The entire way back to the dormitory, Pang Dun'er kept his mouth covered, afraid that if he let go, the good news would spill out.
“Captain, I’m finding it really hard to keep this in.”
The captain didn’t speak. He took a large jujube from his pocket and popped it into Pang Dun'er’s mouth.
“Mmm, delicious.” As long as Pang Dun’er had something to eat, he could pretty much forget about everything else.
The few companions finally returned to the courtyard where they lived. Uncle Sun and Uncle Xu were still awake, waiting for them.
Seeing them return, the two uncles hurried forward to ask, “What did Xin Ci say?”
The captain smiled without answering, took a piece of paper from his pocket, and handed it to the two men.
Under the light of the flashlight, Uncle Xu and Uncle Sun read the words on the paper several times before the seasoned old men cautiously said, “Ten mu of land! Xin Ci is our lucky star. If no one else, Xin Ci won’t let us go hungry.”
“Yes, Xin Ci also said she has a batch of long-staple cotton ready. What do you all think?”
The captain’s question was met with blank stares from his companions. They didn’t know what to do.
It was Uncle Xu and Uncle Sun, with their wealth of experience, who offered their insights and advice. “Long-staple cotton is a good thing, but nowadays, how many people know how to sew? Unless they’re garment factory workers.”
“Old Xu is right. These days, people even buy ready-made quilts, let alone cotton-padded clothes. I reckon if you went asking around, there wouldn’t be more than a handful of people in Longcheng who can do this kind of work.”
“That’s right. Long-staple cotton is such a good material. It’s best not to have Xin Ci bring it over for now, lest we waste good things for nothing.”
“Uh…”
The companions, who usually considered themselves quite sharp, felt their brains freeze at this moment. They exchanged bewildered glances, seeing the same four words reflected in each other’s eyes: I don’t know.
It made sense. Before the apocalypse, they were all students. Their daily lives revolved around a few things: sleeping, eating, playing, and attending classes. In the little free time they had, no one would pay attention to things like long-staple cotton.
“Xiao Ai, you’re usually so good at chattering. Why are you so quiet today?”
Xiao Ai deliberately rolled her eyes at Yang Xin Jie before replying in a low voice, “My strength is in arguing back. I can even make someone so frustrated they can’t eat for three days, even if I’m just learning as I go. Long-staple cotton, though? The teacher never taught that.”
“Haha, arguing back seems like something you were taught.”
“Arguing back comes with a system upgrade, no teaching needed.”
“Hahaha.”
The companions, who had been looking so troubled just moments ago, were easily amused by Xiao Ai’s words.
…
Towards the end of Yin Shi, more than a dozen teenagers had already begun to arrive outside the Meng family compound.
Meng Qi Cheng, having been instructed by his second uncle, had opened the courtyard gate precisely at the start of Yin Shi.
When Shan Xiao Cong arrived, he saw Er Xi waiting for him at the intersection, hugging his shoulders.
Seeing Er Xi’s pale face from the cold, Shan Xiao Cong felt a pang of guilt.
“Er Xi, your family has moved to Meng Jia Village now. You don’t need to come all the way here to wait for me.”
“I was afraid you might still be waiting for me at home.”
“You told me yesterday that you were moving to Meng Jia Village. I’m too happy for you to do something foolish like that.”
“Okay, then tomorrow I’ll go directly to the door of Second Master Meng’s house.”
“Don’t just stand foolishly at the main entrance waiting. Second Master Meng said we can rest in the gatehouse.”
“Okay, I’ll remember.”
“Let’s hurry, it’s too cold.”
“Alright.”
The two teenagers ran, chasing each other, to the gate of the Meng family compound. They saw Meng Qi Cheng carrying two steaming wooden buckets, emerging from the kitchen.
Meng Yu Luo followed behind with a stack of wooden bowls, a smile on her face.
The fragrant scent of hot Mian Cha wafted from a distance, and the teenagers’ hungry stomachs rumbled in unison, “Gulu gulu.”
This was probably a common occurrence, as no one paid it any mind. They just habitually tightened their belts.
As Meng Qi Cheng approached the gatehouse, everyone could clearly see the golden Mian Cha in the wooden buckets. The enticing aroma grew even stronger, and everyone couldn’t help but swallow.
Meng Yu Tang, with keen observation, stepped forward and helped lift the heavy curtain.
Meng Qi Cheng didn’t speak, but he smiled at him.
Meng Yu Luo, following behind, smiled first and then spoke, “Cousin Tang, lend me a hand to hold the curtain up against the door.”
“Okay.”
After Meng Qi Cheng set down his load, he called out to the teenagers, “Everyone line up properly. No pushing, no shoving. One bowl of hot Mian Cha per person.”
When Meng Qi Cheng finished speaking, there was a moment of silence. None of them had expected to have a bowl of hot Mian Cha this morning.
Meng Qi Cheng ladled the first bowl of Mian Cha. Seeing the teenagers standing there, stunned, he couldn’t help but exclaim, “Don’t you want to drink Mian Cha?”
“We do.” It was another chorus.
“If you want it, then come over.”
“Okay.”
The teenagers instantly formed a long, orderly queue. No one pushed. Those who were slower automatically went to the back.
When Wang Da Bao arrived, he saw such an orderly line. He cheerfully ran to the front and said, “If I had known Grandpa Meng had Mian Cha here, I would have come earlier.”
“It’s not too late now,” Meng Qi Cheng said, ladling a bowl of Mian Cha and handing it to Wang Da Bao.
Wang Da Bao accepted it without ceremony, blew on it to cool it, and took a sip. “Mmm, this Mian Cha is still so good. Pure wheat fragrance.”
The other teenagers felt the same, but none of them spoke. The happiness on their faces was as pure as the aroma of the Mian Cha.
After the teenagers finished their bowls of Mian Cha, and at Wang Da Bao’s request, they lined up according to height.
Grandpa Meng hadn’t expected that a bowl of his Mian Cha would bring about such a fresh change in the demeanor of the teenagers.
After breakfast, Fu Xin Ci, holding Yu’er’s little hand, strolled in the courtyard. She heard the sound of teenagers jogging outside the courtyard wall.
Yu’er’s dark, big eyes showed a hint of curiosity and longing. He really wanted to go out and see.
“Sister.”
Fu Xin Ci didn’t want to go out. She had slept too late last night and urgently needed to catch up on sleep.
“Sister, I want to go out.”
Seeing his sister’s silence, Yu’er directly stated his wish.
“Well, this… I can’t decide, Yu’er. You’ll have to ask Grandpa.”
“Okay, I’ll go find Grandpa.” Yu’er finished speaking and ran off on his short legs to the main house to find his grandfather.
Fu Xin Ci turned and followed Yu’er to her parents’ room.
“Mom.”
“Yes?”
Fang Shi was tidying the room. Seeing her daughter arrive, she asked her to take off her shoes and get on the kang.
Fu Xin Ci noticed the needlework basket on the kang table and raised her eyebrows slightly. Then, she found a perfect excuse for herself: “Mom, I dreamed that a bad guy chased me all night. I’m so sleepy now. What should I do?”
“If you’re sleepy, then go to sleep. A good night’s sleep will make you feel better.”