Struggle Life in the 1970s

She quickly rode her tricycle and rushed to the nearby village. Soon, people who were idle at home because of the New Year and the cold wave heard a loud female voice echoing through the streets and alleys, "Collecting junk - specializing in collecting old quilts and old bed boards -"

"We're buying wash basins, old quilts, old bed boards at high prices..."

Who doesn't have some junk at home? So they ran out one by one to confirm whether what he said was true or not, and then went home to rummage through their drawers and cabinets, digging out many unwanted things from every corner, and brought them all to Chu Ye, regardless of whether Chu Ye needed them or not, they would try them all out.

In addition to these, Chu Ye would ask more questions when people were selling things, and also bought potato starch, onions, ginger and other things from the villagers' homes.

So in the space of half an hour, Chu Ye went to and from the fish pond several times, not only collecting everything he needed, but also buying some other things that looked like they might be useful.

In addition, she also introduced these villagers to a business that can make money. "The fish pond at the east entrance of the village needs a lot of workers tomorrow. Both men and women are needed. The work period is short and can be completed before the end of the year."

"Is this true? You still have work to do during the New Year?"

"Which fish pond? Isn't it the one that Boss Han built before?"

"It's right there. If anyone wants to try it, go there at 7 o'clock tomorrow with a kitchen knife and your ID card to register." Chu Ye responded one by one.

"Cleaning knife! What kind of job requires using a kitchen knife? We don't do anything illegal!"

"Where are you going and what are you doing? Can women like us do this?"

"Yes! I don't know many words. Don't let me go here in vain."

"Hey, I recognize you! Aren't you the boss there?"

People asked questions one after another, and someone recognized Chu Ye as the owner of the fish pond. After all, she rode her bike to the market to set up a stall every day, so it was normal for someone to recognize her.

Chu Ye waved her hand, signaling them to listen to her. Then she spoke loudly to make sure everyone could hear, "Yes, my fish pond needs workers temporarily. Anyone who has nothing to do at home can go and have a look. This is all physical work, and it doesn't matter whether you can read or not. Anyone who wants to work can go. But let me make it clear first, the workload is very heavy, and you can't just go there and do some work to make money."

People nodded, and then a bunch of questions popped up, such as what kind of work would they do? How much would the salary be? Would meals be provided? Chu Ye did not respond to these questions, but just said that those who wanted to work should go early tomorrow, and he would tell them the specific questions when the time came.

At noon, Mu Jiajun took the initiative to take over the cooking job. His cooking skills have improved a lot compared to when he was in the educated youth compound. He said that when he was studying abroad, he was not used to the food in the cafeteria, so he often cooked for himself. Over time, he became famous in the Chinese circle.

Chu Ye ate the food he cooked and listened to him talk about foreign things that he had never seen or come into contact with before. He rarely responded.

But the man on the other side changed the subject and said, "That's great! I'm a cook and you're the owner of the fish shop. Now we won't have to worry about food and drink. I'll never be short of ingredients for cooking in the future."

"Puchi——" Chu Ye laughed out loud, with a touching and complicated look in her eyes. She hesitated and said, "...You are a top student studying abroad, why are you comparing yourself with a chef?"

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Mu Jiajun put down his chopsticks, crossed his arm over the small dining table, and pinched Chu Ye's cheek with his fingers. "I just went to read a few more books. I didn't become an immortal, okay? Besides, look at this meal today. I just cooked them and didn't pay a penny for the dishes. To be honest, my name is... a pretty boy!"

"Puff..." Chu Ye opened his eyes wide and looked at him in horror. Mu Jiajun's gray-blue eyes were full of seriousness. He thought for a moment and then said seriously, "So you have to cheer up and work hard to make money. Whether I can eat and drink well depends on you!"

"..."

"……Fine."

After dinner, Mu Jiajun rushed to wash the dishes. Don’t ask, it’s the gigolo’s job.

Then the two of them didn't take a break. Chu Ye first washed the collected washbasins, and then followed Mu Jiajun into the vacant dormitory.

The dormitory was clean and tidy, and it was obvious that it had been cleaned thoroughly in the morning. Mu Jiajun briefly explained the steps of building a cold storage, and then Chu Ye took out the tools that could be used from the storage room, as well as the extra materials from the original construction of the dormitory, and took them all out.

With two people working together and having the tools, the task became much easier. To be on the safe side, they first used plastic sheeting as a base and pasted it around the room. Then they nailed the four corners of the quilt to the wall. Soon, except for the floor, the entire room became covered with quilts. They even hung quilts inside the door.

The next step is to cover the quilt with wooden boards, and the four walls are covered with gray-brown wooden boards. After everything is done, plastic sheeting is covered on the outermost layer, and a simple cold storage is formed.

Then Chu Ye ran to the health center and the hospital and bought about ten thick syringes. On the way back, she shamelessly knocked on the door of the shop owner in the town and begged him to sell the plastic bags to her in the store.

It was the second day of the Chinese New Year and all the shops on the street were closed. Chu Ye's interruption was quite intrusive, but she quickly handed over the chocolates she brought the moment the door opened and said she would pay more. The boss swallowed his complaints and turned to a smiling face to welcome the God of Wealth.

On the way back, the original wind direction changed again. The dark clouds in the sky gathered at some point, and suddenly there was a strong wind. Chu Ye sped up. Before he reached the fish pond, he saw a tall figure standing there, looking out from afar. After seeing the person coming, he waved his arm. Chu Ye instantly curved his eyebrows and sped up his pace. If there was a pretty boy who looked forward to his return home every day and would cook for him, it would actually be... not bad.

Taking advantage of the fact that it hasn't rained yet, the two of them quickly filled the basins with water, then placed them behind the house. At the same time, they covered the basins on the ground with plastic sheets, waiting for them to form ice tomorrow.

After everything was done, the weather outside became even more gloomy. Thunder and lightning could be vaguely seen rolling in the clouds in the distance, which looked very scary. After making sure everything was done, the two returned to the house. Mu Jiajun was already diligently heating the pot and boiling oil to prepare dinner.

"Let me help you." Chu Ye felt a little embarrassed and tried to stand up but was stopped by Mu Jiajun's eyes.

His hands kept moving, and his tone came over as a matter of course, "Just take a good rest and wait for your mouth to open for food. If you steal my job, how can I, a pretty boy, complain?"

Chu Ye pursed her lips and didn't dare to speak, and sat back silently. Mu Jiajun held the pot with one hand, his forearm muscles exposed, which was very pleasing to the eye under the light.

After a while, the food was served, and it was delicious. Outside, the strong wind and heavy rain were blowing down the food. It was the same bad weather as last night, but Chu Ye no longer felt uneasy. The boat that had been drifting alone on the ocean finally found its own port and had a direction to dock from then on.

After dinner, Mu Jiajun cleaned up the dishes. When everything was done, the small room suddenly fell into silence. The two people who had been busy all day finally thought of a key thing: where would Mu Jiajun stay tonight?

Chu Ye looked over silently. Mu Jiajun had obviously thought of this as well. He scratched his arm anxiously, "Um... you should have an umbrella here, right? I'll go look for it in town and stay in a hotel first."

For a moment, Chu Ye couldn't tell what she felt in her heart. She suddenly felt that she was not worthy of Mu Jiajun's kindness to her. Feelings of grievance, loneliness, embarrassment, and joy surged in her heart. She naturally understood the deep meaning behind Mu Jiajun's words.

When they were together, he was always afraid that Chu Ye would be looked at strangely by others. Even after they confirmed their relationship, he never stayed overnight at his place, especially during the time when he was teaching. She rented a house outside and he stayed in a hotel in town. He only came to see her and accompany her during the day and hurried back at night.

Even...even if there were a few times when he felt something strange when they were kissing, he would just blush and withdraw embarrassedly.

It was raining heavily and the weather was freezing cold, but he insisted on not staying overnight so as not to tarnish Chu Ye's reputation.

After Mu Jiajun finished speaking, he waited for a long time without getting a reply. When he was thinking about going to the town in the rain, he suddenly felt the hem of his clothes being shaken. He lowered his eyes and Chu Ye blinked, "Can you tell me about your study abroad?"

Mu Jiajun was silent for a rare time. He did not respond immediately. After a moment, he frowned and spoke slowly, "...If you want to hear it, I can tell you tomorrow. It's too late today. You should go to bed."

"But I want to listen now." Chu Ye insisted.

Both of them understood the deeper meaning behind these words. Mu Jiajun was still reluctant, but he always found it difficult to refuse anything Chu Ye said, otherwise he would not have agreed to her breakup in the first place.

"This is not good for you. There will be villagers coming tomorrow. If they see it, they will spread the word—"

"I don't care. If you don't tell me, I won't let you be my gigolo." Chu Ye didn't care! She was worried about her hometown and the town where she taught. She had crossed half of the country to such a far place. She wanted to live as she pleased.

In the past, she was a well-known good girl from the Chu family in Hexi Village. She studied well and worked diligently. Later, she became the top student in her grade at the Normal College and was considered a good student by her teachers. Later, she became a teacher. In just one year, she achieved the best result in the county in English, and became a rising star with excellent teaching skills in the eyes of her leaders and colleagues.

For the sake of those halos and the good reputation in the mouths of others, Mu Jiajun has always maintained them well and not allowed any black spots to fall on her head.

But now, she is just a fishmonger, and she doesn't need to know herself from the perspective of others.

So she nodded heavily and patted the edge of the bed, "Come sit here, I want to hear you tell me everything, not a single detail can be missed!"

Mu Jiajun did not move immediately, but looked at her steadily. Seeing the seriousness in her eyes, he finally sighed helplessly as if doting and sat down obediently.

"I had just got off the plane and was soaked like a drowned rat. Wow! You don't know, that day I and three or four other people who came to study abroad ran in the rain with our luggage. We finally arrived at the dormitory we had contacted, but it was empty and there was not even a bed." The bright yellow light swayed, casting a shadow on Mu Jiajun's face. The shadow kept changing, but he was unaware of it. His tone became softer and he seemed particularly at ease on the stormy night.

He patted the quilt with his palm and heard the little girl under the quilt curiously ask, "So how did you sleep at night?"

"There was no other way. I discussed it with my colleagues and found the landlord to ask where there were second-hand mattresses for sale nearby. Then a few of us..."

The girl was wrapped in the quilt, with her lover's gentle voice in her ears. She felt more at ease than ever before. The man talked one sentence after another without any impatience.

Finally, the girl fell asleep from exhaustion. The man tucked in the quilt for her and hesitated for a long time before taking off his shoes and lying on the edge of the bed. However, the bed was a little small for him, so he had no choice but to half curl up, looking like he was holding the girl in his arms.

(End of this chapter)