But for now, Zhuang Beiwang still had to help Fu Yanzhi keep his true identity under wraps.
“That young man is the grandson of an old friend of mine from the capital. He’s currently an educated youth assigned to your production brigade. I mentioned your family’s situation to him, and he probably took it to heart. Don’t feel burdened by it. Just accept his kindness.”
Since Zhuang Beiwang had put it that way, Lin Shengxia obediently nodded, even though she was still curious about Fu Yanzhi’s identity.
Not long after she left, Fu Yanzhi also came to see Zhuang Beiwang under the cover of darkness.
Zhuang Beiwang removed the gauze and carefully examined his wound. After confirming that it hadn’t reopened or become infected, he gave Fu Yanzhi an annoyed look.
“You sent that wild rabbit to the Lin family because you wanted to test them, didn’t you?”
Zhuang Beiwang knew Fu Yanzhi’s personality very well.
Fu Yanzhi trusted him because Zhuang Beiwang had been taking care of Old Master Fu’s health for years. Moreover, Zhuang Beiwang’s own banishment to the countryside had been orchestrated by the Fu family’s political enemies.
That was why Fu Yanzhi restrained his temper somewhat whenever he was around the old man.
“Don’t forget who saved your life!”
Did Zhuang Beiwang really not notice that there was something unusual about Lin Shengxia?
Of course he did.
But Lin Shengxia was a child he had watched grow up. She had also become involved in Fu Yanzhi’s situation because of him.
Deep down, Zhuang Beiwang didn’t want Fu Yanzhi to become suspicious of her.
“You know as well as I do that Western medicine has always been strictly controlled. But the medicine that girl provided was almost too effective, whether you look at the dosage or its effects.”
Fu Yanzhi didn’t want to suspect Lin Shengxia either.
However, he had come to the countryside precisely because he was carrying out a secret mission.
“Don’t worry. Once I confirm that the Lin family has nothing to do with the people behind the attack on me, I’ll make sure to look after them properly for your sake.”
Only after hearing this did Zhuang Beiwang give a quiet snort of agreement.
Naturally, Lin Shengxia knew nothing about the conversation that took place after she left.
Ever since she could no longer gather wild vegetables from the mountain, she had spent the past two days thinking carefully about her current situation.
Aside from wild fish, what else could she provide to the people in 2026?
She tossed and turned over the question all night and barely slept.
Hearing his daughter constantly shifting around, Lin Qizheng couldn’t help feeling concerned.
So when he went up the mountain to set his fishing nets the next morning, he took Lin Shengxia with him.
“Even if you can’t sell those wild vegetables anymore, like you said, the savings we have now are more than enough for us to live comfortably in the production brigade. Don’t put so much pressure on yourself.”
Lin Shengxia hadn’t expected her father to notice her anxiety.
She sighed softly.
“Dad, the problem is with me. Making money had been so easy these past few days that I started getting carried away. Now that things have suddenly returned to normal, I’ve become anxious. Don’t worry. I can adjust my mindset.”
Lin Qizheng didn’t doubt her in the slightest.
If anything, from the moment their family had been sent down to the Maisui Production Brigade, Lin Shengxia had actually been the quickest among them to accept their new circumstances.
Father and daughter chatted as they walked and soon arrived beside the stream.
With practiced ease, Lin Qizheng placed a spoonful of bait into the fishing net before casually casting it into the water.
Once the net was set, father and daughter hid beside some rocks along the riverbank and waited for the fish and shrimp to take the bait.
Neither of them noticed that not far away, Fu Yanzhi was watching their every movement without blinking.
What Fu Yanzhi hadn’t expected was for the Lin father and daughter to come up the mountain to fish so early in the morning!
At first, he assumed the Lin family was simply fishing to improve their meals.
But before long, Lin Qizheng began pulling in the net, inch by inch.
The next moment, Fu Yanzhi nearly thought his eyes were playing tricks on him!
The Lin family’s fishing net was absolutely packed with wild fish.
They were crammed together head to head, with barely enough room to even turn around!
Even stranger was the reaction of the Lin father and daughter.
Judging by their expressions, they seemed completely accustomed to such an unbelievable catch.
His curiosity thoroughly aroused, Fu Yanzhi unconsciously followed the Lin family down the mountain and watched them enter the ruined temple.
He assumed no one from the Lin family would leave again today.
But not long afterward, the back door of the ruined temple opened from the inside.
Then he saw Lin Shengxia emerge wearing a rather strange set of clothes.
And immediately afterward—
She disappeared!
She vanished into thin air right before his eyes!
After the back door of the ruined temple closed, Fu Yanzhi quietly approached.
He carefully examined the door and confirmed that it was nothing more than an ordinary wooden door. There was absolutely nothing unusual about it.
The shock in his heart was almost impossible to describe.
But one thing became painfully clear.
The Lin family’s secret was far stranger than he had ever imagined!
Fu Yanzhi went to see Wen Songbai and simply told him that he needed to take another day off.
Naturally, Wen Songbai had no objections.
After all, even the commune leaders had personally instructed them to take good care of Fu Yanzhi!
However, when He Zhiyu heard that Fu Yanzhi wasn’t going to work again today, he couldn’t help sneering.
“Educated Youth Fu sure has it easy. He works whenever he feels like it, and whenever he doesn’t, all he has to do is tell the brigade leader. Must be nice to have that kind of influence…”
He was still muttering complaints to himself when Wen Songbai’s indifferent voice suddenly came from behind him.
“Since Educated Youth He is so dissatisfied, why don’t I give you the day off too? Just don’t start complaining when the grain is distributed later and you don’t have enough to eat, then come asking the brigade to sell you extra grain.”
He Zhiyu hadn’t expected Wen Songbai to overhear a couple of casual complaints.
Worse still, the meaning behind Wen Songbai’s words made it perfectly clear that the man looked down on him!
And truthfully, Wen Songbai really did look down on him.
He was a grown man, yet he dragged his feet whenever there was work to do. He had never earned more than six work points in a day and couldn’t even compare with many of the female educated youths!
Yet he was constantly comparing himself with Educated Youth Fu!
Whenever Fu Yanzhi actually showed up for work, he earned full work points every single day.
Even if Fu Yanzhi took another half month off, He Zhiyu still wouldn’t be able to catch up with him.
Naturally, He Zhiyu noticed the contempt in Wen Songbai’s eyes.
His hands tightened around his hoe.
But he also knew that in the Maisui Production Brigade, neither the village chief nor the brigade leader was someone he could afford to offend casually.
If either of them showed even the slightest intention of making things difficult for him, his life here would become far harder than it already was.
Wen Songbai had no intention of wasting time arguing with him.
Seeing that He Zhiyu had fallen silent, he continued walking along the ridge between the fields, quietly inspecting the crops.
Meanwhile, Fu Yanzhi—the very man He Zhiyu had been complaining about—was currently perched high in a tree.
Hidden completely among the dense leaves and branches, he stared unblinkingly at the back door of the ruined temple.
At that very moment, Lin Shengxia, who was in 2026, had no idea that someone was waiting for her to return.
She explained to the familiar neighborhood customers that after today, she probably wouldn’t have any more wild vegetables to sell.
She still had plenty of wild fish, but fish had a strong smell, so Lin Shengxia never brought too many at once. She always kept them carefully sealed in buckets because she was afraid the smell might affect Li Xiangqin’s steamed bun business.
Now that she no longer had wild vegetables to sell, she didn’t plan to continue setting up a stall at Li Xiangqin’s shop just to sell fish.
Auntie Li helped her because she was kindhearted.
If Lin Shengxia took advantage of that kindness and cared only about making money for herself, she would be pushing her luck far too much.