Chapter 51: Chapter 51: Moving Out

Chen Dewen mocked, “Even eating can’t shut your mouth!”

Lu Nianying only took a small bite and chewed it carefully, swallowing with difficulty, “Kong Lijuan, not everyone’s family is like yours, relying on eating coarse grain to make a living!”

Kong Lijuan looked at Zheng Siqi in horror, his face dark as if dripping water, and helplessly said, “Zheng Zhiqing, I, I didn’t mean you!”

She didn’t expect that the ones who couldn’t eat the pancake weren’t just Xu Qinghuan, but the three from Yan City, especially Zheng Siqi.

And she unexpectedly offended Zheng Zhiqing because of Xu Qinghuan.

Xu Qinghuan chuckled lightly in a good mood.

Duan Qingmei came out of the room with a basin, saw the pot still unwashed, and angrily said, “Still not washing the pot, we need to boil water for a bath, spending time gossiping here, why not quickly empty the pot!”

There was no oil in the pot, so Xu Qinghuan conveniently put down the lunchbox to wash the pot. She scooped a ladle of water, scrubbed it with dry loofah sponge, and the pot was clean as new.

“Xu Qinghuan, it’s your turn to cook tomorrow!” Duan Qingmei knew Xu Qinghuan went to the county today and thought she might have bought some food back, hoping to catch some advantage for herself.

Xu Qinghuan glanced at her indifferently, making space on the stove, “I won’t do it!”

Duan Qingmei was instantly furious, raising her barely colored eyebrows, “What do you mean? Everyone living in the Zhiqing Point must share labor duties, the men fetch water and chop wood, the women cook. You have to take turns if you’re living at the Zhiqing Point.”

Xu Qinghuan said, “I won’t be staying at the Zhiqing Point from tomorrow morning.”

Duan Qingmei was extremely shocked and couldn’t speak for a long time.

Lu Nianying leaned closer, hesitantly, “Qinghuan, if you’re not staying at the Zhiqing Point, where will you go?”

This matter was bound to be revealed sooner or later, and Xu Qinghuan took this opportunity to say, “I rented a house in the village, moving out first thing tomorrow morning.”

Just as Lu Nianying was about to say something, Qiao Xinyu came over, “I’m moving out with Qinghuan, can we start moving already?”

The last sentence was directed at Xu Qinghuan. She had been hoeing the cornfield all day and was too tired to speak. Hearing they were moving out first thing, Qiao Xinyu hurriedly said, “I’ll take half a day off tomorrow morning to move with you.”

Lu Nianying quickly asked, “Qiao Zhiqing, are you moving too?”

Qiao Xinyu replied with a “Mm” and seeing Xu Qinghuan looking happy, asked, “What did the doctor say today?”

Xu Qinghuan relayed the doctor’s diagnosis. Actually, Doctor Song’s diagnosis was a bit severe, saying there might be internal organ injuries. Everyone looked at Kong Lijuan, and invisibly distanced themselves from her.

Kong Lijuan cried out, “Didn’t I already compensate you with a hundred yuan!”

Qiao Xinyu said angrily, “Shouldn’t you have compensated? Don’t think paying money absolves everything; the doctor said there might be sequelae, you’d better pray that Huanhuan remains safe and sound and lives long.”

Kong Lijuan shot a bitter glare at Xu Qinghuan and dashed into the house. Soon, muffled, loud cries came from within.

Yu Xiaomin furrowed her brows and suddenly said, “Huanhuan, can I move in with you guys? But I don’t have much money; I’ll live in the storage room at the back. Can I pay less rent?”

Xu Qinghuan and Qiao Xinyu exchanged a glance, happily saying, “Sure, it’s no problem. You only need to pay ten cents.”

Yu Xiaomin shook her head, “No, I’ll pay twenty cents! I’ll handle things like planting vegetables and chopping firewood in the future, OK with you both?”

Qiao Xinyu said, “The three of us together, there’s no one around that house, having you with us adds a sense of security. Don’t think about anything else.”

Yu Xiaomin handed two yuan and forty cents to Xu Qinghuan, Qiao Xinyu gave her four yuan and eighty cents, which was a year’s rent.

Yu Xiaomin counted her money; she only had twenty-three yuan and fifty cents left, which made her a bit uneasy.

But thinking about it, she could still earn money in the coming year, which lifted her spirits again.

Xu Qinghuan and Yu Xiaomin returned tonight’s meal portion to Chen Dewen, whispering, “Once we settle in, we’ll treat you all to a meal.”

“Sure, don’t forget!” Chen Dewen smiled.

At night, the three lay on the kang, all feeling joyous. Xu Qinghuan looked at Yu Xiaomin’s profile, “What made you change your mind suddenly?”

Yu Xiaomin adjusted her quilt, “I still can’t bear to leave you two.”

Feelings develop through interaction; if the two left and she stayed at the Zhiqing Point, they couldn’t see each other daily anymore. Over time, they’d surely drift apart. Wanting to return to the same close, united relationship as now would likely never happen again.

Some things, once missed, can never return.

The next morning, Yu Xiaomin packed her things and entrusted them to Xu Qinghuan because she couldn’t take leave; she had to start work that day.

She took out her grain ration to cook together with the others at the Zhiqing Point, and encountered rejection from Duan Qingmei, despite it not being Duan Qingmei’s turn to cook.

Qu Qiongfang, as the vice-captain of the Zhiqing Point, surprisingly didn’t say a word.

Yu Xiaomin was quite angry, but Xu Qinghuan pulled her aside, took out some malted milk from the kang cabinet, made her a drink, and handed her a cornmeal bun, “Eat up!”

Yu Xiaomin took a hefty bite of the bun, glad she ultimately decided to move out.

She’s never been great at dealing with people, nor managing conflicts.

“I’ll repay you later,” Yu Xiaomin said while eating the bun. Although it looked like cornmeal, it was cold; however, it was soft and tasty, different from the hybrid flour buns she usually ate.

“Just eat; we have a long way ahead,” Xu Qinghuan didn’t mind.

The corn bun was bought in bulk before, feeling it was good to have some healthy grains, but she never thought of eating it.

Most of the food stored in her space was obtained like this.

The corn bun, who knows how long it had been stored, had absorbed much spiritual energy, and Yu Xiaomin felt full after finishing the fist-sized bun.

After drinking a mug of malted milk, she felt invigorated and was the first to head to the brigade office.

In terms of work, Yu Xiaomin was definitely proactive.

Xu Qinghuan organized her belongings and was helping Qiao Xinyu tidy up her bed when Qiao burst in with excitement, “Huanhuan, I borrowed a cart outside, let’s move!”

“Sure!”

Xu Qinghuan first carried an old kang mat to the cart, laid a layer of wrapping cloth on it, then rolled the bedding with the kang mat, placing three rolls on the cart, followed by her few pieces of furniture, a kang table, a footbath tub, and stacked them.

Left were basins and miscellaneous items, filling the cart to the brim.

Probably out of fear that Xu Qinghuan and the others would steal something, Duan Qingmei stayed behind, watched over until they’d moved every last bit, and then saw them off with the cart.

By then, they were already late for work.

However, Qu Qiongfang took a leave on her behalf, so her work points wouldn’t be docked.

“Hmm, she’s a thief herself, yet she guards against others like they’re thieves. Back when I stayed here, my soap was secretly used up by her. Obviously, I hadn’t used soap all day, but when I went to bathe at night, the soap was wet, you have no idea how disgusted I felt sharing soap with someone else!”

Qiao Xinyu pulled the cart as Xu Qinghuan pushed from the back, and the two headed towards their new home.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep