CHAPTER 64: CHAPTER 64: FOUND ON THE ROAD

Watching the heavy snowfall, she said, "I hope it stops snowing tomorrow."

This meant she had decided to go.

Yi Chichi and the others looked at the sky and noticed that it was dark and didn’t seem like it would stop.

Sure enough, the next day it was still snowing, but much lighter.

Ge Sujuan beamed as she headed out the door, and Yi Chichi handed her a stick prepared in advance by Bai Chen and the others, "Take it."

After some thought, she felt uneasy, "Do you need me to walk you there?"

In this icy weather, if anything happened to a young woman on the road, it would be truly desperate.

Too dangerous.

Bai Chen thought the concern made sense, "How about Qi Yang and I walk with you. Are you coming back tonight?"

"Yes!"

"Alright, let’s walk you there."

"Wouldn’t it be too much trouble for you?"

Ge Sujuan was tempted, primarily because she was a bit scared too. In this weather, no one would go out.

Moreover, the road from Kao Shan Village to Qingshan Brigade had a desolate stretch, and she worried about an accident on the way.

Having company was reassuring.

"Less talking, let’s hurry. We only have one meal these days, so you’ll make it before they’re done eating, it won’t delay anything."

That made sense too.

So Ge Sujuan, feeling a bit cheeky, left with Bai Cheng and Qi Yang accompanying her.

Watching the three, bundled up like bears, gradually move further away through snow, Yi Chichi and the others returned indoors and started the stove in the largest empty room together.

Then, everyone sat on the heated brick bed, each occupying a corner, working and discussing what kind of dishes would be at the wedding feast of Ge Sujuan’s fellow townsman.

"There must be chicken and mushroom stew."

Zhou Yadong swallowed, clearly recalling the deliciousness of chicken and mushrooms.

Wu Yongfei wanted fish, "I hope Ge Sujuan brings back a fish for us."

Yi Chichi’s mouth twitched, you really think quite high of that.

Bringing back a fish, I’m afraid it’ll just be green vegetables with tofu.

Not sure if there will even be pickled cabbage with big bones.

After all, Qingshan Brigade is the poorest brigade in the entire Baoshan Commune.

It’s said that the brigade has many lazy people who won’t stand if they can sit, and won’t sit if they can lie down.

The women in the team are hardworking, but there’s only so much one can do with their men pulling them back.

So every year, after handing over the public grain, there’s not enough left to feed the team.

Everyone looks as thin as a matchstick.

This is what the brigade leader Aunt Ma and others said, and the settlers of Kao Shan Village have no good impression of Qingshan Brigade.

No one in the village considers marrying someone from Qingshan Brigade.

"Forget hoping that Juanzi brings you fish, you’re better off making more matchboxes to sell and buy yourself some fish."

Saying this, Yi Chichi wondered, "By the way, where did you get the matchbox job from?"

"I’ve never seen you go out."

"When you were at the clinic, I went to the commune to take on some work to earn some pocket money."

Zhou Qiuyu’s eyes lit up, "Can you take me next time?"

She wanted to earn some money too, the winter idleness was too boring, might as well pass the time.

"Sure, but you need to pay a deposit for the materials."

"I can do that."

Zhou Qiuyu blurted out and then realized, "Wait, how much is the deposit?"

"Depends on how much you take."

Wu Yongfei thought, "I paid 1.8 yuan this time."

Yi Chichi asked, "How much can you earn after making them?"

"Ten thousand matchboxes are 6 yuan."

The quantity was overwhelming enough for Yi Chichi to instantly give up the idea of following suit; she had no skill in earning money from matchboxes, she’d leave it to those who could.

She’d stick to her needlework.

Around 3 p.m., Ge Sujuan and Bai Chen returned with beaming smiles, as if they’d stumbled upon a fortune.

Wu Yongfei curiously asked, "You look so happy, was the food good?"

Ge Sujuan’s face instantly darkened, and she spat angrily, "Good, my ass! Xiuxiu must be blind to marry such a stingy man! There wasn’t a single meat dish at the wedding feast, not even a speck of egg; it was all cabbage, pickled cabbage, and tofu, and not much tofu either."

She complained tirelessly, and the grievance was so deep that Yi Chichi and the others were scared into silence, not daring to trigger her further.

Fortunately, her temper came and went quickly, and after venting, she cheerfully pulled out a rock-hard frozen snow rabbit from her thick coat.

"Look, a rabbit."

"Where’s it from?"

The chubby snow rabbit looked delicious.

Besides, with its long and thick fur, it could be processed into a warm vest.

Yi Chichi’s eyes lit up, Ge Sujuan grinned, "Found it on the way."

"Old Bai and the others also found some."

They chuckled as they each pulled two more snow rabbits from their pockets.

In total, there were five snow rabbits, with Ge Sujuan’s being the largest, and the ones Bai Chen took out slightly smaller.

Zhang Yunhao inspected the rabbit and exclaimed, "You found a whole family of rabbits?!"

Such incredible luck.

It stirred envy.

"Indeed."

Bai Chen and the others laughed so much that their eyes turned into crescent moons, handing two rabbits to Wu Yongfei, "Let’s feast tonight, you’re cooking."

Is there such a lucky opportunity?

Wu Yongfei, suddenly energized, jumped off the heated brick bed, "I’m going to start right now; Old Zhou, come light the fire."

"Okay!"

Zhou Yadong slid off the bed, put on his shoes, and jovially followed outside.

Yi Chichi opened her mouth wanting to contribute the oil, but Bai Chen seemed to guess her thoughts and stopped her, "You usually help us a lot, today you just sit back and enjoy, no need to worry about anything else!"

Ge Sujuan nodded emphatically, "That’s right, you don’t need to contribute anything today."

Zhou Qiuyu raised her hand, "Can I contribute some mushrooms?"

She had previously gathered some mushrooms and dried them. They weren’t oily or particularly tasty, so they’d been left untouched.

"Sure!"

So Zhou Qiuyu cheerfully went to get the mushrooms.

Wang Nan also followed to dig out some of his reserves, yet only Yi Chichi did nothing but enjoy the meal under everyone’s insistence.

She didn’t contribute anything but got a rabbit leg.

Two rabbits were cooked in two ways: one was stewed, and the other smoked.

The smoked rabbit leg was very tasty, better than the stew.

Seeing she liked it, Ge Sujuan clipped two more pieces for her with a smile, "Have more if you like."

Previously, Chichi had always shared with them; today it was finally their turn to share with her.

Not going to lie, it felt quite nice!

"Okay."

Yi Chichi wasted no time being polite, and ate as it came. This way, she could return the favor another time.

With two rabbits, the portions were quite substantial. The stew also had potatoes, dried beans, mushrooms, and they consumed it with flatbread, leaving everyone satisfied.

After a pleasant dinner, it was still early, and no one rushed to sleep. They returned to the large room to keep busy.

Wu Yongfei’s hands were swift; he had already boxed up a significant number of matchboxes by the end of the day. Qi Yang was astonished at the pile, "You’ve made so many already?"

"I’m quick with my hands!"

He proudly added, "Once I finish this thousand, I’ll go deliver them."

Ten thousand for six yuan, so a thousand for sixty cents.

With the current cost of living, that was a significant sum.