breakfast.
Having shed the shyness she’d felt on her first visit, Yu Yin called out loudly, “Chef, two bowls of lean pork rice noodles, and… four large steamed buns.”
She planned to have Zhao Ping’an take the meat buns she was holding in her arms home to eat later.
The boy rarely got to eat meat, so saving the meat buns for later at home was the best idea.
“Hey, young lady, you’re back again?” The chef poked his head out from the serving window. Seeing that she’d brought two teenage boys with her, he smiled. “Just a moment—it’ll be ready soon.”
“Okay, thanks, Chef.”
After thanking him, Yu Yin asked the two boys, “Why did you come over so quickly? Nothing happened in the village, did it?”
Ye Dong was about to answer, but the next second, he sensed a cold, murderous aura coming from his left front.
He shut his mouth again and turned his gaze toward the empty entrance of the State-Owned Restaurant.
Yu Yin didn’t notice the tense exchange between the two. As she asked her question, she picked up the teapot and cups from the table. She first rinsed the cups with hot water, then poured each of them a cup of tea made from tea stems.
Only after pouring the tea did Yu Yin vaguely sense that something was wrong.
She stared at Zhao Ping’an. “What’s wrong? Nothing really happened, did it?”
“The thing… didn’t you bring it?”
Zhao Ping’an glared at Yu Yin. “Can’t you think of something nice for a change?”
As he spoke, he pulled out the metal box he’d been carrying behind his back, wrapped in his clothes, and handed it to Yu Yin.
Yu Yin took it—it was the metal box she remembered hiding.
She tried to open it but found that it had been sealed for so long she simply couldn’t pry it open.
Seeing her gritting her teeth in frustration, Zhao Ping’an took a deep breath and exhaled. “Give it to me.”
Yu Yin handed it over, and immediately afterward, with a clang, the box sprang open.
Yu Yin: “…!!!”
Unwilling to accept defeat, she muttered, “That’s not possible.”
Her voice was very soft, but Zhao Ping’an heard it.
The restlessness building in his chest vanished instantly because of her one sentence.
His voice carried a hint of smugness. “You’re just too weak. Once you get to the provincial capital, remember to eat more meat.”
Now it was Yu Yin’s turn to glare at him.
But Zhao Ping’an wasn’t the least bit intimidated. He retorted, “What are you doing out of the guesthouse this early? Didn’t you say you were waiting for someone from the provincial capital to pick you up?”
It would have been fine if he hadn’t brought it up, but the moment he did, Yu Yin felt a pang of guilt.
Her plan to have someone from the provincial capital come to the county seat to pick her up was based on the fact that, in the book, the male cannon fodder suddenly received a mission on the day of the wedding and couldn’t make it. So his family had called the matchmaker’s relatives in the county seat, asking them to tell the female supporting character to come to the county seat and wait for the male cannon fodder’s comrades to pick her up.
If, due to the butterfly effect, the male cannon fodder hadn’t been called away on a last-minute mission, then by coming over now… she didn’t know if she might miss the wedding procession.
Still, that probably wouldn’t happen—after all, the road to Cuizhu Village passes through the county seat.
She remembered that the male cannon fodder’s men were driving a Jeep from the provincial capital; as long as she spotted a Jeep and asked around, it would most likely be one of his men.
Yu Yin argued confidently, “Waiting at the guesthouse to ask for money—they’ll have to pass by here anyway on their way to our village, so it’s just as well for me to come out and wait here.”
It seemed to make sense, but something didn’t quite feel right.
Zhao Ping’an didn’t know much about these things, but just then, the lean pork noodles and steamed buns Yu Yin had ordered arrived, and his attention was quickly diverted.
In the south, ingredients are often served to preserve their natural flavors. As soon as the lean pork rice noodle soup was brought over, the three of them caught a whiff of the aroma of lean pork mixed with rice noodles.
It smelled absolutely amazing.
Even though Yu Yin was already full, she still wanted to eat more.
“Here’s the lean pork rice noodles. Since you’ve come back again today, I’ll add two extra servings of greens to each bowl.” The chef came out personally to serve breakfast, and Yu Yin immediately thanked him.
The chef waved and left without lingering.
Although Yu Yin really wanted to eat, her stomach was already full. Her body hadn’t fully recovered yet, so she couldn’t eat too much.
Yu Yin urged, “Hurry up and eat. If you’re still hungry, we’ll order more.”
“Order more? Do you think we’re rolling in money?” Just as Ye Dong was about to cheerfully agree, Zhao Ping’an’s words and fierce glare hit him. He immediately shut up, lowered his head, and listened as his older brother scolded his sister.
Ye Dong thought to himself, “He really is my older brother—he even dares to speak to my sister like that.”
Yu Yin didn’t care about his attitude; she could sense the concern behind this young man’s hypocritical words.
“I have money,” she emphasized.
“Oh, right—here, take this.” Yu Yin shoved the large meat bun she’d been holding into Zhao Ping’an’s arms. “I didn’t think you’d come over this early. I brought this meat bun for you—save it to eat when you get home.”
Zhao Ping’an’s hand, which had been reaching out to refuse, paused. He’d thought that Yu Yin, who was leaving this place forever, would forget him and abandon him—but it turned out she’d been thinking of him all along.
He felt guilty for the resentment he’d heard in her voice just moments ago after she’d left.
He lowered his head and looked at the buns in the black plastic bag in his arms. He wanted to hold them tightly, but the moment he did, he couldn’t bear to squeeze them too hard and eased up.
“If… if anyone picks on you, remember to tell me. I’ll beat the crap out of them.”
It was rare for the boy to speak so fiercely, yet there was no hint of malice in his words.
Yu Yin blinked and smiled. “Okay. I told Ye Dong I’d send letters back later—you can pick them up from him then. And you, too—remember to write to me. You have to write them yourself. If you don’t know how to write, just ask Ye Dong.”
Yu Yin took the opportunity to ask Zhao Ping’an to learn to read and write.
Actually, the boy did know a few characters—the female supporting character had taught him before.
But later, the female supporting character stopped studying herself. Perhaps the boy didn’t want to remind her of the past, so when she tried to teach him again, he refused to learn.
Being illiterate just wouldn’t do. The world ahead was vast, and there were many bad people; Yu Yin didn’t want Zhao Ping’an to stay forever in this little corner of Cuizhu Village.
But Zhao Ping’an didn’t seem to understand what Yu Yin meant. When he heard that Yu Yin was going to send a letter to Ye Dong instead of to him, he got angry.
He couldn’t bring himself to scold Yu Yin, so he could only glare fiercely at Ye Dong, who was happily eating.
Feeling the murderous intent, Ye Dong: “……”
He blinked. Had he missed something?