CHAPTER 32: CHAPTER 32: CURSING TOO FILTHILY

Yi Chichi glanced at him, "Wash up and sleep, everything’s in your dreams."

Qi Yang didn’t catch it, instinctively replied, "We haven’t delivered the sugar yet, why sleep."

Bai Chen and the others were speechless, wanting to say brother you’re missing the point, but decided it wasn’t necessary.

So they just went along, "Finish eating and we’ll deliver it."

Then, a problem arose.

The Youth Corps Courtyard didn’t have a scale, and two ounces of brown sugar couldn’t be figured out.

After a painful dilemma, Yi Chichi came up with an idea.

"How about a spoon, everyone gets two spoons?"

Bai Chen and the others thought about it and found it feasible.

Thus, everyone gathered to start distributing the sugar.

Zhou Qiuyu didn’t have brown sugar, only malt sugar, those broken loose pieces, couldn’t find a whole chunk, and there wasn’t much.

After distributing, she held the malt sugar and said, "Can I use this sugar instead?"

Yi Chichi and the others exchanged a glance, unanimously refusing.

"Keep it for yourself."

This kid’s too poor, even this little bit isn’t enough to sweeten her mouth, what’s there to share?

"I’ll share mine with you."

Bai Chen showed his elder brother demeanor, reluctantly took a spoonful of sugar from his own jar and put it into the parchment paper with sugar.

When he was about to add the second spoon, Yi Chichi poured hers in.

Bai Chen, "??? Weren’t you going to share mine?"

"Your jar’s almost empty."

Yi Chichi just laughed, "This spoon’s mine."

"You’re not well, brown sugar’s good for health."

Meaning she should keep it for herself.

"Whatever’s given is given, when Qiuyu gets brown sugar, she can return it to us."

"Alright."

This girl isn’t one to take advantage of others, she’s got her principles.

Upon hearing Yi Chichi’s words, she wasn’t unhappy, instead smiled and promised, "When I get brown sugar, I’ll definitely return it to you guys."

With her words, Bai Chen stopped persuading, packed the brown sugar, "Who’ll go with me?"

They looked at each other, shaking their heads.

This meant none of them wanted to make the trip.

Bai Chen was speechless, "Two people must go together."

"Why?"

"I can’t take credit alone, we agreed the whole Youth Corps Courtyard would deliver it, what’s it like if I go solo."

His stance was firm, as the elder brother of the Youth Corps Courtyard, this bit of respect needed to be given.

So, in the end, Wang Nan and Zhou Qiuyu accompanied him on the trip.

The choice of two females and one male was to avoid gossip concerning relationships between genders.

By now, it was dark, Yi Chichi took out a flashlight for them, urging them to make a quick trip and return.

"Close the courtyard door and go back inside, we’ll return once the delivery’s done."

Waving his hand, Bai Chen and the others walked into the night with the flashlight, Yi Chichi and her group went back inside.

Her room was too small, inconvenient for grinding herbs, so she took the medicinal materials and pestle to Ge Sujuan’s room to pound.

"Dammit, I don’t have anything to patch up this big hole."

Ge Sujuan sat on the kang organizing winter clothes, while sorting through the thick cotton jacket, a big tear caught her eye, exposing a huge piece of cotton, her face instantly filled with distress.

Yi Chichi, upon hearing, went over to take a look, the tear was indeed large, without a patch the cotton would be exposed all over.

"Do you have any clothes too worn to wear?"

"No."

Ge Sujuan frowned, "Previously, there was a piece too torn to wear, but I’ve turned it into shoes."

Meaning: She didn’t have suitable fabric for patching.

Yi Chichi’s gaze fell on her shoes, pure handmade thousand-layer soles.

This skill she didn’t possess.

Suddenly, her eyes lit up, "You know how to make shoes?"

Ge Sujuan looked at her as if she were an alien, "You don’t?"

"I don’t!"

Resolute, her voice rang out.

"I wasn’t praising you, no need to be so proud."

Ge Sujuan smiled and teased her, "In my hometown, girls your age who can’t make clothes or shoes can’t find a partner."

Yi Chichi pouted, "That’s your hometown, not mine."

Not wanting to continue the topic, she smiled and said, "Juanzi, I’ll give you fabric to patch, can you make two pairs of cloth shoes for me?"

"Sure."

Ge Sujuan agreed readily, since she was making some herself anyway, making two extra pairs for Yi Chichi wasn’t a big task.

However—

"Use your own fabric and glue."

"Okay."

The agreement was made.

Yi Chichi returned to her room to fetch the fabric.

Previously at the department store, several scraps were mistakenly included by Aunt Du, discovered only after returning.

They weren’t enough for tea dyeing, but perfect for patches.

She specifically chose the corduroy, because it was thick.

Ge Sujuan was delighted on receiving it, "You have corduroy?"

"Just this piece, hurry up and patch, lest the snow comes and you have no cotton jacket."

"Yes, need to patch soon, and have it in the sun tomorrow."

If not sun-dried, it wouldn’t be warm, would need patting too.

She took the scissors and began to busy herself, Yi Chichi withdrew her gaze and continued grinding her herbs.

Time ticked away, Ge Sujuan’s patch was finished, and Yi Chichi’s herbs were processed, now only configuration remained.

Tonight couldn’t finish, would have to wait till tomorrow.

"Why aren’t Wang Nan and the others back yet?"

Checking the time, they’d been gone awhile, nearly an hour.

Ge Sujuan too sensed something was off, her thoughts unwittingly drifting to bad scenarios.

She anxiety-ridden grabbed Yi Chichi’s hand, "They haven’t met with an accident, right?"

The voice quivered slightly.

Yi Chichi felt it unlikely, but better safe than sorry, they should check just to be sure.

"Maybe we should ask Qi Yang and them to go look?"

"Let’s go."

An impatient one, she tugged Yi Chichi towards the door.

Then came a knock, followed by Bai Chen’s voice.

"Open the door, we’re back."

"Coming!"

Qi Yang rushed over to open the door, Yi Chichi and the others waited under the eaves.

"How’s Erhua doing?"

"Woke up once before, asleep when we left, Uncle Yaozi and Aunt Ma are watching over at Genzi’s house."

Speaking of this, Bai Chen looked very relieved, "Good thing we went, otherwise Mrs. Niu would have griped at us again."

The Mrs. Niu here refers to Huang Qiuju, the woman with a large mole on her face that the team leader mentioned on the day Yi Chichi and Zhou Qiuyu arrived.

She was known as Aunt Niu, and her nature was utterly vexing.

In Kao Shan Village, she was the troublemaker, her popularity was abysmal, yet she had no self-awareness and was everywhere.

Yi Chichi and the group found her presence headache-inducing.

They didn’t even bother calling her aunt, replacing it with Mrs. Niu.

Learning she was there too, and they’d bumped into her, Yi Chichi and others exchanged glances and sighed in unison.

"What was she up to?"

Ge Sujuan asked helplessly.

Wang Nan looked displeased, "When we arrived, she was cursing us with Aunt Ma, saying things like we’re brainless idiots with no conscience."

The curses were so vulgar, even echoing them felt dirty, couldn’t brush off the taste even after brushing teeth.

Yi Chichi questioned her, "Didn’t you curse back?"