More and more people now know that Song Wei is unusually strong.
She didn’t plan to hide it. After all, she still had to stock up on supplies. Besides, there was nothing to hide. Everyone just had to get used to it.
Most of the other educated youth were also up in the mountains foraging for mushrooms, so the dormitory was quiet when she and Heidan got back.
“Heidan, you go and start cooking. I’ll take care of sorting all this out,” Song Wei said.
“Okay!” Heidan agreed happily.
For such a young kid, Heidan was actually a pretty decent cook—at least better than Song Wei.
Song Wei took the items they’d gathered and laid out what needed to be dried, while storing the rest inside. In the back courtyard, she spread a mat where she could lay the bamboo fungus out in the sun to dry.
The persimmons and kiwis went inside. The ripe ones were ready to eat, but the firmer persimmons she planned to make into dried persimmons. She separated the harder kiwis as well, setting them aside to ripen.
Meanwhile, Heidan worked on lighting the stove and cooking while also carrying bundles of grass over to feed the rabbits.
When everything was organized, Song Wei settled in to start splitting the bamboo they’d brought back, cutting it to the right lengths. She trimmed each end to a point and pushed the stakes into the ground. Her plan was to create a bamboo fence.
She worked quickly; by the time Heidan was done cooking, she had most of the bamboo prepared.
For dinner, they had corn porridge with mushroom sauce and some pickles, a simple meal, but tasty and satisfying.
“You know,” Song Wei said, “we could go and get a few chickens to raise ourselves.”
After the whole rabbit incident, the educated youth had discussed with the team leader about keeping their own poultry. Now, almost everyone had a small fenced area in the back for chickens, though most only had two each.
Song Wei looked over at Heidan. The kid was still thin and needed to keep taking his medicine. When the chickens started laying, he could eat a fresh egg each day to help him grow stronger.
But she knew it would be a few months before the chickens would start laying. Besides, it is difficult to distinguish between male and female chicks until they grow up. It would be bad luck if you buy two roosters.
Heidan’s eyes brightened at the thought of raising chickens. “I’ll make sure they grow nice and fat!”
Song Wei patted his head, smiling.
After dinner, the rest of the educated youth started returning from the mountains.
Some looked happy, which meant they had probably found a good haul of mushrooms. Others, with sour expressions and complaints, had likely had a rougher time.
“Hey, Song Wei, you’re back,” Li Juan greeted her with a smile. She looked pleased, as she had managed to find plenty of mushrooms and wild vegetables—enough for several meals.
But Gao Le and Zhao Su weren’t as cheerful as they approached.
“I barely found anything,” Gao Le said with a sigh, opening his basket to reveal a pitifully small pile.
“It was a waste,” he said. “I even fell on my backside! My whole body aches now. I’m never going back up that mountain.”
Zhao Su nodded in agreement. “We went around Xiaoqiu Mountain for hours and barely got anything.”
Li Juan rolled her eyes. “Xiaoqiu Mountain? All the aunties have already cleared it out. The ground’s practically bare. You should have tried going in a bit further.”
Gao Le shivered at the thought. “I heard there are wild animals deeper in the mountains! I’d rather not risk it. I wasn’t raised just to be eaten by some wild animal!”
Zhao Su: “That’s right. My father said that a gentleman does not stand on a dangerous wall. If you know there is a tiger in the mountain and still go there, you are a fool.”
Song Wei: …
Li Juan shrugged. “Well, no one’s forcing you. You won’t starve; just think of it as a day out in the fresh air.”
They talked for a bit before each went to their tasks. Song Wei and Heidan resumed working on their fence.
Other people would have needed a hammer or stone to pound the bamboo stakes into the ground, but Song Wei just pushed them in as easily as if she were pressing clay.
Li Juan, now finished with her own meal, came over to chat while they worked. Soon, Gao Le and Zhao Su joined them, each holding a bowl of noodles.
Despite their complaints, they’d been managing their own meals since no one wanted to partner with them. They’d become quite good at making noodles, which they found easy to cook.
“Did you guys hear about the fight earlier?” Gao Le asked, lowering his voice for effect.
Song Wei raised an eyebrow. “I was there.”
“For just one rabbit! Apparently, Old Lady Lin ended up with scratches all over her face, and she even broke a bone. They had to take her to the barefoot doctor,” Gao Le reported.
Li Juan looked impressed. “Who got the rabbit?”
“Uncle Jiang Wu’s grandson got it in the end.”
Jiang Wu, the boy’s grandfather, had a large family that had rallied to support him. If the captain hadn’t intervened, the two families might have ended up in an all-out brawl.
In the end, Old Lady Lin came away empty-handed and injured, which no one felt sorry for.
“Song Wei, you work so fast! You already planted both radishes and cabbage,” Li Juan said admiringly, clearly envious of Song Wei’s strength. “If I had that kind of energy, I’d be racking up ten work points a day.”
Song Wei just smiled. “You flatter me…”
As night fell, Li Juan and the others finished their food and came over to lend a hand. Though the two guys were slower than Heidan, they were still helpful.
Peering out from the doorway, Xu Laidi scowled.
“Ugh, shameless fox! Just like Bai Yunjiao, always flirting to get men to do her work,” she muttered to herself, green with envy. Bai Yunjiao had men to help her work every day, while Xu Laidi had no one to offer her a hand.
Unfortunately, Bai Yunjiao overheard her, and her face darkened.
“Xu Laidi, I didn’t provoke you, so what’s your problem? Your mouth is filthy.”
Xu Laidi scoffed, her hands on her hips, just like a village shrew. “Did I lie? It’s obvious that the men in the village are blind, running around to help someone like you. Whoever marries you will regret it!”
Their shouting was enough to get everyone’s attention, and Song Wei and her group looked over curiously.
Tears pricked Bai Yunjiao’s eyes as she tried to defend herself. “I don’t know what I did to offend you, Xu Laidi, but that doesn’t mean you should go around insulting people!”
“So what if I insult you? You’re always dressing up all flashy, looking like you’re up to no good. If you weren’t flirting with them, those men wouldn’t be so eager to help you with your work. Guess one man isn’t enough to satisfy you!”
Bai Yunjiao lowered her gaze, a cold glint flashing in her eyes, but she cried even more delicately.
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