034. The Kitchen, The Old Hen (PK Extra Chapter)

"You—" The girl in the white shirt was left speechless with frustration, her face flushed red with anger. She hadn't expected the woman before her to be so sharp-tongued; she had only uttered a single sentence.

"Alright, Fangfang, don't be upset!" The girl in blue hurriedly pulled Liu Fangfang aside to comfort her.

"If there's nothing else, we'll be on our way," Jing Qingxin said lightly, paying them no mind at all. She walked past the two and continued ahead.

Li Xiaomei watched as Jing Qingxin went on, quickly nodded to Liu Fangfang and her companion, then rushed forward to catch up.

Liu Fangfang glared at their receding figures, her face darkening. "Hmph, what's so impressive about them? Just because their clothes look nice, they act so smug."

"Let it go, Fangfang. We shouldn't stir up trouble right now. Just ignore them; let's head to the village entrance," the girl in blue said, dragging Liu Fangfang away.

Li Xiaomei soon caught up to Jing Qingxin, noting her relaxed and carefree expression, as if nothing had happened at all. Unable to help herself, she explained, "Those two just now are the educated youths from our village. The one in white is Liu Fangfang—her family lives in the county, and they're quite well-off. The other is Zhang Yun, also from the county, and they're very close."

"Oh," Jing Qingxin replied, not bothering to concern herself with them. She saw no need to pay attention to people she disliked.

Soon, the two arrived at the small courtyard where Gao Shen lived. Jing Qingxin walked in front, pushed open the door, and called out, "Gao Shen, I'm back!"

Gao Shen sat by the bed, and through the doorway, saw Jing Qingxin and Li Xiaomei, their hands full of parcels and both sweating profusely. It was early April, the weather was gradually warming, and carrying things all the way home was indeed a tiring task.

Jing Qingxin led Li Xiaomei to lay their bundles on the table in the main room, intending to arrange them in the kitchen once it was tidied up. After setting everything down, Jing Qingxin quickly poured some water and handed it to Li Xiaomei.

"Xiaomei, go back and ask Aunt Li. I'll clean up the kitchen first," Jing Qingxin instructed.

"Alright, I'll come help you tidy up later," Li Xiaomei replied promptly after finishing her drink.

Once Li Xiaomei had left, Jing Qingxin dampened a towel and washed her face, instantly feeling refreshed. She went inside and said, "I've just bought some things for the kitchen. Later, I plan to buy an old hen from Aunt Li's house to make soup. The supply station doesn't have everything, so tomorrow I'm thinking of taking Xiaomei to the town for a look around."

"Alright, as you see fit! Just be careful when you go out; there are more people in town. Why not have Da Hu accompany you both tomorrow?" Gao Shen said, concerned.

"It's fine. I can't disrupt Da Hu's work. With Xiaomei with me, that's enough. We're just going to the supply station, not anywhere else," Jing Qingxin replied breezily.

"But—"

"Don't worry! I'm off to clean the kitchen." With that, Jing Qingxin turned and busied herself.

"Take a break first!" Gao Shen called after her, but Jing Qingxin was already gone in a flash.

Jing Qingxin entered the makeshift kitchen beside the house, a simple structure with a clay stove, a wall cabinet, and a large water jar at the entrance. The rest was empty space.

She carefully wiped down the wall cabinet and stove with a towel. Clearly, they hadn't been used in a long time; layer upon layer of dust needed three thorough cleanings before she was satisfied.

Afterward, Jing Qingxin sorted the newly bought items and placed them neatly. The wall cabinet had three shelves—she put the bowls and chopsticks on the second shelf. Not finding any plates, she had only bought a few bowls and two iron basins.

She placed the various spice packets on the lowest shelf. Without a spice box, it was inconvenient, so she put the kitchen knife and cooking oil next to them. The knife was heavy and clumsy; it would take extra effort to chop vegetables.

Only then did Jing Qingxin notice that while she had a kitchen knife, there was no chopping board. She hadn't seen one at the supply station either—she'd have to ask Xiaomei when she came by.

Standing in the kitchen—what villagers called the stove room—Jing Qingxin pondered, scanning the space to see what else was missing.

Her gaze lingered on the stove. This kind of clay stove was familiar from her childhood, when visiting her grandmother in the countryside. There was no firewood, nor any matches; as for expecting a lighter, that was wishful thinking—city folk rarely used them.

"Jing Sis, my mother is back!" Li Xiaomei called out cheerfully.

"Alright, I'll come with you," Jing Qingxin said, washing her hands and straightening up before following Li Xiaomei to her home.

Entering the courtyard, she saw Aunt Li busy catching an old hen in the chicken coop. Jing Qingxin glanced around—the Li family's courtyard was a bit bigger than Gao Shen's, but cluttered with things, making it feel cramped.

"Jing, Xiaomei says you want to cook for yourself?" Aunt Li asked.

"Yes, that's right. Gao Shen needs a variety of nutrients, so I'd like to handle the meals myself," Jing Qingxin explained.

Aunt Li looked a little embarrassed, speaking slowly, "Jing, our family isn't well-off, and I don't want to make things difficult for you. For this old hen, I'll just charge two yuan—is that alright?"

"Aunt Li, whatever the price should be, that's what I'll pay. These chickens are meant to be sold anyway. If I buy it and you end up losing out, I'd rather not buy it at all. Besides, I'd have to pay wherever I got it," Jing Qingxin said with a smile. The Li family wasn't well-off, so she couldn't take advantage.

She glanced at the hen in Aunt Li's hands—it wasn't particularly plump, perhaps four or five jin. She didn't know the going rate for hens, but based on today's prices, at sixty cents per jin, this hen should cost about three yuan.

With that in mind, Jing Qingxin took three yuan from her pocket and handed it to Aunt Li, smiling. "Aunt Li, I'm not sure about the exact price, but here's three yuan."

"Oh, that's too much! Really, take it back," Aunt Li said, hurriedly pushing the money away, her hands busy with both the hen and the bills.

"Aunt Li, please keep it. The hen is quite large, after all," Jing Qingxin said, stepping back and refusing to take the money.

"But it's really not worth that much—just a little over two yuan at most," Aunt Li replied with difficulty. Even if she took it to the town to sell, a hen that no longer laid eggs would fetch only forty to fifty cents a jin.

"Just keep it for now, Aunt Li—I haven't finished yet. I have other needs," Jing Qingxin said with a smile.

Aunt Li relaxed a little, replying warmly, "Alright, just tell me what you need. We'll do our best to help."

"I'll need some firewood, and I'll also trouble Brother Da Hu to fill the water jar for me." Though she could use water from her secret spring, with Gao Shen around, she couldn't just have the water jar always full without explanation.

Thinking it over, Jing Qingxin realized she still lacked many daily necessities. The living conditions here were as basic as could be, but she'd have to start by getting the kitchen in order and gradually add things over time. She'd make do tonight, and tomorrow go to the town for more supplies.

------ Extra Notes ------

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