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The next day, Yezhi arrived at school early, but the Kids were even earlier. Seeing everyone gathered, Yezhi asked the Kids to read aloud the content they learned yesterday.
"Sister Ye, I want to go to school too!"
Yezhi was unfazed by Zhou Xiaomu's occasional interruptions. She exchanged a glance with Er Zhu, signaling him to take Zhou Xiaomu back, while she smiled kindly at Zhou Xiaomu and said, "Zhou Xiaomu, you're still too young to understand. Let your brother and sister study well, okay?" Er Zhu prepared to pick up Zhou Xiaomu, who shouted loudly, "I understand! Sister Ye, I'm hungry! The crane stretches its neck towards the sky, white fur floats on green water, red palms stir the blue waves." The whole classroom erupted in laughter, including Yezhi. It was a reminder not to underestimate children; Zhou Xiaomu clutched his red pocket and pouted as his brothers and sisters laughed at him, looking quite aggrieved.
Er Zhu picked up Zhou Xiaomu, who struggled a few times. Under Er Zhu's stern gaze, he suddenly burst into tears. The cry was so pitiful and loud that it made Yezhi feel guilty.
Little Bean Zhou Xiaomu had been clamoring to go to school ever since he discovered that Big Brother and Big Sister went every morning. When they wouldn't let him come, he ran over by himself. After being sent back seven or eight times, he still insisted on coming. His crying was truly heartfelt; Yezhi took out a handkerchief and wiped Zhou Xiaomu's tear-streaked face. She compromised and made a deal with the red-faced Zhou Xiaomu, who nodded vigorously. Yezhi rolled her eyes in doubt about whether he really understood but decided to wait and see how he behaved.
A language class and a math class quickly passed by without any fuss from Zhou Xiaomu. He seemed to enjoy being among the crowd. Yezhi had read in magazines that constantly rejecting children and using "shouldn't" to educate them only exacerbates their rebelliousness; she found this reasonable! But she herself had been raised with rejection and "shouldn't" without becoming particularly rebellious! Besides, who among their generation hadn’t faced a slap from their father's chopsticks or their teacher's ruler? Teaching was a heavy responsibility; she still had much to learn!
When she returned home, Big Yellow and Black Treasure both rushed over. Big Yellow wagged his tail at Yezhi while Black Treasure hugged her legs tightly, making it hard for her to move. This little guy was getting stronger! After Yezhi playfully ruffled Black Treasure's fur, he happily released her. Yezhi laughed heartily; this little one seemed to have a tendency for mischief.
Aunt Zhou glanced at them with a smile as she continued picking peaches. Village Uncle had informed everyone this morning that they would be going into town again to sell peaches! This time, nearly every household in the village had ripe peaches ready for sale; the quantity would surely multiply. Village Uncle had planned to travel at night and make extra trips! Of course, Yezhi decided to follow along; she couldn't relax if she didn't go!
She tossed a peach to Black Treasure and washed one for herself. Their peaches were smaller but tasted great—sweet and crunchy. "Auntie, let's keep half!"
Aunt Zhou watched the bear-like child and Black Treasure munching on peaches and thought how much they resembled each other in their gluttony! Climbing down from the wooden ladder, Yezhi sweetly washed another peach and handed it to Aunt Zhou. Aunt Zhou took a bite and felt that this year's peaches were sweeter than ever; she didn't want to sell them!
After lunch, Yezhi and Aunt Zhou took the peaches to the Team. The place was bustling with villagers delivering peaches since everyone had tasted the sweetness of selling them; this time they were all eager to join in!
Yezhi and Aunt Zhou stood at the end of the line and waited an hour before it was their turn. Big Zhu helped them weigh their peaches: "52 pounds." Just then Xiao Fang reported that there was a delivery waiting. Yezhi whispered something about going to the restroom in Aunt Zhou's ear before sprinting off! Aunt Zhou watched Yezhi disappear with a mix of amusement and exasperation; this girl always ran home under the pretext of needing the restroom! Even when teased about it, she stubbornly claimed that "the good stuff shouldn't flow into others' fields." Hah! Clearly just an excuse!
Yezhi dashed home, pushed aside Black Treasure who jumped at her, called out for Xiao Fang. Xiao Fang signaled her quickly as the Cosmic Delivery Box appeared before her. She retrieved three bottles of cosmetics sent by Dulisa as Cosmic Express vanished again. Yezhi sighed in relief: thankfully! Just in time!
Back in the house, Yezhi placed three bottles of black, oily cosmetics on the kang table and fell into a daze. She had seriously considered Dulisa's words from last night. Xiao Fang also pulled up the 3D images of past "Ugliest Star" contestants. To be honest, they were really ugly, some even quite disgusting, but they were genuinely expressing themselves. Xiao Fang said that in the "Ugliest Star" competition, people were not discussing the ugliness of appearances but rather the courage and composure of the participants. Xiao Fang also brought up Cabrala Star's comments about her: "The Earth Anthem became popular because everyone was captivated by Miss Leaf's calm and serious demeanor, despite having nothing remarkable to show."
Yezhi listened, feeling both amused and helpless. At that time, she had been in a mindset of giving up; every step she took felt forced. Talking about confidence and courage seemed foreign to her. She was someone who loved to hide and obscure her information, terrified of revealing her insecurities. So for her to face people with her true self felt as daunting as being naked. Yezhi tightened her grip on the bottle; perhaps one day she wouldn't need it anymore, but she knew that day was not today.
"Master!" Xiao Fang was startled by her master's vacant gaze and timidly called out. Yezhi snapped back to reality and forced a smile at Xiao Fang, who found this version of her master quite unfamiliar.
"Xiao Fang, I still want to use these cosmetics. Are you disappointed?"
Xiao Fang jumped onto the kang and swung her legs excitedly. "Master, Xiao Fang will help you order from Cosmic Mall!" Yezhi smiled sincerely, and Xiao Fang scratched her head, laughing along.
...
As dusk fell, Village Uncle and One Gun Brother set off with a horse-drawn carriage. At this moment, Yezhi was being held back at home by Aunt Zhou, who wouldn't let her go out. "Girl, what use do you have going out? The village chief and those four big men are there; what is there to worry about?" Yezhi knew her capabilities were limited, but if something unexpected happened while following behind, couldn't she ride her folding bike to find someone for help? Seeing that Yezhi didn't respond affirmatively, Aunt Zhou worried she might sneak out at night and said with a frown, "Girl, last time I let you go freely; this time it's not happening! If you encounter any more trouble, how am I supposed to live?" It was clear that Yezhi responded better to gentle persuasion than harsh words. When Aunt Zhou saw Yezhi nodding, she smiled and went to make her a soft-boiled egg.
To comfort Yezhi, Aunt Zhou made her favorite dish of sorghum rice water with a plate of soft-boiled eggs mixed with green onions. It smelled delicious. The first time Yezhi tried it, she picked up a piece with chopsticks and put it in her mouth; it was fragrant and tender with a slightly salty taste that paired perfectly with the rice.
"Girl, isn't it delicious?" Aunt Zhou watched happily as Yezhi enjoyed her meal; nothing made her happier than this. She had already planned ahead! With the money from selling peaches, she would buy some chicks to raise so that Yezhi could have eggs every day. As Aunt Zhou thought about this, she couldn't help but smile broadly!
Yezhi picked up a large piece and placed it in Aunt Zhou's bowl; it wouldn't be right for just one person to eat alone—sharing made it even better. Black Treasure lay grumpily at the edge of the kang: "Mama Bear" and "Granny Bear" were too busy eating for themselves while it hadn't had dinner yet!
That night, lying on the kang, Yezhi couldn't help but wonder where Village Uncle and the others had gone and whether they were safe. At that moment, she missed her phone immensely; perhaps due to needing to be on standby 24 hours for work before coming to Zhoujiatun, without her phone now made her feel surprisingly free!
"Master! Master!"
Yezhi heard Xiao Fang calling out and logged in with her consciousness. Xiao Fang was holding a pink heart-shaped gift box taller than herself. Yezhi took it over as Xiao Fang happily exclaimed, "Master, this is from Cosmic Mall for you to try on!"
Women have an inexplicable obsession with beautiful clothes. Yezhi opened the box, and a puffy skirt adorned with pearls appeared before her. It was stunning, and Xiao Fang's eyes lit up as she imagined prying the pearls off one by one. Yezhi couldn't help but chuckle; they were indeed on the same wavelength, both thinking about removing the pearls!
The second piece was very simple, a white dress woven from silk, extremely sheer! Lacking the confidence to wear something so revealing, she felt unsure. The third outfit took a minimalist approach, featuring a lemon-yellow top paired with matching cropped pants. Xiao Fang looked hopeful, wishing her to choose the pearl skirt to appear younger. Yezhi had gotten used to dressing up lately without pressure! However, she felt awkward in cute attire. Ultimately, she quickly decided to wear the third outfit, tossed out a "Good night," and logged off to avoid lingering and regretting not choosing the pearls.
The next day, just as the rooster crowed, Yezhi got up, and Black Treasure followed suit. After washing up together, Aunt Zhou made breakfast. Yezhi and Black Treasure went to the backyard, where she picked a cucumber for Black Treasure to whet his appetite while she admired the lush vegetable garden and sang a little tune her mother had learned during her youth as a sent-down youth. It was one of her childhood lullabies: "Hey! Waking up early, gently opening the door, little sister comes out, vegetables from the commune are truly delightful, with green vegetables, cabbage, winter melon, pumpkin, cucumber, bitter melon, eggplant, and kidney beans—so many to pick!"
When Black Treasure heard Mama Bear's piercing "Hey!" he covered his round ears in fright. Aunt Zhou, who was preparing to sit on a small stool in the kitchen to start a fire, fell over sideways! Only Big Yellow barked appreciatively in response.
"Girl, have you heard of 'Er Ren Zhuan'? It's lively and festive. How about I teach you tonight? I guarantee you won't always sing in the same tone... Hehe!" Aunt Zhou's words at the kang table made Yezhi feel dejected; did she really become tone-deaf after crossing over? Everyone kept saying she sang in one tone.
After finishing classes for the kids, Yezhi stayed behind to teach them singing. She always wanted to regain her confidence on stage. Zhou Xiaomu was thrilled; he understood only about one-tenth of what Sister Ye said in class. He covered his mouth for fear that Sister Ye wouldn't let him join if he made any noise. Finally singing allowed him to join everyone in making noise.
Yezhi cleared her throat and sang "Labor is Most Glorious" for the kids to listen! Was it good or not? After hearing it, the kids' eyes sparkled brightly. Yezhi felt proud; actually, it was the lyrics that captivated them—the song celebrated labor, which hardworking kids loved! Under Yezhi's lead, their voices echoed in the classroom: "Sunshine bright and golden light, roosters crowing three times... little bees gather honey... labor's creation is most glorious!"
...
In the evening, Village Uncle and his three companions returned to the village and used a loudspeaker to announce that everyone should come help load the cart at Team. Yezhi also ran over to Team; seeing Village Uncle and his companions looking energetic reassured her. After handing over their bulging backpacks to Old Accountant, they set off with a fully loaded horse cart into town.
On her way home, Yezhi received a message from Xiao Fang about a delivery. She rushed back home to collect it and found clothes inside—lightweight and beautifully bright yellow with a summery feel.
Yezhi made an excuse about taking a shower and dashed into the kitchen to change into them. Then she logged in using her consciousness while Xiao Fang held up a light screen for her to admire how well it fit—like it was tailor-made for her! She was thrilled: this was the first time in her life she felt so graceful wearing clothes!
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