Educated Youth in the Countryside: She is the Village's Embroidery Queen!-Chapter 371: You Are My Pride!

Still not getting enough of a spanking.

Yi Chichi thought it was necessary to discuss Niu Niu’s education with Aunt Ma.

She put on a blank face, "Did you catch another long meaty strip?"

"No."

Niu Niu denied it quickly, but her eyes were shifty, avoiding her gaze, while her small mouth chirped away, urging Little Trumpet to speed up their shaking.

Seeing her like this, Yi Chichi realized.

She must have caught another snake.

When she first discovered Niu Niu catching snakes for meat, she could still fool herself into thinking the little girl was just a fearless newborn calf.

But now at six years old, an age where she should know fear, she still dared to catch snakes...

Unable to quash her curiosity, she asked while raking the wheat, "Niu Niu, what do you want to do when you grow up?"

It was a good question, and Niu Niu blurted out, "Be a chef, work in a state-run restaurant, and eat big chunks of meat every day."

That was the kind of answer she would give.

Xiao Yezi followed suit, "I want to be a soldier and fight bad guys."

Xiao Yezi was a girl who looked like a doll with snow-white skin that, no matter how much sun she got, only turned red without tanning.

And because she was active, with loving parents who provided well, the little girl was in good spirits and full of energy.

She was also quite impulsive and fiercer than the village boys in fights.

Besides that, she had independently learned combat skills like eye-poking and biting.

Ever since Yi Chichi came back, she almost heard daily about Xiao Yezi fighting someone and making them cry, prompting those children’s parents to come complain, and about her being punished.

So, hearing her words, Yi Chichi praised, "Ambitious!"

"Right, I think I’m ambitious too, but my mom disagrees."

She was dejected for a couple of seconds, then perked up, "But that’s okay, I’ll surely be a soldier."

Little Trumpet scoffed, "They might not even want you."

"Of course, they don’t want me now, I’m too young, but when I grow up, they will."

Saying this, she asked Little Trumpet, "Yaoyao, what about you?"

Yi Chichi perked up her ears; she also wanted to know Little Trumpet’s dreams.

This kid didn’t disappoint her, "I want to learn from Xiao Jiu, study hard, and become a cultured person one day."

This answer didn’t thrill Niu Niu and Xiao Yezi; the two little girls made the same face of utter bleakness.

"Studying is exhausting."

Yi Chichi, "??? Studying isn’t easier than making grass ropes."

"Making grass ropes is lighter work."

The three girls worked in harmony, with one pulling the straw, another feeding it, and one shaking the handle, forming a grass rope which they then tied and tossed aside.

Because their hands were small and lacked strength, the grass rope had a loose knot, but that didn’t affect its use.

Looking at their speed of making grass ropes, and recalling their wandering off or constant trips for water or restroom breaks while doing homework, Yi Chichi sighed.

These three seemed to be on the path to academic mediocrity.

They didn’t like studying, and doing homework was like asking for their lives.

As for exams...

Apparently, since school started, none of the three ever passed one.

"Stick to making grass ropes."

She wasn’t going to futilely discuss studies with them, leaving that worry for their parents.

The three little girls agreed, reminding her to diligently turn the wheat and shoo the birds away so they wouldn’t eat their grain.

Yi Chichi agreed, diligently turning the wheat and shooing away birds. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

The scarecrow was initially somewhat effective, but soon it couldn’t fool the birds anymore; each one swooping down like it had a spirit, grabbing a mouthful of food and flying off.

She ended up running around like she was at a fair, chasing them here and there, and by the end of the day, her exercise equalled several days’ worth of her usual activity.

After half a month of fall harvesting, she was so exhausted she collapsed onto the recliner, motionless.

The same went for Qin Jiu and Wen’s mother, who were busy for half a month but continued their tasks unaffected.

"Auntie, you still haven’t recovered?"

Qin Jiu, returning from his grandfather’s side, saw her lying on the recliner, looking like she had lost all hope, and leaned over to ask a question from the depths of his soul.

Yi Chichi moved her neck robotically to glance at him and let out a low "No, I haven’t recovered."

It felt like her arms weren’t hers anymore.

Indeed, a person shouldn’t stay idle for too long. Before she married and moved to the Youth Corps Courtyard, even though her work was considered tiresome, it wasn’t to this extent.

After marriage, when she lived with Wen’s mother without needing to worry about household or fieldwork, she became even more idle.

Thinking about her own physical strength and energy, then comparing with Qin Jiu’s, Yi Chichi decided she couldn’t keep going on like this.

"Xiao Jiu, starting tomorrow, join Auntie for some exercise."

Qin Jiu thought about it and agreed.

But, "Auntie, I think maybe you won’t be able to get up."

"You wake me up."

"What if I can’t wake you?"

"Get grandma to pull me up."

Beside them, Wen’s mother, who was sitting on a small stool dealing with chicken feathers, didn’t lift her head, "That’s what you said."

Better not have her digging you out of bed tomorrow and you crying about it.

"I said it."

Yi Chichi promised confidently, "I’ll definitely get up tomorrow."

Wen’s mother and Qin Jiu weren’t too convinced, but they still nodded and agreed.

Just then, the urgent meow of a cat rang out.

Yi Chichi and Qin Jiu exchanged a glance and sprinted in the direction of the sound.

Then—

"Wow, where did you two catch rabbits from?"

Indeed, Big Orange and Da Li each brought back a rabbit. If there was a difference, it was that Da Li, true to its title of king among cats, was amazing both in fights and hunting.

As a cat not yet a year old, Big Orange was slightly less skilled in hunting and brought back a smaller rabbit.

"Meow—"

The two dropped the rabbits from their mouths, with Da Li even nudging the rabbit with its paw, sporting a kingly expression as if saying, "Look at the kingdom I’ve conquered for you," exuding sheer dominance.

"Ah!"

Qin Jiu yelped in excitement, rushing over to hug and kiss Da Li, then scooping up Big Orange for more kisses, showering them with praise, "You guys are amazing, really amazing, I’m proud of you, you’re my pride!"

Two cats, seemingly understanding, rubbed against him affectionately, making Yi Chichi feel a tinge of jealousy inside.

Ever since they became friendly with Qin Jiu, they didn’t bother with her much anymore.

Fortunately, they still remembered to occasionally hunt and bring food back for her, without denying her share.

Picking up the rabbits, she happily promised, "Later, I’ll have grandma make some delicious cat food for you."

That got their interest, as their pupils dilated before they broke free from Qin Jiu’s embrace, came over to rub against her leg, then lifted their tails and headed towards the house.

"Let’s go home."

Yi Chichi and Qin Jiu immediately followed suit, by which time Wen’s mother had just finished dealing with the chicken feathers and had a pair of scissors ready to dress the chicken. She didn’t even lift her head at the sound of footsteps until—

"Mom, let’s kill a couple more rabbits."

Before the words were fully spoken, two bloodied rabbits were presented to her eyes.

Wen’s mother was momentarily stunned, glanced up at Big Orange and Da Li, then at the eager faces of Yi Chichi and Qin Jiu, and after a two-second silence, sighed, "I’m not good at skinning rabbits; take them to your grandfather’s side to help deal with it."