An 80s female translator was spoiled rotten by a rough and jealous man.

Chapter 22 Broom
The next morning, when Meng Youyou woke up, Chu Yao was no longer in the tent.

She rubbed her sleepy eyes, opened the tent door, and went outside.

Good guy!
The phrase "the sun is high in the sky" perfectly describes this scene.

Where in the entire campsite could one find a single person?
Meng Youyou rubbed her cheeks with some shame, quickly tidied herself up, and ran towards the free medical clinic corner at the village entrance.

When she arrived, Chu Yao and Huo Qingshan were already busy with their work.

……

Around noon, Zhong Heng went to the village entrance to tell Meng Youyou that Grandma Xiaofeng had completed her repositioning and fixation surgery that morning, and that the surgery was very successful, so she didn't need to worry too much.

Meng Youyou was very happy, but along with her joy came a worry: "This surgery must be quite expensive for Xiaofeng's family, right?"

Zhong Heng scratched the back of his head: "I'm not really sure about this either. I just heard Zhang Yong mention it on the phone. He said that a young man who claimed to be a distant relative of Xiaofeng's grandmother went to the payment counter this morning and paid the surgery fee."

Later, Zhang Yong and his friends asked the toll collector, who said the man hadn't left his name, but she remembered him as a tall, handsome man. "He was probably one of Xiaofeng's relatives who paid the toll; it's normal that we don't know him."

Meng Youyou still had some doubts in her mind. After all, judging from Xiaofeng's description yesterday, her family didn't seem to have such generous and enthusiastic relatives. But then she thought that since the surgery was successful, she didn't investigate further.

……

As expected, the next few days were equally busy. Villagers from neighboring villages, having heard about the free medical clinic being conducted by the military, flocked to the site.

I was exhausted both physically and mentally when I finished work each day, but I also felt really fulfilled.

On the fifth day of helping the people, there were fewer villagers coming to the free clinic corner today, and the closing time was an hour earlier than in the previous days.

When Meng Youyou had some free time, she thought about going to visit Xiaofeng's family. Yesterday, she heard from Zhong Heng that Xiaofeng's grandmother refused to let her stay at the hospital to take care of her, so Xiaofeng had already returned to school.

The afterglow of the setting sun bathed the village in a golden-red veil. Meng Youyou walked and asked questions along the way, following the villagers' directions as she weaved through the intricate village paths.

Finally, before the sun was completely swallowed by the mountains, they found Xiaofeng's home.

For a moment, Meng Youyou could hardly believe her eyes.

The house in front of me seemed to be a corner forgotten by time. The earthen walls on all four sides were uneven and full of pits, as if they were scars left by the years.

The roof tiles were scattered haphazardly, some broken into pieces, and in other places missing tiles, barely covered by a tattered plastic sheet that rattled in the wind.

Looking at the scene before her, Meng Youyou felt a pang in her heart, as if a huge rock was pressing on her chest, and her eyes gradually welled up with tears.

Meng Youyou walked to the window on the side of the room. The wooden frame of the window was slightly deformed. She leaned closer to the window and looked inside. The room was dark and silent, with no sign of anyone inside.

A faint doubt arose in Meng Youyou's heart.

"Logically speaking, Xiaofeng should have already gotten out of school by now. If she's not home, where could she be?"

As she pondered, she paced around the room, her eyes constantly scanning her surroundings.

Far away... wait... what's that?
Meng Youyou looked up and gazed at the vast expanse of connected fields in the distance, where a small figure was moving along the ridges of the fields.

The figure was blurry, but one could vaguely make out the outline of a little boy, who looked rather lonely in the empty field.

She hurried toward that direction, and as she got closer, the figure became clearer and clearer. The child's tattered clothes and familiar hairstyle gradually came into view.

Halfway there, Meng Youyou was certain that it was Xiaofeng. She quickened her pace, calling out Xiaofeng's name.

Xiaofeng squatted by the edge of the field, carefully arranging the sorghum stalks in his arms. The stalks were of different lengths, and he neatly stacked them.

Suddenly, he heard a few somewhat familiar shouts. Was someone calling his name?
Xiaofeng quickly looked up and saw Meng Youyou less than ten meters away from her.

His face was immediately filled with astonishment, his mouth slightly open as if he wanted to say something, but the words stuck in his throat, and he just stared blankly at Meng Youyou.

Meng Youyou stepped forward and asked, "What are you doing collecting these sorghum stalks?"

Xiaofeng stammered as she answered, "The broom at home... is broken, so I'm collecting some sorghum stalks... to make a broom. Tomorrow is the school's big clean-up, and the teacher asked me... to bring a broom."

Meng Youyou asked with some surprise, "Sorghum stalks can be used to make brooms?"

Xiaofeng nodded vigorously: "Yes, you can. Just gather the sorghum stalks together, weave them into the shape of a broom, and then tie them together with rope, and you can make a broom."

"Really? Then I'll help you pick them up, and after we're done, you can teach me how to make a broom," Meng You said, a little excited.

Xiaofeng quickly waved his hand and said, "No need, I've already picked up all the sorghum stalks in this field, there aren't any left."

A hint of doubt flashed in Meng Youyou's eyes as she looked towards the distance. "Isn't there a huge pile over there?"

Xiaofeng followed her gaze and explained somewhat incoherently, "That pile of good ones are...someone else's...things they're going to take back...to burn as firewood, they're useful. We...can't pick them up, we can only pick up...the few scattered pieces that have fallen in the field."

As Xiaofeng said this, she looked at Meng Youyou with a serious expression.

"Oh, is this enough?"

Xiaofeng nodded. "That's about enough. We can make a smaller broom."

……

After Xiaofeng brought Meng Youyou home, she went straight to the kitchen and took out a cleaver.

Meng Youyou was shocked when she saw this.

Xiaofeng carefully laid the sorghum stalks he had brought back from the field flat on the ground, then picked up a kitchen knife and began to process the sorghum stalks, cutting off the uneven parts.

Watching anxiously from the side, Meng Youyou couldn't help but ask, "Why are you using a kitchen knife to chop? Wouldn't it be more convenient to use scissors? And scissors will produce a cleaner cut. The kitchen knife is too dull, so the cuts won't be even. Besides, it's dangerous. What if you cut your hand?"

Xiaofeng paused for a moment, then answered in a low voice, "The scissors at home are broken, and we haven't bought new ones yet."

"Oh, okay? I'll go borrow a pair of scissors from the neighbor's house now. Don't do anything yet, you might cut your hand. Wait for your sister to come back."

As Meng Youyou spoke, she turned around and prepared to leave.

She had only taken two steps when Xiaofeng's urgent voice came from behind her: "Sister, don't go!"

Meng Youyou immediately stopped and turned around with a hint of surprise, asking in confusion, "Why won't you let me go?"

Xiaofeng lowered her head, her hands unconsciously clutching the hem of her clothes. After hesitating for a long time, she finally said in a low voice, "It's okay, sister, you go ahead."

Day 3 of the trial phase! Thank you to all readers for your support, thank you for reading, and thank you for adding this to your favorites!
Thank you so much for the votes, my darlings!
These are all very helpful for the initial testing phase of the competition. Thanks everyone!
(End of this chapter)