Chapter Forty-Six: Can You Cook?

When Li Ye called out several classmates to leave right in front of Teacher Luo, declaring that he would no longer attend evening self-study in the classroom, Yue Xia and the others initially thought they had misheard.

After all, judging by Li Ye's fierce posture just moments ago, it hardly looked like he was going to let the matter rest easily.

[Did we... just win this?]

Watching the retreating figures of Li Ye and the others, Yue Xia could not help but feel the joy of vindication.

In fact, Yue Xia used to be a diligent student who studied hard. Girls in this era were deeply aware of how precious educational opportunities were, and they studied desperately to break free from a predetermined and monotonous fate.

Yet, simply laying eyes on Li Ye caused a surge of irritation to well up within her, impossible to suppress no matter how hard she tried.

Was it because of Lu Jingyao?

Even Yue Xia herself could not explain it clearly.

"We've finally driven those bad apples out."

"Exactly. We can finally have some peace and quiet. There hasn't been a moment of tranquility since Li Ye transferred into our class."

"They never belonged in Class One in the first place. They should be sent to Class Two or Class Three instead."

"........."

Jin Shengli and the others were equally jubilant. In their view, it was the entire class, under the leadership of him and Yue Xia as the core, that had defeated a small faction of heretics attempting to disrupt class unity and thwarted Li Ye's sinister plot to drag down the collective grades of Class One.

Therefore, shortly after Li Ye and his group had walked some distance away, Jin Shengli even led several classmates in clapping enthusiastically and waving their fists in a gesture of victory.

...

Leading seven people, Li Ye had just walked past the playground when the faint sound of clapping drifted weakly from behind.

He himself was indifferent, but the few classmates walking with him, already anxious and suspicious, felt even more uneasy upon hearing the applause.

"Li Ye, is this... going to look bad for us?"

The speaker was Han Xia, a girl who had transferred from Class Two to Class One alongside Hu Man and Li Ye, and one of the steadfast defenders of Li Ye during the recent conflicts with Yue Xia and her group.

Li Ye smiled and asked, "Where do you think it looks bad?"

Han Xia hesitated for a moment before saying, "We didn't do anything wrong, so why are we running away? If this keeps up, people are going to laugh at us, and we... really will become people who don't know how to get along with our peers."

Li Ye glanced at Han Xia and said earnestly, "Han Xia, remember this: we only unite with people who are worth uniting with."

"People worth uniting with?" Han Xia looked somewhat dazed and said softly, "Just the few of us? Isn't that too few?"

"Seven people is not a few," Li Ye said with conviction. "You might feel right now that the few of us are a minority that has broken away from the organization and the masses, but you will realize later in life just how extravagant and blissful it is to have truly seven close and trustworthy friends."

"Haha, look at you talking like that, Li Ye... Sigh..."

Hearing Li Ye's words, the anxiety in the hearts of Han Xia and the others dissipated considerably, and their hesitant steps grew lighter.

Yet there was still one female student, head lowered, walking silently at the very back, lagging more than ten meters behind Li Ye and the rest.

Han Xia turned back and called out, "Jiang Xiaoyan, hurry up, stop dawdling."

The girl looked up at Li Ye, uttered a soft "Oh," and slightly quickened her pace.

Jiang Xiaoyan, much like Li Da勇 and Fu Yingjie, had originally been a "top student" in the repeater class of Class One, yet she had always been on the margins of the class.

After Hu Man became the new class monitor, she noticed this transparent-like girl and successfully "lured" her over using just a few test papers.

Following that, the few of them solved problems and explained concepts to each other, gradually finding that they clicked very well.

Especially after the last round of tests, Jiang Xiaoyan firmly believed that Li Ye was not some tyrannical villain like Huang Shiren, but rather a capable and kind-hearted student.

When Yue Xia had once gossiped maliciously about Li Ye, Jiang Xiaoyan—usually as fragile and submissive as dough—had actually ended up arguing with Yue Xia and the others. Although she was eventually reduced to tears by Yue Xia's scolding, she had continued to argue through her sobs.

Thus, she had been chosen by Li Ye as one of the seven.

However, Jiang Xiaoyan was naturally timid. Today, when Li Ye called for her to leave the classroom and find another place for self-study, she had been extremely hesitant and panicked. In the end, perhaps realizing she would be targeted by Yue Xia and the others if she stayed in the classroom, she lowered her head and followed Li Ye out.

For a timid, honest student, suddenly breaking away from the school routine was bound to cause a flutter of panic.

Students like Fu Yingjie, Hu Man, and Han Xia also felt a certain degree of hesitation and anxiety.

Perhaps only Wen Leyu had followed Li Ye without a single second thought.

At the time, she had asked no questions at all. The moment Li Ye mentioned finding their own place to study, she immediately began packing her school bag, rushing out of the classroom first—moving even faster and more resolutely than Li Ye himself.

The little lady was awfully smart!

[You bunch of dunderheads, how could you possibly appreciate how great Li Ye is?]

...

During the 1980s, the grain system was an undeniably prestigious sector. Various grain and oil stores, along with grain distribution stations, sustained countless state-owned enterprise employees who walked around with their chins held high.

The Second Grain Store was one such supply station. It was usually not very busy, but once the monthly quotas were issued, urban residents from a good half of the county would stream in with their "supply booklets" to purchase low-priced rice, flour, cooking oil, and salt, before heading over to the vegetable company to procure the rest of life's daily necessities.

Consequently, while the storefront of the Second Grain Store facing the street was not particularly large, the courtyard in the back was quite spacious. It housed not only large warehouses for stockpiled grain but also smaller ones for scarce goods.

Leading Wen Leyu, Hu Man, and the others out of the school gate and walking a hundred meters or so, Li Ye circled around to the back door of the Second Grain Store. Before they even had a chance to knock, a chorus of barking erupted.

A golden-furred local dog peered through the gap in the double doors, letting out an alert and menacing growl that deterred the timid girls from getting close.

Soon, however, the door swung open. A middle-aged man in his forties kicked the yellow dog aside with one foot and broke into a welcoming smile toward Li Ye.

"Why are you here today, Little Ye? Didn't you say tomorrow?"

"It's fine, Uncle Huang. The room's been cleared out anyway, a day early or a day late doesn't matter much."

Li Ye led his classmates inside. He was not overly familiar with this man, knowing only that his surname was Huang and that he was the person in charge of the Second Grain Store.

As soon as Li Zhongfa learned about Li Ye helping people compile test questions a few days ago, he had instructed his subordinates to clean out a small warehouse nearby at the Second Grain Store for Li Ye to use as a study room.

Old Huang was very enthusiastic toward Li Ye, leading him directly toward a door covered with a thick cotton curtain.

"After Bureau Chief Li made the arrangements, we rushed to get it tidied up. It's just that the newly plastered walls are a bit damp, but I've already lit the stove, and everything should be completely dry by tomorrow."

Lifting the curtain, pushing the door open, they stepped inside.

A newly built brick wall divided the small warehouse right down the middle into two sections—one large and one small. Stoves had been installed in both the inner and outer rooms, and the charcoal fires were roaring fiercely, radiating a dense warmth that instantly enveloped Hu Man and the others, who had been shivering from the cold.

"Oh my~, this is heavenly."

Li Da勇 was the first to cry out. Having endured the freezing cold of the classrooms and dormitories for so many days, arriving suddenly in a place like this felt unimaginably comfortable.

The girls were equally delighted.

No matter how impoverished a young girl might be, she still cared about her appearance. In the dead of winter, having a pair of delicate little hands frozen red like carrots, with the skin even cracking in places—who would ever want that?

Li Ye was quite satisfied as well. This Old Huang was a clever fellow; the smaller partitioned room even featured a built-in brick kang bed, prompting Li Ye to immediately decide that he would sleep right here starting tonight.

"I've put you to a lot of trouble, Uncle Huang. But a few friends will be bringing some things over later, so you'd better tie up the dog first."

"Will do, will do, I'll go tie it up right now. The nature of our workplace is a bit different; we really can't manage without a watch-dog at night. Hope you understand."

Just as Old Huang was about to step outside to secure the dog, he heard the canine barking again outside.

Jin Peng and Hao Jian had pulled up to the courtyard hauling a flatbed cart.

"Come on, everyone, let's help unload the cart!"

Li Ye called out to Li Da勇 and the others to pitch in. There was a massive pile of items: pots, pans, bowls, tables, and benches.

Hu Man asked with curiosity, "Li Ye, are you planning to set up a kitchen here?"

Li Ye replied, "That's right. Our study pace is going to pick up from now on, and waiting in line at the school cafeteria wastes time. Saving even a little bit of time is worthwhile. One meal costs ten cents, eat as much as you want."

"Oh! Look at you, big spender, and you're still charging us money! We thought we were going to freeload off a rich guy."

Han Xia, blessed with a lively personality, cracked a joke at Li Ye's expense.

Of course everyone intended to pay. In this era, people would scramble even to pick up a single cent dropped on the street; who would intentionally take advantage of someone else?

Yet Li Ye noticed that Jiang Xiaoyan had lowered her head, her fingers twisting the hem of her clothes, looking visibly uncomfortable.

Li Ye knew the reason why.

When it came to Jiang Xiaoyan, Li Ye felt she was comparable to Sun Shaoping.

She would carry grain from home every month to exchange for meal tickets at the school cafeteria, always waiting until everyone else had left before being the very last person to go eat.

She would spend three cents on a steamed bun, filling her stomach with pickled vegetables brought from home and plain boiled water.

Moreover, by the end of the month, the pickled vegetables might be entirely gone, and if she arrived too late, even the hot water would be finished, leaving her with no choice but to swallow dryly against her throat.

Impoverished and stubborn, yet possessing a righteous character, Li Ye considered her to be a truly commendable girl.

*Clang~*

"We've got pork ribs to eat!"

Half a side of pork ribs was heaved off the flatbed cart by Jin Peng and dumped onto the counter beside the stove, instantly making a group of students salivate.

"Well, look, usually someone needs to cook for us, and it's time-consuming and exhausting. We won't pay wages, but the food itself is definitely free."

Pointing at Jiang Xiaoyan, Li Ye asked, "Braised pork ribs with radish—can you make that, Jiang Xiaoyan?"

"Ah... yes, I can."

Jiang Xiaoyan raised her head, her bright eyes filled with a radiant joy that looked remarkably pretty.