Chapter 21: An Agreement to Travel Together

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Before darkness had completely fallen, Lin Jingshu had successfully hung up the curtains and mosquito net around her window.

It was not only the two Shus who clasped each other’s hands and reveled in their success. The male educated youths who had been watching for quite some time finally breathed a sigh of relief as well.

It had been another strenuous day. Yuns hu carried a basin of water warmed by the sun back to her room, shut the door, drew the curtains, and gave herself a quick wash before lying back down on the kang to rest properly.

She reached out and tugged the cord of the lamp beside her. With a soft click, the entire educated-youth compound once again sank into dark, peaceful silence.

…

Perhaps when one was truly exhausted, sleep came especially deeply.

Yuns hu had slept without dreaming. When she opened her eyes, wisps of sunlight were already shining through the gaps in the curtains.

Lazily remaining on the kang, she stretched herself. The sweet, youthful sixteen-year-old girl twisted and contorted until a distinctly inhuman, mutated sound came from her throat.

Fortunately, the house had excellent soundproofing. Otherwise…

With no phone, no computer, and no work to occupy her, Yuns hu had no interest in lingering in bed.

Still unwilling to get up, she lay there for a few more minutes. While she was at it, she checked in for the day and collected her provisions: a pound of five-spice rice, a pound of white flour, a three-pound three-scaled carp, and ten eggs. As usual, she stored everything in her personal space.

At last, Yuns hu made up her mind and struggled out of bed. After getting dressed, she hurried to the toilet, then returned to her room to tidy herself up.

She washed her face, brushed her teeth, and dabbed on some scented cream. Facing the small mirror hanging from a nail in the wall, she combed her hair and tied it into two youthful, lively braids with a pair of soft pink peach-shaped hair ties.

At first glance, she looked fresh and radiant—entirely unlike the Yuns hu who had once worn dark circles beneath her eyes.

Youth was truly wonderful.

…

Lin Jingshu was responsible for sorting out breakfast. She was a woman of action and had risen earlier than Yuns hu. After tucking two pieces of candy into her pocket, she went to seek instruction from the veteran educated youths.

She watched the entire process of preparing a meal from beginning to end, and gained considerable confidence that she could manage it herself. Just then, Yuns hu and the others got up, so Lin Jingshu quickly called Yuns hu over to help her prepare breakfast.

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Breakfast was still very simple. The veteran educated youths ate cornmeal porridge with pickled vegetables. Lin Jingshu planned to imitate them, though she intended to add an egg as well.

Since there was no need to worry about making the room too warm for sleep in the morning, Lin Jingshu lit the stove without a trace of guilt and took the opportunity to warm the cooking range.

The three male educated youths also wanted to join them for meals. Carrying out their eggs and rations, they approached Lin Jingshu somewhat sheepishly. Once she agreed, they immediately went to haul firewood, fetch water, and tend the fire, practically taking all of Yuns hu’s work away from her.

Well… that was quite nice. People who noticed work that needed doing were never irritating.

Still, they had to consider what to do when they wanted to prepare something special in the future. The educated-youth compound was only so large. No matter how good its soundproofing was, it could not block out smells. Even if she could obtain smoked and sauced prepared foods with little scent through her daily check-in, Yuns hu had no intention of giving up her right to enjoy a hot meal.

They would need to find a few reliable allies. Her best friend and these three male educated youths were ideal candidates: they had been through life-and-death trials together, clearly had money in hand, and wanted to eat well.

…

Breakfast was ready soon enough. Chen Ming carried the table from his room outside. Everyone brought over their own stools, bowls, and chopsticks, then bustled about under Lin Jingshu’s direction. Once they sat down and began to eat, everyone was immediately satisfied.

The cornmeal porridge was sweet and thick, the eggs white and springy, and the pickled vegetables fresh and fragrant. At least, that was how Yuns hu found them. Everything tasted wonderful; every part of the meal was excellent!

Of the five people at the table, four praised the cook’s skills, which delighted Lin Jingshu to no end and filled her with enthusiasm and confidence about preparing meals in the future.

Unlike Yuns hu, Lin Jingshu enjoyed doing things with her own hands.

After spending time with her, one could see that although she was somewhat wild and uninhibited, and never liked troubling others with anything she could do herself, she was essentially a tomboy with a tender side.

She was like a Cancer born in July: when gentle, she radiated a maternal glow from head to toe; when angry, she became nothing short of a tigress—or a Tyrannosaurus rex.

But there was no denying that Yuns hu liked this sort of personality very much.

Praised until she was floating on air, Lin Jingshu rashly agreed to the three young men’s request to join them for meals. Once she had calmed down, she felt a little regretful, remembering the special cooking supplies in her cheat ability.

The three male educated youths were quick to read the situation, however. They hurriedly promised that, apart from providing their own food and supplies, they would contribute a meal with meat every three days, take care of all the heavy labor, learn how to cook, and either trade shifts with Lin Jingshu or assist her in the kitchen.

Yuns hu suddenly realized that something was wrong. Was she becoming someone who ate for free?

Fortunately, her best friend was dependable. Once Lin Jingshu said she would support her, she meant it. She took Yuns hu’s hand first and announced that from then on, Yuns hu only needed to help prepare ingredients, pass the seasonings, serve the food, and carry the dishes.

A young girl had no need to do so much hard work.

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Yuns hu was so moved that she nearly cried. Lin Jingshu, whose actions were always more honest than her words, pulled her into an embrace like a powerful underworld boss hugging his wife. After indulging in the drama for a while, the two Shus finally became embarrassed beneath the amused gazes of the three male educated youths across the table.

…

After their laughter and teasing died down, the two Shus exchanged a glance and nodded, agreeing to the three male educated youths’ request to share meals.

Lin Jingshu, however, proved reliable enough to establish a condition first—or rather, three rules.

Although the five of them got along remarkably well, and had already come to regard one another as good friends after surviving yesterday’s life-or-death ordeal, genuine companionship still needed time to stand the test.

Whether they truly suited one another could not be judged by the present alone. They had to take the long view. Sharing meals was therefore not a permanent arrangement; each person would need time to adjust to the others in daily life.

Perhaps one day Lin Jingshu would no longer want to cook. Perhaps the three young men would feel it unfair to be left with all the physical labor. Human hearts were unpredictable, and every matter required a second plan.

Therefore, if any one of them ever felt that this arrangement was unfair, or no longer wished to continue, they would peacefully dissolve their little dining group.

No one should allow mutual accommodation to damage their revolutionary friendship.

She spoke with great seriousness and formality, but everyone—including Yuns hu—found the arrangement perfectly reasonable. No one had any objections.

Thus, after formally agreeing to the terms at the dining table, the five new educated youths successfully put Yang Yue out of their minds and achieved the first stage of banding together for mutual support.

Pei Wenyuan, whose mind was clearly quite sharp, returned the favor by suggesting that next time they went to the county town, they could look for a coal-burning stove. That way, the two female educated youths would have an easier time heating water, and in spring, summer, and autumn they would not need to light the cooking stove and heat the kang so thoroughly that no one could sleep at night.

Clearly, Pei the strategist knew absolutely nothing about cooking. He was desperate to curry favor with Lin Jingshu, the provider of his meals.

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