Chapter 76: The Female Knowledge Youth Dormitory
Moonlight shone like water; the night was deep and still!
On the pitch-black country road, Li Yi pushed his bicycle while Tang Xue shone a flashlight.
The two walked and chatted, the atmosphere warm and cozy.
Li Yi noticed that ever since he’d confessed his feelings, Tang Xue had completely changed—she was like a young girl head over heels in love.
Not only did she smile more than before, but her gaze would often drift toward him without her realizing it.
Suddenly, Li Yi thought of something and asked right away, “Honey, have you told your girlfriends about the wild foraging trip?”
“I did. They were all really happy and very grateful to you!” Tang Xue said cheerfully.
“So when are they planning to start?”
“They’re free this afternoon. Sun Lu, Zhong Na, and Feng Qian said they plan to head into the mountains. I wonder how it’ll go?” Tang Xue said.
“Hmm, then let’s go check it out in a bit!”
Then Li Yi added, “And you know the standards we set for the county-run restaurant—nothing too small, nothing too big, and everything has to be spotless. So you’ve got to make sure the quality is up to par!”
“I’ve already told them. I’m sure they’ll handle it properly!” Tang Xue said.
“And make sure they’re careful when they go into the mountains—after all, they’re all girls!” Li Yi said.
“Okay, I’ll remind them! Besides, we haven’t heard of any wild animals attacking people in our village for years—nothing should go wrong!”
Li Yi smiled but said nothing. He knew full well that, compared to wild beasts, human nature was the most terrifying thing of all!
The two chatted as they walked, and before long, they arrived at the educated youth camp!
Just as Li Yi had escorted Tang Xue to the entrance, he heard the giggling and chatter of the girls coming from the female educated youth dormitory—clearly, those girls hadn’t gone to bed yet.
Tang Xue whispered to Li Yi, “Wait here for a moment. I’m going in to take a look!”
“Okay!”
With that, Tang Xue pushed open the door and walked inside!
As soon as she went in, Li Yi heard a clear female voice from outside the door: “Xiao Xue, I thought you were going to spend the night at your mother-in-law’s today. Why are you back in the middle of the night?”
Tang Xue immediately replied, “Xiao Qian, we aren’t even married yet. How could we move in together so soon?”
“Hahaha, what are you thinking? Didn’t you used to go home and stay with Sister Na all the time? It’s just that now you’re living with Li Yi!”
Right after that, another girl’s voice chimed in: “Xiao Xue, you aren’t really thinking of moving in with Li Yi, are you…”
“If you want to, just go for it. He’s your man anyway—what’s there to be afraid of?”
“Xiao Xue, I’m rooting for you…”
Tang Xue’s face instantly flushed crimson at her friends’ teasing. She knew these girls usually spoke without holding back and often talked about boys when they were together.
It usually wasn’t a big deal, but with Li Yi right outside the door, it was incredibly embarrassing to hear.
“Stop talking nonsense—he’s… he’s right outside!”
“Him… who?”
Someone quickly exclaimed, “Xiao Xue, you don’t mean your husband, do you?”
“Uh-huh.”
“He… he…”
After a flurry of commotion, Tang Xue poked her head out of the dorm and said, “Xiao Qian and the others are asking you to come in!”
Li Yi didn’t really want to go in. After all, it was late at night, and a grown man entering the female educated youth dormitory was bound to cause misunderstandings.
But then he remembered they’d gone into the mountains to pick mushrooms that afternoon, and he wanted to see how their hunt had gone.
Besides, foraging for wild plants was a skill that required some know-how. He had to make sure they knew the basics—otherwise, they might accidentally pick up some poisonous red-stemmed mushrooms, which could be deadly.
After parking the car, Li Yi walked straight into the dormitory!
To avoid any suspicion, he deliberately left the door open!
But as soon as he stepped inside, he saw Zhang Xinyao close the door, explaining, “We’re not worried about people gossiping, but we are worried about those long-legged mosquitoes!”
Qingshan County lies at the junction of pastoral and agricultural regions, and the mosquitoes here are truly terrifying.
Not only are they huge, but they’re also exceptionally venomous—they can bite through even thick clothing.
And once bitten, a huge bump would inevitably form, taking at least three to five days to go down.
Li Yi didn’t pay it much mind; instead, he looked at the girls inside the room.
Including Tang Xue, there were five of them. Aside from Tang Xue, the others were average-looking—not particularly pretty, but not ugly either.
The only difference among them was their skin tone: Zhang Xinyao and Feng Qian had relatively fairer complexions, while Zhong Na and Sun Lu had rougher skin, though they looked healthier.
“I heard you guys went into the mountains this afternoon. How did it go?” Li Yi asked.
Sun Lu, the oldest of the group, replied immediately, “Not bad. We picked two baskets of mushrooms and half a basket of wood ear mushrooms!”
“Let me take a look at the quality!”
Sun Lu immediately moved the back baskets from beside the bed and said, “Li Yi, take a look. We don’t know if these meet the standards!”
Li Yi walked over to the baskets, crouched down, and examined them closely.
“The wood ear mushrooms are fine—as long as they’re not too small, they’ll do!”
Next, Li Yi turned his attention to the mushrooms in the baskets!
He picked out a few thumb-sized straw mushrooms and said, “Don’t pick ones this small in the future. If you do, use them to make soup at home. The state-run restaurants won’t accept them if they’re too small!”
“Also, most of the ones this big are past their prime. You can pick them to eat yourselves, but don’t send them to the state-run restaurant!”
“Okay! We’ll keep that in mind!” Sun Lu replied immediately.
Li Yi gave everything a final check and concluded, “Overall, it’s fine, but there’s quite a bit of dirt and debris on them. It’s best to give them a quick rinse after you bring them back!”
“Also, pay special attention to the mushroom varieties. Don’t pick any you’re not familiar with. We’re supplying these to restaurants, and if we send over poisonous mushrooms, we’ll be held responsible!”
Feng Qian immediately replied with a smile, “We understand that. Besides, we’ve lived in this village for so many years—we know exactly which mushrooms are edible and which aren’t!”
Zhong Na added, “Don’t worry—there definitely won’t be any poisonous mushrooms mixed in!”
“That’s good to hear! Also, be extra careful when you go into the mountains—don’t go to any places that are too remote!” Li Yi reminded them again.
“Got it. We’ll stay close to the kids so we can look out for each other!”
“That’s good!”
Then Li Yi added, “Let’s leave the mushrooms here for now. I’ll come back to pick them up tomorrow morning on my way into town!”
“Alright!”
After that, Li Yi exchanged a few more words with Tang Xue before reluctantly leaving the female educated youth dormitory.
What Li Yi didn’t know, however, was that just as he rode his bike out the gate of the educated youth commune, a figure emerged from a shadowy corner. Watching his receding figure, the figure clenched their fists tightly!