Chapter 59: Going to the Dahuai Team
Ning Xiyue and Aunt Yangliu agreed to meet under the big willow tree at around 1:30 p.m., after lunch, to set off together for the Dahuai team.
After work, with Aunt Yangliu accompanying her, Ning Xiyue went to find Comrade Zhao Anguo, the leader of the drying group, to inform him that she needed to take a leave of absence.
Normally, asking for leave on just her second day of work might not have been approved, but with Aunt Yangliu vouching for her, Zhao Anguo didn’t object and agreed without a moment’s hesitation.
He reminded Ning Xiyue: “Tomorrow morning, just hand me the leave slip approved by the team leader, and I’ll mark you as back from leave.”
Ning Xiyue nodded in agreement. “Alright, I understand. Thank you, Uncle Anguo.”
With that matter settled, Ning Xiyue followed Aunt Yangliu back home to ask the team leader to approve the leave note. With Aunt Yangliu around, she didn’t have to worry at all — there was nothing the team leader could refuse when Aunt Yangliu got involved.
It was like carrying the emperor’s personal decree — the Empress herself was intervening.
Sure enough, once they arrived at Aunt Yangliu’s home and Ning Xiyue explained the leave situation, the team leader immediately approved the request the moment he heard Aunt Yangliu’s cough from the side.
He even smiled ingratiatingly at her and reminded them:
“Be careful on the road this afternoon. Don’t stay too long. The mountain road isn’t safe at night. If it gets too late, just spend the night there. If you decide to come back, have someone escort you part of the way, and I’ll wait for you at the mountain pass between the two teams…”
“Alright, I got it. You talk too much. It’s not like it’s my first time walking that road. Stop nagging,” Aunt Yangliu interrupted impatiently — though she was clearly pleased inside.
Turning to Ning Xiyue, she smiled helplessly. “Don’t mind him. Your uncle’s always like this — every time I go out, he talks my ear off.”
Despite the words sounding like a complaint, the affection between them was obvious.
Being force-fed a full serving of dog food, Ning Xiyue suddenly questioned why she was still standing there after getting the leave slip. She was clearly the unnecessary third wheel — a giant lightbulb ruining the moment.
Ning “100-watt Lightbulb” Xiyue forced a wide smile and said sweetly: “Auntie, you’re joking. The team leader’s just worried about you. You two really have such a good relationship. Auntie, you’re so lucky. When I find a partner one day, I want someone as considerate as the team leader.”
Then she glanced at the time. “It’s getting late. Auntie, Team Leader, I’ll go home to cook now.”
“Alright, go ahead. We’ll see you this afternoon,” said Aunt Yangliu, knowing that Ning Xiyue still needed to pack some things for her brother. She didn’t try to keep her.
Ning Xiyue said goodbye and quickly left — she didn’t want to eat any more dog food.
After lunch, while Chen Yechu was washing the dishes, Ning Xiyue took out a bamboo backpack and started packing a few things for her brother.
Yun Xiulan and Ning Hai firmly believed that boys needed to suffer more hardships to build the strength and ability to support their future families. As a result, her two older brothers hadn’t lived as comfortably as she had when it came to material conditions.
But both brothers treated the original Ning Xiyue very well — they always thought of her and sent her anything good they had.
Many of the things she was using now had been gifts from them — for example, her Hero brand fountain pen was bought with money her second brother had saved up.
This time, when they all went to the countryside, most of the family’s money and ration coupons had been given to her. Meanwhile, her brother received only a meager subsidy from the rural household. She felt she had to share some of the money and coupons with him — otherwise, she would feel guilty spending them all herself.
Aside from the money and coupons from her parents, she packed a small bag of fruit candies and a jar of the mosquito-bite ointment she’d made the night before. That would do for now.
She wanted to test the waters with her second brother — to see firsthand whether he really was the good brother the original Ning Xiyue remembered.
Even between family, there needed to be give and take. It couldn’t always be one-sided.
After packing, she covered the top of the backpack with an old piece of clothing and tied it tightly with a hemp rope to hide what was inside completely.
Just as she hoisted the backpack onto her shoulders, Chen Yechu came in. “Where are you going?”
Ning Xiyue explained, “I took leave to go visit my second brother in the neighboring team. I might be back a little late. After you cook dinner, go ahead and eat without waiting for me. Just leave me a portion aside.”
“Alright, stay safe. I’ll keep your food warm in the pot — when you get back, you can serve yourself from the stove,” Chen Yechu said, a little surprised. She hadn’t known Ning Xiyue’s second brother lived so close by.
“Okay, thank you. I’m heading out now,” Ning Xiyue said before hurrying off. She needed to meet Aunt Yangliu and couldn’t afford to be late.
Watching Ning Xiyue leave, Chen Yechu suddenly remembered how, in her past life, Ning Xiaoxiao had brought back a wild chicken leg the first time she went to visit her cousin.
Later, there was a time when she saw Ning Xiaoxiao heading toward the neighboring team. But when she asked about it afterward, Ning Xiaoxiao claimed she’d stayed in their own team all along.
A few days later, word spread that a young educated youth in the neighboring team had fallen from a mountain. When he was found, he was barely breathing. Unfortunately, he died a few days later because help didn’t come in time. That young man was Ning Xiaoxiao’s cousin — Ning Qingyuan.
Thinking back, Chen Yechu remembered how expressionless Ning Xiaoxiao had been when she returned. Once, she’d even heard Ning Xiaoxiao mumbling in her sleep, the fragmented words sounding like, “It wasn’t me.”
She hadn’t thought much of it at the time. But now, everything felt off. She was almost certain Ning Xiaoxiao had gone to the neighboring team — could her cousin’s death have had something to do with her?
And that cousin… was none other than Ning Xiyue’s second brother.
The thought made Chen Yechu worried for Ning Xiyue. Based on the timeline from her previous life, Ning Xiyue’s brother was supposed to die in just one week.
Chen Yechu paced back and forth inside the house, torn over what to do.
Murmuring to herself, she said, “There shouldn’t be any problem now… Xiyue’s already fallen out with Ning Xiaoxiao. She’ll definitely warn her second brother. If they don’t meet, nothing should happen.”
She tried to reassure herself, but it wasn’t working. She decided she’d warn Ning Xiyue when she got back. She didn’t dare reveal too much about the future — such things were tricky to control. All she could do was her best and leave the rest to fate.
Meanwhile, Ning Xiyue had already met up with Aunt Yangliu, and the two were on their way to the Dahuai team.
The Dahuai team wasn’t exactly far from the Daliu Brigade, but not very close either — the two were separated by a single mountain. Once they crossed it, they’d arrive. But the path was mountainous and winding.
Ning Xiyue checked the time — it took them about thirty-some minutes to reach the area under the Dahuai team’s jurisdiction.
Aunt Yangliu caught her breath and pointed down toward a cluster of houses not far away.
“The educated youth dormitory of the Dahuai team is built just at the foot of the mountain, not far from here. See that bit of house down there? That’s the dormitory. Come on, I’ll take you there first, then head to my mother’s house.”
Ning Xiyue glanced at the buildings and saw they weren’t far. “Auntie, no need to trouble yourself. I can go on my own — it’s not far, and I can find it.”
Aunt Yangliu’s family home was in a different direction from here, and the two paths didn’t intersect. Ning Xiyue didn’t want to trouble her further.
“Alright then.” Aunt Yangliu took Ning Xiyue by the hand and pointed out the directions.
“Just follow this road straight down. You’ll see a courtyard with two rows of buildings — it looks similar to our team’s dormitory, very easy to recognize. Let’s meet back here around 6 p.m.”
“Got it, Auntie. I’ll head off then.”
After saying goodbye, Ning Xiyue followed the path downhill. She had barely walked a minute before the system’s notification chimed:
Ding! [Sign-in location detected: Wild Chicken Nest. Would the host like to sign in?]
