Educated Youth in the Countryside: She is the Village's Embroidery Queen!-Chapter 444: The Difference Between Needles

Yi Chichi found it reasonable and prepared to mend the clothes once they were dry.

He Yunsong was freeloading dinner at home, as his wife had not returned and needed to work the night shift.

Upon learning this, Wen Shi made him braised pork and also cooked a dish of stir-fried liver slices.

He ate with great satisfaction and kept praising Wen Shi’s cooking skills, lamenting that his time at sea was a hardship in terms of diet.

Yi Chichi, who had just eaten a shrimp, curiously joined the conversation, "What do you guys eat at sea?"

"Mainly dry food; you can only have hot meals in the first few days after setting out."

Before the words were out of his mouth, he stuffed another piece of meat into his mouth, chewed, and swallowed with visible satisfaction on his face.

Yi Chichi was not surprised by this result. Conditions are limited now, and going to sea is indeed tough.

Sailors on long voyages in the future will face the same hardships.

"Didn’t you encounter any fellow villagers’ fishing boats?"

"We did."

Knowing what she was going to say, He Yunsong took a sip of water, wiped the sweat off his forehead, and explained, "You can exchange some food with fellow villagers on large fishing boats, but not on small ones. As for seafood..."

With a sigh, he said, "You really get tired of it while drifting at sea."

"Freshly caught seafood is so fresh that it’s delicious even raw. You guys are typical of those who’ve had too much of a good thing."

Others want to eat it but can’t, while they’ve had enough of it.

Wen Shi and He Yunsong agreed with this.

"Exactly. When we first arrived on the island, we both had a bit of trouble adapting to the local diet."

We had a similar experience when we were in the Southwest, struggling with the diet until we got used to it.

The same thing happened here, but later on, "Once we got used to it, we started devouring seafood."

There was so much of it, it wasn’t valued highly. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

The Quartermaster is a very thrifty person; whatever could be grown or raised, he handled personally. Whatever couldn’t be was collected or bought.

When fishermen returned from the sea, the less-than-good quality seafood was dirt cheap and bought in heaps.

"At first, it was incredibly satisfying, but the more we ate, the more numb we became!"

Pointing at the meat on the table, He Yunsong said earnestly, "I still prefer eating meat."

Before his words were even out, he picked up another piece and stuffed it into his mouth.

Yi Chichi’s mouth twitched slightly, "It’s all yours, take your time."

Look at how starved he is.

Wen Shi acknowledged, "It’s specially made for you, no need to worry about us competing for it."

Those words were a bit over the top, prompting He Yunsong to roll his eyes, "I’m not one to hog food."

Saying that, he picked up a piece for each of the couple.

"Eat, everyone eat more. Braised pork doesn’t taste good leftover."

People nowadays aren’t particular about this; having something to eat is already good enough, who cares if it’s leftover or not.

The braised pork was made with pork belly, which Yi Chichi found a bit too fatty.

She looked at the meat pieces in her bowl, then at Wen Shi.

The man, noticing her gaze, instinctively transferred the meat over, separating the lean from the fat with chopsticks before giving her the lean part.

"Eat up!"

"Okay!"

Yi Chichi happily started eating. He Yunsong glared at her sideways, "Girl, you really don’t know how to eat. Fatty meat is so delicious, why do you like the lean stuff that gets stuck in your teeth?"

"I also love eating seafood and fish, so why don’t you like it?"

Yi Chichi didn’t answer but questioned back, and He Yunsong clicked his tongue, "I’m just tired of eating it."

"I’ve gotten tired of eating fatty meat too."

This wasn’t a joke. According to her biological mother, when she was two or three years old, she especially loved fatty meat. One year during Spring Festival, her father got hold of a genuine local pig raised on grain and forage.

It wasn’t large, only about a hundred pounds, but the meat was truly delicious.

Not gamey at all, and incredibly fragrant.

Her mother made steamed pork belly, and she indulged herself, but she got sick of it just once and never ate fatty meat again.

There’s even a photo of her with a face full of grease, holding a piece of steamed pork belly, biting off several chunks of fatty meat with little lean.

He Yunsong, when not working, had a bit of a lively personality.

It was the same when chatting.

The topic would switch quickly, and now, gobbling down meat and rice, his attention turned to the embroidery frame.

"Are you working on this again?"

"Yes, I am!"

"What are you embroidering?"

"Right now, a portrait."

Which meant there were other things as well.

He acknowledged with an "Oh" and asked her, "Do you think it would be good if my wife learned this? You see, she’s good with needles, so learning this shouldn’t be hard, right?!"

Though not very sure, his tone was full of expectation.

Wen Shi and Yi Chichi exchanged glances, feeling that he might have a problem.

"Your wife is doing well as a doctor, why not think straight and make her learn this?"

Wen Shi couldn’t really figure out what he was thinking, "And besides, does Comrade Xiao Zhang know about this idea of yours?"

He Yunsong looked guilty, and Yi Chichi immediately understood, replying meaningfully, "She doesn’t know, huh?"

He nodded, indeed she didn’t know.

"I just feel bad for my wife. Look at her, big with pregnancy and still having to work."

"But that’s her choice."

If she’s unwilling, she can apply for a work adjustment, stay in the infirmary until giving birth, and then return to the hospital for shifts.

Now, there might not be maternity leave, but the management is still quite humane.

No matter how short-staffed, they can’t push a pregnant woman to her limits.

Yi Chichi, feeling a bit cross, said, "Just tell us these things and leave it at that. But don’t say them in front of Xiao Zhang. If she overthinks and feels you’re not respecting her, you’ll be the one suffering, affecting your marital relationship."

Wen Shi nodded in agreement, "In marriage, mutual respect and understanding are key. If you have ideas, you should communicate with her rather than making decisions on your own."

He Yunsong, "...I just have this idea, wasn’t planning on acting on it."

Yi Chichi couldn’t help but retort, "I’d advise against even having this idea. Xiao Zhang knows what she’s doing. Besides, even if we both handle needles, there’s still a difference between them."

The difference is quite significant.

Both demand high skill from the needle-handler.

Her work can’t be done by Zhang Xin, nor can she do Zhang Xin’s work.

Not wanting to continue on this topic, she asked, "How long is your break this time?"

"I’ve got a half-month break, why do you ask?"

Surprised by her question, He Yunsong looked delighted.

Wen Shi also looked at her with curiosity.

Yi Chichi then said, "I want to know when Wen Shi is heading out to sea."

Wen Shi instantly understood, realizing she was preparing to go back.

Wanting to confirm the departure date.

"I’m not sure; I’ll have to wait for the notification."

Yi Chichi, "...So when should I head back?"

Wen Shi didn’t want her to leave but also knew that once he headed out to sea, she’d be uncomfortable staying in the residential area alone.

So in a negotiating tone, he suggested, "How about leaving in a week?"

Worried she might disagree, he pleaded pathetically, "Just stay a few more days with me."

He Yunsong couldn’t bear to watch and sarcastically retorted, "It’s as if she’ll agree and you’d be able to spend time with her."

He leaves the house at five-thirty in the morning and doesn’t return until five or six in the evening, and it’s normal for him to not come home at all if something comes up.