The poor girl from the 1970s was forced to kiss by the damp educated youth.

Xi Lang took out a small bamboo basket containing scissors, needles of different sizes, threads of different colors, buttons of various shapes, as well as some ropes and scraps of cloth. The completeness of the items amazed Chen Zhi.

Unlike her family, who only had one kind of thread and one needle, and couldn't find a single scrap of cloth even after searching the entire house.

"Can I use everything inside?" Chen Zhi asked uncertainly.

That cautious yet expectant look touched Xi Lang's heart. "Of course."

Chen Zhi: "Xi Lang, you're such a good person."

Xi Lang: "..."

He didn't say anything, and went to fetch water with a bucket.

Chen Zhi sat under the eaves, cutting fabric, threading a needle, and sewing a small top and shorts. She planned to make three sets, and there should be some left over. She would take the remaining fabric back to her mother as compensation for ruining her mother's clothes.

Of course, she knew the fabric would ultimately end up with her sister, Chen Ye, but she didn't care, as long as they didn't try to take it from her. If they dared to—

Chen Zhi narrowed her eyes. "Then nobody should wear it!"

There was a large water vat in front of Xilang's house. It took him seven buckets of water to fill the vat.

Chen Zhi, under the eaves, was completely absorbed in her work, not even lifting her head. Xi Lang put down his carrying pole, stared at her for a long time, then turned around, picked up a hoe, and went to the vegetable garden to hoe the ground.

He plans to pull up the lettuce in the field and plant some green beans instead.

The vegetable garden was cleared from wasteland and was only a small plot. Now that there was one more person to eat there, Xi Lang hesitated whether to expand the vegetable garden.

The brigade only allocated him a small plot of land for vegetables, but if he secretly expanded it by a small area, probably no one would notice.

Xi Lang planned to hoe a little bit out each day, trying to do it as quietly as possible without anyone noticing.

The aroma of boiled sauerkraut fish wafted from the educated youth settlement. Chen Zhi wasn't hungry; she just glanced at it before returning to her own tasks.

The situation was different at the educated youth settlement; everyone was holding a bowl, eagerly waiting.

"Is it okay now?" Zhao Jinbao had barely opened his mouth when saliva dripped all over the floor. But no one laughed at him, because they, like Zhao Jinbao, simply couldn't control their drooling.

Zhou Zhengping looked puzzled. "Has it been too long since I've eaten meat? Why does this fish taste so delicious, like it's permeated to my very bones?"

Yang Wenyu was more direct, "Can we eat now? I'll try some first."

"Hey, hey, they're starting to eat already? I want to eat too!" Zhao Jinbao also reached his chopsticks into the pot.

Seeing this, others crowded around.

Today is cloudy with a gentle breeze that ruffles the stray hairs on Chen Zhi's forehead, adding to her delicate beauty.

After hoeing the ground, Xi Lang glanced at Chen Zhi without saying a word. He then began washing rice, starting a fire, and cooking. Once the fire was lit, he went back into the house to get the head of a bluefish. The fish head was quite large, weighing five or six pounds.

As the aroma of tofu and fish soup wafted out, Chen Zhi looked up at Xi Lang, who happened to be looking at her as well. Their eyes met, and her reflection was mirrored in his dark, deep eyes.

Chen Zhi felt inexplicably flustered and lowered her head again. "I'm almost done with my work."

Xi Lang: "No rush, take your time."

The educated youth settlement staff came again. This time, there were only three people: Zhao Jinbao, Yang Wenyu, and Li Zhou'an. Zhao Jinbao was carrying a can of malted milk powder.

Xi Lang raised an eyebrow, seemingly unsurprised. He watched the three approach leisurely before asking, "Is there anything else?"

"Xi Lang, we'd like to get some more fish," Zhao Jinbao said. It was the first time he had ever tasted such delicious fish, and he couldn't get enough of it after trying it.

Xi Lang's gaze fell on the malted milk powder in the other person's hand. "Want to trade this?"

"Yes, we'll use this to exchange for it." Zhao Jinbao nodded firmly, "For twelve catties of fish."

Xi Lang readily agreed, "Okay."

Xi Lang weighed out twelve catties of fish for them.

"Xi Lang, if you can buy meat next time, could you buy some for us too? Don't worry, we'll pay for it and provide the receipts," Li Zhou'an said.

"It depends on luck, it's hard to say," Xi Lang said, not giving a definitive answer.

Li Zhou'an nodded, "I know. Don't worry, if we see any good meat, we'll buy some for you too."

Mutual help and support?

Xi Lang thought it was feasible. If only his place smelled of meat, he would inevitably be noticed by the villagers. If the whole educated youth settlement smelled of meat, he would be much safer.

Xi Lang agreed, "Okay."

As Li Zhou'an and his companions walked away, Li Zhou'an turned around the corner and glanced back at Chen Zhi. He happened to see Xi Lang placing the malted milk powder in front of Chen Zhi, speaking gently as he said something. Chen Zhi smiled faintly, her beauty breathtaking.

Yang Wenyu: "Is Chen Zhi dating Xi Lang? Otherwise, why would she keep going to Xi Lang's place?"

Zhao Jinbao: "I found them quite well-matched today. The man is handsome and the woman is beautiful. One does needlework and the other cooks; the scene looks very heartwarming. But if he marries a woman from the countryside, it will be even harder for him to return to the city."

Yang Wenyu: "Is there still a chance to go back? A large portion of the educated youth who went to the countryside in the 1960s have already gotten married there, and their children are old enough to go to elementary school. The thought of having to do farm work here for the rest of my life makes me feel like the sky is falling. I wrote home asking my family to help me get a medical retirement so I could go back to the city to recuperate and then try to find a way to avoid coming back to the countryside. But my parents said that the house is too small, my two older brothers are married and have nephews and nieces, and if I go back, I won't even have a place to sleep. They told me not to come back for the time being. My dad also said that at least in the countryside, I can eat my fill and have vegetables to eat, so I should be frugal and send some grain back to them."

At this point, Yang Wenyu gave a bitter smile, "What's the point of living like this?"

Zhao Jinbao remained silent. He had several siblings, and his mother wanted to give him her job, but the rest of the family disagreed, which was why he continued to stay in the countryside. He felt that he would eventually return to the city, and he could only express his sympathy for Yang Wenyu's plight.

"Zhou'an, what about you? What are you thinking?" Yang Wenyu asked Li Zhou'an.

Judging from Li Zhou'an's daily food and daily necessities, his family must be the best-off in the entire educated youth settlement. If that's the case, why did he also come to the countryside?

Li Zhou'an's face darkened. "I originally got a university recommendation, but it was taken by my stepmother's son. My stepmother signed me up to go to the countryside, and by the time I found out, my name had already been registered."

"You've had a tough time too." Yang Wenyu patted Li Zhou'an on the shoulder. "If there are any spots for the Workers, Peasants and Soldiers University in the village, I'll vote for you."

Zhao Jinbao: "Me too, I'll vote for you too."

Li Zhou'an: "Thanks."

Yang Wenyu: "For the sake of your reputation, I advise you to stay away from Chen Zhi. Her reputation is already bad, and now she's entangled with Xi Lang. If you get close to her, be careful that you don't get tainted yourself. It will be bad for you."

Chen Zhi returned home before dark. The village was quiet, and there were few people on the road. She noticed that almost every household had scattered wood ash in front of their door, including hers.

When someone dies in the village, villagers used to scatter wood ash in front of their doors, supposedly to keep unclean things out. This custom was stopped a few years ago during the campaign to eliminate feudal superstitions, so why is it being practiced again today?

Chen Zhi pushed open the door and entered the house. A faint smell of blood wafted from inside. Was it animal blood or human blood?

Soon, Chen Zhi had the answer—Chen Da was injured; he had been bitten on the leg by a large catfish.

"That fish was huge, probably weighing two hundred pounds. If it weren't for A-Gui and Xiao-Mu holding me, I probably wouldn't have made it back." Chen Da was still shaken. It was very dark in the water, and he couldn't see anything, but he had just seen a big catfish last night. Based on the feel and shape, he was sure that the fish that bit him was also a catfish.

The rest of the Chen family also looked terrified. The eldest aunt looked at her son's leg, her eyes reddening, "That place is too eerie. We must never go there again."

Chen Da nodded, "We won't go anymore, we won't go again."

Chen Zhi looked at the wound; it was similar to the one on her arm from yesterday. When she was injured, no one cared, but when Chen Da was injured, everyone rushed over. Indeed, people can't be compared.

Chen Zhi silently turned and went back to her room. She hadn't tried on the clothes Xi Lang had given her yet, and she also needed to try on the three sets of clothes she had made herself. Thinking of the new clothes, the slight gloom in her heart instantly vanished without a trace.

Chen Da returned injured, along with three men and a boy, empty-handed. Chen Zhi, a girl, was also injured, but she carried back a fish weighing over 100 pounds.

The two comparisons revealed that, though the Chen family members didn't say it aloud, they had a different opinion of Chen Zhi.

While Chen Zhi was trying on clothes, Chen's mother and Chen Ye pushed open the door and came in.

"Where did you get these new clothes?!" Chen Ye demanded, her eyes wide.

"I was lucky; I shot a few birds and traded them with someone else," Chen Zhi said casually. There was no mirror at home, so she couldn't see how the clothes looked on her, but the new clothes were indeed comfortable. The trousers and sleeves were a little too long, about two centimeters, but it wasn't a big deal; Chen Zhi felt she could still grow taller.

Chen Ye exclaimed in disbelief, "You hunted game and didn't bring it home, you took it to change your clothes! Grandma will kill you if she finds out! How much game did you hunt today?"

The fact that they were able to change their clothes suggests they must have had a lot of prey.

The thought that so much flesh had become Chen Zhi's new clothes made Chen Ye feel heartbroken and resentful, as she should have had a share of that flesh!

What she found even more unacceptable was that she herself didn't have any new clothes, so what right did Chen Ye have to wear new clothes!

Chen Ye's eyes reddened as she stared intently at the clothes on Chen Zhi's body.

Chen Zhi remained calm. "Didn't I just bring a fish back? Besides, if I don't change my clothes, am I supposed to wait for Grandma to bring me a new outfit? Or am I supposed to stay in bed doing nothing because I have no clothes to wear?"

Chen Ye was stumped by the question; she simply didn't want Chen Zhi to wear new clothes.

"You shouldn't have changed into ready-made clothes. Ready-made clothes are expensive. It's more cost-effective to change into fabric." Mrs. Chen said with a complicated expression. She didn't expect that her youngest daughter would actually earn back a set of clothes on her own.

"Others only have clothes, I have no choice," Chen Zhi said seriously, taking out the remaining floral fabric. "I tore your clothes yesterday, Mom. You can use this fabric to mend your clothes. If we use it sparingly, we can make a new outfit."

The floral fabric didn't end up in Chen's mother's hands; Chen Ye snatched it away. Chen Ye touched the fabric with great affection, saying, "Mom, this fabric is so soft. I'm going to use it to make a vest and a pair of shorts. Use the rest to mend my clothes, pants, and socks."

Mrs. Chen's expression softened. "Okay."

Chen Zhi twitched the corner of her mouth, not surprised at all.

Chen's mother then looked at Chen Zhi, "Next time you change it, remember to change the fabric."

Chen Zhi shook her head. "I think this outfit I'm wearing is very good. The cut is excellent, the stitches are fine and neat, and it looks very sturdy. The person who made this outfit has excellent craftsmanship, which is rare. Besides, I just change into whatever comes my way; I can't afford to be picky."

Chen Ye: "Did you hide any other fabrics and clothes?"

As Chen Ye spoke, she went to rummage through Chen Zhi's things.

Chen Zhi slapped her hand away and said fiercely, "I also made three sets of underwear. If you dare to touch my things, I'll cut everyone's clothes to shreds, and nobody will be able to wear them."