Educated Youth in the Countryside: She is the Village's Embroidery Queen!-Chapter 299: Stubborn Donkey

"Speaking of which, how long will it take you to embroider such a large piece?"

"Over a year."

Ji Jian responded with an "Oh" and didn’t ask about the price; she knew her bounds.

The two chatted idly until Ji Jian began to feel drowsy and went off to sleep, finally giving Yi Chichi some peace and quiet.

A little past six in the afternoon, Wen Shi got home from work.

Sitting diligently in front of her embroidery frame, Yi Chichi didn’t notice his return until the aroma of food reached her nose, snapping her out of her immersive work mode.

"When did you get back?"

"Almost an hour ago."

Wen Shi placed the boiled shrimp on the table and noticed her twisting her neck. Eagerly, he said, "Don’t move, let me give you a massage."

Before he finished, he darted behind her like lightning and placed his big hands on her shoulders.

With one squeeze, Yi Chichi let out a yelp, startling him to the point of shivering all over.

"Does it hurt?"

"A bit lighter."

Oh man, those hands were seriously heavy, felt like they were about to crush her bones.

Wen Shi, "..."

Wen Shi carefully, like handling embroidery, said, "How about now?"

"It’s good, maintain that."

"Okay."

Then, Wen Shi diligently continued his massage work.

Five minutes later, feeling her upper body bones all relaxed, Yi Chichi let out a long sigh and called it a stop.

"Still sore?"

"Much better!"

Although it hurt with the intensity at first, once the pressure was adjusted, the pain was gone, replaced by a sense of relief.

"Your massage skills could make you a master."

Wen Shi grinned, "All thanks to the wife’s good teaching."

"But dear wife, you really don’t wear yourself out."

Yi Chichi sat down with a bowl ready to eat, and glancing up at him, she said, "I think I’m okay."

"Far from it, before I used to stretch and relax the muscles of new soldiers; they’d wail like children. That was exhausting."

"With you..."

He glanced at Yi Chichi’s arms and legs, shaking his head, "I didn’t dare use my strength."

That argument couldn’t be disputed.

Compared to the troops, she really couldn’t compare.

"I’m not in the army either, no need to endure such hardship."

Indeed. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Wen Shi picked up a shrimp and gave it to her, "How’s the day been at home today?!"

"Pretty good."

Yi Chichi shared her daily routine with him, and Wen Shi listened intently, occasionally making a comment until she talked about the Tu Family’s empty housing incident. He sighed, "Such useless stuff."

It seemed there was more to the story.

"What’s going on?"

As soon as she spoke, she realized it might be inappropriate and quickly added, "If it’s something you can’t say, just pretend I didn’t hear it."

"There’s nothing that can’t be said."

Not everything needs secrecy; the Tu couple isn’t that influential.

Even if he didn’t say, tomorrow rumors would be all over the place.

"Tu Shaojun was stealing from the team."

Yang Qing really enjoyed this revelation.

"What did he take exactly?"

"Seven sets of clothes, six pairs of shoes... and twenty towels."

Yi Chichi had a confused face, "All of this combined isn’t worth much money, is it?!"

"It’s not a matter of money."

Wen Shi explained helplessly, "It’s a serious violation of discipline."

Indeed.

She asked curiously, "Did he really sell those things?"

"He didn’t get a chance to sell them."

Yang Qing discovered it too promptly, leaving Tu Shaojun no chance to act.

"He had sold items before."

Quite a lot, actually.

Thinking about the root cause of Tu Shaojun’s wrong path, he sighed, "When marrying, choose someone sensible, I’m lucky to have married you."

If he had married someone like Bao Xiaohua, with just a pretty face but useless, constantly demanding money and tickets as the first priority wife, and if the husband wasn’t clear-headed, the two would have ended badly together.

Yi Chichi gleefully boasted, "I can earn money, supporting you is not a problem, so you don’t need to worry about money, focus on your career, and let me know if you need money, don’t make mistakes."

Her tone grew serious, even threatening, "I tell you, if you dare to make a mistake, don’t blame me for leaving you."

"I won’t, I have no real use for money anyway."

He wouldn’t destroy his future for such trivial gain.

His beloved, besides his mother and wife, is his country.

"I’ll rely on my wife in the future."

"Yes."

Yi Chichi had no objections, as a reward, she offered him a shrimp, "Has mom replied to the telegram?"

"Yes, she replied. She asked you to buy the ticket and let her know, so that Uncle Captain can drive the tractor to pick you up."

Upgrading from old to new, previously Uncle Captain would have Grandpa Liu drive a cow cart or horse cart to fetch her.

"I thought it would be Grandpa Liu’s donkey cart this time!"

Wen Shi froze for a moment, then realized what she meant, and couldn’t help but laugh out loud, "Rest assured, even without a tractor, a donkey cart won’t be used."

Donkeys, when they get stubborn, can be infuriating.

"When I went home for a visit, Uncle picked me up with a donkey cart, and halfway, the donkey refused to move. Uncle and I wrestled with it until nightfall to reach home."

That donkey was so stubborn it almost needed to be carried back.

Yi Chichi knew the story, "That donkey’s gone, the current one is another."

"Stubborn indeed, it must’ve been gotten rid of."

Couldn’t rely on it, keeping it would be like serving the ancestors. Even if Uncle was happy to keep it, folks like Uncle Ma who raised livestock wouldn’t agree.

"Horses and cows are more reliable."

He proudly boasted, "Just like me, hardworking and diligent."

Yi Chichi sighed, "Of all the things to compare yourself to, why choose cows and horses?"

True enough.

"Then I won’t compare with them, but compared to Xiao Liu, I’m happier."

Speaking of which, his smile faded and he kept glancing at Yi Chichi. Initially intending to ask who Xiao Liu was, Yi Chichi, seeing his expression, fed him another shrimp.

"If you have something to say, say it, don’t act like a little wife."

"Wife, today I got a letter from Xiao Ba; he wants to borrow some money and tickets."

"Is he in trouble?"

"Yes."

Wen Shi elaborated on Xiao Ba’s situation. He was a comrade from his original unit, someone he’d been through life-and-death situations with.

Compared to Wen Shi, who was lucky to return from the battlefield unscathed, Xiao Ba wasn’t so fortunate.

He retired from service due to disability.

Xiao Ba’s home is in a poor county in the mountains, which wouldn’t shed the poverty label until ten years later.

At that time, it was even poorer, tougher.

Coincidentally, his wife was pregnant, not in good condition, but the child was tenacious, firmly taking root in his undernourished wife’s belly.

With delivery imminent, the midwife they consulted wasn’t confident and recommended going to a hospital.

However, going to the hospital costs money; buying supplements requires tickets. Relying on the hospital’s soybeans as a nutritious meal for the wife? Forget it.

Xiao Ba was worried. Despite being a tough guy from injury, it was his first time swallowing his pride and reaching out to comrades for help for his wife and child.

After listening, Yi Chichi asked, "Did he only write to you?"

"No, he wrote to several, but when I telegraphed, each was poorer than the last, unable to help. They could only spare a bit from their rations to send over."