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Aunt Zhou kept Xiao Cheng at home for dinner, and Yezhi volunteered to help in the kitchen. She took out the last three eggs from the house, made a fragrant scallion omelet, mixed some vinegar cucumbers, and then went to the garden to pick two purple eggplants. After steaming them, she mixed them with bright red chili sauce, salt, and scallions, ginger, and garlic. It turned out to be quite delicious.
Yezhi brought the dishes to the table, and Aunt Zhou helped set the bowls and chopsticks. "Teacher Xiao, please take a seat!" Aunt Zhou warmly invited the somewhat uneasy Xiao Cheng to sit down.
Aunt Zhou handed a whole grain pancake to Xiao Cheng. "Dear girl, why is there no soup?" Yezhi really forgot about it. Just as she stood up, Xiao Cheng stopped her, saying, "No need to trouble yourself; just water will do!"
Yezhi smiled and said, "It's no trouble; I was just going to pour you some water." Xiao Cheng's face turned a bit hot as he awkwardly sat down and buried his head in the whole grain pancake.
Aunt Zhou shot Yezhi a fierce glare, and Yezhi cheerfully returned to Aunt Zhou's side. "Teacher Xiao, there's nothing special; come eat some eggs." Aunt Zhou picked up a piece of egg and placed it in Xiao Cheng's bowl but was secretly worried: Dear girl, what's wrong today! The cucumber is sour, the eggplant is spicy; it's below standard. I don't know how to eat anything except for the eggs.
Xiao Cheng, like most people from Hunan, loved sour and spicy flavors. Even though he had lived in Beijing for twelve years, the taste of his hometown was deeply ingrained in him. The simple dishes on the table were the most satisfying meal he had since arriving in Northeast China. He couldn't help but glance at Yezhi; she must have made this just for him!
"Today was a bit rushed; next time I'll catch a big fish, Teacher Xiao, you can contribute some chopped chili again, and I'll make you a fish head with chopped chili!"
After hearing Yezhi's words, Xiao Cheng chuckled and said, "I didn't expect Comrade Yezhi to still remember my little bit of chopped chili!" It was true; Yezhi didn't argue. Xiao Cheng was straightforward and joked that whenever he caught a big fish would be when he would contribute.
After lunch, Xiao Cheng took his leave. Yezhi grabbed a bag of wild fruits from home and stuffed it into Xiao Cheng's hands for him to take back. Unable to refuse her insistence, he finally accepted it with a blush. Yezhi looked at his flushed face and laughed heartily inside: so cute!
In the afternoon, Aunt Zhou took Black Treasure out to the field while Yezhi hurriedly applied some makeup on herself. She changed into a bright red floral top and dark blue pants, tied her hair up with a red ribbon, then called out to Xiao Fang. Holding various wild fruits, she asked Xiao Fang to create a 3D image.
After taking photos, Xiao Fang returned to her glasses. Yezhi washed off all her makeup, put on her Bite-Resistant Armor, changed clothes again, ran back inside eagerly logging in.
"Master, you're here!" Xiao Fang pulled out a 3D image of Yezhi holding Pickled Peaches and brought it to the light door. When Yezhi saw that at the Cash Register area, Xiao Fang had already set up a 3D image of her holding "Girl."
"Master, can we pin the 3D image of you wearing the red agate Thorny Fruit necklace on the light door?"
"Sure; it's for our online store's promotional avatar..." Before Yezhi could finish her sentence, Xiao Fang pulled up their online store's homepage. The homepage mirrored everything in their store perfectly in 3D.
Xiao Fang dragged over the default wooden sign from their online store next to Yezhi. Struggling with naming it for a long time due to her lack of creativity, Yezhi finally used a laser to engrave "Earth's Rarity" on the wooden sign. Then she looked at hardworking Xiao Fang and drew a square head of robot Xiao Fang in one corner of the sign.
"Master, is this me?" Xiao Fang's voice trembled with excitement.
Yezhi nodded and said, "Yes! This is our online store." The corners of Xiao Fang's mouth lifted happily while tears welled up in her square eyes.
Yezhi gently stroked Xiao Fang's head, and with tears and laughter, Xiao Fang hugged her and exclaimed, "Master, Xiao Fang is so happy!"
"Happy, absolutely! Our joyful days are ahead!" Yezhi promised.
Xiao Fang nodded repeatedly, saying "Mm! Mm!"
After hanging up the wooden signboard, Yezhi admired it for a moment before handing the pricing task to Xiao Fang and went offline to prepare dinner.
The next morning, Xiao Cheng handed the completed recommendation letter to Yezhi. After finishing lunch, Yezhi went to the rice fields to find Village Uncle, asking him to return to the village to issue her a certificate. Once everything was ready, Yezhi went to bed early, waiting for dawn to set off for the city.
In the quiet of the deep night, Yezhi, who had been sleeping soundly, was awakened by Dulisa's video call and logged in.
Dulisa was wearing a deep V sapphire blue gown and was angrily confronting a chocolate-skinned man with black hair. Yezhi and Xiao Fang did not interrupt Dulisa but instead sat on the soft grass watching the drama unfold.
"Dear Ye, have you had enough of watching and laughing?" Dulisa asked irritably after kicking the black-haired man away.
Yezhi did not answer but curiously asked, "Who is that person?"
Dulisa placed her hands on her hips and disdainfully replied, "A secretary of a scoundrel. I have serious business to discuss with you." Yezhi sat up straight, all ears.
"Sis, I'm currently filming a movie. Do you want to play my servant?" Yezhi shook her head vigorously. She had realized during her last advertisement shoot with Bai Duoya that she had no talent for acting and did not want to suffer again.
Dulisa did not expect Yezhi to refuse without hesitation. "Dear Ye, didn't you do well with Bai Duoya? Don't be fooled by the servant role; she is actually a genuine second female lead and has connections with your favorite Xianruipu."
None of what Dulisa said attracted her interest. "Miss Dulisa, what is the pay for this film?" The money-minded Xiao Fang finally asked about the most important issue.
Dulisa chuckled, "15 million Bodeton. How about that?"
Xiao Fang's eyes lit up instantly, but Yezhi remained indifferent and simply said "Not filming!" before logging off.
After waking up naturally, Yezhi had breakfast and waved goodbye to Aunt Zhou before riding her folding bike into the county town. After asking a few passersby for directions, she finally found the Education Committee behind a large iron gate. As she approached the gate, an elderly man questioned her. After explaining her purpose, the gatekeeper kindly directed her to go straight and turn right.
Entering the chilly registration area, she was greeted by a refined lady wearing a blue short-sleeved shirt. After taking out Xiao Cheng's recommendation letter and Village Uncle's certificate, she smoothly completed her registration.
Yezhi walked out of the Education Committee, and it was already noon. At this time, there were few pedestrians on the street. She braved the scorching sun, holding a newly bought popsicle, wandering along the avenue.
"Yezhi, Yezhi!" A bicycle suddenly stopped beside Yezhi.
Zhang Dou cheerfully called out, "Yezhi, it's really you!"
When Yezhi saw that it was Zhang Dou, she happily replied, "It's me! Long time no see! Come on! I'm treating you to a meal." Yezhi had been pondering what to eat for lunch, and meeting Zhang Dou made going out for a meal seem like a natural choice.
"You rarely come back to the city; I should play the host. Let's go! Come eat at my house!" Without waiting for her response, he pulled Yezhi along, weaving through the streets until they finally stopped in front of two Tile Houses.
The house looked a bit old, with wooden beams in front and a small vegetable garden where eggplants, cucumbers, and green beans were growing quite robustly.
The door creaked open, and a woman stepped out. Yezhi and the woman exchanged surprised glances. Wasn't this the same woman from the Education Committee who had received her application?
"Mom, this is Yezhi from Zhoujiatun that I told you about," Zhang Dou enthusiastically introduced them.
"Hello, big sister, no, auntie!" Zhang Dou's mother greeted Yezhi warmly with a smile and invited her inside. A round-faced young girl emerged from within, resembling Zhang Dou quite a bit. She wore a floral blouse and had two thick black braids that hung down to her waist.
Yezhi thought that Zhang Dou's sister seemed more like the character from the song "There’s a girl in the village named Xiaofang, beautiful and kind-hearted, with a pair of lovely big eyes and long thick braids," than any rural person she had met.
"Girl, this is your brother's friend from Zhoujiatun..." Zhang Dou's mom began to introduce her daughter.
The young girl cheerfully interrupted, "I know! Sister Yezi, right?"
It seemed that Zhang Dou had talked quite a bit about their people and stories from Zhoujiatun when he returned home. Knowing someone else liked Zhoujiatun as much as she did made Yezhi very happy.
Yezhi confidently called out, "Hello, little sister! I am Yezhi from Zhoujiatun!"
"Young lady, you must be a sent-down youth!" A middle-aged man wearing a white tank top stood up. He was of medium height and quite thin, with an especially sallow complexion; however, his eyes were bright and spirited.
"Hello, uncle! Yes, I am a sent-down youth!" Upon hearing Yezhi's response, Zhang Dou's dad seemed to feel more familiar with her. Yezhi's gaze shifted between Zhang Dou and his father until she found an opportunity to quietly ask Zhang Dou, "Zhang Dou, your dad doesn't look too well."
Zhang Dou sighed and replied, "My dad has been having stomach issues these past few days; he's taking medicine!" Yezhi remained silent. Meanwhile, Zhang Dou's mother and sister had rushed into the kitchen to prepare food. Yezhi was then asked by Zhang Dou's dad about the situation in Zhoujiatun.
Yezhi, during the question and answer session, also took a look around Zhang Dou's home. Inside, there was a heated kang, and the furnishings were simple, consisting of just a few wooden pieces. Two wooden frames hung on the wall, filled with black and white photos. On the wooden table by the window sat a radio, which was probably the most valuable item in the house.
"Sister Yezi, have some tea!" Yezhi took a sip; the tea was fragrant yet not overly strong. The water wasn't as good as what she had at home; otherwise, the tea would have been even more aromatic.
Soon, a plate of stir-fried chives with eggs, stewed eggplant, cured meat with green beans, coarse rice porridge, and steamed white buns were all laid out on the kang table. Uncle, Auntie, Sister, and Zhang Dou all served dishes into Yezhi's bowl, and she happily dug in.
The meal was enjoyable, and feeling a bit full, Yezhi shyly helped to clear the bowls and chopsticks. Auntie boiled some hot water while Yezhi gazed enviously at the shiny black charcoal balls.
"Yezi, I want to ask you something."
"Auntie, go ahead!"
"Yezi, does your village have wild boars? If there are Wild Boar Piglets, could you keep an eye out for me?"
Although Yezhi didn't know what use Wild Boar Piglets had, she nodded in agreement. "No problem, Auntie. How many do you need?"
"Just keep an eye out for two. Auntie is in a bit of a bind; it's your first visit after all," Zhang Dou's mom said apologetically.
Yezhi quickly waved her hand. "It's fine! Don't mention it; there really are wild boars in our Zhoujiatun. Can I ask what they are used for?"
"Yezi, your uncle has an old stomach ailment; we need wild boar blood as a medicinal ingredient..." After hearing Auntie's explanation, Yezhi had already made up her mind!
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