Jiang Chengzhou casually said, "Then break your steamed bun in half, and I'll put some of the dish inside for you."
Liang Ping hesitated for a moment and instinctively glanced at Lin Zhilan.
Lin Zhilan was wiping her daughter's hands, a faint smile on her lips, not looking their way.
Liang Ping looked away, broke his coarse grain steamed bun in half, and said, "Just put a little for me."
Jiang Chengzhou ignored him and piled two big spoonfuls of tomato and egg stir-fry into the bun.
The juice soaked into the bun's soft center, making it look mouthwatering.
Liang Ping took a big bite, the sweet and sour flavor bursting in his mouth, and his eyes widened.
"How is this so good?"
Jiang Chengzhou grinned proudly. "Of course it is—my aunt made it."
"Oh."
Liang Ping had gotten used to Jiang Chengzhou always bringing up his aunt, saying everything about her was good, not allowing anyone to argue otherwise.
He quickly finished the bun stuffed with tomato and egg, then tossed his boiled egg to Jiang Chengzhou. "Here, take this."
"No need," Jiang Chengzhou said, tossing it back.
His family wasn’t short on eggs—he could eat one at home anytime—but Liang Ping might not have that luxury.
"Then give it to your little sister if you want," Liang Ping said, shoving the egg back to Jiang Chengzhou.
Jiang Chengzhou didn’t refuse this time. As he peeled the egg, he said, "If you like tomato and egg stir-fry, I’ll teach you how to make it later."
Liang Ping was surprised. "You can cook?"
"Can’t you?"
Among Jiang Chengzhou’s close friends, Yan Yuan could do everything, Ma Xiaodong would cook with his two little brothers when he didn’t want to eat in the cafeteria, and Li Xuan, not wanting to fall behind, had also learned a few dishes.
Liang Ping was thirteen and couldn’t cook—Jiang Chengzhou found that strange.
Liang Ping shook his head. "Back in my hometown, boys don’t cook. Women do all the cooking."
"So many rules," Jiang Chengzhou scoffed.
No one liked hearing bad things about their hometown. Liang Ping’s face darkened. "What did you say?"
"Sorry," Jiang Chengzhou apologized immediately. He tossed the peeled egg into his little sister’s lunch bowl, then ran back and put an arm around Liang Ping’s shoulder. "I misspoke just now. Don’t be mad."
Liang Ping snorted and shook off his hand.
"Heh," Jiang Chengzhou laughed lightly. "Still mad? I’m just correcting your outdated thinking. Who says only women can cook? The cooks in the army—aren’t they all men?"
Liang Ping had no comeback, so he yanked a handful of grass on the side to vent.
Jiang Chengzhou thought he was being childish and smiled. "Tomato and egg—do you want to learn or not?"
Liang Ping stewed for a moment. "I’ll learn!"
Jiang Chengzhou held back his laughter, worried Liang Ping might get upset again.
After eating, Lin Zhilan wiped her daughter’s face. "Do you want to go back with Mom, or stay here with your brother?"
"Stay with brother."
Lin Zhilan chuckled softly. "Won’t you get bored?"
Linlin said, "Bored."
Even Liang Ping, who had been sulking on the side, laughed and said to Jiang Chengzhou, "Your sister is such a character!"
Jiang Chengzhou also laughed, deciding he’d write this down in his diary today.
The people resting on the ridge had finished eating and were slowly getting moving again.
Lin Zhilan looked out over the field and asked Liang Ping, "How much sweet potato did your family plant?"
Liang Ping said, "Two acres. My mom says one acre can yield over fifteen hundred catties. If we delay the harvest by half a month, we can get even more."
Lin Zhilan didn’t know much about crops and was taken aback. "That much? Can you even eat it all?"
"What’s left over goes into the cellar. We can also slice and dry it, and it’ll last for years."
Lin Zhilan did the math in her head.
Even if Han Mei were home, the family of four wouldn’t be able to finish that much sweet potato eating it every day.
The island’s climate was humid, with small typhoons and heavy rain from time to time, making storage tough.
Anyway, the field was still there—they’d plant and harvest again next year. They’d never finish it all in a lifetime.
"Can’t it be sold to the grain station?" Lin Zhilan asked casually.
Liang Ping’s eyes widened. "We can sell it? Go sell it ourselves? Won’t we get caught?"
Back in their hometown, the land was collectively owned. Whatever the production team grew, after setting aside tax grain, seeds, and rations, they handled the rest together.
They simply didn’t know about these things.
Lin Zhilan smiled. "The grain station buys crops through the system of unified purchase and supply. Ask your mom to check with the other sisters. Surely some of them know."
She had never farmed, but she’d heard Liu Chunhua mention it in passing.
Whatever spouses of soldiers grew on their plots could be taken to the grain station for cash.
Liang Ping was overjoyed. He turned and ran.
He’d already resigned himself to eating sweet potato every day, so this was amazing news.
"Mom! Mom! Sweet potatoes can be sold!"
"What are you talking about?" Wang Xiuzhi didn’t follow.
"Doctor Lin said," Liang Ping ran up to her, swallowing hard. "Doctor Lin said sweet potatoes can be sold at the grain station."
"Really?" Wang Xiuzhi didn’t believe it, but it was Lin Zhilan speaking.
Doctor Lin wasn’t the type to lie.
"It’s true," Liang Ping said. "Doctor Lin said to ask other folks."
Since arriving at the army base, Wang Xiuzhi hadn’t made many friends.
She was busy working all day. Two wives of battalion commanders under Commander Han had come by to chat, but after exchanging a few words, they had nothing left to say.
Her closest acquaintances were still the neighbor Liu Chunhua and Aunt Hehua.
Wang Xiuzhi decided she’d go ask Liu Chunhua about it when she got back tonight.
"Liang Ping, don’t let Jiang Chengzhou keep helping you work. Got it?"
"He volunteered. I didn’t ask him to," Liang Ping said with a pout.
"Doesn’t matter. Tell him to go home." Wang Xiuzhi insisted.
Liang Ping dashed off. "Go tell him yourself if you want. I can’t persuade him."
"Hey! This kid…"
If Wang Xiuzhi could persuade him, she would have long ago. Why would she need Liang Ping?
Wang Xiuzhi really didn’t understand why Jiang Chengzhou wanted to work in the field, or why Forest Lin didn’t talk him out of it but instead brought him lunch.
Wasn’t this just making the child suffer?
Jiang Chengzhou helped Lin Zhilan onto the main path and then came back to work.
Although Liang Ping had been stubbornly defending himself to his mom, he came back and said to Jiang Chengzhou, "Quit, and go home. I really don’t get you. If I could skip work, I’d have run off long ago."
Jiang Chengzhou kept digging sweet potatoes. With the morning’s practice, he was faster now and didn’t often tear them apart.
"Don’t worry about it. If I weren’t helping you, I’d just help someone else. I came to you first because I see you as a brother."
Liang Ping cracked a smile at that and asked sincerely, "Why do you want to do this work? There’s no benefit."
"Every grain and every thread reminds us of the hardship behind them. Just let me experience how tough farming is, so I don’t take my comfort for granted."
Wang Xiuzhi didn’t understand, and Liang Ping didn’t either.
Jiang Chengzhou didn’t reveal his real thoughts to anyone.
The truth was, he was just bored, and he truly admired the officers and soldiers who came to help the common people with their harvest.
