“You want to make clothes?”
Wen Yan nodded.
She didn’t say she was making underwear.
Jiang Baizhou would be embarrassed.
“I want to learn.
I’ve never done it before.
Can I go find Sister-in-law Zhou tomorrow to learn?
I’ll bring my own fabric, needles, and thread.”
She had to quiz Jiang Baizhou on his memorization tonight.
Time was short, and the task was demanding.
“Of course, you can.
Come by anytime tomorrow.
I’ll be home all day.”
Wen Yan thanked her and arranged a specific time.
She couldn’t very well have the woman waiting for her all day.
The two went their separate ways.
Sister-in-law Zhou and a few others from the family housing area went into the woods to rake up pine needles and gather dry branches to use for firewood.
“So that was Jiang Yingzhang’s wife?
Just looking at her, you can tell she’s not our kind of person.”
“I heard as soon as she got here, she started a very convincing rumor about how she and Jiang Yingzhang aren’t getting a divorce.
She must be terrified he’s going to leave her.”
“She’s so scheming!
One look and you know she isn’t the type to roll up her sleeves and make a life here.
I bet she won’t last more than a few days before she runs off.
Zhou Hong, what did she want from you?”
Sister-in-law Zhou wasn’t a gossip, the complete opposite of the rumor-loving Zhang Yingzhang.
This was exactly why Jiang Baizhou had asked her to come over in the first place.
“Oh, it was nothing.
We’re neighbors, aren’t we?
It’s only right to get acquainted.
My Old Zhang and Jiang Yingzhang get along quite well.”
After Zhou Hong spoke, she walked on ahead.
Behind her, a few of the women gestured with their lips and started whispering amongst themselves.
“Like she’s such a saint.”
“Tch.
So pretentious!”
“Hey, what do you all think?
That Wen Yan has only been here two days, why is she running around outside all the time?”
“Who knows?
With a face like that, she doesn’t look very proper.”
The women exchanged glances, sharing a look of self-proclaimed superiority, then went off to work, still muttering under their breaths.
The subject of all this chirping, Wen Yan, had already arrived at the logistics department.
In the logistics department, the production of plows was in full swing.
Following Wen Yan’s method of breaking down the work into steps, they had managed to set up a small production line for the plows.
“Comrade Wen, you’re here!
Perfect timing.
Come take a look, what do you think of our work?”
Old Zhou pointed to three finished plows off to the side, all made the day before.
Wen Yan went over to inspect them.
After pointing out a few corrections, she went to find Captain Zhu to talk.
“Captain Zhu, do we need any other tools for farming?”
“Nothing else in the way of large tools.
The plow is the most useful one.”
Seeing this, Wen Yan said, “In that case, you all can keep working on these.
If there’s anything else you want to make but don’t know how, you can find me at the canteen.”
“The canteen?
You haven’t had breakfast yet?”
“I’ve already eaten.
I need to ask Master Niu at the canteen for a favor.”
Wen Yan left with her bag, and Captain Zhu wracked his brain but couldn’t figure out what she could possibly want from Old Niu.
‘That Old Niu has a famously bad temper.
I hope Comrade Wen doesn’t get on his bad side.’
「Canteen」
“Will you stop following me!
I don’t have any spare iron woks for you.
I have to cook three meals a day for thousands of people!
I don’t have time for this.”
Master Niu was trying to avoid Wen Yan.
When she had walked in ten minutes earlier, he’d completely forgotten who she was.
But she just went and introduced herself all over again, then immediately asked to borrow a large iron wok to boil medicine.
‘Absolutely not!’
He treasured these large woks.
Unfazed by the rejection, Wen Yan rolled up her sleeves.
“Master Niu, I’ll help you work.”
“Help me with what?”
Wen Yan said with a beaming smile, “To get on your good side, of course!”
Her bluntness left Master Niu speechless for a few seconds.
“Getting on my good side won’t work either!
I said no, and I mean no!”
Wen Yan just smiled and said nothing.
‘How will he know it won’t work if I don’t even try?’
She walked right over, picked up a cleaver, and started shredding radishes.
The radishes were a little fibrous and didn’t feel very crisp, but Wen Yan’s hand was steady and her knife skills were excellent.
The rhythmic CHOP-CHOP-CHOP of her blade was relentless.
Master Niu tried to shoo her away several times, his words growing harsher, but Wen Yan acted as if she were deaf.
She didn’t hear a thing, or at least didn’t take it to heart, and just kept her head down and worked.
And she wasn’t just fast—she was good.
One of the kitchen soldiers squinted.
‘Huh?
Is she here to show us up?’
A silent shredding competition had begun.
Wen Yan had an immersive focus when she worked.
The massive basket of radishes was shrinking before their very eyes.
In her past life, she had sliced up countless potatoes and radishes to practice keeping her hands steady and precise.
A young, round-faced soldier across from Wen Yan worked his cleaver, CHOP-CHOP-CHOP.
A comrade beside him fed him radishes, and his mind was filled with a single thought: ‘I can’t lose!’
The round-faced soldier kept sneaking glances at Wen Yan.
When he looked down again, he said, “I don’t remember cutting a red radish.”
“Bullshit!
That’s blood from my damn finger!”
Wen Yan hid a smile.
Her hand remained as steady as a rock as she finished shredding the last radish.
“Master Niu, I’ve finished shredding the radishes.”
Master Niu had seen.
He’d even secretly inspected her shredded radishes.
The length, width, and thickness of each strand were nearly identical.
‘This…
this…
She’s a godsend!
A natural-born talent for the kitchen staff!’
His voice was a fraction softer when he said, “So you finished.
No need to shout about it!”
Wen Yan replied, “I’ll be quieter next time, then.”
Master Niu: “…”
‘Is that the point?’
‘You did all this work just to borrow a wok!’
‘So just ask already!’
But Wen Yan didn’t ask.
Instead, she just moved on to the next chore.
Throughout the morning, Wen Yan shredded radishes and cabbages and chopped kindling.
Not only that, but she also scrubbed the entire kitchen, inside and out, until it was spotless.
She was so industrious it drove the kitchen squad leader mad with competition.
‘Who does she think she’s looking down on?
Who is she mocking?
As if we’re not capable?’
The kitchen squad leader put on a stern face, looked gravely at his comrades, and declared, “We cannot lose!”
Everyone began to compete with Wen Yan with all their might.
But as the competition wore on…
they decided that, as men, they should be more magnanimous and not sweat the small stuff.
Wen Yan rinsed her rag, turned to Master Niu with a radiant smile, and asked, “Master Niu, I’m all done.
May I borrow the large iron wok now?”
Master Niu cleared his throat and said, intentionally trying to get a rise out of her, “Actually, I was ready to lend it to you after you finished the radishes.
It’s your own fault for not asking sooner.”
Master Niu suppressed his smile, eager to see her reaction.
“That wouldn’t be right.
My teacher taught me that if you’re going to curry favor with someone, you have to be sincere.
If I say I’m going to help you work, I have to see it through to the end.”
Master Niu: “…”
‘Where on earth did this earnest, stubborn girl come from?!’
An idea sparked, and Master Niu broke into a crafty grin.
“Comrade Wen, how would you like to come work for our kitchen squad?”
“No!”
A man’s voice suddenly cut in.
Captain Zhu came running over, his footsteps heavy.
“You sly Old Niu!
Where’s that famous temper of yours?
Now’s the time to use it, don’t let it go to waste!”
Captain Zhu moved to stand in front of Wen Yan.
The more he’d worked, the more worried he’d become, afraid she would get snubbed by Old Niu.
‘The young lady is sensitive.
What if he made her cry?’
So he had come.
But as soon as he got there, he heard the shameless Old Niu trying to poach his talent.
Master Niu’s temper flared.
He shot to his feet, pointing a finger at Old Zhu.
“What’s this got to do with you!
Go back to building your beds that fall apart in three days.”
Old Zhu was not about to take that.
So now Old Niu was resorting to personal attacks.
“You watch your mouth!
What does the bed falling apart have to do with me?
It’s because that bunch of animals are so—”
Old Zhu cut himself off.
A female comrade was present; he couldn’t speak so crudely.
He summed it up with one final point: “In any case, Comrade Wen is already part of our logistics department.
We’ve already reported it to Li Tuan, so you can just drop the idea!”