The person before him was tender and fresh, her skin so delicate it seemed translucent. She hadn’t cooked a meal in two years, so he really wasn’t at ease letting her cook for herself.
He didn’t know what had gotten into him to end up with such a lazy wife.
“Just keep making trouble for me,” he said, shooting her a fierce glare before storming out. He headed to the kitchen, grabbed a piece of pork, and hurried out.
By the time Su Ying put on her shoes and stepped outside, she only saw his retreating back.
What was he doing with the meat?
He should have scolded her harshly and broken up with her. Why hadn’t he said anything yet?
Su Ying waited in the room. Before long, the man returned, breathing heavily from his haste.
“I took the meat to the educated youth point. You can go there for dinner tonight. I’ve already told them—they’ll make food for you and Grandma Ding.”
Su Ying blinked uncertainly. “You gave away both pounds of pork?”
“Yes.”
“You gave away the two pounds of pork we bought today?!”
“Mhm.”
If he’d given away less, Su Ying wouldn’t have gotten much.
Her heart ached as if someone had punched it hard. Furious, she kicked him. “You spendthrift! That meat was for me to eat myself. How could you give it away? Are you trying to make me die of anger?!”
She’d braved the scorching sun to buy it, and he’d given it all away. This was no way to live!!
He knew the woman was domineering and selfish, unwilling to share good things, but it was worth it for her safety.
He hooked a finger under her chin, lifting it, and gently rubbed her flushed eyes with his thumb. “Su Ying, if there’s no meat, I’ll buy more for you. Be good.”
He’d saved up nine years’ worth of army wages—enough for two of her to spend. She was his girl, so he’d spend it all on her.
The man’s voice was deep and magnetic. Su Ying felt as if little bugs had crawled into her ears, making them itch. She scratched them.
Her anger subsided a little. “Just this once. If there’s a next time, I’ll ignore you!”
“Alright.”
Zhou Kuangye gently rubbed her reddened earlobe. “I’ll go now. Make sure you head over early tonight.”
“I know, I know. Hurry up already, you chatterbox.”
Su Ying lay on the bed alone, growing angrier the more she thought about it. She stretched her legs into the air, kicking and thrashing as if hitting someone. Two pounds of pork, fatty and marbled—it would have been so delicious.
Zhou Kuangye was such a spendthrift! A spendthrift! A spendthrift!!
Just how much money did he have, to be so wasteful? He’d squander it all sooner or later.
He’d already spent over two hundred yuan today. They couldn’t keep spending like this in the future—it was all her money, after all.
That evening, Su Ying set off early, carrying a lunchbox to bring food for Grandma Ding.
All along the way, she kept thinking about how to make Zhou Kuangye dump her.
He didn’t care if she was wasteful, and he didn’t care if she was unreasonable.
The only way was to slack off. As long as she persisted long enough, she didn’t believe he could tolerate it.
In the countryside, women who didn’t work were criticized behind their backs. She hoped Zhou Kuangye would criticize her to death.
As she approached the educated youth point, she thought of Lu Pingshu and stepped back. She smoothed her two thick braids and her little skirt, making sure she looked pretty before walking in.
The educated youths were all busy with their own tasks, chatting and laughing. The moment she arrived, everyone fell silent.
What were they staring at? Had they never seen a beauty before?
Su Ying ignored them. Spotting Lu Pingshu in the kitchen, her eyes lit up. She walked right over and said sweetly, “Comrade Lu, are you cooking today?”
Lu Pingshu was tending the fire, wiping sweat from his forehead. When he turned around and saw the sunflower-like woman standing at the door smiling at him, his heart raced. He immediately stood up.
“Comrade Su Ying, you’re here.”
“Please come in and sit—no, it’s too dirty here. You should go outside—no, I…”
Su Ying stood at the doorway, watching him fumble like a flustered young man, her eyes crinkling with amusement. “Comrade Lu Pingshu, don’t mind me. I’ll just stand here and watch you cook.”
He looked fair and clean, clearly a gentle person—much better than that big, burly fellow.
Lu Pingshu met her gaze and smiled warmly. “Alright, I’ll cook, and you can watch. Make sure to eat well tonight.”
“Hey, move aside, move aside! Firewood coming through!”
Wen Zi barged in with a large bundle of firewood, extinguishing the flickering spark of ambiguity between the two.
Su Ying quickly stepped back, nearly staining her skirt with the firewood. Wen Zi wasn’t even watching where she was going—how annoying.
“Oh my, Su Ying, you look absolutely stunning today, like a flower. You’ve brightened up the whole kitchen!” After setting down the firewood, Wen Zi immediately began showering her with praise.
Without realizing it, she took Su Ying’s small hand and pulled her out of the kitchen. “Look at how fair your skin is—I’m so envious!”
“You’re the prettiest person in the entire village.”
In the book, Su Ying had many minor flaws, the most prominent being her vanity. She loved being praised—compliment her well, and you could become her friend.
Previously, the two had been bitter rivals, all because Wen Zi had called Su Ying “ugly and scrawny like a skinny monkey” when they first met. Su Ying had held a grudge ever since.
So, to mend their relationship, all it took was praising her beauty.
Su Ying’s eyes widened in disbelief. She couldn’t believe Wen Zi was actually complimenting her. Had her eyesight finally improved?
With a touch of pride, she twirled her dark braid, trying to keep a straight face, though her tone betrayed her delight. “Well, you finally have some taste. I am pretty!”
“Su Ying, let’s make up. I was wrong to insult you before. The educated youths will be returning to the city one by one, and we won’t have much time left together. I want us to cherish the time we have, okay?”
“Wen Zi, why are you being so sentimental?”
“I mean it. I want to be friends with you.” Only by becoming friends could she hug the sweet, soft “Mizi.”
Today, Wen Zi wasn’t acting arrogant at all—she was even praising her.
And what she said made sense. Sooner or later, Su Ying would also return to the city, and they might never see each other again.
Su Ying wasn’t a petty person. She immediately clasped Wen Zi’s hand in return. “Alright, I agree to be friends with you.”
“Mizi, you’re the best!” Wen Zi threw herself into a bear hug, burying her face in Su Ying’s embrace, nuzzling and sighing. So soft, so fragrant.
“Wen Zi, get up. Don’t be like this.” How could she hug her so openly? Wasn’t she embarrassed?
Having gotten her fill, Wen Zi reluctantly pulled away.
Seizing a break during meal preparations, Wen Zi led Su Ying back to her room and firmly closed the door.
Tentatively, she asked, “Su Ying, how have things been between you and Comrade Zhou Kuangye lately?”
“What do you mean?”
“Have you two broken up or anything?”
Su Ying sat on the edge of the kang, looking at her in confusion. “How did you know I was going to break up with him?”
No one knew about this except Lu Pingshu.
“I could tell. I know how to read faces.” Wen Zi wasn’t sure how far things had progressed between them and felt a bit worried.
A gentle, coaxing voice offered guidance: “Su Ying, isn’t Zhou Kuangye good? Why did you break up with him?”
“He… he’s not good.” As she said this, Su Ying unconsciously twisted her fingers together, feeling a little guilty.
Truth be told, Zhou Kuangye treated her quite well—he went along with everything she wanted and was even willing to spend money on her. But he had no future prospects; he couldn’t give her a big house to live in.
Once they returned to the city, she would only be able to sleep beside the firewood pile in the kitchen, reeking of cooking fumes every day. She didn’t want to live that kind of life anymore.