Liu Hongxia’s face was full of guilt as she spoke sincerely,
“Ye, I’m really sorry! It’s all my fault for not understanding the situation beforehand and underestimating you carelessly. That was wrong of me. I promise I won’t make the same mistake again!”
Hearing such a heartfelt apology, Ye Weiliang’s irritation eased slightly, but she still reminded her firmly,
“Alright, I’ll let it go this time. But next time, don’t forget to prepare proper tools for me.”
She even raised her eyebrow slightly to emphasize her point.
Liu Hongxia hurriedly nodded, saying,
“Mm, I got it! I’ll definitely do that!”
In her heart, she resolved never to deliberately make things difficult for this Ye any longer. Who would have guessed that beneath Ye Weiliang’s soft and cute exterior was a body strong as an ox?
One punch from her could easily leave someone seriously injured.
She didn’t yet know there was a term in the future: “violent loli” or “super-strong loli”—the perfect description for a seemingly gentle girl like Ye Weiliang.
Li Xingxing, looking up to her like a devoted little fan, said,
“Liangliang, you’re amazing! You already earned ten work points. Aren’t you tired? I heard many team members can’t even earn ten points.”
“I’m not tired! You know I’m really strong,” Ye Weiliang replied, shaking her head and flexing her biceps at her.
Ever since receiving the “golden finger” from the King of Hell, along with the blessing of the Spiritual Spring water and Yangyuan Pill, she had never felt tired.
Her gesture amused everyone around.
“Stop gawking and get to work, everyone!” Liu Aimin shouted as he saw the crowd still surrounding Ye Weiliang.
The spectators scattered and busied themselves with their own tasks.
The Beiling Brigade was fairly considerate—once a worker finished their task, they could return early and weren’t required to linger in the fields. Liu Aimin’s method was meant to motivate those who liked to slack off.
By now, Ye Weiliang had earned her ten work points and had no other pressing tasks, so she helped Li Xingxing with her work.
“Liangliang, you don’t have to. I can do it myself,” Li Xingxing protested, “You just cultivated so much land. You should rest for a while.”
Ye Weiliang leaned close to her and whispered,
“Sister Xingxing, I don’t like cooking or doing housework. I’ll help you with the farm work, so you take on more of the chores at home.”
Fieldwork was physically demanding, and delicate Li Xingxing wouldn’t be able to handle much, but chores were comparatively easier.
Hearing this, Li Xingxing agreed. She figured that the family they had lived with earlier had spoiled her too much, making her dislike cooking and housework. If that was the case, she would take care of all the housework and treat Liangliang kindly.
With Ye Weiliang’s help, Li Xingxing earned five work points in just half an hour. They decided to return home first.
They still hadn’t figured out lunch yet and needed to plan what to eat.
“Liangliang, what do you want for lunch?” Li Xingxing asked.
Ye Weiliang thought for a moment and said,
“I’ll go up the mountain and see if I can find some wild game.”
Upon hearing this, worry filled Li Xingxing’s eyes.
“Huh? I heard there are wild boars up there. It’s dangerous!”
“What’s there to fear? You know how strong I am. If a wild boar encounters me, it’s only asking for trouble,” Ye Weiliang replied nonchalantly. She wanted to test just how strong her limitless power really was.
Li Xingxing smiled and said,
“Alright, alright, I know you’re strong. But you still have to be careful, okay?”
Ye Weiliang nodded.
“Mm, I’ll be careful.”
Li Xingxing couldn’t help but feel that she couldn’t treat Ye Weiliang as a mere fourteen-year-old. She seemed more mature and capable than many nineteen- or twenty-year-olds, including Li Xingxing herself. Perhaps it was true what people said: poor children grow up faster.
Li Xingxing decided to go to the brigade to get some vegetables while Ye Weiliang went up the mountain. At the fork in the road, they parted ways.
As Ye Weiliang was thinking about what wild game she might find, someone blocked her path.
She looked up—it was Yi Manyu.
Ye Weiliang really had no patience for such foolish people.
Yet Yi Manyu became even bolder, standing directly in her way wherever Ye moved.
“What? You want me to hit you again?” Ye Weiliang asked coldly.
“Why didn’t you wake me up?”
Yi Manyu angrily pointed at Ye Weiliang’s eyes.
“Move your finger, or I won’t mind snapping it.”
Perhaps recalling the slap she had received from Ye Weiliang before, Yi Manyu sheepishly lowered her finger. But her face remained scowling as she complained,
“Why didn’t you wake me up? I got scolded because of that!”
“Why should I wake you up? Am I your mom or your servant? Think about it—did Sister Xingxing not try to wake you? Or were you the one telling her to get lost?” Ye Weiliang snapped.
“Step aside, or I’ll slap you against the wall so hard you can’t move!” Ye Weiliang shoved Yi Manyu aside.
“You’re spoiled.”
Yi Manyu stomped off crying but helplessly headed toward the work area.
Ye Weiliang had nothing to carry, so she took out a simple kitchen knife from her space—the one she had conveniently taken from the Ye household earlier. It wasn’t as impressive as a large machete, but it was better than nothing.
Along the way, whenever she spotted non-toxic mushrooms or wild vegetables, she picked as many as she could.
By luck, Ye Weiliang stumbled upon a nest of wild rabbits! Even better, one of the does was pregnant!
This was perfect—so many rabbits meant she wouldn’t go hungry.
She couldn’t help smiling, already imagining a delicious rabbit feast in the future.
In her previous life in Sichuan, she loved spicy food; spicy rabbit heads and spicy rabbit meat were among her favorite dishes.
She stored the mother rabbit in her space and mentally constructed a rabbit breeding area, leaving two rabbits tied with vines to carry with her.
Not far away, she spotted several wild chickens and a nest of eggs. She happily muttered,
“Haha, so many wild chickens! One for eating, the rest go into the space to raise.”
Ye Weiliang practiced her techniques from her cultivation manual, throwing stones at the chickens.
Though her aim was a bit off, she managed to hit one wild chicken and collected a nest of eggs.
Undeterred, she thought the next time she’d aim better. These eggs could be cooked with wild onions—surely delicious.
As she prepared to venture further, she spotted a man in the distance.
Her keen eyes recognized him immediately—it was the father of this body, Ye Jianjun.
“Niannian, here’s a wild chicken from Dad. Take it back and cook it…”
Before he could finish, he saw Ye Weiliang carrying a wild chicken and two rabbits.
His eyes reflected both admiration and sorrow.
Admiration for his daughter’s skill—she could hunt on her own.
Sorrow for her suffering—she didn’t need his protection and was already capable of hunting.
Ye Shiwai had been pampered, never touching a chore, sent to a rich island with people to take care of her.
His Niannian, however, was in a backward place, working the land and hunting in the mountains herself.
His heart ached, unsure how to make it up to his daughter.
Usually clever and strategic, Ye Jianjun now felt helpless seeing his beloved daughter struggle.
“Niannian, Dad—”
“Comrade Ye, didn’t I make myself clear yesterday? I’m not here to recognize family; I came to see you get embarrassed.”
“Don’t call yourself ‘Dad.’ You… deserve that?” Ye Weiliang’s words cut bitterly into Ye Jianjun’s heart.
He knew he had failed his daughter, letting her suffer so much, but their family would never give up on reclaiming her.
Even if she always refused, they would persist.