Educated Youth in the Countryside: She is the Village's Embroidery Queen!-Chapter 350: Just How Many Children Are There

Chapter 350: Chapter 350: Just How Many Children Are There

As it turns out, Yi Chichi’s judgment was spot on. The three of them led her from the main road into the alley.

The alleys in Yangcheng are a bit different from the northern hutongs, most of which are straight lines.

The alleys aren’t like that; they’re like winding paths, with so many twists and turns that they could easily confuse someone.

Yi Chichi had no doubt that if she were left to find her way alone, she’d get lost.

The alley was really winding, with every household’s door tightly closed, making it feel like stepping into another world.

Finally, they reached their destination.

Qiao Jun knocked on the door, and then—

"Uncle, we’ve come to see you!"

"Coming!"

A muffled voice came from inside. Within a couple of minutes, the tightly closed door creaked open, and out came an old man with pale skin, a somewhat thin face, and a cigarette pinched between his fingers.

"Why are you coming over at this hour? Don’t you have work?"

"We’re off work, just here to mooch a meal at your place, Uncle."

The old man made an "oh" sound, his gaze pausing briefly on Yi Chichi’s face before he said, "Come in."

Before he finished talking, he called out, "Ying, make some tea."

"Okay."

The woman’s voice was loud and powerful, and Yi Chichi followed Qiao Jun and the others inside.

The door creaked shut.

Perhaps the courtyard and the walls gave the old man a sense of confidence and security, for he turned and glared at Qiao Jun, asking, "You little rascal, why did you bring a stranger here?"

Qiao Jun just laughed, "She’s no stranger."

Pointing to Yi Chichi, he said, "Uncle, this is Yi Chichi, the eldest niece of my dad’s brother."

The old man’s eyes widened suddenly, "Yaozi and Old Mu’s eldest niece?"

"Yes."

The old man’s demeanor instantly turned enthusiastic, and a smile appeared on his face as he extended his hand to Yi Chichi, "How are Yaozi and them doing now?"

Yi Chichi quickly reached her hand out to shake his, calling him Uncle before replying, "They’re well. Aunt’s working at the community hospital, and Uncle Yaozi is still a doctor with the production team, also working in the fields when needed."

"No one’s giving them trouble, right?!"

"That couldn’t happen."

Uncle Yaozi is a local through and through, and he’s a doctor who knows how to gather herbs and treat illnesses—who would have the nerve to cross him?

Not to mention when Mu Da arrived, she went straight to work as a doctor at the community hospital, which, thanks to Aunt Mu, increased the availability and variety of Western medicine in Kao Shan Village.

Both husband and wife are doctors, and one of them can get hold of Western medicine—people only curry favor with a couple like that, not act like they’ve been kicked in the head.

"They’re quite respected!"

"That’s good to hear."

The old man nodded, a look of relief on his face as he withdrew his hand, saying, "Come in, I’ll make something delicious for all of you."

"Come on, come on, Uncle Yang’s cooking is really good."

Zhang Xiaoqin swallowed her saliva and tugged Yi Chichi as she familiarly ran inside.

Zhang Xiaojuan and Qiao Jun quickly followed.

Then, Yi Chichi saw Uncle Yang’s wife, a woman with a big round face who might not be considered beautiful but wore a cheerful and friendly smile.

"Oh, you brought a new friend?"

"Not really a new friend, this is Old Mu’s husband’s eldest niece."

Uncle Yang warmly introduced both sides, then said to Yi Chichi, "We’ve been friends with Old Mu for decades, so Xiao Yi, don’t be shy, just make yourself at home like Qiao Jun and the others."

"Alright, Uncle, Aunt, I won’t hesitate to be at ease with you."

She nodded with a smile, looking very well-behaved.

Aunt Yang warmed to her even more, holding a cup of tea toward her, "Have some tea, see if it suits your taste. Old Mu loves this tea."

"I have to try it then!"

Yi Chichi stood up, taking the cup with both hands, and under Aunt Yang’s expectant gaze, blew on the hot steam before taking a small sip.

A bit hot, but still acceptable.

The tea had a slight bitterness at first, followed by a faint fragrance, and a hint of sweetness.

The taste felt so familiar.

Her eyes suddenly widened—she had tasted this tea before when Uncle Yaozi took Aunt Mu back to Kao Shan Village and brought back a lot of this tea.

So the tea leaves were brought from Uncle Yang and his family’s place!

Seeing the change in her expression, Aunt Yang laughed and asked, "How is it?"

"It’s very good."

As long as it’s good.

"You four little ones chat here, I’ll go help your Uncle Yang."

"Alright, Aunt, you go ahead, we’ll take care of ourselves."

Zhang Xiaojuan waved her hand with a smile while Aunt Yang instructed, "This is Xiao Yi’s first time here, you better host her well, so that Old Mu doesn’t hear we didn’t and scold us over a telegram."

"With us taking care of it, Aunt, don’t worry. We’ll make sure to host Chichi well."

With Qiao Jun’s assurance, Aunt Yang confidently headed to the kitchen.

Once she left, Yi Chichi immediately asked, "Are Uncle Yang and Aunt Yao relatives by friendship?"

"The exact term should be old comrades,"

Qiao Jun handed her a piece of lotus paste cake, "According to my dad, back then their troop had three amazing people. They were respectively your Aunt Yaozi and Uncle Yang and Aunt Yang."

He went on to explain the relationship among the three in detail.

Mu Da was in charge of healing, and in those days of scarcity in Western medicine, she could use silver needles and herbs to pull people back from the brink of death, earning the nickname ’Living Yama.’

Uncle Yang was a cook by trade, with skills passed down through generations, having followed his father and grandfather in the kitchen as soon as he could walk, practicing childhood skills.

After joining the army, with his excellent cooking skills, he could make decent meals with limited ingredients, earning him the position of Quartermaster and head cook.

During rapid marches, his entire kitchen setup consisted of a ground stove, a large pot, a big ladle, and a knife.

Besides his amazing cooking skills, he was no slouch in physical abilities either, with many enemies falling to his knife during bayonet charges.

Aunt Yang was even more valiant, not only handling logistics but also managing to be a formidable fighter.

She had innate strength, and after each battle, she’d carry a big portion of the weapons and injured during the cleanup.

She was quick and skillful.

Strictly speaking, none of the three were front-line combat personnel, but they formed an unbreakable trio.

Their consistent and perfectly coordinated cooperation over time forged an extraordinary friendship.

When Mu Da and Uncle Yaozi parted ways, Uncle Yang and the others were concerned about Mu Da’s lifelong happiness. After learning she’d hurt herself and couldn’t have children, they even considered sending one of their newborns for her to raise.

Mu Da declined, but they became sworn kin.

Upon learning this outcome, Yi Chichi wondered aloud, "I have a question, just how many children does my Aunt Yao have?"

Zhang Xiaoqin counted on her fingers and gave an accurate answer, "With me and Old Qiao included, there are eight in Yangcheng. Add those not in Yangcheng, and there are nearly twenty." 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Yi Chichi went, "..."

That’s quite a terrifying number.

"Are the relationships good?"

"Yes, very good."

Qiao Jun laughed, "When we became her sworn children, it was agreed we’d take care of her in her old age. Otherwise, who do you think sends all those parcels to Aunt? They’re from her sons and daughters."

"I thought they were from you."

"We did send some, but not much since Old Zhang and I didn’t have jobs yet and were short on money. We’ve been able to send more once we started working."