By the time Chen Shi came back carrying several bowls—some new, some old—the broken ones had already been patched up. They were exactly the ones Lin Erxia had smashed earlier.
Back then, people wouldn’t dare waste things like that. Even if a bowl broke clean in two, it could still be repaired and used again—no need to spend extra money.
Soon after, Lin Dayong returned with the rest of the family. By then, the meal had already been prepared.
As Chen Shi carried the bowls into the kitchen, she shot Lin Erxia a few irritated looks. Feeling guilty, Lin Erxia avoided her gaze.
After everyone washed up and gathered around the table, Lin Erxia and the others began serving the food. Chen Shi felt puzzled—why was Fifth Girl smiling so brightly, while the eldest branch all looked so gloomy?
Had their situations reversed? How could the eldest family not even manage to deal with a little girl?
Once Chen Shi finished portioning the food, Lin Erxia suddenly asked with a grin,
“Grandma, how does today’s meal taste?”
Chen Shi frowned and took a bite of sweet potato.
“What’s wrong with this sweet potato? The skin isn’t even—”
“Grandma, Zhuer washed those sweet potatoes,” Lin Erxia said, eyes wide and smiling.
“The skin isn’t even… I mean, I didn’t expect them to be washed this clean—and they’re so sweet too,” Chen Shi quickly corrected herself.
She looked suspiciously at the eldest daughter-in-law. Since when did Zhuer know how to do chores?
Lin Erxia chuckled inwardly. Her grandmother was clearly playing favorites again.
But seeing Lin Zhuer blush from the praise, Lin Erxia wasn’t about to let the opportunity slip.
“Sixth, Grandma praised you. You’ve got to keep it up and reach new heights!”
Lin Zhuer was the sixth among the sisters, so Lin Erxia often just called her “Sixth.”
Lin Zhuer hurriedly nodded with a smile. “Mm! Next time I’ll cook for Grandma!”
Chen Shi: That really wasn’t necessary—she only felt sorry for Zhuer.
Sun Xiaoyun, however, was practically panicking. She hadn’t expected Lin Erxia to pull something like this—and Zhuer even cooperated so enthusiastically. That Fifth Girl was becoming more and more unpredictable, and it made her uneasy.
Nearby, Lin Yongshun winked exaggeratedly at Lin Erxia, looking rather ridiculous. Beside him, Lin Yubao leaned in, whispering something in his ear—it seemed he had already told him everything that happened in the courtyard.
Lin Erxia could more or less guess Lin Zhuer’s mindset. At the end of the day, she was just a simple, obedient child.
The only reason she started doing chores was curiosity. The more Sun Xiaoyun forbade her, the more curious she became. Trying it for the first time, she found it fun—and now that she’d been praised, her confidence had soared, giving her even more motivation.
In short, for Lin Zhuer, doing chores was like a hobby. For the rest of them, it was survival. Two completely different worlds, viewing the same thing in entirely different ways.
Lin Zhuer’s unusual behavior also caught Lin Dayong’s attention. But seeing that she was only doing light tasks like washing vegetables, they let her be.
Only Lin Yuliang gave Lin Erxia a long, thoughtful look before lowering his head and continuing to eat in silence.
Some people enjoyed the meal; others found it tasteless.
After eating, Lin Erxia raised her brows and smiled at Lin Zhuer.
“Sixth, want to try clearing the table and washing the dishes?”
Seeing Lin Zhuer’s eyes light up again, Sun Xiaoyun was so startled she shuddered and hurriedly began clearing the table herself.
“These are your mother’s tasks—you can’t take them!”
With that, she moved like a blur, rushing into the kitchen to wash the dishes, leaving Lin Zhuer looking slightly disappointed.
Lin Erxia glanced at the now spotless table and smiled faintly at her mother, Zhao Lanhua. She quietly took the credit without saying a word—after all, this had originally been her mother’s chore.
After lunch, they could rest for a while before going back to work. The weather was scorching now, with midday temperatures reaching 37–38°C, so afternoon work didn’t start until 2:30.
Their house was built with walls made from a mixture of straw and mud, with old tiles for a roof. Even so, it was considered quite good in the village.
The large windows helped with ventilation, and several poplar trees behind the house blocked the harsh midday sun. Even though it was blazing hot outside, the inside stayed tolerable—cool enough to sleep.
After a midday nap and a good stretch to ease some of the fatigue, they headed back out into the still-blazing afternoon sun. It felt like being inside a steamer, moisture constantly evaporating from their skin. Even the wind carried heat, making people restless.
The three Lin sisters headed together to the wheat field. Along the way, they passed a large pit filled with stagnant water. Though the water never seemed to dry up year-round, it was now relatively shallow—only waist-deep near the edges.
Willow branches drooped over the surface, sunlight filtering through in mottled patches. Some children had already stripped down and were splashing around in the water. From not far away came the scolding voices of parents, sending the children into a frenzy of squeals and splashing.
The afternoon work was the same as the morning—just in a different field.
Lin Ailian looked wilted from the sun but still kept herself tightly covered.
Over the next few days, Lin Erxia didn’t miss a single day of work. The tasks were mostly weeding, cutting pig fodder, catching insects, watering crops—earning about six or seven work points a day.
At that time, pesticides weren’t widely available. Each village could only receive a limited supply from the commune, so it was far from enough. Pest control had to be done manually.
There was hardly any entertainment in this era—or perhaps none was needed. After dinner and washing up, people would collapse into bed from exhaustion, fall asleep instantly, then wake up the next morning refreshed and ready for another day of labor.
One day, Lin Erxia was assigned to pick chili peppers in the vegetable field. Lin Ailian went to cut pig fodder instead—that job was easier, but it only earned five work points a day, so she went alone.
Just as Lin Erxia was about to start, she noticed a shadow beside her. Turning around, she saw her father, Lin Yongshun. She was about to ask why he was there, but then noticed he was holding the same kind of bag as hers—apparently, he’d been assigned the same task today.
The key point was that everyone around them were older women or young wives—there wasn’t a single able-bodied man in sight. After all, this job only earned six work points; men usually did work worth nine or ten.
Under the watchful gazes of the women, Lin Yongshun remained completely unfazed. That, in itself, was quite a skill. Lin Erxia silently put a question mark in her mind.
From afar, an older woman called out loudly,
“Yongshun, did you come to the wrong place? This is where your wife should be!”
Lin Yongshun replied confidently,
“Why can’t men do this kind of work? That’s discrimination! The Chairman said men and women are equal—I’ll report you to the village head!”
Nice—he even escalated it and turned the tables.
A young wife beside the older woman laughed,
“Poor Sister Lanhua—working like a man all day, exhausted. It’s because her husband’s useless, just a pretty decoration.”
Lin Yongshun spat and retorted,
“My wife’s willing to support me because I look good! Why don’t you take a look in the mirror? You’re as dark as a mudfish egg—aren’t you afraid of scaring people?”
Lin Yongshun had no habit of avoiding arguments with women—if anything, his tongue was sharper than theirs. The older woman and the young wife were so angry they spat in his direction before turning away, unwilling to continue.
Lin Yongshun puffed up with pride like a victorious general, even glancing around at the others. Everyone nearby immediately lowered their heads and busied themselves picking chili peppers.
The third son of Captain Lin’s family was becoming more and more shameless—his words were simply too harsh. No one wanted to argue with him.
Lin Erxia felt utterly speechless about her father—just like the last time.