Chapter 32:

Liu Shouyi’s promotion was still some time away, and during this period, he helped mentor Yu Xiang’an, assisting her in adapting to the role of an assistant.

Yu Xiang’an accompanied him on various errands, gradually getting to know many other people—such as those at the paper mill and the procurement station.

The procurement station handled most of the raw materials needed by the food factory. If a certain region was known for a particular type of fruit, the authorities would assign quotas for how many fruit trees should be planted there. The produce would then be purchased at a set price and sent to their factory to be processed into various canned goods.

Some areas weren’t specifically designated, but if the local conditions were suitable for growing certain fruits, the procurement station would still purchase them if they were delivered. After all, their factory had a decent output of fruit products.

Ultimately, most fruit trees could be planted on hillsides, avoiding the use of fertile farmland. For example, it was currently pomelo harvest season, and Yu Xiang’an had seen plenty at the grocery store. She had even bought a good amount to store in her warehouse, where they could stay fresh for quite a while. Even after the season ended, she could still enjoy them whenever she wanted.

Her farm now stored a considerable amount of fruit. In fact, she thought that in the future, she could make a profit by selling out-of-season fruits, thanks to her warehouse’s preservation capabilities.

Take apples, for instance—they were the first fruit she had harvested, and even now, they remained relatively fresh when taken out. The preservation ability was astonishing.

When Yu Xiang’an accompanied Liu Shouyi to the procurement station to meet people, the staff there insisted on giving each of them two large pomelos, saying they had just been brought in and asking them to taste-test whether they were sweet enough this year.

For many production teams that relied on fruit trees for their annual income, the food factory and procurement station were entities they couldn’t afford to offend—they had to keep them happy. The procurement station was the first point of contact, while the food factory was the ultimate buyer.

If the food factory didn’t exist, the procurement station wouldn’t have the authority it currently held.

Durable fruits like pomelos were one thing, but perishable ones like lychees couldn’t be stored for long—they’d spoil within days.

This year’s pomelo harvest was abundant, so they weren’t worth much. The staff took the opportunity to hand out a few as casual favors.

Of course, they didn’t give them to just anyone. If Yu Xiang’an had come alone before, they wouldn’t have offered, but since she was with Liu Shouyi now, it was a different story.

Apart from these business-related connections, they also began interacting with neighboring factories.

When it came to which factory in Baishi County was the most impressive, the pharmaceutical factory was undoubtedly the answer. However, their interactions with its employees were limited to nodding greetings—there was no real business overlap.

The pharmaceutical factory was the largest in Baishi County and its economic backbone. Their medicated oil for bruises and sprains was famous across several nearby provinces.

If there was one factory whose employees were known for their wealth and extravagance, it was definitely the pharmaceutical factory.

Take housing, for example—the pharmaceutical factory had the highest frequency of constructing and allocating housing to its workers.

Employees who had worked there for a certain number of years were far more likely to receive housing compared to workers at other factories.

Speaking of the pharmaceutical factory, Liu Shouyi couldn’t hide his envy. “Remember the Mid-Autumn Festival recently? Do you know what they handed out? I have a relative working there—even the lowest-ranked employees got a pound of mooncakes, a pound of sugar, a box of fruit, and enough fabric to make a shirt. Those higher up? Even better—I heard some even got thermos flasks. Just imagine how lavish they are!” A thermos flask alone cost at least a dozen yuan.

Yu Xiang’an nodded repeatedly. “No wonder they’re the top dog in Baishi County. Their benefits are unbeatable. Our factory can’t compare to theirs, but looking at others, we’re not bad either.” They specialized in food, after all.

Liu Shouyi agreed. “Exactly.” They might not be the best, but they were far from the worst.

As employees of the food factory, they naturally had an advantage when purchasing their own products.

After working together for a while, Liu Shouyi had come to respect Yu Xiang’an. He even took her to a small exchange gathering—a regular meetup within a fixed circle.

For example, the two of them were from the food factory, Gao Yimei from the textile factory, Zeng Minjia from the shoe factory, Wang Shixiong from the meat processing plant…

They all exchanged surplus goods they had on hand, each getting what they needed.

They didn’t call it buying or selling—just “trading.” There was an unspoken understanding among them.

Yu Xiang’an was pleasantly surprised. She wouldn’t mind joining more circles like this.

For her first visit, she didn’t buy much—just a pig’s trotter, planning to make braised pork knuckle with soybeans.

The prices were slightly higher than the standard market rate, requiring both money and ration coupons. Without coupons, the price would be even higher.

Yu Xiang’an paid without hesitation.

Honestly, compared to waking up in the middle of the night to queue and still possibly leaving empty-handed, she’d rather spend a little extra here.

Gao Yimei took a liking to Yu Xiang’an. After Liu Shouyi introduced them, she approached her warmly. “I’m Assistant Gao Yimei from the textile factory, under Director Chen. I’ve only been in this role for half a year, but I’m already familiar with most things. If you ever need fabric, little sister, come to me—I’ll help you pick the best.”

Yu Xiang’an responded with appropriate enthusiasm. “Thank you, Sister Gao. Don’t be fooled by my factory uniform—it’s one of the few decent outfits I have. If I had the means, I’d love to dress more comfortably.”

Yu Xiang’an also wanted to build a good relationship with her. The textile factory—most of her clothes still had patches. Her farm did have fabric, but she lacked a plausible reason to bring it out. Aside from her factory-issued uniform, only her undergarments had been replaced with new ones.

Even though no one could see them, she still had to be careful not to raise suspicion.

If she befriended Gao Yimei, she could justify occasionally bringing home fabric in the future.

With both sides eager to connect, they hit it off immediately.

“Little sister, take a look at these shoes. They’re labeled as defective, but it’s just a tiny flaw in the sole—no one would notice, and it doesn’t affect wear. These would cost over twenty yuan at the supply and marketing cooperative, but here they’re only fifteen. I’ve had my eye on them for a while and finally got my hands on a pair.”

Liu Shouyi had brought a few cans, which were quickly traded away. After everyone finished exchanging goods, they agreed to meet at a state-run restaurant for a welcome meal to celebrate Yu Xiang’an joining their circle.

Gao Yimei and Yu Xiang’an lingered at the crossroads, reluctant to part. “Little sister, it’s settled—next rest day, we’ll go shopping at the supply and marketing cooperative together. I’ve been wanting to buy some snowflake cream.”

Yu Xiang’an smiled. “Sure, let’s go. My sister-in-law works at the cooperative’s counter. If what you need happens to be in her section, she might be able to help.”

Hearing that her sister-in-law worked at the cooperative, Gao Yimei’s smile grew even warmer.

“Your sister-in-law works there? That’s a respectable job. Which counter is she at…?”

Carrying the pig’s trotter home, Yu Xiang’an asked Yu Xiangju, “Xiao Ju, where’s Mingjie? Didn’t you two play together today?”

Yu Xiangju shook his head. “Not today.”

“Go tell Big Brother and the others to come over for dinner. We’re having braised pork knuckle tonight.” She lifted the basket slightly.

Yu Xiangju cheered. “Fifth Sister, I’ll go right now!”

The last time they had meat was half a month ago, during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Now, finally, there was meat again—and fragrant braised pork knuckles at that. Fifth Sister was amazing!

Yu Qingshan and Yu Xianghai usually returned from work later. As a senior worker, Yu Qingshan often stayed until everyone else had left, while Yu Xianghai lingered to finish odd jobs.

This meant that even though the food factory was farther away, Yu Xiang’an often got home before them.

The pig’s trotter had already been cleaned, with all the hair removed. She chopped it into smaller pieces and got to work.

For pork knuckles to taste good, the hair had to be thoroughly removed—nothing ruined the enjoyment of chewy pork skin like biting into a stubborn bristle.

The soybeans had been soaked in advance. She had originally planned to use them for soy milk, but now they were ready for cooking.

After cutting the pork knuckles, Yu Xiang’an placed them in cold water, added cooking wine, and brought it to a boil to remove the impurities. She then drained the water, rinsed the pot, and fried some rock sugar until it turned a rich caramel color.

She added the pork knuckles, stir-frying them with ginger, scallions, cinnamon, dried chili peppers, and soybean paste until fragrant.

As the aroma filled the air, Zhao Qiaoniang returned.

Smelling the delicious scent, she entered the kitchen. “What are you cooking? It smells amazing.”

“Pork knuckles.”

“Pork knuckles? Where did you get them? There wasn’t any meat today.”

“Got lucky—traded with someone from the meat processing plant.”

Zhao Qiaoniang nodded and didn’t press further, squatting down to help tend the fire.

Once the pork was well-seared, Yu Xiang’an added water, the soaked soybeans, and salt, then covered the pot to let it simmer.

Braised pork knuckles took time, but the wait was worth it.

Listening to the bubbling sounds and inhaling the rich aroma, anticipation grew with each passing minute.

Ye Qijia, usually patient, found herself pacing restlessly outside the kitchen. Since her morning sickness had passed, her cravings had intensified. The smell was driving her crazy.

Seeing her impatience, Yu Xianghai grew anxious too, repeatedly asking, “Is it ready yet? Can we eat? It smells so good.”

Yu Manchang stayed silent, afraid that if he spoke, he’d drool uncontrollably.

Yu Xiangju and Yu Mingjie pretended to play with pebbles, but their hearts were already in the kitchen, glancing back every few seconds.

Only Yu Qingshan remained composed, sitting calmly at the table, sipping chrysanthemum tea—a habit he’d picked up after Yu Xiang’an and the kids gathered and dried the flowers.

Zhao Qiaoniang, usually indifferent to such temptations, was distracted today.

She had received a message from Zhou Boyang—Minxiu would be returning next month.

After all this time, she was finally coming back. How big was her belly now? Was the pregnancy difficult?

Here, they could eat meat—but what about her?

In theory, a pregnant woman should be well taken care of, yet she was stuck in a remote village with no familiar faces around. Could she enjoy such luxuries?

Zhao Qiaoniang could only smile bitterly.

She wondered if Minxiu regretted her choices. If she did…

The thought made her even more absentminded.

If there was still a chance to mend things, she’d be overjoyed…

*

The wait was worth it. When Yu Xiang’an lifted the lid and served the dish, Yu Qingshan immediately set down his cup and straightened his posture subtly.

Yu Xianghai was also ready to dig in.

“Sorry for the wait,” Yu Xiang’an said. “Let’s eat.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, chopsticks flew toward the meat.

The pork knuckles had plenty of fatty portions, which everyone eagerly targeted. Yu Xiang’an, however, preferred the leaner cuts with just a bit of fat, along with the skin.

Normally, she avoided pork skin, but with pork knuckles, it was a must—tender, rich, and chewy.

It felt like an entirely different ingredient compared to regular pork skin.

One bite was never enough.

Noticing her preference for lean meat, Yu Qingshan picked a particularly fatty piece for her. She promptly passed it to Yu Xiangju. “For Xiao Ju—grow tall and strong. Dad, don’t worry about me. My tastes have changed—I prefer lean meat now. If you want to serve me, give me this kind.”

Yu Manchang was baffled.

Who didn’t like fatty meat?

Fat was the best—full of flavor. Today’s pork knuckles were especially rich. Yet she didn’t like it?

Yu Qingshan didn’t understand either but still gave her a leaner piece. “You’ve worked hard.”

Yu Xianghai also served her a portion. “Little Sister, thanks for your effort. Next time you come across some, help me buy some too.” He handed her some money.

His wife was pregnant—she needed good food to stay healthy.

Yu Xiang’an agreed. “Everyone, dig in. The soybeans are delicious too.”

Each soybean had absorbed the rich meaty flavors. Under everyone’s enthusiastic assault, the pork knuckles vanished quickly, leaving mostly soybeans behind. Toward the end, they ate them one by one, savoring each bite.

At this point, everyone slowed down deliberately, prolonging the meal until the last soybean was gone and the remaining sauce was scraped clean.

The meal ended on a perfect note.

Stomachs full, they chatted idly.

Yu Qingshan remarked, “The pork knuckles today were excellent—plenty of fat. Where’d you get them?”

Yu Xiang’an explained, “A colleague introduced me to some friends, including someone from the meat processing plant. We traded.”

Yu Qingshan understood. “Ah, I see. Relationships take effort to maintain.”

Yu Xiang’an nodded. “I know.”

Yu Xianghai remembered something. “Has there been any update on your job transfer? When will it happen? And what about the position you’re leaving behind—do you know who’s taking over?”

Yu Xiang’an shook her head. “Not yet. No rush. Deputy Director Wang mentioned once that the factory director’s niece might be transferred in.”

Hearing her words, Yu Manchang sighed.

People with connections are just different.

The others didn’t react much—they had expected as much.

They said everyone stood at the same starting line, but how could that really be the case?

Yu Qingshan asked Yu Manchang, “How’s your apprenticeship going with your master now?”

At this, Yu Manchang perked up. “He’s taught me some tricks, though he hasn’t shared the key points yet. That’s normal. I’m already satisfied with what I’ve learned so far. If I keep at it, I’m confident I can try firing the kiln myself. My master also said that if I can’t get it right, I can always come back and ask him—he’ll tell me what went wrong.”

Clearly, this master was a decent person—otherwise, he wouldn’t have said such a thing.

Yu Xianghai asked, “What does your master like to eat? If we have it, we can send some over.”

“I gave him a bag of mountain goods during Mid-Autumn Festival, and he really liked it…”

Listening to their conversation, Yu Xiang’an pondered that it was time for her to reveal some of her skills to them.

She’d start with papermaking.

The raw materials for making paper were common—things like bamboo and tree bark would do.

Using old books she’d found at the recycling station as an excuse, she began experimenting at home.

Homemade paper?

The others’ attitude toward her efforts was one of cautious observation—neither opposing nor supporting her. Only Yu Xiangju and Yu Mingjie were overjoyed, running around excitedly, even more enthusiastic than Yu Xiang’an herself.

To them, this was incredibly novel. Could they really make paper themselves?

If it worked, that would be amazing.

Unsurprisingly, her first batch of paper wasn’t great. But no matter what, it was still paper—albeit rough, uneven, and inconsistent in thickness.

With improvements, though, the paper would surely become smoother.

When Yu Xiang’an’s results came out, Yu Qingshan took notice. Seeing her working on a second batch, he stepped in to help, figuring out the process along the way.

With him joining in, the most labor-intensive tasks—pulping and molding—no longer fell on Yu Xiang’an.

Even the sheet-forming process was taken over by Yu Qingshan. His strength and steady hands led to noticeable improvements in the final product.

Yu Qingshan was delighted. “We can keep refining this!”

At this stage, the paper was already usable for toilet purposes.

But it was still far from suitable for writing.

Yu Qingshan asked, “Xiao An, what else do you remember? How can we improve it?”

Yu Xiang’an coughed awkwardly. “I only vaguely recall what I read—I didn’t study it closely.”

Truth be told, she’d forgotten many of the details.

Yu Xianghai was also intrigued by papermaking. If he hadn’t been so busy, he would’ve tried it himself.

*

Yu Xiang’an accompanied Ye Qijia to the county hospital.

Her belly was showing far too early for her stage of pregnancy. Normally, it shouldn’t have been so pronounced yet.

Yao Cuifen, concerned, had advised her to get checked.

Her youngest daughter had carried twins and tragically died during childbirth.

They couldn’t afford to take risks.

Originally, Yu Xianghai was supposed to accompany Ye Qijia, but he couldn’t get away, so Yu Xiang’an stepped in.

Yu Xiang’an reassured her, “Sister-in-law, don’t let my age fool you. I can handle things smoothly.”

Ye Qijia smiled. “Naturally.”

Otherwise, how would she have earned her superiors’ favor?

The county hospital wasn’t overly crowded.

Most visitors were from relatively well-off families, and the majority were townsfolk.

Outwardly calm, Yu Xiang’an was inwardly uneasy. Twins meant double the joy—but also double the risk.

And there was that grim precedent.

Even in modern times, twin pregnancies were approached with caution. Despite advanced medicine, childbirth fatalities still occurred.

Yu Xiang’an decided that if the examination confirmed twins, she’d prioritize sharing her spiritual spring water with Ye Qijia.

Additionally, she needed to thoroughly research the local doctors.

Many intellectuals had been unjustly persecuted and sent to the countryside. Surely the county hospital’s staff were competent?

Even troublemakers couldn’t guarantee they or their families would never fall ill.

Previously, her connections had been limited. Now, things were different—she needed to pay closer attention.

The examination was conducted by an elderly traditional doctor. After checking Ye Qijia, he confirmed, “You’re carrying twins. You’ll need to watch your nutrition, but don’t overeat—oversized babies are harder to deliver. Is this your second pregnancy?”

Ye Qijia smiled, delighted at the thought of two little ones. “Yes, it’s my second. My first is already five.”

“Don’t worry too much. You have experience, and there’s sufficient gap between pregnancies. Your physical condition seems decent. Just be cautious. When the time comes, if possible, deliver at the hospital.”

Yu Xiang’an immediately responded, “Understood, doctor. We’ll arrange a hospital delivery. Should we get any herbal tonics now? What special precautions do twins require? How often should we return for checkups?”

Her rapid-fire questions momentarily flustered the elderly doctor, who chuckled. “Is this your sister?”

Ye Qijia also laughed. “This is my sister-in-law.”

“You two get along well.”

Most sisters-in-law didn’t have such rapport.

Ye Qijia nodded cheerfully. “Yes, we’re close.” With a sister-in-law like this, how could they not be?

“Here’s a booklet for you to study. I’ll write you a prescription slip—with this, you can purchase certain supplements without ration coupons.”

Yu Xiang’an responded brightly, “Thank you, doctor!”

“Sister-in-law, wait here. I’ll go buy what we need.”

The list included brown sugar and malted milk powder for maternal nutrition—she couldn’t miss those.

Exiting the room, she asked for directions to the pharmacy.

Meanwhile, in the pharmacy, Lin Chuanbai was opening letters and parcels.

The letter came from the city—from the original host’s former “friends.”

The parcel was from Shanghai. One glance at the address revealed its sender: his elder brother.

Lin Chuanbai skimmed the letter before setting it aside. Too hypocritical—not worth reading carefully.

The parcel contained clothes suitable for him and his grandfather, two packs of White Rabbit candies, and—most valuable—a carefully wrapped wristwatch.

Watches were luxury items. Even the cheapest cost over a hundred yuan, plus the required coupons.

Coupons were harder to obtain than money itself.

This was his brother’s gift to celebrate his new job.

It was also consolation.

Though not a single word mentioned the Worker-Peasant-Soldier University affair.

Lin Chuanbai suddenly smiled. A nearby colleague noticed and blinked, wondering if it was a trick of the light. The usually reserved man smiling—was that real?

Oddly enough, it looked rather handsome.

She regarded her new coworker with fresh eyes. Though introverted and quiet, he seemed like a fine young man.

Unaware of the scrutiny, Lin Chuanbai basked in his family’s care, feeling as warm and relaxed as if he’d just stepped out of a hot spring.

This was family.

He could’ve bought a watch himself if he’d really wanted one. But receiving one from family? That was different.

Just then, someone approached with a prescription slip. Seeing him still occupied with the letter, his colleague stepped forward to assist.

A young woman’s voice spoke: “Comrade, could I trouble you for these items? They’re for a pregnant woman’s nourishment.”

“No trouble at all. Serving the people…”