Chapter 112: Compromise and the Arrival of New Educated Youth

No one knows what the three of them discussed in the hospital ward, but they eventually reached a compromise. They agreed to let Zhang Dagang’s eldest daughter, Zhang Chaomei, who was about to graduate from high school, return to the village to take over his position as the accountant. Once this was settled, Village Chief Zhao and Team Leader Liang left the hospital.

Han Li played in the mud with a group of children for a while, enjoying the fun, but soon called it a day. Even so, his haul was quite substantial; he could not possibly finish all the loaches he had caught in a single meal.

"Don't go into the deep parts, and head back early so your families don't come looking for you," Han Li said.

"We know, Brother Han. Are you really not going to take some from my catch?"

"No, I have enough for today. Come visit me when you have time, and I'll make you some soda to drink."

After returning home with the loaches, Han Li dumped them into a basin filled with water and added a few drops of oil. Because loaches have a strong fishy odor and carry the smell of the silt they live in, this technique helps them purge the mud from their stomachs, making them cleaner and less earthy when cooked. After finishing this, Han Li took out his Barefoot Doctor’s Manual and sat in the courtyard to read, while a few wolf-hybrid puppies lay obediently at his feet. The afternoon sun shone on him; from a distance, it was a picture of perfect peace.

Unfortunately, this serene image was shattered by the bell signaling the end of the workday. Han Li put away his book and gave a hearty stretch. He changed the water in the loach basin, secured the dogs, and headed inside.

It wasn't long before the Yun sisters arrived, followed closely by Hao Hongmin and Yang Xiuying. As usual, Yang Xiuying’s voice reached the room before she did. "Han Li, I want to ask you something."

Seeing the crowd pour into his room, Han Li scooted back on the kang to make space. "You’re such a gossip—you have questions for me? I went to the hospital today, so I probably don’t know what you’re asking about."

"I'm not asking about village business today. I want to know about Accountant Zhang. Does this have anything to do with Wei Chunlan?"

Han Li looked at the group. He Mi looked somewhat helpless, but the others were all eyes and ears, wearing expressions that practically shouted, "Tell us, we’re ready for the scoop!"

"What connection could they possibly have?" Han Li asked. "I haven't heard anything. Do you have news? Share it with me."

Upon realizing Han Li didn't know anything, their excitement dimmed slightly, but Yang Xiuying immediately answered his question. "Let me tell you, it’s all over the village! Everyone says Accountant Zhang and Wei Chunlan were having an affair and had been seeing each other in secret for a long time. This time, when Wei Chunlan wanted to leave, the accountant couldn't bear to let the young beauty go. Some say he even knelt and begged her to stay, but Wei Chunlan didn't hesitate to kick him away. Refused and heartbroken, the accountant tried to take his own life with rat poison."

Han Li was stunned. Good grief, who wrote this script? It was a waste of talent not to be a professional novelist. He didn't believe a word about the accountant begging for mercy. However, the part about the accountant kneeling was true, though the timing and context were entirely different from what they claimed.

"Ahem," Han Li coughed. "Let’s just listen to this as a bit of gossip. It’s best not to spread it around. There are quite a few people in Shanghe Village who share the surname Zhang."

Yang Xiuying pressed further: "I keep feeling like you know something. Otherwise, you wouldn't have only sent a small amount of mushrooms yesterday."

"Comrade Yang, that’s not fair," Han Li replied. "I’ve never been close to the educated youth dormitory; we don’t have any deep friendship, so not going empty-handed was already decent enough. Besides, if I had given a female comrade a large gift upon her departure, what would others think?"

Han Li’s retort left Yang Xiuying speechless, and sensing his irritation, she didn't dare continue. He Mi felt a strange sense of secret pleasure that Han Li hadn't revealed the truth; it felt like a secret shared only between the two of them.

Hao Hongmin threw a helpless look at Yang Xiuying and stepped in to smooth things over. "He Mi, didn't Qi Zhaodi say she was moving in with you today? She’s almost finished packing. Shall we go help her move?"

"Right, I got so caught up in the gossip I forgot about that. She only has one bundle and some grain; everything else is already at my place, so two of us will be enough."

After bidding Han Li farewell, they left. Yun Yingying walked at the back, and Han Li whispered in her ear, "How are your skills with cooking loaches? I caught a lot today."

"Loaches? My sister is good at that. I’ll bring her over after we finish helping."

Han Li wanted to say more, but Yun Jingjing was already calling for her sister from the front. Yun Jingjing was quite protective, but since she was a good cook, he decided to let it be. Even tigers take naps; he didn't believe she could keep up her vigilance forever.

It wasn't long before the Yun sisters returned. Yun Jingjing carried a large bunch of greens and a pair of scissors.

"Where are those dirty clothes you wore today?" Yun Yingying asked as she entered. "I’ll wash them for you."

"They're in the basin by the water vat. The loaches are there too."

Yun Jingjing shot her sister a look, put down the greens, and began to process the loaches. She found a wooden board and drove a thick, long needle into it. She pulled up a small stool, sat by the basin, and rolled up her sleeves to reveal her fair, delicate arms. Reaching into the basin, she grabbed a plump loach and snipped off its head with a quick snap of the scissors. The headless loach was still squirming as she swiftly pinned it onto the long needle. With one hand, she straightened the fish, and with the other, she sliced it open to clean it. She tossed the cleaned loach into another basin and immediately grabbed another, repeating the process with incredible speed.

Han Li was dumbfounded by her efficiency. He leaned toward Yun Yingying and whispered, "Your sister is so skillful. How many loaches did she have to kill to get that good?"

"Didn't I tell you? My sister specifically learned how to cook from someone. These are just little tricks."

Perhaps noticing that the sisters were busy while Han Li was acting like a loafer, Yun Jingjing said, "Han Li, if you're not busy, go trade for some chili peppers—get both green and red ones."

Well, she was the chef for the day, so she made the calls. Han Li was sent away on an errand, while she stayed behind to continue lecturing her sister. Yun Jingjing made stir-fried loaches with chili peppers—simple, fast, and, most importantly, delicious and perfect with rice. Despite the good meal, Han Li still ended up sleeping alone on his kang that night.

The next day, work resumed as usual, but Han Li was surrounded by aunties and grandmothers. They were all fishing for news about the accountant in the hospital, hoping to extract some classified information from him. Han Li only told them the situation at the hospital and claimed ignorance on everything else. Even so, he heard many variations of the story from them. The legendary lovers in *Romance of the West Chamber* had nothing on Zhang Dagang and Wei Chunlan.

The day passed listening to stories. The Yun sisters didn't eat at Han Li’s place that evening. After dinner, Han Li took his dogs out to train them, mostly to correct their bowel habits so he wouldn't have to shovel dog waste every day.

Upon returning, he realized the autumn harvest was approaching, and he heard that mealtimes would be as chaotic as a battlefield. He wanted to make some meat jerky to keep his strength up. With limited resources, he had to use a method he had seen before for making beef jerky. He selected lean meat and cut it into strips; for today, he could only soak the meat to draw out the blood and marinate it, storing it in the cellar until the next day.

On the third day, word spread that the Village Chief had gone to the county to pick up new educated youths, and Team Leader Liang tacitly agreed. It seemed the dormitory would be getting fresh blood; he just hoped they wouldn't be any "unique" characters that would make life noisy.

On his way back, he happened to walk with Sun Yong and asked, "Team Leader Sun, I heard new youths are arriving. Is it the usual routine tonight?"

Sun Yong looked constipated. "No banquet this time. If they’re like the last batch, it’s not worth the headache. Let me tell you, I was almost certain to get the spot for the agricultural college, but with their antics twice now, my hope is nearly gone."

Seeing Sun Yong’s dejected face, Han Li didn't know how to console him. Luckily, they were almost home, and Han Li patted his shoulder in encouragement.

At lunch, Yang Xiuying ran over. "Hey, did you hear? Both team leaders said there won't be any welcome banquet this time. Can you imagine how miserable those youths must feel?"

"Isn't it better this way?" Han Li asked. "What if one of them is the type to flip the table like I did?"

"That wouldn't happen."

"It's hard to say. The forest is big, and there are all kinds of birds, especially now that grain is scarce."

"I should go back and tell Hongmin. We're closest to the dormitory, so we should make sure we don't get dragged into anything."

As soon as Yang Xiuying left, the Yun sisters arrived together.

(End of chapter)