The next day, Shu Jin Yue still woke up early.
Zhao Wan Qiu had been so shocked and angry yesterday that she hadn't fallen asleep until after midnight. Wanting to let her sleep longer, Jin Yue volunteered to make breakfast.
She wasn't really good at cooking. When she was young, Zhao Wan Qiu often worked night shifts, and Teacher Shu wouldn't let her or Shu Wen Yun touch cold water—he always cooked for the family. Later, when she went to the countryside, initially the same batch of Young Educated Youth would pool their food and eat together. But eventually, some ate more while others ate less, leading to conflicts. After they split up, there wasn't enough food or vegetables for her to improve her skills. Jin Yue's "culinary skills" were limited to cooking rice until done and making a messy one-pot stew for vegetables.
Imitating how Zhao Wan Qiu usually did it, she simmered a pot of coarse rice porridge on the stove, added a few pieces of pumpkin, and reluctantly boiled five eggs in plain water.
These eggs were bought by Teacher Shu on the day Jin Yue returned home, but the family had been reluctant to eat them, only occasionally adding one to dough drop soup—just stirring in some egg flakes made it incredibly fragrant.
"Well, well, did the sun rise from the west today?" Shu Wen Ming's eyes nearly popped out of his head at the sight of the five pristine eggs.
"Second Brother, go brush your teeth quickly." Jin Yue placed the coarse rice porridge on the stove and, using the fire from the stove, stir-fried some shredded cabbage with minced garlic.
Her skills were really not great, limited to just cooking the cabbage through, but she wasn't stingy with oil. As long as there was enough oil, even stir-frying a rag would taste good.
Sure enough, both Shu Wen Ming and Shu Wen Yun gave her thumbs up while eating. "Jin Yue's cooking is really delicious."
After the meal, unable to refuse, each of them pocketed a warm egg before heading out. Both Teacher Shu and Zhao Wan Qiu said they didn't want to eat and insisted on giving their eggs to Jin Yue.
"If you don't eat, then I won't either."
"Oh, you child. You need the nutrition. We're just old bones—we don't need supplements."
Jin Yue wouldn't listen. Since everyone had gone all out to help with her situation, she also wanted to spend her own money to improve the family's meals.
"The other day when I passed under the Construction Bridge, I saw villagers selling eggs for only thirty cents per jin."
Zhao Wan Qiu raised her eyebrows. "The ones we buy at the non-staple food store cost twenty-eight cents and require coupons." Urban worker families really had to spend both money and coupons just to eat eggs.
"Then I'll go buy two jin tonight to supplement Jin Yue's nutrition," Teacher Shu volunteered. He couldn't let Shu Wen Ming go—if he got caught, the consequences would be severe. As an old man, he had nothing to fear.
Only then did Jin Yue remember she still had milk powder coupons. She thought about quickly buying some milk powder. If they were willing to drink it, they could all have some together; if not, she would drink it herself.
She was seriously lacking nutrition. Her skin looked pale, but it was a sickly pallor, typical of anemia. With insufficient blood and energy, how could she possibly have regular periods? How could her hair grow well? Sigh!
Fresh milk would definitely be best, but milk coupons were hard to come by. Milk powder would have to do for now, until she could build up her nutrition.
Just after washing the pots and bowls, she suddenly heard someone outside ask, "Is this Shu Wen Yun's home?"
"Yes, I'm Shu Wen Yun's younger sister. May I ask, comrade, you are…"
The person pushing an old bicycle had phoenix eyes. "My name is Huang Mei."
Jin Yue couldn't help but think of that Aunt Huang with the panda eyes. "Hello, Sister Huang Mei."
"You must be Shu Jin Yue. Your sister Wen Yun mentioned you. I'm sorry about the job situation—my family couldn't agree, and I didn't want to mislead you. You should look for other opportunities." She openly explained the reason, even apologized, and handed over half a pound of red-skinned peanuts as a gesture of apology.
Peanuts! Those were incredibly rare!
Especially before the New Year, when every household wanted to stock up. Just a few days ago, Teacher Shu had mentioned trying to get some from someone to enjoy with drinks on New Year's Eve.
Jin Yue hadn't expected her to handle things so graciously. The incident had only happened yesterday, and today she came to apologize in person.
"No need, Sister Huang Mei, you're too kind. We understand your family's difficulties. The peanuts aren't necessary."
Huang Mei insisted on pushing them into her hands. Afraid they might spill, Jin Yue reluctantly accepted, only to have Huang Mei immediately turn to leave.
"Hey, wait!"
"Keep them to nourish yourself. I should go."
"No, I wanted to talk about something related to Auntie Huang."
Huang Mei stopped at once. "My mom was out of line yesterday—she didn't mean it. She did it for my sake. Please don't hold it against her."
Being a girl, she had never been valued since childhood. Worse, her mother had suffered health issues giving birth to her, making her the target of resentment from her father's side of the family. Originally, her father's job at the water plant was meant for his nephew, but she had managed to secure it first. Who would have thought they'd then set their sights on her mother's position?
"No, what I meant was—has Auntie Huang been feeling unwell lately?"
Although Shu Jin Yue hadn't said anything yesterday, upon reflection, Auntie Huang's complexion had seemed unusually sallow.
"Oh, you mean her yellowish skin? I noticed it last year too. Thought it might be a liver issue and took her to the hospital for tests, but the doctor said everything was normal. Probably just poor complexion from malnutrition."
Jin Yue shook her head. It wasn't a liver problem. She had observed yesterday that while Auntie Huang's face was yellow, her eyes and palms weren't. In such cases, medical exams wouldn't detect anything. With so many malnourished people these days, few considered it an actual illness to treat.
"It's not the liver. Auntie Huang likely has gynecological issues."
Yellow skin related to gynecology? Huang Mei wondered inwardly if Wen Yun's sister might be a bit unreliable. But then, recalling something, her expression turned serious. She stepped closer and whispered, "Actually, yes, my mom has always had problems in that area."
"Does she usually have excessive vaginal discharge?"
"How did you know?" Huang Mei blushed, feeling shy as an unmarried young woman. "It's true. My mom's discharge is heavy, almost like urine. She changes her underwear three or four times a day and still doesn't feel clean… People who don't know might think she's unhygienic, but she washes every day."
Jin Yue nodded. She had noticed that day—though Auntie Huang's complexion was poor, her hair was neat and clean, her nails trimmed, and the spaces under them spotless. She didn't seem like a slovenly person. For someone so meticulous about daily washing to still need three or four underwear changes a day indicated her discharge had reached a significant level.
"Does she often feel weak, have a poor appetite, and feel sleepy right after eating?"
"Ah, yes! How did you know, Comrade Xiao Shu?"
"I studied Traditional Chinese Medicine for a few years in the countryside. Auntie Huang has spleen deficiency. She should be careful, otherwise…" Jin Yue paused, unsure whether to continue.
"My mother has this chronic condition, but she feels too embarrassed to go to the hospital." Even consulting a female doctor made her too ashamed to speak up.
In the folk customs of Shilan Province, leucorrhea was considered "dirty stuff."
Alright, it still needed to be addressed. Jin Yue weighed her words carefully. "Sister Huang Mei, come inside with me for a moment."
What she was about to discuss was even more private. She didn’t want anyone eavesdropping again, which could damage Aunt Huang’s reputation if word got out.
"I’ll be straightforward then. When Aunt Huang uses the bathroom, does a fleshy bulge sometimes protrude? And does she have to struggle to push it back in afterward?"
Huang Mei’s face paled. Though she didn’t fully understand, she grasped the implication. "I don’t know. She’s never mentioned it to me. Is it something from inside her belly? Is it her intestines?"
Jin Yue smiled wryly. Knowledge of physiological hygiene was still sorely lacking these days. "Something from the belly" and "intestines"? That was clearly the vagina!
"This is called vaginal prolapse, and it’s quite severe. When you go back, ask your mother about it. If she has this condition, take her to the hospital immediately." Though not life-threatening, it seriously impacted daily life and mental well-being. Having to push it back in after every bathroom trip, only for it to prolapse again shortly after—who could endure that?
Moreover, it was highly prone to infections. The female reproductive tract was inherently delicate, and repeated infections over time could increase the risk of tumors or even cancer.
Huang Mei nodded hurriedly. "Alright, I’ll go ask her right now. It’s my day off today."
The water plant where she worked had night shifts, and she had just finished one, returning home briefly before rushing over.
Jin Yue still had one lingering doubt. "If your mother does have this condition, you should also ask whether she neglected her postpartum recovery in the past."
Logically, this illness was more common among women who had given birth multiple times. She had indeed encountered cases in rural areas where women who had five, six, or even more children and engaged in heavy physical labor daily suffered from it. But Aunt Huang had only one child and worked as a waitress, not in heavy labor. Even if she were unfortunate enough to develop prolapse, it shouldn’t be this severe.
Though her job prospects were still uncertain, Shu Jin Yue felt much more lighthearted. Staring at the peanuts, she began contemplating what delicious dish to make.
Well, of course, she meant directing Zhao Wan Qiu to cook—she herself had no such skills.
Back when she was an A Piao, she had loved watching food bloggers. Seeing the plump, ruddy peanuts, an idea struck her—drunken peanuts.
"Oh, dear little ancestor, we have to peel the peanuts? Alright, alright, I get it—boil them first, right? I know this step."
"Using so much oil? That’s enough for me to cook for a month! And we need this much Sichuan pepper and chili? Our mouths will be on fire after eating these!"
"Salt, MSG, sugar… Oh dear, you’re really going all out, this family…"
"Enough, enough. If Jin Yue wants to eat it, just make it for her. Stop grumbling so much." Teacher Shu stood at the kitchen doorway, hands behind his back, sniffing the air.
Mmm, fragrant, truly fragrant!
Besides reading, practicing calligraphy, and playing chess, his only indulgence was a occasional drink—any kind would do. With a few peanuts to go with it, he’d be in heaven.
Soon, under Jin Yue’s directions of "more, a little more," a bowl of spicy, aromatic, finger-licking-good drunken peanuts was ready.
However, freshly cooked peanuts were still soft and hot enough to burn the teeth. They needed a few minutes to cool down before becoming perfectly crispy.
The father-daughter pair, like two greedy cats, couldn’t wait and sampled a couple of peanuts first. "Mmm, so fragrant!"
"Who says money can't buy happiness? I don't believe it." Jin Yue sighed while eating, feeling that life at this moment was truly perfect.
Once she settled the matter of staying in the city, she would probably be the happiest Shu Jin Yue in the world!
"Jin Yue, hurry! The Educated Youth Office has brought people here." Aunt Zhao came running, panting heavily. "Quick, come hide at my place."
Shu Jin Yue had been back for several days, already exceeding her home leave period. The Educated Youth Office had come to urge her a few days earlier, which everyone knew about, but that time only one junior staff member came, asked a few questions and left. Today, seven or eight people had actually shown up, including several middle-aged men wearing cadre uniforms.
This was serious trouble!