Grinding her teeth in frustration, Lin Erxia finished the remaining work Lin Yongshun had left behind. By the time she was done, not a single person was left around.
The team leader, Lin Jianjun, looked at her with a complicated expression. He’d heard of fathers dragging their sons down, but never imagined one could drag down his own daughter like this. Poor girl—stuck with such an unreliable dad.
Lin Erxia apologized to him, “Brother Jianjun, it’s so hot today, and I made you stay this late with me. I’m really sorry.”
It couldn’t be helped—if any team member didn’t finish their work, the team leader couldn’t leave either. Lin Jianjun looked to be in his thirties, but since they were of the same generation, Lin Erxia naturally called him “brother.”
“It’s fine. It’s getting late anyway. Let’s hurry and put the tools in the warehouse and head back for dinner.”
The two of them quickened their pace to the storage shed, then headed home.
By the time Lin Erxia got back, dinner had already started. Seeing Lin Yongshun sitting there eating, the air around her seemed to drop a few degrees.
Lin Yongshun turned his head, saw her dark expression, and gave her a fawning smile.
“Erxia, hurry and wash up and eat. Your grandma cooked eggs today—I saved some for you.”
Lin Erxia rinsed a towel with clean water, wiped her flushed face, and walked over to the table, plopping down beside Lin Dachun.
The moment she sat, Lin Yongshun hurriedly handed her a bowl of rice—packed with sweet potatoes, a bit of rice underneath, and two pieces of egg on top.
Lin Erxia picked up the bowl and started eating in big mouthfuls, staring at Lin Yongshun as she chewed deliberately, making him too uneasy to meet her gaze.
The others at the table didn’t know what was going on. Lin Dayong didn’t look at her either, chatting with Lin Yongfeng and Lin Yongping about recent work while eating.
Lin Yuliang knew a bit but stayed silent. Lin Zhuer glanced at Lin Erxia curiously.
Sun Xiaoyun had already been intimidated by Lin Erxia. These past few days, Lin Zhuer had suddenly become enthusiastic about working, and Sun Xiaoyun had to rack her brains to stop her, even earning a pout of dissatisfaction.
Chen Shi, however, muttered under her breath:
“Coming back this late from work—like you were doing anything heavy. Just waiting to eat when you get home, making your father serve you, and still pulling that long face. What a debt collector—we must owe you in a past life.”
Lin Yongshun was startled and quickly cut her off. “Mom, I was exhausted this morning—almost got heatstroke. I stayed home to rest this afternoon.”
That instantly made Chen Shi forget defending him earlier. She burst into a tirade, her spit flying indiscriminately across the table and into the dishes.
“Tired, tired, tired! Like you’re the only one who knows what tired means! Third son, if you dare skip work, I’ll break your legs! And don’t even think about sitting at the table to eat—you can eat with the pigs!”
Lin Yongshun, long used to this, was completely unfazed. He replied irritably:
“Alright, alright, I got it. I’ll go this afternoon. But look at you—spitting like a waterfall. Look at the foam on the eggplant—who can even eat that?”
He tossed down his chopsticks. “I’m not eating.”
Then he walked off casually, leaving behind a roaring Chen Shi. The rest quickly shielded their bowls, no one daring to touch the dishes on the table.
At this point, Chen Shi had forgotten all about Lin Erxia, continuing to curse Lin Yongshun in endlessly varied ways.
Lin Erxia didn’t care. What she had in her bowl was enough—especially with those two small pieces of egg. Taking a bite, she nearly sighed in bliss. Ah, so fragrant… I really miss the days when eggs were freely available.
When it was time for the midday rest, Lin Yongshun sneaked into the girls’ room again. Lin Erxia still ignored him.
With a grin, he said, “Erxia, still mad? Your dad went to the commune to buy you something good.”
As he spoke, he produced three pieces of White Rabbit milk candy.
“See? Your dad dotes on you. One each for the three of you. Even your little brother only got fruit candy.”
Lin Sanqiu’s eyes lit up. She eagerly took them and handed one each to Lin Dachun and Lin Erxia.
She unwrapped hers immediately and popped it into her mouth—glutinous rice paper and all—her face instantly blooming with happiness.
Back then, White Rabbit milk candy was a real luxury. People said seven pieces equaled a glass of milk—at least it showed it was made with milk.
And it wasn’t easy to buy either—you needed coupons, and even then you had to fight for it.
Lin Yongshun looked at Lin Erxia expectantly. No matter how angry she’d been, her expression softened, a hint of a smile appearing.
He finally breathed a sigh of relief. When Erxia was angry, she was downright terrifying—more like the parent than he was.
Seeing things had calmed down, he clapped his hands lightly and left the room in a relaxed mood.
Lin Sanqiu looked at Lin Dachun and Lin Erxia staring at their candies, chewing carefully, and mumbled,
“Big sis, second sis… why aren’t you eating?”
Lin Dachun looked at the candy in her hand with a complicated expression. “We’re about to sleep. I’ll eat it this afternoon.”
She placed it beside her pillow.
Lin Erxia, on the other hand, didn’t hesitate. She unwrapped the blue-and-white wrapper and tossed the creamy candy into her mouth. In this weather, it melted easily.
The White Rabbit candy was rich with milk flavor, its sweetness seeping into her heart, lifting her mood instantly.
Sure enough, sugar really did make people feel better—and even made her midday nap more pleasant. That good mood lasted the entire day.
They worked every day, only getting rest when it rained—and summer storms always came suddenly and fiercely.
When they woke from their nap, dark clouds already pressed low in the sky, and a torrential downpour had begun. Thunder rumbled as raindrops, driven by wind, pounded against the old roof tiles, creating an irregular rhythm.
The heavy rain not only gave them a break but also carried away the heat. The strong winds stayed outside the courtyard, only their remnants brushing against Lin Erxia’s face as she stood in the doorway.
The damp breeze brought refreshing coolness, lifting her spirits.
Summer rain came fast and left just as quickly. The dark clouds drifted southeast, the torrential rain softened into a drizzle, and then disappeared—leaving behind only muddy ground as proof it had been there.
Looking at the puddled courtyard, Lin Dachun said, “This rain came just right—not too heavy, not too light. We won’t need to work this afternoon.”
Sure enough, word came that there was no work that afternoon, giving them time to rest.
But their rest didn’t last long. Lin Erhua and Lin Sanhua came to invite them to the eastern forest to cut pig fodder—and maybe pick some mushrooms.
The three sisters followed along, wearing their homemade straw sandals, unafraid of the muddy paths.
The forest was vast, covering over a hundred mu, filled with poplar trees. It was said that this forest had once saved nearby villages from starvation over a decade ago.
Over the years, as people no longer needed to eat tree bark, the forest had gradually recovered, now lush and green. It was even said to have wild chickens and rabbits.
The undergrowth was thick, with plenty of pig fodder. By the time the five sisters arrived, many others were already there. They chose a different direction and went deeper inside, quickly finding abundant grass.
There were also many large white mushrooms. Some were inedible, but they could tell the difference—they had gathered here before.
Their harvest was plentiful—two baskets full, plus three large back-baskets of pig fodder. After tidying up, they prepared to head back.