When She Stops Being Dramatic

Despite being a delicate and pampered girl, Chi Yun’er was a true carnivore. Every few days, she would send Jiang Zishi to the township’s supply co-op to buy meat.

They all suspected that her family mailed over all their meat ration tickets just to feed this thoughtless little girl.

Jiang Zishi didn’t know how to cook, so he would inevitably hand the meat over to the women to prepare. He would then generously leave behind half a bowl for everyone to get a taste of something savory.

Moreover, Jiang Zishi didn’t just buy meat. He would also buy pastries, candies, brown sugar, and refined grains that the young women liked, or pick up a few fried dough sticks and meat buns from the co-op.

Each time, using the excuse that it was rude to eat alone and that he had to keep up appearances, he would share some with the group. At the very least, the female youths might get two pieces of candy one time, a shortbread cookie the next, or maybe a small paper packet of brown sugar—enough for two or three servings—or even half a fried dough stick...

Jiang Zishi was a master of being generous at someone else’s expense, and he did it flawlessly. The strange thing was, even though everyone was eating Chi Yun’er’s food, for some reason, they always thanked Jiang Zishi.

Looking back on it now, they were all quite surprised.

How could they eat Chi’s food while simultaneously looking down on her pampered, pretentious attitude? And how could they get along so well with Jiang Zishi, acting as if they owed him some great debt of gratitude?...

A year was enough time to change many habits. Even if they sensed something was wrong now, getting them to apologize or thank Chi Yun’er was out of the question.

After all, they had already fallen into a fixed mindset. They felt Chi Yun’er wasn’t short on food, so rather than let the excess go to waste, it was better to let everyone else have a taste. In any case, *she* was the fool, unworthy of their apologies or thanks.

Everyone acted in unison as if they hadn’t heard Chi Yun’er, reverting to their usual ways and going about their business.

Chi Yun’er didn’t press the issue. She leisurely finished her steamed egg with minced pork, then drank all of her shredded pork and dough drop soup.

By the time she put down her chopsticks, the sky had already grown dark.

After washing her bowl and chopsticks with hot water and washing soda, Chi Yun’er put them away in her room. Grabbing a change of clothes, she used the warm water left in the pot to shower and wash her hair in the kitchen.

It felt as if a layer of skin had been peeled away. The pores all over her body opened in relief, and the last vestiges of her illness seemed to find an exit and slip away. From head to toe, she felt completely refreshed.

She was toweling her hair dry, her eyes half-closed, when she heard voices from the courtyard.

Chi Yun’er gathered her things, and carrying an enamel basin of dirty laundry, she walked out of the kitchen. There, she ran right into Jiang Zishi, who had just returned, his stomach full and his lips gleaming with grease.

He looked slightly awkward for a moment, but quickly covered it with a smile, holding out the bowl in his hands. "Chi Yun’er, Auntie was just asking about you. She was worried you didn’t eat well tonight, so she had me bring you a bowl of chicken and potato stew, along with two flatbreads."

’He was hinting that he had already smoothed things over with the Bian family. That even the village chief’s wife, a woman so grasping she’d pluck a feather from a passing goose, had sent her a bowl of food on account of the thousand-odd yuan she had contributed.’

"Auntie is a great cook, and they killed a hen that’s been laying for years—a rare treat to nourish the family. I was lucky enough to benefit, and I even ate my fill and took some to go. I’m almost embarrassed."

’So the thousand-odd yuan I’d given was just wiped away. He actually thought he could distract me with a bowl of chicken and make me feel indebted to the village chief’s family...’

"Here, take it. I’ve been working all day and I’m filthy, so I need to hurry and get cleaned up. Oh, right, Chi Yun’er, just leave your clothes by the door. I’ll wash them with mine in a bit."

The others had just finished a very satisfying meal, but at the mention of chicken and potato stew with flatbreads, their mouths began to water uncontrollably. They couldn’t help but burn with envy and resentment toward Chi Yun’er.

Their eyes were glued to the large bowl out of the corners of their vision. They figured Chi had a small appetite, and villagers were always heavy-handed with the salt in their meat dishes—a single bowl could be stretched to the effect of five.

’If she just left me a bit of the broth, it would be perfect for my coarse-grain noodles tomorrow morning!’

’Sigh, that’s childhood sweethearts for you. It was Jiang’s first proper meal at the Yue Family’s home, and he still ate his fill and brought some back for his old flame.’

’He’s about to be engaged, yet he’s still washing his childhood sweetheart’s clothes.’

’If it were me, I could never be so shameless.’

Chi Yun’er pressed her lips together and stepped forward. Instead of taking the bowl, she leaned in to peer at its contents, then pouted, expressing her dissatisfaction with blunt honesty.

"Brother Zishu, is this all you brought me?"

"How many chickens did they cook to get this? Don’t tell me Auntie just scooped this in without looking."

"The head, the neck, the butt, the feet, and all the bony joints... they’re all in this one bowl. My luck is so incredible, I’m starting to regret not taking a stroll through the city—I probably would’ve found a basket full of money!"