After finishing work that day, Hu Jiaojiao carried her basket and went again to the area near Dongling River to dig up half a basket of yellow clay. She planned to build a clay stove that evening, having spent the past few days drying clay bricks bit by bit.
The mold had been made by Old Man Wu, who didn’t charge anything—he just nailed together a simple frame. Before leaving, Hu Jiaojiao stuffed a few fruit candies into Gou Dan’s hands as thanks, which made the boy overjoyed. Aunt Caihua was also quite pleased.
Back at the educated youth compound, Hu Jiaojiao set down her basket and began clearing a spot by the right side of her doorway, near the corner. She leveled the ground, then used the clay bricks to mark out the size of the stove. Once she had a rough idea, she began stacking it—one layer of clay bricks, one layer of yellow mud.
When she reached the base of the firebox, she took out a few iron rods she had picked up, chose four of similar length, set them in place, then pressed another layer of bricks over them before sealing it with mud.
Zhang Yan, seeing this, exclaimed in surprise, “So this is what you meant by having a big use for those things! Your brain really works fast.” She didn’t leave after saying that, but stayed to help—passing bricks and shoveling mud with practiced ease.
Hu Jiaojiao positioned the chimney in the corner against the wall, which helped secure it while saving the effort of building an extra side. It also wouldn’t get in anyone’s way. Inside, near the heated brick bed, she set up a small stove and placed on it a two-handled iron pot she had gotten from the commune (though in truth she had taken it from home). It fit perfectly over the stove opening.
She carefully smoothed a layer of yellow mud over the surface, then used a thin wooden piece to scrape it gently, making the stove surface neat and smooth. She even set a slab of bluestone she had traded for in the village on top, making the whole thing look more impressive—especially considering how worn the room itself was.
Looking at the finished stove, neat and level, she felt a deep sense of accomplishment. As for why she knew how to build one—well, before transmigrating, her grandfather had been an expert at building stoves and heated beds. As a child, she often followed him around to help at other people’s homes—though “helping” mostly meant passing tools while sneaking meals.
“Didn’t expect this, Hu Zhiqing—you’ve got real skills. It’s not quite as good as Lin Yang’s, but still…” Zhang Yan said, giving her a thumbs-up.
Hearing Zhang Yan’s loud praise, Lin Yang and the others came out to look. Seeing the stove, they were all surprised and impressed that Hu Jiaojiao could build one.
Su Yi, meanwhile, reassessed her silently. Hu Jiaojiao might seem quiet and dull, but she clearly had some ability—definitely not someone to underestimate. It might be worth befriending her.
If Hu Jiaojiao knew that the female lead she had been trying to avoid was now interested in getting close to her because of this stove, she would surely regret doing it herself just to save a bit of money.
In truth, Hu Jiaojiao quite liked this kind of rural life—provided the farm work wasn’t so exhausting. Ideally, she’d have a small vegetable plot, raise a few chickens and ducks, tend her garden, pick vegetables, maybe catch some fish…
Before transmigrating, she had worked herself to exhaustion every day. Her only relaxation was lying in bed scrolling through videos and playing mini-games on Tomato Novels. Back then, she had dreamed of rural life—now she had half of that dream.
Still, money was needed for leisure. Keep it up! she silently encouraged herself.
“Zhang Yan, come over for dinner tomorrow evening. The stove should be dry by then—and thanks for helping today,” Hu Jiaojiao said with a smile.
Zhang Yan waved her hands quickly. “No, no, I just passed a few bricks—”
Hu Jiaojiao clicked her tongue. “Bring your own grain. I’ll just cook a dish.”
At that, Zhang Yan immediately nodded. “That works! I’ll come tomorrow night.”
While they were talking, they didn’t notice Li Gang from the older group watching them. He had been observing these new educated youths for several days.
Now he thought Hu Jiaojiao seemed promising—judging from her recent meals and her condition after work. She was just a bit too small, but that could be fixed with better nourishment. As long as she could work hard, the rest didn’t matter.
He decided to try getting close to her in the coming days. New girls were usually easy to manipulate.
Hu Jiaojiao had no idea she had been targeted by such a scheming man. If she knew, she would definitely show him why flowers are red.
The next evening arrived quickly. Not only did Zhang Yan bring grain, but several other new youths did as well, saying they wanted to “warm the stove.”
Hu Jiaojiao internally resisted—she didn’t really need that—but when she saw the wild chicken Su Yi brought, she immediately smiled.
“Alright, alright, Su Zhiqing, you’re too generous—I’m really getting the better end of this. Eat more later.”
She took the chicken and asked if everyone could eat spicy food. When they all said yes, she decided on a dish: iron-pot chicken with corn flatbread.
She handed the chicken to Zhang Yan. “You deal with it—I don’t know how to kill chickens.”
Zhang Yan rolled her eyes slightly but took it anyway. She quickly bled the chicken into a bowl, mixed the blood with salted water, then used hot water prepared by Lin Yang to pluck feathers and clean it efficiently.
Nearby, Lin Xue played with a few pretty feathers she didn’t want to throw away, watching with great interest.
Hu Jiaojiao then went to Aunt Caihua’s house to exchange for dried chili peppers and potatoes. Aunt Caihua refused to take payment at first, but Hu Jiaojiao insisted on giving some brown sugar in return.
Pleased, Aunt Caihua added garlic and homemade pickled vegetables to the basket. Feeling a bit embarrassed, Hu Jiaojiao gave Gou Dan more fruit candies before leaving.
Back at the compound, the chicken had already been chopped into pieces. She praised Zhang Yan, then started cooking.
She rendered chicken fat in oil, set some aside, then caramelized sugar for color before tossing in the chicken pieces. Soon, a rich aroma filled the air. She added dried chilies and spices—plenty of chilies—creating a strong, spicy fragrance.
She added potatoes and mushrooms (given by Su Yi), poured in hot water, and let it simmer slowly.
On a small clay stove, she stir-fried the chicken offal with pickled vegetables—sour and spicy, mouthwatering even to herself.
Then she mixed cornmeal dough for flatbreads, shaping them and sticking them along the pot’s edge to cook.
When the lid was lifted, the entire compound filled with the rich, savory aroma. The older youths, eating their plain porridge, found it hard to swallow but felt too embarrassed to join.
Zhu Aiguo, from Sichuan, couldn’t resist. He approached shyly, offering chili seeds in exchange for food.
Hu Jiaojiao understood immediately and gave him a bowl of chicken and two corn cakes. He devoured them eagerly, ignoring the envious looks around him.
Soon, everyone gathered around the stove, eating heartily.
“Hu Zhiqing, your cooking is amazing,” Lin Yang praised. “If I’d known, I would’ve asked you to team up earlier.”
The others nodded in agreement, eating quickly.
Zhang Yan especially praised the spicy pickled offal, while Hu Jiaojiao enjoyed the mushrooms, wondering if they made the dish even tastier.
Su Yi thought the same—if only she could eat this often. She suggested bringing ingredients in the future in exchange for Hu Jiaojiao cooking.
One by one, the others offered help—washing, gathering firewood, cleaning up—forming an informal arrangement.
Hu Jiaojiao pretended reluctance but agreed. In truth, she had her own plans—if Su Yi really had special resources, she might benefit from them too.
Meanwhile, the older youths watched the lively scene with mixed feelings but said nothing. It was their freedom, after all.