I was reborn after my cousin stole my life.

Chapter 33: Borrowing Books

The meal was a pleasure for both the host and guests.

After the meal, Chunmei and the others didn't leave immediately. They helped Yuanxiu clean up the kitchen before leaving.

After a busy afternoon, Yuan Xiu was covered in the smell of cooking oil and smoke, and even her clothes smelled of braised meat.

She boiled two kettles of water on the stove, poured all the water into a bucket, and carried it out of the kitchen.

He had only taken two steps when Jiang Zhou took the bucket from his hand.

He easily carried most of the bucket of water into the toilet.

After leaving the toilet, he pumped half a bucket of cold water from the well and carried it back to the toilet.

"Is there anything else?"

Yuan Xiu paused for a moment, then said, "No, I don't need anything. Thank you."

Jiang Zhou glanced at her. "If anyone should be thanking someone, it should be me thanking you. You've worked hard today."

Yuan Xiu smiled and shook her head, "It's nothing, you don't need to be so polite."

"Yes, it's nothing, why are you being so polite?"

Yuan Xiu finally realized what was happening, gave an embarrassed laugh, went into the bedroom to grab her sleeping clothes, and then went into the bathroom.

After she finished showering, Jiang Zhou put down the book he was half-reading and took half a bucket of water to wash up.

Yuan Xiu fell asleep quickly and didn't even know when Jiang Zhou came in. She only knew that when she opened her eyes, it was already the next morning.

There was no one around.

She got dressed, got out of bed, and went out of the bedroom. She heard noises coming from the kitchen.

When I got to the kitchen door, I saw Jiang Zhou making breakfast, wearing an apron she had made from the fabric everyone had given her over the past two days.

Porridge was simmering on the stove, bubbling and steaming.

On another stove, Jiang Zhou was about to pour the leftovers from last night into the pot.

With a sizzling sound, a fragrant aroma wafted over.

"Get up." She noticed him as soon as she arrived in Jiangzhou. "Go wash up first, then we'll have breakfast right away."

"...Oh, okay."

A kettle sat on the floor above the washstand. Yuan Xiu touched it and found it contained hot water.

By the time she finished washing up, Jiang Zhou had already set breakfast on the table.

They didn't go inside to eat; instead, they set up a small table under the eaves and ate breakfast outside.

The weather is great today. It's only 7:30, and the sunlight is already shining through the clouds into the courtyard.

Yuan Xiu took a sip of the porridge, which contained a sweet potato. The sweet potato's unique sweetness made the porridge exceptionally delicious.

"You still cook?"

Yuan Xiu finally asked the question she wanted to ask.

She really didn't expect Jiang Zhou to be able to cook. Among the men she had met in her previous life, those who could cook, or rather, those who were willing to go into the kitchen, were very few and far between.

Even when her father was alive, she rarely went into the kitchen.

Not to mention the other men in the Yuan family.

In the village, men who are so poor that they can't get enough to eat every day, as long as they have an elderly mother and a wife, don't have to cook.

It seems that the kitchen is inherently associated with women.

Jiang Zhou countered, "Does being able to cook rice and vegetables count as being able to cook?"

Yuan Xiu: "...I guess so."

Jiang Zhou nodded, "Then I will do it."

Yuan Xiu: "..."

Jiang Zhou continued, "Before my dad was demobilized, my mom and I lived with him in the army. We mostly ate in the canteen. After he was demobilized, both my mom and he had jobs. When they didn't have time to cook for me, I cooked for myself. Later, when I joined the army, I ate in the battalion canteen."

This was the second time Jiang Zhou had mentioned his mother to Yuan Xiu.

Yuan Xiu was actually quite curious; to this day, she didn't even know her mother-in-law's name.

"Oh, I see. I often cook at home. My parents pass away early, and I live with my grandparents..."

The two ate and chatted, revealing many things the other didn't know, which increased their understanding of each other.

In the morning, Yuan Xiu went to the library that Jiang Zhou had mentioned.

In the small room, there were several bookshelves and a few long desks in the middle.

There weren't many books on the bookshelf; most were revolutionary books, along with some newspapers and magazines.

There are also a few books on agriculture and hygiene, as well as some on industry.

Yuan Xiu saw a "Barefoot Doctor" manual, took it off the bookshelf and flipped through it. She had a copy of this book in her previous life, so she could borrow it and read it a couple more times.

Besides this book, she also found a revolutionary novel called "Song of Youth." She didn't know what it was about, but seeing the word "youth" on it made her want to read it. In short, if it was listed here, it must be readable.

Those things that couldn't be seen were burned to ashes years ago.

For example, some of her maternal grandfather's medical books that have been passed down for centuries.

"Comrade, may I borrow these two books?"

Yuan Xiu handed the book in her hand to the staff member sitting at the door.

The staff member was quite young, probably around twenty-five or twenty-six years old, and was a woman.

When Yuan Xiu came in, he chatted with her for a few minutes; she was also a military dependent.

Yuan Xiu learned that most of the military dependents actually had jobs arranged for them. Those with education and ability would be assigned to teaching positions in schools or working in hospitals.

Service centers, markets, canteens, daycare centers, guesthouses, and family factories will also be arranged according to the capabilities of military families.

Sister Xiulan was assigned to work in the family factory, where she was responsible for sewing and making military uniforms and bedding for the troops.

Chunmei's family has little burden, with only one child, Xiaojun, so she doesn't go to work and stays home to take care of the child.

Sister-in-law Guiying is the same; she has elderly relatives with limited mobility at home to take care of, so she hasn't gone to work.

Of course, not all military dependents can be assigned such positions, as there aren't many available.

Priority will be given to military dependents with heavy family burdens.

Yuan Xiu felt that the possibility of being assigned a job in the short term was very small. First, she and Jiang Zhou had no burdens. Second, she was not highly educated, only having a junior high school education. Even if there was a shortage of people for positions such as medical care or teaching, it would not be her turn.