“It’s fine, Mom. Now that I’ve taken on this job, I’ll be earning a salary every month. My income will only keep growing from here!”
Her identity as a worker gave her a sense of pride, and her list of suitors had significantly increased.
As for Song Wei? Who knew if she’d ever make it back? Even if she did, she’d probably end up as a dowdy housewife married to some peasant. The gap between them would only widen with time.
The woman looked at her daughter, who had become more confident and dazzling with each passing day, and felt a deep sense of pride.
It made her heart feel much lighter.
In Ping’an Brigade, Song Wei, who had just arrived at the Educated Youth dormitory, sneezed three times in a row.
“Which bastard is cursing me?”
Bai Yunjiao, who heard her, looked over: …
How can you be so sure someone’s cursing you just because you sneezed?
“Sister Song!”
Heidan rushed out and hugged her tightly.
“Sister Song, I missed you so much!”
The little guy’s eyes brimmed with tears. The once scrawny, skin-and-bones child now had a face that had filled out considerably after two months of proper care.
His skin was fairer, and, most importantly, he looked full of energy. Song Wei’s care had transformed him into a vibrant little cub.
Heidan’s features were already well-defined, and with the added weight, he looked even more adorable.
“Good boy, I missed you too.”
Song Wei pinched his soft, chubby cheeks. Children had incredible healing abilities. His previously tanned skin had become paler, and it was now soft and supple to the touch.
Heidan didn’t resist having his cheeks pinched. In fact, he obediently lifted his little face to let her pinch it more.
What a sweet little cub.
Xu Laidi, munching on peanuts, ambled over to Song Wei like a nosy aunt.
As she approached, she craned her neck to peek into the basket on Song Wei’s back. Her eyes widened in an attempt to see what was inside.
But that was all she could do. Song Wei had covered her basket with cloth, and unless Xu Laidi had X-ray vision, she wasn’t going to see anything.
Of course, Xu Laidi didn’t have the guts to rummage through Song Wei’s things.
“Why is it so quiet in the dormitory today?”
After returning to her room, Song Wei unpacked her belongings and handed Heidan a pork lard-stuffed bun.
“It’s cold now, so warm this up before eating.”
Hei Dan’s eyes sparkled with delight.
Song Wei had always found his big, bright eyes striking, and now that he’d grown healthier, they were even more captivating.
“Luo Yecheng is back,” Heidan said, holding the bun as he happily followed Song Wei around, eager to help.
Song Wei handed him some small items and instructed him where to place them.
Heidan was thrilled to be of assistance.
“Luo Yecheng is back? So everyone went to see the commotion?”
“Mm!” Heidan nodded. “Brother Gao and Brother Zhao haven’t returned yet.”
Those two were probably off gloating. While others might visit Luo Yecheng briefly out of politeness, those two shameless ones would stay and munch on sunflower seeds under the pretense of checking on him!
Song Wei felt a similar urge. Just imagining Luo Yecheng’s awkward expression as he tried to keep up appearances despite being upset made her want to join the fun.
That scumbag deserved it!
“This egg cake and these biscuits—I’ll leave them in the cabinet by the bed. You can take them whenever you want to eat,” Song Wei said, taking the bun from Heidan and giving him an egg cake instead.
“Eat this first. I’ll heat the bun for you.”
Heidan nodded obediently. The fragrant egg cake was a rare treat—something he’d only ever seen his eldest cousin Lin Youfu eat.
Song Wei reheated some food she had brought from the state-run restaurant, including meat dishes, buns, and steamed bread. She also added some mushroom sauce and grape jam, offering a variety of salty, spicy, and sweet flavors.
She steamed three of the five lard-stuffed buns, saving the other two for breakfast the next morning since the cold weather would keep them fresh.
She had also purchased six large steamed buns and steamed three of them while boiling a few sweet potatoes in the pot.
At mealtime, Heidan ate one and a half stuffed buns while Song Wei had the same.
Heidan hesitated to eat his last half-bun, offering it to Song Wei instead.
“You’re still growing. You need to eat more meat to grow taller and stronger. That way, you can help me with more work in the future. Eat well, and we’ll go to the mountains to hunt wild boars and make our own lard-stuffed buns.”
The lard-stuffed buns were truly delicious, and Song Wei found herself craving pork.
Squinting thoughtfully, she wondered if there were still wild boars in the spot where she had hunted last time.
Heidan, savoring his bun with a blissful expression, seemed equally motivated. His round cheeks puffed up as he chewed, making him look even chubbier.
“So tasty!”
He resolved to grow up quickly, becoming taller and stronger so he could hunt wild boars for Sister Song.
Heidan soon found himself stuffed. In those days, both buns and steamed bread were made with solid, wholesome ingredients. After one and a half stuffed buns, half a steamed bun, and some beef with mushroom sauce, his little belly was full.
Song Wei finished the rest, including three sweet potatoes. Her appetite was so impressive that even a Northeastern man might have tipped his hat in respect.
Satisfied, Song Wei patted her stomach and stealthily headed with Heidan to Luo Yecheng’s room.
As expected, Gao Le and Zhao Su were there, munching on sunflower seeds and gleefully gossiping with Luo Yecheng about recent village scandals.
They were currently talking about Wang Xiaohua, the village chief’s granddaughter.
“Luo Zhiqing, you don’t know this, but Wang Xiaohua is head over heels for you. She keeps getting beaten up but still insists on wanting to marry you. With such devotion, shouldn’t you consider it? After all, you’ve been exchanging flirtatious glances with her, so it wouldn’t be right to let her down, would it?”
Luo Yecheng lay on his bed, his face dark as a storm cloud.
“Hey, I’m just being nice and telling you this. Why are you upset?”
Zhao Su chimed in with mock concern, “You should think it over. If the village party secretary’s family accuses you of inappropriate relations, you’ll be in big trouble.”
Luo Yecheng couldn’t ignore this possibility. He couldn’t believe how things had turned out. Everything had been going so well—he was so close to marrying Jiang Xiaowan. If only things had worked out, even if Wang Xiaohua and Lin Xiaocao’s affairs had been exposed, Jiang Xiaowan wouldn’t have dared divorce him.
But it had all fallen apart. He was filled with regret and resentment.
“Well, well, what’s everyone talking about?”
Song Wei walked in, carrying a few vegetables. “Luo Zhiqing, we might not get along, but I’m a kind soul. I came to check on your injuries!”
She waved the vegetables in her hand. “These are a gift from me. Don’t be shy.”
Luo Yecheng’s face turned red with anger as he glared at her. The clear schadenfreude in her eyes and the pitiful vegetables she offered only added insult to injury. His glare was so fierce it seemed he wanted to tear her apart.
Was Song Wei afraid?
Not at all. If she didn’t fear wild boars, why would she fear Luo Yecheng? Was he some kind of “wild boar king”?
“What were you guys talking about? Let me offer my opinion.”
She casually pulled over a stool, sat down, and grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds from Zhao Su to join in the fun.
Hey everyone,
I’ve been making some mistakes lately, and I wanted to clarify a few things that have been confusing me:
- Village Head / Village Chief (村长)
Characters: 村 (village) + 长 (head/chief)
Pinyin: cūn zhǎng
- Team Leader (队长)
Characters: 队 (team) + 长 (leader/head)
Pinyin: duì zhǎng
- Squad Leader (班长)
Characters: 班 (squad/class) + 长 (leader/head)
Pinyin: bān zhǎng
While all three titles share the character 长 (zhǎng), which means “leader” or “head,” the first character determines the context: village, team, or squad/class.
The issue is, I’ve been confusing these roles in my translations. For example, I’ve sometimes used “team leader” and “village head” or “village leader” for the same person, which doesn’t make sense. Chinese isn’t my first or second language, so please bear with me if there are slight mistakes. However, I’m super confused about one part of the story.
Who exactly is the village head? Is it Team Leader Li, Aunt Xianghua’s husband? But he’s just the team leader, right? Why does he have so much authority to mediate disputes between villagers? As far as I know, the village chief is a different person, and the team leader should be separate. Yet, whenever something like a quarrel happens, it’s always the team leader who shows up. Isn’t he just a team leader? Aren’t there other team leaders too?
For now, if I get stuck on similar terms, I’ll ask a friend for help. But honestly, I feel like I’m pretty good at translating, so why am I making so many mistakes? I must have been out of it while translating this novel!
Other than that, everything’s going well. I hope you’re enjoying the story!
Thanks for your understanding!
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