RYEY -Chapter 426 Taking Schadenfreude

It wasn’t easy to get the truck started. By the time it finally roared to life, Uncle Niu and Wang Xiangyang hurried over. It turned out Uncle Niu had gone to advance next year’s work points—Hexi was far away, and he had to have some cash and ration coupons in his pocket.

“Niqiu, Niqiu—”

“Master, don’t worry and go,” Niqiu replied. “I’m here at home. I’ll come by your place every day. I won’t let that house of yours fall into ruin.”

Hearing this, Uncle Niu finally relaxed. Taking on a disciple really was a good thing—just like Ye Jun taking Cheng Qiao as his apprentice. No telling how happy that made him.

Wang Xiangyang jumped onto the truck and spoke in private with Cheng Qiao inside the wooden cabin. He truly couldn’t bear to part with Li Huan. Without Li Huan, Wang Xiangyang felt as if his heart would be bottomless and unsteady.

“Xiangyang, you can do it,” Cheng Qiao said. “Your only shortcoming is that you’re not ruthless enough, not decisive enough. Now that Uncle Chen is here, you’ve got help. Oh—and after I leave, keep an eye on my cellar. There are things in there you’ll need.”

Wang Xiangyang knew at once what Li Huan had left for him—surely those precious wheat seeds. For a moment, he didn’t know what to say.

“Get down now,” Li Huan urged. “The engine’s running—we can’t stop for long. It burns fuel. Oh, and when you have time, go to the county town and check on Shouhou and the others. If you need help, you can go to them, got it?”

“I get it,” Wang Xiangyang said. “Have a smooth journey, Brother Huan. Write to me as soon as you arrive.”

Li Huan nodded and watched Wang Xiangyang get off. He felt just as reluctant to part. Sigh—there are no banquets that never end. He hoped Wang Xiangyang would grow quickly through hardship.

The truck slowly set off, villagers following behind on foot. As the wheels spun faster, Aunt Wang ran a few steps after the truck, shouting for them to come home and visit when they had time. It made Li Huan and Cheng Qiao ache with sadness.

Xiao Dan deliberately slowed the truck. In the rearview mirror he saw Chen Xiaoniu also chasing after them for a couple of steps, waving both hands nonstop, until Ermao caught her. He felt deeply reluctant as well.

Hu Lata, sitting in the passenger seat, watched the scene with mixed feelings. His desire to take Li Huan as a disciple only grew more urgent. Once they reached Hexi, he’d assess the situation and bring Li Huan under his wing as soon as possible—that was the sensible course.

Uncle Niu entered the little wooden cabin with confidence. He had built it himself, and it was very well done. There was not only a bed, but under it a small fire-heated basin that could be lit without catching fire.

To the left of the door he’d built a stove-like frame, with a coal burner set inside and two ventilation pipes leading straight outside the cabin. The frame was large, with room beside it to store plenty of coal, so there was no worry about running out on the road. On the other side of the door was a row of cabinets for pots, bowls, and the like.

The cabinet doors could be locked from the outside by inserting a wooden rod, so even if the truck jolted, nothing inside would fall out. At the foot of the bed there was also a wardrobe to store bedding and spare clothes. In the middle he’d left a large open space—set up a big table and it could double as a dining area.

“Uncle Niu, this cabin you built is great,” Li Huan said. “You could live in it temporarily.”

Uncle Niu smugly pulled out the coal heater from under the bed, lit it deftly, covered it with a wire mesh lid, and pushed it back in. Before long, Li Huan felt the bed growing much warmer, the chill that had just crept into his body slowly being pressed down.

Uncle Niu didn’t stop there—he went on to light the coal stove as well. Cheng Qiao glanced at her watch and understood his intent. She took out three coal stoves in total. Uncle Niu lit all of them without ceremony: one to boil water, one to cook rice, and one to simmer a pot of chicken soup.

The bed in the wooden cabin was near the front of the truck. Uncle Niu had also opened a window on the side of the bed near the driver’s seat. He climbed onto the bed, opened the window, stuck his head out, and roared at Xiao Dan.

Xiao Dan had been driving faster and faster, enjoying himself more and more. Uncle Niu’s shout startled him so badly that he immediately lifted his foot off the accelerator, not knowing what he’d done wrong.

Hu Lata’s hearing was extremely sharp. He’d already heard everything from the cabin behind. Uncle Niu was annoyed because the driving was too unsteady—the water on the stove was about to slosh out.

“Want to eat rice and drink chicken soup at noon?” Hu Lata asked with a grin.

Xiao Dan instantly understood why Uncle Niu had been so angry. He really had been foolish—getting scolded was well deserved.

Feeling the truck steady out, Uncle Niu relaxed and sat down in a corner, chatting with Li Huan and even catching a little nap.

Cheng Qiao quickly used the wardrobe at the foot of the bed to pull out a thick quilt and lay it on the floor. That way, even if someone fell asleep, they wouldn’t get cold.

Sitting on the thick quilt, Uncle Niu’s body swayed gently with the truck’s motion. He was so excited that he clearly explained his purpose for going to Hexi.

Li Huan and Cheng Qiao were both happy for him. If Xiao Dan’s elder brother really was the child Uncle Niu had lost all those years ago, then Uncle Niu’s lifelong wish would finally be fulfilled.

As all the stoves burned steadily, the temperature in the cabin rose. Uncle Niu took off his military overcoat—the very one Li Huan had given him.

“Huan-boy, you’ve suffered this time,” Uncle Niu said. “Good thing Qiao-girl is capable. You’ve got good fortune ahead. When I find my son, I’ll finally put my mind at ease and be able to go down and see his mother.”

Cheng Qiao and Li Huan nodded in unison. They understood his feelings perfectly—just like when Cheng Li had gone missing, how anxious the two of them had been.

The cabin grew warmer and warmer. The chicken soup began to give off its distinctive aroma. Cheng Qiao tossed a few slices of ginseng into the soup, then, behind Uncle Niu’s back, produced some vegetables and meat and quickly stir-fried them.

When the truck reached Spring City, Cheng Qiao didn’t go take a look at the grocery store. She didn’t want Li Huan’s mother to know his current condition, lest it cause her distress.

Xiao Dan parked the truck in a corner. He and Hu Lata climbed into the rear cabin. As soon as the door opened, a wave of warmth rushed toward them.

Stepping inside, they saw a low table set up in the open space in the middle. The fragrance of the chicken soup had already filled Hu Lata’s nose. He couldn’t wait—he sat straight down on the floor, grabbed a bowl, ladled himself a serving, and drank it in one go.

The warm chicken soup not only satisfied his taste buds immensely; it warmed his stomach too, making him sigh in comfort.

“Leader,” Uncle Niu said with a laugh, “my little rascal really got poisoned this time. Poor little rascal—he’s finally tasted some hardship. Hahaha, serves him right!”

Hu Lata froze. Why was this Uncle Niu taking such schadenfreude in Li Huan being poisoned? Were they sworn enemies? He couldn’t help casting a suspicious glance at Li Huan and Cheng Qiao.

Li Huan shook his head. He’d been far too mischievous as a child—an incorrigible troublemaker. There wasn’t a single person in the village who hadn’t hated him.

And Uncle Niu had always thought that the “poison” Li Huan took was like eating something bad—just a bout of stomach pain and diarrhea for a couple of days before it passed. That was why he felt Li Huan suffering a bit was actually a good thing.