“Hey, your dad’s back.”
“It’s Lizhen and Yaoyao who came over. You old man, why are you only getting back now?”
“Yaoyao’s here?” Grandpa Lin was pleasantly surprised.
“What did I say this morning? You were just worrying for nothing. See? She came, didn’t she?”
“Yes, yes, you were right. Alright, hurry up and take off your shoes and come in.”
Lin Shiyao stood at the kitchen doorway, watching her grandparents supporting each other. She felt deeply moved.
“Grandpa,” she called affectionately as the old man walked in.
“Ah, it’s good that you came.”
Grandpa Lin was old, but one could still sense a soldier’s resilience and upright spirit in him. He usually looked stern and unsmiling, but when he saw Lin Shiyao, a kind smile appeared on his face.
The dumplings had just finished cooking. Lin Shiyao returned to the kitchen and brought them out. “Grandpa, Grandma, Mom, come quickly and try the dumplings I made. Tell me if they’re good!”
“Oh my, they look great,” Grandpa said, giving a thumbs-up.
“Hehe, try them,” Lin Shiyao said as she placed dumplings into her grandparents’ and mother’s bowls, looking at them expectantly, her eyes sparkling.
“Dad, Mom, hurry and taste them. Yaoyao’s cooking is really delicious. Our Yaoyao is so talented—she can cook just by reading a book,” her mother boasted proudly.
Without hesitation, Grandpa and Grandma put the dumplings into their mouths. The aroma of meat wrapped in the fragrance of flour instantly filled their taste buds.
They praised her repeatedly.
Lin Shiyao felt very happy hearing her family compliment her. Having her cooking recognized made her feel truly blessed.
Just then, the sound of the door opening came from the entrance, along with a voice: “Grandpa, Grandma, I’m back!”
A young man about 180 centimeters tall walked in. He had a neat crew cut, sharp facial features, and a handsome, rugged look—definitely a good-looking guy.
This was her third cousin, Lin Zhengxi. The members of their family really were good-looking—each beautiful or handsome in their own way.
“Grandpa, Grandma, Auntie, Yaomei, you’re here,” Lin Zhengxi greeted politely as he entered.
“Zhengxi, why are you home at this hour? Shouldn’t you be at school?” Grandma asked with concern.
“One of our teachers was reported today. The Revolutionary Committee caused a huge commotion, and no one could have class, so we were sent home.”
“If you’re home, then you’re home. You’re graduating next month anyway. It doesn’t matter,” Grandpa said.
“Sigh… I wonder when things will get better… Zhengxi, come sit and try this. Yaoyao made the dumplings,” Grandma quickly called out.
“Mmm, delicious. Yaomei, since when do you know how to cook?”
“I’m naturally gifted—I learned it as soon as I tried,” Lin Shiyao said smugly. She wasn’t about to tell him she had learned her cooking skills in her previous life.
“Yaomei, why didn’t you go to school today?” Lin Zhengxi asked curiously.
“I already got my graduation certificate a few days ago, and I’ve found a job at the textile factory… Third Brother, I think you could also graduate early and look for a job,” Lin Shiyao suggested.
“Alright, I’ll talk to the teacher tomorrow. Oh right, Yaomei, a few classmates and I are going to the countryside this afternoon to pick peaches. Do you want to come?”
“Yes! I want to go!” Lin Shiyao was thrilled. Since coming here, she hadn’t had the chance to travel far. This was the perfect opportunity to see what rural life was like in this era.
After Lin Zhengxi promised to bring Lin Shiyao back safe and sound, her mother and grandparents agreed to let her go.
“Zhengxi, over here!” The group waiting waved when they saw him riding over.
“This is my sister, Lin Shiyao,” Lin Zhengxi introduced when he noticed them staring at her. He subtly stepped in front of her, blocking their view. What are you all looking at? She’s my sister.
Lin Shiyao peeked out. Including her, there were six of them. Across from her was a girl staring at her with starry eyes.
“Hello, little sister. My name is Yun Ling,” the girl said enthusiastically, running over to introduce herself. She had a heroic-looking face and short, ear-length hair, looking very cool and spirited.
“Hello, I’m Lin Shiyao. You can call me Yaoyao. We should be about the same age.”
“Okay, Yaoyao! You can call me Yun Ling or Lingling,” Yun Ling said eagerly, gazing at her. How could there be such a pretty girl with such a pleasant voice?
“Hello, sister. I’m Yun Wei, Yun Ling’s older brother.”
“My name is Zhang Weibing.”
“I’m Li Shijie…”
After everyone introduced themselves, they got on their bicycles and headed toward the countryside. Lin Shiyao felt like her backside was about to fall apart. She hadn’t expected the roads to be so bumpy. Sometimes when the dirt was too loose, they even had to get off and push their bikes.
Finally, they reached the village entrance.
Most of the houses in the village were made of mud bricks, though there were a few decent brick-and-tile houses.
To Lin Shiyao, the village didn’t seem poor. It wasn’t as shabby as she had imagined, and it was quite clean.
After asking, she learned that the village was near the city, a suburban village. The collective planted peach trees, and every year the peaches were supplied to various state-run stores. With income from that, their standard of living was relatively good compared to other places.
The group arrived at their classmate’s house. The classmate, named Cao Xu—a rather refined name—was waiting at home and quickly welcomed them in. Lin Shiyao glanced around the courtyard; it was neat and tidy. After putting on jackets and straw hats, they prepared to head to the peach orchard.
When Cao Xu saw such an extraordinarily beautiful girl among them, he didn’t even dare to look at Lin Shiyao. His ears turned red.
Lin Shiyao: “…………”
People in this era were really innocent.
Lin Zhengxi introduced her, “This is my sister, Lin Shiyao.”
“Hello, Comrade Lin.”
“Hello.”
“Cao Xu, how are we going? Didn’t you say the peaches are ready to be picked?” Yun Ling asked excitedly. She really was a tomboy.
“Here are straw hats. Take one if you need it,” Cao Xu said considerately. After all, they were city kids and probably not as used to the sun as the village folks.
And so, several young figures appeared along the village road, drawing comments from the aunties working in the fields.
When they arrived at the peach orchard, it was Lin Shiyao’s first time seeing peach trees. The branches were heavy with fruit.
Cao Xu brought them to the village chief. “Second Uncle, these are my classmates. They came to my house to visit today and wanted to pick some peaches. However many they pick, just calculate the price for them, okay?”
“Ah Xu, it’s fine. Let your classmates pick. No need for money.”
“No, Uncle, we must pay with money and ration coupons. Otherwise, people might say we’re taking advantage of socialism. And with so many of us, we’ll definitely pick quite a lot,” Yun Wei quickly said.
Seeing their insistence, the village chief said nothing more and let Cao Xu take them to find ripe peaches to pick.