Ruan Zhaodi immediately chimed in, “Exactly, Comrade Shen. If she doesn’t eat, the rest of us can each get a few more pieces of meat.”
Deep down, she was delighted at the prospect of having one less person sharing the meal. Opportunities to eat meat were rare, and she wanted as many pieces as possible.
“It’s only a rabbit. Tomorrow I’ll go into the mountains and catch one myself,” Shen Ruoruo said disdainfully. She could not stand seeing her nominal stepsister stealing all the attention.
“Alright, everyone, hurry up and start cooking,” Zhao Guoqiang interrupted at the right moment. It had been a long time since he had tasted meat himself, and he was craving it badly.
Meanwhile, Li Lezhi had already taken out the remaining half pot of chicken soup from the mountains and was eating it with yesterday’s sweet potatoes.
It seemed impossible to count on the Female Lead moving out before her. Tomorrow, she would have to visit Captain Xu again and see whether she could get permission to build herself a small mud-brick courtyard.
What she did not know was that Shen Yueyue was deliberately staying at the Sent-down Youth point to create more opportunities to interact with Zhou Junling, hoping to gain an advantage through proximity. If Li Lezhi knew, she would probably roll her eyes several more times.
Outside, laughter and cheerful chatter filled the air throughout the evening, and eventually the night passed peacefully.
The next morning, Li Lezhi surprisingly got up early. She carefully packed two jin of brown sugar and half a jin of White Rabbit milk candies.
After everyone woke up, they all looked at her strangely. Usually, she was the type who would delay getting up for as long as possible.
Bai Yuxia shyly asked, “Comrade Li, why are you up so early today?”
Everyone else also looked at her curiously.
After organizing her things and placing them into her basket, Li Lezhi replied, “Yesterday I got lost in the mountains and spent a long time gathering enough pig grass for the day. Today I plan to familiarize myself with the mountain terrain.”
She lied without batting an eye.
“You should be careful then. A few years ago, there was a female comrade who ran out of food during winter. She went into the mountains alone and ended up being killed by wild animals,” Bai Yuxia kindly warned.
Only then did Li Lezhi realize that someone had actually died while living at the Sent-down Youth point. The revelation shocked her somewhat.
It seemed the village was far less peaceful than it appeared on the surface.
Still, she wasn’t particularly worried about going alone. Her strength now exceeded that of most men, and her physical abilities had become exceptionally sharp.
Shen Yueyue sneered inwardly.
It would be best if she were eaten by wild animals. Then no one would compete with me for Zhou Junling.
She spoke in a strangely sarcastic tone. “Ah, Comrade Li really has it easy. Unlike the rest of us, who still have to work hard in the fields.”
As she spoke, she touched her face.
Over the past two days, she felt she had become noticeably darker from the sun, while Li Lezhi remained as beautiful as ever. In fact, her features seemed even more refined and striking than when they had first met.
Hearing yet another attempt to stir up resentment against her, Li Lezhi had no intention of enduring it silently.
“If you really want that job, I can help mention it to Captain Xu. I happen to be going to see him today anyway. Should I pass along a message for you?”
She looked at Shen Yueyue with complete sincerity.
“Don’t talk nonsense. Of course I don’t want to do that. I came here to help build a better future for the production team, not to enjoy myself.”
Shen Yueyue knew perfectly well that the work points earned from gathering pig grass were very low. They would never provide enough grain to survive the winter.
Although she had over a thousand yuan hidden away, she intended to save it for after the Reform and Opening period began. She had already planned everything. When the time came, she and Zhou Junling would start a business together and rise above everyone else.
“Since you don’t want it yourself, stop pretending you’re taking the moral high ground.”
Li Lezhi looked her up and down before continuing.
“Shen Yueyue, we don’t seem to have any deep grudge between us. So why have you been so hostile toward me lately?”
The question genuinely puzzled her.
After all, the only thing she had done was take the Female Lead’s golden finger space in advance, but Shen Yueyue had never seen that happen.
From the beginning, Li Lezhi had only wanted to survive well. She had never intended to oppose the Female Lead.
Life in the 1970s was difficult for everyone, especially for women.
On Blue Star, women were naturally in a weaker position than men. Although great leaders constantly promoted the idea that women could hold up half the sky, how many men truly believed it?
She only wanted to sit quietly on the sidelines and watch the drama unfold.
Could this simply be some unavoidable rule of novel protagonists and supporting female characters?
No matter how she thought about it, she could not understand.
Shen Yueyue’s heart skipped a beat.
Has her hostility really become that obvious?
Naturally, she could never reveal that she had been reborn.
She had personally witnessed how dazzling Li Lezhi’s future would become.
Back when she first arrived at the team leader’s home in her previous life, she had seen Li Lezhi and Zhou Junling appearing together on television.
The shock she felt then remained vivid in her memory.
At the beginning, Li Lezhi had seemed inferior to her in every way, yet she eventually became the only person from this place who could confidently appear on television, speaking eloquently with hosts and audiences alike.
How could Shen Yueyue not feel jealous?
Suppressing her emotions, she forced herself to remain calm.
“No, there’s no conflict between us. I was only concerned about you.”
Her expression was so sincere that even she nearly believed her own words.
Unable to figure things out, Li Lezhi decided not to dwell on it.
Picking up her basket, she headed toward Captain Xu’s house.
When she arrived, she found Captain Xu and his family eating breakfast together.
She politely greeted them first.
“Captain Xu, you’re having breakfast?”
Captain Xu looked at her suspiciously.
“Comrade Li, what brings you here so early?”
Li Lezhi took out two jin of brown sugar and half a jin of White Rabbit milk candies, placing them on the family’s only battered wooden table.
“I’ve been in the production team for several days now and haven’t come to visit you. I felt rather embarrassed about that. These are some brown sugar and milk candies I brought from home. Please accept them as a small gift. I hope you won’t blame me for waiting so long to come by.”
The moment Captain Xu’s wife heard the word “sugar,” her face lit up with joy.
She instantly forgot about being disturbed during breakfast and smiled brightly as she reached for the gifts.
“Put that down and finish your meal.”
Captain Xu immediately stopped her.
His wife looked deeply aggrieved and reluctantly returned to the table, though her eyes remained fixed on the sugar.
Feeling slightly awkward, Li Lezhi continued, “Captain Xu, first of all, I wanted to thank you for taking such good care of me these past few days. As you know, my health isn’t very good, and I can’t contribute much labor to the village. Secondly…”
She hesitated deliberately and looked at him somewhat awkwardly.
The moment Captain Xu heard that tone, he knew there was more to this visit.
Nobody brought such valuable gifts without a reason.
Although no one in the village was starving anymore, and anyone willing to work could earn enough to eat, luxuries like sugar remained far beyond the reach of ordinary people.
After some consideration, he finally said, “Comrade Li, I wouldn’t dare claim I’ve taken special care of you. I’ve only been doing my duty. If you need help with something, just say it. But let’s be clear first, as long as it doesn’t affect the interests of the entire village.”
Li Lezhi immediately nodded politely.
“Of course not, of course not. It’s like this. As you know, my health is weak, and I need more rest than most people. But there are simply too many people crowded together in the Sent-down Youth dormitory. Lately, I’ve been suffering from terrible insomnia.”
As she spoke, a trace of exhaustion appeared on her face.
Having grown up in an orphanage on Blue Star, she had long since learned how to read people and adapt her behavior accordingly.