Starting a new chapter in life

As they were talking, Jingyan came out carrying a bucket, placed it next to the cement, nodded to the group, and pulled Gao Mei aside: "Sister Gao, we've already put cement in here, is five yuan enough?"

“Chicken coops are built with bricks. Look at the quantity of these bricks, there are plenty. The cement is just for sealing the bricks, not for paving the floor, so it won’t be used much. If you don’t want these bricks, you can just throw them away. The neighbors all have what they need. Building another one is a rare opportunity. This price is acceptable.”

Gao Mei patted her hand and continued, "You'll see what they've done later. If you're satisfied, just let them have a good lunch. They're all big boys, they have big appetites."

Jing Yan smiled and said, "Of course, we'll make sure everyone has enough to eat. Sister Gao promised to help me prepare lunch. Come on, let's see what dishes we'll make for lunch."

Gao Mei greeted Jianguo and then followed Jingyan back into the house. "I bought two pounds of pork belly yesterday. How about we stew some sauerkraut with the pork belly for lunch, stir-fry some hot and sour shredded potatoes, and steam some mixed rice? What do you think?"

Gao Mei was surprised: "I didn't expect there to be meat dishes. Oh my, did you use two pounds of meat? Isn't that too extravagant?"

“We need to eat too. We can’t make two dishes for just a few people. Besides, the fact that they eat better is a benefit that Sister Gao got for them, right?” Jing Yan smiled slyly.

Gao Mei was very satisfied: "Zhang Meizi is really good at handling things. If you need anything in the future, just come to me. You've been so kind to me, I can't let you suffer any losses."

Four young men were working in the yard, while Jingyan and Gaomei were cooking inside. While preparing the ingredients, they also cooked a pot of mung bean soup. The mung beans were from last year, and after they were cooked until they burst open, they added a handful of white sugar. Gaomei felt a pang of jealousy as she watched, muttering to herself that it was wasteful but unable to say it aloud. After all, if she told the truth, it would seem like she was being ungrateful. She secretly resolved that her future daughter-in-law could not be so extravagant.

The mung bean soup was ready. Jingyan ladled the soup into an enamel basin, took four ceramic bowls and a large soup ladle and handed them to Gao Mei: "Sister Gao, could you please take this over? Although it's not very hot now, the sun is still quite strong today, and it's quite hot. Drinking some mung bean soup will cool you down and quench your thirst."

Gao Mei quickly took the bowl and spoon, and carried the enamel basin to the front yard: "Jianguo, call your brothers to rest and have some mung bean soup. Zhang Meizi put some sugar in it, so come and have a bowl."

Several young men came over, washed their hands in the bucket, and took turns drinking from the bowls. "Brother Jianguo, it's really sweet. This family is so kind; they even cooked mung bean soup for us. I thought we'd be lucky to get a bowl of water," a dark-skinned, skinny boy whispered to Jianguo.

Jianguo was also drinking. Hearing this, he reached out and ruffled Jianguo's hair, saying, "Don't worry, I'll definitely take you with me when I have work to do in the future. I won't let you go hungry anymore."

The boy chuckled, ate the mung beans in his bowl, wiped his mouth, and went back to applying cement to the bricks.

Gao Mei tossed the spoon into the enamel basin and said to Jianguo, "I'll leave the basin here. Come and get some if you're thirsty. Don't drink too much. There'll be pork stew with sauerkraut for lunch. If you're full from water, you won't be able to eat."

The group of people who hadn't finished their soup widened their eyes upon hearing this: "Pork stew?"

Gao Mei nodded: "Yes, I cut it. Two pounds of pork belly. Zhang Meizi put it all in the sauerkraut today. You'll have plenty of oil for lunch today."

Jianguo put down his bowl as well: "Aunt Gao, don't worry, we'll definitely do this job well. We have to make sure it's worth the meat they gave us."

The remaining people immediately felt their energy surge and went to work with great enthusiasm. Gao Mei looked at them and shook her head with amusement: "They're all greedy."

Lunch was ready. Gao Mei and Jing Yan ate some in the kitchen, and the rest was moved to the living room. The four young men ate at the dining table in the living room. They ate with great relish, and Gao Mei ate with gusto too.

"Zhang Meizi really knows how to use oil when cooking! The shredded potatoes are so oily. I rarely use this much oil when I cook at home. But Zhang Meizi, it's just the few of us today, so there won't be any gossip. Take my advice..."

"If you ever have guests over, especially not close ones, don't cook as generously as you did today. If they know you used a lot of oil and made so much meat, they might praise it while eating, but who knows what they'll say behind your back. Let's not test their patience; just be a little more discreet. It'll save you a lot of money, a win-win situation, don't you think?"

Jingyan nodded as she ate: "Thanks to Sister Gao for telling me, otherwise I really wouldn't have thought of this. My mother passed away three years ago. I had never been in charge of the household before. Later, my fourth sister and I depended on each other. My fourth sister also took care of the neighborhood. In addition, we didn't visit any relatives during holidays. I really don't know much about social etiquette."

Last year, my fourth sister and I got married one after the other. After the wedding, I came here with my boyfriend. I usually just drift through life without really realizing these things. I remember this and will pay attention in the future.

I was just being naive. I figured since they were doing me work, I wanted to save face and avoid being seen as stingy. I didn't expect to overdo it. Luckily, it was Sister Gao who brought people over today, and she knew to protect me. If it had been someone else, I might have ended up doing all the work for nothing. I still need to learn more about interpersonal skills.”

Gao Mei was initially worried that Jing Yan might be unhappy after she finished speaking, since her intentions were good. But now that she was listening attentively and not angry at all, she felt both the responsibility of being an older sister and the satisfaction of having a younger sister listen to her advice. Surprisingly, it felt pretty good.

After lunch, the two went to the living room to clean up the dining table. Well, actually, it was just picking up the bowls and plates. There was no food left, and they ate very cleanly. Gao Mei pointed to the dinner plate and explained, "These children are at the age where they are growing, so they ate a bit too much. Please excuse the fuss."

Jingyan shook her head: "Sister Gao, you're being too polite. Two or three years ago, I also had to work in the fields to earn work points. After a day's work, I could eat three bowls of rice in one meal from those two big bowls." Jingyan gestured with her hand to show the size of the bowl.

“That’s right. Working in the fields is exhausting, and you have to eat a lot, otherwise your body won’t be able to handle it. I’m in the city now, and apart from my own yard, I’ve never actually worked in the fields, but I know that the people in the production team lose three to five pounds during spring planting and autumn harvest. It’s really tough,” Gao Mei sighed.

After washing the dishes and cleaning the kitchen floor, and putting out the stove fire, Gao Mei, who was always busy, helped Jing Yan tidy up the living room as well. She then went to the storeroom to get a hoe. "We have some free time now, so let's turn over the soil in the yard. We can plant vegetables next month. What do you want to plant? I have some at home, so I'll just give you some, saving you the trouble of buying them."

Jingyan took the pickaxe. "My yard is quite large, and I need a lot of seeds and seedlings."

"Oh dear, the amount we've allocated to you is more than enough. You don't know, my husband has three brothers. My mother-in-law is a smart woman; after her youngest brother got married, she gave us a separate share of the property. The old couple lives in the old house by themselves."

The old house had a very large yard, more than three times the size of yours. Every year, the elderly couple would grow vegetables, planting the seeds quite densely. Once the seedlings sprouted, they would thin them out. Our three families would simply get the seedlings from there and plant them ourselves; we didn't need to buy seeds.

"After the three of us divided the seedlings, the old couple still had quite a few left over. Some they washed and cooked themselves, and some they gave to the neighbors. Last year, the old lady next door passed away, so there's one less family to distribute the seedlings this year, which is perfect for you." Gao Mei is a skilled worker, but she can also talk a lot.

Jingyan is strong, but not as agile as Gaomei. However, digging a hole is no problem for her. "Then thank you, Sister Gao. I want to plant green beans, eggplants, peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, chives, and scallions. If there are any sunflowers, I can plant three or four along the wall. These are the vegetables we usually grow in our garden."

Gao Mei nodded: "Besides sunflowers, my mother-in-law can grow everything else. I'll also get you some bok choy to plant, it'll be crisp and tender for stir-fries or noodles."

“Okay, I’ll go with Sister Gao to Auntie’s to pick up the seedlings. It wouldn’t be right to ask you to deliver them to me again, that would be a bit much,” Jing Yan said with a smile.

“Okay, I’ll be going on the weekend. It’s a holiday, so there’s no rush. When I get back, I can plant them right away in the ground. The survival rate is high. I’ll call you when I get there.”

Around four o'clock in the afternoon, the chicken coop was finished. Gao Mei and Jing Yan went inside to take a look. The chicken coop was about waist-high to Jing Yan. The roof was tiled. If you didn't look at the height, it would really look like a proper house. The walls of the chicken coop were quite high, reaching chest height. They could see the chickens inside without worrying about other things getting in and harming them. A layer of wheat straw was laid in the coop. There was a gap on this side of the wall, and a wooden door was nailed together with a few planks. It was already installed.

Jingyan pointed at the wooden door and asked, "Where did this wood come from? I don't have any at home."

Jianguo scratched his head and laughed, "These are the ones we brought. The roof beams for the chicken coop were cut from these. They're not very good wood, but we brought a few extra pieces in case we couldn't find any to use later. Perfect, we made a door with them, so you won't have to find someone else to make one later. It's not a delicate job, we can manage it ourselves. Apart from being a bit ugly, it's quite sturdy."

Jing Yan smiled and thanked her, then looked at Gao Mei. Gao Mei knew what she meant and said softly, "This wood is indeed extra. These kids are honest people. It's not worth it for you to give them money, but it's not good to give them nothing either. Do you still have any dried goods from before? Two handfuls of red dates for each of them will be enough. Just a token will do."

"I'll go back and look for it. I haven't been working on it lately, so I really don't know." Jingyan went inside to rummage through the house. There were still some red dates left, but not many. She was reluctant to give them away, so she gritted her teeth and grabbed two handfuls of fruit candies, about twenty or thirty yuan worth. She hadn't eaten much of these candies, and there was still half a box left. She put the candies in her pocket and went to the yard. Several young men had already finished tidying up the things, and the places where they had mixed cement, sawed wood, and laid bricks were all cleaned up.

Jingyan stepped forward, took out the candy from her pocket, and handed it to the four people who were about to leave. The four were embarrassed to accept it and repeatedly said no. Gao Mei persuaded them, "The money we gave you back then was for bricks and the chicken coop you built. Now you've even put up a wooden door for us. The money we gave you isn't really worth much, but Xiao Zhang appreciates the sentiment. Giving you a few pieces of candy is also her way of showing her appreciation. Take them. It's a way to sweeten your mouth and keep quiet. Don't tell anyone about how good you ate here today. If someone is petty, they might make up some lies. It's better to avoid trouble, understand?"

The group readily agreed, each taking six candies, refusing any more. Jingyan had a genuinely good impression of them, casually stuffing the remaining four or five candies into Gao Mei's pocket: "Eat them as snacks."

Gao Mei chuckled: "You're treating me like a child too, aren't you? Fine, I'll accept your kind offer. By the way, when are you planning to get some chicks?"

Where can I get it?

“Usually you have to go to the market to look for them. I really don’t know. My mother-in-law brought back the chickens I raise. Maybe I can go back and ask her for you?” Gao Mei thought.

“I’ve been idle these past few days, so I’m planning to go to the 13th Company to ask Sister Hahe. I remember she mentioned that someone in her company seems to know how to hatch chicks. I’ll also go up the mountain to see if I can dig up some wild vegetables,” Jingyan said.

Gao Mei nodded: "Okay, if you can't find it, just tell me and I'll try to find it for you."

"Thank you so much, Sister Gao. Meeting you is truly my greatest luck." Jing Yan hugged her and acted coquettishly.

Gao Mei patted her shoulder: "Alright, stop being so lovey-dovey. I have to go home. My husband and son will be home from get off work soon, and I need to go back and cook."

Jingyan escorted her to the gate, locked the gate, and then went back to look at the chicken coop twice more, becoming increasingly satisfied: "It's really good, much better than the chicken coop at home in Liaoning Province."

I went back to the house feeling quite pleased with myself. There were still two eggs left in the kitchen, so I made some egg pancakes for dinner. I thought to myself: I'm going to the 13th Company tomorrow. Even if I can't buy any chicks, I have to buy some eggs.

The next morning, I drank some millet porridge, steamed the two leftover egg pancakes from yesterday and ate them quickly. I took two empty bags, folded them up and put them in a basket, put a small shovel on top, slung the basket over my shoulder, put ten yuan in my pocket, locked the door and headed towards the Thirteenth Company.

As she walked, she curiously examined the small shovel. It had been found in the barn, and the handle was only a short section, clearly broken. The shovel was also much smaller than normal, looking more like a sand-shoveling tool for children in later generations. In short, it didn't seem like a proper farm tool. She tried digging around in the yard, and it worked quite well. It should be a handy tool for digging wild vegetables.

As they walked out of the city, Jingyan was completely bewildered when faced with several forks in the road. He Chunni had said this was the direction, but she hadn't mentioned several forks. She couldn't just blindly choose one, could she? Just as she was struggling with her decision, she saw someone coming from one of the forks in the road.