RKCFE -Chapter 5 A Conflict Over Snake Meat

Just as Song Wei came down the mountain, it happened to be the time when the villagers were getting off work and heading home to cook dinner. Several of them stared at her in disbelief when they saw the enormous bundle she was carrying.

“Who’s that carrying so much firewood?”

“My goodness, isn’t that Educated Youth Song?”

As soon as Aunt Ma recognized her, she hurried over.

“Educated Youth Song! Why’d you haul so much firewood? Aren’t you afraid it’s too heavy? You just got out of the hospital—don’t end up right back in there!”

Good heavens. Song Wei looked so thin and delicate, with such a tiny waist and slender arms. Aunt Ma was genuinely afraid the firewood would crush her.

Song Wei smiled when she saw them and even freed one hand to wave.

“I’m fine, Aunt Ma. I had nothing else to do, so I wandered into the mountains. I heard winters here are freezing, so I figured I’d better stock up on dry firewood.”

“That’s right. Around here we stay indoors all winter. The kang in your new educated youth quarters hasn’t even been built yet. Make sure it’s done properly, or you’ll freeze once winter comes. It’s smart to prepare plenty of firewood.”

Still…

Wasn’t this a little too much?

Who would’ve thought? That delicate-looking girl had some serious courage.

“Thank you, Aunt Ma. There are still a lot of things I don’t know, so I’ll probably have to trouble you from time to time. Who in the village knows how to build a kang? And I’d like to buy some furniture too. Is there a carpenter here who can make cabinets?”

“Of course there is! Your Uncle Ma knows how to build kangs. But we’re close and all, still, the mud bricks and materials cost money.”

She leaned in and whispered.

Song Wei gave her an I understand look.

“Don’t worry, Auntie. I can’t exactly treat Uncle to a full meal yet—I just arrived in the countryside and don’t have anything. I’ll pay in cash instead. Please ask Uncle to help me get the materials.”

“No problem. After dinner today, I’ll have your uncle come over and give you a hand. As for furniture, we’ve got a carpenter right here in the village. Just come find me when you’re ready.”

“Great. Thank you, Auntie.”

After settling everything, Song Wei continued toward the educated youth compound with the firewood on her back. Behind her, Aunt Ma kept calling out for her to slow down.

The moment Song Wei walked into the educated youth courtyard, everyone who had just returned from work froze in shock.

The sight was simply too unbelievable.

She looked like a fragile, sickly young lady, yet here she was carrying an enormous load of firewood.

Li Juan blinked.

“Song Wei… h-how did you gather so much firewood?”

She quickly stepped forward to help, only to realize how unbelievably heavy it was.

Song Wei had actually carried all this down the mountain.

And there was even a thick tree trunk tucked under one arm.

Li Juan was completely impressed.

She couldn’t even lift a basket that heavy.

Never judge a book by its cover.

“I woke up after you’d all gone to work. I had nothing to do, so I went into the mountains to gather some.”

Liu Linlin sneered.

“Aren’t you supposed to be a patient? You look healthier than the rest of us. Pretending to be sick so you don’t have to work, then running around the mountains? Aren’t you ashamed of taking advantage of everyone’s trust?”

Crack!

Song Wei casually snapped an arm-thick stick in half.

Then she looked at Liu Linlin with an icy gaze.

“Don’t make me slap you while I’m in such a good mood.”

Liu Linlin still remembered getting beaten before.

As humiliated as she felt, she didn’t dare utter another word.

Li Juan immediately spoke up.

“It’s not harvest season. The team leader approved Song Wei’s leave. Going into the mountains to collect firewood isn’t against any rules.”

Although everything in the mountains technically belonged to the collective, there was an unwritten rule.

Large game like wild boars had to be shared with the whole village.

But smaller things belonged to whoever found them.

As long as people didn’t overdo it, nobody cared if someone caught a pheasant or rabbit. Anyone petty enough to report such things would quickly become an outcast.

So Liu Linlin only dared complain with words.

Song Wei stacked the firewood neatly outside her room.

Then everyone noticed what else was inside her basket.

That was the downside of living in the educated youth compound.

If someone brought something back from the mountains, there was almost no way to keep it secret.

“Wow! Song Wei, where did you find so many wild kiwiberries? These are so sweet!”

Li Juan had spent three years in the countryside and knew the mountain produce well.

“They’re delicious.”

Song Wei generously gave Li Juan a share.

No one else got any.

She was protective of her food.

Still, mountain resources were plentiful now, and she didn’t mind being generous to friends.

As for strangers—or people she didn’t get along with—

Why should they get something she’d worked so hard to collect?

“What’s underneath these?”

Unfortunately, someone had absolutely no sense of boundaries.

Seeing Song Wei had no intention of sharing, Xu Laidi simply helped herself.

The shameless woman grabbed several kiwiberries from the basket.

Then her sharp eyes spotted something underneath and immediately reached in.

“AAAAAHHHHH!!”

She had grabbed the head of an enormous snake.

Terrified, she screamed and threw it onto the ground.

Song Wei calmly picked the snake back up.

Then smack!

She whipped Xu Laidi with it before snatching back her stolen fruit.

“What are you doing? Robbing people in broad daylight?”

Recovering from the fright, Xu Laidi stared fixedly at the snake in Song Wei’s hand and shouted, “Why are you making it sound so awful? Aren’t we all educated youths? Shouldn’t we help each other? You’re being so stingy over a few wild kiwiberries. Besides, they grew in the mountains—they don’t belong to you. What’s wrong with me taking a few?”

She actually sounded completely justified.

Song Wei sneered.

“If they’re free for anyone to take, why didn’t you go pick them yourself? I found them, so I’ll give them to whoever I want.”

“Song Wei, did you catch that huge snake in the mountains?”

The other educated youths had all gathered around.

They hadn’t eaten meat in ages.

That snake had to contain a lot of meat.

“The snake came from the mountains, which means it’s collective property.”

One of the male educated youths spoke up.

“Educated Youth Song, you’re not planning to keep it all for yourself, are you? We’re all one family here. You should share it with everyone.”

He looked completely ordinary, but his eyes were full of calculation.

He was notoriously stingy.

Song Wei looked at him.

“So by your logic, every villager should also share whatever they bring back from the mountains? Should I help spread that idea around the village tomorrow?”

The young man immediately shut up.

If those words reached the villagers, the village women would drown him in spit.

“We’re all one family?”

Who among the educated youths didn’t secretly stash away some food?

When it came to meat, who would be foolish enough to share it with so many people?

Even if someone else had caught today’s snake, they would’ve kept it for themselves.

Some educated youths cooked together in small groups.

Others cooked alone.

There was only one iron wok and one communal stove in the compound.

In the early days everyone had eaten together.

But they all came from different parts of the country, with different tastes, habits, and personalities.

Living together inevitably led to conflict.

Two years earlier, several educated youths had even gotten into a fight over unfair food distribution.

After that lesson, communal meals were abandoned.

People either partnered up with friends they got along with or cooked for themselves.

Only during the busy harvest season did everyone cook together.

Song Wei turned to Li Juan.

“Do you know how to cook snake meat?”

Li Juan nodded enthusiastically.

“I do.”

“Come help me.”

Song Wei felt a little embarrassed.

She only knew how to roast, stew, or boil meat.

And everything she cooked tasted awful.

Back in the apocalypse, that didn’t matter.

Mutant animal meat tasted terrible no matter how it was prepared.

People only ate to survive.

But now…

She wanted to eat something delicious.

She’d better not ruin such good ingredients herself.

The others could only watch helplessly as Song Wei and Li Juan carried the snake away.

Their eyes were filled with envy.

“Song Wei has really changed. Before, she definitely would’ve shared the snake meat with Educated Youth Luo…”

A soft, gentle female voice spoke.

Bai Yunjiao glanced tenderly at Luo Yecheng.

“Maybe she still has some misunderstanding about him. Once they talk things through, everything should be fine.”

Luo Yecheng had been in a foul mood all along.

After all, from beginning to end, Song Wei hadn’t looked at him even once.

But Bai Yunjiao’s words stirred something in him.

That’s right.

Song Wei was obviously just angry with him.

It didn’t matter.

He’d simply coax her.

It wasn’t as if she’d never been angry before.

Every previous time, he’d smoothed things over with just a few sweet words.

Luo Yecheng remained completely confident in his own charm.

Now that he’d figured it out, he wasn’t in any hurry.

He decided he’d wait until Song Wei and Li Juan had finished cooking the snake meat before going to find her.