Educated Youth in the Countryside: She is the Village's Embroidery Queen!-Chapter 101: Giving Shoes

"Thank you!"

She quickly reached out to take it and took a bite under Yi Chichi’s smiling gaze.

Guessing it was too cold, she opened her mouth to spit it out.

"Don’t spit it out, really taste it."

Ge Sujuan playfully covered her mouth, and Zhou Qiuyu frowned and gulped it down, her little eyes filled with accusation.

"Is it sweet?"

Ge Sujuan laughed heartily.

Zhou Qiuyu, being an honest kid, shook her head and said it wasn’t sweet.

Qi Yang laughed helplessly, "Who told you that icicles are sweet?"

"Dun Dun and the others all said so."

Yi Chichi rolled her eyes, "You can’t always believe what kids say. They also say metal is sweet."

It’s common for Northeast kids to get their tongues stuck.

Yi Chichi’s comment hit Bai Chen and the others’ funny bone, and they laughed as they shared stories of Dun Dun and the other kids’ mischiefs.

There was the time one of them got their tongue stuck on a railing at the commune, another fell headfirst into a snow rut while playing on a sled and needed to be pulled out like a turnip, and so on.

Zhou Qiuyu’s eyes lit up, "How come I haven’t seen a sled?"

"Zhuangzhuang broke his leg last year, and the village banned kids from playing with sleds."

Which means they won’t get a chance to experience the thrill of sleds.

Yi Chichi was quite disappointed, she looked at the swirling snow and said, "It’s not going to stop anytime soon, what are you all planning to do?"

"Glue matchboxes."

"Read books."

There wasn’t much to do on snowy days, and the wind was strong, so no one wanted to go out.

So, eventually, Yi Chichi and the others heated up the stove and nestled in the big room, busy with their own things.

On the fifth day, Wen Shi and the others left, but before they went, they came to say goodbye and handed her ten "big banknotes" and a stack of tickets.

Their earnest request was that, ensuring her own safety, she would take time to check on the elders.

If there were urgent needs, they hoped she’d use the money and tickets to help them.

Yi Chichi nodded in agreement but was puzzled by the money and tickets in her hand.

"Did you two pool this together?"

"No."

Wen Shi shook his head and softly said, "The fact that the elders could reach Kao Shan Village is the result of many people’s efforts. We each chipped in twenty, and the rest was contributed by others."

Which means there were quite a few people secretly watching over and protecting the elders.

Understandable, as an old ship still has its supports.

The elders had many enemies, but they also had many friends.

Some people can remain unshaken in the storm, which makes this outcome reasonable.

With this in mind, she solemnly promised, "Rest assured, I will make sure all this money and tickets go to the elders."

"Thank you!"

"You’re welcome. What time is your ticket?"

"The 3:30 PM train."

Yi Chichi checked the time, "Then you should get going and be careful on the way."

"Alright, when you’re bored, you can come and hang out with my mom."

Wen Shi’s words were meaningful, and it took Yi Chichi a moment to realize the deeper meaning.

The invitation to visit his mother was genuine, but the other reason was to let her know that if she couldn’t find a proper opportunity, she could use it as an excuse to visit the elders.

It was a thorough arrangement.

If her guess was right, Wen Shi’s mother was likely in on it too.

Great, now she had someone to cover for her.

"Got it, go and report to your new post without worry, I’ve got the elders covered here."

With her promise, Wen Shi and He Yunsong left with ease against the wind and snow.

Yi Chichi went back inside, and Wu Yongfei, who had been peeking out of the window, lit up and eagerly approached her.

"Are you dating one of those two?"

Yi Chichi, who had just taken off her shoes and was about to go embroider on the kang, turned her head swiftly towards him with a peculiar look.

"Which eye of yours saw me dating one of them?"

"Why else would they come see you?"

Yi Chichi rolled her eyes, "You guys all know to ask me for chilblain ointment, so why can’t they ask me for medicine?"

"So, did they ask you to buy medicine?"

"No, they didn’t."

She shook her head, calmly explaining to the curious onlookers, "They just came to remind me not to forget their medicine."

A reminder was indeed necessary since money and tickets had been paid.

Not having the goods in hand would keep anyone anxious.

Understandable.

Wu Yongfei, who didn’t get any gossip, returned to his spot sulkily to glue matchboxes, and Yi Chichi could settle into her work.

In the following days, except for when they went out to sweep snow, they all stayed indoors, working and chatting away the time.

Before they knew it, the Lunar New Year had passed. The weather was still cold, but better compared to before.

There was still some time before spring planting.

Uncle Yaozi, shouldering his medicine box, started going around the village to check on the villagers’ health before the spring planting officially began.

On the first day he went to the neighboring Red Flag Brigade, Yi Chichi was enlisted by Uncle Yaozi as a helper and apprentice.

It turned out that after a winter of good food and rest, she had regained most of her glow, catching the eye of a lazy man named Huang Laizi from the Red Flag Brigade, who made lewd remarks in front of her.

His gaze was salacious and obscene.

Yi Chichi couldn’t bear it and wanted to teach Huang Laizi a lesson.

But she didn’t succeed, as Uncle Yaozi suddenly lashed out and nearly beat Huang Laizi to a pulp.

Huang Laizi’s wails echoed across the sunlit square.

Later...

Later, the captain of the Red Flag Brigade and others had to talk Uncle Yaozi down with lots of good words.

Huang Laizi got beaten for nothing, and Yi Chichi’s apprenticeship lasted just one day, after which she was assigned to guard the medical room by Uncle Yaozi.

Thus, she began her days of embroidering in the medical room.

Liu Lan and the others, having nothing else to do, would come over to accompany her. They made one pair of insoles after another and crafted one pair of traditional shoes after another.

On this day, right after Yi Chichi had finished cleaning the medical room, Liu Lan and the others arrived.

"Chichi, this is for you."

Before she could even invite them to sit, Liu Lan pushed a pair of shoes into her hands.

Yi Chichi, "??? Why are you giving me shoes?"

"For wearing in spring."

Saying that, she urged, "Quick, try them on and see if they fit."

Yi Chichi looked at the shoes in her hand, handmade cloth shoes with a thousand-layer sole.

The shoe tops were made from patchwork, obviously pieced together from several scraps of fabric due to a lack of material.

With tie laces, a bit different from the traditional Beijing cloth shoes style. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Not particularly attractive, but making such a pair of shoes takes time.

Ge Sujuan had only managed to make six pairs from winter to now.

So we can see making a pair isn’t easy.

Plus, you have to gather the materials.

"How come you thought to make me shoes?" Yi Chichi’s face was full of question marks.

"I didn’t make them."

Liu Lan chuckled, "My mom made these especially for you as a thank you for teaching me embroidery."

Yu Qingqing and the others felt an internal jolt; oh no, Chichi had also taught them.

Even though they might not have perfected it like Lanlan did, she taught them sincerely.

They needed to show gratitude for that alone.

Now that Lanlan had given her a pair of shoes, what should they give?

Shoes too?

While they pondered, Yi Chichi returned the shoes.

"I can’t accept them. You already thanked me before."