Educated Youth in the Countryside: She is the Village's Embroidery Queen!-Chapter 92: The Fall of the Beauty’s Image

What kind of misfortune had she brought upon herself to end up with such a careless husband?

There’s no closeness, but plenty of trouble. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

The more she thought, the angrier she got, and with her emotions crumbling, Qian Xiuzhen’s tears flowed like a faucet turned on.

Liu Changlin was scared to death, clumsily trying to console her.

Uncle Yaozi arrived at this moment, pulled Liu Changlin away, and observed Qian Xiuzhen’s arm, "Chichi, what’s the situation with her arm?"

"Preliminary judgment is dislocation and half fractured, now..."

The secondary injury was really severe, "Now it’s likely broken, Uncle Changlin grabbed it, and I heard a cracking sound."

Yaozi, ...was at a loss for words.

"Let me check!"

Afterward, a group of people watched him examine Qian Xiuzhen.

Liu Changlin and the others looked on nervously.

Seeing Yaozi’s expression grow more serious, Liu Dongmei choked, "Uncle, how is my mom?"

"It’s broken."

Yaozi withdrew his hand and calmly said, "Take her to the hospital to see orthopedics."

"You can’t check?"

"If you aren’t afraid of me making it worse, I can check."

That statement was more convincing than anything else, at least no one in the Liu Family dared to take that risk.

So, Qian Xiuzhen was hurriedly taken to see the doctor by her husband and children.

Seeing she wasn’t needed, Yi Chichi said goodbye to Uncle Yaozi and returned to the Youth Corps Courtyard.

Bai Chen and the others were waiting at the door, and seeing her return with a smile, their hearts were finally at ease.

"You’re back?"

"Hmm."

She nodded with a smile, and Wu Yongfei, seeing her in a good mood, teased, "Did you encounter some good news?"

"No good news, but I did encounter Aunt Xiuzhen rolling down the hillside."

"Ah?"

Bai Chen and the others’ pupils shrank; going up the mountain in this weather, Aunt Xiuzhen was truly bold.

"She was alone?"

"With Dongmei."

"Dongmei didn’t roll down?"

"No."

"How is Aunt?"

"Her arm’s broken, going to the hospital."

As soon as she finished speaking, a clattering sound was heard.

Turning back, a tractor passed the entrance, carrying Liu Dongmei’s family.

The driver was Wen Shi.

Seeing him dressed in a military coat, wearing a dog fur hat, sitting at the helm with a cigarette in his mouth and eyes squinting like a hooligan, Zhou Qiuyu and the others’ jaws nearly dropped.

"Oh no, Mr. Wen’s handsome image in my mind is shattered."

Wang Nan was quite candid and unafraid to speak.

Yi Chichi’s lips twitched slightly, "You can see him as down-to-earth."

"I wish I could drive a tractor."

Qi Yang looked envious, while Bai Chen and the others just sighed, "Even if we knew how to drive a tractor, we wouldn’t get a turn, unless the team buys another one."

However, that’s just a dream, good for thinking only.

"Time to dust the place."

"Alright."

The New Year is approaching, and cleaning is important.

A group of people got busy; Yi Chichi donned dirty clothes, wearing a newspaper-folded hat, wielding a big broom to sweep the rooftop.

Zhou Qiuyu and the others were responsible for cleaning the floors and washing up.

Bai Chen and the others climbed the rooftop to check for leaks and repair as needed.

Wu Yongfei, as the head chef, took charge of the food.

No matter how poor or lacking resources, the thought of a sumptuous New Year’s Eve dinner could not be thwarted.

Radish balls, meatballs, various types of balls were minced and seasoned, then fried in the oil.

Oil, chicken, duck, and fish were all pooled together, each contributing a little; the quantity was small, but enough for everyone to enjoy a delightful meal.

Radishes and cabbages didn’t require pooling; Wang Nan and the others had opened up land before and had a good harvest.

Yi Chichi offered snacks for pooling, Zhou Qiuyu had picked plenty of mushrooms earlier; using dried mushrooms, no one felt anyone was taking advantage.

It was quite good.

Once the oil pot was going, while not enough to spread the aroma far and wide, it was tempting enough to make Yi Chichi and the others sprint to the kitchen.

"Are the meatballs fried?!"

"Not yet, but the radish balls are ready."

Wu Yongfei, spoon in hand by the pot, grabbed a fried radish ball and handed it over, "Share and enjoy."

Fist-sized radish balls, fried to golden brown, the natural and pollution-free ingredients emitted an enticing aroma due to the high oil temperature.

Yi Chichi quickly used a bowl to catch the ball, then used unused chopsticks to evenly divide the radish ball.

"Here!"

Each person got a small portion, the last one was hers.

"Smells delicious!"

Zhou Qiuyu took a deep breath with her eyes closed, then quickly gobbled up the radish ball.

The taste was truly wonderful, making her squint with happiness as she snuggled up to Wu Yongfei, "Can I have another one?"

"No, wait until New Year to have more."

Wu Yongfei waved his hands like shooing flies; the freshly fried items were at their best, but given the limited quantity, control was necessary, else these folks could consume them all.

"It’s not as tasty during New Year."

Qi Yang argued, "Balls are best eaten hot."

Yi Chichi and the others nodded eagerly, "Exactly, we are eating, whether today or New Year’s Eve, it’s all the same."

In the end, it’s entering their stomachs, so whether early or late, it’s not a loss.

These words left Wu Yongfei speechless.

Then, he got angry.

"Alright, you eat; I’m not cooking for New Year’s Eve dinner."

He threw the spoon into the bowl and tugged at his dirty apron, ready to quit.

Yi Chichi and the others were scared and quickly tried to appease him.

After soothing him with kind words, finally, traces of a small smile appeared on Wu Yongfei’s unhappy face.

"It’s not that I’m not letting you eat, but since the quantity isn’t much, if you eat it today, there won’t be any left for New Year’s Eve; you certainly don’t want to eat pickles and coarse grain buns, right?!"

"No!"

The group shook their heads in unison, utterly refusing the idea of pickles and coarse grain buns for New Year’s Eve.

Seeing this, Wu Yongfei waved his spoon and shouted, "Then what are you standing here for? Get out and work!"

With their appetites controlled, Yi Chichi and the others had no resistance; to avoid angering the head chef and missing out on satisfying food, they could only retreat to diligently work.

In the following days, everyone was busy preparing for the New Year.

However, as always, being poor and with limited resources, there wasn’t much they could actually prepare.

No frozen tofu because they couldn’t get any.

Slaughter a rooster...

The Youth Corps didn’t raise chickens; the village imposed a limit on chickens, and roosters were rare, mostly hens kept for laying eggs.

Chicken butt banks were an essential income for villagers, so selling them wasn’t possible.

They only bought thirty eggs, pooled from several families.

The eggs were boiled and peeled, and together with pig’s head, they were braised by Wu Yongfei for Zhou Qiuyu.

The braised pork was divided in two at Zhou Qiuyu’s request, half kept for herself, and the other half placed on the New Year’s Eve dinner table.

On New Year’s Eve, it was a rare sunny day, and Yi Chichi and the others got up early to welcome the new year.

At two o’clock in the afternoon, the 9 members of the Youth Corps gathered together, facing the table with a hearty New Year’s Eve feast of five dishes and a stew pot.

The five dishes included braised carp, meatball mushroom stew, radish balls, halved braised eggs, and stir-fried potato strips.

The stew pot consisted of pig meat, pig head bones, sauerkraut, and noodles, filling a large basin with plenty of chili and a mouth-watering spicy aroma.