The village chief watched Yun Hua help Wang Xiangyun carry the dishes to the table and thought to himself that this girl was quite sensible.
The village chief, Wang Xiangyun, and Gu Huaian all sat down, but the three of them kept looking at Yun Hua.
Feeling awkward, Yun Hua looked at them. “No, really, Village Chief, Auntie Xiangyun, Comrade Gu, you should eat. You don’t have to keep looking at me.”
There was such fragrant meat right in front of them. Why were they looking at her instead of eating?
“Yun Zhizhi, come over and eat with us.”
The village chief and Wang Xiangyun spoke at the same time.
Yun Hua raised a hand and pointed at herself with her index finger. “Me?”
Wang Xiangyun burst out laughing. “If it’s not you, is there another Yun Zhizhi here? You silly girl, you’re so cute.”
Yun Hua hurriedly waved her hands and refused. “No, I’m only staying at your house temporarily. I can’t eat your family’s food.”
Wang Xiangyun immediately objected. “What’s the big deal? Now that you’re staying with us, do you really think we’d let you go hungry?”
“I can cook for myself.”
Although she wasn’t very good at cooking, she couldn’t live on the dry food in her space forever either.
Yun Hua thought for a moment. “How about this, Auntie Xiangyun? I can contribute money, ration coupons, or grain. While I’m staying here, I’ll eat together with your family. Would that be okay?”
Wang Xiangyun gave Yun Hua an affectionate, reproachful look. “Our family isn’t exactly wealthy, but there’s still enough food for you to eat with us.”
“But if you have to contribute something to feel comfortable staying here, then just give us whatever you think is appropriate.”
Yun Hua smiled happily. “Then I’ll contribute something. My parents regularly send me some money, ration coupons, and food.”
Wang Xiangyun nodded indifferently. “Suit yourself. Now hurry over and eat. It won’t taste good once it gets cold.”
Only then could everyone finally enjoy their meal.
Yun Hua picked up a piece of rabbit meat and put it into her mouth.
To be honest, it was pretty good. She did feel that there wasn’t quite enough oil, though. During this era, most people were reluctant to use much cooking oil. That was simply the reality of their circumstances.
Yun Hua smiled until her eyes curved into crescents. “It’s delicious.”
Wang Xiangyun’s eyes were full of affection. “If you like it, eat more. When your big brother Gu has some free time, he can go hunt some more wild rabbits and pheasants. There are mushrooms in the mountains too. When I have some free time, I’ll take you with me to pick some.”
At the mention of mushroom picking, Yun Hua immediately became interested.
“Really? Then it’s a promise! I’ve never picked mushrooms before.”
Wang Xiangyun nodded with a smile.
The corners of Gu Huaian’s lips lifted slightly as well.
The village chief didn’t pay much attention to this. There were some things he needed to make clear in advance.
“Yun Zhizhi, I saw that you signed up for the elementary school teacher selection. You’ll have to work hard. Quite a few people have signed up this time. Let me make one thing clear first. As the village chief, I’ll treat everyone equally. I definitely won’t favor anyone.”
“But now that you’re staying at our house, if you happen to get selected, there may be people with ulterior motives who start talking. You need to be mentally prepared for that.”
The smile on Yun Hua’s face immediately disappeared, replaced by a serious expression.
“Thank you for reminding me, Village Chief. I understand. This elementary school teaching position is a highly sought-after opportunity, so naturally a lot of people will compete for it.”
The village chief nodded.
“There are several educated youths here with high school diplomas. I don’t know whether you’ll be selected, so make sure you find some time to review your studies. To be honest, speaking for myself, I hope you get the position. After all, you really aren’t suited for farm work.”
As he said this, the village chief let out a soft sigh.
When Wang Xiangyun saw that Yun Hua seemed a little disappointed after hearing Gu Hongjun say that she wasn’t suited for farm work, she quickly kicked the village chief lightly in the calf under the table.
The village chief felt it, but he didn’t think he had said anything wrong.
“Yun Zhizhi, don’t blame Uncle for being so blunt. I know your family has good conditions, and you probably didn’t have to suffer much hardship before. Sigh, I really don’t know why you came to our village. Conditions here are what they are. If you want to live a little more comfortably, this elementary school teacher position is a rare opportunity.”
“As for your chances of returning to the city, to be honest, Uncle hasn’t received any notice yet. But even in the past, there were very few places available for the Worker-Peasant-Soldier University admissions. You know Pan Yunxiang, the educated youth? He’s been waiting for an opportunity for quite a while.”
“I’m telling you all this because I hope you’ll seize the opportunity.”
Yun Hua felt that the village chief was actually a pretty good person.
She had always thought that the village chief looked down on her a little.
Whenever the village chief looked at Wang Meimei, he always seemed extremely pleased with her, which left Yun Hua feeling rather helpless.
Apart from not being good at farm work, there was nothing wrong with her.
“Village Chief, I understand. I’ll definitely prepare properly.”
The village chief nodded and said nothing more, focusing instead on eating the food in his bowl.
It seemed like steamed cornmeal buns were a staple at every meal.
“Yun Zhizhi, here. Last time, I noticed you liked these sweet potato cakes, so I made some again today. Take your time and eat. You need to fill your stomach.”
Yun Hua lowered her head and gnawed happily on the rabbit meat. She nodded and answered indistinctly through a mouthful of food.
“Okay, Auntie Xiangyun. I’ll eat them later.”
Seeing how happily Yun Hua was eating, Wang Xiangyun also lowered her head and focused on dinner.
Gu Huaian secretly glanced at Yun Hua several times.
She liked rabbit meat.
She liked sweet potato cakes.
She didn’t like steamed cornmeal buns.
She also liked green vegetables, but she didn’t like sorghum rice.
That made sense. She looked so soft and delicate. Those coarse grains must be difficult for her to swallow.
Looks like he should hunt more wild game for her.
Yun Hua was completely immersed in the delicious food and didn’t notice the thoughtful look in Gu Huaian’s eyes.
“By the way, Auntie Xiangyun, how do you usually get to the city? I was thinking my parents should have written me a letter. I need to make a trip into town.”
Wang Xiangyun looked at Yun Hua, then at Gu Huaian.
“We take the ox cart. You go straight to the village entrance, but you have to get there early. Once the time passes, the ox cart leaves. Oh, right. Your Big Brother Gu is going into the city tomorrow. If there’s anything you need, have him take care of it for you.”
Yun Hua obediently nodded. “Then thank you, Big Brother Gu.”
Gu Huaian’s expression didn’t change. “It’s nothing.”
Wang Xiangyun suddenly remembered something.
“Look at me, I almost forgot about this. When I came to find you this morning, I was so worried. Your Uncle keeps his mouth shut and didn’t tell me ahead of time that you female educated youths were going to move out. It was only after your Big Brother Gu mentioned it that I hurried over to find you. Luckily, I made it in time.”
“But there’s something I need to explain to you. Before I talked to you, that Educated Youth Liu came to me and said she wanted to stay at our house. I was already anxious to come tell you about this, so I lied and said I had already arranged it with you first.”
“So I had no choice but to tell you not to say anything. I only needed you to answer whether you were willing to come stay at our house.”
So that was what happened.
What was going on with the female lead?
Why had she suddenly wanted to move into the village chief’s house?
Yun Hua remembered that the novel had said no female educated youth had ever stayed at the village chief’s house.
Could it be because the female lead hadn’t obtained the Spirit Spring Space this time, so she had set her sights on the village chief instead?
That made sense. In this village, building a good relationship with the village chief could make things more convenient for her later.
Still, the village chief seemed like a rather upright and incorruptible man.
After dinner, Yun Hua was about to take the initiative to wash the dishes.
But Wang Xiangyun stopped her.
“Yun Zhizhi, don’t worry about these things. With this time, you should go review your lessons. Auntie is still hoping you can become the elementary school teacher.”
Yun Hua felt warmth spread through her heart.
“Okay. Thank you, Auntie Xiangyun. When I have some free time later, don’t fight me over the chores, all right?”
Wang Xiangyun only smiled without answering.