Chapter 37: The Cooking Partnership Issue
When Ning Xiyue returned to the educated youth compound, she found Aunt Qiuju already there with some people, surveying the land and measuring dimensions. The other educated youth looked on curiously.
“Little Xiyue, you’re back. Come over here — perfect timing, we’re just checking the spot,” Aunt Qiuju said with a cheerful smile, pulling Ning Xiyue over to the site.
She introduced her, “This is Uncle Dajian, the best house builder in our brigade. Building your little kitchen is nothing to him — he can do it easily.”
“Hello, Uncle Dajian.” Ning Xiyue greeted the lean middle-aged man in front of her with a nod. Then she pointed to a spot and continued, “Uncle, what do you think about building my little kitchen right behind the room I’m staying in?”
Uncle Dajian glanced at the place and nodded. “Mm, that’s doable. That way, we can use one side of the house wall and save some material costs. I can even help you connect the stove to the heated kang bed — once winter comes, you can light the kang, and even the coldest days won’t feel cold.”
That was exactly what Ning Xiyue had in mind. However, she wasn’t the only one living in that room, so she needed to check with the other person first.
Seeing that Chen Yechu had already returned and was tidying up inside, she went to talk to her. After getting Chen’s agreement, she came back and said to Uncle Dajian, “Uncle, let’s do it there. Thank you.”
Once the spot was decided, Uncle Dajian started measuring with his tape, occasionally discussing the kitchen layout and size with Ning Xiyue. Aunt Qiuju stood by to help and offer some practical suggestions.
Before long, they had marked the kitchen area with wood ash, even outlining the internal structure. The foundation was now set.
It would be a ten-square-meter kitchen, and once the materials arrived, construction could begin. The materials for a mud-brick house were easy to obtain — they’d have them by the afternoon.
“Uncle, how long will it take to finish building the kitchen?”
Uncle Dajian gave her an estimate. “If we work on it after finishing our daily tasks, it’ll take a bit longer — about five days to build. Once the mud dries, you can start using it in about ten days at most.”
“Alright, then I’ll trouble you, Uncle.” Ning Xiyue wasn’t in a hurry. Ten days wasn’t long — it would pass in no time.
After walking Aunt Qiuju and Uncle Dajian to the door, Ning Xiyue sincerely thanked her. “Auntie, thank you so much for today. You’ve really gone out of your way for me.”
She truly hadn’t expected Aunt Qiuju to be so proactive about helping her build the kitchen — she’d handled everything before Ning even had to ask.
Aunt Qiuju took Ning Xiyue’s hand and gave it a squeeze, smiling. “What’s the point of thanking me when we’re this close? Don’t worry, Auntie will make sure you get to use your new stove as soon as possible. It’s getting late, you should go back to your work. I’ll head off now.”
“Mm, goodbye, Auntie.”
After sending them off, Ning Xiyue returned and started preparing lunch with Chen Yechu for the two of them. The older educated youth would be back from work soon, so they needed to finish cooking before then to free up the pot and the kitchen.
After lunch, Chen Yechu wanted to talk to Ning Xiyue about something.
Once they had cleaned the kitchen and washed the dishes, they went back to their room and closed the door for a private discussion.
“Xiyue, I want to talk to you about cooking together.”
Ning Xiyue turned slightly and listened attentively. “Go ahead.”
“Then I’ll just get straight to the point,” Chen Yechu said directly.
“Before your kitchen is built, I’d like for us to cook together. We’ll be going to work soon, and it’s the autumn harvest season — there’s a lot of work. If we take turns cooking, we’ll save a lot of time and each of us will get some breaks. Most importantly, our tastes are similar, and our habits match well. What do you think?”
“Let me think about it.” Ning Xiyue didn’t agree immediately.
Chen Yechu continued to persuade her. “I’ve already traded for a small stove and a small iron pot. I’ll have them by this afternoon. That way, we can cook with our own equipment in the evening and won’t have to fight others for the kitchen.”
Hearing that, Ning Xiyue’s eyes lit up. She didn’t hesitate — she extended her hand to Chen Yechu. “Hello, cooking partner. For the next month or so, let’s work together and create lots of delicious meals.”
“Hello, cooking partner. Let’s work hard together,” Chen Yechu replied with a big smile, shaking her hand.
The two of them exchanged a knowing smile.
With the initial agreement settled, they went on to discuss the specifics in detail — including how to split their ration grains and how to schedule their cooking turns.
They decided that Ning Xiyue would cook on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, while Chen Yechu would cook on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. On Sundays, they would cook together. As for tonight’s dinner, they would also prepare it together.
And just like that, the cooking arrangement was happily settled.
They agreed to go collect some firewood in the afternoon as well.
Ning Xiyue was quite satisfied. Compared to constantly competing with others for the use of the big communal kitchen in the compound, she much preferred cooking privately with Chen Yechu.
In fact, she felt she was getting the better end of the deal. She had been worrying all morning about where to get a small stove, and now the problem was solved by the afternoon — perfect.
Once they had set the schedule, Ning Xiyue drew the curtains and lay down for a nap.
In reality, she sank her consciousness into her system backpack to check out the “Household Weaving Masterclass” courseware she had signed in for earlier that morning at Aunt Qiuju’s place.
The way to unlock this particular sign-in reward was different from usual.
When she clicked on it, two buttons popped up: one labeled “Practical”, the other “Exquisite.” Above them was a picture of a woven vegetable basket.
Ding! [Please select the type you wish to learn — choose one of the two.]
She understood at a glance.
Ning Xiyue could roughly guess the difference between the two.
Choosing “Practical” would focus on durability and functionality — a plain-looking but solid piece, like an uncut jade with hidden brilliance.
Choosing “Exquisite” would focus on appearance — beautiful but impractical, like a decorative vase.
Damn, it reminded her of when a classmate in her previous life once asked her whether she’d prefer a man who was average-looking but cultured, or one who was handsome but had no substance.
Men had no appeal to Ning Xiyue whatsoever.
Back then, she had answered, “Neither. I shine on my own.”
But the full “Household Weaving Masterclass” set was too tempting.
Now, Ning Xiyue said, “Hey, System, can’t I choose both? Can’t there be a button that’s both practical and beautiful?”
Ding! [Hidden option triggered. A new button — ‘Practical and Exquisite’ — is now available. This button requires the host to use three sign-in opportunities to unlock. Would you like to proceed?]
Oh, nice — so that’s possible. The system was getting cleverer, linking the sign-in rewards to her choices.
She had to admit, this was great. It matched her preferences perfectly — giving her full control over her options.
Ning Xiyue checked her accumulated sign-ins from the past three days. She still had eight opportunities left — more than enough.
She decisively said, “Unlock it. Use the three sign-ins that are closest to expiring.”
Ding! [Three sign-in opportunities consumed. ‘Practical and Exquisite’ button successfully unlocked.]
