Ji Zhaoxi wasn't just talking nonsense.
Most of these educated youths came from good family backgrounds, and with the village chief valuing them highly, their time in Xinniu Village hadn't made them lose weight; instead, they had actually plumped up a bit.
Once, when Ji Zhaoxi went to bring them some food, their courtyard was filled with the delicious aroma of cooking. That educated youth was so terrified she might want to stay for a meal that he was incredibly guarded against her. The moment he took the food from her hands, he shut the door.
"Sis, I've lost weight. I don't even eat as much meat as Educated Youth Xie does." Ji Zhaoxi playfully bit at Ji Zhuxin's hand.
Annoyed but helpless against her pestering, Ji Zhuxin went and fetched two pieces of cured meat for her to eat.
"Just eat these two pieces. I still have to bring the rest to Educated Youth Xie." Ji Zhuxin patted her head.
Ji Zhaoxi curled her lips. "Sis, you're so biased. Anyone who didn't know better would think Educated Youth Xie is your younger sister."
Exasperated, Ji Zhuxin flicked Ji Zhaoxi right on the forehead. "What nonsense are you saying?"
Ji Zhaoxi immediately covered her head, pretending to be pitiful.
Ji Zhuxin sighed. This wretched girl really didn't understand her good intentions.
The next day, Ji Zhaoxi was getting ready to go to the fields.
Chen Yiping was sitting at his doorway, eating meat in big mouthfuls. Seeing her looking at him, he immediately turned his body away so she couldn't see.
Meat was a rare commodity in the village, and stealing meat or vegetables was a common occurrence. He sat there eating just to show off to others, but at the same time, he had to be on guard so it wouldn't be snatched away.
Starving people were capable of anything.
The villagers who were getting ready to go to work also saw Chen Yiping eating meat at his door and couldn't help but swallow their saliva. How long had it been since they last saw meat?
"Chen Yiping, your family is eating meat again," a villager greeted him with a smile.
Chen Yiping tilted his chin up slightly and nodded.
Envy flickered in the villager's eyes. "Does your family get to eat meat often? It's been so long since I've had any."
Chen Yiping instantly became alert. "If you don't have meat to eat, then work harder. My dad earned this through hard work."
Despite his words, the only people in the village who could eat meat were those educated youths or people with some sort of official position in the village. Almost no one else could afford it.
If anyone else in the village caught game, they had to hand it over first before it could be distributed, but generally, it wouldn't end up in the hands of the person who caught it. Some people secretly hunted and kept the meat for themselves, but they were often reported by their neighbors.
Qin Du was an exception. He wasn't afraid of being reported because his family was practically segregated from Xinniu Village.
Ji Zhaoxi went to the fields a little late today. Walking along the ridge, she couldn't help but glance into Qin Du's basket. She knew he often put his caught game in there.
She wouldn't have known if she hadn't looked, but that one glance gave her a start.
Inside the basket was a huge chunk of meat. As soon as she saw the snout, Ji Zhaoxi knew it was half a pig's head.
Did Qin Du kill a wild boar? Or did he buy it somewhere? But wasn't selling meat prohibited right now?
She walked over to her family's field and absentmindedly pulled weeds, her gaze involuntarily lingering on the muscles of Qin Du's arms.
With so much muscle on him, how much meat did Qin Du have to eat to bulk up like that?
She felt hungry again and stared longingly at that pig's head in the basket.
Pig's head meat was delicious. She had eaten it once during the village's New Year celebration last year, but she had only managed to grab two pieces before all the meat was snatched up.
Her task was to go to the Qin family's house and steal Qin Du's life-saving rations, but if she went, she would probably be beaten to death by him.
Ji Zhaoxi sighed deeply and headed down the mountain.
She happened to see her sister holding a basket and saying something to Educated Youth Xie.
Educated Youth Xie looked a bit embarrassed and waved his hands repeatedly in refusal.
Then Ji Zhaoxi watched her sister shove the bowl of meat into Educated Youth Xie's hands. "Don't be polite, Educated Youth Xie."
Ji Zhaoxi's eyes turned red at the sight.
Her family's meat.
Food was scarce in the village. Having someone give him meat was the luckiest thing possible, but he was also afraid of people gossiping, so his face was full of hesitation.
Ji Zhuxin didn't care whether Educated Youth Xie wanted to take it or not and just forced it into his hands.
"Educated Youth Xie, are you looking down on our family's meat?" Ji Zhuxin furrowed her brows tightly, her voice growing louder. "I don't mean anything else by it. My sister often comes home and says you take good care of her, so as her older sister, I naturally have to show some courtesy."
At the mention of Ji Zhaoxi, Educated Youth Xie's face immediately flushed. "Sister Zhuxin, I haven't really taken that much care of Zhaoxi."
Ji Zhuxin sighed. "Educated Youth Xie, stop making excuses. You have such a good relationship with my sister, it's only right that I take care of you."
She sharply spotted Ji Zhaoxi not far away and quickly waved at her. "Hurry up and come over here, stop dawdling."
Ji Zhaoxi kept her head down and walked over gloomily.
Seeing Ji Zhaoxi, Educated Youth Xie's face and neck turned even redder. "Zhao... Zhaoxi."
Seeing Educated Youth Xie like this, Ji Zhuxin bent over laughing. What was there left for her not to understand?
She patted Ji Zhaoxi's back. "Your sister has things to do and is leaving now. Have a chat with Educated Youth Xie, don't leave too quickly!"
As soon as Ji Zhuxin left, the air instantly quieted down.
Ji Zhaoxi kept glancing at the meat in his bowl, feeling even more displeased. He was too much of a glutton; most of her family's good things had been fed into his stomach.
Educated Youth Xie looked at Ji Zhaoxi nervously. Her face was a bit flushed from the sun, and it looked like she had just washed her face in the river. There were still a few water droplets on her skin, making her look even more radiant.
"Zhaoxi, thank you for your family's meat," Educated Youth Xie said softly.
"Oh," Ji Zhaoxi replied dryly.
Ever since this Educated Youth Xie came to their Xinniu Village, she felt like she had gotten thinner, starved thinner.
Towards the end, Ji Zhaoxi had absolutely no mood to listen to him speak. She gave a few perfunctory replies and ran back home.
As soon as she got close to her house, she smelled the aroma of meat. Ji Zhaoxi stood at the door and sniffed. Sure enough, the smell was wafting over from Qin Du's house.
He must be stir-frying pork right now. Ji Zhaoxi's stomach rumbled, making her feel even more miserable.
For dinner, her family had rice porridge, and Ji Zhaoxi wasn't full at all.
She leaned against the window, constantly feeling like the smell of meat from Qin Du's house was drifting over. She was so tormented by her cravings that she couldn't sleep.
Ji Zhuxin was almost asleep, the speed of her fanning having slowed down considerably. Ji Zhaoxi lay on top of her and asked in a small voice, "Sis, can we not give our meat to Educated Youth Xie anymore? He's much stronger than I am."
Ji Zhuxin groggily opened her eyes and pulled her into her arms. "Be a good girl, Xixi. In the future, when you go to the city with Educated Youth Xie, you can eat whatever meat you want."
Ji Zhaoxi rubbed against her embrace aggrievedly. "But he doesn't even give me anything to eat now. Will he really give me anything to eat in the future?"
She felt her sister wasn't thinking clearly at all.
After being woken up by hunger yet again, Ji Zhaoxi carefully got out of bed. She was going to do something highly immoral.
It was fine. So many people in the village had been caught stealing meat and they hadn't died. This couldn't be blamed on her; she was still a growing girl. It was all Educated Youth Xie's fault for eating her family's meat.
