All the heavens begin with the love in the courtyard.

Several times he thought he might as well go and establish connections now. With those connections, he would definitely not go hungry and could just comfortably wait for the conscription season to enlist.

But after thinking about it, I realized that if I couldn't even endure this little bit of hardship, then what difference would there be between my current behavior and that of a deserter if I went to the army in the future?

So Zhong Yuemin decided to hone his skills with everyone for a while, and then visit the other party in the county town when he had the chance. Of course, he would use the connections he had. Zhong Yuemin wasn't a masochist; he just felt that the time wasn't right yet.

At least we should find a way for these brothers and sisters who came with us to survive before we leave.

If lice and fleas, coupled with heavy physical labor, were merely the symptoms these young intellectuals in Yenching were suffering from...

The first lesson was social studies, so the second lesson will be about hunger.

The lesson was about teaching them to endure hunger. At first, they didn't realize this problem. The heavy physical labor they did every day, coupled with the harassment of fleas and lice at night, would quickly cause them to break down if they didn't have enough to eat.

For the first month, everyone was fed and clothed. Every morning, they would make a large stack of pancakes or steamed buns and go up the mountain. Although it was tiring, they were not hungry. But when they looked at the rice bin at the end of the month, they found that less than a third of it was left. What to do at this point? Everyone was a little anxious.

But food doesn't fall from the sky, and the group of teenagers had no other choice but to try to save food. But saving food didn't solve the problem. They were all growing and were so hungry that they were dizzy every day. How could they be in the mood to work?

In the month or so since he arrived, Zhong Yuemin has truly experienced what it means to rely on the weather for a living. The land here is so barren that it is indescribable. In his memory, even the worst harvest from an acre of land should yield several hundred kilograms.

But when Zhong Yuemin arrived at this place, he realized that his imagination had been too vivid. He asked the locals and learned that, for example, a harvest of a hundred or so kilograms of wheat per mu (a Chinese unit of area, approximately 0.165 acres) was considered a bumper harvest, and most of the land was barren.

Every year during harvest season, only sparse yellow wheat stalks can be seen on the hillside. After working with sickles for most of the day, there are still not enough wheat for just a few bundles. The villagers call this planting method "extensive planting and low yield"!

Because of low grain yields, wheat was almost a precious staple food, and white flour buns were only occasionally steamed during festivals, weddings, and funerals.

To survive, the local people grow a variety of crops, including sweet potatoes, potatoes, buckwheat, pumpkins, corn, millet, and various beans. They usually mix these together with whatever they have to eat, add some wild vegetables, and knead them into a dark, gooey dumpling. Filling their stomachs is the most important thing.

There was nothing the villagers wouldn't dare to eat if it was edible. When the brigade organized them to work together, the group of educated youth from Yanjing ate cornbread, and occasionally white flour buns. The villagers were so envious that they drooled. And what did those villagers eat?

This was also the first time Zhong Yuemin had ever seen a word that had been mentioned in a book.

Seven out of ten families were eating only "chaff and wild vegetables" every day!

This is a kind of food made by crushing wheat bran and various miscellaneous grain chaff, adding various wild vegetables to make dumplings. Zhong Yuemin was once lucky enough to eat it for a while. The rough texture almost made him choke. He couldn't imagine that now, almost in the 1970s, people would still eat this kind of food.

This was also the first time he had witnessed how tenacious and unyielding the will of the people of this land were in order to survive.

This kind of life was clearly not what Zhong Yuemin wanted. After a month of experiencing it, he had had enough. In this month or so, Zhong Yuemin had experienced a new way of life. He wasn't really there to suffer.

With the food supplies running out, Zhong Yuemin decided to stick to his original plan. It was time for everyone to adopt a different way of life.

So these past few days, Zhong Yuemin has been busy with hammering and tinkering, and the other educated youths are curious about what he's doing.

Chapter 151: The Last Meal

After two busy days, Zhong Yuemin finally finished making what he was going to do: two wooden frames that could be used for carrying and swaying to conduct business.

The shelf is square; one side can be used to hang a small oven, and the other side is used to hold the prepared flatbreads.

When no one is around, the flatbreads are placed on both sides of the oven and slowly baked until golden brown. When customers come, they are taken out and sold directly. One bite, and the chicken flavor is absolutely irresistible.

Yes, Zhong Yuemin still decided to take out the chicken-flavored seasoning he had prepared in Yanjing. He originally wanted to make roujiamo (Chinese hamburger), but now, apart from some cornmeal, there was only a thin layer of wheat flour left in the other rice container.

That little bit of wheat flour was only left because everyone was so reluctant to eat it themselves.

So he decided to create a new way to eat it, making cornbread with his own chicken-flavored filling, and then slowly baking it in an oven until it was golden brown. One bite and the taste was amazing!

This secret recipe for chicken-flavored seasoning is one of Zhong Yuemin's greatest strengths. Although his culinary skills are still there, there's no opportunity for him to showcase them here, and he hasn't considered leaving yet.

He also figured it out: if he really joined the army in the future, he would pass on the secret recipe for the chicken flavor to Zheng Tong and Ning Bin, so that at least they could find a way to survive in this place and wouldn't have to beg for food every year when food was scarce.

Over the past month, Zhong Yuemin had considered visiting Li Kuiyong at the place where he had been sent to work in the countryside several times, but he ultimately did not go because he was afraid that he might actually run into Qinling again, the girl from his memory.

Every time Zhong Yuemin heard Old Man Du, who was herding sheep on the back hill, singing the Shaanxi folk song, he would think of the clear sound of the Qinling Mountains and hoped that he could hear the sound coming from the other side of the hill.

But the more you expect something, the less likely it is to happen.

Perhaps because he has an extra soul in his thirties, Zhong Yuemin's body is not as decisive about relationships as Zhong Yuemin himself is. He is even somewhat hesitant and timid. He doesn't know if this approach is right or wrong.

In the original novel, Zhong Yuemin hurt almost every girl who loved him, yet he never took responsibility for any of them. If I were to follow the same path as the original character, would I end up hurting all those girls just like in the story?

Zhong Yuemin couldn't guarantee anything, at least not now, because he still had to serve in the army for more than ten years, and there were too many variables during those years.

Since I can't make a promise to him, I should just leave him alone for now. There are plenty of good men out there, like Zhong Yuemin!

In just over a month, Zhong Yuemin gradually got used to the physical labor. He had endured the physical hardship, but the loneliness in his heart was something he could not shake off.

He tried to open the letter Zhou Xiaobai left for him, but ultimately didn't, because in this situation, he was even more uncertain about whether he would be with Zhou Xiaobai in the future.

After a month of hard work, the barren mountain was finally thoroughly searched. With the spring planting season approaching, and since the villagers had little planting experience, they asked several fellow villagers for help.

There's not much to teach the villagers; what crops to grow here depends entirely on whether the weather cooperates. It's common for it to go for more than half a year without rain.

Zhong Yuemin carried a load of dried manure and dumped it on the ground. Some people dug pits, some carried water, and Jiang Biyun and several girls bent down and put a few corn seeds into each small pit.

Ning Bin didn't mind the dirt. He filled a basket with manure, grabbed a handful of dry manure with each hand, put it in the pit, stomped on it, and then moved on to the next pit. The group worked together very well now, but they rarely spoke while working.

After more than a month of hardship, the group of educated youth all had dark complexions. The usual boisterousness had disappeared, and they were all starting to worry about their future, because they were really about to run out of food.

After finishing his farm work, Zhong Yuemin decided to tell everyone about his chicken-flavored pies.

Upon hearing the word "chicken," all the educated youth nodded repeatedly. Regardless of what Zhong Yuemin was planning to do, the mere mention of "chicken" was enough to win them over.

For more than a month, everyone had forgotten what meat tasted like. Zheng Tong was even more impatient and asked Zhong Yuemin to quickly make a batch of chicken pancakes so that everyone could try them out first.

Everyone's been eating chicken for so long they're practically sick of it. Regardless of whether this is even feasible, the mere mention of chicken has already made them eager to get started.

Zhong Yuemin stopped wasting time and got to work, pouring out all the cornmeal and wheat flour. He was going all in; he would have a big meal tonight and then go to the county town to sell sesame cakes tomorrow morning.

After preparing the cornmeal, he took out a handful of yellowish-brown powdered seasoning from a burlap sack right under everyone's noses, then mixed the last bit of wheat flour and seasoning into a filling, which he then wrapped directly into the cornmeal flatbread.

Everyone was stunned. Zheng Tong couldn't hold back any longer and quickly asked.

"Zhong Yuemin, are you kidding me? Where's the chicken? Where's the chicken?"

Zhong Yuemin looked at the group as if they were idiots, pointed to the pies that were already baking and said, "Chicken flavor? When did I say there was chicken in them?"

Zheng Tong looked at Zhong Yuemin speechlessly. Fortunately, hunger conquered everything. Chicken tasted like chicken, so be it. Now, even just thinking about the word "chicken" made Zheng Tong's mouth water.

This oven was a simple modification made from a piece of broken sheet metal. The small stove inside took a lot of effort to set up. The fuel was coal. There was no shortage of coal in the area. Several national-level coal mines were located in northern Shaanxi in later generations. However, Zhong Yuemin did not intend to make a fortune in that way, and it was not realistic in 69.

As the cornbread was roasted over charcoal until both sides were golden brown, a unique aroma of chicken slowly filled the room. Everyone swallowed hard, and Zheng Tong even reached out to grab it, but Zhong Yuemin slapped his hand away.

"Wait, bake for another two minutes!"

Even though it was just a simple sesame seed cake, Zhong Yuemin took it very seriously. It was as if the chef's skills were ingrained in his very bones. Even if it was just a simple sesame seed cake, he felt that it should be baked to the perfect state to taste the best.

"Alright, you guys have a taste! But this is probably the last meal. We'll have to make some flatbread with the leftover flour and take it to the county town to exchange for grain tomorrow!"

Zhong Yuemin took out the first batch of four sesame seed cakes and placed them on a plate. Zheng Tong couldn't wait to reach for them, but Zhong Yuemin stood aside with a smile, watching as the four hands almost simultaneously took the four sesame seed cakes from the plate.

The remaining boys who hadn't gotten any looked longingly at the group. Zheng Tong, burning his hand with the sesame seed cake, quickly switched hands and, without thinking twice, took a bite.

The others did almost the same thing, and then they all made "ah" sounds almost at the same time. The hot and delicious reaction made Zhong Yuemin swallow his saliva.

Ning Wei, the youngest, looked up and watched his brother Ning Bin eating a sesame seed cake with great anticipation. The aroma was so enticing that he couldn't resist reaching out to snatch it. Ning Bin, disregarding brotherly affection, quickly grabbed the cake and stuffed it into his mouth, his mouth full of satisfaction.

Seeing this, Zhong Yuemin smiled and called out to Ning Wei.

"Alright, alright, wait a few more minutes, everyone will get some. I've thought about it, let's each have two for this meal. I was wondering if we could share some with those three girls?"

"no!"

Zheng Tong and Ning Bin spoke almost simultaneously. Zheng Tong stuffed the last bite of the sesame seed cake into his mouth and mumbled something indistinctly.

"Yuemin, we'll take this deal. I never expected you to have this skill. Tell me, what exactly is that filling? I really tasted chicken in it!"

Ning Bin and the others nodded in agreement, while Zhong Yuemin smiled and said...

Do you want to learn?

Zheng Tong and the others exchanged glances and nodded vigorously!

Zhong Yuemin snorted, stuck a sesame seed cake on the plate, and said jokingly.

"This is a family secret recipe, which can only be passed down to a direct disciple. Why don't you acknowledge me as your master? Call me 'Master' and let me hear it!"

Zheng Tong and the others exchanged bewildered glances, thinking that Zhong Yuemin was serious; in this day and age, one couldn't just casually call someone "master."

Suddenly, a clear "Master!" made Zhong Yuemin look up and see Ning Wei swallowing hard and shouting "Master!"

Zhong Yuemin laughed heartily. This kid is really going all out for a bite to eat. But if we turn this future number one assassin in the capital into a pancake vendor, I wonder if that would be a good thing or a bad thing?

Chapter 152: Joining the Party

After thinking about it, I decided against it; I couldn't waste this kid's talent.

In the original novel, Ning Wei is probably the biggest tragedy in the world of Blood Romance.

Having witnessed my older brother being stabbed as a child, I planted a seed of hatred in my heart, and my inner violent genes began to slowly grow.

After growing up, he finally managed to enlist in the army. Thanks to his natural physical abilities, he learned almost everything quickly. During the war, he even earned a nickname: "Jungle Killer." However, because of his low level of education, he was not promoted to officer several times.

Finally, after much difficulty, he was promoted, but when he saw a man in the market beating a woman with a stick, the woman's screams made him kick the man away without hesitation.

As it turned out, it was a fight between the couple. Ning Wei broke three of the man's ribs, almost leaving him disabled. Thus, the life of a legendary soldier came to an end, and he was forced to retire.

After retiring, Ning Wei did many jobs, including running a restaurant that sold counterfeit alcohol, which led to an unexpected encounter between him and Zhong Yuemin.

Later, the restaurant went out of business. Ning Wei was preparing to open a foreign trade company and needed 500,000 yuan in registered capital. He found Zhong Yuemin, who was working as a foreign trade manager in a state-owned enterprise at the time, and borrowed 500,000 yuan from the company account. Zhong Yuemin didn't think much of it and lent it to him.

As a result, the 500,000 yuan was swindled away by a classmate he had known since childhood. Because he couldn't repay the 500,000 yuan, Zhong Yuemin was reported and went directly to the detention center.

Ning Wei was a very loyal person. He regarded Zhong Yuemin as his elder brother throughout his life, but in the end, he betrayed his elder brother.

Then the introverted Ning Wei completely erupted, and his violent tendencies began to be unleashed. After going through all sorts of hardships, he finally found the swindler and crippled him and several of his accomplices.

Thus, he was sentenced to fifteen years. In prison, the short Ning Wei was naturally a target of bullying. Ning Wei tried to suppress his violent genes, but in the end he couldn't and escaped from prison.

After escaping from prison, Ning Wei completely lost control. Relying on the skills and marksmanship he had honed over the years, he became the number one assassin in Beijing, always hitting the center of the forehead with perfect accuracy.

In the end, his fate was naturally tragic. He chose to give up on living, picked up the unloaded pistol, raised it, and was shot dead.

At the time, he also had a close female friend, a girl who worked in the sex trade. Because Ning Wei saved her, the two developed a special relationship. After Ning Wei died, the girl resolutely raised her gun and shot herself in the head.

That scene left a deep impression on Zhong Yuemin. Now, seeing Xiao Ningwei, who called him "Master" for a piece of sesame seed cake, Zhong Yuemin is filled with emotion.

In this world, he has already changed the fate of his elder brother Ning Bin, and Ning Wei's fate should also change accordingly, because he has unknowingly changed the fate of those around him, and the future has already become much more uncertain.

Everything will be alright, won't it?

Zhong Yuemin laughed heartily and said to Ning Wei.

"Alright, then I'll pass on this special skill to you. With this skill, you'll never starve, haha!"