Chapter 241: Tormenting Comrade Ji
The next day, when Ning Xiyue woke up, she found the skin around her eyes exceptionally hydrated. Whether her dark circles had faded or not wasn’t obvious, but she felt good about it.
The skin around the eyes is the first to show signs of aging, so she decided to start taking care of it right away. Skin maintenance is a long-term process—it’s not something that can be fixed overnight.
Looking at the eye cream in her hands, she thought she needed to make several more jars, so her mother at home could use them too.
This time, she didn’t have to wait until night—she had time during the day.
She realized that she had a lot of free time recently.
Winter in the countryside was long; she had to make good use of this time, whether for studying or enjoying the pleasures of life.
After giving herself a mental refresh and a cup of motivational “chicken soup for the soul” on the kang, Ning Xiyue got to work, neatly folding the quilt and stepping down from the kang.
Chen Ye Chu, still groggy, asked, “Xiyue, are we going fishing today?”
“Not today. We’ll go the day after tomorrow and let the fish rest,” Ning Xiyue replied. She wanted to go, but too much fishing could cause unnecessary attention. It was meant to be for fun anyway—they didn’t need to eat that much fish.
Heh, the fish she caught yesterday—she had sneakily released a few into the lotus pond in her space. By spring, there would be baby fish, increasing the pond’s stock and hopefully giving her freedom to eat fish in the future.
“Yeah, I won’t go either. It’s snowed again; it’s too cold outside, even colder by the river. It’s better to stay inside, we can read and chat together, and even make tea.”
Chen Ye Chu, now fully awake and excited, said, “Right, we’ll make tea by the stove! I can make tea, and I’m pretty good at it. How about I make some for you today?”
“Sure! I’ll watch you make it and maybe steal a few tricks.”
Ning Xiyue nodded happily and playfully winked at her.
She had never experienced this kind of cozy tea-making life before. Enjoying life like this? Of course she could.
“Steal all you want! I can even teach you—it’s simple,” Chen Ye Chu said casually, looking forward to the upcoming tea session.
They needed to prepare some snacks.
Ning Xiyue was thinking about what she would bring as well. She remembered reading about beauty and wellness teas in a book and decided to try making a pot.
Sitting around the stove chatting, reading, or working sounded delightful. Just thinking about it made her a little excited.
“Let’s get started quickly then,” Ning Xiyue said, picking up the pace in tidying up.
“Okay.”
Both of them moved swiftly.
This little gathering of tea-making and snow-watching was Chen Ye Chu’s idea, and Ning Xiyue agreed. All the female youth at the commune participated, and later, Li Xiuxiu joined in.
Six girls gathered in the dining hall of the commune, set up a stove, and each contributed something, bringing their own snacks.
Everyone brought a little, resulting in a wide variety of treats on the table.
Ning Xiyue herself brought the beauty and wellness tea, brewing a large pot with ginseng roots added. She also brought a small portion of spicy wild boar jerky she had made earlier, stir-fried with dried chili.
The jerky wasn’t just generous—it was necessary because her friends were all so generous that she needed to contribute something substantial.
First was Chen Ye Chu. She brought flower teas and fruit teas. The flowers were wild roses picked in summer and wild chrysanthemums, honeysuckle, and other wildflowers collected in autumn.
The fruit teas were made from dried fruits from the trees in her family courtyard, prepared by her grandmother. When Chen Ye Chu went to the countryside, her grandmother had packed a large jar for her.
Besides tea, she also brought two plates of spicy potato slices and a plate of small fried dough twists her grandmother had taught her to make.
Ning Xiyue smiled knowingly—Chen Ye Chu’s grandmother truly was remarkable. She could do everything; Ning Xiyue wished she had a grandmother like that.
Next, Wu Guifang had brought only homemade items—authentic and original. She had made dumplings, roasted hazelnuts, and dried mushrooms. The hazelnuts and mushrooms were gathered from the mountains in autumn and stored. They tasted great.
Wang Mengmeng brought more expensive, thoughtful gifts. She had received a package from her parents just yesterday and brought its contents—golden chicken cookies, red shrimp crisps, and a bowl of malted milk for each girl. A generous gesture, though she didn’t seem particularly concerned about it, smiling happily.
Li Xiuxiu brought fried pork rinds, as her mother instructed. She also brought some roasted broad beans and peas, along with six medium-sized sweet potatoes—perfect for baking, specially chosen by her mother.
Finally, Liu Yao, who loved lively gatherings, enthusiastically contributed a variety of snacks, even getting some from her cousin Yu Zhiyu. Sunflower seeds, peanuts, dragon beard candy, and even small fish dried from yesterday’s catch—she distributed one to each girl.
When she saw Yu Zhiyu’s smile while delivering the fish snacks to Chen Ye Chu, she knew he wanted Chen Ye Chu to try them.
Chen Ye Chu received a cup of fruit tea in the end, and the smile on her face spread across her whole face, her eyebrows and even the hair on her forehead lifted with joy.
Ning Xiyue thought: “Eh, the sour-sweet feeling of love… I suddenly miss Comrade Ji. I wonder what he’s doing.”
Far away in Shanghai, Comrade Ji saw Ning Qingzhi showing off the scarf around his neck, knitted by his sister. He listened patiently but was secretly envious, his thoughts drifting, mixed with worry and anxiety.
Had Yueyue seen the letter he wrote?
Had Yueyue replied?
If she had replied, what did she say? Rejected him or agreed?
No, he had to ask.
He got up and left the office.
Ning Qingzhi, proudly adjusting the scarf around his neck, noticed his loyal listener was gone and called out curiously: “Hey, Old Ji, where are you going?”
“To the delivery room.”
Ning Qingzhi muttered to himself: “Old Ji just went to the delivery room yesterday—why again? Is there something valuable coming?”
“Wait, I’ll come too,” he said, running along to see what was going on.
At the delivery room, Ji Yanming pressed his lips and knocked on the door: “Old Yang, do you have any letters or packages for me?”
Ning Qingzhi, running up behind him, patted his shoulder complaining: “Old Ji, why are you running? People might think we’re doing something urgent, rushing like this.”
Before Ji Yanming could respond, Old Yang inside looked up from his pen, teasing: “I thought you were here at five this morning. How come you’re back already?”
Ning Qingzhi looked surprised: “What? You were here this morning too? Who could be sending you something to make you so eager, always looking forward to it?”
“Temporary secret,” Ji Yanming replied, ignoring Old Yang’s teasing, “Just tell me if there’s anything.”
“You little rascal,” Old Yang shook his head helplessly. “There’s nothing. Count the days, and if something really comes, come back and ask. I can notify you—you don’t need to rush here every time.”
Ji Yanming knew this too. Based on the mailing time, letters from there would take at least five days. But he couldn’t help himself—he always felt anxious about missing something.
“Old Yang, check if my family sent anything,” Ning Qingzhi asked while they were there. Though he knew it wouldn’t be fast, he might as well ask.
“Nothing from your family. They haven’t been gone long. Wait six days and ask again. If there’s anything, I’ll deliver it promptly.” Old Yang returned to his writing.
“Let’s go, Old Ji, time for lunch,” Ning Qingzhi said, patting him and turning to walk away.
Ji Yanming followed, still thinking about the letter, feeling anxious and restless—heart-tugging worry.
No, he had to do something. Yes, he would send some food first—that’s decided.
Ning Xiyue had no idea about Comrade Ji’s current state. She only thought of him when seeing Yu Zhiyu’s careless smile.
Right now, she was enjoying tea, snacks, snow, and chatting with her girlfriends.
