Educated Youth in the Countryside: She is the Village's Embroidery Queen!-Chapter 240: Delivered a Baby

Ever since getting beaten up by Mu Da a few times, Qiao Jun started chatting incessantly, as if he had nothing to lose.

Seeing Yi Chichi holding a cup of water and no longer paying attention to him, he couldn’t stay quiet and asked, "Xiao Yi, do you need a radio ticket?"

"No need."

She already had one.

When she came back, Wen Shi had prepared tickets for a radio, a sewing machine, and a bicycle.

However, the commune ran out of stock, there was no time to go to the county, so buying the big items got postponed.

When delivering grain to the commune, she’d check if they were available, otherwise, she’d have to make a trip to the county.

Qiao Jun was quite disappointed, "I was planning to give you one when I went back."

Yi Chichi’s mouth twitched, "Why would you give me such an expensive thing? If you want to give it, send it to your godfather and godmother." 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

This kid is a bit clueless.

They weren’t related or friends; offering a radio ticket was just baffling.

Even if she didn’t have a ticket, she’d be too scared to accept it.

Zhang Xiaoqin found it reasonable and told Qiao Jun, "When you go back, get a bicycle ticket for your godfather. When he goes to the commune, it’s either by ox cart or on foot, how pitiful."

Qiao Jun nodded repeatedly, "I’ll do it."

He really was pitiful, his godfather was truly poor.

But his house was quite spacious, much more so than his own.

Then, Yi Chichi heard the two of them muttering about how their godmother suffered following their godfather, making her laugh and cry, thinking it was fortunate Uncle Yaozi wasn’t home.

If he heard that at home, he might throw them out.

Seeing the two talk so eagerly, she shook her head, got up, and left. Zhang Xiaoqin called after her, "Chichi, where are you going?"

"We’re out of mint, I’m going to the waterhole to get some."

"Make sure to come back quickly, in case someone needs medical attention."

"Got it."

Yi Chichi was cautious about this, so she took a small basket and moved to the waterhole at a brisk pace.

On the way, she encountered Zhou Qiuyu, who was sunburned dark. She was pulling a small cart with a hole-ridden towel around her neck.

Seeing her exhausted and sweaty, Yi Chichi offered her a water bottle from the basket, "Drink some water."

"Thanks."

She stopped her cart, thanked her, and took the bottle, drinking with her head raised without touching the mouth of the bottle. She drank hurriedly, and Yi Chichi was worried she’d choke, "Take it slow."

"I’m really thirsty."

After quenching her thirst, she wiped her mouth, smiling, "I was out of water, lucky to run into you. Otherwise, I’d have to go back to the Youth Corps Courtyard to get some."

Yi Chichi took the water bottle she returned, puzzled, "Why are you pulling the cart today?"

Zhou Qiuyu was quite helpless, "We’ve been harvesting wheat these days, moving the wheat bundles onto the cart, while the men are doing the heavy labor."

Stacking wheat bundles is hard work. To transport more at once, the bundled wheat is piled high on the cart.

When it’s low, it’s easier to stack, but as it climbs higher, it challenges the strength of those loading the top and passing bundles from below.

Each spring planting and autumn harvest would wear people out, but for those with better household conditions to replenish with fats, recover better.

Those with poorer conditions without enough fats wouldn’t have enough to eat, becoming so thin, it was truly tough.

It was indeed quite a hardship.

Zhou Qiuyu had lost some weight, and Yi Chichi was heartbroken, softly asking by her ear, "Does Xue Jiahuan eat with you all?"

"We never eat together."

Xue Jiahuan cooked for himself and ate well. Not daily fish or meat, but every few days, it was mouthwatering.

Thinking of the braised pork she ate last night and the pork belly Mr. Wen brought her today, Zhou Qiuyu gulped, "Chichi, are you heading to the commune these days?"

Yi Chichi nearly said no but swallowed her words and changed to, "Do you need me to bring something?"

"Please bring some meat, we really can’t endure without eating meat."

Seafood is good, but it lacks fats, and they urgently need fats for replenishment.

Otherwise, no matter how much they eat, they feel hungry.

"You know, until the harvest ends, we won’t have time for the commune."

The brigade leader wouldn’t approve leaves, and kids were treated as laborers, not even attending school. Requesting leave to go to the commune would result in a scolding.

Yi Chichi knew this, she nodded after hearing, "I’ll look into the timing."

This meant she agreed.

Zhou Qiuyu was overjoyed and said with a smile, "I’ll bring you the money and ticket tonight."

"No rush."

She hummed, pulled the cart, and said goodbye as she left.

Yi Chichi went to the waterhole, picked a bunch of lush mint leaves, and returned to boil a big pot of mint water, letting it cool naturally in a tea jar.

"Give me a bowl."

Qiao Jun hopped over on one leg with his crutch, gulping at the steaming mint water.

Yi Chichi casually filled a bowl for him, "It’s hot, let it cool down first."

"Should make herbal tea."

"...I don’t know how to."

She didn’t like herbal tea and hadn’t studied its recipe.

"Do you know how?"

Qiao Jun was silent, regrettably, he didn’t.

At home, his sister-in-law and mother were experts in brewing herbal tea. Having barely stepped into the kitchen, he had no idea how it’s made.

Zhang Xiaoqin was the same, hardly ever in the kitchen.

What else wasn’t clear to Yi Chichi, she sighed, "A Yangcheng native who can’t brew herbal tea, you’re a disgrace to Yangcheng, make sure to learn when you go back."

"...Fine, I’ll learn it and send you the recipe."

He instantly perked up, "Would you like the recipe for salt-baked chicken? Roast goose is quite tasty too. I see Kao Shan Village has a lot of big geese, can be made into roast goose, and..."

"Stop, aside from the herbal tea recipe, I don’t need anything else."

Salt-baked chicken requires a chicken, and she didn’t know what wild chicken tasted like. No one would bear to kill a home-raised chicken to eat; it’s like a chicken butt bank is no joke.

Farmers rely on chickens laying eggs to supplement the household.

As for the geese...

"The geese are communal, distributed uniformly, no extra for roast goose."

Besides, roast goose isn’t nearly as delicious as a big goose stewed in an iron pot.

At least not to her taste.

In any case, she had no interest in roast goose.

Due to her refusal, Qiao Jun fell silent.

Yi Chichi checked the medicinal powder Zhang Xiaoqin ground and found it well done, complimenting her with satisfaction, then took over the remaining work.

Uncle Yaozi returned at night with a medical kit, reeking of blood, and she wondered, "Wasn’t it heatstroke? How did it get bloody?"

The exhausted Uncle Yaozi sat on a chair, gestured for Yi Chichi to pour him a glass of water, quenched his thirst, and said, "It started as treating heatstroke, but on the way back, I encountered people from Qingshan Brigade and went to deliver a baby."

Yi Chichi was stunned, "Delivering a baby isn’t that a midwife’s job? Uncle, you can deliver babies too?"

"The midwife delivers, I’m there to help in crucial moments."

This meant he was prepared for a difficult delivery.

"How did it go?"

"It went smoothly, almost a difficult birth."