Chapter 19: Celebration and Building the Hearth

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Yang Yue had indeed brought back quite a few eggs, yet she smiled brightly and took the initiative to head to the main house’s kitchen to start cooking. The veteran educated youth eagerly brought out many treasured ingredients they had saved, and the lively atmosphere at the youth camp was comparable to a festive celebration. Yun Shu and her companions chose not to dwell on Yang Yue’s intentions—after all, many eyes were watching, and there was no way she would poison them.

They fetched some meat from their rooms; after all, this was a celebration, and Yun Shu’s group could not just sit idly without contributing. After about an hour of bustling activity, more than ten people from the camp gathered around the table once again. The dishes—pork with cabbage stewed with vermicelli, pan-fried eggs, and mushroom chicken stew—were enough to make anyone’s mouth water. Yet, Chen Hua, the veteran youth representative who had a good rapport with Chen Ming, stood up first with a bowl of egg-drop soup in hand and delivered a passionate speech.

Chen Ming graciously applauded, encouraging Chen Hua, who took him as a good brother. In truth, the veteran youths, long accustomed to meager fare, were eager to eat such a rich meal. Fortunately, despite Chen Hua’s somewhat showy demeanor and his sense of responsibility as the eldest brother, he was perceptive enough to finish his speech within two minutes and then sit down to announce the start of the meal. Immediately, everyone ate with bright smiles, immersed in joyful camaraderie.

The women responsible for cooking were quite skilled, far surpassing Yun Shu’s own abilities, so Yun Shu and her companions enjoyed the meal thoroughly. The only awkwardness arose from Yang Yue, who sat not far from them and kept trying to strike up conversation. She repeatedly attempted to use her chopsticks to place eggs into Yun Shu’s bowl, claiming she wanted to apologize for the incident on the train.

But when Yun Shu looked into Yang Yue’s eyes, she saw a deep-seated resentment lurking beneath the surface. Without hesitation, Yun Shu moved her bowl and chopsticks away. “Thank you, but no need,” she said plainly.

Yang Yue was trying to obscure the train incident, twisting it into a minor quarrel. Did Yun Shu take her for a fool? Had she forgotten that Jing Shu had already exposed Yang Yue’s mask before everyone? Or had she, in the mere span of a day, managed to confuse the veteran youths by turning truth on its head? No wonder two of the veteran youths had spoken up for her earlier.

Yun Shu thought to herself that she had underestimated Yang Yue, not expecting her to cling so stubbornly. But she decided to make her stance clear—reconciliation? What a joke! Did she look eager to be a fool for others to take advantage of?

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Yang Yue did not expect that in such a setting, Xie Yun Shu would so decisively reject her overtures. She cursed Yun Shu silently a thousand times over but showed no sign of it on her face. Catching sight of two veteran youths nearby who seemed hesitant yet observant of their interaction, Yang Yue felt a measure of satisfaction. Still, she put on an appearance of being wronged and conciliatory, withdrawing her chopsticks and swallowing the piece of fried egg herself.

After all... she wasn’t leaving empty-handed.

She believed that as long as she could endure, there would come a chance for her to turn the tables and trample those two despicable women underfoot.

With Yun Shu giving her no opening, Yang Yue shifted her attentions to Jiang Xiucheng, while the original female lead, Lin Jingshu, whom Yang Yue disliked, continued to be ignored as usual. Since Jiang Xiucheng was the one she truly sought to please, the once shy young Yang Yue was genuinely more earnest in her flattery. Yet, Jiang Xiucheng’s heart was like iron, and he had no desire to engage with her.

Having barely suppressed the sting of Yun Shu’s cold dismissal, Yang Yue’s anger flared anew at Jiang Xiucheng’s indifference and frosty glance. Especially when she saw him smiling brightly while talking with Lin Jingshu, jealousy and hatred surged wildly in her heart.

Though the meal left Yang Yue with a stomach ache, Yun Shu and her companions were quite satisfied, mainly because the two veteran women cooks were indeed very skilled. Lin Jingshu, thinking of the good life with plenty of resources, remarked that she wanted to learn cooking from them. Yun Shu wholeheartedly supported this, as it meant her close friend would enjoy delicious meals often.

Of course, Yun Shu herself could cook, but mainly… she really didn’t like it.

In her previous life, she was slow at cooking; her mother could prepare two substantial dishes like braised fish and sweet-and-sour pork within an hour, but Yun Shu could only manage to stew a potato and cabbage soup in two hours. Moreover, she was uncomfortable with people constantly critiquing her while she cooked.

Her skills were passable, honed during six months when her mother’s hand was injured, but that half-year of cooking made her deeply realize she disliked the mundane bustle of everyday domestic life. She was far better suited to surviving through technology and efficient takeout.

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However, if someone else cooked for her, she would be delighted. Yun Shu quietly vowed to herself that as soon as her close friend learned to cook, she would often bring delicious food for her to enjoy!

Yesterday, they returned late, exhausted both physically and mentally, so the items they had bought were left unpacked. Today, after eating well and regaining energy, they all decided to tidy up their little home after a nap.

After resting, the eldest son of the accountant’s family came over to help them build a stove. The task was simple and quick, not requiring elaborate materials, so it was soon completed. While waiting for the fire to dry the stove, Yun Shu first delivered some pastries to Chen Ming—not only to thank him for helping carry things yesterday but also for saving her several times during the struggle.

Chen Ming politely declined the gift, so Yun Shu had to leave it and run off. He instinctively wanted to follow her but realized it was inappropriate to chase after a girl. Instead, he shyly and happily placed the package of pastries into the large wooden chest he had just set on the kang bed, as if preserving a family heirloom.

Yun Shu did not enter her room immediately; the eldest son, Xie Guotao, was testing the stove’s chimney, the vent beneath the kang bed, and the chimney next to the back window. The room was unbearably hot, so both Lin Jingshu and Yun Shu had to wait outside.

When Xie Guotao finally announced the stove was complete and could be used after drying for a couple of days, Yun Shu hurriedly handed him the material fees along with a package of brown sugar as a token of gratitude.

The red bricks for the stove were pushed over by Xie Guotao on a cart—they were items sold to Yun Shu’s group by the team, so they naturally had to pay for them. The brown sugar was purely a labor fee, a form of hard currency in the countryside, and scarce even in the city.

Though slightly embarrassed, thinking of her pregnant wife, Xie Guotao blushed as he accepted the gift and repeatedly assured Yun Shu that if any problems arose, she could come to him. He even mentioned he had spare green bricks to line the stove if needed.

This unexpected kindness Yun Shu readily accepted—otherwise, the stove made with a mixture of earth and straw could easily turn muddy with a little water.

By now, counting the large furniture brought in two days ago, and seeing thick black smoke billowing from the chimney, the little house finally carried the scent of home.