The next day was a rest day, so no one had to go to work. Everyone planned to go to the commune to look around. Su Yi came to invite Hu Jiaojiao, but she didn’t go. Instead, she gave Su Yi some money and ration tickets, asking her to see if she could bring back eggs, meat, or even malted milk if available. Su Yi took the money and left with the others.
Hu Jiaojiao, on the other hand, went with Zhang Yan to Dongling. Zhang Yan suggested they check if they could find anything edible there—if not, at least they could dig up some wild vegetables.
The two of them went together to the Dongling riverside. Hu Jiaojiao saw people catching fish and immediately felt tempted to try.
“Don’t get your hopes up. Just dig some wild vegetables—that’s more realistic. Fish aren’t that easy to catch,” Zhang Yan poured cold water on her enthusiasm.
They walked side by side into the Dongling woods. At this season, there weren’t many good wild vegetables—only some tender shoots could be picked. Still, they were quite lucky and found a small patch of wild chrysanthemums. Both of them picked quite a lot, and Hu Jiaojiao even dug up a few plants to transplant under her eaves, hoping they would survive so she could brew tea with them in autumn.
By the river, they also picked some water celery shoots. This vegetable was at its most tender in April; now it was already a bit old, so Hu Jiaojiao didn’t pick much, worried it might taste bitter.
Feeling they had gathered enough, they headed back.
“I’ll just eat at your place—they’re all out anyway,” Zhang Yan said a bit ingratiatingly.
“You can, but I don’t feel like cooking today. You do it?”
“Fine, I’ll cook,” Zhang Yan replied, turning back to get her grain.
Meanwhile, Hu Jiaojiao went to fetch water to irrigate her small vegetable patch. Along the edge, she had planted scallions and sprinkled some spinach seeds—these seeds were given by Aunt Li. She had also planted some chili seeds given by Zhu Aiguo, keeping some aside in case they didn’t grow. She even planted a few yardlong beans. There wasn’t much else she could grow, but it was better than nothing.
Soon, Zhang Yan finished cooking coarse corn porridge and made a cold dish of water celery. Hu Jiaojiao also contributed some of her pickles, and the two ate happily.
Just then, they heard Gu Chenye’s voice from the courtyard: “Su Zhiqing, slow down.”
They put down their bowls and looked out, seeing Gu Chenye supporting Su Yi.
“What happened, Su Zhiqing?” Hu Jiaojiao asked.
“It’s nothing—I twisted my ankle at the commune,” Su Yi replied briefly before going inside.
Hu Jiaojiao watched the two of them, noticing a certain softness in their eyes. What happened at the commune to bring them closer? she wondered. She also wondered whether the things she asked for had been bought—probably not, given the injury.
Not long after, she learned the full story from the other youths.
It turned out Su Yi had sold a batch of goods at the market and was targeted by people from the black market, who wanted to find her supplier. They followed her, and when she realized it, she tried to shake them off but accidentally twisted her ankle. Just as they were about to catch up and grab her, Gu Chenye appeared and scared them away.
He had wanted to carry her, but considering social norms, he only supported her back. On the way, he confessed his feelings. Su Yi, who already had a good impression of him, agreed to try being with him. Gu Chenye was so happy he acted like a child.
In truth, Su Yi wasn’t completely certain about her feelings. She simply found him attractive, reliable, and always willing to step forward when needed. That sense of having someone to rely on made her feel less alone in this world. Since she could support herself, she didn’t want to overthink it and agreed.
Hu Jiaojiao silently complained: The male and female leads were bound to end up together anyway.
What she didn’t know was that while she was commenting on others, someone was also targeting her.
Li Gang, after lying low for a few days, still wasn’t willing to give up. He found some local hoodlums, planning for them to pretend to harass Hu Jiaojiao or push her into the river while she was out. Then he would swoop in as the hero, saving her. With public opinion on his side, she would have no choice but to marry him—no bride price needed, and he’d get a wife for free.
A nice plan—if only it hadn’t gone terribly wrong.
While discussing this with the accountant’s third son, Wu Laosan extorted him for money—first five yuan, then ten more, threatening to expose him. Furious but helpless, Li Gang handed it over.
Wu Laosan, however, had been warned by his father not to do anything illegal—especially harming women, which could get him executed. Though he had a bad reputation, he knew where to draw the line.
Cunning as he was, Wu Laosan decided to sell this information to Hu Jiaojiao as well. But instead of extorting her, he got extorted instead.
“If you don’t give me five yuan, I’ll go have a nice chat with your father,” Hu Jiaojiao said.
After struggling, Wu Laosan reluctantly handed over the money.
“And do one more thing for me…” she added in a low voice.
The next morning, another strange sight appeared in the compound—Li Gang had two black eyes, swollen cheeks, and walked awkwardly.
“Oh? Li Zhiqing, you’ve gained weight?” Hu Jiaojiao mocked with a grin.
Li Gang didn’t dare say a word and hurried off to work with his head down.
The others were left exchanging puzzled looks.
Yes—it was Hu Jiaojiao working together with Wu Laosan… no, not “working together,” but rather “eliminating harm for the people.” This time, Li Gang probably wouldn’t dare target her again.
Meanwhile, Cheng Chen had his own troubles—he was being pursued by the accountant’s daughter.
One day after work, just as he was leaving the fields, a girl in a pink floral shirt suddenly blocked his way.
“Cheng… Cheng Zhiqing, I like you. Let’s be together,” she said shyly.
Startled, Cheng Chen almost fell into the field. When she tried to help him, he quickly dodged and stepped onto the ridge.
“I don’t know you. Please move aside,” he said coldly, as if avoiding something dirty.
“I’m Wu Qing, the accountant’s daughter. If you get together with me, you won’t have to work in the fields. My father can arrange an easy job for you,” she said proudly.
“Move,” he repeated, walking away.
“I won’t give up!” she shouted after him.
Another time was even worse. While Cheng Chen was washing clothes by the river, he nearly got pushed into the water by the accountant’s third son. Luckily, Gu Chenye pulled him back just in time.
Turning around, Cheng Chen spotted Wu Qing hiding behind a tree and broke out in cold sweat.
She had clearly planned to trap him into taking responsibility.
He felt deeply grateful to Gu Chenye—otherwise, his reputation would have been ruined that day.