When Cheng Chen woke up in the morning, he saw the empty space beside him. The tips of his ears turned red. He could clearly remember that someone had bathed him and changed his clothes the night before—the faint scent of cold cream lingered. He knew it was Hu Jiaojiao.
That only strengthened his resolve. Whether Hu Jiaojiao wanted it or not, he had already decided—he would take responsibility and stick with her.
Hu Jiaojiao didn’t go to work that day either. Early in the morning, she started turning over the soil in the yard, reclaiming an empty patch of land. In autumn, she could plant quite a few vegetables—radishes, cabbage, greens, scallions, string beans…
Hearing the door open, she turned around.“You’re up? Feeling better? Have some porridge again this morning. Once you’re fully recovered, we’ll eat something else.”
Cheng Chen wanted to ask if she had bathed him last night, but felt too embarrassed.
Just as he was hesitating, voices came from outside the courtyard.
“Educated Youth Cheng, we came to see you!”
Gu Chenye and the others pushed the gate open. The moment they entered, they saw the freshly tilled land behind Hu Jiaojiao and couldn’t help but admire her again.
They set down what they had brought—eggs, a small basket of vegetables, a packet of pastries… all normal. But then there was a goose.
Su Yi was holding a big goose.“A villager needed money urgently, so I bought it,” she said, refusing to admit she simply craved it.
Hu Jiaojiao accepted everything without ceremony.“Alright, we’ll make use of it. Stay for lunch later—go to work first and come back after.”
Everyone didn’t linger and hurried off.
Cheng Chen stepped forward. “Is there anything I can help with?”
“How about you slaughter the goose and pluck the feathers?” Hu Jiaojiao replied. She wasn’t used to handling live animals.
Cheng Chen nodded, boiled water, and went to deal with the goose.
Meanwhile, Hu Jiaojiao continued working the land—leveling it, watering it, planting seedlings, and chopping firewood.
Passing older women saw the scene: Cheng Chen plucking feathers by the stove, Hu Jiaojiao chopping wood vigorously in the yard.
They all felt sorry for her. Some even went home to warn their daughters:“When choosing a husband, don’t just look at the face—look at whether he can support a family!”
Hu Jiaojiao had unknowingly become an example.
She checked her watch, went to her small plot at the old educated youth yard, and picked some greens and peppers.
Back home, she prepared potatoes, eggplant, and beans, while Cheng Chen had already chopped and blanched the goose.
She took over cooking and told him to rest.
Cheng Chen sat on a small stool, tending the fire.
Hu Jiaojiao joked, “Heat the wok, add oil, high heat!”
Cheng Chen played along, “Yes ma’am!”
She stir-fried the goose until golden, added spices, then soybean paste, and let it simmer.
“I’ll make dough for flatbreads,” she said, mixing cornmeal and flour.
The goose stew needed about an hour to become tender.
When the work bell rang, the educated youths rushed back unusually fast. Even before reaching the yard, they smelled the rich aroma of meat.
They grabbed their bowls and chopsticks and hurried over.
“Perfect timing—come in!” Hu Jiaojiao called.
A huge steaming pot of goose filled the table. No one stood on ceremony—everyone grabbed bread and meat, too busy eating to talk.
After the meal, they all lingered, savoring the taste.
“Have to thank Su Yi—the goose was good,” Hu Jiaojiao teased.
Life went on steadily.
Under Hu Jiaojiao’s attentive care—and her “extra ingredients”—Cheng Chen felt his body growing lighter. The heaviness and weakness he used to feel were fading. He no longer became breathless so easily.
He thought it was simply because she cooked nourishing meals for him—and even stewed chicken with a small wild ginseng she had found.
During his recovery, he wasn’t idle. He finished sewing a padded vest tailored to her size, and even made gloves for winter.
Hu Jiaojiao was already used to it.
The curtains and door hangings in the house were all Cheng Chen’s handiwork—simple but tasteful patchwork that gave the place a warm, lived-in feel.
When she tried on the vest, it fit perfectly and was very warm.
Seeing the gloves, she realized just how modest he had been about his sewing skills.
Compared to him, she felt like a rough man while he was the delicate housewife.
She even felt a bit smug—if only she could pull him into her arms and揉 him a bit…
During this time, Lei Zi from the village head’s family secretly came at night, asking Cheng Chen to assemble a bicycle.
With Hu Jiaojiao’s subtle guidance, he got parts from the scrap yard. In return, he gave two chickens, two fish, and 20 yuan.
Everyone understood without saying much.
When Lei Zi later rode his bicycle around the village and commune, he drew plenty of envious looks.
Soon, word spread.
People didn’t dare ask the village head directly, but they had no problem asking Aunt Wang. She intentionally let slip a little, hoping to help Hu Jiaojiao and Cheng Chen.
Before long, families preparing for marriage came to Cheng Chen, asking him to assemble bicycles for them, offering grain in return.
Hu Jiaojiao kept things low-key and only accepted a few close connections—it was still risky.
They even agreed on a story: the bicycles were “borrowed from relatives” to avoid suspicion.
As a result, the village suddenly became a popular matchmaking spot.
Matchmakers thought: If they can already produce bicycles like this, their future must be promising.