Changing Rooms

This program was produced by Tomato Listening.

Lin Yuzhu let out a sigh of relief. She had more or less offended the village chief today, though she figured he would not take it too seriously. Village families liked to seek his judgment over every little trivial matter, and as a cranky old man with a bit of male chauvinism, he had been snapped at plenty by the village women. Maybe he had gotten used to it after all that snapping.

The village chief's situation was actually rather pitiful now. He did not even have as much standing as the Production Team Leader and the accountant. In the village, those two carried more weight these days. As for whether he would make things difficult for them later—dream on. Nothing could not be settled with a gift. If one packet of brown sugar was not enough, then two packets would do.

There was absolutely no way she could give up the house.

In truth, the village chief thought it over afterward and came around. Those girls had come from the city and had seen the world. They were not like the villagers, whom he could intimidate with just a few words. Did he want those little girls to give up their house without paying them?

How could he pay? Who could come up with seventy or eighty yuan?

When the village chief's wife learned about what had happened today, she stared at him as if her eyes had been opened to a whole new world and asked in shock, "What were you thinking? Have you gone senile?"

Even now, the village chief's eyelids kept twitching.

The newly arrived male educated youths really could not come up with any money. It was already good enough that the money on them could buy enough grain to keep them fed.

So another argument broke out at noon over changing rooms.

By coincidence, the two newly arrived female educated youths were also from Beijing.

As for why such a small village had received so many educated youths from Beijing, all anyone could say was that it was thanks to the male lead.

Over the past two months, the turmoil seemed to have settled considerably. Though the Li Family had been affected, its foundation had not been damaged.

As a result, Li Xiangbei, with his good looks and fine family background, became a hot commodity again.

And so, two young ladies from Beijing with a little money came running straight for him.

The two sisters refused to stay in the southern educated youths' room after hearing that an old man had died there.

Zhao Xianglan stood to one side with an expression as though the sky had fallen, like a flower that had been ravaged, wilted and listless.

Zhang Yanqiu, on the other hand, cleverly suggested, "Why not add another kang bed?"

Wang Yang could not help rolling his eyes. "Our room? We can barely move around after putting in a table. How are we supposed to build another kang bed?"

So changing rooms was unavoidable.

The two newly arrived female educated youths were biological sisters. The older one was called Dong Tiantian, and the younger was Dong Mimi. They looked somewhat alike, and just like their names, they both looked sweet.

Seeing that they absolutely had to change rooms, Dong Mimi made one last struggle. She walked over to Li Xiangbei's side, lowered her head, and said softly, "Brother Xiangbei, I'm scared."

Li Xiangbei froze for a moment before asking coldly, "You are?"

"We don't seem to know each other."

Dong Mimi's face instantly flushed red. "Brother Xiangbei, my family lives right behind your courtyard. You and my sister, weren't you two...?"

Hey!

Her words were so vague that everyone present assumed Dong Tiantian and Li Xiangbei had some unspeakable relationship.

Mm, something that could only be understood, not put into words.

Li Xiangbei turned to look at Dong Tiantian, utterly bewildered. With a serious expression, he said, "Explain yourself clearly. I don't know her. I can say that with certainty."

After saying that, he looked somewhat guiltily at Li Xiangwan.

Li Xiangwan did not look pleased, while Lin Yuzhu and Wang Xiaomei wore expressions of people watching a show.

The way Zhang Yanqiu looked at the sisters gradually turned hostile, even venomous. It made Lin Yuzhu shudder. That gaze was like a poisonous snake steeped in venom. She definitely needed to stay far away from the male lead in the future.

"Comrade Li, it was my younger sister who did not explain clearly. We were in the same high school class."

"Mm, don't you remember?"

"When you dropped a notebook on the ground before, I was the one who picked it up for you. Maybe my younger sister saw your notebook at home and misunderstood."

"You really are something. How could you jump to conclusions without asking me first?"

Though she was speaking words of reproach, her tone was full of indulgence, as if a child in her own family had made a joke of herself.

The two sisters were clearly playing off each other to build a connection.

In this era, passing a little note between a man and a woman could be spun into a romance.

It was perfectly normal for Li Xiangbei not to recognize one or two girls from his class.

"Sorry, I truly don't remember you."

After saying that, Li Xiangbei made it clear he had nothing more to say, leaving the sisters at a loss. How were they supposed to get closer to him if he acted like that?

The two of them grew awkward. They had come specifically for him, yet they had never expected things to turn out this way when they met.

Back in the alleyways, if the sisters merely smiled at someone, the other person would have practically rushed over.

Li Xiangwei's reaction caught them somewhat off guard. Zhang Yanqiu laughed outright, the heavy mockery in it nearly overflowing.

The Dong Sisters gradually reddened, standing there looking aggrieved and pitiful.

Lin Yuzhu figured the room-switching mess would continue for a while, so there probably would not be time for introductions. The village chief had not arranged her marriage, and she still had to work as usual that afternoon. She could not afford to go back to cook.

Li Xiangwan felt a little irritated, and Li Xiangbei also went back to his room to cook.

Li Xiangbei wanted to follow her, but he was one of the people who had to switch rooms, so he could not get away. He could only watch helplessly as Li Xiangwan stormed off.

His heart was in turmoil.

Seeing that both of them had slipped away, Wang Xiaomei stopped watching the show and followed them back.

As Lin Yuzhu listened to the occasional arguments still coming from the front rooms, she paused and turned to grab Wang Xiaomei.

"What's up?"

Wang Xiaomei looked at Lin Yuzhu in confusion.

"I'm too lazy to cook. How about I come mooch a meal off you?"

Lin Yuzhu realized that her skin had been getting thicker lately. She did not know why. Wang Xiaomei blinked and deliberately said, "Then bring your grain over. But don't skimp on the vegetables and chilies. Chilies are my life. They have to go in."

"Heh, I feel like eating something spicy today. Put in more, a lot more."

Lin Yuzhu said with a smile.

Wang Xiaomei always felt there was some kind of scheme afoot.

"Fine. Bring your grain over, and later you can go pick vegetables from the garden. I'll cover the firewood costs."

When she thought about it, she still had to do the cooking herself. She could not trust Lin Yuzhu with it.

And so, when Wang Xiaomei watched Lin Yuzhu pick half a basin of small hot peppers and a small handful of celery, she sucked in a breath and asked in astonishment, "You picked all that? Can you even handle that much?"

"I want something spicy!"

While Wang Xiaomei cooked, Lin Yuzhu sat in the courtyard sneezing nonstop. It was fucking choking.

By the time the meal in the back courtyard was ready, the people in the front courtyard had only just begun reluctantly changing rooms. Even then, they were still fussing, especially over the sleeping spots by the windows and doors in the female educated youths' room. No one wanted to sleep there.

Zhang Yanqiu was no longer the rookie she had once been. The autumn wind these past few days had nearly made her question life.

Though they were arguing fiercely, the smell of food drifting from the back courtyard made everyone hungry at the same time.

Their side had cold pots and unlit stoves, with no one organizing a meal. They had also fallen out with one another, making the atmosphere exceedingly strange.

Zhao Xianglan's eyes shifted as an idea came to her. She left the room and headed for the back courtyard. She went to find Li Xiangwan and timidly explained that the front courtyard probably would not be able to light a fire and cook today.

The newly arrived educated youths did not seem very sensible, and the village had not issued them grain either. She did not dare lend them grain on her own, afraid that once she started, she would not be able to stop. She was also worried that the two sisters would not return the grain.

In short, she looked down greatly on the two newly arrived female educated youths and did not really want to help them. Li Xiangwan might have felt some sympathy, so she kept Zhao Xianglan there to wait for Li Xiangbei and Wang Yang to come eat together.

Zhang Yanqiu more or less guessed what Zhao Xianglan had gone to do. She was only two steps behind and happened to see Zhao Xianglan staying in Li Xiangwan's room. Her eyes flickered, and she too began chatting with Li Xiangwan.

Unfortunately, Li Xiangwan did not have enough food, so Zhang Yanqiu had no choice but to turn around and look for Lin Yuzhu.

By coincidence, Lin Yuzhu was eating with Wang Xiaomei today.

Not to mention the little mess between her and Wang Xiaomei, she could not stand the chilies in the food either. She could only return to the front courtyard looking miserable.

The Dong Sisters had not brought any grain when they came to see the Educated Youth Dormitory, and they were not cooking either. They could only pin their hopes on Li Xiangbei and Wang Yang, who were also from Beijing. Before they could even speak, they saw Li Xiangbei and Wang Yang leave the room. The sisters were a little confused, wondering what everyone was going out for at this hour.

So the two of them followed.

Li Xiangbei wore a cold expression, while Wang Yang, following behind him, was sweating nervously, afraid that if he tagged along, he might not get any food and would be kicked out.

When they saw Li Xiangbei and Wang Yang enter Li Xiangwan's room, the Dong Sisters were stunned. Curious about what they were doing at someone else's place, they followed them inside.

The moment they entered, they saw four people seated at the table, ready to eat. They had not expected Li Xiangbei to share meals privately with female educated youths, and their vigilance immediately rose.

Zhao Xianglan's looks were nothing to worry about, but Li Xiangwan was truly beautiful. She had a palm-sized oval face, skin so pale it seemed to glow, and so tender it looked as though water could be pinched from it. Her clear, dazzling peach-blossom eyes were even more eye-catching, while her delicate nose and cherry lips made her look like a bewitching peach blossom that one could not look away from.

The more Dong Tiantian looked, the colder her heart became.

Dong Mimi blinked her moist almond-shaped eyes and cautiously said to Li Xiangbei, "Brother Xiangbei, we rode on the road all the way here, and now we're tired and hungry. Could we..." She did not make herself too clear, but her eyes were full of implication, and she kept glancing at Li Xiangwan.

The food had all been portioned out. It was already good enough that there was enough for Zhao Xianglan's extra share.

Li Xiangwan lowered her eyes and focused on eating without saying a word.

They had not asked her, anyway.

Li Xiangbei broke out in a cold sweat and looked guiltily at her. At that moment, he felt that the Dong Sisters had no sense of propriety. She had already treated them so coldly, yet they still did not understand that she was deliberately keeping her distance?

"There isn't enough food," Li Xiangbei said coldly.

The Dong Sisters left Li Xiangwan's place looking aggrieved, then turned and went to Lin Yuzhu's side.

Mooching a meal was a small matter. Their main purpose was to gather information and get to know people.

Looking at the two sisters who had come to her door, Lin Yuzhu thought they really were spoiled young ladies who knew nothing of life's hardships. They wanted to mooch a meal with empty hands—had they not considered why anyone would let them?