Chapter 138 He still knew the rules.

Two hours later, Lin Jingyue descended the mountain with a bountiful harvest.

On the way back, they encountered a fluttering wild pheasant, which Zhou Yan quickly caught. "We'll cook this for dinner tonight. You two should come over," he said to Sun Jiabao and Li Tongchui.

Since both of them had contributed their labor to digging up the medicinal herbs, Lin Jingyue added, "Come over for a good meal."

The two men exchanged a glance. It was Li Tongchui’s first time being invited, and he felt a bit bashful, but seeing Sun Jiabao nod, he agreed as well. Sun Jiabao gave him a glare for his hesitation.

They parted ways at the crossroads. Sun Jiabao looked at Li Tongchui irritably, "Are you my shadow? If I recall correctly, you usually hang out with Sun Tiezhu."

"...That’s all in the past."

"Hmph. Since we’re working together now, you need to follow the rules. Anything regarding the educated youths..."

"I won't say a word," Li Tongchui promised quickly. He knew enough to understand the code of conduct.

"Good. Also, don't tell anyone about the money we earn privately, not even your parents. At most, give them two or three yuan just so they know that following the educated youths, Lin and Jiang, has its benefits," Sun Jiabao advised.

"But... why?" In his family, all earnings usually went into the common pot. His mother held the purse strings.

"Just listen to me. You’re a grown man; don't you plan on starting a family one day? There will be plenty of benefits following them in the future. You don't intend to give it all to your family, do you?" Providing for his parents was enough; for the rest, he needed to be sensible.

Li Tongchui thought about it and realized the sense in that. "I understand."

"When you go over later, bring some rations. Even though Lin Jingyue is thanking us for our help, we got a great deal today. Be tactful—give and take is the only way to maintain a relationship," Sun Jiabao added. One-sided taking would never last.

"I know that." Everyone’s rations were tight, especially when it came to meat.

At the educated youth dormitory, Zhou Yan had just finished a hot shower and changed his clothes. As Lin Jingyue was still sorting the herbs, Li Tongchui and Sun Jiabao arrived. Li Tongchui brought two bowls of millet, and Sun Jiabao brought a bag of sweet potatoes, about five or six of them.

"We invited you to eat; why bring rations?" Zhou Yan raised an eyebrow.

"We have big appetites," Li Tongchui said with a sheepish grin.

The two set their items down and, showing great initiative, immediately began helping with chores. Zhou Yan left the task of preparing the pheasant to them while he steamed the rice.

The other educated youths saw them cleaning the pheasant and were unfazed, though they couldn't help but look forward to the meal—even just catching a whiff of the aroma was a treat.

Lin Jingyue finished sorting the herbs and walked over. Seeing the pheasant cleaned and chopped into pieces, she said, "Let me cook it." She decided to make a simple braised chicken with potatoes, adding plenty of potatoes so that Li Tongchui and Sun Jiabao could eat their fill.

A single wild pheasant, once cleaned, weighed about two pounds—not a large amount. For staples, Zhou Yan steamed a bowl of white rice for Lin Jingyue, while the others ate corn flour buns and corn porridge. It was Zhou Yan's decision. Lin Jingyue felt a bit helpless seeing this, but she said nothing. She would just make mixed-grain rice next time. Even so, having corn porridge was a rarity; very few families in the brigade could afford to eat solid food rather than thin gruel.

The fragrance of the sautéing chicken wafted through the air, making everyone’s mouths water. When half a basin of potatoes was tossed in, the pot looked full.

"We'll watch the fire, Educated Youth Lin. You go rest for a while," Sun Jiabao said, sitting by the stove and watching the pot intently. Li Tongchui did the same.

Zhou Yan smiled. "There’s hot water nearby; I just boiled it."

Lin Jingyue nodded, took the hot water into her room, bolted the door, and took a bath in her personal space. In such freezing weather, the washroom was icy, and in her small room, she could usually only manage a sponge bath.

After changing into a clean, warm cotton-padded jacket, Lin Jingyue emerged, poured out the water, and lay on the edge of the *kang* to dry her hair, reading a medical text. By the time the chicken was stewed, her hair was nearly dry. She tied it into a low ponytail and went out.

"It's ready," Zhou Yan said, serving the meal. The snowy white rice was placed in front of Lin Jingyue, and no one thought it out of place.

They polished off the half-pot of braised chicken and potatoes, along with some sweet, crisp cabbage, until their bellies were round. Not a scrap was left. For grown men, it was barely enough.

After eating until they were stuffed, Sun Jiabao and Li Tongchui finally came to their senses and scratched their heads in embarrassment. The food was just too delicious to resist. Lin Jingyue’s culinary skills were one thing, but she was also generous with oil, seasonings, and the meat itself.

Once they had finished, they slung their arms over each other’s shoulders and prepared to leave. Li Tongchui felt even more determined to follow Lin Jingyue and live well.

"Wait," Lin Jingyue called them back. She handed them four ten-yuan notes and another ten yuan in small change. "Here, let's settle the account."

The two men rubbed their hands together, initially wanting to be polite, but Lin Jingyue saw through them and pressed the money into their hands. "Just take it."

It was freezing, and she wanted to get back to the warmth of the *kang*.

On the way back, Sun Jiabao turned on his flashlight and found a spot to divide the money. He handed twenty-five yuan to Li Tongchui. "Remember, give your parents five yuan, and keep the rest hidden."

Holding the twenty-five yuan, Li Tongchui felt as if he were dreaming. Truth be told, it was the most money he had ever held. Usually, his mother would give him a dime or two, and most of the time it was just a few pennies.

He returned home in a daze. Seeing him walk in, his mother glared. "Where have you been running off to? You even dared to steal grain from the house! No dinner for you tonight... wait, why do I smell meat? Did you eat meat?" She lowered her voice, as there were other sons in the house.

His parents stared at him from the main room. "Father, Mother, keep your voices down," Li Tongchui said mysteriously, leaning in close. "I went to the educated youth dormitory, and Educated Youth Lin treated us to meat..." He gave a brief account of the event, omitting the ginseng and claiming they had merely dug up some rare herbs. It left his parents stunned.

"This five yuan is what Educated Youth Lin gave me. Mother, you keep it."

*Whoa!* The five yuan terrified the elderly couple. "Son, you didn't, you couldn't have..."

"Mother, what are you thinking? Educated Youth Lin is a respectable person. In any case, I’m going to stick with her from now on. At the very least, I’ll get to eat meat every now and then," Li Tongchui interrupted her.

His mother clutched the five-yuan note, feeling it burn her palm. "Father..."

The old man tapped his pipe, pondered for a moment, and said, "Be careful." That educated youth clearly had great capability; she didn't want for anything and surely had her own connections. Their son wasn't one to settle for farm work, so following Lin Jingyue might actually lead him somewhere.

*PS: The supporting characters: Jiang Xun, we salute you as a man!*
*Jiang Xun: Aren't you all men?*
*The supporting characters: Oh, we salute you as a 'bare' man.*
*Jiang Xun: Get lost!*