“Whoa, what’s going on here?”
Yun Laoz Er, whose full name was Yun Chengyang, had a simple, honest, and kind-looking face. When he said this, most people didn’t think much of it. Some neighbors even came out of their yards, pulled him aside, and urged him:
“Dayang, your girls Yun Yan and Yun Que are really out of line. They locked Yun Feng out and wouldn’t let her in. Tsk tsk…”
Yun Laoz Er’s expression immediately turned serious. “Let me first find out what happened.”
The people around eagerly recounted the day’s events at the drainage ditch. In the end, they couldn’t help but sigh and say what a capable and kind girl Yun Feng was.
After that, there was no suspense.
Now that the family had returned and spoken up, Yun Feng was promptly let into the house. Even the neighbors’ earlier suggestion—to rinse off the stinky mud in the yard first—was forgotten.
The Yun Laoz Er family noisily went inside, and the commotion outside quieted down considerably. Many of the onlookers remarked that there were only two sensible people in that family: Yun Laoz Er and Yun Feng. If not for them, the elder Yun grandparents wouldn’t have chosen to stay in the village to help take care of the family after splitting from their eldest son in the commune.
Standing by, Yun Su listened to the neighbors’ chatter and could only scoff inwardly.
Although she had skipped too many chapters and was unfamiliar with many characters in the book, she still trusted her intuition. Her intuition told her that this cheap second uncle’s family probably didn’t have many good people in it.
Just as Yun Su was silently complaining, her eldest and younger brothers’ discussion reached her ears. “Big brother, did you see that shoulder pole? I wonder what’s inside?”
Yun Huaimin chuckled twice. “Whatever Little Aunt sent back must be good. Come with me later to ask for some.”
This time, their little aunt, who had married into Yangcheng, had finally given birth to a son. That was why she had gone to such lengths to invite the family over to boost her standing. The goods she sent back were meant to share her good fortune. They had heard at noon that He Hua’s father had brought them back from Yangcheng.
Seeing the brothers chatting about this, Ji Xiangtian glanced at his watch. Noticing the time, he prepared to take his leave and go home. In his mind, he was already thinking about what gifts to bring next time.
That day, both in the morning and the afternoon, he had experienced unforgettable things in the Yunjia’ao Brigade.
——
While the young people were chatting and laughing, across the way in the Yun Laoz Er household, it was also very lively.
Their parents had carried back so many good things. Even though Yun Feng was covered in stinky mud, the whole family was overjoyed.
“Husband, smell how bad that mud is! Hurry and cover the roast chicken. Don’t let it get tainted by that stench.”
As soon as Yun Feng entered the house, she headed straight for the bathroom. As she bathed, the smell spread throughout the main hall, making it reek.
Liu Zhaodi, Yun Feng’s own mother, didn’t hold back at all when it came to disparaging her daughter. Her words were sharp and nasty.
“That’s right, that’s right! Dad, you don’t know how stupid our eldest sister is. She went off playing the good Samaritan again today…”
Yun Yan immediately rattled off all the things Yun Feng had done that day.
Jumping into the sea to save someone. Talking nicely for Hu Chunhua and her brother—getting no benefit from it, and on top of that, coming home covered in stinky mud and bringing trouble to the whole family.
Yun Que, seeing her twin sister speak up, didn’t want to be left out. She added some recent “good deeds” Yun Feng had done.
To them, Yun Feng—this kind-hearted simpleton who helped everyone—was just an eyesore.
Yun Laoz Er was about to say something when he saw his youngest son, A Cai, pawing through the bamboo baskets at the roast chickens, licking each one with his tongue.
This gesture was his way of claiming all the chickens for himself.
——
After seeing Ji Xiangtian off, the Yun Huaimin brothers came to the second uncle’s house to get their share of the goods. Witnessing this scene, they were thoroughly disgusted.
Yun Su, who had come along for the spectacle, just wanted to look up to the heavens and shout: My eyes…
“Second Uncle, how are we supposed to eat these?”
Little brother Fu Zai, being a teenager, spoke very directly. “A Cai is acting like a starving ghost reincarnated!”
Second Uncle snatched the roast chicken from his son’s hands and said sternly, “Who told you to do that? This roast chicken is supposed to be split half-and-half with your third uncle’s family…”
Second Aunt Liu Zhaodi, upon hearing this, glared at Fu Zai with displeasure. “A Cai is still young. A child’s saliva isn’t dirty. Is it worth making such a fuss? Your second uncle worked hard to carry these things back. If you’re so picky about the roast chicken, just leave it for A Cai…”
Second Uncle said, “What are you talking about? A Cai needs to be properly taught. Min Zai, don’t mind your second aunt. You’ve come at a good time. These two loads were sent back by your little aunt. This basket is clothes, and the other is food.”
With that, Second Uncle pushed the basket of clothes toward them.
Yun Su glanced at it. Sure enough, they were all old clothes.
Cloth was scarce in this era. A year’s worth of cloth ration coupons for rural people wasn’t even enough to make a single outfit. Their little aunt had married into a textile factory in Yangcheng. That family had some influence and never lacked clothes. Every year, the little aunt would send back some old clothes that others had discarded.
Although they were old clothes, they had few patches. For rural people like them, these were top-notch treasures.
Hadn’t everyone’s eyes been fixed on those two bamboo baskets when Second Uncle appeared?
Their family got these old clothes every year as well. They mostly used them to make vests, which the men wore when fishing or doing dirty work.
Seeing Second Uncle act as if he wanted them to take the whole basket of clothes, Yun Huaimin didn’t stand on ceremony. He pulled the basket over and left. As for the contaminated roast chickens, they really didn’t want them.
Yun Huaicai was already ten years old and still licking food like that with his saliva—it was utterly lacking in manners.
…
Seeing how blunt the siblings were, Liu Zhaodi was furious. She wanted to snatch the things back. On the way home, she had already planned to pick out the newer clothes and make two outfits for her precious baby boy.
“Yun Chengyang, are you an idiot? Such good clothes—a whole basketful! And you just gave them away. I see Yun Feng is just like you, stupid and clueless.”
Inside the house, the other children couldn’t care less about clothes. Seeing their parents arguing, they squatted by the other basket and secretly grabbed roast chicken to gnaw on.
Yun Feng came out of the bathroom and saw this scene. She felt nothing but deep sorrow.
This family suffocated her. She couldn’t understand why things had turned out like this today.
From the moment she jumped into the sea to save someone, Yun Feng had felt uncomfortable.
The rescue hadn’t gone smoothly, which bothered her.
Being hugged by Hu Chunhua in the afternoon had made her even angrier.
If she hadn’t already made up her mind, Yun Feng felt she would have flipped out at Hu Chunhua on the spot.
The only good thing that happened today was that she had finally met Comrade Gu!
Yes, Comrade Gu was the man she had been thinking about for a long time—the one she had chosen for herself.
“Yun Feng, come here!”
Just as Yun Feng was lost in thought, Liu Zhaodi spotted her and waved her over impatiently. “Your father and I went to the neighboring brigade today. Your Uncle Dalin introduced a pretty good young man. You need to tidy yourself up these next couple of days. He’s coming this weekend to take a look at you.”
On this trip, the couple had gone to Dalin’s place to pick out goods. Unexpectedly, Dalin had introduced a promising young man from Yangcheng. He supposedly had some connections with the Friendship Store and had even agreed to a three-hundred-yuan bride price. A match like this was something you couldn’t find even with a lantern.
Hearing this, Yun Feng shook her head repeatedly. “No, Mom. I’m only twenty. There’s no hurry to start dating. Didn’t we agree before? I would stay home and work for a few more years, save money for A Cai to get married. I’m really not in a rush…”
“You ungrateful girl! If it weren’t a good family, I wouldn’t even want you to marry! You’re already twenty—someone luckier would already be a mother…”
Liu Zhaodi scolded her eldest daughter harshly, feeling a sharp pain in her chest from anger.
Yun Feng looked pleadingly at her father. When she received a nod from him, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
In her family, her father had the final say. As long as he didn’t agree, she could drag things out a bit longer. She didn’t want to marry some Yangcheng guy. No matter how good the conditions, they couldn’t compare to Comrade Gu, whom she had chosen herself.
With this thought, Yun Feng set aside her earlier frustrations. She turned and went back to her room, ready to make another plan. This time, she had to leave an even better impression on Comrade Gu.
——
Listening to the quarreling from the Yun Laoz Er household across the way, Yun Su thought that family was truly bizarre.
“Big brother, should we wait for Mom to come back before sorting these clothes?”
Yun Huaimin had carried the basket home and left it piled in a corner.
“We’ll wait for Mom. They’ll probably be back in a day or two.”
None of the three siblings paid much attention to the basket of old clothes. After all, this was how it went every year. Instead, they discussed what to have for dinner.
In the end, Yun Su decided on sea urchin fried rice.
Of course, her big brother would do the cooking. She, on the other hand, was responsible for picking some watercress from the vegetable patch in the yard to make a simple watercress soup—perfect.
The vegetable patch wasn’t large, and the vegetables inside were neatly arranged, as if lined up. While out watching the afternoon commotion, Yun Su had already observed the entire production brigade.
Judging by the buildings, a large courtyard house made of mud bricks and black tiles like hers was considered one of the better-off homes in the village.
Many families lived in mud-brick thatched houses. Those closer to the sea even lived in oyster-shell houses. According to her memories, in the years before large fishing boats were collectivized, many people didn’t even have houses on land. They ate, drank, and lived on their boats.
In short, the Yunjia’ao Brigade was not a wealthy production brigade.
But because it was near the sea, food was never in short supply. In the 1970s, marine resources were abundant and pollution was minimal. As long as one was diligent, no one would starve. This put them far ahead of many inland mountain areas.
As Yun Su thought about the brigade’s situation, she once again marveled at her good luck. Even though she had been reborn as a cannon fodder character, at least she wouldn’t go hungry. And she already had a good idea of how to deal with the original female lead, Yun Feng.
——
Elsewhere, another cannon fodder character, Ji Xiangtian, was not as carefree as Yun Su.
“I heard you went to the pharmacy today and got two cans of malted milk and two catties of brown sugar. Did something happen?”
When Mother Ji came home from work and saw her son in the house, she asked casually.
Malted milk and brown sugar were in high demand. Short on time, Ji Xiangtian had no choice but to buy them from the hospital pharmacy. Many people were malnourished in this era, and hospitals sometimes prescribed supplements like soybeans, malted milk, and brown sugar to help them regain their health.
Ji Xiangtian was doing laundry in the yard. Hearing his mother’s question, he nodded. “I needed them urgently for something, so I just bought them at the pharmacy.”
Mother Ji didn’t press further. Her son rarely came back to the island from Yangcheng, so she was more concerned about his work and daily life.
“Is work going smoothly over there? The military hospital here is looking to hire a few doctors recently. Orthopedics is hiring too. Are you interested in transferring back?”
After graduating, her son had worked at a hospital in Yangcheng. He had refused several requests to come to the island, saying he didn’t want to live near the sea. Truth be told, the root of this issue was their fault as parents.
Hearing this question and seeing his mother’s guilty expression, Ji Xiangtian rarely showed a hint of resignation. “Mom, that was so many years ago. Don’t overthink it. I just think Yangcheng has more people, more cases, and I can learn more…”
Hearing her son say this, Mother Ji knew she couldn’t continue the topic. She changed the subject and asked how many days off he had.
“I’m taking the morning boat back to Yangcheng the day after tomorrow. Tomorrow, I plan to go to the market for a while.”
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