Chapter 77 - 77

Chapter 77 Are you two dating?As Yun Ting passed by Educated Youth Point, she happened to see Li Hongxia and Zhang Weichatting and laughing together.Yun Ting's gossipy eyes were sparkling...So much so that she forgot she was riding a bike!"Ouch…" Yun Ting's voice interrupted the two of them.Li Hongxia looked over nervously and saw Yun Ting lying on the ground with his bike. Forgetting her embarrassment, she quickly ran over and helped him up." Educated Youth Yun, are you alright? How could you be so careless?" Li Hongxia looked at her with concern."No...it's nothing, it's just that it's snowing and the roads are slippery...hehe..."In his heart, he was complaining, "This is all because of gossip. Curiosity really killed the cat!""What are you and Zhang Educated Youthtalking about? Are you two dating?" Yun Ting'seyes darted between the two of them.Neither of them expected Yun Ting to be so direct, and they both blushed with embarrassment, unsure of how to respond."Yes, Hongxia and I have just established a revolutionary friendship and are dating." Zhang Wei answered directly, without any hesitation.Yun Ting nodded inwardly. It seemed that Zhang Wei was a responsible person, at least for now.Congratulations! I wish you happiness forever."Thank you... By the way, are you hurt? Should I take you to see the barefoot doctor?""It's okay, Sister Hongxia, I'm fine! You can see for yourself…" Yun Ting said, jumping up and down a couple of times."Alright, you guys continue, I won't bother you anymore! I'm going back..." Yun Ting got on her bicycle and rode back home, wobbling along."This educated youth Yun is so lively!" Li Hongxia exclaimed, and Zhang Wei nodded in agreement with a smile.Yun Ting didn't tell anyone about Li Hongxia andZhang Wei's relationship, but since the two of them didn't intend to keep it a secret, almost everyone knew.Yun Ting wasn't surprised by this. Both of them were veteran Educated Youths who had been living here for many years and knew each other well. They were both of marriageable age, so instead of looking for someone from the village, they might as well find someone who was alsoan Educated Youth.In this day and age, once you start dating, you're not far from getting married. So, Zhang Wei, who hadn't originally planned to go home for the Lunar New Year, still took leave to visit his family and brought Li Hongxia back with him.If her family has no objections, she estimates that they should get married around the New Year. Yun Ting admires that speed.Yun Ting now has two more plots of black soil in her space, and there is a wide variety of fruit trees and grains. In addition to rice and wheat flour, she has also planted corn because she has found that cornmeal is very popular. Also, she occasionally likes to eat cornbread.Besides apples, pears, and durians, the fruit trees now also include peaches, oranges, and longans, all of which she loves to eat.The wild grapes that were transplanted from the mountain have grown big and sweet after being exposed to the changing environment; they no longer look like wild grapes at all.The ginseng and lingzhi mushrooms were alsogrowing very well, which made Yun Ting very happy.The chickens, ducks, and geese we brought home before have all grown up and multiplied quite a bit. They have a lot of chicken, duck, and goose eggs, especially since we gave themspiritual spring water, their egg-laying speed is simply amazing.Next time she goes to trade, she can sell more eggs.She bought some tea leaves and cooked a lot of tea eggs in her space to keep them for herself, especially the tea eggs cooked with goose eggs, which were large and very satisfying to bite into.If she could do business openly, her tea eggs would be so delicious that they'd be in high demand if she sold them near the train station.I made quite a lot of mushroom meat sauce again. I haven't sent any home recently, but I'll bring some back this time, along with fruit to give the two pregnant women in my family extra vitamins.As for the wild chicken rabbit, she could only take the dried one back with her; otherwise, it wouldn't be appropriate for her to take a freshly killed, bloody rabbit on a crowded train, and she herself couldn't accept it.Yun Ting was organizing in her space, looking at what she could take home, when she heard someone calling her from outside." Sister Yun... are you there? Come out quickly..."Yun Ting immediately slipped out of the space and opened the door."Little Pillar, what's up?""Little Sister Yun, look, these are frozen pears. You didn't get to eat them last year, didn't you say you wanted some? I brought them to you right now." Xiao Zhuzi's nose was red from the cold, and white steam was coming out as she held up a cloth bag containing four round lumps, presenting them to her like a treasure.Yun Ting smiled as she took it; it was icy cold to the touch and covered with a thin layer of white frost."Little Pillar, thank you so much! Are you freezing?"Little Zhu rubbed his frozen little hands, his eyes shining like stars. "My grandma hid them at the bottom of the jar. They thaw in cold water and are so sweet they stick to your teeth! She said you mentioned wanting something sour the other day, and these frozen pears are sweet and sour, I guarantee you'll love them!"He swallowed as he spoke, clearly smacking his lips in anticipation, yet he kept urging Yun Ting, "Try it, sister, we still have some at home!" His body heat clung to the red cloth bundle, warming the frozen pears until they were slightly damp, making them seem like they carried a warm heart amidst the swirling snow."Xiao Zhu, please thank your grandma for me too. Come in, let's eat together." After saying that, Yun Ting immediately pulled him into the house." Sister Yun, no need, we still have some at home!""No, I'll eat with my sister! It'll be sweeter that way, haha..."Xiao Zhuzi couldn't resist her, so he happily accepted, and the two of them ate their first frozen pear of the year together.Yun Ting poured the frozen pears from the red cloth bag into a porcelain bowl. The dark-colored fruit was covered with a layer of white frost and was as hard as an ice block, looking really unremarkable.As Xiaozhuzi instructed, she added some cold water to the bowl and watched as the ice slowly melted onto the pear skin. The originally wrinkled skin gradually swelled up, revealing a dark brown sheen.Xiao Zhuzi also leaned over to stare, as if he were studying something.When she touched it, it felt soft and squishy. She picked one up, her fingertips still wet with cool water. The moment she bit into it, her teeth struck the slightly tough skin, followed by a burst of icy sweet and sour flavor—unlike the crispness of a fresh pear, the flesh was soft and fluffy, with a slightly granular, icy texture. The sourness was hidden beneath the sweetness, sliding down her throat and giving her a slight shiver."This taste..." She blinked, a piece of fruit still in her mouth, juice dripping from the corner of her mouth. She quickly raised her hand to wipe it away. Little Zhuzi, watching from the side, anxiously asked, "Sister Yun, isn't it delicious? Isn't it even more flavorful than a fresh pear?"Yun Ting smiled and nodded, showing him the bitten part: "Look, the flesh inside is amber-colored, sweet and a little icy, really good, Xiao Zhu, you should eat some too!" As she spoke, she took another big bite, the cool sweet and sour taste swirling on her tongue, and she found that this dark frozen pear had a unique flavor when eaten in winter.