Chapter 57: Redeeming the Dignity as the Eldest Sister-in-law
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The man glanced but remained silent, silently wheeling away.
Yun Qinghuan looked back for a moment but didn’t pay much attention, thinking he might find the sun too hot here and chose to stay in the shade nearby.
Continuing to cut the locust flowers with a clattering sound, even the little guy was sweating profusely, holding a few sparse bunches of precious locust flowers in his small hands.
Just when Yun Qinghuan felt discouraged and was about to give up, the man returned, spinning the wheelchair back. He had found another unusually long stick from somewhere and said to her, “Sister-in-law, give me the sickle.”
Yun Qinghuan almost grimaced as she handed him the stick, feeling a bit embarrassed that she couldn’t even cut locust flowers, and he had to fix the tools for her.
Seeing him take another long stick, she thought he might replace the slightly shorter stick with this longer one. There was a slight guilt in her heart; the problem wasn’t the length of the stick but her lack of skill in cutting them down.
She worried that if he did make the sickle longer, and she still couldn’t cut them down, how would she redeem her dignity as the eldest sister-in-law.
As Yun Qinghuan was contemplating, Bai Naihan had already bound the longer stick to another stick, making the sickle suddenly much longer. She wasn’t sure how he tied it, but the stick seemed sturdy.
Seeing that he had finished, Yun Qinghuan reached out hesitantly. She tried to act composed, thinking she should cut more locust flowers later, not wanting to embarrass herself in front of him.
Even though she tried to encourage herself, there was still a sense of unease in her heart.
“No need, sister-in-law. I’ll do the cutting, and you can catch them,” the man’s calm voice echoed.
“Huh?”
She raised her head in confusion, only to meet the man’s deep and somewhat warm eyes. Uncomfortable, she looked away. “Sure, I’ll leave the task of cutting locust flowers to you.”
She almost joyfully ran to the locust tree, joining An’an in picking locust flowers.
The smile in the man’s eyes deepened.
Next, Yun Qinghuan was almost shocked.
She stared at the decreasing number of locust flowers on the tree. It was the same sickle, but in his hands, it seemed to have a soul, almost cutting one flower per swing.
Moreover, sometimes he could cut down a large bunch at once.
In just about half an hour, they had cut about a basket or more of locust flowers.
“Is this… probably enough?”
Yun Qinghuan, who had been bending down to pick them up, felt tired, wiping the sweat from her forehead.
Watching the man hold up the sickle, tilting his head, working tirelessly for almost half an hour without showing any signs of fatigue, she felt extremely admiring.
Probably noticing her fatigue, the man directly said, “Sister-in-law, take a break. I’ll continue cutting locust flowers. You can pick them up later. Many people in the village like eating locust flowers, and there aren’t many locust trees. If we don’t gather more today, others might discover this tree, and there won’t be any locust flowers left on it tomorrow.”
“Oh, I see.” Yun Qinghuan thought about the scarcity of resources in this era, especially something as delicious as locust flowers, much better than wild vegetables. If others found out, they would probably take them all. After all, locust flowers were delicious whether steamed, cold, or stir-fried, but you could only enjoy them for a few days each year.
She gritted her teeth. “Then you continue cutting, I’m not tired.”
Saying that, she bent down again to start picking.
Thinking about eating the same dishes every day these past few days almost made Yun Qinghuan tired of them. She worked even harder at picking locust flowers; after all, these would be her vegetables for the next few days!
An’an, seeing his mother who was initially a bit absent-minded and thinking of resting before picking so quickly, became more focused on picking.
Feeling that he couldn’t let his mother think he wasn’t working hard, An’an picked more diligently.
The man, observing her this way, had a subtle change in his gaze.
Seeing that one tree’s locust flowers had been almost completely harvested by the three of them, and considering it was approaching mealtime, Bai Naihan finally stopped.
They chopped the pigweed into pieces and placed them in the pig trough, then put the locust flowers in a basket to carry back.
In the pigsty, Qiao Yue was still cleaning pig manure. She arrived relatively late this morning and hadn’t finished yet. Seeing Yun Qinghuan and the others collecting so many locust flowers, she felt a bit envious. “Where did you get the locust flowers? This thing is delicious. As long as locust flowers bloom nearby, they are quickly taken by others. It’s not easy to find them.”
Recently, the members of the Youth League also wanted to improve their meals. Seeing that some people in the village were steaming locust flowers, they became envious. Someone suggested that if they encountered locust flowers while working, they should pick some. However, each time they could only pick a few strands, not enough for everyone in the Youth League.
Qiao Yue also liked to eat locust flowers, so she was a bit curious when she saw them collecting a big basket. Yun Qinghuan smiled, “It’s on the back hill where we cut pigweed. Go further in; it’s a bit remote. Luckily, it’s more secluded; otherwise, we might not get a chance to cut. However, there aren’t many flowers left on the trees we’ve harvested. If you like them, wait for the next time I make some, and I’ll bring you some.”
Qiao Yue was a good person, and she had given the original owner quite a few pointers during these days working in the pigsty. Therefore, even though food was precious, Yun Qinghuan was willing to share some with her. She didn’t plan to give her the semi-finished product, though. The Youth League ate together, and with so many people, each person wouldn’t get much.
Hearing that there weren’t many locust flowers left on the trees, Qiao Yue felt a bit disappointed. When Yun Qinghuan mentioned bringing her some, she quickly waved her hand, “How can that be? You don’t have to bring me any.”
In this era, casually eating someone else’s food was not a good thing, considering that no family was wealthy.
Yun Qinghuan laughed, “It’s just a bit of locust flowers, it’s okay.”
Qiao Yue felt a bit tempted since locust flowers were indeed delicious. However, she shook her head, “Forget it.”
At this moment, someone suddenly called out to Qiao Yue, “Have you finished cleaning the pigsty? It’s almost noon; let’s hurry back. Otherwise, we won’t get a good share of the food.”
Returning late would only result in getting a small portion of leftovers.
The person who approached saw Yun Qinghuan and nodded in greeting, “Yun Zhiqing.”
“Shen Zhiqing.” Yun Qinghuan also nodded in response.
Then, teasingly, Yun Qinghuan said to Qiao Yue, “Hurry up; someone is urging you.”
Shen Jingyang pursed his lips, feeling a bit embarrassed.
He walked over to Qiao Yue, took the tools from her hands, and went into the pigsty to clean.
Seeing him like this, Yun Qinghuan’s smile deepened. She whispered to Qiao Yue, “Comrade Shen seems to treat you quite well.”
She gave Qiao Yue a thumbs-up, thinking that Qiao Yue might have found a good man.
Qiao Yue felt a bit embarrassed, “I also feel that he is considerate and takes care of people.”
Qiao Yue felt a bit embarrassed, “I also feel that he is considerate and takes care of people.”
Shen Jingyang, like them, was a “zhiqing” sent to the countryside, just that he came a few years earlier than them. Now, he was in his twenties, similar in age to Bai Naihan.
He was silent and reserved but thoughtful and meticulous in his work. He acted as the elder brother in the “zhiqing” group, taking care of mΝany matters in the “zhiqing” camp.
[KNOWLEDGE CENTRE]
[“Zhiqing” (知青) refers to educated youth in China who were sent to rural areas for reeducation and to experience life in the countryside during certain periods, particularly during the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976). These young people, often in their late teens or early twenties, were part of a movement where urban youth were mobilized to go to rural areas to learn from the peasants.
The term “Zhiqing camp” is a colloquial way of referring to the collective life and activities of these educated youth during their time in the countryside. They lived and worked together, engaging in agricultural activities and various forms of reeducation. The experience of the educated youth during this period was characterized by hardship, as they faced challenging living conditions and labor-intensive work.]
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