Ye Weiliang let out a light laugh.
“That’s just prejudice. Sure, I’m a new educated youth here, but I haven’t even started working yet. How can you assume I’m incapable?”
Liu Hongxia rolled her eyes dramatically.
“I think you’re just a stubborn little goose.”
“Then let’s make a bet. If I do the work well, you have to apologize to both of us for your prejudice. If I can’t, I’ll apologize to you. How about it?”
Hearing this, many of the team members gathered to watch the showdown.
This was classic Chinese curiosity—people loved to watch a little drama unfold.
Liu Hongxia, provoked by Ye Weiliang’s challenge, immediately nodded.
“Fine, let’s bet. If you lose, you’ll admit it wholeheartedly.”
“Great! You said it yourself. There are plenty of witnesses here from the team,” Ye Weiliang said eagerly.
Though she wasn’t experienced in farm work, her strength was immense. This was a small challenge for her, and she was eager to see this woman proven wrong.
“Alright, I can’t cheat, and you must remember—if you don’t earn five work points, you owe me an apology.”
“No problem,” Ye Weiliang replied confidently.
Most of the team watched with anticipation. They all assumed that a city girl sent to the countryside couldn’t possibly earn five work points easily.
Even the male educated youth were skeptical. After all, Ye Weiliang was only fourteen. How strong could she really be? And this was physical farm labor.
Ye Weiliang picked up a new tool, tested it, and found it quite comfortable. Then she got to work.
Liu Aimin had originally assigned her to cut grass, but the daily maximum for that task was only four points.
Determined to earn five, Ye Weiliang switched tasks—she chose land cultivation instead.
She hadn’t intended to cut grass anyway, so she grabbed the large iron spade.
“You’re just a little girl, shorter than that spade. You’re going to cultivate the land? Stop joking. Just admit you can’t do it. Why torture yourself?” Liu Hongxia sneered.
Ye Weiliang glanced at her but said nothing. She immediately began digging, furrow by furrow.
Many team members had come expecting a spectacle. But what they saw left their jaws dropping.
The delicate, fair-skinned Ye Weiliang was cultivating the land faster than even the most experienced workers.
Even the oxen used for cultivation couldn’t keep up with her speed.
In about half an hour, she had finished two furrows.
Seeing her calm and composed, not even slightly flushed or breathless, everyone felt like a bunch of amateurs.
Just as Ye Weiliang was about to start the third furrow, Liu Aimin called her to stop.
“Alright, Ye, you don’t need to work any further.”
Ye Weiliang looked puzzled.
“Ah? Team Leader, is something wrong? Did I do something wrong?”
She felt she had done perfectly fine, drawing on her experience digging in the orphanage in her previous life. Surely she hadn’t made a mistake?
If she had messed up, she’d have to apologize to Liu Hongxia!
Liu Aimin looked at the cultivated land. How could it not meet standards? It was even better than what their male team members had done.
Suddenly, he felt a bit disdainful toward his own male members. Not even a fourteen-year-old girl, a new educated youth, could be outperformed by them.
“No, no, Ye, you did very well. The land you cultivated alone already earns ten work points. Even if you keep going, I can only credit ten points. So you don’t need to continue.”
Liu Aimin waved his hand, exhausted. How could his team members be so incompetent?
Ye Weiliang finally understood.
“Is that so? Then I’ll stop,” she said, straightening up and wiping the sweat from her forehead. Her eyes stayed fixed on Liu Hongxia. She was waiting for that woman’s apology.
The surrounding team members looked at Ye Weiliang as if she were some kind of prodigy.
Today, she had truly opened their eyes.
If they hadn’t seen it for themselves, they never would have imagined Ye Weiliang could work this efficiently.
The scorekeeper credited Ye Weiliang with ten work points.
Ye Weiliang raised her head toward Liu Hongxia, silently demanding an apology.
Liu Hongxia had seen Ye Weiliang’s work herself and could not argue.
Seeing Ye Weiliang’s gaze fixed on her, the other team members remembered the bet.
“Hongxia, Ye has already earned ten points. Isn’t it time you apologized?”
“Yeah, you saw how hard Ye worked. Apologize now.”
“I swear, I’ve never seen anyone stronger than Ye. Even our male workers might not match her strength.”
“There’s a saying, right? Strong as an ox.”
Ye Weiliang twitched at the phrase—strong as an ox. Clearly, it should have been limitless strength.
In the distance, the Ye family saw her working. Her speed and skill made Song Jingfang start crying again.
Her daughter must have suffered so much.
Early that morning, Ye Jianjun had already sent out secret letters. All the resources that had been allocated to Ye Shiwai were to be retrieved.
From now on, not a single resource would be given to Ye Shiwai.