Half-Mountain Courtyard

When Zhao Jianguo rode back from the Commune on his bicycle, he happened to see the girl he loved stomping angrily onto the field ridge. He hurriedly stopped and went over to ask what was wrong.

Seeing that it was her close friend, Jiang Hongmei immediately told him about what had just happened in a wronged tone. "Jianguo, what's gotten into Gu Yu? Why won't he listen to my advice?"

Zhao Jianguo's face darkened, irritation churning in his heart. He felt that Gu Yu was truly in the way. Looking up at her, he patiently offered a few words of comfort, then said that he would go home to put away his bicycle before heading to the Educated Youth Station to help them repair the roof.

Only then did some of the smile return to Jiang Hongmei's face, but it fell again in the next instant. "But I still want to try persuading Gu Yu."

"Heh..."

Zhao Jianguo let out a soft sigh and could not help lowering his head to suck at his teeth. Both hands clenched tightly around the handlebars. For the first time, he felt the urge to slap her, but in the blink of an eye, surges of intense affection inexplicably welled up from the bottom of his heart, swiftly washing away his anger until it vanished without a trace.

His gaze flickered. Then he curled his lips, lifted his head, and looked at her with utter sincerity, softening his voice. "Gu Yu is stubborn and cares about his pride. You keep bringing up his family background in front of everyone, so of course he isn't happy.

"How about this? Once I ride home and put away my bicycle, I'll go up the mountain with you to persuade him. How does that sound?"

"Really? Thank you, Jianguo."

The smile returned to Jiang Hongmei's face. Her hands unconsciously grasped the two braids resting over her chest as she shyly looked back at him. Her almond eyes fluttered, dark and bright, utterly captivating.

Zhao Jianguo stared at her in a daze, his chest burning hot. "Y-you're welcome!"

"Mhm!"

Jiang Hongmei nodded lightly. "Then... I'll go back to the Educated Youth Station and wait for you."

With that, she twisted around and ran off. Watching her lovely figure recede into the distance, Zhao Jianguo secretly swore that he had to get rid of Gu Yu, this obstacle, as soon as possible. Otherwise, Jiang Hongmei would never completely give up and throw herself into his arms.

"Hmph!"

He gave a cold snort and rode home. Meanwhile, Gu Yu and Shen Jianan had only just reached the pile of rocks.

"Brother Gu, while it's still early, go feed the cattle at the Cattle Shed on your way. I'll head back and cook first. You can eat as soon as you get back."

"Alright!"

Gu Yu handed him the hoe slung over his shoulder. "Sorry to trouble you with carrying this back first."

"Okay!"

The youth casually took it and set it over his other shoulder. With a hoe on each side, he turned and happily headed up the mountain path. Seeing him hopping and skipping along, Gu Yu could not help reminding him, "Slow down. Be careful not to fall."

"Got it!"

Shen Jianan did not turn around, merely answering crisply. Then, obediently, he slowed his pace. Only then did Gu Yu leave in the direction of the Cattle Shed.

Carrying the hoes, the youth went up the mountain and saw the crude little courtyard from afar. At the end of the mountain path stood a waist-high courtyard wall built from broken stones and clay.

Pushing open the courtyard gate and entering, he saw two thatched huts on the northern side, one for sleeping and one for storing odds and ends. A little farther from the huts, beside the road, stood a half-enclosed grass shed that served as the kitchen.

Directly opposite him, about a meter from the corner of the wall, was a naturally formed spring. Its stream flowed all year round, about as thick as a finger. The water was sweet and refreshing, their best relief from the summer heat.

Below it, where the spring water had washed over the ground year after year, a water pit the size of a bathtub had gradually formed, about a meter deep.

When Gu Yu had been sent here to live, he had used a sharp stone to dig a palm-wide drainage ditch behind the water pit, gradually deepening it all the way to the cliff's edge. That way, used water could be poured directly out and flow down the ditch into the weeds and rocks below the mountain.

Along the left side of the courtyard gate, seeds had been scattered in a strip beside the wall, with sparse green shoots emerging. Since it was still the era of collective ownership and everyone ate from the same big pot, aside from the little seedlings people grew in front of and behind their own homes, every blade of grass and tree elsewhere belonged to the collective.

However, food rations were scarce now, and people generally could not eat their fill, so the village turned a blind eye to some of everyone's activities, whether hunting in the mountains, gathering wild fruit, fishing in the river, or picking up mussel shells.

As long as they had the ability to get something and voluntarily handed a portion over to the brigade, usually no one would say much. Of course, if some overly serious person who did not know how to behave secretly reported them, that was another matter altogether.

Thus, most villagers did not casually go into the mountains or down to the river unless it was during a festival and Brigade Secretary Zhao Qiancheng had organized it, or they went secretly themselves. But afraid of being found out, those people would also take something to the Zhao Household at night.

Thanks to these offerings, Zhao Qiancheng's family lived very comfortably, and at the same time, his appetite only grew bigger and bigger.

The youth set the hoes down in the corner, stood there dusting off his arms and patting the dirt from his clothes, then walked to the spring and washed his hands. Only then did he enter the kitchen shed, reach up to pluck two chilies from the string hanging directly above the stove, then crouch down and pick two potatoes and two sweet potatoes from a broken basket in the corner. He tossed them into a basin, washed and cut them, and set them aside.

Only then did he scoop out a bowl of cornmeal and pour it into a chipped winnowing basket. Seeing plenty of unground husks mixed in, Shen Jianan feared they would scratch his throat, so he carried it to a spot by the door where the wind was blowing and shook it, sifting out the husks.

Only when the basket held nothing but golden-yellow cornmeal did he stop, turn back into the grass shed, and pour it into a small basin. He added a little water and stirred it into a paste.

Then he lit the fire and added three large ladles of water to the iron pot. While the water was still cold, he poured in the corn paste and kept stirring it with a spoon so it would not stick to the pot or clump up.

Once the golden corn porridge began bubbling away, Shen Jianan quickly fished out the diced sweet potatoes that had been soaking in water and put them into the iron pot to simmer together.

Actually, he preferred plain corn porridge, but cooking it plain would not fill them up and would waste too much cornmeal. He himself had meat coupons and grain coupons and lacked neither food nor drink, but he also had to consider Gu Yu's feelings.

Gu Yu was a proud person who never wanted to take even a fraction of anyone else's advantage. Naturally, no one else should even dream of getting any benefit from him either, Jiang Hongmei excepted.

After ladling the cooked corn porridge into a porcelain basin and covering it with a food cover, Shen Jianan began washing the pot to stir-fry vegetables. They only had one iron pot, and it had once been used at the Cattle Shed to cook pig feed. Because half of it had been broken in a fall, the brigade had no use for it, and the original owner had shamelessly asked for it.

Otherwise, before he had moved into the thatched hut halfway up the mountain, Gu Yu had cooked meals and dishes in the enamel mug he drank from. That mug had been smoked pitch-black by firewood, making Shen Jianan laugh for ages.

Once the iron pot was clean and set over the stove, the firewood immediately made it sizzle. Holding a pot brush, he quickly scrubbed it a few times and swept out the excess moisture. Then he picked up the spatula, preparing to scoop out oil for cooking, only to remember that Gu Yu's and the original owner's important belongings were all kept in the room.

He could only put down the spatula and hurry into the room. From the corner of the bed, he took out the aluminum lunchbox holding the oil, opening the lid as he walked back toward the kitchen.

Seeing only a thin layer of lard inside, he sighed softly. Then he scooped out a lump no bigger than the tip of his little finger, promptly closed the lid, and hurriedly put the oil into the already red-hot pot to melt.

Sizzle—

When blue smoke rose from the pot, Shen Jianan quickly added the chilies and fried them until crisp. He immediately threw in the shredded potatoes and stir-fried them a dozen times, sprinkled in a little salt for seasoning, then tossed everything evenly. A simple dish of stir-fried shredded potatoes with chilies was done.

After serving the dish into a bowl and placing it under the food cover, Shen Jianan removed the firewood from the stove and saved it for tomorrow. These days, they could not keep too much of anything, lest they make a mistake, especially since Gu Yu was under watch. Whatever it was, they had to use it sparingly.

When he stepped out of the kitchen, the sun had already set, yet Gu Yu still had not returned. Thinking that he had nothing better to do, Shen Jianan picked up the bucket by the wall and went into the courtyard to water the vegetables. But before he had finished, he heard Jiang Hongmei's coquettish voice drifting up from below the mountain.

He quickly set down the dipper and bucket, hurried to the courtyard wall, and crouched down to look below. There he saw those two fools, all lovey-dovey, making their way up the small path.

Jiang Hongmei shot Zhao Jianguo a shy look, her soft and delicate voice ringing between them. "Jianguo, thank you for speaking up for me just now. Otherwise, I really wouldn't have known what to do."

Zhao Jianguo was instantly electrified until his hands and feet went limp. He grinned foolishly at her and nearly forgot how to walk. "Don't mention it. They don't understand you, but I do."

"Mhm!"

Seeing his dazed gaze, Jiang Hongmei shyly bit her lip and lowered her head. "Y-you should watch where you're walking."

"Alright!"

Though Zhao Jianguo said so, his gaze did not shift away in the slightest. Shen Jianan found the sight sickeningly sweet and could not help biting a finger as his mind raced. Then inspiration struck. He turned to the half-full bucket of water, ran over with a wicked grin, and swiftly grabbed several handfuls of black soil to throw in and stir together.

Only then did he carry it one-handed to hide by the courtyard gate, patiently waiting for the pair to arrive. Unexpectedly, a journey that should have taken only five or six minutes took those two over ten minutes as they dawdled and clung to each other.

Shen Jianan rolled his eyes in speechless disgust, thinking that he had to splash them accurately later and let these two lunatics make a proper spectacle of themselves.

Finally, just as his patience was about to run dry, the pair reached the halfway point up the mountain. Only then did Zhao Jianguo tear his eyes away from the girl he loved, his reason gradually returning. Looking toward the courtyard gate ahead, he spoke as they walked.

"Hongmei, you spoke up so much for Gu Yu at the Educated Youth Station, yet he does not take you seriously at all. It really isn't worth it for you."

He paused and glanced at her. Seeing the aggrieved expression on her face, he quickly softened his tone. "Hongmei, I hope you'll think more about yourself from now on. Don't secretly grieve over someone who doesn't know gratitude, and don't beg those educated youths to treat him equally. He's from the XX faction, &@¥#Б$..."

Hidden behind the courtyard wall, Shen Jianan listened to the man endlessly disparage Gu Yu, and blazing anger immediately rose in his heart. As the two drew close, he swiftly lifted the half-full bucket, sprang out to the gate, and deliberately shouted as he viciously flung the water at them.

"Watch out!"

Splash—

Jiang Hongmei and Zhao Jianguo heard the warning but had no time to react before muddy water drenched them from head to toe, chilling them to the bone.

"Ahhhhh!"

Jiang Hongmei shut her eyes and screamed at the sudden turn of events. Zhao Jianguo, meanwhile, stared blankly at the bucket-carrying youth before him, his half-open mouth still full of muddy water.

"Oh dear! Sorry, I moved too fast and couldn't stop myself in time! Are you two okay?"

Shen Jianan apologized as if distressed, but the gloating in his eyes could not be concealed. Zhao Jianguo's fury flared at the sight. He violently spat out the water, stepped forward, and threw a punch at the youth. "Shen Jianan, I won't let you off!"

"Hey, hey, hey! What are you doing?"

Seeing the fist about to smash into his face, Shen Jianan hurriedly retreated into the courtyard and raised the bucket to block it.

Thud!

The fist struck the wooden bucket with a dull thump. Shen Jianan was shoved back several steps by the force and nearly fell to the ground.

Zhao Jianguo, meanwhile, felt a piercing pain shoot through his knuckles, so painful that he could not stop himself from crying out. "Ahhhhh! My hand—"

His fist trembling, he staggered back several steps. Raising his uninjured left hand, he gently grasped his dislocated right hand, glaring at Shen Jianan with utter resentment. "Shen Jianan, you dared to ambush me!?"

"Oh my! Your skill at telling barefaced lies with your eyes open has really become more and more refined, hasn't it!?"

Shen Jianan rolled his eyes hard at him and opened his mouth to fire back, only to accidentally hear faint voices drifting up from the foot of the mountain.

"The sun was really fierce today!"

"Wasn't it? My face got sunburned red!"

"Why didn't you wear a straw hat?"

"Don't even mention it. Yesterday, when I went to use the toilet, I left my hat on the field ridge for a moment. When I came back, some damned thief had taken it."

"How shameless, stealing even a hat..."

The youth knew at once that the latter voice belonged to Niu Chunhua, the brigade's famously long-tongued gossip. An idea immediately came to him. He quickly pulled a long face and spoke rudely to Zhao Jianguo.

"You two clearly came here uninvited, shouting and making a scene at the gate, and even tried to attack me and steal my things. Then you got unlucky and hurt your hand hitting the wooden bucket, but now you're blaming me? How shameless!"

"You're talking nonsense!"

Jiang Hongmei was so angered by his slander against herself and her friend that she immediately retorted. "Shen Jianan, stop spouting rubbish! Jianguo and I clearly came to find Gu Yu..."

"I haven't even gotten to you yet!"

Shen Jianan's voice suddenly rose as he glared fiercely at her. Jiang Hongmei shuddered in fright and momentarily forgot to retort. Before she could react, she heard him start spreading rumors about her and Zhao Jianguo again.

"You two went up the mountain and got yourselves filthy, but instead of going back to change clothes, you came to someone else's home reeking. You have no manners at all!"

"Shen Jianan! Don't talk nonsense! Nothing happened between Jianguo and me!"

Jiang Hongmei shouted furiously in shame and indignation. "You were the one who splashed us with water..."

"Heavens, did you hear that? The eldest son of the brigade secretary's family and Educated Youth Jiang rolled in the grass nest together."

Before she could finish, the increasingly loud discussion from below the mountain completely cut off her train of thought. She was so aggrieved that she did not know what to do, fear and panic filling her heart.

"What's so strange about that? Aren't those two always making eyes at each other?"

"Don't talk nonsense! Jiang Hongmei likes Gu Yu!"

"I think you're the blind one. Didn't you see that little bitch only treats Gu Yu like a slave? The one she likes is the brigade secretary's son, who has power and influence!"

"You all are too shortsighted! If you ask me, Jiang Hongmei doesn't fancy either of them. She just wants to use those two fools to protect her, so she can have an easier life.

"Once she gets through this period and has the chance to return to the city, she'll kick them away and find a man with an iron rice bowl to marry. How carefree would that be?"

"This is too much! How can they slander people like this? I-I'm going to argue with them!" Jiang Hongmei was frightened and panicked by their discussion. After all, in the current climate, even men and women standing a little too close would be pointed at and gossiped about, much less the things they were talking about.

Although nothing had happened between her and Zhao Jianguo, they really were covered in muddy water. Together with Shen Jianan's insinuating words, if they did not explain things clearly, neither of them would come out well afterward.

Shen Jianan was trying to ruin her! Jiang Hongmei was furious and hateful, thinking that she absolutely could not let herself be wronged like this. Crying, she turned and ran out of the courtyard. Standing on the halfway mountain path, she shouted indignantly down at the people below.

"You village women with your wagging tongues, your thoughts are filthy! Jianguo and I are completely innocent. We came up the mountain to find Gu Yu and help repair the Educated Youth Station's roof, yet you twisted it into something else. You're truly uncultured! I'll go speak to Secretary Zhao properly in a moment and have him judge this. What kind of punishment should people receive for slandering others so casually!?"

"Pfft!"

Hearing Jiang Hongmei's words, Shen Jianan could not help pursing his lips and snickering. Usually, she either met Gu Yu alone or followed Zhao Jianguo to the lakeside in the dead of night to walk and talk, hardly avoiding anyone.

Now that she was afraid of getting into trouble, she had only made things darker the more she explained, and even offended the people below. She would definitely not have an easy time in the future!

He could not help sighing inwardly. In the original plot, the author had paved the way for Jiang Hongmei at every turn. Otherwise, with her intelligence, she would probably have been beaten to death before she ever got together with Zhao Jianguo.