Xu Laidi tried her old trick again, pouring out complaints and hardships while casting pitiful glances at Gao Le and Zhao Su. She knew that Li Juan, who was well aware of her true colors, wouldn’t fall for it, but she hoped the two city boys might.
Unfortunately, Gao Le and Zhao Su’s only focus was on the dumplings and rabbit meat.
Seeing that her plan wasn’t working, Xu Laidi raised her voice and even moved toward Li Juan’s small backyard.
“Stop right there, Xu Laidi! Have some self-respect—are you here to steal our food?”
At the mention of “stealing food,” Gao Le and Zhao Su’s ears perked up, and they looked at Xu Laidi with intense suspicion.
Xu Laidi wiped at imaginary tears. “I just… feel so miserable…”
Alright, back to her pity routine. Song Wei was speechless, but she leaned back to watch the drama unfold—snacking on sunflower seeds as she did.
Gao Le guarded the food fiercely. “Everyone has it rough! I can’t remember the last time I ate meat, and now you want some of ours? Go to sleep—you’ll eat plenty in your dreams.”
Zhao Su agreed, “There’s barely enough here for us. You didn’t contribute a thing, and you want a share? That’s not being pitiful; that’s just shameless!”
The two of them were like guard dogs protecting a precious meal.
Pitiful? They thought they were the ones who were pitiful.
Back home, they had everything they wanted, three meals a day, and meat whenever they wanted. Now, they’d been sent down to the countryside, where they had to work daily and live on meager food that was a far cry from what they were used to.
Even buying a bit of meat in the countryside was a feat, and the meat they had was something they’d fought tooth and nail to secure. It was almost painful for them to share it, even a little.
They were okay sharing with Song Wei and Li Juan because both were contributing. Song Wei provided some rabbit meat, and Li Juan was a great cook, so it felt like an even exchange. Xu Laidi, however, was a poor cook and ate a lot, so they knew they’d be losing out if they shared with her.
The two “guard dogs” defended the food with such determination that even Xu Laidi, with her thick skin, was forced to leave in frustration. Song Wei could tell she was fuming as she left.
Li Juan shot Gao Le and Zhao Su a look of approval.
They both eagerly asked, “So, when do we eat?”
It was clear they were eager for their long-awaited feast.
“Almost done,” Li Juan assured them. “Rabbit cooks quickly.”
When the steaming, fragrant rabbit meat was served, the aroma wafted through the yard, making everyone’s mouth water—even those who weren’t invited to eat. Liu Linlin, back in her room, muttered angrily.
“They’ve had meat so many times this month! Why is Song Wei so lucky?”
She was burning with jealousy. This wouldn’t do—she couldn’t stand by and let Song Wei get away with it.
Turning over different schemes in her head, Liu Linlin’s eyes gleamed with malicious intent.
Meanwhile, the dumplings, all warm and round, filled a large bowl for the four adults and Heidan.
Before the dumplings even had a chance to cool, they all dug in, savoring every bite, despite the fact that they were burning hot.
“These are delicious!” Gao Le said, chewing with his eyes closed. Suddenly, he choked up, which startled Li Juan and Song Wei.
Had he burned himself that badly?
Gao Le, a grown man, was sitting with his bowl, hunched over on a tiny stool, looking oddly pitiful as he explained, “This is… the first real meal I’ve had since coming here.”
Tears ran down his cheeks as he stuffed more dumplings into his mouth.
Zhao Su, also teary-eyed, muttered, “I’ll never complain about too much fish and meat again. Never.”
Li Juan and Song Wei were speechless.
Human emotions are strange things.
Heidan tried to take a few of his dumplings and place them in Song Wei’s bowl, insisting, “Sister Song, you should eat more.”
But she just smiled and told him, “No, you eat them. We’ve got plenty more dumplings and rabbit.”
The rabbit was mixed with potatoes, making the meal more filling and flavorful. Song Wei had a big appetite, but with all the food they’d prepared, she wasn’t worried about anyone going hungry. They all ate to their hearts’ content, satisfied with every bite.
…
That evening, when the old carpenter delivered the rabbit cage, everyone in the dormitory knew about Song Wei’s incredible luck. She had managed to catch several rabbits in the mountains, including six baby rabbits.”
Curious onlookers crowded into the backyard, watching as Song Wei placed the big rabbits and the little ones in the new cage.
Some of them were so jealous it made their eyes burn.
Bai Yunjiao’s jealousy finally broke through, and she sneered, “Hiding them all for yourself, huh? No wonder you didn’t mind sharing meat with Li Juan and the others.”
The current policy allowed rural households to keep small poultry and livestock, so Song Wei wasn’t breaking any rules by keeping the rabbits. Some Educated Youth had tried raising chickens, but disputes over how to share eggs had caused enough arguments to abandon the plan.
But now that Song Wei was raising rabbits, the jealousy and scheming of some of the others came rushing back. Xu Laidi and Liu Linlin were among the loudest, which didn’t surprise Song Wei one bit.
Liu Linlin eyed the rabbits greedily and spoke without thinking, “We’re all one unit here at the youth dormitory, Song Wei. Shouldn’t these rabbits be collective property?”
Song Wei snorted, “Why are you being shameless again?”
Xu Laidi joined in, backing up Liu Linlin. She stood with her hands on her hips, voice dripping with sarcasm.
“Liu Linlin is right. In the village, the poultry and livestock raised by each family are considered the family’s property. But we educated youths’ dormitory is not like the villagers; all of us educated youths are one unit.
We educated youths are supposed to share things equally. Technically, that means whatever you bring from the mountains should be shared with all of us. We’ve been nice and let you eat what you caught before, but don’t push your luck. These rabbits should belong to all of us as communal property.”
Li Juan shot back, “You guys are shameless, you know that? All this talk about collective property, but I haven’t seen you offering to share anything. We don’t owe you anything, so stop pretending we’re all best friends just so you can get free stuff. If you’re so envious, why don’t you try raising chickens yourselves. You just think about other people’s things all day long and talk about it in a high-sounding way. I am ashamed for you!”
Liu Linlin, refusing to back down, replied, “What we said is the truth!”
Why should Song Wei get to eat better than everyone else while they were stuck with coarse grain?
Today, they weren’t going to let Song Wei get away with it.
Song Wei rolled her eyes, amused by their audacity. They really thought she’d give up her rabbits that easily. How naive.
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