Educated Youth in the Countryside: She is the Village's Embroidery Queen!-Chapter 432: As If Facing a Formidable Enemy

Chapter 432: Chapter 432: As If Facing a Formidable Enemy

Can you not slander her so casually?

Yi Chichi loudly defended herself, claiming she didn’t do it, but no one believed her.

Frustrated, she pinched Wen Shi, "Tell the truth."

However, words once spoken are like water poured out — impossible to take back.

Wen Shi was a prime example; he blurted out something in a fit of excitement, which he couldn’t retract, leaving no one to believe his explanations.

Instead, it provoked Old Lei and the others’ teasing sarcasm.

One said, "A man being lifted by his wife isn’t a very good look, but if it’s only done at home, it’s not a big deal."

Another said, "Stop explaining; don’t you know the more you explain, the more you reveal what you want to hide..."

The couple fell into an awkward silence.

Exchanging glances, they accepted their fate.

"Let’s go harvest oysters."

Spending more time fussing over this issue is not as rewarding as collecting more "general’s hats" or oysters to satisfy culinary cravings.

"The water hasn’t receded yet."

Indeed, it hadn’t; the large reef beach was still mostly submerged.

Yi Chichi checked the time, realizing it would take a while before the tide fully receded, so she turned her attention to the nearby coconut tree.

The tall coconut tree was laden with coconuts.

Suddenly, a strong wind blew, causing the coconut-laden tree to sway, shaking the coconuts.

Yi Chichi’s eyes lit up, "Will any fall down?"

Wen Shi turned to look at her and softly asked, "Want some coconut water?"

"Yes!"

He oh-ed, rolled up his sleeves, "Wait for me, I’ll go get you a few."

Before his words faded, he walked away.

Seeing this, Old Lei and the others quickly called out, asking what he was up to. Learning he was going to pick coconuts, they followed as if suddenly enlightened, not forgetting to remind him.

"Wife, you and Xiao Yi wait here, we’ll get you some coconuts."

Ji Jian and the others happily responded, sitting with Yi Chichi to wait for the men to bring back coconuts, while bantering. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

"Their bragging really doesn’t have a draft, anything will come out."

Yi Chichi sighed, "I am the most unjustly treated."

Better hadn’t she said it; as soon as she did, Ji Jian teased, "Did you really lift Wen Shi high?"

Yi Chichi rolled her eyes, "I can’t even lift you, let alone him."

Sister-in-law Huang chuckled, "I’m a bit stronger than you, I can lift Ji Jian."

The group immediately turned to look at her.

"You’re that strong?"

She patted her arm, "Guess where I’m from?"

"No idea."

"Jianghan Plain."

"What a wonderful place!"

"What wonderful!"

Sister-in-law Huang sighed, "Jianghan Plain has abundant water resources, with lots of aquatic products and good fields.

Along with Dongting Lake, it’s called the Two-Lakes Plain.

No matter how hard times were, no one ever starved.

Turtles, soft-shelled turtles, eels, loaches are everywhere, as well as wild chickens and badgers, and since there are rivers and ponds everywhere, there are lots of fish too.

Anyone diligent won’t starve.

However, the Two-Lakes Plain is a flood zone, whenever the Yangtze River floods, we suffer.

It’s truly hard, with never-ending farm work all year round."

She stretched out her hands to show them, "All calloused; I started working in the fields at six, as the main labor in double cropping season due to my strength. It’s only recently, following Old Huang in the military, that I stopped farming as much."

No wonder she’s so strong.

With work experience, Yi Chichi curiously asked, "What do you grow?"

"My team is a state-run farm, fields as far as the eye can see, all dry fields, growing everything except rice from peanuts, rapeseed, cotton, soybeans, to wheat."

"Cooking is the hardest."

"Why?"

"No durable firewood, it’s all about burning bundles..."

"What are bundles?"

This was a new term, sparking the curiosity of those unfamiliar with Jianghan Plain life.

"Tied up wheat straw, soybean stalks, burn slightly longer; if not tied up, they’d blaze out instantly, not to mention cooking, even stir-frying veggies is tough."

"No coal?"

"Other places might have it, but not us, only wood."

She was about to continue when she noticed through the corner of her eye that the emerging reefs were getting taller. Startled, she jumped up, "The tide has receded, time to work."

Yi Chichi and the others looked back and indeed it had.

The tide came and went quickly.

In no time, the reefs completely and partially submerged by the sea revealed their true form.

Seafood that hadn’t left with the tide was now exposed for all to see.

"Oh my, there’s a snake!"

Ji Jian, spotting a cat’s eye snail the size of her hand, reached to grab it but was frightened when her peripheral vision caught sight of a long, thin creature writhing in a puddle.

"Where?"

Yi Chichi tensed, aware that sea snakes weren’t to be messed with, being much more venomous than land snakes.

"There!"

Following Ji Jian’s direction, she carefully observed for a while before exhaling in relief, "It’s not a sea snake, it’s a sea eel."

Ji Jian, "...The sea eel they sell at the market?"

"Yes!"

Though it looked intimidating, Ji Jian didn’t dare pick it up.

She nudged Yi Chichi, "You pick it up, have Wen Shi cook it for you at home."

"I don’t want to."

She neither ate sea eel nor dared to catch it.

Old Lei liked eating sea eel; learning there was one, and seeing the ladies dare not catch it while Wen Shi and others weren’t interested, he darted over like a leopard and captured it.

"It’s rather big."

Wen Shi and the others took a look before spreading out to attend to their own tasks.

In pairs, spaced not too far or too close, ready to respond quickly with a shout if needed.

Yi Chichi observed their division of areas thoughtfully, remarking, "Impressive, even sea foraging has a task force formation."

Wen Shi pulled out a blue crab and tossed it in the bucket, nonchalantly saying, "Wife, at your three o’clock, there’s a big scallop, go pick it up."

"Okay."

Yi Chichi promptly followed his cue to retrieve the scallop from the small pool, then discovered she had stumbled upon a nest of scallops, with more around.

Additionally, there was a tiger grouper wedged in the reef crevice, Yi Chichi tried to scoop it out but couldn’t.

"Old Wen, come quickly, there’s a fish here I can’t get out."

Wen Shi, just having procured a big sea snail, responded and scampered over, "What kind of fish?"

"Looks like a tiger grouper."

That’s a good fish, delicious.

Wen Shi’s eyes brightened, "Wife, step aside, let me try."

Yi Chichi moved aside, showing him where the tiger grouper was stuck.

Somehow, he effortlessly extracted the tiger grouper and tossed it into the bucket.

"Great start, nice haul."

He was delighted, experiencing the joy of sea foraging for the first time.

Then, as if on a roll, he couldn’t stop.

Yi Chichi’s observation skills weren’t as sharp, and she didn’t collect as much, so she followed him around, taking charge of the bucket for the seafood.